Chapter 177

In the prison of the Ministry of Justice, the Sixth Prince's worldview was slowly collapsing.

Inside the Purple Palace, Emperor Chongzhao had a fresh confession in his hand.

Eunuch Yu said carefully, "After Concubine Lan got into trouble, all the maids and eunuchs around her were arrested and interrogated. This is the confession of Lian Zhu, the chief maid around Concubine Lan."

Lian Zhu has been with Lanpin for many years and is loyal to her. He doesn't know everything Lanpin has done over the years, but he knows about 60 to 70 percent of it.

Many dirty and evil things happened through Lian Zhu's hands.

Emperor Chongzhao looked at the confession.

Lian Zhu explained how the Seventh Prince had a high fever in Ju'an Palace and drank the medicine sent by the Imperial Hospital, but his condition did not improve but became worse.

An overdose nearly killed a child.

Not only that, but when the Seventh Prince recovered from his illness, the concubines in various palaces vied for the right of custody. She instigated Concubine Chu to use the Wangye Fruit on the Seventh Prince, making him addicted, and inducing the Seventh Prince to choose her as his adoptive mother.

In addition, there are some minor evil deeds and curses that are often said in Xiuxiang Palace.

It was not until the Seventh Prince was adopted by Concubine Xuan and had been ill ever since that she stopped taking action.

Emperor Chongzhao said angrily: "Poisonous woman...poisonous woman!"

"Beheading her is too easy. I want her to die in pain!"

Lanpin's actions angered Emperor Chongzhao, and her name was crossed out from the list of people to be beheaded, and she was instead sentenced to poison.

Of course there are poisons that can make life worse than death.

After receiving the order, Wen Xiaochun entered the secret room of the East Factory.

This was his second time coming in. The first time was when he had just become the factory manager. He needed to familiarize himself with the hidden places in the factory, so he did not look carefully.

This time he was ordered to execute Concubine Lan, and he had to choose the poison himself.

There are many poisons in the Dark Chamber, but there is only one that can make people live a life worse than death when the poison takes effect.

Half is a slow poison, and half is a fast poison.

The execution date was approaching, so the natural choice for Lanpin was a quick-acting poison.

No one had cleaned here for some time, so there was some dust on the shelves. Wen Xiaochun picked out the poison and his eyes inadvertently fell on the top layer.

In the slow poison column, one type seems to be missing.

Wen Xiaochun paused and looked at it carefully.

A slow poison is one that destroys tendons and bones. On the withdrawal record hanging below, it is written which bottle was withdrawn in which month and year, and for whom, and how much was left.

There are six bottles left, but only five are on the shelf.

There is no record of who it was used for.

Wen Xiaochun turned to another page of withdrawal records. On a blank page, seven small words were written in the upper left corner: Lingbei, Beihedao, Sanchuan.

The ink color is newer than the previous ones.

Only the factory manager can enter this place, and the ink marks should have been left by Cui Rong.

Wen Xiaochun flipped to the front and saw the introduction of "Broken Bones and Tendons". When he scanned the last line, the words "Broken Meridians" came into his sight and his pupils suddenly contracted.

The diagnosis of His Highness's physical condition once again came to mind.

His fingertips were cold.

a long time.

Wen Xiaochun finally regained his thoughts, but his whole body became even colder. Only His Majesty could use Cui Rong. If this was really what he thought, then His Highness' current condition was not caused by His Majesty's instructions?

No……

He looked at the seven words "Lingbei, Beihedao, Sanchuan" on the last page again. This was a place name.

Although Cui Rong was old and had no role in the following years, he was not a fool. He must have had his reasons for leaving these words behind.

Wen Xiaochun restored everything to its original state and walked out quickly.

When he arrived at the central hall, he met Chen Jian. Chen Jian was shocked by his frosty face and asked, "Factory Master?"

Wen Xiaochun gave the selected poison to Chen Jian: "You can hand over the poison that His Majesty gave to Concubine Lan to the Fifth Prince to supervise the execution. I am leaving the capital."

Chen Jian thought for a moment: "Going to the border?"

The guards from the East Factory who were sent out before are now at the border.

"Don't ask questions you shouldn't ask."

Wen Xiaochun handed over the affairs of the East Factory to Chen Jian and his two confidants, selected the accompanying personnel, and left the capital on horseback that same day.

-

The next two days.

The fifth prince supervised the execution and the entire Li family was executed for treason during the war.

At that time, the Shu family embezzled disaster relief grain, and the eldest prince could still be used as an official to atone for the crime. However, the laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty stipulated that official positions were useless for treason.

The Sixth Prince was in prison, watching his grandfather's family being dragged out, and watching Concubine Lan being forcibly taken to another separate closed cell and fed poison.

The fifth prince chose a cell that was not soundproof. He could clearly hear Concubine Lan's screams when the poison took effect.

The Sixth Prince was still crying at first, but gradually, as Concubine Lan's voice became weaker, his voice became hoarse and he could not make any sound.

His face was covered with tears, his hair was disheveled, and his expression was dull.

The fifth prince came out of the execution cell and watched Lanpin's body being carried out, covered with a white cloth.

He asked the Sixth Prince: "Sixth brother, do you want to see Concubine Lan for the last time?"

The stretcher was brought over and closer to the cage.

The Sixth Prince lowered his head, his fingers trembling, and reached out to the outside of the prison. The Fifth Prince frowned slightly, looked at his condition, and thought of Concubine Lan's horrible death, and suddenly slapped the Sixth Prince's hand away.

He said coldly: "Forget it."

The fifth prince ordered the jailer: "Just take him away."

The Sixth Prince said in a hoarse voice: "...Why, regret."

The Fifth Prince: "I don't want to see the tragic drama between you two."

He turned away, and the Sixth Prince sat alone in the prison. From morning till evening, he did not eat or drink, and did not move at all.

When it was dark, Eunuch Yu came to convey the order.

He read out the imperial edict, "The entire Li family shall be executed. The Sixth Prince committed treason. Although he was instigated by Concubine Lan and the Li family, he cannot be condoned. In particular, the Sixth Prince is deposed, demoted to a commoner, and exiled to Zhennan Pass, with agricultural labor for 20 years. He is not allowed to return to the capital during this period. This is my decree."

The Sixth Prince knelt on the ground, his messy hair hiding the expression on his face.

Eunuch Yu called him three or four times before he kowtowed and said the same words as he did when he received the imperial edict.

"I accept your order. Thank you."

-

The Fifth Prince’s Mansion.

The fifth prince lit three incense sticks in the small shrine.

Next to the ancestral hall stands a jade scorpion with gold eyes, which looks somewhat evil in the curling green smoke.

The fifth prince knelt on the futon and watched quietly: "Mother, Concubine Lan is dead. I have avenged you."

"It's just that it's not over yet, but I don't know whether I should continue."

Even though Concubine Lan was the murderer, the one who assisted the tyrant and chose to suppress the crime despite knowing that there was a hidden truth was the one sitting high in the throne.

He didn't want him to have an easy time.

I don't want him to be chosen as the crown prince smoothly and die without any regrets.

But if we continue like this, it will shake the country.

He didn't know whether to go down.

-

The Sixth Prince returned to his residence with the imperial edict.

Naturally, all the concubines in the mansion dispersed. Those who had anything to do with him were imprisoned or interrogated. The mansion was empty, and he was the only one left.

He walked around the house.

The night was cold and withered leaves scattered about.

He turned on the bedroom light, but did not stay in the room, nor did he pack up to go to Zhennanguan to farm. Instead, he sat on the steps outside the house.

The imperial edict was placed aside.

He was in a daze and had no idea what to do. He didn't think about the fact that it was so cold and he hadn't eaten for a long time. Staying outside all night could freeze him to death.

Until two footsteps sounded, getting closer and closer, and stopped beside him.

The Sixth Prince saw a familiar piece of fox fur coat.

He was stunned for a moment, then raised his eyes. His seventh brother was still blindfolded with black silk. Eunuch Xiaoyuan supported him and led the way: "Your Highness, the Sixth Prince is sitting here."

Qu Watanabe: "Banban, go wait outside the archway. I want to talk to Brother Liu."

Ye Xiaoyuan nodded: "Call me if you need anything."

After he left, the Sixth Prince spoke in a hoarse voice: "Xiao Qi, why are you here?"

Everyone should know that his mother framed Xiao Qi, and Xiao Qi must have heard about it. After two vicious frame-ups, shouldn't Xiao Qi completely sever his brotherly relationship with him?

Or maybe he came here just to put an end to it...

Qu Dubian took something out of his pocket and handed it to him: "I'll give you a scallion pancake."

Wrapped in oil paper, it emits heat in the winter.

The Sixth Prince's eyes suddenly became wet and did not move for a long time.

Qu Watanabe: "Sixth brother, are you here?"

The Sixth Prince: “Here, here,” he quickly took the pancake and untied the oil paper that wrapped it.

It was obviously easy to untie, but he tried several times before he saw the steaming hot pancake inside. He didn't mind the heat and took a big bite.

The pancakes are toasted to a crispy aroma, and filled with meat, fried eggs and sausage slices.

The Sixth Prince, however, could not taste the fragrance. He took a bite, swallowed it whole, and then stopped eating, holding the cake and crying loudly.

He cried his heart out, and a piece of pancake released the horrible and repressed emotions that had accumulated rapidly in a short period of time and were about to overwhelm his spirit.

The heart-wrenching cry seemed a little scary in the empty house.

Qu Dubian stepped onto the steps and sat down quietly beside the Sixth Prince.

The Sixth Prince kept crying and shaking all over, and finally he couldn't breathe. Qu Dubian touched him twice, found the position of his mouth and nose on the bean man's face, and covered his mouth and nose with a handkerchief to form a small enclosed space.

The Sixth Prince took a breath for a while before he felt better.

Respiratory alkali poisoning can be relieved by breathing oxygen containing carbon dioxide.

His face was covered with tears and snot, and Qu Watanabe didn't take the handkerchief back, so he gave it to him.

The Sixth Prince wiped his face with a handkerchief and his voice became even hoarser, like that of an old man.

"Xiao Qi, don't you blame me?"

Qu Watanabe: "Your mother did evil, why should I blame you? Even if the son has to pay for the mother's debt, you have already paid it back."

“…Returned it?”

"The Xiang River was flooded, and you and my mother were trapped on the top of the mountain where Concubine Zhou was buried. There were falling rocks on the mountain, and you helped Empress Xuan block them."

The Sixth Prince's slow brain froze for a long time before he realized, "You knew it a long time ago?"

Qu Watanabe: "Well, it seems... I knew it when I was thirteen."

"Lanpin is Lanpin, and Sixth Brother is Sixth Brother."

The Sixth Prince was about to cry or not. He turned his head away and took a deep breath.

He buried his head in eating the cake, and after eating half of it, he said, "When Fifth Brother took out the letter in the court, I couldn't believe it. Later, my grandfather and I were imprisoned, and my mother was also imprisoned. I almost hated him to death."

"When he took my mother to the Ministry of Justice, I wanted to peel off his skin and bite his flesh."

"But when I found out that it was my mother who killed Concubine Rong, I suddenly didn't know what to do."

How could he hate? He couldn't.

After so many years, he always believed that it was he and his mother who helped the fifth brother, allowing him to gain a foothold in the court and have a job, otherwise his father would not have seen him at all.

Unexpectedly, Lao Wu was not an ungrateful person, he and his mother were the murderers.

The verdict in the court was Lao Wu’s revenge.

"My mother is dead, and my maternal family is all gone. It's all because of me, because of me..." The Sixth Prince whispered, "In fact, I am the one who deserves to die the most."

Qu Watanabe: "The matter between you and Fifth Brother has been settled. From now on, Fifth Brother will not target you anymore. You should not indulge in it and should slowly come out of it. Sixth Brother, after leaving the capital and staying away from the quagmire, you may live a better life."

The Sixth Prince shook his head: "There are many things I don't understand."

"One day you'll understand."

Under the indulgence and protection of Lanpin and the fifth brother, the sixth brother seemed to have never grown up. He was naive, stupid, and had a natural disdain and indifference towards those below him.

He enjoyed the convenience brought by his grandfather and power, protected those he approved of, and bullied those he disliked.

In the end, he also bore the consequences of all the evil deeds committed by his mother's clan in their struggle for power.

After the Sixth Prince finished the last bite of cake, he seemed to feel a little warmer.

He turned his head to look at his brother, his eyes fell on the black silk, and said self-deprecatingly: "I am obviously the older brother, but it seems that I have always been taken care of and indulged by you."

The time he blocked the stone for Concubine Xuan was nothing.

Despite Xiao Qi's physical condition, he still braved the night and the cold air to bring him the scallion pancake.

Drinking and singing about a good harvest, a good harvest is indeed cause for joy. When he was given a name, his father selected a few characters and asked his mother to choose. His mother chose the character "Feng", hoping that he would be rich and happy throughout his life, without worries.

For nearly twenty years, he seemed to have been living in a dream without worries. One day, he woke up with a sudden realization.

The Sixth Prince: "I'm sorry."

It took a long time to say this, and I don’t know who I was speaking to.

Qu Dubian stayed with him until late at night.

The Sixth Prince couldn't hold on and fainted.

Qu Dubian and Ye Xiaoyuan dragged him into the bedroom, and called a reliable servant from the mansion to take care of him and help him pack his things.

When the Sixth Prince left the capital, the Ministry of Justice sent people to escort him and prevent anyone from visiting him or taking any gold, silver, treasures, or banknotes with him.

He was wearing an ordinary cotton-padded jacket, a few pieces of silver and copper coins, without a single piece of fancy decoration on his body, and his heart was like a dead tree.

He was clothed in rich clothes when he was young, but grew up to be a poor man.

The Sixth Prince walked out of this prosperous city.

-

After the incident with the Sixth Prince, the capital city briefly calmed down.

Qu Dubian also went to the Fifth Prince's Mansion.

After taking revenge, the Fifth Prince claimed to be sick and stayed at home. Qu Dubian thought it was fake, but as soon as he entered the Fifth Prince's bedroom, he smelled a strong smell of medicine.

The fifth prince is really sick.

The hatred that had been hidden for ten years dissipated in an instant, and my body couldn't hold on.

He leaned against the bed and coughed twice: "It's hard for you to run back and forth between Sixth Brother and me."

Qu Dubian sat on the bedside and said, "It's not difficult at all. I'm the good guy on both sides."

The fifth prince laughed.

"Xiao Qi, let me ask you, is the rumor in the capital true? You were assassinated."

Qu Watanabe: "It's just a rumor. Fifth brother, the relationship between you and Sixth brother has come to an end. You should take a good rest and stop thinking about it."

Now that you have left the vortex of hatred, don't enter other undercurrents.

"Yes," Ye Xiaoyuan put down a box of calming incense, "Your Highness brought you this incense, lighting it will help you sleep."

"People should live for themselves."

Qu Watanabe was always worried that the fifth brother would do something stupid without the support of hatred. After all, let alone the book, there are many such examples in real life.

The Fifth Prince: "I know everything."

He and the second brother were on guard against each other, but at the current critical moment, it was better to avoid trouble than to worry about it. He kept silent from then on, and the second brother would never bother with him anymore.

As Qu Dubian spoke, he kept smiling, even though he knew Xiao Qi couldn't see now.

After he left, the Fifth Prince dismissed the servant who brought him food and lay down on the bed.

He opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling for a long time before he quietly took out a small box from the secret compartment under his pillow.

In the small box was a hairpin of Concubine Rong and a small golden pig pendant.

The hairpin is a bit old, but the little golden pig is still golden and cute.

What supports him besides hatred is also true love.

-

Another day passed.

Tang Yisu quietly left the capital. Not long after he left, someone went to the house where he had lived before and took away his things.

The Seventh Prince’s Mansion.

B12: "Before taking it away, our people made a copy in shorthand. Your Highness, please take a look."

He handed over a sheaf of shorthand notes.

Qu Dubian flipped through a few of them.

Yi Shier was worried at first that he couldn't see, but later Qu Watanabe confirmed that although he couldn't see some things around him clearly, after he could see the words, he didn't insist on reading to him.

"He came to the capital not only to deliver the documents, but also secretly escorted Liu Jianzheng all the way to the capital."

Qu Watanabe: "Mainly delivering documents."

The general military commander in charge of transporting grain at that time was the fifth brother, and this document had nine pages in total, all of which recorded the grain that the fifth prince secretly "embezzled" when he was in charge of transporting grain.

The method is very familiar.

But it's fake.

If he guessed correctly, this was something that the second brother had prepared in advance to guard against the fifth brother.

If the fifth brother stabbed the sixth brother in the back and dragged the second brother into trouble in the court, the second brother would definitely turn this fake document into a real one.

Tang Yisu, who was hiding in the capital, would appear in the court like Liu Jianzheng and accuse the fifth prince of his evil deeds on behalf of the wartime soldiers.

Maybe they would even say that the Fifth Prince and the Sixth Prince were in cahoots with each other, one embezzled food and the other collected money, and they made money from both.

By then, the Sixth Prince's party will definitely drag the stabbed Fifth Prince into the water and drown together with him.

But the fifth brother did not involve the second brother, so the documents that the second brother prepared in advance were not used.

It is not known whether it is not used for the time being or will never be used.

This document completely proves that Tang Yisu is the second brother's man.

Qu Watanabe remained silent.

"Also," Yi Twelve continued, "the Dark Web found someone who looks like Cui Rong's daughter in the north of the mountain range. The people from the East Factory have already set off to the north. I don't know if they are heading that way."

"The leader is Xiaochun?"

"Um."

Qu Watanabe: "How did they find Cui Rong?"

Could it be that Cui Rong passed the message to the Eastern Depot?

That's impossible. Cui Rong is an old fox. The East Factory is controlled by the new Lord, and there may be spies from other forces. Even if he is still alive now, wouldn't he expose himself if he sent a message to the East Factory?

Or maybe it was reserved early in the morning?

B12: "Your Highness, what should we do next?"

Qu Dubian held the document in his hand and said, "Follow Tang Yisu, listen to my orders, and be ready to arrest people at any time."

-

North of the mountains.

In a small courtyard in the mountains.

It took the eldest prince many days to receive the news that the sixth prince was demoted to a commoner and sent to Zhennan Pass to farm for twenty years.

"Treason, this is what he deserved," he said, still sighing, "The second brother won, who else can be the crown prince now but him."

Shu Wenxin said: "If His Majesty has not yet decided to appoint a crown prince, he should have promoted the fourth or fifth prince."

The eldest prince: "Originally I thought that the seventh brother would have a chance."

Shu Wenxin: "Yes."

They had just talked a few words in the yard when there was a knock on the door.

The eldest prince thought that the soldiers under his command were looking for trouble with him, so he shouted, "They are coming."

"etc."

Shu Wenxin was a little wary: "It shouldn't be someone I know."

The knocks on the door were polite, while those who were familiar with them would just knock on the door directly.

The eldest prince paused and walked to the door: "Who?"

"Dongchang, I have something to ask you."

Hearing the word "East Factory", the eldest prince's heart turned cold, "Wait a moment."

He looked back at Shu Wenxin, who immediately ran back into the house and hid the two children.

After hiding, Shu Wenxin came back.

The eldest prince winked at him, but she didn't leave.

Obviously they all thought of the same thing. The East Factory suddenly appeared here. Could it be that the crown prince has already been decided, and the emperor sent the East Factory to kill them to pave the way for the new emperor?

Or maybe something went wrong in the capital, and they were dragged into it, and had to die?

The eldest prince took a deep breath and opened the door.

Wen Xiaochun said politely: "Hello, young master."

"Excuse me, I'm the new head of the East Factory. My last name is Wen, and my name is Wen Xiaochun."

The eldest prince: "I know, what are you doing here?"

Wen Xiaochun: "I was ordered to investigate a case and found it in Lingbei. I thought that the eldest master was familiar with this place. I wonder if you can help me find someone?"

Seeing that he had no ill intentions and was not here to kill or cause trouble, the eldest prince finally let go of the anger he had been holding.

"Where to go, who to look for?"

Wen Xiaochun: "Beihedao, Sanchuan." But he didn't say who he was looking for.

The eldest prince thought for a long time before saying, "The place you mentioned is really remote. It will take you half a month to find it. I have been there with my team during patrols, so I can take you there."

Wen Xiaochun: "Thank you, Master."

He kept calling me "Grand Young Master" and it felt awkward to call me "Grand Prince". "You should just call me by my name."

"Yes, Master Cang."

“…”

The eldest prince stopped talking. Seeing that Wen Xiaochun and the team of East Factory guards behind him had no intention of resting, he went out and took them to Beihedao and Sanchuan.

Sanchuan is the name of a mountain.

It is particularly difficult to find in the corners, and there are hidden ditches and hunting traps around it.

They searched around the mountain before finding a slightly shabby thatched house.

Wen Xiaochun pushed the door open and walked in. A little girl about six years old in the yard screamed and ran into the house: "Uncle! Uncle! So many people are here!"

An old man who looked like a butler came out of the house holding an axe, protecting the little girl behind him, "Who!"

Wen Xiaochun had met Cui Rong's adopted daughter once. The little girl behind the old man was Cui Rong's adopted daughter Hu Hu.

"I wonder if Mr. Cui is here?"

The old man said coldly: "He is dead!"

Wen Xiaochun's eyes flashed with a stern look: "Dead?"

Hu Hu poked his head out, nodded, and whispered, "Daddy was chopped by the bad guys. He bled a lot and is sleeping in a big box now."

The old housekeeper took them to take a look at the back of the house.

There is a grave with the words "Tomb of Cui Lang" written on it, but no name is written on it for fear of attracting enemies.

Wen Xiaochun remained silent and bowed three times in front of the grave to thank Cui Rong for his support.

The old housekeeper said: "Since the old factory owner and you are acquainted, please don't disturb his peace."

"I'm really sorry," Wen Xiaochun said, "I came here to investigate the information that Cui Changgong left on the poison rack in the East Factory, but I didn't expect that he was already dead."

The old housekeeper's eyes flashed, but he said nothing.

Hu Hu behind him scratched his head: "Huh? Poison?"

The old housekeeper covered her mouth.

Wen Xiaochun narrowed his eyes and raised his hand.

The factory guards immediately pulled the old housekeeper away and covered his mouth. Hu Hu stood there at a loss, wanting to cry but not being able to.

Wen Xiaochun squatted down and said gently, "Don't you remember me? I looked for your father and gave you candy."

"Uncle asks you a question," he took out a few candies from his arms, "If you answer correctly, you will get all the candies. If you answer incorrectly, there will be none."

Hu Hu said, "Don't catch uncle."

Wen Xiaochun: "You answered all the questions correctly. Not only did I let your uncle go, I also gave him candy."

Only then did Hu Hu nod.

"Have you ever heard of 'poison'?"

Hu Hu: "It's a story my father told me at Shanming Pass."

"What's the story?"

“Hmm…” Hu Hu thought for a moment, “He’s a big brother who’s very good at fighting and a very kind person. Some bad guys didn’t want him to be so powerful, so they made him drink a poison that would cause a lot of pain after drinking it.”

"I even asked my father, my elder brother is a little bit stupid, why did the bad guy let him drink? My father told me that the bad guy used the name of the saint."

"But I don't know who the saint is... Uncle, do you know?"

She asked the question simply, and Wen Xiaochun's hands and feet became stiff and cold.

It breaks my bones.

How painful it must be.