"Tell me the truth. Who is behind this? Who are you connected to? Who above him tipped you off?"

"And those foreign ministers who dominate the Tianjie Temple, which vassal state are they from, and they want to provide you with assistance."

"Or, is there someone hiding deeper behind this?"

"Tell the story clearly and don't be shy. You should know where this is. Whoever comes here has to tell the truth. Don't even think about leaving. Once you get here, I can't say many people can leave."

Song Zhong looked at Gu Shuanggui, who was wearing prison uniform, and said calmly.

Just these words made Gu Shuanggui a little confused.

After a slight hesitation, he immediately said firmly: "Since I have come here, I have no intention of leaving alive. You can frame me and find excuses to accuse me."

Song Zhong looked at Gu Shuanggui pitifully. He had hinted it so clearly, but he still didn't understand.

Seeing this, Song Zhong had no choice but to be more direct.

"The crime of assassination is more serious than treason. There are many ways for people to die. There is a clean and neat death with a sword, and there are also deaths caused by torture."

"You are lucky. You are still alive thanks to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. Recently, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince issued an order to abolish most tortures. Otherwise, you would really treat this imperial prison as a game of thrones."

"You are extremely lucky to be able to speak to me here intact."

"I don't have much time left. You have to think it over. Do you want to keep your mouth shut and experience the interrogation process of the Imperial Prison, or do you want to honestly reveal the names of the people behind the scenes?"

"Don't be too arrogant. How can an old man like you be in charge of assassination? There must be others involved to help you."

"Don't forget, your three sons are now all imprisoned in the imperial prison."

Hearing this, Gu Shuanggui suddenly became excited.

"What does this have to do with them? The Jinyiwei are so powerful that they should be able to find out the truth. I just said something wrong at the time. Don't take it seriously."

"I will give my life here and die as atonement for my crime!"

After saying that, Gu Shuanggui planned to bang his head against the wall and die.

"Don't worry, everyone has to die."

Upon seeing this, Song Zhong simply said something and interrupted Gu Shuanggui's next action.

Gu Shuanggui stopped immediately and scolded: "You dog official, you want to frame an innocent person!"

Song Zhong sneered and said, "It seems that I have to talk to you about the current situation."

"Right now, hundreds of officials in the government offices are restricted from entering and leaving, and are under investigation. All the gates of the capital are sealed, and a hundred thousand troops have entered the capital to impose martial law. His Majesty has issued an order that anyone who has the slightest connection with the assassination of Tai Su will be killed without mercy!"

"Even the Tianjie Temple is currently surrounded by the army. All diplomatic envoys must be investigated by the Jinyiwei."

"Tell me, why should I frame you?"

Before he could finish his words, Gu Shuanggui collapsed to the ground.

Such a big fuss, just because he said he wanted to assassinate the crown prince?

Thinking of this, Gu Shuanggui stared at Song Zhong fiercely and said, "You lied to me!!!"

Song Zhong chuckled and said, "Who dares to make fun of such a big thing? No matter how bold I am, I dare not forge an imperial decree and tamper with the words of the saint."

"Besides, what is my status? Is it necessary for me to do this to someone like you? With my status and position, it would be easy for me to kill you. There is no need for me to show up in person."

Hearing this, Gu Shuanggui already believed it a little. With a dead look on his face, he asked with a glimmer of hope: "Excuse me, sir, is there any hope for our old couple?"

"If you are willing to let go of this old man's wife and children, I will definitely give you a generous gift that will satisfy you."

Hearing this, Song Zhong laughed and said, "It seems that you, old man, still don't understand what I mean. Tell me frankly, right now, not only you, but also your entire family, including servants and slaves, will surely die."

"Those wives and concubines don't even have the qualifications to live in the Jiaofang Bureau. Not only that, His Majesty has personally issued an order to kill all nine of your clans, and not a single person can be spared."

"Your Gu family's genealogy has already been sent to the Jinyiwei. Hundreds of imperial guards have also set out for your hometown in Jiangnan. You don't have to worry about what will happen in the future. I guarantee that no one will be left alive in your ancestral home."

Gu Shuanggui's eyes were bloodshot and he shouted, "Why is it so!!!"

And then, he just fainted.

Song Zhong waved his hand, and a jailer came over with water and poured it on Gu Shuanggui's head, waking him up.

When Gu Shuanggui woke up, he was confused for a moment, and then he was like a body without a soul, mumbling something unclear.

It seems like he has gone mad.

Song Zhong was not surprised at all. He just waved his hand again and asked the jailer to stay away.

Then he walked closer to Gu Shuanggui and whispered, "Don't pretend, it's meaningless. But when I was searching for your relatives, I was surprised to find that you, an old man, have a mistress in your house."

"You are probably three years old. You have never told anyone about it. Even your wife and children at home probably don't know."

"He even arranged for his servants to remarry to conceal his true identity."

"I am right, isn't I?"

Gu Shuanggui, who was a little dazed just now, suddenly became clear-headed, his eyes widened, and after a long while he said in a trembling voice: "How did you know! How could you possibly know!"

Song Zhong did not answer, but just said: "Currently, this news has not been recorded in the Jinyiwei files. After all, you have done it covertly enough. Normally, it may not be reported once every half a month."

"If you cooperate well enough, there are some things that I won't have to say."

Gu Shuanggui was dejected, with no energy or spirit left. He suddenly became depressed and said slowly, "Tell me how you want me to cooperate."

Song Zhong smiled gently.

Of course, he would not tell Gu Shuanggui that the so-called concubine had already been taken to the other end of the imperial prison.

Moreover, the son was not his, but was born from the secret relationship between the servant and the concubine.

All the ins and outs have been explained in great detail, so naturally there is no way to escape death.

Your Majesty is furious and no one can survive.

Seeing that Gu Shuanggui was honest, Song Zhong began to ask, "Tell me, there are also those ministers in the court and foreign officials involved. Think carefully and speak after you have thought it through. Don't leave anything out."

…

In the Prince of Yan's mansion in the capital, Zhu Di had a gloomy face.

Just now, the eunuch came to convey the emperor's order, that from that moment on, you were to be confined to the palace and not allowed to go out without the emperor's order.

What does this mean?

Could it be possible that the assassination of my nephew has something to do with me?

Even Zhu Gaochi, who was away, was brought here by the eunuchs.

Looking at his eldest son's fat face, which made it difficult for him to walk a few steps, Zhu Di became even more angry.

But he still asked, "Your elder brother was assassinated. Do you know anything about it? Tell me quickly."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Gaochi smiled bitterly and bowed, saying, "Father, I don't know the reason. It was only on the way back that I learned that someone was plotting to assassinate you. I know nothing else."

Zhu Di scolded angrily: "You don't know this, you don't know that, what use are you, get out!"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Gaochi's originally slow movements quickened and he quickly left his father's sight.

"Father is still angry. I will come back when he calms down."

Zhu Di drank a sip of tea, stood up, wandered for a few steps, and thought with some confusion.

"Who on earth has the guts to plot to assassinate my nephew? In this capital, he must be thinking he hasn't lived long enough."

"I have never thought of this, but someone has done it. Who is it?"

As he was thinking, a figure appeared in Zhu Di's mind.

That was Zhu Yunwen, who almost became the crown prince.

"It can't be him. He looks so cowardly on weekdays, and he doesn't seem to have the guts to do that."

"If you really have this idea, you wouldn't wait until now, when your nephew hasn't returned to the palace yet, to take action."

"Could it be that his subordinates secretly instigated it?"

Thinking in this way, Zhu Di felt that it could barely be justified. After all, it was unlikely that this matter was controlled by Zhu Yunwen himself. Perhaps it was just a plan, but the news was leaked by the Jinyiwei.

The assassination that hadn't even begun was already over.

Zhu Di was not surprised by such a big commotion. He thought it was normal given his father's temper and his doting on his nephew, even if they were a little exaggerated.

While he was thinking, a butler came to report: "Your Highness, Jinyiwei Commander Jiang Li is outside the door asking to see you."

Zhu Di's eyes narrowed and he thought to himself: What is he here for?

Then he ordered the butler, "Let him in. I want to see what the leader of the Jinyiwei wants to do with me!"

The butler did not dare to delay after receiving the order, because the leader of the Jinyiwei outside was so powerful that even a three-year-old child could stop crying, and his hands were stained with the blood of countless people.

If I were to be targeted, it seemed that even His Royal Highness the Prince of Yan might not be able to protect himself in the capital.

Soon, Jiang Li, dressed in a Feiyu suit, appeared in the lobby with a smile on his face and a kind look.

"Jiang Li, the commander-in-chief of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, greets His Royal Highness the Prince of Yan!" When Jiang Li arrived, he was very polite.

Zhu Di nodded, and then said: "What kind of wind is this? It has blown all of my father's personal guards to this little temple of mine."

Seeing that Zhu Di had no intention of letting him take a seat, Jiang Li simply stood and replied, "Your Highness, there is chaos outside right now. The army has entered the city, and the patrol officers are all very nervous."

"I happened to be on patrol nearby and remembered your Majesty's instructions, so I went to your residence to talk about it."

Jiang Li also knew that he would not be treated well, and he had expected this. Seeing that Zhu Di had a gloomy face and was in a bad mood, he could only bring up His Majesty to try to stop him a little.

Obviously, Jiang Li's words had a very good effect on Zhu Di. After all, his father had an extremely high status in Zhu Di's heart.

Since this involves his father, Zhu Di naturally cannot ignore it.

After his expression eased a little, he asked, "You don't come to me for no reason. Tell me, what is it that you need to ask me about?"

After saying this, Zhu Di pointed with his hand and asked Jiang Li to take a seat.

Jiang Li bowed slightly to express his gratitude before taking a seat.

Then he said, "Your Majesty has no special meaning, just asking me to come to your Highness's residence and take a closer look."

"Those people even dared to plot to assassinate His Majesty, the Crown Prince, and they do not take His Majesty seriously. His Majesty is also worried about the safety of the other princes, so he specifically asked me to come and see if I can help."

"At present, the clues about those who tried to assassinate His Royal Highness the Crown Prince are sporadic. Perhaps they also thought about assassinating Your Highnesses before. We can use this clue to find out who they were."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Di snorted coldly.

These words were spoken beautifully, but how could Zhu Di not understand the implicit meaning behind them?

However, even if he understood it, Zhu Di could not take any other measures.

When it comes to my father, no matter how small the matter is, it can be considered a small matter.

"Tell me what you want to know."

"Whatever I know, I will tell you without reservation. But first of all, I want to make it clear that I know nothing about my nephew, so I won't ask any more questions."

"It has been less than a cup of tea since I learned the news, and you have already come to my door."

When Zhu Di said this, there was some envy in his eyes.

Having lived in the military for a long time, Zhu Di naturally understood how important intelligence was.

For example, this assassination fully demonstrated the capabilities of the Jinyiwei.

How much Zhu Di wished he could have the same garrison in his hands.

This is also why in the original history, Zhu Yunwen had no intention of re-using the Jinyiwei, which had been abolished by Zhu Yuanzhang.

On the contrary, when it came to Zhu Di, he was immediately put into use.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Li quickly said, "Don't worry, Your Highness. I just want to learn more and then report the news to Your Majesty. There is nothing else to do."

Zhu Di nodded and said, "Okay, go ahead and ask."

Jiang Li felt relieved when he saw this, and slowly began to ask questions, paying attention to his wording.

Some of the main questions are where did they go and who did they meet after the morning court session every day.

When do you return home and what do you do there?

As the questioning became more in-depth, Zhu Di began to become impatient.

"You are interrogating me as if I were a criminal!" Zhu Di shouted harshly.

Just now, when Jiang Li was asking Zhu Di what he talked about with the many princes, Zhu Di finally couldn't help but started to get furious.

Jiang Li said quickly: "Your Highness, I have no other choice. These must be submitted to His Majesty for inspection."

Zhu Di heard his father and continued to endure it, saying, "Okay, you continue."

Jiang Li then continued to ask, "Your Highness, I saw in the files that there was a monk named Daoyan from Tianjie Temple who followed Your Highness to Peking for many years, and then entered the capital, and followed Your Highness the Crown Prince a few months ago."

"I wonder what your Highness thinks and how he views this matter."

"Reverend Daoyan is far away in Goryeo now. I wonder if Your Highness is still in contact with him."