"Doctor Liang!" "Doctor Liang!"
At the residence of the eldest princess of the country of Hebei, the officials and maids saluted an elderly palace servant one after another.
There is no elder in the princess's mansion. Instead, there is a capital supervisor, who is an experienced and prudent official-level minister. They guide the princess and the prince's behavior, observe their daily living conditions, and regularly report to the officials.
Similarly, the land and all the expenses for building the princess's house were given by the official family. The entire house was a dowry given by the emperor to the princess. The princess is the real owner here, and the consort's family are guests.
"Is Your Highness feeling better?"
So when Doujian Liang came to the pavilion where the princess lived and asked softly, the maid came out with a very ugly look on her face: "With such a prince-in-law, your highness will certainly not be well, so Liang Doujian should not do it anymore." If you ask, you should report it to the palace quickly!"
Liang Dujian secretly sighed, Zhenzong was no longer around, and the current official family was still young, so everything was in the hands of the Queen Mother. Her attitude was undecided, and going to the palace to report it would probably be humiliating herself. He could only say: "Old slave Wait here!"
The personal maid snorted again and muttered: "Anyway, we can't let the Prince Consort disturb His Highness's rest anymore!"
For Li Zunxu, no one who served the princess did not resent him.
The dynasty stipulated that the consort's family members would automatically be demoted. However, after the eldest princess married, she still regarded Li Zunxu's father as an elder and served her wholeheartedly. On his father-in-law's birthday, she went to visit him as his daughter-in-law. Congratulations on his birthday. When Zhenzong heard about this incident, he did not say that he had violated the rules. He "secretly provided clothes, treasure belts, and utensils and coins to help him live a long life." He secretly sent people clothes, utensils, and money to help his sister celebrate his father-in-law's birthday. Family harmony.
Li Zunxu was a romantic young man, and he liked to make friends. He often entertained and sang at his house. Not only did the eldest princess not complain, but on the contrary, she personally arranged every gathering and banquet. face.
In this way, she always fulfilled her responsibilities as a wife. Even many civil servants of the Zhenzong Dynasty praised the eldest princess as a model of elegance and propriety for the dynasty's women.
In this case, the prince-in-law must be very kind to the princess, right?
Quite the opposite!
Except for the first two years of their marriage, Li Zunxu and the eldest princess still had a somewhat respectful relationship as husband and wife. Within three years, they quickly became indifferent. Later, they directly had an affair with the princess's wet nurse and gave birth to an illegitimate daughter. A sensational scandal.
Not only was the reputation of the princess' mansion greatly damaged, there were also rumors in the market that the princess was ugly and that the prince-in-law had been attracted to the wet nurse. When Zhenzong heard about this, he was extremely angry and summoned Li Zunxu into the palace to prepare for questioning and punishment. Li Zunxu was so frightened that he prostrated himself in front of the eldest princess. After pleading, the eldest princess finally came forward to calm the matter down.
Even so, the eldest princess did not criticize the consort too much and even forgave the wet nurse. However, the consort did not restrain herself and still lingered on Mei Ji, demanding excessively and causing trouble frequently.
To be honest, Liang Dujian was also very disgusted with Li Zunxu's ruthlessness, but he also knew very well that husband and wife are one, both prosperous and destructive. Even nobles like the princess and the consort are no exception. Some things... must be tolerated after all. .
So when a moment later, the sound of hurried footsteps came, Li Zunxu, who was nearly forty years old, still handsome and tall, walked over. When he saw the governor, he stopped and saluted: "Liang Dujian!"
Captain Liang responded calmly: "Captain Li!"
Li Zunxu laughed dryly, his expression a little stiff: "According to protocol, I should salute Her Highness the Princess. I wonder if Her Highness is feeling better?"
Supervisor Liang Du said: "Let the old slave report."
As he said this, he walked into the bedroom in person, ignoring the roll of his eyes by his personal maid, and came to the bead chain, saying softly: "Your Highness, Captain Li is here to pay homage!"
The thirty-nine-year-old eldest princess is sitting upright on the bed. She is not beautiful in appearance, but she has good features. She is definitely not ugly as the outside world has said, but she has a calm temperament between her eyebrows. She is slowly turning a string of words in her hand. Rosary beads are like the monks of the ancient Buddha of Qingdeng.
She was silent for a moment and then slowly said: "Let him come in."
Li Zunxu strode inside, came to the bead curtain, raised his hands and saluted: "Your Highness!"
This kind of etiquette is indeed a rule. You must bow in the morning and at dusk, and always remind yourself that this is the princess's wedding. But if you really don't abide by it, let alone the officials will not interfere, and even the censor will not say anything. In the early years when the couple was harmonious, Li Zunxu had never been so strict. Later, the relationship became indifferent and the distance suddenly widened, but he began to strictly abide by the rules.
And the long-term indifference made the eldest princess look at her husband, and she had nothing to say to her husband, and asked directly: "What case are you here for?"
Li Zunxu's body trembled. After a moment of silence, he slowly said, "Does the Queen Mother know?"
The eldest princess said calmly: "The Queen Mother made the decision and asked Duke Jie Yuan to investigate this case."
"Then she must know!"
Li Zunxu wanted to grit his teeth, but he didn't dare, so he could only whisper: "Not long ago, Liu had a scandal involving his wife killing her husband, and her son killing his father. Foreigners made the Queen Mother lose face, and now she wants to take revenge!"
The eldest princess looked at him and couldn't help showing sadness: "Even now, don't you have the slightest regret?"
"How could I not regret it?" Li Zunxu answered quickly, with a hint of begging for mercy in his tone: "Your Highness, I am indeed confused, but at first I just wanted my child to stop dying, and I had no other thoughts. How could I I think that the untouchable went crazy, and so many things happened later... In order to remember the love between husband and wife for twenty years, please help me again!"
The eldest princess closed her eyes slightly: "The people from the Kaifeng government office are outside now, what should you do?"
Li Zunxu said: "Please ask the princess to drive them away. They are just checking blindly and can't find anything."
The eldest princess said: "Yesterday, the man came to the door and said something. He seemed to know the inside story. Do you still want to hide it from Jie Yuan, who is good at investigating cases?"
Li Zunxu sneered: "The idle man has nothing to say!"
The face of the eldest princess suddenly changed: "Are you going to harm others again?"
Li Zunxu said flatly: "It's not me! That idle guy is asking for money and talking nonsense. Of course some people don't want him to continue like this. What does it have to do with me?"
The eldest princess sighed deeply, flipped the rosary beads with her fingers, and silently recited the Buddha's name.
Seeing that she didn't refute it, Li Zunxu felt certain in his heart.
This person is soft-hearted and always has some unnecessary kindness towards those untouchables, but in the end he will forgive himself and help him get through. It is like this every time, and this time is no exception.
He bowed again, turned around and left, his steps no longer hurried and became much more steady.
…
at the same time.
Outside the princess's house, after a brief conversation that seemed to outsiders, Di Jin nodded to Brother Qian. The latter understood and stopped talking about those things. Instead, he turned to the carriage and soon held two The big food box came out.
Lin Xiaoyi knew that he would be hungry at noon while investigating the case and might not have time to go home for dinner, so he prepared some pastries that could be eaten outside to keep him full.
Moreover, it was not only for Di Jin, but also prepared a lot, so that others could not let others just watch the young master eating and cause dissatisfaction over trivial matters.
At this time, Di Jin took Brother Qian over and greeted everyone: "Guan Lu, everyone, you have worked hard so far, let's eat some together!"
Lu Andao smiled and clasped his fists: "Then I won't be polite. Thank you Di Jieyuan!"
"Oh! Thank you, Mr. Xie Yuang! Thank you, Mr. Xie Yuang!" The clerks and government servants who came with them all took it and ate it happily.
If you can eat three meals, who would want to be hungry until night? The common people are used to the hard life, and they will save one meal if they can save money.
In the eyes of everyone, this was not only a meal, but also the respect shown to them by the dignified Imperial Concubine Jie Yuan, so they felt deeply flattered.
During the meal, the atmosphere relaxed and was not as tense as before. Everyone looked at the closed door of the princess's mansion and thought that they had not received such cold treatment in front of the two mansions before. They started talking in low voices, with words in their words. Quite disdainfully: "I heard that this princess is as ugly as salt. No matter how virtuous she is, the consort will not look down on her!"
"It doesn't matter how beautiful she is. Who can stand up to the princess's posture? But this prince-in-law is also stupid enough. He was born as a scholar and actually wanted to marry the princess? At first, he was promoted, but what happened later?"
"Do you think this prince-in-law dares to have a mistress? He had an affair with the princess's wet nurse back then. Although the late emperor was persuaded by the princess's pleading, the prince-in-law was still so frightened that he asked for demotion. If he is discovered again, tsk tsk, the outcome will be hard to say. oh!"
If it were outside the residence of Privy Councilor Zhang Qi, the Kaifeng government officials would never dare to gossip. However, the princess and the consort would not be that intimidating despite their noble births. On the contrary, commenting on such aloof figures can bring about a sense of The pleasure of misplaced identity.
"Um?"
While Di Jin was eating snacks, chewing slowly, he was actually thinking about the idle man's words in his mind. He was thinking about why everyone was deceived, when a certain sentence suddenly came into his ears, and his body shook slightly. A flash of inspiration suddenly flashed through my mind.
After thinking for a moment, Di Jin glanced at Brother Qian. Brother Qian was very smart and stepped forward to pack the food box and then walked towards the carriage.
Di Jin ate the last piece of pastry, wiped the corners of his mouth, and walked towards the carriage. When he reached a position out of earshot of the Kaifeng government office, he immediately asked: "I heard your senior brother say before that he taught Sun Hong’s fourth son practices martial arts?”
Brother Qian said: "We have taught him too! That boy has a very high level of understanding. The senior brother taught him once. When he visited the master's house again the next year, the boy had practiced well. If he continues like this, he will grow up. The queen must be a master, but it's a pity...he can never grow up again!"
Di Jin said: "But since Sun Hong is the master of the five of you, why does his son still need you to teach him when he doesn't practice martial arts?"
"This... I really don't know why!" Brother Qian scratched his head and guessed: "Maybe after Master returned to secular life, he didn't want to talk about the monks anymore. We have a low life as monks. He has already Living in peace in the capital, with a big house, a wife, and so many children, why should I let my son practice martial arts?"
Di Jin secretly shook his head.
Practicing martial arts is just an ability, and it does not mean that one must become a monk to practice martial arts. Just like the six arts of a gentleman, Chen Yaozi, the top candidate in the imperial examination, has unparalleled marksmanship. Being both civilized and martial arts is also the pursuit of many literati. As a monk instructor, Sun Hong has been practicing martial arts since he was a child. Cultivating children to practice martial arts is also about strengthening their bodies, so why not teach them?
Of course, logic is logic, and people's choices sometimes do not follow logic, but are guided by emotions.
For example, Sun Hong suffered a lot as a warrior monk before. When he lived a wealthy life, he subconsciously rejected his previous life and did not want his son to learn martial arts and fight fiercely. Instead, he wanted to study essays and work hard to change his class. , which makes perfect sense.
So Di Jin didn't feel anything was wrong before, until he said those words just now, and then all the clues he had obtained now were gathered in his mind——
Sun Hong was once a monk in Mount Wutai and later a pediatrician. As a gift from a nobleman in the capital, Sun Hong got a three-in house in Yulin Lane. He lived and worked in peace and contentment in the capital, married wives and concubines, and gave birth to six sons and seven daughters. Except for the youngest son and daughter, who unfortunately died in infancy. In addition, everyone else grew up healthily, but overnight, the whole family was destroyed!
The method of killing one person in one house and killing all thirty-five members of the family was clearly the work of a gangster, but then the Kaifeng government office investigated the case, and the former official disappeared and the case files were burned. Such a big case was finally left unsolved. It's like the dignitaries in Beijing have covered the lid to prevent the case from going further!
According to the confirmation of his direct disciple Wu Jing, the body of the suspected family leader at the scene was not Sun Hong. According to the open coffin and bone examination, the blood test showed that there was a body with multiple blood stains on the body and a knife in the chest, which may be the perpetrator. Just in time to gather the number of people, Sun Hong was asked to switch the bodies and fake death to escape!
According to the Yaxing deed left by Yuan Hongjing, it was found that the monthly wages of the maids hired by the Sun family were extremely high, and the requirements were strict. Guo Chengqing kept it secret, but told him that there were some things that Song Lu could not control, and finally pointed to the mansion of the princess of the country of Hebei.
…
"Is this the secret hidden in this case?"
Di Jin's eyes widened. He already had a conjecture that matched all the clues so far. However, this conjecture was not suitable to tell the monk now. His face returned to calmness and he whispered: "Go back and stare at that idle man. This person is The key witness must not be missed! Once it is discovered that he is not dead, someone may come to harm him. At that time, those people will try to capture him alive, or even leave a body behind!"
"clear!"
Brother Qian left quickly, and Di Jin returned to the princess's house and continued to wait patiently.
Seeing them showing their determination not to give up, the door finally opened and Liang Dujian came out and saluted, "Old slave Princess Liang Chengen, the superintendent of the house, has met Di Jieyuan and Lu Tuiguan!"
"Director Liang!"
Di Jin and Lu An returned the courtesy, and the latter spoke directly: "I heard that Your Highness is not in good health, so I dare not disturb you. I don't know where the Prince Consort is. We have a case, so we should ask the Prince Consort!"
Liang Dujian looked apologetic: "What a coincidence, the Prince Consort is worried about His Highness's illness, and unfortunately fell ill just after returning to the mansion. The old servant has just visited, so I'm afraid it will be difficult to see the guests."
Lu Andao's face darkened, you are fooling the devil, but I have to say that excuses for illness are indeed an excellent excuse.
Di Jin said: "In that case, I'd like to trouble Liang Dujian to tell the prince-in-law that an idle man came to the princess's house yesterday and made some strange remarks, which involved the prince-in-law. Now the Kaifeng government office has grasped the movements of the idle man. I’m afraid I’ll have to visit him again soon, so he can rest in peace and recuperate.”
Lu Andao also said in a deep voice: "The prince-in-law has a high status, but this time the Queen Mother has issued an order, the people in the capital are panicked, and the public sentiment is disturbed. I, the Kaifeng Mansion Office, have been ordered to investigate the case, and we must get to the bottom of it. When I invite the government, I will Secretary, please be prepared when you come to visit us again!"
This time it was just a visit to inquire, but since the other party refused to even meet, there was no need to be polite.
Once he had the relevant evidence that the prince-in-law was involved in the case, Chen Yaozi ordered that with all the procedures, it was normal for the prince-in-law to be "invited" to the Kaifeng government office!
Liang Doujian also didn't expect that Jie Yuan, who dared to investigate his cousin Liu's family, just had a needle hidden in his cotton. Even the official of the Kaifeng government office was so tough. His face stiffened slightly, and he nodded and said: "This old slave will definitely tell the consort. "
"Farewell!"
"No!"
When the gate of the princess mansion was closed, Lu Andao was not surprised but happy: "I will return to the mansion as soon as possible!"
Today's harvest was huge. The three companies we visited all had varying degrees of suspicion.
Originally, the privy envoy Zhang Qi seemed to have something in his heart, but now the consort Li Zunxu has become the number one suspect. It will be easier to handle if he has a target. He is going to go back and report to Chen Yaozi immediately.
"I won't go to the government office today. See you tomorrow!"
Di Jin saw off the high-spirited Lu Andao, then looked back at the Princess Mansion coldly, and headed towards his own home.
After returning home, Di Jin tied a brightly colored silk scarf with a strange scent to a tree in the backyard, and then walked away.
This is the way he agreed with his sister. If he needs to find someone temporarily, he will give such a sign.
Di Jin estimated that her sister arranged for her men to keep an eye on the tree at all times. If there were any marks, they would notify her immediately.
However, he had made some observations and found no suspicious stalkers outside the hospital, so he somewhat admired his sister's methods.
Sure enough, as soon as the sky darkened, Di Jin was pacing slowly in the study, thinking about the next step in solving the case, when a figure flashed in from the door: "Brother Six, what are you looking for me for?"
Di Jin asked: "When Sun Hong's youngest son and daughter died, what did the funeral store say?"
Di Xiangling asked curiously: "Didn't we check it out? Sun Hong spent a lot of money and had extremely high requirements on funerals. When his children were buried, he was so sad that he almost fainted from crying on the spot. Is there anything wrong with this?"
"There is indeed nothing wrong with this, but I have overlooked one thing. Sister, I would like to trouble you to ask the people in the shop again..." Di Jin said in a deep voice: "At that time, except Sun Hong who was crying extremely sadly, he How did other people in the family react?"
"What kind of reaction... Those who are close to me should cry, and those who are not close should at least look sad on the surface and cope with the situation~"
Di Xiangling felt baffled. Isn't it all like this? How else could it be? But he still nodded: "Wait for my news!"
She was resolute and quick in doing things. This time, Di Jin had just finished dinner and showed up at home again. He skillfully started to serve the rice and said while eating: "Brother Six made it right again. The reaction of those people was really real." Quite strange!”
Di Jin didn't rush to ask, and quietly watched his sister eat.
But Di Xiangling couldn't hold it back. He puffed his mouth and said while eating: "The clerk in the shop recalled that when the Sun family's youngest son and daughter died, only the head of the family, Sun Hong, was extremely sad... Others, whether they were accompanying wives or concubines, or The expressions of his brothers and sisters were quite cold, and some even smiled secretly, which was quite inhumane... The guy guessed that this was a wealthy family trying to seize the family property, so I felt something was wrong..."
Di Jin nodded and said: "This is obviously wrong. Sun Hong has six sons and seven daughters. The older children are fighting for the family property. What does it matter if the two youngest ones died in infancy?"
"Yes!" Di Xiangling frowned: "It's quite strange. What's going on?"
Di Jin asked again: "Who is the mother of these two children who died in infancy? The wife or the concubine?"
Di Xiangling shook his head: "It doesn't seem to be the case! Anyway, the wives and concubines are quite indifferent. The funeral clerk won't know who the specific person is..."
Through this incident, Di Jin had basically confirmed his speculation, but he kept his mouth shut and waited for his sister to eat.
"Brother Six, do you know the truth?" Di Xiangling couldn't wait any longer. It's too torture to make people wait in the middle of what you said: "Don't worry about me, I'm already half full, even if you say Well, I can hear how bloody it is!"
"This truth may not be bloody, but it will make people uncomfortable..."
Di Jin said slowly: "Today I went to the mansion of the eldest princess of the country of Hebei... Sister, do you know that the mansion belongs to the couple in name, but in fact the prince-in-law just raised the princess's mansion and said He must be colder, he is the one who looks after the princess's home and protects the courtyard. He has never been the master of his own home..."
Di Xiangling blurted out: "That prince-in-law is quite pitiful!"
But then he snorted: "The food and clothing of the prince-in-law are much better than those of ordinary people. I sympathize with him, he still looks down on us!"
But after all, he didn’t understand why he suddenly got involved in this: “So?”
Di Jin said in a deep voice: "So Sun Hong's disciples always thought that the capital residence in Yulin Lane was given to their master by someone else in order to repay their kindness, but the truth of the matter is probably not that..."
"Sun Hong is not the head of the family from beginning to end. On the contrary, he is a doctor, a pediatrician who takes care of the children all the time to prevent them from dying!"
"At the same time, he is also a monk. A monk has a pure heart and is not fond of women. He can hide his identity for some dignitaries and safely arrange his outer chamber..."
As Di Xiangling listened, his expression couldn't help but change: "You mean?"
Di Jin said: "One wife, three concubines, and dozens of children are not Sun Hong's, but the concubines and children of nobles in the capital. Sun Hong, the head of the family, is just a cover to hide from others!"
Di Xiangling was stunned for a while, then put down the drumstick and cursed loudly: "Bullshit dignitaries! Can those powerful people not treat others as human beings? Why should Sun Hong agree to them if he is so humiliated and is armed with force?"
Di Jin said: "Maybe it's a large amount of money, maybe it's the true ownership of Sanjin House, or maybe it's both. After all, the status of a warrior monk is too low. People who travel around and lick blood from the edge of a knife also hope to have a peaceful life. Life……"
Di Xiangling snorted, really losing his appetite, and said angrily: "If it were me, I wouldn't want to kill him!"
Di Jin himself has channels for advancement and the ability to fight for it, but he will not look down on those who are unable to change their class. The future of a monk can be seen at a glance. The Buddha said that there is no end to the sea of suffering and there is no end. This kind of life is certainly humiliating. , is it not a kind of landing?
If both parties were willing to do so, it would be unethical, but he didn't want to comment from above.
The key is follow-up.
Di Jin said: "I don't know exactly how they persuaded Sun Hong, but I estimate that this matter was first raised by a person who could not raise an outsider openly..."
"It's just a concubine!" Di Xiangling sneered: "With his status in the princess's mansion, how can a concubine dare to take a concubine? Let alone keep a concubine privately. Fortunately, he can come up with such a method. It's really disgusting!"
"The person who is most suspected is indeed Li Zunxu, the consort of the Princess, and besides him, there may be others." Di Jin was not sure of his identity: "At first, these powerful people must have been very proud of this design. Yes, Sun Hong also relied on his medical skills and dedication to help every child grow up smoothly and survive the most dangerous period of childhood..."
Di Xiangling said: "So, Sun Hong has done a good job, and those high-ranking officials should be satisfied. Why is there still a case of extermination of the family... Well, this doesn't seem to be called extermination. If those outer chambers belong to more than one powerful person, Is it one family put together? Tsk!"
Di Jin said slowly: "Because something happened that broke the peace of this deformed family..."
"Died in infancy!" Di Xiangling reacted: "Why did the two youngest children die in infancy?"
"I'm afraid this is the key turning point!"
Di Jin sighed softly: "As the time of integrating into the capital becomes longer and longer, Sun Hong, no matter how monk he is, living in such an environment all day long, will not be able to feel calm. He has returned to the secular world after all..."
"Did he also give birth to a child with a certain woman?" Di Xiangling took a breath of air based on the information he had found out not long ago: "When the youngest son and the youngest daughter died, only Sun Hong cried the most sadly. The grief was extreme, and the rest of the family was extremely indifferent and still laughing. Those people would not give his child to..."
"It's not completely certain yet, but the result is that the two children are dead!"
Di Jin stood up, came to the window, looked at the location of Yulin Lane, and sighed quietly: "Sun Hong has spent most of his life raising children for those noble people in the name of the head of the Sun family, taking care of them with all kinds of hardships. He was old and finally had a son and a daughter of his own, but the children died for some reason, and even the dignitaries discovered his dissatisfaction and prepared to send someone to kill him..."
"The Sun family leader's bottom line was finally breached. He picked up the sword and transformed back into the Wutai Mountain monk, the monk who could teach five instructors..."
"As the idle man who wanted to blackmail the powerful said, everyone was deceived..."
"The big case three years ago was not a genocide at all, but a revenge!"
