0p0 Chapter 208 Bribing Lin En
Chapter 208 Bribing Lin En
That night, the Ministry of Internal Affairs had already begun to remove the coffin one after another, waiting to seal the door the next day after Lu Jieyu was carried away.
Shen Zhiyao had already divided up the things that needed to be dealt with according to Concubine Lu's last instructions, and the rest were all unimportant.
At this time, Taoxiang just packed a bag and stood outside the hall, tears in her eyes.
The servants in Qingyuexuan all knew that she was going to serve in Cuiweixuan, and when they saw her off, their tone and eyes were full of envy and jealousy.
All the remaining slaves in the pavilion were being watched by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, who said they would all be sent to Cheng'en Temple to serve as slaves when daybreak.
"Eunuch Chu'an, I will kowtow to the master nine more times, and then we can leave..." Taoxiang choked.
"Okay, it's rare that you are so loyal, so let's mourn you again. Our master can understand." Chu An sighed sympathetically.
Tao Xiang wiped her tears, kowtowed nine times respectfully in the direction of the coffin, and said in a sad voice: "May the queen ascend to heaven soon and no longer sink into worldly emotions..."
Chu An helped her up, took the bag carefully, and comforted her: "Let's go, we will be a family after entering Cuiweixuan. The master treats us servants very well..."
After entering Cuiweixuan next door, Shen Zhiyao personally took Taoxiang in because she was concerned about Concubine Lu's instructions.
"This servant pays respects to Madam Jin Shuyi..."
Arriving at a completely unfamiliar place, Taoxiang seemed very reserved and was too embarrassed to call Shen Zhiyao "Master".
Shen Zhiyao didn't care much and said, "Cuiweixuan and Qingyue Pavilion are about the same size. Qiuyue has already had someone tidy up your place. From now on, just treat this place as your own home. Since we have accepted you, you are one of our own from now on."
"The positions for first-class palace maids are all full, but I'm still short of a second-class palace maid. I'm sorry to inconvenience you for the time being, but I'll still pay you the same salary as a first-class palace maid." Shen Zhiyao added.
"Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty. I am already content to have a place to stay. I will serve you attentively in the future." Seeing Shen Zhiyao being so generous, Taoxiang felt deeply warmed and promised sincerely.
At this point, Shen Zhiyao had completed all of Concubine Lu's last wishes as agreed, and all that remained was to settle accounts with the "murderer".
Shen Zhiyao secretly made up her mind that she must make the murderer pay a heavy price!
The next afternoon, Lin'en finished all the chores the emperor had asked him to do, and then hurried to Cuiweixuan to keep the appointment at the agreed time.
He naturally knew why Jin Shuyi wanted to see him, but he had to go.
After Concubine Lu passed away, Jin Shuyi's various behaviors made Lin'en's admiration for her rise to another level, and he wanted to get close to her even more.
But Lin En was conflicted about whether he should tell the truth about this matter.
When he arrived at Cuiweixuan, Shen Zhiyao was sitting in the yard drinking the old white tea given by the emperor.
"Your servant pays his respects to Empress Jin Shuyi." Lin En bowed with a smile.
"No need to be polite, sir." Shen Zhiyao smiled and waved her hand: "Sit down, Qiuyue, serve tea to the sir."
Qiuyue agreed and hurried to serve tea.
Lin En thanked her, sat upright in the first seat, and said with a smile: "Chu An has told me, your Highness, you are too polite. Besides, I have never taken special care of Cui Weixuan."
"I can sense whether I've been taken care of or not." Shen Zhiyao smiled and pushed the cake towards him: "Try this, it's just been brought from the kitchen, it's still hot."
After thanking Lin En, he carefully picked up a piece of cake with his hands and started eating.
The two chatted for a while and the atmosphere soon became lively.
"Eunuch Lin'en, I asked you to come here today, not only to express my gratitude, but also to ask you something. You are a smart man, you should have known it long ago." Seeing that the atmosphere was almost right, Shen Zhiyao asked casually.
What was supposed to come finally came. Lin En knew what she wanted to ask, and said with difficulty: "Madam Jin Shuyi, I am just a servant. Keeping my mouth shut is the basic quality of a servant. There are some things that I really cannot say. Please forgive me, Madam..."
Shen Zhiyao was not angry when she heard this, and smiled as usual: "I understand. Since Eunuch Lin En is not convenient to say it, then forget it..."
Shen Zhiyao changed the subject and said, "I heard that my father-in-law had a good family background when he was young, but he suffered hardships. It's really sad."
Lin En's brows twitched when he heard this. Ever since the day he was castrated and sent to the palace, he seemed to have suddenly become enlightened. He had always hoped that one day the Qian family would be cleared of all charges.
If he could exchange his half-broken body and dedicated service for a different result, he would be willing to do so.
"Your Majesty, that's all in the past. I don't have a surname now, only a given name. The Emperor treats me very well, and I'm content..." Lin En pretended to be calm.
"Indeed, but even though the Qian family no longer has the former glory, fortunately, the whole family is safe... As long as there are people, there is hope, but we should also have a good reputation... Let's wait and see..." Shen Zhiyao said meaningfully.
Lin En heard it carefully and felt his heart beating like a drum, and he fell into a fierce struggle in his heart.
And Shen Zhiyao was not talking nonsense. Because she wanted to deal with Lin En, she had carefully studied the Qian family's case and found many suspicious points in it.
The emperor kept Lin En by his side not only because of his attentive and loyal service, but also because the Qian family's case was useful, but not at the right time.
Because of this judgment, she wanted to use this case to bribe Lin En, or in other words, to make an equal exchange with Lin En.
Not only for the deceased Concubine Lu, but also to get some information that no one else can get.
Shen Zhiyao looked at Lin En with a smile and did not urge him, but drank her tea by herself.
After a long time, Lin En stood up and said goodbye: "Your Majesty, I still have to serve the emperor, and it is not appropriate for me to leave for too long. Now, I really have to go back."
As he spoke, he carefully observed Shen Zhiyao's expression with stealing glances, but did not catch any displeasure on her face.
"Okay, of course serving the emperor is more important, and I won't keep my eunuch." Shen Zhiyao said, and winked at Qiuyue.
Qiuyue immediately brought out a small wooden box and handed it to Lin'en with both hands.
"Oh, Your Majesty, it is already a great favor that you can invite me to have a cup of tea. I absolutely cannot do this..." Lin En declined respectfully.
"What are you talking about, eunuch? Don't worry, I have no other intentions. I just want you to say something good in front of the emperor when you have the chance. I can't care about other things. Just keep it."
Shen Zhiyao hinted very clearly, I am not trying to bribe you, and I will not ask you to do anything excessive.
Lin En understood that Shen Zhiyao was merely buying his mouth and asking him to whisper more in the emperor's ear.
Lin En hesitated for a moment, but finally accepted the gift: "Thank you, Madam Jin Shuyi. Please rest assured, I understand."
"Okay, I'll let Chu'an take the father-in-law out." Shen Zhiyao smiled and waved her hand, as if she was treating a friend, without any airs at all.
Lin En bowed, turned around and walked out with Chu An, but stopped halfway.
Thinking about the injustice that the Qian family had been accused of, Lin En made up his mind and bowed, "My Lady, I have something else to say to you..."