The night is already deep, the imperial study is quiet, Emperor Qingguo is diligent in government affairs, and his grace to the harem is naturally much less, like tonight, he does not sleep in the harem, but sleeps directly in the imperial study many times, so the eunuchs have already prepared a pair of tools.

A breeze came in through the window, and it didn't blow in the glass-shielded light, but somehow it still dimmed the light in the room.

"Yes, I heard that I stole a piece of water green jade that the queen wore when she was a child, and I was interrogated for a while, but I couldn't deny it, so I committed suicide by looking at the empty space. ”

Eunuch Yao explained to His Majesty the Emperor the truth of his grasp very simply and clearly, without adding a word.

"Shui Qing'er Yujue?" the emperor frowned, as if thinking about this thing, after a moment, he smiled and said: "I remember, it was something that the queen wore when she was a child, and I remember that it was given to her family by my father after he made this marriage, and it seemed that my father had just ascended the throne at that time...... The palace is chaotic, and this object is not a top grade, but the queen when she was a child liked it very much and wore it all the time. ”

He frowned, withdrawing from this rare warm memory, and said indifferently, "I remember that what is written on it is a cloud pattern. ”

Eunuch Yao was silent, not knowing what His Majesty's mood was.

"Although the queen likes it, she won't kill the palace maid because of this kind of gadget. A sneer appeared on the corner of the emperor's lips and said: "Isn't she known as the most lenient master in the palace?

Obviously, Eunuch Yao said that the palace maid committed suicide in shame, but the emperor directly said that he would kill with a cane, and the people in the palace were more pronounced than one another, and everyone understood what the truth was that these names used to cover up.

"You secretly find out what's going on. The Emperor picked up the recital again and regained his composure.

............ The palace had already returned to a calm that seemed to be eternal, and no one thought that Yao Gongcheng was leading several old eunuchs to investigate something in secret. However, the emperor didn't seem to pay too much attention to this matter, and didn't even ask about the follow-up news.

Another night, Eunuch Yao replied respectfully: "There is no problem with the death of the palace maid. ”

The Emperor nodded and said, "Got it." ”

"It's just that on the afternoon before the palace maid's accident, she went to Guangxin Palace to send a roll of embroidered cloth, and the batch of foreign cloth that the queen asked for from Dongyi City the day before arrived, and it was sent to various palaces the next day, and it was no different. Eunuch Yao added.

The Emperor slowly withdrew his gaze from the cantata, glanced at him, lowered it again, and said, "Got it." ”

"The prince was in Guangxin Palace at the time. Eunuch Yao lowered his head so low that he couldn't lower it any longer.

The emperor gently put the music on the table, thoughtfully, and did not say the words "I know" again, and directly ordered: "Let Hong Zhu come over." ”

............ Hong Zhu knelt in front of His Majesty's low couch, his face was like earth, his strands trembled, and even the cotton robe in front of him was shaken out of layers of ripples.

He didn't pretend to be it, but he was really frightened - he thought that the clue arranged by Lord Xiao Fan was buried very deeply, and it seemed that it had nothing to do with his eight poles, so he should let himself get away from this matter far away, but he didn't expect that in the middle of the night, he would kneel in front of the Ninety-Five Supreme.

The emperor didn't look at him squarely, and asked directly: "A palace maid died in the East Palace?"

"Yes. Hong Zhu didn't dare to hesitate, in order to show his openness and sincerity, he squeezed his lungs desperately, trying to respond to this sound extremely crisply, but the airflow was too strong, which made him a little broken, and it sounded very hoarse.

The voice of his reply echoed in the imperial study, a little harsh and ugly, and the emperor frowned imperceptibly, and said, "Quietly...... Let's talk about the situation at that time. ”

Hong Zhu honestly told the queen why she remembered the piece of jade, how she started to check the palace, how she found the palace maid, who conducted the interrogation, and how the palace maid committed suicide.

The emperor seemed to be listening carefully, but he didn't seem to listen to a word, his eyes always fell on the music, and he asked casually: "When the palace maid hit the pillar, did you see it with your own eyes?"

"Nope. Hong Zhu replied without hesitation, and called for luck in his heart, if it weren't for the fact that the queen mother had something else to do with herself, it would not be so natural to agree at this time.

The imperial study fell into calm again, and after a long time, the emperor suddenly raised his head, looked at Hong Zhu with a smile, and said, "Why are you so scared today?"

Hong Zhu swallowed a mouthful of saliva, his face naturally showed a mixture of fear and self-blame, knelt on the ground and kowtowed while mourning: "The slave has the grace of the saint, and the news of the palace maid's suicide did not come to report it in time, and the slave should die." ”

The emperor was stunned, laughed, and scolded: "I asked you to go to the East Palace to serve the empress, and I didn't let you be a secret agent, such a trivial matter, of course, you don't have to report to me that I know." ”

Hong Zhu nodded like pounding garlic, but he was thinking about something else in his heart. A year ago, he was expelled from the imperial study to the East Palace by the emperor who has always been favored, and in the eyes of outsiders, of course, it was because Fan Xian said bad things about him in front of the emperor, but only he knew that His Majesty was just using this reason to let himself go to the East Palace to be a gold medal undercover agent, and this year, he did a good job as a little undercover agent.

He comforted his cowardice in his heart, and thought to himself, even the Majesty didn't know who he really was, what was the point of shaking a little?

The emperor was about to ask something, but suddenly frowned, and said instead: "This year in the East Palace, how does the queen mother treat you?"

"The mother is very generous, and the minions are happy and convinced. "Hong Zhu said this very artistically.

The emperor laughed, and said to himself in a very low voice: "For the sake of a piece of jade, a palace maid died, this ...... Isn't that generous?"

After Hong Zhu left, Eunuch Yao stood quietly by the emperor's side, waiting for His Majesty's will. The emperor was silent for a long time and said: "Hong Zhu didn't tell a lie, it seems that there is really no problem with the death of the palace maid, it's just ......" He laughed and said, "It's just that this process is too problematic." ”

Eunuch Yao's brain was shocked, and he understood the meaning of His Majesty, since the founding of the Qing Kingdom, all kinds of bizarre deaths in the palace have happened many times, and no matter how many intrigues and blood are disgraced, they can be painted with a fair and righteous reason, however...... Often when the reason is too good and the process is too natural, the death itself is rather questionable.

"There are some things I don't believe in, and you don't have to remember them. The Emperor said calmly.

Eunuch Yao knelt down.

"Ask Grandpa Hong to come here. ”

Eunuch Yao was afraid at this time, and did not hear His Majesty's words clearly, and subconsciously replied: "Father-in-law Xiaohong went out just now. ”

The emperor frowned, a little displeased. Eunuch Yao immediately woke up, slipped his placket, ran out of the door, and almost fell as he crossed the threshold.

............ Since Fan Xian's three hundred poems made a big fuss at the night banquet, and it was the first time in the palace that the palace was infiltrated by assassins in the past ten years, Gonggong Hong, who had been staying in the palace since the founding of the country, and the chief eunuch of the year, became more and more silent and low-key, and was only willing to smack the sun outside the Hanguang Palace.

But no one in the palace dared to underestimate him, but because of his silence, he felt that this old eunuch was unfathomable. Even Hong Zhu, a popular person in the palace today, is actually because of his relationship that he has today's status.

Even the queen mother and the emperor maintained a certain amount of courtesy for this old eunuch.

However, today, His Majesty the Emperor called him by his name and said, "Hong Siqi, what do you think?"

The last time Emperor Qingguo called this old eunuch like this, he wanted to ask him about his opinion of Fan Xian, and the old eunuch Hong replied that he thought Fan Xian was too hypocritical.

Only when this kind of important matter requires the opinion of Gonggong Hong, will the emperor seriously call him by name. In the eyes of others, this may be a kind of disrespect, but the emperor meant the opposite, he always thought that calling Hong Gonggong as his father-in-law would make the other party think of the hidden illness of the body, and it was more appropriate to call the other party by name.

Gonggong Hong leaned slightly, looked like he was asleep, and replied softly: "Your Majesty, there are many things that don't depend on how you look at them, even if you see them with your own eyes, they may not be true." ”

The emperor nodded and said, "I have always been a little suspicious, I know that this is not good, and I may be wrong, so please help me take a look." ”

Father-in-law Hong bowed respectfully and didn't say much.

The emperor was silent for a long time and said: "Cheng Qian's god has been good for the past half a year, in addition to the teaching of Chang Taifu, he also often goes to Guangxin Palace to listen to Yun Rui teach him the three strategies for governing the country, I am a little curious, how can his body get better so quickly." ”

Although it is said that the rift in the imperial family has appeared, at least there is no problem on the surface, the emperor knows that his sister has a deep study of power and art, so he usually does not object to the prince and the eldest princess getting too close, and even secretly expressed his appreciation, but ......, "Excuse me." After the emperor said this, he no longer looked at Gonggong Hong.

Gonggong Hong slowly retreated, slowly closed the door of the imperial study, walked a distance, looked back at the lights inside, sighed in his heart, and said to himself: "Since you know that you are suspicious, why do you say that you are curious in the end...... 陛xiàAh, you should have changed it, and the future of Qingguo is all in your thoughts. ”

A few days after ————————————————————, a physician fell ill and died. A few more rì, a nobleman from a distant clan's mansion accidentally fell off his horse on an outing. A few more rì, Kyoto's famous Hui Chūn Hall suddenly caught fire, killing more than a dozen people.

On the night of the fire, the blank face of Gonggong Hong appeared in front of the emperor again, and reported in an old voice: "The old slave found the Tai Hospital, and the Tai Doctor died. The old slave found out to the clan family's mansion, and the noble man also died. When the old slave found the Hui Chūn Hall, he burned it when he returned to the Chūn Hall. ”

Tonight, Emperor Qingguo did not approve the chapter, and listened carefully to Gonggong Hong's return, and after listening to this sentence, a strange smile flashed on the corner of his lips.

"Someone wants to hide something, and whether it is in the palace or in the capital, there are not many people who can get ahead of you in everything. The Emperor said calmly: "I have always loved her methods. ”

Gonggong Hong didn't speak, the eldest princess's means are clear to the whole world, but there has been no room for use in the past few years, if this kind of means is put on helping His Majesty balance the government and the opposition, and pointing at the world, of course His Majesty likes it, but if it is used to destroy the traces of miè and deceive the king, of course, His Majesty will ...... I don't like it!

Gonggong Hong took out a pill from his arms and handed it over, saying, "I only grabbed one pill." ”

The emperor gently pinched and played with his fingers, and with a slight force, the pill was shattered, and the smell was fragrant, and his eyes were indifferent, and he said, "Sure enough, it's a good medicine." ”

Hong Gong said fairly: "It may be a false accusation. ”

"So...... You have to see everything with your own eyes. The emperor said, "Rest first, no matter what happens in the end, don't sue the queen mother." ”

Gonggong Hong responded and retreated, knowing in his heart that even with his own identity, there were still many things in this palace that could not be seen.

The breeze blew the buildings in the palace, and in a garden not far from Guangxin Palace, the Qingguo Emperor in a yellow shirt flashed out from behind the tree, bowed his head slightly, and felt a little strange in his heart.

However, this suspicion had long been shattered by the anger and absurdity in his heart, and the emperor's eyes were filled with a feeling of defeat, disappointment, and distraction.

The middle-aged man did not go back to the dormitory, but still rested in the imperial study.

On this night, he thought for a long time, and then asked Eunuch Yao, who was serving beside him, a strange question: "Will Hong Zhu know anything?"

Eunuch Yao shook his head nervously and persuaded a few words. He had to save Hong Zhu's life under His Majesty's hidden rage, so that he could keep himself safe as much as possible.

"I want to kill him......" the emperor frowned and said, "I want to ...... Kill everyone in this palace. ”

Then he calmed down and commanded in an unusually indifferent tone: "Dean Xuan Chen enters the palace." ”

Eunuch Yao, who was sweating profusely in the winter, hurried out of the palace and went straight to Chen Yuan to find the great savior. Not long after he left the house, there was a loud noise in the imperial study, and it sounded like the precious five-foot bottle had been pushed to the ground.

I don't know what kind of thing can make Emperor Qingguo, who has always been in front of the mountains and does not change his face, would make such an angry vent of interest.

————————————————————, "There won't be a problem going back to Chūn Hall, right?" Chen Yuanzhong, the old cripple who had been sitting in a wheelchair for a long time, said to his closest comrades-in-arms: "I don't want to make a mistake at the last moment. ”

Fei Jie, who had messy hair, said: "What can be the problem? Although it is Hong Siqi who personally goes out, every step in the palace is in your calculations, and they will not be able to catch any tricks." ”

"Good. Chen Pingping closed her eyes and thought for a long time, the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes bloomed like chrysanthemums, and then she opened her eyes and said slowly: "I'm thinking about a question, whether to make Hong Zhu disappear." ”

This is a very strange question. The reason why the emperor occasionally thought of this was because he was so angry that he subconsciously wanted to kill all those who might guess the royal scandal, and he reacted immediately at the time and did not make this decision. So what did Chen Pingping think of killing Hong Zhu for?

Chen Pingping frowned and said: "After all, in this whole matter, only Hong Zhu's thread may have problems." ”

Fei Jie shook his head: "Although we found a way to let Hong Zhu see this matter, it is obvious that His Majesty is not known to the little eunuch Tongguò." ”

These two sentences of dialogue explain a shocking truth, and also explain the big doubts that have been lingering in Fan Xian's heart, but there has been nowhere to ask people.

Although Hong Zhu is the chief eunuch of the East Palace, why is he so lucky...... Or is it so bad luck that he would find out about the private affairs between the eldest princess and the crown prince?

Originally...... Even Hong Zhu was just the chess piece that Chen Pingping made waves at the beginning.

"Because of this, I feel that this little eunuch is a little incomprehensible. Chen Pingping frowned and said: "He is obviously a nail that His Majesty put in the East Palace, after knowing about this matter, why hasn't he reported it to His Majesty? ”

Perhaps he knew that if this thing came out of his mouth, he would surely die. Fei Jie said: "People who can get up in the palace are certainly not stupid people. ”

Chen Pingping suddenly smiled and said, "Hong Zhu can endure it all the time, I admire it...... It's just that Majesty finally knows, it's good. ”

Fei Jie also laughed, and his smile was a little miserable: "You have a good successor, and I have a good student." ”

Chen Pingping nodded with a satisfied smile: "Until now, I haven't figured out how he arranged it, and this alone shows that he has grown a lot." ”

This old cripple knew that Hong Zhu was the emperor's confidant, but he didn't know that Hong Zhu was Fan Xian's person.