"That's true! The villain didn't talk nonsense!" the butler shouted.
"You still said you didn't talk nonsense? I asked you to tell me how Prince Xima was assassinated. What do you think the locust tree is doing?"
"That's what happened at that time!" The butler looked aggrieved: "You can ask other people present at the time. If there is any falsehood, I will be punished!"
"Okay, okay! Then continue talking!" Ling Jiyou's patience has been exhausted.
"Yes, Langjun!" The steward coughed and continued: "At that time, the dark wind was blowing, and many locust leaves fell on the roadside. The villain's hands and feet were stiff. He thought he had hit something evil and was suppressed. It was not easy. When I came to my senses, I heard people screaming from all sides. When I looked back, I saw that the owner was already lying on the ground, with a big hole in his throat, blood splattered all over his body, and he could no longer breathe!"
Snapped!
Ling Jiyou's patience was finally exhausted. He threw the brush on the desk and shouted: "If it is according to your words, the prince washed his horse and sat in the sedan chair, but then you fell. The wind blew and the leaves fell across the ground." Fei, his neck was cut and he died! You didn’t see the murderer’s appearance, body shape, clothes, or the weapons he used. Are you kidding me?”
"It was indeed the case at that time!" The butler said with a bitter smile: "I really didn't see anything. You can ask other people to see if the villain lied." At this point, he paused for a moment and lowered his voice: " According to the villain, the person who killed my master was not a human being, but an evil spirit!"
"Evil and ghostly?" Ling Jiyou laughed angrily. He suppressed the anger in his chest and asked someone to take the housekeeper down. Then he ordered a second person to be brought up. As more and more people were interrogated, Ling Jiyou's face The anger gradually disappeared, replaced by confusion and helplessness.
"You also think it's ghosts that hurt people!" Ling Jiyou asked helplessly.
"Of course not. This is Chang'an. Under the emperor's feet, the yang energy is at its strongest. How can ghostly things hurt people?" The speaker was a veteran in his early forties. He was the local Wuhou who was patrolling the night that night. He was short, stout, and bald. Half of it gives people a smart and capable feeling.
"Oh? Did you see the murderer?" After so long, he finally met someone who spoke a little more reliably, and Ling Jiyou's spirits suddenly lifted.
"No, I was still seventeen or eighteen steps away from the sedan. It was dark and wintery at night, so I couldn't see clearly!"
"What do you mean?"
"The villain thinks it's a monster, but it's probably a fox that turned into a spirit. This thing is the most vicious and cunning——"
"That's enough!" Ling Jiyou stopped Wu Hou, who was enthusiastically explaining the difference between monsters and ghosts, and motioned for him to step back. He looked at the text of the file recording the confession. He now knew why the old man asked him to do this job. It would be nice if he could submit this confession and not be driven home to eat his own rice. He was also promoted to Yuanwailang. Is this an oral confession or "Sou Shen Ji" or "The Legend of Immortals"? Even if it is to keep his current official position, he must find a way.
"Master Ling, Master Ling!" The scribe's voice came from outside.
"What's the matter?" Ling Jiyou stood up.
"The doctor has called you!"
"Damn, you're pressing me so hard, why don't you come to the trial yourself?" Ling Jiyou cursed in his heart, straightened his clothes a little, then pushed the door out, came to the door of the doctor of the Ministry of Justice, bowed and said: "I'm the official Ling Jiyou asks to see you!"
"come in!"
"Yes!" Ling Jiyou responded, raised his legs and stepped across the threshold. Just as he was about to bow and salute, he found that the person sitting on top was not a familiar figure, but an unfamiliar old man in purple robe. The Minister of Punishment was sitting beside him, and he The doctor of Shangguan Xingbu stood in the diagonal thorn, holding his breath and lowering his eyes, looking cautious.
"I am Pei Judao, an official and a servant!" The old man in purple robe said solemnly: "You were responsible for the case of the prince washing his horse and being assassinated, right? How is the investigation going now?"
"Shizhong Pei?" Ling Jiyou's knees suddenly became weak: "The official has already questioned some of the people present that night!"
"Well! How about it?" Pei Judao asked.
"This -" Ling Jiyou was immediately speechless. Although he still didn't know why such a big shot would personally ask about this case, "ghosts and evil spirits kill people" was probably not the answer he wanted.
"Huh?" Waiter Pei also saw something was wrong and said coldly: "Where is the confession? Can you show it to me?"
After a while, the confession was taken. Listening to Pei Judao reading the confession, Ling Jiyou's head lowered even more.
"Ghost! Fox demon! Chief Ling, is this the result of your interrogation?" Pei Judao's voice became colder. The doctor of the Ministry of Justice on the side could not hold on, and quickly knelt down on the ground: "The lower official deserves to die, and someone else will be interrogated immediately." This case!”
Ling Jiyou knew that he had no way out, so he gritted his teeth and said, "This is just a confession. I think the real facts of the case are not like this!"
"Oh? Why do you say that?"
"Reporting to the servants, these confessions basically come from the followers of the Prince Xima. Their master was stabbed in the street, and they are also responsible. Therefore, if the murder of the Prince Xima is said to be the result of ghosts and monsters, they do not need to bear responsibility, so they They all said so in unison. Although the subordinates have to record it this way when making inquiries, they cannot judge it as it is when judging the case!"
"Yes!" A satisfied smile appeared on Pei Judao's face: "That's right! Wang Shilang, this Chief Ling is not very old, but he is very capable in handling things!"
After being praised by the Shangguan, Wang Shilang also laughed: "This person is also outstanding in the Criminal Department of this department, so he was selected to handle this case!"
"Well, since he is a talented person, he should be allowed to occupy his position. Don't let him become a subordinate every year. Over time, no matter how good the talent is, he will be wasted!"
"Yes, yes! Mr. Pei is really a wise man!" Wang Shilang hurriedly said with a smile.
"Master Ling!" Pei Judao raised his voice.
"The official is here!" Ling Jiyou responded quickly.
"The Holy One is also paying attention to this case. You must find out the truth behind the scenes as soon as possible! After the matter is completed, I will definitely plead for you in front of the Holy One!"
"Thank you, Shizhong Pei!" Ling Jiyou hurriedly knelt on the ground.
"Well!" After Pei Judao finished speaking, he stood up and was about to leave when he heard Ling Jiyou loudly say: "I already have some ideas on this case!"
"Say it!"
"According to the steward of the prince's horse-washing, the woman who shared the sedan with the prince's horse-washing that night was not his concubine, but a businessman's wife. The prince's horse-washing was not to send his concubine to see a doctor, but to have an affair. "When Ling Jiyou said this, he paused for a moment, secretly looked at Pei Judao's face, and then said cautiously: "So the official thinks that the prince's horse washing incident may have something to do with this woman!"
"You mean it was caused by adultery?" Pei Judao asked.
"The possibility is very high!" Ling Jiyou said: "Otherwise, who would have thought that the prince would go to Qihuafang at that time to wash his horse, let alone take the risk to ambush him on the street!"
Pei Judao snorted coldly. He heard the implication of Ling Jiyou's words: Under normal circumstances, Wu Sansi should not appear in Qihuafang after dark. Naturally, he would not be able to ambush there; so he could predict that Wu Sansi should not appear in Qihuafang after dark. If you think twice about appearing there after dark, you must have known about the adultery in advance, and it was probably related to this woman.
"Well, you can continue the investigation!" Pei Judao nodded and walked out. Wang Shilang hurriedly followed him out. Only then did the doctor of the Criminal Department stand up, staggered to Ling Jiyou, and grabbed his hands: " Chief Ling, today’s incident is all thanks to you, please help me a lot in the future.”
——————————————
Pei Judao left the punishment department, got on the sedan chair, and then snorted coldly, with a look of hesitation on his face. In his capacity, he made a special trip to the Ministry of Justice to meet a low-level official like Ling Jiyou. Naturally, he wanted to guide the direction of the case and get the results he wanted. Ling Jiyou's answer to him was not so satisfactory to him: If Wu Sansi was really killed for committing adultery with a businessman's wife, then of course the Wu family's reputation would be tainted, and Wang Wenzuo could not be blamed. After all, Wang Wenzuo commanded the Sixteenth Guards of Nanya, and had the responsibility of guarding the emperor and ensuring the health of the imperial capital, but he mainly dealt with political conspiracy and assassinations. People like Wu Sansi who went out to hook up with other people's wives after dark and were killed can only be said to be seeking their own death. There's really no way to blame Wang Wenzuo.
Then should someone else continue the trial? Pei Judao felt a little hesitant in his heart. To put it bluntly, this kind of political dispute was all about leaving no trace behind. A special trip to the Ministry of Justice and a hint in his words was the limit. If someone else were to do it, it would be too obvious. Wang Wenzuo is not blind. Naturally, he will not watch him do such a blatant trick. In the end, he will not end up well in front of the emperor. It is best to use hints to raise the issue. Point to point. Thinking of this, Pei Judao said in a deep voice: "Aping!"
"The villain is here!" The voice of the slave came from outside the sedan.
"You go back later and give Wang Shilang a message. Just say that I said it! The person behind this case must be investigated strictly, and the real culprit must not be allowed to escape!"
"As you command!"
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Tai Chi Palace.
"Sanlang! An urgent message has arrived from Anxi!" Li Hong's voice was a little hoarse: "Ashina Duzhi claimed to be the Khan of the Ten Surnames, formed an alliance with Tubo, and attacked Anxi from both sides!"
"Ashina Duzhi? Ten surnames of Khans?" Wang Wenzuo stroked his beard. Almost all Turkic nobles were surnamed Ashina. How could he remember so many names? It was only since the Battle of Dafeichuan that he followed the Tang Dynasty. After the Turkic cavalry on the expedition rebelled, the Turkic tribes, especially those near the west, became increasingly unstable. From a geographical point of view, they happened to be under the jurisdiction of the two governorates of Anxi and Beiting. Once they If they really unite with Tubo, the entire Western Region will probably fall.
"The only way is to send troops to conquer!" Wang Wenzuo said.
"What about the candidates?" Li Hong said: "Also, how to raise food, war horses, and military resources? The Tubo people will definitely make small moves in Longyou!"
Wang Wenzuo nodded. As Li Hong said, the alliance between Tubo and the Ashina Duzhi is not very strong, but even if it means taking advantage of the fire, Tubo will never sit back and watch the Tang army send troops to conquer the Ashina Duzhi. So what? Allocating troops, how to allocate generals, and how to mobilize military resources are big problems.
"Who does Saburo think should be handsome?"
"Of course it's Mr. Pei. It's better to use the raw than the familiar. He has been in Longyou for so long and is good at using people. There is no one more suitable than him except him!" Wang Wenzuo answered very decisively. The Pei Gong he spoke of was not the servant Pei Judao. It was Pei Xingjian who came out of Zhenlongyou at that time. Although he was also born in the Wenxi Pei family in Hedong, he was a member of the middle family and was not from the same family as Pei Judao. This person was good at selecting talents and using troops. After leaving the town of Longyou, he vigorously built the garrison and forts to avoid direct confrontation with the Tubo people. Over the past year, he had stabilized the situation a lot.
"I originally wanted to ask Sanlang if you wanted to go!" Li Hong said with a smile: "I didn't expect Sanlang to say so so readily!"
"Me?" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile: "The Western Turks are grassland herdsmen. I have never dealt with them before. How can I be suddenly appointed as the main general? Besides, the water transportation matter is at a critical moment. In the past two years, we should let it go It's better for me to stay in Chang'an! After all, if the water transportation is completed, there will be more money to transport food and soldiers to Longyou, and the same thing!"
"Well!" Li Hong nodded: "Since Sanlang said so, let's use Mr. Pei!" At this point, he yawned: "I don't sleep as well as I did when I was a prince!" Li Hong smiled bitterly and said: "Even when I was supervising the country, I would not be like now. Even when I went to bed, I would toss and turn, worrying about the affairs of the country." "
While he was talking, the palace maid came in from the outside and brought five kinds of drinks such as buttermilk, crystal horns, sesame powder and so on. Wang Wenzuo chose one and took two sips: "Your Majesty, you should not work too hard. State affairs You ministers, Shizhong Pei, and all the ministers in the political affairs hall, your majesty will rule with dignity, taking care of the dragon body first!"
"I know this too!" Li Hong also took a sip of buttermilk: "This is a family matter, it's really not easy. I didn't feel it when I was the prince. After I became the throne, I discovered that there are thousands of things. Today there is drought in Henan, and tomorrow there is hail in Hebei. It’s so relaxing!”
"These things have their own duties. Your Majesty only needs to ask the chiefs of each department. Why worry? Otherwise, over time, the dragon body will definitely be reduced. Your imperial body is the foundation of the world!"
"I understand!" Li Hong smiled and took two more sips of buttermilk. Wang Wenzuo didn't say anything. The young man in front of him had indeed lost a lot of weight compared to before he ascended the throne. This was something worth celebrating in modern society, but being thin was not a good thing for the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty.
"What's wrong? This drink doesn't match Sanlang's taste?" Li Hong asked curiously when he saw Wang Wenzuo looking at him.
"No, no!" Wang Wenzuo hurriedly picked up the drink and took a big sip, forcing a smile and saying: "I just thought of some family matters and got distracted!"
"Family matters?" Li Hong's interest was aroused: "What kind of family matters does Sanlang have? Tell me about it!"
