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

It was sunny in the morning, but it started snowing lightly around noon.

The deposed Duan family and the Empress Dowager's family, the Chungcheongbo Mansion, were executed and beheaded in the street under the protection of soldiers, and the cheers of the onlookers were deafening.

Kill spies, kill traitors, kill traitors, kill rebels...

Countless rotten vegetables, smelly mud, and stones were thrown into the execution ground. Some of the death row prisoners were stoned to death by the people before they were even executed.

Since the founding of Daliang, there has been a long period of peace and stability. The people of the capital have not seen war for generations. How can they not hate the traitors to the core when they suffer this disaster?

The light snow fell in early winter.

The people’s shouts and cries of killing reached the sky.

You can faintly hear it in the palace.

The beheading took place at 12:30 PM, and the clamor continued for more than an hour after the execution. The crowds gathered around the execution ground and refused to disperse until nightfall, when patrolling guards dispersed them, and the streets finally returned to peace.

"My Lady, the bodies of the condemned prisoners have been sent to the mass grave outside the city and burned."

Xiangyi heard the news outside and came forward to report.

Fei Wan nodded slightly.

From the moment the execution began, reports of what was happening outside were constantly being brought into the palace. This was Concubine Yue's initiative, and she had several guards and eunuchs observe the execution at the site, taking turns riding back to the palace to report the news, so that the concubines would know in detail the fate of the deposed empress.

"As a woman of the inner chambers, she failed to cultivate her virtues and even dared to commit treason. You must all learn from her past mistakes. From today on, everyone should reflect on how to serve the king virtuously and virtuously. I will never allow another treacherous woman like Zheng to appear in the palace!"

It is said that he was admonishing the concubines, but in fact, it was more intended to establish his own authority.

As the new queen who was about to take office, the more the former queen was despised, the more noble Concubine Yue became.

"I heard that they were all burned to bone residue, mixed together, and no one could tell who was who." Xiang Yi said with relief, "Serves them right!"

The reign of Queen Zheng came to an end just like that.

If they took a wrong step, their entire family would be executed, and the emperor would not even allow their bodies to be kept.

This is the sorrow of the Zheng family, and even more so the sorrow of those who died in the war.

The civilians and soldiers are so innocent!

"What about Zheng Zhuyi? Is there any news?" Fei Wan asked.

Xiangyi shook her head.

Xiao Hui, who was applying osmanthus scented lotion to Fei Wan's hair, said, "Where could she have escaped to? She was perfectly fine, and she managed to escape from the Tiger Guards' cell. And she had a damaged eye, and she was injured from torture. How could she have escaped?"

Zheng Zhuyi followed the Queen Mother and was convicted of treason. She was also to be beheaded today.

But unexpectedly, she escaped from prison last night.

There was one person missing from today's execution ground, and the emperor ordered that no one be made aware of the situation, lest it unsettle the people. To cover up the situation, a random prisoner was found to represent Zheng Zhuyi and taken to the execution ground. Behind the scenes, the Tiger Guards were pursuing him.

Very few people know about this, only a handful.

Fei Wan is one of them.

It was because she stayed in Chenqian Palace last night, and she was there when Cao Bin received the news from the Huben Guards and quietly reported it this morning.

She quickly admitted her mistake to the emperor.

"… Concubine Zheng is fine in prison. It was because I took her to see Concubine Si yesterday that I, out of my own compassion, gave her the evil intention of escaping from prison. Your Majesty, please punish me!"

The emperor helped her up on the spot and said, "This matter has nothing to do with you. She couldn't just escape from the Tiger Guards' cell if she wanted to. Someone must have helped her."

The emperor understood that Zheng Zhuyi hadn't shown any signs of escaping before. His actions in prison were nothing more than protesting his injustice and making a scene. Now, it seemed, he was feigning stupidity to lull the guards into a trance. Escaping the day before his execution—perfect timing!

So he did not vent his anger on Fei Wan, but immediately asked Cao Bin to tell the Huben Guards to hunt him down secretly, and if anyone resisted arrest, he would be killed on the spot.

Fei Wan also understood that Zheng Zhuyi's escape had nothing to do with her. Escaping from the Tiger Guard prison required not only a meticulous plan but also the help of key individuals. The Tiger Guard, the emperor's personal army, seemed to have a traitor within it.

But she had to first apologize, retreat in order to advance, and clear herself in front of the emperor.

When you are with a king and a tiger, you must be cautious at all times.

When leaving Chenqian Palace, she privately instructed Cao Bin.

"If there is any news about Concubine Zheng, please inform me, eunuch. Although Your Majesty does not blame me, I am truly uneasy."

Cao Bin naturally agreed.

But even if he informed Chunxi Palace of the news in time, Zheng Zhuyi had disappeared without a trace and no one knew where she had escaped to.

Xiaohui's question is also Feiwan's question. How did Zheng Zhuyi escape, and where did she go?

Even if Fei Wan is very good at understanding people's hearts and making careful moves in the palace, she cannot control what is happening outside the palace. As for the whereabouts of Zheng Zhuyi, she can only wait for the results of the Tiger Guards' pursuit.

At most, he told his people outside the palace to keep an eye out and report any clues immediately.

The sweet fragrance of osmanthus dew emanated from her hair, slowly soaking into her long black hair as she combed it. Last night, when she stayed in Chenqian Palace, the emperor held Feiwan's hair in his arms and praised its fragrance.

That was made by Fei Wan ordering people to steam the osmanthus hair oil supplied by the palace twice, adding some aromatic herbs and flowers with light fragrance such as lotus, orchid, and plum blossom to it.

Although the process is complicated, the aroma is unique.

It avoids the sweet and strong fragrance of ordinary hair oils, and has a refreshing and distant fragrance that is refreshing.

In the entire palace, only Feiwan's hair conditioner has this scent.

The emperor liked this tune.

Even though she was already a high-ranking official and highly favored, Fei Wan never slacked off in her pursuit of favor. She sought exquisite perfection in every detail of her body, hair, and skin to maintain her lasting appeal to the king.

Since Zheng Zhuyi’s matter would not have any results for the time being, Fei Wan stopped paying attention to it and just waited for the news.

She waited for the maid to finish caring for her hair, rested for a while, and then went to bed early to rest, to heal her wounds, to nourish her spirit, and to improve her complexion.

I had a sound sleep.

I woke up slowly when the sky brightened.

The maidservant helped change the dressing and wash her. Fei Wan saw Xiang Yi hesitated to speak, so she said, "What's the matter? Just report it as soon as possible. No matter how bad it is, it won't affect my breakfast."

Xiang Yi then dismissed the other palace maids and reported in a low voice: "The eunuch Duofu died outside the palace."

Fei Wan frowned.

Concubine Si confessed that she had instigated him to contact the eunuch of the State of Qu. The eunuch was named Duofu, who was originally assigned to Qingliang Palace to serve Concubine Si. After Concubine Si was convicted and imprisoned, the Qingliang Palace staff were dispersed and assigned to various tasks by the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Duofu was assigned to the purchasing department, responsible for purchasing charcoal.

The charcoal fire for the onset of winter hadn't been fully prepared yet, so he had gone outside the palace yesterday with his superiors to purchase charcoal. When Fei Wan arranged for someone to keep an eye on him, he had already left the palace.

Unexpectedly, he died outside the palace?

This coincidence...

"How did you die?"

"I heard he was overworked, running back and forth several times to compare the quality of charcoal from several different suppliers, and suddenly collapsed on the street. He was sent to a nearby clinic for treatment, but couldn't be saved. The people who went out with him delayed their return to the palace to save him, and had to stay overnight outside the palace, breaking the rules. When they returned today, they were sent to the Palace Administration Office for a reprimand."

Fei Wan ordered: "Let Dong Bao find someone to investigate and see if they can find out anything. Remember, don't alarm anyone."

Duofu is the breakthrough point in investigating Qu Guo's secret line in the palace.

Even if he is dead, we must extract as much useful things as possible from his death!