Da Tang: Father, can I resign?

Chapter 33 Detective Di Renjie
Li Ming and Di Renjie took a deep breath, walked past the servants who were sweeping the door frantically, and entered the main hall.

The body was placed in the middle of the main hall, covered with a snow-white quilt and a white cloth on its face.

Living people suddenly turned into a line of ups and downs under the white cloth, which made people sigh.

The mourners stood in silence and the atmosphere was extremely solemn.

Li Xiaogong's three sons knelt beside the coffin in a daze, as if they were still unable to accept the fact that their father had passed away suddenly.

Although everyone was sad, no one was surprised.

The Prince of Hejian was extravagant and generous, and he loved drinking and having fun. It was only a matter of time before he drank himself to death.

After a while, Fang Xuanling also came.

Without even looking at Li Ming, he walked straight up to Li Xiaogong's sons and said in a sad but polite tone:
"My condolences. This morning the prince was still full of energy, but who knows how unpredictable things are... Was there anything unusual before the prince passed away?"

The three sons looked confused, and the eldest son Li Chongyi answered:

"It happened suddenly. We were on duty at the court and didn't even have time to see him for the last time..."

As he said this, he was overwhelmed with grief and burst into tears, covering his face.

Fang Xuanling's gaze shifted to the seven crying concubines.

"Nothing unusual." The Seven Star sisters answered in unison.

Fang Xuanling nodded slightly: "It is also a blessing that he did not suffer before his death."

Having said that, he stood quietly among the crowd.

Among the crowd who came to pay their respects, Li Ming saw two acquaintances.

One was the Minister of Rites who convinced people with reason, King Jiangxia Li Daozon.

"Everyone in the world praises your achievements in Hejian and your strategies in Jiangxia as being worthy of being a model for the royal family. But now you have passed away. How can you have strategies without achievements?"

He beat his chest and stamped his feet in grief.

Next to Li Dao Zong, another acquaintance of Li Ming also had a sad face:
"My condolences, father-in-law. My condolences~"

The man was a handsome young man. He was the former Right Guard of the Imperial Clan and the current Li Mingdian, Wei Daijia.

After the two men expressed their condolences, they happened to stand next to Li Ming.

Li Ming quietly poked Wei Daijia's back:
"You really followed me here?"

Wei Daijia was a little helpless:
"You think I like following you? I'm here to accompany my father-in-law."

Li Ming was shocked: "You are actually the son-in-law of Uncle Li Daozong? You are quite capable, you can marry into our Li family."

The corner of Wei Daijia's mouth twitched.

The Xiaoyaogong branch of the Jingzhao Wei family intermarried with the old Li family who "called themselves" the Longxi Li family. Who the hell is marrying up?

There was an endless stream of people coming to pay their respects, and the main hall was filled with a faint sadness.

Although fifty years old was not considered a long life, it was not considered an early death in the Tang Dynasty.

Everyone was shocked, but they also naturally accepted this fact.

"I think you're overthinking it." Li Ming whispered to Di Renjie:

"Sudden death from drinking occurs very quickly, and perhaps the doctor will know at a glance that Uncle Xiaogong is beyond help.

"The reason why the Prince's Mansion was in such a hurry to spread the news of his death was because today was the enthronement ceremony, and all the relatives of the Li family had gathered in Chang'an. If the news was spread too late, some people might have left the capital first."

He felt that his explanation was very reasonable.

Li Xiaogong died of natural causes, no one deliberately harmed him.

If there really was a conspiracy behind his death, it would not have gone unnoticed in history.

This defense is also Li Ming's self-consolation.

The political struggle has not yet reached the point of life and death, and the Tang Dynasty's court is still safe.

"Maybe." Di Renjie said absentmindedly, his eyes fixed on the door.

Suddenly, the servants who were cleaning the door knelt down in unison.

A middle-aged man in a yellow robe and with messy hair and beard staggered in.

Everyone was silent.

It’s His Majesty, the current His Majesty is here.

"Xiao Gong!"

As soon as he shouted this, Li Shimin burst into tears and threw himself on the coffin in agony.

"Your Majesty, please take care of yourself!" Everyone tried to dissuade him, but Li Shimin kicked them all away.

"Get lost! I am saying goodbye to my beloved general, what does it have to do with you?"

We have to admit that Li Shimin does have a strong infectious power.

Under his leadership, everyone started to cry from the bottom of their hearts. After hearing his father's tearful confession, little Li Ming finally understood the great achievements of this uncle from the royal family:
He conquered the tribes with his benevolence and virtue, and surrendered more than 30 states in Bashu without bloodshed; he destroyed Xiao Xian; he also surrendered 49 states in Lingnan; he destroyed Fu Gongju; he unified Jianghuai and Lingnan...

Li Ming's eyes were also slightly sore, and he looked at Uncle Xiaogong lying on the coffin bed with sadness.

His body was so fat that the snow-white quilt could not cover it completely. In addition, Li Shimin was lying on top of him crying, so a corner of the quilt was lifted.

As Li Ming watched, he suddenly felt a sense of disobedience.

Something is wrong, but I can't tell exactly what's wrong...

At this moment, his sleeve was gently tugged.

Di Renjie was very serious, lowered his voice, and whispered in Li Ming's ear:

“Why do I feel…

"The Prince of Hejian was poisoned to death?"

poison……

There was an undercurrent stirring in Li Ming's heart.

But he controlled himself and asked calmly:
“How come you see?”

"Brother Ming, look at the prince's hand."

At the corner where the quilt was lifted, Li Xiaogong's hands were curled up, as if he was holding something tightly.

"A person's body will become stiff after death. The body of a person who has just passed away will retain the movements that they made before death..."

"Wait." Li Ming swallowed.

"How do you know this?"

Did Ning preview Detective Di Renjie in advance?

"I learned some things from my father when he was working in Kuizhou," Di Renjie answered modestly.

Taking his underage son to the forensic scene, what kind of Spartan parenting method is this... Li Ming has a new understanding of Di Renjie's tiger father.

"Prince Hejian must have experienced great and long-lasting pain before his death."

Di Renjie's voice gradually became lower:

"That's why his hands were gripping so hard that they were a little deformed."

The subtext is that people who die suddenly from drinking usually die more quickly.

Because when sudden death occurs, the problem is either the heart or the brain. If there is something wrong with these two organs, the person will die quickly.

The circumstances of Li Xiaogong's death clearly did not fit this situation.

This is also the reason why Li Ming felt inexplicably uncomfortable.

With strong observation skills and the ability to see the big picture from small details, young Di Renjie is indeed a young man to be feared and has a promising future.

"In addition, there is another strange thing." Di Renjie continued:

"What those servants were desperately cleaning up at the entrance to the main hall was probably Prince Hejian's vomit."

"Is there a problem with vomiting after being drunk?" Li Ming was puzzled.

"The vomiting position is wrong." Di Renjie did not dare to keep it a secret and explained in detail:
"The prince has a huge appetite, and he drinks fine wines. It is impossible that he drinks inferior wine that will make him vomit. In other words..."

Li Ming had personally experienced a drinking party and immediately understood:

"If Li Xiaogong drank until he vomited, he must have drunk a lot of good wine and was completely drunk.

"In this case, even if he vomits, he will only vomit at the table. He will not have the strength, nor the need, to make it all the way to the main hall door.

"unless……"

"Unless what he drank was poisoned wine."

Di Renjie's childish voice struck Li Ming's eardrum again and again.

“When the incident happened, the Prince of Hejian should have been sober and not drunk.

"After drinking the poisoned wine, he felt unwell and left the table to call for help, but vomited halfway through.

"That's why there was a stain outside the hall."

Li Ming felt like he was falling into an icy cave.

The seeds of unrest have completely sprouted.

The false sense of security is like a dream bubble, shattered by the breath of reality.

Behind the bubbles, the palace revealed its familiar hideous appearance:
The flashing of swords and the shadow of sabers are thrilling at every step.

For no reason, Li Ming heard Li Jing's warning:

You should actually be more cautious.

(End of this chapter)