The first work of the imperial prison

The eldest lady seems to speak casually, but her demeanor is full of arrogance and determination, as if this is the truth in the world, everyone must pursue it, and everyone must support it.

Ye Baiting frowned slightly.

Wang's words seemed to have a hidden meaning, what did she want to express, and what did she hide?

On the way here this time, he and Qiu Yiqing took a closer look. The case of Ying Gonghou's mansion seemed very complicated. Mu Chrysanthemum was lethargic, allergies, amnesia, and a dead person. The "accident" incidents in the past can be picked up, and the complicated ones are actually the relationship between the characters. As long as we can figure it out clearly, the fog in front of us will definitely be cleared.

There are many questions that need to be verified. I chose to start with the second master, Ying Puxin, because I also wanted to see how others would react in unexpected situations.

Wang's expression of staring and lowering her eyes was very subtle, although she skillfully dismissed it with words, neither Ye Baiting nor Qiu Yiqing would ignore it.

Qiu Yiqing: "Yesterday, the case broke out. Jin Yiwei asked questions according to the rules, and the lady's itinerary has not yet been determined."

Mrs. Wang: "Yesterday it was my eldest sister's birthday. I have been working on it since I got up in the morning. My eldest sister doesn't like to be noisy and doesn't allow extravagance. There must be an atmosphere. As early as half a month ago, I started preparing. , The subordinates do things according to the tasks they have been assigned, and there is nothing wrong with the rules, but I am afraid of accidents, I have been watching, and I have to go and see myself from time to time, until the banquet is ready, everyone Come over and eat together.”

"Did anything special happen during the dinner?"

"No," Mrs. Wang shook her head. "The family eats together. The atmosphere is like this. It's nothing special."

"You went back to your room to rest after that?"

"Yes, until awakened."

"Who woke you up, personal maid?"

"No, it was Shizi who woke up first and woke me up. I changed my clothes and came out, and only then did I know something happened at home."

Ye Baiting and Qiu Yiqing exchanged glances, and asked: "Why do everyone sleep so deeply, Da Furen, have you ever thought about it?"

Wang still shook her head: "I'm afraid I need the help of Jin Yiwei to investigate."

Ye Baiting said again: "When the family decided to bring back the married daughter Ying Baisu, what were you thinking?"

Wang's eyes bent: "A powerful family should have such a magnanimity. It's not that my daughter can't afford it, so I don't need to have any thoughts."

"But as far as I know, the style of the Hou's family is that they don't want their daughter to lose face and bring shame on the family. When they get old, they must get married, whether they like it or not." Ye Baiting looked at Wang, "I have never married. Isn't it embarrassing to embarrass the Hou Mansion, be rejected by her in-laws, and return home as a grand return?"

Mrs. Wang was startled, she obviously didn't expect the other party to ask such a question, and her gaze became meaningful: "Master, you have such a keen mind." She paused, took a sip of the tea cup, "It's a shame that she should answer Bai Su , is the daughter-in-law of the historian, what does it have to do with Ying Gonghou?"

"The married daughter, the splashed water, even though the eldest sister takes it back, she will not be able to bury the Ying family's ancestral grave in the future. She is now Shi Ying's family, and she cannot be regarded as the daughter of the Hou family. As for Dagui—ask the historians, they Do you dare to divorce him?"

Ye Baiting immediately understood that the daughters of this era are not considered her own family at all, and have never been married. Either there is a problem with herself, or there is a problem with the family. , that is, people from the husband's family, with the husband's surname on their heads, and their daily behavior has nothing to do with the mother's family. If something goes wrong, the husband's family has not disciplined it well. As long as the mother's family has a little care, it is all benevolence and righteousness. It is an act of goodwill.

The Hou Mansion is powerful, no matter how disliked or disliked by historians, even if Ying Baisu is forced to leave, they dare not mention the word of divorce letter. The behavior of the Hou Mansion to bring people back is a kind deed, good reputation can be bought hand by hand.

What's more, it's hard for Ye Baiting not to doubt whether the fact that the Shi family's mother-in-law disliked Ying Bai Su was too exaggerated, whether the other party had no objection to Ying Gonghou's mansion's act of picking up the person back, and whether the rumors about the conflict between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were related to Ying Gong. For the sake of his own reputation, the Hou Mansion deliberately added oil and vinegar?

If this is the case, even though Ying Baisu is an aunt who has returned home, her status in the Hou Mansion should not be very good.

While Ye Baiting was pondering, Qiu Yiqing had already asked again: "Do you know that Ying Baisu is allergic to chrysanthemums?"

Mrs. Wang nodded: "I know, because she is allergic to chrysanthemums, since she was a child, the Hou Mansion has not grown chrysanthemums, and it still does until now."

"Then do you know that there is something wrong with yesterday's dishes?"

"Ah?" Mrs. Wang was stunned for a moment, "Could it be that chrysanthemums were accidentally mixed into one of the dishes? Did it make the eldest sister feel uncomfortable?"

I don't know, or is it pretending?

Chou Yiqing didn't answer, and Ye Baiting didn't explain, just said: "From cooking to serving, Jin Yiwei has already checked the cooks of the Hou's mansion. The time period can't be short, and it's very difficult to do it. The most likely time period is to serve After the dishes are finished, all the servants leave, and the masters come and take their seats... Who was the first to come yesterday?"

Mrs. Wang thought for a while, "After the food was served, everyone arrived. They sat outside and chatted in the flower hall. After the food was served, the servants retreated. The first person to approach the table... seemed to be the third brother."

"The deceased should be Yutong?"

"Yes."

"What about after dinner? Who left last?"

"I," said Wang, "after the son and father-in-law had finished talking, I asked my servants to send father-in-law back, and I explained a few things to the servants, only to realize that the son seemed to be waiting for me, so I hurriedly ended and went with the son. Back to the yard."

"I heard that you and Shizi have a good relationship?"

"I thought you should be able to tell that you are so transparent?" Wang looked around the room, "How is the woman doing, and whether she is nourished and happy, there is no need to ask, just look at her and tell her A few words and you'll understand."

Ye Baiting looked at Mrs. Wang. She was indeed in good condition. She had passed her thirties, her face was still rosy, her eyes had no fine lines, and her whole posture was upright, energetic, and upright. It could be seen that she was very satisfied with her current living conditions. .

The room they were in was the side hall of the inner house, where Mrs. Wang and his son lived on weekdays. The furnishings here were exquisite and orderly.

Qiu Xunqing: "The secret passage leading from the inner house to the outer courtyard, can the eldest lady walk through it?"

"Jin Yiwei is really powerful, but after half a day, he even knows this," Wang said with a slight smile, "Since there is this road at home, I have also walked it, but the number of times is very small, and it has only been in the past few months. Before, I walked past it twice when it was particularly busy."

"Do you know where the key is?"

"The prince will take care of it himself."

"There are several door locks in the inner courtyard, and more than one key. It is impossible to take such things out at any time. Where are they kept?"

"It's right here." Mrs. Wang pointed in the direction, "That box."

Ye Baiting and Qiu Yiqing saw a rather large box against the northwest corner of the wall. It was boxy and bigger than ordinary luggage cages. There was a lock hanging on it. Such a big thing was definitely not safe. It is possible to carry it around and not be found.

"Your Majesty... use such a big box to store secret keys?"

"Not only secret tunnel keys, but also other things," Wang shook her head. "It's probably very important to be able to use this device, and you don't usually use it?"

"Is the secret key inside now?"

"Should be there?"

"Then where is the key to this box?" Ye Baiting asked, "Where is it?"

"Your Majesty, take it with you," Wang said, "it's small, it doesn't take up space, and it's easy to come and go."

"So if you don't tell me in advance, you can't get the key to the secret passage."

"Everyone is the same. If the father-in-law has any arrangements, you have to check the time with the son, let alone others?"

After asking a few more questions, Ye Baiting and Qiu Yiqing looked at each other, and felt that they were almost here. Before leaving, the last question was not so sharp: "Ying Yu died in the same body, what happened to the lady at home? look?"

Wang's eyes drooped: "I'm very sorry, such scary things as 'murder cases' rarely happen in Ying Gonghou's mansion. I should also strengthen the control over the servants and the surrounding area in the future to avoid such mistakes from happening again. This is the case. , irreparable, and I will pay more attention to the third sibling later, so that she can live better."

"You don't seem to hate Lu Shi."

"Why do you hate it?" Wang smiled slightly, "Including Cai, both of them are sisters-in-law. I have no preference or suppression for anyone, and treat them equally."

"Her daily expenses, clothing preferences, you never have an opinion?"

"Naturally, the Hou's Mansion is not short of that little money. The third brother and sister's family is good, and the dowry is quite generous. How she wants to spend it is her own business."

"What about you, Ma'am? You seem to seldom wear red dresses."

Wang frowned: "It's not suitable. We are different from others. If we can stand this honor, we must keep it."

When she said this, her voice was very soft, but Ye Baiting could see the sense of pride in her sitting posture, she really liked the position of Mrs. Shizi, and felt from the bottom of her heart that this was an honor.

Ye Baiting paused for a moment, and then said again: "The eldest lady is in charge of the family affairs. You know the most about the big and small things in the family. Do you think any information is very important and needs to be shared with us?"

Wang's eyebrows moved, but in the end she just shook her head: "No, this incident, thank you Jin Yiwei for your hard work, Ying Gonghou's mansion has a deep feeling, if there is anything that needs to be cooperated next, just ask the commander."

"That's it, take your leave, Madam stay here."

When the two came out of the yard, Ye Baiting sighed softly: "This lady is very confident."

After a pause, he said again: "But this kind of self-confidence makes me feel very sorry."

The source of Wang's self-confidence is not her own excellence, but the family behind her, and her current position. She doesn't feel that she has made any mistakes. She is very moved by her dedication and will defend it to the death.

"I think she actually didn't think clearly whether everything now is really what she wants."

Was there a moment when she felt wronged and depressed?At that time, how would she explain herself?

"Let's go and visit the old Hou Ye."

Quickly clearing up their mood, the two went to the main courtyard of Lord Hou. Just halfway there, they realized that there was no need to go.

Old Hou Ye was coming from the corner, in a dark green round robe, standing very straight, without a single white hair on his head, with hale eyes, holding a small purple sand pot in his right hand, he looked full of vigor and energy, not at all Unlike an old man who knows his destiny, he is in good health and has a vigorous pace, and his spiritual world seems to be very rich.

The old Hou Ye was also very surprised by this encounter, but after a while, he smiled: "You are going in this direction, do you want to find me? Do you have something to ask?"

Qiu Yiqing looked in the direction: "Master Hou is going out?"

Old Hou Ye shook his head: "If something like this happened at home, how could Ben Hou have the heart to go out?"

But you look like this... don't you look sad?

Ye Baiting raised his eyebrows slightly, observing the other party carefully.

Qiu Yiqing also said: "The envoy found out that Ying Yutong's reputation is not very good, why didn't Hou Ye take care of it?"

Old Hou Ye sighed: "His temper has been like that since he was a child, how to deal with it? He has his brothers, sisters and sisters-in-law to discipline him, hasn't he never heard a word?"

"But you are Lord Hou, father, the weight is different."

"Although he is a child, he is still my son." Old Hou Ye closed his eyes, "In the end, he couldn't bear to teach, alas, it's my fault."

Ye Baiting: ...

Can't be cruel?Ying Puxin is still your second son, didn't you cruelly push him out, and never let anyone enter the capital?

The old Hou Ye may have also thought of the second son, and added another sentence, explaining: "Our family background... the second child still has a mother, and the third child is a bastard with nothing. If I don't take care of it, I'm afraid It’s because there’s no place to stand...Being a parent, you’re still young and don’t understand.”

Qiu Yiqing: "A family background like the Hou Mansion..."

"Isn't it a bit boring?" Old Hou Ye said slowly, "every year, generations are the same, step by step, nothing changes, it's boring, but these, it's a matter of course, everyone will go Lu, the children are still too young, they always don’t understand, it’s nothing to suffer for a while, it’s all for the good of the future, and one day they will understand, but unfortunately some people just screw up, their lives are not good, and they can’t wait.”

After finishing speaking, the old Hou Ye also sighed: "A stable world means peace in the world, and a stable home means peace and happiness. Every generation of us is doing our own efforts, and everyone has their own responsibilities. Commanders feel that Woolen cloth?"

Before Qiu Xunqing could speak, he heard the voice of someone not far away, which sounded familiar. It was the eldest son Ying Haorong, who was training the third wife, Mrs. Lu.

"Look at your appearance, what are you wearing, is it reasonable!"

"Why is it outrageous! Didn't I die for my husband, and I am obediently keeping his filial piety for him, and the hairpin is white and hemp!"

"The outer clothes are right, but what is under the collar of this linen shirt! I can see it, but others can't? Do you think everyone else is blind!"

"Isn't it the clothes that the third wife of the Hou Mansion should wear? They are dignified and noble enough. Why, after Ying Yutong's death, I am not worthy to be the third wife. I can't wear these clothes anymore?"

"It's not that you can't wear it, it depends on the occasion!" Shizi was obviously a little angry, "If outsiders see it, it would be a joke!"

"Does outsiders make fun of our third bedroom? You are afraid, but I am not!"

"You—you are so bold, aren't you afraid of being misunderstood!"

"What's the misunderstanding? I don't like Ying Yutong. Is there someone out there?" Mrs. Lu was obviously also angry, and said straightforwardly and boldly. No, I'm sorry to socialize with the ladies, so I can't cuckold him?"

Ye Baiting and Qiu Yiqing looked at each other, oh shit, found another secret?

People sometimes say angry words, what they say when they are emotional, may not be true, but it may not be false either.

If it's true, the third couple would be interesting. The man is looking for flowers and asking willows outside, but the woman doesn't seem to care. In fact, she also has her own way of playing at home?

There must be an outsider, but the old Hou couldn't stand it anymore, he stepped forward, turned around, and scolded: "What are you talking about? I don't know what day it is? The old man's bones are not cold, you are so noisy, you are trying to piss someone off ?”

The eldest son and Lu family looked at it, and saluted together: "My son knows his mistake."

"My daughter-in-law knows she was wrong."

The crown prince frowned: "It's just a special day. My son meets his third sibling by chance. When they meet, let me remind you, who knows, she will be annoyed."

Mrs. Lu was also not happy, and gave him a sideways glance: "Father-in-law, you know how the daughter-in-law entered the door and what life she lived, and I don't want to make excuses. Everyone can see that Ying Yutong is my husband. He died Now, I should be a filial piety for him. The rules in the mansion have been around for so many years. Don’t I understand? What did I do wrong that let outsiders catch and miss it? But if you want me to cry really, I can’t cry, I I didn't lose my manners in front of others, but I didn't pay much attention to my close-fitting clothes. Now that I don't have any guests, what's wrong with me being at home? Is it worth being so angry? He doesn't speak well, so of course I don't. "

After finishing speaking, she also knew to look at the hostile Qingye Baiting: "It was just that the family members were in a hurry to ask questions, and they came up with a small temper and said a few jokes casually, shouldn't the two of you take it seriously?"

Just kidding, fake?

Ye Baiting smiled and said in his heart that I don't believe it.

Qiu Yiqing was as usual, with a cold expression, and it was hard to tell what he was thinking: "Whether it is true or not, Jin Yiwei will check it out if necessary."

Lu Shi: ...

"There is a murder case at home. For the time being, you can only hang up the white paper and not welcome guests, but you are a son and a widow, how can you be so lax?" The old Hou Ye looked at the son first, "The guest list, have you sorted it out?" ? Table seating, dietary restrictions, no need to prepare?” Blame Lu Shi again, “Who told you to come here? At this time, why are you not guarding for the third child in the mourning hall? I thought you were a female family member, so the rules of the house will take care of you.” Miss you?"

Of course, the prince and Lu family saluted again, saying they knew their mistake, and turned around to do what they should do. The old Hou Ye seemed worried, and left with the prince.

Ye Baiting and Qiu Yiqing didn't stop them, they had to ask something immediately.

Because the matter in front of me has already touched some privacy, this kind of thing, even if you try to ask, others can’t directly say it, wait for them to make it up, it’s better to find it yourself, have an idea and direction, and then compare and see what they say .

The bluestone path was silent, and there was no sound.

Ye Baiting frowned: "I know that in this family, the deceased seemed to have plans for his second sister-in-law Cai and elder sister-in-law Wang, and even dared to joke about Bai Su, and the reason why Lu's indifference and indifference was that he had found a new spiritual support. , it is likely to be a man, the second master Ying Puxin has a woman he admires very much, I don't know who it is, whether it is in this family, the eldest lady and the son have a very good relationship..."

Qiu Xunqing: "How do you know they have a good relationship?"

Ye Baiting talked about Da Furen's room: "...the southeast wall, by the window, remember? It's just a living room, and there is a 'sexy' display. You say they have a bad relationship?"

Qiu Yiqing's next words were very incisive: "This can only prove that the Wang family or the prince have very close people, but they may not be each other."

Ye Baiting: "But that's their room..."

Qiu Yiqing: "When they are here, it is their room."

The prince is often away on official business, and when the eldest wife handles general affairs, there is another meeting room. There is a lot of free space in that room, and when the other party is away...

"... Isn't it a bit too shocking?"

"Up to now, this case has shocked the world." Qiu Xunqing tapped his forehead with his fingertips, "You might as well be bolder in your guess."

"Though it's not necessarily true."

Ye Baiting thought for a while, and felt that it made sense. This case cannot be based on common theories... Daming guessed, carefully verified, his thinking really needs to be bolder and more open: "In this way, the old Marquis is old. I said it was a bit too big, but just now I saw that I am very young, without a single white hair, and my spirit is not as old, is it possible..."

Just thinking about it makes me a little embarrassed, is this house really such a mess!It's too scary!

Qiu Yiqing: "Shen Jiang is investigating the relevant news, what are the clues, and we will have the results soon."

Ye Baiting pondered, so the current case is still on 'Love Killing'?For example, if the adultery is exposed, others know about it, or someone else wants to protect someone, killing Ying Yutong, or it may simply be framed...

What love is, there is no real definition in the world. It can make people silent, it can also make people active, it can make people better, and it can also make people worse. There is no certainty.

"Where shall we investigate next?" Ye Baiting shook his confused mind, looked at Qiu Yiqing, "You asked me to come, shouldn't you just ask me to accompany you for questioning?"

The analysis of the question just now, Qiu Yiqing can complete it by himself, he feels that he is of little use, and the real use must be elsewhere.

Qiu Yiqing: "Secretly."

He directly took Xiao Zuo to the entrance of the secret passage, and opened the switch.

Just bumped into Xu Kai who was walking towards him... The three of them looked at each other.

Qing Qing paused: "This is not arranged by the envoy."

Needless to say, Ye Baiting also understands, and she also understands Xu Kai's expression.

"Why are you here?" Ye Baiting looked at Xu Kai, "Didn't it mean that you must have a key to pass through this secret passage? Do you have the key?"

Xu Kai was a little embarrassed: "This...Naturally there is no, and the villain does not want to pass. Didn't something happen at home yesterday? There is a mess everywhere, and I have to clean it up."

Ye Baiting looked into the distance, only to find the cleaning tools and the lamps brought in for lighting. He couldn't get used to his sight when he came in, so he didn't see it at the first time.

Qiu Yiqing squinted his eyes: "All the scenes are taken over by the Jinyiwei——Didn't you hear the strict order yesterday?"

Xu Kai looked blank: "But this is a secret passage...is it considered a scene?"

No matter how dazed he pretended to be, he couldn't keep his mind from knowing. Although the Jinyiwei's work was not as fast as before due to the rain, the places that should be investigated would definitely be investigated. If there was no time, they would be circled first. Xu Kai could avoid the Jinyiwei's sight. There must be a reason for sneaking into the secret passage alone.

Cleaning... are you here to clean up something?

Ye Baiting looked at the dark front: "Let's go in and have a look."

Qiu Yiqing has already strode forward: "Come, let me see a place."

After ten steps, he stopped in front of a road wall.

Ye Baiting looked at it for a while, then frowned slightly: "Do you think... there is something wrong with the sense of space here?"

Qiu Xunqing: "Sure enough, you can see it too."

Ye Baiting went over to touch it, stretched out his finger and tapped: "It doesn't seem to be abnormal..."

There is nothing wrong with the sound, and there is nothing wrong with the feedback on the fingertips, solid and not empty at all.

If you look carefully, this is the corner. From the line, it looks a little stagnant and bloated, and the volume is a bit larger. It is only aesthetically pleasing to close it in. But it seems that there is nothing to do with it. It is obviously not enough to make a secret room. The hidden grid is too large, it looks like a normal construction error?

But Qiu Yiqing's voice was firm: "You and I both think there is a problem, so it must be a problem."

He looked around and saw that Xu Kai had a shovel in his cleaning tool, so he simply took it and dug heavily on the road wall——

The clods of soil shattered and fell down.

Xu Kai quickly came over to stop him: "I can't do it...Master Commander, this is definitely not allowed!"

How could Qiu Xunqing listen to his words, move faster, go down a few times, and really dug out something incredible.

Bones.

Human skulls, with black, skeletal eyes, were looking at them.