In the inner hall of the Wind and Rain Palace, the strong wind had almost blown all the sacrificial offerings on the stone platform to the ground. The red cloth covering the Phoenix Feather Mirror had long fluttered to the ground. The weather that day was not good either. Thick dark clouds covered the entire sky, and not a single ray of sunlight could be seen.
Wei Shuxuan sat in front of the main gate of the Wind and Rain Palace again. Sitting here, she could see the whole view inside the palace. Due to the lack of sunlight, the inside of the palace seemed rather dim. Fortunately, it was daytime and she was sitting at the door, so she could still see the scene inside.
She saw all kinds of fruits that had been blown to the ground by the wind, and several dead rats lying quietly on the ground. Next to them, there were also some pastries that had been bitten a few times. With her excellent eyesight, Wei Shuxuan could clearly see the tooth marks on the pastries. These were the sacrificial offerings for the Phoenix Feather Mirror. Xin Zizhao would never ask the imperial kitchen to put poison in those pastries. So, there must be something in the Wind and Rain Palace that could release poisonous substances.
However, she had to conduct an investigation to find out what that thing was. So, before she knew what it was, she couldn't let anyone enter the Wind and Rain Palace. Otherwise, something unpredictable might happen.
Anyway, since she didn't know what it was yet, Wei Shuxuan thought she'd better go back to the Wind and Harmony Palace first. Staying here was just a waste of time. It would be better to go back and have some snacks. Maybe then she could think of some clues.
When Wei Shuxuan left the Wind and Rain Palace without any gains, she walked out of the inner hall and saw something hanging on the carved gate of the inner hall. But she didn't pay much attention to it and just left the palace directly.
As soon as Wei Shuxuan returned to the Wind and Harmony Palace, she heard Chief Eunuch Li rushing over to report to her. She looked at Chief Eunuch Li in surprise. "What's the matter, Chief Eunuch Li? You look out of breath and in such a hurry. Is there someone in the Wind and Harmony Palace?"
"R-Reporting to Her Majesty the Queen, yes. General Long An and Young General Ge are here! The two generals said they came to visit Her Majesty the Queen!"
"Ah, Godfather and Ge Zian are here?" Wei Shuxuan swept away the previous gloom in her heart. She'd put the case aside for now. She quickly walked into the Wind and Harmony Palace and asked Chief Eunuch Li, "Chief Eunuch Li, have you prepared snacks and tea to entertain them?"
"Reporting to Her Majesty the Queen, this servant has served General Long An and Young General Ge their favorite snacks and tea. They are waiting for Your Majesty in the main hall!" Chief Eunuch Li answered Wei Shuxuan's question eagerly.
"That's good. By the way, Chief Eunuch Li, I'd like to have some crystal osmanthus cakes. Please get some for me."
"Yes, Your Majesty the Queen."
When Wei Shuxuan came to the main hall, she saw Ge Long'an sitting in the main seat, sipping tea leisurely, while Ge Zian was eating snacks. As soon as Wei Shuxuan came in, they saw her. Ge Long'an was the first to react. "Xuan'er, you're finally back. You've been away from the palace for so long. It really worried this old man to death! Look at you. You've lost so much weight. I've always said you shouldn't go traveling. It would have been so much better if you'd just stayed with this old man in the Ge Mansion!"
Wei Shuxuan listened to Ge Long'an scolding her there non - stop. He didn't even give her a chance to interrupt. She cast a pleading look at Ge Zian, but Ge Zian shifted his gaze to the side, pretending not to see her look. Wei Shuxuan felt a bit helpless and just listened to Ge Long'an nagging at her.
Ah, so annoying! That was what Wei Shuxuan was thinking in her heart. She should have known better than to come back here. She should have gone straight to the Imperial Study to find Xin Zizhao. If Xin Zizhao were here, maybe there would be someone to share the burden of her godfather's nagging.
Ge Zian saw Wei Shuxuan's expression, and he himself couldn't stand his father's non - stop nagging either. "Alright, Father, stop blaming Xuan'er. She already knows her mistake."
After saying this, Ge Zian gave Wei Shuxuan a look. Wei Shuxuan immediately understood and nodded repeatedly. "Yes, yes, Godfather, Xuan'er already knows her mistake. Please stop talking."
Seeing Wei Shuxuan's good attitude of admitting her mistake, Ge Long'an nodded. "Alright, this old man knows. Xuan'er, don't think this old man is being wordy. After all, you're the only child of my elder brother. I nag at you for your own good."
"I know..." Couldn't he just stop talking about her? Wei Shuxuan forced a smile.
Seeing Wei Shuxuan looking so embarrassed, Ge Zian had to take the initiative to help her out. "By the way, Xuan'er, where did you go this time? Why did you take so long to come back? I thought you'd had a fight with His Majesty just after you got married."
"I didn't have a fight with Xin Zizhao. Who told you that?" Wei Shuxuan looked at Ge Zian discontentedly.
"My father said so."
"Godfather, I didn't have a fight with Xin Zizhao. Don't talk nonsense!" Wei Shuxuan got angry. Whenever it came to matters related to Xin Zizhao, she would become serious. "My relationship with Xin Zizhao is very good. And, did you come to the palace to cause trouble for Xin Zizhao while I was away?"
Although Wei Shuxuan hadn't spent much time with Ge Long'an, she knew her godfather's temper very well. He must have come to cause trouble for Xin Zizhao!
Being scolded by Wei Shuxuan like this, Ge Long'an instantly lost the momentum he had when he was blaming Wei Shuxuan just now. Ge Zian was quite surprised. He didn't expect his father to be afraid of Wei Shuxuan getting angry.
"Well..." Ge Long'an scratched his head. "This old man did come to scold Zizhao. I asked him if he'd treated you badly, which was why you left on the second day after your wedding. But Zizhao told this old man that you just wanted to go out and relax and told this old man not to worry. This old man saw that his eyes were sincere, so he believed him."
"Did he really say that?" Wei Shuxuan's previously fierce face softened.
"Yes. How could this old man lie to Xuan'er?"
In the evening, Wei Shuxuan asked Ge Long'an and his son to stay in her bedroom for dinner. She also invited Xin Zizhao. Xin Zizhao wasn't at all surprised to see Ge Long'an and his son. After Wei Shuxuan came back, he'd already expected that they would come together to visit her.
"Did you find any useful clues when you went to the Wind and Rain Palace today?" Xin Zizhao asked Wei Shuxuan.
"No. So, I came back early."
"What case are you investigating now? What happened in the palace?" Ge Zian had been leading troops on the border recently and had just returned a few days ago, so it was normal for him not to know.