My Storeroom Has Been Cleaned Out

Zhou Wanwan also took a stroll around the Palace of Compassion and Tranquility. During the day, she saw that the Empress Dowager's chair in the Palace of Compassion and Tranquility was made of solid gold, with beautiful patterns carved on it and inlaid with various gemstones.

Honestly, it's quite beautifully made.

Wouldn't it be amazing to put that in her mountain stronghold?

The walls are covered with ancient paintings, all masterpieces by famous painters from previous dynasties; any one of them could fetch an astronomical price.

The room was filled with many ornaments made of mutton fat jade, as well as jadeite bottles and gilded incense burners, all of which were exquisite and precious.

The bowls, plates, and vases they used daily were all exquisite pieces made in the best imperial kilns.

The floor was covered with a thick, fine carpet, and the curtains hanging there were made of the finest brocade.

Extremely luxurious.

Those people moved things very quickly; they moved everything they could from the Cining Palace of Compassion and Tranquility, not just the storerooms.

Before Zhou Wanwan could finish admiring everything, almost everything in the Palace of Compassion and Tranquility had already been moved out.

She chuckled and said, "It's my first time committing a crime in the palace, so I'm actually quite nervous."

The Old Ancestor said with a happy face:

"Indeed, indeed, the things in the palace are much better than those outside."

Looking at them now, every single one is a masterpiece.

How could they not be masterpieces? These were all created by renowned designers.

Zhou Wanwan finally went back to sleep after the move was almost complete.

The next day, the Empress Dowager awoke to find herself lying on the floor of the palace. She cried out, "Guards! Where has everyone gone? Why am I lying on the floor?"

A palace maid quickly came to help the Empress Dowager up, who then asked, "Where am I? Why am I here?"

The head palace maid stammered, "This... this is the Palace of Compassion and Tranquility!"

The Empress Dowager burst into laughter:

"Are you out of your mind? This is the Palace of Compassion and Tranquility? Are you kidding me?"

My Palace of Compassion and Tranquility is decorated so luxuriously, unlike this place. It's probably even worse than the Cold Palace."

The palace maids beside her all knelt down. "Your Majesty, please calm your anger. This is indeed Palace of Compassion and Tranquility. We don't know what happened; we woke up to find it like this."

"Yes, look more closely. This is where the chairs are, this is where the screen is, this is..."

The Empress Dowager widened her eyes and said:

"What about my chair? That chair is pure gold!"

It's covered in gemstones, priceless. It took me over half a year for artisans to finish it.

The palace maids were almost in tears; they had no idea where the chair had gone.

The chief eunuchs rushed over, saying, "Empress Dowager, something terrible has happened! Everything in your storeroom is gone!"

The Empress Dowager rushed to the storeroom, saw that it was spotless, and fainted immediately.

It was really licked very clean.

Nothing was left behind.

The head eunuch searched inside and outside the house for a long time, but couldn't find a single copper coin.

The Empress Dowager quickly summoned the imperial physician, and the Emperor also arrived soon after, asking, "Mother, what's wrong with you?"

The Empress Dowager sobbed, "Your Majesty! My life is so miserable! My treasury has been ransacked, leaving me with nothing. How am I supposed to live from now on?"

The Emperor roared, "Who dares to be so audacious as to rob the palace?"

The Emperor was somewhat skeptical, but after taking a stroll through the Empress Dowager's palace, he discovered that it was incredibly clean.

The emperor was furious and quickly summoned the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review and several other ministers from other departments.

The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review circled around, his lips twitching incessantly. He was all too familiar with this technique.

He turned around, looked at the Emperor, and said, "This method is clean and efficient; it's not something an ordinary person can do. My guess is that the Empress Dowager may have offended someone."

The Empress Dowager sneered, "Having lived in the palace year-round, who could I possibly have offended?"

The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review said helplessly, "I don't know. I need to investigate further."

The Empress Dowager was so angry she was trembling all over. It was all over; she had lost everything.

The entire Palace of Compassion and Tranquility was completely empty.

The Emperor strolled around the Palace of Compassion and Tranquility, then sighed helplessly, saying, "How could they have moved everything so cleanly?"

The Empress Dowager fell ill, and Princess Jing'an and Princess Ningyuan entered the palace to stay by her side.

Princess Jing'an asked, "Mother, what's wrong with this place? Why is the bed so small? And why is this room so empty?"

Princess Ningyuan also felt that something was strange about the room today.

The Empress Dowager looked at them and said, "What's so strange about that? Palace of Compassion and Tranquility was robbed; everything in my Palace of Compassion and Tranquility is gone."

Princess Ningyuan and Princess Jing'an looked on in astonishment.

Princess Ningyuan said, "I find it really strange, why are the thieves always watching us to steal?"

Princess Jing'an nodded and said, "Last time it was the two of us, this time it's you. Who could we possibly offend?"

The Empress Dowager thought for a moment and said, "Zhou Wanwan, but she's just a child. How could she possibly move things from the palace?"

The Empress Dowager got up, put on her clothes, and led them away, saying:

"Let's go to the Cold Palace now and see what kind of life Zhou Wanwan is living."

I always feel uneasy; this child is like a variable.

Zhou Wanwan was grabbed and pulled up, dressed in old clothes, and then taken to the front courtyard of the Cold Palace.

She shrank back and asked, "Uncle Scholar Tree, what's wrong?"

The Old Scholar Tree said, "That old hag is coming with Jing'an and Ningyuan. You'd better be careful."

Zhou Wanwan had a broom stuffed into her hand by Old Scholar Tree, and the other concubines in the Cold Palace were also driven out.

They were shivering with cold, all wearing their tattered thin clothes, their hair disheveled.

The design was created by a specialized team, and the trees were grown very quickly.

Soon everyone in the Cold Palace was in place.

As Zhou Wanwan was sweeping the floor, she saw the Empress Dowager approaching. The Empress Dowager looked at Zhou Wanwan and said, "Zhou Wanwan, what are you doing?"

Zhou Wanwan, holding a broom, looked up at the Empress Dowager and said:

"Your Majesty, I was naturally cleaning!"

Didn't you say that you should learn and observe more once you're in the harem?

Princess Jing'an said coldly, "I told you it was just an ordinary child."

The Empress Dowager looked at her and asked, "Did you see anyone last night?"

Zhou Wanwan thought for a moment, then shook her head and said, "I didn't see anyone. I slept here last night and didn't go out."

The Empress Dowager clearly sent someone to assassinate Zhou Wanwan, but where did that person go?

Unfortunately, no one could give her an answer.

Suddenly, someone rushed out, looked at the Empress Dowager, and said, "Hahaha... Isn't this Empress Dowager Zhao? Empress Dowager Zhao, I am Noble Consort Cui! Do you remember me? Hahaha..."

Empress Dowager Zhao was so frightened that she retreated repeatedly. "You... you're still alive?"

Noble Consort Cui laughed loudly, "That's right! I'm still alive! Empress Dowager Zhao, hahaha, give me back my son, give me back my son!"

Empress Dowager Zhao was so frightened that she turned and ran away. Jing'an and Princess Ningyuan, who were behind her, were somewhat at a loss and also ran away.