After a short moment of shock, Ning Shu's eyes suddenly lit up. She immediately asked the eunuch: "Eunuch, may I ask if this mausoleum has been repaired since it was built? How many times? What year, month, and day? Where did the craftsmen come from? Do you have a specific list? "
A series of questions, the eunuch didn't have the strength to resist at all. He didn't know which one to answer.
Ning Shu simply said: "The Imperial Mausoleum's renovation is different from others. There must be a detailed record book. Please show it to me."
"Ah, oh, there is. There is a record in the Ministry of Works, and we also have one here. This slave will go and get it. Please wait for a moment. This slave will come back quickly! "The eunuch hurriedly ran away while holding his robe.
He said that he would come back soon. Sure enough, in less than half an hour, he trotted back with a thick book and put it in front of Ning Shu. Ning Shu didn't even think about it. She spread the book on the stone bench next to her and quickly flipped through it. Hui Mo also didn't hesitate and stepped forward to help.
Xiao Yunyi said: "Do you think that someone set up this trap in advance many years ago to deal with imperial mother?"
Ning Shu's eyes were as bright as stars. She searched for the bead in the vast sea of words in front of her: "This is the only explanation. As you said, this stone tablet is big and heavy. It is difficult to sneak it in without so many eyes. So there are only three possibilities: First, all the guards inside and outside the Imperial Mausoleum worked together to set up all of this. This is obviously unlikely. In addition, Hui Mo just testified that this tombstone has been buried for many years. So this guess can be ruled out. Second, the guard who discovered this stone tablet has a problem. At that time, the bricks collapsed and the sand sank deep, revealing a corner of the stone tablet. It's true that the stone tablet was originally buried underground, but don't forget that at that time, only the little guard was present. As long as he wanted to, he could have taken advantage of the fact that there was no one around to carve that rebellious sentence on the empty stone tablet. Then, he could have quickly covered it with sand and mud and called for his companions in a panic. Finally, under their eyes, he could have pretended to accidentally dig out the stone tablet. "
The little guard knelt on the ground as if he was struck by lightning. He shook his head and swore, almost bursting into tears again.
Ning Shu hurriedly comforted her, "Don't be afraid, this is just one of our guesses. Whether or not you did it, we'll know once we check your recent whereabouts. Don't worry, we won't frame a good person, and we won't drag someone else in to take the blame." I haven't mentioned the third possibility yet. Don't faint, please don't faint. "
Flower took a few deep breaths and held back her tears under Ning Shu's fearful gaze.
Ning Shu exhaled and continued reading. "The third possibility is what I'm doing now. If it's not a thief or a guard of the mausoleum, then there's only one kind of person who can do this, and that's the craftsmen of the mausoleum. No one was more proficient in the art of subterfuge than them, and no one was more legitimate and less suspicious than them. Found it! "
"It's here, look! The mausoleum of the late emperor has been renovated twice in the past two years. The first time was in the ninth year of Tian Ze, which was the sixtieth birthday of the late emperor. To show filial piety, His Majesty ordered the craftsmen to strengthen the mausoleum. They built eight stone statues of mythical beasts to protect the late emperor. The second time was at the end of the fifteenth year of Tian Ze — — "
Ning Shu raised her head and looked at Hui Mo. Both of their eyes were filled with amazement. Ning Shu continued, "The drought in the Han Jiang prefecture caused the people to lose their homes. His Majesty was in great pain and sorrow. He personally went to Xiangguo Temple to chant sutras and pray. He also ordered all the ancestral mausoleums to be renovated in order to bless the Great Yue, the people, and the Xiao family. Naturally, this mausoleum of the late emperor was included. Because there were many mausoleums to be renovated, the number of craftsmen assigned to each mausoleum was inevitably reduced. There were a total of two hundred and thirty-nine craftsmen recorded in the book, and they are all listed here. "
Ning Shu's white fingertips went through the two hundred and thirty-nine names, as well as the age, place of origin, and family background that were recorded in detail behind the names, one by one, trying to find some suspicious points.
However, even though the number of names on this list was only a drop in the ocean compared to the vast number of eighty thousand craftsmen who built the mausoleum, it was still difficult to pinpoint the problematic one in such a short period of time. It was as difficult as finding a needle in a haystack. At this time, she couldn't help but envy Xiahou Qing's perverted ability to remember everything he heard. It was a pity that he wasn't by her side now.
Not here.
The softest part of her heart seemed to have been torn open. When the wind blew, it hurt so much that she couldn't straighten her back. She pinched the web between her thumb and index finger to make herself not think about him for the time being, so that she could maintain the highest level of consciousness. She calmed down and carefully looked through the list in front of her. Hui Mo and Xiao Yunyi also came to help.
Very quickly, the Imperial Mausoleum became quiet again, leaving only the sound of pages turning. As Xiao Yunyi searched, he continued to ask Ning Shu, "Shu 'er, if it's as you guessed, it's one of these craftsmen, then what I don't understand is, since he had already set it up many years ago, why did he wait until now to make trouble for Mother?"
Ning Shu said, "Maybe the time was not right at that time, and the other party knew that he couldn't compete with the Empress, so he didn't make a move and waited for the right time. Or maybe after he set up the stone tablet, he didn't wait for the second step and met with an accident, so he waited for several years. Or maybe, he couldn't do it on his own and had already given up, but someone suddenly reached out to help him. All kinds of encounters in the world are always full of opportunities and good fortune. Without the final decryption, no one can detect every detail. "
As the two were discussing in a low voice, on the other side, when he saw one of the names, Hui Mo blinked and suddenly said, "Eh? Why does this name seem a little familiar? Where have I heard it before? "
Ning Shu looked over and asked, "Which one?"
Hui Mo casually pointed at the name of a person called Yuan Wan Ting and said, "Well, it's this one. Tsk tsk, this name is quite elegant. At first glance, he doesn't look like a craftsman, but more like a scholar."
Ning Shu's pupils constricted, her eyes full of surprise. "He might … be a scholar. Do you still remember Master Yuan of Aoshuang Academy?"
"What, it's him?!"
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