Reborn, the daughter of the Marquisate went crazy

Zou Jiaojiao's life, as fleeting as a flower, remained forever confined to Feng Qian. How could her paintings, more than a decade later, have crossed thousands of mountains and rivers to appear thousands of miles away in the deep palace of Dongling?

Xie Qingli's heart was shocked and his fingertips tightened unconsciously.

Zou Ping had already stumbled towards the bookcase, trembling as he reached into the innermost secret compartment and pulled out a faded brocade box. He carefully unfolded the painting he had treasured for many years and placed it side by side with the one Xie Qingli had brought.

The two paintings are identical, with the same brushstrokes, the same blank space, and the same texture technique. However, the one Zouping treasures has been stained with the color of time, and the brushstrokes still reveal a hint of youthfulness.

Zou Ping's fingertips trembled as they brushed across Xie Qingli's painting, then froze at the lower left corner. There, a tiny plum blossom, almost blending into the paper, was barely noticeable unless one looked closely.

"This... this is indeed Jiaojiao's work!" Zou Ping suddenly looked up at Xie Qingli, his voice hoarse and hurried: "Where did this painting come from?"

Xie Qingli didn't dare delay and explained everything she had seen in the palace today. Afterward, she dipped her brush into ink and, with a few strokes, sketched the faces of Concubine Li and the Sixth Prince. She spoke rapidly, "Master, judging by Concubine Li's expression, this painting seems to be related to her. Could it be... that she is Sister Jiaojiao?"

Zou Ping stared intently at the image of Concubine Li Shu, the hope surging in his eyes gradually extinguished. His Adam's apple rolled, and he finally uttered a few heavy words: "No... She is not Jiaojiao."

Xie Qingli stepped forward, gently pressing Zou Ping's trembling sleeve with her bare hands, and soothed him gently, "Master, please be at ease. This painting uses cloud-patterned rice paper, a new material that has only become popular in the past three years. This means Sister Jiaojiao was still alive at least three years ago. Since her paintings are hanging in Jinxiu Palace, Concubine Li Shu must know her whereabouts."

She paused, then said firmly, "Tomorrow I will go to the palace to perform acupuncture on the Sixth Prince. I will definitely try to find out any news about Sister Jiaojiao."

Zou Ping closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them again, he had regained his usual composure. "My dear disciple, there is murderous intent lurking in the palace. Moreover, according to what you said, Concubine Li Shu and her old servant are acting strangely, and I'm afraid they have something to hide. You should prioritize your own safety and avoid any rash actions."

He paused slightly, a hint of desolation in his voice: "I have wasted more than ten years, so this little moment won't make a difference."

Although Xie Qingli agreed to Zou Ping's instructions, he turned around and made secret arrangements. He sent people to investigate the details of Concubine Li Shu and the Sixth Prince overnight, and ordered Leng Shuang to send a message to Chu Yuncang. He also made full preparations to enter the palace.

At dawn the next day, Xie Qingli was stopped at the palace gate by the Imperial Guards. The leading guard said coldly, "Master Wuwang, please return. The Concubine Shu has issued a special order, exempting you from entering the palace for medical consultations from now on."

Xie Qingli's heart trembled. Yesterday, the old nanny invited her to come for acupuncture again, but today she wouldn't even let her into the palace. Could it be that she didn't even care about the health of the Sixth Prince?

She suppressed the doubts that were surging in her heart and responded meekly, "Since it is the Queen's order, I will obey it." After that, she turned around calmly and got on the carriage.

The carriage circled the city and, after confirming that no one was following them, quietly drove into the backyard of Tingyu Tower.

Pushing open the carved wooden door of the elegant room, Zou Ping and the others were all startled. Han Jue strode forward, bewildered, "Why are you here, young lady? Shouldn't you be in the palace giving acupuncture to the Sixth Prince at this hour?"

Xie Qingli slowly sat down on the rosewood chair and said with a wry smile, "I couldn't even get into the palace today. I guess something happened last night."

The atmosphere in the room suddenly became solemn, and everyone looked at each other in confusion. Just then, the waiter hurried in with the secret report of the overnight investigation.

Xie Qingli slowly unfolded the secret report, the ink still fresh in his handwriting: "Concubine Li Shu, whose maiden name was Li Xiwan, was the eldest daughter of Li Feng, the Minister of Personnel. In the ninth year of the Tianshun reign, she entered the palace as a Concubine, and after three years of silence, she finally gained the emperor's favor. After giving birth to the Sixth Prince, she was promoted to Concubine Shu, becoming one of the Four Concubines."

She tapped the paper lightly and continued reading, "According to investigation, Li Xiwan was lively and outgoing when she was still in the boudoir, but she became increasingly gentle after entering the palace. Since giving birth to the Sixth Prince, she has become even more reclusive, never competing for favor. Although she often secretly supports her parents' family, she rarely sees them."

Zou Ping suddenly frowned, "Wait a minute, it says here that when Li Xiwan was waiting to be married, she had no knowledge of painting!"

Han Jue found a yellowed painting of a lady from the secret report. The girl in the painting was holding a fan and smiling, with beautiful eyebrows and eyes. She was 80% similar to the current Concubine Li Shufei, and there was no doubt that they were the same person.

Xie Qingli tapped the table with his fingertips and murmured, "This is strange..."

The scene in Jinxiu Palace yesterday suddenly appeared in front of her eyes. When she praised the painting, the strange light in Concubine Li Shu's almond-shaped eyes was clearly the excitement of the painter when she heard that her soulmate understood her.

Could it be that she guessed wrong? If Concubine Li Shu was indeed not Zou Jiaojiao, then where was Zou Jiaojiao?

While she was pondering, Leng Shuang hurried in and whispered, "Miss, Jinxiu Palace hasn't announced the Sixth Prince's poisoning. This morning, they quietly asked Doctor Zhou from the Imperial Hospital to treat him, claiming he had caught a cold."

Xie Qingli paused holding the cup for a moment, frowning as he asked, "Was there any unusual movement in Jinxiu Palace last night?"

Leng Shuang shook her head: "The gates of Jinxiu Palace were closed last night. Except for the palace maids on duty, no outsiders were seen entering or leaving."

Xie Qingli's eyes darkened. With no outsiders involved, why had Concubine Li and her servant suddenly changed their minds? Could it be... related to the painting the Sixth Prince had given them yesterday?

Doubts grew thicker and thicker. Zouping could no longer sit still and suddenly stood up and paced back and forth in the room.

Xie Qingli sighed softly and pulled him back into the chair. "Master, are you still going to deal with the Fengqian royal family as planned and avenge Sister Jiaojiao?"

Zou Ping's eyes were slightly stern, and he said in a deep voice: "Blood debt must be paid with blood, no change will be made."

Xie Qingli held his trembling hand, his voice soft but firm: "Okay! Then Master will act according to the plan. Regarding Concubine Li Shu... I will definitely get to the bottom of it and find the whereabouts of Sister Jiaojiao..."

……

That night, Cining Palace.

The Queen Mother lay on the carved phoenix couch made of golden nanmu wood, tossing and turning in bed. Young Master Wuwang's words were like a thorn in her flesh, lingering in her mind and bringing back memories of the past that had been buried for so long.

The palace maids she had beaten to death with a stick, the girls she had sacrificed their hearts, their screams seemed to ring in her ears again in a trance.

The Queen Mother sneered and rolled over. "Those worthless lives, dead or alive." She was the most distinguished woman in Dongling, born with the power of life and death. Even if she were a ghost, they wouldn't dare approach her.

Only the Yao family...

The Empress Dowager's fingers unconsciously clenched around the quilt. Why had that bitch caused both of her sons to be so obsessed with her? She'd driven brothers apart? If Emperor Yingtian hadn't threatened her with death, even resorting to hunger strikes, how could she have tolerated that bitch ascending to the throne?

The wind howled outside the window, causing the palace lanterns to flicker. The Queen Mother sat up suddenly and shouted, "Someone! Light up all the lights for me!"

The sharp voice echoed in the empty hall, trembling a little, even though she herself was unaware of it...