Happy rivers and lakes

Chapter 11 The Jade Pendant Incident

Seeing my interaction with Zhan Zhao, Bai Yutang felt a little uncomfortable, so he said to his brothers: "My brothers, I decided to go to Kaifeng Mansion with them to plead guilty to Mr. Bao."

"Fifth brother..., if you don't want to, even if our elder brothers try their best not to, we won't let their two cats take you away." Lu Fang, the elder brother, Zhan Tianshu, said, and the others echoed.I looked at Bai Yutang and the brothers from the side, and nodded, they really have deep brotherhood!

"Aren't you bothered by me? Asking Bai Yutang to go to Kaifeng Mansion won't kill him. It's just asking him to go to Kaifeng Mansion to return the jade pendant, and Mr. Bao will intercede with the emperor. It can pass. Zhaozhao and I can guarantee that Bai Yutang will not lose a single hair."

"Okay, we brothers will trust you two cats once, but if our fifth brother loses a hair, we will have to pay the price even if we fight our lives." Several brothers of Bai Yutang stared at me fiercely. Yu Zhaozhao said so.

And Bao Zheng also got the detailed process of "civet cat for prince" from Concubine Li.Bao Zheng was so shocked that he falsely claimed that Concubine Li was brought back to Kaifeng by a distant relative who had been lost for many years. She settled down properly and called her an old lady.

Concubine Li told Bao Zheng that Concubine Li gave birth to a son first, and Concubine Liu instigated the eunuch Guo Huai to collude with the midwife in order to fight for the post. She exchanged the skinned civet cat for the baby and lied that Concubine Li gave birth to a monster and ordered her to inherit the baby. The court lady Kou Zhu took the baby out of the city, strangled it to death and buried it.Kou Zhu couldn't bear to hand over the baby to the chief eunuch Chen Lin, so he decided to take the baby out of the palace and hand it over to the Eighth Prince.

After Concubine Li was cast into the cold palace, although Concubine Liu immediately gave birth to a son, the prince died of illness at the age of six. Zhenzong chose someone from among the princes to enter the East Palace, and the Eighth Prince took the opportunity to send Renzong, who was only seven years old at the time, back The palace was able to succeed to the throne.In order to avoid future troubles, Empress Liu framed Concubine Li and caused her death by Zhenzong. Chen Lin, Leng Palace chief Qin Feng, and eunuch Yu Zhong desperately rescued Concubine Li, and Yu Zhong pretended to be Concubine Li to die instead.

Originally, Qin Feng had arranged a pick-up person for the empress outside the city, but luckily, that person died of an illness on the way to pick up Concubine Li to the refuge, so Concubine Li lived in the market, wandering around, begging For a living, Zhang Yi was adopted as his adopted son, and the two depended on each other for life. Concubine Li shed tears all day long, crying and blinding her eyes until now. Because he is proficient in the art of Qi and Huang, he intends to heal Concubine Li's eyes.

Xiang Ye visited Kaifeng at night to remind Bao Zheng that the emperor was very embarrassed in front of Pang Taishi and Pang Niangniang by beheading Pang Yu. The strategy should be appropriate, so that people will not be suspicious.The emperor asked about the case of stealing the adornment, and ordered Bao Zheng to capture Bai Yutang and bring him to the palace immediately.It is extremely unusual for Bao Zheng to return to Beijing with his family. Even the emperor has heard about it.Gongsun Ce diagnosed that Concubine Li's eyes were falsely blind, and decided to treat Concubine Li with golden needles passing through the acupoints. As long as she pays attention to recuperation, she will recover soon.

Bao Zheng finally decided to go to Nanqing Palace to start the investigation. Bao Zheng tried to find out the origin of the jade pendant lost by the emperor this time. The Eighth Prince only said that it was a relic of the previous emperor. The concubine was given to the current emperor, but she still refused to reveal which empress it was.Zhan Zhao and I immediately took Bai Yutang back to Kaifeng and presented the jade pendant to Bao Zheng.

Renzong's jade pendant was relieved when he lost it. Empress Liu inquired and Renzong took out the jade pendant to show it to her. Empress Liu was secretly shocked when she saw the pendant. Knowing that Renzong had met Li Concubine a long time ago, although he pretended to be innocent, there was a warning sign.Later Liu came to the Lenggong, which had been closed for 20 years, and the palace was still the scene after the fire. Guo Huai repeatedly stated that he had witnessed the body of Concubine Li who was given to death when he was ordered to verify his body. concubine.Empress Liu fell ill in bed with a guilty conscience. After visiting, Renzong questioned Guo Huai. The cold palace was withdrawn and rebuilt for other purposes.

The four mice also came to Kaifeng because they were worried about Bai Yutang.Feeling the loyalty of the Five Rats, Bao Zheng asked Renzong for an amnesty, and asked Bai Yutang to pay off his crimes as a condition for the amnesty, and Prime Minister Wang also suggested that Renzong would agree to it.In order to find out the truth about the civet cat exchange for the prince, Bao Zheng ordered Zhang Long and Zhao Hu to pick up the retired leader eunuch Chen Lin.Bao Zheng ordered the Five Rats to support Zhang Long and Zhao Hu to protect Chen Lin from going to Beijing, so that in the future, when Renzong's mother and son recognize each other, they will make great contributions and make up for it.

And Zhaozhao and I met Concubine Li under the arrangement of Bao Zheng and were responsible for guarding Concubine Li.In order to test whether the Eighth Prince is still loyal, Bao Zheng asks Concubine Li for an interview with the golden pill given by Zhenzong.

Empress Liu was bedridden because she was frightened when she went to the cold palace the day before yesterday, worried that Concubine Li and Kou Zhu, who died twenty years ago, would come to claim their lives, and she was restless.When Renzong visited Empress Liu, he heard that Empress Liu could not sleep all night, so he told Guo Huai to go to the Eighth Prince's Mansion of Nanqing Palace in person, and ordered to take Anshenlu for Empress Liu to take.

At this time, in the Eighth Prince’s mansion, Bao Zheng brought Concubine Li to come. The Eighth Prince knew that Concubine Li was still alive, and after learning how and how he escaped from the palace, he was greatly comforted. The Eighth Prince told Concubine Li that today Emperor Renzong is his own son. He recalled the scene when Chen Lin sent the prince to the palace. Because the palace struggles had always been there since ancient times, it was difficult to convince the emperor with one-sided words, and considering the safety of the prince, so the conspiracy was not revealed at that time. expose.

The Eighth Prince went to Renshou Palace with Renzong on the grounds of visiting Empress Liu. Just as Empress Liu was asking about Concubine Li's surname, the Emperor and the Eighth Prince arrived.Renzong and Concubine Li finally met. Concubine Li shed tears because she couldn't restrain the excitement in her heart. Renzong was very concerned when he saw this, and ordered Bao Zheng to give Concubine Li justice as soon as possible.Empress Liu insisted on inviting her to stay overnight in an attempt to test her further. Zhan Zhao and I were unable to resist the order, and we knew that keeping Concubine Li in the palace would be a dangerous situation, so we had to stay in the palace together to protect Concubine Li. The more it looks like Concubine Li back then, and Guo Huai repeatedly said that he had inspected Concubine Li's body with his own eyes. In order to confirm her identity, Empress Liu ordered Guo Huai to invite Concubine Li to the bedroom for interrogation.

Zhaozhao said that Gongsun Ce was treating Concubine Li's eyes. Because of the medicine, he fell asleep every night, so he couldn't be called. Zhaozhao and I had to stay outside the wing to prevent them from being disturbed. Empress Liu tried every means and finally remembered that Concubine Li had a hair on the back of her neck. The heart-shaped birthmark was found on the back of Concubine Li's neck to prove her identity by using the maid's dressing for Concubine Li. Empress Liu was shocked and immediately ordered Guo Huai to kill the grass and eradicate it.Guo Huai was about to lead someone to harm Li Concubine, Zhao Zhao and I had already been vigilant in taking Li Concubine out of the palace, and Bao Zheng even greeted him outside the palace, so that Li Concubine returned safely to the government office.

At this time, Liu Hou was sure that Bao Zheng knew about it and reconsidered the past. It turned out that the fire in the cold palace that night was not accidental. He suddenly realized that Kou Zhu's suicide was not wronged but to cover up the whereabouts of the baby, and Chen Lin was the one who took the baby out of the palace. .The Five Rats, Zhang Long and Zhao Hu have also found Chen Lin and are on their way back to Beijing.Concubine Li's eyes opened up her stagnant meridians with tears when she saw Renzong, and now she can see a little light, and everyone is very happy.Empress Liu and Guo Huai were worried in the palace that if the Eighth Prince got involved in something, he would face an unprecedented disaster.

In order to prevent future troubles, he immediately ordered Guo Huai to send someone to intercept and kill Chen Lin on the way back to Beijing.When Chen Lin, the guard of the Five Rats, came to Beijing, he encountered a killer on the way to assassinate him. At this time, the Five Rats showed their effectiveness. Although there were many killers, they were no match for the Five Rats.In order to ensure the safety of Chen Lin and Concubine Li in the mansion, Bai Yutang offered to leave a covert witness witness. Bao Zheng allowed Bai Yutang to stay alone, considering that Zhan Zhao and I were unable to separate ourselves.In order to deceive others, Gongsun Ce asked Bai Yutang to leave with the other four mice and return quietly.

Seeing that Concubine Li is still alive, but she is blind, Chen Lin blames herself, and explains the situation back then. It turned out that the eunuch Yu Zhong and Concubine Li looked alike and asked to die for Guo Huai. It is not the true image of Concubine Li herself, and she generously sacrificed her body to destroy the corpse by burning the cold palace. After the person who took care of Concubine Li outside the palace died of a sudden illness, Chen Lin lost contact with Concubine Li and did not know her whereabouts. The baby was sent to the Mansion of the Eighth Prince, so that the Eighth Prince would take care of Renzong's growth with all his heart and no time for other things.As for Kou Zhu, she was discovered by Guo Huai because she visited Concubine Li in the Leng Palace many times. Empress Liu had doubts about the life and death of the baby and forced her to question Kou Zhu. Empress Liu stopped investigating, and only then did the prince grow up in the palace safe and sound.

Guo Huai made a proposal to Empress Liu to silence Concubine Li, Chen Lin, and Bao Zheng together to avoid future troubles.Bao Zheng sighed and decided to visit the Eighth Prince again the next day to start the investigation, but Guo Huai had already sent men into the government office to assassinate at night.All the killers came out to attack Kaifeng Mansion at night. Fortunately, everyone in Kaifeng Mansion worked together to wipe out all the assassins.Seeing that the situation was urgent, Bao Zheng decided to take Chen Lin to see the Eighth Prince tomorrow if he did not step up the investigation. He was afraid that there would be more drastic measures.After discussing with the Eighth Prince, Bao Zheng felt that Renzong respected Empress Liu as his mother, and it was difficult to accept the facts for a while. He decided that it should be done step by step. report.

Because Empress Liu knew it well, she would not let him go easily, so Chen Lin could only pretend to be entrusted by Kou Zhu's family to apply for compensation for the survivors, and deliberately appeared to be very embarrassed to beg Renzong for help. Renzong immediately issued an order without knowing the inside story Guo Huai went to Kaifeng to testify.Empress Liu suddenly felt something was wrong, and wanted to see Renzong and asked him to take back his life, but was stopped by Guo Huai. He was afraid that Bao Zheng would use this as an excuse to make a big fuss, and he thought that Bao Zheng would have nothing to do, so Liu Hou sent the palace guards go together.

We have already made preparations. Bai Yutang and I will be responsible for the safety of Concubine Li, and Zhan Zhao will guard the gate of the mansion to prevent the guards from entering. Guo Huai has no choice but to enter the mansion alone.Guo Huai suggested that the case can be closed only by handing over the pension to the family members without going to court for trial, while Bao Zheng started the trial according to the court rules.After Bao Zheng was promoted, he turned around and forced Guo Huai to question the cause of Kou Zhu's death. Guo Huai insisted that it was because Kou Zhu missed his family, so he escaped from the palace but was arrested and came back. Zhu was originally an orphan, so why should his family miss him.Bao Zheng raises doubts, but Guo Huai can't justify himself. Knowing that there is trouble, he lifts Liu Hou up and intends to suppress Bao Zheng, but Bao Zheng is unmoved, and Guo Huai is put in prison for trial as a suspect in killing Kou Zhu.

Zhan Zhao sent the accompanying guards back to the palace on the grounds that Mr. Bao wanted to keep Guo Huai in the government office for further hearing.Bao Zheng knew that Guo Huai had come prepared, so he used an aggressive strategy to make him panic, and even sent Chen Lin to visit the prison, forcing Guo Huai to tell the truth and urge him to confess his guilt.Bao Zheng sent Chen Lin to visit the prison with an aggressive strategy, forcing Guo Huai to tell the truth at the time and urging him to plead guilty, but Guo Huai denied what happened back then, and he was more convinced that Bao Zheng would not commit suicide in a situation without evidence and evidence. His subordinate beheaded Chen Lin, but returned without success.However, Bao Zheng found that Guo Huai believed in ghosts and gods.

Before Guo Huai came to the government office, he discussed with Empress Liu. If he did not return to the palace before nightfall, he would send an order to the dignitaries in Kaifeng. Just in case, I went to the Eighth Prince’s Mansion and asked the Eighth Prince to come to Kaifeng in person to fight against Empress Liu. Yizhi.Seeing that Guo Huai had gone for a long time and did not return, Empress Liu knew that Guo Huai had been detained by Bao Zheng, so she personally issued an edict from the Queen Mother to Bao Zheng. Mace forcibly blocked the Queen Mother Yizhi.Bao Zheng and Gongsun Ce decided to interrogate Guo Huai at night after meeting with Gongsun Ce.

When he was promoted to the hall, Guo Huai still denied all the accusations. He secretly thought that Bao Zheng would never be able to present witnesses and was complacent. Unexpectedly, Bao Zheng heard the ghost of Kou Zhu in the hall. It turned out that Gongsun Ce knew that Guo Huai was guilty and superstitious about ghosts and gods, so he searched for an actress whose appearance was close to Kou Zhu. After Chen Lin pointed out Kou Zhu's words and deeds and related things back then, he pretended to be Kou Zhu's dead soul, and pretended to be Bao Zheng. It has the ability to judge yang by day and break yin by night.

Sure enough, Guo Huai pleaded guilty in court with a guilty conscience.In front of Renzong, Liu Hou told the past events and felt deeply for his whole life. When Renzong asked why Guo Huai was not there, Liu Hou took the opportunity to tell Renzong about Bao Zheng and the Eighth Prince's refusal to release them with the golden mace bestowed by the former emperor. Urgently announced that Bao Zheng entered the palace to question.Gongsun Ce's treatment of Concubine Li's eye disease was finally effective.Bao Zheng took the opportunity to submit a pleading paper, reporting to Renzong the whole story of the case of replacing the civet cat with the prince, and told Renzong that the old lady who should be seen in Liu's harem was his biological mother, and asked Renzong to admit his mother immediately.