Chapter 307 The Prince Breaks the Law

A group of officers and soldiers, carrying a large sedan chair in a green nickel-eight way, arrived in front of the Censor's Office.

This team of officers and soldiers are all dressed in wolf soldiers, but they wear the most quality Pu Dao, which doesn't look like a chieftain or a civilian. Looking at the entire Chengdu, there is only the imperial envoy Yang beheaded, and this family has no other semicolon.

However, this innocent Lord Yang has been teased as Yang Broom. No wonder, when did the Shu Wang family have had so many things? But as soon as Yang Ling arrived in Sichuan, the prince became a hostage to Duzhangman. The little princess Zhu Xianger, who was about to be promoted to a princess, almost died at the hands of the assassin.

Finally, the adult decided to go back to Beijing. The civil and military officials in Chengdu celebrated each other and ran around to tell each other. They excitedly attended his old man's greetings, celebrated his achievements, and saw off for three trips and one meeting. As a result, Zhu Rangjin, the young master of Xuanyi, who was bestowed as the most handsome talented by the people of Bashu, became a murderer again. Who would he broom if he didn't have a broom?

When he heard that the imperial envoy was coming, the Censor Lu led the officials of various departments to take charge of punishment, handling punishment, interrogation, and arrest the officials of various departments came out. Yang Ling suddenly visited, but the Censor General was so complete that he was obviously not waiting for him. A murder case occurred in the Shu Palace. The suspect was the son of the Shu King. Naturally, Lord Lu had to gather all his subordinates and prepare to solve the case all night long.

The Censorate Division was established in the seven north and sixty-three provinces of the Ming Dynasty. The status was parallel to the Chengxuan General Office. However, the Censor’s rank was one level lower than that of the General Officer, and he was a third-rank official. There were several deputy envoys of the fourth-rank and fifth-rank officers, and now they were crowded at the gate to pick them up.

"The official has met the imperial envoy. If you have any questions, just send someone to post it. The official will definitely come to the door for inquiries. How dare you work the imperial envoy to get here?" Lu Zheng smiled and bowed, and the officials behind him also bowed, and the courtesy was like a group of monkeys bowing to eat.

Yang Ling smiled faintly and said, "Mr. Lu is busy with official business. Today, something big happened in Shu Palace. I guess he is even more busy. It is said that I was disturbing me." Yang Ling paused and said, "Mr. Lu came to visit me, saying it was a business and a private matter. I dare not work for so many adults. Lord. Lu..."

"Oh? Oh oh oh, yes, yes, the lower officials understand. When they heard that the imperial envoy arrived, the officials of the whole mansion naturally had to go out to greet him. Please come in. If you have any questions, let's talk about the inner study room and the inner study room." Lu Zheng understood and quickly explained.

Yang Ling entered the Censorate Office and followed Lu Zheng into the inner study room. As soon as the guest and guest were separated, Yang Ling said straight to the point: "Master Lu, your government handles the case. It is said that this official should not be involved. However, the emperor ordered him to visit the world, explore military, political, and civil affairs. The son of a vassal king killed the daughter of a county prince. Such a case is no longer considered an ordinary prison, so I came here risking his liberty. I want to inquire about the incident, and I hope that the lord will not be surprised."

"This..., dissatisfied with the adults, and the officials just sent someone to investigate the case and haven't figured it out yet. In fact... there is nothing that can be reported to the adults," Lu Zheng said in embarrassment.

Yang Ling smiled and said, "My Lord has misunderstood. Although I am an imperial envoy, I am neither the victim's plaintiff nor the defendant's close relative. It's just that this matter involves two royal relatives. Since I am acquainted, I should know some of the situation. Otherwise, if this matter is passed on to Beijing, the emperor asked me, but I didn't know it after asking, wouldn't it be a joke? Isn't this official's intention to intervene in this case? Lord Lu is so embarrassed that he treats me as a lawsuit, right?"

After Yang Ling said this, Lu Zheng was shocked and hurriedly stood up and waved his hands repeatedly, "My lord is so serious, how dare you? How dare you think so? It's because I know only so much and I don't know the case yet. I am ashamed to reply to the adults. Since I want to inquire about the situation of the case, please sit leniently. The official will report to the adults one by one if you know it."

A lawsuit is a lawsuit guru. He has been discriminated against since ancient times and was regarded as a criminal by the government. Tang Dynasty law stipulates that if a person commits a lawsuit, he will be arrested and beaten for fifty years, if he makes a plan, he will be sentenced to one level and be imprisoned for three years. In the Song Dynasty, there was even more than that, and the yamen almost had to deal with the lawsuit before each case was closed.

In the Ming Dynasty, it was Zhu Chongba, the cowherd's turn, and he regarded the litigator as the culprit for causing trouble, believing that "if there are no such people in the world, there is no need to set up an official government office." When the government encounters people who complain, the first thing is to stop the lawsuit, try to calm the lawsuit, and write a lawsuit as a litigant and come up with ideas. Wouldn't it be an unstable person who specializes in causing chaos in the court?

So the lawsuits and sticks do not mean that they are eloquent and speak like a knife or a stick, but that once the officials find out about the lawsuits and plot against each other, they will beat the water and fire sticks first when they are caught. Yang Ling helped Ma Ang to sue. If Ma Yicheng was not the official, and Min Magistrate Min was a ignorant, he ran to the lobby stupidly, but did not make good witnesses, but went to give advice to others, and he would be beaten.

Yang Ling was ridiculed as a lawsuit at this moment, obviously because he was very dissatisfied with Lu Zheng's excuse. How dare Lu Zheng offend him with his power? Knowing that Yang Ling was suppressing others with power, he could only bite the bullet and say something against his will.

Lu Zheng brought the servant to tea, and then he pondered: "Everyone knew about the situation in the past. The lower official also summoned two experienced captains to go to the harem and asked about the incident. What the lower official knew was either asking the relevant personnel or the captain of our government to investigate."

Yang Ling nodded and said, "I know this, sir."

Lu Zheng said: "At that time, there was a banquet in the front hall, and the princess and concubines in the harem also held a banquet to entertain the royal family, the princess of Chengping County, the princess of Huiping County, and the second daughter of the Prince Jingqing County, were guests. There were also some wives of civil and military ministers and wives of the chieftain of the chieftains, and the wife of the lower official was also one of them."

Lu Zheng thought for a while and said, "Because there are so many guests. The princess dressed up late and there were elders here. Miss Zhu Mengli thought it was boring, so she went to the garden alone to take a leisurely walk."

He added: "Mrs. Liu, the side of the Shu King, is the biological mother of the second prince. He is sister to the Princess of Jingqing County. The two families have always had close contacts. After the Princess of Jingqing County passed away, Miss Zhu was a regular visitor to the Princess of Shu Palace, and always regarded this place as casual as the family. So no one thought it was different.

The lower officials asked the maids who were in charge of Houyuan at that time. They had been in a constant stream of people from the kitchen to the flower hall. Almost everyone had seen Miss Zhu take pictures of herself in the Chi, without saying anything, as if she was very unhappy. Later, she disappeared, and no one cared too much.

When the banquet officially began, the princesses discovered that Miss Zhu had not come back yet. At this time, the princess also arrived, so she volunteered to look for Miss Zhu. As a result, a maid found Miss Zhu's body in the chrysanthemums behind the pond."

Speaking of this, Lu Zheng was shocked and said, "That chrysanthemum bush is about half a person tall, and the plants are very dense. Just behind the green forest by the pool. Miss Zhu's Adam's apple was crushed and threw it among the chrysanthemum bush. She lay on her back and overwhelmed a piece of flowers and plants in the middle, but if she didn't get closer, she would be unable to see the ground."

He took a breath and said, "If someone leads her to another place to kill her, he will not risk being discovered and then move her body back to the chrysanthemum bushes, because there is no hidden people there. Therefore, according to common sense, it is the murder scene.

Her body was deep in the chrysanthemum bushes, more than ten feet away from the roadside. The surrounding chrysanthemum paths were not overwhelmed and broken, so they would not have been moved in. They should have been killed and thrown into the body directly. Judging from the position where the corpse was thrown, the murderer should have stood in the green forest, with lush grass and trees. Unless he walked to the front of the pool and looked at the forest deliberately, he would not find someone standing there.

Although Miss Zhu is light, she is tall and has a hundred pounds. She quickly kills people and then throws them into such a distant flower bush that is impossible for ordinary people. In this way, there are very few suspicions of murdering among the female guests and maids in the harem of the royal palace. The subordinates asked in detail about the access control. During this period, the people who entered and exited the harem..."

He said this. He pushed a piece of paper and said, "Sir, please see, except for the maids who came and went in and out of the harem, there were thirteen people in total, including the prince, the second prince, the eunuch in charge of seals, the chief of the internal affairs officer, six people who moved the Xiaohuangmen in the small yellow gate of the congratulatory gift site, the beloved daughter of the Tuoba Tuoba of Xiaojinchuan, and the leader of the guards of the prince. According to my investigation, there are only the prince, the second prince, and the Tangjiashan in the martial arts place."

Yang Ling was surprised when he heard this and said in a lost voice: "The prince can do martial arts?" Zhu Rangxu was usually gentle and polite, and he was steady. He never showed his martial arts appearance. No wonder he was surprised.

Lu Zheng was stunned at first, then smiled and said, "I think it's because the prince was taken hostage and escaped in Jiusi City for a long time and did not dare to show up. He thought he was a weak scholar? Haha, what role can his personal martial arts play among thousands of troops? No matter how high his martial arts are in the enemy's nest, he has to endure it for the time being.

The descendants of the Shu Wang family have always been practicing literature and martial arts. The prince is skilled in archery and horses and has extremely high martial arts skills. However, the prince is a noble status and practices martial arts only to strengthen his body. This kind of skill that only shows off his courage is just to show in front of others."

In this era, literature is more important than martial arts. If a scholar is proficient in martial arts, he would rather show off a poem that is not very outstanding and be ashamed to show outstanding martial arts, let alone the dignified prince? Yang Ling couldn't help but nod.

Lu Zheng said: "The prince's status is high, but it is related to human life. The subordinates dare not take it on their own, so the prince was also listed as one of the suspects by the subordinates. Among the three, although the guards of Tang had the ability to kill people, their status was very different. It was difficult for him to use any reason to make Miss Zhu despise and talk to the queen of the forest. Unless he walked to the pool and saw Miss Zhu, he would immediately use force to drag her to the queen of the forest to strangle her to death, and then throw the body away.

There is always a reason to kill people. What kind of grudges do a mere military officer in the royal palace have to do with the niece of the Shu king and the daughter of the prince, such a prominent daughter? Moreover, after investigation by the officials, the Tang guards were honest and dedicated, and were neither greedy nor lustful.

The rewards given to him by the princes and princesses were scattered by the guards and brothers. He never laughed at the pretty maids in the palace. Even some palace maids took the initiative to tease him, and they would run away with blushing faces and be serious, honest and dull, and the suspect was the least."

He said this and paused and said, "With the status of the prince and the family relationship with Miss Zhu, if he wanted to kill Miss Zhu into the low forest, it would be possible. But why did he do this?

Today is the time for the prince to abdicate, and the prince must have known it. Today's banquet has come. Although the emperor's edict has not been issued yet, he is actually the king of Bashu. Even if there are any personal grudges, isn't it easier for the prince to be the prince?

Even if it was confirmed that he had killed people, no one could bring him to justice without the emperor's edict. And even if the emperor knew about it, he would at most be punished with a detention and would not ask a prince to pay his life. What reason does he have to wait to kill people and throw away his body and disrupt his own major affairs?"

Yang Ling said in a muffled voice: "Then does the second prince have a reason to kill people?"

"No, no reason, but there is evidence."

Yang Ling couldn't help but feel silent. He had already had some resistance in his heart. Zhu Rangjin was indeed the most suspicious of the current land. Could it be that he would ignore it and forcefully oppress Lu Zheng to release people? Besides, the death land was not ordinary people. The daughter of the prince died bizarrely in the palace. Who has the energy to suppress it in this matter? Even if it was him, he could not.

Lu Zheng said: "Miss Zhu's eyes were wide open after her death, and her face was full of surprise and inexplicable expression. She seemed to not believe that the murderer would kill her until she died. When the captain in this mansion was examined, she found that she had clenched her right fist, and there seemed to be something in her hand. It took a lot of trouble. It was not until her fingers were cut off that she took out the jade pendant. If it was said that it was a trash, how could the stuffed things after death be so tightly?"

Yang Ling suddenly laughed dryly and said, "With the Second Prince's martial arts, will he strangle a woman to death. Will he leave his own token?"

Lord Lu said slowly: "Sir, martial arts cannot solve everything. If the second young master of the Maitreya cult is ten times stronger than the adult, but if he is tied to a pillar, hasn't he seriously injured this cult demon?

Because there is no evidence now, the lower officials dare not conclude that the Second Prince killed someone, and only listed him as the biggest suspect. However, being very skilled cannot be a reason to escape from the crime. After all, Miss Zhu is his closest relative, and she is in a place where someone may pass by at any time. If the Second Prince suddenly murders someone for some reason, she will definitely be in a panic and anxious to die. If Miss Zhu struggles to remove the jade pendant from his waist, she may not be able to find out that practicing martial arts is an exaggeration and quickness, and the sharpness of the ears and eyes is even more severe."

Yang Ling took a breath and was speechless for a moment. If he hadn't been in the military camp with Zhu Rangjin for more than a month, he would have known about the character and behavior of the Second Prince. If Yang Ling had been the censor, there would be no doubt that he would have regarded the Second Prince as the most suspicious person. Now he supports his belief that he does not believe that Zhu Rangjin is the murderer. It is just that he knows Zhu Rangjin's character, but can this reason be used as evidence?

Could it be that the murderer must be among these three people? The prince was good at martial arts, and he didn't know that the people and guests in the Shu King's harem were either rich or noble. For them, martial arts also had no kung fu to show off. Isn't anyone here hiding it?

Yang Ling suddenly remembered that when he wiped out Dudu Village, Ao, who was guarding the Five Dudus, was a woman, but she was as powerful as a cow. She was as brave as a general in her hand, and was more brave than her husband Liu Lang. She couldn't help but say: "Any of the ladies of the chieftains can do martial arts..."

Lu Zheng looked at him sympathetically and sighed: "Sir, even if the chieftain ladies can kill Miss Zhu cleanly and neatly, how can they get the second prince's jade pendant? Don't worry, this matter is so serious that the subordinates dare not vaguely deal with the innocent. Although the second prince is currently in custody, they are still only a suspect in murder. This case must be investigated with evidence, evidence, reason and reason to report to the old man again."

Yang Ling nodded, shook his head again, sighed sadly, and stood up and said, "This is the best. It has been disturbing Lord Lu for so long. I have said goodbye."

"Greatly send me the imperial envoy," Lu Zheng bowed to the ground, and Yang Ling's ceremonial guard left the censor's office and rushed back to the headquarters in a mighty manner.

Yang Ling was sitting in the sedan chair, feeling extremely irritable. He learned about the situation from Lu Zheng, but pointed all the suspicions closer to Zhu Rangjin. Will Zhu Rangjin really be the murderer? What is the reason? He is not a lunatic, what is the reason for killing?

Yangling had a headache. He had dealt with all these people, such as fierce Tartars, cunning and barbaric Japanese pirates and pirates, the Western Navy with strict military discipline, the barbarian rebellion who relied on the stubbornness, the Maitreya Cult and the Bazhou bandits. Now he was at a loss when facing a headless case.

In war, it is clear that the enemy and us are distinguished and the barriers are tight, but now there is no opponent at all. Everyone may be the murderer!

Yang Ling suddenly lifted the curtain of the sedan chair, and Wu Hanchao immediately drove his horse to approach and leaned over and said, "Sir."

Yang Ling whispered: "Send someone to notify Liu Biao immediately and tell him not to return to Beijing first. I want him to check a few people for me."

"Yes, I'll send someone here. Which ones do you want to check?"

"Check...", which one is unsuspecting? The names circling in Yang Ling's heart. He finally sighed and said, "It's better to call him to see me, and I can't explain it clearly in a few words."

"Sir, Lord Lu, the imperial envoy has left." The Luo Branch pulled Lu Zheng's sleeve and whispered. The Luo Branch was called Lo Shanning, a fifth-rank assistant, who also served as the branch road of the Baoning Censorship Branch. The "Brand Patrol" was called the branch road by the people and the people in the yamen.

Lu Zheng frowned and was thinking about his worries, but when the Luo Branch pulled him, he realized that he was still standing in the yamen gate. He hurriedly called out: "Come here, hurry up and prepare the sedan chair. Hurry up and hurry up!"

The official sedan chair was carried out of the yamen, and Lu Zheng was completely in a veil. He hurriedly got into the sedan and hurriedly walked towards the other end of the alley.

In the Shu Palace, Zhu Binhan was lying on the couch, his face turned pale. Zhu Rangxu took a bowl of dark medicine and tasted it first. After trying the temperature, he helped his father up and fed him the medicine.

Zhu Binhan took a few sips, shook his head with difficulty, and sighed: "How could this happen? How could this happen?"

Zhu Rangxu whispered: "Father, please rest assured and not be too excited. The child will never believe that the second brother will do such a thing. This must be someone who is dirty and blames him."

"That's it! Someone must have deliberately framed his second brother, so the father shouldn't have let Lord Lu take his second brother away." Zhu Xianger was sad for her good sister Zhu Mengli, and also stood up for her second brother Zhu Rangjin, and said from the side.

Zhu Binhan smiled bitterly and shook his head and said, "The prince breaks the law and commits the same crime as the common people. If he really does such a great evil, he will never tolerate the land. What about the prince of Jingqing?"

Zhu Rangxu and the little princess looked at each other and said, "The prince is very sad. He has already helped Uncle Wang to the guest house to rest."

When the King of Shu looked at the two of them, he knew that Prince Jingqing must have made a big fuss when he was dizzy. He didn't know how the brother and sister persuaded him to leave. He sighed quietly and said, "Our family is troublesome this year, alas! I hope Lu Zheng can make the case clear as soon as possible. Although Jin'er is not a good match, he has no reason to kill Mengli's child..."

At this time, an old eunuch with wrinkles on his face walked in like a cat and said in a soft voice: "Prince, the inspector Lord Lu asks for his visit."

"Oh? Tell him in, no, Xiao Lingzi, I want to invite you, go and invite you quickly." The King of Shu struggled to sit up, widened his eyes and said anxiously.

The old eunuch had a gray hair and wrinkled face. He was more than 20 years older than the King of Shu, but his name was younger. He agreed, and his feet were like flowing water, and he suddenly drifted away.

After a moment of hard work, he led Lu Zheng and rushed back. As soon as Lu Zheng entered the house, he hurriedly said, "The official Lu Zheng has met the prince."

"No gifts are exempted, Lord Lu, what are the details of the case?"

Lu Zheng wanted to speak but stopped, and glanced at the left and right. The King of Shu understood and hurriedly said, "Go out, you all go out, Xiao Lingzi, stay alone outside the door."

The imperial physicians and maids who were serving in the room retreated one after another. Zhu Rangxu put the Jin quilt behind his father, winked at the little princess, and walked out the door. Zhu Xianger wrinkled her nose. The boss glared at Lu Zheng in dissatisfaction, raised her chin and followed her out.

Xiao Lingzi closed the door and stood at the door, with her big sleeves hanging down, as if she was not sleeping. The thin figure looked like a pattern on the door. Without looking closely, it would be difficult for people to notice his existence.

"How is it? Can you find some clues?" King Shu asked in a trembling voice.

Although he usually looks down on this young son's behavior of being romantic and not doing his job properly, he is his own flesh and blood. Besides, the Shu King's lineage has always been wise and kind, and his education is the leader of the vassal kings in the world. Unlike Chu, Qi, Xiang, Ning, Dai and other vassal kings, there are some things that have happened to the family of the vassal kings. Now his son has become a murderer, and the one who kills the daughter of the prince. The Shu King's family has seen a lot.

Lu Zheng said carefully: "Prince, there are too few clues in this matter, and the officials are pursuing it. There is no clear news yet, but... I offended the autopsy and found something. The officials felt that this matter was very important and should... report to the prince first."

The King of Shu's eyes lit up and said anxiously: "Don't hesitate, tell me quickly, what have you discovered?"

Lu Zheng still hesitated and said: "Uh...this...this...is discovered...that..."

The King of Shu had a red face. He pounded the bed heavily and said sternly: "What did you find?"

Lu Zheng lowered his head and said quickly: "I found out that Miss Zhu is pregnant, and it has been more than two months!"

Xiao Lingzi, who seemed to be sleeping outside the door, couldn't help but shake when he heard the news. When he opened his eyes, a sharp light flashed through his eyes. The King of Shu had completely become rigid. After a while, his body couldn't help but tremble: "Is there... Is there... Is it? So that's it, beasts! Animals! Animals who disobey human ethics! He... he and his sisters in the same clan..."

The King of Shu limped and fell on the brocade quilt. Lu Zheng was so panicked that he hurriedly stepped forward to support him and said repeatedly: "Prince. This... cannot be proved that he is the second prince. The subordinate has ordered the offender to keep the secret strictly. This matter must be investigated in detail..."

The King of Shu laughed and said, "Who else isn't he? His mother and Princess Jingqing, a compatriot, are close friends. I just couldn't imagine that he...he actually did such a defiant human relations and shamed his ancestors. Oh my God, the reputation of my Shu King's eight generations has been destroyed in the hands of this disobedient and unfilial beast."
To be continued...