Lanting prelude
Chapter 12
Chapter 12
Xiao Junmo came to another bridge.
This is also a wooden bridge, but it is not the one located in the north of Yankangfang, but the other one located in the south.
If you want to find something flowing out of the aqueduct of Wei Wangfu, you must go to the lower reaches of the north, and if you want to know whether there is anything in the aqueduct of Wei Wangfu, you must enter from the upper reaches of the south.
Now Xiao Junmo can basically be sure that his father has already met the murderous hands of King Wei.Therefore, even if he enters Wei Wangfu now, it is impossible for him to find his father again.But for some reason, from the moment he picked up the black leather boots just now, Xiao Junmo had a strong urge to find out in Wei Wang's mansion.
Whether or not he could find anything, he decided to do it.Because, he couldn't wait to know where his father was at the last moment and what happened to him!
Xiao Junmo came under the wooden bridge.The crowd on the bridge is bustling, but there is no one under the bridge at the moment.In the distance, some women were washing rice and washing clothes by the water, but no one would notice him if they were tens of feet away.
In order to reduce resistance, Xiao Junmo took off his outer robe and underwear on his upper body, hid in the grass on the bank, and then jumped into the water shirtless.
The water in the canal in spring is still a little cold.The moment his skin touched the water, he couldn't help shivering.
Weiwang Mansion is located in the southwest corner of Yankang Fang. Since the gate of the mansion was opened directly on the wall of the square, the wall of the square became the wall of the house.The water of Yong'an Canal flows in from under the wall.After Xiao Junmo dived into the water, he swam four or five feet north and touched a row of iron fences.These fences have stood here since the excavation of Yong'an Canal in the early years of the Sui Dynasty. It has been nearly 60 years, and every iron bar is rusty due to disrepair.
Xiao Junmo came out of the water and took a deep breath, then plunged into the bottom of the water, and bent the two iron bars to both sides without much effort.Then, as deftly as a fish, he got through the fence.
The canal water flows meanderingly in the huge Wei Wang Mansion. The waterway is tortuous and draws many tributaries, which are stored into pools and lotus ponds; some tributaries go around the pavilions and waterside pavilions, and then merge into the main canal in seven twists and turns. .Xiao Junmo seemed to have entered a huge maze, and he was fainted after a short while. After swimming several times, he circled back to the same place.
The reason for getting lost was not only the complicated waterways of Wei Wangfu, but also Xiao Junmo didn't know where he was going or what he was looking for.
The rain was getting heavier and heavier, weaving a thick rain curtain between the sky and the earth.When Xiao Junmo came out of the water again to take a breath, he saw the mist around him, and he didn't know where he was for a moment, so he smiled wryly.
Suddenly, voices came from nearby, Xiao Junmo hurriedly swam to the shore, hid under a rock, and poked his head out quietly.I saw two eunuchs hurrying past the stone path by the water with umbrellas, and they walked away quickly.Xiao Junmo looked along the way they came, and could vaguely see a rockery stacked with strange rocks not far away.
This is obviously the backyard of Prince Wei's mansion, quiet and deserted.Xiao Junmo suddenly had an intuition that what he wanted was probably nearby.He took a deep breath and dived back into the water.After swimming along the water's edge for six to seven feet, I saw a bifurcated waterway on the right hand side. The mouth of the waterway was circular and about three feet in diameter.Judging from the location, this waterway is leading to the direction of the rockery.Xiao Junmo surfaced again and took a long breath, then swam into the waterway without hesitation.
As soon as I swam in, the light disappeared completely, leaving only darkness in front of my eyes.
Xiao Junmo swam seven or eight zhang with all his strength, but the waterway still didn't end, but he obviously felt that he didn't have enough breath.At this time, something suddenly jumped by his side, which startled him a lot, and suddenly choked up a few mouthfuls of water.For a moment, Xiao Junmo retreated in his heart.But if I turn back now, I will definitely not have enough breath; if I continue to swim forward, although I don't know where the end is, at least I can fight hard.
Thinking of this, Xiao Junmo no longer hesitated, and swam forward another two or three feet with the last of his strength, feeling that the waterway was gradually sloping upwards, and finally a gleam of light appeared on the water surface in front of him.
At the moment when he was about to suffocate, Xiao Junmo kicked up desperately, and his head finally came out of the water.
His eyes were darkened, and he took in big mouthfuls of air. For the first time in his life, he felt that breathing was such a happy and luxurious thing.
After panting violently for a while, Xiao Junmo's breathing gradually calmed down, and the scene in front of him gradually became clear.There was an iron fence in front of him, and at the other end of the fence was a square pool. There were two black iron pillars in the pool, and there were collars, iron chains and other things on the pillars.
Water dungeon!
It seemed that my intuition was correct, and my father must have been imprisoned in this underground prison in the end.
The overall position of the water prison is slightly higher than the waterway and the ditch outside, so the father's boot that fell off will flow into the ditch outside.It has been raining heavily for the past few days, and the water flow is faster than usual, so the boots flowed down the canal to the bridge north of Yankangfang.
Looking at this gloomy water prison, Xiao Junmo could almost feel the torture his father suffered before his death, and his blood rushed straight up.If King Wei stood in front of him at this moment, Xiao Junmo would kill him desperately.
In the midst of resentment, several huge mice suddenly jumped out of the fence, swam past his shoulders, and chirped and chirped into a hole in the top wall of the waterway.Only then did Xiao Junmo remember that it was the mouse that jumped past him just now.I don't know what these mice eat to grow so fat.
Now, the father's whereabouts are fully known.Although there is no direct evidence, all indirect evidence shows that the father was imprisoned in this water prison by King Wei, and then tortured to death!
It was useless to stay here, Xiao Junmo took a deep breath and prepared to swim back.Suddenly, he caught a glimpse of something wrapped around an iron bar of the fence. He untied it and saw that it was a long strip of crimson cloth. Judging from the texture, it should be silk.
Xiao Junmo was startled suddenly.Silk can only be used for official uniforms, and scarlet is the special color for officials of the fourth and fifth ranks.Obviously, it was most likely torn from the clothes on the father's body.But what happened to his father before he died?Why are clothes torn?
At this time, another chirp chirp chirp sound came from my ears.
Xiao Junmo suddenly realized: Mouse!
Before his father died, he was probably bitten by a large group of rats, and even his clothes were bitten to pieces!
Xiao Junmo didn't dare to think about it anymore.Just thinking about such a terrifying picture is enough to make him suffocate with grief and indignation.Xiao Junmo dived into the water and saw three or four long strips of cloth wrapped around other iron bars.He untied the pieces of cloth one by one, and when he returned to the surface of the water, he found that they were not scarlet silk, but beige silk.
silk book?
Could this be the silk book left by my father? !
Xiao Junmo was greatly surprised, and dived into the water again. He didn't turn around and swim out until he was sure that all the cloth pieces on the iron bars had been taken off by him...
As soon as his head emerged from the ditch, Xiao Junmo was really taken aback.
Huan Dieyi was standing on the bank, holding an umbrella in one hand, and the other on his waist, looking at him steadily: "If you don't come out in a while, I will go to Chang'an County to call someone!"
"I'm just swimming, who are you calling?!" Xiao Junmo climbed ashore, got into the grass, and said while shivering and putting on his clothes.
"It's still so cold, why are you swimming?" Huan Dieyi looked suspicious, "Besides, swimming is swimming, why are you picking up so much junk?"
Xiao Junmo hurriedly put the few pieces of cloth tightly in his hands into his arms, and said with a smile: "The new hobby I just cultivated doesn't hinder you, why do you care so much?"
"Don't lie to me anymore." Huan Dieyi walked in front of him, "I know, you just entered Wei Wangfu."
Xiao Junmo's hair was loose, and he leaned over the desk, concentrating on piecing together the pieces of cloth.
Huan Dieyi stood behind him, holding a wooden comb to help him comb his hair.
"I found that I'm almost becoming your maid, cleaning and combing your hair all day long." Huan Dieyi said dissatisfied.
Xiao Junmo turned a deaf ear.
Huan Dieyi pouted and tugged at his hair.
Xiao Junmo didn't realize it.
Huan Dieyi pulled it hard again.
"That's because it rains every time you appear." Xiao Junmo said without turning his head, "Besides, if you pull so hard, I will become bald."
Huan Dieyi giggled: "Who told you to ignore me, you deserve to be bald!"
Xiao Junmo didn't answer again, and moved the pieces of cloth around.
"What do you see?" Huan Dieyi glanced at the book case, and found that the ink on the piece of cloth had been stained by water, and the handwriting was blurred and difficult to read.
Xiao Junmo frowned, and suddenly read two words: "Jade pendant?"
Huan Dieyi hurried over and saw two pieces of cloth put together, and there was indeed the word "Jade Pei" on it, but the other words were incomplete. "What your father is referring to should be the jade pendant that Uncle Jiu gave you, right?"
Xiao Junmo didn't make a sound, and turned the other two larger pieces of cloth in the other direction and rejoined them, so three more characters appeared in front of his eyes.
"Not your father?" Huan Dieyi read out.
Xiao Junmo was stunned.
Huan Dieyi glanced at him worriedly, and couldn't help but look at the piece of cloth. There seemed to be a word "口" in front of the word "非", but the upper part of "口" was missing.
However, even so, Huan Dieyi immediately guessed that the word should be "I", so these four words are a complete sentence: I am not your father.
Xiao Junmo stretched out his hand suddenly, and swept all the pieces of cloth on the desk to the ground, then shrank back a little, with a look of horror in his eyes, as if those words were something terrible.
"Brother, in my opinion, this silk book may not be left by your father, maybe..." Huan Dieyi tried to comfort him, but he felt that his words were powerless.
At sunset, dark clouds hang down in the sky, pressing heavily on the cornices of Tai Chi Palace.
In Liangyi Hall, Li Shiji was reporting something to Li Shimin.Li Shimin's face was gloomy.Zhao Dequan stood aside, holding his breath subconsciously, not daring to breathe.
"So, when I threw this stone, all the toads in the pond jumped out?" Li Shimin sneered.
Li Shiji didn't dare to answer.
"You said just now that in just half a month, there are three Dukes, 37 officials above the third rank, and [-] officials above the fifth rank in the court, all of whom have connected with King Wei?"
"Return to Your Majesty," Li Shiji hurriedly said, "Based on what I know, most of the people who made friends with King Wei in private are the children of these people, not themselves."
"Isn't this the same thing?" Li Shimin suddenly raised his voice, "I just let the king of Wei enter the Wude Palace, the movement is so big, if I let him enter the East Palace, wouldn't it mean that the civil and military forces of the Manchu Dynasty would have to take the East Palace? Threshold smashed?!"
Li Shiji was silent again.
Zhao Dequan glanced at the emperor, and said in a low voice: "Everyone calm down, it's important to take care of the dragon's body. This old servant dares to say that these honorable children are friends with the King of Wei. Maybe it's just the congeniality between the younger generations, not necessarily the ministers. In the back……"
"A bunch of nonsense!" Li Shimin interrupted him fiercely, "Is it congenial? Do you not agree with each other sooner or later? As soon as I let the king of Wei enter the Wude Palace, they immediately agree with each other? Is it clear that they are all ordered by those high-ranking officials? ? They thought I would be kept in the dark if I didn't show up? That would be too small for me!"
Zhao Dequan hurriedly bowed his head, not daring to say anything more.
Li Shimin turned his attention to Li Shiji: "You said just now that the sons of Fang Xuanling's son Fang Yiai, Du Ruhui's son Du He, and Chai Shao's son Chai Lingwu, these three sons, have the closest contacts with the King of Wei, right?"
"Yes. Fang Yiai met Wei Wang seven times, Du He three times, and Chai Lingwu twice."
"It's a good thing that Du Ruhui and Chai Shao died early, otherwise it would be too late." Li Shimin said coldly, "Let your people keep watching and report at any time. I want to see, Fang Xuanling is old and here Come out, do you still want to save it for the evening festival!"
"The minister obeys the order!"
In Xiao Zhai's study room, Xiao Junmo sat in a daze, holding the jade pendant in his hand.
Huan Dieyi sat aside and looked at him, worried.He Chongjiu sat on the other side, looking a little uncomfortable.
"Uncle Jiu, tell the truth, am I really not born to my father?" Xiao Junmo's tone was very calm, but this calmness made people afraid.
He Chongjiu muttered for a long while, but he still couldn't say a word, so he nodded.Huan Dieyi kept staring at him nervously. Seeing him nodding at the end, she felt unbelievable. She wanted to say something, but she didn't dare to say anything when she saw Xiao Junmo like that.
"Uncle Jiu, tell me, who is my biological father?"
"I really don't know about this." The wrinkles on He Chongjiu's face were piled together, "When I came to our house to serve the lord, Erlang, you were already six or seven years old. You can’t have children, and I know you were adopted, but I have never met your biological father, and I have never heard the lord mention it.”
"Then how many people know that I was adopted?"
"It seems that only the lord, the mistress and I know, and no one else should know."
"How is this possible?" Xiao Junmo sneered, "Whether my mother was pregnant for ten months, can't others be blind to tell?"
"I do know something about this." He Chongjiu said, "According to my lord, before she was going to adopt you, the mistress went back to her mother's house to hide for more than half a year. Later she said that you were born by the mistress in her mother's house. No one doubts it anymore."
"In other words, when my biological mother conceived me, my biological father and my father planned everything out, trying to deceive others." Xiao Junmo smiled wryly, "They are really thoughtful!"
"Senior Brother," Huan Dieyi finally couldn't help but said, "Don't be too sad, this kind of thing is very common in our hometown. Parents are afraid that there will be too many children and they will not be able to support them. people..."
"Will a person with this jade pendant not be able to raise a child?" Xiao Junmo lifted the jade pendant's hanging rope high and let the jade pendant swing back and forth in front of the three of them, "Did you see it? This is the purest suet Jade. Hetian jade is the most respected jade in the world, and this jade is the best of Hetian jade. It has been buried under Kunlun Mountain for millions of years. It is rare in the world and rare in the world. Just such a small piece is enough to be worth the price of our family. It’s a big house, Dieyi, tell me, will my biological father not be able to support me?”
Huan Dieyi was speechless.
Xiao Junmo took the jade pendant back into his palm, stroked the patterns and words on it, and said to himself in his heart: Xiao Junmo, a Ganoderma lucidum, an orchid, and the word "Duowen" are all the clues for you to find your biological father!
Thunder rumbled, torrential rain poured down, and the Taiji Palace was flickered by lightning one after another.
Li Tai was tossing and turning on the bed in Wude Hall.
Ever since he moved into the Wude Hall, Li Tai's sleep has become very poor. I don't know if it's because he's not used to it or something else. In short, in the past half month, he has hardly had a good night's sleep.
Most of the time, he was always tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep, and finally fell asleep, and always had some messy dreams, and then woke up again before dawn, so he had to lie down with his red eyes open until the rooster crowed and the east came. White.And in a ghostly weather like tonight, sleeping has become even more of a chore for Li Tai, or a more difficult task to complete.
The long windows on the west seemed to be blown open by the strong wind, bumping back and forth and making crackling noises.The strong wind rushed in violently, and all the lamps and candles in the hall were blown out in an instant.The white gauze curtains around the bed fluttered in the strong wind, as if someone was waving their white long sleeves desperately.
Li Tai was frightened, and even called "Come on" a few times, but there was no one in the huge bedroom except himself.
Usually, in order to keep himself from being disturbed and fall asleep as soon as possible, Li Tai always kicked out all the eunuchs and maids in the bedroom, and even refused to let them stand at the door.He felt that it was much quieter this way.But now, Li Tai deeply regrets his decision.Those eunuchs and maids lived in the side hall next door. Usually, if necessary, a group of people would come over as soon as they yelled, but now the thunder was so loud that no one would hear them even if they yelled out their throats.
Li Tai had no choice but to turn over and get out of bed, ready to close the window.
Suddenly, he felt as if someone touched the back of his neck, jumped up in fright, and turned around abruptly, but there was nothing in front of him except the fluttering white gauze curtain.
Li Tai secretly told himself to calm down, there was no need to scare himself.
He put on his shoes and walked to the west window.Halfway through, Li Tai suddenly turned around again, wanting to see what was behind him.But everything is still the same, there is no one else in the bedroom except himself.Li Tai breathed a sigh of relief and came to the window.
The strong wind and cold rain suddenly hit him in the face, making him sneeze heavily.
"What the hell weather!" Li Tai muttered, closing two windows, and then walked to the side, ready to close the other two.At this moment, a bolt of lightning suddenly struck, Li Tai looked out the open window, and accidentally saw a man in white clothes standing with disheveled hair at the end of the corridor leading to the side hall.
Li Tai's shock was no small matter, and he blurted out, "Who? Who's there?!"
At this time, the lightning had passed, and the outside was back to darkness. Li Tai rubbed his eyes desperately a few times, and then looked intently. The corridor was empty, as if the scene just now was completely his own illusion.
With a snap, Li Tai hastily closed the window tightly.
As soon as he turned around, another string of thunder exploded in his ears, and Li Tai trembled all over his body.Before he could calm down, he heard a desolate voice that seemed to be mixed with the thunder, that voice seemed to be calling his nickname: "Qingque, Qingque..."
The sound seemed to come in from the corridor outside.Li Tai was terrified, and turned to face the window again, then mustered up his courage, and opened the window suddenly.
Another strike of lightning struck, and the man in white with disheveled hair was standing in front of him, looking at him through the window.It is said that they are looking at each other, but in fact, the hair of the man in white is completely scattered on the face, and the face cannot be seen at all.
Li Tai yelled, and he fell to the ground, stepping back with his hands resting on the ground.
This time, the man in white didn't disappear, but stretched out a pair of pale hands, supported his head, and turned around slowly.When the back of his head was turned around, it was exactly the same as the front, completely covered by long black hair.
Li Tai's face was ashen for a long time, his eyes were wide open, and he desperately wanted to shout, but he couldn't make a sound, and he didn't even have the strength to back up.
The man in white still rested his hands on his head.Immediately afterwards, he raised his two hands vigorously, pulled out the whole head, and held it in front of his chest.
"Qingque, I am your fourth uncle, I am Sanhu, Sanhu..."
The headless man in white is still talking to him? !
Li Tai finally let out a heart-piercing howl, then rolled his eyes and fainted to the ground.
The headless man in white in front of the window suddenly disappeared.
A mournful howl resounded over the Wude Hall.The door of the side hall opened, and a group of eunuchs and maids ran over in a panic holding lanterns...
It was raining outside the window.
He Chongjiu had already left, only Xiao Junmo and Huan Dieyi sat silently facing each other in the study.
"Brother, what exactly did you find in Wei Wang's mansion?" Huan Dieyi finally said what he had been holding back all night, "How did you find these silk pieces?"
Xiao Junmo was silent for a while, and then told her everything he saw when he entered the Wei Palace.
Huan Dieyi was horrified when he heard this: "Why did King Wei kill Uncle?"
Xiao Junmo didn't want her to get involved, so he said, "I haven't figured this out yet."
Huan Dieyi thought about it again, and said: "Since uncle's things appeared in the dungeon of King Wei's mansion, then King Wei is very suspicious, we can report him!"
"Report on the King of Wei?" Xiao Junmo smiled wryly, "He has always favored the kings, and now he has a royal family and is likely to enter the East Palace. Can you sue him? What's more, with the few pieces of rags in our hands How can you prove that he imprisoned my father? How can you prove that he killed my father?"
"But, this crimson silk piece is Uncle's official uniform, and there is also Uncle's handwriting on this silk piece!"
"There are thousands of officials above the fourth and fifth grades in the court. How can you say that it must be my father's official uniform? The characters on these silk books have long been blurred, and it is even difficult to recognize them. What kind of handwriting can we talk about?"
Huan Dieyi looked resentful, but was speechless, and said after a while: "Then uncle died so unclearly, should we just let it go?"
"This revenge will definitely be avenged sooner or later." A cold light flashed in Xiao Junmo's eyes, "But it's not now, and we can't use the method you said."
Huan Dieyi was unhappy: "What do you say to the outside world about the uncle's death?"
Xiao Junmo pondered for a while, and said: "Let's say that he went to visit relatives in the countryside, fell off a horse, and died of serious injuries. I will explain to Uncle Jiu, let him just say that, and you have to speak in unison, and don't reveal the inside story to anyone .”
"Can't even tell my uncle?"
Xiao Junmo was taken aback, thinking that the master already roughly knew the inside story, but he certainly didn't want Huan Dieyi to be involved, so he had to hide it from her with the master.Having made up his mind, he said, "It's not necessary."
"Why?" Huan Dieyi was very puzzled.
"Knowing that the king of Wei did it, and we don't have any direct evidence, even if you tell the master, will he have a solution? Apart from causing him more trouble, what can we do to the king of Wei?"
When Huan Dieyi heard it, he also felt that it made sense, so he stopped talking. After a while, he suddenly thought of something: "Brother, why do you think Uncle left you this silk book?"
"He must have had a premonition, so he made two preparations." Xiao Junmo pondered, "If nothing happens, I will continue to keep the secret of my life experience; in case something unexpected happens, let this silk book tell me the truth."
"I'm just wondering here, why did he tell you the truth? He has raised you for so many years and treats you as his own. Isn't that enough? Is there anything more important about your biological father?"
"I don't know either. Maybe he still thinks it's important in the end." Xiao Junmo was a little sad, "Maybe he thinks that he has no right to take this secret away."
"If you say that, your life experience must not be simple!"
Xiao Junmo glanced at Huan Dieyi.
In fact, he had already guessed this point.Because, since his biological father owns this priceless jade pendant, he is definitely not an ordinary person. Therefore, if it is not for some unusual reasons, he definitely would not have planned it when he was still in the womb. To give him away.
I don't know why, Xiao Junmo always feels strongly that there is one person who must know everything about his life experience, including who his biological father is, and this person is Wei Zheng!
"I can't guess this matter for a while." Xiao Junmo changed the subject, "Let's talk about that Wei Pang, how did you find out?"
"It's really hard to find this person. I went to the Ministry of Household Affairs and the Ministry of Officials more than ten times, and my leg almost broke. At least I finally got results." Huan Dieyi blinked at him, "How can you thank me? "
Xiao Junmo spread his hands and pointed at the surrounding things: "I can't do it except for my body, I can make the decision of everything in this room, you can pick whatever you want!"
Huan Dieyi's face turned red, and she glared at him: "You are so thick-skinned! If you say such shameless words, I won't tell you."
Xiao Jun smiled silently, clasped his hands together and bowed to her: "Please, please, it's all my fault for being unrestrained, I take it back."
Huan Dieyi rolled his eyes at him again, and said seriously, "As you expected, Wei Pang is Wei Zheng's ancestor."
Xiao Junmo's heart moved, and his eyes lit up immediately.
"You searched Wei Zheng so thoroughly, what exactly do you want to do?" Huan Dieyi stared at him closely.
Xiao Junmo immediately regained his composure: "It's nothing, I just suspect that he has something to do with my father's matter, and now it seems that there is nothing to do with it, maybe my judgment is wrong."
Huan Dieyi looked at him suspiciously.
The sun was shining brightly, illuminating Wude Hall brightly, as if the horrible scene last night had never happened.
Li Tai's eyes were slightly closed, and he was lying on the bed with a pale face. An imperial physician sat by the bed and took his pulse, while Li Shimin and Zhao Dequan stood aside, their faces full of concern.A group of eunuchs and court ladies knelt behind, all fearful.
After a while, the imperial doctor stood up, bowed to Li Shimin and said, "Your Majesty, His Royal Highness the Prince of Wei is just busy with daily affairs, worrying and worrying, causing liver stagnation and spleen deficiency, insomnia and dreaminess. It's not a serious problem, just take a few medicines, Rest in peace for a few days."
Li Shimin said "Yes", and the imperial physician bowed and stepped back.Li Shimin said to Zhao Dequan: "You guys go down too." Zhao Dequan immediately led the eunuchs and maids in the palace and bowed out.
Li Shimin sat down by the bed and touched Li Tai's forehead.Li Tai opened his eyes and wanted to sit up, but was held down by Li Shimin: "Lie down, the imperial doctor said you need to rest for a few days."
"Thank you, Father!" Li Tai lay down, still a little uneasy.
Li Shimin looked at him: "I heard from the servants that you yelled loudly last night with a shrill voice. When you entered the hall, you were lying on the ground. Tell me, what happened last night?"
There was a trace of panic in Li Tai's eyes, and he murmured: "Father, actually...it's nothing, my son can't sleep well these days, and always has nightmares, other...it's nothing."
"Then what nightmares have you been having?"
"This... is nothing more than some messy dreams, and my son can't remember it."
Li Shimin looked at him suspiciously: "Qingque, no matter what happens, your father will make the decision for you, but you must tell me the truth."
Li Tai hesitated for a while before saying, "Father, my son...I want to ask you something."
"what's up?"
"Fourth Uncle... Fourth Uncle's small characters, isn't it called... Sanhu?"
Li Shimin was startled and stared at him: "Why did you ask this suddenly?"
"Last night, Erchen... seems to have dreamed about my fourth uncle."
Li Shimin stood up abruptly and looked at Li Tai in disbelief.
Li Yuanji's small characters are exactly "Sanhu"!When Li Shimin killed his fourth brother Li Yuanji at the Xuanwu Gate, Li Tai was only seven or eight years old, so it was impossible for him to know his fine print, even most civil and military officials in the court did not know, but at this moment Li Tai actually accurately said "Three The word "Hu" must have shocked Li Shimin.Moreover, this hall was the residence of Li Yuanji back then, and it has been vacant since then. Over the years, there have been rumors from time to time that this hall is too dark and unlucky to live in. Li Shimin always regarded it as nonsense, and didn't believe it at all. Unexpectedly, such a strange thing happened right now.
"What did you dream about him?" Li Shimin looked serious, "Did he also tell you the word 'Sanhu'?"
Li Tai was a little panicked, but he had no choice but to nod.
Li Shimin was stunned for a moment when he heard the words, and then he showed a mocking look: "Qingque, a man should stand upright based on his righteousness. If this spirit exists, he will naturally be immune to evil! Everyone says that you are like me in many ways. , but in this regard, you are nothing like me!"
Li Tai muttered: "Father, it is common for the dead to have dreams. Although my son was a little frightened, as the imperial physician said, he only needs to rest and recuperate..."
"So," Li Shimin interrupted him coldly, "Do you really believe that what happened last night was given to you by your fourth uncle in a dream?"
Li Tai was stunned, not knowing what to say.
Li Shimin looked at his sluggish look, and suddenly remembered Li Shiji's report about his friendship with powerful children, and his heart sank.After a while, Li Shimin sighed, and said: "Forget it, then you can go back to your mansion to recuperate and recuperate. Since this Martial Virtue Hall is ominous, you don't have to live anymore!" After finishing speaking, he walked away without looking back. go.
Li Tai was taken aback for a moment, and only after a while did he come back to his senses, and quickly got up: "Father, Father..."
Li Shimin strode out of the palace gate, ignoring his call.
Li Tai sat back dejectedly, with annoyance and frustration written all over his face.
On March 16th, the [-]th year of Zhenguan, Li Shimin issued three edicts as soon as he came out of Wude Hall:
[-]. Arrest all the officials and maids in Wude Palace, throw them into the imperial prison, order Xuanjiawei and the Ministry of Internal Affairs to interrogate together, and make sure to find out who is "haunted" in Wude Palace, and thoroughly investigate the person behind it.
[-]. Order Wei Wang to go back to the original mansion in Yankangfang to live in the Sunrise Palace.
[-]. Immediately posthumously confer the late Hailing County King Li Yuanji as Chao King.
From entering the Wude Hall on the first day of March to being expelled from the palace today, Wei Wang Li Tai has only lived in the Wude Hall for just half a month.With the edict, there was a huge wave in the hearts of the three provinces, the six ministries, and the civil and military forces of the Manchu Dynasty. Some people were shocked, some sighed, and some gloated and celebrated.
At the same time, the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty also turned their attention to Xuanjiawei and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, full of concern and curiosity about the trial results of the case.Because if someone who is behind the scenes is really found out, then there will be a good show to watch.
As for the third edict, the ruling and opposition parties hardly paid much attention to it.Because no matter what kind of king a dead person is, it doesn't have much practical significance, but the motive behind the emperor's move at this time is somewhat intriguing-since the emperor believes that the Wude Palace is purely a man-made conspiracy. Li Yuanji had nothing to do with him, so why did he pursue him at this time?The only explanation can only be: Today, Li Shimin still has a shadow over the human tragedy of brotherly killing that happened many years ago, so even though he doesn't believe in the so-called "ghosting" at all, he is still aroused. Feelings of embarrassment and guilt, so there is a move to chase the seal.
Many people felt that Wei Wang Li Tai was expelled from the Hall of Wude because of an absurd haunting incident. Many people felt baffled and felt sorry for Li Tai. The reason actually has nothing to do with the haunting, but that he violated the taboo of the emperor by making friends with powerful children in private.In the final analysis, King Wei was still too ostentatious and complacent, and committed the problems of forming cliques and being proud of favors that countless ministers have committed throughout the ages.
In the study room of the Lizheng Hall in the East Palace, Li Chengqian and Li Yuanchang laughed heartily at the same time.
"How about it, my move is much more effective than Wei Zheng's forbearance technique?" Li Yuanchang looked smug.
Li Chengqian still couldn't help laughing: "It works, it works! I didn't expect my fourth uncle to be so heroic after so many years of death. This scare scared King Wei out of the palace, and almost scared him to death." !"
"Speaking of my fourth brother, he died a miserable death back then!" Li Yuanchang sighed, "This time, the crooked beating is helping him to pursue the throne of a prince. He can rest in peace under the nine springs."
When Li Chengqian heard it, his face suddenly became gloomy: "Uncle Qi, you have to think too much about saying such things! What do you mean by 'died a miserable death'? What do you mean by 'you can rest in peace'? His father killed him back then. Cai', this is the tone that the emperor set a few years ago, do you still want to complain for the fourth uncle?"
Li Yuanchang realized that he had slipped his tongue, and hurriedly apologized with a smile: "Yes, of course it is Zhou Gong who punished Guan and Cai! My fourth brother is purely acting as a pawn for a tiger, and it is his own fault. It is a righteous thing for the emperor to kill his relatives, and it is only right and proper!"
Li Chengqian rolled his eyes at him: "Okay, you don't have to put on an act in front of me anymore. I know that you and Fourth Uncle had a good relationship back then, but because of this, you have to be more careful, don't talk nonsense and let people catch you. "
Li Yuanchang nodded, suddenly feeling a little sad: "To tell you the truth, Chengqian, after so many years, I sometimes dream of my fourth brother..."
"Coincidentally, I also dreamed of a brother last night."
Li Yuanchang was startled: "Who did you dream about?"
"The one from Anzhou."
"You mean... Wu Wang Li Ke?"
Li Chengqian was noncommittal, but his eyes suddenly became cold: "I don't know why, as long as I think of this third brother, my mood is not easy at all. I have a hunch that the threat to me from the King of Wu in the future may not be the same as that of Wei Wei. Wang Xiao."
Wu Wang Li Ke is the third son of Li Shimin, but he is not the son of Empress Changsun, but the concubine Yang, who is considered a concubine. He was 24 years old and was the governor of Anzhou at that time.Li Kefeng is handsome, capable of both civil and military affairs, and is quite popular in the ruling and opposition parties.Li Shimin has said on many occasions that Li Ke is "like me in martial arts", and he obviously thinks highly of him.
Li Yuanchang suddenly heard Li Chengqian mention him, and was a little surprised: "Are you worrying too much? Li Ke is just a bastard, even if the emperor likes him, but he is at best a vassal king, how could he threaten you?"
"It's hard to say." Li Chengqian smiled coldly, "In the past dynasties, it is not uncommon for the concubine to seize the heir."
Li Yuanchang pondered for a moment, and said: "You don't have to worry about it yourself. Even if Li Ke really wants to seize the throne, what else can he do in Anzhou now? Let me tell you, when we get rid of Li Tai, we will think about it later." The only way to get rid of him is."
Li Chengqian thought about it for a while, and then said: "Forget it, let's talk about the moment first, although you did a good job pretending to be a ghost, but now your people are captured by Xuanjiawei, what are you going to do?"
"What else can I do, of course let him shut up!"
"Is there someone in your Xuanjia Guard?"
"That's not true. Even flies and mosquitoes can't fly into that ghostly place in Xuanjiawei."
"Then how do you shut him up?"
Li Yuanchang chuckled and wiped his neck: "Let him kill himself."
Li Chengqian was a little skeptical: "Why do you believe that he will kill himself?"
"No reason, just because he owes me two lives!"
"How to say?"
"Two years ago, this kid's father and brother took advantage of him as an official in the palace, ran wild in the countryside, and killed people. The matter went to the Ministry of Criminal Justice. I found someone to help him clear it up. Later, the big trouble was turned into a small one, and it was settled by losing money. This time When I found him, he knew it was time to repay his life, and I also told him in advance that if he was caught, he would kill him immediately!"
"I'm afraid that Xuanjiawei will watch too closely. He won't even have a chance to commit suicide." Li Chengqian thought about it, "I heard that once you enter Xuanjiawei, you have to be searched. You can’t find the rope; then you will be served with shackles and fetters, so that you cannot move; in addition, each person has a cell, which prevents mutual confession and prevents murder.”
"I've thought about this a long time ago, and I thought more than you! I was worried that when Xuanjiawei arrested someone, he would not have time to kill himself, and I was also worried that after he was caught, the old methods of biting his tongue and hitting the wall would not kill him immediately, so I taught him. A new trick." Li Yuanchang approached, and said a few words mysteriously in Li Chengqian's ear, "In this way, everything will stop! Maybe while we're talking, his soul has already returned to the underworld."
Li Chengqian looked at him with some surprise: "I can't see it, Uncle Qi, you are so proficient in this kind of gangster business of killing people and stealing goods!"
Li Yuanchang smiled triumphantly: "I usually like to make friends with all kinds of teachers and scholars. I have many friends, so I learned a few tricks. Don't look at these small tricks as inconspicuous, they will come in handy at critical moments!"
"This is a good move!" Li Chengqian laughed, "And this way of death, Xuanjiawei might not even be able to find out the cause of his death."
"Xuanjiawei claims to be supernatural and omnipotent." Li Yuanchang smiled darkly, "But this time, I just want to make them suffer!"
The corpse of a young eunuch was lying upright in the cell, surrounded by five or six Xuanjia guards including Huan Dieyi and Luo Biao, all with surprised and confused expressions on their faces.
Xiao Junmo walked in.
Luo Biao rushed to meet him: "General Xiao..."
Xiao Junmo stared at the corpse on the ground: "How did you die?"
Luo Biao scratched his head: "We have checked everything, but... we can't find out the cause of death."
"In my opinion, this guy must have never been in a cell, and he was scared to death!" Huan Dieyi said, "Or some old disease has relapsed."
Xiao Junmo squatted down, opened the eyelids of the deceased, and saw that the eyeballs on both sides were a little red, swollen and congested. He immediately had an idea in his mind, and then observed the corpse from head to toe, saying: "Did you not search when you brought it in?"
"Search!" Luo Biao hurriedly said, "The eunuchs belong to me, and the maids belong to Dieyi and they search, from hair to clothes to shoes, they searched everything!"
"That's right, senior brother, we searched very carefully, there's no way this guy hid any murder weapon in." Huan Dieyi also said.
Xiao Junmo's gaze stayed on the corpse's feet, and then he took off the boot on his left foot, held it in his hand, and looked up and down.
"General, you don't need to look, these shoes can hide nothing..." Before Luo Biao finished speaking, Xiao Junmo directly handed the boots to him: "Look, what are these?"
Luo Biao took a closer look and saw a small hole in the thick heel of the boot.
Huan Dieyi also saw it, and said in surprise: "Why is there a hole? But what can this small hole be used for?"
Xiao Jun remained silent, and squatted down beside the corpse again, groping the top of his head with his hands.Suddenly, as if he had touched something, he pinched something with three fingers and pulled it out forcefully, and then a brain-stained iron nail six or seven inches long appeared in front of everyone's eyes.
Luo Biao and others were taken aback, and Huan Dieyi covered his mouth in fright.
Xiao Junmo wiped the iron nail on the corpse's clothes, then took the boot, facing the small hole in the heel, and inserted the whole iron nail into it completely.Since the top flat toe and heel of the iron nail are black, you can't see it unless you look carefully.
Luo Biao kicked the corpse angrily: "Play with me!"
"The dead are the greatest, so don't make trouble with the corpse." Xiao Junmo said lightly.
"But, I don't understand," Luo Biao said angrily, "Since all the nails have been brought in, the eyeballs, throat, and heart are not easy to insert, why should the nails be plugged in?!"
"This shows that this person or the person behind him deliberately prevented us from finding out the cause of his death."
"Why is this?" Huan Dieyi was puzzled.
"Show their intelligence," Xiao Junmo smiled faintly, "or, laugh at our stupidity."
Luo Biao was embarrassed and muttered, "This kid is obviously wearing shackles and shackles. It's not easy to insert a nail into his head. How did he do it? If he can't be killed immediately, isn't he just asking for trouble?"
"The shackles clamp the wrists, not the fingers; the shackles prevent him from running, but his feet can still move. As long as the hands and feet can move, taking out the nails is not a problem." Xiao Junmo said, pulled out the nails again, and walked to the cell wall to observe He said, "As you said, the problem he needs to consider is how to drive a six or seven-inch nail into his brain in an instant. This requires a lot of strength to do it."
Speaking of this, Xiao Junmo seemed to have found the answer, and added: "Or, it needs a lot of impact." He was groping for a brick crack with one hand, and with the other hand, he pushed the top flat end of the nail into the brick. As a result, the nails were firmly embedded in the wall, and the nail points pointed straight at everyone, which looked palpitating.
"Luo Biao, try to bump your head against it, will it kill you immediately?" Xiao Junmo said.
Luo Biao scratched his head and smiled awkwardly: "This... this subordinate doesn't have to try."
Huan Dieyi and the Xuanjia guards next to him couldn't help covering their mouths and sniggering.
"Next time, if you make such mistakes again, even if I don't let you try, I'm afraid the general or the Holy One will." Xiao Junmo said expressionlessly, "Do you hear me clearly?"
"I heard it clearly, I heard it clearly!" Luo Biao was ashamed, "There will never be a next time!"
In the meditation room of Foguang Temple, Biancai sat cross-legged on the futon, his eyes closed, as if he had melted into a sitting position.
The food table in front of him was filled with all kinds of dishes, but they were all without heat.
Standing in front of the food table, Zhao Dequan looked at Biancai, then at the untouched food, and heaved a long sigh.
In the Liangyi Hall, Li Shiji knelt on the ground in fear.
Li Shimin sat upright on the imperial couch with his eyes closed, his chest heaving and falling.
After a long time, Li Shimin opened his eyes and sighed softly: "Forget it, since you have already committed suicide in fear of crime, it won't help if you ask for it, let's make peace."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Li Shiji stood up, but still bowed his head with guilt on his face.
"A person who is determined to die, even if he doesn't commit suicide, probably won't say a word." Li Shimin said, "It seems that Qingque's opponent is not simple, and he can actually buy such a dead man in the palace!"
"The minister is incompetent and has betrayed His Majesty's trust. He deserves death!" At this time, Li Shiji didn't know what to say other than this kind of words.
"Forget it, let's not pursue this matter, let's stop here."
As soon as Li Shimin finished speaking, Zhao Dequan hurried in, bowed and walked to the imperial couch, wanting to say something, he glanced at Li Shiji again.
"Say anything, don't hesitate."
"Yes, I would like to inform you all, the debater...he has been on a hunger strike for a day and a night!" Zhao Dequan said with a sad face, "The old servant smiled and said all the good things, but he just didn't say a word and didn't eat a mouthful!"
Li Shiji was slightly startled, but still maintained his original posture.
Li Shimin was startled at first, and then laughed a few times: "Shiji, did you hear that he is another person who is determined to die! How do I feel that there are more and more people who regard death as their home?"
Li Shiji didn't know how to answer, so he had to bury his head lower.
"Dequan, Shiji, both of you help me to think about how I can deal with a person who is not even afraid of death."
Zhao Dequan thought for a long time with a bitter face, and said: "Your Majesty, forgive me, this old servant is stupid, I really can't figure it out."
Li Shimin laughed a few more times, looked at Li Shiji: "What about you?"
Li Shiji pondered for a while, and said: "Your Majesty is a sage, and he must have a good strategy in his chest. I dare not speak up, but I only obey your majesty's order!"
Li Shimin chuckled, pointed at Li Shiji and said to Zhao Dequan, "See? This guy is cunning! He and Wei Zheng were the most cunning of the guys who came out of Wagang Village back then, so they lived the longest and served as the biggest officials. !"
The corners of Li Shiji's mouth twitched, but he didn't dare to laugh, and hurriedly said: "I was just a rogue back then, falling into the grass and tile hills. If it weren't for my Tang Dynasty's prosperity and virtue, Your Majesty's majesty, who gave me a shelter and the grace of rebuilding, I would have already His life was lost in the yellow sand, and his bones were buried in a deserted grave! Therefore, although I am cunning, I dare not slack off, and I only wish to die loyally for His Majesty!"
"Okay, there's no need to say these beautiful words." Li Shimin smiled again, and immediately said seriously, "Li Shiji listens to the order."
Li Shiji quickly knelt down.
"I order you to immediately dispatch people and set off tomorrow. The target is still Luozhou Yique. The task...is the same as last time. Bring me another person."
"The minister obeys the order!"
Although the emperor's edict was vague, Li Shiji already understood it.
(End of this chapter)
Xiao Junmo came to another bridge.
This is also a wooden bridge, but it is not the one located in the north of Yankangfang, but the other one located in the south.
If you want to find something flowing out of the aqueduct of Wei Wangfu, you must go to the lower reaches of the north, and if you want to know whether there is anything in the aqueduct of Wei Wangfu, you must enter from the upper reaches of the south.
Now Xiao Junmo can basically be sure that his father has already met the murderous hands of King Wei.Therefore, even if he enters Wei Wangfu now, it is impossible for him to find his father again.But for some reason, from the moment he picked up the black leather boots just now, Xiao Junmo had a strong urge to find out in Wei Wang's mansion.
Whether or not he could find anything, he decided to do it.Because, he couldn't wait to know where his father was at the last moment and what happened to him!
Xiao Junmo came under the wooden bridge.The crowd on the bridge is bustling, but there is no one under the bridge at the moment.In the distance, some women were washing rice and washing clothes by the water, but no one would notice him if they were tens of feet away.
In order to reduce resistance, Xiao Junmo took off his outer robe and underwear on his upper body, hid in the grass on the bank, and then jumped into the water shirtless.
The water in the canal in spring is still a little cold.The moment his skin touched the water, he couldn't help shivering.
Weiwang Mansion is located in the southwest corner of Yankang Fang. Since the gate of the mansion was opened directly on the wall of the square, the wall of the square became the wall of the house.The water of Yong'an Canal flows in from under the wall.After Xiao Junmo dived into the water, he swam four or five feet north and touched a row of iron fences.These fences have stood here since the excavation of Yong'an Canal in the early years of the Sui Dynasty. It has been nearly 60 years, and every iron bar is rusty due to disrepair.
Xiao Junmo came out of the water and took a deep breath, then plunged into the bottom of the water, and bent the two iron bars to both sides without much effort.Then, as deftly as a fish, he got through the fence.
The canal water flows meanderingly in the huge Wei Wang Mansion. The waterway is tortuous and draws many tributaries, which are stored into pools and lotus ponds; some tributaries go around the pavilions and waterside pavilions, and then merge into the main canal in seven twists and turns. .Xiao Junmo seemed to have entered a huge maze, and he was fainted after a short while. After swimming several times, he circled back to the same place.
The reason for getting lost was not only the complicated waterways of Wei Wangfu, but also Xiao Junmo didn't know where he was going or what he was looking for.
The rain was getting heavier and heavier, weaving a thick rain curtain between the sky and the earth.When Xiao Junmo came out of the water again to take a breath, he saw the mist around him, and he didn't know where he was for a moment, so he smiled wryly.
Suddenly, voices came from nearby, Xiao Junmo hurriedly swam to the shore, hid under a rock, and poked his head out quietly.I saw two eunuchs hurrying past the stone path by the water with umbrellas, and they walked away quickly.Xiao Junmo looked along the way they came, and could vaguely see a rockery stacked with strange rocks not far away.
This is obviously the backyard of Prince Wei's mansion, quiet and deserted.Xiao Junmo suddenly had an intuition that what he wanted was probably nearby.He took a deep breath and dived back into the water.After swimming along the water's edge for six to seven feet, I saw a bifurcated waterway on the right hand side. The mouth of the waterway was circular and about three feet in diameter.Judging from the location, this waterway is leading to the direction of the rockery.Xiao Junmo surfaced again and took a long breath, then swam into the waterway without hesitation.
As soon as I swam in, the light disappeared completely, leaving only darkness in front of my eyes.
Xiao Junmo swam seven or eight zhang with all his strength, but the waterway still didn't end, but he obviously felt that he didn't have enough breath.At this time, something suddenly jumped by his side, which startled him a lot, and suddenly choked up a few mouthfuls of water.For a moment, Xiao Junmo retreated in his heart.But if I turn back now, I will definitely not have enough breath; if I continue to swim forward, although I don't know where the end is, at least I can fight hard.
Thinking of this, Xiao Junmo no longer hesitated, and swam forward another two or three feet with the last of his strength, feeling that the waterway was gradually sloping upwards, and finally a gleam of light appeared on the water surface in front of him.
At the moment when he was about to suffocate, Xiao Junmo kicked up desperately, and his head finally came out of the water.
His eyes were darkened, and he took in big mouthfuls of air. For the first time in his life, he felt that breathing was such a happy and luxurious thing.
After panting violently for a while, Xiao Junmo's breathing gradually calmed down, and the scene in front of him gradually became clear.There was an iron fence in front of him, and at the other end of the fence was a square pool. There were two black iron pillars in the pool, and there were collars, iron chains and other things on the pillars.
Water dungeon!
It seemed that my intuition was correct, and my father must have been imprisoned in this underground prison in the end.
The overall position of the water prison is slightly higher than the waterway and the ditch outside, so the father's boot that fell off will flow into the ditch outside.It has been raining heavily for the past few days, and the water flow is faster than usual, so the boots flowed down the canal to the bridge north of Yankangfang.
Looking at this gloomy water prison, Xiao Junmo could almost feel the torture his father suffered before his death, and his blood rushed straight up.If King Wei stood in front of him at this moment, Xiao Junmo would kill him desperately.
In the midst of resentment, several huge mice suddenly jumped out of the fence, swam past his shoulders, and chirped and chirped into a hole in the top wall of the waterway.Only then did Xiao Junmo remember that it was the mouse that jumped past him just now.I don't know what these mice eat to grow so fat.
Now, the father's whereabouts are fully known.Although there is no direct evidence, all indirect evidence shows that the father was imprisoned in this water prison by King Wei, and then tortured to death!
It was useless to stay here, Xiao Junmo took a deep breath and prepared to swim back.Suddenly, he caught a glimpse of something wrapped around an iron bar of the fence. He untied it and saw that it was a long strip of crimson cloth. Judging from the texture, it should be silk.
Xiao Junmo was startled suddenly.Silk can only be used for official uniforms, and scarlet is the special color for officials of the fourth and fifth ranks.Obviously, it was most likely torn from the clothes on the father's body.But what happened to his father before he died?Why are clothes torn?
At this time, another chirp chirp chirp sound came from my ears.
Xiao Junmo suddenly realized: Mouse!
Before his father died, he was probably bitten by a large group of rats, and even his clothes were bitten to pieces!
Xiao Junmo didn't dare to think about it anymore.Just thinking about such a terrifying picture is enough to make him suffocate with grief and indignation.Xiao Junmo dived into the water and saw three or four long strips of cloth wrapped around other iron bars.He untied the pieces of cloth one by one, and when he returned to the surface of the water, he found that they were not scarlet silk, but beige silk.
silk book?
Could this be the silk book left by my father? !
Xiao Junmo was greatly surprised, and dived into the water again. He didn't turn around and swim out until he was sure that all the cloth pieces on the iron bars had been taken off by him...
As soon as his head emerged from the ditch, Xiao Junmo was really taken aback.
Huan Dieyi was standing on the bank, holding an umbrella in one hand, and the other on his waist, looking at him steadily: "If you don't come out in a while, I will go to Chang'an County to call someone!"
"I'm just swimming, who are you calling?!" Xiao Junmo climbed ashore, got into the grass, and said while shivering and putting on his clothes.
"It's still so cold, why are you swimming?" Huan Dieyi looked suspicious, "Besides, swimming is swimming, why are you picking up so much junk?"
Xiao Junmo hurriedly put the few pieces of cloth tightly in his hands into his arms, and said with a smile: "The new hobby I just cultivated doesn't hinder you, why do you care so much?"
"Don't lie to me anymore." Huan Dieyi walked in front of him, "I know, you just entered Wei Wangfu."
Xiao Junmo's hair was loose, and he leaned over the desk, concentrating on piecing together the pieces of cloth.
Huan Dieyi stood behind him, holding a wooden comb to help him comb his hair.
"I found that I'm almost becoming your maid, cleaning and combing your hair all day long." Huan Dieyi said dissatisfied.
Xiao Junmo turned a deaf ear.
Huan Dieyi pouted and tugged at his hair.
Xiao Junmo didn't realize it.
Huan Dieyi pulled it hard again.
"That's because it rains every time you appear." Xiao Junmo said without turning his head, "Besides, if you pull so hard, I will become bald."
Huan Dieyi giggled: "Who told you to ignore me, you deserve to be bald!"
Xiao Junmo didn't answer again, and moved the pieces of cloth around.
"What do you see?" Huan Dieyi glanced at the book case, and found that the ink on the piece of cloth had been stained by water, and the handwriting was blurred and difficult to read.
Xiao Junmo frowned, and suddenly read two words: "Jade pendant?"
Huan Dieyi hurried over and saw two pieces of cloth put together, and there was indeed the word "Jade Pei" on it, but the other words were incomplete. "What your father is referring to should be the jade pendant that Uncle Jiu gave you, right?"
Xiao Junmo didn't make a sound, and turned the other two larger pieces of cloth in the other direction and rejoined them, so three more characters appeared in front of his eyes.
"Not your father?" Huan Dieyi read out.
Xiao Junmo was stunned.
Huan Dieyi glanced at him worriedly, and couldn't help but look at the piece of cloth. There seemed to be a word "口" in front of the word "非", but the upper part of "口" was missing.
However, even so, Huan Dieyi immediately guessed that the word should be "I", so these four words are a complete sentence: I am not your father.
Xiao Junmo stretched out his hand suddenly, and swept all the pieces of cloth on the desk to the ground, then shrank back a little, with a look of horror in his eyes, as if those words were something terrible.
"Brother, in my opinion, this silk book may not be left by your father, maybe..." Huan Dieyi tried to comfort him, but he felt that his words were powerless.
At sunset, dark clouds hang down in the sky, pressing heavily on the cornices of Tai Chi Palace.
In Liangyi Hall, Li Shiji was reporting something to Li Shimin.Li Shimin's face was gloomy.Zhao Dequan stood aside, holding his breath subconsciously, not daring to breathe.
"So, when I threw this stone, all the toads in the pond jumped out?" Li Shimin sneered.
Li Shiji didn't dare to answer.
"You said just now that in just half a month, there are three Dukes, 37 officials above the third rank, and [-] officials above the fifth rank in the court, all of whom have connected with King Wei?"
"Return to Your Majesty," Li Shiji hurriedly said, "Based on what I know, most of the people who made friends with King Wei in private are the children of these people, not themselves."
"Isn't this the same thing?" Li Shimin suddenly raised his voice, "I just let the king of Wei enter the Wude Palace, the movement is so big, if I let him enter the East Palace, wouldn't it mean that the civil and military forces of the Manchu Dynasty would have to take the East Palace? Threshold smashed?!"
Li Shiji was silent again.
Zhao Dequan glanced at the emperor, and said in a low voice: "Everyone calm down, it's important to take care of the dragon's body. This old servant dares to say that these honorable children are friends with the King of Wei. Maybe it's just the congeniality between the younger generations, not necessarily the ministers. In the back……"
"A bunch of nonsense!" Li Shimin interrupted him fiercely, "Is it congenial? Do you not agree with each other sooner or later? As soon as I let the king of Wei enter the Wude Palace, they immediately agree with each other? Is it clear that they are all ordered by those high-ranking officials? ? They thought I would be kept in the dark if I didn't show up? That would be too small for me!"
Zhao Dequan hurriedly bowed his head, not daring to say anything more.
Li Shimin turned his attention to Li Shiji: "You said just now that the sons of Fang Xuanling's son Fang Yiai, Du Ruhui's son Du He, and Chai Shao's son Chai Lingwu, these three sons, have the closest contacts with the King of Wei, right?"
"Yes. Fang Yiai met Wei Wang seven times, Du He three times, and Chai Lingwu twice."
"It's a good thing that Du Ruhui and Chai Shao died early, otherwise it would be too late." Li Shimin said coldly, "Let your people keep watching and report at any time. I want to see, Fang Xuanling is old and here Come out, do you still want to save it for the evening festival!"
"The minister obeys the order!"
In Xiao Zhai's study room, Xiao Junmo sat in a daze, holding the jade pendant in his hand.
Huan Dieyi sat aside and looked at him, worried.He Chongjiu sat on the other side, looking a little uncomfortable.
"Uncle Jiu, tell the truth, am I really not born to my father?" Xiao Junmo's tone was very calm, but this calmness made people afraid.
He Chongjiu muttered for a long while, but he still couldn't say a word, so he nodded.Huan Dieyi kept staring at him nervously. Seeing him nodding at the end, she felt unbelievable. She wanted to say something, but she didn't dare to say anything when she saw Xiao Junmo like that.
"Uncle Jiu, tell me, who is my biological father?"
"I really don't know about this." The wrinkles on He Chongjiu's face were piled together, "When I came to our house to serve the lord, Erlang, you were already six or seven years old. You can’t have children, and I know you were adopted, but I have never met your biological father, and I have never heard the lord mention it.”
"Then how many people know that I was adopted?"
"It seems that only the lord, the mistress and I know, and no one else should know."
"How is this possible?" Xiao Junmo sneered, "Whether my mother was pregnant for ten months, can't others be blind to tell?"
"I do know something about this." He Chongjiu said, "According to my lord, before she was going to adopt you, the mistress went back to her mother's house to hide for more than half a year. Later she said that you were born by the mistress in her mother's house. No one doubts it anymore."
"In other words, when my biological mother conceived me, my biological father and my father planned everything out, trying to deceive others." Xiao Junmo smiled wryly, "They are really thoughtful!"
"Senior Brother," Huan Dieyi finally couldn't help but said, "Don't be too sad, this kind of thing is very common in our hometown. Parents are afraid that there will be too many children and they will not be able to support them. people..."
"Will a person with this jade pendant not be able to raise a child?" Xiao Junmo lifted the jade pendant's hanging rope high and let the jade pendant swing back and forth in front of the three of them, "Did you see it? This is the purest suet Jade. Hetian jade is the most respected jade in the world, and this jade is the best of Hetian jade. It has been buried under Kunlun Mountain for millions of years. It is rare in the world and rare in the world. Just such a small piece is enough to be worth the price of our family. It’s a big house, Dieyi, tell me, will my biological father not be able to support me?”
Huan Dieyi was speechless.
Xiao Junmo took the jade pendant back into his palm, stroked the patterns and words on it, and said to himself in his heart: Xiao Junmo, a Ganoderma lucidum, an orchid, and the word "Duowen" are all the clues for you to find your biological father!
Thunder rumbled, torrential rain poured down, and the Taiji Palace was flickered by lightning one after another.
Li Tai was tossing and turning on the bed in Wude Hall.
Ever since he moved into the Wude Hall, Li Tai's sleep has become very poor. I don't know if it's because he's not used to it or something else. In short, in the past half month, he has hardly had a good night's sleep.
Most of the time, he was always tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep, and finally fell asleep, and always had some messy dreams, and then woke up again before dawn, so he had to lie down with his red eyes open until the rooster crowed and the east came. White.And in a ghostly weather like tonight, sleeping has become even more of a chore for Li Tai, or a more difficult task to complete.
The long windows on the west seemed to be blown open by the strong wind, bumping back and forth and making crackling noises.The strong wind rushed in violently, and all the lamps and candles in the hall were blown out in an instant.The white gauze curtains around the bed fluttered in the strong wind, as if someone was waving their white long sleeves desperately.
Li Tai was frightened, and even called "Come on" a few times, but there was no one in the huge bedroom except himself.
Usually, in order to keep himself from being disturbed and fall asleep as soon as possible, Li Tai always kicked out all the eunuchs and maids in the bedroom, and even refused to let them stand at the door.He felt that it was much quieter this way.But now, Li Tai deeply regrets his decision.Those eunuchs and maids lived in the side hall next door. Usually, if necessary, a group of people would come over as soon as they yelled, but now the thunder was so loud that no one would hear them even if they yelled out their throats.
Li Tai had no choice but to turn over and get out of bed, ready to close the window.
Suddenly, he felt as if someone touched the back of his neck, jumped up in fright, and turned around abruptly, but there was nothing in front of him except the fluttering white gauze curtain.
Li Tai secretly told himself to calm down, there was no need to scare himself.
He put on his shoes and walked to the west window.Halfway through, Li Tai suddenly turned around again, wanting to see what was behind him.But everything is still the same, there is no one else in the bedroom except himself.Li Tai breathed a sigh of relief and came to the window.
The strong wind and cold rain suddenly hit him in the face, making him sneeze heavily.
"What the hell weather!" Li Tai muttered, closing two windows, and then walked to the side, ready to close the other two.At this moment, a bolt of lightning suddenly struck, Li Tai looked out the open window, and accidentally saw a man in white clothes standing with disheveled hair at the end of the corridor leading to the side hall.
Li Tai's shock was no small matter, and he blurted out, "Who? Who's there?!"
At this time, the lightning had passed, and the outside was back to darkness. Li Tai rubbed his eyes desperately a few times, and then looked intently. The corridor was empty, as if the scene just now was completely his own illusion.
With a snap, Li Tai hastily closed the window tightly.
As soon as he turned around, another string of thunder exploded in his ears, and Li Tai trembled all over his body.Before he could calm down, he heard a desolate voice that seemed to be mixed with the thunder, that voice seemed to be calling his nickname: "Qingque, Qingque..."
The sound seemed to come in from the corridor outside.Li Tai was terrified, and turned to face the window again, then mustered up his courage, and opened the window suddenly.
Another strike of lightning struck, and the man in white with disheveled hair was standing in front of him, looking at him through the window.It is said that they are looking at each other, but in fact, the hair of the man in white is completely scattered on the face, and the face cannot be seen at all.
Li Tai yelled, and he fell to the ground, stepping back with his hands resting on the ground.
This time, the man in white didn't disappear, but stretched out a pair of pale hands, supported his head, and turned around slowly.When the back of his head was turned around, it was exactly the same as the front, completely covered by long black hair.
Li Tai's face was ashen for a long time, his eyes were wide open, and he desperately wanted to shout, but he couldn't make a sound, and he didn't even have the strength to back up.
The man in white still rested his hands on his head.Immediately afterwards, he raised his two hands vigorously, pulled out the whole head, and held it in front of his chest.
"Qingque, I am your fourth uncle, I am Sanhu, Sanhu..."
The headless man in white is still talking to him? !
Li Tai finally let out a heart-piercing howl, then rolled his eyes and fainted to the ground.
The headless man in white in front of the window suddenly disappeared.
A mournful howl resounded over the Wude Hall.The door of the side hall opened, and a group of eunuchs and maids ran over in a panic holding lanterns...
It was raining outside the window.
He Chongjiu had already left, only Xiao Junmo and Huan Dieyi sat silently facing each other in the study.
"Brother, what exactly did you find in Wei Wang's mansion?" Huan Dieyi finally said what he had been holding back all night, "How did you find these silk pieces?"
Xiao Junmo was silent for a while, and then told her everything he saw when he entered the Wei Palace.
Huan Dieyi was horrified when he heard this: "Why did King Wei kill Uncle?"
Xiao Junmo didn't want her to get involved, so he said, "I haven't figured this out yet."
Huan Dieyi thought about it again, and said: "Since uncle's things appeared in the dungeon of King Wei's mansion, then King Wei is very suspicious, we can report him!"
"Report on the King of Wei?" Xiao Junmo smiled wryly, "He has always favored the kings, and now he has a royal family and is likely to enter the East Palace. Can you sue him? What's more, with the few pieces of rags in our hands How can you prove that he imprisoned my father? How can you prove that he killed my father?"
"But, this crimson silk piece is Uncle's official uniform, and there is also Uncle's handwriting on this silk piece!"
"There are thousands of officials above the fourth and fifth grades in the court. How can you say that it must be my father's official uniform? The characters on these silk books have long been blurred, and it is even difficult to recognize them. What kind of handwriting can we talk about?"
Huan Dieyi looked resentful, but was speechless, and said after a while: "Then uncle died so unclearly, should we just let it go?"
"This revenge will definitely be avenged sooner or later." A cold light flashed in Xiao Junmo's eyes, "But it's not now, and we can't use the method you said."
Huan Dieyi was unhappy: "What do you say to the outside world about the uncle's death?"
Xiao Junmo pondered for a while, and said: "Let's say that he went to visit relatives in the countryside, fell off a horse, and died of serious injuries. I will explain to Uncle Jiu, let him just say that, and you have to speak in unison, and don't reveal the inside story to anyone .”
"Can't even tell my uncle?"
Xiao Junmo was taken aback, thinking that the master already roughly knew the inside story, but he certainly didn't want Huan Dieyi to be involved, so he had to hide it from her with the master.Having made up his mind, he said, "It's not necessary."
"Why?" Huan Dieyi was very puzzled.
"Knowing that the king of Wei did it, and we don't have any direct evidence, even if you tell the master, will he have a solution? Apart from causing him more trouble, what can we do to the king of Wei?"
When Huan Dieyi heard it, he also felt that it made sense, so he stopped talking. After a while, he suddenly thought of something: "Brother, why do you think Uncle left you this silk book?"
"He must have had a premonition, so he made two preparations." Xiao Junmo pondered, "If nothing happens, I will continue to keep the secret of my life experience; in case something unexpected happens, let this silk book tell me the truth."
"I'm just wondering here, why did he tell you the truth? He has raised you for so many years and treats you as his own. Isn't that enough? Is there anything more important about your biological father?"
"I don't know either. Maybe he still thinks it's important in the end." Xiao Junmo was a little sad, "Maybe he thinks that he has no right to take this secret away."
"If you say that, your life experience must not be simple!"
Xiao Junmo glanced at Huan Dieyi.
In fact, he had already guessed this point.Because, since his biological father owns this priceless jade pendant, he is definitely not an ordinary person. Therefore, if it is not for some unusual reasons, he definitely would not have planned it when he was still in the womb. To give him away.
I don't know why, Xiao Junmo always feels strongly that there is one person who must know everything about his life experience, including who his biological father is, and this person is Wei Zheng!
"I can't guess this matter for a while." Xiao Junmo changed the subject, "Let's talk about that Wei Pang, how did you find out?"
"It's really hard to find this person. I went to the Ministry of Household Affairs and the Ministry of Officials more than ten times, and my leg almost broke. At least I finally got results." Huan Dieyi blinked at him, "How can you thank me? "
Xiao Junmo spread his hands and pointed at the surrounding things: "I can't do it except for my body, I can make the decision of everything in this room, you can pick whatever you want!"
Huan Dieyi's face turned red, and she glared at him: "You are so thick-skinned! If you say such shameless words, I won't tell you."
Xiao Jun smiled silently, clasped his hands together and bowed to her: "Please, please, it's all my fault for being unrestrained, I take it back."
Huan Dieyi rolled his eyes at him again, and said seriously, "As you expected, Wei Pang is Wei Zheng's ancestor."
Xiao Junmo's heart moved, and his eyes lit up immediately.
"You searched Wei Zheng so thoroughly, what exactly do you want to do?" Huan Dieyi stared at him closely.
Xiao Junmo immediately regained his composure: "It's nothing, I just suspect that he has something to do with my father's matter, and now it seems that there is nothing to do with it, maybe my judgment is wrong."
Huan Dieyi looked at him suspiciously.
The sun was shining brightly, illuminating Wude Hall brightly, as if the horrible scene last night had never happened.
Li Tai's eyes were slightly closed, and he was lying on the bed with a pale face. An imperial physician sat by the bed and took his pulse, while Li Shimin and Zhao Dequan stood aside, their faces full of concern.A group of eunuchs and court ladies knelt behind, all fearful.
After a while, the imperial doctor stood up, bowed to Li Shimin and said, "Your Majesty, His Royal Highness the Prince of Wei is just busy with daily affairs, worrying and worrying, causing liver stagnation and spleen deficiency, insomnia and dreaminess. It's not a serious problem, just take a few medicines, Rest in peace for a few days."
Li Shimin said "Yes", and the imperial physician bowed and stepped back.Li Shimin said to Zhao Dequan: "You guys go down too." Zhao Dequan immediately led the eunuchs and maids in the palace and bowed out.
Li Shimin sat down by the bed and touched Li Tai's forehead.Li Tai opened his eyes and wanted to sit up, but was held down by Li Shimin: "Lie down, the imperial doctor said you need to rest for a few days."
"Thank you, Father!" Li Tai lay down, still a little uneasy.
Li Shimin looked at him: "I heard from the servants that you yelled loudly last night with a shrill voice. When you entered the hall, you were lying on the ground. Tell me, what happened last night?"
There was a trace of panic in Li Tai's eyes, and he murmured: "Father, actually...it's nothing, my son can't sleep well these days, and always has nightmares, other...it's nothing."
"Then what nightmares have you been having?"
"This... is nothing more than some messy dreams, and my son can't remember it."
Li Shimin looked at him suspiciously: "Qingque, no matter what happens, your father will make the decision for you, but you must tell me the truth."
Li Tai hesitated for a while before saying, "Father, my son...I want to ask you something."
"what's up?"
"Fourth Uncle... Fourth Uncle's small characters, isn't it called... Sanhu?"
Li Shimin was startled and stared at him: "Why did you ask this suddenly?"
"Last night, Erchen... seems to have dreamed about my fourth uncle."
Li Shimin stood up abruptly and looked at Li Tai in disbelief.
Li Yuanji's small characters are exactly "Sanhu"!When Li Shimin killed his fourth brother Li Yuanji at the Xuanwu Gate, Li Tai was only seven or eight years old, so it was impossible for him to know his fine print, even most civil and military officials in the court did not know, but at this moment Li Tai actually accurately said "Three The word "Hu" must have shocked Li Shimin.Moreover, this hall was the residence of Li Yuanji back then, and it has been vacant since then. Over the years, there have been rumors from time to time that this hall is too dark and unlucky to live in. Li Shimin always regarded it as nonsense, and didn't believe it at all. Unexpectedly, such a strange thing happened right now.
"What did you dream about him?" Li Shimin looked serious, "Did he also tell you the word 'Sanhu'?"
Li Tai was a little panicked, but he had no choice but to nod.
Li Shimin was stunned for a moment when he heard the words, and then he showed a mocking look: "Qingque, a man should stand upright based on his righteousness. If this spirit exists, he will naturally be immune to evil! Everyone says that you are like me in many ways. , but in this regard, you are nothing like me!"
Li Tai muttered: "Father, it is common for the dead to have dreams. Although my son was a little frightened, as the imperial physician said, he only needs to rest and recuperate..."
"So," Li Shimin interrupted him coldly, "Do you really believe that what happened last night was given to you by your fourth uncle in a dream?"
Li Tai was stunned, not knowing what to say.
Li Shimin looked at his sluggish look, and suddenly remembered Li Shiji's report about his friendship with powerful children, and his heart sank.After a while, Li Shimin sighed, and said: "Forget it, then you can go back to your mansion to recuperate and recuperate. Since this Martial Virtue Hall is ominous, you don't have to live anymore!" After finishing speaking, he walked away without looking back. go.
Li Tai was taken aback for a moment, and only after a while did he come back to his senses, and quickly got up: "Father, Father..."
Li Shimin strode out of the palace gate, ignoring his call.
Li Tai sat back dejectedly, with annoyance and frustration written all over his face.
On March 16th, the [-]th year of Zhenguan, Li Shimin issued three edicts as soon as he came out of Wude Hall:
[-]. Arrest all the officials and maids in Wude Palace, throw them into the imperial prison, order Xuanjiawei and the Ministry of Internal Affairs to interrogate together, and make sure to find out who is "haunted" in Wude Palace, and thoroughly investigate the person behind it.
[-]. Order Wei Wang to go back to the original mansion in Yankangfang to live in the Sunrise Palace.
[-]. Immediately posthumously confer the late Hailing County King Li Yuanji as Chao King.
From entering the Wude Hall on the first day of March to being expelled from the palace today, Wei Wang Li Tai has only lived in the Wude Hall for just half a month.With the edict, there was a huge wave in the hearts of the three provinces, the six ministries, and the civil and military forces of the Manchu Dynasty. Some people were shocked, some sighed, and some gloated and celebrated.
At the same time, the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty also turned their attention to Xuanjiawei and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, full of concern and curiosity about the trial results of the case.Because if someone who is behind the scenes is really found out, then there will be a good show to watch.
As for the third edict, the ruling and opposition parties hardly paid much attention to it.Because no matter what kind of king a dead person is, it doesn't have much practical significance, but the motive behind the emperor's move at this time is somewhat intriguing-since the emperor believes that the Wude Palace is purely a man-made conspiracy. Li Yuanji had nothing to do with him, so why did he pursue him at this time?The only explanation can only be: Today, Li Shimin still has a shadow over the human tragedy of brotherly killing that happened many years ago, so even though he doesn't believe in the so-called "ghosting" at all, he is still aroused. Feelings of embarrassment and guilt, so there is a move to chase the seal.
Many people felt that Wei Wang Li Tai was expelled from the Hall of Wude because of an absurd haunting incident. Many people felt baffled and felt sorry for Li Tai. The reason actually has nothing to do with the haunting, but that he violated the taboo of the emperor by making friends with powerful children in private.In the final analysis, King Wei was still too ostentatious and complacent, and committed the problems of forming cliques and being proud of favors that countless ministers have committed throughout the ages.
In the study room of the Lizheng Hall in the East Palace, Li Chengqian and Li Yuanchang laughed heartily at the same time.
"How about it, my move is much more effective than Wei Zheng's forbearance technique?" Li Yuanchang looked smug.
Li Chengqian still couldn't help laughing: "It works, it works! I didn't expect my fourth uncle to be so heroic after so many years of death. This scare scared King Wei out of the palace, and almost scared him to death." !"
"Speaking of my fourth brother, he died a miserable death back then!" Li Yuanchang sighed, "This time, the crooked beating is helping him to pursue the throne of a prince. He can rest in peace under the nine springs."
When Li Chengqian heard it, his face suddenly became gloomy: "Uncle Qi, you have to think too much about saying such things! What do you mean by 'died a miserable death'? What do you mean by 'you can rest in peace'? His father killed him back then. Cai', this is the tone that the emperor set a few years ago, do you still want to complain for the fourth uncle?"
Li Yuanchang realized that he had slipped his tongue, and hurriedly apologized with a smile: "Yes, of course it is Zhou Gong who punished Guan and Cai! My fourth brother is purely acting as a pawn for a tiger, and it is his own fault. It is a righteous thing for the emperor to kill his relatives, and it is only right and proper!"
Li Chengqian rolled his eyes at him: "Okay, you don't have to put on an act in front of me anymore. I know that you and Fourth Uncle had a good relationship back then, but because of this, you have to be more careful, don't talk nonsense and let people catch you. "
Li Yuanchang nodded, suddenly feeling a little sad: "To tell you the truth, Chengqian, after so many years, I sometimes dream of my fourth brother..."
"Coincidentally, I also dreamed of a brother last night."
Li Yuanchang was startled: "Who did you dream about?"
"The one from Anzhou."
"You mean... Wu Wang Li Ke?"
Li Chengqian was noncommittal, but his eyes suddenly became cold: "I don't know why, as long as I think of this third brother, my mood is not easy at all. I have a hunch that the threat to me from the King of Wu in the future may not be the same as that of Wei Wei. Wang Xiao."
Wu Wang Li Ke is the third son of Li Shimin, but he is not the son of Empress Changsun, but the concubine Yang, who is considered a concubine. He was 24 years old and was the governor of Anzhou at that time.Li Kefeng is handsome, capable of both civil and military affairs, and is quite popular in the ruling and opposition parties.Li Shimin has said on many occasions that Li Ke is "like me in martial arts", and he obviously thinks highly of him.
Li Yuanchang suddenly heard Li Chengqian mention him, and was a little surprised: "Are you worrying too much? Li Ke is just a bastard, even if the emperor likes him, but he is at best a vassal king, how could he threaten you?"
"It's hard to say." Li Chengqian smiled coldly, "In the past dynasties, it is not uncommon for the concubine to seize the heir."
Li Yuanchang pondered for a moment, and said: "You don't have to worry about it yourself. Even if Li Ke really wants to seize the throne, what else can he do in Anzhou now? Let me tell you, when we get rid of Li Tai, we will think about it later." The only way to get rid of him is."
Li Chengqian thought about it for a while, and then said: "Forget it, let's talk about the moment first, although you did a good job pretending to be a ghost, but now your people are captured by Xuanjiawei, what are you going to do?"
"What else can I do, of course let him shut up!"
"Is there someone in your Xuanjia Guard?"
"That's not true. Even flies and mosquitoes can't fly into that ghostly place in Xuanjiawei."
"Then how do you shut him up?"
Li Yuanchang chuckled and wiped his neck: "Let him kill himself."
Li Chengqian was a little skeptical: "Why do you believe that he will kill himself?"
"No reason, just because he owes me two lives!"
"How to say?"
"Two years ago, this kid's father and brother took advantage of him as an official in the palace, ran wild in the countryside, and killed people. The matter went to the Ministry of Criminal Justice. I found someone to help him clear it up. Later, the big trouble was turned into a small one, and it was settled by losing money. This time When I found him, he knew it was time to repay his life, and I also told him in advance that if he was caught, he would kill him immediately!"
"I'm afraid that Xuanjiawei will watch too closely. He won't even have a chance to commit suicide." Li Chengqian thought about it, "I heard that once you enter Xuanjiawei, you have to be searched. You can’t find the rope; then you will be served with shackles and fetters, so that you cannot move; in addition, each person has a cell, which prevents mutual confession and prevents murder.”
"I've thought about this a long time ago, and I thought more than you! I was worried that when Xuanjiawei arrested someone, he would not have time to kill himself, and I was also worried that after he was caught, the old methods of biting his tongue and hitting the wall would not kill him immediately, so I taught him. A new trick." Li Yuanchang approached, and said a few words mysteriously in Li Chengqian's ear, "In this way, everything will stop! Maybe while we're talking, his soul has already returned to the underworld."
Li Chengqian looked at him with some surprise: "I can't see it, Uncle Qi, you are so proficient in this kind of gangster business of killing people and stealing goods!"
Li Yuanchang smiled triumphantly: "I usually like to make friends with all kinds of teachers and scholars. I have many friends, so I learned a few tricks. Don't look at these small tricks as inconspicuous, they will come in handy at critical moments!"
"This is a good move!" Li Chengqian laughed, "And this way of death, Xuanjiawei might not even be able to find out the cause of his death."
"Xuanjiawei claims to be supernatural and omnipotent." Li Yuanchang smiled darkly, "But this time, I just want to make them suffer!"
The corpse of a young eunuch was lying upright in the cell, surrounded by five or six Xuanjia guards including Huan Dieyi and Luo Biao, all with surprised and confused expressions on their faces.
Xiao Junmo walked in.
Luo Biao rushed to meet him: "General Xiao..."
Xiao Junmo stared at the corpse on the ground: "How did you die?"
Luo Biao scratched his head: "We have checked everything, but... we can't find out the cause of death."
"In my opinion, this guy must have never been in a cell, and he was scared to death!" Huan Dieyi said, "Or some old disease has relapsed."
Xiao Junmo squatted down, opened the eyelids of the deceased, and saw that the eyeballs on both sides were a little red, swollen and congested. He immediately had an idea in his mind, and then observed the corpse from head to toe, saying: "Did you not search when you brought it in?"
"Search!" Luo Biao hurriedly said, "The eunuchs belong to me, and the maids belong to Dieyi and they search, from hair to clothes to shoes, they searched everything!"
"That's right, senior brother, we searched very carefully, there's no way this guy hid any murder weapon in." Huan Dieyi also said.
Xiao Junmo's gaze stayed on the corpse's feet, and then he took off the boot on his left foot, held it in his hand, and looked up and down.
"General, you don't need to look, these shoes can hide nothing..." Before Luo Biao finished speaking, Xiao Junmo directly handed the boots to him: "Look, what are these?"
Luo Biao took a closer look and saw a small hole in the thick heel of the boot.
Huan Dieyi also saw it, and said in surprise: "Why is there a hole? But what can this small hole be used for?"
Xiao Jun remained silent, and squatted down beside the corpse again, groping the top of his head with his hands.Suddenly, as if he had touched something, he pinched something with three fingers and pulled it out forcefully, and then a brain-stained iron nail six or seven inches long appeared in front of everyone's eyes.
Luo Biao and others were taken aback, and Huan Dieyi covered his mouth in fright.
Xiao Junmo wiped the iron nail on the corpse's clothes, then took the boot, facing the small hole in the heel, and inserted the whole iron nail into it completely.Since the top flat toe and heel of the iron nail are black, you can't see it unless you look carefully.
Luo Biao kicked the corpse angrily: "Play with me!"
"The dead are the greatest, so don't make trouble with the corpse." Xiao Junmo said lightly.
"But, I don't understand," Luo Biao said angrily, "Since all the nails have been brought in, the eyeballs, throat, and heart are not easy to insert, why should the nails be plugged in?!"
"This shows that this person or the person behind him deliberately prevented us from finding out the cause of his death."
"Why is this?" Huan Dieyi was puzzled.
"Show their intelligence," Xiao Junmo smiled faintly, "or, laugh at our stupidity."
Luo Biao was embarrassed and muttered, "This kid is obviously wearing shackles and shackles. It's not easy to insert a nail into his head. How did he do it? If he can't be killed immediately, isn't he just asking for trouble?"
"The shackles clamp the wrists, not the fingers; the shackles prevent him from running, but his feet can still move. As long as the hands and feet can move, taking out the nails is not a problem." Xiao Junmo said, pulled out the nails again, and walked to the cell wall to observe He said, "As you said, the problem he needs to consider is how to drive a six or seven-inch nail into his brain in an instant. This requires a lot of strength to do it."
Speaking of this, Xiao Junmo seemed to have found the answer, and added: "Or, it needs a lot of impact." He was groping for a brick crack with one hand, and with the other hand, he pushed the top flat end of the nail into the brick. As a result, the nails were firmly embedded in the wall, and the nail points pointed straight at everyone, which looked palpitating.
"Luo Biao, try to bump your head against it, will it kill you immediately?" Xiao Junmo said.
Luo Biao scratched his head and smiled awkwardly: "This... this subordinate doesn't have to try."
Huan Dieyi and the Xuanjia guards next to him couldn't help covering their mouths and sniggering.
"Next time, if you make such mistakes again, even if I don't let you try, I'm afraid the general or the Holy One will." Xiao Junmo said expressionlessly, "Do you hear me clearly?"
"I heard it clearly, I heard it clearly!" Luo Biao was ashamed, "There will never be a next time!"
In the meditation room of Foguang Temple, Biancai sat cross-legged on the futon, his eyes closed, as if he had melted into a sitting position.
The food table in front of him was filled with all kinds of dishes, but they were all without heat.
Standing in front of the food table, Zhao Dequan looked at Biancai, then at the untouched food, and heaved a long sigh.
In the Liangyi Hall, Li Shiji knelt on the ground in fear.
Li Shimin sat upright on the imperial couch with his eyes closed, his chest heaving and falling.
After a long time, Li Shimin opened his eyes and sighed softly: "Forget it, since you have already committed suicide in fear of crime, it won't help if you ask for it, let's make peace."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Li Shiji stood up, but still bowed his head with guilt on his face.
"A person who is determined to die, even if he doesn't commit suicide, probably won't say a word." Li Shimin said, "It seems that Qingque's opponent is not simple, and he can actually buy such a dead man in the palace!"
"The minister is incompetent and has betrayed His Majesty's trust. He deserves death!" At this time, Li Shiji didn't know what to say other than this kind of words.
"Forget it, let's not pursue this matter, let's stop here."
As soon as Li Shimin finished speaking, Zhao Dequan hurried in, bowed and walked to the imperial couch, wanting to say something, he glanced at Li Shiji again.
"Say anything, don't hesitate."
"Yes, I would like to inform you all, the debater...he has been on a hunger strike for a day and a night!" Zhao Dequan said with a sad face, "The old servant smiled and said all the good things, but he just didn't say a word and didn't eat a mouthful!"
Li Shiji was slightly startled, but still maintained his original posture.
Li Shimin was startled at first, and then laughed a few times: "Shiji, did you hear that he is another person who is determined to die! How do I feel that there are more and more people who regard death as their home?"
Li Shiji didn't know how to answer, so he had to bury his head lower.
"Dequan, Shiji, both of you help me to think about how I can deal with a person who is not even afraid of death."
Zhao Dequan thought for a long time with a bitter face, and said: "Your Majesty, forgive me, this old servant is stupid, I really can't figure it out."
Li Shimin laughed a few more times, looked at Li Shiji: "What about you?"
Li Shiji pondered for a while, and said: "Your Majesty is a sage, and he must have a good strategy in his chest. I dare not speak up, but I only obey your majesty's order!"
Li Shimin chuckled, pointed at Li Shiji and said to Zhao Dequan, "See? This guy is cunning! He and Wei Zheng were the most cunning of the guys who came out of Wagang Village back then, so they lived the longest and served as the biggest officials. !"
The corners of Li Shiji's mouth twitched, but he didn't dare to laugh, and hurriedly said: "I was just a rogue back then, falling into the grass and tile hills. If it weren't for my Tang Dynasty's prosperity and virtue, Your Majesty's majesty, who gave me a shelter and the grace of rebuilding, I would have already His life was lost in the yellow sand, and his bones were buried in a deserted grave! Therefore, although I am cunning, I dare not slack off, and I only wish to die loyally for His Majesty!"
"Okay, there's no need to say these beautiful words." Li Shimin smiled again, and immediately said seriously, "Li Shiji listens to the order."
Li Shiji quickly knelt down.
"I order you to immediately dispatch people and set off tomorrow. The target is still Luozhou Yique. The task...is the same as last time. Bring me another person."
"The minister obeys the order!"
Although the emperor's edict was vague, Li Shiji already understood it.
(End of this chapter)
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