Chapter 290 – Saltpeter in the Dirt
“Why do you have this expression?”
Zhao Su paused.
Yun Qianyi shook her head.
Zhao Su searched, “Though let’s say, some people do have those archaic thoughts, they have to talk about a door-to-door relationship, and they simply don’t understand that the person themselves is the important thing. In terms of the past, you and the status of the Marquis of Wei Yuan is a lot of difference, but now, your student, I, is already a quasi-Queen, the near future, you will be honored as the glorious Empress of the mentor, this status, no longer worthy of not be able to. So don’t worry, if you fancy it, I’ll be the matchmaker.”
Yun Qian Yi tensed her face, “Are you asking me to do something, or are you going to help me make a match?”
“I think a two-pronged approach is quite good. Of course, I’m just providing the opportunity, it’s still up to you to decide whether you like it or not.”
Yun Qianyi rolled his eyes, and after thinking about it, he copied a jar of fruit wine on the table with his hand, looked at her deeply once more, and walked away.
Zhao Su leaned into the back of the wide chair, gathered up one leg and supported it on the stool, rattling his fingers and counting the date of the emperor’s return to the capital.
……
Imperial Tomb of the mountain wind, the emperor along the tunnel across the door, eyebrows gathered thick rich color: “shipwrecked those families are pacified?”
Marquis Qing Yun and Han Jun followed behind: “All have been put in place. Including a few deceased prisoners, they have been properly buried. All the officials, soldiers, craftsmen and prisoners who are in the mausoleum, none of them have left the area under their jurisdiction. The Ministry of Works has also inspected the four sides, and then heavy rain, but also to ensure that there will be no further collapse. Only, whether it is natural disaster or man-made disaster, so far there is no definite evidence.”
A sentence said the atmosphere in the corridor and stagnant.
“Your Majesty! Wang Yin brought people to inspect the terrain, is now coming back!”
Tong Xu quickly step to the front, loud voice broke the silence.
The emperor looked up, only to see a line of generals walking over there, at the head of the young general in armor is tall and sturdy, to the front that is bent down towards him: “I see your majesty!”
“What’s the matter!”
“Back to the emperor, I two days with people along the mausoleum around from the fine find, yesterday night, accidentally in the northwest direction of the palace two miles to the north and found a hoofprints, and just now, is located in the west side of the palace two feet deep in the soil, but also found a little bit of nitrate end!” Wang Yin said, from the bosom took out a side wrapped white handkerchief, unfolded and yellow soil, some black and gray soil.
Han Jun immediately received in the hand, close to the tip of the nose and smelled, and then look greatly moved, handed to the emperor: “is indeed nitrate!”
“Where found?” The emperor also received in the hand.
“In the front!” Wang Yin toward the direction of coming a finger.
The emperor followed the trend to see, and then really lifted the pace.
The soil is still soft after a few days of heavy rain, but there is no trace of water, and the top layer of soil is also dry. The emperor stepped on the grass down the hill, to the stone foundation, tilted his head and looked over, the underground palace has been cleaned up, the craftsmen resumed the previous busy. The dozens of lives, as if just turn the page into the past. And the mountain wind is brushing the mountain grass, obviously summer, but has a few minutes into the meaning of fall.
Along with Wang Yin’s guide to reach the destination, the ground is scattered with a pile of loose yellow soil, mixed with some black mud, he squatted down, grabbed a handful of fine twisting between his fingers, and then smelled.
“These nitrate quantity is not much, should belong to the left behind.” Wang Yin also squatted down on the opposite side, and then pointed around: “early days of rain, the ground is thin mud, I will stay around the nearest piece of land did not let move, to these two days even two big sun, the water is not, I just let people do it, look carefully, and really found the cat in this.
“I have verified, the mausoleum construction does not need to use saltpeter!”
“The construction site doesn’t use saltpeter, then it can only be foreign!” Marquis of Qing Yun’s voice also revealed the excitement, “the incident occurred in the heavy rain, thunder boom, the sound of the explosion and the sound of thunder is not obvious, the rain and the smell of mud also masked the smell of nitrate, and the nearest distance to see this scene of the craftsmen have lost their lives in the underground palace, if there is no physical evidence, then over time this matter can only be rumored to be a natural disaster!”
The emperor’s gaze a little bit become sharp, after a little meditation he scattered the soil, cold face took Tong Ou handed the handkerchief stood up: “There are more clues?”
“Still checking! The soldiers who tracked the hoofprints have already chased ten miles north!” Wang Yin followed and stood up, “Although I took over the time is not long, but since the supervision, confirmed that all the labor in all places is normal, there has never been a transgression behavior, the underground palace beams break, this is an unbelievable thing. Your Majesty, this matter is fraudulent, must be someone deliberately destroy the underground palace, create trouble!”
“The generals under your command do not give up, continue to investigate! Even if you dig three feet into the ground, but also to track it to the end!” The emperor’s gaze is cold: “I will return to the capital with the Da Lisi special verification, in the Da Lisi before the arrival of the people, you are not allowed to unauthorized leave the mausoleum half a step, but also must not be out of any basket! –The rest of the people to pack their bags, immediately departed back to the palace.”
Han Jun immediately drew a few guards to leave.
The emperor again the packet of saltpeter in the hand, look at a moment after clutching in the heart, and then towards the king Yin deep look: “you check the evidence has merit, to be this matter is over, I will be given to you commendation. But from now on, you are responsible for guarding the mausoleum, maintain order, and keep the evidence, no mistakes!”
“Thank you, Your Majesty! I will do my best to fulfill my duties!”
Wang Yin knelt down to receive the decree.
“Return to the capital!”
The emperor finished his sentence and walked towards the outside with large strides.
……
Hua Wanyong went out for two days.
Zhao Su was not idle these two days, in addition to going to the Yamen to assist Fang Qingxue in organizing the dossier, the rest of the time he made two trips to Shuntianfu.
Cheng family this case is considered to be a stone, that schedule understanding back to the house, did not escort Ju Ying to the Yamen, but directly invited the Shuntian Prefect Li Zhi Zhi to the house, directly in the home set up a public hearing. Juying confessed to everything, including the details of her drugging and contact with the “third master”.
These details then also fell into the hands of Zhao Su, she went through a few times, and then went to the Cheng family, and Cheng Zhuyun drink a cup of tea.
As the daughter of the Cheng family, which supported Empress Lu, Cheng Zhuyun was stronger than Zhao Su had imagined, and in a time of strict etiquette, most women would have chosen to die to protect their innocence in the event of such an incident.
Cheng Zhuyun didn’t, the Cheng family didn’t have this moral requirement for her, so she looked normal except for some melancholy and despondency, the rest was normal.
“I only feel ashamed of my parents, making them worry about me. I don’t care about myself, whether I become a monk or bind my hair.”
When she said this she looked calm, like a wilted flower.
Zhao Su deliberated whether to tell her that the suspect might be Wang Yin, thought about it and closed his mouth.
No matter what, the one who suffered the most was Cheng Zhuyun, and knowing who the murderer was might not be of much help to her. Even because it may be a person who has heard of it, thereafter the heart will fall into the knot that can not be unraveled.
Sometimes it’s better not to know. Not to mention the fact that it had not yet been confirmed.