Overnight in the Beiyan Hot Spring Palace, all the beautiful concubines were dismissed, and all signs of debauchery were hidden away.
Since the emperor had stopped his indulgences, the ministers also had to follow suit.
Murong Min regained some of his senses. He still needed to put on a show in front of the Crown Prince of Dongning. So the next day, he started to invite Xie Xuanjin to enjoy tea, play chess, and discuss state affairs.
As for Huo Wei, after seeing Dugu Luanyue and her entourage leave that day, he dragged the body of the red - clothed guard. When the night had completely fallen, he mercilessly kicked the body off the cliff.
After clapping his hands, he quietly left through a small path behind the palace.
However, when he returned to his own bedroom, he ran into Shen Guilan.
Shen Guilan sized him up for a few moments. "Soaking in the hot spring fully dressed?"
He saw that Huo Wei's deep purple robe was still dripping wet, dampening the floor.
Huo Wei's cold and fierce eyes were calm. While tugging at his robe, he replied casually, "Yeah."
Shen Guilan was holding a potted plant and carelessly walked past him.
"Don't play any tricks under your senior brother's nose. If I can't control you, I'll just ask Master to come. It'll be the same."
Huo Wei reached out and snatched the potted plant from Shen Guilan's hands, then broke off a leaf from the orchid.
"If you do that, you'll end up like this orchid."
Huo Wei had never been afraid of anyone since he was born.
But that old man was different. That old man was not like an ordinary person. He was like a devil who had trained him for more than a decade.
Shen Guilan knew very well that Master was Huo Wei's Achilles' heel. He didn't need to actually be invited out; just mentioning his name would work.
"As your military advisor, I've carefully calculated for you. After the weather warms up, you should ask the emperor for permission to recruit troops.
Since you returned from the war in Western Liao, the emperor has left you idle for half a year. If you continue to be idle like this, there may be trouble." Shen Guilan said in a deep voice.
Huo Wei hesitated for a moment, but finally replied, "Okay."
There would be no good result if he continued to entangle with Dugu Luanyue. Now that the harsh words had been said, he should just return to his own path and walk on it firmly.
The farce of yesterday seemed to be over, but in fact, some people didn't want it to end.
Wei Enxian angrily smashed the teacup on the ground, shattering the porcelain into pieces. "Everything was well - planned. Why did that evil queen manage to escape so calmly!"
Yun Xiu, a trusted maid who had been with Wei Enxian for many years, was in her late twenties and was quite experienced and sophisticated.
With her slender eyes and pointed chin, her thoughtful look carried a hint of cunning.
"Your Highness, after dawn today, this servant secretly sent someone to check the Biqing Pool. As a result, we found this."
Yun Xiu took out the item, which was a few men's teeth.
Wei Enxian looked at it. "Why would there be such things in the hot spring pool where the queen bathed?"
Yun Xiu curled her thin lips and analyzed.
"That drugged guard must have been in the Huaqing Pool, and there must have been a very fierce fight.
All the people around the queen were drugged and fainted. No one went to help her. How did the queen, who knows no martial arts, manage to avoid the guard's entanglement?"
Wei Enxian's long eyes with a few fine lines darkened. She concentrated and thought.
"I understand. It only means that there was another person hiding in the Huaqing Pool at that time. This person knew martial arts and subdued the guard."
Yun Xiu's cold smile was a bit sinister. She snorted.
"This servant suspects that there was probably a man beside the queen, and he was highly skilled in martial arts. Otherwise, it couldn't have been such a coincidence that the guard disappeared without a trace yesterday, and the queen managed to escape this disaster."
Wei Enxian rubbed her temples and thought.
"But who could this person be? Is it possible that the queen really had an affair with someone?"
It would definitely not be acceptable if there was a man beside her while she was soaking in the hot spring.
Moreover, Dugu Luanyue personally sent beautiful concubines to the emperor, which also proved that she didn't care much about the emperor. As a woman, Wei Enxian naturally understood this very well.
After thinking for a while, she said, "Didn't Zhiruo mention something about that jade hairpin before? Later, I hinted to the emperor, and the emperor asked the Prince of Yuzhang to pay his respects to the queen in her bedroom every day. But the Prince of Yuzhang has a hidden illness..."
Yun Xiu said, "Apart from the Prince of Yuzhang, there may be other men. The queen has many tricks. She probably used a method to cover up the truth."
After Wei Enxian finished talking with Yun Xiu, she sent someone to look for the guard, in case they might find something.
But no one expected that on the next day, the imperial guards in the palace came to the door and took Yun Xiu away.
Yun Xiu was Wei Enxian's trusted maid and right - hand woman. Her being taken away by the palace guards naturally made Wei Enxian a little panicked, because Yun Xiu knew too many things.
Wei Enxian hurriedly went to the queen's bedroom in the hot spring palace. As soon as she approached, she said angrily.
"Your Majesty, what does this mean? You took away the chief maid in this concubine's palace without even saying a word. Is this appropriate?"
The phoenix - feather flower hairpin between Dugu Luanyue's eyebrows was a brilliant combination of gold and red, exuding a sense of majesty and beauty. She glanced at Wei Enxian indifferently and took a sip of the green tea.
"Concubine Wei didn't discipline the maids in your palace well. This servant found out about the affair between your maid and the guard. As the mistress of the harem, I naturally have to take control."
Aunt Meijiang waved her hand. "Bring the body up!"
The body was carried up by the guards and covered with a white cloth.
Yun Xiu knelt on the ground and cried. "Your Majesty, you're wronging an innocent person. When did this servant ever have an affair with the guard!"
Dugu Luanyue continued to drink tea and glanced at Aunt Meijiang indifferently.
Aunt Meijiang slapped Yun Xiu across the face.
"You damned servant. You still refuse to admit it even at this point. Do I have to show you the evidence right in front of your eyes for you to admit it?"
With that, Aunt Meijiang lifted the white cloth. What came into view was a person in red clothes with an incomplete body. The flesh on the body was torn, obviously mauled by wild dogs and beasts.
Wei Enxian saw this and immediately felt nauseous and retched. Yun Xiu let out a shrill scream in fear and trembled all over.
The coroner presented a gold hairpin on one side. "Reporting to Your Majesty, this hairpin was found on the body. It was always placed in the front of the body's robe. There is a mark of 'Made by the Wei Family' on the gold hairpin."
Dugu Luanyue said, "Among the noble families in Beiyan, the only family with the surname Wei is yours, Concubine Wei.
Moreover, only a great family would engrave the family surname on the gold hairpin.
This gold hairpin is made of pure gold and has complex patterns. It must be something worn by a noble person."
Wei Enxian angrily said, "Just because it's something worn by a noble person, does it mean it belongs to this concubine's maid?"
Dugu Luanyue tilted her chin towards Yun Xiu. "Concubine Wei, take a look. Your maid, who is just a low - level maid, already wears a gold hairpin on her head. It's obviously a reward from you, the mistress.
After much thought, I'll just assume that it belongs to your maid. Otherwise, it might belong to you, Concubine Wei."
Wei Enxian leaned forward. "Your Majesty, you..."
Dugu Luanyue's smile was the same as the one Wei Enxian had given her in the Biqing Pool that day, carrying a hint of provocation and a look of watching a good show.
How this gold hairpin was obtained was really a coincidence.