Startled Meng

The emperor ordered a thorough investigation. Although Yan Cijing and others were guilty, they still have a lot of authority to investigate the case, and they can intervene in the affairs of the mausoleum.

This is a big matter, involving old cases, before Fu Chun and Yan Cijing tortured the Minister of Rites, they came by themselves.

The 80-year-old white-haired old man was sitting on a four-wheeled cart and was pushed by his grandson. With few teeth left, he babbled and babbled, which means that he followed orders back then. , Never dare to disclose.

Yan Cijing asked: "When changing the shroud, there were so many people there, but didn't you find anything?"

The old man waved his hands again and again, keeping his secret: "I don't know, the late emperor ordered to arrange the funeral for Prince Yin, so I led the people there, and I didn't dare to look and ask more questions."

After many years, recalling the scene of seeing Prince Yin that day, the old man still felt terrible, waving his withered hands, shouting tired and cold, and wanted to go home.

After the old man left, Fu Chun whispered to Yan Cijing: "Prince Yin was burned to death in his own East Palace, his appearance was completely destroyed, it's normal that the people in the Ministry of Rites can't recognize him."

Yan Cijing frowned slightly, and asked back, "Master Fu also..."

Fu Chun shook his head, and said: "I went to the East Palace with all the adults to pay the funeral. It was far away, and I couldn't see the remains of Prince Yin."

It stands to reason that the East Palace was flooded and the prince was burned to death. How could such a big matter be handled lightly?Dali Temple and the Ministry of Criminal Justice did not intervene?

Seeing Yan Cijing's serious expression and silence, Fu Chun said again: "At that time the prince was getting weaker and weaker day by day, and it was said that he had reached the point where the miracle doctor would not be able to recover even if he was reborn. Later, after the fire in the East Palace was extinguished, the prince was found lying flat on the collapsed ground. , without the slightest trace of struggle, some people said in private that the prince was suffering from illness and tormented, so he lit the bed curtain himself in order to die."

There was no disorder in the hall, and it seemed that they were not murdered by a traitor, but Yan Cijing felt that it was too simple, "Is that all?"

Yan Cijing was young and didn't understand the past, so it was normal to think a little too much. Fu Chun didn't blame him for thinking wildly, but said: "The years before the prince passed away were not peaceful. In the midst of war, under internal and external troubles, it is not surprising that anything happens."

Yan Cijing knew what Fu Chun meant: the late emperor sent a white-haired man to a black-haired man, it is impossible not to be sad, but if the grief is too much, he will be frustrated and hit, which is extremely unfavorable for the late emperor who was lingering in the sick bed at that time. The funeral ceremony is considered a turning point.

But no matter how sloppy, it is impossible for no one to find something wrong. Yan Cijing asked: "Not only the officials of the Ministry of Rites, but also the servants and eunuchs in the East Palace? Are they still there?"

Fu Chun said: "I have sent someone to look for it, but I haven't come back yet." After speaking, Fu Chun continued to look at the documents on the table.

The emperor said that he wanted them to investigate boldly, and gave them the right to deploy manpower, but it was limited to being in the palace. If they couldn't find out, they didn't want to leave the palace.

The documents on the case were piled up high, all of which were records about funerals and sacrifices brought out from the mausoleum. Yan Cijing didn't see anything wrong. Fu Chun, who has been handling cases for many years, was so keen and didn't find anything wrong.

Naturally, it is not enough to simply check the documents. Officials, large and small, who are still serving in the palace, have already seen anything related to the funeral of Prince Yin, but they still haven't found anything.

"The East Palace has been renovated a long time ago. Although nothing can be found, I still sent someone to look at it. I also checked the files of the Imperial Medical Office to confirm that Prince Yin's physical condition was indeed not good before the incident. What are the details? Didn't you think of it?" Fu Chun was very distressed.

The most feared thing in solving a case is that there are no witnesses or evidence. The longer the time, the more difficult it is to investigate the case, and it is in the middle of the palace, it is almost impossible to investigate the old case. Fu Chun felt powerless, and said casually: "Where is Master Yang?"

Yan Cijing was staring at a book in a daze, and replied casually: "Zhong Li has already been taken to Beijing, and Master Yang is going to be interrogated."

Fu Chun complained: "Go without saying a word, without saying a word."

After finishing speaking, Yan Cijing's pupils trembled, he got up and strode out: "Master Fu, come as soon as you go as an official."

Wenhua Hall

The eunuch in charge didn't dare to delay Yan Cijing's investigation, but there are palace rules, so he still has to follow the rules: "Master Yan, wait a moment, the servants have already been sent to look for them."

Waiting left and right, the officials on duty who came in and out of the hall changed several batches, and several pieces of incense were left behind. Before the people came, Yan Cijing clenched his fists anxiously.

When I was editing and compiling in the Hanlin Academy, I had searched through all the books. How could it take me so long to find a case book?Could it be that the people inside were too busy to forget?

Yan Cijing was about to ask someone to ask again, when he saw the eunuch in charge running up, saying that it was too long ago and it was too difficult to find, so he asked him to go and see for himself.

Yan Cijing didn't say anything, and followed the steward to the hall.

The documents and files in the warehouse are placed in different categories, and someone goes to clean them up from time to time, so how could they not be found?

Waiting outside the door was the junior officer who was on duty today, and said hello meticulously, and when the wide sleeves covering his face fell off, the faces of Bi Shouyan and Zhou Zheng were exposed.

"Master Yan, please."

Yan Cijing had received Bi Shouyan's kindness before, and his expression softened a little, but the investigation was important, so he quickly stepped into the library and went straight to the last row of bookshelves.

Bi Shouyan followed suit, holding a lamp to follow.

In his early years, Yan Cijing had nothing to do, so he had already turned over the booklets here. In addition, the year that Prince Yin passed away was not far from the disaster of the Meng family, so he easily found the records of Yuankang's 56 years.

Bi Shouyan waited at the side, making Yan Cijing wait in Waibai for so long, and he didn't explain anything, and now he watched Yan Cijing easily find out the booklet he was looking for, without the slightest guilt or embarrassment, and asked Waiting quietly beside the lamp.

The candles flickered silently, and the only sound in the room was the rustling of pages.

With a "snap", it turned to the last page, the back cover overwhelmed the inner page, Yan Cijing stopped, his eyes became suspicious, and then started from the first page, and turned it again.

The murals on the underground palace show that Prince Yin passed away on the seventh day of December in Yuankang 56, and the record on the sixth day of December is still available.

Holding the booklet, Yan Cijing approached the lamp that Bi Shouyan was carrying, and bent the pages with both hands. Unsurprisingly, he found a small piece of broken page between the pages.

In an instant, it was unclear whether it was because the air in the warehouse was not circulating, or because it was too close to the bright yellow and hot palace lantern, fine sweat broke out on Yan Cijing's forehead. Shocked, Yan Cijing spread out the book and asked, "How could this be?"

Bi Shouyan replied, "I don't know."

Yan Cijing glanced at him, and strode away with the books.

Bi Shouyan put the palace lantern aside, quickly followed Yan Cijing, and said in a low voice, "This action was not done by a subordinate official, but the people behind it must have a reason for doing so. Lord Yan, please think again!"

Seeing that he couldn't catch up, Bi Shouyan stopped and watched Yan Cijing leave, then turned and went to the discussion room of Wenhua Palace, where the Grand Tutor Bi Zhixing was waiting.

When he returned, Fu Chun was no longer in the room, and the books scattered on the table were not cleared away. Yan Cijing sat down and wrote a note in one go.

The wide sleeves were soaked and stained with black ink, but Yan Cijing didn't notice it. Covered in hot sweat, he looked at the booklet and prepared to present it to the emperor together with the torn booklet.

Before he could pick up the letter paper to dry, the folder was snatched away by a hand.

"Master Yang!" Yan Cijing looked at Yang Xun at the table in shock.

Yang Xun pursed his lips into a smile, lifted the booklet with his backhand and glanced at it, and said with a sneer: "Is there something hidden behind the death of Prince Yin?"

"Master Yan, it goes without saying, right?"

Yan Cijing was stunned: "What do you mean?"

Yang Xun smiled and said nothing, and his eyes were full of sarcasm when he squinted at Yan Cijing: "I have reported the case to the emperor, this case is over, Lord Yan can leave the palace."

Yan Cijing picked up the book and said, "But the case has not been investigated yet, and there is no clue as to who replaced Prince Yin's body!"

Yang Xun crumpled the letter paper and said, "Whether there are any clues has nothing to do with Mr. Yan, let's go?"

Then Fu Chun who came in hesitated to speak, took the book in Yan Cijing's hand, patted him on the shoulder, and followed suit to persuade him: "Master Yan, this matter is over, let's go out of the palace."

"Can--"

"This is the emperor's will."

Yan Cijing's hot sweat cooled down in an instant, and he was taken out of the palace gate by Fu Chun in a daze.

"My lord Yan, I have found out that there was no mistake in the corpse after it was encoffined. That's enough." Fu Chun's expression was ashamed, and he was unwilling to close the case, but the emperor ordered him to do so.

Yan Cijing understood and fell silent.

The emperor didn't want to find out the truth about the replacement of Prince Yin's body at all. He only wanted one result, and that was: the fault in the mausoleum must not happen after he ascended the throne.

"Even if Prince Yin's body is exposed in the wild, it doesn't matter..." Yan Cijing met Prince Yin at Meng's house.

It's all right for a person who is beautiful, unique, and gentle as jade to die young, and there will be no peace after death. Does the emperor have the heart to treat his elder brother like this?Even Yang Xun and Fu Chun don't want to give him justice?

Yan Cijing only met Prince Yin a few times, but he wanted to check, he wanted to check.

Outside the palace gate, Bi Shouyan was boarding the car, Yan Cijing thought of his words and deeds in the warehouse, became suspicious, walked quickly, lifted the curtain to get on the car, and became an uninvited guest.

"Master Bi, I have something to ask you."

Not far away, Yu Fang Zhigao sat on the horse, watching Yan Cijing enter Bi Shouyan's car with cold eyes.