Chapter 8: Suspicion

(Abstract: Is the four taels rescuing or stabbing jointly?) ）

Three days later, Qian Hongzuo waited until his mother's nap time had passed, and went to visit him. When the palace maid led Qian Hongzuo into the Huizheng Hall where the Empress Dowager Xu reviewed the chapter, Qian Hongzuo found that the chief merchant was also in the palace. It seems that she is talking about confidential matters with her mother, and by the side of Empress Dowager Xu, only the two most confidant palace maids are waiting by her side. The palace maid who led Qian Hongzuo into the palace only bent her knees and hurriedly gave a blessing to the Empress Dowager Xu, and then turned around and retreated.

When the chief merchant saw Qian Hongzuo coming over, he immediately bowed down and saluted. Qian Hongzuo nodded in response. Then see Empress Dowager Xu.

Empress Dowager Xu asked, "Is there anything going on with the saint?" Today's imperial study, hasn't a lecture already been arranged for the Holy One? "Qian Hongzuo is young, his literary talent and martial arts have not yet been learned, and he rarely participates in the review of the chapters, and most of his time in the inner court is reading and practicing martial arts.

Qian Hongzuo replied: "I have something to ask the queen mother for permission, and then I will go to listen to the gentleman's lecture." ”

Empress Dowager Xu said kindly: "Holy Lord, please speak." ”

Qian Hongzuodao; "I miss the injury of the little apprentice named Shi Liang who once saved me. There is no pilgrimage tomorrow, and I want to visit him at Fangli Villa. ”

Empress Dowager Xu said resolutely: "This matter must not be done. The saint has just been assassinated, and the palace is heavily guarded, so it can be guaranteed. However, Fangli Villa is located in the middle of nowhere, and the holy body is the national fortune, so it is not easy to get into danger. Besides, the injury on your leg is not good, so you should not move around much. ”

Qian Hongzuo pleaded: "Queen Mother, I'm really worried. I have been practicing martial arts for many years, as long as I bring more guards and be vigilant, I will definitely be able to enter and exit safely. The injury on my leg was a minor bump and was out of the way. ”

Empress Dowager Xu said: "The saint is worried about the child's injury, and the mourning family can understand. After all, you have lived and died with him, but the mourning family has already sent someone to visit, so you don't have to go in person. ”

Qian Hongzuo was surprised: "Did the queen mother send someone to visit? Are you sure? Empress Dowager Xu's handling of the assassin left a shadow in Qian Hongzuo's heart. Empress Dowager Xu used to be holy and immaculate in Qian Hongzuo's heart, just as gentle and loving as Guanyin Bodhisattva, Qian Hongzuo couldn't have imagined it; She would openly deceive her subjects above the court, and make the fake thing more realistic than the real thing, reasonable, and flawless. While he admired his mother, he also felt indescribably sad.

Empress Dowager Xu didn't notice the strangeness of Qian Hongzuo's tone, and replied: "The mourning family sent someone to visit this morning, and they have just returned to me, saying that the injury is stable, and the saint does not need to worry." ”

Qian Hongzuo asked again: "Really?" ”

Empress Dowager Xu looked at her son, saw Qian Hongzuo's eyes wandering, and realized that he didn't believe his words. Empress Dowager Xu was not angry, but walked to Qian Hongzuo's side, pulled him to the soft couch opposite the table, sat down, poured him a cup of tea with her own hands, and handed it to him: "You take a sip of tea first, and listen to your mother and tell you slowly." ”

The Qian royal family has a very strict family education, Qian Hongzuo grew up in such an environment since he was a child, and he didn't dare to lack the etiquette of his mother, so he got up and said: "Thank your mother for giving tea." Then he sat down again.

Empress Dowager Xu said: "The mourning family heard that the person sent to report that the child was called Siliang, and he studied art with Qu Liuyu, an idle disabled servant in Lishan Villa. Because there is no apprentice, he has not yet taken a stage name, four taels is a nickname, which means four taels of silver, which is the value of the money he sold to Imitation Pear Villa eight years ago. ”

Qian Hongzuo was stunned and said, "So little?!" It's less than the price of a piece of clothing. Listening to his mother's words in such detail, Qian Hongzuo believed that his mother had indeed sent someone to visit, and he was not lying to deceive him.

Empress Dowager Xu said sadly: "There are often melee battles in the Central Plains, and there are many refugees who have fled to Wuyue Kingdom. They are destitute, hungry and cold, and many parents simply abandon their children on the side of the road and leave them to fend for themselves. Four taels can be sold to the royal family's imitation pear villa, and it is a great luck to have something to eat. ”

Qian Hongzuo couldn't help but sigh deeply, and then asked: "After he was seriously injured that day, he was sent back to the Imitation Pear Villa located on the slope of the mountain. Did the injury worsen under the bumps? ”

Hearing this, the chief merchant lowered his head in embarrassment. For him, the life of this little apprentice is like a mustard, and it is not worth thinking about it so much.

Empress Dowager Xu said: "It's touching to say. On that day, he was sent back to Fangli Villa, and a carriage was originally sent, but his master Qu Liuzhen resolutely disagreed, and later changed it to a stretcher carried by two people. His master used a rope to fix the upper body of Siliang, who was already unconscious at that time, on the stretcher to prevent him from falling off the stretcher. The steepest section of the road was a 108-step stone mountain path, and in order to maintain the balance of the stretcher, his master had two stretcher bearers lift the stretcher high in the back, while he himself knelt on the stone steps with the stretcher on his shoulder, and climbed up step by step. Pity him for a person with a crippled leg, who was originally unable to move, but in order for his apprentice to survive, he refused to give up even if his knee was bleeding. Thanks to his master's persistence, the child's injuries did not deteriorate seriously. ”

Qian Hongzuo exclaimed: "Such a deep master-apprentice relationship is really rare in the world!" ”

Empress Dowager Xu nodded and said, "The biological parents are nothing more than that." The royal physician said that the child was in good health, and although he was badly injured, he woke up the next day. After their careful treatment, there is no need to worry about his life now. ”

Hearing the last words of the Empress Dowager Xu, it was like a heavy stone falling to the ground, and Qian Hongzuo's heart that had been hanging all day was finally let go. said: "Since the queen mother thinks that it is inappropriate for the child to visit Fangli Villa, then I will not go." But every few days in the future, I will send someone to Siliang to inspect and supervise the treatment. ”

Empress Dowager Xu said: "Just according to what you said." There are a lot of things to do here, and you can arrange the visits. ”

Qian Hongzuo said sincerely: "Thank you Queen Mother." ”

The chief merchant interjected: "Such a trivial matter, just let me arrange it." How dare you bother with Lao Sheng? ”

Qian Hongzuo waved his hand and said, "You better hurry up and investigate the assassination of the Lone King that day." The Queen Mother was right when she said that if the palace did not have an internal response, it would be difficult for the Assassins to infiltrate. And the more I think about it, the more weird it becomes, I usually bathe in the Washing Heart Hall, surrounded by guards. Just as I first ordered the guards to guard outside the Washing Heart Hall, an assassin appeared, which was too coincidental. ”

Mr. Shang chimed in: "It's really too coincidental. ”

Qian Hongzuo asked: "You have interrogated for many days, can you find clues about the mole?" ”

Shang Zongguan: "Although some people were detained, they all shouted that they were wronged, and Wu Dezhang, who was serving you that day, said that the reason why he did not serve you as closely as usual was because the Holy Lord had ordered in advance to let all the guards wait outside the Xixin Hall, including them." ”

Qian Hongzuo said: "It was indeed ordered by King Gu in advance. ”

The chief merchant said: "Mu Quan'an, the steward on duty in the Xixin Hall, and others said that it was the Holy Lord's order: a screen should be set up in front of the pool. On that day, the screen had just been completed, and because it was too long, it had to be assembled by a carpenter in the washing hall. The people who entered and exited the Washing Heart Hall that day were particularly chaotic. After the screen was assembled, Mu Quanan and the others were busy cleaning, so they didn't find the assassin hiding on the beams. ”

Qian Hongzuo first affirmed: "It is indeed the screen set up by the lonely king in front of the pool. Then he wondered: "They are on duty in the Washing Heart Hall, and they are busy, and they have not found any assassins." Why can the four taels that came by chance be discovered in time? ”

Mr. Shang: "This is even more strange. The piano platform of the four or two masters and apprentices is far away from the pool. And Mu Quanan and the others stood outside the screen, what they couldn't find, how could Si Liang have insight into the first and take action in time? What's even more strange is that since Siliang is an uneducated disciple of Imitation Pear Villa, it is not surprising that he can sing and dance, but I heard that he is agile and seems to be able to do light work. He is a disciple of Liyuan, how can he do light skills and martial arts? Are you sure he was saving you, and not joining forces with the Assassins? ”