The first work of the imperial prison

Hearing what the Empress Dowager said, Ye Baiting was startled.

In this case up to now, the relevant people are all the people who had the banquet yesterday. The emperor was the first to rule out the suspicion. He has no time and no need. After that, the Queen Yue, the master and servant of the Changshou Palace, the Empress Dowager and Ban He'an, and the master and servant of the Changle Palace Concubine You Taigui and Fu Lixing, the wife of the deceased Tong Shi, the Han Ninghou Mansion Shan Shi, and Yin Mengqiu, the female official in charge of management.

Others have already inquired, or are planning to inquire, but the Shan family of Han Ninghou Mansion, who has not returned during the banquet, has not seen any news until now.

When Qiu Xingqing returned to Beizhen Fusi last night, the search for this person was still going on, just now...

Ye Baiting remembered that just now Qiu Yiqing was called away by the imperial guards to report some things, and when he came back, his expression didn't change at all, but now that he thinks about it, he doesn't seem optimistic, but it's because of this?

Sure enough, Qiu Yiqing said: "This person has not been found yet."

The imperial city is too big. If someone deliberately hides, is familiar with the terrain, knows the schedule of shift changes, or has someone to help, he can hide for half a day, but after a whole night, there is no progress... it is a bit subtle.

The hall was quiet and silent. It seemed that even the wind had to hold back a little in this palace, but the sound of the ice cubes melting in the ice mirror in the corner was much more obvious.

The empress dowager sighed lightly: "Oh...it's not easy, you've worked hard this time, if you encounter any inconvenience..." She smiled slightly, "The queen is the bride after all, her face is tender, Some things are embarrassing to say, you can come to Ban He'an and ask him to help you, if he is disobedient, you come to complain to Ai's family, and Ai's family will punish him."

Ban and An immediately handed over their hands: "The commander is but there is a drive, the old slave is obliged to do so."

Ye Baiting watched all this happening, and said to himself that the Empress Dowager should not be underestimated.

It seems that there are only a few conversations, and nothing is said, but a superior person, who has no official title and no title, is so kind to him, who has entered the palace for the first time, and he has already expressed his attitude and let Qiu Xunqing know; I don't want to waste too much money Drooling, unwilling to be interrogated like a suspect, all the eunuchs around her knew about her, and easily pushed it to Ban He'an; asked if Shan was found, and immediately hit the point, showing that she was not wandering outside, really She is indifferent, she is very clear about where the focus is.

In addition, when the Queen met with Qiu Yiqing yesterday, she focused on one point. The Shan family of Han Ninghou's Mansion came to the palace to visit the Emperor Taihuang. The relationship between the two is obviously unusual. The relationship, the Empress Dowager personally asked again, if you really found someone, why don't you come back and report?As long as she returns, the Empress Dowager will be more involved in this case.

And the last sentence, the queen is a bride, with a tender face, and there are some things that I am embarrassed to say, so who would possibly do something similar to hinder and make Qiu Suqing inconvenient?In this harem, who has such a great ability?

The words "Concubine Youtai" were almost picked on the bright side.

Ye Baiting didn't know what Concubine You thought about the case and whether she would definitely obstruct it, but the reminder from the Empress Dowager...

"Thank you, Empress Dowager, if I need you, I will definitely come to bother Mr. Banchang."

Ban and An smiled: "You don't have to be polite in the command room, just call at will."

The Empress Dowager said a few more words, asked about the case, and talked about things, and finally turned her eyes to Ye Baiting: "I really like this child, he looks like a little Jade Buddha. He is clean and has clear eyes. His name is Ye Baiting. Isn't it? The palace is quiet, the emperor and queen are newlyweds, there is no news yet, and there is no excitement at all. If you are bored outside, you can come and play in the palace. Don't listen to the nonsense outside. We are a palace and an ordinary family. The rules are Yes, but it doesn’t matter that much.”

Ye Baiting had no choice but to thank the Empress Dowager: "The Empress Dowager loves you so much, this junior is very grateful. If I have the opportunity to enter the palace, I will definitely come to say hello to the Empress Dowager."

The case was also asked, and the parents also asked. The empress dowager asked Ban and An to go to the library to pick up something and gave him a reward. Afterwards, he rested his head on his hands, feeling a little out of sorts. Ye Baiting and Qiu Xingqing also understood, so they left .

After closing the door of the palace, Ban and An stood at the door and sighed: "I haven't seen the master talk so much in a few days, I really like Young Master Ye."

While he was talking, his eyes were still walking towards Ye Baiting.

Qiu Yiqing blocked Ye Baiting, his eyes darkened, "Talk about the case."

Banchanggong: ...

Okay, he is just a eunuch, he doesn't have the face of the empress dowager, he is guarded against everything he does, and he talks about the case: "This Xing Mingda, our family is really not familiar with the empress dowager, since the emperor ascended the throne, the empress dowager is very Don't ask about outside matters, Xichang will follow suit, and I haven't seen anyone for the past two years, and you know that, I definitely don't dare to mess around."

Qiu Yiqing: "Don't talk nonsense."

Mr. Banchang paused for a moment: "Yesterday, Mrs. Tong came for the empress, and she came to Ningshou Palace to pay a visit. It was also out of courtesy. I went to the banquet to see the face of the emperor and empress, and the pavilion was cool, but the empress dowager was too old and her body couldn't stand the torment, so she went to the official room halfway... that's all."

"Where's Madam Han Ninghou, Mrs. Shan? Will she be there when Mrs. Tong is waiting to see you?"

"Han Ninghou did a lot of things for the empress dowager in the early years. After he passed away, the empress dowager was not very cold. Every Mid-Autumn Festival, when I think of it, I will call people in to say a few words. The empress dowager It doesn't mean anything else, I can't help other people have their own thoughts, this Mrs. Hou always comes very early and leaves very late every time, when Mrs. Tong comes to visit, she will be there."

"Did the two have any quarrel?"

"The empress dowager is in the hall, who dares to be disrespectful? Her old lady didn't speak, and the people below dared not speak out. Mrs. Tong just came to pay a visit, and left after saying a few words. During the whole process, Mrs. Hou didn't speak."

Ye Baiting walked out of Qiu Yiqing's back early, and asked: "These two people used to disagree with each other during the banquet, but why?"

Ban Hean smiled and said: "This... our family doesn't know, the private quarrels of the female relatives, how can a eunuch in our family control so much?"

Ye Baiting then asked again: "I heard that yesterday, Mr. Banchang and Mr. Fuchang quarreled again?"

Ban and An just laughed, knowing what the other party was asking: "It's not even a matter of bickering, who dares to be rude in front of the emperor? Because the Tong family has never talked much, low-key is really low-key, fear is really panic, but It's also impolite, all the masters are present, she didn't say a word, because she wanted the master to cherish her feelings? Mrs. Hou couldn't see it, so she picked a few words, but Mrs. Hou entered the palace to see the empress dowager..."

"Presumably the young master also knows that this Changle Palace has never dealt with us. Madam Hou's voice is not harsh or sharp, which is considered too much for the empress dowager. Naturally, I want to point out a little bit. Whatever the identity of the empress dowager, I can't talk to the younger generation." According to common sense, our family can only speak up to help, and when our family speaks up, the imperial concubine is unwilling to talk to the eunuch, so the rich factory official just talks? If he speaks, our family has to argue with him?"

Ban Hean always had a smile on his face, as if there was nothing to care about: "It's all trivial things, nothing special, no one dares to go out of line, and the emperor and queen won't care about people like us, so the situation is settled. If Jin Yiwei still has doubts, he can ask Mr. Fu later to see if our family has hidden secrets, our family has always been at odds with him, and obviously he will not protect our family."

Qiu Yiqing: "Are there any palace people in the palace who are familiar with the deceased?"

"This..." Ban He'an thought for a while, and said, "Our family really doesn't know. It is said that Mr. Xun's official rank is not high. He has to walk in the palace from time to time because he has to present the memorial. There is no need to pay more attention to how much real power there is... If the commander needs it, our family can check it on his behalf."

After asking a few more questions, Ye Baiting and Qiu Yiqing came out and left Ningshou Palace.

"Do you think... what Mr. Banchang said is true? Did you lie?"

"It's not necessarily a lie," Qiu Yiqing shook his head, "This matter involves the court, he may be more careful, you and I are in the name of investigating the case, and the outsiders know it, he dare not lie easily, but it is very likely that there is something hidden. explain."

Ye Baiting also thinks the same way. He asks this question because he feels that Mr. Banchang seems to be very enthusiastic today, and his smile is a little fake. It is not as sincere as in the past. If it is not the environment, the reason for being in the imperial city is hatred. That's what Qing said.

The next target is Changle Palace, the place of Concubine You.

It was still the female officer Yin Mengqiu who led the way, and she was still very skillful, leading them on a closer path.

The high palace walls, too narrow path, too quiet space, and a small piece of linear sky above the head can easily give people a feeling of being imprisoned, and the timid people may not dare to walk this part of the road.

Ye Baiting looked at the back of the female officer in front of him, and asked: "The two factory owners in the palace are at odds, should you know?"

Yin Mengqiu knew what he was asking, and smiled: "So the life of palace people is not easy. There is the King of Hades on the top of the head, and there are little ghosts on the bottom. No matter where you go, you have to be tense and offend no one... It's been good for the past two years. A lot, it was even more fierce in the past few years."

"Do you know what happened a few years ago?"

"I know a little bit, but it should have nothing to do with this case?" Yin Mengqiu bowed his head, "Young master, watch your step, Changle Palace is ahead."

In the same way, R&F was waiting in front of the palace, and when they saw two people coming, they bowed their hands and saluted: "Our family welcomes the two of you for the master, Commander, we meet again, the young master has finally entered the palace, the journey is not tiring. Tired, are you thirsty?"

It is quite similar to Banchanggong's greetings.

Ye Baiting also declined: "I wonder if it is convenient for Concubine You?"

"It's convenient to come, just now..."

Seeing Fulixing's gloomy expression, Ye Baiting understood that the empresses in the palace are also human beings, and there are some "urgent matters" that ordinary people need to deal with.

Since there is no problem with meeting, just wait a moment, then there is nothing to worry about, he and Qiu Xunqing looked at each other, why don't we ask him first?

Qiu Su Qing's head was the first to speak: "Yesterday, you had a verbal quarrel with the class factory."

"Oh, I said Commander, so how can it be called discord? Isn't that just everyday, your teeth hit your tongue?" Mr. Fuchang jumped more than Ban and An, "Don't wrong our family, there is nothing out of the ordinary. Yes, the quarrel was not about that dead ghost, Mrs. Shan, because Mrs. Han Ninghou really lacked some rules in her speech, so our family had an argument with Ban Gonggong. The more the argument became clearer, the masters would not agree. stop."

It's exactly what Ben and Ann said.

Ye Baiting let out a long 'Oh': "It's reasonable."

Fu Lixing: "Isn't that why? How can our family, who have been serving in the palace all the year round, know about the quarrels among the women in the inner house? If it weren't for their unruly behavior, our family would not force themselves to stand out. Hi, what should I do?"

"Master Xing, you must know him?"

"Who doesn't know Mr. Xing's face?" Fu Lixing seemed to be a little envious, but also a little sarcastic, "It's because of this face that he can get to this day."

"Has Mr. Fuchang ever been in contact with him?"

"If we met by accident, we can say hello and exchange some pleasantries, but that's all. Our family has no personal relationship with Mr. Xing, and so does Changle Palace. The master and empress have never mentioned this person."

Ye Baiting looked around: "I see that the palace is very big."

"That's it, it's very big," Fu Lixing urged earnestly, "Young Master, don't be tricked into wandering around. If you really want to go to some remote corner, you won't be able to respond to it every day. If you have something to do, remember to call us." Home."

Ye Baiting: "Thank you. Since the factory owner is so transparent, he must know more than me and the commander. Until now, Mrs. Han Ninghou's wife, Mrs. Shan, has not been found. Does the factory owner know where she is?"

"How can our family..."

"I don't know, you can guess."

Only then did R & F look around, lowered his voice, and said in a serious tone, "Young Master, I never thought about it, maybe this Shan family is the murderer? She and Tong's quarrel may not be just because Tong's husband is pleasing to the eye, and when she gets angry, she kills someone ... and felt that he had done something wrong, it was not appropriate, and he was afraid of being held accountable, so he simply hid?"

"This imperial city is really big and there are many people. It's not that our family knows everyone well, but also others. Doesn't the Shan family often go to the palace to talk with the empress dowager? If she has a good heart, she can borrow it. The empress dowager's power overwhelms people..."

Ye Baiting was unmoved: "Mr. Fu's guesses are all these?"

It would be meaningless if you just lead the direction to the empress dowager, the arch-rival.

Fu Lixing rubbed his nose, and smiled again: "How can it be? Of course there are other things. It has been a few years since Han Ninghou passed away. I'm afraid the young master didn't know. In the mourning hall, this Shan family was a little crazy. Several men quarreled, including this Mr. Xing, but there were other 'victims' at the time. Everyone didn't want to care about a widow who had just died. In the midst of this, Mrs. Shan just entered the palace again... our family can't help but think about it."

So this Mrs. Hou probably had an unknown relationship with the deceased?

Ye Baiting secretly wrote down this incident and reminded Shen Jiang to investigate.

The two asked R&F a few more questions, such as the environment at the time and what happened. R&F explained them one by one, and they seemed to be very cooperative.

He didn't even finish talking, and the chat was just in time, and a maid came out to report to him, saying that the master and empress are well, and they are inviting guests to see him.

Ye Baiting and Qiu Yiqing entered the hall together, saluted according to the rules, and paid homage.

"The commander often walks around the palace, and he has seen quite a few of them—you are Ye Baiting, the secretary of Beizhen Fusi? Raise your head and let me take a look."

Ye Baiting raised his head and saw the face of Concubine You clearly.

She was the most beloved woman of the late emperor. Even after his death, the late emperor did not forget to leave an imperial decree for her, not allowing anyone to bully her, so he let her live in the palace. Emperor Yu'an had to avoid the edge temporarily, and built a palace wall in the imperial city to separate more harem and front hall, reducing his own territory.

Just looking at those domineering deeds in the past, the officials wanted to label her as a traitor concubine, which showed that her appearance and heart were beyond comparison for ordinary people.

Ye Baiting could see clearly that Concubine You Taigui was over forty years old, she was still charming, she looked enchanting when she was sitting upright, and she was well maintained. Although there were some fine lines under her eyes, her figure was uneven. A woman who believes in youth can also believe it. She is also very good at dressing up, and she knows how to use her strengths and avoid her weaknesses. She looks unparalleled in beauty, dazzling, and even aggressive.

Grand Concubine You also saw Ye Baiting clearly, young and elegant, with clear eyes and picturesque brows, he has a strong character at a young age, with a unique temperament: "Sure enough, a hero is born in a young age, I should have seen you earlier."

"Niangniang praised."

"So how is the investigation of this murder case going? How many clues are there? Has the suspect ever been interrogated, what details have been obtained, and what has been asked?"

Ye Baiting knew that this was a person with a strong personality. He and Qiu Yiqing hadn't asked any questions yet, but the other party had suppressed a bunch of questions. He bowed his hands and said, "It's because the clues are not complete and I haven't gained enough, so I came to ask my mother for help."

"The mouth is so sweet, yes, what do you want to ask, just ask," Taigui Concubine You curled her lips with a smile, and looked at Qiu Yiqing, "Commander, don't feel neglected, I have seen you several times, but I have never seen you." This little clerk is very curious, so I want to ask him to say a few more words."

Ye Baiting saw that Qiu Suiqing's face was slightly unhappy, and took the lead to answer the question: "Your Majesty, did you know the deceased? At the banquet yesterday, did you feel that something was wrong?"

"I know him, but I'm not familiar with him. If Master Xing hadn't had an accident, I would have forgotten that there was such a character in the previous dynasty."

Concubine You Taigui leaned on the pillow: "There seems to be nothing wrong with the banquet, except Mrs. Shan of Han Ninghou's Mansion is unruly, and she is a bit too picky about Tong, and there is nothing else."

"The empress took Fu Gonggong away during the banquet, where did she go?"

"The smell of alcohol is scattered in the garden," Concubine You's lips curled playfully, "I knew something would happen, I should have gone to the official room, but I would like to know who is so bold and dares to insult the emperor. "

She was a little careless, playing with the armor on her fingers, her fingers were slender and beautiful: "Who brought you here? Ben Gong guesses, but it is Yin Mengqiu, a female officer of the Shang Palace Bureau? Since she is here, why doesn't she come in to see Ben Gong?"

Ye Baiting hasn't figured out what this sentence is alluding to, but Concubine You Taigui has already given the answer.

"Perhaps you don't know that she worked here as an official in this palace?"

Ye Baiting's heart moved slightly, he really didn't know.

Concubine You Taigui: "Not only here in this palace, but also in the palace of the Empress Dowager, and other palaces. Yin Mengqiu has worked as a servant. In this deep palace, it is not easy to move forward step by step from maid to female official. Do you know how many people were lost on the road? This female official Yin is very powerful, she knows what she knows and thinks, Xiao Zuo, you must not be careless."

Ye Baiting was a little unsure, this remark seemed to be selling Yin Mengqiu, but she also emphasized that Yin Mengqiu had been her female officer and was very close. Is Concubine You selling others or herself, or is she trying to drag others into trouble?

But if this case has nothing to do with her, why should she do so much?

Once again, he felt that the water in the palace was both shallow and deep. He said shallow because neither Ningshou Palace nor Changle Palace seemed to have said anything important. He said deep because it seemed that nothing was said. In fact, there are many hidden meanings in it, it all depends on whether you can perceive it, and how much you can perceive it.

Concubine You stopped talking about the case, and tapped Ye Baiting with her slender fingertips: "This boy is handsome and clean, I like it, and the Empress Dowager must also like it? Gong to talk to her or something like that?"

Can this be expected?

Seeing that Ye Baiting's expression didn't change, Grand Concubine You said again: "The grace of a nobleman is not necessarily grace, if you are stupid to bump into it, you may become the second Mrs. Hou...Ah, have you talked too much?"

This is not talking too much, it is deliberately showing off one's ability, Shan has not been found until now, the Empress Dowager will ask, she will call the name directly - she knows about this matter, she is very well informed.

It was hard for Ye Baiting not to control his gaze, and he looked at R&F who was standing aside with his arms tied, looking extremely stable.

After clarifying this point, all kinds of hidden meanings are hidden, then the next step may be...

Concubine You Taigui put down the teacup, and her voice was meaningful: "The one in Kunning Palace is a bride with a tender face, and she has to take it easy to accept the filthy things in the palace, so she must be embarrassed to mention it to outsiders. The murder happened in the palace, there are rules everywhere, if you encounter any inconvenience...you can come to the palace."

As expected of someone who has been fighting for so many years, she has a perfect understanding. Her words are exactly the same as those of the empress dowager!

Don't be too obvious who you are implying.

Ye Baiting had never personally participated in a palace fight, so this bit of sharpness was enough for him to experience it, so his reaction was a little slower.

Grand Concubine You saw her, and her laughter became even more joyful: "It's so cute, I haven't seen such an innocent person in a long time, little coward, if you come to the palace, you must remember to come and see me, I will I like kids like you."

Until now, Fu Lixing opened his mouth to make fun of him: "Young lady, don't scare the young master, the slave has managed to gain some face with him, and wants to make friends, so don't scare him away, the slave will kneel at the door of your bedroom crying."

"Okay, to save face, go and get the things on the shelf in the Palace, and reward Young Master Ye."

"Yes!"

Not everyone can get a reward when they enter the palace, Ye Baiting thinks that Concubine You will be rewarded, she should still be competing with the Empress Dowager, if there is something rewarded there, she should also be rewarded, it is not good to be simple and rude on the surface. When the quantity is reduced, the objects are ingenious, more refined, and more popular among young people...

After a meeting, Ye Baiting and Qiu Xingqing walked out of the Changle Palace, followed by Fu Lixing.

"Don't look at your mother, she really likes you, she doesn't like to lose her temper early, young master, don't mind..."

Seeing Qiu Yiqing being called away by the imperial guards not far away, Fu Lixing rolled his eyes, leaned closer to Ye Baiting, and said in a low voice: "What our family said before will always count. Our Dongchang and Niangniang... are looking forward to the young master." .”

"What are you talking about?" Qiu Yiqing came back quickly.

Fu Lixing turned around and turned back almost immediately: "No, it's nothing, the commander and the young master are busy, and our family has a lot of things on hand, so I won't send more..."

Ye Baiting looked at the figure of the guard leaving in the distance: "Is it dealt with?"

Qiu Xunqing: "Yes."

In addition to the Beizhen Mansion Secretary, his daily work also includes the management of the imperial guards. Whenever there is an urgent matter, he will be approached. However, there are usually people who report letters and report in a centralized manner. Since he is in the palace today, what are the various requests for instructions? Yes, it is much more convenient.

"In this palace..."

Just as Ye Baiting was about to speak, female officer Yin Mengqiu came over. According to the procedure, they should go to see the queen next.

Thinking of Concubine You's words, she seemed to have bad expectations about the things Mrs. Hou hadn't found so far, and she reminded the female officer that she had deep thoughts.

These words cannot be fully believed, but Mrs. Hou, Shan, where did she go?Walking in the palace, there are many rules, no matter how big the imperial city is, and no matter how familiar she is, how could it be possible to hide it so tightly?If someone hides it with ulterior motives...

Or, the worst kind, if something happens, it's even harder to find.

"Just now in Changle Palace, the empress said that you have served by her side?" Ye Baiting looked at Yin Mengqiu's back.

Yin Mengqiu nodded: "Yes, it must have happened more than 20 years ago. At that time, the empress was in the midst of being favored, there were many people around her, and there were many things to do. She might not remember the names of her slaves and maidservants. Every time she confronted someone, it was bloody and bloody. She survived. ...It can also be regarded as the luck of slaves."

Seeing her proficiency in leading the way, Ye Baiting didn't hesitate to turn in any direction: "Ms. Yin is so familiar with the palace, where can I know the most convenient place for Tibetans?"