Chapter 310 - 310 Lantern Festival

310 Lantern Festival

After some interrogation, the results were as Lo Pingsha had expected. The imperial physicians were all tight-lipped and did not provide any useful information.

Although she had expected it, Yu Niaoniao was still disappointed.

She refused to give up and suggested again.

“Back then, there were so many palace maids and eunuchs in the Glazed Jade Palace. They served Imperial Concubine Yue every day. They might know something.”

Xiao Juan had already thought of this.

He said, “The second year after Imperial Concubine Yue passed away, it happened to be Empress Dowager Deng’s fortieth birthday. The emperor specially ordered that palace maids above the age of twenty could return home and marry. At that time, almost all the palace maids in the Glazed Jade Palace left.”

Yu Niaoniao was puzzled. “Why did they all leave? Could it be that the palace maids in the Glazed Jade Palace are all above the age of twenty?”

Xiao Juan said, “Of course not, but in order to leave the palace, they secretly stuffed money into the eunuchs’ coffers.”

Leaving the palace was extremely important to those palace maids, but to the Imperial Attendant Division, it was just a matter of changing their age on the roster. It was a piece of cake. They could easily earn a sum with a flick of their fingers. Why not?

Yu Niaoniao understood and asked again.

“Even if the palace maids have returned to their hometowns, aren’t there still eunuchs?”

Xiao Juan said, “All the eunuchs from the Glazed Jade Palace met with mishaps. After twenty years, none of them are alive now.”

Yu Niaoniao said, “There’s clearly a problem!”

Xiao Juan naturally knew that there was a problem.

Since they were all dead, there was no evidence.

He had no way of investigating.

Yu Niaoniao scratched her head. “Why don’t we start with those palace maids? Although they’ve returned to their hometown, at least they’re still alive. Let’s send someone to their hometown to search. Perhaps we can find them.”

Lo Pingsha’s heart felt heavy. “What if something had also happened to those palace maids ?”

Since something had happened to the eunuchs from the Glazed Jade Palace, those palace maids would probably not survive.

Killing someone to silence them. If one had to do a deed like that, one would do it ruthlessly.

Yu Niaoniao held onto her last hope.

“What if someone had escaped?”

Xiao Juan said, “I’ll send someone to their hometown to look for them, but it’s a long way. It’ll take a while to know the outcome.”

Yu Niaoniao sighed.

“What else can we do? Just wait. Hopefully, we’ll get a good outcome.”

In the blink of an eye, it was the Shangyuan Festival.

As soon as it was time for duty today, the Eagle Guards left in a hurry.

They had to rush back to spend the holidays with their families.

As night fell, the Justice Department became cold and empty.

Yu Niaoniao propped her chin on her hand and looked at the night scene outside the window. It was said that every year, the Imperial Capital would hold a lantern party on the night of the lantern festival.

She had attended the lantern festival in Bashu in the past.

However, the Imperial Capital was the capital of Dayan. The lights here would definitely be much grander than Bashu.

Unfortunately, she could not leave the Justice Department and see the legendary Imperial Capital Lantern Festival with her own eyes.

“Niaoniao.”

Hearing someone call her, Yu Niaoniao turned to look at Xiao Juan.

He had already taken off his Eagle Guard uniform and changed into the clothes of a civilian.

He was holding a little fox mask.

“Let’s go. I’ll take you to the lantern festival.”

Yu Niaoniao said, “But I can’t leave the Justice Department yet.”

Xiao Juan put the little fox mask on her face.

“As long as I don’t say anything and you don’t, no one will know you left the Justice Department.”

Yu Niaoniao blinked. She did not expect a man who had always been very principled to say such a thing.

Xiao Juan held her hand and walked out.

After the two of them left the Justice Department, they rode to West City.

There were especially many people in West City tonight. Lanterns hung on both sides of the street. From afar, the lights were brilliant, illuminating the entire West City neighborhood as bright as day.

The commoners coming and going on the streets were all dressed brightly and smiling.

Yu Niaoniao looked left and right and felt overwhelmed.

As she had expected, the lantern festival in the Imperial Capital was indeed more extravagant and livelier than the one in Bashu.

Not only were there more people here, but the style of the lanterns was also more elaborate.

Since it was a lantern show, there would be a segment to guess lantern riddles.

Yu Niaoniao tried to guess a lantern riddle, and she got it right.

She had successfully received a reward: A palm-sized pink lotus lamp.

There was no place to hold this lamp. Yu Niaoniao could only hold it with her palm.

“Why doesn’t this lamp even have a lift?”

Xiao Juan explained, “This lantern is not used to lighting, but to make a wish.”

Yu Niaoniao was very curious. “How do you wish?”

“Light the candle in the lamp and put it on the river. Let it drift far along the river. It’s said that this can convey people’s wishes to the heavens.”

Yu Niaoniao understood. This was a river lamp!

She pulled Xiao Juan through the crowd and ran to the river.

At this moment, there were many people gathered by the river. They were also here to light the river lamps.

Seeing that they were still writing on the lantern, Yu Niaoniao also found someone from whom to borrow a brush and ink and carefully wrote a line on the lantern—

She hoped that her grandfather and grandmother would be healthy and live a long life.

Xiao Juan helped her light the lantern and carefully placed it on the river.

There were other lanterns floating on the river. They drifted slowly away along the river.

From afar, it looked like a shimmering galaxy.

Yu Niaoniao looked at the distant lantern. If her mother and stepfather were in heaven, please let her wish come true.

After Madam Xie and Feng Lianghan died, her grandfather took her over. Her grandfather and grandmother wanted her to stay with the Xie family, but she refused.

She insisted on coming to the Imperial Capital.

Because of this, her grandfather and grandmother were angry.

Yu Niaoniao felt guilty. Her grandfather and grandmother were old, but she could not accompany them.

Seeing her gloomy expression, Xiao Juan asked.

“What happened to you?”

Yu Niaoniao came back to her senses. “Nothing. I just thought of my family and was a little sad.”

Before Xiao Juan could think of a way to comfort her, she had already composed herself and returned to her usual lively self.

“Let’s go somewhere else.”

The two of them walked all the way and were a little tired. They casually found a teahouse to sit down and rest.

Unexpectedly, just as they walked into the teahouse, they bumped into an acquaintance.

Wei Liao smiled and said, “Yo, isn’t this Duke Lang?”

When the waiter, who was originally enthusiastic, heard the words “Duke Lang”, his face turned pale with fear, and his legs kept trembling.

The man standing beside him was actually the rumored murderous Duke Lang!

Not only the waiter, but the expressions of the guests at the nearby tables also changed. They looked at Xiao Juan with fear and resistance, as if they were looking at some terrifying ferocious beast.

That gaze made Yu Niaoniao feel very uncomfortable.

She wanted to say something, but when she thought of her current status, she had to keep a low profile now. She could not let anyone know that Duke Lang had secretly brought her out to play.

She could only continue to remain silent.

Seeing this, Xiao Juan knew that he could not stay here anymore.

He held Yu Niaoniao’s hand and turned around, planning to sit somewhere else.

Wei Liao followed him and asked.

“Who is this girl? Your Highness, why didn’t you introduce her?”