King Luhuang of the Ming Dynasty: My father, Ming Taizu

Zhu Tan's mouth felt a little dry. This matter was indeed a big deal.

"Don't be anxious no matter what happens." Zhu Tan kept saying in his heart.

The prisoners were poisoned to death, and the deaths were massive. There is only one possibility, that is, he had key information.

He was forced into a desperate situation, so he killed so many people just to create a bait.

Although the murderer succeeded, there were only two cases in this incident, the Yang Peng case and the imperial examination case.

If we continue to investigate, we are likely to find clues.

"Third brother, please be patient. I just received intelligence that the murderer should be Wang Min, a captain of the Imperial Guard. Take him down. The rest of the people, whether they are related to Wang Min or not, will all be charged on his head."

Zhu Tan was very grateful for the information provided by Wang Yan. If Wang Yan had not pointed out Wang Min, he would probably have fallen into chaos with Guo Ning.

Guo Ning captured Wang Min, and Zhu Tan rushed to the prison, where he saw the Jinyiwei carrying dead bodies out of the prison.

At this time, it was already time for dinner, and almost everyone who ate first was poisoned.

Zhu Tan focused his attention on Hua Chang, Chen Yu and Shao Xi, both of whom had extremely high levels of arsenic poisoning.

For these three people, the Yang Peng case and the imperial examination case are both crucial. The cases of Hua Chang and Shao Xi are still waiting for transfer to the Ministry of Justice. It seems that there will be another big case on their minds.

"I asked you to let the officials from the Ministry of Justice go! Why hasn't Chen Yu left yet?"

"My Lord, Lord Wang Min won't allow it. He said he will release him only after receiving official documents from the government. Otherwise, he will bear the consequences."

Zhu Tan curled his lips. After the bodies were carried away, the people in the cell became much quieter.

When they were just caught, they were still arrogant and proud, but at this moment, they were completely silent.

Zhu Tan glanced at them one by one, and the princes, nobles, royal relatives, and ministers did not dare to meet his gaze.

They all thought that Zhu Tan was the one who did it, because Zhu Tan had become a person who must not be offended. Zhu Tan finally wanted to clear his name, but failed at the last moment.

Guo Ning came back soon and walked over with Zhu Tan.

"Second brother, it was indeed Wang Min who did it. However, after Wang Min wrote his will, he chose to commit suicide. However, he did not put the blame on us. Instead, he confessed that he put poison in the food in order to cover up his criminal behavior."

Zhu Tan chuckled.

"Is this true? There is a high possibility that Wang Min committed suicide, but he was forced into it. Otherwise, his fate would be even more miserable. By doing this, he has put all of us in an irretrievable situation."

"What then? Should we immediately hand over Wang Min's will to the emperor to clear our suspicion?"

"There's no rush for this matter. Wang Min doesn't want to involve us in this matter, so let's put it aside for now and let everyone think it was us who did it. We'll wait and see who stabbed us in the back."

Guo Ning's eyes lit up, "That's right, the person standing on our side now is the most suspicious person."

Zhu Tan sighed in his heart. If this was really the case, then it would be simple. The two things were intertwined, making it impossible to see through, like a fog.

No matter what means are used, just keep moving forward. With such strength, all conspiracies are nothing.

Not long after, the Ministry of Justice sent people to interrogate and take the criminals away, but Zhu Tan was unable to hand over anyone.

Tang Bohu and Xu Jing were fine, but Hua Chang, who reported Cheng Minzheng, was killed, and the officials of the Ministry of Justice were shocked.

This case was worth discussing, so Zhu Tan handed the other people over to the official from the Ministry of Justice. The official did not say much, but just asked Zhu Tan to report to their assistant minister Peng Shao at the Ministry of Justice.

This is not a joke.

Zhu Tan did not make things difficult for them. After informing Guo Ning, he went to the Ministry of Justice and told Peng Shao what had happened.

Although Peng Shao is in his sixties or seventies, his beard is gray.

He was often out executing sentences, and he had an aura of authority that made him look majestic without even getting angry. Even when he was sitting down, he gave people a sense of authority without even getting angry.

Peng Shao was from the same lineage as Empress Zhang, and there had been a grudge between them since the time of Zhang Luan. He looked down upon Zhang, a distant relative.

It’s a pity that the King’s Uncle was deeply loved by the Emperor’s uncle’s family, and he couldn’t do anything to this relative.

On the contrary, the Zhang family prospered. Zhang Luan was conferred the title of Duke of Changguo, while Zhang Heling's family was exterminated in a disaster.

And Uncle Zhang Erguo, in addition to being the Marquis of Jianchang, also gained real power and became the right general in the military. How could Peng Shao not be happy?

So when he met Zhu Tan, he didn't say anything nice, but asked Zhu Tan to pass the prisoner's testimony to him immediately.

However, before Zhu Tan could say anything, an official from the Ministry of Justice told him the story.

When Peng Shao heard that Hua Chang, Shao Xi and others were poisoned to death, he became furious and slammed the table with his dry hand.

"Marquis Jianchang, how dare you!"

Zhu Tan also knew that it was not appropriate to confront Peng Shao, the Minister of Justice, so he clasped his fists and said, "Mr. Peng, please let them go first. I have something important to discuss with you in detail."

Marquis Jianchang was no pushover either. After Peng Shaoping sent his servants away, Zhu Tan told him what had happened in the Zhenfu Division.

It's not that he wants to shirk responsibility, he just hopes that Peng Shao, the old man named Xing Ming, can get first-hand information and make a reliable evaluation.

Peng Shao has a fiery temper and hates evil, but he is not a brainless person. He believed Zhu Tan's words from the beginning, just because Zhu Tan did not mean that.

Yang Peng was dead, and Emperor Hongzhi also removed Zhu Tan from the imperial examination. If Zhu Tan was not crazy, it would be impossible for him to do such a thing.

"What do you think?"

Zhu Tan was stunned, thinking that he was different from Yuan Fang, so should he just stand by and watch?

But Peng Shao did this to give him face and a chance to speak, so he expressed his thoughts immediately.

Peng Shao agreed with Zhu Tan's words, and the old man stroked his beard.

"Now that Hua Chang is dead and Shao Xi is gone, I'm afraid this imperial examination case can no longer be carried out. Although it is beneficial to some people, I want to make them understand that this case can still be carried out."

Zhu Tan was a little puzzled and said, "Mr. Peng, Hua Chang and Shao Xi are both very important people in this autumn examination. Now that they are gone, how can we interrogate them? Where should we start? Mr. Peng, please give me some advice."

Peng Shao sneered, "Marquis Jianchang will handle Yang Peng's witchcraft first! As for the imperial examination, Marquis Jianchang doesn't need to worry about it. Take Marquis Jianchang away."

This old guy is really stubborn!
Zhu Tan was driven out by Peng Shao. He had an idea and turned around. He found Ding Zhe, Wang Jue and Kong Qi, the three people he had rescued, and told them about this matter, asking them to send news from the Ministry of Justice as soon as possible.

These three middle-level officials from the Ministry of Justice had not forgotten Zhu Tan's kindness in saving their lives. In addition, Zhu Tan's killing of Yang Peng allowed them to vent their anger, so they all agreed to watch over Zhu Tan.

Zhu Tan left the punishment hall and was about to return to the Pacification Office when he was stopped by the steward of the Duke of Ying's Mansion.

He politely told the Duke of England that he must see Zhu Tan. Zhu Tan guessed that Zhang Mao invited him to come at this time to intercede for someone, but he didn't know whether the person Zhang Mao was looking for was among them.

Otherwise, even if he was willing to show leniency, it would be impossible.

When he arrived at the British manor, Chu Mu saw the servants cleaning up the leftovers. He had originally planned to eat something.

As a result, he missed the chance to eat and had to fill his stomach with tea brought by the servants.

Zhang Mao did not beat around the bush and said directly: "The case of Yang Peng and his nephew involves many people, most of whom are high-ranking officials. Some people may be implicated. A reprimand and a caning will be enough."

Zhu Tan was in a hurry to get home, and also wanted to find out who Zhang Mao wanted to save and whether the person was alive or dead, so he stopped Zhang Mao from speaking without any hesitation.

"Sir Shangshu, who do you want to go? Just tell me and I will consider it."

Zhang Mao chuckled and was very happy with Zhu Tan's attitude.

"Yang Wei, the commander of the Jinwu Guard, Tan Yue, the son of the Xinning Earl, and the son of the Xupu family are all our people."

Zhu Tan sighed. He could still roughly remember the names of the dead. Yang Wei was among them.

Being the commander of the Jinwu Guards was definitely a huge temptation for him.

This was the personal bodyguard of the emperor's brother-in-law. How could he be killed for no apparent reason?
After Zhang Mao said this, Zhu Tan did not hide it anymore, "Sir, when I come back, I will release Yang Wei and the other two people."

"Why can't we let Yang Wei go? He is the grandson of the late Xingji Earl Yang Shan, and the husband of Princess Chongde." Having said this, he paused and said, "That's good.

Zhu Tan became more and more suspicious of Yang Wei's death, and spread his hands and said, "My Lord, it's not that I don't want to let him go, it's really that Yang Wei has been poisoned to death."

Zhang Mao jumped up suddenly, "What happened? Yang Wei was killed? No way?"

Just then, Zhang Yuanying rushed out from behind the curtain.

Zhang Yuanying was shocked and angry. "Uncle died? Was it you? It must have been you who did it."

Zhang Yuanying was the princess's granddaughter, so naturally, as Princess Chongde's husband, he had to call her uncle.

The two asked and answered each other, as if they both believed that Yang Wei was killed by Zhu Tan.

Before Zhu Tan could open his mouth, Zhang Yuanying took action. He stretched out his hand and was about to grab Zhu Tan's chest, just like he did in Qingning Palace.

If he was kicked by Zhang Yuanying again, Zhu Tan would wish he could find a piece of tofu and kill himself.

Zhu Tan was agile and dodged Zhang Yuanying's grab by turning his body to the side, then he kicked him with a whip kick.

He grabbed Zhang Yuanying's ankle and pushed her forward.

Zhu Tan pulled Zhang Yuanying to sit down, then turned to Zhang Mao and said, "My Lord, do you want me to speak?"

"Yuanying, please go down." Zhang Mao looked at Zhang Yuanying.

Seeing the angry look in Zhang Mao's eyes, Zhang Yuanying dared not talk back. He slapped Zhu Tan's hand away, stood up, and glared at Zhu Tan.

"Just wait for me."

Zhu Tan watched Zhang Yuanying flee, then turned back to Zhang Mao and said, "Sir, something happened with the pacification envoy. Not only did Yang Wei die, but more than ten or twenty people were also killed. I am very busy right now, so I have to hurry back to deal with it. So goodbye."

Without waiting for Zhang Mao to answer, he had already left.

He did not tell Zhang Mao the truth, but remembered what Guo Ning told him. In the early years of the Hongzhi period, during the purge of the Beijing camp, the Duke of Ying had been secretly planning to assassinate Ma Wensheng.

Zhu Tan couldn't be sure that this matter had nothing to do with Zhang Mao.

After coming out of the Duke of England's mansion, Zhu Tan instructed Jia Zhang who was following him, "First, have someone keep an eye on this place and find out who the Duke of England has any dealings with."

After Wang Min poisoned so many people, Zhu Tan felt everything in front of his eyes was blurry and everyone became a suspicious person.

After returning to the Pacification Office, Zhu Tan was shocked to see Wang Shilin still in the room. He asked, "You haven't left yet? It's so late, have you not eaten?"

Wang Shilin shook her head and spoke word by word.

"The Marquis said we can't leave! I'm so hungry!"

Wang Shilin came early in the morning. It was almost evening, but she was still so obedient. Zhu Tan shook his head. This girl was too honest!
Because Wang Min was poisoned, Zhu Tan ordered people to turn on the stove and prepare meals, as he was also very hungry.

Upon inquiry, Wang Shilin's sister left.

Maybe they were frightened by the people from the Pacification Bureau, but they didn't want to abandon Wang Shilin. This is too generous.

After making some simple dishes, Zhu Tan ate while watching Wang Shilin who seemed to be taking a long time to eat. He said, "Eat! Aren't you full? Is it not to your taste?"

Wang Shilin's face flushed. As an unmarried woman, she could not appear in public, but she had to come.

But she felt very pressured when she picked up the chopsticks and ate in front of him.

Zhu Tan had a postmodern idea. He thought Wang Shilin was just shy and even served her some food.

"Okay! I'll have someone take you back later."

Wang Shilin bit her lower lip, lowered her head, and began to eat in big mouthfuls.

A man sitting opposite her had a growing blush on his face and didn't notice the taste of the meat at all. He didn't stop until two large bowls of rice were almost full.

"You're such a foodie, you have a great appetite!"

Zhu Tan was not joking, but this time there were really a lot of rice bowls, two large bowls, and he couldn't finish them all by himself!
Wang Shilin's face turned red. She opened her mouth, but no sound came out. Her pretty face turned red.

Zhu Tan realized that his words made him more stressed, and quickly said, "It's not that there is no way to correct your problem. Let me think about it! Most of the time it's because you have been imitating others since you were young, or because you have been learning since you were young, or because of external pressure and other reasons. Your pronunciation system has developed bad behaviors. Over time, you will become a stutterer. You can't rush this situation. The more you worry, the worse the situation will get."

Wang Shilin didn't understand what he was saying, but Zhu Tan's words made sense, so she stopped being angry and just listened quietly.

Zhu Tan is a doctor after all, and he has to know everything while studying comprehensive medicine.

As he thought about it, he told Wang Shilin how to recover his body.

For example, how to control your emotions, how to deal with your anxiety and relaxation, how to distract yourself and seek help from others are all very important things.

The more Zhu Tan spoke, the brighter Wang Shilin's eyes became, and she felt much better about this best explanation in the world.

The more she thought about it, the more she felt that what Zhu Tan said was right. When Zhu Tan finished speaking, she quickly stood up and bowed deeply. (End of this chapter)