Rebirth of the Phoenix Princess novel Chapter 553

The coldness in Xia Huanyu's eyes deepened with Yun Shang's words. After Yun Shang finished, Xia Huanyu pounded the table and said with a frown expression, "Bring him up."

The guards escorted Lin Liu into the hall, and then put the quilt and dead leeches on the floor. After glancing at them, Xia Huanyu said, "Take the quilt to the Imperial Household Department and ask them to check whether it's from the Imperial Palace." After a pause, he added, "Take the guard out and punish him severely after making a thorough investigation of him and his family."

Hearing about investigating his family, Lin Liu's expression changed slightly, clenching his hands secretly in his sleeves.

Yun Shang pondered for a while. When the guards were about to drag Lin Liu out, she said, "I think someone must have something on Lin Liu or threaten him by someone he cares about. Your Majesty, you might send someone to check whether all his family members are safe."

Xia Huanyu nodded and said, "Do as Lady Rui said."

Yun Shang added, "I noticed a smell of peach blossom from the incense brought by Lin Liu, and I wonder if there is anything special about it."

Hearing Yun Shang's words, Liu Wenan said, "A smell of peach blossom? In the Imperial Palace, There is an incense for soothing nerves that smells like peach blossom, but it is not psychedelic." Soothing nerves? Yun Shang squinted and said after a short silence, "Is there someone who is good at making incense? The guards have kept some of the burning incense as I told."

Turning to look at Liu Wenan, Xia Huanyu said, "Go to find one."

Liu Wenan said yes, bowed to the head of the guards, took over the thing in his hand and left the Meeting Hall.

Yun Shang smiled and thought about everything in her mind. Then she looked up at Xia Huanyu and said, " Among the evidences of both cases, the one about Lady Qing and the one concerned the son of the former Crown Prince, there are jewels from the shop I often visit. The purple jade hairpin presented by Huai Ya in the morning was from Qian Shui Pavilion, and so were the earrings found from Yan Yu. I do have the same hairpin and earrings. However, my hairpin has been lost and I could ask my maid to find my earrings out. Since those things are all from that shop, why not ask the shop owner to have a look at them? Perhaps we can get some clues from her."

Xia Huanyu looked at Yun Shang for a while and said, "Well, ask the shop owner here."

Yun Shang smiled and looked up at the Empress. The Empress still sat upright in her chair. Frowning and pondering for a while, she turned to look at Yun Shang.

Noticing that Yun Shang was staring at her, the Empress also fixed her eyes on her. After a long time, she turned to Xia Huanyu. "Your Majesty, I'll go to check how Yun Xi is."

After being silent for a while, Xia Huanyu nodded and said, "Okay."

The Empress slightly bent down and stood up from her high seat. She brushed past Yun Shang and walked out of the Meeting Hall.

Seeing that the Empress is being desperate, Yun Shang flashed a smile, feeling relieved.

With his eyes fixed on Yun Shang, Xia Huanyu saw every tiny change on her face. He ordered the maid to prepare tea and then said faintly, "The Su clan has a deep foundation. We can't take action yet."

Yun Shang was taken by surprise and suddenly looked up. She saw Xia Huanyu holding a teacup silently as if he had never opened his mouth. Yun Shang turned to look at the maids standing by her side, and they were all looking down at the ground. It seemed that everything was just her own illusion.

Yun Shang thought for a while. She knew that Xia Huanyu was warning her not to try to target the Empress. Yun Shang lowered her head and fixed her eyes on the hemline of her dress. She meditated for a moment before she said, "The one who sent people to assassinate me around Qi Lan Town was Lady Shu. I have lost more than twenty secret guards that I carefully cultivated, and my closest maid, Qian Yin, has injured one of her hands."

There was a long silence before Yun Shang heard Xia Huanyu say, "As you wish."

A faint smile appeared at the corners of Yun Shang's mouth. This was the so-called Emperor's love. That is abandoning the most useless one after weighing the advantages and disadvantages, no matter how long she had accompanied him, and whether she had given birth to children for him.

After a while, the Empress came in again, with no embarrassment on her face. She had calmed down a lot. It seemed he must have made a lot of preparations.

Smiling, Yun Shang curtsied to Xia Huanyu, and said, "Your Majesty, why don't we leave this matter later and ask the owner of Qianshui Pavilion first?"

Xia Huanyu nodded. He ordered the eunuch to bring the tray to the Qian Shui. "Take a closer look at them. Are these two items from your shop?"

Hearing the Emperor's words, Qian Shui bowed her head and took the hairpin and earrings from the tray. She looked at them carefully for a long time before she answered, "Your Majesty, they are from my shop."

Xia Huanyu nodded and asked, "Who else has bought the same items except Lady Rui? Is this pair of earrings Lady Rui's?

"Four pairs have been sold. Two were bought by the wife of the richest man in the city, one for her daughter in the Imperial Palace and the other for herself. And the third daughter from the Jin Clan had bought one pair. Another pair was bought by a girl I didn't know. She didn't look like a lady from a rich family, but more like a maid. However, her tender and white hands were less likely to be hands of a working maid." After Qian Shui told the whole story in details. She checked them carefully again and shook her head. "The pair is not Lady Rui's. Lady Rui is a frequent visitor of our shop. I specially made a unique mark for her. There was a word "Yun" at the bottom of each earring of hers.

After a pause, she went on, "Lady Rui is the only one who has bought this kind of hairpin from my shop and there is indeed a 'Yun" on this one. But all the hairpins sold in my shop are solid, and this one is hollow. It must be made by someone who is proficient in making hairpins. Judging from the marks on it, it should be hollowed out yesterday or the day before yesterday."

Xia Huanyu nodded and looked at Qian Shui. "You said that the last pair of earrings was bought by an unknown person. Can you draw that person's face?"

Qian Shui paused before she continued, "I can draw patterns of all kinds of jewelry but I'm not good at painting portraits. I do remember her appearance. If there is any skilled painter in the Imperial Palace, I can describe it to him."

"Go and ask Zhang Ziqian to come here." Xia Huanyu ordered loudly. Then the guard left in a hurry.

Yun Shang looked at the Empress and found that she seemed fidgety. Yun Shang smiled slightly. Although she could not reveal the Empress, it is worth it to make her in such a panic.

The painter came very soon. After the writing brush, ink sticks, paper and ink stone had been prepared as Xia Huanyu ordered, the painter walked to the table. Qian Shui went to him and sketched the girl's face. The painter named Zhang Ziqian drew it quickly. The picture wasn't presented to Xia Huanyu until Zhang Ziqian corrected some details as Qian Shui added.