In the Zichen Palace, sandalwood is quiet.

Empress Wu sat alone behind the imperial case, calmly handling the chapter.

At this time, the chamberlain quietly entered the hall and stepped forward in a low voice and said, "Queen of Heaven, the King of Nanchang has been summoned to meet you. ”

Empress Wu breathed a sigh of relief, moved her shoulders, then raised her head, and shouted loudly: "Pass! ”

"Spread the king of Nanchang to meet you!"

Amidst the shouting, Li Xuan calmly walked into the hall.

"The minister Nanchang Wang Xuan visited the queen of heaven, and the queen of heaven was blessed with Jin'an!"

Li Xuan bowed seriously and bowed his head in awe.

Empress Wu put aside the golden pen in her hand, raised her head, looked at Li Xuan with a little puzzlement, and then asked, "I heard that you are investigating the British duke, but what does the matter of the Prime Prince's Mansion have to do with him?" ”

The corners of Li Xuan's mouth twitched slightly, and then he arched his hand and said: "After returning to the heavens, the minister is not checking the British duke. ”

"Huh?" Empress Wu's eyes were stunned, and she subconsciously moved to look through the secret guard's report.

But before she could flip, Li Xuan immediately said: "After returning to the heavens, the minister is actually investigating the chief steward of the British Mansion, and he may be involved in the case of the Prime Minister's Mansion." ”

"Oh, you're cautious." Empress Wu stopped her movements with some amusement and raised her head to look at Li Xuan.

Li Xuan is actually investigating Li Jingye, but as long as he doesn't directly say that it is Li Jingye, then no one can say how he is.

After all, a steward has no weight in the court at all.

Of course, in fact, in the eyes of many people, what the steward does is what the master does.

In this world, there are too many cases of stewards carrying black pots for their masters.

But these things can be said in the law.

In this way, Li Xuan is just the housekeeper of the British Mansion, and there seems to be no problem.

The law says of the past.

The reason why Li Xuan is so cautious is because the case of the Prime Minister's Mansion has always been investigated by secret guards, and he has not been granted the authority to investigate.

So he can't directly investigate Li Jingye, but he can investigate the steward of Li Jingye's family, but no one will pursue it.

"Go on, have you found anything?" Empress Wu raised her head slightly, she was already interested.

"Whoa!" Li Xuan bowed slightly, then took out a piece of drawing paper from inside his sleeve, and then handed it forward.

The chamberlain on the side immediately took it, and then handed the drawing paper to the imperial case.

The faces of the three young men side by side suddenly appeared clearly in front of Empress Wu.

……

"People say that Nanchang Wanggong's brushwork is first-class, and now it seems that he does have some skills." Empress Wu nodded, and then asked, "Who are these?" ”

Li Xuan solemnly bowed his hand: "After returning to the heavens, it is these three people who have started to transfer the congratulatory gifts sent to the Prime Minister's Mansion." ”

"Huh?" Empress Wu immediately looked at the three figures on the drawing paper coldly, and then looked at Li Xuan with a frown: "The secret guard didn't find out anything, why did you find out instead?" ”

The matter that the Xiangwang Mansion was almost burned down, the Empress Wu knew that night.

However, after knowing that the matter had been controlled, she and the emperor chose to remain silent on the surface at the same time, but secretly, they asked the secret guards to step up their scrutiny.

But several days passed, but the secret guard didn't find out anything, and finally reported Li Xuan's investigation of Li Jingye.

But who would have thought that the secret guards didn't find out anything, but Li Xuan had already painted all the portraits of the hands-on people.

This made Empress Wu couldn't help but question the ability of the secret guard.

And, of course, surprise.

How did Li Xuan find this?

"After returning to the heavens, if the minister is right, the secret guards have already checked all the guests and found the original owners of the congratulatory gifts that were burned." Li Xuan bowed his hand slightly.

Empress Wu bowed her head and said, "The congratulatory gift for the fire was sent to the Prime Minister's Mansion, but after careful inspection, they didn't seem to know anything. ”

Li Xuan nodded and said, "That's true, these people really don't know anything, and their congratulatory gifts have already been transferred on the way." ”

After a slight pause, Li Xuan continued: "According to the list of visitors, the minister found out the original owner of the congratulatory gift that was burned, and then circled out who was better to start from among these people, and finally on their way to the Xiangwang Mansion, they found the place where they were exchanged gifts, and finally found three guys who were in a hurry, but happened to appear in every person who was exchanged for congratulatory gifts, on the way to the Xiangwang's Mansion. ”

"So, it must be these three people." Empress Wu's eyes were cold, and she looked at the three avatars.

I have to say that Li Xuan's painting skills are indeed very high, and he almost completely reproduces the appearance and characteristics of those three people.

Li Xuan's method didn't sound special, it was just that it dug deeper than the secret guard, but the secret guard missed this point.

Empress Wu raised her head, looked at Li Xuan, and said, "Where are these three people now?" ”

Li Xuan arched his hand and said: "After returning to the heavens, according to investigation, these three people are from Luoyang, and they arrived in Chang'an the day before the wedding of King Xiang, but on the afternoon of King Xiang's wedding, they left Chang'an. ”

"Spread the order, Qianniuwei sent people to Luoyang immediately to find these three people, and find these three people at all costs." Empress Wu picked up the drawing paper and handed it to the side.

A white-faced chamberlain stepped forward silently, took the drawing paper and quickly walked out of the Zichen Palace.

Now this case is involved, the Prime Minister's Mansion is involved, the North Gate Bachelor is involved, the kings, the crown prince, and even several prime ministers are paying attention.

Everyone is a thousand-year-old fox, so they naturally understand what serious consequences will be caused if the palace catches fire on the night of King Xiang's wedding.

If you are not careful, it will immediately be turbulent.

This year, except for the drought, everything is going well, but next year.

There will be a big war next year, and if something happens, it is even likely to affect the situation next year.

If there is another problem in the battle situation, the entire Datang will be in turmoil.

The defeat of Dafeichuan back then has not been a few years in the past.

……

Empress Wu suppressed the anger in her heart, looked up at Li Xuan, and asked, "King Nanchang, how did you find out that the British Duke was involved?" ”

Li Xuan was slandered in his heart, but then he suppressed the words of the Empress Wu, and said: "Wannian County found out the foothold of those three people in Chang'an, and the minister took out the portraits of several important people in the British Mansion, and asked the nearby people to identify them one by one, and finally they pointed out that there was a figure who looked very similar to the Grand Steward of the British Mansion, and he had appeared in that vicinity. ”

After speaking, Li Xuan took out a confession from his sleeve and handed it over slightly.

The chamberlain took it, and then handed it to the desk of the Empress Wu.

Empress Wu's eyes swept quickly, and in an instant, there was a trace of anger in her heart, but soon, she suppressed her anger, looked up at Li Xuan, and asked: "King Nanchang, you seem to have deliberately found the portraits of the British Duke and others to let others identify, have you already determined that the British Duke is doing tricks before?" ”

Li Xuan knew that his presumption of guilt would inevitably attract the attention of Empress Wu, so he immediately surrendered his hand and said, "Return to the Queen of Heaven, yes." ”

After a slight pause, Li Xuan continued: "Actually, the minister was a little suspicious from the beginning, that day in the Xiangwang Mansion, Dugu Zhong seemed to be intentionally making trouble in the Xiangwang Mansion. ”

Empress Wu frowned.

Dugu Zhong went to the Xiangwang Mansion to make trouble, his own means were clever, and Li Xuan calmed down quickly enough, so he basically didn't attract much attention from others.

The same is true for Empress Wu, after all, it is the internal affairs of the Prime Minister's Mansion, Li Dan has already handed over the recital of inviting Dugu Nu as a widow, and Empress Wu also approved it.

But she didn't expect that there would be other inside stories in this.

"Although the Dugu family has been in a bit of a recession in recent years, but in the first emperor and Gaozu period, there were also several concubines who entered the palace, not to mention that in the former Sui period, there was also a Dugu queen. Li Xuan seriously bowed his hand forward, although his words were not finished, but the Empress Wu understood everything.

In the matter of the palace, the entry is never just the beginning, and the subsequent struggle is a common thing.

Who knows, who will fall out of favor by accident; Who knows, who accidentally got into the position.

The woman of the Dugu family is no stranger to this kind of palace struggle, and she will not be afraid.

Dugu Zhong went to the palace to make trouble at the wedding of King Xiang, and if he really wanted to make trouble, he would only be his own sister who was unlucky in the end.

"So, someone is instigating?" Empress Wu's eyes had narrowed slightly.

She had already felt a dense and non-stop calculation that appeared beside Li Dan.

Someone is using Li Dan to do something, Dugu Chong's troubles are one thing, and the fire in Xiangwang's Mansion is also another.

This kind of sharp calculation made even the Empress Wu feel stinging.

"The minister asked Dugu Chong." Li Xuan arched his hand, then lowered his head and said, "It was someone who suddenly instigated a few words in his ear after he drank a few glasses." ”

Empress Wu asked directly: "That person is a British duke?" ”

"It's not." Li Xuan shook his head slightly, and said with a solemn face: "It's the British father's in-laws, and he is in the matter." ”

Empress Wu's face suddenly became solemn, Du Qiuren was the son of the former minister Du Zhenglun.

Du Zhenglun was a bachelor of the Qinfu Literature Museum in his early years, and during the Zhenguan period, he was already a Chinese scholar and the prince's left concubine, and he was named the Marquis of Nanyang County.

It's a pity that the prince is Li Chengqian.

Du Zhenglun was later implicated in Li Chengqian's conspiracy and exiled to Luzhou.

During the Xianqing period, Li Zhi recalled Du Zhenglun, paid homage to the prime minister, Zhongshu Ling, and entered the Duke of Xiangyang County.

In the third year of Xianqing, Du Zhenglun was falsely accused of forming a party because of his discord with Li Yifu, and was demoted to the assassin of Hengzhou, and died soon after.

After Li Yifu's death, Du Zhenglun was rehabilitated, and his youngest son Du Qiuren was tired of being an official for many years, but he married his daughter to Li Jingye's son.

There is no doubt that without Li Jingye's interference, Du Zhenglun would not have been involved in this matter anyway.

Empress Wu squinted slightly, thinking through all the connections in this.

Although the three people have not been found yet, and there is no chief steward who arrested Li Jingye, it can basically be confirmed that Li Jingye is doing ghosts in it.

Empress Wu turned sideways slightly: "Order, secret guard to arrest the chief steward of the British Mansion." ”

"Whoa!" Behind the curtain, the footsteps quickly faded away.

Empress Wu gently knocked on the imperial case, then looked at Li Xuan and said, "King of Nanchang!" ”

"The minister is here." Li Xuan immediately surrendered.

"Tomorrow, the trial of the British public and private Tubo case, Dali Temple, the Criminal Department, the Yushitai, and the three divisions will be tried, and you will accompany the Prime Minister to observe."

Li Xuan's expression was awe-inspiring, and he directly attacked: "Huh! ”

Empress Wu's counterattack against Li Jingye was direct and fierce.

Empress Wu continued to speak and said: "You only have three days, and when you look at the sun, this palace will know the final result of this case." ”

"Commandment." Li Xuan bowed slightly, her face solemn.

In this case, he was obviously just an observer, but he asked him to give the result.

You must know that Li Jingye was involved in the case, and the three divisions will be tried, Duan Baoxuan, the secretary of Dali Temple, Pei Yan, the secretary of the Criminal Department, and Cui Mi, the minister of the imperial history, all three of them will be present.

At that time, Li Xuan can have a little right to speak, not to mention for the time being, how can he guarantee the result?

And let him take it with him to listen to it once, so to speak, let him mention Li Dan through this matter.

Empress Wu didn't pay attention to what Li Xuan's ability was thinking, and waved her hand directly: "Okay, you can step down." ”

"Whoa!" Li Xuan bowed slightly and slowly retreated.

As soon as he walked to His Highness Zichen, a familiar old eunuch was already waiting at the foot of the steps.

Wang Fulai shook off the dust and said with a smile: "King of Nanchang, Your Majesty has a trick." ”

(End of chapter)