Lunch was served with Ling Niankong. After eating, change your appearance and clean up. He ordered someone to find a fox cloak, put it on for me himself, and deftly tied a knot with his fingers. He hooked the corners of his mouth slightly, as if he was very satisfied with his masterpiece.

"Let's go." He whispered to me.

I said "um", but I didn't want him to suddenly lean down and pick me up neatly.

"You! ...... "I was a little surprised. "My legs are almost good enough to walk on my own......" I muttered.

The smile on his lips became even more evident when he heard this, but he still carried me out of the house.

Looking at the smile on his lips, I shuddered. A person like him, who has a cold face all day long, suddenly has a smile on his face, which always makes people feel uneasy. But I have to admit that this guy is really good-looking when he laughs, so good to see that I almost forgot about his city and scheming.

The situation outside the gate of Ling's mansion made me stunned: there were soldiers guarding outside the gate, and these soldiers were obviously not Ling Niankong's people.

Could it be that he is a member of the Criminal Department? These people can't be here since the day Ling Niankong brought me back, right? No wonder Ling Niankong said that Yue Luanxi couldn't take me away......

He put me down to the ground and whispered in my ear: "It's still the same sentence, you don't have to do anything, you don't have to say anything, just stay by my side honestly." He patted me lightly on the shoulder.

Obviously I had heard it once, and it was obviously a very simple action, but I somehow calmed down and nodded my head.

When a soldier at the door saw us coming out, he immediately stepped forward, stretched out his hands, and said: "Although the suspect Lin Xuan has not been convicted and does not need to be escorted by a prisoner car, the case involved is serious, and he must be shackled according to the law. "He had heavy iron shackles in his hands.

My heart sank, and it seemed that everyone was treating me like a prisoner.

I hesitated and held out my hands. The soldier was about to handcuff me, but Ling Niankong took away the shackles.

The soldier didn't expect Ling Niankong to behave like this, and was stunned for a moment before he said, "Commander Ling, your subordinates are acting according to the law, and please don't embarrass your subordinates." ”

Ling Niankong smiled, and actually raised his right arm and put one of the cuff rings on his wrist.

"You! ......" I was speechless. What does he mean by that?

Not only me, but also the soldiers were amazed.

Before I could react, my left arm was already in his grip. I looked at him in a daze, and his eyes were warm.

There was a crisp sound from the chains clashing, and my left wrist was caught in something cold, and with a "click", it locked...... My mind was confused: he was going to be with me......

His shoulders were wrapped around his solid arms, and he carried them into the carriage. The curtain was lowered to block out all the hustle and bustle.

Because of the chains, I sat very close to him. With his handcuffed right hand, he took my left hand, which was also bound.

"My hands are so cold." He said. "You're afraid of the cold?"

I nodded.

"Fortunately, this trip is not to the Criminal Department, it is very cold there."

"Not to the Ministry of Punishment? Where is that going? "I was a little surprised.

"Entering the palace, the emperor wants to personally try the case."

"The emperor wants to try it personally?" Unexpectedly, it alarmed the emperor.

"Hmm." He looked into my eyes. "Scared?"

I hesitated and shook my head.

"Don't be afraid, I'm here." His tone was light, but for some reason, I had a hint of delusion. The atmosphere I was with him at the moment was very similar to how he felt when he mistook me for the original owner.

The palace was soon there. We were surrounded by a group of people from the Criminal Department and walked to the front of the Wende Palace.

"Trust me." Again, he encouraged.

"Hmm."

After the eunuch's briefing, I entered the palace with him and bowed to the emperor.

According to the law of Nanli, the person being tried is not allowed to get up during the whole trial. I looked at the chain that connected me to him, and then at him kneeling straight beside me. It turned out that he had already decided to accompany me in the morning......

The emperor, dressed in a bright yellow dragon robe, sat on the dragon chair in front of the main hall.

On the right-hand side, the nearest seat to the emperor sat a young man of about twenty years, plump and handsome, but for some reason his eyebrows and eyes made me feel a little familiar. His body is not inferior to the emperor's majesty, and he is wearing a dark color dress embroidered with a four-clawed golden python.

This person must be the crown prince Yue Linglan. Next to the crown prince stood a man in his fifties, with a sturdy build, wearing the same military general's uniform as Ling Niankong. It must be as high as Ling Niankong's grade.

On the opposite side of the prince stood several red-clothed officials, who seemed to be civil officials, and one of them I recognized - Yuan Zaidao, the secretary of the Criminal Department.

The emperor on the dragon chair looked at the iron chain that handcuffed me and Ling Niankong, his eyes flashed, and he asked slowly, "Ling Aiqing, what do you mean by this?" ”

He pursed his lips, a faint smile on his lips again. "Back to the emperor, the minister is here to confess his sins today."

Guilty? Which one is he singing? Does he want to take the two crimes of Jian Qi's death and the theft of physical evidence on himself? Is he the kind of person who is willing to suffer? I looked at him suspiciously, and he quietly patted the back of my hand.

"Oh? What is Ling Aiqing's crime? The Emperor looked very interested.

"This case is complicated, and I ask the emperor to order Lord Yuan to start from the beginning." Ling Nian Kongdao.

was named by Ling Niankong, and Yuan Zaidao seemed to straighten his back.

The emperor narrowed his eyes and looked at Yuan Zaidao. "Yuan Aiqing, in this case, you will tell me and Zhong Aiqing the situation on the day of Jian Qi's death."

Yuan Zaidao took a deep look. "Obey."

So he told me nothing about the day I went to the Criminal Department for consultation, Jian Qi's death less than an hour after taking the medicine, and the subsequent search of bloody cloth strips from my body, and even the theft of physical evidence implicated in the strips.

In Yuan Zaidao's narration, there are only facts, no analysis of the case, and no deliberate hint that I am the murderer. Remembering the various tactics he used to force me to confess my sins, I was a little surprised by the way he behaved today.

After listening to him, everyone in the hall fell silent. The emperor's eyes were a little dark, and after thinking for a moment, he finally stopped his gaze on Ling Niankong.

Sure enough, no one who can be an emperor is a fool. Without Yuan Zaidao's prompt, the emperor still suspected Ling Niankong. Once the seeds of doubt are planted, Ling Niankong, it will be difficult for you to get away with it.

I subconsciously looked at the person next to me, but his expression was still faint.

Ling Niankong, are you so sure that you can get out of it all? Why are you so confident? What do you do next?

I was still thinking to myself, but the emperor had already spoken: "Ling Aiqing, I remember that the evidence of Leng Yihan's case was collected by you, right?" ”

"The emperor remembers well, it was you who ordered your ministers to secretly investigate the evidence of Leng Yihan's collaboration with the enemy. Until your Punishment Department gathers the evidence, all the evidence is in the hands of the minister. Ling Niankong did not shy away from saying.

He said it so absolutely, couldn't he see that the emperor was already suspicious of him? He's clearly hitting the muzzle of the gun!

Ling Niankong, what do you want to do? Do you really have to confess your sins?

"So, Ling Aiqing, do you know who stole this physical evidence? What is the content of the stolen physical evidence? The Emperor's tone was casual, as if chattering, but his hand began to tap on the armrest of the dragon chair again and again.

"Back to the emperor, the minister knows." After speaking, Ling Nian held my hand in a grand manner.

This is in the main hall, and he is holding my hand like no one else!? I tried to break free, but he tightened my hand so tightly that I couldn't break free. An ominous premonition came over me silently.

"Oh?" The Emperor's gaze fell on our clasped hands. "Then Ling Aiqing is talking about who dared to steal the physical evidence of the treasonous case." The Emperor's tone finally sank, bringing with him a chill.

The hall was trembling silent for a moment, and only a cold sentence that was neither humble nor arrogant could be heard: "Back to the emperor, it is the minister." ”

These six words came from my side, swirling in the empty hall, and dissipated for a long time.

I froze, did he still admit it? But why did he admit it? With his means, it should not be difficult for him to get away with his crimes, but why did he ......

The emperor's face gradually became gloomy, and everyone in the hall was silent.

"Ling Niankong, do you know what crime the person handling the case should be punished for stealing physical evidence?" The emperor's voice was extremely cold, and he no longer used the title of "Aiqing".

"Back to the emperor, in ordinary cases, the person handling the case stole physical evidence, dismissed his post and raided his family, and the family was expelled from Shengjing City, and he was not allowed to enter the court as an official for generations." Ling Niankong said in a deep voice, holding my hand so firmly, but I panicked.

"If it's a big case, what crime should it be punished for?" The Emperor's tone became aggressive.

"If it is a major case, in addition to the above punishments, the offender ...... When chopping. He bit the last two words very hard, and his tone was a little lower.

"Niankong!" I couldn't help but let out a low breath, and my whole heart crumbled.

But he didn't look at me, but held my hand tightly, and I suddenly remembered what he had said to me before entering the temple, and he said, "Trust me." "My heart suddenly settled down a little.

The emperor glanced at me and said angrily to Ling Niankong: "Since you know, why did you commit the crime in the first place? Furthermore, there is no direct evidence that you ordered someone to steal the physical evidence, so why are you rushing to confess? What exactly are you trying to hide?! ”

No, Ling Niankong actually smiled bitterly. "The emperor is wise, there is indeed no clear evidence now, but ......" he looked at me and continued: "Lord Yuan used torture on Xuan'er in order to find out the thief, and Xuan'er's body was already weak...... Minister...... I can't bear it. His words did not contain much emotion, but they made the ministers present whisper.

Ling Niankong, you really ...... Is it really for me, to help me get out?

Wrong. I suppressed the emotions that were surging in my chest because of his words.

Others may think so, but I know very well that I am just a pawn in his hand, and he will never do this for me. He must have said this intentionally to everyone, or to someone. I glanced around, and suddenly saw a smug smile on the prince's face. The smile was very faint, but I still caught it.

I suddenly remembered that on the day of the Zhaoyuan Festival, I accidentally heard a conversation between Ling Niankong and Xue Rang: Xue Rang said that the prince was looking for his weaknesses, and Ling Niankong said that the prince was looking for weaknesses, so he gave him one......

My mind suddenly became clear, I see, it turned out that I was really just a pawn to him......

My heart ached suddenly......