Chapter 101: Master Nie Er is dead (two chapters combined into one)

Fortunately, a few days later, the guards received news and discovered new clues. The only inn in Zhaoting Town had once hosted four young guests, two men and two women.

So the guards marched towards Zhaoting Town in a mighty procession. Second Miss, you must not leave!

At this time in Liangdi, Nie also saw the official report.

The court report only stated that Zhao Tingxuan was not strict with his subordinates, and was reprimanded by the emperor, and was confined to his house and punished by kneeling.

Like most ladies in the imperial harem, Nie rarely read the court bulletin.

This time, it was a eunuch from Suining Palace who went to get medicine for Nie when he overheard two officials from the palace whispering. When he heard the two talking about the second young master and the palace bulletins, the eunuch told Nie about it after he came back. Nie was worried and asked someone to get all the latest palace bulletins. Only then did she know what had happened in the capital.

In fact, before this, all the prefectures in Liangdu had already read the official bulletin and learned what had happened through their relatives and friends in the capital.

However, Nie didn't know.

Mrs. Nie hasn't seen any guests for several months. She is a widow and is in mourning. Moreover, Zhao Yunnuan had already spread the word that she was ill and did not want anyone to disturb her.

Although Zhao Tingxuan would write a letter every seven days, he only reported good news and not bad news, let alone such an embarrassing matter. If Zhao Tingxuan didn't say it, Nie would not know.

What Nie saw in the official newspaper now was only that Zhao Tingxuan was punished. As for what happened with his failure to govern his subordinates strictly, the official newspaper did not elaborate.

Nie was extremely anxious, but she didn't think of asking Zhao Tingxuan himself. Instead, she asked someone to call Zhao Yunnuan over.

As soon as Zhao Yunnuan entered Suining Palace, Nie confronted her, "You are the eldest sister, and your brother has suffered so much injustice, yet you don't care. Do you still have any family affection?"

Zhao Yunnuan sneered, "Axuan was reprimanded by the emperor, and mother thinks it was because of me?"

Nie was stunned. She knew that even ten Zhao Yunnuans wouldn't be able to influence Emperor Yongjia, but she still said, "Isn't that right? If it weren't for you and that unlucky person interfering, why would Axuan go to the capital and suffer so much injustice for nothing?"

As Nie spoke, she began to sob again.

Her Axuan is so pitiful, she is so pitiful.

Zhao Yunnuan looked at her coldly. "Unlucky star?" Even now, she was still trying to throw dirty water on Qingqing!

"Axuan was reprimanded by His Majesty because your two nephews from your mother's side had low moral character and insulted the ancestors of Duke Weiguo. It was originally just a small matter that could be resolved with an apology, but your good brother claimed to be a royal relative and colluded with the censor to fabricate charges against the Duke Weiguo's mansion. He also took the initiative to report the matter to the emperor. The evidence is overwhelming, and His Majesty is very perceptive and has cleared the Duke Weiguo's mansion of all charges.

You should thank the Duke of Wei for not pursuing the matter for the sake of your relatives, otherwise you wouldn't have the leisure to lecture me now."

Nie was stunned. How could it be possible? The Nie family was noble, and his second cousin and two nephews were all well-read in the books of sages. How could what Zhao Yunnuan said be like this?

With a bang, Nie slammed the string of small-leaf red sandalwood in her hand onto the small table: "Stop talking nonsense! Do you know what you are talking about?

They are your uncle and your cousin, how dare you slander them like this?

Have you forgotten how the Nie family treated you since you were a child?

During every festival, there would be a special gift for you among the gifts sent by your maternal grandparents. Your marriage had not been settled yet, and your aunts were very anxious. They would write to you from time to time to show their concern for you. And that year, you injured your younger cousin, but your second uncle and his family did not hold it against you.

But what about you? What did you do?

Do you still have a conscience?"

Facing Nie's face that was both weak and strong, Zhao Yunnuan simply sat down and said to her, "They do send festival gifts every year. They send one cart, and the Liang Palace returns ten carts. They also do send me a separate gift every year. What is it?"

My cousin Qing’s fan has love poems written on it, every year, it makes me want to vomit!

Also, it is not my aunts’ turn to worry about my marriage, and they don’t need to push their sons, nephews and nieces over to me. I don’t like them!

As for the fact that I injured cousin Qing, mother, don’t you know about it?

Cousin Qing spoke rudely, shouldn’t he be beaten?

I broke two of his fingers, that’s the least of it. Next time, I’ll cripple his claws!

As for family affection and conscience, ever since your mother acquiesced to Nie Qionghua harming your father's flesh and blood, you are no longer worthy of mentioning these words."

After saying this, Zhao Yunnuan stood up, kicked over the small table in front of Nie, and walked away.

Looking at her back, Nie covered her chest and cried like a tearful person.

She thought about it, picked up her pen and wrote a letter to Concubine Qiao...

Zhao Yunnuan walked out of Suining Palace and suddenly turned back, looking at this palace where she had come and gone with hope and disappointment since she was a child. She made up her mind that Nie Er must die!

......

Capital city.

Master Nie Er died. He had a fight with a patron and died in the boudoir of the famous courtesan Liu Ruyan.

The case occurred in the capital and should have been handled by Jingzhao Prefecture, but the deceased was the uncle of King Liang, so the case was taken over by the Ministry of Justice.

The one who came to investigate the case was Hero Yan.

However, this is indeed a coincidence. The Ministry of Justice has an unwritten rule that all matters involving the powerful and wealthy will be handled by Master Yan. As for the reason, of course, it is because his father is a very powerful figure.

Moreover, although Yan Xia is a vindictive person, he never drags his feet and always takes revenge in person.

Since Emperor Yongjia has already dealt with the feud between him and the Nie brothers, for Hero Yan, this matter is over.

However, this case is very simple. Whether it is the testimony of witnesses or the results of the autopsy, they all confirmed that it was Master Nie Er who started the fight first, and both sides fought each other. Even the murder weapon belonged to Master Nie Er himself.

Liu Ruyan is known as the third most talented woman in the capital. Although her popularity is not as great as the first two, Bai Huanqing and Lu Pinpin, she has also attracted countless talented men.

Among Liu Ruyan's many close friends, Master Nie Er couldn't even rank in the top 20. Without Liu Ruyan's invitation, he couldn't even meet her, let alone have sex with her.

In other words, his identity as the cheap uncle of King Liang ranked after twenty among Liu Ruyan's many patrons.

On the day of the incident, Master Nie Er suddenly came and rushed straight to Liu Ruyan's boudoir. The eunuch tried to stop him, but Master Nie Er said that it was Liu Ruyan who invited him.

The eunuch couldn't stop him, but there was already a guest in Liu Ruyan's room, so Master Nie Er just broke in.

So Master Nie Er saw that his goddess was doing something with another man that he wanted to do but couldn't do.

The man was younger, more handsome, and seemed richer and more powerful than him.

Without saying a word, Master Nie Er pulled out a dagger and stabbed the man.

The man was caught off guard and was stabbed in the butt by Master Nie Er.

The man was furious and punched Master Nie Er. Master Nie Er seemed to feel no pain and continued to stab with the dagger. But this time the man was prepared. He grabbed Master Nie Er's wrist, turned his hand along with the dagger in his hand, and stabbed it into Master Nie Er's throat!

During the autopsy, the coroner found out that Mr. Nie Er had taken Wu Shi San before coming here!

Gui Nu and Liu Ruyan also testified that when Master Nie came in, his face was flushed and he was sweating profusely. It was clearly winter, but he opened his clothes and exposed his chest, which was consistent with the symptoms of taking Wu Shi San.

As early as the reign of Emperor Taizu, Wu Shi San was a banned drug. However, since the retired emperor began to cultivate immortality, Wu Shi San reappeared. Because Wu Shi San was expensive, ordinary people could not afford it and it was not available to the public. Anyone who took Wu Shi San was either rich or noble. Therefore, the government turned a blind eye and did not investigate or do anything.

Yan Xia sent people to the Prince of Liang's Mansion to inquire. The people in the Prince of Liang's Mansion said that they did not know that Master Nie had the habit of taking Wu Shi San. However, he often went out to participate in poetry and literary gatherings, so it was unknown whether he got the medicine from there.

The origin of the dagger used as the murder weapon was also found. It was an antique from the largest antique shop in the capital.

The shopkeeper remembered very clearly that this dagger was bought by Master Nie Er three days ago. The asking price was fifty taels. Master Nie Er brought out Prince Liang, and the shopkeeper gave him a discount and sold the dagger to him for thirty taels.

The patron who had a fight with Master Nie Er also had an extraordinary background. He was the famous Prince Zhu Yu of Marquis Baoqing.

This prince of Baoqing was the one who lost a street, later opened the Jinbao gambling house, and made the twelve-year-old Xiao Yue lose all his belongings.

If we were to choose the playboy with the worst reputation, the prince of Baoqing would claim to be second, and no one in the capital would dare to claim to be first.

His reputation was so bad that even Emperor Yongjia knew about it. When Censor Jin was at the peak of his popularity, Emperor Yongjia almost stripped him of his title as Crown Prince.

In order to secure the crown prince's position for his son, Marquis Baoqing broke one of his legs with tears in his eyes, and Emperor Yongjia did not pursue the matter any further.

He stayed in bed for more than two months. After his leg injury healed, he continued to live a carefree life. The huge capital city was no longer enough for him to enjoy himself, so he went to Ding'an Prefecture to play for more than ten days. He was not used to the climate there and got a sore throat.

So today, as soon as he returned to the capital, without even going home, he came to Liu Ruyan to relieve his sexual desire. Unexpectedly, before he could finish relieving himself, he became a murderer for some unknown reason.

The prince of Baoqing Marquis was dissatisfied, the Marquis of Baoqing was dissatisfied, and the old lady of the Marquis of Baoqing’s mansion was even more dissatisfied.

In fact, the old lady has several grandchildren, but the one she loves the most is Zhu Yu. Now when she heard that Yan Xia had taken Zhu Yu to the Ministry of Justice, the old lady went into the palace to see Concubine Li without saying a word.

The old lady of the Baoqing Marquisate and Concubine Li are sisters from the same clan.

It’s just that the two of them had different backgrounds. The old lady came from a bodhisattva’s house, while she was a lady from a bodhisattva’s house, a noble lady in the capital.

However, Concubine Li's father did not hold a high official position and was not in the capital. Therefore, although they were sisters from the same clan, they did not know each other.

It was not until later that Concubine Li came to the capital to participate in the selection and lived in the Earl's Mansion that the two met for the first time.

Later, one of them entered the palace and the other married into the Baoqing Marquis's Mansion.

For their own interests, although separated by a palace wall, their relationship is closer than when they were girls.

Therefore, when she learned that Zhu Yu had gotten into trouble and that the person who died was Liang Wang's adopted uncle, Concubine Li smiled and said, "It's just a small matter. I'll tell the emperor and he won't let Yu'er get into trouble."

The old lady of Marquis Baoqing left contentedly, and Concubine Li did not break her promise. When Emperor Yongjia came to pay her respects, she told him about this matter.

Upon hearing that Zhu Yu was causing trouble again, Emperor Yongjia frowned. This Zhu Yu was never quiet. He was either causing trouble or on the way to causing trouble.

However, compared with Zhu Yu, it was actually Concubine Li who made Emperor Yongjia more angry.

Over the years, because of Concubine Li, he has lost count of how many times he has cleaned up the mess for the Baoqing Marquis's Mansion. However, the Baoqing Marquis and his son have not repented, but have become even worse.

Seeing that Emperor Yongjia looked unhappy, Concubine Li wiped away her tears and said, "My sister loves Ah Yu the most. Ah Yu was in poor health when she was born, and the imperial physicians were helpless. My sister finally found a folk remedy, but it required human blood as a medicine. Without hesitation, my sister used her own blood as a medicine for Ah Yu.

If anything happens to A Yu, my sister will definitely not be able to bear it.

I'm not doing this for Yu, I'm doing this for my sister!"

Concubine Li cried more and more sadly. Emperor Yongjia had no choice but to say, "Don't worry, mother. I will have the Ministry of Justice conduct a thorough investigation. As long as that person truly deserves death, I will not pursue the matter further."

Concubine Li was secretly delighted. The emperor meant that as long as the person deserved to die, the emperor would not convict Zhu Yu regardless of whether the person was killed by Zhu Yu or not.

Concubine Li breathed a sigh of relief. That Zhu Yu was really too naughty.

Disgust flashed in Concubine Li's eyes. She had hated Zhu Yu since she was a child.

She had never seen a child more naughty and annoying than Zhu Yu.

When Zhu Yu was five years old, he killed his wet nurse's daughter just because he saw the wet nurse holding his own daughter, which made him very angry. In his opinion, the wet nurse belonged to him alone and the wet nurse could not hold other children, even if that was the wet nurse's own daughter, she should still die.

When Zhu Yu was eight years old, he followed the old lady of Baoqing Hou into the palace and killed a cat raised by Concubine Li.

When Zhu Yu was eleven years old, he raped and killed his eight-year-old half-sister. The following year at the Lantern Festival, he abducted a seven-year-old girl, raped her on the Wangyue Tower, strangled her to death and threw her down.

The father of the young girl was a minor official of the seventh rank. The matter was later brought to the imperial court. Concubine Li asked the emperor to suppress it and promoted the father of the young girl twice. The Baoqing Marquisate also gave him 5,000 taels of hush money. The father of the young girl changed his story and said that his daughter was naughty and fell to her death from the Wangyue Tower.

Less than three months after this incident, Zhu Yu returned to his old ways and attacked his cousin. Fortunately, someone saw them and the little girl escaped.

Later, Zhu Yu was surrounded by servants...

Later, when Zhu Yu grew up, he learned how to gamble, so Marquis Baoqing simply bought a gambling house for him to play in.

He set a trap to cheat Xiao Yue of his money, and the matter became known to all. Although Xiao Yue was a piece of shit, he was from the Princess's Mansion after all. When Emperor Yongjia heard about it, he called Marquis Baoqing over and scolded him, and asked him to control his son.

Zhu Yu finally got away from it for a while, but not long after, he was involved in another murder case.

Concubine Li gritted her teeth and poked her palm with her fingers wearing red gold nail covers. If it weren't for the incident that year where the old lady of Marquis Baoqing had a handle on her, she would not have bothered to care about the mess in Marquis Baoqing's mansion, which made her lose face in front of Emperor Yongjia time and time again.

This Zhu Yu is a disaster. Is God blind? Why doesn't he come and take him away?