The first work of the imperial prison

The night was quiet and brightly lit.

Combining the clues they have now, Ye Baiting and the three of them took a detailed look at what happened 24 years ago, what possible directions, everyone's position, possible choices, those who knew, those who did not know, and those who intended to use it. ...

In short, the result of this incident probably did not satisfy these people, and the 'Third Prince' was lost in the process.

Regardless of whether this child was born to Concubine You Taigui or not, this is Concubine You Taigui's situation. If the person she wants to use is lost, it is more likely that she will become someone else's source of trouble. Will she not look for it?If she moves, the Empress Dowager will definitely not be idle. These two have been fighting with each other, checking and balancing each other. They are a little behind, but they will be trampled into the mud...

"I found something today."

Qiu Yiqing said: "There are rumors in the palace that Imperial Concubine You lost her fertility, and because of this, she was pitied and distressed by the late Emperor for a long time."

Ye Baiting immediately realized that this news, time is the most important thing: "When did it start?"

"Eight years ago."

Qiu Xunqing said: "After returning to the palace from the south of the Yangtze River, after a wave of cleansing of the palace people, Concubine You suddenly became more malicious towards the Empress Dowager, and even frequently planned several big conflicts with the Empress Dowager, which almost hurt her tendons To the bone, I guess—maybe the Empress Dowager did something to provoke her."

Concubine You Tai is arrogant and domineering, and has a bit of a temper, but she is not stupid. She knows when to make troubles and when it is inappropriate. If she insists on doing this, she is obviously very annoyed.

Ye Baiting's eyes were subtle: "Her infertility was caused by the Empress Dowager?"

"Ah... I see!" Shen Jiang slapped the table, "She didn't have a chance to carry the doll, and she had such a play before, but she ran away with a fish as big as the 'Third Prince', and her stomach couldn't do it anymore In the future, when the late emperor collapses, she has no foundation in the palace, so even if she can get an amnesty decree, how long will she be able to live? This child must be found!"

"Regardless of whether this is the real prince or not, how she wanted to deal with it at first, but now she can't deal with it. She has to find it back and train it well so that she can be her backer in the future!"

Qiu Xunqing: "She plans like this, the Emperor Taihuang will naturally not be able to do what she wants."

Ye Baiting: "The two have been fighting for many years, and they are the ones who understand each other best. The Empress Dowager will also look for this child."

But who is leading in the open, who is chasing in the dark, who is the first to find, who is going to take advantage of the gap, who wants to cultivate, who wants to suppress, who is the third prince who finally came to them... Not necessarily.

Shen Jiang rubbed his chin: "That's right... No wonder the young master analyzed it before, saying that the third prince must have gone through a very uncomfortable and depressing period of rebellion, and that's right, whoever is watched so closely and watched so strictly , how can you be happy?"

"Then let's look at 13 years ago."

Ye Baiting walked to the small whiteboard and drew another timeline.

"At this time, the third prince has been found by Concubine You or the Empress Dowager, one of them, or both, but one is in the open and the other is in the dark. The third prince is 11 years old, and he is not controlled very well. Happy, rebellious and selfish, he would make a fuss from time to time, and it happened to be the ninth night of the twelfth lunar month, he was ordered to do something, very unhappy, and wanted to do something bad to relieve stress, what would he choose to do?"

"Or, what he can think of is what to do? How many core secrets has he come into contact with? Have he ever met someone in the harem? What kind of emotion does he have for this person, what kind of provocation he thinks is the most appropriate, and he can warn and remind The other party is not a child, don't try to control him like this, but also let things go smoothly without too much influence?"

Shen Jiang thought for a while, and said: "There were Wala people that night, did he think that these people were not pleasing to the eye, so..."

But Qiu Yiqing shook his head: "His rebellion is measured. He cherishes this 'identity pie' that fell from the sky, and he is unwilling to give it up. If he does bad things, he will definitely not run counter to his interests."

No matter whether he met the person in the palace who protected him and supported him or not, and how he felt about him, this principle of conduct would not change.Wala is the partner he needs to unite with. He may have small calculations, but he will not make targeted big moves.

Ye Baiting nodded: "I have the same thought as the commander. He has lived too many hardships and cannot give up the current living conditions. This is the bottom line of all actions. He will definitely not want to destroy the cooperation with the Wala people, even if the other party makes things difficult. If he is dissatisfied, he will also find a way to facilitate it, otherwise he will not be in a panic and take advantage of it in various ways. What he did badly at the time was just to vent his emotions... He wants to use other people's unhappiness to make himself happy. "

Shen Jiang: "It's the twelfth lunar month and the beginning of Laba. Even if it's the New Year's Eve, it's going to be lively everywhere. There are people on the street. Who can he find unhappy?"

"Yeah, who are you unhappy with?"

Ye Baiting closed his eyes slightly, and sighed lightly: "If it's just people who are used to seeing on the street, what you see is nothing special. Considering the situation of the Third Prince at that time, his life experience, and his closed environment at that time, he would subconsciously look for it. What kind of person, what kind of person is not pleasing to the eye?"

Hatred and Suspicion seem to be enlightened.

Ye Baiting opened his eyes and looked at him: "He had a rough childhood and a gloomy personality, so he didn't like peers of the same age who were cheerful, sunny, and youthful. He was under strict control at the moment. Depressed, he hates peers who can freely walk between the world, swim unscrupulously, and laugh. He has no father and no mother, and he was like a lone goose since he was a child, with no branches to live in. He hates being obviously loved and raised by his parents and elders child..."

With blue eyes of hatred: "It's me."

Every item corresponds to him.

"He should have met us in the city that day. The emperor said that we had a great time that day. We bought snacks, watched juggling, guessed charades, played bets... and even discussed buying gifts for my mother."

They poked the third prince's lung tube for everything, this person should have remembered it, and wanted to see their bad luck right away.

"But if it's just like this, it's just some small plots and small troubles that make you unlucky, but what happened tonight involved the eldest princess and even my father..."

Ye Baiting lowered his eyes and pondered: "I suspect that he may have guessed your identities at that time. You may have been young and not secretive at that time, and he took advantage of your loopholes, or... I remember you once said that you were young and energetic at that time. , playing with the emperor up and down the mountain, especially when we were in the capital, we would occasionally quarrel with others, did something similar happen that day?"

After being quiet for a while, Qiu Yiqing spoke again: "...It is indeed possible."

"In those years, my mother was banned from the temple by the first emperor, and she couldn't go down the mountain. She didn't say that I couldn't go down the mountain either. The emperor did the same. The palace just didn't want to raise him, so they threw him into the temple to fend for himself, and didn't send anyone to guard him, restricting freedom. , The atmosphere created by my mother to the outside world is that we are very difficult and poor, our mother and son are about to starve to death, the emperor is about to die of illness, others think it is unlucky, they will not come to see, and they are waiting for us to die..."

"My mother is used to it, and she is calm, but the emperor and I are not happy. Why? My mother is the princess of the dynasty, and the emperor is the son of the emperor. They are the most noble people in the world. Why should we live like this? All of this was caused by Imperial Concubine You, how could you not hate her? Imperial Concubine You had many minions outside at that time, and there were a lot of dudes, arrogant and domineering, and no one was watching. If we bumped into each other in the capital, we would have quarrels ..."

"Although the emperor and I don't go down the mountain often, I am good at martial arts, and he has a lot of heart. He has played 'prestige' a few years ago. In those days, when people saw us, they had to take a detour... I remember a long-standing feud. Brother Young Master, surnamed Tian, ​​belonged to Concubine You's faction, there is no such family now, but we had a deep hatred at that time, and we would fight every time we saw each other...Third Prince, maybe we met just by chance."

Knowing the identity, wouldn't there be more ways to use it to do evil?

On the one hand, it can fan the flames, on the other hand, it can expand the degree of crisis, it can alarm the guards at the city gate, and it can also urge the surrounding people to be malicious...

The third prince is especially good at this set of mental tricks now, and I'm afraid it wouldn't be too bad back then.

Ye Baiting looked at Qiu Yiqing, feeling a little distressed: "The problems you and the emperor are facing have suddenly increased. That dude is not forgiving, and public opinion and other crises and risks are also coming. No matter how smart you are, you will not be able to resolve it immediately...Third Prince You don't care about other people's lives, you are different, you are worried that more identities will be leaked, which will cause trouble for the eldest princess, and you are also worried that if this continues, innocent people will be hurt, so you can only retreat."

A bit aggrieved, but this is the direction that least hurts others.

It's a pity that the luck is bad. Qiu Yiqing and Emperor Yu'an have no home in the capital, and they can't go back if they have one. In addition, there is □□.

I don't know why they met and what the deal was, but the third prince must be very excited when he found out that Qiu Yiqing and Emperor Yu'an were out of the city, and he even took advantage of the Wala people...

For example, regardless of the apparent situation between the two countries, the Oirats sneaking into Beijing must be kept secret. If they are seen, they must not be silenced?It's just two small children, if you kill them, kill them, how difficult can it be?

The next direction of development is even more obvious. No matter how powerful Qiu Xingqing and Emperor Yu'an are, no matter how smart they are, and how they can ignore other things and throw their arms away, there are only two people who can fight against this kind of people who are surrounded by many people and surrounded by murderous intentions. The experience is not rich, you will be injured, you will be in crisis, and it will take a long time...

The eldest princess waited for no one to return, and knew that although the two of them were playful occasionally, they were definitely not children who did not know how to measure, so she resolutely went down the mountain to look for it. For the Oirats who want to cut grass and roots and have fierce scimitars, it is very sad to not pay any price.

Ye Baiting guessed: "My father may have done something with the money."

For example, when giving up money, the first thing to do is to save people's lives.

The details are not fully understood yet, and Jin Yiwei is still investigating, and there is no way to discuss the results today, but some things can still be sorted out——

"What are the people involved in this case doing during this period of time?"

Ye Baiting's eyes reflected the candlelight: "The third prince continued to prepare for his own power savings, and he was pulled and pushed by the backstage in the palace to walk in front of the Wala people. Then, it was the empress dowager who went online with Wala and cooperated. , or Princess You?"

"What is Xing Mingda doing outside the palace? He and Tong's couple are very strange. If they belonged to Concubine You Taigui 24 years ago, the Third Prince has already found them. Shouldn't you contribute to this power, why didn't you become the third prince?"

They didn't have the particularly violent and sinister temperament of the members of the Third Prince's organization, they looked just like ordinary people.

Shen Jiang: "Could it be someone from the Empress Dowager?"

Qiu Xunqing: "Or, to avoid suspicion, 24 years ago, they were already deeply involved, and when they get together again, it will easily remind people of what happened back then."

Since he doesn't want to be investigated now, he certainly didn't want to be checked 13 years ago.

Ye Baiting nodded: "Maybe, this is the way out for the third prince? I'm worried that there are too many possibilities in the future, and the plan is not as good as an accident."

"Then why did you kill it?" Shen Jiang didn't understand, "It hasn't come in handy yet, is it for nothing?"

Ye Baiting raised his eyebrows and looked at him: "What do you think of Xing Mingda's personality, ability, and character?"

Shen Jiang thought for a while: "After being an official for so many years, being able to be transferred to the General Administration Commissioner, the ability should be considered good? The character is fine, but the work of flirting with flowers and grass does not look like a serious person who is doing big things."

Qiu Xunqing: "If a person is ambitious enough, capable enough, and patient enough, the future can be expected, but if he is not patient enough, will he feel that others are trying to comfort him, but in fact he has long wanted to throw away You don't want him anymore?"

"Yes!" Shen Jiang slapped his thigh, "Xing Mingda is not a patient person. You can see how he treats women. He has a lot of tricks. He likes this one today and looks at that one tomorrow. The best routine is sweet talk , Perfunctory coaxing, when others comfort him every day, he must think, how can he be so similar to Lao Tzu's coaxing? He must not really value me, but want to dump me! So he wavers, he wants to betray!"

Ye Baiting took a sip of the fruit and vegetable juice: "Then what if someone else is recruiting at this time?"

"Someone came to him and told him that this place knows about his current situation and what he has done, including 24 years ago? If he is given more lures and more room for development, will he agree? "

That must be promised!

Shen Jiang quickly recalled and dug out the news files he had found: "Although the people involved in the case said they were not familiar with him, Xichang's father-in-law Ban Hean had approached him several times in private. Look at these... one, two, three Four, although the time is relatively long, it seems that there is no connection, but it seems that there is something wrong with this connection?"

"And here."

Ye Baiting opened the files on the table, found one precisely, and pointed to the words on it: "Look here, Mrs. Han Ninghou, Mrs. Shan, has met him more than once, but the atmosphere is not good and there are often quarrels."

The same is true, the time is very long, and it is not because you search frequently at the same time that you can't see anything, but what if you combine the experiences of two people and watch it together?The 'bad relationship' between Mr. Shan and him is like losing his temper because of dissatisfaction.

Qiu Yiqing tapped the table with his knuckles, pointing to the message on another file: "Don't forget Dongchang R&F."

This person has also "encountered" with Xing Mingda outside the palace many times.

At least now, on the surface, Ban He'an and Mrs. Han Ninghou belong to the Empress Dowager. They are looking for Xing Mingda, probably to instigate rebellion, and Fu Lixing, the purpose may be different, it is probably to beat and confirm, Whether the person is still trustworthy.

Shen Jiang stroked his chin: "If that's the case, wouldn't the murderer have to be R&F?"

"Not necessarily, don't forget, the premise of our conclusion is - if this direction is correct."

Ye Baiting reminded Shen Jiang: "We can't ignore the possibility of 'rebellion'. What if Xing Mingda's 'betrayal' was instigated by Concubine You? She wants to take this opportunity to find out how many secrets the Empress Dowager knows. , don’t you have to take a risky move?”

If the Empress Dowager is tricked, she will be successful. If the Empress Dowager is not tricked and she sees it through, how can the person who implements the 'anti-rape plan' get it?

Even Mrs. Han Ninghou's death was due to indiscretion.

Shen Jiang felt like he had a toothache: "This Gongdou is really... so terrible."

There are too many routines, and it is impossible to ignore any direction!

"No rush, as long as we find definite evidence, we can rule out the others and leave the most correct path."

Ye Baiting was not in a hurry at all, looking at the small whiteboard: "Since we are talking about the dead, let's return to the timeline of this year. Although it has been so long, the power struggle has a long history. Once it starts, it will last forever." Non-stop, I guess these years, the open and secret fight between the Empress Dowager and Concubine You has never stopped, there are many things that are wary of each other and solicited to inquire about each other...I feel that the existence of the third prince is known to both palaces now Yes, we know each other well, but we haven't seen the truth yet."

There is always one side defending and one side attacking.

It is one thing to intrigue and frame each other. It is another thing to keep the secret until now and not let Emperor Yu'an know. The situation seems to be balanced and stable. In fact, Emperor Yu'an has already risen. If there is no accident, they will all have to be under his command In order to make a living, no one is willing to expose their stains, so in this regard, the two palaces are consistent, which is why Jin Yiwei's investigation is so difficult this time.

Xing Mingda died, and Mrs. Han Ninghou's wife, Mrs. Shan, also died. It may be due to indiscretion, or other reasons. In short, these two murder cases revealed one thing, the secret of the year was exposed.

People in the inner circle, people in the secret vortex, it is impossible for Yin Mengqiu not to be afraid...

"Yin Mengqiu is very smart. It is not easy for her to go all the way from a court lady to a female official. She can be calm in front of others and still keep her face in front of commanders, but no one knows what she thinks in her heart. If you are worried about the future If she is afraid, what will she do, and when she has no idea, who will she want to talk to?"

"You Taigui Concubine?" The first thing Shen Jiang thought of was this person, "But after so many years, she doesn't seem to be You Taigui Concubine anymore?"

Yin Mengqiu was only with Concubine You 24 years ago, the year of the accident, but after returning to the Imperial Palace in the capital, she was transferred to work in other palaces, including the Longevity Palace of the Empress Dowager, and Been working there for a long time.

Shen Jiang was a little puzzled: "Is she flying solo, or is she betraying? If she betrayed, she has experienced such a big thing together, and knows so many secrets. As for the narrow-minded concubine You Taigui, she would rather kill a thousand by mistake. Can't let one go, can she live until now? If she didn't betray, she was allowed to 'fly solo' and serve the Empress Dowager for so long, and the Empress Dowager's eyes are not blind, can you not see it?"

The key is that they have been investigating for so long. Yin Mengqiu really has nothing to do with Concubine You after 20 years. He has almost no contact with Concubine You at ordinary times. ——Yin Mengqiu must smoke her clothes every morning, and have no more contact with her.

Just because of this suspicious point, he checked it out, but unfortunately, he found nothing. He only felt that Yin Mengqiu seemed to be getting more and more silent and low-key.

Who did this Yin Mengqiu belong to now, before he died?

Ye Baiting's eyes flickered, and she suddenly thought of a new direction: "Smart people often communicate with each other, and there is no need for superficial communication... Maybe, she has found another way?"

"There is a new hill?" Shen Jiang suddenly said, "Young master said the empress dowager? Yin Mengqiu is still conquered?"

Ye Baiting shook his head.

Shen Jiang paused, he guessed wrong?

The commander pondered for a moment and said two words: "Queen."

"Emperor, Empress?" Shen Jiang was startled.

Ye Baiting lowered his eyebrows: "Due to the consideration of the timeline, the empress is still among the suspects and has not been ruled out by us."

Shen Jiang tried to think in this direction: "The empress is very smart. She has been in the middle palace for less than five months, and she has already taken care of everything. The two giant Buddhas in Ningshou Palace and Changle Palace, neither of them are perfect. It's a good match, she can go so smoothly, maybe she really has mastered some kind of skill to get some people..."

I also know that in the early years, Emperor Yu'an pretended to be a pig and a tiger in front of these two big Buddhas. Now that the government is stable, the people's hearts are in the favor, and the expectations of the people are in favor. They are all honest and low-key, but this year is different. The emperor got married, and the central palace has a queen. If the two don't take advantage of the wind to make troubles, and secretly push so many tricks... how can they be worthy of so many years of palace fighting experience!A new junior guard in the imperial prison will be beaten and beaten by the seniors.

Thinking about it this way, the queen's empress is actually very powerful if she doesn't show her mountains and dews!

Ye Baiting: "The empress must have a check and balance method for the two palaces, but it must be very hard to maintain. After all, the newcomer is new here. It takes a lot of effort just to hold the subordinates and make them loyal to her. I want to do it once and for all. Thoroughly solve... After years of old affairs, revealing the big secret that can break the sky, she will definitely be interested."

It's just that the inside story of this case is too horrifying. Jin Yiwei is not allowed to discuss too many clues and secrets with the people involved in the case due to the discipline of investigation. And the Queen herself...

Just the word 'confusion of royal blood' is enough for her to be sensitive. Jin Yiwei has never disclosed relevant information. She may think that Jin Yiwei is only investigating the murder itself and has not done too much research on the past, and of course she will not take the initiative to mention it.

She will be worried about her husband, and she will also be worried about the instability of the government and the chaos of the villains. Only after she finds out the real facts of the year... can she decide what to do next.

Shen Jiang: "...so for the empress, it's not that she doesn't have no motive for killing?"

Although she is the youngest in this case and the only one who has not participated in all these pasts, she is also a stakeholder. She will want to protect everything about her husband, find out the truth of the year, and beware of the secret plots. people who do bad things...

"It's so complicated——"

Shen Jiang was scratching his head.

Ye Baiting: "The information we have in our hands is almost complete. Let's compare the existing facts and evidence to see if we can rule out anyone. Let's start with the older ones, the Empress Dowager?"

Shen Jiang followed the young master's train of thought: "Whether the third prince belongs to her or not, she has a motive to kill. Yes, that is her own side. The people on the same boat must of course eliminate the crisis. No, the two sides are opposing positions. If she wants to make a big deal happen, can she just watch? She will definitely do something... But she is very old, can she do something murderous?"

"Look at the characteristics of this case. Two were murdered by poison, one was lured into the ice palace to freeze to death, and the biggest trauma was Xing Mingda's forehead injury caused by ice cubes." Ye Baiting calmly analyzed, "Even an old lady should be able to do it." arrive?"

Shen Jiang touched his chin: "That's true."

Ye Baiting: "If the murderer is her, the only difficulty is throwing away the corpse. No matter how fat or thin Mrs. Han Ninghou is, an old man can hardly move her..."

Qiu Yiqing: "The ponds and dark lakes in the palace are full of running water."

It rained heavily on the day the body was thrown out, and the pond was full of water, so it would not be difficult to use the canal.

Shen Jiang: "Then if the Empress Dowager can do it as an old man, compared to her, it seems that Ban and An around her are more convenient for these things?"

In contrast, it is very convenient for the father-in-law of Dongchang to do these things.

Ye Baiting said: "You Tai Guifei is the one who caused all this. She is at the center of the secret vortex. Regardless of whether she was pregnant or not, and whether the third prince was born to her, she has enough motivation and ability."

"We need to pay attention," Qiu Yiqing tapped his fingertips on the table, "Dongchang R&F started 23 years ago, after the group returned to the palace, and then slowly emerged and came to the side of Concubine You."

Ye Baiting's eyes were bright: "There's Tong Shi, she seems to be secretive about many things... Only when she knows a lot, she will be like this."