Outside the Zheng Palace, Zhang Yang looked at the three coffins in front of him. He was not afraid of the corpses that had died long ago, but he just felt something was wrong and turned around with a stiff neck.
Eunuch Liu had been standing by the door and cleared his throat. "Fifth Prince, the Emperor is still waiting in the palace. Please open the coffin."
Zhang Yang turned his head and his face darkened. His father's action was not trust, but fear of danger. He was pushed out. He was also his son, but because he had not been raised by his side since he was a child, he stepped back and pursed his lips, "Open the coffin."
The guards who were already there pried the coffin open with the tools needed to open it. When the coffin was opened, a foul smell spread out.
Zhang Yang covered his mouth and nose, waited for a while, and seeing that the guards were fine, he signaled someone to go forward and check.
When Eunuch Liu saw the young eunuch carefully checking and nodding, Eunuch Liu went forward himself. When he arrived in front of the coffin, he widened his eyes, then walked back quickly and pushed open the door of the government hall.
Eunuch Liu said, "Your Majesty, one of the three coffins is empty, with only clothes inside. In the other coffin is a pregnant woman, and even though her clothes have rotted, you can still see the bulge in her abdomen."
The emperor stood up. He was sure it was not a trap and planned to go and see for himself. "Come on, take me there."
The prince adhered to the cautious meaning, "Father, let's let the coroner take a look himself."
The emperor thought for a moment and sat down again, saying to Eunuch Liu, "Wait for the coroner to come and clean up the burial supplies."
Eunuch Liu: "Yes."
In Zhoujia Village, Chang Zhi stood under the eaves and was worried. It seemed as if the sky was leaking. Heavy rain had been falling for two days. “I don’t know when this rain will stop.”
Su Xuan was also worried, "This year is really not a good year."
Chang-Chi sighed, “Yeah.”
Were you all happy when it started to rain heavily? Were the fields still short of water? Now we all hope the rain will stop.
Su Xuan looked at the raindrops that formed a line, "Fortunately, Manager Ding has always had the habit of storing things. Is there enough firewood at home? There is also enough water."
Chang Zhi said: "I have never seen such heavy rain since I was a child. Fortunately, the river here is a small river and the terrain is high, so we are not afraid of flooding."
Su Xuan nodded. "My hometown is indeed a good place for Feng Shui."
Chang Zhi is thinking about the capital again? "I don't know if it rained in the capital. It would be great if it rained in the capital area."
Su Xuan is in her hometown? But her manager often sends her letters saying that the weather this year is abnormal. Her farm in Jiangnan has been experiencing heavy rains, and the farm near the capital has suffered from drought? She knows that the continued warming has caused a serious drought in the capital area.
Capital? Zhulan received a letter from Lizhou. It rained in Lizhou. Although it did not alleviate the drought? But the situation is still good. It’s just that it’s good enough to keep the fruit trees in the orchard, and the output this year cannot be expected.
Wu Chun also said that foreigners in the border areas were also suffering from drought and the border areas were unstable.
Zhulan pursed her lips. If this continues, there will be no food and war will break out along the border.
Xuemei saw her mother frowning, "Mom, is the situation in Lizhou not good?"
Zhulan put away the letter and said, "The situation in Lizhou is okay."
Seeing that her mother didn't say much, Xuemei stopped asking and said with a smile, "There are many larger wells near the capital. My parents-in-law said that the people nearby are grateful for the emperor's grace."
Zhulan smiled a little. With water for irrigation, the crops would not be completely destroyed. "Last year was a bumper year. Every household had surplus food. We can survive for a while. When the purchased food comes back, we can still get some relief food even if the harvest is reduced."
Xuemei no longer expected to make money from the land she bought, she only hoped to have more food. "The court is working to provide enough food for the people, and the people know that. When people have aspirations, they will unite even in the event of a drought."
Zhulan smiled and nodded, the emperor and the prince were both wise rulers.
Inside the palace, the coroner had conducted a thorough inspection and reported: "The man's leg bones were broken and his spine was cracked. He must have fallen to his death. The pregnant woman's belly was not a child. When the rotten clothes were opened, they turned out to be a rotten pillow. The pregnant woman must have died of heavy bleeding."
Fortunately, the bones are still intact, otherwise it would be hard to tell.
The emperor turned the beads in his hand faster, making a fake belly to hide the child. If the child was dead, there should be the child's bones. He held the beads tightly, "Can you check carefully?"
The coroner was confident in his experience and that he was the best coroner. "Your Majesty, I have examined the case very carefully and there is no mistake."
The emperor motioned the coroner to go down, then looked at the tray. On the tray were the funeral objects that had been cleaned. The jade pendant was the most conspicuous. The emperor took the jade pendant. There were no lines on the corners. This was the jade pendant of a male from the legitimate family. Then he picked up another pair of jade pendants. These were pairs of jade pendants. He had heard from his mother that couples from the legitimate family had pairs of jade pendants. The coffin belonged to the couple from the legitimate family who escaped.
As for the other empty cenotaph, he didn't think that the escapee would take the servants with him, so there was still someone alive, but he didn't know whether it was a man or a woman.
The emperor frowned, not knowing whether he was alive or not, or whether he was still alive after ten years of war. Too many people died in the ten years of war, and the soldiers and bandits massacred too many villages and towns. The emperor felt heavy in his heart. If he was alive, he should have come to find him, but he didn't!
The King of Qi and others watched their father's expression change and dared not breathe.
The emperor closed his eyes. If he didn't find it, there was hope. He opened his eyes and said, "Prince Liang, please accept the order."
King Liang felt bitter. He really didn't want to investigate anymore, but he still had to bite the bullet and go forward. "Your son is here."
"I order you to set out for the Northeast today and investigate every inch of this place for me. I want to see the person alive or dead."
King Liang: "... Yes."
At this critical moment, he didn't want to leave Beijing, he really didn't want to, but his father actually asked him to leave Beijing! !
The King of Qi didn't care whether the King of Liang was struck by lightning or not. He looked up at the pillars of the Zheng Palace. His father was clearly telling the fourth son, "You'd better give up thinking about it!"
The King of Chu was calm. He would have been unwilling before he let it go, but now there were few waves in his heart. He just didn't know whether the fourth brother would give up. He probably wouldn't. The fourth brother's personality was such that he would fight for his life even if he was on a cliff.
The prince stared at the fourth son coldly. He gave this opportunity for the sake of his father's face. If the fourth son did not seize the opportunity, the prince had murderous intent in his eyes. The fourth son had supported many people and had already crossed his bottom line.
The emperor glanced at the prince out of the corner of his eye. The prince felt it, raised his head and smiled gently.
The emperor withdrew his gaze and sighed inwardly, "Old Four, you should leave the capital tomorrow."
Prince Liang looked at his father unwillingly, and finally gave in, pursing his lips and saying, "Yes."
The King of Qi truly felt his father's love. His father also loved them, but the river and inheritance were more important.
In Zhoujia Village, the heavy rain finally stopped in the afternoon, but a landslide occurred on the mountain.
Ming Qing ran over in a hurry, "Uncle Chang Zhi, the location where the mountain collapsed is very close to your family's ancestral grave."
Chang Zhi stood up suddenly. It was the ancestral tomb, the ancestral tomb of several generations of their family!