On New Year's Eve, the Zheng Qishuo brothers and their families gathered together in a low-key manner at Jian'an Marquis Mansion for a night vigil. New Year's Eve was all about a happy family reunion. There were few entertainment programs in ancient times, and there was even less fun to be had in the mansion.
However, Jintong had already prepared for it. He asked Qinyin and others to come quietly and sing and play a few songs, which made the sparse atmosphere even more lively. As the night progressed, the Zheng family was still in Xiaozhong after all.
Keeping a low profile, Jintong asked them to go back first.
The family sat vigil around the fire, and two brothers, Zheng Qishuo, were playing Go. Zuo Congyun, Jintong, and two other children just made up a table to play poker.
The poker game was in full swing here. Jin Tong was having a bad luck and his face was covered with notes. She snapped her fingers domineeringly and called Jin Dabing and Snow Velvet over, guarding her on the left and right.
Jintong said proudly: "The big cake is on the left and the soft hair is on the right. The two sacred beasts are protecting the law. This game is guaranteed to win."
The other three laughed together. Zheng Yu won the most, so he stuck two notes on his chin. Zheng Zhan was no better than Jin Tong, so he had to discuss it with Zheng Yu: "Brother, can't you be merciful?"
The people playing Go over there were as quiet as an old monk in trance. Zheng Qiyan was only concentrating on playing chess for at most two points, while the rest was basically paying attention to Jintong. What a coincidence, Zheng Qishuo was only concentrating on playing chess.
, the rest are all based on the impact of what is about to happen tonight on the future political situation. Two people who are somewhat accomplished in Go played a game of chess as if they were two bad chess players playing hooligans.
When the time came, the bells to welcome the New Year rang, and many dignitaries set off firecrackers to celebrate. Zheng Zhan, aware of his childish nature, ran out to watch happily. Zheng Yu and a group of servants hurriedly followed.
Wu An hurried in and handed a small round bamboo tube to Zheng Qiyan.
Zheng Qiyan put the small bamboo tube close to the candlelight, melted the wax seal, took out the small note inside, took a look at it, handed it to Zheng Qishuo, and said smoothly: "Concubine Chen was poisoned at the palace banquet."
Zheng Qishuo put down the chess piece in his hand, looked at the note, and burned it on the candle: "What a coincidence! Fortunately, the rescue was timely, and his life is safe." The two brothers looked at each other and smiled. No accident, everything is under control.
.
Zuo Congyun couldn't help but ask: "Who is so bold as to poison Concubine Chen?"
Jintong petted the cat while interjecting: "Ninety-nine percent of the time it was her. Otherwise, how could she be rescued by such a coincidence and control it so accurately: there is no risk to her life." At this point, Jintong thought for a moment, and finally
I feel that the words "life is not affected" by the third brother of her cheap husband are particularly meaningful. Life is preserved, but whether the body can remain as healthy as before, or if something has been added to it, or what tortured disease has been caused, that's terrible
Life is worse than death.
Zheng Qiyan smiled slightly and interrupted Jintong's endless associations: "Tongtong is smart. It's late at night, let's go back to bed."
"I'm not sleepy! I'm in great spirits! I don't want to sleep! I want to watch the fireworks!" Jintong lifted up her skirt and rushed out like Li Xuan's arrow. Her slightly hasty back disappeared instantly.
Zheng Qiyan was left shaking his head and smiling helplessly.
After a lively night, on the way back home, Jintong fell asleep in the carriage and drooled. Zheng Qiyan hugged Jintong and looked at her with a gentle face. Although Jintong was smart, he had no intention of telling her the real inside story of Concubine Chen's poisoning.
He wanted Jintong to live happily under the sunshine. From now on, he would do the dirty work with blood-stained hands.
——————
After the banquet in the Fengtian Palace was over, the Holy Master came to Qixiang Palace with a group of people carrying the dishes, dishes and drinks used by Concubine Chen at today's banquet.
Ye Chongde followed the Holy Master's instructions and checked the dishes, dishes and drinks one by one, and finally reported the overall situation: "Reporting to the Holy Master, on this fish stew, there are traces of Acacia Broken Heart Red medicinal powder, and the fish stew is mixed with spearmint.
The condiments, combined with the two, double the toxicity. If a woman uses it and the coldness enters the abdomen, even if the poison is detoxified, she will not be able to get pregnant in this life. Fortunately, Mr. Tian immediately gave the detoxification pill to the empress to take to force the poison out. If it had been slower,
Half a step later, the poison enters the heart, and it is difficult for gods to save him!"
"Hmph!" The Holy Master sneered twice, then turned around and asked Tian Dayong: "What can you find out?"
Tian Dayong said: "Holy Master, the ones who cook the fish stew are the imperial chef Jia Sixiu and eight assistant chefs. During the process of serving the dishes, King Qing personally went to the imperial kitchen to explain that Concubine Chen has had a bad appetite recently, and asked the imperial chef not to violate the palace rules.
Under the premise of ensuring that Concubine Chen’s meals are palatable.”
The Holy Lord glanced with admiration at Prince Qing, who was squatting in front of the charcoal stove and personally helping Concubine Chen to cook the medicine, and said: "Xiao Ba's filial piety is commendable!"
Tian Dayong said with a smile: "Prince Qing is absolutely fine. I can guarantee that. Just to show fairness, I listed all the people who have been to the imperial dining room and are not from the imperial dining room one by one."
He took out a piece of paper from his sleeve and handed it to the Holy Master: "Holy Master, there are too many people coming to the imperial dining room. Zhao Baoshan and others are still making inquiries. Here is the list."
The Holy Master took it and glanced at it for a few times, then handed it back to Tian Dayong: "Let me check it carefully! I would like to know who has eaten something with the heart of a bear and the guts of a leopard, and dared to poison the imperial concubine under my nose."
There were 136 people on duty in the imperial dining room that day; 96 maids in charge of serving food; and a total of 27 other personnel who went to the imperial dining room on the way.
Tian Dayong, together with Zhao Baoshan, the leader of the imperial guard, Nanny Lu of Tingye Pavilion, and Xue Hua, the general manager of the imperial kitchen, screened all the personnel three times and repeatedly interrogated them.
Among the twenty-seven people who went to the imperial kitchen, only eleven had touched dishes or various utensils. After a round of interrogation, three of them behaved suspiciously.
Among them was Xia Wenlue, a personal attendant of Wei King Li Wei. Under torture, he took advantage of the situation and committed suicide by slitting his throat.
When Li Wei learned about this, in order to show his innocence, he personally accompanied Tian Dayong and others to search his palace in Beijing.
Following the clues to investigate, Tian Dayong found that Xia Wen was dull and not considered a confidant of the King of Wei. The reason why he was able to attend the palace banquet with the King of Wei this time was because he usually had four followers who followed the King of Wei. Two of them were away from home, and one was busy.
Before the palace banquet, he suddenly suffered from diarrhea and was now too weak to be bedridden, so naturally he could not accompany the king of Wei. The king of Wei allowed Xia Wenlue to accompany him because he was dull and not good at words.
Tian Dayong found powerful laxatives from Xia Wenlue's residence. It seems that Xia Wenlue was the real mastermind behind the plot to frame the King of Wei.
The other two, one was Xie Shunbin's personal maid named Huaihua, were tortured several times and died.
One was an entourage from a branch of the clan. He said that someone gave him five hundred taels of silver notes and asked him to deliberately bump into the maid serving the food to Concubine Chen, just to make sure that the food was not served to Concubine Chen. He was obsessed with money, so he
I agreed. According to this person's description, the person who gave him the banknote was Huaihua, Xie Shunbin's personal maid.
In the imperial dining room, the most suspicious person is the cook named Amu.
Everyone in the imperial kitchen pointed out that after Concubine Chen's plate of fish stew was broken, Jia Sixiu accidentally sprained his right hand while re-cooking it. Fortunately, only the last portion of the fish stew was left on the plate, so he went back to apply medicine.
Amu, the assistant cook, takes over the plating.
Zhao Baoshan personally inspected Jia Sixiu. In order to maintain balance, he pressed his right hand on the stove. The skin was burnt and the flesh was rotten. The injured leg had a less obvious scar on the soft tendon in the knee socket. It was probably caused by artificial use of a knife.
Shi Zi deliberately hurt Jia Sixiu and let him leave injured in order to buy time for poisoning.
Amu admitted that it was a palace maid holding the famous thorn of King Qing, and gave him a jade box of light red powder, and asked him to sprinkle it evenly on Concubine Chen's fish stew, saying that it was a beauty and skin care product, mixed with the fish stew
The effect is best when eaten. According to Amu's description, the appearance of this palace maid is consistent with that of Xie Shunbin's personal palace maid Huaihua.
King Qing had just arrived. In order to convince him, the maid dipped her fingers into some fine powder and ate it to him to show that it was not poisonous. Only then did Amu dare to sprinkle the fine powder. Who knew it was highly poisonous?
?
After repeated torture, Amu could not survive the torture and died by cutting off his heart veins. Only people who are martial arts students and have certain attainments in internal strength can have the ability to cut off their heart veins. Moreover, this move of self-cutting out his heart veins is used in the life-saving professions of secret guards and killers.
People, in order not to endure torture, must use the special skills of pressing the box.
However, this Amu was unexpectedly arranged to come in temporarily. He has been working quietly since yesterday. The most important thing about fish stew is knife skills. Jia Sixiu saw that the chefs had superb knife skills and quick hands and feet. He did not doubt his presence, but asked him to help with the cooking.
Causing a big disaster.
Continuing the investigation, we found that the real Amu had died under the bed in the imperial dining room.