The queen is sober in the world, and she is winning every step of the palace fight.

Derong quickly smiled respectfully and said, "Your Majesty, whatever you want me to do, I will do my best. If I don't do my best, this is what I will do."

He made the shape of a turtle with his hands.

Xiao Linzi, who led him in, reminded him solemnly, "Don't be so playful."

Derong immediately kowtowed: "I dare not do that anymore."

He knelt properly again, and even his expression became much more honest, as if he had become a different person.

In a business involving internal and external collusion, intelligence is paramount. His behavior is reassuring.

Xiangyi brought in a pot of Jade Begonia, a recent gift from the flower garden, and placed it on the tea table in front of Feiwan. Cultivating a begonia at this time of year was incredibly rare, especially since the flower garden was damaged during the war, destroying many of its precious flowers. Therefore, only a concubine as high-ranking and favored as Feiwan could afford one or two pots of such a precious flower.

Fei Wan found the flower very lovely and began to play with it. Xiang Yi asked with a smile, "Would you please let me pin it on your hair?"

Fei Wan agreed.

In a moment, two pale pink flowers appeared on her temples, adding to her delicate beauty.

Xiangyi took the mirror and looked at herself in the mirror. Feiwan also felt satisfied.

There are always plans in my mind, and the simple happiness of having flowers in my hair is even more light and beautiful.

As the two men worked on the flowers, Xiao Linzi, standing beside them, naturally lowered his eyes, avoiding looking at his master. Derong was even more cautious, not even daring to raise his head, fearing he would be scolded for being rude.

Fei Wan's delay in explaining the reason for calling him here increased his pressure.

Finally, when he heard Fei Wan speak, he agreed without any hesitation.

"I want you to understand all the channels of communication within and outside the palace, and to have a general understanding of the various individuals involved in each channel. If you can uncover channels and individuals that the Palace Administration Office cannot, I will reward you handsomely. From now on, these channels will be blocked. You will select reliable and available personnel from among them and establish another channel for me."

"I will definitely do this well. Thank you, Your Majesty, for giving me this opportunity!"

Fei Wan said, "Don't misunderstand me. I want you to build a new channel not only for me to connect with the outside world, but also to help everyone in the palace who wants to connect with the outside world. Do you understand?"

Derong was stunned.

Empress Zhao, under orders to strictly enforce the palace rules, struck down existing ones and then created her own... This was a common occurrence. The eunuchs and maids working in the palace often did this, carrying out their masters' orders while secretly making money for themselves.

At first he thought that Fei Wan just wanted to be able to communicate with people outside the palace after the palace restrictions became stricter.

But she also wanted other people in the palace to be able to communicate through this channel...

This is not only convenient for yourself, but also makes money for others?

"I understand. Once this channel is established, I will pay a share of the profits to Chunxi Palace."

Phew, Xiangyi and Xiao Linzi both laughed.

As the Empress's position became higher, the thing Chunxi Palace had the most was money.

His Majesty sends out rewards all day long, and also allows Your Majesty to exchange treasures for silver openly. Does Your Majesty still need to earn his share?

Xiao Linzi stopped laughing and said to Derong with a stern face, "Her Majesty doesn't want your share of the profits, but you must keep a detailed record of all the letters and things you handle and report everything to Her Majesty. Do you understand now?"

Derong was shocked.

Concubine Zhao wants to use him to control the secret movements in the palace.

Once the incident happened and people knew that Concubine Zhao did this, he would be the first one to suffer.

But he had no right to refuse.

Empress Zhao told him such a confidential matter, and if he refused to do so, he would have to be "silenced".

The only way to protect yourself is to do it stubbornly and do it well, so that Empress Zhao is satisfied and the matter is kept secret.

You can also earn more money.

When Derong thought that other secret channels in the palace would be cut off and only his own would be left, he felt that money was pouring towards him.

All his thoughts flashed through his mind, and he made his choice almost the moment Xiao Linzi finished speaking.

"I understand! I understand! Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty. I will definitely help you with this matter!"

Fei Wan guaranteed Derong's safety during the investigation and rewarded him with two gold bars on the spot as initial funds for establishing new channels.

Derong thanked him and left respectfully.

Throughout the entire process, Fei Wan didn't say much, nor did she treat Derong with a particularly favorable attitude. It wasn't that she was a tyrant, trying to bully him. It was just that someone like Derong, who was doing shady business, was very good at adapting to the situation and changing his stance. Only by suppressing him with her authority could he restrain his thoughts and do his job honestly.

Xiang Yi said, "There was a light in his eyes when he saw the gold, but it disappeared in an instant, making people think they were mistaken. He clearly valued the gold very much, but he remained calm when he left, which showed his calmness."

Xiao Linzi said, "That's pretty clever."

"He's steady and smart, and it seems like he can get things done." Xiangyi nodded.

Xiao Linzi said, "Sister, you're right, but I'll keep a close eye on him."

"Well, thank you for your hard work. If you have any problems, just come back to me and we will deal with it together."

"Sister, don't worry."

The two of them came and went and reached an agreement, so Fei Wan didn't have to worry about anything.

As they experienced one thing after another, the confidants around Fei Wan became more and more thoughtful and had a better understanding of each other.

Now, there is no need to remind them of the details of the things Fei Wan has ordered, as they can handle them on their own.

At noon the next day, the joint investigation by the Palace Administration Office and the Imperial Household Department was completed.

A total of eleven secret channels for collusion between the inside and outside were uncovered, involving more than eighty people at all levels, not to mention those who had coordination and assistance outside the palace.

When the list was reported, the emperor was furious.

"My palace has become a sieve? Anyone can pass things out and spread messages. There are no rules!"

Fei Wan was wearing an autumn-scented jacket, and the light makeup under her eyes had a little black and blue, making her look even more haggard and frail.

She stepped forward, put the list away, and said softly, "Your Majesty, please do not read it. It is useless to get angry. How can you handle state affairs if you damage your health? This is all my fault. I should have dealt with everything before reporting to you. Instead, I came to you mid-sentence to get your opinion and annoyed you."

"What does this have to do with you?" The emperor frowned, looking at the pale blue under Fei Wan's eyes. "You investigated so quickly, I guess you didn't get enough rest. Go to the inner hall and get some sleep. I'll let Cao Bin take care of the rest."

Then he ordered Cao Bin to have all the people on the list punished and beaten to death.

"Yes." Cao Bin bowed and agreed, and was about to do it.

Violating ancestral rules and arbitrarily transmitting information inside and outside the palace is a capital crime according to the rules set by Taizu.

Fei Wan stopped him and pleaded, "Your Majesty, I have received your order to carry out this mission, but it is unbecoming to begin without completing it. Although you are considerate of me and let me rest, this is the first thing I have undertaken on my own. I appreciate your trust and do not want to give up halfway. I only want to share your worries to the end. Moreover, some of these people have committed serious crimes, while others have been innocently implicated. I wish to judge their crimes separately to demonstrate Your Majesty's keen insight and grace. If anyone is spared from death, they will surely be grateful to Your Majesty for the rest of their lives and work even harder. Your Majesty, don't you agree?"

She spoke intermittently during the call. After saying a few words, she would rest her hands on her chest for a moment before catching her breath and continuing.

This made the emperor feel even more pity for her.

"Zhao Qing, you've exhausted yourself to this point on this matter, and yet you still have to speak up for those servants who made mistakes."

If everyone in the palace was as kind as Zhaoqing, there would be a lot less trouble!

"Never mind. I'll obey you."

Fei Wan expressed gratitude and thanks.

Secretly happy.

She couldn't control those who couldn't escape death, but as long as there was hope of avoiding death, she would supervise and keep these people alive, so that they could be used by her in the future.

By combining kindness and force, her prestige in the palace will rise sharply due to this incident.

The most important thing is that she is in charge of this matter from beginning to end, so that Derong’s new channel can be built quickly and quietly.

From then on, she was able to keep track of every little movement in the palace!

After finalizing this matter, Fei Wan stayed in front of the emperor for a while and was about to leave.

As soon as he stepped into the hall, a young eunuch in blue clothes hurried over and whispered to the eunuch standing at the door.

The eunuch's face darkened, and he hurried inside to report after Fei Wan left the hall.

Fei Wan deliberately slowed down her pace.

He touched his chest, looking exhausted.

Just to buy time and see what's going on.

Because she just heard the young eunuch in blue vaguely say the words "Si Fei".

At the morning court today, the charges against the Queen Mother, Prince Rui, and the deposed Queen Consort Si were finalized. All three were sentenced to death for treason and high treason, and the entire Chungcheongbok Mansion and the Zheng family were implicated.

The decree was issued, and many people from both tribes were sentenced to death, exile, or enslavement.

The incident of the war has come to a brief end in terms of accountability.

Concubine Si is in prison and will be executed the day after tomorrow.

So, what urgent matter is there that requires reporting to the emperor in a hurry?