In the afternoon, Xiao Yizheng sat in the hall and frowned and thought.

Qingxi walked in lightly with a bowl of porridge.

Xu was familiar with her footsteps, Xiao Yizheng immediately raised his eyes to look at her, and then the corners of his mouth rose a little: "Come and persuade me to eat?" ”

He glanced at the porridge in Qingxi's hand, and said, "Don't persuade me, I'll eat." ”

As he spoke, he took the bowl in Qingxi's hand.

Qingxi comforted: "The fourth sister is fine, drank some porridge, fell asleep, and Mama Zheng is waiting." Xiao Qi is fine, Moon Shadow accompanies him. You should be okay too, right? She smiled softly.

Xiao Yizheng held the bowl in one hand and held her hand in the other: "Do you treat me as a child who needs love?" ”

"Yes, I said I would love you well."

The strength in Xiao Yizheng's hand tightened, and his palm warmed a little.

While speaking, Zhang Taishou and Wang Zhifu hurriedly walked into the hall.

Xiao Yizheng let go of his hand and let Qingxi sit down on the side.

The two men had come to report on the information obtained from the preliminary investigation.

"Your Highness, the prefect's yamen has found out some information at present, and the lower official asked the prefect to come and report together." Zhang Taishou's voice was hoarse, full of grief due to the loss of his beloved son.

Xiao Yizheng bowed: "Let's talk about the point." ”

"Yes." The prefect said solemnly: "The poison in the horse should be the more common feather blue, which is slightly inferior to the heding red, and it generally takes two hours to attack after taking it." ”

"Feather Blue? Two hours? Xiao Yizheng frowned.

"Yes." The prefect of the king is categorical.

"When the horse is poisoned, according to two hours, the horse should be poisoned at the time of the horse, and the horse has only been to the princess's room at that time." Xiao Yizheng said in a deep voice.

Zhang Taishou and Wang Zhifu hung their heads without saying a word, obviously this was also the inference in their hearts, but they didn't dare to say it easily.

Qingxi frowned between his eyebrows, looked at Xiao Yizheng, and saw that his hand in the sleeve of his robe was tightened, but his face looked very peaceful.

"What else?" His voice was calm, unoblivious to emotion.

"If the horse does not return to the princess's mansion every day, he will live in the backyard of the palace, and the lower officials have sent someone to check it, and there is nothing wrong with his residence. The officials who had been in contact with the horse yesterday in the official office, and the officials also asked one by one, and everyone said that the statement was consistent and corroborated by each other, and they all said that the horse worked as usual, and there was nothing special, but he left the palace early and returned to the princess's mansion to greet His Royal Highness and the princess. The concubine's bedroom in the princess's mansion was also searched one by one, and nothing unusual was found. Governor Wang said without hurry.

Xiao Yizheng locked his eyebrows and was silent for a while, and then asked: "Who is the person who came to the princess's mansion to cry today?" When the man saw the carcass of the horse, he fainted again, and was not awake until this moment. Do the two adults think this is inappropriate? ”

Governor Wang was stunned, and subconsciously glanced at Zhang Taishou who was standing aside.

And Zhang Taishou's eyes dodged, and his face was embarrassed.

"What? What else do the two adults want to hide? Xiao Yizheng's eyes narrowed, and his tone became awe-inspiring.

Zhang Taishou hurriedly spoke: "The lower officials don't dare." Then, as if hesitantly, he asked, "I wonder if Your Highness knows that the princess and my son have something to do?" ”

"I heard it's because of the horse's childhood sweetheart?" Xiao Yizheng replied coldly.

"No, no." Zhang Taishou hurriedly denied: "It's not a childhood sweetheart. It's just that the girl and Yan'er have had a few relationships since childhood, and they came to us in the middle of the family road, and they are closer to Yan'er, but they are not childhood sweethearts. ”

"Hmph......" Xiao Yizheng snorted lightly: "Zhang Taishou can't understand what this king says." It is said that the concubine also proposed to take a concubine, why can't you be considered a childhood sweetheart in your mouth? ”

Hearing this, Qingxi looked slightly surprised.

Xiao Yizheng told her this story in the future.

She stared straight at Zhang Taishou, exploring the following.

Zhang Taishou recognized the anger in Xiao Yizheng's tone, and hurriedly knelt down and said, "The lower officials don't dare to deceive. As a parent, I really didn't realize that Yan'er had a private idea of men and women towards her, and only felt that he treated her like a sister. As for Yan'er's proposal to the princess for the idea of taking a concubine, we were also surprised. Don't say the princess doesn't agree, we don't agree either. Later, the girl committed suicide, and we were caught off guard. ”

These words, he

He said it very sincerely.

Xiao Yizheng stared at the kneeling person, and said in a calm tone: "So what? What does the fainting person in the house have to do with this? ”

Zhang Taishou sighed deeply and said in a low voice: "His name is Zhu Lu, and he is the younger brother of that girl. Yan'er said he promised her to take care of her brother. ”

"Brother? Doesn't it mean that she has no relatives at home? Xiao Yizheng was puzzled.

"That's what she said when she came, but the girl also hid some thoughts, afraid that we wouldn't take her in, so she said so. Later, she learned that she had left her brother in the temple outside the city. Zhu Lu listened to his sister very much, and he never came to look for her. It wasn't until we saw her suicide note that we knew it was like this. Yan'er blamed herself, so she took her brother back to her side and followed him ever since. ”

"So he's been waiting by the colt's side?"

The same can be said. Yan'er found an errand for him in the government and became his deputy. ”

Xiao Yizheng bowed his head, thinking that in this way, he reacted so fiercely to the tragic death of the horse, but it also made sense.

Qingxi, who had been listening quietly, bit her lip and always felt that something was wrong.

She raised her eyes to look at the prefect Wang who was standing aside, and asked, "Does the prefect have anything to add?" ”

Governor Wang panicked, as if he didn't expect to be asked. He bent over, looked at Zhang Taishou who was kneeling beside him, and paused for two seconds before replying, "No." ”

His performance was also taken into Xiao Yizheng's eyes.

He and Qingxi glanced at each other, and each understood that the two of them must be hiding something.

Xiao Yizheng got up, paced in front of Zhang Taishou, and said slowly: "Lord Zhang, Lord Wang, I know that according to the facts you have investigated now, it seems that the person who poisoned the horse is the most likely princess. ”

Although Zhang Taishou lowered his head, his shoulders moved slightly.

And the prefect of the Wang Mansion on the side was breathless.

"However, the king can tell you unequivocally that the colt is not poisoned in the princess's house."

The two of them looked up at Xiao Yizheng at the same time, obviously not understanding why he could be so sure.

Qingxi's eyes moved, his mind quickly thought, and he had an inferred answer in his heart.

"Master Zhang, your father doesn't seem to know as much about the living habits of the concubine as the princess." Xiao Yizheng's deep voice carried an irrefutable coercion. "The colt has a habit of bathing in cold water, and he bathed before going to bed last night. As far as I know, the toxicity of feather blue will contain the attack if it is cold, at least for two hours. If this is the case, it would take at least four hours for the pony to be poisoned. Then, the horse must have been poisoned yesterday afternoon when he was working in the government office. He turned his eyes to look at Governor Wang's mansion and said more sternly: "Lord Wang, is your inquest investigation not careful enough to even notice such an important detail?" This case concerns the princess of the pony, and you are still so careless; If the common people are wronged and wronged, how perfunctory will you go? ”

The prefect of the king knelt down, kowtowed, and said: "It is the negligence of the lower officials, and the defense is unclear, His Royal Highness can return to the imperial court, and the lower officials should be punished, and the lower officials will receive the guilt, and there will be no complaints." ”

This statement was beyond Xiao Yizheng's expectations.

He thought that he might either find an excuse to pass the buck or actively take a stance to investigate the case thoroughly, but he did not think that he was sincerely accepting his mistakes, and this attitude seemed to be eager to be suspended immediately.

Xiao Yizheng glanced at him, turned around and sat down, and said: "Even so, Lord Wang must do his best to investigate to find out who he had seen, what he had eaten, and what tea he had drunk in the mansion yesterday afternoon. ”

Wang Zhifu took a deep breath and said yes.

"Master Zhang, I am grieving the loss of my son, go back to the house to rest first." Xiao Yizheng said again.

"Xie Dian*** forgive, it's just that the real culprit has not been found for a day, and the lower officials will not be able to sleep peacefully for a day." Zhang Taishou knelt straight and replied in a deep voice.

Qingxi said softly: "I heard that Mrs. Zhang is emotionally unstable and has a lot of whispers about the princess, so Master Zhang still went back to the house to appease one or two, and don't make any more trouble." ”

When Zhang Taishou heard this, his complexion changed slightly.

Xiao Yizheng's eyes became gentle and appreciative, and he looked at her.

Qingxi continued: "The princess is also bedridden because of the death of her colt, and if she hears any more gossip and is stimulated, it will be a big deal. ”

Chapter Tai

Shouichi sighed and nodded. "What His Royal Highness Princess said is that the lower officials will go back to the house to settle their families first."

After the two withdrew, Xiao Yizheng took Qingxi's hand and said softly, "Thank you, Madame, for your help." ”

Qingxi pursed his lips and smiled: "If you want to break him, there are thousands of ways." I'm just testing the day. ”

Xiao Yizheng nodded: "I went back home so easily, either we were sure that we couldn't find out what they were hiding, or what they were hiding was not much." ”

"Why don't you leave the prefect of the palace alone, and ask again?" Qingxi asked.

Xiao Yizheng shook his head: "I want to see what truth he can find out?" ”

Qingxi thought for a while, and then said, "By the way, listen to Gu Zhulu's attendant, he said some nonsense. ”

"Oh? What was said? ”

Qingxi hesitated for a moment and said in a low voice: "He said, let the horse take him away, don't leave him alone." ”

Xiao Yizheng's hand tightened, and his face instantly became extremely ugly. "Really?" Xiao Yizheng's pupils contracted sharply.

Qingxi frowned lightly: "Have you noticed the way the fourth sister looks at him?" Very unusual. ”

"How is this possible? Is the horse as good as Longyang? Xiao Yizheng had an expression of disbelief.

Qingxi pursed her lips and remained silent.

She didn't know.

Broken sleeves, these four words, she has only seen in books.

It's just that both of them thought about this level at the same time.

"Impossible. It's not that the colt is happy with his sister, and it's not that the colt has also had a deep affection with the fourth sister? Xiao Yizheng was deeply puzzled.

"I don't know if that's the case. It's just that I am also a woman, and I can understand that the moment in the eyes of the fourth sister contains disgust, disdain and empathy. She paused: "Moreover, if the past statement between the colt and her sister is true, it seems that the colt has no love for her. ”

Xiao Yizheng took a deep breath, calmed the turbulent waves in his heart, and said, "When Zhu Lu wakes up, I will personally ask about the situation." There are also four sisters......" He glanced at Qingxi.

Qingxi understood: "There are some things that I can say better." ”

Xiao Yizheng grabbed her and nodded.

"Wait a minute, let Zhao Xin quietly go out of the house to inquire about the situation."

"Let Moon Shadow follow, there are some short things in the family, and women are easy to speak." Qingxi proposed.