There is a god in the sky

Chapter 350 Palace Change 3

"By imperial decree, starting tonight, the Marquis of Pingyang shall command the Imperial Guards to guard the Imperial City. Anyone who disobeys this order shall be dismissed from office and investigated!"

The news caused mixed reactions within the Imperial Guard, with some rejoicing and others grieving.

Deputy Commander Zheng Hailong had a long-standing feud with Zhao Jinxiao, and he was also a staunch member of the princeling faction.

He was the most unhappy one when he heard the news.

"The Marquis of Pingyang is in charge of the Imperial Guards, so what about Commander Zhao?" he asked curiously.

Marquis Pingyang was unaware, and Eunuch Wu, who came to deliver the imperial decree, would not tell either.

"You will know tomorrow."

The Emperor blamed Zhao Jinxiao for his inadequate protection, but did not doubt his loyalty. Therefore, he removed Zhao Jinxiao from his position as commander of the Imperial Guards, but retained him as commander of the Imperial City Guard, specifically in charge of managing the secret guards.

From that day on, the Imperial City Guards began a large-scale bloodbath.

Many officials were found dead in their homes, and only after their deaths were notices posted by the Imperial City Guard listing their crimes.

In an instant, the whole city was in turmoil, and people were filled with anxiety.

Because people discovered that it wasn't just officials who died, but also merchants and ordinary people.

Those who embezzle and accept bribes should die, as should those who offer bribes. Ordinary people die because they aided and abetted evil.

Xiao Ji could not stay in the palace, nor could he take Consort Li's body out of the palace. In a whole day, he was still unable to find out the real cause of Consort Li's death.

Shen Lan could only confirm that her autopsy results were correct; she had indeed been hanged.

There is a difference between being hanged before death and being hanged after death.

Consort Li clearly belongs to the former category; even if there are some signs of struggle, it cannot prove that she was murdered.

Because when a person is suffocating, they will instinctively struggle violently, and there are also overturned stools on the ground.

Xiao Ji and Shen Lan left the palace together and saw Marquis Pingyang standing outside the palace gate.

He glanced at the two of them and said, "Let's go back to my residence and talk."

So much happened in that short day that even the seasoned Marquis of Pingyang showed signs of exhaustion.

He said to Shen Lan in the car, "I will have to trouble Miss Shen to treat my wife. She is already weak, and I am afraid that her body will not be able to withstand such a blow."

Although Shen Lan agreed, she also said frankly, "A heartache is hard to cure. Madam and Consort Li have a deep mother-daughter bond, so it will be very difficult for her to get over her pain."

The fact that Consort Li risked her life to steal medicine for Lady Pingyang shows how much she loved her mother.

The Lady of Pingyang cared most about her two children.

Upon arriving at the Marquis's residence, they also met Fu Qingyan.

Unexpectedly, the news spread so quickly. Marquis Pingyang originally intended to send someone to summon him back the next day.

Looking at the white decorations throughout the mansion, Fu Qingyan still couldn't believe it.

"Father, cousin, sister, really...?"

Marquis Pingyang nodded, "Come to the study too. You've grown up now, it's time for you to be sensible."

Fu Qingyan was heartbroken. Instead of following them to the study, he ran outside.

"What are you going to do?" Marquis Pingyang roared.

"I'm going to the palace! I didn't even get to see my sister one last time, I have to see her!"

"Halt! Your father is the commander of the Imperial Guards. If you step into the palace tonight, the Emperor can dismiss me from my post tomorrow!"

Fu Qingyan roared angrily, "Is your official position more important than my sister's life?"

"Bullshit! Is this about official rank? What could you possibly do there?"

“I…I…” Fu Qingyan cried out in desperation.

He realized that he couldn't do anything; he didn't even know who the murderer was, let alone avenge his sister.

Marquis Pingyang rarely showed a hint of tenderness, so he went over, put his arm around the man's shoulder, and brought him back.

"Alright, what's done is done. In the midst of our grief, we need to know what to do next."

Shen Lan parted ways with them at the crossroads and was led by a servant to the main courtyard to visit Lady Pingyang.

Lady Pingyang had just taken the medicine, but soon vomited it all up.

The servants were busy running around, and the physician could only sigh and shake his head, giving her acupuncture to relieve her pain.

Shen Lan stood by and watched for a long time. Seeing that she had no improvement, she whispered to the maid, "Does the manor have any essential oils to refresh the mind?"

"Yes, I will go and fetch it."

Not long after, the maid brought Shen Lan a bottle of osmanthus essential oil, which had a strong fragrance.

Are there any other floral scents?

The scent is too pungent and doesn't smell very good.

Lady Pingyang opened her eyes and said, "Go and fetch the bottle of essential oil from my dressing table."

The things from Lady Pingyang were naturally of good quality, with a light floral fragrance and a hint of menthol.

Shen Lan asked the physician to leave first, and together with her maid, she removed the upper garment of the Lady of Pingyang and massaged her body with essential oil.

While rubbing your face, she comforted you, saying, "It's understandable that you're sad, Madam, but you must also think about how Consort Li cares about your health the most. How can she leave in peace if you're like this?"

Lady Pingyang grabbed her arm and asked expectantly, "Miss Shen, did my son suffer when he left?"

Shen Lan hurriedly avoided her eyes, forcing a smile, "There shouldn't be any, Her Majesty passed away peacefully."

She heard a sigh.

Lady Hou released her hand and said calmly, "I've seen people hang themselves. The process is far from peaceful; it can even be quite unbearable."

After saying just this one sentence, Lady Pingyang vomited blood.

The maids rushed over to tidy up.

Shen Lan took her pulse and found that the situation was not as bad as it seemed. Presumably, the blood was blocked up and she felt better after spitting it out.

"Please accept my condolences, Madam."

"Xiao Ji is here too, isn't he?"

"Yes, he is discussing matters with the Marquis in the study."

Lady Pingyang dismissed all the maids and lay down while Shen Lan continued to massage her.

She felt a little lighter.

This method was easier for her to relax than drinking bitter medicine.

"Is Your Excellency heartbroken?"

"What do you think? The Marquis loves his children very much. Would you like to go over and listen to what they are discussing?"

Lady Hou was somewhat tempted, but still refused.

"No, I know my own body. Only if I'm healthy can I avoid holding them back."

Shen Lan smiled bitterly, "When people are extremely sad, they are mostly sustained by hatred."

"The Emperor has ordered the Marquis to take over the Imperial Guards, so the Marquis will probably be quite busy from now on."

Lady Hou didn't care about these things. Feeling a bit better, she called out, "Someone come here."

"I must go to the palace to observe mourning. Consort Li is a first-rank official consort, so her funeral must be grand and magnificent. All the ladies of the court with ranks must go to the palace to observe mourning."

"Yes, I heard from the Marquis that the Emperor has agreed to bury the Empress with the rites due to a Noble Consort."

Lady Hou sneered, "It's nothing but a posthumous honor. If he had any affection for my daughter, he would have investigated the murderer thoroughly."

Nobody's a fool; everyone has seen the emperor's behavior.

But at times like this, other families would only care about the crown prince's situation, not how many people in the harem had died.

"Consort Lin, who lived in Shuyu Palace with Consort Li, is also dead. She was my best friend when I was a child," Shen Lan said softly.

When Lady Hou heard this, she looked over in surprise and noticed that Shen Lan's eyes were red and swollen.

She took Shen Lan's hand, patted it gently, and sighed, "Good child, go back now, I'm alright."