In the imperial study, only the sound of heavy breathing remained.

For a moment no one spoke.

Li Shao Dingding looked at the drawing, and there was only confusion in his eyes.

Ning An's question completely stopped him.

In the past, when such questions were thrown one after another, catching him off guard and unable to answer, Li Shao would subconsciously think that the other party was deliberately looking for trouble, but at this moment he had no such thoughts at all.

Because these questions were asked to his heart.

What else happened that night?

He was covered by the monkey-faced eunuch, and it was Mrs. Bo who carried him outside the palace.

And what about the eunuch?

Did Mrs. Bo meet with him? Did Madame Bo take him from the eunuch, or did the eunuch abandon him early and flee for his life, and Madame Bo saw him fall to the ground and immediately took him out?

Why did he sleep in the East Room?

Why didn't the queen wake up?

"Father?" Li Shao looked at the saint blankly.

He was too young at the time, and he could only remember a little, and his father personally participated in the investigation after the fire, and he had been thinking about the case for so many years, and wanted to know more about the situation.

The saint pressed his eyebrows, calmed down for a moment, and started with what he could be sure of.

"At that time, the fire was too bad, and after examination, everyone died in the fire, and there is no trace of posthumous destruction."

Speaking of this, the saint choked up.

At that time, in addition to the local government, the third division of Jingzhong also urgently dispatched people to arrive, and the servants brought were also good, and even considering that the princess and Mrs. Bo were killed, and two female servants came.

But to identify whether it was a fire before or after death, it was necessary not only to examine the body, but also to disembowel.

The officials didn't dare to do it directly according to the rules, so they had the courage to ask Li Yi, who was still the sixth prince.

Li Yi was hesitant.

His beloved wife was already in great pain, and he regretted the quarrel with her that night, and even more regretted that he had taken away the guards and monks and soldiers, so that there were not enough rescuers in the temple.

Grief and remorse entangled him, and Li Yiku sat all night, unable to make up his mind.

Someone advised him that he had already left, so go completely and decently, and not be humiliated again.

Some people also persuaded him that from the scene, it looked like an accident, and if it was disemboweled, and it was finally confirmed that it was an accident, he would have been stabbed a few times in vain.

In the end, it was Cheng Cheng Bo who touched him.

Lin Yu also sat all night, and when he came back early in the morning, his chin was full of stubble, and he was tired and depressed.

He took Li Yi to the mortuary room, pointed to the nine corpses and said, "Your Highness, it's burned like this, can you tell the difference? Can you tell which one is the princess?"

The servants have already been divided, some people have less damage and can distinguish characteristics, and some people have great damage, but they can make a difference from height, body shape, bones, etc., so in the end, they have generally come to a conclusion.

"You can't be wrong."

"But the minister is afraid that something will go wrong, and I'm afraid that it won't be Ah Yun who will sleep with the minister in a hundred years," Lin Yu said slowly, "I'm afraid that I won't find out the truth and won't have the face to see her."

The minister also wants her to be decent, and the minister also understands that it may be a bamboo basket to draw water, but what if it is just a little bit?

If someone really committed murder, just because the minister refused to check to the end and let him escape, the minister couldn't accept it......

Li Yi listened.

Every word smashed into his heart.

He insisted on disemboweling, and the servants distinguished the lungs, trachea, etc., and came to the conclusion that people were alive at the time of the fire.

Since they are alive, except for Shen Yun, who returned to the fire, why didn't the other eight people escape?

All kinds of memories filled his mind, and the saint's voice was hoarse: "The first to arrive was a novice, who saw Ning An's mother put Shao'er on the ground and rushed back to the temple.

He didn't follow in, but just guarded Shao'er.

During the previous investigation, the scene was too chaotic, and there was still some lamp oil in the ear chamber attached to the east room, so at that time

The point of fire was judged to be in the east, thinking that there was an accidental fire, and I was not alert in my sleep, and I did not notice it at the first time, and it was too late when I found it.

It is now clear that the location of the fire is in the east room, and it is still a little east room away from the ear chamber."

The saint said with an astringent throat, picked up the tea cup and took a sip, only to feel that the tea was bitter.

"The nine people who were killed were all in the second room and the second room in the east." The saint picked up the pen again and drew it one by one on that drawing, without hesitation in every stroke, which showed that he remembered it deeply.

"The Queen and Madame Count are down here."

Lin Yunyan looked down, it was close to the north window, and another stroke was drawn under the window.

"This is Mama Liao, the queen's dowry grandmother, it should be that she can't get out of the next room, she wants to open the window and climb out, but unfortunately she fell down before she could open the window," the saint explained, "Judging from the posture, Ning An's mother dragged the queen away, and she was still a few steps away from the window......

There were four people in the east room, two grandmothers and two maids, some fell to the east room, and some people fell down and never got up again.

There were also two people in the east room.

One of the grandmothers ran towards the middle room and wanted to leave through the gate, while the other eunuch was facing east, presumably trying to go in and save people.

Li Shao listened and watched, and through the Shengshang's narration, he wanted to try to recall some more from it.

"This eunuch who wants to save people," Li Shao muttered, "It shouldn't be that monkey face, right? He's a murderer, and he won't save people."

Sheng Shang said: "This person's surname is Cai, he is in his early twenties, he has a round face and kindness, I remember him, not the person you said Shao'er."

"Looks like he ran away!" Li Shaodao.

"I have to look at the roster again," the saint said in a deep voice, "At that time, there were not many eunuchs accompanying Dingguo Temple, except for this Gonggong Cai, three of them followed me down the mountain, and there were four or five people on duty in the treasure hall all night to keep the lantern.

The main hall here is settled with the female dependents, which is a separate piece, and it is far away from the residence where the monks rest, so it was not discovered early.

If it weren't for the fact that the little novice got up at night and smelled it, and looked all the way and saw that it was on fire, he would have delayed it a little longer."

Once again, the saint lowered his eyes and looked at the drawings.

Now that all the things that can be determined have been said, now he must calm down and seriously think about the mystery that has not yet been solved: why didn't Grandpa Cai and Mama wake up from the fire that broke out in Dongji? Shen Yun arrived in the west, but no one escaped the fire in the east?

Lin Yunyan was also thinking, several possibilities crossed her heart, and she couldn't help but glance at Xu Jian.

Xu Jian pondered and asked, "Holy Lord, is Gong Cai alert on Fair Day?"

In his early twenties, he was very young.

can follow up the mountain and rest in the second room, it can be seen that he has won the trust of the head of the hidden mansion.

Will such a father-in-law, who is used to serving people, not be able to sleep?

"I have the impression that I'm quite clever, running before and after, it's lively." Holy Word.

"Your Highness got up at night and called someone, right?" Xu Jian asked Li Shao.

Li Shao nodded hurriedly: "I'm awake, I'm very sleepy, but I also know how to call people."

He was four or five years old at the time, and it was a daily habit to shout when something happened.

"In the same room, His Royal Highness shouted, it is said that Gonggong Cai will not be unresponsive," Xu Jian paused and said, "Maybe he won't wake up."

Li Shao's eyes widened and he looked at Xu Jian in amazement.

"But they're all alive......" Li Shao muttered, and the next moment he reacted, "You mean you're stunned?" The medicine has fallen?"

A few words rushed out of his mouth, and he himself felt a chill in the back of his neck.

Oh, yes!

Ning An said that night was a conspiracy!

The monkey-faced eunuch set the fire with his hands, how could he not be prepared?

"He poured everyone's medicine, ordered ***?" Li Shao asked again.

"It's not," Lin Yunyan pursed her lips, "If it's ***, Grandpa Cai is smoked, how can His Highness wake up?" Children are even less resistant to drugs."

When the words fell, Li Shao fell into thought, but Xu Jian saw an instant shock on the face of the saint

Surprise.

"Did you think of something?" Xu Jian asked.

The saint opened his mouth, trying to say something but couldn't make a sound, as if a pair of big hands were holding his neck.

He leaned back in his chair, clutching his chest to breathe.

Seeing this, Gonggong Cao hurriedly handed him the full teacup, served the saint to use it, and helped someone gently pat his back.

After a while, the saint finally waved his hand and signaled that Gonggong Cao didn't need to shoot anymore.

He seemed to have recovered a lot, but he was still exhausted, covering his face with his hands, revealing a full of pain.

"Father......" Li Shao lowered his voice and called tentatively.

"I have a guess, I can't be sure," the saint's voice was completely hoarse, "It's very likely that she lit a sleeping incense in the east, and she ordered it herself."

This she undoubtedly refers to the first queen.

"Father!" Li Shao's face was full of disbelief.

Lin Yunyan was also frightened, and subconsciously looked at Xu Jian.

Xu Jian held her hand and used a little force, signaling her not to worry about it first.

"Your mother likes to use spices, and she also has a hand in incense," sighed the saint, "I remember that when I arrived at the temple, she didn't sleep well.

That night I had an argument with me, I thought about it in a very bad mood, when I was in the front hall to calm down, I heard that she called Ning An's mother to talk together, I wanted to let her go, the women said among themselves, Xu is angry.

She should have calmed down a bit, and wanted to get a good night's sleep, so she lit the sleeping incense.

This incense is not suitable for young children, so Shao'er, you were moved to the second room to rest.

Originally, it was fine, it was just a sleeping incense, but when the eunuch set it on fire, she and the grandmother and maid fell asleep, so they ......."

Hearing the saint say this, Lin Yunyan suddenly understood the reason why he was in so much pain just now.

The saint had regarded the tragedy of that night as his responsibility, and he regretted it to the extreme, but now he thought that the former queen had lit the sleeping incense, even if it was just a guess, it would make the saint blame himself even more.

"That's not your fault," Lin Yunyan said, "It's not Your Highness's fault that it's like a fire."

"Ning An doesn't need to comfort me," the saint shook his head slightly, "I know that the eunuch who plotted to set the fire was the murderer, and the master he ordered was also the murderer.

Shao'er is too young to blame him, but I am not entirely innocent.

It was my bad temper, my willful behavior, which gave the murderer an opportunity, and eventually caused a tragedy."

When it comes to this, no amount of forgiveness is futile.

Seeing that the atmosphere was deadlocked, Xu Jian spoke first and pushed down: "The sleeping incense in the east will not affect the second room, so Gonggong Cai and that grandma are probably still hit***."

Since His Highness was fine, the minister guessed that the monkey-faced eunuch had soaked a veil with a potional and covered their mouths and noses.

He should have continued to cover His Highness, but he didn't expect His Highness to wake up suddenly.

He didn't immediately take a strong action against His Highness, probably because he was afraid of waking up the people in the next room, so it was inferred that he hadn't had time to make a move on His Highness, maybe he didn't know how effective the sleeping incense was, and when the fire burned, he still didn't dare to let His Highness make a sound.

Although my mother-in-law did not have Chinese medicine, she was far away, and it was too late for her to wake up.

She rescued His Highness first, and then rushed into the east room, and it took some effort to wake people up, and because of the influence of the sleeping incense, the first queen and the grandmothers who woke up inhaled the smoke again, so that they staggered and couldn't push open the window."

The saint took a deep breath.

After a long time, he said, "Right now, this is the most likely of these situations. Whether it is true or not, we have to find proof."

And the best proof is the monkey-faced eunuch.

The saint stabilized his mind, clasped his hands, and said, "Xu Jian, I have handed over this matter to you, the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Punishment, you can turn over the old case as soon as possible."

In this matter, there were so many officials in the previous dynasty, and the only ones I could trust and rest assured were you and Chengchengbo, your son-in-law.

I need an answer for whatever I say."

Xu Jian got up and saluted respectfully to receive the order: "The minister must do his best."

If you look at it from this inference, it is not beneficial to Xu Jian and Lin Yunyan.

As his father-in-law said to him before, the more the saint misses and feels guilty about the former queen, the more he will favor Li Shao, and the more he will not give up this son.

But they still have to follow this line to investigate.

Because Lin Yunyan also wants an answer.

As a daughter, she also has the right to find out how her mother died.

Moreover, this is also a path for them to get close to the man behind the scenes, even if it is bumpy, they must go along with it.

Gonggong Cao sent Xu Jian and Lin Yunyan away first, and Li Shao stayed.

"Shao'er," the saint came out from behind the big case, walked over to Li Shao and sat down, father and son facing each other, "Will you blame me?" It's strange that I was irrational that day, and I killed your mother......

Li Shao looked at him for a moment.

More than ten years have passed, and the voice and smile of the queen mother have long been blurred, but the child's feelings for his mother will still exist in his blood and bones, even if he doesn't remember it on weekdays, thinking back on so many things tonight, Li Shao's thoughts about the queen mother burst out all of a sudden.

In all fairness, the blame is not counted, there are some grievances, but from the perspective of reason, he knows that he is not blamed, and he can't complain.

"Ning An is right," Li Shao said, "The murderer is not your father, and the son does not blame you."

"I'm not a murderer, but I'm at fault," the saint said with a wry smile, "Shao'er, if you have a mistake, if your father wasn't a reckless person back then, don't have this useless face, and bow your head to your mother, things will be completely different."

This is my lesson, the lesson of your mother, your mother, and the lives of others.

I dare not forget it, and I hope you will remember it."

Li Shao was silent for a while, and said in a stalk, "Erchen remembers."