The Secret Chamber of the Card Game

All of Yu Hanjiang's conjectures are just theoretical speculations, and the actual evidence is only the piece of rag that Lin Shaobo is clutching tightly in his hand—the rag that is the same color and material as the guard's clothes, which is the most critical of the case. physical evidence.

Thinking of this, Yu Hanjiang looked at Long Sen and said, "How many sets of clothes does the guard of the palace have?"

Long Sen said: "Everyone made two sets of clothes of the same color and style for changing and washing."

Yu Hanjiang said: "You are the chief guard of the royal residence. Immediately after you go back, call all the guards and check their clothes carefully. There is another set of clothes that you are wearing, and see who is missing a piece of clothes, or who has Stitched marks."

Long Sen nodded immediately: "Understood, I'll investigate right away."

No matter who is the mastermind behind the scenes, it is very likely that the guards of the palace directly killed Lin Shaobo, otherwise, Lin Shaobo would not have torn off a piece of fabric from the opponent's sleeve while struggling.Finding the murderer from the clue of physical evidence is currently the safest way.

In order to find out whether the Eighth Prince was involved in the rebellion, Yu Hanjiang decided to go back to Yu's house in Jiangzhou to ask his elderly grandfather.According to the setting, the grandfather used to be the prime minister, but later resigned and returned to his hometown. Yu Hanjiang also grew up with his grandfather in Jiangzhou.

When Yu Hanjiang was a child, he was the prince's companion for a period of time. In this world, his age is similar to that of the prince, that is, His Majesty today, in his early 20s.Grandfather's age was similar to that of the first emperor, already over 70 years old, he may know some secrets.

At noon that day, Yu Hanjiang took Xiao Lou back to Yu's house.

Yu Hanjiang's father did not go into official career, he recited poems and painted paintings all day long, and became an idle literati, living in Jiangzhou all the time.When Yu Hanjiang went to Beijing to rush for the exam, his father once stopped him. Unfortunately, Yu Hanjiang had a stubborn temper, so he went to the exam with enthusiasm and came back with a champion.

The Yu family lives in the outskirts of Jiangzhou City. The whole courtyard is quiet and simple, and it looks like a scholarly family.

Stepping into the house, Yu Hanjiang felt a sense of familiarity inexplicably. After all, he grew up here in the plot setting.

When the guard at the gate saw him, his face was filled with surprise, and he said excitedly: "Young Master and Young Madam are back? I'm going to report it now!"

Yu Hanjiang nodded his head, lightly embraced Xiao Lou's shoulders and walked into the courtyard.The two came to the hall along the Qingshiban Road. The parents had already received the news and rushed over. Yu Hanjiang and Xiao Lou saluted the elders together.

Although these two are not Yu Hanjiang's real parents, they are just characters set in the plot, but when they were suddenly brought back to "meet the parents", Xiao Lou still felt awkward, so he could only bite the bullet and accompany Yu Hanjiang to act, and then called: "Dad, mother."

Father Yu asked: "Han Jiang, when did you come to Jiangzhou to take office? Why haven't you been visiting the house?"

Yu Hanjiang explained: "My child has just arrived in Jiangzhou, and I have to deal with many official duties. I have been very busy these few days, so I only took some time to go home and visit today. Father, mother, how are you doing recently?"

Mother Yu smiled and said, "Everything is fine with your father, but you two have lost weight since we haven't seen each other for three years?" She looked at Xiao Lou with a loving face, "Xiao Lou, you followed Han Jiang in the capital. , Did you suffer a lot?"

Xiao Loudao: "Mother, don't say that, my husband is busy with business in the capital, so I should be by his side."

He himself felt that this line was disgusting, but he still had to bite the bullet and continue acting.

Yu Hanjiang quickly changed the subject: "Where's grandpa? Why isn't he at home?"

Father Yu said: "Your grandfather goes fishing in the mountains every day, and he hasn't come back yet."

Mother Yu looked at Xiao Lou, and said gently, "You guys stay at home and eat, Mother asked the kitchen to prepare some delicious food for you."

Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang chatted with their parents for a while.

Until lunch time, grandpa came back leisurely with a fishing rod and a fishing basket. There were some fishes in his fishing basket. Seeing his grandson and granddaughter-in-law coming back, the old man smiled happily and closed his eyes immediately. The fish is given to the cook to make soup for drinking.

Xiao Lou stayed in the side hall to talk to Mother Yu, while Yu Hanjiang took a chance to ask Grandpa to go to the study alone.

He briefly told his grandfather what happened in the palace.

Regardless of Grandpa Yu's age, his mental state is very good.Hearing that someone died in the palace, the old man frowned slightly, stroked his long beard, and said: "This matter is not simple, you have to investigate carefully, but you also have to learn to be wise and protect yourself. If you shouldn't know, just pretend not to know." I know, lest I get myself into trouble."

Hearing what his grandfather meant, Yu Hanjiang asked in a low voice: "Grandpa, you have been the late emperor's prime minister for more than ten years. Why did the late emperor pass the throne to the emperor's grandson instead of the prince?"

Grandpa Yu sighed softly: "Alas...it's a long story, and the late emperor had no choice but to do it."

Yu Hanjiang sat beside him and listened carefully: "I have to? What is the reason?"

Grandpa Yu said: "The first emperor's descendants were weak, and many princes died shortly after birth. Only five princes survived, the eldest prince, the third prince, the fifth prince, the sixth prince and the eighth prince. Born to the empress of Zhenggong, the former emperor loved the eldest prince the most, and made him the crown prince when the eldest prince was still in his infancy."

Thinking of what happened back then, the old man couldn't help but a trace of sadness appeared on his face: "The eldest prince is talented, kind-hearted, humble and studious. The ministers also think that he will be the best candidate for succession. However, he is 20 years old. That year when he was out hunting, he was injured by a poisonous arrow and died on the spot. After investigation, it was discovered that the Third Prince had sent someone to do it. His Majesty was furious and simply gave the Third Prince a glass of poisoned wine."

Yu Hanjiang was stunned: "So it was the third prince who assassinated His Highness the Crown Prince? His Majesty gave him to death in a fit of anger?"

Grandpa Yu said: "Well, royal secrets are naturally not easy to spread. After the eldest prince passed away early, the position of crown prince was temporarily vacant. His Majesty wanted to investigate the other princes before making a decision, but not long after, the queen also Passed away from illness, and after investigation, it was discovered that Concubine Shu actually did it, Concubine Shu poisoned the Empress to death, Concubine Ming poisoned Concubine Shu, and the forces behind the Fifth and Sixth Princes were also involved."

"The concubines in the harem used vicious means to compete for favor, which made the late emperor disheartened, so the late emperor made a secret will, that after his death one day, all the concubines should be buried for him."

After hearing this story, Yu Hanjiang also felt thrilling.He thought about it carefully, and said: "The third prince was given poisoned wine by the late emperor, and the fifth and sixth princes joined forces with their mother and concubine to seize power, but the eighth prince...that is, the original eighth prince, did not participate in the competition for the crown prince. , why didn't the first emperor consider making him the heir apparent?"

Grandpa Yu smiled, and said: "The Eighth Prince is the one who sees the most thoroughly. Among the princes of the late emperor, he is knowledgeable and talented. He was originally the best candidate for the crown prince. When the late emperor consulted us ministers , everyone suggested that the eighth prince should be established. However, when the first emperor decided to make the eighth prince the crown prince, he took the initiative to submit a memorial, suggesting that the first emperor should establish a rule. If the first son passes on to the eldest son, the order must not be disturbed, so as to avoid the struggle for the crown prince in future generations."

In history, it is not uncommon for blood to flow into rivers because of the competition for the position of the crown prince.The Eighth Prince obviously understood the principle of "being wise and protecting one's life". At that time, he and his mother and concubine had no power or influence. If His Majesty made him the crown prince, he would become the next scapegoat and be suppressed by the fifth and sixth princes.Back then, did he really have no intention of power, or was he pretending to be a pig and a tiger waiting for the best opportunity?

Grandpa's next statement gave Yu Hanjiang the answer: "The year the first emperor passed away, the prince succeeded to the throne. At that time, the prince was the only one. The fifth or sixth princes raised troops to force the palace. It was the eighth prince who assisted the prince and quelled the rebellion. Although your majesty is young, Foresight, he had long expected that the two uncles would not be peaceful, so he made arrangements in advance when the first emperor was seriously ill. Poor two princes, who underestimated this young nephew, were shot to death by random arrows in the palace In the end, His Majesty found a reason to 'death of illness' and buried them."

Yu Hanjiang: "..."

Yu Hanjiang, who had just been admitted to the No. [-] Scholar, didn't know about what happened back then, but now he suddenly understands it after hearing what his grandfather said.

Many of the struggles in the palace are secrets that cannot be disclosed to the public. Although my grandfather is old and lives in seclusion in Jiangzhou, there are several high-ranking ministers in the imperial court who are the old man's favorite students. He has his own sources of information.

Yu Hanjiang couldn't help being puzzled when he heard this - if the Eighth Prince really wanted to rebel, wouldn't it be easier to rebel when the prince had just ascended the throne and his position was not yet stable?Why help the prince to quell the rebellion of the other two princes?

It has been four years since the crown prince ascended the throne, and most of the important court officials are very convinced of His Majesty, and His Majesty has gradually cultivated his own cronies. If the Eighth Prince wants to rebel, he has already missed the best opportunity.

Could it be that the Eighth Prince is really an idle prince who only loves beauty and has no intention of engaging in politics?

Yu Hanjiang frowned slightly and fell into deep thought.

Grandpa Yu said with emotion: "Being in the royal family, sometimes you can't help yourself. Many concubines, princes and princesses died in vain during the harem struggle. The eighth prince and ninth princess are the few relatives of your majesty."

Yu Hanjiang suddenly remembered the secret letter His Majesty gave to the Eighth Prince...

Is my guess wrong?

It happened that his mother asked someone to pass the meal, so Yu Hanjiang helped his elderly grandfather go there.

The family had a reunion dinner around the dining table, and Yu Hanjiang chatted with his parents for a while before taking Xiao Lou to leave.

After leaving Yu's house, Xiao Lou asked with a smile, "How was it? Did you gain anything from this trip?"

Yu Hanjiang whispered: "Our reasoning may be wrong again."

Xiao Loudao: "You mean, the Eighth Prince is not suspected of treason?"

Yu Hanjiang nodded: "Based on grandpa's description, the eighth prince doesn't look like that kind of person. It is said that when the former emperor died and the crown prince took the throne, the fifth and sixth princes joined forces to force the palace. It was your majesty and the eighth prince. The two princes were shot to death in the palace by random arrows. If the eighth prince wants to rebel, there is no need to wait until His Majesty's wings are full before taking action."

Xiao Lou was also a little surprised when he heard this: "It seems that the Eighth Prince is actually very loyal to His Majesty today?"

Yu Hanjiang said: "Since Your Majesty is a man of foresight and foresight, if he is afraid of the Eighth Prince, he should not be so stupid as to let the Eighth Prince's daughter Shu'an, the daughter of the Eighth Prince, marry and marry Zhao Guo, leaving himself such a big hidden danger."

Xiao Lou thought about it carefully, and said, "For the Eighth Prince to form an alliance with Zhao Guo, does it mean that His Majesty actually trusts the Eighth Prince?"

Yu Hanjiang said thoughtfully: "Your Majesty also sent a secret letter to the Eighth Prince. I don't know what it wrote. Maybe our reasoning went astray. The Eighth Prince is not planning to rebel, but to join hands with His Majesty... to suppress Jiang. The possible rebellious forces in the state?"

Xiao Lou's eyes lit up: "That makes sense! The prince has changed from a villain to a decent one. Someone wants to rebel, but it's not the Eighth Prince. He and His Majesty are on the same boat?"

The process of reasoning is all about stripping away cocoons. If one way of thinking is wrong, immediately switch to another.

There are too many clues involved in the murder case of the palace. At first, it was thought that it was a fight in the back house, and the affair between the Fourth Miss and Lin Shaobo was discovered before it was silenced; later, it was suspected that it was the guards and the Eighth Prince rebelling...

Now it turns out that it was all wrong.

Lin Shaobo is not the murderer, Qin Huwei is not the murderer, and the Eighth Prince is probably not the murderer either.

So, who on earth sneaked into the palace and killed two people on the prince's birthday?

Yu Hanjiang looked at Xiao Lou and said, "I don't know how Long Sen's progress is, let's go to the palace again."