Princess Jinyang of the Tang Dynasty

Li Mingda was very curious about who the candidate would be. Knowing that Aye was still considering it, he couldn't ask any more questions. He just waited for the news.

The next day, early morning.

Li Mingda came to the main hall to pay his respects, and Li Shimin mentioned Wei Shuyu.

"His inference about falling off the cliff coincides with yours. It's just right for you to be inside and outside." Li Shimin said.

Li Mingda had no objection, and simply nodded in response.Anyway, she was determined to investigate the case herself, and she would be very happy if her father allowed her.If there are more people to check, it will be more effort, she thinks it is very good.

An hour later, Li Shimin's secret decree reached Zheng Guogong's mansion.

Wei Zheng learned that his son was hand-picked to investigate the case with Princess Jinyang. After being surprised, he sighed nonsense, and he was about to enter the palace to ask the emperor to take back his order.

Wei Zheng's wife, Mrs. Pei, hurriedly stopped him and persuaded him, "Your Majesty should be careful with his advice. Your Majesty attaches great importance to Princess Jinyang. If there is another conspiracy behind the princess's accident, you can imagine how upset your Majesty will be. You This remonstrance will not only anger His Majesty, but also cause trouble for himself, why bother. Besides, it is his blessing that our son was appointed by His Majesty, and it is also a good thing for him to take the opportunity to perform well and become famous in the future. Win glory for your long face."

Wei Zheng sneered, "What do you know? Do you think that catching the murderer who framed the princess would be as simple as diving into the water to catch fish? I think His Majesty saw that I had made Yan Jin admonishment on a daily basis, which made him very unhappy, so he deliberately put such a dangerous job on the line. Give it to my son, and use this to vent your anger and revenge on me."

"It's like this?" Pei couldn't believe it.

Wei Zheng: "When I knew that he had scolded me many times as a farmer behind my back, I wished I would be skinned and cramped, but he couldn't kill me if he wanted to. If he wanted to lay hands on my son because of this, how could it be possible? Be on guard. Shuyu is the darling of both of you and me, how can he suffer because of what happened to me. If Your Majesty entrusts this matter to me, I will promise it [-] times. I will die, but I am hurt My son absolutely can’t.”

"Then Princess Jinyang will investigate the case together, I don't think so."

"When have you ever seen a son-in-law executed and the princess implicated? It's the same reason. If something happens during the investigation together, no matter what the crime is, it will be our uncle's responsibility. Besides, no one knows how dangerous this matter is behind it. Three people have already died here. It’s too unsafe, I think it’s best to drop this matter.”

After Wei Zheng finished speaking, he changed into court clothes and hurried into the palace.His advice was based on the theory that Li Shimin sent Princess Jinyang to investigate the case, pointing out that the woman's investigation did not conform to the rules, it was too out of line, and the princess was young and unskilled, so it was not appropriate.

Li Shimin directly scolded Wei Zheng for talking nonsense, a woman can marry at the age of 12, his precious daughter is already over ten years old, even half an adult, and her temperament is more stable than that of a woman over twenty, how could it be inappropriate.

"Speaking of the rules, how can the investigation of Ye Ting Palace enter the foreign ministers? Isn't it against the rules? Could it be that I, the majestic emperor, have to swallow my anger and watch the innocent people die in vain, and the princess is in a difficult situation, and sit and wait for death? What makes sense!" Li Shimin said angrily, seeing that Wei Zheng wanted to argue, he raised his hand angrily to signal him not to speak anymore.

He promised Sizi about investigating the case, and he would never go back on his word, but there was no point in arguing with Wei Zheng like this.Li Shimin naturally understood what Wei Zhengcun was thinking, and waved his hand to tell him that he simply didn't investigate, and his son Wei Shuyu was unnecessary.

Wei Zheng hurriedly thanked Li Shimin for his kindness, and then he stepped back and left with ease.

Li Shimin snorted coldly, slapped the table down, and scolded Wei Zheng for a while.But this time Wei Zheng was really on his guard. He really wanted to take this opportunity to give Wei Zheng a warning on his son Wei Shuyu, but he saw through it, and Li Shimin couldn't swallow his breath even more.

Fang Xuanling then met with him to discuss state affairs.Li Shimin immediately thought of Fang Yizhi, so he told Fang Xuanling that Jinyang intended to solve the case, and ordered Fang Yizhi to assist him in the investigation.

Fang Xuanling did not say a word, and immediately agreed, and said that he would definitely instruct his son to investigate the case of the princess falling off the cliff carefully and find out the truth.

"Aiqing is really my confidant." Li Shimin's heart softened. In contrast, when he thought of Wei Zheng, he felt even more angry.

After lunch, Li Mingda learned that the candidate had been changed to Fang Yizhi, and the thin and tall figure on the cliff that day immediately appeared in his mind.

"Why did Aye think of choosing him?" Li Mingda asked Li Shimin curiously, his dark eyes fixed on Li Shimin's face, observing his expression.

Li Mingda then noticed that his father's eyes were slightly contracted, and there were obvious arc lines under the lower eyelids. His mouth was tightly closed, and then he opened his mouth slowly and sighed.

"I wanted to choose Wei Shuyu, but...heh, I don't mind mentioning it." Li Shimin put down the cup in his hand with a sneer, raised his eyes to meet his daughter's beautiful eyes full of aura, "Sister, what are you looking at?"

"Look at Aye, I seem to be angry. I hate something." Li Mingda blinked at Li Shi mischievously, and then ran to Li Shimin to hang his shoulders, "Let Sizi guess, it must be what Zheng Gong said again, It made Aye feel unhappy."

"Then guess what he told me." Li Mingda's strength in hanging his shoulders is just right, and this is an act of filial piety by his precious daughter, so Li Shimin naturally finds it very useful. Set your eyes on enjoyment.

"Hmm... did you say that it is inappropriate for Sizi to investigate the case, there is no precedent, there are no rules?" Li Mingda asked tentatively in a very soft tone.

Li Shimin smiled and nodded, "You're really guessing, but you don't seem to be angry from your tone, Wei Zheng wanted to stop you."

"Don't be afraid, because Sizi knows that Aye is supporting Sizi. It is also because of Aye's love for Sizi that Sizi can understand Zheng Gong's move."

"Oh?" Li Shimin opened his eyes and looked at Li Mingda inquiringly.

"Aye loves children, Zheng Gong is also a father, and he also loves children, and he has a deep affection for licking the calf." Li Mingda said.

Li Shimin was stunned for a moment, and then laughed, "You, it's this time, and you still speak for him. You are really gentle and honest, it's too distressing."

Since Sizi didn't care about this matter, Li Shimin felt that as an emperor, how could he care about every detail, so he broadened his mind and went to understand Wei Zheng.So he sighed, that's all, he stopped thinking about cleaning up Wei Zheng.

"That's good. Fang Yizhi is older and has a calmer temperament. It makes me feel more at ease than Wei Shuyu." Li Shimin then told Li Mingda not to be too kind, to accommodate others blindly, and not to be afraid of trouble. Come to inform him, if you want to transfer someone, just ask Cheng Chubi.

"Aye, don't worry." Li Mingda smiled coquettishly at Li Shimin, and then showed Li Shimin the copybook of Li Tai that he copied yesterday.

Li Shimin nodded straight, "Be more refined, my Fei Bai, your fourth brother's Cao Li, have all been penetrated by you."

"Aye coaxed me. The shape of the characters looks similar, but I can't learn the taste of the words. They say that the characters are like their own, but you can see their hearts. My characters are too soft. Sizi also wants to ask Aye, How can I write with the momentum of my fourth brother."

The smile on the corner of Li Shimin's mouth froze slightly, and he turned his eyes to look at Li Tai's scorpion, which was extremely dangerous and bold, vigorous and powerful. "You can see a person's heart from words." What is the heart of the fourth child?

Li Mingda glanced at Li Shimin, he was thinking of an excuse to leave, when he saw a palace official presenting a memorial, he hurriedly left.

When Li Mingda returned to the house, Tian Hanshan came forward and said: "Cheng Chubi is already at the Qianhua Gate, waiting for your lord's order."

"Tell him to go to Wuzuo to find out the cause of Zheng Lun's death." After Li Mingda finished his order, he ordered Tian Hanshan, Biyun and other six palace servants. Listen and see the singles out.All of them are loyal to their duty, and have sincerely expressed their loyalty behind their backs.

Li Mingda led these people to Yeting Palace, not wanting to be blocked by Cheng Chubi as soon as he left the Qianhua Gate.

Cheng Chubi was wearing a collared Tsing Yi, tall, with a straight nose, and a darker complexion than ordinary people, but he was pleasing to the eye.He bowed his hands and stood there, motionless, like a piece of wood.

"You dare to disobey my orders." Li Mingda's tone was cold, wanting to shock this disobedient guard.

Cheng Chubi said in a muffled voice: "The sage ordered the minister to protect the princess, and the minister must obey the order and stay by the princess's side every step of the way, so as to protect the princess well."

Li Mingda stared at Cheng Chubi's expression for a while, seeing that he was sincere, so he didn't say much to embarrass him.Immediately, he sent someone to set off, and asked Cheng Chubi to lead a team of troops to guard him.As for the guard Zheng Lun, Li Mingda sent Tian Hanshan to deal with it.

Because the investigation was carried out in secret, the carriage that Li Mingda rode in was not the princess's regulation, but the fourth-rank Shanggong's regulation.After the carriage passed the Ministry of Internal Affairs, it drove directly to Yeting Palace.Song Changyuan, the internal affairs supervisor who had obtained the secret decree, was waiting here.

After seeing the ceremony, Song Changyuan took Li Mingda to the crime scene.Just at the northwest corner of the junction between Yeting Palace and Taicang, there is a dilapidated courtyard, which is the residence of Lvhe and Xiumei.

"The people living in this courtyard are all the errant maids who were driven from the palace. There are 26 of them in total. Because the nobles are here, the young ones have already driven away the idlers." Song Changyuan immediately took Li Ming to the courtyard west. At the dry well, before Li Mingda got close, he could already smell a faint rancid smell mixed with blood.From the corner of her eye, she glanced at Song Changyuan, Cheng Chubi and the others, and seeing that there was nothing unusual on their expressions, Li Mingda knew that maybe only he could smell the smell.

Li Mingda walked towards the dry well.

Song Changyuan hurriedly begged the princess not to get close to the filthy place where people died.

"Having died is a filthy place? Then according to what you said, isn't Taiji Palace the dirtiest place in Chang'an City?"

Song Changyuan panicked, knelt down and said that he didn't mean it.

"The world looks big, but there is no place that is a true pure land where nothing has died. I don't shy away from this, and you don't have to stop me." Li Mingda put his hands on the edge of the dry well and looked inside. .

Seeing this, Cheng Chubi hurriedly said: "Princess, be careful."

Song Changyuan was also panicked, and reached out to help the princess, but he didn't dare, so he looked at Biyun, the maid beside her.

Biyun stood beside the princess with a look of embarrassment, her hands clenched tightly, not daring to move.Before leaving, the princess told her not to move or scream without her order.The Lizheng Palace had just expelled two maids, and they were all dead. She dared not disobey the princess's order.

The depth of the dry well is a little dark, and it is difficult for ordinary people to see the environment inside the well without jumping in.But Li Mingda could see clearly that there were black blood stains on the stone wall at the bottom of the well, a slightly dirty women's shoe, and countless flying flies.

No particular clue.

Li Mingda stood up straight and looked at the two rows of houses closest to the dry well.The bodies of Xiumei and Luhe were discovered at noon, and they were still there when they went to bed the night before. It was the roommates who found them missing the next morning.

"During the night, did anyone hear the sound?"

"Return to your lord, no. During the day, the maids in this courtyard will go out to work, and they will not come back until dark. They all fall asleep when they are extremely tired. They must have slept too hard, so they can't hear anything. "Song Changyuan said.

Li Mingda stroked his chin, pondered and pondered.

Seeing this, Song Changyuan thought that the princess didn't understand the situation, and hurriedly explained: "It's not uncommon to see people like Xiumei Lvhe in Ye Ting Palace. In rough work, if you can't bear it for a while, you will kill yourself. But it's really unlucky for these two people to suddenly jump into the well in the middle of the night."

"Oh? Do you think they jumped into the well at night?" Li Mingda asked.

Song Changyuan agreed and nodded.

Li Mingda smiled, and then asked Song Changyuan to replace all the maids working in the courtyard, "You have to ask questions carefully, and make sure that no one really heard the abnormal noise that night."

Song Changyuan went to do it immediately.

Li Mingda led the people out of the hospital and waited in a shaded place near the back of the hospital.Of course, Li Mingda did not show that he actually wanted to eavesdrop there, but pretended to be looking for clues nearby.

Not long after, Song Changyuan in the courtyard finished asking and left.

Here comes the point of Li Mingda's eavesdropping.

The maids waited for Song Changyuan to leave, and then they were quiet for a long time before they started whispering. As expected, they couldn't help but continued to talk about Xiumei Lvhe falling into the well.

These palace maids really did not lie, the night before the body was found, indeed no one heard any strange sounds.But someone saw a servant calling Xiumei and Luhe away the day before.But he didn't see the eunuch's specific appearance, he just glanced over and saw his clothes.

Li Mingda immediately ordered Song Changyuan to sort out the list of all the servants who could walk around in Yeting Palace and send them to the Lizheng Palace.

When Li Mingda returned to Lizheng Hall, Tian Hanshan just came back from the cell.He happily told Li Mingda that the cause of death of the guard Zheng Lun had been found out.

"Died from snake venom, Zheng Lun was bitten by a snake."

Li Mingda felt strange, "Why didn't the autopsy find it earlier, but now you will find out immediately when you go."

"Your lord hit the nail on the head. It really wasn't Wu Zuo who discovered this, but Fang Yizhi. Coincidentally, he went to the prison just like the slave, and ordered people to search Zheng Lun's cell carefully, and found a small piece of snake skin He ordered Wu Zuo to conduct another autopsy, and sure enough, a wound bitten by a poisonous snake was found where Zheng Lun had been flogged."