Rule the Ming Dynasty Alone

Due to the multi-window design of the royal study, the attic looks very open and bright.

The death of the envoy to occupy the city can naturally be attributed to suicide, but this conclusion also needs to be supported by motivation.

As the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Youtang naturally could not do everything personally, so he mainly screened the murderer from the motive and method of committing the crime.

"Your Majesty, Champa hangs overseas. Last year, Annan was afraid of the might of Ming Dynasty and stopped his troops. But there is no guarantee that Champa will not be destroyed in the future! Champa is now designed to put the blame on Annan. Even if Ming cannot send troops to conquer Annan, it will still make Ming attack Annan. I feel disgusted in my heart, and Annan must act with caution in the future. Wen Jin sacrificed his life for righteousness, and exchanged the death of one person for a glimmer of vitality in the city, so I think this is the motive for his suicide!" Song Cheng has already investigated the cause of the case. , and answered very seriously.

Zhu Youtang happened to find a military book, which happened to record a bitter plan.

Although Champa still has the name of a country, a large area of ​​territory is now occupied by the Le Dynasty, and there are generals inside to support the army and stand on their own. It is indeed difficult for the Champa country to protect itself today.

If they want to continue to survive in the eyes of their evil neighbor Li Dynasty, they may have no other choice but to rely on the power of the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Youtang thought that it was a clever move to throw dirty water on Annan at this time, so he couldn't help but nodded slightly, recognizing Song Cheng's investigation results.

"Your Majesty, although I have verified that this murder was a self-directed and self-acted suicide by the envoys who occupied the city, there is actually a third force in this case!" Song Cheng had been paying attention to Zhu Youtang's reaction, and reported it solemnly. road.

Huh?

Liu Jin, who had been standing below, heard this inference and couldn't help but look at the dark-faced Shuntian Fu Yin in front of him in surprise.

Zhu Youtang raised his eyebrows and said calmly: "What's going on?"

"I originally mistakenly believed that the Xuefeng Dao in Tiexiang Mountain fell into the hands of the Annan Mission. However, it is now confirmed that the Annan Mission obtained an imitation, and the real destination of the Xuefeng Dao lost in Tiexiang Mountain was the Champa Mission. . A Xuefeng knife may have been obtained by coincidence by the mission, but the appearance of two Xuefeng knives in the hands of two missions one after another confirmed that someone was operating in secret. As I saw, this person was hiding behind the scenes. Not only did he give the envoy Wen Jin the murder weapon, but he also bewitched the envoy Wen Jin to die to frame the Annan mission. This man is the real perpetrator of the murder!" Song Cheng's eyes were clear in black and white, and he said own judgment.

Although Zhu Youtang had always suspected that Wu Xun was involved, he did not expect that the involvement would be so deep, so he came to the guardrail and asked: "Song Qing, what did you find out?"

"I had earlier found out that a mysterious person had gone to the Huitong Hall to meet Wen Jin. However, I did not suspect that Wen Jin would commit suicide at that time, so I did not pay much attention to this clue. Now I am re-investigating, but it is no longer possible to verify what happened that day. Who is the mysterious person! However, starting from the whereabouts of the Snow Maple Knife in Tiexiang Mountain, I have found out that the housekeeper of Changning Mansion stole the Xue Maple Knife from Tiexiang Mountain and handed it over to the envoy of Champa. This person is likely to be An important breakthrough." Song Cheng did not hide his previous oversight and appeared to report the report very seriously.

Mystery man!

The mastermind behind the scenes!

Two snow maple knives!

These speculations have cast a layer of mystery on the case.

Zhu Youtang did not expect that his relatives would be involved in the matter. He could not help but frown and said: "Uncle Chang Ning is actually involved?"

"What I found out is that the housekeeper of Uncle Chang Ning's Mansion is responsible for stealing and delivering knives, but it is still unclear whether he was instructed by Uncle Chang Ning! This time, due to time constraints, and with the envoy Wen Jinzhi who occupied the city, The death cases are not necessarily related, so I haven't continued to dig deeper!" Song Cheng shook his head gently, looking very sensible.

This case can be said to be solved, but it can also be said that it has not been solved. It all depends on whether the emperor believes his own conclusion. As for Uncle Chang Ning, although the suspicion is high, everything can still be said by evidence.

Zhu Youtang knew that the time he gave Song Cheng was indeed too little, so he touched his chin and said, "Who can the housekeeper of Changning House testify against?"

"Your Majesty, he said that everything had nothing to do with Uncle Chang Ning and was all his own doing!" Song Cheng said bitterly, knowing that he was not good at extracting confessions through torture.

Zhu Youtang thought for a moment and then asked seriously: "In your opinion, who is the person behind the scenes controlling all this, and what is his motive?"

"I dare not make random guesses, but judging from this person's plan, this person wants to provoke a conflict between Ming Dynasty and Annan, or even a war!" Song Cheng met Zhu Youtang's gaze and boldly expressed his judgment. .

Zhu Youtang made a decision in his heart, and walked towards the stairs on the north side and said: "Song Qing, thank you for your hard work during this time! I handed over the people and files to Dongchang. You don't need to investigate this case anymore, just hand it over to Dongchang." Dongchang disposes of it!"

"Your Majesty, please give me some time, and I will be able to find out the person behind the scenes for your Majesty!" Song Cheng suddenly became anxious and solemnly requested.

this……

When Liu Jin heard Zhu Youtang's arrangement, he turned his head and looked up with confusion.

But he didn't understand why he had to hand over the case to the people in Dongchang again. Several important cases were silent when they arrived in Dongchang, which was simply the end of the case.

On the other hand, the Shuntian Fuyin in front of him is simply a god.

Not to mention the wonderful performance earlier, the suicide of the envoy in the occupation was almost hidden from the public. When everyone suspected that it was the Annan mission or Wu Xun, it turned out that this black-faced god saw everything.

Zhu Youtang came down the stairs and said firmly: "I have made up my mind, please step back!"

"I retire, long live my emperor!" Although Song Cheng was a little disappointed, he still respectfully resigned.

If you use it, you will do it; if you give it up, you will hide it. This is the teaching he has always believed in. What's more, this emperor is not a fatuous monarch, so this arrangement must have a deeper meaning.

When Liu Jin saw Zhu Youtang coming down from above, he immediately stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, why don't you let Song Cheng continue to investigate? Maybe he can really find out the person behind the scenes!"

"Because the case of Wen Jin, the envoy who occupied the city, cannot be dug any further!" Zhu Youtang walked towards the tea area, looking like a mirror.

Liu Jin couldn't help but was stunned, and suddenly said in confusion: "Your Majesty, why can't we dig deeper? Wouldn't it be good to let Song Cheng find out the person behind the scenes?"

After these days of getting along, I know that my master is reasonable and not such a moody king.

"There is no trivial matter in diplomacy, and family scandals should not be made public! If Song Cheng is really able to find out the person, can I, the Ming Dynasty, be responsible for the death of the envoy who occupied the city?" Zhu Youtang came to the tea table and sat down, as if It's a rhetorical question.

After all, he is not the messenger of justice among the hosts, but the helm of the Ming Dynasty, so what needs to be considered is the interests of the Ming Dynasty. As for the truth, sometimes it is not necessary to dig it out.

In the tea area on the south side, there is a quiet and beautiful palace maid in purple, who has been sitting here and is responsible for making tea at any time. Seeing Zhu Youtang coming over, those very beautiful hands poured out a cup of hot tea, and then served the steaming tea.

Liu Jin received the advice and looked thoughtful and said: "If we dig out the person behind the scenes, Annan will probably put all the blame on the people behind the scenes. This is really not good for our Ming Dynasty!"

"Now the envoy from Champa sacrificed his life for justice, and the envoy from Annan did not cooperate with the investigation of the soldiers who disobeyed and killed me. This is the whole story of this case! I will not do it if I really want to throw a stone at myself!" Zhu You Zang picked up the tea cup, looking sober and genuine.

Although he had always wanted to find an opportunity to hit Wu Xun with a stick, this time it was related to Daming's face and reputation, so the lid could not be lifted.

There are thousands of ways to deal with Wu Xun, and when it comes to dealing with others in unison, internal strife within oneself has always been the behavior he despises the most, and it is naturally impossible for him to do it.

"Your Majesty is wise!" Liu Jin said sincerely when he heard Zhu Youtang's decision.

Zhu Youtang slowly sipped the fragrant tea, peeking at the person playing chess behind the scenes.

I don’t know if the other party had already expected this outcome, or if he just happened to be favored by God, he escaped the disaster. If it was the former, it would be too terrible, and the latter could only be said to be the good luck of the Duke’s Palace.

Zhu Youtang looked at the overall situation, but felt that it was not the handiwork of Zhu Fu, the eldest son of Chengguo. There should be an expert behind him to guide him in planning this trick that almost deceived everyone.

In fact, what Song Cheng didn't know was that when he just said he wanted to find the mysterious person who arrived at the Huitong Hall that night, he already had the answer in his heart.

Dongchang and Jinyiwei have been keeping an eye on various princes' mansions recently. Although they cannot know all their whereabouts, they can still know the general trajectory of their movements.

"That mysterious man is really hateful. Fortunately, Your Majesty understands justice, otherwise I would have to skin him!" Liu Jin stepped forward to take Zhu Youtang's teacup, but said with hatred.

The corners of Zhu Youtang's mouth raised slightly, and he calmly ordered: "Please ask someone to call Tan Conggui over!"

Cheng Guogong's Mansion, by the small lake in the backyard.

Zhu Fu, who was wearing brocade clothes, was sitting on a soft couch. The table next to him was filled with sumptuous meat and fine wine, and he was enjoying the performance of several maikos.

Although the prince's appearance was good, his clothes were unbuttoned, his fat face was slightly red from drinking, and his whole person showed a decadent air.

It was originally a good thing that the Ming Dynasty favored and reused the Wu Xun lineage, but even if many Wu Xun's children were ambitious when they were young, they could easily be wasted by time and become members of the peacemaker faction.

The crown prince is different from his descendants. The crown prince has to wait until his son inherits his father's inheritance. As a result, there are many princes who have not yet held office in their forties or fifties.

Zhu Fu's father, Zhu Yi, was far away in Nanjing and served as a garrison in Nanjing, while Zhu Fu stayed in the capital to take care of the family business. The most important thing he did every day was drinking and having fun.

The housekeeper hurried over and happily reported to Zhu Fu the news he had just heard. The Shuntian government office had stopped investigating the case.

Zhu Fu was immediately overjoyed and toasted to the old man next to him: "Sir, you are a great talent. It is just as you expected. Your Majesty will not dig deeper!"

"I...I have long said that the prince does not need to worry. It is not difficult to guess the emperor's thoughts. From the beginning of the plan, I knew that there was a way out. This is a conspiracy!" The old man in civilian clothes said proudly.

Zhu Fu asked the dancer over there to step back and asked for advice humbly: "In your opinion, sir, what should be the next step?"

"You go to the mourning hall of Funing Marquis Mansion and cry! Remember, His Majesty is eager to solve the case. The imperial court should not just send the Jinyi team to chase the mission!" The eyes of the old man in civilian clothes flashed with a gleam of wisdom, and he seemed to be speaking with sincerity. warned.

White curtains have been hung up in Funinghou Mansion, and a mourning hall and coffin have been set up at Zhu Tong's residence. Zhu Ting's family members knelt in the mourning hall and started crying.

Zhu Tong originally had a chance to succeed Earl Funing, but he was ordered to lead a small team to recover the mission, and he never returned. It can be said that he died young.

"Brother Zhu and I are brothers and sisters, but we didn't know that Yin and Yang are now separated from each other!"

"Zhu Ji can't be blamed for this. His Majesty's decree was urgent at that time, so he could only send out the Jinyi team!"

"Obviously it was the envoy who captured the city who directed and acted on his own, but he ended up running after the envoy. Could it be that he was eager to solve the case and why did he end up like this?"

…

When Zhu Fu came to the mourning hall to pay his respects, not only Funing Hou Zhu Yong was here, but also Funing Hou's eldest son Zhu Hui was here, and he began to give eye medicine to the father and son.

After all, the matter still needs a person in charge, and Zhu Youtang, who is "eager to solve the case" and "has an urgent purpose", has undoubtedly become the best candidate.

After all, Zhu Yong was a general who had experienced the storm, not to mention that he had already seen through Zhu Fu's little thoughts, and the city still had this. No matter how much he resented Zhu Youtang in his heart, it was impossible to show it.

Although Zhu Hui and Zhu Yong had experience in the military in their early years, he was immediately ignited and said angrily: "This case should not have been so urgent. My second brother died unjustly!"

cough!

It was at this moment that a cough suddenly sounded.

The three people standing outside the mourning hall heard the movement and turned to look over. The person who appeared here turned out to be the Prime Minister of Qianhu, a non-standard relative of the Jin Yiwei.

The Prime Minister seemed to be becoming more and more sophisticated in his dealings. He first went to the mourning hall to pay homage, and then came out and said to Zhu Yong and his son: "Master Marquis, your eldest son, please give me your condolences!"

"Wang Qianhu, what do you want to do when you bring the royal guards to my house?" Zhu Hui was already disgusted with the emperor's confidant Wang Xiang, but he directly questioned him.

Zhu Fu noticed that Wang Xiang came with people, which proved that he did not come specifically to pay homage, but came to run errands.

"I am indeed offended! I shouldn't bother your house, but Zhu Qianhu used to be my boss, so I came in to pay my respects!" Wang Xiang saw Zhu Hui's hostility, but explained with a smile.

Zhu Hui's hostility did not subside, and he immediately issued a cold eviction order: "We at Funinghou Mansion do not welcome you, you should go and do your imperial mission!"

Huh?

When Zhu Fu saw that Zhu Yong did not stop him, he couldn't help but look at the Wang Xiang who had come to humiliate himself, but found that the Wang Xiang was looking at him with a smile, and he suddenly frowned.

"Your Majesty, please come back to Beizhen Fusi with me!" Wang Xiang looked at Zhu Fu who was gloating about his misfortune and said with a smile.

As soon as these words came out, it was Zhu Yong and his son's turn to be dumbfounded.

I originally thought that Prime Minister Wang was on an errand, but I came here specifically to find Zhu Fu, and this time I wanted to arrest Zhu Fu. It's just that Zhu Fu is the grand son of Duke Cheng, so this king's prime minister is too courageous, right?

Not to mention that it is impossible for Zhu Fu to commit a crime, and Wang Xiang is a member of the same circle of honorary relatives. Now that he is doing this, it will be difficult for him to return to this circle.

Zhu Fu couldn't believe his ears. He pointed at his nose in great surprise and said, "Are you crazy? You Jin Yiwei want to arrest my son?"

"Your Majesty, I just want to cooperate with the investigation this time!" Wang Xiang saw the shock and arrogance of the other party, and explained with a smile.

Zhu Fu snorted disdainfully and said very arrogantly: "Cooperate with the investigation? What are you investigating? Otherwise, you want to continue investigating the murder case of the envoy who occupied the city? Isn't it a suicide case?"

"Your Majesty, it is not the murder of the envoys who captured the city. We, the Jinyi Guards, have just received a secret report that someone in the capital is having an affair with a foreign vassal and selling the capital's intelligence and prohibited items!" Wang Xiang said seriously.

Zhu Yong had already heard about the prohibited items, so he asked with a stern face: "Who dares to have an affair with a foreign vassal?"

Zhu Fu was secretly surprised at first, but soon realized that it had nothing to do with him, and still asked disdainfully: "Wang Qianxiang, you don't think that my grand duchy will have an affair with a barbarian country in the southwest, right? "

Zhu Hui knew that although Zhu Fu was arrogant, it was impossible to do such a thing. Even if they Fu Ninghou Mansion could not do such a loss-making business.

"Marquis Funing, it has been confirmed that the Annan envoy carried prohibited items, and we are currently investigating all the people who had contact with the Annan envoy Li Guang'an! Your Majesty, according to the observation of our Jin Yiwei's eyeliners, the Crown Prince met with the Annan envoy Li Guang'an two days before the Spring Festival. We have had contact with Guang'an, so please come back to Beizhen Fusi with me to explain the reasons!" Wang Xiang first answered Zhu Yong, and then pointed the finger at Zhu Fudao.

Huh?

Although Zhu Hui did not think that Zhu Fu would communicate with the feudal vassal, the Annan envoy did carry prohibited items, and the Crown Prince came into contact with the Annan envoy. It is indeed no wonder that the Jin Yiwei wanted to investigate.

Zhu Fu met Wang Xiang's gaze and said word for word: "Wang Xiang, don't spit on anyone with your blood. This prince has never had contact with the Annan envoys!"

"Your Majesty, you actually deny it?"

It was at this moment that a slightly sharp voice came.

Zhu Yong and others turned their heads to look around, and couldn't help but be secretly surprised. It was Tan Conggui from Dongchang who brought Fanzi over.

Qin Conggui gave Zhu Yong a gift, showing Dongchang's arrogance and authenticity: "Your Majesty, the Za family just came here to ask questions. After all, the Za family did not dare to suspect that the Chengguo government would have an affair with a foreign vassal! But you didn't even do this? If they all refuse to admit it, then it’s no wonder that the Za family has to be suspicious! Someone is here to take the prince back to Dongchang, and the Za family needs to find out why the prince is afraid to admit it!"

"Eunuch Qin, is there any misunderstanding?" Zhu Yong belongs to the Cheng Guogong family after all, so he is pretending to be interceding.

Qin Conggui's current partner was Wang Zhi, so he calmly asked, "The Jinyiwei people saw it, the Zajia people saw it, and now the Annan mission is carrying prohibited items. Does Funinghou think the Zajia family shouldn't investigate it?"

Zhu Yong turned his head and glanced at Zhu Fu, and had to be suspicious of Zhu Fu's reaction.

When Zhu Fu saw the two gangsters trying to arrest him, he immediately said angrily: "I am the eldest son of Duke Cheng, and you are trying to frame the eldest son of Duke Cheng in this way. Are you trying to harm the hearts of all the people in the world!"

"Your Majesty, please make it clear about your private meeting with a foreign vassal. If you don't explain it clearly, you are a traitor to the country. Xuefeng Dao asked a foreign vassal to take him out of the capital. This is very human behavior. Even the Duke's government cannot do this! "Facing the clamoring Zhu Fu, Tan Conggui said with a stern tone.

"Xue Fengdao? I..." When Zhu Fu heard this, his heart suddenly went cold, but he realized that things had inexplicably developed in a worse direction.

When Zhu Yong saw Zhu Fu who was suddenly quiet, and thought of Zhu Fu's seductive words just now, his face darkened, and veins clenched in his sleeves.

Sorry, there is only one update today!