The Changchun Palace team travels back in time to Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace

Zhao Hui was somewhat surprised that the emperor had specifically summoned him to inquire about an old case.

"Zhao Hui, back then you impeached Narbu for condoning his servants' violence, which resulted in the death of a shaman. I would like to hear the details of this case."

Although Zhao Hui was unaware of the details, he still reported: "In the eighth year of Yongzheng's reign, Narbu's daughter, the commoner Ulanara, participated in the imperial concubine selection. Her father, Narbu, believed the words of the shaman Lu and his brother Lu Sanque, and ordered them to perform a ritual to pray that the commoner Ulanara would be selected by the Third Prince. Because the commoner Ulanara was not selected, Narbu ordered Lu to be severely flogged, which caused Lu to die from her injuries two months later."

This servant believes that regardless of whether Madam Lu was a charlatan, Narbu made two mistakes: first, he naively believed in superstitious and supernatural tales and even attempted to use them to interfere with the imperial concubine selection; second, he disregarded human life and allowed this servant to commit murder. Madam Lu died before reaching marriageable age, and after her death, her mother, Madam Lu Liu, committed suicide, and her brother, Lu Sanque, disappeared without a trace. Because of one person's participation in the imperial concubine selection, a tragedy of family destruction and death has occurred, which is truly shocking. Therefore, this servant dares not fail to report this case and impeach Narbu.”

The emperor asked, "I remember you said that this Lady Lu's maiden name was Xiangyun?"

Zhao Hui replied, "Yes."

The emperor looked at Jinzhong: "Jinzhong, there was also a Xiangyun in Yanxi Palace. You buried her. Tell me about it."

Jinzhong's heart tightened, and he recounted the details of the silver rabbit hairpin case, as well as how he buried Xiangyun and the strange state of Xiangyun's body.

Zhao Hui thought to herself, "Your Majesty, you're not going to say that this palace maid and the deceased Lady Lu are the same person, are you?"

The emperor did not say that, but instead said, "Confucius only said to respect and keep a distance from gods and ghosts, which shows that they are not entirely unfounded. However, the human heart is even more unpredictable than that of gods and ghosts. Back then, it was because the Empress Dowager was deceived by some people from the Niohuru clan that this case was brought back to the previous dynasty, causing the officials of the previous dynasty to gossip and talk about strange disasters and divine retribution. My holy reputation was severely tarnished, and the forty-six criminals took the opportunity to stir up trouble. Fortunately, those traitors were later exposed. But this Narbu, even as a slave in Ningguta, is not at peace. Look, he has caused me trouble again." As he spoke, he handed the secret memorial to Zhao Hui.

When Zhao Hui saw it, she was surprised and wondered if Narbu had something wrong with his head.

He respectfully presented his memorial: "Your Majesty need not be offended by such mad words."

The emperor sneered: "Ningguta has always been a place of exile. Many officials who have committed crimes have been there. When they leave their country, they are bound to feel resentment and hatred. Perhaps ghosts and spirits will take advantage of their vulnerability and steal their souls. Although I grew up with Narbu's daughter, for the sake of the country, I have to investigate this case thoroughly."

Although this matter occurred in Uliastai, its origin lies in Ningguta. I hereby appoint you as Imperial Envoy, order you to depart immediately for your post, thoroughly investigate this matter of spreading seditious rumors, and issue another edict instructing you to cooperate with the Ministry of Justice in Uliastai in handling the case. Remember, you must not only investigate, but also create a powerful and unwavering momentum to reveal the truth to the world, and the seditious rumors will naturally dissipate.”

Zhao Hui understood.

To make a big splash, it should be an ironclad case, and ideally, it should generate some public discussion, just like how Hongxi's faction used the death of a palace maid to create the theory of divine retribution against the emperor.

After Zhao Hui left, the emperor continued to review the memorials.

This memorial came from the General of Jilin, recounting the results of his investigation into the eunuch Zhang Nianzu.

The eunuch Zhang Nianzu's family had lived in Sandaogou since his great-grandfather's time, dating back to the early years of the Kangxi Emperor's reign. They were indeed commoners. There were three brothers in the family: Zhang Nianzu was the eldest, his second brother Zhang Guangting also served in the palace, and his third brother Zhang Guangyao was focused on passing the imperial examinations.

The emperor tapped his fingers lightly on the table: "Nianzu, Guangting, Guangyao, you really do remember your ancestors and never forget to bring glory to your family. Summon Prince Lü."

Prince Lü glanced at General Jilin's memorial and said, "Your Majesty, this old minister has recalled something. The father of this Prince Yu, Emperor Suzong, once had a concubine, Consort Xi, née Zhang. Consort Zhang came from a prominent family. Her uncle, Zhang Xuan, was fluent in both Manchu and Chinese and had served as an envoy to the Qing Dynasty, amassing a great fortune. However, Zhang Xuan was caught up in a turmoil and was exiled in the eighteenth year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign. Consort Zhang was also taken into the inner court as a slave, but she was favored by Emperor Suzong and gave birth to a son, who is now Prince Yu's elder brother, Emperor Jingzong."

Consort Xi was incredibly powerful within the Yu clan. It's said that in the 29th year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, the Emperor Suzong even dispatched Prince Dongping, Yu Hang, to the capital to petition for her to be granted a title. However, Consort Xi later engaged in witchcraft and was convicted and sentenced to death, and her family and associates were all implicated.

The Emperor asked, "Does Uncle Lü mean that Zhang Nianzu and Zhang Xipin are from the same clan?"

Prince Lü said, "Without evidence, this old minister cannot be certain whether there is any connection. However, when Consort Xi's brother was executed by slow slicing, all the males over the age of sixteen in her mother's family were hanged. There was no one left to support the family. Even when Emperor Jingzong posthumously conferred the title of Consort Xi, only Consort Xi herself received the honor. The entire Zhang family could never regain its former glory. If the Yu royal family truly believes in the promise of exoneration, this old minister wonders if anyone would be willing to act as an inside agent for the Yu family in the Qing Dynasty?"

He added, "Of course, all of this is just my speculation; Your Majesty should take it with a grain of salt."

The emperor asked, "Does Prince Lü know of any member of the imperial clan who is fluent in the Yu clan's vernacular and could test Zhang Nianzu?"

Prince Lü's ninth brother, Seth, was fluent in many foreign languages, but he was already dead, and Prince Lü dared not mention him: "As far as this old minister knows, there is none."

The emperor thought to himself that it was best not to let too many people know about this matter, so he had no choice but to put it aside for the time being.

Zhen Shu secretly saw the emperor talking to Wei Yanwan and reported it to Jin Yuyan.

Jin Yuyan's expression hardened: "I didn't expect that this vixen could still cause trouble even after leaving Zhongcui Palace!"

She thought for a moment. Consort Chun had just been released from confinement and was now living a secluded life, quite timid. She couldn't use her to deal with Yan Wan again. So she went to Xianfu Palace to find Consort Gao and told her about the matter.

Consort Gao was indignant when she heard that another palace maid had caught the emperor's eye, and she summoned A'Ruo to discuss the matter.

Aruo said, "Your Highness, if I may say something you won't like to hear, please stop thinking about disciplining this one or that one. There are plenty of palace maids. Even if it weren't for Wei Yanwan, there would be Zhang Yanwan, Li Yanwan, and even I myself was a palace maid. Besides, His Majesty will be holding a selection of concubines in the future, so there will always be new ones. There's no way to discipline them all."

"You are now a Noble Consort, second only to the Empress. Your father and brothers hold important positions and are raising a precious child. Even if there are many new concubines, how could they shake your position in the slightest? If you were to act jealous or coquettishly, the Emperor might find you endearing. But if you were to take action, he would be displeased that you are blocking his path to taking new concubines. The Empress detests such disrespectful matters; the last one to punish a palace maid is now in the Cold Palace. In my opinion, it would be best to simply pretend we know nothing about this."

Seeing that the Imperial Concubine had taken her words to heart, A'Ruo secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

It's better to avoid trouble; let's hope our ancestors don't cause any more problems.

However, the Consort had always been in poor health, and after giving birth to the Fourth Prince, she devoted herself entirely to the child. Whose informant was she?

Wait, Fourth Prince? Right, Jin Yuyan did frequently visit Xianfu Palace to see her son, and she did indeed sow discord among the concubines, always thinking she was doing it subtly, but in reality, it was very deliberate.

She thought for a moment, then said, "Your Highness, I have another point to make. It's certainly good that the Fourth Prince has both of you as his mothers, but after all, Consort Jia is his biological mother. A mother and son are of one heart. If they become too close, it might affect you..."

I'm sorry, Fourth Prince, but in order for Consort Shen to have a more peaceful life, I have no choice but to reduce the amount of care you receive from your own mother.

Consort Gao thought it made sense, so she sent a message to Consort Jia that since the Fourth Prince was growing up and she could take good care of him, Consort Jia didn't need to come over so often.

Jin Yuyan's attempt to steal a chicken backfired, and she angrily berated Zhenshu.

Zhenshu advised, "Wei Yanwan's matter is still far from settled, so why don't we just give up on it?"

Jin Yuyan said bitterly, "Now the Emperor comes less often, and the Consort forbids me from getting close to the Fourth Prince. If the Fourth Prince doesn't side with me, and I fall out of favor, what will happen to the Northern Clan? What will happen to the Heir Apparent? Now that Lady Hong has given birth to another boy, the old Prince has even said that 'the country and the state must have a successor.' Who knows, he might establish a grandson as heir apparent. The Heir Apparent is clearly in a precarious position, and I cannot afford to lose the Emperor's favor and my status!"

The more she thought about it, the angrier she became, and she cursed, "That wretched girl Hong, a poor thing who doesn't even have a decent dress, was chosen for this, but she gave birth to a fine son who is threatening the heir!"

Zhenshu knelt on the ground, not daring to breathe.

A month later, Zhao Hui escorted Narbu from Uliastai to Beijing.

He also brought back something and two people.

A letter of ten thousand words.

The murdered woman's husband and son were two armored men, one old and one young.

The next day, the young armored man struck the Dengwen Drum outside Chang'an Gate.

Two armored men knelt in the Golden Palace under the watchful eyes of civil and military officials. The younger armored man presented a petition, saying with grief and indignation, "This humble subject is Deqibu, an armored man, who accuses the sinful slave Ulanara Narbu of murdering my mother, Majia!"

Jinzhong relayed the message: "The Emperor asked you, since it is a murder case, why did you not report it to the county magistrate, but instead went over the chain of command to appeal to the Emperor?"

Deqibu kowtowed and said, "Your Majesty, please allow me to report. I am appealing to Your Majesty because Narbu's crimes are not limited to killing my mother. His crimes are so grave that only Your Majesty can decide!"

The civil and military officials were puzzled: murder is a capital offense, what crime is worse than murder?

Deqibu said, "This Narbu was sold to my family in March of this year. My mother took pity on his old age and, because of the imperial decree, provided him with food and clothing and made his work easy. But Narbu complained all the time, saying that he was once the father of a favored concubine and a member of the imperial family, so how could he suffer the hardship of being a servant? He also said that his daughter was only half a step away from becoming the Empress Consort. Although she has suffered a misfortune for a time, sooner or later the Emperor will depose the current Empress and make his daughter the Empress."

How could we, the common people, believe such nonsense? We thought he was just insane and confused. After being reprimanded once, he didn't say much, so we didn't report this treasonous tale at the time. Unexpectedly, on the second day of the fourth month, while my father and I were out, Narbu beat my mother to death with a hoe and fled. It was my mother's thirty-fifth birthday that day, and my father and I had gone out to prepare a feast for her!

Everyone was astonished. Some recalled how, during the imperial concubine selection at Jiangxuexuan in the eighth year of the Yongzheng Emperor's reign, Ulanara received a ruyi scepter from the emperor, but lost her position as the primary consort because the empress at the time had been convicted of a crime. How could anyone have imagined that things would turn out this way?

Deqibu kowtowed heavily: "Your Majesty! As the saying goes, 'three men can make a tiger,' Narbu has spread false rumors and misled the public. He not only harmed my mother, but he also wants to harm the current Empress Dowager! Narbu not only harmed my father's wife, but he also wants to harm the Empress Dowager's wife! I am guilty of negligence, but Narbu's crimes are too numerous to mention! I beg Your Majesty to see the truth!"

As soon as this statement came out, everyone was in an uproar.

Zhao Hui stepped forward first and presented a petition: "Your Majesty, the officials, people, and exiles of Ningguta are aware of this tragedy and have heard that Narbu has been implicated in two treasonous acts. They are outraged and have jointly petitioned for Narbu's execution. This petition is a ten-thousand-word appeal from the people of Ningguta!"

Prince Lü, Yun Tao, was the second to step forward: "Your Majesty, since your ascension to the throne, the Empress has set an example for the six palaces, fulfilling her duties as a wife, a mother, and a loyal subject. As the Grand Minister of the Imperial Clan, I cannot stand idly by and watch the Empress be slandered by treacherous people, nor can I allow Your Majesty's reputation to be tarnished! I request that you punish Narbu!"

Prince Hongzhou also stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, the Ulanara family has always risen to power solely through women. This is an open secret among the officials. These women are all morally corrupt and harbor evil intentions. We must not allow them to usurp the throne!"

Zhang Tingyu also stepped forward: "Narbu has already committed the crime of treason, and his seditious words are also a heinous crime. He is truly unforgivable! Your Majesty, Narbu must be punished so that Your Majesty's virtue may not be harmed!"

Zhang Tingyu's students and former subordinates immediately echoed in unison, "Your subject (this humble servant) seconds this!"

When Ortai saw Zhang Tingyu step forward, he realized that the emperor had tacitly approved of the two men's presence in the Golden Palace, and this was an opportunity for them to make their mark. So he also stepped forward and said, "This servant thinks that what Lord Zhang said is very reasonable!"

Another group of officials echoed Ortai's sentiments.

First-Class Duke Cheng'en Fu Wen knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, in principle, I should avoid suspicion in this matter, but I still have to say that the Empress is innocent, but Narbu is presumptuous enough to depose the Empress in order to make room for his daughter to become Empress. As the Empress's elder brother, I really cannot tolerate this!"

My mother raised me and my siblings all alone. Hearing that Narbu murdered his mother, I cannot tolerate it! I beg Your Majesty to seek justice for the Empress and Lady Magiya!

Gao Bin, Neqin, and others also stood up. Their students followed suit.

Looking at the vast crowd below, the emperor said sternly, "Although Pijia Deqibu is guilty of negligence, he has rendered meritorious service in reporting the crime. His merits and demerits will offset each other. He is hereby awarded one hundred taels of silver and ordered to give his mother a proper burial. Narbu, throw him into the imperial prison to await the autumn trial."

In the Cold Palace, Ruyi climbed onto a stone table and stared blankly at the sky.

Hailan was washing clothes nearby, occasionally wiping the sweat from her face.

The gates of the Cold Palace suddenly opened, and Shuangxi welcomed Jinzhong in.

Jinzhong still wore his standard smile that never changed: "I am a commoner of the Ulanara clan. His Majesty requests that you go to the Hall of Mental Cultivation."

Hailan thought the emperor had changed his mind and got up to ask again, but Shuangxi stopped her and said, "Hey, I didn't ask you to go."

In the Hall of Mental Cultivation, the Emperor threw a ten-thousand-word memorial in front of Ruyi and then had Jinzhong convey the opinions of the civil and military officials.

Ruyi began by asking, "Do you believe in fairness?" Then she recounted how difficult the situation was back then, yet the Emperor still managed to retain her position as a secondary consort.

The emperor twirled his prayer beads, silently reciting scriptures, forcing himself to calm down and put on an act: "Ruyi, the court is in an uproar. Members of the imperial family, regents, civil and military officials, and even the officials and people of Ningguta all want me to deal with your father. Even I don't know how much my own conscience means in the face of the current situation."

He took a deep breath: "Being the emperor is not as good as being a prince. The emperor has far more constraints than a prince. It's really hard for me."

Ruyi tearfully said, "Just because of Your Majesty's words, I am willing to live in the Cold Palace forever."

The Emperor sighed deeply: "Ruyi, although your father's crimes are unforgivable, I still want to preserve some dignity for him. So I only imprisoned him in the Imperial Prison to await the autumn trial, and secretly sent him medicine. After taking the medicine, he will die without pain. We will say that he died suddenly in prison, and he can be buried in your family's ancestral graveyard. Don't wait until the autumn to be beheaded or subjected to slow slicing, where he will not only not die a quick death, but he won't even leave behind a whole corpse. But, but your father is unwilling, Ruyi, it is really, really difficult for me."

He spoke cautiously, as if afraid his headache would start again. Fortunately, he was alright.

Ruyi said, "Your Majesty is in a difficult position. Your Majesty has already made up your mind to punish him. I know that it is useless for me to beg."

She continued, "Your Majesty, I cannot pay my respects to you every day, but I will pray that Your Majesty will be healthy and that everything will go smoothly."

The Emperor said, "Jinzhong, prepare the sedan chair and secretly send the commoner Ulanara to the imperial prison so she can see her father."

On this day, the jailer heard a piercing wail: "Qingying! You are useless!"

Narbu died suddenly in prison on the eighth day of the seventh month before his execution in the autumn, thus ending the case. As for Narbu's wife and children, the emperor said that Narbu had been sold elsewhere and they had no idea of ​​his whereabouts, so they were spared from being implicated. He also said that Narbu's wife was old and frail, and his children were young, so he pardoned them and spared them from hard labor in Ningguta, instead sending them back to the capital to be confiscated in the Xin Zhe Ku (a place for convicts).

Of the perpetrators in the Hongxi rebellion case, apart from those like Forty-Six and Hongchang, whose crimes were unforgivable, the rest were merely associates who sought favor with others rather than intentionally joining the rebellion. These included Prince Hongsheng and Prince Zhuang Yunlu, among others. They were pardoned and their privileges were restored.

On the tenth day of the seventh month, the emperor, accompanied by the empress and several concubines, went to the Yuanmingyuan Garden. He also sent someone to the Qingyi Garden to inform the empress dowager that although the emperor and empress were in the Yuanmingyuan Garden, in order to remember their ancestors and pray for peace, they had invited Master Anbo and other monks and lamas to perform a water and land ritual in the Forbidden City during the Ghost Festival. The empress dowager could return to the palace and watch the ritual with Princess Roushu.