Chapter 84: Claiming the Throne

The old sealed case of the Si Li Jian, a ruthless killer, the Shizi of Jing Wang Fu.

Clues interweave one by one, yet they don't make the truth's puzzle clearer... instead, it becomes more blurred.

Does the Shizi have a problem or not?

Why did the Wu family extermination tragic case occur, why was the killer so vicious towards the Wu family's main wife?

Who exactly is the killer?

Investigated for a night, no answer was obtained, only more questions.

Inside the imperial prison's case file library, there was silence, the oil lamp's flame was straight, as if the air no longer circulated.

Until the lamp wick sputtered and exploded a small spark, West Wind then advised in a low voice: "My lord, let's not touch this case for now, wait until Jin Zhu my lord returns."

Chen Ji sat at the opposite table and hummed, saying with a smile: "This is indeed not a case we can touch, you and I will just treat it as a ghostly matter and no longer pursue it."

As soon as the words fell, they saw the oil lamp's flame on the table sway, and a cold wind surged up from the depths of the imperial prison.

Chen Ji felt an icy flow surging from the deep layer of the imperial prison, just like last time, as long as he stayed in this imperial prison long enough, the icy flow would naturally come to find him.

West Wind felt the cold wind, immediately stood up alertly and drew his knife, looking coldly towards the source of the cold wind: "My lord, did you feel that gust of yin wind just now?"

Chen Ji was amused: "I still thought you really didn't believe there were ghosts in this world."

West Wind was a bit embarrassed for a moment: "Everyone says there are, although I've never seen them, I always have doubts in my heart. This world even has immortals, what if there really are ghosts?"

This time it was Chen Ji's turn to be startled for a while, "Are there really immortals? Have you seen them?"

West Wind said in a low voice: "The Vice Director of our Da Ning Dynasty's Qin Tian Jian, Xu Shu, is a reincarnated immortal!"

"Eh..."

Chen Ji was surprised, he had heard this name.

Previously on the Double Ninth Festival, when the Buddha Bodhisattva patrolled past the door of Taiping Medical Hall, master once mentioned this Xu Shu.

According to what was said, he was the only son of Xu Ge Lao Xu Gong, and after accidentally dying, Xu Ge Lao looked at the complete edition of Qing Shan. He spent a lot of money to invite the abbot of Yuan Jue Temple to mold a flesh body for him with the seven treasures lotus lamp, and he lived another life.

How did he become a reincarnated immortal in West Wind's mouth?

Chen Ji asked doubtfully: "I remember he is Xu Ge Lao's son, right, how did he become an immortal?"

West Wind thought for a moment and then said: "I don't know how he became an immortal, but this is what Wu Xiu my lord personally told Jin Zhu my lord, many people in the Si Li Jian heard it, Wu Xiu my lord would not speak nonsense."

"Wu Xiu?"

"He is our Si Li Jian's Bing Bi Grand Eunuch, now serving by Wan Sui Ye's side, a big figure in the inner court. Let's go, my lord, it's late, I'll see you back."

Chen Ji thought and then said: "Please trouble West Wind to avoid for a while, I want to take advantage of the brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone in the imperial prison to write a letter to a friend."

West Wind said: "Okay, my lord, I'll wait for you outside."

Chen Ji picked up the writing brush from the table, carefully chose his words, and wrote a letter on a piece of paper.

After the writing was dry, he folded the letter and put it into his sleeve.

After leaving the imperial prison, West Wind helped Chen Ji onto the carriage.

He didn't know how long the carriage swayed before it dropped him off by the road in the East Market.

The carriage slowly drove away, Chen Ji gently took off the black cloth over his eyes, his thin figure turned his head to look at the back of the carriage.

Chen Ji walked back for a long time, confirmed that no one was following him, and then found a little beggar lying by the road.

He squatted beside the beggar and gently called out.

The little beggar opened his eyes, and when he saw the masked Chen Ji, he immediately shrank to the corner in fear: "Don't grab me."

Chen Ji stretched out his hand, opened his palm, and showed the twenty copper coins in his palm.

The little beggar immediately reached out to grab, but then saw Chen Ji close his palm again and withdraw his hand.

He drew a letter from his sleeve and handed it to the little beggar: "Tomorrow send this letter to Taiping Medical Hall, tomorrow evening I will then give you ten copper coins, remember, Taiping Medical Hall."

The little beggar nodded hurriedly: "Okay, official sir, I'll send it as soon as the sky dawns."

Sparse small snowflakes floated up again, falling lightly on Chen Ji's hair.

The little beggar suddenly said: "Official sir, give me one copper coin first, I want to buy a bun to eat, otherwise I can't hold on."

In the dim night, Chen Ji threw down two copper coins, turned around, put both hands in his sleeves, and walked towards the west.

Early morning, An Xi Street became lively early.

Liang Mao Er, wearing a cotton jacket, walked sleepily to the medical hall door, just in time to see the strong servants of Wang Fu carrying buckets of salt, sprinkling handfuls onto the snow-covered bluestone pavement.

He was puzzled, yesterday Wang Fu only swept the snow in front of their own door, how could they be willing to sprinkle salt, which cost thirty wen per jin, all over the street today?

Not only that, the strong servants also carried baskets, distributing handfuls of red Yan Men dates to every household neighbor, looking particularly festive.

Someone inside the medical hall curiously said: "What is this for?"

Liang Mao Er turned his head to look, and saw Chen Ji and Liu Qu Xing also dressed up and coming to the door.

At this time, Xi Bing carried a basket and passed the door of Taiping Medical Hall, she smiled and squinted, coming forward, "Chen Ji, put up the hem of your clothes, I'll give you some more dates."

Chen Ji smiled and lifted the hem of his clothes, and Xi Bing actually poured half a basket into his pocketed hem in one go.

Liu Qu Xing immediately became sour: "Xi Bing, why are you so good to Chen Ji? Give me some too."

Xi Bing rolled her eyes at him: "This is for all of you, if you want to eat, go take some from Chen Ji, come on, there are still many homes to distribute to!"

Chen Ji looked at Xi Bing's back and said doubtfully: "Does Wang Fu have a big happy event?"

Liu Qu Xing thought: "Perhaps the Wang Ye is returning? The neighbors on An Xi Street all say that usually when the Wang Ye is here, Wang Fu is very generous, and when the Wang Ye is not here, Wang Fu becomes a bit stingy."

Just as they were speaking, they saw those strong servants take bamboo brooms again and sweep the long street clean, as if it hadn't snowed.

From the back yard, there was the sound of someone climbing the wall, and Jun Zhu shouted: "Who took the ladder away, help, move the ladder over."

Liu Qu Xing hurriedly went to the back to greet him: "I'm coming, I'm coming."

Chen Ji turned his head to look, and saw Jun Zhu climb down the ladder, stand under the yard wall and untie the small pouch hanging at his waist, take out a piece of broken silver and hand it to Liu Qu Xing: "Buy six cages of meat buns, four cages of vegetarian buns, I saw Mao Er brother eat four cages alone yesterday and wasn't full, buy some more today."

Liang Mao Er smiled simply: "Jun Zhu really has a Bodhisattva heart."

As soon as the words fell, a dirty little beggar, in rags all over, held a letter and wanted to rush into the medical hall.

Liang Mao Er's eyes and hands were quick and he grabbed his back neck: "What are you doing?"

The little beggar hurriedly said: "Someone asked me to send a letter here, there is a reward for sending it."

Chen Ji took the letter paper and opened it to read: "Shizi my brother, Hui Xin respectfully informs... a letter for the Shizi?"

"For me?"

The Shizi took the letter in surprise, only looked at it twice, and then his expression dimmed.

Chen Ji carefully observed the Shizi's expression and asked curiously: "Shizi, who wrote the letter, you don't seem very happy?"

The Shizi sighed: "It's Zhang Ping, Wang Quan, Wang Wu, and Li Bo, who used to drink with us, they... they have something to do and have to leave Luo City. We can't drink together anymore."

Chen Ji suddenly felt that the Shizi didn't seem to know that these four people were already dead.

The letter was written by Chen Ji, he searched, wonderful, taste, book house, look at the complete edition of Qing Shan. He wrote this letter precisely to see the Shizi's reaction when he saw a letter written by a dead person.

If the Shizi knew that these four people were already dead, no matter how real the other party acted, there would always be a hint of doubt in his eyes.

But the Shizi's first reaction was not doubt, only sadness.

As he spoke, even Bai Li came over, and when he saw the letter, his face showed contempt: "These people are shameless, they leave as soon as they see us, brother, why are you sad?"

The Shizi said softly: "After all, we were friends for a while!"

Chen Ji suddenly felt that the Shizi should have no problem.

First, point one, the previous night Jin Zhu led the Jie Fan Wei to surround Hong Yi Alley, the Jing Chao Military Intelligence Department clearly had advance news, even Jin Fang's old madam and Yan Er girl ran away.

But the Shizi still foolishly cast a net, this was originally not normal.

Then, point two, the Shizi is in Dong Lin Book Academy, if the other party really has ambition and courage, he should endure to make friends with literati, not go to the wine shop at the foot of the mountain every day to make friends with Jiang Hu people.

Wait...

Chen Ji suddenly felt that he might have been thinking in the wrong direction all along: the Shizi went to Jin Fang in Hong Yi Alley, not necessarily because he wanted to go, but because those four Jiang Hu people, clearly knowing that Jin Zhu wanted to surround Jin Fang, deliberately led the Shizi there.

If the Shizi was caught in the imperial prison, who in Wang Fu could benefit from this?

Naturally, it's Jing Fei and Yun Fei.

Jing Wang obviously still has the ability to bear children.

If the mansion has no son, he will naturally find a way to have another child to continue the family line.

Then the one to inherit the Jing Wang title would be the offspring of Jing Fei and Yun Fei.

And in this Jing Wang Fu, who would get advance news that Jin Fang was about to be surrounded?

Yun Fei!

A trace of chill suddenly rose in Chen Ji's heart.

Yun Fei.

If the whole thing is Yun Fei's plan, search, wonderful, taste book, house look at the complete edition of Qing Shan. Surrounding and seizing the heir, with one hand planning to send the Shizi into the imperial prison, and then sending people to kill the four Jiang Hu people to silence them, it seems that many things are explainable.

He had previously heard of the ruthlessness of ancient people seizing heirs, and only treated it as artistic processing in stories, not having personally experienced it.

And now, he truly felt the cruelty of seizing the heir in Wang Fu.

That's not right, not right.

Chen Ji turned his head and laughed at his wild thoughts again... he wanted to know that Bai Li was also in Jin Fang the previous night.

Bai Li is Yun Fei's own daughter, even if the other party wants to seize the heir, it wouldn't go to the extent of involving her own daughter.

Moreover...

After the Shizi is caught in the imperial prison, what if the entire Wang Fu is implicated?

Chen Ji gave up this guess.

Bai Li came over and saw that he seemed to be thinking about something, then asked doubtfully: "What are you thinking about? I see you're not in a very good mood!"

Chen Ji laughed: "Nothing, I'm in a very good mood, exceptionally good."

As he spoke, Liang Mao Er carried a high cage steamer, steaming with white heat, and ran back to the medical hall all the way: "Chen Ji, Jun Zhu, let's eat buns."

Chen Ji smiled and replied: "Coming."

He looked at the Shizi, then at Bai Li.

As long as the Shizi is not an extremely deep-minded and vicious person, then it's fine.

.