Shen Suhang was slightly surprised, he was pulled aside by Mu Qingwan, and whispered, "If you see the imperial brother, remember to ask him to go to Chaolu Hall to save me, this matter is very important, and it also implicates the person who is locked up in the prison of the Criminal Department." Everything is left to Lord Shen. ”

After she finished speaking, without waiting for Shen Suhang's reaction, she turned around and walked to Shan's side, "Let them let go of Abi, and we'll go over." ”

Seeing this crowd leaving, Shen Suhang recalled the princess's words, could this matter be related to the fraud in this imperial examination? If it does, it can't be delayed. He immediately entered the temple and went to report to Mu Churan.

And no, Mu Churan was training people in the palace, and it was Gao Bowang, the secretary of the Criminal Department, who reprimanded him for his ineffective investigation of the case, and three prisoners died during the interrogation in the prison, but he had not revealed any valuable clues.

"Don't you have any other way but to punish them severely?" Mu Churan said, threw a pen stand on the case straight over, and smashed it on Gao Bowang, but he didn't dare to hide, and he suffered it for life. In fact, based on his past experience, if there is any physical evidence, he only needs to focus on the main suspect. But this time it was different, that person had been explained by the emperor himself, and he still had to "treat each other with courtesy" if he was "not yet convicted".

Gao Bowang naturally knew that Xiao He was not light in Mu Churan's place, and he also heard about it from Gongsun Ou, the servant of the Criminal Department.

It's just that the big fish can't move, and the small shrimp can't be put either. It is also strange to say that two or three people died in prison in succession, not because the criminal department really abused torture, but because the prisoners were extremely weak and could not withstand any punishment at all during interrogation. After the fact, the examination of the injuries did not reveal anything strange, and the two prison guards who tortured them were held accountable, and they only heard them shout that they were wronged.

Although all these things also made Gao Bowang suspect that Xiao He was indeed wronged, the Queen Mother handed over the news and ordered her to take care of Xiao He more. This care naturally did not really ask him to pay more attention, but hinted that he would be convicted as soon as possible and urge the emperor to sentence him earlier.

In addition to Gao Bowang, there are many ministers in the DPRK who have also received orders from the Queen Mother.

Originally, this matter was indeed not a light sentence, but Mu Churan stopped here, so that the Criminal Department couldn't take Xiao He seriously at all, and he was locked up for two days and interrogated once. Only halfway through the trial, Gonggong Liu personally came over and took Xiao He away, saying that it was the emperor's personal trial. In less than half an hour, the man was sent back alive.

There are many suspicious things about this case, but the leakage of exam questions is the truth. The people have already spread the word, and even many candidates who have landed in the previous township examination are also quite dissatisfied. They attributed their failures to the unfairness of the imperial examinations, and those who were selected must have bribed the examiners early, took the exam questions, and hired someone to write them for them.

It can be said that one stone stirred up a thousand waves, and some literati in the opposition wrote poems to ridicule this matter.

If no new clues can be found to prove Xiao He's innocence, the suspicions in this case alone will not be able to clear the charge. Mu Churan directly ordered Liao Xiu, the newly appointed Shangshu of the Ministry of Officials, to try the case together with the Criminal Department, so as to supervise each other and raise points to each other.

Mu Yunjing immediately agreed, and proposed to find relevant certification to testify to Xiao He's character, and he would never bend the law of the country because of small profits. Therefore, the ministers of the court and Xiao He who had some personal relations were summoned to testify one by one.

This can be regarded as a way to save people from the curve.

Even if Mu Churan wants to save Xiao He, he must pass the three trials on the bright side, and he can only be released if he is indeed innocent. Otherwise, even if Xiao He is released, he will no longer be able to gain a foothold in officialdom. Mu Churan didn't let her go, also in order to track down the real culprit behind the scenes. It is really not a pity to dare to frame the officials of the imperial court, make a fuss about the grand national examination such as the imperial examination, and regard the country and society as child's play.

It is said that Shen Suhang waited on the side for about a cup of tea, and he never interjected.

He thought about Mu Qingwan's explanation, his expression was awe-inspiring, and he didn't seem to be joking. Why did she want to go to the Queen Mother's Palace, so that she could be so dignified. When Mu Churan finished training people, he finally couldn't help it, thinking that Mu Churan had told him about the situation when he bumped into Mu Qingwan outside the hall, as well as Mu Qingwan's original words.

Mu Churan was slightly stunned, and glanced at Mu Yunjing, who was standing below.

Mu Churan still couldn't leave this matter, so Mu Yunjing took the initiative to ask Ying to go over and take a look. In addition to the emperor, it is understandable that he introduced the prince into the palace of the queen mother. Mu Churan thought for a moment, then agreed, "Yunjing, you must remember, you must bring Qingwan to me, and I will personally ask her if she knows anything." ”

Mu Yunjing bowed, then withdrew from the hall, and took the attendants to the direction of the Lu Palace.

In the prison of the Criminal Department, Gongsun Ou personally went to visit Xiao He in prison.

He set up a stool, sat opposite Xiao He, and looked at her with a smile, "Lord Xiao, you have suffered. ”

Xiao He sat on the haystack, and also smiled a little comfortably, "There are tiles on the head, a quilt for sleeping, and an outstretched hand for food, even this dress is given away for free, why bother?" Gongsun Ou laughed out loud when he heard this, and this voice had some sincerity, no more false than the smiling flesh just now.

"You and I are also comrades, I really don't want to embarrass you Lord Xiao, and please don't embarrass Lord Xiao. If there is anything, it will be recruited. lest you be tortured and hurt your flesh and skin. ”

Although Gongsun Ou knew in his heart that Shangshu Gao Bowang had confessed that he would not be tortured until he had to, no matter how he tried it, Xiao He insisted that he didn't know anything, he didn't know those lifters, and he had never sent anyone to sell exam questions. The attitude is resolute, if he is not innocent, then he is really a person who can act.

After going back and forth here for an hour, Xiao He never changed his words, nor did he say a word.

Gongsun Ou's last bit of patience was worn out, and he got up and ordered the jailer, "Take it out!" When I went to the interrogation room, as soon as the tiger chair was tied, I didn't believe in this evil. Several jailers immediately opened the cell door and went to escort Xiao He out.

Before anyone was out of the prison, they heard Gao Bowang's voice coming, "What are you doing?" ”

As soon as Gongsun Ou turned around and saw that his boss had also come down to the dungeon, he greeted him and waved respectfully, "My lord, this Xiao He is really hard-mouthed, and the lower officials are about to see if his bones are as hard." ”

Gao Bowang's eyebrows tightened, and he glared at Gongsun Ou, "You stupid thing, don't you want to kill this official with pure intentions?" I told you before that you don't want to be tortured, but you should turn a deaf ear? Gongsun Ou looked stunned, "The adult explained that it was not a last resort, and he should not be tortured." But no matter how he tried it now, he refused to say a word more, and he was wronged to bite himself to death. If this continues, there will be no progress in 10 or 8 years. ”

"Are you reasonable?" Although Gao Bowang lowered his voice, the dissatisfaction in his tone was about to turn into a slap and slap Gongsun Ou's face.

Today, Mu Churan just sent Mu Yunjing, the king of Yu, to take charge of the case with Liao Xiu, the new Ding of the Ministry of Officials, and now he can't let Xiao He have any problems, otherwise the Criminal Department will be afraid that the sky will change drastically.

"Prisoners are imprisoned first!" Gao Bowang raised his voice and instructed the two jailers, and after they looked at each other, they could only send Xiao He back to the prison.

Although Gongsun Ou was puzzled, he shouldn't ask more, so he could only follow Gao Bowang out of the dungeon first. With his understanding of his boss, there must be some new instructions on this matter, otherwise Gao Bowang's face would not be so stinky.

Xiao He watched the two of them go away, always with a faint smile on his face.

Now the world outside the prison has become a pot of boiling porridge, but she is still living in the prison, and she has time to spend here. I'm afraid there will be someone else in a hurry.

She turned to look at the only small window behind her, which opened at the junction of the zenith and the wall, and looked more than a foot above the ground in the cell, but was actually only a finger above the ground outside. With just this small breathing vent, you can see that the outside world is just a wall away from you.

Her heart was unusually calm, not that she had much confidence in the case, but that she had put herself out of the matter.

Someone knocked on the black iron railing of the cell door, "It's time to eat!" ”

Xiao He looked back, this meal was an extremely rich meal, and four or five dishes were handed in alone, as well as a soup, and a big bowl of hot rice. This is really different from when she first came in, she picked up the food and sniffed it in front of her nose, although the appearance is average, but the taste is excellent. The cook should have at least 20 years of experience and be proficient in heat control. Different raw materials are cooked at different temperatures when mixed together, and it is not easy for a chef to achieve the most delicious taste at the same critical point.

She sniffed them one by one, and there was no problem, so she picked up her chopsticks and ate with confidence.

And the bowl of rice, when she held it in her hand, she smelled a faint smell of medicine, hidden in the rice fragrance, almost imperceptible. If it weren't for this poison, she had trained several times at the beginning, and she could have accurately identified it in water, wine, or medicinal soup. Nowadays, it is impossible to find that people have fallen these five steps in the rice.

This poison was originally extracted from snake venom, and if it was to be made colorless and odorless, it would inevitably reduce its toxicity, and mixing herbs with herbs would not only not reduce toxicity but could catalyze its toxin. Hidden in the rice, it can also be masked by the sweet aroma of the rice.

The person who poisoned must be a thoughtful person.

Xiao He looked at this bowl of rice and thought to himself, since they had already given this big gift, they shouldn't be asked to return empty-handed. It's just that if she really eats this rice, she won't be able to detoxify it within an hour, and I'm afraid she won't be able to return to heaven.

She had to find a way to weaken the toxin a little first. She turned her head to look at the corner of the dungeon, remembering that she had seen centipedes crawling at the base of the wall before. I can't take care of that much at this time. It's hard to find such raw materials for snake venom. She tiptoed over to clear the haystack and try her luck.