CH 87

Chapter 87 Careful Inspection

After delaying in the mountains for a while, when they returned to the capital, the expected liveliness had just begun to sing it’s prelude, but the direction was slightly different from what the two had expected.

At first, the supervision imperial censor accused Deputy Captain surnamed Chen, saying that Deputy Captain Chen had recently supported his concubine to be his wife and his wife seemed to have died of illness, but in fact, Deputy Captain Chen had killed her.

If it wasn’t for the supervision imperial censor, few people would know who this Deputy Chen was, but since it was a person from the censor’s desk who brought it up, he would have to go manage it seriously.

Due to the involvement of a murder case, the case was transferred to the Criminal Division of Dali Temple. When the Dali Temple was informed of the arrest of Deputy Chen, Deputy Chen was full of injustice, saying that his wife really just died of illness.

The two testimonies were different, so Dali Temple naturally excavated Chen’s coffin and opened it for autopsy. Under the freezing weather, the corpse was intact, the body was bruised, and the vital parts were pierced by sharp weapons.

No matter who killed the wife, Deputy Chen’s lie was a certainty, and he was the biggest suspect, so was immediately taken into prison.

Seeing that the end of the year was not far away, Deputy Chen wouldn’t be able to go home to celebrate the New Year and the case will be postponed until the new year.

Everyone was thinking about the upcoming New Year and thought it was just the most common case, but the news in Liu Zhongming’s hands was not just that.

Although Deputy Chen was an unknown person, he was a personal soldier beside General Fengyu. As early as a few years ago, there were private rumors that Deputy Chen’s wife had an affair with General Fengyu.

And this General Fengyu was one of the capable generals around Qi Wang. Not only did he deal with the chaos in Luocheng for Qi Wang, but it was this man who found Ren Rui’s crime and escorted him back to the capital.

In this way, if this case touched Fengyu, it would be a matter of time before Ren Rui would be dragged out, and the subsequent changes would be unpredictable.

On the way to the palace, Liu Zhongming saw Fengyu hurriedly passing by from the sedan chair, it seemed that he was going to Qi Wang’s mansion.

He lowered the curtains and slowly stroked the jade ring on his thumb, closing his eyes in the midst of the comfortable shakings.

Although it involved Deputy Chen, whom they had not expected before, the method used by Huai Wang to pull out the carpet from under someone was indeed extraordinary. From the unnamed soldier to the supervision imperial censor, it was unknown who would appear from an unknown corner in the future to give the others a blow.

“As for Huai Wang, it’s better for Shizi to hold his troops for now,” Qu Chenzhou shook off an unfinished roster and instructed him: “Let them fight. All we have to do is remember their names and catch them all in the end. “

Liu Zhongming let out a sigh of relief, helpless in his heart.

He knew how to parry someone like Liao Guangming, but for Huai Wang, he couldn’t think of a way to pull out those intertwined roots.

He didn’t know what idea Qu Chenzhou was thinking of, but he couldn’t ask. The so-called “no refusal to answer” rule was as heavy as a goose feather in front of Qu Chenzhou.

After handing in the waist token, he went to kowtow to Emperor Yu as usual, and then was led to Lijing Palace. He didn’t know if it was a coincidence or not, but Imperial Physician Xia was inside at that time.

After waiting outside the door for less than half an hour, Imperial Physician Xia hunched over and withdrew. When he saw him, he greeted him politely and said that the concubine was in good health. The palace servants waited until Liu Qingru came out to lead him away.

“Yu Gonggong?” Asking the people to put down the cotton curtain, the two sat down beside the chessboard. Liu Qingru then asked softly, “Which movement of the Inner Ministers is Zhongming talking about?”

After listening to his elder sister, he asked directly, “Has Yu Gonggong started to investigate the servants in the palace? Is Concubine Yu’s condition getting better?”

Liu Qingru smiled sweetly: “Zhongming, Yu Gonggong is the person next to the emperor. If he really wanted to make a move, the ones who would be moved are just palace servants outside. No mentioning others, if you want to move people in my palace at will, if it is not the order of the emperor or the empress dowager, I will not obey. But with Concubine Yu, that’s not easy to say.”

Liu Zhongming’s heart skipped a beat: “Why do you say that?”

He used to only focus on external affairs, he didn’t know much about these concubines in the palace.

“Don’t look at Huai Wangye’s calmness in doing things, Concubine Yu loses to her son on this point by a lot.” Liu Qingru got up and took a volume of books from the wooden box before going down: “But since you asked twice, Concubine Yu’s fluster must be due to something. I have prepared something for you.”

Liu Zhongming opened it and saw that it was a roster, from Concubine Yu’s personal maid in Chaoyang Palace to the eunuchs sweeping in the courtyard, age, place of origin to the time of entering the palace and so on.

He swept the book several times and kept it in his mind then he threw the booklet into the brazier and couldn’t help laughing: “Sister, if you were a man, I would have less trouble, and I would be more relaxed.”

“When did you learn to have such a slick tongue,” Liu Qingru said with a sullen smile, “You are not small, don’t rely on the emperor to come speak and always running to the palace, just send a message if you have something.”

Liu Zhongming was even more stunned: “Sister, you…you know that I have someone in the palace…”

Liu Qingru pointed her finger on his arm, preventing him from continuing to speak, only chuckling: “Little devil, if I have any problems, I will naturally send someone to look for you. You should go.

Every time he talked to his sister, Liu Zhongming felt ashamed in his heart. He was ashamed for delaying for a long time, but he felt even more happy. His sister’s temperament was soft and tough, and her intelligence was better than that of a man, so there was no need for him to be sentimental.

He memorized the booklet again in his heart, and then asked softly, “Sister, is Imperial Doctor Xia appropriate?”

“He’s appropriate,” Liu Qingru smiled, “I’ll tell you when he’s not.”

Liu Zhongming smiled. Blinking his eyes, he bowed deeply: “I will follow the decree of Niang Niang.”

“Little devil.” Liu Qingru smiled and poked his forehead. When she was sending him out, she suddenly grabbed the person again: “Zhongming, it’s okay to play around with some people but don’t take it seriously and mess up your mind.”

Seeing her serious face, Liu Zhongming knew that it was probably Ning Wang. He thought that some rumors from outside had spread to the palace, and he couldn’t help laughing: “Sister, I’m not a child anymore, I know what’s right and wrong.”

The maid of Lijing Palace had already prepared a food box outside, and Liu Qingru took it and handed it to him.

“Last time you said you wanted Tonghua soft beef intestines. I was afraid that you would not have enough to eat, so I made the small kitchen make a few more boxes – why do you suddenly like to eat this, didn’t you not eat it before?”

Liu Zhongming took it. He became serious for a moment. He remembered that Qu Chenzhou didn’t eat much, so if he can’t finish it, he can freeze it in a frozen well first.

“There is someone at home who likes to eat it, so I also tried a couple of bites. It’s quite tasty.”

Liu Qingru was stunned for a moment, then suddenly covered her mouth with a handkerchief, concealing a smile.

“Zhongming got married? Why doesn’t this sister know?” She pretended to be annoyed.

“No… how could it be! How could I possibly have started a family!”

“Then what’s the matter of someone at home?” Seeing that her younger brother was at a loss, Liu Qingru kept asking.

“That’s…”

Liu Zhongming felt a little uncomfortable when asked, and immediately realized that his sister was teasing him and wanted to turn around and leave, but turned around and asked again.

“Sister, what kind of person is… worth liking?”

Liu Qingru smiled even more, her brother’s current appearance was really rare. He was still young, but his face was full of joy and shyness, and it seems that he really liked this person.

Although the phrase “there is someone at home” seems inappropriate, thinking that her brother would not be so dissolute that he doesn’t know etiquette, she didn’t ask any more questions.

“What kind of person…” She slowed down her voice and looked at Liu Zhongming’s uncontrollable anxiety with a funny look: “A person who you are willing to apply makeup for her every day.”

On the way back, Liu Zhongming took a tube of Luozidai from Qin Xiang garden.

He wanted to go back early. After all, there was still a sick person at home, which made him feel uneasy, but before he walked two streets, he was stopped jokingly and dragged to the teahouse to sit.

Ning Wang was obviously more concerned about the game with Liao Guangming than he was.

Before Liu Zhongming’s buttocks could sit firmly, more than a dozen boys and girls with different postures and styles were brought in from the door. Ning Wang raised his eyebrows at him and let him choose as he pleased.

He was annoyed to death.

Repeated heating of the Tonghua soft beef intestines will definitely not be as delicious as the freshly cooked ones. The food box was lined with cotton, but with the weather, it wouldn’t stand the cold, yet Ning Wang was still not finished.

“Zhongming, Zhongming, what do you think of this?” Ning Wang stroked the boy’s face emotionally: “Brows are picturesque, lips are red, teeth are white, and the figure is delicate, I feel pity for it.”

“Too ugly.”

Liu Zhongming got up to leave, then he was pulled by Mu Jingzhao again: “Hey, what’s the hurry, the good ones are still to come. How about this – Lotus out of water, clear as ice and clean as jade.”

“Forget it, if you can win like this, I’ll give you my head.”

Liu Zhongming impatiently elaborated. He created a distance with one hand to prevent Ning Wang from approaching: “I just suddenly caught a cold, Ahchoo, Wangye, I won’t accompany you, I’ll make an appointment next time.”

He turned his head and left, not giving anyone a chance to pull him back. The sedan chair was just outside the door. Before he stepped onto the sedan chair, a person was passing him by his side, and the figure was familiar.

The man saw Liu Zhongming out of the corner of his eye, and turned his head to look at him in a conditioned reflex – it was Ling He.

Ling He was still wearing his official uniform, but he was also carrying a food box. He didn’t know who he was going to give it to. There was something out of place.

The two had their own thoughts, did not speak, just nodded as a greeting, and then left.

Bai Shiyan came uninvited, and the housekeeper greeted him and said that the Shizi happened to be not at home, but he returned with a phrase – not looking for Liu Er, is Little Brother Qu here.

He thought that in broad daylight, since Qu Chenzhou didn’t go out, even if he wasn’t in the study or practicing martial arts in the underground secret room, he should be walking around in the yard, but he didn’t expect that he would see the person in the bedroom, Liu Zhongming’s bed.

He was stunned, then the housekeeper went up and pushed: “Little Brother Qu, wake up, General Bai is here to find you.”

Qu Chenzhou turned his head groggily, sat up, and was about to go down to the ground to salute, only to be waved by Bai Shiyan to stop.

“What’s wrong with you?”

If it wasn’t for being wronged by the residence doctor for no reason, Bai Shiyan’s heart would have already begun to slander Liu Er, this beast.

“I spent a day playing in the snow in the mountains,” Qu Chenzhou said in a nasal tone. Seeing that the housekeeper had gone out, he no longer showed any courtesy. “Just a little cold.”

It was just Liu Zhongming making a fuss, he was tough.

In the past, he was beaten and thrown into the wood room with wind coming in all directions. It was common to have a fever and coma, and it would be over after a while. There was no need to be trapped in bed like this.

Bai Shiyan was taken aback, he didn’t even have time to talk about the business, so he hurriedly asked: “What medicine did you take, where is the recipe? Is there any Qiang Huo?”

Qu Chenzhou listened to him in a hurry, as if he had something important to say, then he closed his eyes and laid on the bed. After fumbling for a moment in the closet of his head, he shook out a piece of paper, but before he had the strength to open his eyes to look, it was snatched by Bai Shiyan.

Sure enough, there was no Qiang Huo, but fortunately there was no Qiang Huo.

Bai Shiyan breathed a sigh of relief. He had specially instructed Zhongming before, and he probably never forget it and must have also told the doctor.

“What about Qiang Huo?” Qu Chenzhou asked him feebly.

“It’s okay for others to take this medicine. But you took Shuoye and they are mutually destructive, it would be very powerful. You should pay attention to yourself in the future.” 

“Mutually destructive?” Qu Chenzhou at last opened his eyes to ask: “It would be poisonous?”

“A…almost…it’s…”

Bai Shiyan coughed and answered vaguely, sweating all over his forehead.

Fortunately, there is no Qiang Huo in the recipe, otherwise, if he came at this time and in case Qu Chenzhou reacted to the medicinal properties and propositioned him unconsciously, he really would have jumped into the Yellow River and wouldn’t be able to wash it out.

Seeing that he was silent, Qu Chenzhou didn’t have the strength to ask more, and planned to shrink into the quilt again.

“Shizi went out and I am not sure where he went. General Bai will have to come back later.”

“No, I’m here to find you.” Only then did Bai Shiyan remember the purpose of his trip.

“Me?” Qu Chenzhou reluctantly raised his eyes and asked in confusion, “What’s the matter, General Bai?”

He knew that Bai Shiyan would not visit without a cause, so he didn’t immediately give a divination, and waited to hear what happened next.

Although it was not good to disturb the patient, he has had trouble sleeping and eating since thinking about this problem.

“My mother is pregnant, you know,” Bai Shiyan lowered his voice: “Everyone knows how nervous my father is with my mother. If something happens, even if there is a bump, my father will be anxious. Now that Zhongming has entered office, I am worried…”

Qu Chenzhou’s eyes flashed, and he vaguely guessed his concern.

“General Bai wants to know whether Madam Bai should stay in the capital or find a hidden place to give birth, right?”

He stared at Bai Shiyan and sighed.

“I don’t know how it is in the capital, but if she leaves the capital, Madam Bai will not be able to give birth to this child.”

The author has something to say: Knock on the blackboard, Qiang Huo [doing it]

At the beginning of this chapter, I have kept the case as brief as possible, if you are impatient, just skip it