"He just wants my connections in the army!" The roar echoed, and Prince Yu paid no mind to the hidden Dark Dragon Guards knowing his fury, even reporting it to the Emperor.
Although the First Prince, by seniority, had to call Prince Yu "Imperial Uncle," he was a dragon descendant, and might even ascend the throne in the future. Prince Yu was currently a prince of leisure, and his two sons were also mediocre.
Prince Yu's mansion would, in the future, merely be a collateral royal relative. The First Prince had always been arrogant and haughty, so it was normal for him not to put Prince Yu in his eyes.
The conflict between the two was precisely the connections within the army. Prince Yu had guarded the border for twenty years, and the First Prince was a general. If he wanted to control military power, the quickest way was to start with Prince Yu.
The First Prince had actively sought to befriend Prince Yu years ago, wanting Prince Yu's mansion to submit to him. He promised that if he ascended the throne, he would certainly not mistreat Prince Yu's mansion. Unfortunately, Prince Yu had rejected him vehemently, thus creating a rift.
Glancing out the window, Gu Qingzhou smiled and taunted, "He's the Emperor's son; you have to hold your temper."
The Emperor was now fifty-three years old and in good health. His dragon throne might last another twenty years. The First Prince's antics were merely harmless mischief in the Emperor's eyes; it was normal for a prince to have ambition.
Prince Yu glared at Gu Qingzhou, his beard bristling with anger. Just as he was about to speak, he saw a young girl hopping on one foot outside the courtyard.
"What are you doing? Are you going to fall again?" Gu Qingzhou, also hearing Zhan Feiyu's call, glared at Prince Yu, the culprit, with annoyance.
"Teacher, I'm fine." Although Zhan Feiyu's knee ached, she could still walk. She hopped a few steps and entered the room.
Putting her hands on her young disciple, Gu Qingzhou looked at the scroll in her hand, "What are you messing with? Why didn't you ask Gu Yuan to tell me?"
"Teacher, I know how Wan Yunhao was poisoned," Zhan Feiyu tilted her head back and smiled, her cheerful face full of smugness and showing off.
Prince Yu, who was still angry about how to retaliate against the First Prince, became interested upon hearing Zhan Feiyu's words. "Little girl, tell this prince quickly, was it Liu Jian who poisoned him?"
Just as the First Prince could only vent his anger on the guard Zhang Ming, Prince Yu could not touch the First Prince, but he could still torment his lackeys!
Two quarters of an hour later.
Ji Chaocai, who had rushed over from Leshan Residence, put down the scroll in his hand. "There is indeed a faint medicinal smell, but it was masked by the ink fragrance. According to Xiao Yu, this ink likely contained a tranquilizer."
Since this was Wan Yunhao's original scroll, Doctor Ji could only rely on smell and could not conduct further examination. However, his words had a seventy percent chance of being correct.
"The ink stick was tampered with?" Prince Yu frowned and said gravely, "If that's the case, Wan Yunhao was merely drugged, and the attendant Liu Tong took the opportunity to poison him."
Wan Yunhao was answering the exam at the time. The tranquilizer in the ink was released bit by bit. Coupled with the high temperature in the enclosed room, Wan Yunhao felt unwell and attributed it to heatstroke, only wanting to finish the exam as quickly as possible.
As more and more tranquilizer was inhaled, before he could finish the last scroll of calligraphy, Wan Yunhao slumped onto the table, completely unconscious.
Afterward, Liu Tong took the opportunity to force the poison into Wan Yunhao's mouth and then poured some into the bamboo tube, leading everyone to believe that Wan Yunhao had died from drinking water.
"Doctor Ji." Zhan Feiyu, sitting on a chair, looked at Ji Chaocai. "If the poison was forced into his mouth, then an autopsy would definitely reveal it."
Hmph! Gu Qingzhou and Prince Yu looked at Zhan Feiyu in surprise. This fair, soft, and sweet little girl spoke such shocking words.
The deceased should be respected, and an autopsy was no small matter. The Qin family would definitely not agree, and the impoverished scholars of Nanxuan Prefecture would also object, possibly even causing unrest.
Ji Chaocai was already accustomed to Zhan Feiyu's startling pronouncements. "Liu Tong hid the poison on his person. In summer, the clothes are thin, so the porcelain bottle wouldn't be too large. Logically, this poison would only be in the mouth and throat, not entering the intestines."
High concentrations of aconite and snake venom, even a small amount could be fatal. Once an autopsy was performed, it would prove that Wan Yunhao was poisoned by Liu Tong. As for the mastermind behind Liu Tong, further investigation was still needed.
...
As night fell, Zhan Feiyu, who had not rested since the afternoon, finally finished writing a prose essay, two test poems, and ten large characters. "Big Brother, let's go."
Yin Wuyan gently stroked the little girl's head and, with a long arm, lifted her up.
A moment later, three fine horses galloped through the night, heading towards the county school.
"Do you think Seventh Master is raising a daughter?" Chong Guang, who had deliberately fallen behind, clicked his tongue twice and looked at the figures ahead. "They were supposed to go to the county school in the afternoon, but the chubby girl wanted to study, so Seventh Master postponed it until now."
Ji Chaocai cast a sidelong glance at the meddling Chong Guang. "Can't Seventh Master be raising a young wife?"
After a moment of shock, there was a world-shattering bout of coughing. Chong Guang wiped his mouth and gave Ji Chaocai a thumbs-up. "Seventh Master won't kill you, but Chancellor Gu will surely make you wish you were dead!"
Completely unaware of the chatter between Doctor Ji and Chong Guang behind her, Zhan Feiyu on horseback enjoyed the exhilaration of riding at full speed.
Looking back at Yin Wuyan, who was holding her, her joyful voice sounded a little broken in the night wind. "Big Brother, I must learn to ride a horse in the future!"
Among the Six Arts of a gentleman, Zhan Feiyu had only barely begun in calligraphy and mathematics, but she was interested in archery and charioteering.
"Good." A clear, cold voice sounded. Yin Wuyan, looking straight ahead, lowered his head to look at the little girl in front of him. In the darkness, his icy phoenix eyes were filled with tenderness. Whatever she wished for, he would do his utmost to fulfill!
The three horses stopped outside the county school. Yin Wuyan dismounted with the little girl in his arms. With his left hand, he gently tucked a strand of Zhan Feiyu's windblown hair behind her ear.
Seeing this, Chong Guang's eyes lit up. He hadn't thought of it before, but now it seemed Seventh Master was indeed raising a young wife. Such considerate actions, tsk tsk...
After putting on his Xuan Tie mask, the northern courtyard was within sight. Yin Wuyan then put Zhan Feiyu down.
"My Lord." The corporal Chen Fei quickly stepped forward to salute. "I have had people guarding here for the past few days, and no one has come."
The case had not yet been solved, and the three rooms were still sealed. The Nanxuan Guard had stationed four people to guard them, two on duty at a time.
Furthermore, Instructor Zhao had specifically instructed them, so the students of the county school had not come here. Only the attendants who delivered food came three times a day, but they only stayed at the courtyard entrance and did not enter.
"You two retreat outside the courtyard." Chong Guang's attitude was arrogant and indifferent, fitting the identity of the forbidden dragon guards who were disdainful of others and killed without blinking.
The seal was peeled off. Chong Guang glanced at it. "Seventh Master, the seal has not been tampered with."
They had been here once before. When they left, Chong Guang had made some adjustments to the seal. If anyone had removed the seal and entered, Chong Guang would have discovered it.
After relighting the candle, Zhan Feiyu hopped on one foot into the room. Seeing Doctor Ji about to pick up the ink stick for examination, she said, "Doctor Ji, please wrap it in a handkerchief."
"Chubby girl, even if there's something wrong with this ink stick, it's only mixed with a tranquilizer. Just holding it won't kill you," Chong Guang mocked the overly cautious Zhan Feiyu, thinking she was quite afraid of death.
Casting a chilling glance at Chong Guang, Zhan Feiyu handed the handkerchief to Doctor Ji.
"Seventh Master, is this girl looking down on me?" Chong Guang muttered. The girl's gaze reminded him of when he accompanied Seventh Master for his studies, and other companions used such looks of contempt towards him.
Yin Wuyan also ignored Chong Guang and picked up Zhan Feiyu, placing her on a chair.
Doctor Ji scraped the ink stick with a knife, sniffed it carefully, and then put a tiny bit in his mouth. "The ink stick is fine. The ink stick that was previously mixed with a tranquilizer must have been swapped out."
Sitting on the chair, Zhan Feiyu looked at the ink stick that was placed back in its original position and then at the other items on the desk. "This ink stick is the same as the one I used before. Both were taken from the county school's storeroom. It wouldn't be difficult to forge one."
The mastermind had someone forge an ink stick mixed with a tranquilizer in advance and then placed it in this room.
After Wan Yunhao was poisoned, someone was sent to steal the problematic ink stick and replace it with an ordinary one. To make it look authentic, this ink stick also had grinding marks on the bottom.
"After Wan Yunhao was poisoned, the three rooms were sealed by the yamen runners of Shangsi County and then handed over to the Nanxuan Guard for safekeeping. Therefore, the only people who had the opportunity to swap the ink stick are those few," Chong Guang glanced towards the door. Corporal Chen Fei and two subordinates were guarding outside the courtyard.
"It's also possible that Liu Tong took the opportunity to swap the ink stick," Doctor Ji added while wiping his hands.
The incident happened too suddenly. Liu Tong tripped over the threshold and fell to the ground, hitting his mouth and bleeding profusely. He had gone to clean himself up, and it was possible that he used this time to handle the ink stick and the porcelain bottle containing the poison.
Zhan Feiyu recalled the situation at the time. "It wasn't Liu Tong. Feng Dapeng was a constable, and he was standing by the table looking for a fire starter. The ink stick was on the table. Liu Tong, who was squatting on the ground, had the opportunity to poison Wan Yunhao and pour the poison into the bamboo tube, but he definitely didn't have time to get up and swap the ink stick."
"Moreover, Liu Tong is just an insignificant minor character," Zhan Feiyu did not believe that Liu Jian would entrust such an important matter to an attendant.
"Big Brother." Zhan Feiyu looked up at Yin Wuyan. "Tomorrow, the Prince will preside over the trial. I still need to prepare some things. Will it be too late?"
"No," Yin Wuyan replied affirmatively. Chong Guang rolled his eyes at the ceiling. He increasingly felt that their cold-blooded and ruthless Seventh Master had become a "foolish ruler" playing politics. As long as the chubby girl spoke, Seventh Master would grant her every wish.
The news that the Commander of the Forbidden Dragon Guards had taken Zhan Feiyu and Doctor Ji from Leshan Residence to the county school reached Liu Jian that very night. As for Prefect Zhang, Vice Prefect Tong, Master Qin, and Magistrate Chen, they also received the news successively.
In the bedroom, candles were relit. Liu Jian dismissed the attending maids, put on his clothes, and walked towards the small study connected to the bedroom.
The middle-aged man waiting bowed. "My Lord."
"Sit and speak," Liu Jian gestured for his aide to sit down.
Having not rested well, Liu Jian's gloomy eyes appeared even more sharp and cold. His eyelids drooped, and his gaze at people was chillingly sinister and cold. "After being reprimanded by the Emperor, the First Prince was still made to kneel outside the imperial study. If the matter in Shangsi County is not resolved, I will have no face to return to the capital."
"Tomorrow is the last day of the three-day deadline. Prince Yu will hold a public trial. In the past two days, subordinates have released the news that Zhan Feiyu is the murderer. Tomorrow, when Wan Yunhao's wife and children come to court and cry their grievances, it will surely turn the situation around," the middle-aged man stood up and replied.
Slandering Zhan Feiyu with gossip was acceptable, but convicting her would never succeed. Liu Jian said in a hoarse voice, "Have the rooms there been arranged properly?"
Gu Qingzhou and Prince Yu were not terrifying. What Liu Jian truly feared was the Forbidden Dragon Guards, who were skilled in investigation. As long as there was the slightest clue, the Forbidden Dragon Guards would surely follow the vine to uncover the case.
The middle-aged man thought carefully. "It's absolutely foolproof. Moreover, they haven't even figured out how Wan Yunhao was poisoned."
Liu Jian's gloomy expression finally relaxed a little. "That's good. Do not be careless! As for those three people, they will be dealt with after the situation calms down."
"Yes, your subordinate obeys." The middle-aged man's expression was calm. Only the dead could keep secrets.
...
Three days ago, the weather was favorable, and Prince Yu set up the courtroom in the open space outside the county yamen. However, today, the sun was scorching. Even in the early morning, the bright sun was already making people feel like their skin was peeling.
Early in the morning, the yamen runners went to the inns, teahouses where scholars gathered, and even the residences they were temporarily renting, beating gongs and drums to convey Prince Yu's orders.
"Only select twenty people to go to the county yamen to listen to the trial?" In the hall of Leshan Residence, someone couldn't help but speculate with suspicion.
On the second floor, several young masters from noble families dressed in brocade couldn't help but sneer. They loudly said to the people downstairs, "Brother, if you're not afraid of the sun, you can stand outside the county yamen and listen."
"You can also move a chair, have a servant hold an umbrella, another fan you, and place a basin of ice in front of the chair," the young man said without politeness, mocking.
It wasn't that he looked down on poor scholars, but these self-righteous scholars had a hidden meanness and inferiority in their bones. If you flicked their robes, they would think you were mocking their worn clothes; if you said the restaurant had launched new dishes today, they would think you were mocking them for only eating steamed buns for lunch.
The more than a dozen scholars who spoke up in the hall became furious, but they were persuaded by the older ones. "Why bother with these pampered young masters? Brother Wan's case is the most important now."
The weather was indeed too hot. Many people couldn't stand it after standing outside the yamen for a quarter of an hour and could only gather in the restaurants and teahouses on the street where the county yamen was located to await news.
However, these noble young masters truly had servants bring chairs and umbrellas. They would receive the ice basin after the court session began. They were not short of money.
Zhan Feiyu's footsteps paused. She looked at the scene in surprise, thinking that it looked like they were going to watch a play.
"Young Scholar Zhan." The young man in brocade robes, fanning himself, smiled and cupped his hands towards Zhan Feiyu. He was also from a farming family and was a young girl, but looking at her demeanor, she should really show those poor people.
Watching the servant hold an umbrella high to shield the young man from the sun, and then looking at the noble young masters in the distance doing the same, Zhan Feiyu couldn't help but say, "You can buy some black cloth and use bamboo poles to support a simple canopy."
Although holding an umbrella could provide shade, these young servants had to stand in the scorching sun and would faint soon, so how could they hold the umbrellas?
Seeing the young man's eyes light up, Zhan Feiyu also smiled. "If there's ice, you can take several wooden buckets, line them up on the left and right sides and the back, pour the ice into them, and then fan the ice buckets to make it cooler."
Half an hour later, the expressions of Prince Yu and others sitting in the hall were somewhat cracked. A black cloth canopy had been erected outside the county yamen, and fifteen large ice buckets were arranged on three sides. A group of servants fanned them continuously, and the cool air dispersed, making the noble young masters sitting outside the courtroom feel as leisurely and comfortable as if they were on vacation.
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