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For over half a year, while Concubine Zhenxian was pregnant, the Emperor had not favored anyone else, focusing solely on her.

Even when Concubine Zhenxian was in confinement after childbirth, the Emperor could hardly bear to be apart from her, with no intention of summoning other consorts to his bed.

Now that Concubine Zhenxian\'s confinement period had finally ended, how could it be that the Empress was the first to receive the Emperor\'s attention?

On the third night, the palace maids serving in Yikun Palace heard a fierce argument erupting from the Empress\'s bedchamber.

Accompanied by the clinking and clanking of objects, they imagined that the furnishings in the Empress\'s room had likely suffered some damage.

This was the unfortunate aspect of quarrels between their masters - those priceless cups and porcelains, if given to the maids, could fetch quite a sum!

Though palace items were not supposed to be sold, where there\'s a will, there\'s a way - there was always a black market for such things outside the palace.

But I digress...

The Xuanwu Emperor and the Empress had a major argument, but since even the closest attendants had been dismissed at the time, no one could hear clearly what they were arguing about, let alone why they were quarreling.

Jiang Xinyue quickly scanned Xu Ying\'er\'s confession, which stated that the Empress had instructed her to sprinkle white phosphorus powder in the clothes of the wet nurse at Hexi Palace.

How could it possibly be the Empress? She wasn\'t one to act so rashly.

If it had been Concubine Yu, Concubine De, or even Concubine Rong and the Empress Dowager, she might have found it more believable.

The Emperor took her hand: "Yue\'er, I know it\'s hard for you to believe, but I\'ve questioned the Empress, and she has admitted to it. In a couple of days, I\'ll have her hand over the Imperial Seal and the Golden Book. You\'ll be in charge of the Imperial Seal, and Concubine De will manage the Golden Book. The two of you can oversee palace affairs together. How does that sound?"

Was the Emperor changing the subject?

Or was he trying to compensate her with palace authority?

Why?

She didn\'t really want to manage palace affairs, but Concubine De was cunning and full of schemes. If she were to have sole control over palace matters, it would put Jiang Xinyue at a disadvantage.

Jiang Xinyue leaned docilely into the Xuanwu Emperor\'s embrace, pointing at the words in the confession: "But... it seems Xu Ying\'er only admitted that the Empress told her to put the white phosphorus powder in. Didn\'t Yan the Imperial Physician say there were also cotton fibers that had been soaked for over a month? Who put those in?"

The Emperor\'s gaze avoided hers, betraying his unease as he looked away: "I\'ve already ordered the Investigative Bureau to look into it. We should have results soon."

Jiang Xinyue\'s smiling face darkened for a moment, but when the Emperor looked back at her, she had regained her smile, like a startled little white rabbit nestling into his arms: "If that\'s the case, then I\'m reassured."

There was more than one culprit, and it definitely couldn\'t be the Empress.

What was the Emperor hiding?

She didn\'t press further.

The Emperor stroked her long hair that cascaded down her back with one hand, thinking to himself how adorable Yue\'er was, never prying into matters she shouldn\'t know about.

"I have important matters to attend to. You\'ve finished your confinement period now, so you can take Little Dumpling out to get some sunshine. The imperial physician said it\'s good for Little Dumpling\'s health."

Jiang Xinyue certainly knew that sunlight helps with calcium absorption, making children\'s bodies stronger.

She nodded: "I understand. I\'ll take him for a stroll in the Imperial Garden later."

"Mother, are you feeling unhappy?" The Fourth Prince came running out from the side hall shortly after the Emperor left. "Who bullied you, Mother? Little Man will help you get revenge."

Jiang Xinyue patted the Fourth Prince\'s head, her movements slow as if she were pondering something important.

The Fourth Prince scratched his head: What did Mother mean by that?

She must think he\'s still too young!

The Fourth Prince broke free from Jiang Xinyue\'s hand and ran back to the side hall, shouting as he went: "Grandma, Grandma... I want to eat meat tonight, lots and lots of meat!"

The Third Prince had said eating more meat would help him grow taller, and if he grew taller and stronger, he could protect Mother.

Jiang Xinyue was jolted back to reality by his shouts. She instructed Shuang Jiang: "Go to the Imperial Wardrobe and summon Clothing Manager Fang."

The wet nurse Chen\'s clothes had come from the Imperial Wardrobe. Since the Emperor wouldn\'t reveal the truth, she would investigate herself.

Whoever it was, they wouldn\'t get off easy.

She believed that given the Emperor\'s feelings for Little Dumpling, he too would want the person who harmed him to be torn to pieces.

But as the ruler of a nation, the Emperor had to consider the wider implications of his actions.

Even if he wanted to avenge his son, he would have to deliberate for a long time and devise a perfect plan before acting.

But she was different. She was just a mother who had almost lost her child. She wanted revenge, and she couldn\'t wait that long.

Whoever caused her pain, caused her child pain, she would make them suffer immediately.

Fang Rumeng had already heard some rumors. When she arrived, she brought along all the seamstresses who had handled the clothes for Hexi Palace.

"Your Highness..." Fang Rumeng knelt down with the others: "I\'ve brought everyone who had contact with Wet Nurse Chen\'s clothes from the beginning. Please question them as you see fit."

The palace maid who went to fetch the clothes was sent by Xique, one of Xique\'s own trained people, who had been interrogated many times already. She was not the problem.

So the issue must have originated in the Imperial Wardrobe.

As the morning sunlight grew brighter, the questioning continued from dawn until noon. Finally, in one seamstress\'s recollection, they found a suspicious person.

Female Official Jian from the Imperial Wardrobe.

Female Official Jian had been in the Imperial Wardrobe for three years without promotion. Just when a vacancy finally opened up, Fang Rumeng was parachuted in through connections, pushing her chance for promotion even further away. Because of this, she had always been jealous of Fang Rumeng and often caused trouble for her.

Although Fang Rumeng felt she was fully capable of the Clothing Manager position, and the rest of the Imperial Wardrobe had come to recognize her abilities, she had indeed risen quickly due to her good friend\'s influence. So she was often tolerant of the female officials in the Imperial Wardrobe.

As long as it was only directed at her, she could handle it herself. As long as they didn\'t interfere with her work, she couldn\'t be bothered to quibble with them.

But now that it involved Concubine Zhenxian and the Sixth Prince, she wouldn\'t show any leniency.

Jiang Xinyue then had Female Official Jian "invited" over.

To say "invited" was actually more of a euphemism for "arrested."

Female Official Jian\'s hair was disheveled, she wore a plain dark green everyday outfit, and carried a small bundle on her back. Jiang Chuan forced her to kneel: "Your Highness, when I arrived at the Imperial Wardrobe, Female Official Jian was packing her things to leave the palace."

"I... I had taken leave to visit my family."

"Taken leave?" Fang Rumeng frowned at her: "Why wasn\'t I informed of your leave?"

Female Official Jian glared at her: "Are you the only one in the Imperial Wardrobe who can grant leave? Manager Lin and Manager Wang, Clothing Steward Xie and Clothing Steward Mo can all do it too."

Fang Rumeng\'s face darkened: "Yes, Clothing Steward Xie and Clothing Steward Mo can, but I am above the Clothing Stewards. For your leave, the Clothing Stewards should have consulted me, and only with my approval could you be allowed to go."

Soon, the two Clothing Managers and two Clothing Stewards from the Imperial Wardrobe were also summoned.