After the cannon fodder prince collapsed, the country will not perish

The atmosphere froze for a moment, and the King of Chu said in surprise, "What did you say?"

The little eunuch who came to report the news swallowed his saliva: "Yes...it is the man in the lotus pond, it seems to be the young master of the Yan family?"

Yan Ming? !

Before everyone came back to their senses, the Yan family ran to the lotus pond in Taixueyuan.

The teenagers looked at each other in blank dismay, and followed suit one after another.

There are many lotus flowers in the palace. This lotus pond is a branch of the Jinshui River, and it is located in the Taixue Palace. Few people come here on weekdays.

Yan Ming's body was fished out from under the lotus pond.

Someone saw that the momentum was not right, so they rushed to Yan Mansion to report the news.

The mud was thick, and the boy who was salvaged was covered in mud all over his body. He could barely make out that he was indeed wearing an Imperial Palace uniform. His head and face were also stained with blood, and his eyes were still open. He must have been in great pain before he died. .

There is no trace of the usual pampered appearance.

The teenagers who were talking a lot couldn't help but keep quiet for a while, only the midsummer cicadas rippling like ripples.

"Yan Ming!" A hoarse shout sounded, and it was Yan Pingrong who ran in viciously.

He saw the corpse on the ground at a glance, held it in his arms with pain, and looked at the young Taixue boys standing beside him, trembling ferociously: "Who is it! Who killed my son!"

Yan Pingrong was also a person who fought on the battlefield. Under the fury and grief, he looked like a desperado. The Taixue people stood in place cautiously, not even daring to breathe.

A few days ago, because of Xiao Di's incident, Yan Ming lost the favor of the Yan family. Yan Pingrong was upset when he saw his son, but now seeing his son in such a miserable state, his heart couldn't hold back.

During the day, Yan Ming came to the palace school as a neat and tidy living person, but within a few days, his body was sunk in the lotus pond of the Taixue!

Yan Ming's death must be related to Taixue!There is an indistinct relationship with these people in front of me!

Yan Pingrong grabbed the collar of the leader of Taixue: "Say! How did my son die?"

The leader is an upright civil servant, who hasn't recovered from the shock, and tremblingly said: "This... I don't know, the nobleman didn't come to take the exam, and the old man always thought that the young master had other important matters at home. Who knows, who knows?" I know... oh..."

The King of Chu stared blankly at Yan Ming's body, and could not help but tremble all over.

He has never been on a battlefield, and this is the first time he has seen such a scene. The person who was laughing and scolding him a few days ago suddenly...

It must be Xiao Di...it must be him...

At this time, Yan Pingrong let go of his hand, and fiercely threw down the civil servant, his pair of murderous eyes swept over the students in front of him.

Suddenly, his eyes narrowed.

The young man standing in the Taixue crowd was tall and stern, and he was staring at the swaying lotus pond indifferently.

It was Xiao Di.

Yan Pingrong's heartbeat suddenly quickened, and he pointed at Xiao Di with trembling fingers: "Why is he here?"

There is clearly no name for this brat in Taixue!

Before the master came forward, Xie Qingci stood beside Xiao Di and said coldly; "He was brought in by this king, is Master Yan questioning this king?"

Yan Pingrong froze.

Now that Xie Qingci has been crowned king, and he is superior to himself in terms of status and title, he can only say coldly: "How dare you interrogate Your Highness, it's just that my son came to study in the palace, so he must die indiscriminately! Your Highness, please tell me how Xiao Di entered the imperial academy, and where Yan Ming was on the day he disappeared!"

Xie Qingcifang saw Yan Pingrong caressing the corpse in grief, and his heart was still a little moved. Now that he saw him aggressively questioning Xiao Di, he sneered and said: "The cause of Yan Ming's death is still pending, Master Yan is here at this time If you ask this king's private person, do you think that your son's death is related to this king?"

Yan Pingrong gritted his teeth and was speechless immediately.

He didn't have any evidence pointing to Xiao Di, but the moment he saw Xiao Di just now, Yan Pingrong was almost sure that the murderer who killed his son must be this person.

He can detect the bloody aura that Xiao Di can hide, and his instinct of going to the battlefield for many years will not deceive him.

But now that the murder case happened in the palace, and Xiao Di turned himself into the prince's man again, if he wanted to avenge his son, he really had to...prove evidence.

"It's fine if your Highness doesn't want to cooperate with Yan." Yan Pingrong sneered and said, "I have sent someone to report this matter to His Majesty. I believe His Majesty will naturally make a decision!"

Hearing that His Majesty was alarmed, the surrounding students started whispering in panic.

Xiao Di stood calmly in the crowd, his gaze slowly passing over the unidentifiable corpse.

So what, Your Majesty, the Taifus of the Taixue will not hold this pot of dirty water on their heads, and will definitely insist that this matter has nothing to do with the Taixue.

Being in Taixue is the best protection for him to kill people.

Not long after, a young eunuch announced that His Majesty had arrived.

The emperor just heard that the son of the Yan family died in the lotus pond of Taixue. Taixue is an important place for the prince to study in the palace. The relatives of important ministers sent their own flesh and blood here. If the royal family can't even guarantee the safety of these people, what is his face?

The emperor had secretly made up his mind to find out the truth. He glanced over the crowd heavily, and fixed his eyes on the grand tutor of the Taixue: "Such a scandal happened in the Taixue. This case belongs to the Taixue. Why don't you talk about it?" How to check!"

The Grand Tutor had calmed down, and as Xiao Di expected, he cupped his hands and said: "Your Majesty, this matter seems to be closely related to the Taixue, but the murderer may not necessarily be from the Taixue, maybe someone...someone used the place of the Taixue to kill someone. "

"Nonsense!" Before the emperor could speak, Yan Pingrong stepped forward angrily and shouted: "Your Majesty, Xiao Di must have killed my son! This person was not a student of the Taixue, but he happened to appear in the Taixue , and he had a grudge against Ming'er before, Your Majesty, please hand over this person to the minister, and the minister will surely find out the truth of the case!"

"Your Majesty, the minister was taking an exam at the Taixue that day. Although he went out for a while, it was only a cup of tea. Lord Yan insisted that it was the minister's fault. Did he underestimate his son and think that he could be easily killed by the minister? ...Your minister is already so powerful that you don't have to do everything yourself to kill people in the palace!?"

Yan Pingrong's face changed when he heard the words "do everything by yourself".

A person who can kill his son boldly and quietly in the palace probably doesn't have to do everything himself...

"Master Yan's words are ridiculous!" A person jumped out of the crowd and said coldly: "If the whole world is like you in adjudicating cases, what do you need the Criminal Department of Dali Temple to do?"

This person was none other than Liu Hui who had attended the Art of War class a few days ago, he cupped his hands to the emperor and said, "I dare to assure you, this matter must have nothing to do with Xiao Di."

The emperor looked at him: "Oh? How should I say it?"

"On the day Yan Ming was murdered, the Taixue was taking an exam. Except for Yan Ming who hadn't arrived, everyone else was answering the papers in the inner hall." Liu Hui said: "This exam has a master inside and guards outside, and these students have to wait in a very short time. Answer the questions within a few hours, and I would like to ask Master Yan, can these teenagers be able to get rid of the noble young master when they are preparing for the exam with all their heart?"

Yan Pingrong was at a loss for words.

If the son is really solved by these teenagers in the gap between answering the question... His face as a general will really be thrown to the ground...

At this time, Wu Zuo had inspected the corpse, but he just shook his head regretfully.

He saw that Yan Ming's fatal wound was shot by someone, but the body was soaked in the water for two days, and all traces were washed away by the lake water.

It is really difficult to find the perpetrator through the scars.

Yan Pingrong suppressed his grief and indignation, but he couldn't hold back what everyone said in his mind. His son's death must have nothing to do with Taixue. Since these people are inseparable from the exam, can't they send their subordinates to act... …

"Maybe it's really... the person who was killed during the exam..." Suddenly, a trembling voice came out from among the teenagers of the Taixue: "I came out of the exam dormitory and just... just saw Xiao Di , I saw Xiao Di walking from the direction of the lake with a lotus in his arms, I think I must have been to the lotus pond..."

For a moment, everyone's eyes focused on Xiao Di again.

"Is it the day of the exam? I am tired from doing the questions and come out to relax for a while. When I passed by, I saw that the lotus was in full bloom. I picked a few and hurried back to the exam hall." Xiao Di looked at the emperor, and his tone was always a little lazy. Meaning: "I didn't see Young Master Yan that day."

"Besides, if I really killed someone, how could I pick lotuses to enjoy flowers..."

As soon as this incident happened, everyone felt more and more that it was not Xiao Di's doing.

After killing a person and throwing his body in the pool, can he still enjoy the lotus in the pool? !

How crazy is it to do such a thing!

Xiao Di lowered his eyes lightly.

He never waits for the perfect time to do things, but would rather take risks at the highest point of interest.

And taking advantage of the intertwined relationship between the exam and Chu Yan's breakup, he can take this opportunity to minimize his suspicions, and successfully lead the trouble to the King of Chu.

That day the Taixue exam was cleared, and the lotus pond was deserted, even if it was seen, it was only a quick glance, and the marks on Yan Ming's body were also diluted and covered by the water.

If no evidence can be found, what if the Yan family doubts him?He could only swallow his displeasure in his stomach, wanting to kill him but couldn't kill him.

"Nonsense!" Yan Pingrong didn't say anything more, but the King of Chu fell down and knelt down with a pale face, and said in a trembling voice: "Father! Father, someone has already seen Xiao Di went to the lotus pond that day! It can be seen This person is very suspicious, this person...this person picks flowers after getting rid of Yan Ming...he, he is a complete lunatic, Father, please don't raise tigers as trouble..."

He was really afraid of Xiao Di, and even the ending sound trembled.

"Father, it was my son who asked Xiao Di to go to the lotus pond." Compared to King Chu's loss of focus, Xie Qingci looked at Xiao Di who was standing beside him indifferently, and said a little shyly: "My son The minister saw that the lotus flowers were blooming well, so he asked Xiao Di to pick a few and bring them back to the palace, but he never thought that he just happened to pick two of them back when he went out to relax during the exam that day. On that day, Xiao Di gave the lotus to the minister, Now the lotus is still growing in the Erchen Palace..."

Xie Qingci's words, on the contrary, explained Xiao Di's suspicion clearly.

Too……

If the person was really killed by Xiao Di, then he must have covered up the fragrance of the lotus, how could he pick a bunch of lotus to attract attention?

The master who corrected Xiao Di's papers also stood up and said: "I don't know why the king of Chu insisted on the punctuality of Xiao Di's actions. The minister has already read Xiao Di's exam papers, and his quick thinking is amazing. The complicated exam papers must have used all his energy. How could you have the extra thought to kill someone?"

All masters have a heart of love for talents, and when they see students answering excellent questions, they must stand up at this time to protect themselves.

"His Royal Highness Chu and Young Master Yan have always been on good terms," ​​Xiao Di said, "It is inevitable to be panicked and distracted when you hear this. I have no conscience. If Your Highness is not at ease, you can investigate the minister personally!"

After finishing speaking, Xiao Di stopped talking and squinted his eyes to look at the layers of clouds floating in the sky.

Killing Yanming seemed random, but the time, place, including Eunuch Rong, were all planned by him in advance.

Only the lotus flower was given to Xie Qingci by him on that day, but he did not expect that Xie Qingci was the first to stand up to protect him.

There was no clue inside the Taixue, so Yan Pingrong had to call in all the guards and eunuchs outside the Taixue.

Because of the exam that day, Taixue was heavily guarded and kept quiet. There were only a few guards outside the door during the exam.

Those guards were responsible for seeing if there were any students entering the arena, so they didn't pay attention to the movement around them. Only one guard hesitated and said, "I seemed to see a little eunuch walking around that day."

In the palace, the eunuch...

Things suddenly became complicated, and suddenly no one dared to answer.

The emperor looked at the man and said, "Can you see the general face?"

The man shook his head: "It's just that I'm far away, so I can't see the appearance of the little eunuch. I can only see the clothes of the eunuch."

Yan Pingrong squinted his eyes, and the thoughts passing through his mind became clearer, but he didn't yell aggressively like Cai Cai just now.

He remembered that his son had told him a few days ago that the King of Chu had befriended many young people with lofty ideals in Taixue, and he was very estranged from the Yan family. Yan Ming went to ask the King of Chu to argue about this matter, and the two had a quarrel and broke up and almost broke up. ...

Could it really be...the hand of King Chu?

The matter gradually became complicated and confusing, and the explanation was unclear for a while. The emperor ordered the matter to be handed over to the Ministry of Punishment for clarification. Looking at Yan Pingrong with a sad face, he felt very uncomfortable.

"My condolences to Ping Rong. I watched Yan Ming grow up, and he will definitely order the Ministry of Punishment to find out the murderer!" The emperor said a few words of reassurance, and then turned his gaze to the king of Chu who was kneeling in a daze: "Rong'er, you and Yan Ming has always been on good terms with me, so I will stand up for me and go to Yan's mansion to handle the funeral."

The king of Chu was still young, and his face was still pale at this time, and he knelt on the ground blankly.

A few days ago, Yan Ming, who was still alive and kicking with him, was drowned in the lotus pond...

Unknowingly, he picked a place where no one could see...

There was a chill down his spine, and he no longer wanted to associate with the Yan family, but he still murmured because of the imperial decree: "I obey."

Xie Qingci couldn't help but lightly clenched his palms.

It is always the emperor or the crown prince who attends the funeral of a meritorious minister with a title, but this time...the emperor father actually handed over the matter to the king of Chu.

Xie Qingci bit her lip.

Even if the king of Chu and Yan Ming had a good relationship, how could the royal father hand over such things to others that everyone in the government and the public would know?

Now my elder brother is in the East Palace, but he still has no real power in the court. What's more deadly is... anyone can see the emperor's indifference and alienation towards the crown prince.

The crown prince is not too young, but the emperor has not mentioned the matter of setting up the crown prince for a long time. The harem is now in charge of the imperial concubine An, so naturally she will not be concerned about the prince's marriage.

Without the help of his father, brother and relatives, the elder brother is becoming weaker and weaker in the court. After a few years, the king of Chu will grow up, and the situation will be even more difficult...

And those tactful courtiers were keenly aware of the emperor's dislike for the crown prince, and all kinds of thoughts in their hearts were just around the corner.

It was only Xie Huayan's majesty and indifference, with the aura of a superior, that temporarily frightened them.

But without the support and trust of the emperor, wouldn't it be crumbling?

Xie Qingci lowered his eyes.

Originally leaving school happily, but unpreparedly endured the shock of the murder case, all the students whispered among each other, and soon dispersed angrily.

Xiao Di's expression did not change, he still followed Xie Qingci, and walked towards Liuyun Palace step by step.

The vermilion corridors of the palace are deep, and the setting sun is about to fall, dragging the figures of the two slender.

Xie Qingci walked in silence for a while, then stopped suddenly, turned to look at Xiao Di: "You did what happened to Yan Ming, right?"

Xiao Di raised his eyes.

Xie Qingci, who had always been gentle, had a serious expression on his face, and his clear eyes looked at him coldly like thin ice. There was still a bit of searching and determination in his eyes.