Xu Jian kept urging her, but she also knew that it was not easy to find out the background of the house.
It is really an ordinary house. It is not difficult to find out who the owner is, whether he lives there or rents it out, who lives in it now, how many owners it has changed and how many homes it has changed over the past few decades.
It's just a little more complicated, and if you're willing to spend a few days, you can get concrete results.
But if it is something unusual, it has been covered up in layers from beginning to end. If you want to get rid of the cocoon, you won't just flip through the paperwork.
Xu Jian himself checked out the house in Chenmi Hutong, and was very aware of the twists and turns, and was prepared that Master Shan would make no progress in a few days.
But I didn't expect that there was no light in the east but light in the west.
There was a stalemate everywhere in this compartment, but the other compartment Lin Yunyan was staring at actually gained something.
At this time, she moved a spoon and sat outside the small kitchen, holding a bowl of cheese in her hand.
This cheese was made by Grandma He's family.
Lin Yunyan thought of something and asked her grandma to come to the house.
Not only did grandma come happily, she also brought some food that she liked. This bowl of cheese was filled with a thick layer of honey and sprinkled with a lot of dried fruits, which smelled delicious.
Lin Yunyan took three bites in a row.
Those who eat are happy, and those who eat are even more happy.
"Mommy's skills are the most unforgettable," Lin Yunyan praised, pointing to the empty teacup next to her, "Mommy, sit down too."
Since the princess invited her to come, she naturally had something to say, so Aunt He did not refuse and sat down as she was told.
She said: "It reminds me of the princess sitting outside the kitchen like this in the backyard of Taohe Zhai."
Lin Yunyan smiled.
All she wanted to ask were old things about old sesame seeds and rotten millet.
In the flower hall, each person has a cup of tea, which is correct, but also really restrictive.
It was still a third of an acre of land in the kitchen. Although it was not the kitchen that grandma was used to, it could still be considered a "counterpart". With the kids sitting in rows, she felt more relaxed.
"While eating, I listen to my grandma talk about old almanacs," Lin Yunyan said with a smile, "it's also fun for me."
Aunt He asked: "What do you want to ask, Princess?"
"It's still something related to Prince Jin." Lin Yunyan said.
Aunt He's face looked troubled: "Everything I can remember, I told the princess before."
Lin Yunyan smiled at her.
Now that they have suspicion on Li Du, they know a lot about Li Du's affairs.
As the second son of the late emperor, Li Du's background was completely different from that of his elder brother Li Cang.
Li Cang was the direct descendant of the middle palace, and Li Du's biological mother was a chosen attendant.
The chosen attendant was not at all impressive in the palace, but it was an opportunity that fell on his head. One night, he became pregnant with a dragon fetus. Unfortunately, he was weak in health. The son was born safely, but his body and bones were getting worse and he needed more rest.
The infant Li Du was given to Concubine Dong to raise.
Concubine Dong's grandfather once served as the General Secretary of the General Affairs Department, and most of the elders in the family also served in local places. She is knowledgeable and patient, making her an excellent choice for raising children.
In fact, Concubine Dong treated Li Du very well, and she could be said to "treat him as her own child."
Lin Yunyan inquired about this in private with Grandma Wang, and all the elders in the palace viewed it this way.
That's what Grandma Wang said.
"The biological mother's condition was not suitable for raising a child. In order to find a good adoptive mother, the Queen Mother also spent a lot of effort back then."
"How early it was back then. The late emperor was also young. As long as there were few concubines in the harem who could get some respect, they would sincerely raise other people's sons."
"Some people don't want to get into this thankless task, and some people want to take advantage of having their son by their side to have more opportunities to meet the emperor. They are all thinking, and the empress finally picked Concubine Dong."
"Concubine Dong is really kind to His Highness. She takes good care of everything in terms of food and clothing. She has never detained Your Highness from going to see her biological mother. She says it is all kindness."
"Perhaps I have seen that Your Highness is growing up healthily and smoothly, and the birth mother's illness during confinement seems to be gradually getting better."
"Only
It is a pity that she was not blessed. When His Highness was four or five years old, she contracted the cold in winter and did not get better in spring. She has been ill all the time. "
"Concubine Dong didn't allow Your Highness to visit the sick at that time. The child was weak and she was afraid that she would be sick. She thought that she would be cured in the summer when the heat got hot, but she died of illness in the end."
"For this reason, Concubine Dong regretted it for a while, saying that if she had known the difference between life and death, she should have allowed Her Highness to go more often."
"Since then, Concubine Dong has been more and more attentive to His Highness. She has started studying, doing civil and martial arts. She treats His Highness the same way her own mother treats her own son."
"His Royal Highness and Concubine Dong also have a harmonious relationship. The late emperor praised Concubine Dong for her ability to raise children."
"After the death of the late emperor, Concubine Dong was so sad that she followed her after being ill for three months. Your Highness followed the filial piety rules in guarding and supporting the deceased, and the Ministry of Rites did not dare to stop her."
Everyone in the palace was sorry that King Jin's biological mother passed away early, and they all thought that Concubine Dong's son was not raised in vain.
Aunt Wang said this. When Lin Yunyan asked Aunt He last time, she got the same explanation.
Grandma Wang is in the middle palace. She sees all the troubles in the harem and can connect everything she knows.
Aunt He's family works in the imperial dining room. Although she is not closely related to the harem, she is a talkative person. When the maids, nuns, and eunuchs can't keep their mouths shut, they can tell a lot of secrets with their hammers.
That is a completely different perspective from Grandma Wang.
Even from the perspective of those rumors, no one said that the relationship between Li Du and Concubine Dong's adoptive mother and son was not harmonious.
As for the part related to Li Du that Lin Yunyan and Xu Jian were more concerned about, Aunt He couldn't tell.
At first, she confessed that she had told Lin Yunyan when she was born in the imperial dining room that she left the palace too early. Even Li Cang was still a child at that time, let alone others.
At that age, those who were enlightened, those who were fed, those who were fed, and those who were not born at all, were far away from the subsequent battle for the right to inherit the throne.
Lin Yunyan took another mouthful of cheese and said with a smile: "I will not ask about the King of Jin himself today, but ask about the ministers and father-in-law around him. Have you seen them?"
"My father-in-law knows some of the things that are done in the palace." Regardless of the prince or grandson, she just said that they were all serving people. Aunt He became more relaxed and recalled, "There were many people coming in and out of the imperial dining room. The one in front People who buy things and people who work there will encounter them every day.
As for the father-in-law beside the nobles, they are usually the servants and maids who come to run errands to collect meals or tell the masters what they want to eat.
Occasionally, stewards would come over. The masters had a small kitchen there and wanted to make a recipe and order some fresh vegetables and meat.
At that time, Prince Jin was still young and the people around him would not come over, but Concubine Dong's people would come over and order a few dishes..."
Because the princess had once told her that no matter how small or trivial it was, it didn’t matter, so Aunt He didn’t bother to judge what was useful and what was useless. She just talked about things as usual and said whatever came to mind.
Lin Yunyan did not interrupt her and listened carefully.
When the He family's nanny stopped and racked her brains to recall, Lin Yunyan asked again: "What nanny was talking about was all about Concubine Dong. Where is the waiter? She knows the people around her. ?"
"Not everyone can order the dishes in the imperial kitchen. The low-ranking concubines who are not favored..." Aunt He family paused at this point and frowned, "It seems like that happened once."
"Yes, I have an impression of the chambermaid who served her at that time."
"About a few days before her death, the little chamberlain came to the imperial kitchen."
"He looked thin, as if he was seven or eight years old. He wanted to talk to our manager, but the manager ignored him, and he happened to meet me."
"He told me that the waiter suddenly had some appetite at noon and was eager to eat some dishes. Judging from the situation, it didn't look like he was getting better, but that he was getting better."
"I said I didn't have anything to say, so I can't add anything else."
"He said that he didn't dare to go to Concubine Dong. If His Highness saw him and made a fuss about meeting his biological mother, Concubine Dong would be in trouble. If Her Highness got over the illness, she would die without mercy. But I thought Go and see the emperor
The empress, who is now the empress dowager, was ill for a few days, so she didn't dare to kowtow for a few dishes. "
"I heard what he said was pitiful, so I agreed and chose a simpler one that I could make in the evening before the fire stopped. He came and took it away. I was very grateful."
"It was only three or five days later that the bad news came. I really told him that he was sure that he would come back to his former glory."
Lin Yunyan asked: "What's that father-in-law's last name?"
"What's his last name..." Nanny He muttered, "They seem to call him Mouse, Little Mouse? I don't know if it's Hao or a nickname."
Lin Yunyan asked casually: "I forgot to ask, what surname should I choose?"
"If I remember correctly, her surname is Zhang," Mammy He said with a sigh, "It's also pitiful. Even if she gives birth to a prince, she will still be chosen as an attendant, and she won't be granted a title after her death. After all, after death, the light goes out. It doesn’t matter whether it’s sealed or not.”
Speaking of death, Lin Yunyan thought of the young father-in-law who had died long ago.
He died in the fifty-third year, eleven years after Taixing.
It was also around the time when the He family's grandmother left the palace. In other words, the He family's grandmother might have heard something about the young father-in-law.
Lin Yunyan thought this way, so she asked: "The late Emperor Ruan Guiren had a father-in-law named Tong who was over fifty at the time. Have you heard of it?"
"I don't have much impression," said Aunt He, "but I have met Ruan Guiren and his father-in-law named He a few times."
Lin Yunyan asked again: "Do you think that little mouse, or any other father-in-law who has served Zhang Xuanshi and the King of Jin, can recognize the child father-in-law?"
I thought this was another question that required Nanny He to rack her brains, but she didn't expect Nanny's response to be direct and bright.
"I recognize you, you must recognize me!" She said, "Zhang Xuan's attendant lives in Bihua Palace, and the person in charge is Wei Jieyu, the late emperor. Ruan Guiren used to live elsewhere. It seems that he offended the person in charge there and caused a scene. After hurting the harmony, Wei Jieyu intervened and let Ruan Guiren also move to Bihua Palace.
After that, Zhang Xuanshi and Ruan Guiren were both in the same palace. As long as the boy's father-in-law was working at Ruan Guiren's place, he would come in and out of the palace without looking up and down. The little mouse was not a fool, how could he not be there? Seen it? "
Lin Yunyan's eyes brightened when she heard this: "After Zhang Xuan's death, where did the little mouse go?"
"I don't know about that." Aunt He said.
Lin Yunyan felt confident.
Previously, the various Eunuchs they found had nothing to do with the Eunuch Tong from Chenmi Hutong, or with Jin Wang Li Du, but now, a vague line has emerged.
What was the name of the little mouse and where did he go after that? The palace must have answers to these things that the He family has no idea about.
I was looking for a needle in a haystack before, but now I have the right target.
After Lin Yunyan thanked Nanny He, she quickly prepared to enter the palace.
Back in the house, Wan Yue helped Lin Yunyan change her clothes and make up, while Grandma Ma went to arrange the carriage and horses.
Before setting off, Lin Yunyan had a flash of inspiration and called out to Aunt Ma: "Auntie, come with me."
The carriage traveled smoothly.
In the car, Lin Yunyan whispered softly: "I will ask the empress for an oral instruction. I will go to the imperial pharmacy and ask for some medicinal materials in the open or covertly. I want to know whether the late emperor's attendant Zhang Xuan and empress Dong are infected with the disease." During those days, what were the symptoms and what medicines were used?”
Mother Ma thought quickly and quickly understood what Lin Yunyan meant: "Are you suspecting that their condition is not simple?"
"I was bitten by a snake once, and have been afraid of well ropes for ten years," Lin Yunyan sighed. "If I hadn't found out the inside story about King Ding's poisoning, I wouldn't have heard that so-and-so had been sick for a while and then died, and I would have felt seventy. Up and down."
Mother Ma said: "It's not a bad thing to be cautious."
Lin Yunyan nodded.
Not long after, Lin Yunyan arrived at Cining Palace.
Less than the father-in-law led her in.
After greeting the Queen Mother, Lin Yunyan told her why she came.
"The man from Yongji Palace bitten His Highness the Prince of Jin. I heard that both Zhang Xuanshi and Concubine Dong died of illness.
I just wondered if it might be the same poisonous recipe. Lin Yunyan said.
"With a biological mother who gave birth to him and an adoptive mother who treated him with nothing to say, what would he do? Not to mention that he was only four or five years old when his biological mother left." The Empress Dowager said, frowning slowly He frowned slowly, as if he had thought of something, and turned to look at Grandma Wang.
Grandma Wang knew the Empress Dowager best, and her heart skipped a beat when she saw this.
After thinking for a moment, she said: "It was too early for Zhang Xuanshi at that time, and I couldn't remember it for the moment, but the three months when Concubine Dong was ill, hey, seems to be somewhat similar to His Highness Prince Ding's condition."
The Empress Dowager's expression was gloomy. Lin Yunyan mentioned it again and naturally agreed to let Mother Ma go to the Royal Pharmacy to look for clues.
Lin Yunyan asked again: "Where did the chamberlain named Little Mouse next to Zhang Xuan go? The deceased Tong Gonggong whom Eunuch Cao found out, and Little Mouse both worked in the Bihua Palace. Is there any connection? ?」
This matter is so trivial that the Queen Mother must not know about it.
Even as I get older, some things are no longer so clear.
"Ruan Guiren lived in Bihua Palace?" she asked Aunt Wang, "Didn't she always live with Concubine Zhong?"
"It seems that I have lived there for a few months, and I need to look through the old files for details." Grandma Wang couldn't tell for a moment, and said, "The little mouse that the princess asked about, I have to look through where he went after that." Booklet, as for contact and so on..."
