Three-bedroom Buhuaxuan
In the pavilion, Jin Linlin and his wife, Cao Jiao and his wife were having dinner with the three-year-old fourth young master, and several maids were standing around the pavilion from a distance.
Suddenly, Jia Yi ran over and was about to whisper something in his ear when Jiang Zhixu spoke up: "It's okay, there are no outsiders here, just tell me what you want to say."
"Second Master, Yinzhu and those guys are all dead."
"Didn't I ask you to interrogate him? Why did he die?" Jiang Zhixu raised his eyebrows and asked curiously.
"I guarantee no one touched them. Suddenly, they started twitching, and then a white worm crawled out of their noses, and they died." Jia still felt a little scared when he thought about the scene. As he said this, he showed Jiang Zhixu the worms in the bamboo tube he had put away.
Jiang Zhixu and Jiang Shuyan stood up suddenly and shouted in unison: "Gu insect?"
Jiang Zhixu frowned tightly, his expression darkening. "Someone is actually using Gu worms in our mansion. The person behind this is truly daring! Gu worms are practically unknown in Dagan Country. Only Dongjing Country produces them in abundance. Does that mean there are spies from Dongjing Country in our mansion?"
Jiang Shuyan also had a serious expression on his face. He looked at Jiang Zhixu and said, "Second brother, this matter must be thoroughly investigated. If this poisonous insect is used on other people in the mansion, the consequences will be serious." They had suffered a lot from the poisonous insects on the battlefield of Dong Jinguo.
Jin Linlin and Cao Jiao listened with a grim expression. How could this even involve a poisonous insect? The Fourth Young Master was also frightened by the tense atmosphere of the adults and burst into tears. Jin Linlin quickly picked up the child and coaxed him softly.
"Don't shout for now." Jiang Zhixu thought for a while and said, "Investigate secretly to see if there are any suspicious people entering or leaving the mansion recently. Also, have someone deal with these bodies and don't let others find out." Jia Yi responded and turned to leave.
Jiang Shuyan began to analyze: "This insect is so vicious, the person who put it on us must have an irreconcilable feud with us. Could it be..." He didn't finish his words, but Jiang Zhixu knew it clearly in his mind.
"No matter who it is, if he dares to make trouble in this house, I will definitely not let him go." A hint of ferocity flashed in Jiang Zhixu's eyes.
Jin Linlin rubbed her chin and spoke cautiously, as if facing a formidable enemy. "The people in the capital right now who are related to Dong Jinguo include Zhuang from our mansion, Concubine Qing from the palace, the princess who came to marry, and the prince who was held as a hostage. I don't know much about other people in the capital. Are there others?"
Jiang Zhixu and Jiang Shuyan frowned and thought hard for a while. Jiang Zhixu said, "Yes, Princess Qingmin. Four years ago, she was chosen to marry into the Dong Jing Kingdom. However, not long after that, the two countries went to war. Until today, she is still unmarried. She is already nineteen years old, and it is rumored that she is still going to marry." Jiang Zhixu told the story slowly.
Jiang Shuyan suddenly stood up, his eyes as sharp as torches, staring intently at Jiang Zhixu: "Ah! I know who Zhuang is. She must be Princess Qingmin's man!"
Cao Jiao looked at Jiang Shuyan with suspicion and asked in confusion, "Why are you so sure?"
"The mastermind behind this wanted to take my second brother's life, and then assassinated my second sister-in-law. This shows that this person hates my second brother to the core. Adding my second sister-in-law to the mix, it must be a murder of passion!"
"A murder of passion? Second brother and Princess Qingmin are having an affair?"
Jiang Zhixu glared at Jiang Shuyan fiercely, cursing in his heart, "Just say it if you want to, why bother bringing up my relationship with her?" He looked at Jin Linlin nervously:
"Lin'er, please don't misunderstand me. I have nothing to do with her. Four years ago, for some reason, she followed me everywhere I went, even openly displaying her affection in public. I had no feelings for her at all; I was simply disgusted. Later, she even sent a matchmaker to propose marriage to my family. I was only sixteen at the time, with no intention of starting a family, so I rejected her outright.
Unexpectedly, the next day, the Emperor issued an edict to confer her the title of Princess of Peace. She secretly believed that if I had not rejected her marriage proposal, she would not have to marry far away, so she bears a grudge against me. It is truly unbelievable.
"Okay, I understand. The person behind the Zhuang family is most likely Princess Qingmin. These people gathered together, they must have ulterior motives, and there is also a poisonous insect. We must be careful." Jin Linlin patted Jiang Zhixu's hand, indicating that he could rest assured that she would never misunderstand him.
Morning Court at the Temple
Today's morning court session was a solemn one. The Song Emperor sat on the dragon throne with a gloomy expression. He looked at the four princes, who had been married for over a month and had assigned official positions to each of them in the Hanlin Academy.
The Song Emperor was helpless. He was only in his forties, and the five princes were beginning to make moves, winning over court officials and coveting the position of crown prince. He could only weaken their support.
Emperor Song gestured to his personal chief steward, Eunuch Guo.
Eunuch Guo waved the whisk in his hand and announced loudly:
"The Emperor, by the Mandate of Heaven, proclaims:
Today, corrupt officials are rampant in the court. They are the termites of the country who are still alive even after their death. I want to clean up the court, establish an anti-corruption agency, and purge the corrupt officials. I hope that the Jinyiwei and the Dali Temple will fully assist us to restore the integrity of the court.
I hereby order you."
Emperor Song looked at the courtiers whispering among themselves and said:
"The Anti-Corruption Bureau will be directly under my command. Do you have any recommendations for candidates?"
"I think the society should have one president and one vice president, and the rest should be selected from various departments. The anti-corruption agency must be upright, diligent and responsible." Zhuge, the richest man, bowed and suggested.
"I second the motion." The two deputy ministers came out and bowed.
The emperor stroked the jade ring on his thumb and thought for a while: "Well, what the Prime Minister said makes sense. Do you have a candidate?"
The Song Emperor looked at his ministers, and finally, with their recommendation, he appointed the Imperial Censor Bai Qingtian as the chief dean, and Zhuge Xi, the eldest son of Prime Minister Zhuge, as the deputy dean. He also selected five people from various departments to establish the Anti-Corruption Court, and asked the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Dali Temple to assist in the investigation.
After the court was dismissed, all the court officials were whispering to each other, talking about what happened at the Anti-Corruption Office during the morning court session.
"Now that the candidates for the Anti-Corruption Council have been decided, we must first observe their movements. We must be careful. Bai Qingtian is upright and incorruptible, and Zhuge Xi is no ordinary person. We must not act rashly."
Meanwhile, Princess Qingmin, in her mansion, heard the news of the establishment of the Anti-Corruption Court and was secretly delighted. She felt this might be an opportunity to both destabilize the court and cause trouble for Jiang Zhixu and the others. She summoned her confidants and whispered, "Keep a close eye on the Anti-Corruption Court's every move and find an opportunity to cause trouble for them."
Meanwhile, in the third room, Buhuaxuan, Jiang Zhixu and the others were still worried about the Gu insect in the mansion. Jiang Zhixu said to Jiayi, "Speed up your investigation of the suspicious individuals in the mansion and make sure to find the one who used the Gu." Jiayi took the order and left.
After the morning court session, Jiang Zhixu returned to his residence and continued to arrange for his personnel to investigate the matter between Princess Qingmin and the Zhuang family. He knew that the conspiracy behind this was far more complex, and that a greater crisis might be quietly approaching. Meanwhile, in the palace, Concubine Qing had also heard about the Gu worm incident. A sinister glint flashed in her eyes, and a subtle sneer curled her lips, as if she was plotting something.
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