Li Qingyi knelt in the inner hall of Kunji Palace. The smell of styrax slowly spread out from the incense burner with auspicious animal cloud patterns, making her mind clearer and clearer.
The palace servant presented a bowl of snow-wing porridge, and Concubine Mu slowly ate half of the bowl with her hand, rinsed her mouth again, and then turned her eyes to Li Qingyi.
"You have made great contributions to the affairs of noble people."
great merit.
Could it be that he helped her achieve the purpose of punishing the mother and daughter?
Li Qingyi chuckled in his heart, but did not show it on his face. He said in fear: "My daughter dare not take credit."
Concubine Mu's eyes were cold, and her voice gradually approached, ringing above Li Qingyi's head: "I know that those people in Dali Temple are the most careless and perfunctory in their work. This case was solved by your own efforts. You don't need to be humble."
Li Qingyi lowered his head, "All the people in the world are willing to go through fire and water for the emperor. How dare you just go through the motions? The noble concubine's words are serious. I just didn't expect that Miss Mu San's maid would actually frame her master for injustice out of selfish motives. It is an unpardonable crime." .”
"Oh? You think so?"
Concubine Mu's tone was casual and slow, but Li Qingyi could feel the coldness of a blade from within.
"Of course it is. The maid who hit the pillar and died obviously knew that her crime was so heinous that there was no way to survive, so she was willing to die. If not, how could she be so decisive?"
Didn't she know that Concubine Mu meant leaving her alone to talk, just to test how much she knew.
Who wouldn’t tell lies with open eyes?
Li Qingyi knew the truth in her heart, but the truth contained huge secrets. Before the time came, she had to pretend to know nothing.
"Of course it is. Miss Mu San is gentle and kind-hearted by nature, and she is simple and ignorant of worldly affairs. How could she do such a thing? She was just dragged down by a villain."
When Concubine Mu heard her answer, she behaved gracefully and her eyes paused for a moment.
Li Qingyi's meaning could not be clearer. She stated that she did not believe that Mu Lan wanted to kill Liang Guiren, but she did not mention that Mu Lan longed for the emperor.
Concubine Mu frowned and thought for a moment, then curled her lips and smiled.
She had watched Mu Lan grow up, but she never expected that Mu Lan would be so scheming and go in such a big circle to harm good people.
If she hadn't mastered everything from the beginning, even she would have been deceived by Mu Lan's plan.
So, who knows if Mu Lan's longing for the emperor is just a matter of course?
Is there any woman in this world who doesn’t want to ascend to that highest position? It wouldn't be unusual if Mu Lan insisted on getting closer to her because she loved the emperor.
Despite this speculation, Concubine Mu still chose to keep Mu Lan by her side.
After all, Mu Lan's thoughts are so ingenious, so he can rest assured if they are under his nose.
She was lost in thought for a moment, then spoke again: "Does your delicate and delicate heart resemble your father?"
Li Qingyi lowered his body, and his tone became more respectful: "The imperial concubine is looking up to me, but I know that she is just a little smart."
Mu Ying did indeed die in her hands, but again, it was not the time to break up.
If she was still in Yangzhou and had not come to the capital, Concubine Mu would definitely attack her immediately.
But that doesn't work now. Her second uncle has already stood by the emperor's side, and she has also stood by Qin Zeng's side.
Before seeing through the doorway here, even if it is revenge for killing a daughter, even Concubine Mu will have to wait.
In other words, no matter how important a daughter is, she is not as important as the fourth prince, let alone herself.
Concubine Mu was silent for a long time and said lightly, "It's not a bad thing to be clever, but you have to use it in the right place and with the right person."
"Yes, I will obey the teachings of the noble concubine."
When she came out of Kunji Palace, the Golden Crow had fallen to the end of the sky, and a young eunuch led her out of the palace.
After staying in Dali Temple for most of the day and kneeling in Concubine Mu's palace for half a day, she had really lost a lot of energy and was inevitably a little tired both physically and mentally. So when she walked out of the palace and saw Qin Zeng's carriage, she boarded it without hesitation.
go.
Qin Zeng looked at Li Qingyi, who had slightly narrowed eyes and rested his chin on his hands, with a somewhat amused look on his face, and said, "You have always been full of energy, but I didn't expect that there would be times when you are so exhausted."
"The most tiring thing is dealing with people, especially when they are all talented people. How dare you not keep your heart and mind high at all times?"
When Qin Zeng heard what she said and saw how relaxed she was towards him at the moment, something strange arose in his heart.
He was in a daze for a moment, then changed the topic and said, "Linglong and others have been dealt with, and the people in Dali Temple have also announced the result according to the emperor's wishes."
"They are moving very fast at the moment." Li Qingyi couldn't help but joked as he recalled the way Cui Chun and others passed the blame when the accident happened.
Qin Zeng was silent for a while and then said, "Do you believe that Mu Lan loves the emperor?"
Li Qingyi smiled clearly and said, "It seems that you don't believe it."
The curtains of the carriage were lifted by the wind, and a ray of golden light from the setting sun fell into the carriage, reflecting in Qin Zeng's eyes, shaking slightly: "You know?"
"When Mu Lan looked at the Emperor, her appearance and attitude did not have any emotion or expectation of the young Mu Ai. On the contrary, there was a kind of fear that she couldn't avoid. To say that she loved the Emperor was not as good as Concubine Mu. If you love the emperor, you will be able to live and die."
Qin Zeng didn't expect that Li Qingyi, at his age, could talk openly about love with him. Even though he was talking about someone else's love, it was always a bit inconsistent. "So, although Mu Lan was the mastermind behind the murder of the noble lady, she was not the one behind it." There are people hiding behind it.”
Of course Li Qingyi can confirm the answer.
There is someone hiding behind her, that is Concubine Mu.
She is the one who knows the final answer to the mystery, and it is extremely easy to deduce it from the result.
However, she couldn't say this to Qin Zeng.
We can only slowly guide the evidence and attract Qin Zeng's attention.
Li Qingyi thought about his words and asked, "Don't you think Concubine Mu's attitude towards Mrs. Mu is very strange?"
"Indeed, the entire Mu family is one with Concubine Mu, but Concubine Mu's attitude seems to be toying with Mrs. Mu's applause."
Li Qingyi smiled secretly in his heart.
Of course.
One is the biological mother and the other is the adoptive mother. Who can explain the subtle emotions in this clearly?
Qin Zeng thought thoughtfully, "And Mu Lan, someone has gone around in such a big circle, risking the lives of Liang Guiren's mother and son, and leading her to kill Liang Guiren. What's the purpose?"
Li Qingyi had no doubt about Qin Zeng's acumen, "When I found out about Guo Wei, I realized that there was someone behind the whole thing. I always felt that killing good people was not the other party's purpose. So when I found out, When I saw Pei'er on my head, I was really shocked. Who is so capable that he can subdue all the girls around the Mu family's legitimate daughter?"
The light faded away, leaving only a golden thread in the distance, embedded in the green and white of the approaching dark night.
Qin Zeng felt something in his heart, "It must be someone whose status is much higher than her master Mu Lan, and even above the Mu family, so that she doesn't even dare to think of resisting."
Li Qingyi unconsciously stroked the splendid and complicated patterns on the car curtain and asked, "Sir, do you still remember what Concubine Mu said in the hall of Dali Temple today?"
"Remember. She said, "Lan'er, is it because you knew that Liang Guiren resembled Ruying?" "Qin Zeng looked at Li Qingyi's face quietly and said, "This means that someone told Mu Lan about Ruying, and Concubine Mu was also present, or it was simply she who told Mu Lan."
"I think so too." Li Qingyi tried his best to smooth over the doubts and said slowly: "Furthermore, although she omitted the second half of the sentence, she revealed everyone's vague suspicions in one sentence, almost making Mu Lan secretly yearn for the emperor. It was confirmed that she went crazy with jealousy and killed a good nobleman. Then, she turned to the emperor to plead for mercy, saying that everything must have been done by the evil slave Pei'er, which is really inconsistent. "...
Qin Zeng's brows frowned tightly.
Li Qingyi looked at him and said, "There is one more thing that you don't know. The night when Liang Guiren's accident happened, I followed Princess Dachang and others.
In Furong Hall, the moment everyone saw the body, Mu Lan's expression was a little unusual. The fear coming from a girl was a bit strange. "
"Oh? Are you suspicious of a ghost?"
Li Qingyi understood what Qin Zeng meant, as the saying goes, "If you lose something, everyone will look like a thief."
But Li Qingyi said with great certainty: "No, this feeling did not only come after the case was solved. I still remember the strange look on Mu Lan's face when everyone suddenly saw Liang Guiren's body, which even made me doubt Liang Guiren's body." The nobleman’s death is the intention of the Mu family.”
"Then, this is indeed a place worth noting. Please tell me about it."
Li Qingyi considered his words and said: "Because Yushu's hatred for Liang Guiren has reached an all-out level, the death of Liang Guiren is not ordinary miserable. When Mu Lan first saw this scene, her expression This expression was like... She was obviously mentally prepared, knowing that the good lady must be dead, but the bloody scene was still beyond her expectation. So, at that moment, Mu Lan's face was unexpected As for the fear, although she quickly concealed it, I was definitely not wrong."
Qin Zeng understood what she meant and said: "So from the beginning, you felt that the matter was related to the Mu family, and as Mu Lan is a murderer, it was not her wish to kill the good nobleman, but to do something for her."
Li Qingyi nodded, "Yes, who can make Mu Lan kill people for him?"
Qin Zeng thought carefully for a moment and said, "Looking at Mrs. Mu's performance, she doesn't even have the courage to argue. Could it be... Concubine Mu? But... what's the need?"
Li Qingyi sat up straight, "I remember that Concubine Mu said something like that after Mrs. Mu came in. It was very strange."
"You mean, the one about Mu Ying?"
"Well, Concubine Mu said she didn't understand Mu Lan, but unfortunately Mu Ying, whom she had loved for more than ten years, is dead... It's inexplicable, why would she mention Mu Ying on such an occasion?"
Qin Zeng suddenly narrowed his eyes, "I still remember the last time we were in the Mu Mansion. You said that Mrs. Mu had a son before, but he died in infancy, and it coincided with the time when Concubine Mu gave birth to her son?"
Seeing that he realized the problem, Li Qingyi immediately cheered up and said: "Concubine Mu led Mu Lan to kill Liang Guiren, and had people expose her in public, but then kept her alive. She just wanted to tell Mrs. Mu something... …”
