The King of Wu was terminally ill and there was no cure. The doctor had long predicted that he would not survive more than four months, not to mention the rebellious minister Zhen Zangzhu who borrowed troops to besiege the King of Wu's palace and forcibly took away half of the country of Wu. It is said that the King of Wu would not die of illness even if he was not ill.
He should be so angry that he was still alive until mid-April. His confidant, Eunuch Guo, who used to stay by King Wu's side day and night, went out frequently these days and sometimes disappeared for several days.
Eunuch Guo knew that King Wu refused to close his eyes because he wanted to live to hear the answer: Who was the person who anonymously sent the evidence of his ancestor's son to King Wu? It was really difficult to check those things, and King Wu had a hard time holding on.
Eunuch Guo thought that he should start with the case that the least people knew about so that he could find out the case as quickly as possible. Then he looked through the files and picked out a case.
The case is very simple. In Prince Wu's palace, all the ladies in the palace purchased their powders from two shops. Those two shops are time-honored brands in Jinling, with good products and high prices. The evidence of the crime said that the powders used by the ladies in the palace were all ordinary things.
, it is not the product of those two companies. The rouge is not clean, the color is thin, the lead is pink and green, and it is heavy and astringent. The person who bought it actually got the goods from those two companies. It turns out that the rouge is a steward of an ancestor's house on the street.
Just buy whatever you want and send it to the other house to put in a box. The money in the palace will naturally go through the accounts of the two houses and be returned directly to the steward.
Those two shops were threatened. Not only did they have to bear the reputation of having bad products, but they also had to provide manpower and boxes for their defective products. They didn't dare to tell anyone. The late prince didn't shy away from making money, but he did this.
The matter was extremely cautious. Only the two bosses and the four responsible stewards knew about such a major matter. After the prince's fall, the steward responsible for the matter was taken to prison and died there. Eunuch Guo carefully interrogated the four boss shop stewards and found out that they all
Not even a word was revealed to the outside world. Especially the two shop stewards, who swore that they would not do anything by others and had no idea about the family's daughter-in-law's external affairs.
Eunuch Guo thought for a long time, then got up and went to Dinglin Temple in the south of the city.
The first Princess of Wu, Bao Shi, became a monk here. After standing outside the door of Bao Shi's nunnery for a moment, Eunuch Guo kowtowed three times and pushed the door open. Bao Shi was the only one in the hall. His hair had been cleaned, and he was sitting on the futon and murmuring.
Chanting sutras.
Eunuch Guo approached Mrs. Bao, knelt down behind her and said, "Your Majesty ordered your servant to carefully investigate who sent the evidence of the crime of your late son." Mrs. Bao remained motionless and raised her hand to strike with a wooden fish hammer. Eunuch Guo continued, "Slave.
After searching for so long, I was surprised to find out nothing." Bao's chanting voice became louder and he knocked the wooden fish harder. "Yesterday, my servant uncovered a case. It was that the prince ordered the steward of the palace to secretly become the prince's rouge.
The lead powder business is still shoddy. The slave thinks it is strange. The powder is not good, and all ladies must complain a lot. The slave has never heard such complaints. After checking again, the powder is very good. The rouge is clean and colorful, and the powder is light.
Bai Rouxiang. Even if the price is more expensive, it’s worth it. Besides, why should so few people handle a simple makeup idea and be so secretive? After thinking about it for a long time, I finally realized that—that makeup powder is meant to be in the face of all the empresses.”
"Boom!" Mr. Bao smashed the wooden fish hard and gritted his teeth and said, "I never touched their makeup!"
Eunuch Guo lowered his eyes and said, "Although the princess has not done anything, if you want to do anything one day, it will be very easy."
Mrs. Bao snorted coldly: "What is the difference between what Eunuch Guo said and Mo Xu?"
Eunuch Guo ignored it and continued: "I have now found out that all the people who handled the powder shop are very tight-lipped. If so, how did this matter come to be known? And it was written clearly. The theory is that
, after all, you have to change the box at the powder shop, and there are also assistants who have done it, so if you want to check it, you can't find it out. The slave is just curious, what is it that arouses people's suspicion to check? The makeup and powder are all good products. They have white eyebrows and red eyes.
Who is going to check that? Who has nothing to do and is going to check that?”
Mr. Bao had already stopped knocking on the wooden fish, and after thinking for a moment, he said, "What do you mean, father-in-law, is there someone reporting the news?"
Eunuch Guo nodded: "I thought that unless there was a spy on the prince's side, or there was a ghost on the empress' side, the steward who handled the matter died peacefully. Those who were collecting taxes on behalf of the prince behind the prince's back were all still alive. I have long been dead.
I checked the manager and found no clues."
Mrs. Bao thought for a long time and said: "Those powders are all of high quality, but they were bought from another shop. That shop doesn't know who the buyer is."
"The person in charge of purchasing is the dead manager?"
"good."
"Which shop?"
Mr. Bao shook his head: "I never asked."
Eunuch Guo asked, "There must be someone with knowledge of the matter. Can you tell me your name?" Mr. Bao closed his eyes for a while and started to knock the wooden fish again. Eunuch Guo said, "I have found out that those things were not done by the princes. They
None of them have the ability." Mrs. Bao still knocked on the wooden fish. Eunuch Guo sighed softly, "Master Zhen Zangzhu is assisting the grandson to establish the Yue Kingdom in the south. Does the empress know?"
Mr. Bao stopped, with a hint of relief on his face: "Master Zhen is a conscientious person."
"Your Majesty, you must be thinking that the treasury of the State of Wu will belong to the crown prince sooner or later, so why would the prince do such a cruel thing to his own son? Madam, the prince did not change the title of crown prince for money."
Mr. Bao hummed, "Oh? What's that for?"
"After reading those files, the prince suddenly realized: the prince is no match for the two men of the Bao family." Eunuch Guo said, "For the empress, she is a son and a brother; for the prince, she is a son and an outsider.
As far as the empress is concerned, the only son in the world is your son; as far as the prince is concerned, those are his sons. Since this son is no match for his uncle, he will replace him with another son. But the other older sons are all mediocre.
, then he gave birth to a young son who had not yet grown up, and arranged for a subordinate who was capable but not very courageous. He also sent the second master of the Bao family to Wei Ruoheng in South America, and arranged for Zhen Zangzhu and the third master Bao to stay in Shanghai.
Once this young prince fails, or Chen Ruiwen is unable to stabilize the situation in the court..."
Mr. Bao was startled and the wooden fish hammer fell from his hand: "The prince wants them to fight!"
Eunuch Guo nodded: "On one end are the young prince, Concubine Shen, and Chen Ruiwen, who legitimately hold the inheritance of the Wu Kingdom; on the other are the great grandson, Zhen Zangzhu, and Third Master Bao, who are wanted on the run. The young prince is young, and Concubine Shen is a daughter who lives in the Wu Kingdom.
There is no foundation, Chen Ruiwen is a scholar. Zhen Zangzhu was born as a green forest ranger, and Third Master Bao is no longer a dandy. Whoever wins will win the kingdom of Wu. Madam, if the Prince's Mansion is really besieged by heavy troops, how can Master Zhen rescue Tai so easily?
Sun?"
Mrs. Bao immediately said, "Where is my son?"
Eunuch Guo also immediately lowered his head: "Peace."
Two lines of tears rolled down Bao's eyes: "Just peace?"
"It's just peace." Eunuch Guo closed his eyes slightly, "As the prince, if you can't suppress your ministers, it will be like death. The prince has fallen into the current situation, and the princess can't get rid of it - the princess trusts her natal brothers too much, so that the prince
I didn’t take much precautions against those two and let them play around without realizing it.”
Mrs. Bao sobbed for a while, and then burst into tears. Eunuch Guo just knelt down and watched his nose, nose and heart. For a long time, Mrs. Bao finished crying and wiped her tears and said, "It's easy to know who made those things.
It just depends on who gets the benefit in the end. Or who can get the benefit."
Eunuch Guo said sincerely: "That's why I came to beg your empress. After all, the prince lost his golden crown because of those things. If the prince has not yet died, if we can find out, we can deal with him. Otherwise, the prince will return to the west with a crane, and Chen will die."
Even if Lord Raven knew about it, he would probably win over you."
Mrs. Bao's eyes suddenly flashed with two stern looks. After a while, she said: "There is a nanny Zhou in our courtyard. She usually just sweeps the courtyard. She knows where to buy the powder."
Eunuch Guo nodded: "Thank you, Madam." After kowtowing three more times, he stood up and left.
Not long after, Eunuch Guo found Nanny Zhou. When she asked, she found out that the rouge shop was called Hongxiang Pavilion, which was located near the Confucius Temple. Eunuch Guo went to inquire about it and found that the shop was of high quality and low price, and the business was very good. There was also a gramophone playing music.
The boss, Wu Fumao, was only in his thirties, and he looked friendly and friendly. When Eunuch Guo heard the name Wu Fumao, he felt familiar, but after thinking for a long time, he couldn't remember where he had heard it before, and he stood there in a daze for a long time.
Returning to Prince Wu's Mansion, Eunuch Guo couldn't remember who Wu Fumao was, and was anxiously circling around the room. There was a young eunuch who was his godson, and he silently brought him a cup of tea. Eunuch Guo was so anxious that he raised his neck and drank the tea.
After finishing his meal, he asked casually: "Have you ever heard of a man named Wu Fumao?"
The godson thought for a while: "Did you remember the wrong godfather? Is it Wu Shoumao?"
Wu Shoumao was the eunuch who was the confidant of Concubine Chen. A few years ago, Concubine Chen took him with her when she went to Dajiala. Concubine Chen died of illness and it was this man who came back to report the news. Then he asked the King of Wu to leave a confidant of his beloved concubine who died.
It was obvious that the eunuch would never get ahead again in Prince Wu's Mansion, so Prince Wu agreed.
Eunuch Guo was startled—could it be that Chen Ruiwen did all those things? He ran away to go back to King Wu. After running about twenty steps, Eunuch Guo suddenly stopped. The matter has not yet been found out. Besides, if this matter
It was Chen Ruiwen who did it. This man is very capable. King Wu may have greatly underestimated him. Even if the young prince is a genius, he will not be able to suppress him.
After thinking about it again and again, Eunuch Guo got up and left the house and went straight to Yingtian Mansion. Lord Yin Fang of Yingtian Mansion personally picked him up. Eunuch Guo held the King of Wu's token in his hand and said: "Master Fang, the Za family has been ordered by the prince to investigate an important matter. Please do it right now.
Lead people to seal a shop together with the Za family. Don't ask any more questions."
Mr. Fang is an obedient person and never asks questions that shouldn't be asked. He immediately ordered about thirty police officers and rushed to the Hongxiang Pavilion of Confucius Temple. When they got there, they saw that they were closed in the clear daylight! Neighbor Road
, Wu Fumao said that he had something urgent to do and closed early. When he asked about the time, it was shortly after Eunuch Guo left. Eunuch Guo stumbled: "How cunning! I've just caught the eye and frightened the snake."
Then he broke open the door of the shop and searched inside, but found nothing suspicious. However, a police officer asked: "Is the powder shop so profitable? This kind of gramophone is very valuable."
Another detective said: "My wife loves the items in this shop. She says they are good and cheap. There are not many items. When they are sold out, they will be taken down and she is not in a hurry to restock."
Another one said: "Since ancient times, good products are not cheap, and good products are not cheap."
After hearing this, Mr. Fang thought to himself: "Since the goods are good and cheap, how can this owner get so much spare money to buy a gramophone for playing?"
Eunuch Guo thought for a while and ordered the shop to be sealed, took away the gramophone, and drew pictures to arrest Wu Fumao.
About an hour later, a young eunuch went to see Concubine Shen and Chen Ruiwen, saying that Eunuch Guo had invited them. Concubine Shen was in Prince Wu's Mansion, so she arrived first. Before entering the house, she heard music coming from the house. Eunuch Guo hurriedly greeted them. After going out, he respectfully invited her to come in and sit at the top.
Concubine Shen immediately saw the gramophone placed on the desk and said with a smile: "My father-in-law still has such a favorite thing."
Eunuch Guo said: "This is a gift from the owner of a cosmetics shop outside. I don't want it, but he insisted on giving it to me."
Concubine Shen said: "I guess I want to ask my father-in-law to help facilitate business."
Eunuch Guo said, "Isn't it? How do you know how good the powder is?" He turned around and ordered his godson to bring two boxes of powder and put them in front of Concubine Shen. "Can you take a look at it, please?"
He was a confidant of King Wu, so Concubine Shen naturally had to give him face. So she picked up the lead powder and smelled it, and said in surprise: "Why is it the same as the one we used earlier?" She tried the rouge again and said decisively, "It's from that family. .Didn’t you say that the late prince sent someone to randomly buy it and pass it off as inferior? I think it’s quite good, not even half inferior.”
Eunuch Guo wondered: "Which family does he belong to? He is well-informed."
Concubine Shen shook her head and said, "These business people are smarter than a dog's nose."
Eunuch Guo looked at her expression carefully. He didn't seem to know anything about it, so he was relieved. "Since I think it's good for you, I can use theirs again in the future."
Concubine Shen said, "I don't know how other people are doing. I'm really good at it." Eunuch Guo nodded.
When Concubine Shen saw that Eunuch Guo only invited her here to look at makeup, she felt at ease and relaxed. But coincidentally, the room was silent for a moment, and the music from the gramophone suddenly entered her ears. Concubine Shen was startled: This music... this She had heard the song. Her expression changed, and she suddenly remembered an old incident from many years ago. Eunuch Guo looked at her and looked at her with joy, sadness, and sigh, but did not bother her. After a long time, Concubine Shen came back to her senses and apologized to Eunuch Guo. Eunuch Guo tried his best and said, "Your Majesty, it seems that you recognize this piece of music. Can you give me a lesson? I have never heard it before."
Concubine Shen sighed with emotion: "It feels like a lifetime ago."
"Oh?" Eunuch Guo thought for a moment, "Could it be a song from Shu?"
"That's not true." Concubine Shen thought for a while and said, "But I have actually heard of it in Chengdu."
Eunuch Guo laughed and said: "Isn't that just a song from Shu?"
Concubine Shen shook her head: "No. At that time, I lived in my master's villa. The neighbor next door lent the house to a few outsiders. One night I was sitting in the courtyard playing the piano, and someone sang loudly in the yard next door. The sound of the piano disturbed me. What the outsider sang... was really not very nice. Even so, I still remembered it." She smiled lightly, "I am born with a good memory. Especially the music."
Eunuch Guo suddenly had an idea in his mind and asked casually: "Where are the foreigners from?"
"From the capital."
"The Za family came from the capital of Wu with the prince. This song is not the capital style."
Concubine Shen said: "I heard that Mr. Lulin taught him how to urinate. I think he learned it from those people?"
Eunuch Guo asked curiously: "Does the empress know who the neighbor's guest is?"
"I know." Concubine Shen smiled and said, "He is very famous. He is Jia Cong, the regent of the Yan Kingdom."