Chapter 9 Chapter 9 The Queen Mother

Liu Congde heard it harshly, but for a while he couldn't understand what Pang Ji was thinking, so he could only remain silent.Seeing Liu Congde's silence, Dong Laishun and the others thought he was acquiescing, and nodded repeatedly: "Although the huge man is not there, the analysis is actually there, and the villain admires it." Pang Ji said again: "After Mr. Ma became friends with the five of you, he saw the three of Di Qing coming downstairs. The righteous Mr. Ma wanted to make friends with Di Qing, so he went up to strike up a conversation, but he didn't want to be beaten up by the maddened Di Qing." Dun, what happened later, you all explained it very clearly, so I don't need to repeat it."

Everyone felt that after Pang Ji's analysis, Mr. Ma's behavior was really weird. Some yamen servants held back their laughter, but Zhu Dachang and others could only bite the bullet and say, "That's true." Pang Ji said to Liu Congde: "Lord Liu, do you have any doubts about the deduction this time?" Liu Congde had a great headache, but he felt that Pang Ji was really thinking of them this time, so he could only say: "You are right this time, I have no problem." Pang Ji looked even more worried, wondering: "Master Liu has no problem, but I have a problem." Liu Congde's heart skipped a beat, and he couldn't help being puzzled when he saw Pang Ji pick up a few account books from the table.Pang Ji said indifferently: "This is the record that the official has taken from Taibaiju, Xilaile, Huixianlou and other places in the past few days."

Cheng Lin frowned and asked, "What does Officer Pang Tui mean by this?" Pang Ji said: "Mr. Ma is indeed hospitable. He has left his footprints in these restaurants. Of course, they are all treated by others." His eyes swept over the faces of Zhu Dachang and others, and seeing that the faces of these people were ashen, Pang Ji slowed down. He said slowly: "And the guests are the present Zhu Dachang, Yang Deyi, Dong Laishun and others. According to the records, Mr. Ma and Zhu Dachang had a very close personal relationship. If anyone doesn't believe it, the owner of the restaurant is already waiting to be called at the back of the hall. You might as well ask Come and ask."

Zhu Dachang was already dripping with sweat, he forced a smile and said, "I'll wait...to believe it." Pang Ji's face darkened, "I believe it now, I'm afraid it's too late?" Pang Ji presented the account book to Cheng Lin's case, turned to face Zhu Dachang and the others, and said frowningly: "Just now I asked again and again, You all said that you have never met or made friends with Mr. Ma, but the facts show that you and Ma Zhongli have long been friends. You deliberately concealed this matter, why did you come here?" Zhu Dachang and the others were terrified, and Pang Ji had already suggested to Cheng Lin: "Your Majesty, after being questioned by the subordinate officials, the first sentence Zhu Dachang and the others said was wrong. It is really hard for people to believe what they said later. Please also Lord Yin strictly investigates the intentions of these five people, and if there is any false accusation, please punish them severely, so as to set an example to others!" At this moment, although Pang Ji was still full of sorrow, his face was full of righteousness and chills!

Although Liu Congde didn't pay much attention to the governor of Kaifeng, he was only relying on the power of the queen mother. In terms of shrewdness and ability, he was far inferior to Pang Ji.Liu Congde has already been witnessed, and Pang Ji has known about it for a long time.It would not be easy for Pang Ji to find five people from among the common people to sue in court. Even if they were found, it would be difficult to distinguish the authenticity from the false, and everyone might fall into a protracted debate, and they might get out of control in the end. Pang Ji wanted to make a quick decision, so he tried to catch him first, and then took his salary from the bottom of the pot, directly driving the five witnesses of Liu Congde to a place of eternal doom.His direct method is to warn Liu Congde that Kaifeng Mansion is not a place where your royal family and relatives can cover the sky with one hand!

Cheng Lin looked at the account book in front of her, but did not turn it over, and asked in a deep voice, "Zhu Dachang, is what Pang Tui said true?" Zhu Dachang's legs trembled, and he looked at Liu Congde again. Pang Ji sighed: "Zhu Dachang, don't you always look at Mr. Liu. People who don't know think that you are ordered by him. Don't you let Mr. Liu be humiliated?" ?” Rao Liu Congde was a little quick-witted, and lost his sense of control at this time, and shouted: "Pang Ji, I have nothing to do with them, don't you want to spout blood!"

Pang Ji immediately said: "Since Mr. Liu has said everything, it has nothing to do with you, who is instigated by who are you waiting for, and you haven't really recruited it!" Zhu Dachang and others completely collapsed. They were ordered by Liu Congde to come and falsely accuse Di Qing, but if Liu Congde abandons them, who can they rely on? Pang Ji hit the iron while the heat was hot: "Could it be that you were angry because Di Qing was kept by Zhang Miaoge, and took the opportunity to frame Di Qing? If you confess on your own initiative, Mr. Fu Yin thinks about your first crime, and maybe you will be punished lightly."

Yang triumphantly wept, "My lord, we were wrong..." Before he finished speaking, a yamen official outside the yamen sang, "Master Luo and Lord Ma are here." Liu Congde stood up abruptly, and said joyfully, "Please hurry up." He lost his sense of control and thought for a moment that this was his residence.Cheng Lin was secretly dissatisfied, but she still maintained restraint and said, "Please enter the government office." Cheng Lin wanted to get up to greet her, but seeing Pang Ji looking at her with a lot of meaning in her eyes, her face flushed slightly, she sat down again.

Two people walked into the yamen, one was suave and suave, but had an angry face; the other was beardless and arrogant. Cheng Lin knew that the suave man was Ma Zhongli's father, Ma Jiliang, who was also the empress dowager's niece and son-in-law, who was currently serving in Longtu Pavilion.And that arrogant looking man was the number one eunuch in the dynasty, enshrining Luo Chongxun. Cheng Lin knew that Ma Jiliang and Luo Chongxun were popular people around the Queen Mother, so she wanted to show her affection, but after all, even the number one eunuch in the dynasty was not as powerful as the Governor of Kaifeng, if he was too flattering, his subordinates would look down on him. So he just cupped his hands on his seat and said, "You two adults are here, what's the matter?"

Luo Chongxun said sharply: "Our family heard that the case was tried here, so we came here to listen, so as not to prevent someone from corrupting the law and wrongly judging the case. Mr. Cheng, what happened to this case?" Cheng Lin forced a smile and said, "It's under trial. If Luo Gongfeng is interested, you can listen to it from the sidelines. Come and set up a seat." A government official had already taken two chairs, and Luo Chongxun sat down carelessly.Liu Congde explained everything to Ma Jiliang in a low voice. When Ma Jiliang saw Di Qing, he wanted to strangle him to death. He was even more annoyed when he heard the words. After being seriously injured, some people don't distinguish between black and white, and put all their energy on people who have nothing to do with it, which really disappoints this official."

Cheng Lin argued: "Master Ma's words are wrong. Since there are witnesses, we must judge them clearly, so as to live up to the respect of the Holy Majesty and the expectations of the Queen Mother. Besides, the mirror of heaven and earth, the law is clear, and everything should be done according to the law. Zhu Dachang and others People testified against Di Qing, I questioned according to the law, and Pang Tui assisted in the deduction, so how can you say that you put your energy on people who have nothing to do with it?" Luo Chongxun retorted: "Your Majesty, I think the treaty system is right. The fact now is that Di Qing has hurt someone, and Ma Zhongli may be paralyzed for life. If such criminals are not severely punished, they will only live up to the Empress Dowager's respect." You should quickly convict Di Qing." As soon as Luo and Ma came, they started to fight with each other, the purpose of course was to put pressure on Cheng Lin.Unexpectedly, Cheng Lin fell silent, and Pang Ji replied from the side: "The matter of the Kaifeng Mansion will naturally be handled by the people of the Kaifeng Mansion. Master Luo ordered so, and Yu Lu is at odds." As the number one courtier in the inner palace, Luo Chongxun was highly valued by the Empress Dowager. Over the years, even the important ministers of the two governments treated him politely, so he naturally developed a problem of arrogance.Seeing that an official from the Kaifeng mansion refuted him, he couldn't help saying angrily: "Pang Ji, how dare you be so rude to me?" Pang Ji said calmly: "The lower officials are just doing official business. They decide the case according to the law and have a clear conscience. How dare you say it? There is a saying in the family law of the ancestors of this dynasty that 'foreign relatives are not allowed to interfere in politics, and eunuchs cannot hold power'. Right now, life and death are being judged." As a rule, the two adults should avoid the case and not interfere with the handling of the case by the Kaifeng Mansion. Mr. Cheng took care of your mood, so he set up a seat for the two adults to attend, but you can attend. If you want to influence the Kaifeng Mansion to decide the case, it will not ruin your ancestors Family law? If Lord Luo is dissatisfied, you can go to the palace with the subordinate officials to ask the Holy Majesty and the Queen Mother, and then decide whether the official is right or wrong." Luo Chongxun's fair face was swollen like an eggplant skin, but he said in a hateful voice: "Okay, okay, very good!" Pang Ji looked sad again, and said, "Since Mr. Luo has no objection, I feel that Mr. Cheng should continue the trial." Cheng Lin felt a little ashamed in her heart, and she admired Pang Ji's integrity of not being afraid of the powerful. She patted the gavel and said, "Zhu Dachang, Yang Deyi, Wen Cheng, Dong Laishun, and Gu Shenxing, you five wronged Di Qing, why? Come? Hurry up and come here!" Seeing Luo Chongxun coming, Zhu Dachang and the others couldn't keep them, they were sweating profusely, Zhu Dachang cried and said with a mournful face: "Professor Cheng, I framed him because I was dissatisfied with Di Qing for stealing our limelight. But what was the situation at that time?" , I will not know.” Cheng Lin snorted coldly, "Zhu, Yang and the other five framed others to confuse the case. Each of them is responsible for the 80th board, and the case will be settled separately." Seeing Liu Congde's face sinking like water, Zhu Dachang and others didn't even dare to say that he was wronged. Shout out. Hearing the crackling of the board, Luo Chongxun thought to himself, don't be complacent, Pang Ji and Cheng Lin, and don't let me have any excuses in the future, otherwise I will definitely make you worse off die.Cao used a privy envoy, who has many times more power than yours, and he was killed by our family.Thinking of this, Luo Chongxun showed a cold smile on his face. When Zhu Dachang and the others were detained, Ma Jiliang said dissatisfiedly: "My lord, although it is said that Zhu Dachang and others are at fault, but Di Qing's fault cannot be absolved. I also hope that my lord will focus on Di Qing, of course, This is just a hope, and I dare not tell you exactly how to do it." Seeing Pang Ji's unsightly face, he secretly hated him, but his words were much more cautious. Cheng Lin said: "If it's true what Di Qing and Zhang Miaoge said, Di Qing has no choice but to hurt people..." Liu Congde said angrily: "You can hurt people casually if you have to? Di Qing is just a bandit army, and Zhang Miaoge is a singer. How can the words of these two count?" Pang Ji retorted: "Master of the temple affairs, please be careful with your words. If you think about the eight hundred thousand imperial guards in the world, you will chill the hearts of the guards and soldiers of the imperial guards all over the world. Although Zhang Miaoge is a singer, what regulations stipulate , the diva can’t testify?” Liu Congde was almost driven mad by Pang Ji, Ma Jiliang gritted his teeth and said, "Pang Ji, as far as I know, Zhang Miaoge didn't know what happened outside the Zhuge Tower back then. After all, Di Qing was the perpetrator, so of course his words can't be accurate. If we want to clearly understand what was right and wrong at the time, we need another witness. If there is no witness in Kaifeng Prefecture, we can provide new witnesses." Pang Ji hesitated, because the scene was chaotic at the beginning, he found many people, but it was difficult for those people to fully describe the situation at the time, but the key person Shang Sheng and the fat middle-aged man were far away and disappeared. .Pang Ji was not afraid of Luo Chongxun, but if there were mistakes in witnesses and Luo Chongxun and others caught him, he was afraid that he would die a miserable death. Therefore, in terms of witness testimony, he has not yet found a suitable witness. While Pang Ji was hesitating, Cheng Lin said, "It is true that the Kaifeng Mansion has not found any key witnesses..." Ma Jiliang immediately said: "Then we can provide some. At that time, there were many servants in the Ma residence, which can prove what happened." Pang Ji sneered secretly, thinking that if you provide witnesses, it will be nothing more than a reenactment of Zhu Dachang and others, and when this is going on, there will be an end.But this time he couldn't refuse, and when he was in a dilemma, someone outside the yamen suddenly said: "Who said there are no witnesses in Kaifeng Mansion?" Everyone's discoloration changed. I don't know who has the courage to testify against Di Qing at this time? Before the words were finished, two people outside the yamen barged in without any word of mouth! Cheng Lin frowned secretly, wondering who would have the courage to enter and exit Kaifeng Mansion just like the city gate!Even if Luo Chongxun came to Kaifeng Mansion, he would not dare to be so arrogant! Cheng Lin was frowning, but when she looked up and saw the two people, she suddenly got up, hurriedly came out from behind the case, and bowed deeply to one of them: "The Eighth Prince is here, I am far away from welcoming you, please forgive me .” Pang Ji was quite dissatisfied when he saw Cheng Lin being polite to Luo Chongxun, but when he saw that person at this time, he had no choice but to follow Cheng Lin and salute.Not only Cheng Lin and Pang Ji were respectful, even Luo Chongxun and others could only stand up and salute when they saw that person coming, not daring to be less polite. Everyone is very strange, what is the Eighth Prince doing here?He seemed to want to intervene in Di Qing's case, when did Di Qing and the Eighth Prince get involved again? Di Qing was also surprised. He squinted and saw the person Cheng Lin was visiting. It was a clean person.The man was so clean, his clothes were so shiny they seemed to have been waxed.His fingernails are neatly trimmed, and his hair is extremely shiny. If a fly stands on it, it is afraid that it will slide down and fall to death.Such a clean person, if you stand in front of him, you will be so infected that you want to look in the mirror to see if your face is clean. Di Qing knew that the Eighth Prince was called Zhao Yuanyan, that is, the Eighth Emperor's Uncle, but he never thought that the Eighth Prince was such a person.Di Qing knew something about the Eighth Prince, that he was the eighth son of Emperor Taizong.At the time of Emperor Taizong, he was named King of Zhou.After Zhenzong Zhao Heng came to the throne, he also named Zhao Yuanyan the Duke of Cao, worshiped the Prime Minister, conferred the title of Taibao, and Jinjue Rongwang. Later, Zhao Zhen came to the throne, and the queen mother hung the curtain. Zhao Yuanyan was the elder of the three dynasties.Except for the empress dowager and the emperor, no one in the court can surpass Zhao Yuanyan in respect of status. Difficult to reach the neck. But what does such a person come to Kaifeng Mansion for?No one knew, but someone had already set up a seat above Luo Chongxun, invited Zhao Yuanyan to sit down, and served fragrant tea.Although Luo Chongxun was unwilling, he still had to move the chair, but there was disgust in his eyes. After a lot of busy work, the government office finally calmed down. When Cheng Lin saw Di Qing kneeling, she remembered that she still had to try the case.He could only apologize and said with a smile: "I don't know if the Eighth Prince is here, what can you do?" The Eighth Prince said nothing, just looked at his hands, which were clean and delicate, with slender fingers.Cheng Lin's throat was a little itchy, but she didn't dare to cough, so she could only look at the man standing next to the Eighth Prince.Seeing that the man was gray-haired, hunchbacked, and the wrinkles on his face could be used as a washboard, he seemed ready to wash the Eighth Prince again at any time. Cheng Lin suddenly had this idea, she wanted to laugh but didn't dare, her face was even more respectful, and she asked, "Steward Zhao, I don't know if the Eighth Prince is here, why do you want to do it?" Cheng Lin knew that the old man's surname was Zhao. When he was born, the old man was already the steward of the palace. Cheng Lin was cautious and would not offend anyone. Housekeeper Zhao coughed a few times before saying in a hoarse voice, "My lord is not feeling well these days." Cheng Lin couldn't figure it out, and Pang Ji waited quietly.Everyone is thinking that when people are old, they must be confused.The prince is not feeling well, so he shouldn't come to Kaifeng mansion to see a doctor, right? Cheng Lin had no choice but to say: "Then the prince...should..." At first he wanted to suggest to Zhao Yuanyan to rest, but he felt that the word "should" was too abrupt. As a governor, what right did he have to say that to the prince?Sweat oozes from her forehead, Cheng Lin has never worked so hard even in trial. Pang Ji said aside: "Then I don't know if I have invited the imperial doctor? Since the prince is not feeling well, it is appropriate to rest more." Cheng Lin followed, "Yes, yes." Butler Zhao sighed: "Mr. Cheng, you also know that over the years, the prince has suffered from a strange disease, and sometimes he is sober and sometimes confused." Cheng Lin frowned, and just said "hmm".It's not easy for him to deal with this kind of thing.Butler Zhao was outspoken, every word he Cheng Lin said, he had to make a few laps in his intestines. It turned out that Zhao Yuanyan was indeed sick, it was madness!Ever since Zhao Zhen ascended the throne and Empress Dowager Liu listened to the government behind the curtain, Zhao Yuanyan began to feel a little bit wrong.He lived in seclusion, and rarely left the palace for a few days throughout the year.There are rumors that the Eighth Prince is afraid of the empress dowager's suspicion, so he dare not go out.But not long after, Zhao Yuanyan's temper is sometimes manic and sometimes quiet. He may just be friendly with you, but in a blink of an eye, the servant will beat you eighty times. He is a prince, more like half-crazy!Everyone respects Zhao Yuanyan at a respectful distance, and Cheng Lin is no exception.Right now the Eighth Prince is very quiet, but those who are familiar with the nature of the Eighth Prince know that this may just be the calm before the storm. Because Di Qing was kneeling, he happened to be able to see the face of the Eighth Prince hanging down.He was also a little confused, and even began to suspect that the words he just heard were hallucinations.But at this moment, the Eighth Prince suddenly blinked at Di Qing, then lowered his head again.Di Qing froze for a moment, not sure if the Eighth Prince was greeting him.In a blink of an eye, he laughed at himself, how could the Eighth Prince greet him? Steward Zhao was silent for a long time, and finally continued, "When the prince is confused, he sometimes leaves the house. But he is modest by nature and never provokes others. I never expected that someone would dare to be presumptuous to the prince." Everyone thought, who dared to provoke Zhao Yuanyan after eating the guts of a leopard?But what does this have to do with the case?This old bastard came here to gossip, what a fool!If it wasn't for the fact that the speaker was the eighth prince's housekeeper, he would have been kicked out of the Kaifeng government office long ago. Cheng Lin frowned and said, "Who dares to be rude to the prince?" Steward Zhao didn't answer Cheng Lin's question, but continued on his own, "Not only was that man rude to the prince, he even dared to ask someone to beat him. The prince's head was bleeding." Everyone was shocked, Ma Jiliang sneered and said: "It seems that the Kaifeng mansion is really in chaos. Some people dare to beat the prince. Is it really lawless? First there was Di Qing who made trouble, and then someone beat the prince. They didn't pay attention to the royal family and relatives." Li. Cheng Fu Yin, you have managed Kaifeng Mansion very well." He had long been dissatisfied with Cheng Lin's obedience, and secretly sarcastically. Cheng Lin also panicked, and quickly asked, "What happened next? Can the murderer be caught?" Butler Zhao's old face twitched, "No, I'm still in the capital. If someone hadn't stepped forward to save the prince, I'm afraid the prince was really beaten to death by that murderer." Everyone showed incredulous expressions, Luo Chongxun screamed: "Well, such a big thing happened in Kaifeng Mansion, and the Queen Mother didn't know about it. Our family must tell the Queen Mother to know." He suddenly got up, but was caught by Ma Jiliang. Hold on.Ma Jiliang said in a low voice: "Master Luo, you have to listen to the truth." Ma Jiliang was full of schadenfreude, Liu Congde was also excited, his nose was flushed, he squinted at Cheng Lin and Pang Ji, and said, "Butler Zhao, who is the murderer? Tell me, and we will help you find the Queen Mother. Since someone can't control you If there is a problem, then we need to change the person in charge." Steward Zhao said with a sad face: "The person who saved the prince is here in Kaifeng, otherwise how could the prince and I come?" Everyone was surprised when they heard him get to the point, they looked around and asked one after another: "Who saved the prince?" Steward Zhao took a few trembling steps, raised his hand, and drew an arc in the air with his fingertips, which landed in front of someone's nose, "The one who saved the prince is...he!" Everyone looked at the fingertips, their eyeballs almost fell off, Ma Jiliang and others seemed to have been kicked in the face.Butler Zhao was not referring to anyone else, but Di Qing who had been kneeling in front of the hall! Di Qing saved the Eighth Prince?How is this possible?Di Qing was also in a daze, and couldn't figure it out, when did he save the Eighth Prince? Ma Jiliang's thoughts were like lightning, and he said after a while: "Steward Zhao, how is this possible? Have you admitted the wrong person?" Luo Chongxun immediately said: "Even if you didn't admit the wrong person, it is one thing for Di Qing to save the prince, but another to hurt someone , how can it be confused!" Liu Congde squeezed his triangular eyes and said, "Master Luo is absolutely right!" Pang Ji's eyes flickered, and he asked: "Steward Zhao, who was the one who injured the Eighth Prince? This person has the guts to hurt the Prince, but it is a death penalty." Butler Zhao's arm was trembling again. When everyone saw it, they couldn't believe that the person who hurt the prince was also in the Kaifeng government office.When the arm stopped, everyone looked in the direction pointed by his fingertips, and they all froze again.The person Zhao Butler pointed at turned out to be the handsome Ma Jiliang. Ma Jiliang was still calm, and said indifferently: "Housekeeper Zhao, this is the Kaifeng mansion, I didn't say anything. You would never say that I injured the Eighth Prince, would you?" He had never done it, so of course he would not be timid. Steward Zhao lowered his arms and said slowly, "It wasn't you, but the one who injured the prince was your son." Ma Jiliang's face twitched, and he lost his voice: "How is this possible? No matter how daring the dog is, how can he be disrespectful to the prince?" Steward Zhao said coldly: "It is true that he was not disrespectful to the prince, he just wanted to kill him. That day when Di Qing and Ma Zhongli were in front of the Zhuge Tower, the prince happened to pass by, and Ma Zhongli dragged him into it and beat him hard. If it wasn't for Di Qing , the prince may have died a long time ago." Everyone's hearts were beating wildly, Ma Jiliang's face was ashen, sweat flowed from his forehead to the corner of his mouth, and the muscles on his face were beating non-stop, "You mean...that crazy..." He suddenly stopped talking, his face showing horror. Butler Zhao finally said: "You are right, the lunatic Ma Zhongli beat up in the street is the Eighth Prince!" The Kaifeng government office was unprecedentedly quiet, everyone was dumbfounded, they wanted to believe it, but they couldn't believe it. The lunatic Ma Zhongli hit turned out to be the Eighth Prince? Di Qing suddenly raised his head, he couldn't believe it, and there was an uproar outside the hall.Butler Zhao said again: "So today the prince is the witness of Kaifeng Mansion, Di Qing's witness! Chengfu Yin, I don't know how to deal with this lawsuit of beating the prince?" Ma Jiliang's heartbeat almost stopped, no one dared to answer.After a long time, Luo Chongxun breathed out, "Butler Zhao, all these are just your one-sided words." Butler Zhao said angrily, "What does Lord Luo mean? Could it be that I can't fabricate it out of thin air?" Luo Chongxun said indifferently: "Steward Zhao, you just said that the prince has a strange disease, sometimes sober and sometimes confused. May I ask if he was sober or confused when he was beaten in front of the Zhuge Tower?" He asked with deep meaning Well, if Steward Zhao said that the Eighth Prince was awake, it was absolutely impossible, but if he said that the Eighth Prince was confused, he would have more excuses to refute.How can people believe what a foolish person says? Pang Ji frowned, knowing the meaning behind it.Butler Zhao didn't wait to speak, and said in a voice, "Are you trying to say that I'm sick?" The voice was extremely serious and precise.Luo Chongxun's heart trembled, because the person who spoke was actually the Eighth Prince.The Eighth Prince finally raised his head and stared at Luo Chongxun with a serious expression. Everyone thinks that the Eighth Prince's expression is abnormal, but who dares to say that he is sick?Luo Chongxun didn't dare either, so he had no choice but to say: "The lower officials have never said that." "Then do you believe that I was beaten? Do you think... I'm lying?" The Eighth Prince asked again.He spoke clearly, as if he had returned to normal. Luo Chongxun shut up and could only shake his head.Seeing that Luo Chongxun didn't answer, the Eighth Prince looked around and said, "Then who thinks I'm lying?" No one answered.Cheng Lin's head was already two big, she rolled her eyes, and said urgently: "Since there is a change in this case, the government should re-examine it, postpone the case, and withdraw!" Cheng Lin had no choice but to withdraw from the trial.On the one hand, he is the Eighth Prince, and on the other hand, he is the Queen Mother's confidant. He can't afford to offend him either way.He originally wanted to sacrifice Di Qing, but the situation took a turn for the worse, and Cheng Lin lost her mind for a while.Cheng Lin said to withdraw, but no one objected.When Housekeeper Zhao left, he only said, "In this world, good people are in prison cells, and wicked people are at ease." Cheng Lin couldn't answer. Luo Chongxun and the others did not object to withdrawing from the courtroom. They urgently needed to go back to discuss countermeasures. They were sure that Di Qing had no witnesses, but the witness of the Eighth Prince was more effective than the testimony of the whole city. They could only go to the Queen Mother! The Kaifeng government office quickly calmed down, Cheng Lin frowned tightly, and the sparse beard under her chin was about to be scratched off, but she still couldn't think of a way to achieve both.Seeing that Pang Ji was still by his side, he couldn't help asking, "Officer Pang Tui, how do you think this case should be handled?" Pang Ji was still frowning, and replied: "To deal with this case, you only need four words." Cheng Lin was slightly happy, and quickly asked, "Which four words?" Pang Ji said word by word: "Handle with justice!" Cheng Lin was stunned, and felt that Pang Ji's words were thorny, so she looked up to the sky and laughed.I said in my heart, you don’t feel pain in your back when you stand and talk, this case, no matter what... While pondering, a palace official came up and said: "Chengfu Yin, the Empress Dowager has called you to Changchun Palace for an audience." Cheng Lin's heart skipped a beat, and she hurriedly adjusted her clothes and entered the palace.Arriving outside the Changchun Palace where the Empress Dowager lived, after waiting for a while, someone from the palace led Cheng Lin in.The Changchun Palace is prosperous and gorgeous, full of jewels.Cheng Lin lowered her head and raised her eyebrows, not daring to look at it.Walking in front of a beaded curtain, Cheng Lin knelt down and said, "I see the Queen Mother." The bead curtain hangs down to the ground, glowing with pale brilliance, making it hard to see the face of the person behind the bead curtain.But Cheng Lin knew that sitting behind the bead curtain was the number one person in Song Dynasty today, mother of Emperor Zhao Zhen, Empress Dowager Liu E and Liu! When Zhenzong was in power, he believed in gods and ghosts, and built large-scale construction projects, which made the people miserable and complained.In the later period of Zhenzong, he intensified his efforts, praying for God and ignoring the government.Empress Dowager Liu had already taken over the government at that time, and when Zhenzong died and Zhao Zhen was young, Empress Dowager Liu began to listen to politics behind the curtain.Although the Empress Dowager Liu is a woman, she still handles state affairs in a general way, revitalizing the court, promoting water conservancy, rectifying officials, perfecting the imperial examinations, and expelling the traitor Dingwei from the court. Now she controls the court and is extremely dignified. Cheng Lin was able to become the governor of Kaifeng because of the recommendation of Empress Dowager Liu, so she was in awe of the woman behind the curtain. Seeing the silence behind the curtain, Cheng Lin only thought Empress Dowager Liu was angry with herself, and said in a trembling voice, "Empress Dowager, the case of Ma Zhongli...is very tortuous..." Before Cheng Lin could finish speaking, the Empress Dowager behind the curtain said, "I came to you today not to inquire about Ma Zhongli's case." The voice was extremely low, but majestic. Cheng Lin was stunned.Before he entered the palace, he thought Empress Dowager Liu was interfering with Di Qing's case, so he had already prepared his speech, but he didn't expect that it was not the case at all! "Then I don't know what orders the Queen Mother has called?" Cheng Lin asked tentatively. There was silence behind the bead curtain again, and there was no sound for a long time.When Cheng Lin knelt until her legs were numb, Empress Dowager Liu said, "Not long ago, the Maitreya Buddha statue in Daxiangguo Temple was destroyed. How did the investigation go?" Cheng Lin was puzzled, although the destruction of the Xindao Maitreya Buddha statue was a headache, why should the queen mother ask?Suddenly thinking that the statue of Maitreya Buddha was originally built by the Queen Mother, he said in panic: "I have ordered them to rebuild the Buddha's body as soon as possible." Empress Dowager Liu snorted coldly from behind the curtain, seeming to be angry, "What does it matter if the Buddha cultivates or not? But did the person who destroyed the Buddha's body catch him?" Cheng Lin didn't understand why Empress Dowager Liu took this case so seriously all of a sudden, she sweated and said, "Not yet." Empress Dowager Liu sighed softly: "Just now I heard people say that you have been procrastinating in handling the case recently. I didn't believe it at first. Only after seeing you today, I realized that the rumors are true." Cheng Lin knew that it must be Luo Chongxun and others who spoke ill of him, so she said anxiously: "Queen Mother, it's not that I'm not good at doing things, but that the murderer who destroyed the Buddha statue is too unreasonable. I'm confused, and I have no clues, and I have no way to inquire. I don't know that the Queen Mother is so concerned about this, if I go back, I will definitely send more people to investigate immediately." Empress Dowager Liu said slowly: "You don't need to send more people. You'd better withdraw all the people investigating this matter." Cheng Lin asked in surprise: "Why is this?" Since the queen mother is concerned about this matter, why doesn't someone investigate it?Cheng Lin couldn't figure it out even though she wanted to break her head.There was silence again behind the bead curtain, and Cheng Lin complained incessantly, unable to figure out what Empress Dowager Liu intended.It suddenly occurred to me that Empress Dowager Liu wanted to remove me from office, right?At the thought of this, sweat trickled down his forehead again. Empress Dowager Liu finally said again: "I heard that Ye Zhiqiu, the head arrester in Kaifeng, is quick to do things and has repeatedly solved major cases. Chengfu Yin, what do you think of this person?" Cheng Lin didn't dare to speak nonsense, and said vaguely: "This person is indeed agile and has repeatedly solved important cases." He said that he didn't say anything, but Empress Dowager Liu seemed a little satisfied, and said in a deep voice: "Is this person trustworthy?" Cheng Lin thought for a long time before saying: "Three generations of the Ye family are responsible for arresting heads in Kaifeng. Ye Zhiqiu is a man with strong martial arts skills, and he is fully responsible for arresting heads!" Empress Dowager Liu pondered for a long time, "Then Xuan Ye Zhiqiu will enter the palace. Chengfu Yin, you should step down." Cheng Lin stepped back, and Ye Zhiqiu immediately entered the palace.When Ye Zhiqiu entered the palace, he was also very strange. He didn't know why the queen mother wanted him.Although he is a famous arrester, his status is really different from that of the Empress Dowager, and he has no contact with the Empress Dowager at all, but why does the Empress Dowager want to see him? After entering the palace, although Ye Zhiqiu still had the sharpness of a sword, he restrained himself deliberately.After a long silence behind the bead curtain, the queen mother said: "Ye Zhiqiu, I know that three generations of your family have worked in the Kaifeng government office in the capital. When the Taizu established the country and Bianjing was in chaos, your grandfather Ye Fang solved three hundred and seventy-seven major cases and killed One hundred and sixty-three giant thieves. For a while, they intimidated the capital, and everyone in the Xiaomoo family was terrified when they heard about it." Ye Zhiqiu's eyes were strange, and he said in a deep voice, "The Queen Mother has praised you." Empress Dowager Liu said again: "Later, your father inherited his father's business, just like your grandfather, he eradicated traitors and evil, and was loyal to the court. Now you are a head arrester. In the past few years, you have solved countless cases and arrested many There are also hundreds of great thieves. The cases handled have never been wronged, very good!" Ye Zhiqiu replied: "Eat the king's salary, and share the worries with the king. I don't want to be ashamed of my duties!" Empress Dowager Liu nodded behind the curtain and said, "Well said. Do you know why I'm looking for you today?" Ye Zhiqiu shook his head and said, "I'm so blunt, I can't guess what the Empress Dowager is thinking." Empress Dowager Liu sighed softly, "Because I need a loyal and capable person who can secretly help me with something. I think you still meet my requirements." Ye Zhiqiu's heart trembled a little, knowing that the Queen Mother was so cautious, how to handle this matter is still secondary, but if he learns the secret, it may be the root of his lifelong illness. Seeing Ye Zhiqiu's silence, Empress Dowager Liu said calmly, "Don't you dare to take the responsibility?" Ye Zhiqiu's mind was spinning, seeing that there was no way to avoid it, he gritted his teeth and said, "I will do my best to live up to the empress dowager's trust!" Empress Dowager Liu said with satisfaction: "Very good." After pondering for a while, she added: "Of course you know about the destruction of the Maitreya Buddha statue in the Tianwang Hall in Daxiangguo Temple?" Ye Zhiqiu frowned and said, "I'm in charge of the case. But that person came and went strangely, leaving no clues at all. I haven't found the murderer yet." Empress Dowager Liu suddenly asked, "Do you think he is from Tubo?" Ye Zhiqiu shivered, and lost his voice: "Why is the queen mother guessing like this?" Ye Zhiqiu knew that King Duowen was Maitreya Buddha's subordinate. Maitreya Buddha said something in Tubo, so Ye Zhiqiu went to Tubo to search for a long time, but found nothing.What Ye Zhiqiu didn't expect was that the queen mother also suspected that it was the Tubo people who destroyed the Buddha statue.Why is the Queen Mother so suspicious?Why did the Heavenly King Duowen want to destroy the Buddha statue?Why would the Queen Mother pay attention to this matter?Ye Zhiqiu couldn't figure it out, and didn't dare to ask further questions. It took a long time for the queen mother to say: "I just have this feeling." Ye Zhiqiu felt that what the queen mother said was insincere, so he didn't pursue the question, and changed the subject, "Does the queen mother want me to try my best to find the culprit who destroyed the Buddha statue?" The Empress Dowager shook her head behind the curtain and said, "No. Alas, when the late emperor died and left a heavenly book, you must also know about it?" Ye Zhiqiu said: "I know a thing or two." He actually knows a lot, but he doesn't want to say more. At that time, Zhenzong believed, and one day he told his officials that he saw the god and man descending in the temple.The god man told Zhenzong that if he wanted to build a dojo in the main hall, he would send a book from heaven to Zhenzong.Later, Zhenzong really built a dojo and waited. He got the scriptures in the south of Zuo Chengtian Gate, and the officials were shocked.But more people privately believed that the book on this day was forged by Zhenzong, and it was done by Zhenzong to strengthen the imperial prestige, but who dared to say more at that time? Since then, Zhenzong has been obsessed with Taoism, obsessed with auspiciousness, and ignored the government.However, officials from all over the country voted for their favor, and the whole country in the Song Dynasty competed for auspicious images, which made the world miserable and the people miserable. After Zhenzong's death, Empress Dowager Liu buried all the auspicious scriptures from heaven with Zhao Heng in Yongding Mausoleum. Although it was somewhat disrespectful, it also made the world breathe a sigh of relief.Since then, both the court and the central government knew that the Empress Dowager did not like ghosts and auspiciousness, so no one mentioned the Book of Auspiciousness before the Empress Dowager. Knowing these things, Ye Zhiqiu was even more surprised why Empress Dowager Liu took the initiative to mention the Tianshu. Empress Dowager Liu seemed to see Ye Zhiqiu's doubts, and sighed: "I buried most of the things of the late emperor in Yongding Mausoleum. But there is only one thing that I kept. But every time I see that thing, I always feel sad, so Putting that object in the Maitreya Buddha statue in Daxiangguo Temple, and every time you worship, thinking about the relics of the former emperor here is better than nothing." Ye Zhiqiu suddenly came to his senses, "Could it be that the thief already knew about this, so he destroyed the image and took the object?" Empress Dowager Liu praised: "You are really smart. The thief destroyed the Maitreya Buddha statue, of course he was greedy for the relics of the late emperor. I called you here this time because I want you to go all out to track down the whereabouts of the thief. You must do everything in this matter." Do not disclose it to others." Ye Zhiqiu wondered: "I should do my best. But what shape is that thing?" Empress Dowager Liu was silent for a long time, and said slowly: "That thing is about the size of a child's fist, and it is black and round. It has two seal characters written on it, called Wulong!" Ye Zhiqiu was full of doubts, thinking to himself what the hell is Wulong?If it is important, why did the Empress Dowager mold it?But if it's not important, why is the Queen Mother so cautious?But since the Empress Dowager didn't say anything, Ye Zhiqiu could only look for it, not ask, respectfully said: "I know everything, I must bring that thief to justice, and return the five dragons to Zhao." 刘太后淡淡道：“那五龙定要想办法取回来，至于谁拿了五龙，你就杀了谁，不必带回来了！”