Emperor Qinglong stepped out of the room, and a little eunuch greeted him, he whispered a few words, without taking a single person, and went straight to the side hall at the back of the imperial city. Pen & Fun & Pavilion www.biquge.info

In the inconspicuous side hall, Wu Zhengxiang sat behind the bookcase, waiting for several members of the shadow guard, and occasionally people came and went. Whenever this happens, the shadow guards will use this as a base to monitor the whole process of the banquet and drink, just in case.

When Emperor Qinglong's tall figure appeared at the door, Wu Zhengxiang was not surprised.

Although the turmoil in front of Duanmen has passed, the disposal of the prince should have just begun. If Emperor Qinglong wants to know the truth, he will definitely let the shadow guard start to investigate.

"Father. Wu Zhengxiang bowed his hand.

Emperor Qinglong bowed slightly, and said, "How's the investigation?"

The prince's good manly style asked the shadow guard to start an investigation a few days ago.

Wu Zhengxiang's face was a little hesitant, and he said: "Returning to the monarch's father, there are some eyebrows, but I can't be sure yet." ”

"But what's the difficulty?" asked Emperor Qinglong, looking at his face.

Wu Zhengxiang smiled calmly and said, "It's not embarrassing, it's just that the stakes are very high, and my subordinates want to have more evidence." ”

"Something to do with today's events?"

Wu Zhengxiang nodded and said, "Although the whereabouts of those people who submitted the book in the middle of the night last night are secret, we have already arranged them, and the clues are much clearer. ”

"Okay," Emperor Qinglong didn't ask anymore, and said, "Go out for a walk with me." ”

In order to hide people's eyes and ears, there is nothing to take care of outside the side hall, and the grass is overgrown. If you only look at the splendid front hall and the lively and noisy Baolin Garden, you would never have imagined that there is such a desolate place in this palace.

But the two of them have long been accustomed to such a view.

Walking on the path flooded with wild grass, there was a rustling sound under my feet, and from time to time praying mantis and beetles jumped on the road.

Emperor Qinglong walked forward with his hands in his hands, silent all the way.

Wu Zhengxiang silently accompanied him, only cleaning up the weeds on the road ahead for him from time to time.

He knew about the crown prince, which made the emperor feel bad. If he could, he didn't want the emperor to know what the prince had done.

However, he knew better that Emperor Qinglong was a virtuous monarch, and being deceived would only make him more heartbroken.

The crown prince is his beloved son, he can be willful, and he also has the reason and capital to be willful. But he is different, although the close companionship of the past eight years has given him and Emperor Qinglong more friendship beyond the monarch and ministers, but this does not mean that he can wantonly squander such a rare trust.

Some of the evidence revealed by Princess Zhaoyang is something that even the shadow guard doesn't know, or although she knows, the evidence is not sufficient.

Even though Wu Zhengxiang already knew the prince's temperament, he was a little shocked, let alone Emperor Qinglong?

Looking at the tall back in front of him, Wu Zhengxiang's heart was heavy, and he felt sorry for Emperor Qinglong.

He is the emperor, and he can't share it for him. All he could do was accompany Emperor Qinglong on a journey when he was in a bad mood.

After walking for a long time, the two returned to the door of the side hall.

Emperor Qinglong looked at him and said, "You go back, and report the results at any time." Right now, it's still the Queen Mother's birthday banquet that matters. ”

"Yes, take care!" Wu Zhengxiang still couldn't help it, and declared his worries.

Emperor Qinglong's eyes had a hint of warmth, nodded, and left silently.

Back in the hall, Wu Zhengxiang went through the news reported by his subordinates one by one, and the thoughts in his mind became clearer and clearer.

He knew in his heart that it was Princess Zhaoyang's mastermind, however, these clues in front of him, as if he knew the thoughts in his mind, also pointed to Princess Zhaoyang's mansion.

"Throw the car to protect the handsome?" Wu Zhengxiang felt a pang in his heart, if this is the case, this Zhaoyang princess's heart ...... He didn't dare to think about it anymore.

can use herself as a pawn to be pro-Khitan; now that the Khitan war has been decided, just wait for the will, at most she will marry next year.

Empress Cao has been low-key and silent for many years, Princess Zhaoyang chose to make trouble at this moment, and decisively threw herself out, leaving aside the suspicion of King Qi, that is, it was expected that the harmony was imminent, no matter how angry Emperor Qinglong was, he would not do anything to her.

This trick is really ruthless!

Be ruthless to the enemy, be ruthless yourself, and be even more ruthless when you have the timing!

Wu Zhengxiang shook his head, since this is the case, it will be as she wishes. Although she was exposed, she opened the shady curtain to cover the prince, and the government and the opposition were afraid that there would be another dispute.

Once someone begins to question the prince's status as the orthodox prince, the waters will be even more muddy!

However, this is exactly what she wants to achieve, right? The water is not muddy, how can she fish in troubled waters, and how can King Qi stand out?

……

In Baolin Garden, Empress Dowager Xiao happily accepted everyone's congratulations and talked to the old ladies about the family's short gossip.

From her eyebrows and eyes, you can vaguely see the fierceness of the year. With the passage of time, the majesty faded, and there was only a group of benevolent eyes.

has experienced a lot of ups and downs, and the little change in Fang Cai is not on his heart at all. It's just a prince, and if it's not suitable, you can get it. What's more, she is not just his grandson.

At the signal of Empress Cao, the singing and dancing in the palace were withdrawn, and the birthday banquet officially began.

Xu Wanzhen looked at the nose and nose with the exquisite meal in front of her. The royal family of the Gaomang Dynasty is much more human than the royal family she learned in her previous life.

Although there are many rules, from the queen mother to the palace maids and eunuchs, they all see arrogant and arrogant faces.

In her previous life, she had seen a description of the palace banquet, which mentioned that every time there was a major holiday for Hajj, no matter men, women, old or young, people who entered the palace could only gather in one hall and wait, and there was no freedom. Although the dishes at the banquet are precious, because they are far away from the imperial kitchen, they have to wait for the eunuch to test for poison first, and when they are served, most of them are cold, which makes people have no appetite when they see it.

Xu Wanzhen didn't know if those descriptions were true or false, judging from her personal experience, it was just that the inspection when entering the palace was a little more strict and cumbersome, and the rest were not much different from the other two banquets she attended: the peony flower party in the princess's mansion and the summer banquet in the Anguo Gongbei Courtyard.

This highest-level party is also a homely affair with familiar people, strolling around the garden, just the object of homely cooking, and the scenery in the garden is rare on weekdays.

The food in front of you can also be called steaming, full of color and flavor.

Not far away, Empress Dowager Xiao and Empress Cao were also dining, and from their posture, there was also a kind of leisurely casualness.

The birthday banquet also follows the ancient rites and implements a separate meal system. Cold cuts, appetizers, hot dishes, pastries, fruit plates, served in a flowing style, placed on the table in front of each person, but each of them is not in large quantities.

Xu Wanzhen secretly glanced at Shi Jingyu on the side, her demeanor was elegant, but the dishes on the plate were disappearing rapidly.

She quietly observed several noble ladies not far from her, and found that their manners were strikingly similar, and they ate elegantly and dignifiedly, but there were almost no leftovers on the plate in front of them.