Chapter 46 Who is the murderer?
After seeing the prince off, Qian Deng pondered over his last words, trying to figure out what he meant.
Cui Fufeng lowered his voice and said to her, "The emperor summoned me to the palace yesterday to inquire about this matter."
Since he mentioned this matter, it meant that he could confide in her. Qian Deng then asked, "What border issues did the prince mention?"
"In the military, spoils of war are distributed in order and according to the three-part principle. For this war, the Shuofang Army under the command of the Prince of Linhuai was the main force, with the Uighur Army serving as a supporting force. Therefore, after each city was captured, the Shuofang Army took the enemy's troops and treasures first, followed by the Uighur Army. And each Shuofang soldier was required to divide the spoils into three equal parts: one for themselves, one for the army, and one for the imperial court." Cui Fufeng briefly explained, then added, "The Mingjiu have been lingering in Chang'an for several months because several towns in Anxi were captured by the Uighurs. When the rebellion broke out and the emperor and empress fled, they were promised free rein of the spoils when they went to the Uighurs to borrow troops. So now they're coming to claim it, demanding that all but the land belong to the Tang Dynasty."
Qian Deng blurted out, "Wouldn't that mean the entire city would be plundered and enslaved by them, leaving only an empty city?"
"Yes, the court is naturally unwilling. After all, the people are the most important, and the country is second. If we abandon the people now, just to nominally control those few pieces of land, what is the point?"
"So..." Qiandeng thought for a moment, a hesitant thought flashing through his mind, "If Mingjiu is the murderer, would that be a good thing for the court?"
"Yes, although the imperial court knows that the Huihe people's demands are unreasonable, they have just made great contributions. It is impossible for them to tear their faces apart and flatly refuse now, so they have delayed until now."
But if Mingjiu committed such a heinous crime in the Tang Dynasty, then the Tang Dynasty could expel him, and all negotiations would be terminated or even wiped out.
"It's a good thing for the county princess, too." Cui Fufeng gazed at her and said softly, "This way, the county princess can successfully escape this marriage dilemma; and the court can also logically and completely put an end to the Huihe's unreasonable demands."
This matter was so serious that Qiandeng was in a trance for a moment and felt helpless.
Cui Fufeng continued, "Yesterday, His Majesty personally summoned the three judicial officials to inquire about this matter. I have faithfully submitted the findings of my investigation over the past few days. His Majesty was very concerned about the fact that the crowing eagle had the ability to conceal its presence in and out of the palace, and that it had infiltrated the princess's residence and slaughtered horses a few days before the incident. He inquired about the details."
"It seems that the court does have this tendency?"
"And the results of our investigation do indeed meet the needs of the court." Cui Fufeng slowly closed the file in front of him. "So... what do you think, County Master? Should we continue our investigation, or wait and see what the court has to say?"
Qian Deng felt extremely confused and hesitated for a long time before he said softly, "Investigate, continue investigating."
Even if there had been no incident between Princess Gao and Mingjiu, she would never have let go of her mother's death and the evildoers lurking among the men in her backyard.
"The person who could have obtained Princess Gao's pearl flower is most likely the one she was meeting before she fell into the water. And the only one who could have used it to frame Mingjiu could be one of the men in the backyard last night." Qian Deng pondered and said slowly, "So, the scope of our investigation has been narrowed down again. We only need to investigate Meng Lanxi, Xue Xiyang, Yan Penglai, Jin Tang, and Ji Linyou."
But these people have to think about where to start.
"In the first two rounds, we first investigated their whereabouts and then their residences, but we didn't find any substantial information about Princess Gao's death or Shangluo's whereabouts."
Qiandeng pondered, took out their respective case files, and reviewed the information that they knew by heart again.
Xue Xiyang.
Tai Le Cheng, who was known to be a playboy all over the world, has now cut off all romantic ties and stayed in her backyard.
It seems that he has calmed down and behaved himself now, and he seems to have feelings for her.
He could meticulously draw a picture of a family outing in spring for her; he would even injure his own hands to convey a message to her...
But who knew if he was always kind, if there was any difference between what he gave to others and what he gave to her? Someone who always managed to win someone's favor with his attentiveness and tenderness, would go meet up with an old flame before celebrating her birthday. This was something others couldn't imagine, but someone like him seemed capable of it...
After all, after years of floating in the world of prostitution, this man's methods are definitely not something a young girl like her who is inexperienced in the world can control.
Jintang.
Aunts Xuanji and Yingluo had discussed this secretly and believed that he was the most practical choice for the palace.
After all, with the Changhua Palace in such a state, it would be incredibly difficult for her to support it alone. If she could secure the support of the Jin family, the wealthiest family in Chang'an, one seeking money and the other power, a merger would undoubtedly be the best option. Therefore, the Jin family spared no effort in helping the palace rebuild and dedicated their entire family resources to ensuring that Jin Tang became the County Lord's husband.
He was of average intelligence, but at least he tried to spend time with her, trying to please her and make her happy. He was her most stable and affordable choice. The two of them could be a wealthy and idle couple, enjoying a life of peace and happiness, a life that everyone in the world would envy.
But...is this really the life she wants?
The tragic sacrifices of her grandfather and father, the destruction of the Changhua Palace, the cause of death of her mother and Uncle Fu... Can she close her eyes and waste her life surrounded by splendor?
Moreover, businessmen pursue profit. Before he tried his best to please her, his family had tried their best to please Princess Gao. Even the necessary qualification to become her husband-in-law - the status of a student at the Imperial Academy - was obtained for him by Princess Gao.
He had the time to commit the crime; he had the opportunity to lay the groundwork at the scene; he had courted the princess and then betrayed her. These conditions... perfectly matched the murderer's requirements.
Yan Penglai.
This handsome man has an ethereal appearance and is untainted by the mundane world.
It is like a quiet and perfect rare treasure that countless noble ladies want to own, but it just stays quietly in her backyard, and she can come and take a look at it anytime when she wants to.
He doesn't let her worry, nor does he worry about her, but he can greatly satisfy her vanity -
Even though she was just an orphan in the palace, even if the Changhua Palace was doomed to decline, she could still marry the most popular man in the world and make the dream lover of thousands of girls become her own man.
But... can these vanity and pleasures support her to continue walking with him?
What's more, there are countless lies hidden behind him.
After he said that he and Princess Gao had broken off all ties, he still helped Princess Gao cheat for Jin Tang and do things for her.
His relationship with Princess Gao, the fate he had determined for her, the ambiguous, intermittent, and confusing relationship between them...
Will those secrets buried deep in the past make him a murderer?
Meng Lanxi.
If she chose to be with this handsome young man, at least she would be able to sleep peacefully in the future.
After all, she had been suffering from insomnia and nightmares for a long time, and only Meng Lanxi could save her from the predicament and let her have a good night's sleep.
But... she knew very well that he was not as innocent as he appeared.
On the first day of the selection, he was able to attack Jin Tang because of a single word. Although he did not harm anyone's life, his calm demeanor in the Guangling and Shi Jingning cases later left a mark in her heart.
There are too many unknown thoughts hidden in his clear and gentle smile. Is it possible that such a man is the one with treacherous thoughts?
Were the poisonous mushrooms and daily spices he collected in Qujiang Pond related to Princess Gao's fall into the river, or Mingjiu's successful sneaking into the princess's mansion that day?
Ji Linyou.
His grandfather had served under her grandfather, loyally following the Prince of Changhua when he was still a minor general. Furthermore, the Ji family still commanded the Prince of Changhua's former troops, never forgetting to hold the Prince of Changhua's flag when marching to battle and swearing an oath.
If we were to say who is most likely to continue the glory of her father and grandfather, it would be the Ji family and Ji Linyou.
However, when Mother and Uncle Fu got into trouble, Ji Linyou was one of the men on the farm. Moreover, his skills were probably the best on the farm at the time. It could even be said that he was the most capable of doing everything among all the men.
When the truth about the deaths of his mother and Uncle Fu was still unknown, Princess Gao was killed. The person most likely to benefit was the Ji family.
Will this heroic and passionate young man deliberately do something dirty that is completely different from his usual behavior for the benefit of his family and the court?
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