Chapter 629 The Jinxiu Palace Was on Fire

On the sixth day of April, it was a very auspicious day when everything was suitable.

Early in the morning, all the people in the Dongpei Palace got busy.

Dehui entered the palace in the thirteenth year of Qingyuan and was married to Long Zheng the eldest son of the emperor as his vice Princess. Long Zheng ascended the throne and conferred her as Concubine De.

The emperor promoted her as Concubine De and took charge of the Six Palaces with the empress to award her hard work in raising the third prince, Long Tianyu.

His Majesty thanked her hard work and conferred her the title of the Imperial Noble Consort Dehui.

This was the only major event in the palace at the moment. Even the previous conferring ceremony of Concubine Xian was not as grand as the conferring ceremony of the first Imperial Noble Consort in this dynasty.

Although the empress was unhappy, according to the ancestral system, Imperial Noble Consort Dehui was born noble, gentle, and dignified. She was also respectful and courteous to the emperor and the empress.

Besides, her son the third princess had made many achievements, and had a good reputation in the royal court.

He had married the daughter of Lin family in full swing. At this time, the conferring ceremony also had the meaning of comfort and promotion.

So, even the empress can’t find a reason to object. On the surface, she still had to perform her duties as an exemplary empress.

Whether it was the ceremony of the Imperial Noble Consort or the costume of the Imperial Noble Consort, she had cared about it to pose as a dutiful empress.

However, Lin Mengya admired the empress very much. Although she was unhappy, she didn’t make any mistakes at least on the surface.

The empress came here several times but was declined by Lin Mengya with various excuses, and she still showed no displeasure.

It could be seen that she was a scheming and unusual woman.

“Princess, everything is ready.”

Qinghu was dressed as a guard in the palace in soft blue-gray armor to help Lin Mengya.

“Okay, Your Highness, the imperial chariot is ready. It’s time to set off now.”

The canonization ceremony would be held in the Palace of Heaven and Earth used for the wedding of the emperor and the empress.

The Imperial Noble Consort was the most respected woman, second only to the empress. Even if she was not the empress, she was not an ordinary concubine, either. She was a concubine in the concubines.

Therefore, the conferring ceremony would be held in the palace where the emperor and the empress had held their wedding ceremony. The fake Imperial Noble Consort changed clothes, and was carried into the imperial chariot.

Lin Mengya looked at the ceremonial weaponry with golden dragons and painted phoenixes, and smiled even more meaningfully.

“Rise.” The protocol officer announced.

Lin Mengya quickly got on the red-topped sedan behind the imperial chariot, and followed the Imperial Noble Consort’s imperial chariot without any hurries.

Along the way, countless palace servants held their breath, no one dared to make a noise.

The sedan chair of the Imperial Noble Consort carried by sixteen men left the Dongpei Palace, and went smoothly in the direction of Palace of Heaven and Earth.

Lin Mengya followed unhurriedly. Today was a good day for Imperial Noble Consort Dehui, and an important day for her and Long Tianyu.

So today, she could not allow anyone to sabotage this conferring ceremony.

Everything had been prepared in the Palace of Heaven and Earth, and the solemn sound of ritual music resounded throughout the palace of the Dajin Dynasty.

Today, all the royal families and nobles would come to the palace to attend the ceremony. Of course, such an extraordinary conferring ceremony showed that Imperial Noble Consort Dehui’s imperial virtue.

The emperor and the empress were both dressed in complicated and noble costumes. Even Long Tianyu was dressed in a black shirt embroidered with dragon pythons. He looked tall exceptional.

Lin Mengya, as a junior, could only stand with other princess, but she still attracted a lot of attention.

After all, Imperial Noble Consort Dehui was her mother-in-law.

Her status had already been extraordinary, but now it had skyrocketed, and she was envied by everyone.

However, she had always been humble in public with no trace of any domineering attitude. She just lowered her head and did not dare to step out of line. In this way, there was a lot less jealousy.

The protocol officer read the conferring imperial edict. Since then, Imperial Noble Consort Dehui would become the one and only Imperial Noble Consort of the Dajin Dynasty.

The trivial formalities were indispensable, but the Imperial Noble Consort, who had been in a sickly posture in the sedan just now, had pulled it through.

It seemed that the Imperial Noble Consort hadn’t shown up in public for a long time.

Now it seemed, except for a thinner waist, her complexion was very good. However, only Lin Mengya noticed that there was a flash of doubt in the empress’ eyes after she saw the Imperial Noble Consort.

The empress knew this Imperial Noble Consort should have been pretended by someone she had sent.

But the Imperial Noble Consort Dehui in front of her gave her a dangerous feeling.

When the Imperial Noble Consort accepted the courtiers’ congratulations, the empress hurriedly found her confidant and whispered her ear. The confidant quietly slipped out of the crowd.

Lin Mengya lowered her eyes, but she made a quiet gesture with her hands.

No one knew what she meant or what would happen next.

Only Lin Mengya, with a confident look, continued to watch the conferring ceremony.

It took a long time to go through the procedures. Everyone was sore and exhausted.

Even the Imperial Noble Consort Dehui looked pale.

Fortunately, at the last moment when everyone couldn’t hold on anymore, the ceremony ended.

Lin Mengya had a lingering fear. She looked at the protocol officer who was standing under the sun and found that he didn’t even sweat.

He was professional, just so different from amateurs like her.

Next, there was a big feast to celebrate the good day of the new Imperial Noble Consort.

As the focus of much attention, Lin Mengya was once again called by Imperial Noble Consort Dehui.

In her beautiful eyes, there was deep gratitude and affection for her daughter-in-law. Seeing how excited the Imperial Noble Consort was, Lin Mengya just shook her head slightly.

The Imperial Noble Consort was naturally smart enough to know it. She took Lin Mengya’s hand and talked with the princesses of various royal families.

The glory of the Imperial Noble Consort was naturally much envied by someone.

But the empress was very good at concealing it. For so many years, she had long been used to being a generous empress with a mask.

It was just that she had sent her confident to inquire about situation, and she hadn’t returned yet. Suddenly, there was a little bad feeling in the empress’s heart.

Could it be that the place where she had hid the real Concubine De was noticed by the emperor and that bastard son?

After thinking about it, the empress thought it was impossible. Even if they noticed it, with her current power, the emperor would not act rashly.

However, the Imperial Noble Consort in front of her didn’t look like that maid she had sent to pretend to her.

She was a little confused when there suddenly came a loud noise from outside.

“It’s on fire! Jinxiu Palace is on fire! Protect the emperor!”

After they heard it, the emperor, the empress, and the Imperial Noble Consort were all dumbfounded for a moment.

Lin Mengya concealed the knowing look in her eyes very well. She followed everyone else and pretended to be shocked.

At this time, everyone’s expressions were a bit subtle.

Everyone knew that Jinxiu Palace was the former residence of Imperial Noble Consort Dehui. Now, the conferring ceremony of Imperial Noble Consort had just ended when such a thing happened. Was it because God thought that Imperial Noble Consort Dehui was not supposed to enjoy the glory?

There were all kinds of speculations, but none of them was confirmed.

His Majesty was present, and no one dared to gossip about it.

“I’ll go take a look. Everyone stays calm.”

It was related to his mother, and of course Long Tianyu will not sit by and do nothing.

His Majesty nodded and acquiesced to Long Tianyu’s actions. Under everyone’s gaze, Long Tianyu took Long Qinghan and hurriedly left the Hall of Heaven and Earth.

“She had just been conferred, and such a thing happened. It seems that Imperial Noble Consort Dehui’s conferring ceremony is really unusual.”

Lin Mengya found their whispers very harsh.

She was just about to refute it when Imperial Noble Consort Dehui grabbed her hand. Her beautiful face had not changed at all because of such a slander.

“Your Majesty, whether it is a natural disaster or a man-made disaster, it happened in my palace. However, if the Jinxiu Palace is to be overhauled, it will be a waste of men and money. Therefore, I think it is better to tear it down and turn it into a farm field. Planting in spring and harvesting in autumn is also a way to save money.”

No one had thought that Imperial Noble Consort Dehui, instead of refuting the blame, took the initiative to request that her palace be converted into farmland.

Lin Mengya quietly applauded it. It seemed that experience counted.

Although she had arranged this fire, and also thought about how to get the Imperial Noble Consort off the hook. Unexpectedly, the Imperial Noble Consort had easily resolved the embarrassment by herself.

“That’s good. Whether it’s a natural disaster or a man-made disaster, the conclusion hasn’t been drawn yet.”

His Majesty said so and put an end to the gossip.

No one dared to talk about it anymore, but if it was not a natural disaster, then a man-made disaster—

They didn’t dare to look at someone present.

But there were already many speculations.

It didn’t take long for Long Tianyu and Long Qinghan to return to the hall.

It seemed that the fire was under control, and Long Qinghan’s men dragged someone in.

The woman had a dirty head and face, and her body and hair were also scorched in several places.

It was weird that she was firmly holding a firelighter in her hand.

After seeing the rich and powerful in the room, the woman immediately threw away the firelighter in her hand, as if she had just woken up from a dream. She knelt tremblingly and didn’t even dare to speak.

“Your Majesty, Qinghan, and I found her in the side hall where Jinxiu Palace was on fire. When we found her, she still held the firelighter in her hand. But after investigation, I found that the cause of the fire was related to her. So we caught her and brought her for your interrogation.”

Long Tianyu’s words were loud and confident, and the woman trembled quickly.

The emperor was sitting in the chair with majestic eyes. After a faint glance at the woman, he said, “Who are you and why did you go to Jinxiu Palace? What was your purpose?”

His deep voice was authoritative and intimate, like a sharp blade stabbing one’s heart.