After the marriage, the disabled war king was spoiled by me

Qiao Zhiyu suddenly stood up and shouted orders at the door.

"Stop! Everyone, don't go anywhere without the order of this Prime Minister. Surround the imperial study and don't let the thief escape!"

The emperor and the officials present were all completely dumbfounded. Only Du Yunsheng remained calm.

Qiao Zhiyu's voice echoed in the empty imperial study, and the atmosphere instantly became tense. The emperor frowned, his eyes were like torches, and he looked directly at Qiao Zhiyu, trying to find the answer from his eyes.

"Prime Minister Qiao, what do you mean?" The emperor's voice was a little hoarse, but it revealed an unquestionable majesty.

Qiao Zhiyu glanced at the emperor coldly and said firmly: "Your Majesty, there may be a thief in the palace at the moment. If we don't take strict precautions, I'm afraid there will be endless troubles."

The emperor's expression became increasingly grim. He turned to Du Yunsheng and asked, "Madam Du, what do you think?"

Du Yunsheng smiled lightly, with a gleam of wisdom in her eyes: "I think what Prime Minister Qiao said is very true. This matter is of great importance and must be handled with caution."

The atmosphere in the imperial study became increasingly heavy, with officials whispering and discussing. At this time, a young eunuch hurried in and said breathlessly: "Your Majesty, the sedan chair of General Zhengxi's wife Du Yunsheng has just arrived outside the palace gate. She requests an audience with you."

The emperor thought for a moment and said, "Let her in."

After a while, Du Yunsheng came in wearing a gorgeous palace dress. She bowed to the emperor and smiled at Qiao Zhiyu, her eyes full of deep meaning.

"Madam Du, you've come just in time," the emperor said. "Chancellor Qiao suspects there's a thief in the palace. What do you think?"

Du Yunsheng smiled slightly and said slowly: "I think the key to this matter is to find out the identity of the thief. If we can find evidence, we can eliminate the hidden danger in one fell swoop."

The emperor nodded and turned to Qiao Zhiyu: "Qiao, Prime Minister, what do you think?"

Qiao Zhiyu pondered for a moment and said, "I think this matter is of great importance and must be considered carefully. First, we must strengthen the investigation of the palace personnel, especially the newly employed eunuchs and palace maids. Secondly, we must strengthen the patrols in the palace to prevent the thieves from escaping."

The emperor pondered and said, "Then I'll have to trouble Prime Minister Qiao. Madam Du, what do you think?"

Du Yunsheng smiled softly: "I agree with Prime Minister Qiao's proposal. However, I have something else to tell you, which may help in finding the thief."

The emperor and Qiao Zhiyu looked at Du Yunsheng at the same time, their eyes full of anticipation.

Du Yunsheng said slowly: "A few days ago, when I was walking in the palace, I heard two palace maids whispering, as if they were discussing something. I didn't pay much attention to it at the time, but now I think it may be related to this matter."

The emperor immediately ordered: "Call the two palace maids here and ask them to confess the truth."

Soon, the two maids were brought to the imperial study. They stood trembling in front of the emperor, not daring to look up.

The emperor asked coldly: "Do you know your crime?"

The two palace maids were so frightened that their faces turned pale. They quickly knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, please spare us. Your Majesty, please spare us. We have done nothing wrong."

Qiao Zhiyu snorted coldly: "You guys discussed this privately in the palace, aren't you guilty of something?"

A palace maid trembled and said, "We just discussed going to the Imperial Garden to enjoy the flowers. We have no other intentions."

Another maid quickly agreed: "Yes, we just want to go to the Imperial Garden to relax, we have no intention of rebellion."

The emperor sneered: "Do you think I will believe you? In that case, I will let you go to the Imperial Garden to enjoy the flowers, and never come back."

The two maids were so frightened that they begged for mercy, but the emperor had already issued an order, and they could not escape the fate of death.

At this time, a young eunuch ran in in a panic and reported: "Your Majesty, another murdered maid was found in the palace, and the murderer has not yet been caught."

The emperor's expression became increasingly ugly. He stood up and stared at Qiao Zhiyu and Du Yunsheng with a sharp gaze: "You must find out the truth as soon as possible and find this thief for me. Otherwise, I will never let you off easily!"

Qiao Zhiyu and Du Yunsheng agreed in unison.

Qiao Zhiyu and Du Yunsheng looked at each other, and a trace of worry flashed in their eyes. Qiao Zhiyu pondered for a moment and slowly spoke:

"Your Majesty, I think this matter is of great importance and must be dealt with carefully. First, we need to conduct a thorough investigation of the palace personnel to see if there are any suspicious cases. At the same time, we also need to strengthen the protection of the palace maids to prevent the murderer from committing crimes again."

The emperor nodded, his expression slightly relieved. "Qiao Aiqing is right. You must act with caution. Madam Du, as the wife of the General of the Western Expedition, you are more familiar with the situation in the palace. You will be fully responsible for this case."

Du Yunsheng stood up and responded respectfully: "I will do my best to investigate this case for the emperor."

Qiao Zhiyu added: "Your Majesty, I have another plan. Why not let me mobilize the imperial guards to strengthen patrols in the palace. This way, we can deter the murderer and protect the palace maids."

The emperor pondered for a moment and nodded in agreement: "Okay, then let's do as you say and let the guards fully cooperate with Madam Du."

After the arrangements were made, the three of them began to act separately. Du Yunsheng returned to her residence and immediately summoned her trusted maids to inquire about the situation in the palace in detail.

"Do you know if there is anything unusual in the palace recently?" Du Yunsheng asked.

The maids looked at each other, and finally a maid named Xiao Cui hesitated and said, "Madam, there is a rumor circulating in the palace recently. It is said that there is a mysterious maid who can use witchcraft and control people's hearts. Many maids are very scared and dare not walk alone."

Du Yunsheng frowned. This rumor was obviously related to the case. "Do you know who this mysterious maid is?"

Xiao Cui shook her head: "Madam, this rumor is so mysterious that no one knows the details. We only know that she always wears black clothes and moves in a mysterious way."

Du Yunsheng pondered for a moment and decided to investigate in person. She changed into casual clothes, quietly left her residence, and walked along the path in the palace. The night was dim, and the moonlight sprinkled on the bluestone slabs, reflecting her lonely figure.

At this moment, she suddenly heard a low cry. Her heart tightened, and she immediately walked towards the direction of the sound. Behind a rockery, she found a palace maid sitting on the ground crying.

Du Yunsheng asked softly: "Girl, why are you crying here?"

The maid raised her head and saw Du Yunsheng. She immediately stood up in panic: "Madam, I... I'm scared."

Du Yunsheng patted her shoulder gently: "Don't be afraid, tell me, what happened?"

The maid hesitated for a moment, and finally told the truth: "Madam, I...I have been dreaming about a maid in black clothes recently. She smiled strangely, and then...then I woke up and found myself lying on the ground."

Du Yunsheng was shocked. This description matched the mysterious maid in the rumor. She comforted the maid and asked her to go back and rest. Then she decided to discuss with Qiao Zhiyu.

Qiao Zhiyu was in the study room. When he learned of Du Yunsheng's discovery, he pondered for a moment and said, "Madam, this mysterious maid may be the murderer. She used rumors of witchcraft to create panic, and then took the opportunity to commit the crime."