When did Empress Dowager know her identity? But what’s wrong with the dress? How could it be torn? She did check everything. She knew that the ancients paid attention to the implications of the gifts. In addition, it happened on the birthday of Empress Dowager. There was no doubt that the emperor got angry.
Seeing Yang Zijin still thinking, Eunuch Liu urged, “Infanta, it’s not early now, and the gate of the palace will be closed later.”
“Okay, please wait for a while, because I need to return to the mansion to arrange some stuff.” Yang Zijin said.
Eunuch Liu nodded and reminded her in a low voice, ” Infanta, be quicker please.”
Meanwhile, Jiang Wei had been looking at Yang Zijin and Eunuch Liu from the gate of the house. If there had been any dangers to her Young Master, she would have protected her immediately.
Seeing Yang Zijin turn back to the mansion, Jiang Wei advanced and said, “Young Master, why is this person looking for you?”
“Wei, it’s a long story. I will not spend the night in the mansion today, and I will come back tomorrow morning.” Yang Zijin explained to Jiang Wei.
Hearing that Yang Zijin would not spend the night in the mansion, Jiang Wei said immediately, “Where are you going? I would like to accompany you to go there.”
“I’m going to the palace. Don’t worry. There will be nothing dangerous in this matter. Remember to pick me up at the gate of the palace tomorrow,” Yang Zijin said.
At this moment, Eunuch Liu outside the door beckoned for Yang Zijin again, motioning for her to hurry up.
“It’s late. Then that’s settled.”
Then Yang Zijin walked towards Eunuch Liu. Looking at the figure of the two, Jiang Wei decided to walk them to the gate of the palace. She secretly followed them. She didn’t turn back to return to the mansion until she saw that they had entered the gate of the palace.
Palace of Compassion and Tranquility.
Empress Dowager was fidgeting in the palace alone. It was already the time to close the palace gate. She didn’t know if Eunuch Liu had done the job and whether they had entered the palace now.
At this moment, Eunuch Liu ‘s voice came, “Empress Dowager, I have brought the infanta back.”
Hearing the sound, Empress Dowager turned around and looked at Yang Zijin who was behind Eunuch Liu. She suddenly froze. She didn’t know what to do.
Yang Zijin walked forward and knelt to Empress Dowager, “Empress Dowager, wish you all happiness and good luck.”
“Silly child, you were outside the palace for so many years. You don’t even know how to call me. Call me grandma.” Empress Dowager saw Yang Zijin kneel down and immediately stepped forward to lift her up.
Seeing this, Eunuch Liu showed a smile on his face. He quietly retreated, closed the door of the palace, and guarded outside.
“Grandmother.” Yang Zijin said.
Hearing Yang Zijin calling her, Empress Dowager couldn’t restrain her tears anymore.
She embraced Yang Zijin in her arms and touched her head with her hands, “Okay, good child. You have been suffering for these years. Since I knew that you existed, I had imagined the scene where we two met each other many times. I finally see you today. Come and sit down on my bed. Let me take a good look at you.”
Then, she pulled Yang Zijin to sit by the bed.
Seeing Empress Dowager still have tears on her face, Yang Zijin comforted Empress Dowager, “I hadn’t suffered at all.”
“There’s no way you didn’t suffer. You are a girl. You even dressed in men’s clothing and appeared in the public to do business.” Then, Empress Dowager ‘s tears came out again.
Yang Zijin said after seeing the situation, “Grandmother, don’t be sad anymore. Today is your birthday. You should be happy.”
“Silly child, I wept with joy. I am happy.” Empress Dowager said, wiping the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief.
Yang Zijin didn’t know how to persuade her, so Yang Zijin changed the subject, “Today is the birthday of grandmother, but I haven’t prepared a gift for grandmother.”
“You are the best gift for me today. You are more precious than those rare treasures.” Empress Dowager looked at Yang Zijin with a smile in her eyes.
Empress Dowager then asked Yang Zijin about her life, what shops have been opened by her in Jing City recently, and how business was going. Yang Zijin answered Empress Dowager one by one. Empress Dowager couldn’t help but praise her quick wit after having heard her answers.
In a flash, they chatted until midnight.
Yang Zijin mentioned the dress problem described by Eunuch Liu.
After Yang Zijin mentioned that, Empress Dowager remembered, “Look, I’m so happy that I forget the business.”
“Can you show me the damage to the clothes?” Yang Zijin smiled and then asked Empress Dowager.
Empress Dowager nodded and yelled to the door, “Eunuch Liu, go get the dress presented in the daytime.”
“I am going to get it now.” Eunuch Liu ‘s voice came from outside the door.
Looking at the level of the damage to the dress, Yang Zijin felt that this matter could not be the problem of the workmanship. The artificial marks are very obvious. Since it was sent as a birthday gift, it will definitely not be done by the person who presented the gift.
So, the problem occurred in the palace, which means it was at the banquet. Who would be so bold as to play such a trick in the palace? Perhaps the person who presented the gift had offended someone?
Empress Dowager saw Yang Zijin frowning, and asked in a low voice, “What have you found?”
She told Empress Dowager about her opinion, and Empress Dowager couldn’t help but feel reasonable after hearing it.
Seeing that Yang Zijin was still thinking about it, Empress Dowager hadn’t the heart to let her continue thinking, and said to Yang Zijin, “It’s late. Think about it tomorrow, and go to rest. You sleep with me today.”
Yang Zijin nodded, but she was still thinking about it in her mind. According to Empress Dowager’s words, the emperor would not let it go easily. If it was not handled well, her identity could save her life, but Sister Liu who was responsible for making this dress would be dead. She had to come up with a perfect solution.
Lying in bed, Empress Dowager asked Yang Zijin again, “Zijin, are you now willing to resume the identity as an infanta?”
“Grandma, I still have some things that I haven’t done well. After everything is done, I will naturally return to the mansion of Duke Mu to resume my identity.” Yang Zijin replied.
Hearing the exact answer, Empress Dowager sighed in relief. She thought Zijin didn’t want to return to the mansion of Duke Mu when she asked Duke of Mu during the day, and she couldn’t help but worry about it. It turned out that the girl had her own ideas. She could finally sleep peacefully.
Empress Dowager smiled, “I knew it. Go to bed.”
The grandmother and the grandchild didn’t get up until it was 11, and it was time for lunch.
Just after lunch, they heard the servants in the palace shouted, “The emperor is coming.”
There was no doubt that he came for the matter of yesterday.
Empress Dowager motioned for Yang Zijin to stand aside.
“Mother, I have asked someone to call in the tailor and shop owner who made this dress.” Chushi Youtian walked to Empress Dowager and said.
Empress Dowager said slowly, “That’s OK. I have already called in the shop’s owner. I’ve got a rough idea of what happened.”
“You have already called people into the palace? What was going on?” Chushi Youtian asked hurriedly.
Empress Dowager analyzed to Chushi Youtian, “This matter could not be done by the shop’s tailor. If it was, the wife of the ceremonial master would see the problem when she went to get it.”
“So, according to the meaning of mother, there was something wrong with this dress at the mansion of the ceremonial master.” Chushi Youtian frowned slightly.
Empress Dowager replied, “Of course not. If there was something wrong at the ceremonial master’s house, I could have seen such a big hole when his wife presented the gift.”
“Mother is saying that this dress was damaged in the palace?” Chushi Youtian considered.
Empress Dowager nodded, “Yes, there were many officials and family members at the banquet. It was inevitable that someone left the room without anyone knowing it. Maybe the family of the ceremonial master has offended someone?”
“After listening to your words, I think it makes sense. Yesterday, I was so angry that I was confused for a while. I am ordering a thorough investigation.” Then, Chushi Youtian ordered Eunuch Li to inform Dali Temple to investigate this matter.
Master of Dali Temple Zhou Ji received the oral instruction and immediately set about investigating.
After listening to Eunuch Li tell the story of the incident, he knew that it happened at the banquet.
Then he found the maids and the persons in charge of the gifts who stayed at the Palace of Compassion and Tranquility after the luncheon started yesterday.
The maids and Xiaoweizi, who watched the gifts, stood in a row. They were all aware of what happened yesterday. If the matter would be investigated, they are all unable to escape from the punishment. It would be fine if the truth would be found. If not, they all would be the scapegoats while the emperor got angry.
Seeing Zhou Ji walking towards them with a cold face, they lowered their heads and dared not to make a sound.
“I think you all have known what happened yesterday. Who was responsible for guarding the gifts?” Zhou Ji asked them.
Xiaoweizi came out with his legs trembling. He spoke tremblingly, “M… master, it was me who guarded the gifts yesterday.”
“At lunchtime, have you seen anyone who had touched the gifts?” Zhou Ji continued to ask.
Xiaoweizi dodged his eye contacts and dared not look at Zhou Ji. “I haven’t seen anyone touch the gifts.”
“You haven’t seen anyone? Your words are related to the lives of you guys.” Xiaoweizi’s dodging eye contacts couldn’t escape from Zhou Ji’s eyes, who had settled countless lawsuits, so he said sharply.
Hearing Zhou Ji said so, the whole body of Xiaoweizi trembled at this moment, and knelt down immediately, “Master, I really don’t know. When I was at lunchtime yesterday, I wanted to go to the toilet badly left for a while. But I came back soon.”
Xiaoweizi explained again.
Zhou Ji was thinking about it at this moment. “So, this person must have tampered with it while Xiaoweizi was away.” thought Zhou Ji.
Thinking of this, Zhou Ji asked the standing maids, “Can you see who entered and left the Palace of Compassion and Tranquility yesterday?”
Some braver maids replied, “Master, there were so many people who entered and left the Palace of Compassion and Tranquility to celebrate the birthday for Empress Dowager. How could we know so clearly?”
What the maid said made sense. Zhou Ji, who didn’t know how to get started, suddenly saw a maid bite her tongue.
So, he walked to this maid and asked, “Is there anything you know?”
“Master, when it was over half of yesterday’s lunch, I saw a person hurried out of the Palace of Compassion and Tranquility, but…I was not sure if that person did it.” the girl said meekly.
“It’s Okay. Tell me,” Zhou Ji felt that as long as there were suspicious people in this matter, it would be easier to continue the investigation.
The maid said, “It seemed to be the Young Master of the Minister’s family. I had only caught a glimpse of him. I couldn’t see him clearly. Before I could look at him carefully, he had left the Palace of Compassion and Tranquility. So, I didn’t care about it.”
“Young Master of the Minister’s family? Why would he do this? I heard that the Minister had a good relationship with the ceremonial master’s family.” Thought Zhou Ji, frowning. “But now I only have this clue, so I will investigate according to it first.”
He said to these maids, “I have known it. You guys leave first.”