Yutai Bi

Chapter 205
Du Yansui was stunned, who would it be if it wasn't Wu Zhaoyi?

"Your Majesty, judging by the time, these snakes should have just been put into the soup pool. Otherwise, they would not have been discovered when the Empress and Mrs. Jianguo Hou were about to get up." A Qianniuwei reported.

Cen Sanniang could hear clearly behind the screen.What Qianniuwei said makes sense.She and Wang Baolin are the only two people in the Tangchi adjacent to Wu Zhaoyi. Wang Baolin has been with her all the time. Who will be near Wu Zhaoyi and Li's Tangchi?
"I think this case is not difficult to investigate. Remove all the curtains, and ask the empresses and young masters, as well as the female servants who are serving tonight, to stand according to their own seats. Check them one by one, and it will be clear at a glance who walks in and out. .” Since Wu Zhaoyi did not do it, Du Yansui is not worried.

Gao Zong nodded: "Yan Sui's words are reasonable. Come here, help the ladies and the masters change their clothes."

The imperial guards stood outside the hall, and it was impossible for anyone to slip away at this time.The maids and servants brought dresses, and the women behind the screen changed their clothes one after another.

After the screen was removed, Wang Baolin said to Cen Sanniang's hand, "Mrs. Du, let's go."

Cen Sanniang was about to leave, but her arms tightened, and then she remembered that Cen Meiren had been holding her arm.

Cen Meiren looked at Du Yansui who was beside the emperor with a pale face, and murmured, "It's actually a snake!"

Cen Sanniang patted Cen Meiren's hand and said, "Don't be afraid..."

Cen Meiren leaned her head on Cen Sanniang's shoulder, her voice was as soft as a mosquito gnat: "My sister is also surnamed Cen. Please protect my father and brother from death."

She let go of her hand after speaking, and slowly walked to her place under Cen Sanniang's astonished gaze.

The soup pool of myself and Wang Baolin was adjacent to Wu Zhaoyi's, and the snake was only put in, and only Cen Meiren came... Those words made Cen Sanniang almost unsteady on her feet.

"Your Majesty! Pick up something from the pool, it looks like it's used to hold snakes." Qian Niuwei picked up a leather pouch made of gold thread from the pool.It was about a foot long, and the belt that tied the mouth had already been loosened.

The three snakes can be stuffed in, and they can be placed in a large robe.But those were three live snakes, Cen Mei was only eighteen or nineteen years old, how could she have the guts?Cen Sanniang's back went numb thinking about it, but if it was her, she would be scared to death, so she dared to carry it on her body.

"Your Majesty, I have found out that the female official was bitten by a snake in three places, but she was not killed immediately. She died of poisoning, unconsciousness and drowning. As far as I know, although the Coral Snake is highly poisonous, it has a gentle temperament and is not incapable of death. It will take the initiative to attack. It must be the people in the pool who were panicking and stirring the water, and the snake thought it was being attacked, so it bit the female official. It was because of Lady Zhaoyi and Mrs. Jianguohou that they escaped unharmed." The imperial physician at the side reported. road.

Du Yansui added: "This is the early spring of February, and the snake just woke up from hibernation. I think the snake became lively after being stimulated by the heat after entering the soup pond."

At this time, everyone had already stood in their positions.The accompanying female officials of the Shang Palace Bureau began to ask for records one by one.

The concubines who were far away from Wu Zhaoyi Tangchi had recovered their composure.They didn't go there again, and there were people in the pool with them again.Mutual evidence, get rid of the suspicion.

For only one stick of incense, the focus was on Cen Sanniang and Wang Baolin.

Wang Baolin replied very calmly: "The concubine and Mrs. Du are accompanied, and the female officer who waits can testify that we have never left, and we heard something happened nearby when we left the Tangchi."

The female officer also testified, hesitated and said: "When young master Baolin and Mrs. Du got up, Cen Meiren came. She lifted the curtain and came in. The servants and others were waiting inside, and they didn't see where she came from." come over."

Gao Zong remembered clearly that years ago, the Minister of the Ministry of Officials reported illness and became an official, and the Minister of the Ministry of Officials recommended Cen Meiren's father, Cen Langzhong, to be promoted to the position of Minister of the Ministry of Officials.Wang Xiang, who is in charge of the six departments, has no objection.Ministry of officials?Dali Temple is investigating who was rated as excellent by the provincial governors of Yangfang and two states in the annual examination.

His face sank: "Beauty Cen!"

Cen Meiren stood alone next to a small soup pool, and did not take a bath with anyone.She knelt down on the ground, her voice trembling: "Chenqie and Mrs. Du are cousins, and they are from the same town as Wang Baolin, so I went to talk to them. The emperor's lesson! Chenqie... Chenqie didn't have the courage to carry a few Snake!"

Cen Meiren began to cry.

To hide a bag of poisonous snakes in their sleeves, all the concubines were afraid at the thought, but they almost believed it for a while.

At this time, a servant came in and whispered a few words in Eunuch Hu's ear.

Eunuch Hu looked at Cen Meiren and sighed, and whispered to the emperor.

Gaozong was furious, pointed at Cen Mei and said, "How dare you pretend to be pitiful? Bring her up!"

Two servants carried a maid and threw it on the ground.

The maid was shaking like she was sifting chaff, she fell to the ground and cried loudly: "The servant just followed my master's order and brought her a few favorite snacks while soaking in the soup! The servant doesn't know anything."

A Qianniuwei presented the food box in his hand: "Your Majesty, all the maids and maids in and out of the palace have checked. The food box she brought has a compartment at the bottom, which can just fit the bag of poisonous snakes. She happened to She is Cen Meiren's personal maid."

"Where did you get the food boxes and snacks?" Du Yansui asked.

"Yes, they were brought from the palace. The young master accompanied the driver, and the palace made some favorite snacks, put them in food boxes and brought them on board the car."

Cen Meiren looked at the maidservant in horror, and said in a trembling voice: "Your Majesty, I don't know that there is a layer in the food box."

"Hand over to the Punishment Division for investigation!" Gao Zong ordered.

The Punishment Department in the palace is a hellish existence in the eyes of the palace people. The palace maid was so frightened that she collapsed on the ground, and was dragged out by two servants, shouting all the way: "My lord, you are the one who ordered the servant to deliver snacks." Yes, the servants are wronged!"

Gaozong looked at Cen Meiren coldly and said: "If you don't tell the truth, I will punish your whole family!"

"Your Majesty, my concubine has entered the soup pond and has not ordered to deliver snacks." Cen Meiren kowtowed heavily to Emperor Gaozong, already understanding in her heart.

She said sadly: "The concubine didn't order someone to deliver the snacks. The bag... was brought into the soup pond by the concubine in her sleeve."

Seeing Cen Meiren admit it, everyone gasped.

Cen Meiren's face was full of tears: "The emperor is merciful, the concubine did not harm Zhaoyi's heart! It was the empress who wanted to vent her anger, and took a bag of toads and let the concubine put it in the soup pool, hoping to scare Wu Zhaoyi. Dali Temple is enshrining The purpose is to investigate the matter of the Ministry of Officials' examination. The concubine's father was just promoted to the position of minister, and is being investigated by Dali Temple. It was the queen who promised to keep the concubine's father safe. The things were sent by the queen, how did the concubine know it was a snake!"

"You lied!" A voice suddenly sounded from behind the screen.

Mrs. Jianguo Hou woke up leisurely, just when she heard Cen Meiren's words, she staggered out, pointed at Cen Meiren and cursed: "I am recuperating in Lishan Villa, and the emperor is coming to Tangquan Palace. Ordered the wife to enter the palace to give a banquet. If the queen instructed, how could she not take the concubine's safety at heart? You must know that the snake does not recognize people. If the two female officials did not rescue me, the concubine would have died here today. The emperor clearly learned, Don't listen to the beauty talking nonsense and slandering the empress."

Cen Sanniang was sure that Cen Meiren's words were true, and wondered why she was so foolish that the queen used her as a weapon.

The accompanying concubines are respected by Wu Zhaoyi.Mrs. Jianguohou is the queen's sister-in-law.Wu Zhaoyi must be respectful on the face.They will definitely pull Mrs. Li together.Even if you use your body as a bait, the safety factor will be much higher with Madam Jianguo at your side.

The purpose of the Queen's letting Mrs. Jianguohou take risks is to clear herself up.

Cen Meiren's face was pale, and she calmed down a lot: "Please check the emperor clearly, the bag was handed to the concubine by a servant before entering the soup pool. The concubine has already confessed. There is no need to hide the food box. The concubine was taken by the queen. Threatening, trying to scare Empress Zhaoyi, but she didn't know that the thing in the bag was a poisonous snake. The concubine was confused for a while, and I hope the emperor will read the concubine's father for the sake of his ignorance, and spare his life."

Mrs. Li also knelt down and cried: "Your Majesty, this concubine is the empress's sister-in-law. If this concubine hadn't discovered it in time, I am afraid that both empress Zhaoyi and this concubine would have been murdered. Don't listen to Cen Meiren's bloody mouth, the empress must be It's clear!"

Wu Zhaoyi said: "Ms. Cen said it was sent by the servant. There are only so many people in this palace, just recognize them one by one. Did the bag of snakes come in in a food box, or did the servant give it to you?" For Cen Meiren, you can always check and find out."

Gaozong nodded and said, "Bring all the servants in the palace in."

For some reason, Cen Sanniang's heart skipped a beat.Cen Meiren's words lingered in Cen Sanniang's ears: "My younger sister is also surnamed Cen. Please protect my father and brother." She looked at Du Yansui, and saw that he was also frowning.

Not long after, a row of servants outside the hall filed in.

Cen Meiren knelt on the ground and carefully identified it.His eyes lit up, and he pointed to one of them and said, "Your Majesty, it was he who gave the things to the concubine. The concubine was a bit heavy to carry, and he said it was a bag of toads, and he threw it into the pool. Sealed with wax, it melts in hot water, and the mouth of the bag will be untied."

The two Qianniuwei picked up the servant and threw it to the ground.

Before the emperor could speak, the servant screamed, "Mrs. Du asked the little one to bring it to Cen Meiren..."

Du Yansui narrowed his eyes and shouted sharply, "What did you say?"

Cen Sanniang was also startled: "I don't know you!"

The little waiter kowtowed repeatedly on the ground: "Mrs. Du gave the villain money, saying that she and Cen Meiren are cousins, and said that it was inconvenient to bring things to Cen Meiren in public, so the villain quietly asked Cen Meiren to give her things. Xiaoren The person is wrong, the villain is greedy for a while, he only feels that the hands are heavy, and he doesn't know what it is!"

He took out a red silk bag from his pocket, put it on the ground and opened it, inside were two ingots of gold.

(End of this chapter)