Chapter 446: The weather has changed
Now, Commander Sun is going to submit a statement to the old emperor, and Pei Yi and his party will stay in Shuyi Palace for the time being to wait for the result.
There were only three days to handle the case, and Pei Yi didn\'t dare to waste any time, so she immediately took out Zhou Jieyu\'s family history file and started to read it.
When she saw that Zhou Jieyu\'s ancestral home was in Jinzhou, her eyes froze slightly.
Jinzhou is the lair of Xiao Junlin, the protagonist of the original book.
Pei Yi gently closed the file, looked at Xiao Junji sitting opposite her calmly, and secretly had some guesses in her heart.
Before, Xiao Junlin helped the Fifth Prince transport food to the private soldiers in Wanshou County, and at the same time got very close to the Fourth Prince. It is not impossible for such a long-sleeved and good dancer to extend his hand to the harem.
Zhou Jieyu suddenly slandered the third prince for no reason, maybe Xiao Junlin was behind it.
Pei Yi thought for a while, then said in a deep voice, "Ah Heng, come out with me."
Xiao Junji was called out, and immediately he was in high spirits, and followed Pei Yi out of the dormitory with his head held high, and walked to a secluded place.
Pei Yi looked around and confirmed that there was no one around, so she cautiously lowered her voice, "Zhou Jieyu is from Jinzhou."
Xiao Junji was slightly taken aback, he understood in his heart, and asked with a disapproving smile: "Do you suspect that the Xiao family is behind it?"
"It\'s just a premonition." Pei Yi said solemnly, "but there is evidence for everything. His Majesty must want to know why Zhou Jieyu slandered the third prince for no reason, and he would also suspect that there is someone behind Zhou Jieyu. If His Majesty ordered everyone to obey Looking at Zhou Jieyu\'s native place, are you sure that the Xiao family will not be affected?"
Xiao Junji\'s expression froze, and he said in a deep voice, "What does Sanlang think of me?"
Pei Yi looked at him seriously, and said seriously: "I don\'t want the Xiao family to be labeled as \'rebels\'. If there are really Xiao family members who become \'rebels\', then this matter should have nothing to do with you , let alone have anything to do with the Xiao family."
Xiao Junji\'s face also became extremely serious.
He understood what Saburo meant.
If one day his father and younger brother rebel, then he must kill his relatives righteously.
The rebellion must not be linked with the Xiao family.
It can only be his father and second brother who have problems, not the entire Xiao family.
He must protect the Xiao family.
As long as the Xiao family is still there, he is meaningful as the head of the Xiao family.
Thinking about this, Xiao Junji said in a deep voice: "I saved it."
Pei Yi looked around calmly to see if there were palace people coming and going, and continued in a low voice, "You just need to understand. So this time, if Your Majesty asks why Zhou Jieyu slandered the third prince for no reason, I plan to say Zhou Jieyu directly. Yu is to avenge the Fourth Prince."
Xiao Junji was unexpected, and then a warm current surged through his heart.
Saburo is to protect him.
He has no real power in the Xiao family now.
If it is found out that his father and second younger brother have conspired against each other, then he will be powerless to suppress these two, and the entire Xiao family will become disrespectful.
By that time, the royal family will definitely wipe out the Xiao family, the rebellious officials and thieves.
Even if he survived by luck, the foundation of the Xiao family has been destroyed, so everything will be meaningless.
However, right now it is indeed a good time to rectify the Xiao family, and San Lang actually let go of such a good opportunity just to protect him, and he is really too affectionate to him.
Xiao Junji was so emotional that he couldn\'t help holding Pei Yi\'s bare hands, and said emotionally: "Sanlang, I will definitely live up to you!"
Pei Yi was seriously talking about important matters related to the fate of the country, but suddenly heard the other party\'s confession.
She couldn\'t help being startled, and after thinking about it carefully, she guessed what Xiao Junji might be excited about.
To be honest, Xiao Junji really thought too much.
But if she said so bluntly that Xiao Junji was being self-indulgent, it would hurt Xiao Junji\'s feelings too much, and it would also hurt the man\'s self-esteem too much.
Pei Yi thought carefully for a moment, and said seriously: "You and I have long been on the same boat, so I naturally want to plan for you. I am now covering up for the Xiao family, but it doesn\'t mean that I don\'t want to investigate what Xiao Junlin and your father have done these years. matter."
Xiao Junji’s mind is so active, even if he understands Pei Yi’s deep meaning—now he has cleared up the Xiao family’s suspicion of manipulating the harem concubines, but secretly investigates Xiao Junlin’s treasonous activities. It will be announced to the public at a suitable time in the future - of course, this suitable time must be when he can basically control the Xiao family, only in this way, everything will be meaningful.
Xiao Junji thought of Pei Yi being able to plan this far for him, his heart felt as if it had been exposed to the midsummer sun, it was extremely warm.
He subconsciously wanted to take the woman in front of him into his arms.
But Pei Yi withdrew her hand first, and said calmly: "The matter is settled, let\'s go back."
She is so calm that she is almost callous.
Xiao Junji lowered his eyes and glanced at his empty hands, smiled somewhat self-deprecatingly, and said softly, "Okay."
When his family, Saburo, was being promiscuous, he was afraid that Saburo would really be greedy for him.
Now, his family, Saburo, keeps the etiquette and integrity, but he hopes that Saburo can pamper him.
The contradiction is so far, isn\'t it ridiculous?
Xiao Junji\'s inner villain helplessly spread his hands and shook his head with a wry smile, secretly thinking when will he be able to eat meat?
The two returned to the bedroom together.
At this time, Eunuch Wei also arrived at the bedroom of Shuyi Palace.
Eunuch Wei is the first personal **** next to the old emperor. He appeared here, presumably because the old emperor had read the confession and wanted to express himself.
Sure enough, Eunuch Wei was full of respect, and cut straight to the point: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty invites His Highness the Third Highness, Lord Pei, Prince Xiao, and Xun Sijie to go to the Palace of Political Affairs for a speech."
Eunuch Wei is so respectful and polite, naturally he has his own considerations.
He is very clear-headed, even if His Majesty is in a bad situation, after all, His Majesty only has this adult prince left.
And His Majesty is not in good health now, when His Majesty dies, will the world be under the control of the Third Prince?
Moreover, with the extraordinary affection between the Third Prince and Mr. Pei, Mr. Pei will definitely be reused by the Third Prince in the future.
And Xiao Shizi and Xun Sijie were willing to help the third prince investigate the case when he was in such a difficult time. Naturally, it is also a great affection, and these two people will also be favored in the future.
So, standing in front of him is not only the third prince, Mr. Pei, Xiao Shizi, and Xun Sijie, but also the new emperor, powerful ministers, and ministers of the Great Zhou in the future.
Eunuch Wei has such considerations, so his attitude is naturally more respectful.
Pei Yi is always respected by you, and I will pay you back.
She has a smart mind, and she keenly felt the kindness released by Eunuch Wei, and she was very respectful when returning the gift.
Huo Yuan, Xiao Junji, Xun Huan and others were also very particular about returning gifts and promises.
Now, both sides are in favor of each other, and they both have a good impression of each other.
Eunuch Wei is a big celebrity in front of the old emperor. After being praised by others in the palace for so many years, he still has a temper and temperament.
Although he is respectful to Pei Yi and others, he has another attitude towards others.
Eunuch Wei flicked his fly whisk, lifted his chin slightly, and said a little arrogantly: "Where is the court lady Cailian?"
Cai Lian is the court lady who confessed - Zhou Jieyu\'s personal maid.
Cai Lian has been waiting tremblingly in a corner of the hall since her confession was adjourned, waiting for His Majesty to summon her.
Now when she heard Eunuch Wei calling her, she hurried out from the corner, lowered her head, and whispered anxiously: "The servant is here."
Eunuch Wei sized her up from head to toe, his critical and scrutinizing eyes were like looking at a piece of goods.
With contempt in his eyes, he ordered the guard beside him, "Take her."
As soon as the words fell, several guards with knives walked up to Cailian, and directly carried her out.
Cai Lian was already terrified in her heart, but now that she was held hostage by the guards, she felt even more terrified. She couldn\'t help but trembled, trembling as if she was sifting chaff.
Pei Yi cast a glance at Cailian, and said sorry in her heart, but she didn\'t express anything in action.
Naturally, it is impossible to express.
Eunuch Wei showed that he deliberately wanted to create pressure on Cailian in this way, so that Cailian would be afraid and dare not lie.
Such a result, Pei Yi is naturally happy to see it, so how could she stop it?
Not long after, a group of people arrived at the Palace of Qinzheng.
There are many and strict rules in the palace.
Pei Yi and others naturally stood respectfully outside the hall and waited for the summons. Going in directly would be against the rules and despise Tianwei.
Eunuch Wei took the lead to enter the palace holding Fuchen, and he passed the news to the old emperor that Pei Yi and others had arrived at the Yizheng Palace.
After getting the old emperor\'s positive reply, Eunuch Wei came back outside the hall and personally led Pei Yi and others into the hall.
Of course, at this time, Eunuch Wei does not need to do it himself.
He can stand directly in the hall and shout: "His Royal Highness Xuan San, Xiao Shizi, Xun Sijie, and Lord Pei enter the hall."
Then, the little eunuchs standing at the entrance of the hall will respectfully welcome Pei Yi and others into the hall.
In fact, this is also the usual etiquette process, and there is no way to pick a mistake.
But now Eunuch Wei is trying his best to curry favor with Huo Yuan, the future new emperor, and Pei Yi, a group of future upstarts, so he behaves so respectfully—he picks up and receives everything in person as much as possible.
"See Father Emperor."
"See Your Majesty."
Pei Yi and the others bowed their heads slightly after entering the hall and crossed their hands.
The old emperor raised his hand and said, "Excuse me."
Pei Yi straightened up.
She took a look at the old emperor, but found that it had only been one night, but the old emperor suddenly aged a lot, as if he had lost his energy all of a sudden.
But after thinking about it, the old emperor has been hollowed out by the elixir these days, even if she succeeds in detoxifying that day, the old emperor still has at most two years to live.
In addition, the old emperor usually relied heavily on Gu Changze, who looked exactly like General Yan, but now Gu Changze was punished and even sent to prison. Without this person who can be called the "backbone", the old emperor naturally became much weaker all of a sudden.
"Are you Cailian?" The old emperor\'s focus this time was to find Cailian to verify the details and the truth, so he didn\'t fight with Pei Yi and others, but directly directed the conversation at the little palace lady Cailian.
Cailian is just the personal maid of Zhou Jieyu in Shuyi Palace, and she can\'t be regarded as a high-ranking maid in the whole harem.
In addition, the old emperor didn’t have much sexual interest in the concubines in the harem, and he didn’t look up the brands of the concubines on weekdays. As time passed, there were many maids in the palace who had never seen the emperor.
Plucking lotus belongs to the hang that has never seen the old emperor.
Now, she finally saw this Ninth Five-Year Lord, but at such an embarrassing and dangerous juncture, how could Cailian not be afraid? How not to panic?
Her voice was almost trembling, and she knelt down on the ground, even the hands on the ground were trembling, but in the end she only said four words tremblingly: "It\'s the servant girl." .”
The old emperor looked down upon Cailian\'s unbearable interrogation.
He originally wanted to suppress the arrogance of the little palace lady, but before he officially started to suppress, the little palace lady was already scared out of her wits.
The old emperor shook his head in his heart, and asked solemnly and coldly: "You said that Zhou Jieyu actually had an improper relationship with the fourth prince. What is the reason?"
He threw the confession on the ground, and the piece of paper on which the confession was written floated directly onto Cailian\'s head.
Cai Lian didn\'t dare to hide for a while, let alone take down the piece of paper. She just lowered her head deeply, shaking even more fiercely because of fear.
In this era, court ladies had a natural sense of fear towards the emperor, but now that the emperor is angry, it is naturally even more frightening. Poor Cailian became more and more frightened.
"What can you explain from the confessions you wrote?" The old emperor said coldly, "How do I know if you are talking nonsense?!"
This is too heavy a word.
It is a serious crime to slander the heir of the heavenly family!
If this kind of serious crime is spoken out by the emperor, it will become an unforgivable felony.
Cai Lian was so frightened that Huarong turned pale, and immediately defended with a mournful face and panic: "Your Majesty knows the lesson! The servant girl is true, and she has never deceived or lied!"
She suddenly remembered that Pei Yi had deliberately told her that the last piece of most critical evidence could only be revealed when His Majesty personally interrogated her.
Cai Lian suddenly seemed to have grasped at straws, and with a trembling voice stammered and defended: "Your Majesty! I still have evidence! On New Year\'s Eve last year, Zhou Jieyu went out of the palace to have a private meeting with the Fourth Prince!"
The old emperor\'s pupils shrank suddenly when he heard this, and his eyes were about to burst into flames almost instantly.
His sudden rise in anger was so obvious that everyone in the hall felt his mood change.
Pei Yi sighed secretly, she also understood the old emperor\'s mood at the moment. In order to show kindness and favor, the emperor would allow concubines to go out of the palace to play or go home for reunion on New Year\'s Eve. But Zhou Jieyu actually regarded the Tian family\'s rules of favor as an excellent opportunity to meet her lover. This was completely slapping the old emperor in the face. How could the old emperor not be furious?
"They made an appointment to meet at Suiyulou..." Cailian was really terrified, her heart was beating extremely fast, and it was getting faster and faster.
She felt that her heart seemed to be jumping out of her throat, so that it was difficult for her to speak, and she was stuck speechless for a while.
The old emperor was already in a rage, when he saw the little court lady Cailian suddenly silenced, he couldn\'t help being furious, and reprimanded him: "Why didn\'t you say it?! You said that the fourth prince and Zhou Jieyu went to the ruins!" Yulou, where is the evidence?!"
Cai Lian was even more frightened, and the cold sweat flowed like a waterfall, directly soaking all the clothes on her back.
She tremblingly said: "Slave, slave girl..."
However, the fear in my heart reached the extreme, and I was speechless.
Cailian opened and closed her mouth for a long time, but she couldn\'t utter a single word.
The old emperor was so angry that one Buddha came out of his body and two Buddhas ascended to heaven. He slapped the table and stood up suddenly, and said angrily, "Why don\'t you dare to go on? You don\'t have a word of truth out of your mouth!"
As he spoke, he kicked Cailian, the little palace maid, and kicked Cailian half a meter away.
The situation took a turn for the worse.
Pei Yi\'s complexion changed slightly. If this situation continues, the fourth prince may not be convicted of having an affair with Zhou Jieyu, and Huo Yuan\'s suspicion will not be cleared away. Then everything today will be in vain!
But now in front of the Holy One, according to the rules, she can\'t interrupt casually, and she can\'t go forward to appease Cailian.
At this time, she couldn\'t help but secretly complain that picking lotus is really worthless, and she can\'t speak after being so frightened, what else can this do?
After much deliberation, Pei Yi could only try her best to appease the other party calmly.
She put on a straight face, catering to the words of the old emperor, and said: "Cailian, Your Majesty asks you, and you have to answer truthfully. You half answer and hide half, do you want to retract the confession when the matter is over?"
"No!" Cailian found her voice again under the excitement.
In fact, more importantly, almost everyone in this room made her feel pressured—but Pei Yi alone gave her a sense of respect and relative ease.
Facing the old emperor, she was afraid to say a word, but when facing Pei Yi, she dared to speak.
Now, under Pei Yi\'s calm guidance, Cailian gradually calmed down.
Although Cailian still felt scared, her hands were still shaking, and her voice was still trembling, she was able to speak.
"Your Majesty, everything this servant girl said is true." Cai Lian stammered, "The fifth floor of Suiyu Building is an extremely hidden place. The fourth prince chose to do things on the fifth floor of Suiyu Building for the sake of convenience. This matter It is absolutely true, Suiyulou must have records of guests..."
The old emperor only felt that his blood was surging, and his eyes were blackened with anger.
"Your Majesty!"
"Your Majesty!"
Eunuch Wei, who was standing next to the old emperor, saw the old emperor\'s body trembling suddenly, and immediately felt vigilant. Who would have thought that the next second the old emperor would fall back straight.
Eunuch Wei moved quickly to support the old emperor.
Although the old emperor is old, he is still tall and big, and his weight is not light.
Of course, Eunuch Wei couldn’t support him alone, but thanks to the guards standing beside him who quickly helped him, both of them stabilized the old emperor.
Pei Yi also changed face.
What happened today was too different from what she expected.
If the old emperor was so angry that he would lose consciousness, that would be a good thing from a certain point of view.
But I\'m afraid that the old emperor will be so angry that he can\'t die, and things won\'t go on - if the fourth prince can\'t be convicted, and the third prince can\'t get away with it, then things will be troublesome.
Pei Yi felt very helpless, so she could only step forward to give the old emperor a diagnosis and treatment.
Of course, the most important thing at this moment is quick results.
Pei Yi didn\'t play any advanced games anymore, and directly pinched people.
And pinch quite hard.
The old emperor didn\'t know if he woke up from the pain, and he let out a slight "hiss".
Pei Yi quickly withdrew her hand, and stood aside with her head bowed respectfully.
The old emperor only felt a little pain in the human body, which was very uncomfortable, but he didn\'t care too much about it, let alone this is not the time to care about it.
A person is so angry that his cheeks should be red or even purple.
But the old emperor turned pale, which was very scary.
His face was wrinkled and overcast like a clouded sky.
All the eunuchs and guards standing beside him were sweating coldly, deeply feeling that the capital is about to change drastically.
The old emperor ordered in a cold voice: "Commander Sun, immediately go to Suiyulou to ask for the check-in list for the night of last New Year\'s Eve!"
Ordering the ruthless inner guard to do this, it can be seen how thunderous and furious the old emperor is now, this is the rhythm of another million corpses.
Pei Yi silently looked down at her toes, thinking about how this matter would end up.
She was thinking about things, and the other men in the room were naturally thinking about things too.
Huo Yuan has a good memory.
He didn\'t think of anything at first, but when he heard the little maid Cailian repeatedly emphasizing "New Year\'s Eve" and "Suiyulou", he vaguely remembered that night he was in Suiyulou with Pei Yi, Qisha and Du Zizhan Nonsense things.
But after all, he was drunk at the time, and he was a little fragmented, and he couldn\'t fully recall the whole process for the time being.
He just remembered that on the first day of the Lunar New Year the next day, they had a special discussion in the carriage when they went out, as if Du Zizhang specifically said that someone was calling "Your Highness".
Huo Yuan\'s whole body was excited, and he ran past tens of thousands of horses in his heart, secretly thinking that it can\'t be such a coincidence, right?
The other room, Suiyulou.
Commander Sun got the old emperor\'s order, and he didn\'t dare to delay for a moment, so he beat his horse and went to Suiyulou.
Along the way, the horseshoes galloped wildly, raising waves of dust, and pedestrians on the street retreated one after another.
Some farmers were walking ahead with a load, but they were hit by a whip on their back and fell to the ground. Before they could get up, they felt a large shadow cast on their heads.
As soon as the farmer looked up, he saw a fine horse passing over his head. He was so scared that his face turned pale immediately, he didn\'t even have the desire to curse, and his legs went limp.
Amitabha Buddha! Buddha bless!
If the horse had been a little bit off just now, then his brains would have burst!
Not only the farmer has lingering fears, but the pedestrians around are also very scared.
Everyone is a citizen of Kyoto, immersed in this imperial capital all year round, and their political sense is naturally higher than that of people in other places.
Now that there are people in brocade and official uniforms galloping on the street, something must have happened in the palace!
This Kyoto... I\'m afraid the weather will change!
When the common people think of this result, their faces change drastically.
Everyone didn’t want to go to the street or set up a stall, so they turned around and went home.
Run now!
Hurry home!
It hasn’t been long since the last palace change, and the **** scene in Kyoto is still in sight. The common people are so frightened that they dare not walk on the streets for a while.
(end of this chapter)