Madam, protect me!

Guanglu Temple Chengfu.

Many officials from Guanglu Temple, Taichang Temple, Ministry of Rites, and Honglu Temple lined up at the entrance of the mourning hall to express their condolences.

Although the four departments belong to different yamen, they often need to cooperate with each other when the court holds court meetings, various ceremonies, and sacrificial matters. Most of the officials in the various departments are familiar with each other. When they heard the news of the death of the Prime Minister of Guanglu Temple, they came to visit one after another. Memorial.

Wu Zongguang, the Prime Minister of Guanglu Temple, was a Jinshi in the 18th year of the Supreme Sage. In 16 years, he climbed from the bottom of the ninth rank to the fifth rank. This speed is not slow, and his future is unlimited.

If he could live another twenty years, he might be able to serve as a fourth-rank official.

It is a pity that he died young, due to illness before he was even forty, which is really sad.

"Madam, my condolences!"

"Master Wu, I'm here to see you off on your last journey."

"The sky has no eyes, Mr. Wu is so young, how come..."

"Sister-in-law, if you have any difficulties in the future, you can come to Guanglu Temple. We promised Master Wu that we will take good care of your family..."

…

Although the entire Wu Mansion was immersed in sadness, many officials came to pay homage to the Prime Minister of Guanglu Temple, and their words also brought some comfort to everyone in the Wu Mansion.

The housekeeper of Wu Mansion had just sent away a group of guests when several more figures walked into Wu Mansion.

The one at the front was a beautiful young woman who exuded a bit of nobility. The other people were wearing police uniforms and looked incompatible with the surrounding environment.

The mistress of the Wu Mansion came out quickly, bowed to them, and asked, "Are you here to pay homage to your late husband?"

Li Anning looked at her and said: "We are from the Ministry of Punishment. The Ministry of Punishment is deeply saddened by the news of Mr. Wu's death. In addition to paying homage to Mr. Wu, we are here this time. We also have some things to ask Madam. "

"The Criminal Department?"

The woman was slightly stunned and asked, "What do you want to ask?"

Li Anning smiled kindly at her and said, "Don't worry, madam. It's just a routine inquiry. Mr. Wu was a court official from the fifth rank. Regarding his death, the court must investigate clearly, but there is no rush for this. Let's pay tribute first." Let’s talk after paying homage to Mr. Wu…”

Several people walked into the mourning hall and first offered incense and worship. Then, Li Anning looked at the woman and asked, "Mrs. Wu, can I take a step to speak?"

The woman nodded and said, "Please come with me."

Watching a few people leave, the two young women kneeling on both sides of the mourning hall couldn't help but look at each other, with a trace of hidden worry flashing in their eyes.

At this moment, in another room in the Wu Mansion, Li Anning asked the woman several questions one after another.

"Master Wu, has your health always been bad?"

"A few years ago, my health was quite good, but since two years ago, it has been getting worse day by day. In the past few months, I have been so sick that I can't even get out of bed."

"What disease is Master Wu suffering from?"

"I saw the imperial doctor before. The imperial doctor said that he was overworked and injured his body. He also prescribed some tonics, but they had no effect..."

"Overworked? As far as I know, the official duties of Guanglu Temple are not that busy."

When mentioning this matter, the woman was a little embarrassed and said: "Three years ago, the master took in two more concubines. He worked day and night and was exhausted. In the winter two years ago, he also suffered from a cold and was seriously ill for a month. Although he recovered from his illness, his health deteriorated..."

Li Anning continued to ask: "What were those two concubines doing before?"

The woman said: "They are the brothels of a brothel. They were originally a pair of sisters. Later, the master redeemed their lives and took them as concubines. In the past three years, they have served the master with all their heart..."

Li Anning's face showed a meaningful expression.

Before taking a concubine, my health was pretty good. After taking a concubine, one year later, my health became worse day by day.

Although she died two years later, it was difficult for others to suspect her, but she believed in her husband even more.

She looked at the woman and asked, "Have you ever seen a doctor in the past two years?"

The woman nodded and said, "I asked the imperial doctor to take a look. The imperial doctor prescribed a prescription. I have been taking it for the past two years."

"Does it work?"

"It had some effect at first, but then it became less and less effective..."

"Bring me that recipe and take a look."

…

When Li Nuo returned home from Honglu Temple, An Ning was already waiting for him in the yard.

Li Nuo asked: "How is the investigation going?"

Li Anning shook his head and said, "Mr. Wu's health has been deteriorating since he fell ill two years ago. I've also had people read the prescription prescribed by the imperial doctor. There's nothing wrong with it. Recipes for replenishing qi and nourishing the body..."

Li Nuo thought for a while and asked, "Where's the prescription? Do you still remember it?"

Li Anning took out a piece of paper from his sleeve and said, "I copied it down."

Li Nuo took the piece of paper and looked up.

This is an excellent prescription for replenishing qi and nourishing the body. If a fifth-rank official is sick, he can be treated by an imperial doctor for free. The biggest effect of this prescription is to nourish the kidneys, and it has no side effects on the body. The more he drinks it, the worse his health will be. The difference is.

Although the code can target criminals, it does not provide any concrete help to Li Nuo in the process of solving crimes.

To solve the case, he had to find substantial evidence.

Li Nuo thought for a while and said, "Forget it, I'll go see it with you tomorrow."

…

night.

Jingzhao Mansion Office.

Jing Zhaoyin tapped the table with his index finger and asked, "You mean, after Li Nuo left, he first went to the Ministry of Justice, and then Princess An Ning took people to the Wu family?"

A man nodded and said: "Yes, Princess An Ning also asked Mrs. Wu some questions, all about Wu Zongguang's life. They seem to have begun to doubt the cause of Wu Zongguang's death..."

Jing Zhaoyin rubbed the center of his eyebrows and said a little upset: "How could this happen..."

What he worried about most happened.

It turned out that this was another unforeseen incident.

It took them more than five years to implement this plan.

The entire plan was flawless and flawless.

However, the officials of Honglu Temple were not included, and they wanted to go to express their condolences on behalf of the Wu family.

Who asked him to go to Honglu Temple!

How did he notice it?

But right now, these are not the most important. Now that the flaw has been exposed, the second plan must be launched.

The man said disapprovingly: "Sir, you don't have to worry. This time, the two of them did a clean job. They couldn't find anything."

Jing Zhaoyin took a deep breath and said, "I'm afraid they won't be able to find anything..."

Then Li Nuo has obviously discovered something.

If he can find something successfully, the case can be concluded as soon as possible.

Once he can't find anything, he will continue to investigate. In this case, no one can guarantee that he will find something.

He looked at the man and said, "Tell them to activate Plan B."

The man's expression changed and he said in confusion: "Why!"

Plan B means to expose them deliberately.

However, the two of them had no choice but to die if they attempted to murder the imperial official.

The butterfly is dead, can't we keep the dragonfly and fireflies?

Jing Zhaoyin looked at him and said word by word: "The only role of their lives is to complete the plan. Your little mercy may make us lose everything..."

The man lowered his head silently and said: "As ordered..."

…

Early the next morning, Li Nuo and An Ning went out to the Prime Minister's Mansion of Guanglu Temple together.

However, before the two of them entered the Wu Mansion, they saw the two women being escorted out of the Wu Mansion.

Li Nuo was stunned when he saw this, stepped forward and asked, "What's going on?"

The housekeeper of the Wu Mansion said angrily: "These two cheap concubines, just after the master left, they took away the family's belongings and tried to escape. They were caught by the night guard, and the servants of the family were still digging in their rooms. They bought some medicinal materials, and every time they boiled the medicine for the master, Every time, they secretly hide some medicinal materials. The doctor said that without these medicines, the tonic will turn into poison. No wonder the master’s health is getting worse and worse. It’s all their fault. The master is so good to them, but they actually If you dare to murder the master, go and see the official with me!"

Li Nuo and An Ning looked at each other. It seemed that there was no need to enter the Wu Mansion.

The case was solved, but it was the other party who threw himself into the trap and had nothing to do with them.

Li Anning felt a little regretful and said, "Oh, it was all my negligence. I could have just searched their rooms yesterday!"

The cultivation that was given to her for free was thrown away because of her carelessness, and she regretted it extremely at the moment.

Cases involving fifth-rank officials are not ordinary murder cases and can increase a lot of cultivation.

Li Nuo smiled and said, "Go back to the Criminal Department quickly. You can handle this case and recover a lot of losses."

An Ning hurried back to the Punishment Department with them, and Li Nuo returned to Honglu Temple. After arriving at his yamen, a trace of suspicion finally appeared on his face.

He looked at the two colorful images on the codex.

If the arrest of the two women had nothing to do with him, why did their portraits appear in the code?

What strengths do these two women have that can be recognized by the code?

Do these rich and powerful people have such high requirements for talents when taking concubines?

However, these versatile women are often accompanied by fatal dangers.

Member Zheng died at the hands of his concubine, and Wu Zongguang, the chief minister of Guanglu Temple, also died at the hands of his concubine...

Wait... Where has he seen the name Wu Zongguang before?

After a brief recollection, Li Nuo quickly remembered something.

He came to the Ministry of Personnel and borrowed the list of Jinshi over the years from his father-in-law.

After finding the list of Jinshi in the 18th year of the Holy Saint's reign, Li Nuo turned to the end.

Gu Wenhan was a Jinshi in the 18th year of his reign and ranked 96th in the imperial examination.

Wu Zongguang was a Jinshi in the 18th year of his reign, ranking 97th in the imperial examination.

Zheng Tianxing was a Jinshi in the 18th year of his reign, ranking 98th in the imperial examination.

Gu Wenhan, Wu Zongguang, and Zheng Tianxing—the three last Jinshi who ranked consecutively in the 18th year of the Holy Sage—have all died.

If Li Nuo's guess is correct, Wu Zongguang, the chief minister of Guanglu Temple, might have been an errand in the East Palace before?