Chapter 85: Kill 4 Someone tampered with his drink
In fact, Su He also wanted to ask the emperor whether he had a twin brother who had left the palace.
But she didn't dare to ask. Royal affairs were related to the political situation. The winner would be the king and the loser would be the bandit. How many sinister means and shameful deeds were involved? How could she, with her status, be qualified to find out?
What she can be sure of is that Bai Jinan's identity may not be simple.
The three of them chatted while drinking tea.
The emperor was so inspired that he even rewarded Su He with a fine fox fur cloak and Xie Wuhen with a peerless sword that could cut through iron like mud.
The two were flattered and knelt down to express their gratitude.
"No need to be so polite, just stand up."
The emperor was filled with emotion: "It's great to be young. It's really enviable."
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhao Fu hurried into the palace: "Your Majesty, something has happened."
The emperor asked, "What's the matter?"
Zhao Fu answered cautiously, "Master Zhou's son, Zhou Yuanze... became intoxicated and raped a palace maid by the lotus pond behind the Jiade Hall. He then pushed her... into the pond... and she drowned."
The emperor's face fell, and he was speechless for a long time.
Then he stood up and said, "I'll go and take a look first." Then he walked out of the hall.
Xie Wuhen and Su He also followed the emperor out of Weiyang Palace.
At this time, the lotus pond behind the Jiade Hall was surrounded by three layers of people.
The brave military officers gathered in front, and the civil officials gathered behind.
The women hid under the sunshade eaves, not daring to go forward in person, and could only stretch their necks to look forward.
The body in the pool has been fished out. It was covered in blood and naked. Even a large clump of hair on the top of its head had been pulled out, leaving only a bald scalp.
What is even more horrifying is that dozens of pebbles were forcibly stuffed into the body of the corpse, causing the abdomen to bulge out as if the corpse was pregnant.
No one could imagine what kind of inhuman torture this palace maid had suffered before her death.
At this time, Zhou Yuanze was also sitting on the rocks by the pool in dishevel, with his head in his hands, too embarrassed to see anyone.
His personal bodyguard Wang Shan stood in front of him, trying to shield him from the many contemptuous glances.
The women under the eaves couldn't help but talk:
"This Zhou Yuanze is truly worse than a beast."
"Shh...be careful of the ears and eyes of Kunning Palace."
"What are you afraid of? Can the Zhou family rebel against the heavens?"
"Isn't this simply outrageous? Logically, a palace maid is the Emperor's woman, and now Zhou Yuanze has the audacity to defile the Emperor's woman."
"The Queen has inexplicably fallen ill today, and Zhou Yuanze has rebelled against Tiangang. I'm afraid the Zhou family is doomed."
…
The emperor suddenly came and the noisy discussions suddenly stopped.
Everyone knelt together, even Zhou Yuanze, who was too embarrassed to face people, knelt on the ground and shouted "Long live the emperor."
The emperor said "Stand up", glanced at the corpse covered with white cloth, ordered the guards to deal with it quickly, and then turned and left.
He did not return to Weiyang Palace, but climbed up to a pavilion beside the lotus pond.
A cool breeze blew, carrying the water vapor from the pool and the bloody smell of the corpse, adding a bit of chill to this hot afternoon.
Zhou Ping, who was hiding in the dark, naturally saw the emperor's movements.
He bent over, holding up his clothes, and laboriously climbed up the steps to the pavilion, then knelt on the ground: "I have failed to educate my son well. Please punish me, Your Majesty."
The emperor took two sips of tea and said slowly, "Why didn't I see Mr. Zhou just now?"
Zhou Ping was terrified and said, "I feel ashamed to face people and dare not show my face in front of them."
The emperor smiled and said, "Mr. Zhou, please stand up."
Zhou Ping replied, "I dare not."
The emperor's words were full of ulterior motives: "Lord Zhou behaves so properly and in accordance with the rules, so how could he have raised such a clueless son?"
Zhou Ping replied, "I know I was wrong."
The emperor exhaled heavily and said, "Now that things have come to this, Mr. Zhou, there is no need to repeatedly admit your mistakes before me. It is better to take your son back first."
Zhou Ping was delighted: "Could it be the Emperor..."
To spare his son?
The emperor spoke calmly, "As for how to punish your son, that is for Lord Zhou to decide."
Zhou Ping choked when he heard this.
The emperor was not sparing his son at all; he was clearly roasting both father and son on the fire.
He prostrated himself again and said, "My son has committed a heinous crime. I am willing to accept any punishment from the Emperor."
His Zhou family is wealthy and powerful. He has a queen in the harem, garrisons on the border, and even his confidants among the Twelve Guards in the capital. He can bear any consequences.
But the emperor just didn't give him a fair result.
The emperor stood up from the stone bench, still speaking in a calm tone: "Today is Concubine Shu's birthday. I will not waste time with Mr. Zhou on such trivial matters. I must go and accompany Concubine Shu."
Without waiting for Zhou Ping's response, the emperor walked out of the pavilion.
The corner of the dragon robe brushed across the back of Zhou Ping's hand as he prostrated himself on the ground, making him feel even more uneasy.
At this time, Su He and Xie Wuhen also came to the lotus pond.
She had worried that Zhou Yuanze would cause trouble, but she had never expected that a murder would occur. If she had known this, she should have insisted that Eunuch Zhao take care of him.
Su He was upset, but there was nothing he could do.
From the side hall to the poolside is a dense lawn, and bloodstains can still be seen on the lawn.
It can be imagined that the palace maid was unwilling to be defiled, so even though she was seriously injured, she crawled out of the house until she reached the edge of the pool and fell into Zhou Yuanze's clutches again.
Su He could feel the palace maid's despair at that time.
It was just like the despair she felt when Li Shuli beat her countless times and she had nowhere to escape.
She asked Xie Wuhen: "Will Zhou Yuanze die?"
If Zhou Yuanze could be beheaded for this, she would have fulfilled one of her wishes.
Xie Wuhen answered simply: "No."
Su He found it incredible: "He killed someone in the palace, in front of so many court officials, and this would be... okay?"
Xie Wuhen sighed helplessly: "The emperor will not take his life for the time being."
After all, only if Zhou Yuanze is alive can the emperor find the child born by Empress Duofu.
Su He was puzzled: "Why?"
Xie Wuhen naturally did not want to say more: "The emperor has his own arrangements, my lady, please do not worry."
In the sunlight, his handsome face was both cold and gentle.
Su He was tactful and didn't ask any more questions.
Then two royal guards escorted Zhou Yuanze away, and more guards dispersed the crowd one by one.
Everyone returned to the Jiade Hall and drank together again.
The entire palace was once again filled with singing and dancing, as if the murder had never happened and as if the unknown palace maid had never existed.
After all, as long as the emperor doesn't pursue the matter, the palace maid is just an ordinary slave.
Life is as cheap as an ant, who would care?
It was already afternoon when we finished attending the palace banquet.
Xie Wuhen first sent Su He back home, and then went to the study to handle official business.
Wu Sheng reported, "The guards the Emperor has assigned have been deployed around the Zhou family. If Zhou Yuanze makes any move, we will definitely detect it."
Xie Wuhen said "OK".
Wu Sheng was filled with doubts: "Did Zhou Yuanze go insane today to do such a stupid thing in the palace?"
Xie Wuhen replied in a deep voice: "Someone tampered with his drink."
Wu Sheng paused: "Today is a palace banquet, who is so bold?"
Xie Wuhen's expression slightly restrained: "What if it's the emperor?"
Wu Sheng's eyes widened: "Why?"
"The Queen is strangely ill today, and Zhou Yuanze is also strangely stupid. Who else could be behind this except the Emperor? Perhaps the Emperor is going to start weakening the Zhou family's influence in the court."
Wu Sheng suddenly woke up from his dream: "If so, then the Crown Prince's position as heir is no longer secure."
Xie Wuhen replied: "In the land of power and the arena of battle, it all depends on who is the final winner."
At this time in Weiyang Palace.
The emperor summoned Zhao Fu and said, "Send someone to investigate the family of Li Taian's first wife, Guo. It would be best if you could get her portrait."
Zhao Fu was a little confused: "Li Taian is just a provincial governor. Why would the emperor investigate his first wife?"
The emperor said coldly: "I asked you to investigate, so go ahead and investigate."
Zhao Fu quickly lowered his head and replied "yes".
The next morning, Zhao Fu went into the palace and reported, "Your Majesty, I have found something."
The emperor said, "Speak."
"Guo's background was unremarkable. She was the eldest daughter of a merchant family. Shortly after coming of age, she married into the Li family. Later, angered by Li Taian's mistress, she fell ill and passed away suddenly." Zhao Fu said, pulling a scroll from his sleeve. "This is Guo's portrait."
The emperor took the portrait and slowly opened it. The moment his eyes fell on it, his expression quickly dimmed - the person in the portrait was not her.
After all, it was just his fantasy.
He sighed deeply and murmured, "Maybe it's just a coincidence." Then he rolled up the scroll again and threw it aside casually.
Zhao Fu didn't understand what the emperor meant, but he didn't dare to ask more. However, he could guess that the emperor might be missing Empress Duofu?
At this time, Su He was also missing his mother.
Back then, my mother also endured all kinds of torture from Zhou Yuanze like that palace maid, right?
In the end, my mother lost her life due to humiliation just like the palace maids; in the end, Zhou Yuanze continued to be the eldest master of the Zhou family and then the master of the high and mighty servants.
Su He took out the iron trading account book again.
When I turned to the fifth page, a name came into view: Zhao Che.
That’s right, the list of iron dealers not only includes Xie Wuhen’s uncle Xie Jin, but also the name of the current crown prince.
Zhang Xiuhua asked, "Miss, what are you doing with this booklet?"
Su He replied: "Since there is no way to get close to Zhou Yuanze right now, perhaps we can try another way."
"What way?"
Su He shook the account book in his hand: "This way."
As long as the truth about the Crown Prince's iron trafficking is revealed, the Eastern Palace will suffer a severe blow, and the crown prince may even be deposed. In this way, the Queen will lose hope, and the Zhou family will also lose their support.
In this way, even if Zhou Yuanze cannot be beheaded according to the law, at least he will no longer be at large, and it will be much easier to kill him then.
Zhang Xiuhua was unsure: "This...will it really work?"
Then he asked, "The name of the Second Master of the Xie family is also on this booklet. Will it be difficult for the son-in-law?"
Su He looked at the void in front of him, speechless for a long time.
After a moment, she breathed a sigh of relief. "This booklet hasn't been made public, so he's not in any trouble. Master Fang was right..."
Zhang Xiuhua asked, "Which sentence?"
Su He replied, "Xie Jin is his closest relative. His attitude towards his uncle is the same as his attitude towards us after the incident. I want to see how he will deal with it."
Zhang Xiuhua felt a chill on her back when she heard this and she lowered her head in silence.
Su He then called Ah Si over and said, "Give this account book to my son-in-law."
Ah Si was stunned. "What should I say?"
"Just say that it was your father who hid the Du family's account books, and you accidentally found them, so you came to give them to him. He will verify their authenticity."
Ah Si nodded "yes" and turned to leave with the account book.
That night, after getting the account book, Xie Wuhen did not go back to his room, but stayed in the study.
The next day, Xie Wuhen did not return home all night.
On the morning of the third day, Su He had just finished breakfast when he heard a commotion coming from the house next door.
She asked Chunlan: "What happened outside?"
Chunlan didn't know either, so she hurried out to find out.
A quarter of an hour later, Chunlan hurried back, "Miss, it's bad, the son-in-law has brought a group of Dali Temple officials to arrest the second master."
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