Emperor Zhou was welcomed into a newly cleaned courtyard. He was in much better spirits. After entering the house, he dismissed the servants and sat on a chair beside the main table.

The chief eunuch Jiang Yan vomited a lot and was taken away to rest.

Only Baoning, Pei Yuan and Emperor Zhou were left in the room. Emperor Zhou looked at Pei Yuan's face, leaned forward a little, and asked in a deep voice: "What happened?"

Pei Yuan lowered his eyes and wiped the corner of his mouth: "I won't die."

Baoning was very nervous when he met the emperor for the first time. Hearing Pei Yuan's tone, he was startled and pinched him quickly.

"You..." Emperor Zhou raised his voice a little, and wanted to get angry, but he paused and waved his hand, "Forget it, forget it. After not seeing you for such a long time, you are still in such a bad mood. I don't know how to talk properly."

Even so, Emperor Zhou still looked at him distressedly. When he was in prison, he heard that he was injured. His leg was broken, but later he was healed. Emperor Zhou thought Pei Yuan should be healthy now, but when he suddenly saw him vomiting blood, he realized that things were not that simple.

Emperor Zhou asked hesitantly: "You, do you have other injuries on your body?"

Baoning looked at Pei Yuan worriedly, not knowing how he would answer. Pei Xiao was the one who poisoned them, and everyone knew it, but they had no evidence. They had tried to find evidence, but the witnesses were dead or alive, and Pei Yuan's crime could not be cleared based on the current clues. If it were brought up rashly, it would only hasten the process and make people suspicious.

"Some things cannot be explained now." Pei Yuan looked at Emperor Zhou frankly and said indifferently, "But the truth will come out one day."

Emperor Zhou knew that he was talking about the case, and his brows knitted tighter. He didn't know why he was so stubborn.

Although Pei Yuan and Pei Che refused to plead guilty, the evidence was clear and pointed to them. Emperor Zhou was confused. He looked at Pei Yuan with complicated eyes, and finally said, "Let the past be the past. I will not pursue it anymore."

Bao Ning's heart tightened and he looked at Emperor Zhou. He said "I won't pursue it", which means that deep down, he still believes that Pei Yuan did it.

Pei Yuan's fist tightened at his side, and then loosened again. There is no point in saying more, and it is useless to make excuses. It is better to remain silent and wait for everything to be revealed.

Emperor Zhou pondered for a moment, looked at him cautiously, and his tone became solemn: "So what happened today? What is your explanation?"

Pei Yuan knelt down and said: "Pei Yuan guarantees with his life that everything I say below is true. Please judge for yourself, Your Majesty!"

Baoning also knelt down.

Her heart was beating violently, and she noticed Pei Yuan's self-proclaimed name. He did not call himself a son and minister, nor did he call himself a son, but just called him by his name. Baoning knew that this was Pei Yuan's own stubbornness, and there was a gap between him and Emperor Zhou in his heart.

Emperor Zhou nodded: "Just speak frankly."

Pei Yuan said: "Someone wants to assassinate me."

Emperor Zhou said half-truthfully: "Of course I know, those people have already said that they are horse bandits." He still stared at Pei Yuan's expression, trying to find a flaw.

Pei Yuan said in a calm voice: "Whose horse bandits are so bold that they dare to intercept the ceremonial procession of the current emperor? What's more, the prince is personally guarding him, and there are more than 2,000 elite soldiers led by a powerful general. The horse bandits are only a hundred or so people, holding thick bows and iron swords, and they want to rob money? If it is true, then they are simply invincible, with the courage of one man against ten thousand soldiers."

Emperor Zhou said: "Recently, there has been a famine in the south, and many refugees have fled to Beijing. The city is very dissatisfied with me. Maybe they formed a gang and wanted to fight to the death. The common people are stupid and reckless, so it is not surprising that they would do something like hitting a rock with an egg.

Pei Yuan said: "Those horse bandits had planned it long ago and went straight to the thirteen carriages. To prevent assassination, the emperor has a total of fifteen carriages. Why are they so accurate?"

Emperor Zhou said: "Maybe they asked someone to predict the outcome, but they got it wrong. You know, this kind of magic is not uncommon. Pei Yuan said: "

The flood in the south lasted about ten days. In just ten days, the refugees were disappointed with the government and hated the government, and even wanted to kill the king to vent their anger. Is it too fast? Moreover, since they are refugees, they have no carriages. They can only walk to Beijing and beg for a living on the streets. Even if a strong man can walk very fast, it will take five or six days. By then, he will be dusty and miserable. Those horse bandits are not only well-dressed, but also equipped with weapons. , the sound was like a bell, it didn't look like they were fleeing. Besides, where did their weapons come from, where did their clothes come from, how did they have the energy to hide in the tree after eating such a full meal? And how did they find out that the ceremonial procession would pass through Yanhuang Mountain. None of them could be explained. "

Emperor Zhou said: "I know what you want to say? Someone planned to kill me."

The room was quiet for a moment, Baoning even heard the sound of water dripping from the leak.

The next moment, she heard Emperor Zhou say: "I suspect it was you who did it, you deliberately staged this drama and arranged everything just to regain my trust. How do you explain it?"

Baoning looked up in shock, her eyes full of disbelief. How much did this emperor distrust his son?

Emperor Zhou did not look at Pei Yuan this time. He looked at Bao Ning. Bao Ning was waiting for them at the door of the manor. She knew they would be back soon, so she should know everything. A weak woman would panic faster than a man. Emperor Zhou looked into her eyes, trying to find panic or guilt. There was none. He withdrew his gaze.

Pei Yuan had anticipated this question, and said calmly: "I know that rescuing him will bring trouble, but I have to save him."

Emperor Zhou asked: "What do you mean, you knew that there were bandits on the road?"

Pei Yuan nodded: "Yes."

Emperor Zhou paused for a moment, then laughed: "Are you admitting it yourself?"

Pei Yuan bowed: "There is a witness waiting outside, please allow her to come in."

Emperor Zhou looked at the door: "Come in."

After he finished speaking, Ji Xiangzhen walked in and bowed: "Your Majesty, your wife respectfully greets you."

Emperor Zhou raised his eyebrows and asked: "Who are you?"

Ji Xiangzhen said: "Your wife is the wife of Jia Ling, the commander of the imperial carriage."

"I remember now." Emperor Zhou looked at her, "What are you here to testify for?"

Ji Xiangzhen bowed deeply and said, "I am here to expose that the Imperial Chariot Commander Jia Ling has the intention of treason and abused his power to collude with others to reveal the whereabouts of Your Majesty with the intention of assassinating you!"

Emperor Zhou's face became more serious: "Do you have any evidence?"

"Yes!" Ji Xiangzhen said, kneeling forward and presenting a rolled-up paper. "Jia Ling has a bad character after drinking and likes to talk in his sleep. I heard him talking nonsense in his dream. When he mentioned this matter, I pressed him and became suspicious. Four days ago, Jia Ling discussed the arrangements for this trip with Your Majesty. After returning home, Jia Ling stayed alone in the study for a long time. I was worried, so I sneaked into the study when he was away and saw a secret letter informing the other party of the location of Your Majesty's auxiliary car. I was worried about Your Majesty's safety, so I took the initiative to modify the secret letter, changing 'three' to 'thirteen', which led to the situation today where the horse bandit mistook the driver for the wrong car. I have copied down the secret letter, please have a look, Your Majesty!"

Emperor Zhou took the paper, opened it and glanced through it, then looked up and said, "The other party's name is not mentioned in the letter. Do you have any guesses?"

Ji Xiangzhen gritted her teeth and said, "I don't have any evidence, so I dare not speak nonsense."

"Just say it."

Ji Xiangzhen kowtowed and said, "I heard from Jia Ling's dream that the other party is the current Crown Prince, Pei Xiao! They have been secretly communicating for a long time, but they don't contact each other openly. They exchange letters through a servant who drives a swill cart between the mansions."

Emperor Zhou asked again, "How did the Fourth Prince know about it?"

Ji Xiangzhen said, "I was terrified when I heard about this. It happened that the Fourth Prince's wife came to visit the mansion, so I told her." Emperor Zhou

looked at Pei Yuan, "Do you have anything to say?"

Pei Yuan said, "What the Crown Prince's wife said is all true."

Emperor Zhou asked, "Where is the servant who transported the swill?"

Pei Yuan said, "When my people went to check, he was already dead."

"Oh, he was killed, that makes sense." Emperor Zhou nodded, and he asked again, "When you heard about this, why didn't you look for me first?"

Pei Yuan said, "I'm not sure whether it's true or not, so I can only prepare in secret first."

Emperor Zhou smiled and asked, "Are you confident that you can defeat the opponent?"

Pei Yuan said, "Yes. And I must defeat him. If I can really save your majesty, it will be a great achievement for me, and it will also give me a chance to make a comeback."

"You actually told the truth and didn't make up lies that can be seen through at a glance." Emperor Zhou nodded and smiled, "What do you want to do by rising to power?"

Pei Yuan said, "I want money, power, and the opportunity to find out the truth of that incident and have me executed."

Emperor Zhou looked at him for a long time, and suddenly said, "The Crown Princess is your sister-in-law. I only believe half of what she says."

Pei Yuan pursed his lips and was about to say something else when he heard Jiang Yan's voice outside: "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince is here, and he is seriously injured."

Emperor Zhou glanced at Ji Xiangzhen: "The other person you mentioned is here. Let's see what he says."

"Announce."

Pei Xiao's face was pale. The wounds on his arms and abdomen were only hastily bandaged and were still bleeding. He was supported by someone and staggered in. He looked sad, and knelt on the ground with a thud: "Father, I am useless and too careless, which gave the thieves an opportunity!"

He said, and struggled to stand up: "Father, are you not injured?" "

I'm fine." Emperor Zhou looked at him, "It seems that you are seriously injured."

Pei Xiao kowtowed and said: "Father, I am glad that you are okay. As long as you are healthy, I am not afraid of death!"

Emperor Zhou smiled. His two sons have very different personalities. Pei Yuan was injured, and when asked about it, his answer was that he would not die. Pei Xiao was injured, but he was able to talk so long and expressed his loyalty. It was well said, and he liked to hear it. But how sincere it was, who knew.

Emperor Zhou said to Jiang Yan, "Lord Jia has been waiting outside for a long time, please invite him up."

Pei Xiao's breath was disturbed for a moment, but he quickly adjusted himself.

Not only Jia Ling was brought up, but also Xue Fu, who was pregnant and looked flustered.

Xue Fu didn't know why she was here. She had been staying in Jia's house honestly. When she got up in the morning, she was forced to come here before she had time to eat breakfast.

Emperor Zhou asked, "Who is this woman?"

Pei Yuan looked at Jia Ling. Jia Ling forced himself to calm himself. The situation was out of his control. He knelt down and said, "It's my concubine, Xue Fu."

Emperor Zhou said, "Such a big thing as an assassination attempt happened today. As the commander of the imperial carriage, do you have anything to say?"

"It was my fault!" Jia Ling kowtowed fiercely and said, "I am willing to die to atone for my sins!"

Xue Fu knelt on the ground trembling. She didn't dare to look at Emperor Zhou. Her heart was trembling. Her mind was confused. What did she do wrong to make the emperor come to interrogate her in person?

Emperor Zhou asked Pei Yuan, "What does this matter have to do with Xue Fu?"

Pei Yuan said, "Your Majesty will know if you ask."

Before Emperor Zhou could say anything, Xue Fu burst into tears and shouted, "Your Majesty, I did not intend to deceive Lord Jia. I was really blinded by greed for a moment! I will tell you the truth!"

Xue Fu faced Jia Ling with difficulty and kowtowed, "Lord Jia, Lord Jia, I was wrong. I shouldn't have lied to you. The baby in my belly is not yours. I shouldn't have used this as an excuse to take it..."

Jia Ling was shocked. He looked at Xue Fu, then at Ji Xiangzhen. His head seemed to be hit by an iron hammer, buzzing.

"You..."

Emperor Zhou asked Xue Fu, "Do you know that Jia Ling intends to rebel?"

Upon hearing this, Jia Ling felt his legs weaken. He looked at Pei Xiao in panic, but Pei Xiao closed his eyes and didn't look at him. Jia Ling was poured with a basin of cold water. After recovering from his shock, he refused to admit it and said, "Your Majesty is wise. What happened today was indeed my fault, but the accusation of treason is a slander! Your Majesty is wronged!"

Emperor Zhou asked Xue Fu again, "Do you know?"

"I, I don't know!" Xue Fu was stunned, her tongue was shaking. Hearing her say this, Jia Ling felt relieved for a moment, and then heard Xue Fu say, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, I remember that Lord Jia once stayed in my room after getting drunk. He happened to mention that wealth and honor were just around the corner. I asked, isn't being a prince rich enough? Is it because Marquis Chongyuan is sick, and the prince is about to take the title? Lord Jia said, no, it's wealthier than being a marquis! That's why I made up my mind to marry Lord Jia..."

Pei Xiao's eyebrows jumped violently, and Jia Ling was so scared that he prostrated himself on the ground. Then he stood up and pointed at Xue Fu. "You slut, isn't it enough that you faked your pregnancy to harm me? Why are you still talking nonsense? Who sent you to be a spy to harm me like this?"

The face of Emperor Zhou was already very solemn. He asked Jia Ling, "You don't admit it?"

Jia Ling insisted, "It must be this Xue Fu who wants to harm me!"

Baoning looked at Ji Xiangzhen, motioning her to produce the evidence. Ji Xiangzhen took a deep breath, took out the account book from her sleeve and said, "Your Majesty, this is Jia Ling's private account. It was stolen by me. I found that large sums of money have been deposited into the account for the past two months. I guess he has accepted bribes!"

Jia Ling widened his eyes, gritted his teeth, and looked at Ji Xiangzhen's hand.

Jiang Yan presented the account book to him. Emperor Zhou flipped through a few pages, threw it at his feet, and asked in a stern voice: "What else do you have to say! Who are your comrades? Tell me!"

Jia Ling was confused for a moment. He could not imagine that it was his most trusted wife who stabbed him in the back. He wanted to explain, but he was so angry that he could not say a word. He was afraid of saying more and making mistakes, so he just kowtowed and said: "Your Majesty, please understand."

Pei Yuan suddenly said, "Tao Maobing is dead. He died in battle. A hundred bandits killed him, a general who had experienced hundreds of battles. Lord Jia, aren't you afraid?"