last night suddenly dreamed of mountains and rivers

"It's not good! It's not good!" The servant of the West Mansion was like a headless mosquito, bumping all the way to the Hefeng Pavilion.He supported the crooked cloth towel hat, and looked as if he saw something terrible. The whites of his eyes were enlarged to almost cover his black eyes, and cold sweat emerged from his face one by one: "Butler Liu! Butler Liu!"

On the way Lan Jiansu and King Yi rushed to the West Mansion, they heard a series of screams not far away, cutting the silence in the air into dead flesh and bones.

Arriving at the gate of the west courtyard, Lan Jiansu saw the black wind howling in the courtyard, Liu Butler's limbs twisted into a weird shape, and he jumped up and down with his feet high, as if he was learning how to dance like a monkey.It should be a funny scene, but none of the people present could laugh.

Steward Liu uttered terrifying monkey calls that pierced his skin and bones. The sound was frighteningly sharp, like a knife about to be skinned and boned, and it didn't sound like a human sound at all.His hands were curled into claws, and he danced wildly, followed by scratching bloody scars on his face.It didn't feel like it was hurting, and he grabbed it hard, and the blood flowed down his face like water.

The surrounding servants watched in amazement, none of them dared to take half a step forward.It wasn't until King Yi gave the order: "Come and tie him up." Only then did the bolder one take the thick hemp rope and go to tie up Steward Liu.

But as soon as the boy got close to Butler Liu, Butler Liu went berserk, waving his bloody hands, and grabbed four bloodstains on the boy's arm.

The boy let out a cry, dropped the hemp rope and fell back.But seeing a flash of silver light, Lan Jiansu drew out the dagger worn by King Yi and chopped it at the boy's arm.

The little servant screamed in pain, his right arm fell to the ground, and blood gushed out from the mouth of the severed arm.

"Jiansu?" King Yi looked at Lan Jiansu in confusion.

Lan Jiansu's short knife had a line of blood rolling on it: "This must be done. If he doesn't do it, he will be like Steward Liu."

A year and a half ago, his mother and concubine Shuhui was just like this, she went mad, like a mad monkey.Of all the palace servants who were scratched by her, none of them died madly like her.

However, at that time, everyone said that he opened the altar to try his best, but his morality was not enough, and he summoned a fierce ghost to attach to her mother and concubine, killing her mother and concubine.But how can the ghost possessing infect others, and make those people's madness attack at the same time?Those who criticized him at the beginning naturally avoided talking about these questions.Butler Liu suddenly suffered from this illness, and the symptoms are the same. Could it be that someone in the palace used witchcraft to harm him?

Four servants came and wrapped their hands and feet with cowhide for protection, tied the thick hemp rope into a movable loop, and locked Steward Liu's neck and gloves.Several people exerted their strength together, but Steward Liu was firmly restrained by them.

He had scratched himself beyond recognition, his entire face was bloody and bloody, and there was not a single piece of flesh.He kept a few screams that were no longer shrill, and uttered a few words that were ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.In less than half a cup of tea, his head was tilted to one side, his mouth was still open, and he died standing up.When the servants went up to touch Steward Liu's body, the body was as stiff as a slab of stone, no different from someone who had been dead for an hour.

King Yi's brows were tightly furrowed, shock and doubt remained in his voice, and his expression turned into a reaction that was slightly lighter than ordinary people's. This seemed to be the time when his expression fluctuated the most.After a long time, Fang Ping took a deep breath: "Carry it down first, and wait for the criminal officer to come for the autopsy."

"Wait." Lan Jiansu interrupted two or three servants who were about to go up to carry the corpse.He walked up to Butler Liu and stared at the coarse cloth shirt on Butler Liu.The body of the firefly that was slapped to death by Butler Liu was stuck to the hem of the clothes at the waist.

"My lord." Lan Jiansu turned to look at King Yi, "Can you come with me to see the fireflies in the fruit and vegetable garden?"

Wang Yi was in a fog, and didn't ask detailed questions, so he nodded and said, "Okay."

The two came to the fruit and vegetable garden together, and the sky was filled with fireflies and greenery.A golden firefly landed on the back of Lan Jiansu's hand.

Lan Jiansu looked closely at the firefly on the back of his hand, and found that it was more than twice as fat as other fireflies. It moved slowly and was bloated. It was very similar to the corpse on Liu Butler's clothes.

There is not only one golden firefly, in the sky full of green fireflies, among the hundred or so green fireflies, there is a fat golden firefly mixed in.

Lan Jiansu pinched the golden firefly on the back of his hand with two fingers, brought it to King Yi and asked, "My lord, are these fireflies also raised by the mansion?"

King Yi shook his head and said, "The fireflies in the palace are all green, and this is the first time this king has seen fireflies of this color."

Lan Jiansu went to find the place with the most golden fireflies.Following a few golden fireflies, they came to another field.Golden fireflies gather here.There are several rows of rare fruits planted in the ridge here.These fruits are only three pieces of green, and several small golden fruits on the green leaves are gathered into a tower shape. Although the small fruits are only as big as a thumb, there is a universe inside.The peel is as thin as a film, and the flesh inside is shiny and moist, and the flesh is tangled with thousands of hooks, forming a small beautiful face.

Lan Jiansu squatted by the edge of the field and picked a small fruit: "My lord, what kind of plant is this?"

"The mermaid fruit from the Baila Kingdom. I have always liked to grow exotic flowers and plants. Last year, the king obtained these seeds from a foreign Persian businessman and planted them. These fruits were only produced at the beginning of this year."

Lan Jiansu pondered over and over again, "I suspect that the reason why Butler Liu went crazy is related to these beauty fruits."

“How come you see?”

"I observed just now that many small insects eat these beauty fruits, and firefly larvae feed on those small insects, so they grow into this color. Earlier, Steward Liu took me to the Hefeng Pavilion, and a golden firefly on the way It landed on his face. Butler Liu slapped the firefly to death, and the firefly's blood seeped into his face. After that, Butler Liu went crazy and scratched his face desperately. The place is where he caught the most serious.

"It might be true to say that the problem lies with the golden fireflies. But I think the root cause is these fruits."

King Yi's eyes also fell on those small golden fruits: "What you said is not unreasonable, I will order people to pick some fruits and send them to the palace for detailed investigation."

"Yeah." Lan Jiansu wiped a gleam of light from his heart.If it is found out that these fruits are really strange, maybe the cause of his mother and concubine's death can be solved.

Lan Jiansu was still squatting by the edge of the field. When she tried to stand up, her legs felt numb and she couldn't straighten up for a while.

King Yi took his arm and pulled him up.

"Thank you, my lord." Lan Jiansu swept away the dirt on his robe, and King Yi pulled his wrist and asked, "Your hand was stopped by that firefly just now, should you be all right?"

"The worm just stayed on the back of my hand for a while, so I thought it was fine."

Lan Jiansu wanted to take his hand back, but Yi Wang held his wrist firmly.

Lan Jiansu withdrew his hand again, as if being shackled, and let King Yi hold him firmly.He looked at King Yi inexplicably.

The night is getting darker now, with thick clouds embracing the moon, and it is dark and half-bright.A hazy ambiguity, floating in the air into silk.

King Yi's face was buried in the night, only the fluorescent light from fireflies dimly illuminated his face.

His eyes are like a dark river flowing silently, and there is a hunting beast hidden deep in the river.What's more, under the illusion, Lan Jiansu thought he saw a real hunting beast staring at him.

Lan Jiansu was secretly surprised to find this shadow from the indifferent King Yi.Moreover, this shadow is densely covering him.

But because he was the former prince and King Yi was his former uncle, Lan Jiansu didn't think too much about it.

"Uncle Emperor?" He changed his words back and called King Yi Uncle.

Yi Wang was slightly stunned, and the dark river in his eyes gradually became clear.After a long time, King Yi put down his hand and looked away from him: "You will follow me into the palace tomorrow to meet the emperor's brother."

Lan Jiansu moved his red wrist, and was immediately caught in another surprise: "Entering the palace? Tomorrow? So suddenly?"

King Yi said: "There is a misunderstanding between you and Brother Huang. Brother Huang has calmed down a lot during this time, and you happen to be in the capital. This is a good time for you to settle your suspicions."

Lan Jiansu thought to herself, the last time she went to the palace for a banquet, she failed to find a chance to investigate the death of Aunt Danxin, if she could enter the palace again this time, it would be a chance.

But his consideration was superfluous.

To be precise, Wang Yi didn't leave him room to refuse.He told Lan Jiansu categorically: "You stay in the palace at night, so we can enter the palace together tomorrow morning."

Lan Jiansu nodded casually, stopped in the middle of the nodding, and opened her eyes wide open.

King Yi wants him to stay in the palace?

After struggling for a long time, Lan Jiansu said: "No, my father won't let me stay out at night." It's an excuse, and King Zhenxian's thoughts on this point are completely opposite.He didn't return home at night, and King Zhenxian might raise his glass to invite the moon and rejoice all night long.

King Yi said: "I will order someone to send a message to King Zhenxian, you can stay here at ease tonight."

After King Yi gave the "order", he didn't allow any comment, leaving his tall back and walking in front.

Lan Jiansu looked at his cold and arrogant figure who was going forward, feeling depressed and aggrieved: the world bound me.My uncle bound me.