Fengyi Palace.
The Empress was in a towering rage. Not only had a special jasmine sachet gone missing from Fengyi Palace, but the new maid and eunuch assigned to serve her had also shattered the Empress's beloved jasmine hairpin.
In her fury, the Empress launched a thorough investigation of the inner palace. The sachet was discovered in the room of Manager Cui, who had been pruning plants in the Imperial Garden. The elderly maids under Manager Cui fled to a side hall of the Cold Palace, where they were burned to ashes in a suspicious fire. As for the maid and eunuch who had broken the hairpin, the Emperor had them beaten to death.
Chapter 36