Bastard's Counterattack [Rebirth]

"Father, don't get excited. If you lose your body in anger, wouldn't your son become a sinner through the ages?" King Qing solemnly tried his best to prepare the old man mentally.

"Yong'er, tell me what you have to say! I've been on the throne half my life, and countless strong winds and heavy rains have come over me, why should I be afraid?" Despite what Emperor Chengtian said, he leaned forward to probe without taking his eyes off, and the movement of rubbing and turning the jade wrench stopped.

King Qing took a deep breath, got up, knelt down in front of his father, raised his face, and said word by word: "Father, regarding Yilin's death, I suspect that it might be a fratricide."

"Flesh and blood?"

Emperor Chengtian was shocked and lost his mind. He suddenly squeezed the jade ring finger tightly, lost the ability to think in an instant, his mind went blank, and repeated blankly: "Flesh and blood? What do you mean? Yonger, what did you say?"

"Father, I don't dare to speak nonsense. Fortunately, the murderer left a fingerprint. At present, the truth has not yet come to light. I really hope that I am wrong in my judgment. But I am afraid that I guessed right, but I conceal it and do not report it, which will cause you to panic in haste. The body and the stability of the country are endangered, so I will let you know first, so that you can be prepared." King Qing explained his intentions seriously without reservation.

Emperor Chengtian didn't come back to his senses for a long time, the dark purple uniform made him look old and haggard, his temples were gray, his eyes were straight, his body was weak, and he slowly fell back on the chair.

"Father?" King Qing was frightened and asked anxiously, "Father, what do you think? My son, go and call the imperial physician—"

"No, there is no need." Emperor Chengtian shook his head, struggling and said: "It's okay, I can still hold on."

"You'd better go back to the couch and take it easy." King Qing couldn't help but forcefully support his father, take care of him on the couch, leaning on the soft pillow and half lying down.

The third child was strong and domineering since he was a child, and he disdained flattery and courteousness, but tonight he was suddenly so meticulous, the truth may be very bad...

Emperor Chengtian obediently leaned on the soft pillow, his heart sinking continuously.But after all, he is an emperor who has been sitting on the dragon chair for half his life. He gritted his teeth, quickly prepared for the worst, and commanded in a trembling voice: "Yong'er, there is no need to avoid taboos about this matter, just say it boldly!"

"Yes." King Qing nodded, and said carefully: "Father, when Yilin was killed, the second brother and the seventh brother were present, and they both had the opportunity to commit crimes. You know that—"

"Could it be your second brother—" Cheng Tian Di blurted out, but stopped abruptly, pursing his lips tightly.

"Second brother?"

King Qing widened his eyes in astonishment, realizing that his father had misunderstood, and hurriedly explained: "You misunderstood. At present, the second brother and the seventh brother have been cleared of suspicion, and the brothers believe that they are innocent. Especially the second brother, he is indeed the first half Cheng walked with some servants, and in the second half of the journey, he had a secret affair with the palace maid Miaoqing, and he was not alone."

"Humph!"

"Zexiang is licentious and ignorant, he doesn't know people clearly, associates with corrupt and chaotic parties, and accepts expensive gifts arbitrarily. I can't forgive him this time, otherwise he will make a big mistake in the future!" But at the same time, he relaxed a little, hung his heart high, and nervously asked; "Could it be Xiao Wu? But I watched him grow up, that bastard, although stubborn and unmotivated, is stubborn and has no brains , makes me very sad.”

"It's not him either." Seeing his father's calm mood, King Qing dared to speak out: "Father, my son suspects that the Eighth Brother did it."

"Xiaoba?"

Emperor Chengtian's eyes widened, greatly surprised, he was stunned for a moment, and asked doubtfully: "You doubt Aning? Is it impossible? How dare he have the guts!"

King Qing knelt in front of the couch, and said in a painful low voice: "I really hope that my guess is wrong! But there is some evidence pointing to him."

Emperor Chengtian remained silent, gripping the thin quilt tightly, his heart beating wildly, and gradually feeling tightness in his chest—he was actually taking a chance the whole time, subconsciously refusing to believe that the death of his beloved daughter was a fratricide, and he became more and more convinced of his own opinion, frowning , Majestic said: "Yong'er, did you misunderstand something? I have a deadline of three days to solve the case, but at that time, I was overly sad and lacked thoughtfulness. Nothing will happen after the deadline. You can solve it slowly."

"Father, is it possible that my son will fabricate evidence to wrong my brother because he is eager to solve the case?" King Qing's face darkened, his ending rose, his head was raised, and his eyes were determined.

"This, this is impossible, I believe you will not be so confused." Emperor Chengtian murmured, he had lost his senses, and his back felt cold.

King Qing calmed down, and finally revealed at this moment: "Father, my son's suspicion of the eighth brother is not just speculation. First of all, Xiao Ba is not as filial, sensible and shy as he appears on the surface. , found that he was torturing and killing birds, his demeanor and actions were very penetrating, and it was obvious that he often did it in private."

"To kill birds?"

Emperor Chengtian was short of breath, and asked: "And then? What evidence do you have?"

"Secondly, before and after the family dinner was over last night, the eighth brother witnessed Xiao Wu and Yilin arguing and fighting. After the banquet, the eighth brother and the fifth brother sent Zhuang Concubine and other female relatives back to Qixia Palace, and then the fifth brother went out of the palace and returned to the mansion. , the eighth brother went to visit the fourth brother at the prince's house, but the fourth brother went to bed early. He said he wanted to borrow books, and the servants led him to the study. He is not in the study room, he is said to be changing clothes. The fourth brother's bedroom is just an alley away from the Royal Garden, so he has time to commit crimes."

"This doesn't count! Xiao Ba and Lao Si have always been close and friendly, visiting and borrowing books are really normal." Emperor Cheng Tian tried his best to refute, but he couldn't accept it no matter what, and felt more and more tight in his chest.

"Third," King Qing clearly pointed out: "When I went to the prince's office to investigate just now, I found a mass of ashes from the kitchen stove in the eighth brother's bedroom. According to the confession of the servant, the eighth brother returned in the evening. Stay in the dormitory and bedroom for about a quarter of an hour - Erchen found two clues in the afternoon, one of which was the piece of moon white clothing left behind by the murderer." In order to avoid drawing out Rong Youtang and Zhao Yiqi, he deliberately concealed part of it.

Emperor Chengtian leaned limply on the soft pillow, and continued to deny: "No, no, you are just guessing, there is no real evidence!"

"My son only hopes that I am wrong." King Qing said helplessly. He stretched the thin quilt for his father and reminded him seriously: "You know Yilin's temperament. She often offends people. But although she has made many enemies, she only offends her." Relatives, friends and servants, no outsiders."

"So what? The brothers and sisters of which family don't fight? Even if Yilin occasionally teases her younger brother willfully, would Xiao Ba kill her sister in hatred? Impossible, absolutely impossible. I think your speculation is unreasonable! "Emperor Chengtian shook his head frequently, stubbornly denying it, his heart was turbulent and his thoughts were chaotic.

"The key evidence in this case is the piece of coarse cloth stained with the blood of Yilin and the murderer. As long as the painter restores the palm prints and fingerprints, it will be the ironclad evidence of the murderer." King Qing pointed out solemnly.His heart was forcibly split in two: one half was the sister who died tragically, and the other half was the suspect brother.

Emperor Chengtian was tongue-tied, and there were thousands of words in his belly, but he didn't know where to start.

"At this time, the painters are repairing the blood seal overnight in the Mo Pavilion, and my ministers have deployed their defenses in secret. I don't know if they can catch anything." King Qing told the truth and said frankly: "You are the father, and my ministers dare not hide anything. , I only hope that your sorrow will change, and the dragon will be healthy."

"Moge?"

"Yes."

Emperor Chengtian asked softly, "But it's opposite the Qixian Hall?"

"Yes."

silence for a while

"Come on!" Emperor Chengtian suddenly called out.

King Qing didn't understand what he meant, so he hurriedly asked, "What's your order? But do you want to drink water?"

Emperor Chengtian shook his head wearily.

Li Deying quickly entered with broken steps, and settled silently, and asked respectfully, "What orders does Your Majesty have?"

"Choose those who are tight-lipped, and immediately arrange a secret ride to the Hall of Prayer, and don't reveal the slightest whereabouts. I want to meditate for a night, remember and pay respects to my ancestors." Emperor Chengtian gave the decree expressionlessly.

"Yes." Li Deying took the lead and hurried down to get busy.Since ancient times, accompanying the emperor is like accompanying a tiger, he has accompanied him for half his life, and at a glance he can tell that the emperor is extremely angry at this moment, on the verge of thunder, and he is too scared to say a word.

"Father, who is this?" This time it was King Qing's turn to be shocked and lost his mind.

Emperor Chengtian sighed, lifted the thin quilt decisively, and was about to stay on the bed. His face was cold and he sighed: "Yong'er, I think your guess is unreasonable, but I have to take it seriously. After all, it is related to the harmony of the royal family. But, I must see you." When it comes to the facts, it must be unquestionable. Otherwise, you are not allowed to talk nonsense in the future!"

The emperor was old and suffered from the bereavement of his daughter, so he moved slowly when he got to the bed, bending his body and legs with difficulty, quietly developing age spots on his cheeks, and his beard and hair were gray.

The wind and frost are ruthless, and the years make people old.

Kneeling in front of the couch, King Qing looked up, and was startled to realize that the majestic and majestic father sitting on the dragon chair in his memory had become so old before he knew it!Unbelievable from the bottom of his heart, he whispered in a daze: "Father..."

"Huh?" Emperor Chengtian sat down on the edge of the couch, lowered his head, looked at his stubborn son who always liked to speak out and contradict him, and was relieved to believe that he was not completely helpless in teaching his son.He bowed his back and explained with relief: "Get up, I don't blame you. It's just that what you said is too unbelievable. If it is true, once it is spread, it will make people laugh for thousands of years and discredit the Dacheng ancestors. The prestige is gone."

"Father is very worried." King Qing was inexplicably sad, and began to feel guilty.Because of his tough and domineering nature, he did not know how many times he contradicted his even tougher and domineering father. When the relationship between father and son was at its worst, he was sent by his father to guard the northwest border, and the two places were separated for ten years.

It is human nature, and resentment is inevitable.But at this moment, after he confirmed that his father was too old to straighten his back and reprimand him sharply, the resentment that seemed to have disappeared strangely disappeared.

As long as there is no complete rupture, blood is thicker than water after all.

King Qing stood on his knees, bowed his head, and put on shoes for his father in silence, clumsily but meticulously.

Emperor Chengtian also felt a lot, his eyes were kind and gentle, he let his son serve him, and said sadly: "Get up. Alas, your second brother is suspected of forming a clique, and you don't know how to conceal it. If I turn a blind eye to it, it will only cause trouble. The courtiers are disgusted and endanger the country."

King Qing helped his father to stand up, and said forcefully and calmly: "You are impartial and selfless, you work diligently for the country, severely punished a series of corrupt officials, and even the second brother did not forgive. pass him!"

"Speak well if you have something to say, be gentle and gentle, don't be so rude all the time, do you know what outsiders think of you?" Emperor Chengtian asked in annoyance, feeling that he had broken his heart because of his children.

"My son doesn't know." King Qing was frank and didn't care.

"Oh, you." Emperor Chengtian shook his head, letting it go for now, he has to deal with more important matters right now.

The emperor secretly drove in the Hall of Prayer, and decided to witness it with his own eyes and seek proof in person. King Qing and the head of the inner circle arranged guards and entourages on saddles and horses. They were busy for a full hour. The neatly dressed Emperor Chengtian was restless, pacing back and forth in the hall Step by step, full of worries, he suddenly asked: "Yong'er, who else knows about that?"

King Qing paused for a moment, then lowered his head and answered, "It's just my personal guess."

"Really?" Emperor Chengtian approached slowly, and asked majesticly: "What about the kid surnamed Rong? You investigate the case together, doesn't he know?"

It was related to a shocking royal scandal, King Qing insisted: "He doesn't know."

"Oh?" Emperor Chengtian's face sank like water, and his killing intent was instantly aroused.

King Qing was keenly aware of it, and immediately made a solemn promise: "Don't worry, he will never 'know'."

"I don't have time to pay attention to your affairs now, but he must 'not know'! Once something goes wrong, it will be his fault, and then don't blame me for severe punishment." Emperor Chengtian reminded mercilessly.

King Qing's heart trembled, he immediately regretted not being able to leave Rong Youtang aside, he held his breath and nodded: "I understand."

"That kid is smart and cunning, I believe he will do his best, but one must not be 'smart and be misled by cleverness', and it is even more strictly forbidden to ignore the overall situation and pretend to be smart." Emperor Chengtian was not angry but mighty, exuding an imperial aura that would not be disobeyed.

"Yes."

Haishi

Rong Youtang and King Qing returned to the Imperial Garden.

"I drank enough tea in the side hall, but I didn't get summoned by His Majesty. I don't know what the old man means?" Rong Youtang asked nervously.

King Qing replied vaguely: "He urged us to act quickly and close the case as soon as possible."

"Just like that?" Rong Youtang was full of suspicion.

"Ah."

Rong Youtang looked around, took two steps closer, looked at the other person's expression with his probe, and firmly pointed out: "You are lying!"

"Presumptuous." King Qing said lightly, keeping his face away, deliberately not wanting to reveal the top secret.

Rong Youtang was kind and blunt, and asked in a whisper: "Your Highness, forgive me, let your official make a bold guess: Is Your Majesty Longyan furious?"

King Qing had a hard time, so he moved forward in silence.

"It's unbelievable to reprimand your speculation? Are you refusing to accept it? He regrets calling me into the palace to help solve the case?" Rong Youtang guessed the facts one after another.

"It's not good for you to know too much." King Qing said helplessly.

Rong Youtang was even more helpless, sighing and sighing: "When His Majesty called me into the palace, I knew this time would come. But I have already been in it, so is there still time to avoid it?"

"Don't be afraid, everything will be blocked by me."

"How can I do that? Anyway, I can help as much as I can." Rong Youtang said righteously.

In mid-September, a full moon hangs high in the sky. The moonlight is clear and soft like water, covering the quiet imperial garden.

The imperial guards were separated by a distance, not far or near to guard the front and back.

King Qing stopped, with sword eyebrows and starry eyes, eyes full of affection and moonlight, and he said without thinking: "If one day this king falls down for some reason and cannot help, you can ask His Royal Highness the fifth prince for help if you have anything to do. Uncle is Minister of the Ministry of War, although he loves landscape poetry and painting, and has no intention of chasing meritorious power, but he is upright, speaks with weight, and occupies a place in the royal family."

"It's fine, what are you talking about? It's unlucky." Rong Youtang frowned nervously.

"People have no long-term concerns, but they must have near-term worries. In short, you just remember." King Qing urged.

"Okay." Rong Youtang was puzzled, nodded in puzzlement, thought wildly, and thought to himself: Could it be that His Majesty doesn't like His Highness?Did His Majesty angrily reprimand or punish him?

Not long after, the group returned to the discussion tent.

"You don't have to stay up tonight, go rest, I will call you if something happens." King Qing urged.

So far, Rong Youtang forcefully opened his eyes, knowing that there must be something inside, but the other party refused to reveal it, so he could only wait, and reminded: "Your Highness, please rest and rest up, and wait for the painter's news tomorrow morning."

King Qing nodded: "Okay."

The two nodded at the same time, and Rong Youtang returned to the small tent on the side that served tea and pastries, and went to rest by himself.

King Qing walked slowly with his hands behind his back, calm and calm, without any emotion. Two young eunuchs opened the curtains from a distance, and King Qing raised his eyes to see: King Rui was unable to support himself physically and was already asleep under a thin quilt; the fifth prince Sitting with the eighth prince, they drank tea and talked in a low voice. The table was full of food, ranging from dried fruit pastries to porridge soup and pasta.

"Third brother, why have you been away for so long? What is the emperor's intention?" The fifth prince who was drinking tea to refresh himself got up and asked with concern.

King Qing was already prepared, and replied: "Father urged us to speed up our actions to solve the case. The old man personally interrogated the corrupt party leader today, lost his temper, and issued orders one after another. In a few days, the prison of the Ministry of Criminal Justice will probably be full."

The eighth prince also got up to greet him, with the same expression as usual, he jerkily opened the chair, and said affectionately: "Third brother, sit down and chat. You leave with your front feet, and the sixth and seventh brothers come to visit, bringing a lot of food. "

The eighth brother can't see anything strange on the surface, is he hiding something, or I have preconceived ideas and don't want to doubt brother?

"Xiao Liu and the others are here?" King Qing swallowed his doubts and took his seat.

Zhao Zening answered briskly: "Yes! It is said that if Concubine Chen's health improves tomorrow morning, they will come to help."

Concubine Chen?Her "disease" will not get better until the case is solved.Be sure to keep an eye on the sons, especially Xiao Wu, who is making trouble and being careless.

King Qing knew it well, but he didn't point it out, saying, "That's naturally good."

"Father is furious, is he alright?" the fifth prince asked worriedly.

"The imperial doctor is on call day and night, and I took a break from serving him before I left." King Qing replied gently.He turned to the eighth prince from the corner of his eye, but the latter was pouring tea with his head bowed, so he couldn't see his expression.

The fifth prince was worried, and said: "Oh, why are you angry? It's not worth it for those greedy and shameless people, just hand it over to the Ministry of Punishment for trial."

"Are many corrupt officials arrested? Then who will do their work?" The Eighth Prince was innocent and ignorant.

King Qing's jaw was tight, his profile was handsome and outstanding, his words and deeds were full of masculine heroism, he raised his head and said: "Dacheng has never lacked talents. How many good men have been cultivated by the Imperial Academy? They just lack the opportunity to prove their talents. Give some Opportunities will definitely select people with both ability and political integrity."

"Third brother is right. Come, drink tea." Zhao Zening served tea to his brother respectfully.

"Thank you." King Qing took it and took another look at it.

Zhao Zening pretended not to know, he was sweating profusely, his shirt was wet with sweat, his intuition was uneasy, he was anxious and longing for the people who arranged to successfully destroy Mo Ge's palm prints and fingerprints.As long as there is no hard evidence, he can refuse to admit it to death. After all, the family is royal, and at most they will be reprimanded and rejected.

——Oh, I've been rejected and neglected since I was born, it doesn't matter anymore.Zhao Zening sneered.

"When I was young, every New Year's day, my brothers and sisters would always gather in the Royal Garden, or chase and play, or take a boat tour on the lake, or fish and fly kites. It was very lively and interesting." Bilu Chatang felt lost, and said, "It's a pity that I have been to the Northwest for ten years, separated from my brothers and sisters, and failed to fulfill my brother's responsibilities. It's really a pity."

The fifth prince quickly comforted him: "Third brother's words are wrong! Although you are ordered to guard the northwest, you return to Beijing to visit your relatives every year. The brotherhood and kinship will never fade away because of the separation, and it is still the same as before."

It's different.When you grow up, you can never go back to the past.King Qing raised his neck and drank the tea offered by the Eighth Prince in one gulp.

Hmph, what was good about the old days?

Zhao Zening listened intently, scoffing inwardly, without the slightest nostalgia - he just wanted to bury the past and forget himself who suffered humiliation when he was young but was powerless to resist.

King Qing put down his teacup and said, "I'm just saying something casually. Fifth brother and little eight, come and drink tea." After speaking, he held the pot and poured tea for his brothers.

"This can't be done! I will come and I will." The fifth prince grabbed the teapot without any explanation.

"How dare you bother the two elder brothers to pour tea? I'm really upset. Fifth brother, let the younger brother do his best." Zhao Zening regained his senses, immediately snatched the teapot from the fifth prince, and poured half a cup of warm tea one by one.

King Qing and the fifth prince nodded their heads in thanks. After a while, King Qing raised his teacup and said decisively in a low voice: "In order to solve the case as soon as possible, let's use tea instead of wine to boost morale. Do it!"

"Okay!" The fifth prince happily clinked his glasses.

"Xiaoba?" Prince Qing's eyes were piercing.

"Okay." The eighth prince raised his glass bravely, and touched his brothers.

At midnight, everything is silent.

The first floor of the Hall of Prayer for the Ancestors is dedicated to the ancestors of the Cheng Kingdom. The joss sticks last for a long time, and the black lacquered nanmu pillars encircling the thick carved dragons and the painted algae wells exude a deep and oppressive atmosphere; A massive relic of meaning.

Outside the terrace on the third floor, the night breeze was gentle, and the view was vast and far away.

Suddenly, the bright moon was covered by a cloud, and the night was as black as ink.

Emperor Chengtian was wearing a solemn dress, sitting on a futon on his knees, clasped his hands, closed his eyes, opened and closed his lips silently, and there was smoke from the incense table in front of him, praying for blessings.Suddenly his eyes darkened, he opened his eyes in doubt, raised his head, and found that the bright moon was covered by dark clouds, he immediately turned pale with shock, and blurted out: "I pray sincerely, why is this so in heaven? Could something really unlucky happen tonight?"

"Your Majesty, please don't worry too much. I think the heavens can't bear to see you suffer from the cold wind and dew in the middle of the night, so they cast spells to persuade you to go back to your house and rest in order to take care of your dragon body." Li Deying, who was kneeling beside him, comforted softly.

"Really?" Emperor Chengtian sighed.

"You are the son of heaven, so you are naturally blessed by heaven." Li Deying was so sophisticated and tactful.

Emperor Chengtian bowed three times and wanted to get up, but Li Deying immediately helped him.The emperor asked: "Is the Mo Pavilion on the opposite side ready?"

Li Deying replied in a whisper: "Don't worry, His Royal Highness Prince Qing personally deployed the defense, using all the elite of the imperial army, even if the uninvited guest is a bird, it will be difficult to fly tonight."

"Hmm." Emperor Chengtian nodded, condescendingly, looking at the two-storey Mo Pavilion on the opposite side, and ordered solemnly: "Be sure to keep an eye on it! If something goes wrong, I will not forgive anyone."

"Yes." Li Deying helped the emperor back to the inner room, and persuaded him: "Your Majesty has guards staring at you. Your Majesty just prayed for a long time. I beg you to take a rest. If there is any news, I will report it immediately."

Emperor Chengtian nodded, he was indeed tired, he lay down and closed his eyes to rest his mind, the middle of the night was extremely quiet, he fell asleep in a daze.After an unknown amount of time, a woman's shrill cry suddenly came: "I'm not crazy!"

"Let go...let me go! Bold, you are presumptuous..."

"Miss Zhaoyi, please come down, don't scare the slaves."

"Empress? What is an empress? She knows people, knows her face, but doesn't know her heart. She is vicious. How did Concubine Shu die back then? Others don't know, but I know it very well, hahaha~"

"Ms. Zhaoyi, be careful, and fall carefully. Come, come, come!" The eunuchs' unique feminine voices were hoarse, desperately calling for help.

"The empress is jealous. It's not enough for her to kill my child. She also wants to kill Concubine Shu's second son. Unexpectedly, Concubine Shu is dead, but Xiao Jiu's life is hard. She is afraid that she will have nightmares every night." Wang Zhaoyi was happy. laughing out loud.

what happened?

Wang Cuizhi went crazy again?She cursed Xiao Jiuyeye to have nightmares?

Alas, women have such small minds.I just hurt Jiu'er a little more, and they were all upset.

Emperor Chengtian was awakened by a few words, did not hear clearly, was sleepy and angry, and was about to call for someone, but Li Deying rushed in excitedly, and said pleasantly: "Your Majesty, the Mo Pavilion has indeed caught a person who deliberately destroyed the evidence! In addition, the painters Handprints and fingerprints have been successfully restored."

"it is good!"

Emperor Chengtian's spirit was shaken, he completely forgot about Wang Zhaoyi, and ordered vigorously: "Send someone to notify Zeyong immediately, and send the traitor to Qianming Palace. I will conduct a thorough investigation overnight!"