As the carriage drove past, there was a violent cough coming from inside. MIngzhu turned back to look at Li Yi. "What did you say to Grand Tutor?"
Li Yi shook his head. "Nothing."
MIngzhu looked at the carriage in front again. The coughing gradually faded away. She continued to look at him with a look that said, "Do you believe me?"
"I swear on the honor of a sycophant." Li Yi raised four fingers. "I really didn't say anything to him."
The main reason for the Chu family's demise was not the Cui family.
Under normal circumstances, the two crimes that Chu Ping had committed, according to the previous laws of the Jing Kingdom, were nothing more than a high-class person killing a low-class person and having to pay some silver taels. Even Chu Ping himself might not be severely punished.
The real reason was Grand Tutor Chu.
From his inaction in the beginning, or his shielding, to his worsening later, Grand Tutor Chu could not turn back, nor could the Chu family. All of this was caused by Grand Tutor Chu, who cherished his reputation and was extremely famous. The Chu family rose because of its reputation, and was also dragged down by it. It was a century-old family that had fallen to such a state.
He had once asked Grand Tutor Chu whether it was worth it or not. Grand Tutor Chu did not answer, but gave the answer with his actions.
But no matter what, this old man was once prominent and was still watched by countless people. If he was told that the King of Shu was not His Majesty's biological son, and that he wanted MIngzhu to be the empress, Grand Tutor Chu might have a heart attack or a brain hemorrhage. If he was not careful, he would not be able to clear his name.
The two did not get on the carriage again, but walked back.
When they were about to walk past the ancestral hall, two figures walked toward them.
The middle-aged man walking in front raised his head and was slightly stunned. He immediately cupped his hands and said, "Greetings, Your Highness. Greetings, Lord Li."
MIngzhu turned back to look at Li Yi, the doubt in her eyes obvious.
"Qin He, the fifth son of Prime Minister Qin." Li Yi explained to her, then looked at Fifth Master Qin and pointed at his hair, his eyes full of doubt.
"Oh, about that …" Fifth Master Qin smiled and said, "I'm old, so I'm not like you young people …"
Li Yi nodded and then slightly cupped his hands. "Thank you, Prime Minister Qin, for dealing with the matters in the court recently. Please thank him on my behalf. I will personally visit him another day to thank him."
"My father is only doing what he thinks is right. We can't say anything." Fifth Master Qin shook his head and said, "However, I will convey Lord Li's message."
Li Yi looked at the ancestral hall behind him and asked, "Did you also come to pay your respects to Lady Shuangshuang?"
Fifth Master Qin nodded and said, "Although Lady Shuangshuang is no longer here, her death is meaningful. There are so many people who remember her, and there are countless people who are deeply grateful to her. Her death alone accomplished something that the entire court could not do. It is worthy of worship …"
…
On the way back, MIngzhu looked at him and asked, "Is he Qin He, the Qin He that Uncle Wang mentioned?"
"What, he doesn't look like him?"
She shook her head and said, "I just feel that a person who is worthy of Uncle Wang's evaluation shouldn't be like this."
"Don't be fooled by this Fifth Master of the Qin Clan's sloppy appearance …" Li Yi smiled and said, "He's a truly powerful person …"
In the ancestral hall, after the two of them burned incense in front of the stone tablet, they entered the ancestral hall.
As soon as they entered, they saw a statue of a woman the size of a normal person. Below the statue was a spacious platform. After people burned incense outside, they would place the things they brought to pay their respects on this platform.
The burly man asked mysteriously, "Fifth Master, the person beside Lord Li just now was the princess?"
"What, do I not look like her?" Fifth Master Qin casually asked as he placed a plate of pastries in the box on the platform.
"To be honest, she doesn't look like her." The burly man nodded. Just as he was wondering why he hadn't noticed before, he suddenly heard a cracking sound.
He turned his head to look at Fifth Master beside him and said in surprise, "Fifth Master, where did you get the apple in your hand?"
Fifth Master Qin casually pointed to the fruit plate on the platform that was clearly missing an apple. "There, it tastes pretty good. Do you want it?"
"This …" The burly man looked at him in disbelief. "This was given to Lady Shuangshuang by someone else. Fifth Master, you …"
"Shuangshuang …" Fifth Master Qin shook his head and said, "She doesn't like eating apples. It's a waste to keep it."
Crack.
Another sound.
"What are you doing over there?" At this moment, there were still many people in the ancestral hall. When someone raised his head and saw this scene, he immediately stood up in anger.
"You even dare to eat something given to Lady Shuangshuang. Has your conscience been eaten by a dog?"
"What, who did it?"
"Take them to the officials!"
…
The burly man grabbed an apple and grabbed Fifth Master Qin's arm. He hurriedly said, "What are you waiting for? Run!"
A moment later, in an alley in Jingdou, Fifth Master Qin panted heavily. He patted a footprint on his body and asked, "What, how is this apple?"
The burly man took a bite and nodded. "It's crispy and sweet. Why doesn't Lady Shuangshuang like it?"
Fifth Master Qin leaned against the wall and sighed. "Yes, I also don't understand why she doesn't like it …"
He was silent for a moment. After waiting for the burly man to finish eating the apple, he said, "Wu Er, how long have you been following me?"
The burly man froze for a moment. In the next moment, he threw away the apple and clapped his hands. Solemnly, he said, "Fifth Master, tell me, what do you want me to do this time?"
"Go follow the little duke and see what he's been doing these days."
"I'm the best at following people." The burly man patted his chest. "With me doing things, Fifth Master can rest assured."
…
"The trail is broken." Li Yi sighed and said, "How could it be broken …"
Liu Yiyi shook his head and said, "The Ministry of Justice and the Secret Intelligence Bureau couldn't find anything. The person behind this case must have great power in Jingdou."
Li Yi rubbed the space between his brows and suddenly felt a headache coming on. He tilted his head to look at the Princess and said helplessly, "Now there's only the Cui family left. Why don't we choose another path?"
MIngzhu looked at him and asked in confusion, "What path?"
"I know a path that leads directly to the Central Lake of the Academy of Mathematics. If we go at night, we'll definitely not be discovered. Why don't we take advantage of the darkness and wind …"
"Sink the Cui family into the lake?"
"You also think this is a good idea, right? It's simple, convenient, and saves time …"
"Do you want me to help you kidnap Consort Cui out of the Palace?"
"If you can help, that would be great …"
…
Li Yi met her eyes. Liu Yiyi quickly looked out the window. A moment later, Li Yi shook his head and said, "Forget it. It's dark and I can't see the road clearly. Let's think about it at length."
"If the Cui family could be taken down so easily, father wouldn't have waited until now." MIngzhu shook her head and said, "Twenty years ago, their power had already seeped into every corner of the Imperial Court. They also have a good reputation among the people. Although they are not as powerful as before, they still have a foundation that cannot be underestimated …"
Li Yi sighed and said, "That's why I said it's more convenient to choose another path."
Fang strode in from outside and handed him an envelope. He said, "Young master, there's news from Wu Er."
Li Yi opened the envelope and looked at it. He handed it to Liu Yiyi and said with a smile, "Isn't it connected now …"
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