Chapter 811 The Case of the Theft of the Orb (Part 2)
Although Prince Zhongxin's stature made him incapable of riding and hunting, he still kept several fine hunting dogs in his mansion.
This is what is called the princes and nobles: whether or not they need it is one thing, but as long as others have it, you not only want it, but you want it better and more refined.
So naturally, the hunting dogs that appeared in front of Sun Shaozong all had high shoulders, broad chests, thin waists, and long limbs.
Not to mention the snow-white fangs, even its tongue is much larger than that of ordinary dogs.
Don't underestimate the last item. Dogs rely on their tongues to dissipate heat. The larger the tongue area, the faster the heat dissipation will be. This means better endurance when hunting.
Sun Shaozong looked at them with envy, wondering if he should raise a few at home. Then he would have a Cang on his left and a Huang on his right, with wives and concubines by his side and children around his knees. Wouldn't that be wonderful?
However, thinking about his own children who were used to playing wild, Sun Shaozong quickly gave up the idea - there are no problematic vaccines these days.
"Lord Sun."
At this time, Hu Tai whispered a few words to the thin steward, and then stepped forward with a strange look on his face and said, "The princess just sent someone to pass on a message. If Lord Sun needs anything, the queen can bring Concubine Wu and Liu Duren over to answer your questions."
This is getting increasingly weird.
What exactly is Princess Ox up to?
Right now, the area around this study is guarded by people from the Dali Temple. She doesn't think that a few weak women can kill her, right?
Originally, Sun Shaozong was thinking about avoiding this Princess Niu as much as possible, but now he couldn't help but feel curious and wanted to meet her.
Therefore, after a brief hesitation, Sun Shaozong bowed and said, "Since the princess has trusted me, I will dare to overstep my bounds. Please set up partitions, curtains, etc., and invite the nobles to move here."
Hu Tai nodded first, then looked at the hounds.
"Huang Bin."
Before he could speak, Sun Shaozong raised his voice and said, "You go into the private vault with this steward, take out the base where the night-shining pearl is stored, and let a few hounds sniff it out one by one. Then, every half a cup of tea , release a hound to track it down."
"I obey your orders!"
Huang Bin agreed immediately and bowed to the thin steward.
However, the thin manager was somewhat confused and reluctant, so he turned to Hu Tai for instructions, and then entered the private vault with Huang Bin.
Soon, the two men took out a gilded eight-clawed padded base from inside, and had the hound trainer hold it and let one of the hounds sniff it.
The smell of the incense was apparently too stimulating for the hound. It snorted several times, lowered its head and backed away slightly. Only when the dog owner tightened his collar around it did it reluctantly move forward to take a closer sniff.
Seeing this scene, Sun Shaozong felt relieved.
If it is an ordinary smell, the effective time for the hound to absorb and track it is about within three hours . Only some strong and stimulating smells will linger for a longer time.
Judging from the hound's reaction, the smell of incense on the night pearl clearly belongs to the latter.
Soon, the first hunting dog left the courtyard where the private warehouse was located, surrounded by yamen runners and guards.
The second one follows closely.
Article 3.
It was not until the fourth hound was ready that footsteps were heard outside.
Immediately afterwards, two eunuchs and four palace maids came in one after another and stood on both sides of the courtyard gate.
Seeing this, Sun Shaozong hurriedly consulted Hu Tai beside him to see whether he, as an outsider, should temporarily step aside or simply step forward to greet the princess.
However, before Hu Tai could respond, the eunuchs bowed their bodies, the palace maids bowed, and shouted in unison: "The Queen has arrived."
She looks even more stylish than the Crown Princess.
It was obviously too late to retreat, so Hu Tai had no choice but to ask Sun Shaozong and Tang Weishan to come forward to greet them.
But in the falling snow, a graceful figure wrapped in a snow fox fur ball appeared in everyone's sight first.
Logically speaking, fox fur is very fluffy and will cover up most of the slim figure.
But this woman seemed to be filled with a unique magical power. When people just looked at her slender snow-white neck and tender white wrists, they would automatically imagine a curvy body.
This woman was obviously born with a charming temperament, the kind that could captivate people with every frown and smile.
But the expression on her face right now had nothing to do with temptation or coquettishness. It was full of "No Trespassing Allowed" and was probably even colder than the ice and snow falling from the sky.
What made her so unhappy was probably the two sedan chairs that followed closely behind her - and the people sitting on those sedan chairs were naturally Princess Niu and Princess Wu.
As the prince's most beloved concubine, it was depressing enough that she suddenly became one of the suspects, and she was also treated differently along the way.
Although considering the status of the three people, Princess Niu's treatment was not out of line.
But how could Liu Duren, who was in such good favor and becoming more and more arrogant, be willing to swallow this anger?
It was only when she saw the tall and strong figure of Sun Shaozong that the coldness on her face melted a little, and was replaced by some surprise.
While Liu Duren was looking them up and down with his beautiful eyes, the two sedan chairs behind had already landed on the ground. As the two graceful ladies got off the sedan chairs, Sun Shaozong's eyes fell on the noble lady on the left.
This person should be the Ox Princess.
This was not because the woman on the left was the oldest, but because she had a pair of narrow eyes like a waxing crescent moon, exactly the same as Niu Jizong.
The difference is that Niu Jizong's eyes and facial features make him look a little feminine.
The pair of eyes of Princess Niu, set on her oval face, complement each other perfectly.
It’s a pity that Princess Niu is old after all. No matter how delicate her facial features are, she cannot hide the signs of old age.
Therefore, it is normal for King Zhongxin to fall in love with someone else. After all, most men are very "loyal" - no matter whether they are 20, 30, 40, or 50 years old, they all like young and beautiful women.
But when Sun Shaozong was secretly glancing at Princess Niu, Princess Niu's narrow eyes were also looking at Sun Shaozong without any concealment.
But after only a few glances, Princess Niu withdrew her gaze and said loudly: "My Lords, there is no need to be polite. We are here to assist in the investigation. Please tell me how and what to ask."
"I don't dare."
Sun Shaozong lowered his head and said respectfully, "The study has been prepared with curtains and partitions. Please ask the princess and the two nobles to enter in turn and answer the questions I and Hu Changshi have."
Princess Niu nodded, told Princess Wu and Liu Duren to stay outside, and then went into the study room on her own.
Sun Shaozong, Hu Tai, and Tang Weishan waited outside for a while. They originally wanted to wait until Princess Niu was ready and then send someone out to inform her.
Who would have thought that after waiting for a long while, I only saw a few palace maids who had followed in coming out one after another, and they also carried out the gauze curtains and partitions that had been set up.
Judging from the situation, Princess Niu seemed to want to talk to everyone face to face without any obstruction.
Sun Shaozong and the others were all a little confused when a maid came out of the study and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, please come in and talk."
Although he felt that the princess's behavior today was a little unusual, Hu Tai was half a landlord after all, so he said, "Sir Sun, since the princess invites you, let's go in together."
Although it only took a cup of tea, Sun Shaozong didn't think that Princess Niu could set up any killing plan in there.
But with the idea that it is better to be cautious, he still secretly increased his vigilance.
After entering the door, I saw Princess Niu sitting on a high-backed chair in the middle, quietly waiting for everyone to arrive.
Since they were going to pay tribute to the princess, the crowd naturally did not prepare any extra chairs, so they stood in a triangular shape about a meter away from each other.
Sun Shaozong bowed and said, "If your Majesty is ready, I will start asking questions."
Princess Niu seemed to be interrupted from her thoughts. She looked up at Sun Shaozong blankly, then lowered her head to adjust her sleeves. Instead of answering, she asked, "Master Sun, I think I have some other intentions when I recommended you to the prince to supervise this case, right?"
This seems like a showdown from the very beginning!
Sun Shaozong secretly prepared himself to hold his breath at any time, then he bowed and said, "I dare not."
He thought that if Princess Niu really set a trap and wanted to kill him, she would probably only use poison.
Given the current situation, external or internal applications are no longer acceptable, so toxic smoke and fog have become the best option.
But there was no unusual smell in the room - I should have thought of bringing a dog in just now.
Just as she thought of the two remaining hounds outside the door, Princess Niu spoke again slowly: "In fact, you don't have to worry about this. Not to mention that Niu Jizong is seeking his own death, it has nothing to do with you. Even if he really died in your hands, what does it have to do with me?"
After a pause, she continued, "To tell you the truth, Niu Jizong is my biological brother, but he is also my greatest enemy in this life!"
Huh?
Sun Shaozong could not help but look up and glance at Princess Niu. He saw that she seemed to be recalling something, with a face full of resentment. Combined with her previous remarks, it seemed that what she said was true.
"My lady, please be careful with your words."
Sun Shaozong could have remained silent, but Hu Tai, as part of his duty, had to bite the bullet and remind him: "After all, Earl Yongyi is your elder brother, and he just passed away not long ago..."
"When I was six years old, Niu Jizong pushed me into the lake in the dead of winter in order to fight for a toy given by my father."
Princess Niu ignored Hu Tai and muttered as she recalled the past: "Since then, my body has been more delicate than others. Later, I married the prince for more than ten years but still had no children. After repeated diagnosis by the imperial physician, it was found that it was caused by the cold uterus disease I had when I was young."
"He caused me to be childless for the rest of my life. I hate him so much that I can't even hate him enough. How can I avenge him on Lord Sun's behalf?"
Sun Shaozong remained silent.
Not to mention the truthfulness of this statement, he had no way of telling it at the moment. Even if Princess Niu was telling the truth, it did not mean that she would really give up on revenge for the Niu family.
So after a long silence, Sun Shaozong said in a deep voice: "This is the princess's family affair. I am not in a position to interfere and I dare not ask about it. Besides, I am here only to investigate the case and nothing else."
This answer seemed to catch Princess Niu off guard.
So after half a cup of tea, she finally sighed and said, "Forget it, let's talk about this case and find out the truth as soon as possible, so that no one can take advantage of the opportunity to cause trouble."
