"What is it?" Fan Xian knew that it was not a simple matter, otherwise Li Hongcheng would not be so nervous. But he still forced a smile. "As long as your grape trellis is intact."
Strangely enough, Li Hongcheng had long since reached marriageable age, but for some reason, he had never taken a wife.
"I don't have time to joke with you." Li Hongcheng's face darkened. "Yesterday, there was a murder in a manor at the foot of the Cang Mountains. Wu Bo 'an and the second son of the prime minister, Lin Gong, were both killed."
Fan Xian turned pale with fright. "What?"
Li Hongcheng said, "Yes, your future brother-in-law is dead."
Fan Xian had not thought about the complicated relationship between relatives. He was a little shocked. Wu Bo 'an's death was within his expectations, but... if it was not his uncle who did it, and someone was trying to silence him, how could the second son of the prime minister be involved? Fan Xian was aware of this. His net worth was still far below that of his second brother-in-law. Since Wu Bo 'an and his future brother-in-law had died together, could it be that the person who wanted to kill him... was the prime minister's father-in-law?
He had no feelings for this brother-in-law he had never met, but thinking about what had happened, he could not help but feel a little distressed. After calming down a little, he asked, "How did they die?"
Li Hongcheng described the scene of the discovery to him. Given the remoteness of the manor, it would have taken a long time for the murder to be discovered. He hadn't expected that the third day would coincide with the announcement of the mountain order. As soon as he entered the manor, he saw the corpses strewn all over the ground. In his shock, he reported it to the higher-ups. Because the dead were the prime minister's son and Wu Bo 'an, who had a special status, the news passed through the capital government and the Ministry of Justice directly to the palace.
King Jing entered the palace that day and heard the news, so he asked a eunuch he was familiar with to send word back.
Fan Xian's heart skipped a beat. King Jing must have known that he would be visiting the manor today, so he took the risk to send word back. It seemed that he wanted to inform Fan Xian. But why did he think Fan Xian needed this information? Seeing his expression, Li Hongcheng lowered his voice and said, "The Overwatch Council is looking for Wu Bo'an. I heard it had something to do with the assassination attempt on you last time. His death was so strange this time. Be careful not to arouse suspicion."
Fan Xian pretended to be shocked and waved his hands. "This has nothing to do with me. Even the Overwatch Council can't find him. How can I find him? If the Prime Minister really believes this, how can I live in the capital?"
Li Hongcheng saw that he did not seem to be faking it. He breathed a sigh of relief. "If you really did it, I will have to reevaluate your power. I will have to please you in the future."
By now, Fan Xian was quite familiar with him. He laughed and scolded, "What kind of shameful statement is that? I only hope that the Prime Minister will not link his son's death to me, or I will have to thank the gods."
Li Hongcheng said, "I don't think so. Your explanation just now was very convincing. If Sir Chen couldn't catch someone, then it's even more impossible for you to catch him when you've just entered the capital. Even if you did catch him, you wouldn't just kill him to vent your anger. " He looked at Fan Xian and said seriously, "I believe you. I will speak to my father on your behalf. I believe that the Prime Minister will not act rashly."
Fan Xian sighed. "I'm afraid that the Prime Minister will first have to find a way to explain why the second young master was with Wu Bo'an. You should know that Wu Bo'an is connected to spies from Northern Qi. His crime of treason is already established. "
Li Hongcheng nodded and said worriedly, "It's just that the Prime Minister has lost his son in his old age. If his political enemies use Wu Bo 'an's matter to attack him, I'm afraid his days will not be easy."
Fan Xian stole a glance at the Crown Prince. Aren't you and the second prince the Prime Minister's political enemies? Why do you have to make it sound so indifferent?
After leaving King Jing's manor and getting into the carriage, Fan Ruoruo noticed that her brother's expression was not right. She asked with concern, "Are you not feeling well? Or did you get sunburned too much earlier? "Fan Sizhe joined in and sat down, fawningly handing Fan Xian his folding fan.
Fan Xian was a little uneasy, so he was a little irritated. He said impatiently, "I'm fine!" After saying it, he realized that there was something wrong with his tone. He smiled bitterly and explained, "There are some troublesome matters that I need to think about. Don't worry about me for now."
After entering Fan Manor, the first thing Fan Xian did was run to his father's study. He found that his father was not at home. Perhaps he had been summoned to the palace.
Somewhat uneasy, he returned to his room. When he sat down at the table, he realized that his back was drenched in sweat. In fact, when Li Hongcheng described the deaths of Wu Bo'an and the Prime Minister's second son, Fan Xian already knew who had done it. In this world, no one was more familiar with Wu Zhu's methods and the traces he left behind.
That night, when Fan Xian found out the name Wu Bo'an in the imperial prison, he knew that Wu Bo'an was already a dead man — but he did not expect that Lin Wan 'er's second brother would also die.
Although he did not know how Wu Zhu had found Mister Wu, given Wu Zhu's cold and indifferent personality, it was quite normal for him to kill two people behind the scenes who had plotted against Fan Xian. Wu Zhu was a grandmaster. In his eyes, perhaps the son of the Prime Minister was just like the assassin who had come to kill him in Danzhou: flesh and blood. As long as it did not implicate Fan Xian, Wu Zhu's iron rod was not a taboo.
Fan Xian was uneasy. If even King Jing believed that he had something to do with Lin Gong's death, what would the Prime Minister think? He wanted to avenge the death of his bodyguard and the serious injuries he and Teng Zijing had suffered. He had also thought that the mastermind behind the scenes might be the Prime Minister, his future father-in-law. If that was the case, Fan Xian thought that he would kill Wu Bo'an as a warning. But he did not expect that Lin Wan 'er's second brother would die so cleanly. The Lin family only had two sons, and he heard that the eldest had some problems …
Thinking of Lin Wan 'er gave Fan Xian another headache. Even if Wan' er had grown up in the palace and had no feelings for the Lin family, they were still related by blood. This was a fact that could not be denied.
He stood up and walked around the table twice. His eyes gradually became determined. He decided that for the rest of his life, he would never let Wan 'er know about this. He could not let her know that it was his uncle who killed her brother.
— — —
In the depths of the incomparably dignified palace, the room of the most powerful man in the world was far less imposing than the territory he governed. The incense in the cauldron gradually dispersed, leaving behind only a thick layer of incense ash. Outside the door, the sun shone in from the west, and the willows that came rushing over the threshold could be counted in the light.
The room was paved with light-colored bricks, and on its left and right stood a dozen or so high-ranking officials of the court. Today was not a formal court meeting, so this was not Taiji Palace, but a side hall. The great Emperor of Qing did not sit on the high dragon throne, but chose a chair at random to sit on.
Today, the Emperor wore a water-blue silk casual robe, with a golden ribbon with a coiled dragon tied around his waist. His jet-black hair was tied up tightly, and only a few strands of silver could be seen at his temples. He sat casually on the chair, lower than the officials standing around him, but his aura made him seem like he was sitting at the highest point of the world, looking down on the millions of subjects beneath his feet.
Today, the affairs of the state had come to an end. Only a few old and important officials remained in the room.
Chen Pingping sat first on the left. Because he was in a wheelchair, he looked very special. His head drooped listlessly, as if he was about to fall asleep. These officials knew that as the Emperor's most trusted aide, Director Chen, he had received an edict that he did not need to attend the regular court meetings. But today's meeting was something he had to attend.
Prime Minister Lin Ruofu sat first on the right. Today, he also had special treatment. He sat on a round stool, but his official robe was a bit long, so he looked a bit comical. This world-famous treacherous man was born with delicate features and his eyes were bright and full of expression. Only his slightly white beard revealed his true age. It could be assumed that when he was young, he must have been a handsome man.
Today, his eyes were a bit red and swollen, and his lips were a bit white. Presumably, he had been crying earlier.
"My condolences, Prime Minister," the Emperor said softly. The room buzzed with echoes. "You should rest in the manor for a few days. It's also good … to send that child off."
Lin Ruofu stood up and bowed respectfully. Choking with sobs, he said, "I dare not. It is already a sin to disturb Your Majesty regarding my son's matter."
The other officials also warmly tried to persuade the old Prime Minister. The dead could not be brought back to life, and so on and so on.
Lin Ruofu suddenly said in a loud voice, "Dare I ask Your Majesty to uphold justice for me, and seek justice for that dead child!" Having said this, he knelt down. That afternoon, he had learned of his second son's death. The Prime Minister, who had always had a heart of stone, almost fainted. As the saying goes, the old send off the young; how could he withstand such an emotional blow?
The Emperor's lips curled up without anyone noticing. But no one dared to stare at the Emperor's face, so no one noticed this small detail. His Majesty seemed to be a bit surprised by the Prime Minister's words. "Since the attack on Fan Xian's son two days ago, another murder has unexpectedly occurred in the capital. Naturally, the capital government cannot escape responsibility. Do not worry, Prime Minister. I will punish them heavily to give you an explanation … Each department must seize the opportunity to apprehend the culprit, with the Ministry of Justice taking the lead. If there is any disagreement, Director Chen will take command."
Chen Pingping seemed to be sleeping soundly, but now he opened his eyes and smiled.
Lin Ruofu's eyes shone brightly, but it only lasted for a moment. He kowtowed to the Emperor, and under the persuasion of the others, stood up.
The Emperor looked at him calmly. The Kingdom of Qing did not pay much attention to etiquette, and the Emperor knew that the Prime Minister's head was not easy to bear. He suddenly frowned and said, "In the previous incident, there was the shadow of Northern Qi. They intended to cause a disturbance in the royal court. Could it be that this time, it is another foreign thief? Has the forbidden land fallen to such a state? Send down an edict. Have the three departments in the north conduct a thorough investigation. "
He suddenly reprimanded him sternly. "Chen Pingping, you need to put some effort into the affairs of the Council. Do you think the Fourth Bureau does nothing? This time, you went back to visit your relatives, and it dragged on for an extra month. Do you want the children of the officials in the court to die before you are willing to come back? "
The Emperor's anger silenced the entire hall.
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