Chapter 851: Sneaky Concubine Ning
Ran Xiaoyu's face turned pale all of a sudden: "So, it really is him?"
“…”
Nan Yan didn't say anything.
In fact, she had been suspicious of Duke Cheng from the very beginning. After all, whether on the former dynasty or the harem, the fall of King Wei would be beneficial to him. What's more, during the time when Wu Wan was restored to the throne, she had been actively "seducing" him - well, it wasn't seduction, she just wanted to serve Zhu Feng and win the king's favor.
After all, his own son did not survive.
This brought a glimmer of hope to too many women in the harem.
Moreover, with Duke Cheng's connections in the Ministry of Justice and the methods Wu Wan had used on him before, it was effortless for them to accomplish this.
More importantly, no trace will be left.
Ran Xiaoyu's breathing became heavy. She clenched her fists, her knuckles crackling, and gritted her teeth as she said, "I really want to beat them to death!"
Nan Yan glanced at her and said nothing.
If it were the Ran Xiaoyu of the past, she might really do such a thing on impulse, but now, she has been by his side for so long, she would probably just say it to vent her anger.
After all, we are not children anymore.
In the former and harems of this dynasty, if you are not offended by someone, you will just shout and kill, and vent your anger by beating or chopping someone with a knife.
The adult world is complex and ever-changing.
In the past, Ran Xiaoyu still had a bit of that underworld air, but these days, she has suffered a lot and seen a lot of things, and she is no longer the same as before.
So, after a while, she slowly calmed down her breathing.
Then he looked up at Nan Yan: "My Lady, what else can we do?"
Nan Yan thought for a moment and said, "Just like you said before, there are several points to investigate a case: check the people, check the objects, and check the events."
"How do we investigate? These people are all dead."
"If they're dead, we can still check their background. Although, I think it might have been erased, it's never a bad thing to check. Tingfu, go find out the backgrounds of those two palace maids and the eunuch, such as their birthplace, and who supervised them after entering the palace. If you have any questions, report to me."
"yes."
Tingfu went out immediately.
After he left, Ran Xiaoyu looked back and saw Nan Yan rubbing his eyebrows with his hand.
He hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, you must be tired after running around like this, right?"
"A little."
I was already exhausted when I gave birth. Although I have been recuperating recently and feel good, once I get busy, I realize that I am still not that fit.
You have to know that in the past I was full of energy and could climb walls and fly.
Ran Xiaoyu said distressedly: "My Lady, please take a rest."
Nan Yan shook her head: "I still want to go to Chengqian Palace to take a look."
Ran Xiaoyu hesitated for a moment, but Nan Yan had already stood up by holding the armrest of the chair, took a deep breath, and said, "Let's go and take a look."
"yes."
They left Yiku Palace and walked for a while before reaching Chengqian Palace.
This place was not sealed off. Only two old eunuchs were sent to guard the palace gate. When they saw the imperial concubine coming, they naturally opened the door to let her in.
Inside, it's quiet.
Nan Yan walked into the room. It still looked the same as when Zhu Chengxuan was taken away. There were a few books on the table.
Nan Yan walked over and saw that it was the Seven Military Classics.
Some key points were outlined on it with a pen. It can be seen that although Zhu Chengxuan did not like military books, he still tried his best to study them because of Zhu Feng's request.
If you open the drawer below, you can see some ancient medical books hidden inside.
These are what he likes deep down.
Nan Yan smiled bitterly.
"This child..."
Then, he opened the cabinet on the other side, which contained some blank stationery.
Nan Yan picked up one and examined it carefully. She compared it with the piece of letter paper with the anti-government poem written on it that the Ministry of Justice had sent as "evidence" earlier. They were indeed identical.
However, Nan Yan knew that this was a unified custom made by the imperial court.
All officials above the third rank in the court, including princes and ministers, used this kind of paper.
Therefore, the person who framed Zhu Chengxuan must be someone in the court.
This clue doesn't make any sense.
Nan Yan sighed and searched around again. The wastebasket was empty, without a single piece of wasted paper. However, this was not surprising. Since they were going to convict someone, those wasted papers had to be collected as clues for verification and could not be left there.
Therefore, there was no paper with Zhu Chengxuan's handwriting around.
Nan Yan thought about it and picked up the Seven Martial Arts Books.
Anyway, there are some comments by Zhu Chengxuan on it. Although the handwriting is small, it should be possible to compare them.
After doing all this, she walked out and saw Ran Xiaoyu standing in the yard at the door.
This is where she taught Zhu Chengxuan archery before.
Now, the target and weapon rack had long been put away, and she was the only one standing there, looking particularly sad.
Nan Yan walked over and said softly, "Don't think too much."
Ran Xiaoyu turned around and looked at her: "My Lady."
Nan Yan said, "Put away all your sadness and focus on doing things. It won't be too late to feel sad after the Prince of Wei and the Queen are released from prison."
Seeing her like this, Ran Xiaoyu felt a little ashamed.
Although she usually looks stronger and Nan Yan looks weak and frail, in terms of character, Nan Yan is actually stronger than many people.
If I can't do this, I can't stand next to a man like Zhu Feng.
She nodded: "I understand."
So the two of them turned around and left Chengqian Palace.
However, as soon as I walked out of the palace gate, I saw a slender figure standing behind the flowers in front of me, and her bright eyes were looking at me quietly.
Yes, Concubine Ning Qin Ruolan.
Nan Yan was stunned for a moment.
Before, it was almost the same place, the same scene, and I saw her standing there.
What's wrong with her?
Nan Yan frowned and was about to walk over, but Qin Ruolan had already seen them. Her expression suddenly changed and she turned around and hurried away.
Ran Xiaoyu also saw her and immediately frowned: "Concubine Ning? She's here again?"
“…”
"She has been outside Chengqian Palace several times, sneaking in."
When she said this, her expression suddenly changed.
Turning to look at Nan Yan: "My Lady, did we forget her?"
Nan Yan frowned slightly: "Are you talking about Concubine Ning?"
"Um."
"However, the files from the Ministry of Justice clearly state that Concubine Ning did not enter or leave Chengqian Palace during the two days when the incident occurred."
"But she's always outside Chengqian Palace, sneaking around like a cloak and dagger. Isn't her behavior suspicious?"
“…”
Nan Yan was speechless.
As for her behavior, it is true that she looks even more suspicious than Duke Cheng.
But for some reason, even though she was acting so "sneaky", Nan Yan had a hunch.
Intuitively, I don't doubt her.
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