It's easy to be a villain, but hard to be a princess

When Han Zixiao got up, his head hurt a little, probably because his nose was stuffed.Chu Muqing had already got up, Han Zixiao came to the dining hall, and it happened that Chu Muqing was also there.

Han Zixiao looked at Chu Muqing and said, "Master, good morning."

Chu Muqing, who was drinking porridge, glanced at him.A servant brought a bowl of brown soup, which smelled very unpleasant. Han Zixiao smelled the ginger soup in front of him and said, "What is this?"

Chu Muqing replied, "Ginger soup, you drink it."

Han Zixiao didn't like the smell, let alone drink it, but Chu Muqing asked him to drink it, so he drank it.The rich ginger soup poured down his throat, and it was scalding hot. Han Zixiao couldn't handle it being too hot. After putting down the bowl, he picked up the porridge next to him and took a sip.

The bowl of porridge was just served, it was very hot to the mouth, Han Zixiao couldn't bear the hotness after taking a sip, and spat it out.The maid who was serving at the side couldn't help laughing, Han Zixiao covered her burnt mouth, looked at Chu Muqing's face, and said, "I'm sorry."

Chu Muqing looked calm, "It's not a one-time or two-time thing, I'm used to it."

Han Zixiao was a little embarrassed.The maid next to her smiled again.

It snowed last night, and today the ground is covered with a layer of white fluff, and when you step on the ground, a footprint will be printed.Han Zixiao wore a big cloak and entered the palace with Chu Muqing in a carriage. There was a heater in the carriage, which was quite warm.

Chu Muqing suddenly asked, "How is Master Liu's funeral going?"

Mentioning Liu Qinghe, Han Zixiao's face became heavy, "It was all done yesterday, but unfortunately, he sacrificed his life to handle the case, but his family members cannot get the court's compensation."

"If the Liu family needs silver taels, you should inform Uncle Song and go to the treasury to get them."

Han Zixiao said, "Thank you, my lord."

"Are you going to continue to investigate this case?"

"Of course, if you give up halfway, how can you stand up to the dead Master Liu?" After Han Zixiao finished speaking, he didn't know what to do. Now that Mr. Wei Haotian's accountant is dead, where else can he start?

"My lord." Han Zixiao said.

"Ok?"

"I want to borrow a few people from the prince." He secretly investigated the case. Liu Qinghe was no longer alive, and he was determined to be unable to do many things by himself, so he had to borrow someone from Chu Muqing.

Chu Muqing said: "After the court is over, I will arrange it for you when I return to the mansion."

Han Zixiao was quite moved, "Thank you, my lord."

Outside the Jinluan Hall, Qin Xiao saw Han Zixiao and Chu Muqing walking side by side.Chu Muqing exchanged greetings with several senior ministers, talking about a light snowfall yesterday.

Qin Xiao moved to Han Zixiao's side, and said in a low voice, "It seems that Mr. Han has guarded so that the clouds will open to see the moonlight."

Han Zixiao looked at Qin Xiao, "Thanks to Mr. Qin for pointing it out."

Qin Xiao smiled, "You only need to tie the bell to untie it, and Qin can't help much."

After returning to the palace, after having lunch, Chu Muqing called Han Zixiao to the study.

There were already four guards standing in the study. After Han Zixiao entered, he swept over the four guards first, "My lord, this is..."

Chu Muqing said: "They are people arranged by the king for you, and they will obey your orders from now on."

Han Zixiao was a little surprised that he had arranged someone for him so quickly.Chu Muqing said: "Just take note of their appearance, they are usually at the house, so it is convenient for you to find them."

Han Zixiao walked up to a guard, "What's your name?"

The guard clasped his fists and said, "Back to the princess, I'm a lowly Tie Feng."

Han Zixiao nodded, and walked to the next guard, "What's your name?"

"Humble job night."

Han Zixiao asked the names one by one, and also wrote down the appearance.

Chu Muqing looked at the four guards and said, "Go down first."

The four guards said in unison: "Yes, my lord."

After the guards went down, Chu Muqing said: "These four guards are the confidantes of the king, they will never have two hearts, and their martial arts are all higher than yours, and they have always been effective in doing things, so you can rest assured."

Han Zixiao was quite moved, looked at Chu Muqing and said, "Thank you, my lord."

Chu Muqing said: "This king arranged for you not only because of you, but also for the court."

"Your Majesty understands."

In the afternoon, Han Zixiao summoned four guards in his study, and explained everything to them without any concealment.

After Han Zixiao finished speaking, Tie Feng said: "Princess, I have something to say about my humble position."

Han Zixiao nodded, "Finish."

Holding the sword in his arms, Tie Feng said thoughtfully: "The behind-the-scenes mastermind used Wei Haotian to take poison and committed suicide as a cover-up, so he must not have noticed that Mr. Accountant is their scourge, and no outsiders know about the secret investigation of the concubine and Mrs. Liu. The fact that Mr. Liu went to Yu County to investigate the case was not disclosed, but Mr. Liu was killed on the night he found the accountant... Therefore, I believe that the mastermind behind the scenes must have known that Mr. Liu went to Yu County to find the accountant, and it may be Follow Master Liu."

Han Zixiao nodded while listening, "Your analysis makes sense."

"If that's the case, the concubine can think about who knows about Mr. Liu's investigation in Yu County."

Han Zixiao thought for a while, picked up a pen and wrote down the names of people who knew about it on the paper, and several guards gathered around to look at it.Han Zixiao was the first to write down the emperor, the second was Chu Muqing, and the third was Ye Qing, who else did he tell?

Tie Feng said: "While the concubine is discussing this matter with Master Liu, is there anyone else?"

Han Zixiao closed his eyes and thought, since he heard that Wei Haotian committed suicide by taking poison, and when he came out of the Ministry of Criminal Justice for an autopsy, Lin Manxu, the servant of the Ministry of Criminal Justice, asked them if they had seen the clue. At that time, Han Zixiao and Liu Qinghe denied it.

Han Zixiao thought for a while, and wrote down Lin Manxu's name, and then there was the coroner who performed the autopsy.Who else?

A flash of inspiration flashed in Han Zixiao's mind, and Han Zixiao remembered that two days before Liu Qinghe went to Yu County, he and Liu Qinghe entered the palace to ask the emperor. At that time, Fan Youcheng was also present, so besides the emperor and Chu Muqing, Fan Youcheng knew best Liu Qinghe went to Yu County to investigate the case.

Han Zixiao froze, tapped the pen on the paper, and blurred a ball of black ink.Han Zixiao came back to his senses and wrote Fan Youcheng's name on the paper.

On paper, including the emperor, Chu Muqing and Ye Qing, there are only six people.Han Zixiao took up his pen again and crossed out Chu Muqing, Ye Qing and the emperor, because these three people were impossible.

For the remaining three, that Zuo Zuo is a small official who is as big as a sesame seed, and it is unlikely that he is behind the scenes.However, Lin Manxu, Minister of the Ministry of Justice, and Wei Haotian worked together in the Ministry of Justice, so it was impossible for them to collude secretly. Besides, Wei Haotian was in deep trouble at that time, and it was easy for Lin Manxu to play tricks on his meals.

And Uncle Fan Youcheng...

Han Zixiao looked at the words Fan Youcheng and fell into deep thought.Fan Youcheng is Chu Ruihong's biological uncle, the younger brother of the Empress Dowager, if he is, then things will be difficult.

Although it cannot be confirmed that Lin Manxu and Liu Qinghe's death are behind the scenes, judging from the current situation, these two people are the most suspected.

Han Zixiao arranged for a guard to follow Lin Manxu secretly and observe his every move.And Fan Youcheng is an uncle of the country, with a high position and authority, and there must be many masters around him, so it is not easy to follow and observe his actions.Once discovered, it will definitely cause more trouble.

After the guards left, Han Zixiao sat behind the desk, looking at the list on the paper in a daze.He and Liu Qinghe have been investigating the case secretly, and the mastermind behind the scenes must know the purpose of Liu Qinghe's trip to Yu County.

Han Zixiao remembered that Tie Feng had just said that the murderer might have followed Master Liu.Liu Qinghe was killed on the night when Mr. Accountant was found. If the murderer had known Liu Qinghe's purpose of going to Yu County early in the morning, why didn't he find Mr. Accountant and kill him before Liu Qinghe, and wait until Liu Qinghe found someone?

The accountant changed his name, and Liu Qinghe only found out after wandering around Yu County for a few days. The best explanation is that the murderer couldn't be found before Liu Qinghe, so he had to attack together after Liu Qinghe found it.

Han Zixiao thought of the attendant who brought Liu Qinghe's ashes back to Beijing.Feeling wrong, there were three attendants who followed Liu Qinghe to Yu County, but he was the only one who came back.

Han Zixiao took Tie Fengce to Liu's residence immediately, looking for the attendant who brought back the ashes.This entourage was named Liu Hou, who had lost his parents since he was a child, Liu Qinghe took pity on him and kept him in the mansion since he was a child.

When Han Zixiao arrived at Liu's residence, he asked the housekeeper to find Liu Hou.

Liu Hou came in from the door, lowered his head and called out, "My lord."

Han Zixiao looked at him, "You tell me exactly what happened on the night of the fire."

Liu Hou raised his head, and said submissively, "I don't know even the small ones."

"You were with Mr. Liu at that time, how could you not know?"

"During the fire, Mr. Liu lived in the front yard, and the young one lived in the back yard. They were not together."

Han Zixiao paused, and then asked: "How did you escape that night? The followers who went with you were dead or alive, why didn't they come back with you?"

"The little one slept like hell that night. When I woke up the next day, I found that half of the accountant's house had been burned down. The other two attendants, after waking up, went to see where they lived, but they didn't see anyone. As for whether it is dead or alive, the little one doesn't know."

Han Zixiao said suspiciously: "The house is on fire, and you are inside, and you don't even know?"

Liu Hou raised his eyes, "I don't know why, I don't sleep so hard on weekdays, but that night I didn't wake up until noon the next day."

Han Zixiao frowned, logically speaking, if the house caught fire, the people living inside would not wake up the next day.But Liu Hou said that he woke up at noon the next day, so there are two possibilities, one is that he is lying, and the other is that he was drugged.

But the second possibility is much more likely.Because if Liu Hou was the murderer, he would not bring Liu Qinghe's ashes back, let alone stay in the Liu residence until now.

Han Zixiao asked again: "You just said that the other two attendants disappeared when you went to see them the next day?"

"Enn, the younger one lives next door to them. At that time there was only one vacant room in the house, and the two of them lived in it. The younger one shared a room with the servants in the house."

"That night, do you think there is something wrong with these two?"

Liu Hou tilted his head and thought for a while, "That day, the butler in the house called us to have dinner, and they both said that their stomachs were a little uncomfortable and they didn't want to eat."

Han Zixiao narrowed his eyes slightly, "So, after you ate that night, you slept until the next day."

Liu Hou nodded, "For some reason, I went back to my room after eating and fell asleep."