Rebirth of the Princess Pearl

In the evening of the compound, the afterglow of the setting sun sprinkled on the unfinished buildings, dyeing everything in the yard with a layer of orange-red. Xiaoyanzi stood beside the pile of newly transported wood, staring at the wood, with her hands folded across her chest, and a serious face.

"Yongqi, where do you think we should look for clues? This wood issue is definitely not that simple." Xiaoyanzi frowned and turned to look at Yongqi, her braids shaking with the movement.

Yongqi also looked at the wood, and after thinking for a moment, he said: "We can start with the boss who bought the wood today and see if we can ask some characteristics of those who bought most of the wood." Yongqi put his hand on his chin, with a thoughtful gleam in his eyes.

Erkang came over and said after hearing their conversation: "I think it's okay. Let's go to the lumber store now." Erkang's expression was firm, he gripped the sword at his waist tightly, as if ready to deal with any danger that might arise at any time.

Ziwei said worriedly, "You guys have to be careful. If someone is really targeting us, then the person behind this must be no simple person." Ziwei's eyes were full of worry. She walked to Yongqi and gently pulled his sleeve.

Yongqi patted Ziwei's hand and comforted her, "Ziwei, don't worry. We will be careful."

Princess Seya also said: "In our Mongolia, it is important to be cautious when facing danger. You must pay attention to the movements around you." Princess Seya put her hands on her hips, her posture upright, and her eyes showed concern.

Ertai nodded and said, "Then let's set off now."

So Yongqi, Erkang and Ertai walked towards the wood.

At this time, the boss of the timber shop was packing up and preparing to close the shop. Seeing Yongqi and others coming, the boss was a little surprised.

"Gentlemen, is there anything else to do so late?" The boss stopped what he was doing and looked at them in confusion.

Yongqi stepped forward and said politely, "Boss, we would like to ask about the people who bought most of the wood this morning. Please think about it carefully, is there anything special?" Yongqi looked at the boss sincerely.

The boss thought for a moment and said, "Sir, I recalled it carefully. Although those people were well-dressed, they felt a little sneaky. And the accents they spoke did not sound like locals." The boss said as he recalled the scene in the morning.

Erkang asked: "Do you remember if they have any special marks or characteristics of their clothing?" Erkang stared at the boss, hoping to get more useful information.

The boss scratched his head and said, "There seemed to be a small embroidered pattern on their clothes, but I didn't see it clearly. I just remember it was a round thing."

Ertai said: "A circular embroidery pattern? What kind of symbol could this be?" Ertai frowned and fell into deep thought.

Yongqi said, "Boss, thank you. If you can remember anything else, please let us know." Yongqi bowed to the boss.

The boss said quickly: "You are too polite. I hope you can find the wood soon."

After Yongqi, Erkang and Ertai left the lumber store, they were on their way back to the slum.

Ertai said: "This circular embroidery pattern is a very important clue. We need to think carefully about which forces it may be related to." Ertai's steps were hurried, and there was a hint of anxiety in his eyes.

Yongqi said: "I have never seen anyone with such a symbol in the palace. Could it be some organization outside the palace?" Yongqi's hands clenched into fists unconsciously.

Erkang said: "It is also possible that someone is deliberately hiding his identity and does not want to be discovered. We still have to start from inside the palace. After all, the renovation of the slum has something to do with many people in the palace." Erkang's expression was serious, and his eyes were looking forward firmly.

When they returned to the compound, Xiaoyanzi, Ziwei and Princess Seya were waiting for them.

Xiaoyanzi couldn't wait to ask: "How is it? Are there any new clues?" Xiaoyanzi ran to Yongqi, her eyes full of anticipation.

Yongqi told them the information he got from the boss.

Ziwei said: "Circular embroidery pattern? This sounds mysterious. How can we find out?" Ziwei put her hand on her forehead, as if thinking about something.

Princess Seya said: "We can first ask quietly in the palace to see if anyone has seen this pattern." Princess Seya's voice was steady and her eyes showed determination.

So they decided to split into two groups, Yongqi and Xiaoyanzi in one group, and Erkang, Ziwei and Princess Seya in the other group, and they separately went to the palace to inquire about the circular embroidery pattern.

The next day, Yongqi and Xiaoyanzi walked carefully in the corridor of the palace. The palace maids and eunuchs around them were busy shuttling back and forth. Yongqi and Xiaoyanzi walked while paying attention to the reactions of the people around them.

Little Swallow saw a little palace maid, walked up to her and asked, "Little palace maid, have you ever seen anyone with circular embroidered patterns on her clothes?" Little Swallow opened her eyes wide and looked at the little palace maid with curiosity.

The little palace maid was startled and quickly shook her head, saying, "Princess, I have never seen this before." The little palace maid lowered her head, not daring to look Xiaoyanzi in the eye.

Yongqi came over and said gently, "Little palace maid, think about it carefully. This is very important to us. If you know anything, tell us, and nothing will happen." Yongqi's voice was gentle, and his eyes showed trust.

The little palace maid thought for a while and said, "Young Master, Princess, I seem to have heard a maid from the imperial kitchen say that she saw a person wearing strange clothes walking by the palace wall, and there seemed to be a round object on the clothes. But I'm not sure if it is the embroidery pattern you mentioned." The little palace maid's voice was very soft, and her hands were rubbing the corner of her clothes nervously.

Yongqi and Xiaoyanzi looked at each other and felt that this was an important clue.

Yongqi said, "Thank you, little maid. You have been a great help."

They walked towards the imperial kitchen.

In the imperial kitchen, the maid was washing vegetables. Yongqi and Xiaoyanzi walked over and explained their purpose.

The nanny raised her head, looked at them and said, "Young Master, Princess, I did see it. It was one night a few days ago. I saw a person wearing black clothes. There was a circular embroidery on the clothes. It looked very delicate. But I didn't see clearly what the pattern was. The person was sneaky and I was scared at the time." The nanny's voice trembled a little, and she seemed to be still a little scared about what happened that night.

Xiaoyanzi said, "Mammy, do you remember which direction he went?" Xiaoyanzi stared at Mammy, hoping to get more clues.

Mammy thought for a moment and said, "I remember he went to the west. The west is a relatively remote place, and I don't know what he was doing there."

After thanking the nanny, Yongqi and Xiaoyanzi walked towards the west.

The west is a more remote area in the palace, where the buildings are a bit shabby and few people come. Yongqi and Xiaoyanzi walked carefully, their eyes constantly scanning the surroundings.

Suddenly, Xiaoyanzi saw a piece of black cloth in a corner, and she ran over to pick it up.

"Yongqi, look at this." Xiaoyanzi handed the piece of cloth to Yongqi, excitement in her eyes.

Yongqi took the piece of cloth and took a closer look. There was indeed a circular embroidered pattern on it. Although it was a little worn, the general shape could still be seen.

"This pattern looks like a special sign. We must hurry back to meet up with Erkang and the others to see if they have discovered anything." Yongqi's expression was serious, and he carefully put away the piece of cloth.

Erkang, Ziwei and Princess Seya were looking for clues in the palace garden. Ziwei saw an old eunuch pruning branches and walked over to ask, "Eunuch, you have been in the palace for so many years. Have you ever seen anyone with circular embroidery on their clothes?" Ziwei's voice was gentle, with a hint of expectation in her eyes.

The old eunuch stopped his work, looked at Ziwei and said, "Miss, I seem to have seen him before. He was a minor official in the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Once, I saw a round embroidery showing from under his clothes, but I didn't pay much attention to it." The old eunuch's voice was hoarse and there was a hint of doubt in his eyes.

Erkang stepped forward and asked, "Eunuch, do you know the name of that young official?" Erkang's expression was serious, his hand on the hilt of the sword.

The old eunuch thought for a moment and said, "I remember his name seemed to be Li San'er. But I'm not sure if he has anything to do with what you are looking for."

Erkang said: "Thank you, father-in-law. The information you provided is very useful."

Erkang, Ziwei and Princess Seya decided to go to the Ministry of Internal Affairs to find Li Saner.

In the Ministry of Internal Affairs, they found Li Saner, who was a little nervous when he saw them.

Erkang asked directly: "Li Saner, what's the matter with the circular embroidery pattern on your clothes?" Erkang's eyes were sharp and he stared at Li Saner closely.

Li Saner's face turned pale and he stammered, "Master, this... I just embroidered it for fun. It's nothing special." Li Saner didn't dare look at Erkang and his hands kept rubbing the corners of his clothes.

Ziwei walked forward and said gently: "Li Saner, tell the truth. We already know that this matter is not simple. If you don't tell me, there may be big trouble." Ziwei's voice was soft, but there was an irresistible power.

Li Saner hesitated for a moment and said, "Miss, sir, let me tell you. This was given to me by a nanny beside Empress Ling Fei. She told me to embroider this pattern on clothes and then do something with it. But I'm not quite sure what to do specifically." Li Saner's voice trembled and he lowered his head.

Erkang, Ziwei and Princess Seya were all surprised when they heard this.

Ziwei said: "Empress Ling Fei? Hasn't she changed? How could she be related to this matter?" Ziwei's eyes were full of confusion.

At this moment, Yongqi and Xiaoyanzi also rushed to the Imperial Household Department.

After hearing what Ziwei said, Yongqi said, "We can't jump to conclusions easily. Maybe there is some misunderstanding. Let's go find Empress Ling Fei and ask her clearly." There was a hint of doubt in Yongqi's eyes, but he still remained rational.

They came to the palace of Concubine Ling, who was reading a book and was a little surprised to see them coming.

Empress Ling Fei put down the book and said with a smile, "Why are you here? Is there something wrong?" Empress Ling Fei's voice was gentle, and there was a hint of doubt in her eyes.

Yongqi stepped forward, took out the piece of cloth and said, "Empress Ling Fei, we are investigating the incident of the timber being sold in the compound and found that this circular embroidery pattern is related to it. Some people say that the pattern was given by the nanny beside you, what's going on?" Yongqi's eyes were sincere, he looked at Empress Ling Fei, hoping to get a reasonable explanation.

Empress Ling Fei looked at the piece of cloth, frowned and said, "I don't know about this. How could the nanny beside me be related to this matter?" Empress Ling Fei's expression became serious, and her hands unconsciously clenched her handkerchief.

Ziwei said: "Your Majesty, we don't want to doubt you. But now all the clues point to you. Can you call the nanny beside you to ask?" Ziwei's voice was soft, and her eyes were full of trust and expectation.

Empress Ling Fei thought for a moment and said, "Okay, I'll call the nanny to ask her."

Concubine Ling called the nanny over. When the nanny saw the piece of cloth, her face changed drastically.

Concubine Ling said sternly: "Madam, what's going on? Please explain it to me clearly." Concubine Ling's voice became cold and her eyes were filled with anger.

The nanny knelt down with a plop and cried, "Your Majesty, it's my fault. I was bribed and did these things. But Your Majesty, you really don't know about this." The nanny kowtowed while crying.

Empress Ling Fei frowned and said, "Who bribed you?" Empress Ling Fei stared at the nanny.

The nanny said, "Yes... they were people around Concubine Hua. They said that if I did what they asked, they would give me a lot of silver. I was confused for a moment, so I agreed." The nanny's voice trembled, and her face was full of regret.

After hearing this, Concubine Ling heaved a sigh of relief and said, "I was wondering how I could be involved in this matter. It turns out that Concubine Hua was behind this." There was a hint of anger in Concubine Ling's eyes.

Xiaoyanzi said angrily: "How could Concubine Hua be so bad? She is under house arrest, yet she is still trying to sabotage the renovation of the compound." Xiaoyanzi's eyes were burning with anger, and her hands were clenched into fists.

Yongqi said: "It seems we can't let our guard down against her." Yongqi's expression was serious, his hand on the sword at his waist.

Erkang said: "We must tell the emperor about this and ask him to punish Concubine Hua severely." Erkang's eyes were firm, and there was a sense of justice in his gaze.

Concubine Ling said: "I will go with you to see the Emperor and explain this matter clearly." Concubine Ling's voice was firm and her eyes showed determination.

They arrived at the palace of Emperor Qianlong, who was reviewing memorials.

When Emperor Qianlong saw them coming, he said with some doubt: "So many of you have come together. Is there something important to report to me?" Emperor Qianlong's voice was steady and majestic, and his eyes swept over everyone.

Yongqi stepped forward and recounted the entire story in detail, including the purchase of the wood, clues to the circular embroidery pattern, and the fact that the nanny had been bribed by Concubine Hua's people.

After hearing this, Emperor Qianlong's face turned gloomy, and he said angrily: "Hua Fei is really unrepentant. I have already given her a chance, but she is still doing things behind my back." Emperor Qianlong's voice was full of anger, and he slammed his hand heavily on the table.

Ziwei said: "Your Majesty, the old people in the slum are all innocent. They just want a place to live. What Concubine Hua did is really too much." Ziwei's voice was gentle and her eyes were full of grievance.

Emperor Qianlong said: "I will not let Concubine Hua go. I will increase her house arrest punishment again and cut her monthly salary." There was an unquestionable majesty in Emperor Qianlong's eyes.

Xiaoyanzi said happily: "Father Emperor, you are so wise." Xiaoyanzi's face was filled with smiles and her eyes were shining with excitement.

Concubine Ling said: "Your Majesty, this incident has made me realize that I must not let my guard down in this palace. I will be more careful in the future and not let such things happen again." Concubine Ling's voice was gentle, and she saluted to Emperor Qianlong.

Emperor Qianlong looked at Concubine Ling and said, "Concubine Ling, you are right to think so. I hope you can live in harmony with Xiaoyanzi, Ziwei and others in the future." Emperor Qianlong's voice softened a little.

Empress Ling Fei said: "I will definitely do it, Your Majesty."

After this incident, the people in the palace had a great change in their views on Concubine Ling. Everyone believed that Concubine Ling had really become kind. The renovation of the compound was also going smoothly with the efforts of everyone. The old people in the compound were looking forward to the early completion of their new home... (Subsequent content will be updated continuously)