The emperor's decree: Hou Gang cannot leave the prison until a conclusion has been drawn on the queen's assassination!
Yuan Yong and Yu Zhong had no choice but to go to the dungeon in person to interrogate Gang.
This is simply no place for people to stay.
It was dark, damp and dull. Mosquitoes were rampant, and the mice were as fat as tabby cats. Their small eyes were glowing with green light, and they were not afraid of living people, as if they were about to pounce on them and bite them.
The stench in the prison is astounding, and anyone who has fought in a war is familiar with it: this is clearly the smell of corpses...
Yuan Yong was shocked and felt chills in his heart: Hou Gang was actually imprisoned on death row?
Not to mention that it takes a long time, even if it is closed for ten and a half months, I am afraid that Hou Gang will be useless...
The emperor is so cruel!
Hou Gang was leaning against the railing, his face was ferocious, his eyes were red, and his teeth were clattering, just like a wild beast.
"It's all that Li's fault... Hou Mou will cut you into pieces..."
"You brought it upon yourself, what does it have to do with Li Chengzhi?"
Yuan Yong covered his mouth and nose with a silk scarf, glared and cursed: "If I hadn't offended Your Majesty, why would I have ended up like this? It's really stupid..."
Yuan Yong felt that Hou Gang was simply stupid.
Hate the Gao family, hate the Gao family, but Gao Ying is always the most respected queen. And your majesty is right next to you, how dare you play tricks?
You clearly saw that Li Chengzhi was going to gain His Majesty's favor and robbed you of your favor. You also knew that he was close to the Gao family, so you hated the whole house...
As the leader of the sword, it is your duty to protect him. At such a juncture, you dare to take personal revenge, which is already a taboo of the emperor. If your majesty does not punish you, who will you punish?
"There is nothing wrong with lowering your official rank!"
Hou Gang stiffened his neck and replied: "The assassin and the Li family's son were from the same place in Jingzhou, and they both came from the same family in Longxi. So at one point, they were in a hurry and mistakenly thought that the two were accomplices..."
"That's enough!" Yu Zhong stared at Hou Gang coldly, "Are you stupid or am I stupid, or do you think His Majesty will believe it?"
One has lived in his ancestral home for a long time, and the other has moved to Wuzhi. Apart from the fact that they both belong to Jingzhou, no matter how much eight hundred poles they are, they can't even fight against each other. In the battle of Jingzhou, the Li family of Wuzhi was almost wiped out by Li Chengzhi. From this point of view, it is also known that
That assassin made a false accusation.
Besides, the assassin mentioned Yuan Yong before he died. According to Hou Gang, King Yingchuan was the assassin’s mastermind?
If you still dare to say such things to fool a fool in front of the emperor, let alone absolve yourself of guilt, I'm afraid Hou Gang won't even be able to save his life.
That's all, he is a confidant after all, we can't bear to see him die like this?
Yu Zhong sighed loudly, "After returning to the palace, I will beg your majesty to remove you from the death row first. But you must also remember not to fool your majesty again... You know, ten of you have just been tied together.
, not half as wise as His Majesty..."
Hou Gang was startled.
Yu Zhong's intention was clearly to ask him to tell the truth when he saw the emperor again...
Seeing that he still didn't seem to understand, Yuan Yong couldn't hold it back and cursed bitterly: "Idiot... Do you know why the leader (Yu Zhong) is guilty of a heavier crime than you, but the emperor can let him punish his crimes and perform meritorious deeds? Do you really think anyone can do this?"
Are you as short-sighted as you, thinking that Gao Zhao is really a kind person?"
The "who" King Yingchuan mentioned refers to His Majesty, right?
Hou Gang suddenly realized: Is it possible to be exempted from guilt because he has a grudge against Gao Zhao?
It’s true that both success and failure are high...
He bowed deeply: "Thank you, Your Highness, for the advice!"
"Stop making noise!" Yuan Yong waved his hand impatiently and urged Yu Zhong, "If we stay in this wretched place for a few more days, are we afraid that everyone will get sick? Do serious things quickly and find out the clues earlier.
Let Your Majesty make a decision earlier so that this guy can be fished out earlier..."
Hou Gang thanked Yuan Yong so much that he wished he could kneel down to Yuan Yong.
Yu Zhong nodded in response, took out a small box from his arms, opened it and handed it to Hou Gang: "The escort came in at the time, had he ever put this thing in his body?"
Hou Gang took a closer look and saw that it was something like the tip of a needle. But it was extremely small. If his eyesight was not good, he might not be able to see it clearly.
"How can I care about such a weak official?" Hou Gang shook his head, "I have never seen it before!"
I think so too.
You came here to give it a try just in case, but ended up disappointed?
It seems that we really have no choice but to ask Li Chengzhi.
Yu Zhong put away the small box and told Hou Gang not to be impatient. He would be able to get him out of the dungeon in three to five days, or one or two days in short.
The two left the Tingwei prison and returned to the palace. Sitting on the carriage, Yuan Yong said suspiciously: "If you say that Li Chengzhi changed the needle, I don't believe it, because it makes no sense. But why did Wang Xian and Xu Jian
I thought the needle was not poisonous, but Li Chengzhi said it was a poisonous needle?"
"Perhaps everyone's medical theory is different, so there are errors!"
Yu Zhong replied, and said categorically, "But now that everything that should be investigated has been investigated, there are doubts. The only way to find out is the origin of this poisonous needle. We can only work hard here..."
That's the truth.
"Then go straight to find Li Chengzhi!"
Yuan Yong nodded and explained, "Although we and Hou Gang belong to the same Yuan clan (Xianbei), Li Chengzhi is indeed close to the Gao family. But if it comes down to it, Hou Gang was reckless in this matter. However, when the Li family became famous at a young age, they were arrogant and arrogant. Even if they were married to the Gao family, they would not necessarily follow Gao's lead. Therefore, if Si Xian meets him later, it is better not to make things difficult for him..." Yuan Yong was afraid that Yu Zhong would hate Li Chengzhi for harming Hou Gang, so he resented Li Chengzhi and became enemies.
If this is true, Li Chengzhi really has no choice but to follow Gao Zhao.
Yuan Yong felt that it would be better for such a talented person not to fall into the hands of Gao Zhao. Otherwise, wouldn't it be equivalent to giving a knife to the enemy?
Yu Zhong let out a breath: "Your Highness, don't worry, I know!"
Hou Gang is Hou Gang, Yu Zhong is Yu Zhong, how can we generalize?
Judging from the fact that Li Chengzhi saw through the assassin, as a leading general, Yu Zhong should also be grateful to him.
Just imagine, what if the assassin escaped this time and murdered the emperor next time?
He is afraid that all the nine Zhong tribes will be wiped out...
Furthermore, Yu Zhong always felt that the emperor's behavior of holding him up high and putting him down gently yesterday had a lot to do with Li Chengzhi.
It seemed that Li Chengzhi secretly glanced at Gao Zhao, and the emperor happened to see it, and he suddenly changed his mind.
Thinking about it this way, it seems that you should be grateful to Li Chengzhi?
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading!
……
Li Chengzhi knelt down in the side room, with his arms exposed, and asked Gao Wenjun to change the medicine.
Just across the door is the queen's resting place.
The queen was only half cured, so it was impossible to leave her alone. After being interrogated by the emperor, he instructed the female medical officer to cut open the queen's wound, drain the pus, and apply medicine. It was already nightfall.
Only then did Li Chengzhi find out that there was a curfew in the harem?
Just outside Zhaoyang Palace, there are actually thousands of guards guarding it.
It is not just as simple as being on duty, but unless the emperor has an edict, no concubines, internal officials, eunuchs, imperial guards, palace maids, etc. are allowed to leave the palace.
This means that the emperor not only closed off the inside and outside, but also isolated the offices, prisons, palaces, and palaces in the inner palace.
After all, there was an assassin in the palace and the queen almost died, so it’s not surprising that she is so alert.
What Li Chengzhi found strange was: How could the emperor confine a foreign minister like him in the palace, and also in the queen's palace?
If the assassination case is not clear, the palace ban will not be lifted, which means he will have to stay in Zhaoyang Palace for several days?
Isn't the emperor afraid that someone will talk too much and it will eventually become a rumor?
There are so many imperial guards, female officials, palace maids, etc. Even if Li Chengzhi has the ability of Sun Wukong, he will never be able to do anything.
Li Chengzhi just felt that the emperor's behavior was too strange, as if he was locked in the palace on purpose...
After a moment of suspicion, Gao Wenjun changed the medicine. Li Chengzhi said as usual: "Excuse me!"
If it were normal, with the tacit understanding between the two of them treating each other as guests, Gao Wenjun would definitely reply with "You're welcome, sir", but what he got today was a cold snort and a big eye roll.
No, it seems that after the queen was assassinated yesterday, Gao Wenjun suddenly changed his attitude.
Every time he snorts coldly, his expressions of anger, resentment, embarrassment and annoyance are clearly because he is jealous of something and wants to bite Li Chengzhi.
Li Chengzhi was confused: What did I do?
It feels like the relationship has suddenly become closer. That is to say, in the palace, the place is not suitable. If the place is changed, Li Chengzhi might do something...
A woman’s heart is like a needle in the sea!
Cursing in his heart, Li Chengzhi also followed Gao Wenjun out of the side room, preparing to take another look at the queen's room.
Tetanus is not that easy to treat. In addition to preventing and treating persistent infection, the symptoms of convulsions will also last for a long time.
Fortunately, there are datura flowers, which have a wonderful stabilizing effect. If you get sick, you can take a sip of it. Even if the queen's body is as tense as iron, she can relax in at least one minute.
But the side effects were a bit severe, and the queen had to endure it every time. Twice, Li Chengzhi even heard the queen moan vaguely...
What a sin!
As soon as he left the side room, another female official came to call him, saying that it was King Yingchuan who had summoned him. Li Chengzhi told Gao Wenjun a few words and asked her to watch first. Then he reported to the Imperial Guard before leaving Zhaoyang Palace. p>
The palace ban is like this: without the emperor's edict, outsiders are not allowed to enter every palace, and insiders are not allowed to leave.
Even if there is an edict, no matter where you go, there will be guards and Huangmen guarding you to prevent escaping from inside and outside.
At this time, as long as Yuan Yong and Yu Zhong enter the palace, no matter who they see, there will be three or four people behind them. Every word and word they say to others will be recorded.
I feel like the emperor is like a frightened bird, and everyone looks like an assassin...
"Has this needle been exchanged?"
Li Chengzhi held the needle and looked at Yuan Yong suspiciously, "Your Highness is suspicious that it was replaced by a lower official, right?"
After taking it out from the queen's wound, he and Gao Wenjun were the only ones who handled it. When Yuan Yong asked this, his meaning couldn't be more straightforward.
Yuan Yong did not deny it, and said with a cold smile: "Even Gu is suspected, let alone you? Don't bother me, I will ask you: Wang Xian and Xu Jian both said this needle is non-toxic, but you alone, why do you call it this?"
Poison needle?"
It turned out that I wanted to use this needle to investigate the origin of the assassin.
But before checking, we must confirm whether this is the one taken out of the queen's body...
Don’t say it, it is indeed a train of thought.
The carving is so exquisite, it is obvious that this needle cannot be made in a day or two. And the female officer has been on duty in Zhaoyang Palace, and there are female officers of the same duty by her side day and night, so she must not have such skill.<
/p>
Find out when she left the palace recently, or who she came into contact with in the palace, and you can naturally locate the general range.
Thinking in his mind, Li Chengzhi replied casually: "This needle is indeed not soaked in poison!"
Yuan Yong's eyes widened: "Then how did His Highness get poisoned?"
"It's rust! Rust seems to be non-toxic, but when it enters the blood, it is extremely poisonous. Just like arrows used in the army, they are sometimes soaked in gold juice.
If the gold juice enters through the mouth, it will cause diarrhea for a few days at most. But if it soaks into flesh and blood, it will definitely lead to a narrow escape... The same is true for rust..."
Both of them had led armies in battles, so they knew what golden juice was and what the consequences would be if it were immersed in the body. At this time, they all looked stunned: "It is so, but why do all the imperial doctors (imperial doctors) not know this?"
?"
"There are specialties in the art. The doctors who serve you are all delicate and noble people. How can there be diseases like gold juice and rust in the flesh? Your Highness should go to the army and ask the low-level doctors... Including this injection!
”
Li Chengzhi pointed to the barb on it and muttered, "Don't you two think that if this needle were magnified dozens of times, wouldn't it be a wolf tongue arrow with the effect of breaking armor..."
"Silence..."
Yuan Yonghai's hair stood on end, and he wanted to cover his mouth.
Li Chengzhi clearly said: Nine times out of ten, this needle came from the hands of someone who is good at fighting in the army.
The charges framed by the assassins and the blame for failing to supervise the imperial army have not been cleared yet, so this involves the military again?
If the emperor gets to know this news, he, the lieutenant, will probably be fooled to the end.
Seeing Yuan Yong's face turn pale with fright, Li Chengzhi was a little speechless, and reminded him cryptically: "This thing is so unique, not to mention the leader, even ordinary people can think of it on the arrow..."<
/p>
This means that you should not fool the emperor as a fool. Even if you don’t think of it now, you will think of it sooner or later.
Everyone is so clever, what are they doing? Why not be stupid?
Yuan Yong cursed his mother in his heart, not knowing whether he was scolding Li Chengzhi or the emperor.
He asked bitterly: "What else?"
"The person who was assassinated was His Highness, and the assassin came from the palace. Once the incident is failed, it will definitely be a serious crime for the Yi Jiu clan, so it will not be done by others. The person who crafted this needle is most likely one of the masterminds.
Unsurprisingly, those who know that rust is poisonous must be good at fighting, and they should be on the front line all year round, otherwise this needle would not be made so delicate and sinister... The lower official feels that the people whom the female official comes into contact with on a daily basis, are close to each other.
Screening among the generations should be able to detect suspicious people..."
After a pause, Li Chengzhi continued: "The assassin was from the Li family in Wuzhi, and he had a blood feud with the official, so he would falsely accuse the official before his death.
But why did she falsely accuse His Highness and call her "Mr. Yang"? She probably meant Yang Shizhong (Yang Bo), Yang Governor (Yang Chun) and others.
The lower official then thought that the assassin's false accusation before his death was not a sudden move. Even if the female official had no enmity with His Highness and the Hongnong Yang family, the person behind it should also have an enmity with her..."
Yu Zhong's eyes lit up after hearing this.
What a word to wake up the dreamer!
How could they not think of checking out the people who have frequent contact with female officials?
But the palace is so big, there are three to four thousand concubines, internal officials, eunuchs, maids, etc. If there are only two or three people, it is estimated that all of them can come into contact with the assassin.
But if it is said that it is related to the military and has enmity with King Yingchuan and the Yang family of Hongnong, it is probably less than one in a hundred.
Li Chengzhi was originally tried as a suspect, but he didn't expect that such a big problem could be solved with just a few words?
He really lives up to his reputation as a genius...