Chapter 59: Traitor "Did the Duke of Dongling also mention this before he died? ...

Princess Huaixuan sighed, but looked at Yan Siqing. "Master Yan, there's no need to reason. Perhaps if you could meet me privately and ask me to tell you the truth, I can protect them, whether it's this cowardly Liu Juzi or Master Jingye."

Yan Siqing: "Just discuss the matter at hand."

Huai Xuan smiled: "But if you don't get involved, then I really won't mention it. After all, it won't do me any good."

In the dead of night, a princess went to meet a famous monk in secret. Especially since she was well-known, it would be very embarrassing if the news got out.

What else could happen between the two of them?

Everyone was shocked, and they understood why Liu Wuzheng didn't dare to talk about Huai Xuan.

How could Huaixuan admit to such a scandal? If they resented him, he would be dead, and it would also implicate all his teachers and classmates.

So he would rather plead guilty to the murder.

Quietly at night, he...did not deny it in front of everyone, but just sighed and turned his Buddhist beads.

Huai Xuan: "What are you thinking? I'm that kind of playboy, but Master Jingye is not. I only went to see him last night because I wanted him to perform a ritual for my late husband."

Prince Qi and Jiang Hui's expressions changed again.

Princess Huimin's eyes were red, "Mother..."

Huai Xuan flicked her head, then looked at Prince Qi and Jiang Hui. "That bastard was arrogant and conceited, his ambitions soaring. Unwilling to be banned from duty as a consort, he meddles in the illicit trade and even engages in ties with the remnants of the previous dynasty. After my father discovered the matter and ordered the execution of all nine clans, he took pity on my mother and me and spared us. I am grateful and have no resentment. However, Huimin is about to reach marriage, and I simply wish to ask Master Jingye to perform a ritual to inform him. However, this matter is inappropriate and a serious offense, so I deny it and will not mention it."

"Now that I've been exposed, but the case is over, I can leave the White Horse Temple. I will go and confess my crime to my father."

"I'm telling the truth. I have absolutely nothing to do with this series of cases. Please don't throw any dirty water on me."

Does she care about Liu Wuzheng's death?

not give a damn about.

This is the arrogance of the descendants of the royal family. Naturally, they are no different from Prince Qi and others.

The reason why I am speaking out now...

Huai Xuan looked at Yan Siqing and said, "Really, if it were someone else, like Jian Wuliang, I would never recognize him."

There was no resentment or hatred in his eyes, only admiration and helplessness.

Yan Siqing couldn't understand everyone in the world. A favored princess like Huaixuan was naturally eccentric and an anomaly. She couldn't guess what she was thinking, so she just smiled and didn't get entangled in the princess's ambiguous words. She was not a man... If the other party was sure, she would be furious.

King Qi was already angry.

If these three people testify themselves, Marquis Dongling will naturally become a suspect.

"These will have to wait until we're escorted back to Chang'an for further investigation. How can you be so arbitrary? The Marquis of Dongling came here to investigate the theft of bows and crossbows from the Tianji Camp. He didn't break any laws. Even if Jingye wasn't the murderer, the circumstances at the time showed he was here to investigate the case. Jingye is also a strong suspect. How can you make him guilty based on this? Chilin, you still pursued him, and even after he revealed his identity, you still refused to give up, leading to his sudden death on the spot. Do you think you can escape responsibility?"

In fact, what King Qi said was not wrong, it was just a bit too tactful.

As long as the reason why Prince Dongling came to the White Horse Temple was reasonable and he did not violate the laws of the court, no matter how he came or who he wanted to arrest, he himself was innocent. Since he was an innocent official of the current dynasty, someone must be held responsible for his death.

After Jiang Hui came out, he fought fiercely with him, and finally Dongling Hou died in front of him... If the censor in Chang'an knew about this, he would have sharpened his pen long ago.

Prince Qi was a little tired of pretending at this moment. His hostility was obvious and he wanted to prove Jiang Hui's guilt by doing this.

Zhou Li watched coldly and did not participate. Jian Wuliang was as slippery as ever and said nothing.

They all knew that Prince Qi and Marquis Dongling were both experienced people and must have made good rules and regulations and could not find any evidence of violations, otherwise Prince Qi would not have killed Jiang Hui on the spur of the moment.

This was originally a dead end.

Because the person is indeed dead and there is no evidence, it is a huge scapegoat.

But Yan Siqing said, "Do you remember Zhong Yuanbo Zhao Yue? The circumstances of their deaths were very similar. He died in the alchemy room, while the candidate Zhou Yuanxing died in Xie Wengong's residence at the academy. The places where these two died were heavily burned, far less than the others who had their bodies damaged."

Mentioning Zhou Yuanxing, Zhou Li's expression was slightly strange. He stared at Yan Siqing, wary and suspicious of her, worried that she would use this to drag down his family. However, he didn't expect this person to continue, "Zhou Yuanxing's residence is full of calligraphy and paintings and papers, which are too easy to burn. That's not surprising, but Zhao Yue inherited the title, and the alchemy room was built by his father, the previous generation Zhong Yuanbo many years ago. The materials used are extremely regular, and the main purpose is to ward off fire. After all, people make alchemy for immortality, not for death. At that time, they should have found the best craftsmen to supervise the construction, and the workshop was also involved. Because the construction of its alchemy furnace and the sealing techniques of its metal and mineral furnace are similar to those of Shanjinfang, the previous generation Zhong Yuanbo must have known a certain supervisor of Shanjinfang, who also helped build the alchemy room in Zhong Yuanbo's mansion. And this case happens to involve the young craftsman Liu Yu, whose master happens to be the supervisor-level fire master Qi Feiliang."

There was a record in the booklet, but she naturally didn't know Qi Feiliang's previous work experience, because Jian Wuliang didn't suspect him at the time, didn't check, and didn't record it in the booklet.

Originally thought that after the discovery of the golden phosphorus worms, the bodies of these five people would be of no use, but she suddenly asked to bring the bodies, Jian Wuliang knew that it was not a simple matter, and it turned out to be true!

She was investigating the relationship between the five people - among these five people, Yan Guangxue and Chen Kaizhi were both related to the Ministry of War and were related to the Xuerengou case, but she had never been able to find any connection with the other three. Now, after her analysis, she suddenly understood.

"Qi Feiliang? It seems he passed away due to illness two years ago." Zhou Li frowned. "He also served in the Weapons Department with the army back then. The army he served in was ordered to guard Canghai Pass."

Jian Wuliang seemed to want to say something but stopped himself.

Instead, Jiang Hui sneered, "Snowman Valley is half a day's journey from Canghai Pass. It is the first line of defense and the only way to transport military pay. The 3,000 soldiers who were ordered to receive the military pay rushed to Snowman Valley in advance to lie dormant, just to provide support and to prevent the enemy army from the North from robbing the pay. As a result, they encountered a heavy snowstorm and did not receive the pay. The 3,000 people froze to death in Snowman Valley, like ice sculptures. The team escorting the pay was successfully ambushed by the enemy and slaughtered, and the pay was not received." "The whereabouts of the enemy were unknown. Later, due to lack of supplementary pay and demoralization, the enemy forces of Beiyue State seized the opportunity to attack Canghai Pass and won a great victory. The defenders were defeated and fled in disgrace. Thus, Canghai Pass was occupied by Beiyue State. The place is a natural barrier, easy to defend but difficult to attack. It has never been reclaimed. It has always threatened our northern border, and constantly sent troops to provoke war. At that time, the court was shocked. They believed that military intelligence must have been stolen and that they were colluding with foreign enemies. This is why the then Canghai garrison commander Chen Cang was punished and his entire family was exterminated, implicating countless people."

This is the origin of the Snowman Valley Three Thousand Ice Armor Case, which is actually a case of stolen military pay.

The whole country was shocked at that time, because the military pay was one million taels, which was an extremely important supply for the defenders of a place, especially those in harsh terrain and extreme conditions. If the military pay was lost, the morale of the army would be lost. How could they not be defeated!

At that time, a thorough investigation was conducted and a conclusion was reached. Thirteen years later, a series of red flame ghost fire cases occurred, and the theory of ghosts and gods was rampant, and the long tongue pointed to the case of that year.

Now it seems that someone is here to seek revenge.

Everyone was quiet, and they understood the connection between the two cases.

Maybe, it's more than just revenge.

Huai Xuan seemed to be lost in thought, but Prince Qi said coldly, "We can investigate the connection later. That's the Ministry of War's business and has nothing to do with today's case. Why change the subject? What we need to investigate now is the Marquis of Dongling..."

The current prince seems to be born to like interrupting others.

Perhaps in this world, the only person he dared not interrupt casually was the emperor.

Yan Siqing glanced at him and said, "I already said that the alchemy room was professionally built and has strong fire resistance. It's impossible for it to burn like that just because of Zhao Yue's actions. Even the alchemy furnace was burned through. Unless there are substances such as □□ in the alchemy room, they can ignite completely and intensify the burning."

What!

Everyone was startled and suddenly fell silent.

□□.

Who uses □□ in alchemy? The elixir is to be eaten, not a hidden weapon.

Yan Siqing said, "□□ is expressly prohibited, and it is not what Uncle Zhongyuan and his son normally use for alchemy. If □□ is present, it must mean that the alchemy furnace is not normally used for alchemy. If the equipment is complete, it can also be used to make equipment."

"And the source of the □□. The entire Chang'an is strictly controlled, but there is one place that must be there - that is the Tianji Camp."

Prince Qi's eyebrows twitched fiercely. He wanted to stop him, but knew that would be too obvious. So he could only listen with a sullen face as Yan Siqing continued, "If that's the case, then the Marquis of Dongling came to the White Horse Temple for more than just the theft of the Tianji crossbow. Just now, the prince repeatedly mentioned that the Marquis of Dongling came to investigate the theft of the crossbow. So he must have inspected the Tianji Camp's internal storage beforehand. Why didn't he mention that the □□ was also stolen?"

Everyone was in an uproar. Yes, this is unacceptable.

There must be something fishy going on.

Prince Qi tightened his grip on the armrest, his face grim. "That's just your inference, there's no evidence."

Yan Siqing: "Your Highness may have forgotten that His Majesty asked me to investigate the case, not to judge it. When it comes to military marquises, only the Ministry of War and His Majesty have the authority to do so."

King Qi: “…”

So, she only needs to deduce, find clues, and finally report it. She doesn't care about the results.

Yan Siqing: "The five corpses are actually useless. After all, the golden phosphorus insects have been found. Putting them here again will naturally have other uses."

Everyone was startled and looked at one of the bodies she was pointing at - Zhao Yue's.

"Dongling Hou came from afar, extremely worried, fearing that Zhao Yue, who died in the alchemy room, would be contaminated with drugs and be discovered. Therefore, he came to the White Horse Temple not only to eliminate the murderer who came for the old case of Snowman Valley and kill him to silence him, but also to erase any trace of Zhao Yue's connection with himself and the Tianji Camp.

"Because of the Golden Phosphorus Insects attack, the Dali Temple relocated the body, but I examined the body myself. At the time, I had already passed Zhao Yue and the Danfang's suspicion. In addition, there was a small arrow attack from the Tianji Camp later, so I suspected that they had joined the Tianji Camp. So I specially left some realgar powder on Zhao Yue's remaining body."

"In the entire White Horse Temple, the most skilled martial artist is firstly His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, and secondly the Marquis of Dongling who lay dormant last night. If he were to sneak in and clean up the remains, no one would notice—but the realgar powder would get on him."

Yan Siqing used tweezers to lift the edge of Dongling Hou's sleeve.

There is indeed a dark yellow layer on it.

“When it comes into contact with water, it dissolves and becomes part of the fabric.”

"Cut it off, soak it in water, and when the juice comes out, try using ordinary insects to see if they can kill it. Then you'll know it's really realgar powder."

"It also proves that the Duke of Dongling came secretly and touched the corpse."

"Did Marquis Dongling mention this before he died?"

Jian Wuliang: "No, I'm sure."

Prince Qi: “….”

Jiang Hui: "I advise Uncle Wang to stop talking. If you continue to speak up for him, then you will have to speak up for yourself in front of the Emperor."

King Qi gritted his teeth, but said no more.

Jian Wuliang felt a little scared. He didn't even notice what Yan Siqing did. Did Jiang Hui know that he didn't farm?

He quietly observed Jiang Hui and found that Jiang Hui looked depressed. Well, he didn't know either.

That Madam Yan Shao is not only suspicious and meticulous, but also very aloof. She treats them all as equals and doesn't trust anyone?

Huai Xuan paused, his eyes sparkling. He was delighted to see the arrogant Prince Qi suffer a setback, so he asked, "Then the Marquis of Dongling believed Jingye was the real culprit in the Red Flame Ghost Fire case, and so he was eager to kill him to silence him. Doesn't that prove he's connected to the Snowman Valley case?"

If you think about it more carefully, these dead people may not be unrelated.

Prince Qi: "It is also possible that the person who attacked the Zen room that night was the Marquis of Dongling. He is the real culprit behind all the crimes."

Um?

ah?

Everyone was stunned, but a few people realized that King Qi didn't want the Marquis of Dongling to be linked to the Xuerengou case. Anyway, the Marquis of Dongling couldn't clear himself, and there was no way to drag Jiang Hui into it, so the case had to be closed as soon as possible.

So he said that on purpose.

If Prince Qi had not interfered, no one here would have dared to criticize Yan Siqing - they would have been intimidated long ago.

If Prince Qi interferes, there will be trouble.

Zhou Li observed King Qi with a dark look in his eyes.

Yan Siqing continued to reason, "If Zhao Yue is connected to the Dongling Marquis of the Tianji Camp, and the two of them smuggled items for use in the alchemy room's smelting and manufacturing, including the Tianji Camp's bows and crossbows, over time, they could have built a secret death squad comparable to the Tianji Camp, a powerful military force besides the monarch. But it's also possible that they wouldn't dare to act so recklessly, or they might be selling them for profit—Zhao Yue is short of money, so it's not surprising that he's being taken advantage of. Similarly, these Tianji crossbows manufactured outside the military are not in the Ministry of War's records, so they naturally have nothing to do with the Tianji Camp. There should be some left in the alchemy room, but there aren't any on site."

Jian Wuliang: "Indeed not. If there were, we wouldn't have been so clueless at the time."

In fact, he laughed at himself in his heart. If it involved the Marquis of Dongling, and King Qi was behind the Marquis of Dongling, would he dare to continue investigating?

I'm afraid not.

Yan Siqing hinted, "The Marquis of Dongling fought fiercely with His Royal Highness, and he was no match for him, yet he didn't take out the Heavenly Secret Crossbow to fight back. This means he really doesn't have it. Carrying it would easily reveal his identity. He came here to silence him, and being exposed would be the worst possible outcome. Carrying the Heavenly Secret Crossbow would be equivalent to revealing his identity, so he didn't have it."

Even if it was Marquis Dongling who attacked the Zen room, he would never use the Tianji bow and crossbow. That would not make sense.

Moreover, if he really had the Tianji crossbow, he would not have been suppressed and beaten, and he would not have been forced to come to the dining hall to kidnap someone and escape.

This is equivalent to answering King Qi's deliberate guidance - the Marquis of Dongling is bad, but he is not bold enough to attack the Zen room and assassinate Jiang Hui, Jian Wuliang and other Dali Temple people.

That would be no different from provoking the emperor.

Jian Wuliang suddenly had an epiphany, figuring out something. He suddenly asked Yan Siqing, "The stolen crossbows that the Marquis of Dongling came to investigate were probably not stolen from the Tianji Camp, but from the Alchemy Room. He didn't have time to deal with the thorns stuck to the bodies, so he certainly didn't take the crossbows. The scene had already been secured by the Dali Temple, and the bodies had been taken away. So, you suspect the murderer took these crossbows and used them to attack the Zen room. I said the Tianji bows they took were attached here."

"The murderer deliberately used a crossbow to attack, in order to implicate the Tianji Camp and point to the Snowman Valley case from that year."

"He's not just seeking revenge, he's also guiding the court in investigating the case. He wants the truth behind it!"

Reasoning is to connect motives and behaviors, while clues are the direction and evidence is the judgment.

Jian Wuliang thought so, and Zhou Li and other officials thought almost the same.

Jiang Hui suddenly said, "Maybe not."

What?

Jiang Hui had a strange expression on his face. He glanced at Prince Qi and said calmly, "If the Duke of Dongling is captured alive, it will be more conducive to the investigation of the case."

"But he died suddenly. He must have been poisoned."

"The result is that I become a suspect, and the factional strife between Prince Yan's Mansion and Prince Qi's Mansion will intensify. One of them will definitely lose."

"This is actually more effective than investigating the case, because even if the investigation is thorough, some people will still be able to stay out of the matter and simply push someone else to take the blame."

"In this world, not all truths can be perfected, and all sins deserve punishment."

"So what he wants is extreme partisanship, to pull out the carrot and bring out the dirt."

"That's his real purpose."

Qi Wangmei's heart was beating fast, but he did not scold Jiang Hui for making indirect accusations. Instead, he felt uneasy.

The other party was coming towards him.

I have been pushing myself to fight Jiang Rong...Does the other party think that I will be the one who loses?

He was shocked and angry. He glanced at the general beside him and immediately spoke up: "Then who is the real murderer?!"

"So many people have already died. Should we allow this bastard to stir up trouble, commit treason and harm the royal family?"

Yan Siqing lowered her eyes, curled her fingers, and seemed to be in doubt. "I wonder why the Duke of Dongling would so quickly suspect Master Shang Jingye of being the real murderer and rush over to silence him?"

During the interrogation, the suspicion created by Liu Wuzheng fell on him and Jingye.

But that was not open to the public, and only a few people were waiting in the interrogation room at that time.

There is definitely no Marquis of Dongling or King Qi among them.

How did the former know it immediately?

Jian Wuliang reacted quickly and said immediately: "A traitor, there is a traitor in my Dali Temple."

Yan Siqing: "Traitor?"

She seemed to have just figured it out.

But Jian Wuliang had already quietly grabbed the long knife at his waist.

"Furthermore, this traitor was in the interrogation room at the time and later left... It was this person who tipped off the Marquis of Dongling."

Yan Siqing reacted: "Prince, be careful! Attack him!"

She raised her hand and pointed her finger at King Qi—behind him!

The Jinwu Guards, Prince Yan's Mansion, and other people from the Dali Temple reacted - the archers shot arrows.

Jian Wuliang and Zhou Li’s knives had just come out.

Still a step too slow.

The other party was already behind the target.

Clang!!

The Dali Temple's sword came out and struck left and right twice.

With a loud bang, King Qi, who had just reacted, screamed, his broken arm fell, and hot blood splattered. Jiang Hui, who suddenly rushed over from the interrogation seat, only had time to grab his neck, otherwise it would have been his neck that was chopped off instead of his arm.

Jiang Hui took the risk of throwing him away like a rag bag, but the guard who rushed over caught him in time, but the murderer's knife was already heading towards his head.

Because he was a suspect, he had already drawn his sword and had no weapons on him, so he could only kick and chop!

Prince Qi had a palace general by his side, but his head had already been flying off.

This traitor is a master. When he explodes, his power is extremely swift and terrifying, even more terrifying than the Marquis of Dongling. If Jiang Hui had not taken action, King Qi would have died.

Even so....Bang!!

Jiang Hui took a step back, and the other party took two steps back. Sen Sen glanced at the powerful people in the hall. The so-called princes, princesses and children of noble families were like straw dogs in his eyes. But with Jiang Hui around, the other soldiers had reacted and were rushing forward. He turned his hand and swung his sword, which swept two meters long, and then leaped into the air.

Bang!

Break out of the window!

Chase!