Chapter 373: The Filthy Harem 2
That night.
When Xiao Jingheng was reviewing memorials in Chaoyang Palace, Jiang Deshun barged into the palace at an inopportune time and interrupted him.
"Your Majesty, the people from Tianji Office have replied. The two palace servants from Jiqiaofang were indeed killed a few days after leaving the palace, just as Your Majesty speculated. It was the doctor who deliberately sprinkled hair-raising substances on their wounds while treating them, causing their wounds to fester and die. And this doctor...had dealt with the servants in Prince Qi's mansion before."
"Prince Qi?" Xiao Jingheng frowned, slightly puzzled. "What does he have to do with Cheng Jing's death? Why would he kill the people in the Jiqiaofang Palace?"
Jiang Deshun had been on duty in front of the emperor for a long time, and his eyes were sharp.
Ever since he learned about the letter sent by the Tianji Office, he had already begun to speculate that there might be some unspeakable secrets between Prince Qi and Concubine Hui.
But this secret must not be told by him, otherwise it would be a slap in the face of the emperor.
So he could only pretend that he knew nothing and let Xiao Jingheng figure it out on his own.
"I don't know about this. The people from the Anbu are waiting outside and will report this matter to the emperor."
The Anbu is a secret organization subordinate to Xiao Jingheng. Its nature is similar to that of the Tianji Office, except that the former is the emperor's minion, while the latter should belong to the empress dowager.
Xiao Jingheng was suspicious of Prince Qi this time, and not only did he ask the Tianji Office to secretly keep an eye on Prince Qi's mansion, but the Anbu was also doing the same thing as the Tianji Office.
At this moment, the people from the Anbu came over and replied in exactly the same way as Tianji did.
In this way, it is confirmed that Prince Qi killed people to silence them.
As the visitor was speaking, Xiao Jingheng kept rubbing the ring on his thumb. The more he thought about it, the more strange it felt.
The fact that the palace maids were silenced meant that Cheng Jing's death that day was not an accident.
But the person who silenced the witnesses was Prince Qi, and he had been outside the palace the entire time. How could Cheng Jing's life hinder him?
Could it be that...
Xiao Jingheng's eyes suddenly became firm, and he told Jiang Deshun in a deep voice,
"Go and fetch me the records of the princes' comings and goings in the palace."
Jiang Deshun worked efficiently and presented the records to Xiao Jingheng in less than a quarter of an hour.
Xiao Jingheng quickly flipped through the records and finally stopped at the fifth year of Qiyuan.
Details in the record:
[On September 16, the fifth year of Qiyuan, the emperor celebrated his birthday. Prince Qi was summoned to the palace to congratulate him. He entered the palace at 1:15 pm and left at 3:15 pm.]
[On the third day of the eleventh month of the fifth year of Qiyuan, the emperor summoned Prince Qi to the palace for a meal and drinks. He entered the palace at 2:05 pm and stayed overnight on Penglai Island with Prince An. He left the palace at 1:05 pm the next day.]
The remaining days, November 9 and November 18, all record Xiao Jingheng summoning Prince Qi and Prince An to the palace for a drink.
As they were drunk late at night, they were allowed to stay overnight on Penglai Island in the center of the Imperial Lake, and leave the palace the next day after they sobered up.
During this period, Cheng Yu was in trouble and Zhao Hua was sent to the cold palace.
At that time, Xiao Jingheng was depressed and drunk all day long, so he summoned Prince Qi and Prince An several more times.
Cheng Jing's birthday was on August 15th of the sixth year of Qi Yuan.
Concubine Hui gave birth at full term, which means she was pregnant with Chengjing in November of the fifth year of Qiyuan...
The records are very detailed. November of the fifth year of Qiyuan was the time when Prince Qi visited the palace most frequently and often stayed overnight.
At this point, Xiao Jingheng's doubts grew even heavier, and his face turned pale.
He ordered Jiang Deshun to bring Prince An to the palace for questioning at night.
When Xiao Jingyan arrived, it was already past midnight.
With sleepy eyes, he greeted Xiao Jingheng listlessly, yawned again, and said:
"Brother, why did you summon me to the palace in the middle of the night? Is there something urgent?"
This was related to Xiao Jingheng's imperial dignity, so for fear of being speculated, he certainly couldn't ask directly.
So, he smiled and said to Xiao Jingyan, "I think Penglai Island has not been renovated for a long time, and it's time to start the construction. Since I ascended the throne, only you and Prince Qi have lived in that place, so I want to ask for your opinion on the renovation of that place."
"Ah?" Xiao Jingyan scratched the back of his head in confusion. "Brother Royal hastily summoned me to the palace just to ask me this?"
Xiao Jingheng said: "You also know that I have always been unable to keep things in my mind. If I can't finish today's work today, I won't be able to sleep well. Just consider it as helping my brother."
Xiao Jingheng knew that Xiao Jingyan was not proficient in these things, but Prince Qi was quite knowledgeable about them. He renovated Prince Qi's mansion every three years, making it look magnificent.
As Xiao Jingheng expected, Xiao Jingyan brought the topic to Prince Qi as soon as he opened his mouth.
"Then your Royal Brother shouldn't ask me about this matter, you should ask my second brother. My house was renovated after your Royal Brother ascended the throne. I'm used to being a playboy, so I just want a couch to sleep on, so I don't care about these things."
Xiao Jingheng followed his words and asked casually:
"Oh? Are you and your second brother living comfortably on Penglai Island?"
"Reliable, of course it is reliable." Xiao Jingyan joked with a sly smile, "Every time we stay in the palace, isn't it because we brothers are drunk? Your Majesty knows me. I can't hold my liquor, so I fell asleep as soon as I got to Penglai Island. Sometimes I even spent the night on the ground. Whether this is reliable or not, your Majesty should ask my second brother."
"Then you went to bed, where's your second brother?"
"Second brother is very elegant and has a good alcohol tolerance. Every time he drinks with my brother, he is still not satisfied and often goes boating alone on the lake, inviting the bright moon and his shadow to make a threesome. Sometimes I wake up thirsty in the middle of the night and see that the second brother's room is still empty. I really admire the second brother's alcohol tolerance."
Hearing Xiao Jingyan say this,
Xiao Jingheng felt as if he was slapped in the face, and his cheeks were burning with pain.
He clenched his hands tightly under the dragon table, and the blue veins on the back of his hands bulged terribly.
Prince Qi and Xiao Jingyan lived together on Penglai Island. He did not sleep in the middle of the night and insisted on boating on the lake by himself.
So what does he do when no one is around?
"Your Majesty! Something bad has happened, Your Majesty!"
Just as Xiao Jingheng was secretly angry, Xiao Yinzi ran in stumbling like a lost soul.
He slipped on his knees and knelt in front of Jamel Xiao, not even taking a breath, and reported:
"Empress Hui...she blushed when she saw it!"
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