Chapter 462: Selling your life for money is not kindness
The incident at Dingguo Temple took too long to pass, Li Du confessed, and the Holy Father did not announce the details.
Apart from those who already knew about it, such as Lin Yunyan, Xu Jian, etc., it was the Enrongbo Mansion who got the news later.
This is the instructions given by the Holy One to the Xia family.
Beyond that…
Lin Yunyan closed her eyes and thought of the day when she besieged Prince Jin's Mansion.
There was no mention of lighting incense, but Li Du asked, "Why didn't they run out? Why were they all sleeping so deeply?"
Everyone present, including Princess Baoying, officials from the Third Division, and the Royal Forest Guards, all heard it.
And what results can these people get from this question...
Firstly, to see if I dare to guess, and secondly, to see if there is any way to find out. But more importantly, Lin Yunyan thought, it goes in with the left ear and out with the right ear. It’s not that I’m not curious, but I don’t dare to be curious at all.
"Mix the tranquilizing incense used by the empress with the spices used to stabilize the condition of lunatics, so as to draw the conclusion that the empress became ill that night in Dingguo Temple, so as to completely defeat His Highness," Lin Yunyan asked the Xia family present in a deep voice, "At the border
After a hard battle, the commander's loyalty is now being questioned. Who do you think will be the noble one?"
For a time, the expressions were different.
There are those like Xia Qingzhi who have only a little knowledge and can't keep up with their ideas, and there are also those like the old man who immediately have several answers in their minds.
"Princess," Enrong Bo collected his thoughts and saw his father nodding slightly, he said, "Only my parents and I knew what happened at Dingguo Temple that day. We didn't tell anyone else, and we never talked to anyone about it.
Several nephews mentioned it."
The old lady was so angry at Xia Qingzhi just now that she calmed down a little now. She held Lin Yunyan's hand and said with a choked sob: "Girls are not allowed to play with incense in the house anymore. This rule is set by me.
This has been the rule since the death of the first empress.
To be honest, I don’t want to see things and miss people.”
The old lady wiped away her tears: "When the bad news came back, I really couldn't accept it and fell ill. I always wanted to wait for the result.
It happened that so many people went to investigate, but in the end they all said it was an accident.
The Holy One was still a prince at the time. When he came to visit me, he told me that he would ascend the throne. Only if he himself became emperor could he pursue this case for a long time.
He also told me honestly that that night he and his wife had a few arguments and then walked away to avoid the quarrel getting worse.
Later, he went down the mountain to rescue, thinking that he could calmly talk to his wife the next day. The couple did not have an overnight feud. After a night, they both calmed down. He did not expect that...
I know my own daughter well. She has a calm temperament and rarely gets angry, but how can anyone really not get angry?
It's not like she can just continue eating, drinking and sleeping after the quarrel. In order to calm down her mood, she will in all likelihood order some soothing or even sleeping spices.
Why couldn't you escape after the fire broke out? The Holy Father asked, Princess, your grandmother also cried with me, but how can I tell you?
If I said so, wouldn't I be blaming the Holy One?
I blamed him for quarreling with the empress, blaming him for going down the mountain, leaving the empress alone to resolve her emotions before lighting the incense for sleeping...
If I told you, wouldn't your grandmother and your father be in trouble?
Your Majesty, I already feel very guilty. I am the mother-in-law and the wife of a minister. If I say anything else, I will be overbearing and lose my sense of propriety.
What's more, the main reason is starting a fire, and lighting incense is secondary.
Without that fire, even if everyone sleeps until midnight, what does it matter?
For more than ten years, people have said that the fire was an accident. Do I want to hold on to the Holy One because of an accident? "
The more he talked about it, the more sad the old lady felt, and she couldn't stop crying.
These words had been hidden in her heart for too long. She had no place to say them, she didn't dare to say them, so she could only hold them in.
The late empress died young, and if the Xia family took hold of the Holy One and had a dispute with the empress, not to mention how much reason they could gain, their future would be ruined anyway.
What is so consumed is His Majesty's longing for the late Queen. If the affection is gone, how can we talk about his preference for His Highness?
But I didn't overdo it at all. Although the pros and cons were clearly calculated, I still felt a needle in my heart.
That's her daughter...
The white-haired person gave the black-haired person a gift, and her young and pretty daughter was badly burned. If she didn't find someone to blame, there would be no one to bear the hatred, and she might be overwhelmed by the hatred.
However, even this hatred must be restrained. In the past ten years, the old lady has eaten fast and chanted Buddha's name, and she has not fallen down.
"It wasn't until this year that we knew it was Li Du who set people on fire," she cried, curling her lips and laughing, "Princess, I'm satisfied all of a sudden. I know who I should hate. I
At this age, if you know how your daughter died, you don't have to go underground with regrets."
Aunt Yu handed the veil to the old lady.
The old lady wiped her face and said solemnly to Lin Yunyan: "Princess, your Majesty is not crazy.
There are only a few people who would fabricate the illness of the empress to harm us and His Highness.
If I look at it, Li Du is the most suspicious!
He has already harmed my queen’s life, and I am determined not to let him harm my queen’s posthumous reputation again!
If someone talks nonsense again and makes up the story, I will fight him!"
A long speech that moved everyone.
The old man also turned his back and wiped the corners of his eyes. Mrs. Xia Er even shed tears along with her, chanting "Knowledge is not sensible."
The ignorant Xia Qingzhi lowered his head and said nothing, like an outsider.
Seeing that his son was in a daze, Mr. Xia Er became increasingly unable to hold the feather duster he had put down in his hand. He hit Xia Qingzhi hard twice: "You're a dizzy thing!"
Xia Qingzhi recovered from the pain, but his eyes were still dazed, and asked Lin Yunyan: "Li Du? As my grandmother said, that Pang Feng is Li Du's person? Impossible, right?"
Before he was sponsored, he was an ordinary scholar. He was not top-notch in his studies and had no background. He could only write well in one hand.
How could he get into Li Du's eyes?"
"It can only be said that he has a unique eye for people. Wouldn't that be useful?" Lin Yunyan said, "It doesn't matter even if he doesn't use it, as I said before, but what does it mean to have such a small amount of money?"
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! What else did Xia Qingzhi want to say? The mother-in-law who was standing outside poked her head around, looking like she wanted to come in but didn't dare.
En Rongbo saw it and asked, "What's the matter?"
The mother-in-law said: "The princess's maid said she has something to report."
Lin Yunyan stood up and walked to the door.
Wan Yue whispered to her: "Shen Chen has caught Pang Feng, look..."
"Where is he?" Lin Yunyan asked.
Wan Yue said: "I'm being locked up in Uncle Chengyi's house."
Lin Yunyan thought for a moment, glanced at the Xia family in the next room, and raised her voice: "Pang Feng has been caught. Who ordered him? Do you want to ask him personally?"
Uncle Enrong looked hesitant, and Xia Qingzhi shouted first: "Ask! I want to ask him why he came to deceive me!"
"Princess," En Rongbo said hesitantly, "a private trial may not be appropriate."
Relatives of the emperor and the country have a prominent position, but they must also be cautious.
Once you act out of line and someone takes advantage of you...
Lin Yunyan understood Uncle Enrong's considerations and said: "The question is about the dirty water on the Queen's body. If there is no private trial, does the uncle want to confront her in court?"
Enrong Bo sighed and was in a dilemma.
The old lady made a sudden decision: "I'll ask!"
What the princess said yesterday about Dingbei Hou Mansion made sense.
Since they are not so thorough in their actions and are not afraid of being implicated for no reason, they are the Princess and the Prince Enrong's Mansion.
The Xia family has this kind of dignity, so why don't they use it now?
The slander was all brought upon the late Queen, and it was such a big deal as madness, so the Holy One would understand.
Soon, Shen Chen brought Pang Feng in.
Pang Feng's face was filled with fear and anger: "I'm just a poor scholar, what does your family mean by this? Brother Xia, what on earth is going on with you?"
"You're the one who said the late Queen was crazy?" the old lady asked.
Pang Feng stared at Xia Qingzhi: "Brother Xia, I have already apologized for my speculation, and we also agreed not to mention it again. Why do you want to mention it again now?"
Xia Qing knew: "Tell the truth, did you say it casually, or did someone ask you to tell me this?"
"Brother Xia, what do you mean?" Pang Feng asked anxiously, "What is this? An interrogation? I am no better than your uncle as a child, but you are so unreasonable and unruly and use your power to oppress others, aren't you afraid that I will sue you?"
Uncle Enrong couldn't see such nonsense, so he pointed directly to the center: "Who is sponsoring you? If you don't answer? The answer is not up to you."
Pang Feng was stunned and didn't understand it for a moment.
"Using power to oppress people," En Rongbo sneered, "Do you know what it means to use power to oppress people? That's what we say, and what you press is what you print. I said you are a remnant of Li Du, and you are!"
"Li Du?" Pang Feng exclaimed, "King Jin? The one who killed his brothers and tried to seize the throne? Am I his remnant? No, no! I don't know him at all. How can I be like him?
accomplices?”
En Rongbo asked again: "Who is sponsoring you?"
Pang Feng was extremely entangled, both because he was being interrogated for no reason and because of the charges the Xia family had put on him: "My master is kind to me, I can't betray him! I..."
"What are you?" Lin Yunyan suddenly spoke, word by word, in a mocking tone, "You can be rounded and flattened here, so aren't you just a pawn to him?
Is he kind to you? He only gives you money to help you study. That is kindness.
He paid you to do things for him. This is called paying for his life. You paid for yourself in order to do things. Is the money you paid for your life considered a favor?
I asked you to talk to Mr. Xia San about a bunch of things and fabricate rumors that the late empress was mad. I can’t say anything else, but you, Pang Feng, will never be an examiner again in this life.
You took the financial aid to study and to get on the gold medal list, but what he has ruined is your whole life."
"Why?" Pang Feng shouted, "Why?! Why can't I be an examiner? I am innocent in my study and life..."
"I use my power to suppress others," Lin Yunyan's voice was neither soft nor serious. She only answered the words without responding to any emotions, "If you don't want to waste more than ten years of hard work and let your grandmother and mother work in vain, you can tell me what you know
Tell them all, clean things up, and there will be a way forward."
They say that if you hit a snake, it will hit you seven inches.
Pang Feng felt that he was being pressed seven inches now.
On the one hand, it is the support given to his family for more than four years during the most difficult time, and on the other hand, it is the future of him and his family.
He felt that he should choose the former, but...
However, that is life-saving money!
That's right, selling one's life for money is not a favor!
Pang Feng straightened it out at once and said without hesitation: "My surname is Jian. He lives in Sanyuan Hutong in the north of the city. He said that he used to work in a nobleman's house, but he didn't take the initiative to tell me which nobleman it was.
It’s not easy to follow up and ask.
Four years ago, he knew that my family was in trouble. In addition to my studies, my grandmother had to recuperate from illness, so he gave me ten taels of silver a month and told me that I should not only study hard, but also make friends with students of the same age and learn from each other.
In the past few years, I have reported to him on my studies and my grandmother's health on a quarterly basis. He was very happy to know that I was studying hard, and I also told him who I had met.
Last year, he mentioned to me that we should not keep in touch with each other just because we recognize each other's faces. He also said that Uncle Enrong's Mansion was good and he wanted me to get to know Brother Xia better.
Last month, the master suddenly asked me about my grandmother’s specific illness, what medicine she used, what incense she burned, and how she felt during the attack...
Of course I answered him all.
Seven or eight days ago, he told me about the former queen and asked me to find an opportunity to ask Brother Xia this way to make Brother Xia suspicious.
I just did what he said!"
"You will do it if you are asked to do it?" Xia Qingzhi tugged on his collar anxiously, "I trust you so much, but you lied to me? Is it allowed to talk casually about the late Queen's affairs?"
Pang Feng was almost strangled and angrily threw Xia Qingzhi away: "Do you blame me? You were easily fooled. It's you who should reflect!
Isn't the late Queen your aunt? You don't trust your aunt, or your family, so you trust me, an outsider.
If you are not deceived, who will be?
He asked me to do it, why should I not do it?
I don’t know what else he has in mind. I only know that in the past four years, he has given me ten taels of silver every month, ten taels!
You, a distinguished son of an uncle who has never experienced poverty, do you know what ten taels of silver is?"
Xia Qingzhi was scolded so badly that he was stunned and couldn't say a word.
Seeing that Pang Feng continued to vent to Xia Qingzhi, Lin Yunyan glanced at Shen Chen.
Shen Chen understood and grabbed Pang Feng.
Lin Yunyan then said: "Then Master Jian, have you ever told you what you are going to do after making Xia Qingzhi doubtful?"
"No," Pang Feng shook his head, "I went to his home three days ago. The concierge said that the master went out to visit friends and asked me to do what he asked me to do."
Lin Yunyan understood.
On the day of the siege, Li Du realized that there were indeed details about the night at Dingguo Temple that he didn't know about.
After the golden cicada escaped from its shell, he didn't know where he found out about the sleeping incense. He remembered that the late empress liked to use incense, and he also learned about Pang Feng's grandmother's illness from Master Jian, so he had an idea and thought that he could take advantage of this matter.
The game is slowly progressing, Xia Qingzhi is one of the links, and Pang Feng is a chess piece that can be thrown away after use.
As for Mr. Jian, given the habits of people like Li Du, Sanyuan Hutong is probably empty of people.
Thinking of this, Lin Yunyan asked Xia Qingzhi: "If you hadn't asked me today and you had made blind guesses on your own, and guessed that the late queen was sick, what would you have done?"
Xia Qingzhi hesitated for a moment.
Lin Yunyan simply asked more directly: "You have been walking around with His Highness a lot recently, will you tell him?"
Xia Qingzhi was silent for a while, then hesitantly said: "Maybe."
