Chapter 54 Answer 6: Too simple.
The three of them sat in the room without saying a word, and the atmosphere seemed a little strange.
Finally, it was Zhu Song who spoke first, "Your Highness has to return to the capital for some matters, so it's not convenient for him to show up in public."
Gu Huaiyu looked at Zhu Song and saw that he looked speechless, so he didn't ask any more questions. "Then...I'll go back first?"
Zhu Song didn't answer, but instead asked, "You just said Huang Cuiling died. How did she die?"
Gu Huaiyu replied, "A group of top assassins arrived, stormed the cell and killed her, and we also suffered heavy casualties."
"What?" Zhu Song stood up suddenly. Gu Huaiyu said, "Before I came here, I sent someone to the Imperial Hospital to fetch the imperial physician, but two of them died on the spot."
Zhu Song frowned tightly. "To be so generous, this must be more than just a simple matter. Huang Cuiling must have something else to say."
Gu Huaiyu agreed with him, "Yeah."
"Go back to Dali Temple."
After Zhu Song finished speaking, he got up and left. Gu Huaiyu stood up immediately, looked at Wen Fengxuan seriously, and then followed him.
Wen Fengxuan looked at the backs of the two people walking side by side, his eyes heavy.
When Zhu Song rushed to the Dali Temple, the imperial physician had already arrived and was treating the injured yamen runner. The air was filled with a strong smell of blood, which was very depressing in the night sky.
Zhu Song came to the room where Wu Siping was imprisoned without saying a word. Wu Siping was still groaning in pain while he was asleep. Zhu Song walked over with a sullen face and slapped him to wake him up.
Wu Siping suddenly opened his eyes and was about to curse, but when he saw that it was Zhu Song, he held himself back.
Zhu Song said coldly, "Tell me, what are you hiding?"
Wu Siping said, "No, I've said everything I can say. There's nothing left to say."
Zhu Chan said: "Huang Cuiling is dead."
Wu Siping widened his eyes.
Zhu Song continued, "A large number of death-defying warriors rushed into the prison and killed her."
Wu Siping continued to stare with his eyes wide open, muttering in disbelief, "How is this possible?"
Zhu Song said, "If you don't tell the truth, you might be the one to die before nightfall."
Wu Siping didn't say anything. Zhu Song walked up to him, grabbed his neck, and carried him out to the prison with an expressionless face. The blood on the ground had not yet dried, and Huang Cuiling's body was lying in their previous cell, with her eyes wide open and three sharp swords stuck in her chest.
Wu Siping was terrified and turned around to hug Zhu Song, "Sir, help me, sir."
Zhu Song threw him to the ground fiercely and said, "Speak."
Wu Siping raised his head and bargained with him, "I said, you promise to protect my safety."
Zhu Song took a deep breath and said, "You are the only witness. I will definitely protect your safety. If you know that only when the mastermind behind this is brought to justice, your life will be truly saved."
Wu Siping whispered, "Actually, back then, that man bought our newborn baby."
A child? Zhu Song frowned even more deeply. "A boy?"
Wu Siping nodded. "Yes, a boy, just three days old. That man gave us five hundred taels, a total of twenty-five silver ingots. He said that we must not tell anyone about this, otherwise he would kill us no matter where we are. But if we keep our mouths shut, it will make our lives smooth sailing. And we have indeed been smooth sailing over the years."
Zhu Song's eyes grew darker and darker. "What time exactly?"
Wu Siping said, "The child was born on the sixth day of the first lunar month and sold on the seventh day."
The seventh day of the Lunar New Year? Zhu Song was so shocked that he was stunned for a moment.
Seeing that he was silent, Wu Siping asked, "Does your Excellency have any questions?"
Zhu Song came back to his senses, calmed down and continued to ask, "Why did you run away before?"
Wu Siping replied, "Because I have always had the habit of listening to stories, I went to listen to a story as usual that day, and someone handed me a note saying, 'The matter has been exposed, leave Beijing immediately.'"
Zhu Song asked, "Who gave it to you?"
Wu Siping shook his head. "I don't know. It suddenly came into my hands. It's so mysterious, just like the noble man who suddenly appeared twenty years ago. We were scared, so we followed the instructions on the note and left the capital. But that night we were assassinated, but someone saved us from behind."
Zhu Song understood his thoughts, "That night in Xiliu Village, do you think it was the person who slipped you the note who saved you?"
Wu Siping asked in return: "Isn't it?"
Zhu Song snorted coldly, "Don't you understand yet? The truth is about to be exposed, and your death is coming."
Wu Siping caught a glimpse of Huang Cuiling's body and hugged Zhu Song's legs tightly in fear, "Sir, you must protect me."
Zhu Song then asked, "What are the characteristics of the child who was bought?"
Wu Siping said, "There's a black mole on my right elbow. I was born with it."
Zhu Song asked again, "Did the man who bought the child say anything?"
Wu Siping shook his head. "No, he suddenly showed up one night with several men in black. He said he wanted to buy the child, then told us not to tell anyone. That's all."
This made sense. Zhu Song had Wu Siping taken away and kept under good care.
The casualties of the Dali Temple were counted: two people died, five were seriously injured, and twenty-five were slightly injured.
Zhu Song's desire to solve the case reached its peak at this moment. With a heavy heart, he asked the family of the deceased to take the body back, and Zhu Song asked someone to help hold the funeral.
Zhu Song was busy until the afternoon of the next day, when he finally had time to return to the Zhu Mansion. As soon as he entered the house, the servant said to him, "Master, the Madam is looking for you."
Zhu Song went to see Meng Xiaohe.
Seeing his red eyes, Meng Xiaohe patted his shoulder and said comfortingly, "The rain will pass and the sky will clear up."
Zhu Song responded, then perked up and asked, "What's the matter?"
Meng Xiaohe looked at his haggard appearance and sighed, "Forget it, let's talk about it after you're done with this."
Zhu Song asked: "What is it?"
Seeing that he insisted, Meng Xiaohe said, "Didn't the princess say before that she wanted you to help find someone?"
Zhu Song asked, "Where is the portrait?"
Meng Xiaohe took out a small portrait from her sleeve and handed it to Zhu Song, "Here."
Zhu Song unfolded the letter and saw that he recognized this person. She was Xu Wanyin, the hostess of Shuyun Villa thirteen years ago.
Zhu Song frowned, "Why would the princess dream about her?"
Meng Xiaohe knew from his expression that he knew him and was very surprised. "You know this person?"
He chanted: "Xu Wanyin."
Meng Xiaohe asked, "The Xu Wanyin from Shuyun Villa thirteen years ago?"
"yes."
Meng Xiaohe also felt that something was not right, because Princess Jin came to the capital from Ganzhou after the fire at Shuyun Villa, and it was impossible for her to have met Xu Wanyin.
"I'm going to see the princess." Zhu Song said as he turned to leave, but was stopped by Meng Xiaohe. "Prince Jin said that the princess has been distracted lately and she is not allowed to go out or see guests."
Zhu Song frowned, "Isn't this just house arrest? Would Prince Jin treat his concubine like this?"
Speaking of this, Meng Xiaohe's face turned bad, "How about we just leave this matter alone?"
If it was someone else, Zhu Song might not care, but since that person was Xu Wanyin, Zhu Song would definitely care.
"No, the truth behind the Lin family tragedy has not yet been revealed. Perhaps this is the only chance."
Meng Xiaohe frowned even more tightly, "How could the princess be related to Xu Wanyin?"
Zhu Song didn't know, so he went to find Qu Zhoubai.
When he arrived at Jingzhao Prefecture, he stopped Qu Zhoubai who was about to go off duty.
Qu Zhoubai looked at him with a worried look on his face. "Can you still hold on? I was just about to go look for you."
"It's okay." Zhu Song stated his purpose directly, "I have something to tell you."
The two entered the house, and Zhu Song told Qu Zhoubai about the princess's dream and gave him the portrait.
Qu Zhoubai frowned upon hearing this. "What do you mean? How is Princess Jin related to Xu Wanyin?"
Zhu Song didn't answer, so Qu Zhoubai asked again, "Does Gu Er know about this?"
"I haven't had time to tell him yet."
Zhu Song said, "It doesn't matter whether you tell him or not now. Go and check carefully again the death toll at Shuyun Villa that year."
Qu Zhoubai understood what he meant, but it was becoming increasingly unbelievable. "Do you think the princess is a survivor of Shuyun Villa?"
Zhu Song said, "We'll know if it's true after we investigate. I'll send someone to Ganzhou to investigate the princess's family."
Qu Zhoubai couldn't stop worrying, "If you investigate these, you'll be going against Prince Jin, you..."
Zhu Song said to him expressionlessly, "I only want the truth."
Qu Zhoubai compromised, "Okay, I will re-examine the remains in Shuyun Villa tonight."
Zhu Song patted his shoulder and said sincerely, "Thank you very much."
"Brothers, let's not talk about this." Qu Zhoubai said, "But I still need to ask Gu Er for help on this matter."
Zhu Song said, "Go and talk to him."
Seeing that his eyes were bloodshot, Qu Zhoubai said to him, "Don't push yourself too hard."
Zhu Song said: "Don't worry, I can still hold on."
It was already dark when Zhu Song returned from Jingzhao Prefecture. Zhu Lingye was waiting for him in the front yard, his eyes filled with worry. "Brother."
Zhu Song nodded at him, "What's the matter?"
Zhu Lingye replied: "It's okay, I'm just worried about you."
"I'm fine." Zhu Song replied casually. He raised his eyes and saw Zhu Lingwang not far away. He raised his chin towards him and asked, "What's wrong?"
Zhu Lingwang replied: "I came to see you."
Zhu Song replied, "I'm fine. Okay, go do what you need to do."
Zhu Lingwang looked like he wanted to say something, but in the end he didn't. He just said, "No matter what, take care of yourself."
Zhu Lingye also said: "Yeah, brother, judging by your condition, you must have not slept for a few days. Don't push yourself so hard. Take your time, and the case will definitely be solved."
Zhu Song patted his shoulder and said, "I know what's going on. Don't worry." Then he went back to his yard.
The light in the study was still on. Zhu Song pushed the door open and entered, meeting Wen Fengxuan's worried eyes. "Sir."
Zhu Song walked to the desk and sat down, facing Wen Fengxuan.
Wen Fengxuan reached out and touched his forehead. At this moment, Zhu Song actually smiled, which was rare, although it was only fleeting. "I'm not sick."
Wen Fengxuan said, "But you look like you're very ill. Your eyes are red, dark circles under them, and you haven't shaved in a few days."
Zhu Song leaned over the table and said, "Your Highness, things are becoming increasingly complicated."
Wen Fengxuan asked, "What happened again?"
Zhu Song relayed Wu Siping's words to Wen Fengxuan, only noting the specific time of the transaction. Wen Fengxuan's eyes lit up, "A baby boy born twenty years ago would be twenty years old this year. I remember Wen Yi is twenty years old this year."
Wen Yi, Prince Su.
This year is indeed twenty years old.
More importantly, Prince Su’s birthday is the eighth day of the first lunar month.
Zhu Song looked at Wen Fengxuan and felt a strange feeling in his heart.
When Wu Siping didn't mention the specific transaction date, Zhu Song never thought of a specific person, but Wen Fengxuan immediately said Wen Yi's name without knowing the specific time.
Wen Fengxuan noticed Zhu Song's strangeness and lowered his eyes slightly. With some uncertainty in his voice, he tried to make amends, "It just suddenly occurred to me. I don't have any other intentions. I don't think anyone could be Third Brother."
Wen Fengxuan's long eyelashes trembled, and regret was evident on his face. Zhu Song thought he was being overly suspicious. Wen Fengxuan was a quiet person, and he knew very few people. It was normal for people to only associate within their own known circle.
Zhu Song figured it out and didn't hide it from him. "To be honest, Your Highness, I think the same as you. Wu Siping sold his baby boy on the seventh day of the first lunar month."
Wen Fengxuan's eyes widened instantly, and he looked at Zhu Song in disbelief, "How...is this possible?"
Seeing his reaction, Zhu Song became more certain that Wen Fengxuan had just said Prince Su's name by accident.
Too simple.
With the answer, solving Yi Corning's riddle becomes easy.
Zhu Song and Wen Fengxuan re-examined the mystery left by Yi Kangning.
Zhu Song pinched his chin and looked at the riddle. "If the tiger refers to Concubine Song, then why is the word on her forehead one or two?"
Wen Fengxuan pondered and guessed, "Perhaps this 'one and two' doesn't mean the characters above are one and two, but rather that there are two characters."
Zhu Song followed his words and said, "Royal Concubine?"
Zhu Song felt it was a bit far-fetched, because if he didn't know Concubine Song first, who could guess these two words out of thin air.
Wen Fengxuan pointed to 'Three hundred miles east of Jishan' and asked, "Could the answer be hidden in this sentence?"
The place where the child was bought is not Jishan at all. This sentence cannot be connected with the following one, so it can only be connected with the previous one.
"Jishan?" Zhu Song still had no clue.
Wen Fengxuan said, "I remember in the Southern Mountains section of the Classic of Mountains and Seas, there's a mountain called Jishan, three hundred miles east of Danyuan Mountain, and another three hundred miles east of that, Qingqiu Mountain. Could they be homophones?"
Zhu Song remembered that there was indeed a "Classic of Mountains and Seas" in Yi Kangning's room before. There were many foxes in Qingqiu, so it was reasonable to use foxes to represent the favorite concubine.
"Tiger's treasure fell and he kept crying. If the treasure refers to a child, then the child born by Concubine Song was taken to Jizhou by Yi Kangning."
Wen Fengxuan nodded, "Actually, I think this treasure also means that he has Concubine Song as his backer."
"Yes. Luti Mountain is rich in jade on top and gold below. This refers to the vast wealth amassed under the protection of Concubine Song."
Wen Fengxuan agreed, "That makes sense."
Zhu Song said: "I will send someone to Jizhou immediately."
We must find the child that Yi Kangning brought to Jizhou.
It took a long time, and before the matter was confirmed, Zhu Song did not conduct a high-profile search, but sent his confidants to Jizhou to search secretly. This would not produce results in a day or two, but he had the patience.
While waiting, Zhu Song, Qu Zhoubai and Gu Huaiyu dug up the remains of the Lin family and re-examined them personally. Due to time constraints, Gu Huaiyu only examined a dozen or so remains personally, and the rest were examined by the coroner.
This investigation indeed revealed the problem.
One body is missing.
There were a total of thirty-one corpses, but one of them was particularly small. Zhu Song had previously guessed that it was a newborn baby and had overlooked the matter, but now during the investigation, he discovered that the corpse of a nine-year-old child was missing.
Gu Huaiyu examined the tiny skeleton again and said, "This should be an eight-month-old fetus."
So there were only thirty people who died that year, except for one woman who was eight months pregnant. Thirteen years later, the bones turned to white and the fetus separated, leaving thirty-one corpses.
This result left all three of them silent.
Soon news came from Ganzhou. The princess's father, Wang Deshun, was a distant cousin of Concubine De. He was originally a restaurant owner. Thirteen years ago, he became a county magistrate with little success. Because he was illiterate, he was still a small county magistrate in Ganzhou.
None of this matters. What matters is that no one in Ganzhou knows that Wang Deshun has such a daughter.
It was as if the princess had never appeared in Ganzhou, but was just a figurehead in Wang Deshun's family.
All these news indicate that the princess is Lin Sicheng's other child, Lin Qiudie, Lin Feng's sister.
So, thirteen years ago, the two children of the Lin family, Lin Qiudie and Lin Feng, did not die. Lin Qiudie was rescued by Prince Su, and Lin Feng was rescued by Chen Guojiu's people, but their experiences were very different.
The answer was right in front of him, and Qu Zhoubai asked, "Do you want to tell Princess Jin?"
Zhu Song asked in return: "Why not?"
Regardless of the considerations, Zhu Song had no need to hide anything.
Gu Huaiyu shook his head, "I always feel that this matter is not that simple."
Zhu Song looked at him, "You want to stop me?"
Gu Huaiyu still shook his head, "Quite the contrary. We should give justice to the deceased in our position."
Zhu Song patted Gu Huaiyu's shoulder, and Qu Zhoubai quickly stated his position, "That's what I meant."
Zhu Song glanced sideways at him and patted his shoulder.
The matter has been investigated clearly, but now Princess Jin is under house arrest, so how to pass the news to her is a problem.
However, this problem did not bother Zhu Song for too long, because that night, Princess Jin came to Zhu's house.
Humbly Zhuzhu was still worrying about how to convey the message to her. She was a little surprised when she heard the news. She hurried to the side room to see Princess Jin. Besides Princess Jin, there was only Meng Xiaohe in the room.
Princess Jin was wearing a large black cloak and no makeup, and it looked like she had sneaked out.
Zhu Song shouldn't have asked this question, so he didn't say much. He just bowed politely and said, "Greetings, Princess."
Princess Jin also returned the greeting, "Master Zhu." Her expression was somewhat anxious. "Sorry to bother you so late at night. I want to know if Master Zhu has any clues about my case?"
Zhu Song raised his eyes and looked at her. "I dare not lie to you, Princess. I already have a clue about this matter, but I'm afraid it involves your life experience. I dare to ask, has your princess ever lost any memories?"
Princess Jin nodded, "Yes, I had a very dangerous high fever when I arrived in the capital. After waking up, I couldn't remember anything before."
Right.
Zhu Song then asked, "Princess, have you ever heard of the Lin family fire incident three months ago?"
Although Princess Jin didn't understand what he said had to do with her, she nodded and said, "Yes, I have heard of it."
Meng Xiaohe was getting anxious when she heard this, but she resisted the urgency and just looked at Zhu Song's anxious face. Princess Jin even pulled her hand to comfort her.
Zhu Song continued, "The princess knows that the Lin family had two children back then. One was Lin Feng, who pretended to be a young monkey and brought up this matter three months ago, and the other was Lin Qiudie, who died in the fire."
Princess Jin replied, "I've heard a little bit."
Zhu Song replied, "Lin Qiudie was nine years old when she died. We've re-examined all the remains of the deceased Lin family members over the past two days, and we haven't found the remains of a nine-year-old child."
Princess Jin obviously thought of something and looked a little shocked, but she didn't say anything. Zhu Song continued, "The portrait that the princess gave me is of Madam Lin, Xu Wanyin."
There's no need to be too blunt; everyone understands after talking about it to this extent.
Princess Jin stared blankly at Zhu Song, tears welling in her eyes, and her eye sockets instantly turned red. "Where are the remains of the Lin family? Can I go and see?"
Zhu Song replied, "It's at the old Lin family site. The city gates are now closed, so I'm afraid I can't go there tonight."
Princess Jin stepped forward and grabbed Zhu Song's hand. "Master Zhu, I ran away secretly. If I miss tonight, I won't have another chance. Please, help me."
Meng Xiaohe, who was standing nearby, looked troubled and advised, "Princess... you can't call for help without a reason."
Princess Jin also realized at this time that her request was a bit unreasonable. She withdrew her hand, lowered her eyes, and crystal tears flowed across her fair face, making her look fragile and lonely.
"I'm sorry, I was rude."
Zhu Song said, "I will report this matter to His Majesty tomorrow and request a reopening of the investigation. As the person involved, the princess will naturally be able to go to the scene."
Princess Jin raised her eyes and looked at Zhu Song. She had regained her composure by this time. Her eyes, as clear as autumn water, were as still as dead water. She said to Zhu Song calmly, "Master Zhu, His Majesty will not agree to this."
Seeing her speak so confidently, Zhu Song frowned in confusion, "How could that be?"
Princess Jin didn't answer, but simply asked him, "Do you think the royal family cares so much about the life and death of an ordinary family?"
Princess Jin didn't wait for Zhu Song's reply, "Thank you, Master Zhu. I'll be leaving now."
"I'll take you there." Meng Xiaohe escorted Princess Jin out the door.
Zhu Song looked at Princess Jin's back, thinking about her words, and ordered the servants to follow her secretly.
Meng Xiaohe came back soon, and Zhu Song asked, "Has the princess returned home?"
Meng Xiaohe nodded, then looked worried again, "What on earth is going on? How did the princess become a member of the Lin family? Why did the Lin family get wiped out in the first place?"
At this moment, Zhu Song suddenly understood what Princess Jin meant.
He ran out in a hurry. Meng Xiaohe looked at his back and asked, "Hey, where are you going so late?"
Zhu Song did not answer and went straight to the city gate. On the way, he met a servant on his way back, "Master, the princess has left the city."
The princess had Prince Jin's badge on her, so she could naturally order the city gate to be opened.
Zhu Song said, "Follow me."
Arriving at the city gate, Zhu Song used his waist badge to ask for the gate to be opened, "The Dali Temple is handling a case, open the city gate."
Zhu Song left the city smoothly. The princess moved faster than he expected and caught up with him at Shuyun Villa.
When they were examining the bones before, Zhu Song and his team built a simple shed here and placed the remains of all 30 members of the Lin family inside.
When Zhu Song chased after her, Princess Jin was kneeling on the ground crying.
Zhu Song watched from the side, not knowing how to comfort her.
Under the moonlight, the night wind blows, and the crying is suppressed.
Zhu Song spoke carefully, "Mrs. Lin's brother's son is currently at the Zhu residence. If the princess wants to see her relatives, she can go and meet them."
As soon as the voice fell, Princess Jin's maid came hurriedly, "Princess, it's bad, the prince is here."
Princess Jin quickly stood up, wiped the tears from her face, and said to Zhu Song hurriedly, "Master Zhu, I want you to promise me one thing. Unless you can reopen this case, what happened between us must remain confidential."
Zhu Song agreed, and Princess Jin said, "Please hide for a moment."
Zhu Song followed his instructions and hid in the dark.
Just as I hid myself, Prince Jin came over. He walked very fast and his voice was a little breathless.
"New Jade."
Princess Jin's current name is Zhou Xinyu.
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