My father-in-law lived in an alley in the south of the city.
Although the house is small, it is well-equipped. I bought a mother-in-law to take care of food and clothing, and a boy to help run errands. It is tidy inside and outside.
There are six or seven bird cages hanging in the yard, and there are starlings and parrots.
The door of the house was open, and as soon as my father-in-law went in, several birds started chirping.
The mother-in-law heard the noise and poked her head out of the kitchen. When she saw the person coming, she greeted her with a smile: "You are here. The old man is reading in the house."
"No need to say hello, I'll bring someone over to talk to my godfather for a while," Mr. Yu said, then turned around to guide Lin Yunyan, "Be careful where you step."
Lin Yunyan entered the courtyard.
Eunuch Yu was sitting under the window. He saw Eunuch Yu first, so he didn't get up.
When he looked around, he saw a young woman coming in behind his father-in-law, and he couldn't help but take a closer look.
He is dressed in luxurious clothes, and his movements are all palace style, and at first glance, his facial features look like those of an old friend.
Eunuch Yu immediately guessed the identity of the visitor.
He stood up in a hurry and came out of the room: "Why are you here? It's been more than ten years and you have grown up."
Lin Yunyan nodded to him: "It's me who suddenly came to bother you."
"Anyway," Eunuch Yu asked them to come in and said, "You can come here, it means that the queen still remembers me, I am really happy."
Several people came inside and sat down.
Younger's father-in-law didn't let the old lady pour water and make tea. He fetched the tea cans and tea sets by himself in the familiar way. From the first glance, he showed that he frequently came to the house to show his filial piety to his godfather.
Mother Ma had gone to gossip with the old woman. Lin Yunyan didn't have to worry about being overheard by outsiders. She got straight to the point: "I came here today because I want to inquire about some people with Eunuch Yu."
Being able to be accompanied by his godson showed that he had the approval of the Empress Dowager.
Eunuch Yu would never shirk: "You asked."
"The late emperor's father-in-law, Ruan Guiren, had a father-in-law named Tong next to him. I wonder if he remembers his father-in-law?" Lin Yunyan asked.
"Eunuch Tong?" Eunuch Yu recalled carefully, "He has been gone for almost thirty years, right?
He was a pretty good guy, but he couldn't find a way to get ahead. He suffered a lot in the first ten years after entering the palace, and it wasn't until he was transferred to Ruan Guiren that he finally took root.
It's a pity that the muscles and bones were injured when I was young and I didn't take good care of them. As I got older, I couldn't bear it anymore. I was only in my fifties when I left, right?
It's not a short life, but compared to the younger one who could survive, he still died earlier."
"It sounds like Eunuch Yu still has some friendship with him?" Lin Yunyan asked.
"We can't talk about friendship. The younger one is the one who works beside the empress. He knows more or less everyone everywhere and can speak a few words," Yu Gong said fairly. "You also know that the master is the face of the younger ones. They all know each other more or less."
It’s a small face, but it’s hard to say how much is sincere and how much is fake behind the scenes.
The younger one said that Mr. Tong was a nice person, because he didn't like to flatter others and put others down, and he had a very honest character.
If he hadn't been an honest man, he wouldn't have had to suffer for more than ten years before he finally found a master."
"Ruan Guiren once lived in Bihua Palace for a period of time. At that time, His Royal Highness Prince Jin's biological mother Zhang Xuanshi also lived in Bihua Palace. Do you have any memory of this?" Lin Yunyan continued to ask, "Zhang Xuanshi had a chamberlain there.
He seems to be called Little Mouse, does Eunuch Yu know his details?"
"The younger one knows him." Yu Gong said impartially.
Lin Yunyan was surprised and happy.
I thought that after many years, he was still a little-known little chamberlain. Even if Eunuch Yu knew about it, he would have to recall it more, but he didn't expect that he would blurt it out.
Younger father-in-law was also quite surprised: "Godfather still remembers him?"
"Remember," Eunuch Yu sighed, "the rules in the palace are all fixed.
Eunuch Tong died of illness, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs collected his coffin for him and sent him out of the palace for burial.
Almost half a year later, it was the Qingming Festival. Who in the palace didn't have a few relatives alive? They all wanted to secretly burn some paper.
But according to the rules, paper cannot be burned randomly in the palace, and the inspection will be tight before and after those days.
The younger one had something to do and went to the housekeeping department. They arrested several of them, and each one was given a demerit note and punishment, so he took a second look at them.
Others were burning it for their parents, but there was a young butler who looked like he was only ten years old and nodded and said he would burn it for his cousin.
When I was young, I asked him, who is your cousin?
He said that his cousin was Mr. Tong.
The housekeeper also remembered it and said that this boy was there during the burial. He cried so hard that his eyes were as big as walnuts. He was pitiful.
The younger one asked him a few more questions. Since his cousin was a chamberlain, how could he be allowed to come to the palace?
No matter how bad things were for Eunuch Tong before, he was still pretty good after following Ruan Guiren. It was always no problem to make do with enough money to support a nephew.
If you never have a son in your life, and you raise your nephew as a son, someone will eventually die. How come the uncle and nephew both died?
The boy said that he only recognized his cousin after entering the palace. He was young and couldn't do things. He relied on his uncle's guidance to get a foothold in the palace. It was a pity that his uncle was gone.
He cried while talking, which made Xiao Xiao and the housekeepers feel uncomfortable, so they didn't punish him much in the end.
After all, for people like you, no one at home cares about us. How rare it is that someone burns paper after being buried.
Yes, Little Mouse is his nickname. His real name is Lao, so everyone calls him Little Laozi. When he screams, he becomes Little Mouse."
Lin Yunyan asked again: "After Zhang Xuanshi passed away, was the little mouse transferred to work elsewhere, or did he continue to stay in Bihua Palace and learn his skills from Tong Gonggong?"
"They have been transferred," Yu Gonggong said. "Concubine Dong has transferred the people to her palace. She said that after all, she has served His Highness's birth mother, so don't send them around, just stay with Your Highness."
Lin Yunyan couldn't help but squeeze the handkerchief tightly.
The line gradually became clearer.
Before, Eunuch Cao could never find a suitable Eunuch Tong.
Let’s not talk about what Feng Chang told us. The boy’s father-in-law Su Chang met in Chenmi Hutong was not the same age as all the children’s father-in-law.
However, the little mouse is just right in age.
The little mouse recognized Eunuch Tong as his cousin, and he seemed to have a deep affection for him. So it would make sense for him to go out and call himself Tong after a few decades.
This chapter is not over, please click on the next page to continue reading! Having said that, if it were not for the father-in-law in Chen Mi Hutong, Lin Yunyan would have to speculate more about the role of the little mouse in it.
The little mouse killed Zhang Xuanshi on the orders of Concubine Dong, and he was Li Du's enemy. Or maybe he was just a little servant who knew nothing at that time. He gained Li Du's trust because he had served his biological mother, and he also found out who his biological mother was from Li Du.
It comes in handy when you die, either way is possible.
However, when it comes to Chenmi Hutong, it’s probably the latter.
Of course, Lin Yunyan fully agreed with the Empress Dowager's words. Now that we have found clues, we must be cautious and cautious, try to get as much circumstantial evidence as possible, and don't make mistakes, let alone be blinded by the light.
"What does that little mouse look like?" Lin Yunyan asked again.
Eunuch Yu frowned.
It's been so long that I can only remember a few relevant things, but I really can't remember the facial features.
"He doesn't have any clear characteristics," he said. "He was young at the time. Now that he has grown up, I don't know how much he has changed."
This answer does not discourage Lin Yunyan.
Su Chang once said that "Tong Gonggong" looks ordinary and has no characteristics that can be described.
If the little mouse in father-in-law Yu's memory had distinct characteristics, then the clue would have been lost again.
Leaving the part about Little Mouse and Eunuch Tong for the time being, Lin Yunyan asked another question: "In my father-in-law's impression, is there any eunuch with a monkey face? In terms of age, when the incident happened at Dingguo Temple, the monkey-faced eunuch looked...
He is forty or fifty years old."
Eunuch Yu couldn't help but take a breath.
He said that the Queen Mother would ask the princess to ask questions, and they must be all important matters.
He couldn't see what the important issue was between the young father-in-law and the little mouse, but he knew very well about Dingguo Temple.
There must have been new clues that night.
Eunuch Yu was extremely cautious. He closed his eyes and thought about it carefully. After a while, he said dejectedly: "Princess, I can't remember. Either I haven't seen it, or even if I have seen it, I am not very impressed."
Lin Yunyan had no choice but to ask the person next to her: "How many of the servants who served Prince Jin in the past do you remember?"
This question is much easier to answer.
Eunuch Yu thought about it and answered one by one.
Initially, Concubine Dong selected the people. When King Jin grew older, he selected a few more...
He only answered what he remembered, and Lin Yunyan was not worried about omissions. Now that she had contacted Prince Jin, Eunuch Cao would have to check the roster and sort out all the palace attendants who had been around Prince Jin over the years.
The sun is setting to the west.
Lin Yunyan stood up and said goodbye.
Eunuch Yu sent it out and said: "If there is anything you want to ask later, the princess will send someone to say hello, and the young one will go to the Duke's Mansion."
"Don't worry about my father-in-law running back and forth," Lin Yunyan said with a smile, "Speaking of which, how are my father-in-law's legs and feet doing lately? The doctor who treated the father-in-law's leg injury is still living in the house. I'll ask him to come over tomorrow.
Father-in-law, also look at the legs."
"What's wrong with this!" Eunuch Yu hurriedly waved his hand, "You're still young at this age. Anyway, it doesn't interfere with your daily life, so you don't have to worry about it."
"Why can't you do it?" Lin Yunyan said, "It's just a consultation."
Eunuch Yu refused, so he agreed with a smile.
The carriage leaves the alley.
When Eunuch Yu was about to return to the palace, he felt very uneasy: "Just relying on Feng Chang to call Eunuch Tong is not enough to confirm that the person hiding behind it is the King of Jin."
Lin Yunyan understood.
Suchang's confession was obtained by Xu Jian through extraordinary means. Only they knew about it and had never reported it.
I can't report it now. Firstly, it seems deliberate, and secondly, I can't explain why I concealed it at that time.
The two of them had a lot of little tricks up their sleeves in private, and if they rashly brought it up to the Holy Father, it would be difficult for them to hide it in the dark in the future.
"The Empress Dowager said that the passing geese leave traces," Lin Yunyan said, "Don't worry, let him catch them all bit by bit."
This is not easy to say, and it is not that difficult to say difficult.
At night, Lin Yunyan and Xu Jian talked about the day's harvest.
The two of them reviewed the information they had learned so far from beginning to end, and decided on what to do next.
It only takes five days.
Everything in the court was as usual, and no one was making a fuss about the death of a chamberlain in Yongji Palace. However, under the water, an undercurrent was surging.
Eunuch Cao checked the little mouse.
It is consistent with what Eunuch Yu said. After this man was transferred to Li Du, he only stayed for four years before leaving the palace due to illness. Naturally, the palace did not know where he went after that.
The servants around Li Du were transferred very frequently in those years.
Some left the palace, and some made mistakes and were transferred out.
Eunuch Cao investigated carefully and found out that these eunuchs who made mistakes were basically replaced by Concubine Dong.
Concubine Dong took special care in raising Li Du. After many adjustments to the people around her, those who were not clever or too clever were no longer good.
"Rather than saying they are Li Du's confidants," Xu Jian and Lin Yunyan said, "it is better to say that they are all Concubine Dong's confidants. Concubine Dong has staked her fortune on Li Du, and she cares more about him than her eyes."
Lin Yunyan understood: "No wonder that little mouse left the palace. If he stays in the palace, sooner or later he won't be able to follow Li Du."
"Since the little mouse is Li Du's own, he cannot win Concubine Dong's trust," Xu Jian agreed, "Besides, after all, he has served Zhang Xuanshi before, so it is a surprise. It would not be surprising if Concubine Dong had someone deal with him without her noticing.
.
At first, Li Du was still young, so keeping the little mouse just made him feel at ease.
When Li Du grows up, Concubine Dong will naturally not stay here anymore.
Li Du doesn't want to conflict with his adoptive mother over this, so letting the little mouse take advantage of his illness to leave the palace is the best of both worlds."
Lin Yunyan nodded: "He may have realized at that time that Zhang Xuan's death was strange. Then he was not awakened by the death of King Ding, but discovered the clues early, but his arms could not twist the thighs, so he could only
Concubine Dong pretends to be filial to her son.
Or maybe he didn't know, and neither did the little mouse, but he just knew that Concubine Dong had taught him to be meticulous and sincere, and he was surrounded by Concubine Dong's people, so he simply sent the little mouse away to avoid conflicts."
Speaking of which, regardless of whether Concubine Dong killed Zhang to choose a servant, she was serious about raising a son.
It is not easy to educate a prince.
It’s hard to feed them, it’s hard to raise them, and it’s even harder to raise them well.
Concubine Dong had a strong desire for control, so Li Du was surrounded by her people. This was a problem for biological mothers and children, not to mention adoptive mothers and children.
"Only Li Du, the little mouse knows which one it is," Xu Jian said.
The next day.
In Shuntian Mansion, Shan Shen stayed up late for several days, and after working so hard, he finally handed in an answer sheet to Xu Jian.
The owner of that house asked him to dig to the end.
"It goes around three times and four times, one layer inside another," Shan Shen said with itchy teeth. "The real owner's surname is Lao. As for who this person named Lao is and where he comes from, I don't know. I checked his name.
, the person who worked for him back then has long been buried. Where can I find him? Now the boss's surname is Yao, and he is from Shu. Even if I want to ask him, it will take several people to call people from Shu.
moon."
But Xu Jian smiled: "Lao is enough. I happen to have a person named Lao who can do business."
This time, Shan Shen chuckled and didn't ask any more questions.
After leaving the office in the evening, Li Shao returned to the palace, and Xu Jian also entered the palace together, and then went to the imperial study.
Wang Gouzi looked at Xu Jian's back and asked Li Shao: "Your Highness, it seems that the Duke of Fu has often met with the Holy Father recently."
"What's strange," Li Shao said, "he was originally recovering from his injuries and refused to enter the palace. When he first followed me to observe the government at the Ministry of Rites, he was often called for questioning by his father."
Wang Gouzi said yes, but his heart was not at ease.
He followed Li Shao's footsteps and stared at Li Shao's back.
He had a feeling that he had missed something important. What was it...
