Chapter 177: Surprise
When the news spread that the body of Su Jinghe, a prisoner who was supposed to be exiled, was found in the residence of the Minister of War Xiang Zhengxiang, Su Qingqing happened to be in the imperial study.
Huang Zhaozhong came in with a serious expression, wrapped in a cold robe. Su Qingqing made a gesture to leave, but was stopped by the emperor.
"Go sit over there, I'll talk to you later."
Ever since the disaster relief incident, the emperor's attitude towards her has become more and more amiable.
Su Qingqing did not insist after hearing this. She turned around and sat on the chair against the wall. The eunuch brought her a cup of tea and some snacks.
After Huang Zhaozhong bowed and greeted, he could not wait for the emperor to ask, and said: "Your Majesty, just now, Su Jinghe's body was found in Lord Xiang's mansion."
When Huang Zhaozhong said the word "corpse" , Su Qingqing's hand holding the teacup trembled slightly.
His eyelids drooped, and a hint of sadness flashed across his eyes.
She bit her lower lip lightly and took a sip of the tea.
Dead.
He died after all.
Her own sister, whose mother passed away early, and she and Su Jinghe were the closest people in the world.
In the past, she treated this person like a treasure and cherished him in her heart. When she went out to fight, she was the one she missed the most. When she was shot to death, she was the one she couldn't let go of the most. When she traveled back to her soul and came to the Great Yan Kingdom, the first person she wanted to find was her.
But now...
When she heard the word "corpse", her biggest reaction was just to shake her hands. Even while shaking her hands, she was still wondering in her heart, after the whole incident, how much suspicion would the emperor retain towards Rong Que?
On the contrary, the emperor reacted so strongly that the teacup in his hand fell to the ground. With a snap, the cup broke into pieces on the ground, and the warm tea flowed along the edge of the table onto the emperor's legs.
The chief eunuch was so frightened that he was about to step forward immediately, but the emperor raised his hand to stop him, staring at Huang Zhaozhong with shock and disbelief in his eyes.
"Who are you talking about?"
"Su Jinghe, Su Jinghe, the daughter of Su Yunhe and the sister of former General Su." Huang Zhaozhong spoke clearly, enunciating each word.
The emperor took a deep breath, and held it in for a long time before he let it out. He was so angry that he slammed the table. The emperor stood up angrily, supporting himself on the table with both hands. He leaned forward slightly, "Are you sure?"
Huang Zhaozhong said, "The Second Prince's Consort saw it with her own eyes. Her followers came to report the case in person. When I arrived with my men, the servants in Lord Xiang 's house the Second Prince's Consort, trying to silence her."
The emperor's breath trembled violently.
Isn’t Xiang Zheng a loyal dog of the Zhenguo Gong Party?
He has followed the Duke of Zhenguo as loyally as a dog. Now the Duke of Zhenguo is about to be executed, and Xiang Zheng actually draws a sword against the Second Prince's wife?
At that time, someone reported that Su Yunhe was found in the Prince's Mansion. He was furious and immediately surrounded the Prince's Mansion and placed the Prince under house arrest.
Although Su Yunhe was never found and the prince was cleared of all charges, there was still a thorn in the emperor's heart.
Did Su Yunhe have any contact with the prince?
Now……
Xiang Zheng, the former Duke of Zhenguo, who now belongs to an unknown faction, found Su Jinghe's body in his house.
What about Su Yunhe?
There is also Su Xiang, who was discovered in Bashu.
Thick fog lingered in the emperor's eyes and mind like miasma, and for a moment he even lost the ability to analyze.
The only thing we know is that he really wronged the prince.
"How could Qin Wanru find the body in Xiang Zheng's mansion?" After the huge stimulation, the emperor was still unable to calm down. He simply gave up analyzing and raised the question.
Huang Zhaozhong reported truthfully, "I have asked the Second Prince's Consort and verified with Xiang's family. Yesterday, the Empress asked Xiang Zheng's wife to go to Qingquan Temple to burn incense, but Xiang's wife declined on the pretext of feeling unwell.
The Queen is concerned about Madam Xiang's health and went to visit her today.
A few days ago, the Empress got a little Pekingese dog. The dog was very lively. The Empress was afraid that Madam Xiang was depressed and unhappy, so she brought the little Pekingese to cheer Madam Xiang up.
Who would have thought that the little Pekingese would bark non-stop after entering the Xiang Mansion, and later even broke free from the Empress' arms and flew directly to the back garden of the Xiang Mansion.
When the maidservant serving the empress ran to chase it, the little Pekingese kept digging and barking at an empty space in the back garden.
Seeing that the servants of the Xiang Mansion changed their faces, Madam Xiang forcibly pulled the empress out of the small garden, and the little Pekingese couldn't be stopped. The empress felt strange and delayed for a while, wanting to see what the little Pekingese was digging.
As a result, the dog dug out a piece of clothes."
After Huang Zhaozhong finished speaking, Su Qingqing frowned, and then interrupted with envy, "I heard Wanru mention it once, saying that the dog was specially given by the emperor, and that the dog was raised in the Big Buddha Temple for a while. It really deserves the emperor's grace and the Buddha's teachings."
When Su Qingqing mentioned this, the emperor also remembered it.
A while ago, Qin Wanru was poisoned at a palace banquet. In order to appease his daughter-in-law, the emperor sent some small gifts to cheer her up.
Among them is this little Pekingese.
As for the fact that the dog had been raised in the Big Buddha Temple for a while, it was true. The dog was originally picked up by the abbot of the Big Buddha Temple at the foot of the mountain.
So, it was this dog that found the body?
For a moment, this coincidence made the emperor feel mixed emotions.
He slowly sat down on the dragon chair, and after a long moment of stunned expression, he came to his senses. "Where's Xiang Zheng?"
"After I arrived, I found that the body was Su Jinghe's. Because of her special status, I did not dare to interrogate her without authorization, so I immediately ordered people to seal off the spot where the body was found and to guard all members of the Xiang family. Then I immediately went to the palace to report. As for Mr. Xiang, he was not in the mansion at the time of the incident."
Not in the house?
Just because he is not in the mansion, can the people in his mansion draw their swords against the Second Prince's wife?
"Investigate! Investigate thoroughly for me!"
The emperor suddenly stood up and walked around the table, "Your government office may not have enough staff, go find..."
The Chief Justice of Dali Temple is a member of the Zhenguo Party, so this case can only be left in Huang Zhaozhong's hands. Now, the emperor only trusts Huang Zhaozhong.
He originally wanted to say that the Jingzhao Yin government office was short of staff and asked Huang Zhaozhong to borrow people from the Jingwei Camp, but he changed his mind in an instant, "Go to the Xishan Camp to find Wang Yu and ask him to assign people to you."
Huang Zhaozhong was shocked.
To investigate a murder case, they actually used the Xishan Camp.
Is Xiang Zheng planning a rebellion?
Huang Zhaozhong did not dare to ask more questions. He just followed the emperor's orders .
As soon as Huang Zhaozhong left, the entire imperial study became as quiet as a tomb.
The Emperor stared out the window with his eyes narrowed slightly, his face livid, and he was obviously trying to sort out his thoughts in anger.
Su Qingqing refused to give him this opportunity. After a short pause, she stood up like a tactless child and said to the emperor, "Father, when can I set off?"
Su Qingqing told the emperor that she wanted to go back to Zhao State to take a look.
It is quite normal for a married princess to return to her motherland for a visit.
However, the reason why Su Qingqing returned to the country made the emperor feel uncomfortable. She said she was wronged, so she wanted to go back.
As for why I feel wronged...
This child has not had a single peaceful day since coming to the Kingdom of Yan.
He was either poisoned or burned. A few days ago, he was accused of being a monster by rumors.
