Chapter 1
[The first chapter has a private note, please do not block it. ]
March, the sixth year of Yuanshuo.
Feixiang Hall, adjacent to Jiaofang Hall, served as the residence of the emperor's eldest son, Liu Ju. It boasted a spacious grounds, layered pavilions, and exquisite carvings and ornaments. Palace maids and eunuchs roamed among them, each one submissive and careful in their demeanor.
In the past, although the servants were respectful and careful, they were not as cautious as this.
This was because three days ago, the young master and the pregnant Madam Wang had somehow run into each other, and both of them had accidents. Madam Wang went into labor prematurely, and had a difficult labor for a day and a night; the young master had a high fever and was in a coma for a day and a night. Both were in extremely dangerous situations.
His Majesty was so enraged that blood almost flowed like a river. Most of the servants on both sides were taken away and detained for interrogation.
Most of those staying in Feixiang Palace now are newcomers, even the head maid Fenghe is a maid temporarily assigned by the Queen.
Feng He inspected the places and saw that everyone was doing well. No one dared to wait for anything to go wrong. He felt relieved and walked back into the inner room of the main hall. However, he did not go forward to serve. Instead, he stood in a corner, lowered his head and waited for orders.
Sitting in a circle in the room were the children of Empress Wei Zifu. The first of the imperial daughters was Princess Wei Chang, the third was Princess Zhuyi, the fourth was Princess Shiyi, and their brother Liu Ju.
Seeing Liu Ju finish the last bowl of minced meat soup, the guard said with a smile, "Your appetite has improved, and your complexion is also good. It seems that he is getting better."
Liu Ju raised his head and said, "I'm already well again. I've been awake for two days. The doctors said it was just a superficial wound on my forehead and I'll be fine once I wake up. But you're worried."
The Chief of Guards did not comment on his "hard talk".
Shi Yi sneered: "Does 'nothing serious' mean the same thing as 'nothing serious'? If you really were fine, how could you not remember what happened that day? Since you said you're fine, do you remember anything?"
Liu Ju pursed his lips and looked ahead without saying a word. His eyelashes trembled slightly, not because of his fourth sister Shi Yi's words, but because of the virtual light screen in front of him.
Liu Ju's expression is so silly and cute, I really want to RUA him. But are amnesia plots so common in TV dramas now? He loses his memory at the beginning.
I don't like amnesia plots in TV dramas either. But I have to say that Liu Ju's amnesia is quite plausible. In medicine, there's a term called retrograde amnesia, which typically occurs when someone suffers a major injury, such as a concussion or a car accident.
—+1 to the above comment. Liu Ju not only suffered a head injury but also suffered a recurring high fever for a whole day and night. High fever can also cause brain damage, leading to partial forgetfulness. From a medical perspective, this plot setup is indeed plausible.
The virtual light screen flashed with snowflakes and then disappeared.
Liu Ju took a deep breath. This wasn't the first time this had happened. Ever since he woke up, he seemed to have gained a new "skill," called "danmu," which only he could see.
The words on it were unlike anything he had learned, yet he somehow recognized them all. These words appeared and disappeared, like ghosts, elusive and uncertain. He had no idea when they would appear or when they would leave.
Of course, this wasn't the only bizarre incident he encountered during his coma, which was a life-or-death tragedy. For example, although he had lost some of his memories, a lot of "information" had also appeared in his mind.
Liu Ju knew that all this was probably related to the absurd and strange dream he had when he was unconscious. Thinking of that dream, Liu Ju felt his head start to hurt again.
Shi Yi continued, “Everyone present said that Madam Wang was taking a walk in the pond garden when you and Fubao suddenly rushed out from the nearby rockery. Fubao bumped into her, causing her to fall in shock.
"And you probably saw Fubao getting into trouble and rushed to catch him. You walked too fast and lost your balance. Not only did you fall, you rolled on the ground and hit your head on a rock."
Fubao is a small dog raised by Liu Ju.
At this point, Shi Yican clenched his fists, looking unhappy: "The pond garden is so big, even if you all go there, how can you just happen to run into the same place?
"Besides, when we play hide-and-seek, you always like to hide and not be bothered to be found. So, when you're hiding, you should stay hidden. Why are you running?
"If you could remember what happened, we might be able to understand why and what happened. But unfortunately, you can't.
"Now, no matter what others say, it's like it's all your fault, and they even maliciously speculate that you are..."
"Shiyi!"
The chief guard raised his voice to stop him and successfully interrupted Shi Yi.
Liu Ju had already keenly sensed her unfinished words: "What are you speculating about me?"
Shi Yi pursed his lips, glanced at the captain of the guard, lowered his head and said nothing.
The guard's expression was gentle, and he automatically skipped over the question, saying, "If you can't remember, then forget it. Your father has handed this matter over to the court judge Zhang Tang for review. Zhang Tang is known for his methods. Without your testimony, he won't be able to uncover anything, and that would be a disgrace to his position as court judge."
Shi Yi stammered a few times and then closed his mouth. Zhu Yi sat beside him, silent.
Liu Ju frowned, his eyes swept over his three sisters one by one, and he stood up suddenly and walked out. The guard was startled: "Where are you going!"
"If you don't tell me, I'll find out on my own. I'm not stupid, so what can you guess about me? The only thing you can say is that I deliberately murdered Madam Wang, right?"
Shi Yi opened his mouth wide. "No way! Didn't they say the rumor just started and hasn't spread yet? How can you hear it while you're recuperating in your room?"
Zhuyi helped her, but it was too late.
Liu Ju stamped his feet: "It is indeed so."
Shi Yi reacted and said angrily: "You cheated me!"
At this point, the chief of guards could only say, "These are just nonsense. I've already reported this to the Queen Mother. Please don't make things worse."
She forcefully pulled Liu Ju back and glared at Shi Yi, reminding her to behave herself.
But this was not a person who would sit still. She was indignant: "What do you mean by making trouble? She even framed my brother. Should we just endure it? If Caiqin hadn't stopped me, I wouldn't have gone up..."
The guard glared at him, "How about going up there? That's Lady An, your father's concubine. It's a good thing Caiqin held you back, otherwise, would you, a princess, really want to beat up a concubine in public?"
Liu Ju suddenly understood what had happened. Concubine An must have said something inappropriate, and Fourth Sister had caught her red-handed. Fourth Sister's temper was, to put it nicely, straightforward, and, to put it bluntly, impulsive. She was about to throw a tantrum, and was nearly restrained by a maid.
Shi Yi muttered something, no one knew what he was saying, but from his expression one could tell that he was very dissatisfied.
The captain of the guard almost had a heart attack because of her attitude, but she was his own sister, so he had to explain the reason to her in detail.
"Although Lady An hinted at something, she didn't directly accuse my brother. If you had made a scene, she would have had plenty of excuses, saying it was a misunderstanding. But you assaulted the imperial concubine, and it's a fact. Besides, how do you know this wasn't a setup to lure you in?"
Shi Yi pursed his lips: "She can't get away with it."
"You only know how to act recklessly when encountering problems. Why don't you try to find another way? Queen Mother is in charge of the palace affairs. It is within her authority to deal with the concubines. It is reasonable."
At this point, Shi Yi became even more angry: "But the Queen Mother only confined her to her room and told her to reflect on her mistakes. What kind of punishment is this? It's so light, not even as severe as when she punished me."
The chief guard had some guesses about this, but he couldn't bring himself to tell Shi Yiming. He only said, "Your Majesty, there must be some considerations behind this."
This obviously failed to convince the already furious Shi Yi. Zhu Yi, who had remained silent, patted her head and said, "Don't be angry. Even though our Queen Mother is usually gentle and tolerant, she also has her weaknesses."
Shi Yi paused. Who was the Queen Mother's Achilles' heel? It was the three sisters, and more so, her younger brother, Liu Ju. Lady An's words might have been just a few, but they could have ruined her younger brother's reputation and earned him the Emperor's dislike. Would the Queen Mother let such an act go unpunished?
Shi Yi felt that it was impossible, so he felt relieved, but Liu Ju was not so relieved.
Even if the Queen Mother had punished Lady An, what would it matter? Lady An might think so, but how could anyone else not? On the surface, it was indeed he who had harmed Lady Wang. But his sisters believed him, and he knew he had never meant that.
My father had few children. He had been on the throne for many years, and despite having many beauties in his harem, he had only one son. So when Lady Wang became pregnant, and the physician diagnosed an 80% chance of a boy, my father was overjoyed and took it very seriously. After all, who wouldn't want many children?
At that time, his mother had advised him to avoid conflicts with Lady Wang as much as possible, especially since Lady Wang was about to give birth. If he had encountered her during such an important period, he would have definitely stayed away from her. How could he have been so foolish as to rush forward and bump into her?
Liu Ju frowned, so the key was why he and Fubao rushed out.
The missing memory always made him feel uneasy.
Liu Ju clenched his fists slightly and stood up: "I want to go to the scene of the incident and take a look."
He had to try and see if he could get his memory back. If it was his fault, he would admit it. But if it wasn't his fault, why should he take the blame?
********
Xuanshi Palace.
Liu Che sat at the top, flipping through the testimonies at hand.
Zhang Tang stood below and reported respectfully, "According to the confessions of all parties, the Grand Prince is a lively and playful man who often goes to the pond and garden to play. Hide-and-seek is a game he usually plays. The Grand Prince prefers to hide rather than seek, and that day he did the same thing. He hid himself and let the maids find him.
"They had played three times before the incident, and nothing unusual had happened. On the fourth round, the maids searched everywhere for the High Prince but couldn't find him. Just as they were about to call out, they heard a commotion in the distance. Rushing over, they saw both the High Prince and Madam Wang lying on the ground.
"People on Madam Wang's side said she was about to give birth, and the attendant physician recommended that she move around more to facilitate the birth. That's why the maids have been accompanying her on walks around the palace lately. That day, Madam Wang had already walked a bit, and on her way back, Fubao and the Grand Prince rushed out from behind the rockery, one after the other."
The reasons for the two people appearing in the pond garden were normal, and the way they collided seemed to be fine.
Liu Che's eyes were sharp as a torch. "So? Are you trying to tell me that this was a coincidence, and that it was all caused by that beastly Fubao's arrogance?"
A little beast was so arrogant that he almost killed a concubine and two royal heirs?
Zhang Tang was speechless. There couldn't be so many coincidences in the world.
Liu Che sneered, "Do you know that Fubao was given to Juer by me?"
Last year, Liu Ju asked for a dog. Liu Che naturally agreed to this small request from his beloved son.
So he ordered the kennel to carefully select, deliberately avoiding many large and medium-sized dogs, and chose the smallest and most well-behaved and docile one. He also ordered the dog slave to teach it for a long time. Only after Fubao was completely tamed did he send it to Liu Ju, for fear that the little beast would be ignorant and hurt Liu Ju.
"Fubao has been raised by Ju'er for over six months. He's always been obedient. Not only does he eat, drink, defecate, and urinate in a regular manner, but even when Ju'er holds him and plays hide-and-seek, he never makes a sound and gives away his location." Liu Che looked at Zhang Tang with a stern gaze. "Why would a dog like this suddenly charge at someone for no reason?"
Zhang Tang lowered his head and dared not speak.
Liu Che asked again: "Have you found Fubao?"
That day, Lady Wang and Liu Ju were in trouble at the same time. The scene was chaotic, and everyone was anxiously watching over their two masters, fearing that something might happen to them. Who would have the energy to pay attention to a dog? When they came to their senses, Fubao had disappeared.
Zhang Tang took a deep breath and said, "No."
Liu Che's tone grew even colder. "Where are the servants? Have they been interrogated? What did they find out?"
Zhang Tang knelt on the ground and lowered his head even lower: "It is my incompetence, Your Majesty, please forgive me."
This means that the entire review was conducted, but nothing useful was found.
The scene suddenly fell silent.
Seeing the pressure from Liu Che approaching, Zhang Tang broke out in a cold sweat: "Your Majesty knows my methods. Those people have been through my hands like a wheel three times. Even the toughest bones should have opened. But I can't find any problems with them."
Zhang Tang's methods were ruthless, but not limited to them; he also mastered torture techniques. What does this situation suggest? Perhaps the problem doesn't lie with these people.
Liu Che said in a deep voice: "You mean..."
"I wonder if there are other people or things at the scene that we are currently unaware of, or if the person behind this is using some other tricks.
"Therefore, I have searched the entire area where the incident occurred and expanded the search area and personnel. However, due to time constraints, I have not found any direct clues, but I have discovered some other things."
Liu Che looked up and motioned for him to continue.
Zhang Tang stood up and handed over another bamboo slip in his arms. The words engraved on it were exactly what Concubine An said. It was more complete than the half-heard account Princess Shiyi had received, and naturally more detailed than what Liu Ju knew.
Fubao is obedient and wouldn't hurt anyone for no reason. He must have a reason for doing this. But what is that reason?
【I heard that Fubao understood what people said and obeyed their orders. 】
The way Lady Wang fell was somewhat strange. She fell on flat ground, not from a height. It's said that a maid was quick to help her that day, taking most of the pressure off her. If that's the case, how could it have been so severe?
The first two sentences are linked together. Whose orders are we obeying? It's our master, Liu Ju. Even if Liu Ju was young and unlikely to have such thoughts on his own, what about Wei Zifu?
The latter sentence seems to imply that Mrs. Wang was involved in a scam (note: scam).
Zhang Tang prostrated himself on the ground, his mind racing. He was a clever man, so he didn't rush to express his opinion. He knew his opinion wasn't important; what mattered was what Liu Che thought.
So after handing the things over, he stopped talking and just pricked up his ears, listening quietly to Liu Che's instructions.
Liu Che did not express his opinion immediately. His gaze wandered over the bamboo slips. His eyes were deep, like a deep pool with no bottom in sight.
At this moment, the eunuch came cautiously and reported: "Your Majesty, Fubao has been found."
Liu Che's eyes moved slightly: "Where did you find it? Where did this little beast run off to?"
Ru'er doesn't remember what happened at that time, but Fubao is quite smart, so perhaps we can find some clues from it.
"Your Majesty, Fubao is dead. What was found was Fubao's body."
Liu Che & Zhang Tang: ???
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