The queen is crazy and spoiled, and the tyrant bows to her

Jiang Wantang nodded, looking thoughtful.

Seeing that she remained silent, the palace attendant continued, "But we didn't get any useful information from them."

"This is their confession. Please review it, Your Majesty."

After saying that, the palace maid handed over a thick stack of confessions with both hands.

Leng Mei, who was standing by, took it from him and presented it to Jiang Wantang.

Jiang Wantang picked up the stack of confessions on the table and began to read through them carefully.

They were all some dirty things in the harem, and there was really no useful information.

Jiang Wantang casually glanced through the documents and said calmly, "Except for Butler Xu, the rest of the servants can be let go."

Steward Xu has been following Jiang Zhixu for many years and has done many evil things. Such an accomplice to evil should not be let off.

The palace maid nodded and replied, "Yes."

Jiang Wantang then added, "Also, arrange for a royal physician to be on standby in the dungeon. Jiang Zhixu must not be allowed to die."

The palace servant lowered his head and said, "I will do it right away."

Jiang Wantang waved her hand, and the palace servants immediately retreated.

Afterwards, Jiang Wantang still felt uneasy. He looked up at Leng Xue who was waiting on the other side and said in a deep voice, "You go to the water dungeon and keep an eye on it yourself. Remember, Jiang Zhixu can't die yet."

Leng Xue took the order and left quickly.

Jiang Wantang lifted her bare hands and swept the useless confessions on the table into the charcoal brazier, burning them. Flames suddenly shot up, licking the edges of the pages and devouring the ink-stained writing bit by bit...

Before the burning was finished, Leng Mei walked in from outside the hall with a secret letter.

During these days, Jiang Wantang sent out many spies, and different letters came every day, all of which were handed over to Leng Mei to be responsible for the communication.

Leng Mei held a sealed letter in her hands and presented it to Jiang Wantang: "Your Majesty, this is an expedited letter from a spy. They specifically instructed that it must be delivered to you as soon as possible."

Jiang Wantang's eyes moved slightly as she reached out to take the secret letter. The moment the letter was unfolded, her pupils suddenly constricted...

At the same time, Fei Yu, the leader of Ji Wuyuan's secret guards, also walked in with several letters.

He knelt on one knee in the hall and said respectfully, "Your Highness, I pay my respects to you!"

"His Majesty specifically asked me to give this to Your Majesty, saying it would be helpful to Your Majesty."

However, Jiang Wantang sat there without saying a word, looking a little dazed.

"Empress..."

"Empress?" Feiyu called tentatively.

Jiang Wantang came back to his senses, his deep pupils filled with intense and complex emotions.

She raised her hand slightly, and Feiyu stood up and handed her the letter.

After seeing him off, he said goodbye and left.

Jiang Wantang did not open the letter from Feiyu immediately, but stared at the secret letter in a daze.

The charcoal fire danced in her pupils, reflecting a trance-like look...

Jiang Wantang's fingertips hovered above the letter paper, but he did not move.

It reads, "It has been confirmed that Empress Dowager Wende died on the 27th day of the 12th month of the 236th year of Yongchang."

'Yongchang' was the reign title of the previous emperor. Later, Ji Wuyuan succeeded to the throne and changed the reign title to 'Yongsheng'.

The date of Empress Dowager Wende's death listed above was exactly the same as what Concubine Yu had told her.

Jiang Wantang's nails, stained with nail polish, slowly scratched across the date, leaving a shallow indentation on the letter paper.

When she looked at the secret letter, she even hoped that the content on it might be just a mistake in their search.

perhaps......

Empress Dowager Wende was not really dead that year. She just faked her death and escaped from the palace and the late emperor.

But when Jiang Wantang opened the letter sent by Feiyu, the last bit of hope in her heart was completely wiped out.

The letter records that Empress Dowager Wende indeed passed away on the 27th day of the twelfth month of the 236th year of Yongchang.

More than a year later, the late emperor buried him in the imperial mausoleum and issued a secret order to be buried with him a hundred years later.

Jiang Wantang's heart tightened and his palms felt cold.

After watching for a long time, Jiang Wantang slowly stood up and stood quietly in front of the window, looking at the gloomy sky outside.

Judging from the date of Empress Dowager Wende's death, she could not be his biological mother.

Somehow, Jiang Wantang suddenly thought of the gentle Madam Jiang described in Jiang Huaizhou's letter...

Could it be her?

Jiang Zhixu couldn’t be a descendant of the Nangong family, so what about her?

Is it possible...

Thinking of this, something suddenly flashed through Jiang Wantang's mind.

Jiang Wantang immediately turned around and walked out of the hall.

As soon as she walked out of the hall, she met Leng Mei who was rushing over.

"Mother...Mother..."

Leng Mei leaned against the vermilion lacquer column and gasped for breath, her chest heaving violently, and she couldn't even speak coherently: "Abandon...Abandon the palace...that person..."

Her voice was interrupted by rapid gasps, and the white breath she exhaled quickly dissipated in the cold wind.

"Speak slower." Jiang Wantang reached out to support her.

Leng Mei rushed all the way and inhaled a lot of cold air into her chest.

She took a deep breath and calmed herself down a bit. "Your Majesty, Miss Nangong from the abandoned palace is desperately trying to see you... one last time."

Hearing this, Jiang Wantang's lips curved slightly, and the look in his eyes was dark and unclear.

She chuckled softly, her voice as light as a falling feather: "It just so happens that I am planning to go look for her too."

Nangong Lie once said that in the entire Nangong clan, he had only seen Empress Dowager Wende who looked similar to her, and both of them had a red cinnabar mole in the corner of their eyes.

No, there should be another person who has it.

After passing through numerous palaces, the vermilion lacquered gate of the abandoned palace appeared before Jiang Wantang.

Jiang Wantang asked Leng Mei to wait outside the abandoned palace and walked in by herself.

The mottled vermilion lacquer door creaked harshly when it was opened, and light shone through layers of dust into the dark, abandoned hall.

Inside the hall, Nangong Liuli was sitting in the corner in a dirty dress. When she heard the door open, she suddenly raised her head and looked towards the hall door.

Seeing Jiang Wantang, who was wearing a plain white dress and a white flower in her hair, walk in, she frowned.

The first thing Nangong Liuli said when she saw her was: "Jiang Huaizhou... is he really dead?"

Her voice trembled slightly, as if she couldn't believe it.

Jiang Wantang slowly approached. Upon hearing the voice, he didn't answer directly. Instead, he said coldly, "When you were planning to use him, shouldn't you have known that this would be the outcome today?"

Rarely, Nangong Liuli did not retort, but lowered her head, looking a little lonely and gloomy.

Jiang Wantang walked up to her and stood in front of her.

She looked at Nangong Liuli in front of her with a cold gaze. The latter had disheveled hair and dirty clothes, and looked like a street beggar.

Who could have imagined that she was the noble and proud Princess Liuli who was once the most beautiful woman in the capital?