"Who can prove the authenticity of Feng Lin's confession you just mentioned?" the emperor asked Ling Yun.
Ling Yun said: "Feng Lin himself."
"Where is Feng Lin now?"
"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!"
It turned out that after Feng Lin was rescued by Lian's aunt and nephew last time, Lian Nanchun placed him in a hidden place outside the capital.
This place is far away from Beijing, quiet and quiet, almost isolated from the world; usually there are only two servants arranged by Lian Nanchun to take turns serving his food and daily life.
The emperor ordered Feng Chaoying to immediately rush to bring Feng Lin back.
But it was said that Feng Chaoying, the general manager of the Imperial Household, according to the specific location mentioned by Ling Yun, led a group of Imperial Guards and after many twists and turns, finally found Feng Lin in that remote place; then without any delay, he took him directly to I went to the Imperial Study Room to meet with the Holy One.
"Your Majesty, I can finally see you! If I hadn't been lucky and had a noble person to help me in critical moments, I would have never been able to return to the capital and see Long Yan in this life!..."
When Feng Lin saw the emperor, he was like a helpless child suddenly meeting his loved ones. He was filled with joy and sorrow, and he knelt on the ground and cried bitterly.
The emperor also felt very uncomfortable. He frowned and felt as if his chest was pressed hard by a huge boulder, making him suffocated and somewhat breathless.
He sighed, comforted Feng Lin with a few gentle words, and then asked about the whole story of the prince's case.
While Feng Lin was crying, he told intermittently the thrilling things he encountered after leaving the capital. All the details were basically consistent with what Ling Yun said.
When Zhao Yu heard this, he felt that his heart was tightly clenched. He was so angry that he couldn't help but start shooting.
His pupils trembled slightly, as if there was a heavy light shining in them, filled with overwhelming anger, "After all, it turns out that my prince was conspired to death by your group of ministers with ulterior motives! - Feng Lin, Do you know your guilt?"
Feng Lin's body was full of tears, and he kowtowed and said, "This slave knows that his crime is unforgivable, but Your Majesty, the real murderer of His Royal Highness is Li Zhishan and the people organized by Tianxiao! They are colluding and causing trouble. On the one hand, they murder the crown prince and have evil plans; On the other hand, he framed Mr. Lu and Zhongliang..."
The emperor's face was livid, and he said sadly: "You are right! It's a pity that both my prince and Mr. Lu died in unknown circumstances..."
Feng Chaoying felt sad, but she suppressed her grief and anger and persuaded: "Your Majesty, the deceased is gone. Please express your condolences and accept your resignation. What we need to do now is to find out the specific cause of death of the prince and Mr. Lu, and bring to justice the people involved in this case. By law.”
The emperor nodded with deep understanding, then turned to look at Ling Yun with bright eyes, asking him for his true opinion on the cause of death of Prince Zhao Ting and Lu Wenzheng.
Ling Yun frowned slightly and said decisively: "Judging from various signs, the prince and Mr. Lu should have died from the same poison."
"What poison?"
"Hibiscus flower poison!" Ling Yun's voice was crisp and clear, like cutting gold and jade.
"Hibiscus flower poison?..." The emperor subconsciously repeated these words, and his face gradually became extremely ugly.
Although he had lived in the palace for a long time, he still heard about the viciousness and tyranny of "Hibiscus Flower Poison" from the people around him - either the palace people or the ministers occasionally mentioned it. After being exposed to it for a long time, a kind of "hibiscus flower poison" was formed deep in his heart. Very profound concept.
At this moment, he suddenly heard Ling Yun mention this extremely poisonous name that chilled the soul, and then thought of the unexplained death of his beloved child Zhao Ting. The blood all over his body seemed to solidify in an instant, and his lips, eyes, and even his whole body were all uncontrollably shaking. shake.
"Why...see?..." After a moment of silence, he finally smoothed out his messy thoughts and said in a hoarse voice.
Ling Yun said: "Because Ling Yun witnessed the situation before the death of the prince and Mr. Lu. Their faces were bruised and their eyes were wide open. Moreover, they did not feel any discomfort on the first day before the accident - in fact, there By then, the poison was already lurking in their bodies."
The emperor's lips curved slightly, and he spoke in a neutral tone, "After all, this is just your speculation. What I want is real evidence."
Ling Yun suddenly leaned over and knelt down and said: "If you want evidence, Your Majesty, please promise Ling Yun something."
"What's up?"
Ling Yun said: "When Ling Yun assisted Mr. Lu in solving a case in the Ministry of Punishment, he once got the method of identifying hibiscus flower poison by chance. If the Holy One can send a disciple to use this method to test the cause of death of the prince and Mr. Lu..."
"Do you want me to disturb the deceased prince's soul and open the coffin for an autopsy?" The emperor clenched his hands into fists and pressed hard against the cases. His breathing was heavy, his eyes were red, and he was suppressing the anger rising in his heart.
A thin layer of cold sweat broke out on Ling Yun's forehead. Although he was a little nervous, he still had no intention of flinching. He bit his lip hard and said word by word: "Ling-yun-panic-fear-"
"Ling Yun, you are brave! How dare you say such treasonous words, aren't you afraid that I will kill you?" The emperor's bleeding eyes widened, contrasting with the angular and domineering face; there seemed to be something imprisoned there. A wild beast, ready to strike at any moment.
Ling Yun couldn't help but tremble, knowing that this would offend Long Yan, knowing that it would bring unpredictable consequences to himself, but now, he couldn't care less.
He smiled bitterly and said: "Ling Yun was already guilty of a serious crime, and he must bear the blame for his death - if the Holy One can find out the cause of the death of the prince and Mr. Lu, give justice to the deceased, and give Ling Yun an explanation, then what's the point of Ling Yun's death? "
"Ling Yun, are you breaking the rules?" The emperor snorted coldly and glanced at him with a stern look, "You know you will inevitably die sooner or later, so you are fearless, right?"
Ling Yun looked calm and composed, and his frown revealed an unusual calmness after going through many hardships and vicissitudes.
He kowtowed respectfully to the emperor and said in a deep voice: "Ling Yun doesn't dare. Ling Yun just wants to find out the truth, eliminate the traitors and bandits in the court and the public, and restore innocence and understanding to those who died in vain - such a prince Your Highness and Mr. Lu can rest in peace, but Ling Yun has suffered so many hardships, even if he dies, he will have no regrets."
The emperor paused for a moment. He slowly turned around, half of his face hidden in the shadow of the backlight; his expression changed several times, appearing to be secretive, which intensified his sense of solemnity and depression.
Feng Chaoying, the chief internal officer, watched the emperor and Ling Yun's back and forth with his eyes attentively. The original hesitation on his face gradually disappeared, replaced by the hope that had just emerged, and there was gradually more urgency between his eyebrows. The meaning of anxiety.
Seeing that there was a stalemate between the two of them, he hurriedly knelt down and kowtowed: "Your Majesty, I think that although what Ling Yun said was disrespectful and violated the power of God, he is still loyal and wholeheartedly just for Find out the prince's case.
"Indeed, if we want to get to the bottom of the prince's case and eradicate the evil, the only way is to reopen the coffin and conduct an autopsy. What I said is from the bottom of my heart. I ask your Majesty to think twice!"
As the saying goes, "Three men make a tiger." Now that both Ling Yun and Feng Chaoying had said this, the indecisive emperor was a little shaken; not to mention that his original will was not so firm.
He turned around and glanced at the two courtiers kneeling on the ground expressionlessly. His eyebrows moved slightly and he said, "It's getting late. You go down first! We will discuss this matter another day."
The setting sun spurted out like blood, spreading wantonly, as if it was going to burst out with all its power and wash away the noise of the world.
Emperor Zhao Yu returned to the palace and briefly talked to Queen Zhong about what happened during the day. Then he considered the tone and way of speaking and said softly:
"According to the judgment of Ling Yun and others and some supporting evidence, the prince and Lu Wenzheng were most likely poisoned by hibiscus flower poison; however, this can only be speculation. To be further confirmed, a police officer needs to be sent out to conduct detailed verification. , so this still requires..."
At this point, he hesitated and stopped; he only glanced at the queen silently, then sighed and lowered his head.
Although the emperor still didn't finish his words, his intention was very clear. What kind of person Empress Zhong was, she understood it clearly.
She was originally the biological mother of Prince Zhao Ting. She was a virtuous, chaste and virtuous person who understood justice well. Since the death of the prince, Empress Zhong has been in agony, depressed and crying all day long.
At this time, after hearing the emperor's confession and thinking of her son who died innocently and tragically, her chest felt like a knife twisting her body, and her whole body could not stop trembling. She could no longer hold back her tears, covered her face and started sobbing.
Looking at the queen's grief-stricken look, Zhao Yu's throat felt uncomfortable as if something was blocked; he paused for a long time before bitterly speaking, "Queen, I just want to discuss this with you first. If you don't Just agree."
Empress Zhong wiped her tears and said: "No, Your Majesty misunderstood. I just thought of our poor child for a moment and felt sad. In fact, as long as we can find out the cause of Ting'er's death and give him justice, I can accept anything... …”
Zhao Yu didn't expect the queen to be so open-minded. He didn't know what to say for a moment and only murmured: "Queen..."
Empress Zhong said: "Your Majesty, actually you and I both know that our Ting'er has been a well-educated and righteous child since he was a child. If he is knowledgeable, he will definitely understand our painstaking efforts.
"There are no bad parents in the world. Which parent does everything not for the benefit of their children? I believe that our Ting'er will not blame us..."
Later, she burst into tears.
Zhao Yu's face was distorted in extreme pain, and the bitterness in his heart surged like a tide, overwhelming him in an instant.
"Queen..." He held the queen tightly in his arms with trembling hands...
