Lu Heng entered the hall and saluted, "Long live my minister."
The emperor waved his hand, motioning Lu Heng to omit the ceremony. Lu Heng stood up, and the emperor asked, "Do you know what happened to the East Palace recently?"
Lu Heng had expected it long ago, and when he heard this, he did not completely deny it, but he did not admit it, but said, "I have heard a little about it."
He is the commander of Jinyiwei. When such a big incident happened in the Empress Dowager Zhang's palace, he didn't know it was dereliction of duty at all, but he knew too much, and he violated the emperor's taboo.
Lu Heng carefully grasped the speed, and the emperor did not intend to go around in circles, and said directly: "Recently, the Queen Mother said that she bumped into a ghost in the palace, and the maids and eunuchs below followed suit, making people panic. I called you here today to investigate the East Palace. Haunted thing."
Lu Heng asked, "Empress Dowager Zhang's phoenix body is precious, and she is blessed by the emperor's dragon spirit. I don't know how she bumped into a ghost?"
"Who knows." The emperor was not angry when he said this, "the good Donggong has been smothered by them, and even the Queen Mother Xingguo can't rest in peace. You need to find out about the haunting as soon as possible. If you need to rectify it, you should rectify it. Let the rumors of ghosts spread. What kind of formality is there when there are ghosts in the dignified palace?"
Lu Heng understood that the emperor did not care about the life and death of the Empress Dowager Zhang, but there must be no rumors of hauntings in the palace. The emperor is the real Son of Heaven, and he is ordered by the sky. There are ghosts and monsters in the emperor's harem. Does it mean that the emperor's name is not right, and the purple qi is not enough to suppress the dragon veins? The emperor is too taboo to speak like this. Moreover, Empress Dowager Jiang's health is getting worse and worse. At this time, the palace is still haunted. What should I do if Empress Dowager Jiang is scared
Lu Heng knew what to do, and saluted: "Yes, the minister follows the order."
After the emperor handed over the case to Lu Heng, he let go of the burden in his heart and quickly waved Lu Heng to do the work. Lu Heng exited the Qianqing Palace and looked at the glazed glazed tiles in the sun. He thought that he had given him such a big gift just after his promotion. He really thanked these people.
The emperor demanded that the case be solved as soon as possible, but Lu Heng did not dare to delay, and immediately asked the eunuch to go to Nanzhen Fusi to pass a message, and let Guo Tao bring the staff into the palace. He himself changed direction and walked towards Nishinomiya.
Lu Heng can't investigate the case alone. It takes time for Guo Tao and others to enter the palace. Lu Heng is also waiting. It is better to go to the West Palace to greet the Empress Dowager Jiang.
Hearing that the Empress Dowager Jiang was seriously ill, he should go and see.
In the Cining Palace, Mrs. Wuding Hou and Mrs. Yongping Hou were waiting in front of the Queen Mother's couch. Hong Wanqing stood behind her mother, bowing her head the whole time, quietly listening to the elders and the Queen Mother Jiang.
Mrs. Yongping Hou is the younger sister of Wuding Hou Guo Xun. Today, she entered the palace with her eldest sister-in-law to greet the Queen Mother. Yongping Hou's mansion is still very handsome outside, but in front of Empress Dowager Jiang, the Hong family did not dare to be presumptuous. Mrs. Yongping Hou spoke very little. Most of the time, she listened to the greetings between Empress Dowager Jiang and Mrs. Wuding Hou, and Hong Wanqing did not dare to interrupt.
When Mrs. Wudinghou saw Empress Dowager Jiang's face today, she snorted, knowing that Empress Dowager Jiang was dying. They didn't dare to break it, and comforted Empress Dowager Jiang carefully. Hong Wanqing stood behind and heard her aunt say to Empress Dowager Jiang: "Empress Dowager, please relax and recuperate. The emperor is filial, and your blessings are still deep."
The Empress Dowager Jiang shook her head lightly and did not speak. She knew that her health was dying, and it was an unexpected joy to be able to survive the New Year. However, when others say that their son is filial, any mother will be happy when they hear it. Empress Dowager Jiang said solemnly: "The children and grandchildren have their own blessings, and the Aijia can only escort him here. The emperor's body. He, after coming to the capital, his health is not very good. If there is a Buddha, Aijia hopes that the Buddha will bless the emperor more, even if the lifespan of Aijia is reduced to him."
Mrs. Wuding Hou and Mrs. Yongping were afraid to answer this. Mrs. Wuding considered her words and said, "The Queen Mother is kind and mother-hearted. The Buddha and Bodhisattva know that and will definitely bless the Queen Mother and the Emperor."
The Empress Dowager Jiang was used to hearing such words these days and did not take it to heart. The Marquis of Wuding was talking about some useless nonsense when suddenly a palace servant came in and saluted, "The Empress Dowager, Commander Lu asks to see you."
Hong Wanqing, the Marquis of Wuding and the Marquis of Yongping were all taken aback, why did Lu Heng come? The Marquis of Wuding got up immediately and said, "I have been harassing me for a long time, and I dare not disturb the Queen Mother's Qingyang any more, so I will retire."
Empress Dowager Jiang did not stay, and sent the maids around her to send Mrs. Wudinghou and Yongpinghou out. Hong Wanqing left with her aunt and mother, and when she left the gate of Cining Palace, she happened to see the eunuch leading a young man inside.
Mrs. Wuding Hou glanced at the man, and immediately lowered her eyes, slightly blessed: "Commander Lu."
Mrs. Yongping Hou and Hong Wanqing also saluted. The other party smiled lightly when they saw them, and said, "Mrs. Wuding Hou and Mrs. Yongping Hou are well."
Hong Wanqing stood behind her mother, using her clothes to cover her, she quietly looked at the man in front of her. Her gaze was light and fast, and a startling glance surprised Hong Wanqing.
He wears a big red flying fish suit, with colorful cloud shoulders, two-horned flying fish, Fushan and Shouhai embroidered on the sleeves and knees, and the edges are decorated with colorful cloud patterns. The embroidery is already bright, and gold powder is used on the edge of the flying fish, which is dazzling and dazzling when standing in the sun.
What surprised Hong Wanqing even more was his age and appearance.
Lu Heng has been famous in the capital for a long time. In Hong Wanqing's impression, she heard her father mention Lu Heng at a very young age with a rather serious tone. Hong Wanqing instinctively felt that Lu Heng was a person of the same age as her father, and the image she made up in her mind had always been that of a middle-aged man in his thirties and forties. Unexpectedly, Lu Heng himself was so young when we met today.
And so handsome.
Hong Wanqing just glanced at it and quickly lowered her head, unable to hide her horror in her heart. Marquis Wuding and Marquis Yongping became nervous when they saw Lu Heng. Marquis Wuding smiled stiffly, her body was tensed, and she turned to let Lu Heng go first: "So it was Commander Lu. Empress Dowager Xingguo is still inside, don't let him go. The queen mother is waiting for a long time, the commander please."
Lu Heng said that he didn't dare, took a step back, raised his hand and said, "I don't know how Mrs. Wuding Hou is being neglected here. Mrs. Hou, please go first."
Hong Wanqing couldn't help but look up, and glanced at Lu Heng in surprise. With a smile on his face, he spoke softly and softly, and his movements were graceful. He didn't seem to be the notorious commander of Jinyiwei at all, but looked like a humble and respectful student. The Marquis of Wuding had no intention of entanglement with Lu Heng in the Cining Palace, so she said her apology, then passed over Lu Heng and led the female relatives out.
Hong Wanqing bowed her head and followed her mother, and when she brushed past her, she seemed to feel Lu Heng's gaze on her very lightly, like a dragonfly on the water, and then took it back in an instant. Hong Wanqing wasn't sure if it was her hallucinations. After she left the Cining Palace far away, her aunt and mother breathed a sigh of relief.
Hong Wanqing held back for a while, and now she finally asked in a low voice, "Mother, aunt, is that Lu Heng?"
Mrs. Yongping Hou also looked incredulous: "It's him. He's younger than I thought."
When Mrs. Wuding Hou heard this, she said, "He's only twenty-three this year, so he's not young."
Mrs. Yongping Hou knew for a long time that Lu Heng became famous at a young age, but seeing it with her own eyes was far more shocking than she imagined. Marquis Yongping sighed and couldn't help but ask, "He is a foreign minister, what is he doing in the palace?"
The Marquis of Wuding shook her head and said in a tight-lipped manner, "Mostly because of the haunting during this time. He used to go in and out of Xingwang's mansion when he was a child. He came to the harem to investigate the case, and he took advantage of the situation to visit the Queen Mother Xingguo, like something he could do."
When Mrs. Wuding Hou said this, she sighed silently in her heart. Everyone in the capital said that Lu Heng was domineering, but according to Mrs. Wudinghou, he was clearly very cautious. At a young age, he held great power, and he was not allowed to float to the sky when he was placed on him, but he was very sober, and he took the initiative to give way when he met female relatives in the palace.
Doing things with a high profile and being a low-key person, this young man should not be underestimated.
Although the Marquis of Wuding has an old relationship with the Empress Dowager Jiang, the relationship is limited to the fact that Marquis Wuding was a subordinate of the Empress Dowager Jiang's father. In addition, the Guo family and the Empress Dowager Jiang did not have any friendship. How can their relationship be compared to Lu Heng who is like half a son? Therefore, as soon as Mrs. Wudinghou heard that Lu Heng was coming, she immediately retired.
The Marquis of Wuding had mixed feelings, and she did not forget to alert her sister-in-law and niece: "Don't look at him as handsome and beautiful, but he has a deep mind. Remember to stay away from him."
Mrs. Yongping Hou nodded again and again: "That's right. It's strange to say, I feel flustered when I look at his eyes. Evening, especially you, will detour when you see him in the future, remember?"
Hong Wanqing appeared to be submissive on the surface, but in fact she lowered her eyes to cover her inner thoughts. It turned out that he was Lu Heng, the famous commander of Jinyiwei, and the man who appeared beside Wang Yanqing that day turned out to be him.
In the Cining Palace, Lu Heng sat beside the couch and handed the Empress Dowager Jiang tea: "I haven't come to greet you for a long time. How are you feeling recently, did the last medicine work?"
After Empress Dowager Jiang fell ill, Lu Heng collected many secret recipes and medicinal materials from all over the place and sent them to the palace. Although the other person is not in front of him, his presence has not stopped for a day, and he may be more attentive than the emperor.
When Empress Dowager Jiang saw Lu Heng, the expression on her face was much more relaxed than when the Guo family was there. With a tone of reproach, she said: "I have reached the age of , no need."
"It's not in the way." Lu Heng smiled lightly and said, "I don't understand medical theory, so I can't help you, so I can only do my best with these little things. As long as your health improves, I will be satisfied."
Empress Dowager Jiang said reproach, but her face was full of relief. Empress Dowager Jiang used tea to suppress the bitter taste in her mouth and wanted to put it down. Seeing this, the palace maid stepped forward immediately, but Lu Heng took the tea cup one step before the palace maid and put it on the side plate, and the movement was natural and appropriate.
The palace maid lowered her eyes and stepped back with the tray in her hand. Empress Dowager Jiang's throat became more comfortable, and she asked, "Is the emperor calling you here today because of the haunting in the east?"
Lu Heng nodded. Although he felt very troubled in his heart, he still looked calm and determined in the face of Empress Dowager Jiang: "Don't worry, I will find the villain who is pretending to be a ghost as soon as possible. You just need to recuperate at ease, and don't worry about the outside world."
Empress Dowager Jiang was not worried about this. She patted Lu Heng's hand and said, "Aijia can trust you. You and the emperor are both smart children, and they were a lot of trouble when they were young. The two of you have a lot of heart, and the other has executive power. , oh, that counts people, a palace is not enough for you to make a fuss."
Empress Dowager Jiang remembered that they were still in the Xingwang Mansion, and she complained and smiled. Lu Heng smiled and said, "I was ignorant when I was young. Thanks to your care, I will take care of you in the future."
The Empress Dowager Jiang sighed and said, "You don't have to console me, I'm old enough to know what I'm doing. In my life, I married Anlu from Beijing, and returned to Beijing from Anlu. The only thing I can't let go of the two of you, the emperor is in bad health, and now he has no heirs. You are even more uneasy, the boss is not young, and you can't even get married."
The emperor was three years older than Lu Heng, but he was already a long way ahead of Lu Heng in terms of marriage. Lu Heng has not married yet, and there are many concubines and concubines in the emperor's harem, even the queen has changed two.
Lu Heng raised his eyebrows quietly, feeling very helpless. Every time he entered the palace, he must be urged to marry. The emperor's heirs are related to the stability of the society, so he doesn't need to worry about inheriting the lineage, so what's the hurry
When Empress Dowager Jiang said, Lu Heng smiled and listened, nodding from time to time. The attitude of admitting mistakes is very good, but it is determined not to change.
After talking for a long time, Empress Dowager Jiang saw Lu Heng listening attentively, and asked, "You are already twenty-three this year, how are you, do you like it? If there is a suitable one, let's settle it, while the Aijia is still there, Immediately marry you."
Hearing that, Lu Heng didn't dare to pretend to be dead anymore, and said quickly, "I still have to be filial to my father, so I don't have the heart to think about these things."
Empress Dowager Jiang looked angry and said earnestly: "Although filial piety has to be guarded, you can also pay attention to the candidates. Did you see that Miss Hong who just went out?"
Lu Heng nodded, and Empress Dowager Jiang said, "This is how their family is. Although the husband-in-law is still observing filial piety, the two houses have looked at each other early on. Once the husband-in-law shows filial piety, they can make an immediate decision. I think their method is very good. Well, while they are not engaged, the two young couples can still cultivate their relationship. They mentioned just now that her husband's family seems to be called... "
Empress Dowager Jiang couldn't remember her name, and her face was confused, Lu Heng added with a smile: "Zhenyuan Hou Fu Tingzhou."
Empress Dowager Jiang clapped her hands: "That's it. What, do you know?"
Lu Heng smiled meaningfully, and his fingers slowly rubbed his joints: "It's a little bit related."
Empress Dowager Jiang looked at Lu Heng's expression, and intuitively there was something tricky in it. She sighed slightly and said, "I've been in the palace for a long time, and I can't keep up with you and the emperor. You both have ideas, so I don't need to worry about it, but as someone who has come here, I still have to remind you not to patronize the courtroom. , give more attention to the family. In the end, fame and fortune are empty, only family members can accompany you all your life."
Lu Heng responded with a teachable face, and Empress Dowager Jiang looked at his expression and knew that he didn't take it to heart. He and the emperor are both ambitious and powerful at their age, how can they hear this
If you don't experience this kind of thing yourself, others won't persuade it. Empress Dowager Jiang couldn't help lowering her head and coughing. Seeing Empress Dowager Jiang's tired face, Lu Heng said, "Thank you for the teaching of Empress Dowager. If there is a woman you like, I will bring it to you. You can recuperate in peace, and the minister will retire first."
Empress Dowager Jiang knew that Lu Heng was still busy and nodded to let him go. Empress Dowager Jiang lives in Cining Palace in the west, Empress Dowager Zhang lives in Ciqing Palace in the east, separated by Qianqing Palace, Fengtian Palace and other central halls in the middle, and the distance is half the Forbidden City. It is precisely because of this that the haunting of the Ciqing Palace did not spread to the Cining Palace.
Lu Heng went out from the Cining Palace and followed the Sili Jian to the Youshun Gate. Guo Tao and others were already waiting at Zuo Shun's door. When they saw Lu Heng, they hurriedly saluted, "Commander."
Lu Heng responded lightly and asked, "Have you brought everyone?"
"My subordinates have brought the best staff in Nanzhen Fusi."
"Okay." Lu Heng said, "Let's go to Ciqing Palace."
Lu Heng thought to himself that he was really busy this day. After receiving the order, he immediately rushed to Qianqing Palace, then went to Cining Palace to greet Empress Dowager Jiang, and now he came to Ciqing Palace to "exorcise" Empress Dowager Zhang. It's all gone around. However, the people in the East Palace did not understand him at all.
Lu Heng went to see Empress Dowager Zhang, and just as she mentioned the haunting, Empress Dowager Zhang got excited and scolded them for their ineffectiveness. Lu Heng quietly waited for the Empress Dowager Zhang to finish scolding, and then asked: "The Empress Dowager Xingguo, there have been rumors of strange powers and chaos in the palace recently, and this minister is also very worried. The minister was ordered to come to investigate the rumors in Ciqing Palace, and dare to ask the Empress Dowager, the first month of the month. What did you see that night on the twenty-ninth?"
The twenty-ninth day of the first lunar month was the night when Empress Dowager Zhang encountered a ghost and fell into a coma. Afraid of irritating Empress Dowager Zhang, Lu Heng deliberately avoided words such as ghosts, but Empress Dowager Zhang became annoyed when she heard it, shouting that she was not feeling well, and did not want to recall the events of that night at all. Lu Heng had no choice but to step aside and ask the imperial physician to come in and take a pulse.
Lu Heng thought that it might be difficult to question the Empress Dowager Zhang, however, he still underestimated the difficulty of the matter.
The first person to hit the ghost was the Queen Mother Zhang, and she was the only one who saw the female ghost up close. Her testimony was crucial. However, looking at the state of the Empress Dowager Zhang, it would be more difficult for her to truthfully describe what she saw and heard that day.
Lu Heng had no choice but to look for other clues. The Empress Dowager Zhang met a ghost in the bedroom, but Lu Heng went to the window and the floor to check and found that everything he could see had been cleaned. Lu Heng turned back and saw all the palace maids hiding in the distance. When he noticed that Lu Heng looked over, their bodies were shaking more and more, and they couldn't even speak.
The maids of Ciqing Palace were exhausted from being tortured by the hauntings one after another, so how dare they approach the haunted place. Lu Heng swept over them coldly and asked, "Who among you is in charge?"
Palace maids, you push me and I push you, and no one dares to come forward and answer. Finally, a well-dressed woman in her thirties stepped forward and gave Lu Heng a salutation: "Return to Lu Commander, this is a slave."
Lu Heng swept over the person and asked, "Who are you?"
"Under Qin Xiang'er, he is a member of the Shangyi Bureau."
Lu Heng pointed to the traces on the ground and asked, "Why remove the traces?"
Qin Xianger said: "Back to the commander, the queen mother fell ill that day after she encountered unclean things. I didn't dare to frighten the queen mother again, so I cleaned all traces."
Lu Heng remained calm and asked, "Who ordered it?"
Qin Xianger paused for a moment, then lowered his head and said, "It's a slave."
Lu Heng nodded, walked around the window, and asked, "Where was the queen mother in a coma?"
Qin Xianger stepped forward to instruct, and Lu Heng looked at it and asked, "Who first discovered the Queen Mother?"
Qin Xianger ordered someone to call the maid who found the queen mother that day, and Lu Heng took the person to the side hall for questioning. However, the palace maid was frightened and trembling, and asked three questions.
I don't know what happened that day, and I don't know what sound was heard at night. Seeing that there was nothing to ask, Lu Heng waved his hand and let the palace maid be taken down first.
Guo Tao came in from outside, his face was quite speechless. Seeing this, Lu Heng asked, "Have you found any clues?"
Guo Tao shook his head and said helplessly: "They said that this is the Queen Mother's Palace, and this is not allowed to be turned over, and that is not allowed to be touched. This... How can we check this?"
The only eyewitness refused to recall what happened that night, and the crime scene was cleaned up. Guo Tao's head was big, and he finally understood what it means that a clever woman can't cook without rice. Guo Tao waited eagerly for Lu Heng to make up his mind, Lu Heng thought about it for a while, and asked, "According to what they said, on the twenty-ninth day of the first lunar month, the queen dowager ran into the female ghost, and the queen mother was frightened and fell ill. From then on, the palace maids were kept vigil together, and eunuchs were arranged. Patrol outside the Ciqing Palace; on the fifth day of the second lunar month, when the five maids were drowsy, they suddenly heard a woman crying outside the door, but there was no one when they went out, right?"
Guo Tao nodded: "That's right. Commander, do you want to call the five palace maids who hit the ghost for the second time over for questioning?"
Lu Heng got up, shook his head and said, "No need. The first question is the most important thing, so don't rush it now. The palace gate is about to be locked, and it's inconvenient for us to stay any longer. Tell someone to evacuate, and at the same time give orders to let Ci Qing go down. Regardless of the maids and eunuchs in the palace, everyone will return to the palace. They will be locked at night and supervise each other. No one is allowed to go out without permission. You go and arrange a few alert people to patrol outside the Ciqing Palace. Put anything close to Ciqing Palace."
Guo Tao took the order and immediately went out to make arrangements. This is the only way at present. All the evidence has been destroyed. They can't follow the clues to check the previous two ghost encounters. They can only control the Ciqing Palace first. People inside are not allowed to come out, and people outside are not allowed to enter. If there will be no more hauntings in the future, it will be the people in the Ciqing Palace who are doing the trick.
Lu Heng went to the main hall of Ciqing Palace, but Empress Dowager Zhang had already taken the medicine and fell asleep. Lu Heng could only talk to Qin Xianger, the current principal of Ciqing Palace, about Jinyiwei's arrangement. Qin Xianger said nothing, immediately recalled the manpower, and handed the key to the patrolling Jin Yiwei for safekeeping, and locked the Ciqing Palace door from the inside in front of Lu Heng.
There are two keys to the gate of Ciqing Palace, one is kept by the other eunuch, and the other is in the hands of Jin Yiwei. After Lu Heng checked it out, he instructed Jin Yiwei to be vigilant at night and left the palace.
As the commander of the third grade, Lu Heng, the actual person in charge of Jin Yiwei, it is not his turn to patrol, so he can go back to the house and rest in peace. However, things backfired. In the middle of the night, news suddenly came from the palace that Lu Heng entered the palace urgently.
The Ciqing Palace has encountered a ghost again. This time, several palace maids and eunuchs heard ghosts screaming, and there was a sound of "kow kow", as if ghosts were about to come in. The Empress Dowager Zhang was about to go crazy with fright.
The palace is not an inn, so anyone can move if they want to. Lu Heng went to the palace to deal with Empress Zhang, and after a long time of comfort, Empress Zhang finally fell asleep, and his temples throbbed and hurt from the noise.
When Lu Heng went out, Jin Yiwei who was guarding outside immediately surrounded him: "Commander."
Lu Heng waved his hand to abstain from the ceremony and asked, "Did there be any movement last night?"
Jin Yiwei, who was patrolling, shook his head and had a ghostly expression: "My subordinates are watching closely and make sure that no one is approaching Ciqing Palace. There was a sudden noise in the middle of the second, and we immediately opened the door and ran in, but there was nothing. See."
Lu Heng asked, "How long did it take you to run in from hearing the sound?"
"We came in right away when we heard the screams, and we didn't even get half a cup of tea. However, the Ciqing Palace was empty, and there was no trace of the place where they were screaming about being haunted."
The patrolling Jinyiwei was also very puzzled. When they unlocked the door to check, there were still patrolling people outside the wall. Could it be that it is really a ghost
Lu Heng asked about the time and situation, but said nothing, just let them continue to guard. After this uproar, when Lu Heng returned to the mansion, it was already four watch.
Lu Heng entered the door and found Wang Yanqing in the main courtyard. He was surprised: "Why did you wake up?"
Wang Yanqing's long hair was unkempt, and she was wearing a single coat, obviously standing up temporarily. When she saw Lu Heng coming back, she quickly stepped forward and asked, "Second brother, what happened in the palace?"
Lu Hengzi entered the palace in a hurry, and Wang Yanqing was awakened by the movement when he went out. After learning that Lu Heng went out, she couldn't sleep again, and insisted on waiting for him in the main courtyard. After waiting for almost an hour, Lu Heng finally came back.
Seeing that her clothes were thin, Lu Heng quickly ordered someone to bring her a cloak. He pulled Wang Yanqing to sit beside the charcoal fire, and sighed in a low voice, "Qingqing, there is one thing I might need your help with."