The room suddenly fell silent.
Tao Ti stared at the man in front of her in a daze. The words "There is loneliness" was like a protective cover covering her body, which made her feel extremely at ease.
Her heart was beating faster, pounding, ringing in her ears.
Pei Yan's slender eyelashes drooped down unhurriedly, he put his arms around her shoulders, and said in a voice that only the two of them could hear, "Scared?"
Tao Ti was stunned, and when she came to her senses, her cheeks became hot, "No, no, it's just that Your Highness, why are you here?"
Pei Yan said, "Gu said yesterday that he will pick you up today."
Tao Ti, "...is this happening?" Why didn't she know.
But Pei Yan is here, that's a good thing, her backer is here, she doesn't have to be aggrieved!
Tao Ti's waist straightened up, and she grabbed his sleeves with her small hands, like an elementary school student who was bullied at school and complained to her parents, "His Royal Highness, I think this matter is not easy..."
Pei Yan gave a low "hmm", and looked up at Princess Mu and the crown prince opposite.
The complexions of Princess Mu, mother and son are not very good, one by one pale.
However, Princess Mu has lived half her life and has experienced many things. She tried her best to suppress the emotions in her heart, and smiled stiffly, "Your Highness, why are you here?"
"Gu came to pick up the crown princess back to the palace, but I didn't expect to see such a big bustle."
Pei Yan glanced coldly at everyone in the room, and said casually, "Princess, you posted a post to invite the Crown Princess to your residence, is this how you entertain guests?"
Princess Mu's complexion changed suddenly, and she hurriedly explained, "Your Highness, you have misunderstood! You see, Xuan'er was seriously injured by this... I lost my etiquette because I was out of breath! Please forgive me, Your Highness."
Pei Yan frowned slightly.
Concubine Mu continued earnestly, "His Royal Highness, Jianxuan is your cousin, and now that he has been injured like this, we just want to seek justice! Besides, this is my Prince Mu's housework, Prince Is it inappropriate for the concubine to intervene?"
Tao Ti retorted, "The princess has always said that she wants to seek justice for the prince. If the prince really harmed this girl's sister, who will give her sister justice!"
She bent down and looked at the girl on the ground, "You said your sister's body is in the dry well in the backyard, are you sure?"
The girl broke free from the restraint of the two servants, knelt on the ground, kowtowed to Pei Yan and Tao Ti, and said, "Prince and princess, please be aware of the truth, everything I said is true, you can send me now." People go to the dry well in the backyard to search, if they can't find it, I will hit the pillar to die, no matter what!"
Her cheeks were red and swollen, but her eyes were astonishingly bright, with desperate determination.
For a moment, let alone Tao Ti and Pei Yan, everyone else in the room was a little moved.
Concubine Mu's eyes flickered, and she clenched her fingers tightly. If eyes could kill, this girl would have been cut to pieces by her.
Tao Ti stared at the girl who was prostrate on the ground and kept kowtowing, her eyes complicated.
In her heart, she wants to take care of it. Anyway, she is a new-age beast who grew up under the red flag and accepted the core values of socialism since she was a child. Also, as a woman, she hates this kind of violence against women.
But at the same time, she was a little uneasy. After all, this was an ancient feudal dynasty, unlike a modern society ruled by law. What she was facing now was a palace with great power, and this palace was still her relative in name...
If she took care of it, would it cause trouble for Pei Yan
In this anxious and tangled situation, she raised her small head, looked at Pei Yan, and called out in a low voice, "Your Highness."
She decided... to give Pei Yan the choice.
Pei Yan lowered her head and saw her clear eyes and the worry in her eyes.
After a moment of silence, he seemed to understand her thoughts, wrapped her little hands in his warm palms, and nodded to her with a smile.
Turning his face away, he heard him call out in a deep voice, "Flatten."
Immediately there was a response from outside the door, "The minister is here!"
Pei Yan said, "Take a few people to search the dry well in the backyard."
Zhan Ping said "obedience", and hurriedly led a few people there.
Prince Mu on the bed visibly panicked, and shouted weakly, "Mother Concubine, Mother Concubine..."
Princess Mu's face was tense, and she stared at Pei Yan gloomyly, "His Royal Highness, Jianxuan is your cousin, King Mu is your uncle, you wouldn't even disregard blood relationship for such a humble commoner, would you?" ?”
Unexpectedly, the prince, who has always been known as "gentle, kind and good-tempered", met her threatening gaze directly, those deep and charming peach eyes narrowed slightly, and the fundus of his eyes was so thick that it couldn't be melted. It is a deep pool of murder without blood.
"The Son of Heaven breaks the law and commits the same crime as the common people."
His voice was not too loud, his tone was calm, and there seemed to be a smile on his lips.
But for some reason, Princess Mu's back felt cold.
Is this gentle and jade-like man in front of him really like his appearance on the inside
Concubine Mu pinched her fingers tightly, turned her gaze away abruptly, and took advantage of this opportunity to sneak a look at the servant girl beside her.
The maid immediately understood, and was about to run away lightly, but before she could take two steps, she was pushed to the ground by Linglong three times, five times, two times, "Ouch, Ouch".
At this time, the doctor with the medicine box arrived, and when he saw this scene, his legs were weak, "Caomin, Caomin pay respects to all the nobles..."
"Since the doctor is here, let the doctor look at the wound first..."
Pei Yan smiled softly and said to Princess Mu, "Waiting alone in the yard."
After that, he took Tao Ti's hand and walked out the door together.
Linglong also let go of the maid, supported the girl on the ground, and took her out together.
It was almost evening at this time, the sky was dim, and a group of tall and mighty Donggong personal guards stood at the gate of the courtyard, full of momentum.
Pei Yan sat down at the stone table with Tao Ti.
Standing in the room at first, she didn't feel anything, but now that she came out and breathed in the fresh air, Tao Ti realized that her calf was a little soft.
She sat down slowly, Pei Yan let go of her hand, and whispered, "Ah Ti, your palms are sweating."
Tao Ti was stunned, "..."
Pei Yan sat down beside her, stared at her with deep eyes, and asked in a gentle voice, "Are you afraid that Gu will choose to let go?"
Tao Ti looked at him in astonishment, her eyes widened, as if she was saying silently, how do you know!
Indeed, when she looked at Pei Yanshi as if asking for help, at that moment, she was uncertain.
She knew that Pei Yan was a good person, but he was an ancient man, and he was an aristocrat who held power. Perhaps in his values, the lives of ordinary people were as cheap as ants, and it was nothing more than a few ordinary people dying—
What "the emperor breaks the law and the common people are the same crime", she has only seen it in film and television dramas before, and there are really few princes and nobles who can do this in the history of China.
If Pei Yan really chooses to ignore it, she may be a little bit offended, but it's not completely incomprehensible.
But deep down in her heart, she still hoped that... he could manage it.
Fortunately, he did not disappoint her!
The moment he ordered Zhan Ping to search the well, her heart was overwhelmed with infinite joy, she wished she could hug him on the spot, and boast without hesitation—Your Highness, you are indeed a kind-hearted little angel!
Tao Ti came back to her senses, and said to him embarrassedly, "I was a little uncertain at first, but... I don't think you will sit idly by, Your Highness!"
Pei Yan had a panoramic view of her little expression, and burst out laughing, and she probably praised him as a good person in her heart.
After a while, he suppressed his smile, stared into her eyes seriously and solemnly, "Ah Ti, you have to trust Gu at any time, okay?"
Tao Ti, "..."
Why is it suddenly so solemn, like... saying wedding vows
This metaphor made her lose her mind for a moment, and then she met his gentle moonlight eyes, pursed her lips, nodded slightly and said, "Yes."
Pei Yan's exquisite eyebrows and eyes stretched out little by little, and the curvature of the corners of her lips became softer.
He raised his hand and rubbed her little head, "Ah Ti is good."
Tao Ti's heart moved slightly, she lowered her head silently, and a blush crept up to her white and tender eartips silently.
...
It didn't take long for Zhan Ping to come back.
They brought back with them a big wooden box and a stretcher covered with a white cloth.
He had people put them all outside the courtyard gate, and he didn't dare to carry them in. After all, these things were too terrifying, and he was afraid of staining the master's eyes.
"Your Highness." Zhan Ping clasped his fists, his usual haughty face was gone, but an extremely serious expression, "A severely decomposed female corpse was salvaged from the dry well in the backyard..."
Having said that, he paused, looked at the girl beside him, "I found a small silver lock around the neck of the female corpse, I don't know... is it your sister?"
When the girl Xia Sang heard the "silver lock", her face became paler, her tears were like broken beads, she reached out and took a piece of silver lock from her neck, "Is that so?"
Zhan Ping took a look, nodded, and said solemnly, "So, the female corpse outside should be your sister."
As soon as Xia Sang heard it, she immediately ran out of the courtyard gate.
She knelt beside the rotten-smelling stretcher, her hands trembling, and she wanted to lift the white cloth to see.
The guard on the side sighed and reminded, "Girl, don't look at it, it's rotten... It will only make you sad..."
Xia Sang paused, hesitated for a moment, still gritted her teeth, and opened a corner.
When she saw the head that was almost ossified, she felt a churn in her stomach, and her whole body trembled involuntarily, like sifting chaff.
She couldn't bear to take a closer look, and when her eyes fell on the dim little silver lock on the neck of the female corpse, she immediately burst into tears—
"sister!!!"
She cried hoarsely and painfully, and her crying seemed to be bloody.
The elder sister she had depended on since she was a child, the elder sister who treated her so well, her only relative in this world, died just like that.
Her sister is only seventeen years old, she has never done a bad thing, never hurt anyone, but she ended up like this...
The more Xia Sang thinks about it, the more it hurts, and the more she hurts, the more she hates it.
The people in the hospital also sighed when they saw her heartbroken and painful appearance.
Unexpectedly, the next moment, Xia Sang spat out a mouthful of blood.
The guards on the side were startled, and hurried forward to support her.
But she struggled to get up, stumbled to Tao Ti and Pei Yan, and knelt down with a plop.
She fell on the ground and begged with a hoarse voice, "Prince, Princess, please, please give my sister justice, as long as the wicked person can get retribution, even if it takes my life, I will have nothing to do." regret!"
Pei Yan, "..."
Tao Ti said seriously, "Don't worry, we will."
Zhan Ping continued to report to Pei Yan, "Your Highness, apart from this female corpse, I also found other corpses in that dry well..."
Everyone in the courtyard was shocked.
Pei Yan's complexion became more and more serious, and he said coldly, "How many."
"The corpses are piled up like a hill, and it's difficult to salvage them all at once, so I took out the skulls first..."
Zhan Ping pointed to the big wooden box outside, and said, "There are twenty-two complete skulls in total. Judging by the size, they should all be women."
Twenty-two skulls!
Tao Ti gasped, and said in astonishment, "That is to say, apart from Xia Sang's sister, the prince also killed 22 other girls?"
Zhan Ping whispered, "...it should be."
Tao Ti couldn't help but explode in her heart, she just castrated him, it was really cheap for him!
At the same time, I felt a chill. The Prince Mu's Mansion was full of flowers, glamorous and gorgeous. Who would have thought that there were so many girls' ghosts buried in the dry well underground.
Beast, what a beast!
Seeing her anger, Pei Yan patted her on the shoulder lightly, and said in relief, "It's not worth it to ruin your body for this kind of anger."
He said to Linglong, "Go in and have a look inside."
Linglong promised, looked into the room, turned back quickly, and said, "The wound has been healed."
Tao Ti asked angrily, "Is it useless?"
Linglong, "This..."
Pei Yan, "..."
Flatten, "..."
Tao Ti was startled, and realized that she had spoken her mind, she coughed in embarrassment, "Well, I'll just ask casually."
Linglong glanced at Pei Yan, and seeing that he had no objection, she replied, "Judging from the doctor's expression, he should be useless."
deserve it! !
Tao Ti finally felt a bit of joy in her aggrieved heart.
Pei Yan glanced at her indifferently, but didn't say much. He was about to get up and go in when he heard a rush of messy footsteps outside the door.
When the pedestrian walked to the courtyard gate, he was also taken aback by the corpses and wooden boxes on the ground.
The people in the courtyard looked out, and the people outside the courtyard looked in. Their eyes met. Some were calm, while others were flustered.
Pei Yan looked at Prince Mu and Fuyin Sun who came together, and snorted coldly, "It's all here."
Tao Ti didn't hear clearly, and looked at him suspiciously, but he just bent his eyes and smiled, "It's okay."
Prince Mu walked in together with Yin Fu Yin, and after saluting respectfully, Prince Mu frowned and said, "Your Highness, this is...?"
Pei Yan said, "Uncle Huang really raised a good son."
Lord Mu's eyelids twitched.
Pei Yan looked at Mr. Sun again, and said calmly, "Mr. Sun, you are a magistrate in Luoyang, and it is just right for you to come at this moment."
The smile on Sun Fuyin's face couldn't hold back, "I don't know what your highness needs my service for?"
Pei Yan glanced at the two of them, his figure was straight, his voice was flat and could not appease his anger, "Let's go in together first."
The door was pushed open, and several people walked in together.
Prince Mu's son had just finished bandaging, and was lying on the bed dying, and Princess Mu was feeding ginseng soup.
Seeing that Prince Mu and Yin Fu also came in together this time, Princess Mu's originally bleak and sad eyes suddenly lit up, and she called out expectantly, "My lord, you are finally here."
After 20 years of marriage, it was the first time that King Mu had seen the concubine look so haggard.
Looking at the eldest son lying on the bed again, his face darkened visibly, his beard trembling with anger, "How did this happen?"
Concubine Mu tearfully told the story of "the crown prince was assassinated". At the end, she pressed the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief and sobbed, "The assassin made Xuan'er so miserable, but the crown prince still wants to protect her." ! Your lord, you have to decide for our son!"
Tao Ti witnessed the whole process and almost couldn't help applauding Princess Mu's acting skills.
The master is among the folks, this Princess Mu really interpreted the words "reversing black and white" to the fullest. If it were to be placed in a TV series in her previous life, she would definitely be a vicious female supporting role who was scolded as a hot search on Weibo.
Just as Tao Ti wanted to step forward to argue, Pei Yan took her hand, shook her head slightly, and gave Zhan Ping another look.
Zhan Ping took a step forward, and recounted the process of digging up the corpse from the dry well in the backyard with a blank face.
At the end, there was a trace of sarcasm on his stinky face, and he joked coldly, "Prince Mu, I didn't expect that your palace was built on top of the cemetery, it's really a treasure land of geomantic omen."
Prince Mu choked.
Pei Yan looked directly at Prince Mu, "Uncle, twenty-three lives, don't you plan to give an explanation?"
Prince Mu frowned, "..."
Prince Mu on the bed struggled to get up in amazement, and shouted, "Impossible, how come there are so many!"
As soon as these words came out, everyone in the room looked different.
Pei Yan narrowed his black eyes, and said coldly, "The corpses are just outside, if there are so many, you will know after careful inspection. As for why there are so many..."
After a pause, he glanced at Mu Wang and his wife meaningfully, and said slowly, "Maybe other than you, someone else threw a corpse inside."
Almost instantly, Prince Mu subconsciously glanced at Princess Mu, and Princess Mu's cheek muscles twitched violently twice, and she clenched her teeth.
Pei Yan looked at Sun Fuyin who had been trying to reduce his sense of presence, and called out by name, "Sun Fuyin, Prince Mu's son is suspected of various crimes such as robbery, adultery and murder of civilian girls, what should I do next, don't come alone to teach me what to do." you?"
Sun Fuyin buried his head, faltering and saying, "Chen, Chen..."
He didn't dare to answer, but his eyes kept looking at Prince Mu.
Prince Mu's brows were tightly knit, and his fists under the sleeves of his voluminous robe were tightly clenched.
When the atmosphere was tense, Pei Yan frowned, and looked at Prince Mu kindly, "Uncle, twenty-three lives, this is not something that can be fooled casually, or reported to the emperor. Father will not forgive easily... "
"But the emperor don't need to panic too much. This matter was done by the son alone. If the emperor can kill the relatives righteously and send the son to prison in person, at most he will have the reputation of being a lax teacher. I don't think the father will do it." Too much blame on you..."
"Besides, Uncle Huang, you have several sons besides this son. Why bother yourself because of such a useless one."
Each of these words was like a strong torrent, which washed away the fragile feeling in Prince Mu's heart.
He looked at Pei Yan with a sullen face, and Pei Yan still looked calm, as if he said to him silently, "If you keep the green hills, you won't have to worry about firewood."
That's right, besides this unworthy son, he also has several concubine sons, many of whom are outstanding.
Concubine Mu was Prince Mu's bedside person for many years, and she immediately saw that Prince Mu's mind was loose, as if someone had poured a ladle of ice water on his head, it was so cold that it pierced his heart.
She strode forward and grabbed Prince Mu's sleeve with one step. With tears in her eyes, she cried, "My lord, Xuan'er was badly injured, how could he go to a place like a prison?"
Seeing Lord Mu's expressionless face, Princess Mu hated her so much, she turned her head and gave Tao Ti a cold look, then looked at Pei Yan, "Prince, Jianxuan is your cousin, how could you treat him like this?" ? The big deal is that we don’t want to pursue the assassin, she has avenged her sister now, so it’s over!”
Pei Yan raised his eyebrows slightly, and looked down at his little princess, "Ah Ti, what do you think?"
Tao Ti shook her head, her porcelain white face was full of seriousness, "We are not qualified to say forgiveness for the deceased."
Pei Yan reconsidered the words in his heart, his black eyes moved slightly, and he gave a low "hmm".
Looking up again, he said to Prince Mu, "Uncle Huang, you are a smart person, you should know how to choose."
Lord Mu, "..."
Seeing him bowing his head in frustration, Pei Yan snorted coldly, and glanced at Fuyin Sun, "Fuyin Sun, you take care of the next thing. As for Xia Sang, take him back to the palace first. If you want to interrogate, Then come to the palace to pick up people."
Sun Fuyin wiped his cold sweat, "Yes, yes, I obey."
Pei Yan hooked his lips, and said to Mu Wang and his wife in a gentle and polite way, "Uncle, Wangfei, Gu and Crown Princess go ahead."
After finishing speaking, he led Tao Ti and turned around, then nodded towards Zhanping again.
Zhan Ping cupped his hands, and raised his voice, "Don't worry, Your Highness, I will do my best to assist Mr. Sun Fuyin in arresting the suspect! I respectfully send His Highness and the Crown Princess—"
After they leave.
Zhan Ping pressed the sword with one hand, spread the other hand, and said to Sun Fu Yin with a smirk, "Master Fu Yin, if the government's soldiers are useless, I don't mind lending you the Eastern Palace Guards." use."
Sun Fu Yin resentfully turned around and waited eagerly for Prince Mu's instructions.
With a dark face, Prince Mu grabbed the shivering doctor in the corner, pulled him aside and asked a few words.
When he walked back again, his face was even more gloomy, like a summer afternoon when the rainstorm hit, and he said in a low and hoarse voice, "Sun Zhengguo, send your people to send the son to prison, and keep him first."
The son on the bed panicked, "Father, how could you treat the child like this! Father!"
Concubine Mu was also flustered, she tugged on Lord Mu's sleeve, "My lord, you can't do this, you are sending him to die!"
Lord Mu was furious. When he thought of the corpses at the entrance of the courtyard, the veins on his forehead popped up. He threw off Princess Mu's hand and scolded through gritted teeth, "This is the good son you raised. It's not enough to succeed. !"
He no longer looked at the mother and child, turned his head, and strode out of the courtyard.
Concubine Mu looked at the back of Prince Mu who walked away neatly, and felt that she was burning inside.
Oh, this is the husband she married, the man she has been with for most of her life.
Ridiculous, really ridiculous!
The more Princess Mu thought about it, the more she hated it, and when she turned around and saw her son's pale and panicked face, she felt chest tightness, shortness of breath, and dizziness.
"Mother Concubine!"
"princess!"
Everyone in the room was shocked, only to see her roll her eyes and fall straight to the ground.