The emperor followed the imperial concubine at night, but did not stay in the imperial concubine's bedroom. Instead, he went to the side room and favored a little maid arranged by the imperial concubine in advance.

After the imperial concubine turned off the lights in the side room, someone called Zhang Songying over.

"Are you crazy? What are you doing to help that woman?"

Zhang Songying, who was woken up twice in one night, was so enlightened that she simply gave up resistance and dozed off while sitting under Concubine Zhang.

Seeing that she didn't reply, Concubine Zhang stretched out her hand and pinched her face. This time she used her strength, and her fair and tender face turned red immediately.

Zhang Songying said "ouch", covered her face, cheered up, looked at her sister sadly and replied:

"Sister, Mrs. Jiang is a very nice person. She is my friend."

Concubine Zhang was so angry that she reached out and poked her in the head.

My sister is just a piece of rotten wood. If that girl from the Jiang family was even half smart, she wouldn't let herself worry like this.

"Why does she only want to be friends with you among so many beautiful girls? It's not because you are my sister. Jiang Guangyao is out of reach in this summer resort. She wants you to be on the list so you can avoid Yan Mingxi's plot!

You see, you didn’t come here just because of my protection in the past few days! You think everyone else is as heartless as you!"

Zhang Songying pursed her lips, so what if Jiang Fu took advantage of her, it was a fact that she saved her, and she had to move in with her, so she had not plotted against herself.

Even if she has a purpose in approaching him, she is still better than Wu Mingyu. He is usually very affectionate with his sister, but at critical moments, he blocks the knife with himself. This kind of person is the most terrifying!

"ah!"

Zhang Songying was muttering in her heart when she suddenly heard a woman's miserable scream, which frightened her so much that she stretched her head and looked outside.

"What, what's the sound? It seems to be coming from the side courtyard."

Concubine Zhang frowned and shouted sternly:

"Don't ask what you shouldn't ask! Just clean up and I will arrange for you to be eliminated as soon as possible.

The Emperor... Anyway, remember, the harem is not a good place. After you go back, I will ask your parents to arrange a good home for you as soon as possible.

Let Xueyan take you back, and remember not to get too close to Jiang Fu in the future."

After saying that, he asked the eldest palace maid to send her back.

When Zhang Songying passed by the side courtyard, she poked her head around to look inside, but Xue Yan held her down and pulled her straight out of the gate.

On the way back, she happened to meet Jiang Fu and Chen Jian'an coming out of Huo Tingfang's yard. Considering that Xue Yan was still around, she winked at Jiang Fu and left.

Jiang Fu shook her head and laughed. She was already a "murderer" and this girl didn't know how to keep a distance from her. No wonder she helped count the money after being sold by Wu Mingyu.

"Girl, we're here."

The little palace maid took the two of them outside a courtyard, and without going inside, she pointed at the courtyard door and said to them.

The fence of that courtyard is higher than that of Huo Tingfang's courtyard. Judging from the color of the wall, it seems that the top one foot high was added later.

From the outside, it doesn't look like a yard, but like a prison.

There are overgrown weeds at the door. Except for some trampled weeds on a path where one person was walking alone, the surroundings look very messy. It can be seen that few people go out usually.

"Except for the eunuchs and maids who are responsible for taking care of the concubine, no one usually walks around in this courtyard. The concubine doesn't like to meet strangers, so I'm afraid I won't be able to ask anything."

The little palace maid was unwilling to go in, so she persuaded Jiang Fu and the others at the door.

"I know, you go down first."

Jiang Fu thought she was noisy, so she waved her hand to let her go. Then she raised her chin to Chen Jian'an and motioned for him to call the door.

Chen Jian'an accepted his fate as a servant and stepped forward to pull the knocker and knock on the door. He was already an imperial minister, but Miss Jiang still treated him like a son.

"Clang clang clang!"

As soon as the knock on the door came, there was the sound of footsteps coming inside. The brisk voice sounded like that of a lithe girl.

Soon the door was opened from the inside, and a thin palace maid appeared behind the door. When she saw Chen Jian'an standing at the door, she was stunned for a moment, and then subconsciously closed the door.

Chen Jian'an reacted very quickly and reached out to block the door that was almost closed. Seeing this, Jiang Fu stepped forward and pushed open the two door panels. The palace maid was not very strong and was almost pushed to the ground.

"Why are you running?"

When Chen Jian'an stepped into the courtyard, the palace maid was so frightened that she shrank her shoulders and took two steps back, as if he was not a handsome young man, but a life-seeking evil ghost.

This behavior is too abnormal.

"Go back to the official,"

The little palace maid murmured, not daring to look up at the two of them. Chen Jian'an swept around the yard and saw that the huge yard was full of fallen leaves and weeds. It was so deserted that it seemed like no one was living there. It was not like a dowager's bedroom.

It feels like being in the cold palace.

Chen Jian'an's eyebrows flashed and he asked:

"Where is the eunuch in charge of your courtyard?"

When the little palace maid heard this, her shoulders shook, she turned around and ran away, saying as she ran:

"Slave, go call me now."

Jiang Fu watched her stumble out the door, her eyebrows twisted into the character "Chuan" and she complained:

"Why are the people in this yard so talkative?"

Isn't it amazing? As a royal maid, she is so skinny that she looks like a refugee fleeing from famine. She doesn't have any of the rules that a palace maid should have.

Moreover, if the eunuch in charge is not staying in his palace in the middle of the night, what is he doing outside?

Chen Jian'an did not stop in the front yard, but walked straight to the back of the house, walked to the small corner door, raised his hand and pulled the lock on it.

The lock looked old and covered with rust. Chen Jianan rubbed the rust stains with his hand and turned the lock over. There was a very new scratch on the keyhole, which showed that it had been opened recently.

"The man went into Huo Tingfang's yard through the corner gate, watched her poisonous hair with his own eyes, and then quietly slipped away from here, so he did not alert the maids in her yard."

Chen Jian'an made a decisive decision.

Jiang Fu touched her chin, a little confused, why did that person go to all the trouble to go to Huo Xiangjun to see her poisonous hair?

Could it be that he had some deep hatred and could only relieve his anger by seeing her in pain?

She couldn't figure it out, so she asked directly.

A coldness flashed across Chen Jian'an's eyes, why? Of course it was for General Huo's personal secret letter!

Xichang didn't find it in Qingliang Temple, so he thought that the thing was still in Huo Tingfang's hands, so he used such vicious means to force her to hand it over.

The two were talking when suddenly a dry and pale palm touched Jiang Fu's shoulder. She looked down subconsciously and was almost frightened to death. She immediately ran out, hugging Chen Jian'an in front of her and shouted:

"Ah ah ah, what is this? No one said this yard is haunted!"

Chen Jian'an looked at the woman who appeared in front of her with dirty clothes and disheveled hair, and patted Jiang Fu on the shoulder.

"It's the concubine."

Only then did Jiang Fu remember what the little palace maid had said before, and turned around in shock.

The concubine looked to be in her forties or fifties, wearing a water-pink shabby dress, with a plain silver hairpin on her head, her face was mottled as if she hadn't been washed for a few days, and she was holding a rag doll in her arms.

.

"Did the emperor send you to take me to bed?"

The concubine looked at Chen Jian'an and thought he was the eunuch who came to pick her up.

Jiang Fu got off Chen Jian'an in disgust and patted the hem of her skirt to hide her embarrassment.

"It's really crazy. The dynasty has changed. How can she still serve as a bed attendant? She can't even sleep with her nominal son!"

The concubine seemed to not understand Jiang Fu's words, and was about to pull Chen Jian'an away in excitement. At this moment, a young eunuch hurriedly ran in and stepped forward to hold her arm.

"Oh, my dear, why are you out here? You have to go back to your room to sleep in the middle of the night. If the emperor gets up early to see you, you will not be able to come up."

The little eunuch skillfully calmed the concubine's emotions. The concubine seemed a little scared when she saw him. She hugged the baby in her arms tightly and murmured:

"Okay, don't hit me while I'm sleeping. I'll sleep well and be a good baby."

Jiang Fu glanced behind the little eunuch and said doubtfully:

"Where was the little palace maid just now?"

The little eunuch raised his head and looked at her with an innocent face, his tone even more confused than hers:

"I have never seen any palace maids. There have never been any palace maids in this courtyard. I have always taken care of it myself."

Oh, I bet they both had a hallucination just now?

Chen Jian'an looked around the little eunuch's hands and wrists. There were no scratches on them. He was not the one who forced Huo Tingfang to confess.

"It's already getting so late. I'll help the concubine go back to rest first. I'm going to leave now."

After the little eunuch finished speaking, he was about to take the concubine's arm and walk to the bedroom. Chen Jian'an stood in front of him and pulled away his hand that was holding the concubine.

"I haven't finished asking yet, why are you so anxious?

Is there anyone suspicious appearing in the Imperial Concubine’s yard after nightfall today?”

The little eunuch lowered his head to hide the displeasure in his eyes and whispered:

"I haven't seen anyone come here. No one, except you two, has been to the concubine's yard in the past few days."
To be continued...