Chapter 15 Secret

Even though Qian Deng had been intelligent since childhood, he had never seen such twists and turns in officialdom. He nodded, thought for a moment, and then asked, "But Mingjiu's status is special. After all, he is a Huihe prince, and he helped the Tang Dynasty quell the rebellion. The court must treat him with courtesy. How can we interrogate him?"

"So it is difficult, but this difficulty can be passed on to others." As he said this, Cui Fufeng glanced at Ling Tianshui who was standing still like a mountain beside him.

Ling Tianshui wouldn't answer his question. "If that's the case, then the bigger the commotion, the better. As the Junior Official of the Dali Temple, you should be able to ask for permission from the Emperor and Empress, right?"

Cui Fufeng saw the rejection in his eyes, smiled, and said, "Okay, I'll go write the memorial right away."

He was now as familiar with the palace as if he were at home. He walked to the inner room of the study, sat down, ground ink, picked up the brush and finished the work in one go.

Qiandeng outside was looking at Ling Tianshui, and he obviously knew what Cui Fufeng meant by the look he had just given him.

She leaned closer to Ling Tianshui and asked softly, "Have Lord Ling and Prince Mingjiu ever dated before?"

"Yes," Ling Tianshui said without hesitation, "The Shuofang Army and the Huihe Army fought several battles together. When he was surrounded, I happened to help him fight off an ambush."

"I see... Then why did he say he didn't know you?"

"He boasted every day that he was the most powerful eagle on the grassland, but that time he was trapped and embarrassed him for the rest of his life. After I rescued him, he begged me not to tell anyone and naturally didn't want to admit that he owed me a favor."

Seeing that he explained it very naturally, and thinking about Mingjiu's awkward look, Qiandeng couldn't help but believe it about 70%.

Thinking back to how Ming Jiu chased Xiao Fuyu and cursed Princess Gao after seeing Ling Tianshui, she asked again, "Then why did he curse Princess Gao after seeing you?"

"I saved him and won the battle. I could have been promoted, but for his sake, I didn't report this great achievement. And since he owes me such a big favor, he naturally has to repay it." Ling Tianshui answered logically, "So, seeing that I'm also a contender for the County Lady's husband, and knowing that it's his turn to repay, the County Lady wonders if he'll be at a loss as to what to do, and perhaps get so angry that he'll go and scold Princess Gao for putting him in this dilemma?"

It made sense, Qiandeng nodded: "Yes."

However, she always felt that Mingjiu's fear of him was not just because he owed him a favor.

After thinking for a while, another thing came to her mind: "What was written on the paper you asked Cui Fufeng to bring me at Jianfu Temple?"

After she handed it over to the Queen, the situation immediately reversed.

Because of that thin piece of paper, the queen, who had originally been too lazy to deal with the dispute between Princess Gao and herself, changed her position and made the decision for her.

This thing must be very important, but how could Ling Tianshui, a mere official of the Northern Yamen Imperial Guard who had just arrived in Chang'an from the northwest, get a glimpse into the royal secrets and thus win the opportunity to reveal the truth in public?

Seeing her propping up her cheek, her eyes fixed on him without blinking, full of inquiry, Ling Tianshui asked, "What do you think Her Majesty the Queen is most concerned about?"

Qian Deng said without hesitation: "Your Highness the Crown Prince."

"When the prince was just born, he encountered a disaster and almost died."

Although Qiandeng was on good terms with the prince, he was unaware of this and his eyes widened in shock.

While they were talking for a while, Cui Fufeng had already prepared the memorial and sent it to the palace.

He was clearly familiar with the matter and said, "I've heard some rumors. One day, when the Crown Prince was less than a month old, his hands and feet suddenly began to twitch, and his lips turned black and purple. It looked like he was dying. The Empress, still the Crown Prince's Consort at the time, immediately summoned the imperial physician to examine him. They discovered a small hole on the back of the child's neck, surrounded by a circle of black blood, as if from a poisonous insect bite."

Qiandeng never expected that the prince would have such an experience when he was young, and his heart suddenly tightened.

"At the time, the little prince was already weakening. The imperial physicians believed his chances of survival were slim, and the palace maids and nurses also thought the queen would give up. However, she refused to believe it. She personally sucked out the poison from the back of the child's neck, and then held the dying little prince against her heart to keep him warm, refusing to let go day or night. Perhaps it was God's mercy that the little prince finally regained consciousness four days later, saving his life. After careful care, he gradually recovered to the healthy state he is today."

After rescuing the child, the queen thoroughly investigated everyone around her, but could not find the murder weapon or the murderer. She then replaced everyone around her and re-selected the wet nurse and maids. From then on, she always kept a close eye on her son and has never slacked off to this day.

However, Zhao Liangdi, who gave birth to a child earlier than her, was not so lucky. Not long after, her son died of illness. Zhao Liangdi became ill due to worry and soon died along with the child.

No other children were born in the Eastern Palace after that. After the crown prince ascended the throne, the queen, the only one with offspring, was naturally crowned queen and became the master of the harem. Her child was also crowned crown prince, and then other children were born one after another.

But to this day, the emperor has only one adult son, the crown prince.

Qiandeng thought of the queen's usual dignified and graceful appearance, but she didn't expect that the harem's storms had also poured down on her, and she didn't expect that she could be so resolute and tough for the prince.

She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, saying softly, "So that's how it is."

Although she had only glanced hastily at the paper presented to the Queen, she had already clearly remembered that it depicted a phoenix hairpin with a pointed beak and a hole in the bird's head for storing poison.

Ling Tianshui added calmly, "That blueprint was given to the craftsmen by the Princess Gao's Mansion back then."

Qian Deng nodded silently, looked at Ling Tianshui and asked again: "Then, where did you hear about this, and where did you get the evidence?"

"It was just a coincidence." He didn't want to say more, just said, "I'm glad I can help the county lady."

Seeing him like this, Qiandeng knew that he could not get anything out of him.

It was still early for the imperial court to issue its directive regarding Mingjiu. Cui Fufeng looked through the files and circled Ji Linyou. "First, let's investigate the person who would benefit most from Princess Gao's death."

"Does Ji Linyou have a conflict of interest with Princess Gao's Mansion?" Qian Deng was a little surprised.

"Not only are there conflicts, but right now is a crucial time for the Ji family," Cui Fufeng explained. "Following this recent military turmoil, the imperial court, taking into account the war situation, anticipates a large-scale rotation of troops and generals to prevent the imperial army from becoming a private army, making it even more difficult for the central government to mobilize. The Ji family commanded the former troops of Prince Changhua, and their banner has remained unchanged to this day. After Prince Changhua's death, they were incorporated into the imperial army and were originally not among those subject to rotation. However, Princess Gao, due to an intensified conflict with the county lord, chose to interfere. Since she has a faction within the Ministry of War, they have been included in the rotation, and the order to transfer them will be issued soon."

Although Ling Tianshui hadn't been in the capital recently, as a soldier, he knew about this. "Even I heard rumors outside. It's said that General Ji was so angry that he smashed seven or eight wine jars and vowed to never reconcile with Princess Gao."

Of course, they all knew that King Changhua had been dead for three or four years. The best and most perfect way for the Ji family to maintain their current subordinates and soldiers was to marry King Changhua's only granddaughter and completely take over his legacy in the army.

Ji Linyou naturally understood what anyone with a discerning eye could see.

Therefore, this marriage is of great importance to the Ji family, as it concerns the rise and fall of the family; and as for Princess Gao, who has a grudge against the Changhua Palace, they naturally share the same hatred and need to eliminate her as soon as possible.