【Chapter 170, War in Troubled Times 19】

All Yu Hanjiang's conjectures are just theoretical speculations. The only actual evidence is the rag Lin Shaobo is holding tightly in his hand - a rag with the same color and material as the guard's clothes, which is the key to this case.

physical evidence.

Thinking of this, Yu Hanjiang looked at Long Sen and said, "How many sets of clothes do the guards of the palace have?"

Long Sen said: "We all made two sets of clothes of the same color and style for changing."

Yu Hanjiang said: "You are the chief guard of the palace. When you go back, immediately summon all the guards and check their clothes carefully. There is another set of clothes on you to see who has missing a piece of clothes or is wearing something.

Traces of sewing.”

Long Sen nodded immediately: "I understand, I'll check it out right now."

No matter who is the mastermind behind the scenes, it is very likely that the person who directly killed Lin Shaobo was the palace guard. Otherwise, Lin Shaobo would not have torn off a piece of cloth from the opponent's sleeve during the struggle. To find the murderer from the physical evidence,

This is the safest way at present.

In order to find out whether the Eighth Prince was involved in the rebellion, Yu Hanjiang decided to go back to the Yu family in Jiangzhou to ask his elderly grandfather. According to the setting, his grandfather once held the position of prime minister and later resigned and returned to his hometown. Yu Hanjiang also followed his grandfather in

I grew up in Jiangzhou.

Yu Hanjiang worked as the prince's companion for a period of time when he was a child. In this world, his age is similar to that of the prince, who is now His Majesty, in his early twenties. His grandfather's age is similar to that of the late emperor, already over 70 years old.

The old man may know some secrets.

At noon that day, Yu Hanjiang took Xiao Lou back to Yu's house.

Yu Hanjiang's father did not pursue an official career. He recited poems and painted paintings all day long. He became an idle scholar and stayed in Jiangzhou. When Yu Hanjiang went to Beijing to take the exam, his father even stopped him. Unfortunately, Yu Hanjiang had a stubborn temper and was full of enthusiasm.

I went to take the exam and came back with a top score.

The Yu family lives on the outskirts of Jiangzhou City. The whole courtyard is quiet and simple, and it looks like they belong to a scholarly family.

Stepping into the house, Yu Hanjiang felt a sense of familiarity in his heart. After all, in the plot setting, he grew up here.

When the guard at the door saw him, his face was full of surprise and he said excitedly: "Master, the young lady is back? Go and report it now!"

Yu Hanjiang nodded, gently held Xiao Lou's shoulders and walked into the courtyard. The two walked along the bluestone road to the hall. Their parents had received the news and rushed over. Yu Hanjiang and Xiao Lou saluted the elders together.

Although these two were not Yu Hanjiang's real parents, they were just characters set in the plot, but they were suddenly brought back to "meet the parents". Xiao Lou still felt awkward and could only bite the bullet and act with Yu Hanjiang, shouting: "Dad,

mother."

Father Yu asked: "Hanjiang, when did you come to Jiangzhou to take office? Why don't you always visit home?"

Yu Hanjiang explained: "My son has just arrived in Jiangzhou and has a lot of official duties to deal with. He has been very busy these days. I just took some time to go home for a visit today. Dad and Mom, how are you doing these days?"

Mother Yu smiled and said, "Everything is fine with your father and I, but you two have lost weight after not seeing each other for three years?" She looked at Xiao Lou with a loving expression on her face: "Xiao Lou, you are following Han Jiang in Kyoto.

, have you suffered a lot?"

Xiao Loudao: "Mom, please don't say that. My husband is busy with official duties in Kyoto, so it's appropriate for me to stay with him."

He himself felt nauseous about this line, but he still had to bite the bullet and continue acting.

Yu Hanjiang quickly changed the subject: "Where is grandpa? Why aren't you at home?"

Father Yu said: "Your grandfather goes fishing in the mountains every day, and he hasn't come back yet."

Mother Yu looked at Xiao Lou and said warmly, "Just stay at home and eat. Mom will ask the kitchen to prepare some delicious food for you."

Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang chatted with their parents for a while.

It was not until lunch time that the grandfather came back leisurely with a fishing rod and fishing basket. There were a few freshly caught fish in his fishing basket. When he saw his grandson and granddaughter-in-law coming back, the old man narrowed his eyes with joy and immediately took the fish.

The fish is given to the cook to stew in soup.

Xiao Lou stayed in the side hall to talk to Yu's mother, while Yu Hanjiang found an opportunity to ask his grandfather to go to the study alone.

He briefly told his grandfather what happened in the palace.

Although Grandpa Yu is old, he is in very good spirits. Hearing that someone died in the palace, the old man frowned slightly, stroked his long beard, and said: "This matter is not simple, you have to investigate carefully.

, but you must also learn to be wise and protect yourself. If you shouldn’t know something, just pretend you don’t know it, so as not to get yourself into trouble.”

Hearing what grandpa meant, Yu Hanjiang asked in a low voice: "Grandpa, you served as the prime minister for the late emperor for more than ten years. Why did the late emperor pass the throne to his grandson instead of the prince?"

Grandpa Yu sighed softly: "Sigh... This matter is a long story, and the late Emperor had no choice but to do it."

Yu Hanjiang sat next to him and listened carefully: "You have no choice? What is the reason?"

Grandpa Yu said: "The former emperor had very few heirs. Many princes died soon after they were born. Only five princes survived, the eldest prince, the third prince, the fifth prince, the sixth prince and the eighth prince. The eldest prince is the eldest son, and he is the eldest son.

Born to the empress of the main palace, the late emperor loved the eldest prince the most and made him the crown prince when he was still in his infancy."

Thinking of what happened back then, the grandfather couldn't help but feel a trace of sadness on his face: "The eldest prince is talented, kind-hearted, humble and studious. The ministers also think that he will be the best candidate for succession. However, he is twenty years old."

When I was young, I went hunting and was injured by a poisonous arrow, killing me on the spot. After investigation, I found that it was actually the third prince who sent someone to do it. His Majesty was so angry that he simply gave the third prince a glass of poisonous wine."

Yu Hanjiang was startled: "So it was the third prince who assassinated His Highness the Crown Prince? His Majesty ordered him to death in anger?"

Grandpa Yu said: "Well, the secrets of the royal family are naturally not easy to spread. After the eldest prince passed away early, the position of the prince was temporarily vacant. Your Majesty wanted to carefully examine the other princes before making a decision, but not long after, the queen also

He passed away from the illness, and later on the investigation revealed that it was actually Concubine Shu who poisoned the queen to death, and Concubine Ming poisoned Concubine Shu, and also involved the forces behind the fifth and sixth princes."

"The concubines in the harem used cruel methods to compete for favor, which made the late emperor feel discouraged, so the late emperor secretly made a decree that one day after his death, all his concubines would be buried in his honor."

After hearing this story, Yu Hanjiang also found it thrilling. He thought about it carefully and said: "The third prince was given poisonous wine by the late emperor. The fifth and sixth princes joined forces with their mother and concubine to seize power, but the eighth prince... was the original prince.

The eighth prince did not participate in the fight for the crown prince's position, so why did the late emperor not consider making him the crown prince?"

Grandpa Yu smiled and said: "The Eighth Prince is the one who sees it most thoroughly. Among the several princes of the late emperor, he was knowledgeable and talented. He was also the best candidate for the crown prince. When the late emperor originally consulted us ministers,

, everyone suggested establishing the eighth prince. However, just when the late emperor decided to establish the eighth prince as heir apparent, he took the initiative to submit a memorial, suggesting that the late emperor set a rule that in the future, the throne of Daqi would only be passed to the legitimate son of the empress.

When the legitimate son passes on to the eldest son, the order must not be disrupted, so as to avoid the fight for the crown prince in future generations."

In history, it is not uncommon for fights for the crown prince's position to lead to bloodshed. The Eighth Prince obviously understood the principle of "being wise and protecting oneself". At that time, he and his mother and concubine had no power. If Your Majesty appointed him as the crown prince, he would

He became the next scapegoat and was jointly suppressed by the fifth and sixth princes. Did he really have no intention of being powerful back then, or was he pretending to be a pig and waiting for the best opportunity?

Grandpa's next statement gave Yu Hanjiang the answer: "The year the late emperor passed away, the prince succeeded to the throne. The prince was only eighteen years old at the time. The fifth and sixth princes raised troops to force the palace. It was the eighth prince who assisted the prince and cooperated internally and externally to put down the rebellion. Although your majesty is still young today,

He was young, but had foresight. He had long expected that the two imperial uncles would not be peaceful, and made arrangements in advance when the late emperor was seriously ill. Poor two princes, they looked down upon this young nephew too much, and they were messed up in the palace.

They were shot to death by arrows, and finally His Majesty found an excuse for 'death of illness' and buried them."

Yu Hanjiang: "..."

Yu Hanjiang, who had just passed the No. 1 exam, didn't know what happened back then. But now he suddenly realized it when his grandfather told him.

Many of the struggles in the palace are secrets that cannot be told outside. Although my grandfather is old and living in seclusion in Jiangzhou, there are several high-ranking ministers in the court who are his disciples, and he has his own sources of information.

When Yu Hanjiang heard this, he couldn't help but wonder - if the eighth prince really wanted to rebel, wouldn't it be easier for the prince to rebel when he had just ascended the throne and his position was not yet stable? Why should he help the prince to put down the rebellion of the other two princes?

It has been four years since the crown prince ascended the throne. Most of the important officials in the imperial court are very convinced of his Majesty. His Majesty has gradually cultivated his own confidants. If the Eighth Prince wants to rebel again, he has already missed the best opportunity.

Could it be that the Eighth Prince is really an idle prince who only loves beauty and has no interest in politics?

Yu Hanjiang frowned slightly and fell into deep thought.

Grandpa Yu said with emotion: "Being in the royal family, sometimes you have no choice but to do it. During the harem struggle back then, many concubines, princes and princesses died in vain. The eighth prince and ninth princess are your majesty's few relatives."

Yu Hanjiang suddenly remembered the secret letter His Majesty sent to the Eighth Prince...

Is my guess wrong?

It happened that his mother asked someone to pass on the food, so Yu Hanjiang helped his elderly grandfather to go with her.

The family had a reunion dinner around the dining table. Yu Hanjiang chatted with his parents for a while before taking Xiao Lou to leave.

After leaving the Yu family, Xiao Lou asked with a smile: "How was it? Did you gain anything from this trip?"

Yu Hanjiang whispered: "Our reasoning may be wrong again."

Xiao Loudao: "You mean, the Eighth Prince is not suspected of treason?"

Yu Hanjiang nodded: "Judging from grandpa's description, the Eighth Prince doesn't look like that kind of person. It is said that when the late emperor died and the Crown Prince succeeded to the throne, the fifth and sixth princes joined forces to attack the palace. It was His Majesty and the Eighth Prince who cooperated internally and externally to put down the rebellion. Then

Both princes were shot to death in the palace by random arrows. If the eighth prince wants to rebel, there is no need to wait until His Majesty's wings are full before he takes action."

Xiao Lou was a little surprised when he heard this: "So it seems that the Eighth Prince is actually very loyal to His Majesty?"

Yu Hanjiang said: "Since His Majesty is a far-sighted person, if he is afraid of the Eighth Prince, he will not be so stupid as to let the Eighth Prince's legitimate daughter, Princess Shu'an, marry to the Kingdom of Zhao for marriage, leaving him such a big hidden danger."

Xiao Lou thought about it carefully and said, "By asking the Eighth Prince to form an alliance with the State of Zhao, does it mean that His Majesty actually trusts the Eighth Prince?"

Yu Hanjiang said thoughtfully: "His Majesty also gave the Eighth Prince a secret letter. I don't know what it said. Maybe our reasoning has gone astray. The Eighth Prince is not planning to rebel, but joining forces with Your Majesty... to suppress Jiang."

Possible rebel forces in the state?”

Xiao Lou's eyes lit up: "That makes sense! The prince has changed from a villain to a decent person. Someone wants to rebel, but it's not the eighth prince. He is on the same boat as your majesty?"

The process of reasoning is essentially peeling off the cocoon. If one idea is wrong, immediately change to another.

There are too many clues involved in the murder case in the palace. At first, it was thought to be a fight in the back house, and the affair between the fourth lady and Lin Shaobo was discovered before being silenced; later, it was suspected that it was a guard, and the eighth prince was treason...

Now I found out that it was all wrong.

Lin Shaobo is not the murderer, Qin Huwei is not the murderer, and the Eighth Prince is probably not the murderer either.

So, who sneaked into the palace and killed two people on the prince's birthday?
To be continued...