Liu'er saw something strange on King Qi's face, so he said to the maid: "If you think about it again, what are the characteristics of that man?"
But the maid laughed, "Sir, didn't you say he was your friend? How come you don't even know who he is?"
King Qi took out the token of the Jingzhao Mansion and said in a deep voice: "I am from the Jingzhao Mansion. I am tracking down a gangster. I learned that he had been on the Huafang, so I came to check if there are any clues left.
Here, you just have to recall carefully what characteristics this person has."
Liu'er and the maid were shocked when they heard that they were from the government, and their attitudes immediately became respectful.
"Could this gangster be the one who killed Chun Niang?" Liu'er turned pale and said to the maid, "You have to think quickly. If the murderer is found, you can avenge Chun Niang."
Liu Er tried hard to recall, but still couldn't think of any characteristics, and said dejectedly: "The man is about forty or fifty years old, he doesn't look old, he has white hair on his temples, and he wears a jade ring on his hand. The rest,
I really can’t think of it.”
After King Qi came back from Xisu River, he went directly back to Jingzhao Mansion.
He sat in the study for a long time in despair, and only told the people outside that if the prince came back, he would ask the prince to go to the study to find him.
Yu Wenhao returned to the Yamen of Jingzhao Mansion around midnight. He learned that King Qi was waiting for him in the study, so he drank a pot of water and went to the study to look for him.
Seeing King Qi's face pale, he walked over and asked, "What's the matter?"
King Qi raised his head, even breathing was a little difficult, "Fifth brother, I went to the painting boat today and picked up a piece of something from the painting boat. Take a look."
With trembling hands, he took out the black iron plate from his arms and placed it on the table. Then he quickly retracted his hand, as if the iron plate was burning people.
Yu Wenhao glanced at it, and his expression suddenly changed. He suddenly reached out and looked for the engraving. When he saw the three characters, he was shocked.
"This Black Iron Brand was given as a reward by the Emperor's Grandfather when he was in court. It only cost five yuan in total." Yu Wenhao looked at King Qi, "Did you find it from the boat?"
"Yes, it turns out that Chun Niang's maid was ill on the eighth night of the Lunar New Year and did not go to serve her. Instead, she asked another maid to go. The maid said she picked up this iron sign that night."
King Qi looked at Yu Wenhao, stunned and confused, "Fifth brother, this black iron plate has three characters engraved on it. It belongs to my father."
Yu Wenhao immediately asked: "Who have you seen this brand before?"
"No." King Qi immediately shook his head, "How dare I show it to others? I came back immediately after taking the sign. I also drew a portrait of my father and showed it to the maid. The maid said it looked very similar, but she was not sure.
.”
Yu Wenhao scolded angrily, "Are you crazy? How could you draw a portrait of your father and show it to them? Did you get that portrait back?"
"Took it and tore it up." King Qi's face turned pale, "Fifth brother, my father carries this piece of black iron with him, but how could he steal the military map? He wants the military map, so just give the order and call for people.
Just send it to the palace."
Yu Wenhao shook his head, "Not my father, but this person can contact my father at any time, and even steal the black iron sign that my father carries with him. He knew that we would go to the painting boat to investigate, so he asked the maid to give us the sign. He
He wants to prevent us from continuing the investigation, and at the same time warns us that he can contact the father, or even attack the father. This is an intimidation and threat."
"But, this sign is the maid..." King Qi thought for a moment and suddenly understood, "The maid has been bribed. No, I have to go find her."
"You don't have to go in person, send someone to go. I'm afraid that the people on the boat will have been silenced by now." Yu Wenhao looked at him expressionlessly, "This is a game, Old Seven, you are in trouble.
"
King Qi fell into his chair, "Oh my God!"
Soon, someone went to the Ministry of Punishment to report that a boat on the Xisu River caught fire. The three people on the boat were not able to escape and were burned to death in the fire.
People from the Criminal Department immediately went to the Xisu River to investigate. Someone recognized King Qi in a nearby painting boat and said that a fire broke out in the painting boat shortly after King Qi left.
The boatman who left the boat when the King of Qi was crossing also testified that when he left, smoke started coming out of the boat.
This case was sent back to Jingzhao Prefecture by the Ministry of Punishment for handling.
Since it was the Ministry of Punishment that came into contact with the case first, Yu Wenhao had no room for favoritism and could only handle the case based on superficial evidence. As long as he was biased, the trouble would be transferred from King Qi to him.
Without any warning, the other party seemed to have them all in one fell swoop, but they didn't even know who the enemy was.
The King of Qi was the current prince, the emperor's legitimate son, and had a distinguished status. When there was only preliminary oral evidence, he did not need to be detained. He was only temporarily relieved of his duties in Jingzhao Mansion and confined to the back office of Jingzhao Mansion.
Available for summons at any time.
King Qi felt deeply defeated. He wanted to find the murderer for Lu Yuan, but he didn't know that he was involved.
Yu Wenhao entered the palace to report and presented an iron plate.
Emperor Ming Yuan was stunned. This iron plate had always been on his body. He didn't even know when he lost it.
Yu Wenhao said helplessly: "Father, Lao Qi is now being held in Jingzhao Mansion, but he has no way to defend himself, let alone give up this iron plate. What do you think we should do?"
Emperor Ming Yuan's face was ashen, "I always carry this sign with me. There are not many people who can get close to me. Who do you think is the most suspicious?"
"Father doesn't know when this sign disappeared, so it's not easy to guess the person." Yu Wenhao said.
The people who could get close to him and serve him were not only the palace servants who took care of his daily life, Eunuch Mu Ru, but also the concubines and concubines. Even sometimes when discussing political affairs, there would be ministers who could come into contact with him and lend a hand or give him a considerate hand.
Cloak and outer garments.
Emperor Ming Yuan thought for a long time and had no clue, so he said angrily: "This person is lurking beside me, I'm afraid it won't be a day or two. You must find this person out, otherwise how can I sleep in peace?"
"Lao Qi's side..." Yu Wenhao looked at him.
Yu Wenhao had some ideas in mind, but he still had to listen to his father's wishes.
Emperor Ming Yuan frowned, "What else can I do? Continue to investigate and cope with the situation, and finally find a reason to let it go. There are more people in the Criminal Department, the fourth one. You and the fourth one can sum it up and tell him, I want the seventh one."
Just get rid of the charges and walk away. The purpose of framing him is to divert attention, not necessarily to embarrass Lao Qi, so this matter will be easy for the Criminal Department and your Jingzhao Mansion to handle."
Asking for help from Prince An was what Yu Wenhao meant, so after hearing Emperor Ming Yuan's words, he felt a little relieved.
Emperor Ming Yuan paused and then said: "Tell Lao Qi to be patient. Since he is involved in this matter, he is bound to suffer a little. If you have a plan of suffering here, it will be easier for the Punishment Department to handle things."