Chapter 17 Seventeen, blinding eyes

Huang Zixia's words were like a thunderbolt released from the clear sky in June, making everyone dumbfounded. When everyone was stunned, Wang Yun stared at her quietly, only a slight fluctuation passed on his face, like spring water swept by a breeze, and then calmed down. He asked in a low and gentle voice: "Eunuch Yang, I don't know what you mean by this sentence?" Huang Zixia looked directly at him, not wavered by his expression: "I mean, the mysterious man who appeared in Xianyou Temple was disguised by you, Captain Wang. And just in case, you bought that man in Xishi When juggling props, you deliberately disguised a characteristic that is easier to remember to mislead the investigators. It can be said that you are very cautious. It is a pity that you are self-defeating, but you accidentally exposed Xingzang at a critical link."

"What is the key link, why do I not know at all?" Wang Yun smiled instead of anger, his expression still graceful and at ease, "Eunuch Yang, according to your inference just now, the people in Xianyou Temple at that time, whether they were guards or maids, could do it." Now, how can you insist that it is me?" "Because you were self-defeating, you originally intended to lead this case to Pang Xun's ghost to destroy this marriage, but who knew that the arrowhead of King Kui of the Tang Dynasty that you left on the altar at that time finally revealed your identity !"

Wang Yun's always relaxed face finally showed a wave of fluctuation. He stared at Huang Zixia and asked, "How could that arrow have something to do with me?" "Kui Wang's Mansion has sent Jing Xu to Xuzhou to investigate. The arrowhead was stolen by the remnant of Pang Xun who bribed the guards of the tower. Not long after the arrow disappeared, a group of remnants of Pang Xun appeared in the nearby state capital, traveled northward, and finally disappeared in the suburbs of Chang'an. Although there are quite a lot of rumors in Beijing, I think everyone here must know the reason."

Li Shubai said calmly beside him: "Do you mean that in March of this year, the Imperial Forest Army learned that the rogues were haunting the suburbs of Beijing, so the right captain Wang Yun led his troops to meet the enemy and punished the remnants?" "Yes. However, after the remnant soldiers were destroyed, the disappearing arrowhead did not appear until a few days later, it appeared in Xianyou Temple. The quasi-princess of Kui's mansion went to Xianyou Temple to pray for blessings. Naturally, the people who mobilized the Imperial Forest Army couldn't justify it. All of your past troops were from Prince Kui’s Mansion. In other words, there are quite a few imperial soldiers who can get the arrowhead, and there are also many royal soldiers who can pretend to be gods and ghosts in Xianyou Temple, but at the same time, it is possible to have both. There is Wang Yun Wang Duwei and you!"

Wang Yun frowned slightly, and wanted to say something, but then found that he had nothing to say, and could only say: "Eunuch Yang...you really know things like a god." Wang Lin was stunned on the spot, motionless, just staring at his son in a daze. The emperor looked at the queen, but found that she was only staring at Huang Zixia in a daze, with a stiff expression on her face.He held the queen's hand lightly, feeling cold, and stretched out his hands to hold her hand in his palm, saying: "Don't worry, Wang Yun is your cousin, and also my cousin, no matter what, I will give you a hand." will take care of him."

The queen looked back at him, her lips parted slightly, as if she wanted to say something, but for a long time, the emperor only heard the four vague words "Thank you, Your Majesty". But Li Shubai asked Wang Yun with a dignified expression, "So, you did everything? You were the one who spread the rumor that Pang Xun's ghost killed him, and you were the one who made Wang Ruo disappear?" "Yes...it's all me." Wang Yun's voice was sluggish, but his words were clear, and he admitted everything frankly. He glanced at Huang Zixia, turned around and knelt down to plead guilty to the empress, and said: "I beg your Majesty to come down, this matter... all happened on the spur of the moment, so that I made a mistake, and it has evolved into the current situation. The humble minister deserves death!"

"Oh?" The emperor frowned slightly and asked, "Why did you want to kill Wang Ruo?" Wang Yun said: "Because I felt that Wang Ruo seemed to be in a strange state after being selected as Princess Kui. After I questioned the people around her, I found out that she already had a heart in Langye. Moreover, Xianyun and others had discovered that She swore in private that she intends to cause trouble after she gets married. This minister... thinks of the horrible things that Huang Zixia did that day, and feels that the consequences of this matter are worrying, so he decides to destroy this marriage."

When Huang Zixia heard him mention her name, her heart skipped a beat. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Wang Yun looking back at her, so she could only force herself to suppress, not to let the expression on her face reveal her secret. Only the hands hidden in the sleeves were clenched secretly, and the nails were embedded in the palms. The tingling pain reminded her and made her try to maintain her calm. Li Shubai frowned subconsciously, but seeing Huang Zixia's appearance was normal, he lowered his head again and dropped the jade fan in his hand. I only heard Wang Yun continue to say: "At that time, if Wang Ruo was already the concubine chosen by King Kui himself, I knew that I would never regret the marriage at this time, so I had to do something secretly. Because King Kui put down Pang Xun's chaos and shocked the world, we I thought that I could use this to make a big fuss, so I specially designed the illusion of Pang Xun's ghost to confuse the public. Because of this, the female officials and eunuchs around the queen knew that my royal family was not easy, and they were willing to help in private. I, Chang Ling and others helped me, but the Queen really didn’t know about it, please forgive me and see clearly.”

After hearing this, Huang Zixia frowned for a moment, and asked back: "Then, in the beginning, there were mistakes in Wang Ruo's Geng post, and it was your fault?" "A flaw?" Wang Yun didn't understand for a while. "The geng post on the engagement said that Wang Ruo, the fourth child of the Langya Wang family branch, was born on October 30, the 14th year of Dazhong. But in fact, only Twenty-nine days, not thirty days." "This was my negligence," Wang Yun sighed, and immediately nodded to admit, "When I saw the Geng post of my sister Wang Ruo, I found that the day she passed away was the anniversary of the death of Queen Mother Kui, so she should never be selected. So I pretended to be smart and filled in the vacant space with the character "越". But Si Tianjian didn't verify it because he cared about the Wang family, so he just approved a lucky character and was selected. I thought it was a fluke. Who knows But it caused so many troubles.”

"So, what about Jin Nu's death?" Wang Yun looked up at her. She was standing at the place where the light was strongest at the door, and the afternoon sun was slanting in, making her transparent and flawless. She was dazzling, and at this moment, Wang Yun suddenly felt afraid to look directly at her. So he closed his eyes and said: "Yes, I designed everything. I spread rumors first, and then when I mobilized the soldiers and horses of the Imperial Forest Army in the palace, I used my position to let Chang Ling take Wang Ruo away. In order to prevent future troubles , I poisoned the pipa girl Jinnu who was about the same size as Wang Ruo, and then moved her body to Yongchun Hall..."

Wang Yun's voice was extremely calm, as if he was talking about something that had nothing to do with him. "It's just that I didn't expect that the truth would be revealed in the end. Eunuch Yang is really good at predicting things, and everything can't escape your eyes." "If that's the case, then tell me," Huang Zixia stared at him and asked every word, "When did you poison Jinnu's rosin powder?" "That day in the Zhuijin Building, I secretly poisoned people when no one was prepared. Then I followed her, and when she fell down, I brought her into the palace and placed her in the East Pavilion of Yongchun Hall." "You're lying!" Huang Zixia exposed his lie coldly, "That day when Jin Nu was in the Jin Building, he cherished the box of rosin powder very much. Just keep hiding in your arms. And you have been sitting opposite, may I ask if you have any chance to poison her!" Wang Yun frowned, turned his gaze to one side, and stopped talking. Huang Zixia nodded and said: "In this case, what you did, Captain Wang, was only to revise Gengtie and Xianyou Temple's shocking attack at the beginning. You have never done anything after that, even if you want to take over the upper body, it is futile. And The real murderer behind the scenes, I think it should be—" When Huang Zixia said this, he finally hesitated slightly. She glanced past the empress and Wang's father and son in front of her, and looked at Li Shubai. Li Shubai saw that her eyes, which had always been fearless, were finally stained with a trace of fear and hesitation at this moment—she naturally knew that what she said might not only be the truth, but more likely that she would die declaration. Li Shubai looked at her and nodded slowly. His expression was calm and calm, just like when he said "No matter what, I will protect your life", it seemed calm, but behind it was an unbreakable promise. Huang Zixia pressed her chest, feeling the hesitation that surged up due to nervousness and fear receded slowly from her limbs like a tide.Her mind was extremely clear, without hesitation, she took a deep breath, and said word by word: "Although you are willing to do everything you can to keep the real culprit, Captain Wang, even though all the favored members of the Wang family are here. body, but the truth is the truth, a hundred or a thousand scapegoats can't hide the blood on her hands!" Huang Zixia's eyes fell on Queen Wang. Queen Wang, Wang Shao, a world-renowned beauty in plain clothes and light make-up who is still radiant, sits quietly in the hall, like a white peony blooming wantonly in a windless afternoon. "Queen Wang, the mastermind behind all this is you." In the Yanji hall, there was a dead silence. The emperor slowly let go of Queen Wang's hand and looked at her like a stranger. Xian Yun and Ran Yun were already lying on the ground trembling, not daring to raise their heads. Wang Lin's face was livid, and the beard on his chin trembled slightly. Only Li Shubai looked as usual, he played with the jade fan pendant in his hand, and said in a calm tone, "Yang Chonggu, do you know what it is to make false comments on Your Highness the Empress?" "Capital crime." Huang Zixia blurted out without thinking. "Then you still dare to talk nonsense?" "Return to the lord, everything I said is based on conclusive evidence, there is no false statement, and no nonsense." "Eunuch Yang," Queen Wang finally said, with a slightly hoarse voice, but still with that kind of majesty that resists people thousands of miles away, "You said that this case is related to me, and I would like to hear the details. The first thing I want to hear is Ah Ruo and I are sisters, how can we let her disappear before the big wedding, and her life and death are unknown now?" "Yes, you and Wang Ruo have a very deep relationship, and everyone who has seen it will sigh that kind of warmth, which is rarely seen in a high-ranking person like you, so when I saw it, I also thought it was very valuable." "So?" She smiled coldly.It's just that the sneer was so forced that it almost just twitched the corner of his mouth. "Twelve years ago, you entered the palace as a concubine. At that time, Wang Ruo was probably only four or five years old. I had doubts. Two cousins ​​with such a large age difference, you seemed to be the son of the eldest family, and the fourth-bedroom Wang Ruo If the relationship should be very estranged, even if it is good, it should be just the kind of sympathy for the family, why do you have such extraordinary love for Wang Ruo?" "She is a very outstanding daughter in this generation of our royal family, so I naturally value her." Queen Wang said stiffly. Huang Zixia was noncommittal, lowered her head and said, "From this, I began to think about the next question in this case, that is, why did you want to ruin this marriage and make Wang Ruo disappear, Your Highness the Queen?" Queen Wang sneered, raised her chin slightly, and seemed to disdain to look at her. Huang Zixia didn't care, and continued: "I doubted Wang Ruo's identity when I taught her the law of the Wangfu. In my daily life, I found that the qin music that Wang Ruo had learned since childhood was not the elegant voice that a lady of the Wang family should have. It's actually a slang song from Huajie and Liuxiang." Wang Lin resentfully said, "This is my royal family's lax discipline of their children. What's the matter with His Royal Highness the Queen?" "Yes, but at the same time, I had the honor of being accompanied by Miss Wang for a ride. In the carriage, I met a forty-year-old woman who had not entered the palace with her, but had been waiting for her in the carriage. "Huang Zixia turned to look at Xian Yun and Ran Yun, and said, "Let me ask you first, do you know the aunt who followed Miss Wang from Langya's hometown?" The two looked at each other in fear, not daring to speak. Queen Wang said coldly: "What is it, tell the truth!" Xian Yun and Ran Yun nodded together in fright.Huang Zixia asked again: "That aunt, what's her surname, what's her name, and where has she gone now?" Xian Yun said hesitantly: "She... I think I heard the girl call her Feng Niang, but after we got along for a few days, she went back to her hometown, so I don't know..." "Really? Back home?" Huang Zixia took out the miniature portrait of Chen Nianniang and Feng Yiniang that she copied from her sleeve, and asked, "Do you still remember Feng Niang's appearance?" Xian Yun and Ran Yun pointed their fingers at Feng Yiniang in the painting tremblingly. "The person in the painting, named Feng Yiniang, is from Yunshaoyuan, Yangzhou, and is a luthier. Four or five months ago, she was entrusted by an old man to send the old man's daughter to Beijing, and there has been no news since then." With just a few words and a few words, everyone in the room seemed to have glimpsed the leak of the secret, and couldn't help but look ugly—the daughter of an old man she escorted could only be one person. "Because Feng Yiniang didn't come back for a long time, Chen Nianniang, her junior sister who depends on each other, is the one in the painting—" Huang Zixia moved his finger to Chen Nianniang's body. Jin Nu of Yunshao Garden. Jin Nu once recommended her to enter the palace, but the emperor, empress and concubine did not like guqin, so she failed to find Feng Yiniang with the help of the palace. Later, she was hired by King E, and I took this When Zhang Xiaoxiang helped her go to the household department to inquire, but did not find out Feng Niang's whereabouts—the Wang family did not deliver her roster to the household department." Wang Lin said with a sullen face: "Things were too busy at that time, and she went back soon, so she didn't report to the household department." "Did she really go back to Langye?" Huang Zixia was not afraid of his expression, and said, "Unfortunately, I met a small official who had just dealt with Youzhou refugees in the household department, and he recognized the painting on the painting. Feng Yiniang was one of the refugees who died, and she remembered that there was a black mole on the left eyebrow of the female corpse." Wang Yun's eyebrows frowned almost invisibly.And Xian Yun and Ran Yun even cried out in a low voice. Huang Zixia ignored their reactions and continued: "That's right, the woman with a mole on her left eyebrow who died among the refugees in Youzhou was Feng Yiniang. Zhou Ziqin and I went to the random graveyard that night and found the blood in Feng Yiniang's body. A piece of jade pendant, that was the token that Chen Nianniang exchanged with her. Before she died, she swallowed that piece of jade in her stomach and refused to give it up, which also allowed us to confirm the identity of the female corpse." Li Shubai saw that everyone in the hall was terrified and couldn't hold back, so he asked aloud: "In your opinion, what is the reason for Feng Yiniang's death?" "Naturally because of the daughter of the old man she escorted. The reason for her death is that she knew too much." Wang Lin lowered his voice, but couldn't suppress the anger in his voice: "Eunuch Yang, our Wang family has nothing to do with you, but the daughter of an old friend in Yangzhou Music Square that you keep referring to seems to be referring to something?" "Yes, what I mean is Wang Ruo." Her answer was crisp and clear without any hesitation, and she nakedly uncovered the fig leaf of the incident. At this moment, even Queen Wang's face turned pale. She barely restrained her trembling hands, and said in a low voice: "You little eunuch, do you know how responsible you are for spreading rumors without evidence? A century-old famous family, weigh your words before you speak!" "Queen, calm down. Since this servant is going to uncover this case today, it means that I have already prepared to risk my life." Huang Zixia bowed her head and said, "About why you let Miss Wang disappear, what I said next, maybe It is even more rebellious than exposing Miss Wang's life experience." "Okay, I'd like to see what you're going to speculate about next!" Empress Wang yelled angrily, and the color on that originally delicate and beautiful face faded slightly, revealing a kind of stubborn and haughty power. Huang Zixia bowed her head to salute her, and said: "When she was with Wang Ruo, she once asked her servants very worriedly, the queen of Han Jingdi had a daughter outside the palace, and later she concealed her marriage history and entered the prince's east palace, and finally became a maidservant. Queen Mother—if this behavior of the king is discovered, will it cause a catastrophe?" Empress Wang slowly raised her face to look at her, her petal-like lips showed a slight paleness, like damaged and withered flowers. She stared at Huang Zixia for a long time before saying, "That kid is really ignorant, how can he discuss this topic with others." The atmosphere in Yanji Hall was even more oppressive, the emperor leaned back in his chair, his usually gentle face was now livid.But he didn't make a sound to stop Huang Zixia, and he didn't even look at Queen Wang. He just turned his gaze out of the window, as if he was looking at the scene outside, or another world in the distance. However, in the dead silence of the hall, Huang Zixia's voice was so calm that it was almost ruthless, and finally broke through the unbearable fact: "At that time, I also doubted whether Wang Ruo had been married before, and whether she had concealed her marriage history. Came to run for the princess. But then I found out that she was referring to another person." Queen Wang looked at her coldly, raised her right hand slightly to stop her words.She turned to look at the emperor beside her, forced a smile and asked, "Your Majesty, can this person really be allowed to talk nonsense?" The emperor's eyes swept over Huang Zixia, and then slowly fell on the queen. Outside the window is the verdant tree shade in early summer, and the cicadas occasionally sang once or twice among the branches and leaves.Only Yanji Hall was dead silent. The emperor's voice seemed to be far away, but it was slowly echoing in the hall: "Queen, this is the point we are talking about now. If you stop listening to it halfway, maybe you will be suspicious in the future. Why don't we finish listening first, and see Let's see if this little eunuch is right, and then punish him, what do you think?" Queen Wang's face, which was as delicate and beautiful as a peony, turned gray in an instant, like a flower damaged by the wind and rain at night, and its color was dim. This answer shows that the emperor already has doubts in his heart. She slowly put down her hand, but her waist was still straight, and she sat in the hall with an impeccable posture, still the posture of a mother in the world, a kind of dignity that no one can match arrogant. Wang Lin's eyes looking at Huang Zixia have become vicious and irritable. Obviously, if he can make a decision at this time, he must have wiped out Huang Zixia mercilessly in front of him. On the other hand, Wang Yun stood quietly, with a strange trance and gloom fluttering on that fair and gentle face.He looked at the little eunuch in front of him, who was similar in appearance to Huang Zixia, who was also good at peeling cocoons and pointing at the vitals, and unconsciously pressed his lips tightly. Li Shubai looked at Huang Zixia.Huang Zixia nodded to him, indicating that he was not affected, and then continued: "Queen, why do you want Wang Ruo to disappear? It is because of the appearance of two people and the death of one person." "The first person to appear was Captain Wang Yun. He played tricks at Xianyou Temple, intending to make Wang Ruo retreat in spite of difficulties, but it was you, Captain Wang who didn't know about it, who was alarmed. , I thought that Wang Ruo was just a woman who was found by my father and used to replace her name--the less people know about this kind of thing, the better, so you and Wang Shangshu, the queen, even Wang Duwei were kept in the dark. Captain Wang also took a private action to keep you and Wang Shangshu in the dark, you must never have imagined that the first sign of the incident was caused by the children of your Wang family." Wang Lin was speechless, while Wang Yun just silently looked at a point in the sky and listened to her. Huang Zixia then continued: "The second person who appeared was Jin Nu. Jin Nu and I have met in private a few times, and she has never forgotten her long-dead master Mei Wanzhi. In her heart, knowing Master is not Becoming a person like Master is her greatest pride and dream in this life. But she did not expect that twelve years later, she would meet again in Chang'an, far away from Yangzhou, in the most prosperous and prosperous place in the world - the Penglai Hall of Daming Palace. Let the person she thought she would never see again—her master, Mei Wanzhi!" Queen Wang's hands trembled slightly, she stubbornly raised her chin, and remained silent. "She was by my side at the time, terrified and panicked, and trembling with fright, but I mistakenly thought that she was frightened when she saw the Wang Ruo I knew, but I didn't know that the secret she saw was more important than what I had imagined. Terrible——she saw the master who is standing on the highest place in the world, who is so magnificent and charming, and everyone looks up to him. However, her identity is no longer that of the second sister Mei Wanzhi in Yunshao Garden in Yangzhou!" Empress Wang showed a mocking smile on her lips, and said coldly: "Eunuch Yang, Jinnu is dead. The so-called death has no proof, if you can't produce any evidence, and you only have such speculation, then I can only dismiss it as nonsense. I implore your Majesty to stop listening to such nonsense, and punish this eunuch for his crime of disrespect according to the law!" The emperor saw that the queen's back was trembling slightly, with an expression of extreme resentment on his face, he raised his hand to caress the queen's back, but he didn't say a word, he just looked at Huang Zixia and muttered to himself. Wang Lin flicked his robe sleeves, knelt down in front of the emperor with grief, and said tremblingly: "Your Majesty! My royal family has multiplied and thrived in Langya for hundreds of years. Today, there is no other family in the world except the royal family. She is higher than my royal family. What's more, as the daughter of my royal family, the queen has been by the emperor's side for twelve years, and now she is the mother of the world, making my royal family's lintel shine. I don't know why this little eunuch wants to spout blood and confuse people with evil words. All the people have hinted that the status of the current Empress is not right, I implore Your Majesty, don't listen to her nonsense anymore, you should directly punish her for the crime of disrespect, pull out her tongue, and make a warning to others!" "Wang Shangshu's words are wrong." Li Shubai calmly played with his fan beside him, leaned his back on the back of the chair, and said with a carefree demeanor, "The emperor originally said that if there is anything wrong with her deduction However, at present, everything she said before is well-founded and the evidence is conclusive. In my opinion, Wang Shangshu should be calm and calm. If Shangshu thinks her statement is absurd, he can take care of her. Refute it after you finish speaking, the emperor's heavenly eyes will listen, and then he will treat it fairly, distinguish right from wrong, reward and punish in parallel, and will not cause anyone to be wronged." The emperor listened to Li Shubai's words, nodded and said: "Exactly, so what if Wang Aiqing listens to him? I will tell the truth from the truth, and I will never tolerate anyone." Hearing the emperor's tone, Wang Lin's tone was already cold, and he never even glanced at the queen when he spoke.There was a chill of despair in his heart. Wang Yun raised his hand to help him, and he put his hand on Wang Yun's hand. Both father and son felt each other's hand, which was cold, and the muscles that appeared stiff due to tension conveyed an unstoppable coldness to each other. despair. "Jin Nu must die, because she saw the secret. She knew that if she leaked the secret, she would have nowhere to escape, so she chose to hide it, and told the story of Master in public, hoping to use her attachment and love for Master To impress her. But she failed. That night, Wang Ruo disappeared, and the next day, the palace gave Jinnu a set of pipa conservation items, including jade dials, pipa strings and rosin powder. I felt strange at the time , Empress, you have always shown a lack of interest in music and dancing. Why did you go out of your way and specially reward Jin Nu with something. But who knows, Jin Nu happily accepted the gift from Master after many years, and carefully carried it in his arms. A box of rosin powder is a life-threatening charm!" Empress Wang's originally delicate and unparalleled face showed a slight paleness.But her smile was still cold and calm, and she said: "Absurd, what happened ten years ago and ten years later! I only saw that pipa girl once, and she just rewarded her with random things. Why don't you say that someone in the palace has enmity with her?" , There are so many eyes and ears in the teaching workshop, and she travels in foreign affairs? Who knows how it was poisoned?" "In order to prevent mistakes or bribery, gifts from the inner court have always been received by more than three people, checked each other, and sent to the person who gave the gift for review, and then delivered by more than three people at the same time. Although it is troublesome, it also guarantees that it is absolutely impossible for others What's more, I believe that if His Majesty checks it personally, he will know whether His Royal Highness has taken that box of rosin powder for inspection alone. In addition, Jinnu cherishes what you gave us very much. They all saw her take out the powder box and jade dial that you gave from her bosom, and said that she had kept the box in her bosom since she received the gift, how could other people have the opportunity to poison it?" Queen Wang's jaw line was tense, she just sneered and didn't speak. Huang Zixia said again: "These two are the people who appeared in front of you. And the one who died was Feng Yiniang. Her death contributed to the exposure of Wang Ruo's identity, and also let me discover the hidden behind the scenes. One person, that is—the old friend of Feng Yiniang. Who is the person who entrusted Feng Yiniang to escort Wang Ruo to Beijing." No one spoke, and the Yanji Hall was filled with a gloomy atmosphere. The answer was ready to be revealed, but no one dared or dared to reveal it. "At this point, I don't think I need to say more. Feng Yiniang's old friend should be the one who was said to have passed away in Yunshao Garden twelve years ago. The second sister among the six Yunshao girls was also Jin Nu's master. Mei Wanzhi, a pipa master who was married in Yangzhou and gave birth to a daughter." Huang Zixia's tone was low and calm, which became more and more cold and ruthless, "Her daughter is called Cheng Xuese—or you can change her name , called Wang Ruo." Queen Wang sat in the hall with a gloomy expression. She looked at Huang Zixia in front of her without saying a word, her eyes were cold, but she still didn't speak. "The appearance of the man in Xianyou Temple who reminded Wang Ruo of his past and the Jin Nu who knew the identities of Wang Ruo and the empress, together with the fact that you killed Feng Yiniang, let the empress know that Wang Ruo's ulterior motives have been revealed. People realize that even if she marries into the palace, she will definitely be in danger in the future, and maybe one day her identity will be exposed, and she will end badly. So in order to protect Wang Ruo and the Wang family, Wang Ruo can only disappear, And at this time, the excuse of Pang Xun's ghost that appeared in Xianyou Temple and is also rumored to be haunting the capital is the best mist for you to plan." "Hmph, groundless speculation!" Queen Wang finally spoke, coldly. Huang Zixia nodded and said: "Since the Queen said so, I can't do anything about it. And then, I have another conjecture. This conjecture started twelve years ago and ended the day before yesterday. It is more ambiguous than all previous conjectures, but It is also far more terrifying than everything before. Empress, you may not be able to accept it after hearing this, but I still want to tell you that all your scheming will eventually lead to the most terrible consequences." Queen Wang sneered, without looking at her, with an expression of ignoring her to the end. Huang Zixia didn't mind, she paused every word, and said slowly: "Chen Nianniang of Yunshaoyuan told me a story that happened twelve years ago. Among the six women who established Yunshaoyuan, the one with the pipa skill The second sister Mei Wanzhi, who shocked the world, disappeared overnight, leaving behind only one daughter named Cheng Xuese. No matter how Xuese asked, her father, a poor painter, always said that your mother is dead. Xuese returned to Liuzhou with her father. Her father died of hardships until she was fourteen years old. The orphan girl’s family property was seized, and Xuese could only suffer under the abuse of snobbish relatives. Lauder, the third daughter of the middle school in Xuzhou, found out about Xuese by chance, so she wrote a letter to Xuese, asking her to go to Xuzhou to take refuge in Xuzhou if she needed help. Xuese received this letter, so fourteen-year-old Xuese left Liuzhou and went to Xuzhou alone. "And the source of the second story comes from Prince Kui who is here today." She paused, looked at Li Shubai, saw him nod slightly, and said, "Four years ago, Pang Xun rebelled, and King Kui was ordered to go to Xuzhou On the day Xuzhou was captured, he rescued a pair of thirteen or fourteen-year-old girls who were taken captive by Pang Xun's subordinates. One of the girls, surnamed Cheng, said that she came to seek refuge with Aunt Lan Dai's, after arriving in Xuzhou, I heard that my aunt had moved her family to Yangzhou because of the Pang Xun Rebellion. She gave King Kui a silver leaf vein hairpin, but King Kui had no plans for the two girls of unknown origin. After the girls surnamed Cheng left, they threw away the hairpins. And from the beginning to the end, because they painted their faces so that they couldn't see clearly, King Kui didn't see their faces clearly." After she finished telling this passage, seeing that everyone was thoughtful, Queen Wang only pressed her lips tightly and did not speak, so she said: "The above are two stories told by others, and the next one is not related. People have proved that I guessed it based on the clues I have found so far. Of course, if you disagree, you can also denounce it as speculation. A few months ago, the palace began to prepare for King Kui to choose a concubine. At this time, Feng Yiniang, who was in Yunshaoyuan, received a letter asking her to help escort the daughter of the old man to Beijing. The daughter of the old man was Cheng Xuese. Feng Yiniang didn't think about why the other party didn't go to find Lau Dai and other old sisters Escort, because the other party was kind to her back then, so she went north to Chang'an, and escorted her to Beijing after receiving someone in Puzhou. However, at this time, she realized that the old man who entrusted her to do things is now such a person who is more than nine days old Identity. She may have been pleasantly surprised, but in the end, after the dust settled and Princess Kui was chosen, she quickly disappeared in the world—originally, she, an insignificant pawn who knew the truth, was destined to abandoned. "At the same time, Feng Yiniang's junior sister, Chen Nianniang, went to Beijing to find someone. However, Chen Nianniang was in the streets and Feng Yiniang was in a high-end luxury house. Among the millions of people in the capital, the two never met each other. Chen Nianniang was living on the street and met Jinnu by chance. Jinnu helped her get through Knuckles, performed in front of the empress, but in the end she was not particularly appreciated, so she settled for the second place and entered the palace of King E. King E helped her go to the household department to find someone, so I learned that Feng Yiniang had been killed. Later, I sent Feng Yiniang's I handed the relics to Chen Nianniang, and she also promised to help me find a painting that is now in Lauder's hands, and specifically asked Cheng Xuese to send it to Chang'an. That painting was painted by Mei Wanzhi's painter husband for the six of them The following picture of the six daughters of Yunshao. Like the small portrait in the hands of Chen Nianniang, the painter Cheng is extremely skilled, and all the people in the painting are lifelike and recognizable at a glance. "Just the day before yesterday, Cheng Xuese, who received the letter, finally rushed from Puzhou to Chang'an City with the painting. However, she was killed because of this. That nameless headless female corpse!" Queen Wang also sneered and said: "That's the guesswork. You just said that Xuese was brought to Chang'an by Feng Yiniang a few months ago, and now she came from Puzhou to Chang'an by herself a few days ago. Could it be that there are two Xuese in the world?" "There are exactly two," Huang Zixia looked at the Queen, with a hint of pity and sorrow in his voice, "King Kui rescued two young girls of similar age in Xuzhou. They met on the way to exile and supported each other. They came to Xuzhou together, and fell into the clutches of the devil after looking for their relatives. They risked their lives for each other. They really depended on life and death. Finally, they came to Yangzhou together, and then moved to Puzhou with Lauder. These two girls, One's surname is Cheng, and the other's name is Xiao Shi." "Then, which of the two people who came to Beijing one after the other is the real Cheng Xuese?" Huang Zixia stared at Queen Wang and said word by word, "I'm only going to talk about two trivial things. The first One, before Wang Ruo disappeared, I went to Wang Ruo’s residence one day, she was still asleep, she seemed to be having a nightmare, muttering a name in a daze——Snow color, snow color!” Queen Wang's body trembled for an instant.Her face turned into a terrible purple, causing everyone who saw her to shudder. But Huang Zixia didn't see it, took a deep breath, and continued: "Secondly, when Jinnu was performing in front of you, the queen, the moment she saw Wang Ruo, she said, 'Impossible...if this is the case How could it be possible that Princess Kui would be her? Queen, you see, even Jinnu knows who her master's biological daughter is, but Mei Wanzhi, who abandoned this daughter at the beginning, has no idea at all. In fact, it is Xiao Shi who has nothing to do with her." Queen Wang's whole body was like a clay sculpture and wood carving, and she was completely unresponsive.She sat motionless on the chair, the face that once fascinated all beings was now lifeless. She seems to be a dead person, her soul has been torn apart alive by a pair of demonic hands.She just sat there like that, without breathing, without expression, and there was no focus in her wide-eyed eyes. There was dead silence in the entire Yanji Hall.Everyone looked at this dignified and majestic woman, but now she was completely defeated, just because of Huang Zixia's two words in front of her. "Queen Wang, probably you never thought that Feng Yiniang, whom you lightly obliterated, has Chen Nianniang who depends on her life. And Jin Nu once said that Cheng Xuese looks very similar to you. So after seeing Xuese and her bring The moment you painted the picture, Chen Nianniang, who once performed in front of you, immediately understood who is the daughter of an old friend, who is the old friend who let Feng Yiniang go to Beijing, and why Feng Yiniang died in the end. So she didn’t bring snow color as agreed来看我，她让雪色前往锦奴的居处，又有意放出从云韶六女的画像中可以看出奇异乐舞之类的传言，以此借助鄂王爷，以及锦奴那些经常出入内教坊的姐妹之口，顺利将那幅画的事情传入了宫中。而您，是绝对不可以让这幅画被人看见的，因为上面所画的人中，有一个，正是您自己的模样。 “而在徐州被夔王爷救过的雪色，性格如此倔强固执，她认定了夔王爷，于是便从十四岁等到十七岁，直到那个她以为已经死了的母亲让冯忆娘接她进京，说要帮她安排最好的人生时她还不愿意放弃等待。同时，或许也是将父亲的潦倒早死和自己的颠沛流离归罪于这个从小抛弃了自己的母亲，她在心里，其实是莫名地在恨自己的母亲。她与小施商议好，反正母亲十二年未见，肯定已经不认识自己，而只在她们十四岁流亡到扬州时仓促间见过一面的冯忆娘又哪里认得出小施来呢？所以她让小施代替自己进京，或许，还希望她寻找一下当年那个救了她们两人的将军之类的——然而她们都万万没想到的是，雪色的母亲如今已经是这样的身份，而小施被安排见面，又在众人里指中了她的，正是当年救了她们，又让雪色等了三年的那个人！” There was silence. Dead silence. 而黄梓瑕提高了声音，终于揭开了最后那一层疮疤：“王皇后，您让人在长安夜色中杀死，又丢弃在沟渠里代替锦奴的那个女子，才是您的亲生女儿，程雪色！” 王皇后依然一动不动地坐着，许久许久，她圆睁的那双没有焦距的眼中，忽然滚落下大颗的泪珠来。她把自己的手插入鬓发之中，浑身颤抖地拼命按着自己的头，仿佛不这样的话，她整个脑子就会爆裂开。 她终于开了口，声音干嘶喑哑：“你说谎……你……说谎……” 黄梓瑕一动不动地站在她面前，看着这个被自己那一句话击溃的女人，觉得胸口涌起一种复杂的情绪，悲悯混杂着激愤，仿佛死在王皇后手下的锦奴、冯忆娘、雪色和崇仁坊的那几个乞丐，都在她的血脉之中呼啸着发出怨恨的嘶叫，令她无法抑制，感同身受。 而王皇后喃喃地，又重复了那两个字许久：“说谎……说谎！” 她终于说出的只言片语，让皇帝的面容也变得铁青，他的手抓在椅子扶手之上，因太过用力而不自知，连指关节都泛白。 王皇后那张艳丽的面容已经扭曲，她一边用力按着头，一边仿佛疯狂了般，咬着牙冷笑，那强挤出诡异笑容的脸上，却又有大颗的泪珠在滚滚掉落。这一刻这个一直端庄倨傲的女人，已经濒临崩溃：“胡说八道，简直是……胡说八道！” 王麟急怒攻心，铁青着脸色示意闲云与冉云上前拉住王皇后，又赶紧向皇帝请罪，说：“陛下，怕是这个宦官杨崇古给皇后下了魇，皇后竟如此胡言乱语了！她是琅邪王家的长房庶女，又怎么可能是什么乐坊的出身……” “王麟，”皇帝瞧着王皇后那种绝望的溃乱模样，脸色也自蒙上一层冰冷，他转过目光，盯着面前王麟，缓缓地说，“照实说。十二年前的事情，你明明白白说出来！若有一个字让朕查证不实，朕让你们琅邪王家在大唐再无出仕子孙！” 王麟心口惊悸，回头见王皇后已经渐渐明白过来，只呆呆坐在那里，仿佛在悔恨自己刚刚的失态，又仿佛还陷在那种悲哀狂乱之中，无法自拔。 他心上涌起一种莫名的恐惧与绝望，只能伏在地上，用嘶哑的声音颤声说道：“陛下，臣罪该万死，不求陛下饶恕，只求陛下降罪于我一人，不要祸及王家！此事全都是臣一手策划操纵，就连皇后……当时亦是为臣所迫！” 皇帝劈头打断他的话：“你不用为旁人开脱，只要从实招来！” “是……”王麟伏地，将自己的额头贴在冰凉的青砖之上，声音绝望而悲凉，“陛下，当年侯景之乱后，王家元气大伤，子嗣凋零。到十二年前，王家只余得男孙四五人，其中唯一有望的，也就是我的蕴儿一人，然后，便是当时在您身边的，王芙……” 皇帝想了一下，才说：“我记得，可惜她命薄，在我身边半年多就去世了。” “当时，陛下还是郓王，被先皇迁出居住在十六宅。王芙去世后，王家痛伤之余，又不愿失去一个王妃之位，想着您或许能因为王芙而对她的姐妹青眼有加，于是便又邀请陛下来做客，在席上让我们王家的几位姑娘与您相见。” 皇帝微微点头，他的目光转向皇后，见她如泥塑木雕般坐在椅上，不言不语，只用一双茫然而大睁的眼睛看着自己。她已经清醒过来了，知道事情已经败露，无法再做其他手脚，于是便只望着皇帝，目光中有卑微的乞怜，亦有哀伤的悲切，泪盈于睫，不肯说话。 皇帝看着此时茫然失措模样的皇后，这个十二年来陪伴他一步步走来的女人，如被人揉碎的白牡丹般泛着微黄的痕迹，让他既怒且伤，忍不住咬一咬牙，将自己的脸转了过去，不愿再看她。 “那一日，我家大小几位女儿都在陛下面前，可陛下却只神情平常，谈笑自若。我们知道您身边名花众多，而除了王芙之外，王家中并未有特别出色的女子，所以您不将其他人放在眼中，也是正常。当时……皇后由人介绍，只说是家境落魄的良家子，正在我们府上为几位姑娘教习琵琶。臣……觉得她技艺惊人，便让她出来给您演奏一曲琵琶，以结束宴席。”王麟苦涩道，“可谁知，陛下对她一见钟情，并问微臣这是我们王家哪一房的姑娘，臣……臣一念之差，当时亦不知自己为何鬼迷心窍，竟说是王家长房庶女王芍……” “然而她进入我府上时，一切户籍文书俱全，不像伪造。”皇帝冷然道。 “是……实则，王家之前恰好有个女儿王芍，因为身体不好而舍在了道观，但在那日之前不久便去世了，户籍依然在琅邪，未曾注销。臣……臣见陛下当时如此喜爱她，只想着替她找个清白身份后送给您，也不算什么大事，只要把几个见过她的女儿和身边人都送回琅邪去就好了。而我们王家或许能出一位王妃，对于如今日渐式微的王家来说，这真是万分迫切的好事……于是臣便与她商议，皇后她……她也应允了。” “不算什么大事……”皇帝怒极反笑，冷笑着转头看王皇后，“只是你们都没有料到，朕竟如此爱惜她。十二年来，她从一个王府媵，到孺人，最后竟然诞下皇子，在朕登基后，成为王皇后！” 王蕴的脸上，亦是震惊与惊愕，无法掩饰。 黄梓瑕默然站在李舒白身后，望着坐在那里的王皇后。 十二年来人生剧变，她青云直上，从琵琶女到皇后，一步步走来也算艰难，可不属于自己的东西，毕竟要还回去，一夕之间被颠覆后，不知会落得如何下场。 而王麟直起身子，老泪纵横对皇帝说道：“臣该死！臣当时真是万万没想到……自己送入王府的一个琵琶女，会有如今这一日！自陛下登基之后，臣一直夜不能寐，到她受封皇后，臣更是寝食难安，数年来日日夜夜备受煎熬，只怕事情败露……臣想，皇后殿下的日子……恐怕未必比臣好过。陛下，臣自知万死，但请陛下体念皇后亦是为臣所胁迫，后来更是骑虎难下，也是身不由己……” “不必说了，”皇帝微抬右手，制止他再说下去，“若你们真的如此不安，又如何会在十二年后，还要再上演同样一场李代桃僵的戏？你们真当天下所有人都这么容易被你们蒙蔽？” 王麟顿时悚然，浑身冷汗，身如筛糠，不敢在说话。 一直在旁边缄口黯然的王皇后，终于开口，声音喑哑缓慢，轻轻说：“此生此世，能遇见陛下，便是妾身最大的幸运。这十二年来我纵然日夜担忧，怕陛下得知真相后厌弃我，但在苟且偷生之时，我又何尝不自觉庆幸？” 她说到此处，声音哽咽轻颤，呜咽中抬眼望着皇帝，眼中清泪缓缓滑落，如晶莹明珠滚过她如玉双颊：“陛下……十二年来，虽然我在深宫冷清寂寞，身边群狼环伺，但陛下待我更胜民间恩爱夫妻，我人生如此幸运，以至于痴心妄想，想为我自己宫外的女儿也安排一个像我一样的好归宿……我只想着，如此一来，我今生今世欠了她的，这一回便完结了。我一定会在雪色出嫁之后，忘却一切前尘往事，好好伺候皇上，粉身碎骨，赴汤蹈火，亦在所不惜……” 黄梓瑕与李舒白对望一眼，都看到了彼此眼中流露的想法。他们分明知道，从她将女儿召回身边开始，才是她与以前的人生的重新联系。 然而，他们只是局外人。 他们可以不被迷惑，不被动摇，然而十二年来，与王皇后出则同车，入则同寝的那个人，却无法不被王皇后说服。因为她清楚地知道他的弱点、知道如何才能挽系他。 只一瞬间，那个因亲手杀死自己女儿而痛苦难抑的女人，已经消失了。如今在燕集堂上的，依然是那个以“尚武”闻名的王皇后，美丽、残忍，一举一动、一颦一笑都经过精确计算，从不浪费，从不落空。 而皇帝望着面前泪珠涟涟、眼圈通红的王皇后，顿觉心口涌起无力的感伤。 多年来，他与她荣辱与共，携手望着天下万民。他依然记得初次见面时她抱着琵琶半掩低垂的笑颜，也记得自己登基那日她如花的笑靥，还记得自己抱着刚刚出生的儿子时她脸上疲惫的微笑…… 她似乎已经变成了自己人生中的一部分，要是缺少了她，他的生命似乎也再不完美了。 “阿芍……” 皇帝终于站起来，他向她走来，一步步，缓慢而沉重，说：“你刚刚，太过失态了。” 王皇后凝视着向自己走来的皇帝，脸上渐渐漫上凄苦悲哀的神色，终究还是低头说：“是……” “你是王家长房庶女，在朕身边十二年，为皇后也有多年了，向来端庄自持，怎么今日会在族妹的灵前这样悲痛过甚，以致为鬼魂所迷而胡言乱语？” 王皇后愣在那里，许久，脸上终于缓缓滑下大颗大颗的眼泪。这一刻她已经不再是那个傲气凌人、倾绝天下的女人，无论是真是假，她虚弱而无助，一时间仿佛被抽去了全身的力量，只能跪地抓着皇帝的下裳，捂着自己的脸，泣不成声。 皇帝拉住她的手臂，硬生生将她扯了起来。她纤细而苍白，身体一直在微微颤抖，却终于借着他的力量，重新站在了人前。她与帝王并肩站在一起，即使脸上还带着泪痕，却依然不自觉地散发一种多年久居人上而养成的傲气。 黄梓瑕冷眼旁观，看着这个精确规划好一切动作与情感的女人，在心里不由自主地想，也许刚刚她那种崩溃失态，反倒更像一个活生生的人吧——但，也只是那一瞬间而已。 皇帝僵硬地挽着她的手，虽然尚不自然，但毕竟还是挽住了。 他的目光，从王麟、王蕴与李舒白的脸上扫视过，最后落在黄梓瑕的脸上，缓缓地说：“此事以后若再有人提起只言片语……” 他的声音顿了许久，终于重若千钧地落了下来：“便是罔顾皇家颜面，意图与朝廷过不去！” 堂上众人都是噤声，不敢说话。 皇帝抬手向王皇后，帮她将蓬乱的鬓发抿到耳后，又携住她的手说：“回去休息一下，我让太医给你看看病。你今天，是悲痛过度疯魔了，知道吗？” “是……我知道。”她迟疑着，低声答应。 "Let's go." 帝后如来时般携手而出，只是王皇后脚步稍显凌乱，而皇帝则一步步稳稳将她拉出燕集堂。 在出门前，皇帝回头看了一眼闲云与冉云，示意王蕴。 黄梓瑕站在李舒白的身后，在这样一个案件真相大白却又悄无声息结束时，感觉到了淡淡的悲哀与莫名的惆怅。 李舒白回头看着她，一言不发地往外走去。 黄梓瑕跟在他的身后，随他一起走出燕集堂。 在经过王蕴身边时，她听到王蕴的声音，低若不闻地在她的耳边响起：“为什么？” 她心口猛地一跳，转头看向他。 一直温润和煦如行春风的王蕴，此时却用一双极幽深的眼睛，一动不动地直视着她。 他的声音，低沉却清晰，一字一句地问：“我们王家，到底有什么对不起你，你为什么……一而再，再而三，如此逼我？” 在他目光的逼视下，黄梓瑕只觉得自己胸口一片冰凉。 但她只能咬了咬牙，说：“我不知道你什么意思。我只知道，公道天理，自在人心。无论死去的人是歌女，还是乞丐，无论凶手是帝王，还是将相，我只求说得出自己查明的真相，对得起自己的心。” 说完，她狠狠转过头，逃也似的出了门。 然而，就在逃离的那一刻，她才忽然醒悟，所谓的一而再，再而三，指的是什么？ 难道，算上的，是她之前不愿意嫁给他，以至于让他沦为京中笑柄的那一桩？ 她顿觉心惊，后背有薄薄一层冷汗渗出来。但随即，她又立即否决了这个念头——她曾让王蕴如此蒙羞，若他觉察自己是黄梓瑕，必定早已揭露自己的真面目，又怎么可能容忍自己到现在？ 何况，就算他真的认出，那又怎么样。有李舒白在，他未必敢强硬揭穿她。并且她很快便要离开京城去蜀地，到时查明家人的真相之后，她能不能回来，也是难说。 无论如何，今后一定要多加小心就是了——而如今，在这样的心力交瘁中，她实在无力顾得上这个。
王家大门口已经传来喧哗，那是锦奴的尸体，按照原来的计划，依然被运送往琅邪王家祖坟，风光大葬。 她不由自主地停下脚步，伫立在门口高大的柏树下，望着那一具黑漆棺木，出神许久。 李舒白回头看她，问：“怎么了？” 她沉默许久，才静静地说：“我在想锦奴。” 她五岁时，在街头冻饿欲死。风吹起梅挽致的车帘，她一眼看到了锦奴那双手，于是将她抱回了家。她说，锦奴，上天生你这双手，就是为了弹琵琶。 她二十岁时，在长安大明宫，用她送给她的琵琶，弹一阕她教她的曲子。而她赐给她一盒松香粉，从她那一双手渗入的毒，结束了她被梅挽致多延续了十五年的生命。 黄梓瑕伫立在树下，轻声问：“这样的结局，算不算……是没有结局？” “谁说没有？让凶手知道自己亲手杀死了自己的女儿，从此之后永远生活在噩梦之中，也算是对她最大的惩罚了吧！”李舒白说着，又摇头说，“不过，她当初既然能将幼小的女儿从身边抛开，这回，也必定能将她从心上抛开。一个能在宫廷中活得这么好的女人，这一辈子，都不可能失败。” “王皇后，她毕竟是一个女人，不是吗？至少她无论多么厉害，也无法忍住为逝去的女儿崩溃落泪吧，”黄梓瑕轻声说，“而陈念娘，虽然她诱使仇人犯下杀女的罪行，成功报复了王皇后，但估计她的余生，都将活在良心的谴责中吧。” 阳光透过青碧树枝，稀疏地落在他们两人的身上。 这温和的阳光使黄梓瑕想起那个以温文和善著称的皇帝。 当时，在灵堂之外，李舒白说起这个案件，并暗示凶手可能就是王皇后时，他只侧目看了她一眼，然后便合上眼，缓缓说：“若是皇家脸面不失、没有外人知晓的话，皇后犯法，朕自然也需要知道真相，更会加以惩戒。” 所谓的十二年同寝同食恩爱如民间夫妻，在京城纷纭的“皇帝崇高，皇后尚武”流言面前，不堪一击——没有哪个皇帝会容忍自己与皇后彼此是这样的地位。 天家夫妻，宫廷帝后。 黄梓瑕望着头顶的阳光，怔怔出神。 李舒白瞥了她一眼，说：“你还不开心吗？” 黄梓瑕没说话，只是回头看他。 “皇后性格强硬，近年来颇多干涉朝政，又时常滥用私刑，皇上亦不能禁止。你此次帮助皇上，给了她这么大一个惩戒，算是有功之臣了。” “皇上真的相信我说的，我是黄家远方亲戚的事情吗？” “相信不相信不要紧，但皇上既然已经允诺，不日定会下旨，重新彻查你家的冤案。到时候，我会亲自带你去蜀地。” 黄梓瑕听着他平平静静的口气，却在一瞬间，觉得自己的胸口一时窒息。 蜀地，她父母亲人葬身的地方。 如今，她即将回去那里，去推翻那个铁案，洗雪自己身负的冤仇，挖出那个凶手。 一种又痛快又苦涩的感觉，从她的心口缓缓涌出来，让她在这样的初夏天气中，带着迷离的眩晕，呆站在他的面前。 也不知是欢喜，还是感伤。