Jiuxi

Chapter 1045 Extra 09 [Prince]

Yiku Palace, a side hall.

Lu Xinyi tiptoed in and saw the dignified and steady face of Shang Gong Jinshu as soon as she raised her eyes.

Jinshu was thirty years old at the time, wearing a dark blue silk dress with dark patterns, no longer as innocent as she used to be.

She was destined to be Wang Chulong's maid many years ago. Lu Chen had thought about giving her a position, but she insisted on staying with Wang Chulong, so Lu Chen made her the Shanggong of Yikun Palace, in charge of internal affairs, documents, etiquette, and dispatching palace maids and eunuchs.

Lu Xinyi took a peek inside, but unfortunately her sight was blocked by the screen and she couldn't see what was going on inside, so she asked in a low voice, "Aunt in charge, is mother still angry?"

Jinshu came up to her, gave her a helpless look, and whispered, "Your Highness, please go in quickly. The Queen is waiting for you."

Lu Xinyi immediately lost her temper and walked into the inner room with difficulty, step by step.

The scene was slightly different from what she had expected. Wang Chulong's expression was not as gentle as a spring breeze, but it also did not seem to contain any thunder.

She sat quietly in front of the window, writing with a brush. Her eyes and eyebrows were as gentle and soft as before, and her figure was still graceful and charming. It was hard to tell that she was the mother of two children.

Lu Xinyi came forward politely and bowed, saying, "Mother."

"Ah."

Wang Chulong responded softly, then stopped writing after a moment, turned to look at her and said, "You did well today."

"Uh?"

Lu Xinyi blinked her big eyes, unable to comprehend what was going on for a moment.

"Because of His Majesty's love, you have enjoyed all the favors since you were young. I have always worried that you would develop a spoiled and unruly personality. Now it seems that it is not so bad. At least you know what is right and what is wrong. You will sincerely seek justice for those poor women. I think your father will be very pleased."

Wang Chulong stood up and took Lu Xinyi's hand, and the mother and daughter sat down beside the couch.

As if in a dream, Lu Xinyi asked cautiously, "Mom, are you really not angry?"

"Why are you angry?"

Wang Chulong smiled slightly, stretched out her hand to help Lu Xinyi smooth down her slightly messy hair, and then said: "I hope you can inherit your father's virtues, sympathize with the people and have great love in your heart. Now you are willing to take risks to help the weak and fight against the strong. Isn't this what I want to see?"

Lu Xinyi finally relaxed and said with a sweet smile, "I'm glad that mom isn't angry."

Wang Chulong said lovingly, "Tell me the whole story."

"Ok!"

Lu Xinyi nodded, and then stated all the details clearly.

After half an hour, Wang Chulong said slowly: "I don't object to you doing something within your ability, but don't be so reckless next time. Even if you are afraid of disturbing your father, you should tell the prince. If he is busy for a while, you can't take risks alone. Xinyi, you have always lived in a very safe environment and don't understand the dangers of this world. Sometimes, even if you are a princess of the royal family, you still can't escape danger. You must know that there is always a shortage of crazy people in the world."

If she had scolded him fiercely at the beginning, Lu Xinyi might not have listened to her advice. But at this moment, Princess Changle's heart was surrounded by the tender love of her parents. How could she let them down? She said solemnly, "Mother, I will never be willful again."

"it is good."

Wang Chulong chatted with her for a while about the intimate matters between mother and daughter, and then had her sent back to Changle Palace.

The sky is getting dark and the lanterns are starting to turn on.

Wang Chulong leaned quietly on the soft pillow, with a hint of coldness gradually appearing in her eyes.

"Miss."

Jinshu walked into the side hall, came closer and said, "His Majesty has issued an imperial decree, ordering His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to coordinate with the three judicial departments to thoroughly investigate the Jinxiu Tower case."

Wang Chulong did not answer.

Jinshu had been with her for more than ten years and knew her personality and habits very well. He immediately realized that there might be something fishy going on in this matter and it was not just as simple as Princess Changle investigating a case in disguise.

After a long while, Wang Chulong stared ahead and said slowly, "Jinshu, why do stupid people always appear in this world one after another?"

Jinshu thought for a moment and replied, "My Lady, because the greed in the human heart is like a ravine, it can never be satisfied."

"Yes, you are not satisfied with the wealth and luxury, and you still have delusions in your heart."

Wang Chulong shook his head slightly, with a hint of sarcasm on the corner of his mouth.

Jinshu knew from a young age that her young lady was extremely intelligent, and that she was not the kind of cleverness that came from scheming and plotting, but rather the great wisdom that came from the background of aristocratic families, the influence of poetry and books, and natural talent. Over the years, she seemed to be living in the deep palace, but in fact, she often helped Lu Chen to check for deficiencies and even to sort out the overall situation in the court and the civil and military factions for him, but she never showed it in front of others, and only spoke when the couple talked at night.

Looking at Wang Chulong's expression, Jinshu realized that she might have seen through the mystery of the Jinxiulou case, so she mustered up the courage to say, "My queen, do you want to go to the Qianqing Palace?"

"No need."

Wang Chulong smiled and said, "Your Majesty will definitely be at Sister Lin's place tonight. Besides, some people may have forgotten that Your Majesty was able to see through the conspiracy that others had been scheming for years when he was still a humble man. Moreover, now that he is a dragon soaring into the sky, he can see all the changes in the world. Your Majesty asked the prince to investigate the case, which is actually telling those self-righteous fools that it is the right way to plead guilty and accept punishment as soon as possible."

Jinshu nodded repeatedly.

"As for me--"

Wang Chulong said softly, "Your Majesty certainly doesn't want me to show up too early."

This sentence made Jinshu a little confused. Looking at the couch again, Wang Chulong had already closed her eyes slightly. She took out a thin blanket to cover her and retreated quietly.

……

"Jiusi is still young. Isn't it too early to let him do things now? This case involves the Duke of Cheng's Mansion. Even if Jiusi is the crown prince, it is not easy for him to take action against the military commander so early. Moreover, you said that you want to use this case as an opportunity to rectify the brothel business in the country. If he makes a mistake, won't it be a laughing stock?"

Kunning Palace, the sleeping hall.

Lu Chen leaned against the couch with a smile on his face, admiring with interest Lin Xi's graceful figure walking back and forth in front of him.

Among all the beauties around him, except Ning Shuwan who was far away in Qingzhou, only Lin Xi was three days older than him. Therefore, he sometimes called her "senior sister" and "sister" in private.

Normally, Lin Xi would naturally let him do what he wanted. After all, this was one of the ways to maintain the relationship between husband and wife.

But tonight her mind was full of the assumption that Lu Jiusi was not doing a good job and had damaged the reputation of the Crown Prince. Seeing the smile on Lu Chen's face, she felt a little annoyed. She walked up to him and said unhappily, "You're still laughing at me."

Lu Chen stretched out his hand and exerted a little force, then pulled Lin Xi into his arms, hugged her soft waist and said, "Our son is already fifteen years old, you should not always think of him as the little kid who insisted on pulling his father-in-law to ride a horse. Although everything is difficult at the beginning, he has to take the first step, and this case is very suitable in my opinion."

Feeling her husband's familiar and warm breath, Lin Xi's heart gradually settled down. She habitually snuggled in his arms and frowned slightly, "Is it suitable?"

"Xu Gui has no significant connection with the Jinxiu Tower case. At most, he is guilty of not raising his son well. All in all, it is hard to say what will happen to Xu Ling for the time being, but Xu Gui will not be in any danger. I just want to use this bad guy to warn those military heroes in the army. The execution of Lu Jing three years ago gave them a warning, and now they need to be more sober."

Lu Chen looked warm and said calmly: "Don't worry, Jiusi will not have too many conflicts with the military this time."

Lin Xi raised her head slightly and looked at him puzzledly: "You knew the secret of Jinxiu Tower a long time ago?"

"Do not."

Lu Chen shook his head and said, "I just found out about this today."

Lin Xi suddenly understood and said apologetically, "I shouldn't have thought that. You absolutely cannot allow anyone to take human life so lightly."

"Senior sister still understands me."

Lu Chen came over and said with a smile: "Give me a kiss."

Lin Xi rolled his eyes at him and said to himself, "How are you going to teach those people from the Textile Weaving Department a lesson?"

Although she was not as familiar with the intrigues of the court as Wang Chulong, she had been the empress for six years after all. Even if she had learned passively, she could see things much more clearly than she did back then.

Even if Jinxiu Tower used the Chengguo Mansion as a cover, the Weaving Bureau would not be able to find even the slightest trace.

In the end, it took Princess Changle to lift the lid. What was the point of Lu Chen keeping them?
Lu Chen said: "Nan Yi and the others are kneeling outside Qingyang Gate now."

Qingyang Gate is the southeast gate of the imperial palace. Generally, only the emperor's trusted ministers would enter the palace through here to meet him.

"Is there something strange here?"

Lin Xi thought for a moment and said, "You have rectified the Jingzhi Division several times. How could they have the guts to collude with the military?"

"There is no such thing as a permanent solution in this world. Even the most honest people may become distracted. There are very few people like Xu Zuo and Jiang Hui who can always stick to their original intentions. However, this matter cannot be blamed entirely on the Textile Bureau. They were ordered to monitor various places, but they did not dare to keep an eye on the palace."

Lu Chen then briefly repeated Lu Jiusi's analysis and smiled, "See, I said Jiusi has his father's style. You can't spoil him too much. That's not loving him but harming him."

"When did I ever spoil him? Wasn't it because you deliberately hid it?"

Hearing Lu Chen's praise for the prince, Lin Xi was naturally happy, and snorted again, "You... You have already arranged everything, but you insist on keeping it a secret in front of me."

Holding his wife's soft and fragrant body in his arms, Lu Chen couldn't help but hug her tighter when he saw her rare charming look.

"and many more."

Lin Xi's eyes flickered, and she raised her hand to his chest and asked, "Since the Weaving Bureau has excusable circumstances this time, why don't you forgive them?"

"His situation is pitiful, but his crime is unforgivable."

Lu Chen's right hand quietly reached into Lin Xi's collar and said slowly: "Just let them learn a lesson. I have told Dai Hong to let them kneel for another half an hour. Nan Yi was taught by the old man personally. He is capable and loyal, but there is one thing that is not so good. He tends to think too much about anything related to the palace, but he doesn't know that a true loyal minister should dare to speak out and give advice. Do I look like someone who doesn't listen to opinions?"

Lin Xi moaned softly, and couldn't help but stop his mischievous hands through his clothes, and asked, "Do you know which palace is causing trouble?" "Senior sister, I'm not a deity."

Lu Chen laughed and said, "Let Jiusi investigate. I believe our son can handle it properly."

"Then you should take care of him more or less. Although he has learned a lot, it is still his first time on a mission."

Lin Xi stopped trying to stop him, and her voice gradually softened, "By the way, Concubine Wen has worked diligently over the past few years, and has given birth to a prince for you, should we promote her?"

Lu Chen's mind flashed with Wen Lingrong's extremely beautiful face, and he whispered, "Let's talk about it later. Senior Sister, do you want to have another child?"

Lin Xi raised her right hand and fiddled with it slightly. Her long black hair fell down smoothly like a waterfall. She bit her lower lip and said, "It's up to you."

……

In just two days, the disturbance caused by the Jinxiu Tower case spread throughout the capital, and even showed a tendency to spread to other parts of the country along the capital area.

The case itself was not complicated, and Shuntian Prefecture quickly announced the first case brief in accordance with the instructions of the cabinet.

Jinxiu Tower used the front building as a cover and created a secret place of entertainment in the back. In just over a year, it used various means to coerce and force 46 young women into prostitution, and tortured 17 of them to death.

When the briefing came out, everyone was shocked and angry.

Xu Ling, the boss of Jinxiu Tower, immediately became the target of public criticism. Memorials impeaching him and Duke Chengguo Xu Gui flew into the palace like snowflakes, and many people called for their killing.

The case was investigated jointly by three judicial departments, but was initially mainly led by the Ministry of Justice.

On the Imperial Street southeast of the Imperial Palace, many ministries of the Qin Dynasty are lined up on both sides. Among them, a less conspicuous building is the Ministry of Justice.

In the back hall, the Minister of Justice Zhan Hui had a solemn expression, and on his left and right sat the Junior Secretary of the Dali Temple Shen Wenxi and the Chief Censor Jiang Huiming respectively.

Kneeling in the hall was Xu Ling, the eldest son of Duke Chengguo Xu Gui and a doctor in the Military Affairs Department.

He was explaining which dignitaries had visited the back building of Jinxiu Tower in the past year. The three ministers in the hall looked straight ahead. In fact, only 60% of their attention was on Xu Ling, because there was also His Royal Highness the Crown Prince sitting behind the desk on the left.

From the time Zhan Hui and others interrogated Xu Ling until now, Lu Jiusi has never spoken a word, as if he was really just here to listen to the trial.

Zhan Hui secretly sighed in his heart. Although the prince was young, he already had some of the bearing of the emperor in his past. No matter whose name he heard from Xu Ling's mouth, even the corners of his eyes did not twitch at all.

"Are you trying to say that the guests of Jinxiu Tower have never abused women?"

Zhan Hui was transferred to the central government by Lu Chen to take charge of the Ministry of Justice in July of the year before last. He has been working diligently and conscientiously. Naturally, he would not delay his work because of the arrival of the prince. He stared at Xu Ling with cold eyes, as if he wanted to see through this man's heart.

Xu Ling was exhausted, having experienced a fall from the clouds to the abyss. He no longer had the high spirits of the past. He quickly defended himself, "Grand Minister, this is all I know. I have never heard of any guest doing such a thing. Now I am in prison and have brought shame to my father. How dare I cover it up? I do have an unshirkable responsibility in this case, but I have never had anyone torture and kill those women. I beg you to investigate!"

"You pushed it cleanly."

Zhan Hui sneered, then bowed to Lu Jiusi and said, "Your Highness, I want to interrogate the prisoner Hu Qingyan."

Lu Jiusi glanced at the pale-faced Xu Ling, nodded slightly and said, "Yes."

Immediately, the officers took Xu Ling away, and a moment later, they carried Hu Qingyan into the back hall.

He had obviously suffered a lot in the Ministry of Justice. The bloodstains on his prison uniform were clearly visible, and only his handsome face was not disfigured.

The moment he entered the back hall, Hu Qingyan's eyes swept over Lu Jiusi who was sitting there, and his throat rolled subconsciously.

Looking at Hu Qingyan with a sad face, Zhan Hui felt real anger in his heart.

It has not yet been determined whether Xu Ling is the main culprit in this case, but the guilt of the young man in front of him is ironclad. Regardless of whether he was instructed by Xu Ling or not, those women with tragic fates died directly or indirectly at his hands.

It was not known whether it was because he had given up or he could not stand the methods used by those old officials in the Ministry of Justice, but Hu Qingyan did not deny the charges against him. Basically, he admitted every charge raised by Zhan Hui.

He also took the initiative to confess the details of his evil deeds, including when and how he brought a certain woman into Jinxiu Tower, and when and why he killed her.

He was not like Xu Ling who knew nothing about anything. He even knew exactly which women died at the hands of which powerful official.

This was probably the smoothest case the Ministry of Justice had handled over the years. There were so many confessions that the clerk next to him almost got cramps in his fingers from writing so many.

Lu Jiusi calmly looked at the prisoner who kept confessing.

He already knew Hu Qingyan's background. He had a wide range of friends and was especially eloquent. He met Xu Ling six years ago and they became close friends. Later, Xu Ling relied on his father's reputation to open Jinxiu Tower, and it was natural for Hu Qingyan to help him with the household affairs until now.

The Hu family is a large family in Yaoyang Prefecture, Jingxi Province. Although they are not well-known in the capital, they still have some status in the local area, so there is enough room for Hu Qingyan to socialize in the capital.

Judging from this information, all of Hu Qingyan's actions seem logical. He used all kinds of despicable means to please Xu Ling and help the Chengguo Mansion to make money. After the incident, he could not bear the consequences and could only confess everything.

Zhan Hui considered it carefully and found nothing suspicious, so he was about to have Hu Qingyan taken away. Unexpectedly, this person suddenly said, "Grand Minister, this criminal knows a secret of Jinxiu Tower!"

Zhan Hui frowned and said, "Speak."

Hu Qingyan hesitated and said, "If the criminal confesses clearly, can... can the Grand Justice be asked to show some leniency?"

Zhan Hui's tone became increasingly cold, his eyes like knives: "Are you negotiating terms with me?"

"The criminals dare not!"

Hu Qingyan kowtowed and said, "I know I deserve death, how dare I have any more delusions. However, the things that happened in Jinxiu Tower were caused by me being distracted. I committed such a heinous crime that deserves death by thousands of cuts. But it has nothing to do with my family. I hope the Grand Prosecutor will forgive them!"

"Whether it matters or not is not up to you to decide."

Zhan Hui raised his hands and said, "Your Majesty has repeatedly stressed that the Ministry of Justice will never easily commit crimes by association. As long as it is found that your actions have nothing to do with the Hu family, I will naturally not make things difficult for them, but the punishment they deserve will not be less."

Hu Qingyan's eyes lit up with joy. At this time, the Crown Prince sitting next to him said, "Since it is a secret, there is no need for too many people to hear it. What do you think, my Lords?"

Zhan Hui and others responded quickly.

As for the officials from the Ministry of Justice, the Dali Temple and the Censorate, they were very grateful to the prince. After all, there was an unwritten rule in the officialdom of the capital that the fewer secrets one knew, the safer one was.

After a while, except for the three main officers in the hall, the two masters of the Ministry of Justice standing next to Hu Qingyan, Lu Jiusi and the forty-year-old man behind him, there was no one else in the entire back hall.

Hu Qingyan kept his head down and said slowly, "Grand Minister, Jinxiu Tower actually has another owner. I heard Xu Ling mention it by chance and was very curious about it. Xu Ling did not tell me who the owner was, but he promised me that if that owner invested in Jinxiu Tower, even the Textile Bureau would not dare to come and investigate casually! At that time, I thought that it might be a nobleman from another Duke's Mansion, or a big shot from the Textile Bureau!"

There was dead silence in the hall.

Hu Qingyan seemed to have given up everything at this moment, begging, "Grand Minister, I will confess everything, I just hope that the Hu family will not be harmed... Oh, I remember, Xu Ling once said that the mysterious boss has a strong foundation, and asked me to do it freely, as long as I can earn enough money, I will be able to complete the task. Grand Minister, as long as you try Xu Ling again, he will definitely confess everything. He is actually a coward and can't stand the punishment at all!"

Zhan Hui's face became increasingly gloomy.

If His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had not been listening, he would have had Hu Qingyan's mouth smashed.

On the surface, Hu Qingyan directed his spearhead at other military dignitaries and even the Weaving Bureau. The problem was that each of these three chief officers was a shrewd man. Just by hearing the words "With that person investing in Jinxiu Tower, even the Weaving Bureau wouldn't dare to come and investigate casually", one could tell that the situation was heading towards an unpredictable direction.

The Sutra Weaving Bureau is the emperor's personal army. The person behind the scenes who makes them so fearful must be related to the palace!

The current emperor has been on the throne for six years, and he has only taken in beautiful girls once, in the first year of Datong, for a total of eleven girls. After that, he no longer accepted the suggestions of court officials on enriching his harem.

In addition to the ten sons and two daughters born to the emperor by the empress and five concubines, the eleven concubines who entered the palace later gave birth to four princes and two princesses.

Generally speaking, the harem of this dynasty is quite peaceful, and no disharmonious rumors have been spread for many years.

Is it possible that the storm is finally coming?

Zhan Hui felt bitter and angry. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was watching the trial, and he couldn't hide Hu Qingyan's confession. Besides, it was impossible for him to do so. After all, the other two chief officers were not easy to deal with, especially Jiang Huiming, who was highly regarded by the Imperial Censor Liu Yuan.

However, as a subject, the most taboo thing is to step into such a vortex.

At this time, Lu Jiusi said calmly: "Minister Zhan, Shaoqing Shen, and Zhongcheng Jiang."

The three men stood up and saluted, saying, "Your Highness is here."

Lu Jiusi also stood up and said slowly, "I think this case is not that complicated. The prisoner's confession cannot be trusted. The most important thing now is to find out whether Xu Ling is hiding something. His knowledge and ignorance will have completely different consequences. In addition, we must comfort the surviving victims and provide relief to the families of the deceased. As for the mysterious boss mentioned by this prisoner, you should record it truthfully. However, in order to avoid causing random suspicions from the court and the public, it will be listed as a secret volume for the time being. You only need to present it to the emperor. Remember not to cause rumors."

Zhan Hui and others looked at Lu Jiusi's peaceful gaze and couldn't help but admire him greatly.

He is impartial and takes the overall situation into consideration, and is extremely upright and just.

"The minister obeys the order."

The three bowed again.

Hu Qingyan still kept his head down, but a sense of absurdity surged in his heart.

Jinxiu Tower definitely has nothing to do with the Crown Prince, he knows this very well. When he was about to make it clear, how could His Royal Highness the Crown Prince still remain calm?

Doesn't he want to know which prince is using Jinxiu Tower to make money?

Doesn't he want to use this opportunity to eliminate all potential opponents?

Is he stupid?
With extremely complicated feelings, Hu Qingyan raised his head with difficulty, and happened to meet Lu Jiusi's gaze as he walked past him.

No sarcasm, no ridicule, no arrogance or condescension.

Only peace.

(End of this chapter)