Several days have passed since then.
The officials who were previously sent to Nanzhili to investigate Yan Maoqing's case have compiled the course of the case and the final investigation results into a volume and formally submitted it to the court.
Of course, the results of the investigation are no different from the information that Yan Song, Yan Shifan and his son had obtained earlier.
Yan Maoqing accidentally fell into the water after being drunk. The whole case was nothing more than an accident.
Since then, Yan Maoqing's case has been completely concluded and ended unexpectedly!
Although during the investigation, these officials discovered some obvious doubts, such as why there were no witnesses at the scene that night, or why the cabin where Yan Maoqing lived was suspected to have been cleaned after the incident.
However, adhering to the principle that doing more is worse than doing less, these officials sent to Nanzhili by the imperial court tacitly chose to turn a blind eye.
After all, Yan Maoqing is already dead. There is no need to offend the people behind the scenes for a dead man!
Forbidden City, Cabinet.
When Xu Jie took over the investigation results of Yan Maoqing's case that those officials had reported to the court from Yan Song, his face was full of gloom.
"Hmph, this old guy Yan Song must be behind this. How could Yan Maoqing, a person who is so greedy for life and afraid of death, be so careless and drown in the water after being drunk?"
"I remember that before Yan Maoqing set off, he went to the Yan Mansion to find out the news. Could it be that Yan Song saw the clues at that time, which led to his death?"
The more Xu Jie thought about it, the more he felt it was possible, and his eyes gradually became sharper.
Then, he put aside the investigation results in his hand, turned around, looked at Yan Song, and spoke.
"Mr. Yan Ge, do you think Yan Maoqing's case is a bit strange?"
"Oh, yes, I don't think there's any problem!"
Hearing this, Yan Song put aside the completed memorial in his hand and responded unhurriedly.
Since the conversation between the two did not avoid others, it inevitably attracted the attention of Gao Gong, Zhang Juzheng, Hu Zongxian and others.
After that, everyone stopped reviewing the memorial and looked in the direction of Yan Song and Xu Jie with bated breath.
After noticing everyone's eyes on him, Xu Jie did not show any timidity, but picked up the investigation results again and raised his doubts.
"Mr. Yan Ge, look, here is the confession of Yan Maoqing's personal bodyguard."
"According to what he said, on the night of Yan Maoqing's disappearance, around Hai hour, he went to Yan Maoqing's cabin. At that time, Yan Maoqing was still drinking in the cabin, and she was already very drunk!"
"After being reprimanded, Yan Maoqing's personal bodyguard left Yan Maoqing's cabin."
"At about nine o'clock, Yan Maoqing's personal guard went to Yan Maoqing's cabin to check the situation as usual. But this time, when he entered Yan Maoqing's cabin, Yan Maoqing was nowhere to be seen!"
When Xu Jie said this, he paused for a moment and then continued: "How can a drunk person get out of the cabin without help?"
"Also, why were there no witnesses at the scene during this process?"
After Xu Jie finished talking about the doubts about this case, he looked in the direction of Yan Song, waiting for his response.
"Alas, people are old and no longer useful. I didn't see any of the doubts mentioned by Mr. Xu Ge earlier. I'm really ashamed!"
When the words fell, Yan Song looked like he was belatedly thinking about it, squinted his eyes, and said with emotion.
Seeing this situation, Xu Jie became more and more certain that Yan Maoqing's drowning case must be closely related to Yan Song.
"Yan Song, you old guy, you are still pretending to be stupid. I don't believe you haven't noticed. You can hide it from others, but you can't hide it from me, Xu Jie!"
"Everyone with a discerning eye can see that this case is full of doubts. It cannot be an accident. It must be that Yan Maoqing discovered some key clues when he was investigating the case in Zhejiang, which led to the murder!"
After that, Xu Jie suppressed all the chaotic thoughts in his heart, looked in the direction of Yan Song, and then spoke.
"There are still doubts about this case. It cannot be settled hastily. I will personally give a memorial to His Majesty when I come down later!"
After Xu Jie finished speaking, he stared at Yan Song with his eyes, trying to discern any clues from his face.
Facing Xu Jie's scrutinizing gaze, Yan Song looked confident and confident. He nodded and spoke in agreement.
"Since Mr. Xu Ge feels that there are still doubts about this case, let's go to His Majesty Shu and investigate again!"
…
Forbidden City, Qianqing Palace.
At this moment, Jiajing was sitting cross-legged on the futon, his eyes seemed to be closed. At this time, Jiajing had already fallen into a meditative state.
As Jiajing spoke and took in, the spiritual energy between heaven and earth seemed to resonate with him. In the process, Jiajing's aura gradually became stronger and his complexion became more and more rosy.
Since entering the later stage of Qi training, although Jiajing's control over his own power has become stronger and stronger, the speed of his training has inevitably slowed down.
At the moment, Jiajing has hit a bottleneck. No matter how hard he practices on a daily basis, the amount of mana he can increase is minimal. Only by breaking through this bottleneck can he have a chance to break through to the foundation building stage.
I don’t know how long time passed, but all the spiritual energy in Qianqing Palace had been absorbed by Jiajing. Then, Jiajing exited the cultivation state and slowly stood up from the futon.
After roughly sensing the condition of his body, Jiajing shook his head and said silently to himself: "Compared to the past, the increase in mana in the body is simply negligible. If this continues, I don't know when. , can we break through the foundation!"
After finishing his emotion, Jiajing sat back on the dragon chair, picked up a memorandum sent by the Supervisor of Ceremonies, and read through it at will.
Shortly after this, Lu Fang entered the Qianqing Palace with silent steps.
After entering the Qianqing Palace, Lu Fang quickly came to Jiajing's side and respectfully reported: "Your Majesty, here are the investigation results of Yan Maoqing's case!"
After Lu Fang finished speaking, he took out the investigation results of Yan Maoqing's case that had been prepared from his sleeve and handed them to Jiajing.
"Oh, show me the investigation results of Yan Maoqing's case!"
After Jiajing finished speaking, a look of interest appeared on his face. After putting the memorial in his hand aside, he took the investigation results from Lu Fang's hand.
Jiajing did not read the testimonies of the parties involved in the case, but turned directly to the end.
"It turns out that Yan Maoqing's case was an accident!"
After reading the final conclusion, Jiajing put it aside casually and sighed with serious emotion.
As soon as Jiajing finished speaking, Lu Fang stood up and responded without thinking: "Yes, Your Majesty, the officials who were sent to Nanzhili to investigate Yan Maoqing's case unanimously concluded that Yan Maoqing's drowning was an accident. , he accidentally fell into the water after being drunk!"
After Jiajing heard Lu Fang's words, he nodded slightly and then ordered: "Since Yan Maoqing's case is an accident, let's officially announce it. In this way, those unrealistic rumors in the capital will be eliminated. There will be a lot less!”
Since the news of Yan Maoqing's drowning spread in the capital, various rumors have spread.
Some people say that Yan Maoqing found something in Zhejiang, which led to the silence of the people behind the scenes. Others say that Yan Maoqing bullied good people and harmed the natural world. He was dragged off the ship by an unjust ghost who demanded his life.
In short, various rumors emerged one after another, which made the high-ranking officials in the capital panic. As a result, the temples and Taoist temples near the capital prospered a lot.
When Lu Fang heard this, she suddenly looked embarrassed. She took out a memorial from her sleeve and said cautiously: "Your Majesty, here is the memorial submitted by Mr. Xu Ge. He said that there are still doubts about this case. He hopes that the case can be thoroughly investigated. !”
When Jiajing heard what Lu Fang said, the expression on his face suddenly turned cold. Immediately, without saying a word, he took the memorial from Lu Fang's hand and began to read it carefully.
After a long time, Jiajing put aside the memorial in his hand, turned around to look at Lu Fang, and said: "Okay, when you come down, tell Xu Jie for me, there is no need to investigate further!"
When Lu Fang heard this, she immediately looked stern and responded respectfully: "As you command, Your Majesty!"
…
On the other side, the Ministry of Rites.
While Li Chunfang was still processing the official documents sent by her subordinates, there was a knock on the door.
"Come in!"
Hearing this, Li Chunfang put the brush in her hand aside and gave instructions.
After the words fell, there was only a "squeak" sound, the door of the room was pushed open, and Xu Xuemo, the minister of etiquette, came in.
After Xu Xuemo entered the room, he came to Li Chunfang, bowed and said: "I have met the Lord Shangshu!"
Hearing this, Li Chunfang nodded slightly, looked in the direction of Xu Xuemo, and asked, "Shu Ming, what's the matter?"
Hearing this, Xu Xuemo nodded, took out the booklet from his sleeve, handed it to Li Chunfang, and reported respectfully: "Master Shangshu, this is from Honglu Temple. Regarding the specific process of canonizing the queen, Please take a look!"
"Well, let me take a look!"
After Li Chunfang finished speaking, she took the booklet from Xu Xuemo's hand and began to browse it carefully.
Since receiving the emperor's order, Honglu Temple and the Ministry of Rites have started preparation work intensively and dare not slack off at all.
After all, the ceremony of canonizing the queen is a top-notch event for the court, and nothing can go wrong!
After that, Li Chunfang suppressed all the chaotic thoughts in her heart and began to browse the contents of the booklet.
"On the previous day, the official of Honglu Temple set up a festival register in Fengtian Hall, with the festival table in the middle, the east and west registers, the teaching office department set up Zhonghe Shaole, and on the morning of the ceremony, the Jinyi Guards set up cloud covers, and the inner officials Let the queen be enthroned in the palace, and the treasure case be placed to the north of the place where she is enthroned..."
After Li Chunfang finished browsing the specific process of canonizing the queen, she came back to her senses, gently pressed her temples with her index finger a few times, and said: "Well, I have read it, and there is nothing wrong with the process. Tell Honglu Temple that Bian, just follow this!"
When Xu Xuemo heard this, he immediately leaned down and respectfully said, "Yes, Lord Shangshu!"
After Xu Xuemo left, Li Chunfang summoned the subordinate staff. After a few words of instruction, he left the Ministry of Rites and headed towards the direction of Qianqing Palace.
As the Minister of Rites, he needed to personally hand over the specific process of canonizing the queen to Jiajing for review.
…
Outside the Qianqing Palace, Li Chunfang curiously looked at the Qianqing Palace in front of her while she was guiding the eunuchs in to report.
The Qianqing Palace in front of him is a magnificent building with majestic momentum. From Li Chunfang's position, he can still vaguely see the ground paved with glazed tiles.
"Ever since Queen Fang, Your Majesty has never canonized a queen. I didn't expect that this time, I would be able to catch up. It's really good luck!"
After a long time, Li Chunfang looked away and said with emotion.
Although it has been some time since Imperial Concubine Shen gave birth, the impact of this incident has not diminished, but has become more and more intense.
After all, anyone with a discerning eye can see that after the imperial concubine Shen is officially canonized as queen by the emperor, the son she gives birth to will become his legitimate son.
In terms of priority for inheriting the throne, the legitimate son is far stronger than the concubine!
You know, of the eight sons of Jiajing, six died young, and only King Yu and King Jing grew up.
Originally, everyone thought that the emperor's position would be determined by the competition between King Yu and King Jing, so they lined up early.
At first, King Jing had the upper hand, overwhelming King Yu. Just when everyone in the government and the public believed that King Jing would become the crown prince, King Jing was sent to a fiefdom by the emperor, completely losing his qualifications to compete for the throne.
This sudden change caught everyone off guard, and then a large number of people changed their camps and began to support King Yu.
After all, King Yu had a son, and the emperor was quite partial to his newly born grandson.
Just when everyone in the government and the public believed that King Yu was sure of victory and was about to become the new crown prince of the Ming Dynasty.
The imperial concubine Shen gave birth to a son for the emperor, and the emperor named him Zhu Zaiyuan. Not only that, the imperial concubine Shen will also be canonized as the new empress of the Ming Dynasty.
These successive changes have left the government and the public not knowing what to do.
But Li Chunfang knew very well that at present, many people in the court were already moving closer to Zhu Zaiyuan, the newly born child.
Just as Li Chunfang's thoughts were racing, the eunuch led by Li Chunfang came to Li Chunfang and respectfully reported: "Master Shangshu, you can go in!"
When Li Chunfang heard this, she suddenly came to her senses, bowed her hands to the guiding eunuch, and said respectfully: "Excuse me, father-in-law!"
When the eunuch heard this, he immediately waved his hand and refused, saying, "No way, Lord Shangshu said something harsh!"
After that, Li Chunfang did not stay too much, but took a steady step and stepped onto the stairs of Qianqing Palace.
As soon as Li Chunfang entered the Qianqing Palace, she knelt down on the ground with a plop and said in a deep voice: "I bow to your majesty, long live my emperor!"
Jiajing, who was sitting on the dragon chair, heard this. After looking Li Chunfang up and down, he nodded slightly and said: "Well, get up!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
After receiving Jiajing's permission, Li Chunfang stood up from the ground.
Then, Jiajing's ancient and unwavering voice sounded: "Tell me, what do you want from me?"
Upon hearing this, Li Chunfang immediately took out the booklet recording the process of canonizing the queen from her sleeve without thinking, and said in a deep voice.
"Your Majesty, this is jointly formulated by the Ministry of Rites and Honglu Temple. Please take a look at the specific procedures for canonizing the queen!"
After Li Chunfang finished speaking, she raised the booklet in her hand high above her head.
Lu Fang, who was waiting beside Jiajing, saw this situation and without waiting for Jiajing's instructions, he immediately stepped forward, took the booklet from Li Chunfang's hand, and respectfully handed it to Jiajing.
"His Majesty!"
"Um."
After that, Jiajing took the booklet from Lu Fang's hand and read it with great concentration.
"On the previous day, the official of Honglu Temple set up a festival register in Fengtian Hall, with the festival table in the middle, the east and west registers, the teaching office department set up Zhonghe Shaole, and on the morning of the ceremony, the Jinyi Guards set up cloud covers, and the inner officials Let the queen be enthroned in the palace, and the treasure case be placed to the north of the place where she is enthroned..."
Since the process of canonizing a queen was too cumbersome, Jiajing spent a lot of time just browsing the above content.
Then, Jiajing put the booklet aside, looked in the direction of Li Chunfang, nodded, and said encouragingly: "Well, your etiquette department did a good job this time!"
Then, Jiajing changed the topic and added: "This is the ceremony for the canonization of the queen. You, the etiquette department, must pay more attention to not making any mistakes!"
Upon hearing this, Li Chunfang immediately leaned down and assured Jiajing: "As ordered, Your Majesty, I will do my best to make sure there are no mistakes!"
Jiajing took in the expression on Li Chunfang's face, waved his hand, and said: "Okay, let's do this for now. When we get down, let Qin Tianjian pick a few good days and auspicious days, and then report them to me. Come here!"
As soon as Jiajing finished speaking, Li Chunfang responded without thinking: "Yes, Your Majesty!"
Seeing that the purpose of her trip had been achieved, Li Chunfang did not stay in the Qianqing Palace for too long. After bowing to Jiajing, she left directly.
After Li Chunfang left, Jiajing turned around, looked at Lu Fang and said, "Lu Fang, come with me to the Manna Palace!"
When Lu Fang heard Jiajing's words, a hint of unnoticeable excitement flashed across her face. She lowered her head and responded respectfully: "Yes, Your Majesty!"
Lu Fang knew that the reason Jiajing went to Ganlu Palace at this time was because he wanted to tell the imperial concubine Shen the news face to face.
After that, Lu Fang followed Jiajing step by step and headed in the direction of Ganlu Palace.
…
As night falls, Xu goes to his mansion in the capital.
"Eunuch Feng, walk slowly!"
"Um."
After sending Feng Bao away, the expression on Xu Jie's face suddenly became extremely gloomy, and he returned to his study.
Not long ago, Lu Fang sent his godson Feng Bao to visit him personally and relayed Jiajing's words to Xu Jie intact.
"Obviously there are still many doubts about Yan Maoqing's case, why not continue the investigation?"
Xu Jie thought so with a look of reluctance on his face after returning to the study.
Everything that happened in recent days flashed through Xu Jie's mind like a slideshow.
At this moment, Xu Jie suddenly had a flash of inspiration, and a question that he had ignored earlier resurfaced in his mind.
"By the way, Hu Zongxian, in the final analysis, His Majesty wants to protect Hu Zongxian and prevent him from being implicated. In this way, everything will make sense!"
"In recent years, the situation along the southeastern coast has been entirely supported by Hu Zongxian. It can be said that he is a credit to his hard work!"
"After all the Japanese pirates along the southeast coast were wiped out, His Majesty had the idea of transferring Hu Zongxian to the capital. After that, Ma Ningyuan's case happened again, and Hu Zongxian was Ma Ningyuan's teacher. , you can’t escape being implicated no matter what!”
"After Hu Zongxian came to the capital, he was appointed by His Majesty as the Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs and successfully entered the cabinet. His future is immeasurable. But at this time, the Ma Ningyuan incident happened. There is no doubt that it will seriously threaten to Hu Zongxian’s official career.”
"It is naturally impossible for Your Majesty to just watch a capable minister like Hu Zongxian, who has worked so hard and so loyally, be implicated. Therefore, he has reached a tacit agreement with Yan Song to keep Hu Zongxian at all costs!"
When Xu Jie thought of this, he felt suddenly enlightened.
After that, he picked up the tea cup on the table, took a sip, and then continued to think along the same train of thought as before.
"With His Majesty's instructions, Yan Song was naturally confident. Then, Ma Ningyuan committed suicide in prison out of fear of crime, and shouldered all the blame alone, making it impossible to implicate Hu Zongxian in this matter!"
"And Yan Maoqing, who was sent to Zhejiang to investigate the case, was also discovered by Yan Song and was silenced on the way back to Beijing!"
"This is why, although there are still many doubts about Yan Maoqing's case, His Majesty does not allow the investigation to continue!"
Xu Jie couldn't help but break into a cold sweat when he thought of this. At the same time, he also felt extremely regretful for his previous reckless behavior.
"Damn it, why didn't I think of this earlier? Why did I go to His Majesty to request a thorough investigation of this case!"
At this moment, there was a slight knock on the door from outside the study, which brought Xu Jie back to reality.
"Come in!"
After the words fell, there was only a "squeak" sound, the door of the room was pushed open, and the housekeeper walked in with silent steps.
"Old...Master, here is a handwritten letter sent to you by someone from Mr. Wang. He said it is extremely important and must be delivered to you personally!"
"Well, bring it over!"
Hearing this, Xu Jie looked in the direction of the housekeeper, nodded, and gave the order.
"Yes, sir!"
Upon hearing this, the housekeeper immediately stepped forward and respectfully handed the envelope in his hand into Xu Jie's hands.
After Xu Jie took the envelope from the butler's hand, he waved his hand and gave instructions.
"Okay, it's none of your business, go down first!"
"Yes, sir!"
After the words fell, the housekeeper didn't stop at all. He turned and left the study, closing the door behind him.
After the housekeeper left, Xu Jie opened the envelope slowly and read the contents.
After Xu Jie read the contents of the letter, he became furious. Then he slammed the table and said in a deep voice: "Yan Maoqing, this loser, really deserves to die!"
In the letter Wang Ting wrote to Xu Jie, Wang Ting placed most of the blame on the dead Yan Maoqing.
Wang Ting bluntly stated in the letter that it was all because of Yan Maoqing's fault that they were unable to purchase raw silk from the people at low prices. (End of chapter)
