"Then let me ask you again, how did you pretend to be Zhou Shan and disappear from the palace?"
In the imperial study, the emperor was interrogating Ling Yun about the many plots involved in the prince's case; until later he asked how Ling Yun disguised himself as a guard and disappeared from the Ouchi Palace.
Ling Yun thought for a moment and then recounted everything that happened in Qixia Pavilion that night.
He and Du Zhenghai sneaked into the palace and asked Mo Shuiling for help... Unexpectedly, they encountered Yuan Chao and Zhou Shan, the imperial guards who were on duty at night... Yuan Chao took the opportunity to threaten and humiliate the imperial concubine... He had no choice but to kill Yuan Chao and Zhou Shan. ...Qixia Pavilion set fire...disguised as Zhou Shan...
Because now that Du Zhenghai and Mo Shuiling were dead, no one's personal fortune was involved, so Ling Yun no longer had any worries and told the whole story without any ambiguity.
The emperor listened silently to Ling Yun's narration, and couldn't help but think of the beautiful woman with loosely rolled temples and long flowing sleeves, whose every move and smile made him enchanted. The bitterness in his heart instantly overwhelmed him like a raging tide.
Even though so many days have passed, every time he thinks of the tragic situation of the beloved woman before her death, his heart will feel dense pain, and the pain will make him suffocate.
Ling Yun's confession was basically consistent with what Mo Shuiling had confessed to him before his death. Both sides confirmed it, and Zhao Yu knew that what they said was true.
"Okay, stop talking..." Zhao Yu's eyes dimmed, he tried to calm down and waved his hand weakly at Ling Yun.
He slowly stood up from behind the desk, turned his face, and stared at the mural with carved dragons and phoenixes on the wall in ecstasy, and did not speak for a long time.
Feng Chaoying on the side saw that the emperor's face was gloomy and he didn't speak for a long time, so he cautiously reminded: "Your Majesty..."
Zhao Yu let out a long sigh and closed his eyes, as if to erase the wounds; when he opened his eyes again, his expression had returned to its previous calmness.
He turned around and looked at Ling Yun, and said slowly: "You and Du Zhenghai broke into the palace without permission and killed the imperial guards. It is certainly an unpardonable crime; but Yuan Chao and Zhou Shan intended to rape and humiliate Ling Concubine. They were really treasonous and deserved to die. !—Don’t mention this in advance.”
Ling Yun said: "Yes."
The emperor glanced at Ling Yun's face with cold eyes, and then changed the topic: "Since you are wandering around the palace, you must have found something, right? Come with me one by one."
"Ling Yun obeys the order." Ling Yun's clear eyes turned, "Does Your Majesty still remember Feng Lin?"
The emperor was confused when he asked, "Feng Lin, hasn't he been exiled from the palace?"
Ling Yun said: "Does Your Majesty know what happened after Feng Lin left the palace?"
The emperor was stunned for a moment, thinking that there must be a real reason, and then said: "You tell me."
Ling Yun said: "As soon as Feng Lin left the palace, he met the killer."
Then, he told the entire story of how Feng Lin encountered an assassin that day in the wilderness outside the city, and how he and his aunt Lian Na Chun showed up in time to kill the culprit and rescued Feng Lin.
Of course, when stating these things, he quietly retained part of it, which was the true identity of Lian's aunt and nephew - he just implicitly and euphemistically said that the people who drew the sword to help were Yang Zhen and his two martial arts friends.
Fortunately, the emperor didn't pay too much attention to these minutiae. He only focused on asking what happened next.
Ling Yun then explained in detail the confession that Feng Lin confessed to Lian Nanchun, Yang Zhen and others:
How did Feng Lin get confused by the palace maid named Zi Yan, and how was he caught on the spot by Li Zhishan and others when he was having an affair with Zi Yan. Later, Feng Lin placed Zi Yan next to the prince with the help of Li Zhishan, Zi Yan and others. , until Feng Lin discovered that Zi Yan put something in the prince's tea, and the prince died inexplicably... and so on.
The emperor couldn't help but hold his breath. He subconsciously stood up slowly while holding on to the dragon chair, pressed the knuckles of Ji'an so hard that they turned white, and said absentmindedly: "You mean, the prince was killed by a conspiracy by Li Zhishan, Zi Yan and the others? Oh my god, how? meeting?……"
Ling Yun didn't speak, just nodded slightly.
Zhao Yu's expression gradually became stiff, and an indescribable emotion surged in his eyes, including annoyance, hatred, and disbelief.
It took him a long time before he slumped back into the dragon chair, staring blankly at Ling Yun without speaking.
Time stood still for a moment.
Ling Yun swallowed his saliva, his Adam's apple rolled up, breaking the stagnation in front of his eyes, and said cautiously: "Your Majesty, Ling Yun has one more thing, should I tell you?"
The emperor said dullly: "You say."
Ling Yun said bluntly: "Zi Yan is from the Tianxiao organization; Li Zhishan and others colluded with the people from the Tianxiao organization to murder His Royal Highness."
The emperor was shocked and said: "What?"
Ling Yun said: "Zi Yan had assassinated Prince Jinling and Princess Huanyu in the palace a few months ago with a maid named Xiang Yun. At that time, Ling Yun happened to meet her. I had no choice but to kill her.
"At that time, I found Tianxiao's mark on her left arm. From this, I can conclude that she is a member of Tianxiao organization. Prince Jinling, Princess Huanyu and the Ouchi guards who were present at the time can all testify to this matter. .”
The emperor stared at him, his expression grim and guarded, "You said Li Zhishan colluded with the Tianxiao organization, what evidence is there?"
Ling Yun looked calm and said in a calm tone: "Although Ling Yun can't produce any strong evidence to confirm this matter at the moment, during these days in the palace, Ling Yun has been following Li Zhishan, and he has been following his words and deeds. It is clear that he is indeed colluding with Li Ruiyun and others, and his ambition is obvious."
The emperor lowered his head and pondered, thoughtfully.
Ling Yun added: "In addition, Ling Yun has some inferences about Li Zhishan's evil intentions for your Majesty's reference. I wonder if I should talk about them?"
The emperor said expressionlessly: "You say."
Ling Yun said: "Li Zhishan, Zi Yan and others colluded to coerce Feng Lin to place Zi Yan next to the prince. This shows that their intentions are evil, and this is one of them;
"When Ling Yun was first imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison, Yuan Chao, Zhou Shan, Shen Hai and others conspired to kill me, and these three people were all Li Zhishan's subordinates. Whether they were under Li Zhishan's instructions, please ask the Holy One to investigate; this is the second .
"Although these two points cannot directly prove that Li Zhishan has any relationship with Tianxiao's people, they are enough to explain Li Zhishan's disobedience..."
"Is there more?" The emperor's eyes were as dark and thick as the night, and he continued to ask.
Ling Yun said: "In addition to Li Zhishan, there are also some ministers in the court who secretly have dealings with Tian Xiao's people."
"Who are they?" The emperor's eyes were as sharp as a falcon, and he asked while the iron was hot.
"There is Ding Jinzhi..." Ling Yun said.
"Ding Jinzhi——" The emperor murmured and repeated these three words, and a touch of imperceptible anger flashed across his eyes, like a dragonfly touching water, instantly and without a trace.
"Exactly..." Ling Yun hesitated for a moment and stopped talking.
The emperor saw that Ling Yun was hesitant in speaking, as if he still had something to say; his deep eyes narrowed slightly, and he looked straight at him and said: "He can't be the only one - Ling Yun, tell me the truth, who else is there?..."
Ling Yun lowered his head nervously, and the emperor's low, almost threatening voice echoed in his ears, with a strong and depressing aura that made him unable to breathe.
After hesitating for a long time, Ling Yun finally spoke with difficulty: "And...and He Yuting..."
"He Yuting?" The emperor's eyes swirled, and an inexplicable and strange feeling came to his heart. He was stunned for a moment before saying, "Are you serious about this?"
Ling Yun nodded weakly.
The emperor frowned and didn't speak for a long time. His eyes stayed on his face solemnly, as if he wanted to find out something from his face, "Ling Yun, I ask you, since He Yuting is your biological father, why do you want to Report him?"
"..." Ling Yun's face turned pale, and his heart was trembling violently. It was as if someone had dropped a handful of steel balls into his chest, and a cold and hard burning pain instantly rolled over his heart.
The emperor tilted his head slightly and glanced at him meaningfully. He seemed not to care about his painful and entangled mood at all. He deliberately prolonged his tone and said: "Are you killing your relatives out of justice? Or are you just taking revenge on him for betraying you to Li Ruiyun before?" Something? How do you understand loyalty, filial piety, benevolence, justice, and ethics?"
"Your Majesty, can Ling Yun not answer these questions?..." Ling Yun lowered his eyes, avoiding the sharpness in the emperor's eyes that could almost penetrate his heart, and said in a trembling voice.
His voice was very unstable, like obscure brushstrokes carved in the air, mottled.
Looking at Ling Yun's almost pleading expression, the emperor felt his heart softening, and he could no longer be cruel enough to make the heart of the man in front of him who was forced to despair even worse.
He sighed softly, and his originally gloomy eyes softened a little, "Okay, let's get down to business. Who can prove the authenticity of Feng Lin's confession you just mentioned?"
Ling Yun said without hesitation: "Feng Lin himself."
The emperor was startled: "Where is Feng Lin now?"
Ling Yun said: "Still with some of my friends in the world."
"Really?..." A flash of stunning light flashed across the emperor's eyes, and he couldn't wait to say: "Bring him to see me immediately!"...
