After Xiao Fubao's life was stolen, he became the favorite of everyone in the capital

Chapter 349 Entering the Ministry of Punishment
The emperor, who had originally been thinking of picking it up high and putting it down gently, temporarily understood after hearing this that the empress dowager wanted to get to the bottom of the matter.

However, the Imperial Household Department, which is responsible for managing all affairs of the imperial palace, is now managed by Concubine Li.

Even if the imperial concubine didn't necessarily do it, the emperor wanted to help cover it up.

The emperor turned to Qian Rongsheng and said, "This matter is of great importance. You must investigate it carefully."

Qian Rongsheng understood what the emperor meant when he heard this, and nodded, saying, "Your Majesty, rest assured. I will help Li investigate the matter thoroughly."

The Queen Mother was slightly relieved and said, "Since such a big thing has happened, we should call the Imperial Concubine over to ask her about it."

But the emperor directly rejected it on behalf of Concubine Li, saying, "The Concubine caught a cold two days ago and is now bedridden."

The Queen Mother frowned when she heard this and asked, "Emperor, have you visited him?"

The emperor said, "I went to see her. She is indeed not looking good. It was a hot day, but who would have thought that her condition would become so serious."

The Queen Mother shook her head and said, "Since she is ill, why did you go to visit her? Aren't you afraid that she will get sick again? Her illness is strange again. Who knows how she got it? Emperor, you are the ruler of all people. What will happen if you fall ill?"

The emperor had not thought of this at first. Over the years, the imperial concubine had often used illness as an excuse to curry favor with the emperor. Occasionally, when she had a headache or a fever, she would send someone to invite him.

When the relationship between husband and wife was very strong, the emperor naturally would not think about these things too much. The empress dowager had not managed the affairs of the harem before and did not know these details.

Now that the Empress Dowager has pointed this out, the Emperor also feels that this matter is inappropriate. The older he gets, the more he fears death.

"Mother, your teaching is right. I will remember it. Next time, I will send the imperial physician first. Once I am sure that the disease will not be transmitted to other people, I will go to visit again." said the emperor.

The Queen Mother nodded and asked, "Since you are too ill to get out of bed, who is handling the affairs of the palace now?"

The emperor looked at Qian Rongsheng on the side.

As the chief eunuch, Qian Rongsheng was not only the emperor's personal servant, but also the emperor's eyes and ears in the harem.

Qian Rongsheng bowed and replied, "All matters in the palace are still under the control of the Imperial Concubine."

When the emperor heard this, a look of concern appeared on his face.

The Queen Mother said immediately, "The Imperial Concubine is ill and should rest. Why is she taking care of so many things? This is too hard! Emperor, I know that the Imperial Concubine has been handling all the affairs of the palace with all her heart and soul over the years, but you can't push her to death."

The Queen Mother's words sounded nice, but the old people who had experienced palace fighting for many years understood that this was a power grab.

The emperor also agreed with the Queen Mother's words and said, "Mother, do you think we should nominate someone to take charge of the palace affairs now?"

When the empress dowager heard the emperor say "take charge on his behalf", she understood that the imperial concubine was still in the emperor's heart and her position could not be easily shaken.

"Your Majesty, please handle it. There are many elderly people in the palace who are familiar with palace affairs. I believe they can take care of the harem." said the Queen Mother.

The emperor suddenly felt guilty when he heard this. The imperial concubine, the manager of the harem, was to blame for the constant disturbances during this period, but the empress dowager did not blame her openly. "Mother, I think Li Zhaoyi is good. She entered the palace early and is a relative of yours. She has been doing her duty for so many years. I believe she can manage the palace affairs well."

The imperial concubine was lying in bed sick and confused. First, she received the bad news that the poisonous incense was discovered after only one day of fumigation. Then she learned that her power in charge of the harem affairs was transferred by the emperor to Li Zhaoyi.

Even the phoenix seal that she had been keeping for safekeeping was handed over to Li Zhaoyi.

"Who did it! Your Majesty is fine, why did you suddenly want to take away my power?" The imperial concubine forced herself to sit on the bed and questioned the head palace maid.

The personal maid lowered her head and said cautiously, "Reporting to the queen, our people only found out that the emperor issued this order in Shoukang Palace. Shoukang Palace is strictly controlled, and our people have never been able to get in. We don't know what happened inside..."

"Empress Dowager! It must be her! This old woman! At her age, she's just thinking about gaining benefits for her relatives from her mother's side!" The imperial concubine cursed viciously.

When the senior palace maid heard these words, she was immediately terrified: "My lady, the walls have ears..."

The imperial concubine was not usually so ill-tempered. She usually only did vicious things and never said anything so harsh.

The imperial concubine's face was filled with anxiety at this time. Originally, she had enough time to plan slowly. Whether it was the throne or the queen mother, she had already slowly laid out her plans. When the time came, she would become the ultimate winner.

But from the moment Niu Niu appeared, from the moment she saw Niu Niu, she felt that things were completely out of control.

At this time, the mental torture and physical pain intertwined, making the imperial concubine somewhat unconscious. She shouted: "She, it must be her! She is back again! I am not happy when she comes! I want her to die!"

The personal maid had no idea who the person was that Concubine Li was talking about, but the Concubine Li she had seen before always looked like she was in control of everything and rarely acted as crazy as she was now.

"Your Majesty, calm down! She is not here. Just tell me what you want to do. The most important thing for you now is to take care of your health!" The personal maid persuaded her with all her heart.

Concubine Li turned her head to look at her, took a deep breath, and held her hand tightly with such force that it seemed as if she wanted to crush her wrist.

"You're right... I need to get well... It doesn't matter if I take over the palace power... As long as I recover from my illness... I can still deal with them..."

Hearing these intermittent words, the personal maid hurriedly brought the boiled medicine to her mouth.

As she fed him the medicine, she casually said, "You've been sick for two days. You've drunk this bitter medicine several times, but why aren't you getting better?"

It was just a casual complaint, but Concubine Li actually listened to it and pushed away the medicine that was fed to her mouth: "Is there something wrong with this medicine? Did someone drug me?"

Concubine Li played tricks on other people's medicine. Now she can't help but suspect that others would do the same to her.

The personal maid was startled when she heard this and said, "Your Majesty, there shouldn't be any problem. This medicine was boiled by a trustworthy person, and the doctor who prescribed it is one of ours."

Concubine Li shook her head and said, "Check it out... I won't drink it for now..."

After hearing what she said, the personal maid did not try to persuade her any further.

The chief eunuch in Concubine Li's palace came in again in a hurry. "Your Majesty, something terrible has happened. The eunuchs in charge of purchasing and distributing spices in the Ministry of Internal Affairs have all been sent to the Ministry of Punishment by His Majesty."