The emperor just doesn't treat everyone equally, and it's none of my business!

In a palace, there are quite a few people, from the palace maids and eunuchs in charge to the palace maids and eunuchs who do rough work. Because the second prince is in Yong'an Palace, the number of people is even greater.

The emperor issued an order to summon them, and naturally the people below acted quickly. Soon all the palace maids from Yong'an Palace arrived.

Shangguan Yan looked at the palace maids below and suddenly remembered the palace maid in the pond today. She seemed to be from Song Xiuyi's palace.

Shangguan Yan waved to Yunzhi, and Yunzhi walked to Shangguan Yan's side. Shangguan Yan whispered a few words in her ear, and Yunzhi went downstairs.

Gu Shijin watched all these people's performances, and when he saw Yunzhi retreat, a look of deep thought flashed in his eyes.

Gu Shijin also thought of the palace maid in the pond, but if she was really the one who gave the two eunuchs wine, then this method was too crude.

Besides, Song Xiuyi has been in the palace for so many years and has handled such an important matter, so why would she find two such unreliable eunuchs?

Gu Shijin was really confused. Everyone present could be the murderer, or it was possible that everyone present was innocent.

Anyway, judging from their appearance, they all seemed extremely calm and there was no recognizable flaw at all.

"Is everyone here?" Lu Junze looked at Su Deyuan.

"Your Majesty, everyone is here."

As soon as Lu Junze raised his hand, Song Shi took Li Ming to identify the person.

"Look carefully." Song Shi said sternly.

"Yes Yes Yes."

Just as Gu Shijin expected, after walking around, Li Ming still couldn't find the palace maid who brought him the wine.

Li Ming knelt on the ground with a thud and said, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, I was not mistaken. That maid is from Yong'an Palace. Your Majesty, you must believe me!"

"Your Majesty, there is also someone in the Second Prince's Womb. It must be someone in the Second Prince's Womb."

"Bang!" Song Xiuyi slammed the table and looked at Li Ming fiercely, "How dare you frame the prince!"

"Your Majesty, I didn't, I really saw it!" Li Ming was very anxious, wondering why the palace maid disappeared.

Shangguan Yan looked at Li Ming, then at Song Xiuyi, and finally turned to look at Lu Junze. She said, "Your Majesty, today, I and Concubine De and a few others met a palace maid in the Imperial Garden. She seemed to be from Yong'an Palace."

"Oh?" Lu Junze raised his eyebrows, "What a coincidence."

"Yes, I also think it's a coincidence that Concubine Jin and Concubine Ning were the first to discover it."

Lu Junze nodded and said, "If that's the case, bring the person up for Li Ming to see."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Shangguan Yan clapped his hands, and Yunzhi, who was waiting outside, came in with two guards carrying the palace maid.

The people in the palace are all shrewd and can tell at a glance that the person is dead.

People like Defei who went to watch it with her today had already guessed it, and the others probably understood it too.

"Your Majesty, this is the palace maid." Shangguan Yan said.

Lu Junze was not surprised at all. He nodded expressionlessly and pointed at Li Ming, “Go and recognize him.”

Li Ming was frightened when he saw the corpse. Now when he heard that he had to go and identify the person, he felt very panicked, but he dared not disobey the emperor's order.

Li Ming walked tremblingly to the corpse, took a look and walked away, kneeling on the ground and said fearfully: "Your Majesty, it's... it's him."

Shangguan Yan heard what Li Ming said and explained to Lu Junze: “Your Majesty, this palace maid was found in the pond in the Imperial Garden today.”

Li Ming is extremely scared now. If this palace maid dies, he might be the next one.

"Your Majesty, it was her. It was she who gave me the strong liquor and asked me to pour it around Ningyu Pavilion on the Dragon Boat Festival." Li Ming vowed.

Lu Junze: "Words are not enough. Now this palace maid is dead. Do you have any evidence?"

Li Ming was stunned for a moment, then a hint of joy flashed across his face, and he said, "Your Majesty, yes, I have evidence."

"When she asked me to do something, she gave me a jade pendant and a hairpin, which I hid."

Lu Junze looked at Song Shi.

Song Shi stepped forward and asked, "Where is it hidden?"

"It's under the tree in the yard where the servant lives."

"I have to work every day, and I was afraid that it would be stolen, so I buried it."

Song Shi clasped his fists, saluted, turned around and left.

For some reason, Gu Shijin had a feeling that every step they took now was arranged by others and was within others' expectations.

There was no other reason. Although Li Ming looked panicked and scared on the surface, every word he spoke was very clear and he always had a solution when facing desperate situations.

This is not something a simple eunuch would do.

How could a little eunuch arrange things so meticulously? If he really arranged it himself, then the burning of Ningyu Pavilion today was too...

Gu Shijin couldn't help but look up at Lu Junze, who happened to be looking at her. He nodded, signaling Gu Shijin not to worry.

Soon, Song Shi came back with a cloth covered in mud.

"Your Majesty, this is what I dug out."

Su Deyuan took the thing from Song Shi's hand and trotted to hand it to Lu Junze.

Lu Junze: “Open it and take a look.”

"Yes, Your Majesty."

When the cloth was opened, it was indeed as Li Ming said, a hairpin and a jade pendant, neither of which was precious, and the style was very ordinary, there was nothing special about them.

"Show it to them." Lu Junze raised his head towards the concubines below.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Su Deyuan walked in front of the concubines below with the things in his hands, and then stood next to Lu Junze again.

"Whose is this?" Lu Junze asked calmly, without any emotion in his voice.

The concubines below looked at each other, and no one spoke.

The concubines disdain to use such things because of their simple style and not made of precious materials.

For a moment, no one knew who it belonged to.

"Your Majesty, this kind of jewelry doesn't look like the work of the palace. It should have been brought in from outside the palace." Defei said.

"Your Majesty, I did bring in some jewelry from outside the palace, but I would not bring such simple and worthless things." Although what Song Xiuyi said was unpleasant, she was telling the truth.

The Song family is a big family after all. Why would their daughter take these things when she enters the palace?

"Your Majesty, I seem to have seen these two things." At this time, Concubine Ning suddenly stood up.

She came here with Gu Shijin. She had a low position and this matter had nothing to do with her, so naturally no one paid attention to her.

"You say." Lu Junze said.

"Your Majesty, are there two scratches on this jade pendant that are intersecting?"

Lu Junze glanced at Su Deyuan, who immediately checked it and said, “Your Majesty, there are scratches.”

Su Deyuan took it to Lu Junze and showed it to him.

"Your Majesty, this seems to be Concubine Sheng's stuff."

Concubine Sheng had already let it go a long time ago, but when Concubine Ning mentioned it, she remembered that she did have a jade pendant, but she had given it away as a reward a long time ago.

Since it was worthless, she naturally didn't take it seriously.