Chapter 148 Murder and Assassination

The moon and stars are sparse. Although it is already late autumn, the moonlight is very bright tonight and I can see things with my eyes.

After Song Zhao met His Majesty, accompanied by Jin Yiwei, he carefully surveyed the area around Yulong Pond.

There were more than a dozen guards in royal robes standing around, holding torches, illuminating the place as bright as day.

Zheng Yi sat under the pavilion, his shoulders gently held by the palace maid, and watched Song Zhao's movements carefully.

The same goes for the eunuchs and maids around, and there are many people looking this way in the distance.

After learning that the queen accidentally fell in the Yulong Pond, Zheng Yi ordered people to surround the place. Even the eunuchs and maids who managed the imperial garden were all under surveillance, waiting to find evidence and trouble.

If it was an accident, it would be okay. I can only blame Lu Lin'er for being unlucky and accidentally slipping.

But if someone is plotting to harm him, Zheng Yi will never let it go!

In just half a day, Zheng Yi believed that if the murderer really took action, he would inevitably leave no clues.

What he has to do now is to seize this clue.

I saw Song Zhao first walking around the Yulong Pond, and then carefully checking the three roads leading to other directions. After a while, he was sweating profusely.

Although he is good at investigating crimes, he must at least have witnesses and physical evidence.

Now it is really difficult for him to go to the pond to investigate the case in the middle of the night.

And the most important thing is that this matter definitely involves a royal struggle.

Whether he finds out or not, something is not good for him.

However, feeling His Majesty's eyes coming and going from behind, Song Zhao couldn't help but feel even more nervous.

He swallowed, and even felt a little dazzled after seeing too much.

In the end, he even lay down on the ground regardless of his appearance, and used his limbs to explore the surroundings.

Finally, he lay down on the place where Lu Lin'er slipped and began to search carefully.

Soon, his eyes suddenly lit up and he suddenly grabbed two pebbles.

"Your Majesty! The minister has been found!"

"Oh? Up close."

"No!"

Song Zhao walked up quickly and respectfully handed the two pebbles to Zheng Yi.

"Your Majesty, you see, there is a faint layer of grease on the sides of these two pebbles. It was this that caused the Queen to slip and fall to the ground."

"Grease?"

Zheng Yi took it and took a look, stretched out his hand and pinched it. As expected, there was a sticky feeling on his hands.

Song Zhao said: "Your Majesty, according to Wei Chen's guess, this should be the evidence left by the murderer."

"The murderer has already detected the Queen's movements, so he secretly put a layer of grease on these two pebbles."

"After the Queen accidentally slipped and fell, this person took advantage of the panic in the harem to wipe off the grease on this layer again."

"But what this person didn't expect was that although it was late autumn, the sun was shining brightly today, which made the temperature in the park higher. The grease melted slightly and flowed into the gap between the two pebbles, with a trace remaining."

"And Your Majesty, you were far-sighted and sealed off the crime scene in time, so that the grease was successfully left behind and was discovered by Wei Chen."

Zheng Yi said: "No need to flatter me, it's all your credit, I will never forget it."

Song Zhao looked a little embarrassed and said: "Everything depends on His Majesty's orders."

"If I follow your guess, how should I start?"

"It's very simple. Control all the eunuchs and maids who manage the imperial garden, and interrogate them in batches to see who is working in the Yulong Pond today and has been staying around the Yulong Pond."

Song Zhaodao: "This oil should be dolphin oil. According to the time calculation, there is a high probability that the murderer was committed around midnight this morning. We only need to focus on the people coming and going at this time to find out."

"Liu Chengen!"

"No!"

Liu Chengen waved his hand, and immediately a group of imperial guards came over escorting a group of eunuchs and palace maids.

"Go back to Your Majesty, the Director of Imperial Garden and others will bring you here."

"It's unfair, Your Majesty!"

"This slave knows nothing, Your Majesty."

"Your Majesty..."

"Shut up!"

Liu Chengen gave a cold shout, and then said respectfully to Zheng Yi: "Your Majesty, all the slaves from the Royal Garden and the Imperial Garden have been brought here, a total of thirty-two of them."

"Among them are twenty-four eunuchs and eight palace maids."

"Who is the director of the Duyuan Supervisory Office?"

"My servant Bao Dahai has met Your Majesty. May my Emperor live long live!"

A big fat man took two steps on his knees and kept kowtowing.

"Have all the slaves in Duyuan Prison arrived today?"

"Back to Your Majesty, everyone is here."

"Don't worry, I only need to find out the working hours, area and content of each person in the Duyuan Supervisory Office today, and two people must certify each person."

"If it cannot be proven, then we will subject you to strict interrogation, do you understand?"

"No!"

"Take them all down and interrogate them strictly."

"No!"

A team of royal guards immediately rushed out, took all the people in Duyuan Prison to a secluded area, and began to interrogate them in batches.

At this time, Song Zhao suddenly said: "Your Majesty, the eunuchs and maids in the Royal Garden are not very wealthy. If the murderer wants to bribe them, he must spend a lot of gold, silver or jewelry."

"Your Majesty can order people to search the places where many eunuchs and maids live in Duyuan. There may be unexpected gains."

"Tangcheng."

"The humble position is here."

"You personally lead the search and make sure not to miss any corner."

"No!"

Tang Cheng waved his hand, and more than ten wolves and tigers in Jin Yiwei rushed to the place where the eunuchs and palace maids lived in Duyuan and began to search.

At this time, there is no fairness or privacy to speak of.

As long as the mastermind behind the scenes can be found, what does the privacy of the eunuchs and maids mean?

Many eunuchs, maids, and guards were waiting here, and Zheng Yi closed his eyes and pondered, thinking about who would do this.

Duan Fei Xu Qingluan?

It's possible.

Now in the entire palace, she and the queen are the only two pregnant women.

If something happens to the queen, and one body and two lives are lost, of course she will be the one who benefits the most.

But at this time, Xu Mujun had just solved Xu Xuanwu's rebellion. He should keep his tail between his legs. How could he easily provoke the queen?

Virtuous concubine Li Changle?

She and Xu Qingluan are indeed close, but her personality tends to be aloof from the world. She has been adhering to her duties for so many years without any excessive behavior or words.

Then... Concubine Cui?

It's impossible...

Like Zheng Yi, Yue Chan, and Yu Heng, she is a monk and has the hope of immortality, so how can she be involved in the dispute between concubines in the harem?

Is that... Concubine Wanwan Zhu Wanwan?

Qing concubine? Miao concubine?

Or... Bibi?

Bi Bi was Zheng Yi's first woman, but she was from the White Lotus Sect.

She has been keeping her job for so many years, but her identity is a stain after all.

Now that the White Lotus Sect is rebelling again, it is inevitable that Bibi will do something to murder the emperor's heir?

Or...are they the daughters of those aristocratic families? !

Soon, Tang Cheng came back quickly and said respectfully: "Your Majesty, we found it!"

He held it up with both hands, only to see a cloth bag in his hand. When he tipped it down, a dozen pieces of gold and two green hairpins fell out.

Zheng Yi picked it up and looked at it, frowning.

Very ordinary gold, produced by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, with the seal of the Ministry of Internal Affairs on it.

It is usually given by the concubines of various palaces to servants who have made great achievements.

Even Zheng Yi himself gave many rewards.

But these two hairpins seemed to be precious things at first glance, and they were not something that these eunuchs and maids were qualified to own.

"Whose thing is it?"

"No. 3 of Shop Jia, I asked someone from the Duyuan Supervisor. This bed belongs to a palace maid named 'Du Juan'."

"Bring the cuckoo!"

"No!"

Soon a short, ordinary-looking palace maid in her twenties was brought up.

At this moment, her face was full of panic. When she saw the gold and hairpin at Zheng Yi's feet, she was trembling with fear.

"Your Majesty, your Majesty...it wasn't me, it wasn't me who did it!"

Zheng Yi said coldly: "You are just an ordinary palace maid, and you work in a clean water department like the Imperial Garden. How did you get so many gold and jade hairpins?"

"To be honest, I might be able to spare your life, otherwise..."

"Woooooooo..."

Dujuan suddenly started crying, fell to her knees and said in a hoarse voice: "Your Majesty, it's none of this slave's business. It's someone who gave me so much gold and asked me to pour the pig fat there."

"This slave doesn't know anything, and I don't know where the Queen will appear..."

"Bold! How dare you expire Your Majesty!"

Liu Chengen suddenly cursed: "Since the Queen became pregnant, she has been coming to Yulongchi to relax almost every few days. This has lasted for more than half a year."

"As a palace maid who cleans the imperial garden, how could she not know where the Queen is?

"We see that you want to deliberately murder the queen and the emperor's heirs, aren't you afraid of being punished by the nine clans?!"

"My father-in-law, have mercy on me, your majesty, please have mercy on me!"

Du Juan was frightened and kowtowed one after another, her forehead dripping with blood.

"Yes, it was Aunt Siling who asked me to do this. Wuwuwu, she gave me a lot of gold, and she also said that she had arrested my brother. She said that I didn't listen to her, so she had my brother castrated and sent to prison. Become a eunuch in the palace.”

"Woohoo, my family saved my brother a boy, he couldn't get something wrong, and my father and mother were controlled by her ..."

"Aunt Siling? Who is it?"

Zheng Yi said in a strange tone that he didn't seem to have this name in his memory.

Liu Chengen on the side suddenly changed his mind and said: "Your Majesty, I have remembered this."

"Aunt Siling seems to be the maid in charge of Jinxiu Palace, and she is also the personal maid that Wang Meiren brought with her when she entered the palace."

"Splendid Palace? Beauty Wang?" Zheng Yi asked curiously: "Which Beauty Wang?"

"Your Majesty, Wang Chan of the Wang clan, because of the family's plea, Your Majesty suppressed the three clans and demoted her status to that of a beauty."

"The Wang family...Wang Chan...it turns out to be you!"

"Show off in the Splendid Palace!"

"No!"

The group of people walked towards the Jinxiu Palace. Along the way, many eunuchs and maids were silent, and no one spoke.

The group of eunuchs and maids who managed the imperial garden did not let go, and were still interrogating them severely to see if there were any accomplices hiding among them.

Not long after, Zheng Yi led people to Jinxiu Palace.

"Your Majesty is here~!"

Before the palace attendants from Jinxiu Palace could greet him, Zheng Yi strode in.

"See Your Majesty!"

The eunuchs and maids all knelt down nervously to greet him.

Zheng Yi glanced at the eunuchs kneeling beside him, didn't pay attention, and walked towards the main hall.

At this time, Wang Chan also ran out in a hurry, without even a hair accessory on her head, but this still made Wang Chan look young and beautiful.

"I see you, Your Majesty."

Wang Chan hurriedly saluted: "Your Majesty, why didn't you tell anyone in advance that you were coming? I haven't even had time to wash up."

"No need."

Zheng Yi didn't even enter the main hall and said in a solemn voice: "My dear concubine, where is Siling, the lady in charge of Jinxiu Palace?"

"Looking for Aunt Siling?"

Wang Chan said strangely: "It's strange to say that Aunt Siling didn't seem to come to serve you today. Juan'er, go find Aunt Siling."

"Yes, beauty."

A little palace maid quickly stood up and walked towards the side hall.

Liu Chengen glanced at him, and Tang Cheng followed suit.

Wang Chan said again: "Your Majesty, it's late at night, let's go in."

"No, just wait here."

Soon, a palace maid named Juaner suddenly ran over in panic.

"Beauty! No, it's not good, Aunt Siling hanged herself!"

"Ah? Aunt?"

Wang Chan's face changed drastically, and she hurriedly ran towards the side hall: "Aunt~!"

Tang Cheng walked over and whispered: "Your Majesty, Aunt Siling is indeed dead."

"After investigation, I found that it was indeed suicide and was not forced by anyone."

"Suicide out of fear of crime?"

Zheng Yi frowned and said: "Song Zhao."

"Wei Chen is here."

"Go over and check and see if you can find any clues."

"No!"

The group of people walked towards the side hall and passed the two eunuchs who were still kneeling on the ground. The blood moon Gu in Zheng Yi's arms suddenly moved, and Zheng Yi's heart also sounded an alarm. Turning back sharply.

One of the two kneeling eunuchs suddenly pulled out a soft sword and stabbed Zheng Yi in the throat!

Asking for a monthly ticket~

(End of chapter)