The clouds are gathering, and it looks like God is preparing for a second snowfall.
Early in the morning, Zhu Ya took the tokens and went out of the palace. Changle Palace suddenly seemed deserted without the noise and laughter of the past.
I wish Scarlett to go to bed early and get up early as long as she doesn't go to bed. No matter how cold it is outside, she will struggle to get up, as was the case today.
While she was having breakfast, the Clothing Bureau happened to catch up with four pairs of new winter shoes.
Two pairs of them are knee-length thick suede boots with a circle of white fox fur sewn around the boot openings, which are warm and novel.
"Jieyu, please see, the fox fur on these two pairs of boots was obtained by His Majesty during autumn hunting. He specially brought it back to the palace and asked the slave to sew it himself."
The middle-aged woman who spoke was Tian Shanggong, a fifth-rank female official in the palace.
Before she became the Shang Palace, she worked as a steward in the Clothing Bureau. After becoming the Shang Palace, she rarely had time to sew clothes by herself. No one in the palace, except the Queen Mother and Yan Xiu, could hire her.
Zhu Sijia took the boots and measured them: "Thank you, Laotian Shanggong, these boots are excellent, I like them very much."
Aunt Zhong immediately rewarded Tian Shanggong with a silver ingot, and asked several palace maids from the Shangyi Bureau to follow her into the bedroom to store the new shoes.
Zhu Sijia glanced at the palace maids, thought of something else, and asked more:
"I dare to ask Tian Shanggong, a few days ago, I remembered that among the maids who came to Changle Palace to deliver clothes, there was a pretty pretty one with a mole on the tip of her nose. Why didn't she come today?"
The reason why Zhu Sijia was deeply impressed by the palace maid was not just because of the small and eye-catching mole.
It was because she had only been in the palace for a few months, and every time she received more than 20 sets of new clothes from the Clothing Bureau, there was always that palace maid.
Even when the winter clothes were delivered the day before yesterday, she was among the queue of palace maids.
Not seeing her today, Zhu Scarlett was inevitably curious.
Tian Shanggong collected the money and sighed:
"What Jieyu doesn't know is that the palace maid's name is Duan Yun'er, and she is the niece of Aunt Duan in His Majesty's Tai Chi Palace. She has been in the palace for three years and is only seventeen years old. Although she has Aunt Duan as her backer, she has always been diligent and diligent. Stay and work in the Shangyi Bureau."
"But since the day before yesterday, she went to various palaces to deliver winter clothes to the masters and then disappeared. Now she has disappeared for a whole day and two nights. The servant is afraid that this incident will alarm the harem, so she only sends people to look for her in her spare time."
Zhu Sijia was surprised: "Aunt Duan? I didn't expect that she is actually Aunt Duan's nephew. Does Aunt Duan know this?"
Tian Shanggong nodded: "Of course I know, she is Aunt Duan's only relative in this world. Aunt Duan is upright and selfless, but she cares a lot for Yun'er, her niece, and wants to have dinner with Yun'er every day. Ask her something."
Therefore, it was impossible for Aunt Duan to be unaware of Duan Yun'er's disappearance.
Recalling the look on Aunt Duan's face when she came to Changle Palace to deliver medicine in the past two days, Zhu Sijia didn't notice that she was any different from before.
Such a big thing happened, but she was still able to keep her emotions and anger a secret. Zhu Scarlett would inevitably feel sad for her.
"Please rest assured, Tian Shang Palace. Now that I have learned about this matter, I will not sit idly by and ignore it. Changle Palace will not alert others until the whereabouts of Miss Yun'er are found."
Tian Shanggong was worried about this these days. Unexpectedly, Zhu Sijia personally spoke up and expressed her willingness to help. The smile on her face became brighter:
"Thank you, Shangyi Bureau, for thinking about Jieyu."
After breakfast, fine snow fell from the sky like salt.
This little bit of snow is nothing.
The hall is always heated by floor dragons, but it is different when you step outside the hall. Zhu Sijia does not want to be exposed to the cold.
She changed into a heavy red winter dress so that she didn't need to add another layer of cloak. She held the hand stove and asked the palace maid Xin'er to carry the food box as she walked out of Changle Palace.
Zhu Yuancun was on duty in the palace today, so it would be much more convenient to leave this matter to his younger brother.
The chariot walked slowly, but Zhu Sijia did not scream and walked all the way from Changle Palace to the school grounds in person, just as the Imperial Army was taking a lunch break after training.
They started patrolling the palace after lunch break.
From a distance, Zhu Yuancun saw that beautiful figure in the snow. Who could it be if it wasn't his sister?
He trotted all the way from the opposite corner of the school ground to Zhu Sijia, and took the food box from Xiner's hand unceremoniously: "It's freezing cold, how could sister think of coming to see me today? And she's carrying such delicious food."
Zhu Sijia frowned and looked at him who was soaked all over: "You know it's freezing cold. Why don't you wear more clothes? Let's go inside to talk."
Next to the school grounds, there is a row of wide low halls specially used for the imperial troops to rest and eat. There are also earth dragons burned in the halls.
Zhu Sijia asked Xin'er to take down the food and let the kitchen heat it up.
The imperial guards in the palace were strictly disciplined. They did not dare to come in to eat when they saw her entering the palace. The soldiers could only carry their rice bowls and hide under the eaves to eat in the snow.
Zhu Sijia originally wanted to accompany Zhu Yuancun to finish lunch, but seeing this situation, she could only explain clearly to Zhu Yuancun in a few words and leave in a hurry.
Zhu Yuancun was still feeling uncomfortable. Why was the time spent with his sister always so short?
When he saw the row of Imperial Guards standing outside the house eating, he immediately realized that his sister was so attentive, not only attentive but also reasonable.
"Why are you still standing there? Come in and eat. I have something important to tell you!"
Zhu Yuancun patted the empty table, and the Imperial Guards swarmed in. The brave ones sat on the same stool with him, and said, "Uncle, what good food did Zhu Jieyu bring you? Little one, too." I want to have a full meal.”
After several months of getting along, this group of forbidden soldiers not only no longer caused trouble for Zhu Yuancun, but instead admired him so much that they even became brothers with him in their free time.
Zhu Yuancun pushed the person to another stool: "Go, go! Go aside, you don't have a sister yourself?"
…
When Yan Xiu was on his way to Changle Palace for dinner, he happened to meet Zhu Yuancun who was leading the patrol.
Zhu Yuancun: "I have met your Majesty."
Yan Xiu pointed to the imperial army behind him: "Why is Zhu Qing patrolling until now?"
According to palace regulations, due to weather conditions in winter and summer, the imperial troops do not need to move around the palace frequently.
The Imperial Guards all looked at each other with pale eyes. After all, my uncle had repeatedly told me that this matter should not be made public or alarm His Majesty. Who would have thought that His Majesty would just happen to bump into it?
Seeing that the matter could not be concealed, Zhu Yuancun could only bite the bullet and confess to Yan Xiu what Zhu Sijia had told him, with a bit of pleading at the end:
"Please also ask Your Majesty not to mention this matter in front of my sister, lest she think I am not doing my job well."
Yan Xiu couldn't help laughing: "I must mention it."
Zhu Yuancun almost knelt down and begged for mercy.
Yan Xiu supported him: "I understand your sister's painstaking efforts. This matter is of great importance. Aunt Duan is the female official in charge of the imperial palace. I will not ignore it."
"The Forbidden Army has listened to the order and will intensify the search efforts from now on. It is necessary to find out the whereabouts of Miss Duan."
The news soon spread to Weiyang Palace. When Zhang Wanyao was having dinner, he was so frightened that he broke several bowls one after another.
She asked Xuelian repeatedly: "Did this matter really alarm His Majesty? Impossible...impossible...isn't she just an inconspicuous palace maid?"
