Yan Sikong stayed up all night and went to the yamen early the next day.
The Ministry of Officials has recently sorted out the list of officials who participated in the Beijing inspection plan according to their grades. They are currently collecting the achievements of these people over the years.
Yan Sikong was busy with official duties all morning, but his heart was always on the case of the crown prince. His colleagues in the yamen were also discussing this matter. After all, it was a major matter related to the country.
A doctor in the Ministry of Officials asked Yan Sikong: "Master Yan, you are the prince's attendant, what news do you have now?"
Yan Sikong coughed softly: "The prince and empress are wronged, I believe His Majesty will be able to see clearly."
Saying this is tantamount to not saying it, the doctor did not give up: "You run to Wenyuan Pavilion twice in three days, are you looking for Mr. Shoufu?"
Yan Sikong smiled faintly: "I am worried about the crown prince and empress, so I asked the teacher a few questions, but everything is still subject to public trial by the Sanju Judiciary, and the Holy Majesty's decision."
Seeing that Yan Sikong's teeth were clenched tightly and he couldn't ask anything, they gave up.
Yan Sikong thought, it seems that his every move is indeed being watched by someone, and he will have to visit Wenyuan Pavilion less in the future.
Despite the anxiety in his heart, Yan Sikong didn't go to Yan Zilian's place that day, and he was still arguing about the crown prince and concubine Hui in the early morning, but the quarrel has not yet come to a conclusion, and he estimated the time, if Wan Yang has already settled the matter The matter was secretly told to the Queen Mother, and the Queen Mother would have to wait until after the morning court before she could attack, so right now, there is no other way but to wait.
After waiting like this for a whole day, the next morning, the minister continued to persuade him. Emperor Zhaowu suddenly let go, saying that there was no real evidence for the crown prince's performance of the emperor's rites when he sacrificed to the mausoleum in the northern suburbs, and he wanted to release Chen Kui. However, Concubine Hui ordered an assassin to assassinate the second prince, and the assassin's confession proved it.
This was obviously pressured by the Empress Dowager, but with regard to Concubine Hui, with the testimony of an assassin, even the Empress Dowager could not interfere with the judiciary—especially when the emperor did not want her to intervene, this alone was enough.
When Yan Sikong went to look for Yan Zilian in the middle of the night, he learned that the crown prince had been released to the East Palace. Although the crown prince was safe for the time being, his worries had not been relieved. If he is found guilty, the prince will definitely be implicated.
Yan Sikong asked: "The teacher said last time that he would discuss this case with Mr. Tingwei, but did it come to fruition?"
Yan Zilian nodded: "It's impossible to tamper with the confession now that the three judiciaries are interrogating, and the assassin refused to change his words no matter whether it was torture or temptation. I guess his family is in the hands of Xie Zhongren, and he came here with the intention of dying." Yes. In fact, apart from his confession and his assassination after Concubine Hui left, the Sanfa Division couldn't find any connection between this case and Concubine Hui. Mr. Meng said that if the case was handled normally and there was insufficient evidence, he would not convict the concubine. However, the people in the Metropolitan Procuratorate always sang against him. The most important thing is that this is a serious crime of assassinating the prince in the harem and punishing the nine clans. Then who is guilty? This cannot be explained to the emperor."
"We should check the origin of the assassin, follow the clues, maybe we can find more evidence."
"This person is from the northwest, and he may be of the same generation. If His Majesty had given enough time, Lord Meng would have gone to investigate, but the time limit is approaching, and there is no time." Yan Zilian stroked his beard, "Now it is His Majesty who wants to convict the empress. , who dares to retract the confession."
Yan Sikong narrowed his eyes: "I'm afraid that can only be the next move to kill the assassin."
"If you kill the assassin, there is no proof of death, but Xie Zhongren will definitely bite back and kill him. It is not yet known what kind of storm will be caused by then."
"If you don't kill him, it will be difficult for the empress to escape. If you kill him, there may be a way out."
Yan Zilian stroked his beard while thinking, and suddenly said with emotion: "It's not him who should be damned now."
Yan Sikong was startled inwardly, if other people heard these words, it seemed like he was cursing the person who framed Concubine Hui, but he was so clever, he immediately recognized the words in Yan Zilian's words.
Indeed, it is not the assassin who deserves to die now, the assassin will be cut sooner or later, but killing him now is the next strategy, there is no countermeasure, but one person died, but it can make Chen Kui really get through this time The crisis—that is Concubine Hui.
If Concubine Hui dies, it can be said that the death certificate is innocence, and Emperor Zhaowu can't pursue it any further, and because of emotion and reason, he can't just abolish the crown prince at this time, otherwise he will be criticized by the world.
But Yan Sikong naturally wanted to pretend to be stupid, I believe that Yan Zilian would not want him to hear what he said, he just said viciously: "Yes, that eunuch has done a lot of evil, God has no eyes, and he still didn't accept him !"
Yan Zilian was noncommittal and said: "I'll discuss it with Lord Tingwei. You enter the palace tomorrow and go to appease the prince first."
"Students understand."
On the way back, Yan Sikong felt more and more heavy.
He knew that Yan Zilian would not murder Concubine Hui, but when he visited Concubine Hui that day, he saw that her spirit was extremely panicked, and the bullying and oppression she had suffered in the palace for many years made her desperate. Knowing that Chen Kui has been released and that he is dragging his son down, he might end up killing himself.
Yan Zilian saw it, Meng Duo saw it, and now even he understood it, but they would neither tell Chen Kui nor stop her. If she could get the crown prince with her life, it was a well-deserved death.
It's just that there is a stagnant stagnation in his chest, which makes him sleepless and restless.
Chen Yu's age is about the same as when he saw Yuan Mao was wrongly killed. When he was a young man with great ambitions but hard to pay, he had to face the cruelty of life early on, but he had no choice.
Concubine Hui was in a panic that day, but she was determined when she mentioned Chen Kui. Her eyes reminded him of his two mothers. Dare to forget that although a woman is weak, she is strong as a mother. Concubine Hui has been miserable all her life, and she is afraid that she will not be blessed to see her son rule the world. She is really a poor person.
Yan Sikong closed his eyes and let out a long breath. He felt guilty towards Chen Kuang in his heart, but he told himself that this couldn't change anything.
When a person is too weak, there is nothing to protect him, only to make himself strong, supremely powerful.
—
Early the next morning, Yan Sikong went to the palace to visit Chen Kui. Chen Kui anxiously asked about Concubine Hui's situation, Yan Sikong tried to comfort him, but did not reveal too much. He repeatedly dissuaded Chen Yu, and not to ask Emperor Zhaowu, for fear of self-defeating.
When Yan Sikong returned to the mansion, he found that there were three copper plates stacked on his desk. This was the secret signal given to him by She Zhun, showing that he had returned to Beijing. He thought for a while, and wrote a letter, asking She Zhun to train him some assassins. If one day, when it was really a last resort, he could only take the risk of killing the second prince to protect Chen Yu's crown prince.
After the letter was written, he asked Ali to go out late at night and delivered it to She Zhun.
—
The deadline for investigating the case given by Emperor Zhaowu is getting closer, and the Sanfa Division has already found out the origin of the assassin. This person is from Datong Prefecture, and he entered Decheng only three days before the assassination. Even the inn where he stayed and everyone he talked to They all brought it up for interrogation, and found out that this person had seen a certain mysterious man in the inn, but the clues were interrupted here, and they couldn't find the mysterious man.
The assassin couldn't go on, so naturally he had to look into Concubine Hui. As usual, torture was used in the interrogation. Yan Sikong didn't dare to think about how the weak woman would survive the punishment. At this moment, Chen Kui's heart was probably in the frying pan. Frying.
So within two days, Yan Sikong heard that Chen Kui ignored the dissuasion and went to beg Emperor Zhaowu, but was thrown out. Yan Sikong thought about it and did not enter the palace. He was afraid that he would go in and out of the East Palace too frequently during this period, which would cause Emperor Zhaowu to be dissatisfied with him.
Because of this case, the court has been in turmoil for more than half a month, because Meng Duo has not confirmed the case for a long time, and Emperor Zhaowu also expressed his dissatisfaction with the Sanfa Division in the early court, the situation has become more and more tense.
At this moment, shocking news came from the prison—Concubine Hui hanged herself. She wrote a big word "injustice" on the wall with her blood, and hanged herself in that dark cage.