Chapter 37: Palace

As soon as Song Shiren spoke, everyone knew what was going on. It turned out that these people were all people who were seeking life on the streets of Kyoto at night. After Song Shiren interrogated them, these people respectfully confessed that they had seen the sedan chair in the Fan Mansion come out of Prince Jing’s mansion yesterday, but did not return to the mansion, but went west to the city. Then in the middle of the night, they carried it back mysteriously.

Fan Xian narrowed his eyes and looked at the scene. He admired the ability of the Guo family. He could find so many people who had seen him in half a day. Seeing that he was not worried, Zheng Tuo was a little anxious and lowered his voice and said, "I won't admit it if I die soon. I just say that these people were bought by the Guo family with money."

Fan Xian sighed and said, "Guo Baokun was indeed beaten. He was so sad. Is it because he wanted to wrong me and spend so much money to do so much? It's not reasonable to say." Zheng Tuo could not have thought that the eldest young master would stand on the enemy's side and consider it, and was stunned for a moment.

At this time, a hint of sarcasm appeared on the corner of Song Shiren's lips, and he looked at Fan Xian: "Hasn't Mr. Fan been in the mansion last night? Why are so many people in Kyoto who have seen you not return to the mansion? I dare to ask Mr. Fan, what exactly did you do when you were patrolling the night streets of Kyoto in the middle of the night? You need to be so sneaky."

Kyoto Prefect Mei Zhili frowned and looked at Fan Xian to see what he was going to answer.

There was silence above the court.

Fan Xian sighed, with a hint of embarrassment on his face, a hint of embarrassing smile of having been discovered by others, and replied softly: "Last night... I spent the night in Zuixianju."

Everyone knows where Zuixianju is. When they think that this young master was spending the night in a brothel, he seemed to have a reasonable explanation. The crowd of people watching in unison and burst into laughter. Naturally, there was a sentence of ridicule Fan Xian in the laughter. Mei Zhili was relieved when she heard this explanation, while Song Shiren still smiled. He asked unyieldingly: "Zuixianju? Can you ask Mr. Fan have anyone witnessed it?"

"Miss Si Lili can testify." Fan Xian said a little embarrassedly.

Song Shiren paused and suddenly laughed sarcastically: "Is that true? But... Miss Si Lili has left Kyoto today and headed to Suzhou. This is a bit coincidental. I wonder if someone is afraid that Miss Lili will say something that shouldn't have said."

Fan Xian raised his head and stared at Song Shiren. Only then did he realize that the Guo family had used some methods to force the Lili girl out of Kyoto. It seemed that the other party was prepared. Seeing that he was speechless, Song Shiren was ready and bowed to Lord Mei and said, "The matter is clear. Mr. Fan beat someone first and false confessions later. Please ask the Lord to take the prisoner to be tried."

Zheng Tuo, who had been quiet for a while, suddenly laughed and said, "This is so grand. Is it because my young master is going out for a night to be charged with such a big crime?" Song Shiren asked, "Since Mr. Fan is on a trip, I dare to ask why Mr. Fan said that Mr. Fan is staying in the mansion all night?"

Zheng Tuoziru replied: "This is the matter of sleeping in the willows, and the reputation is always bad, so I had to..." Song Shiren smiled and cut off his words: "Sleeping in the willows? Where is this flower now? Where is the willow?"

He bowed to the surroundings and said brightly: "Mr. Guo and Mr. Fan fought in anger the day before yesterday and were attacked last night. When the thief was arrogant, he admitted to Fan Xian. Mr. Fan did not return all night last night, but could not tell where to go. Who is the real murderer? Isn't it clear at a glance?"

Mei Zhili looked at the lawyer coldly, thinking that even if you say this kind of case, do you really think it is an ordinary criminal lawsuit? He couldn't help but look down on this famous rich mouth a few times, turned around and asked, "Fan Xian, do you have evidence to prove your whereabouts last night?"

Fan Xian thought for a while and smiled; "Actually... I went to have a mess with Prince Jing yesterday. I wonder if this is considered a witness?"

Since Prince Jing had brought in, the case was still being tried. Mei Zhili called the people on both sides to the front with a dark face, and whispered a few words, then announced that the case had come to an end. Fan Xian stayed in Beijing for investigation and was not allowed to leave the city. The Guo family naturally refused, but the other party's certificate was too heavy and there was no way for a while. He had to go back to the house to discuss. The people of Kyoto who were watching found that it was such a boring ending. The Shangshu family and the Minister's family ended without much trouble. They coaxed and dispersed.

When Fan Xian and Zheng Tuo walked out of the government office, they were surprised to find that Song Shiren was waiting for him outside.

"Young Master Fan." Song Shiren bowed with a smile.

Fan Xian didn't know what he meant, so he returned a gift.

Song Shiren said softly: "The Guo family has kindness to me, so today I have to offend it." Fan Xian suddenly thought of a matter of Chuan and asked with a frown: "Miss Si Lili really left Kyoto?"

As soon as Song Shiren left the court, he looked extremely respectful when he looked at the noble prince again and replied. Fan Xian stared at his eyes and asked, "Did you make it or the Guo family?" Song Shiren was a little surprised and said, "I thought it was Mr. Fan who sent her out of the capital... Could it be that you were really at Zuixianju last night?"

Fan Xian smiled bitterly and said, "Do you really think I beat Guo Baokun?" At this time, the case came to an end, but the words of both parties were still a little untrue. After a few words, Song Shiren turned around and lifted his little soft-headed approach and left the Kyoto Prefecture's yamen.

Fan Xian looked over there and said curiously: "I have offended you, why should I show my goodwill again?"

"Song Shiren is a smart man." Zheng Tuo smiled and shook his head, and said softly: "Young Master didn't say he was drinking flower wine with Prince Jing in the mansion. Song Shiren almost scared me to death after playing like this."

Fan Xian smiled: "Everyone knows that it's just a formality in the court. Why are you so nervous?"

Zheng Tuo shook his head and sighed: "No matter how this matter develops later, it will be considered as offending the Guo family."

"I always want to offend people, just choose someone who can offend them."

"Young Master, your...bian name, poetry... will probably spread throughout Kyoto within one day."

"I really want to ask for it."

"I admire you."

"You're welcome."

In the deep palace, the yellow glazed tiles shone golden in the sun, and the vermilion walls felt a sense of oppression for no reason. In the garden behind the palace, an old lady with kind eyes was half closed and listening to the female official beside her saying something. Two noble ladies were waiting in front of her. On the stone table, there were mixed fruits and vegetables, one of them looked dignified, with red lips, and a little intention and restraint between her eyebrows and eyes. She peeled a fruit and carefully fed it to the old lady.

"Queen, why is it you?" The old lady opened her eyes and saw that it was the fruit she handed over. She smiled and said strangely: "If the children do these things, you will rule the harem and the mother will do the world, so how can you do these things?"

The noble lady smiled gently and said, "This filial piety is to be fulfilled no matter what."

It turned out that this noble lady was the queen of Qing Kingdom now. The old lady she served was naturally the biological mother of His Majesty the Emperor, the Princess Cheng back then, and the Empress Dowager now. I just don’t know what the palace lady sitting next to me is, and she can actually sit side by side with the Queen.

"Don't recite." The Empress Dowager whispered to the female official: "You all retreat."

All the underground palace maids retreated, leaving only two old nannies. The Empress Dowager closed her eyes and kept them for a while, and asked, "What do you think before that Fan's child's poems?"

The queen smiled and said, "The child doesn't understand the level of writing. It just sounds good."

The queen mother smiled and said, "It's not just good, but that song is just envious of fish love. The next song is always a guest of thousands of miles of sad autumn, and it's not something that ordinary talented men can write... It's just..." Seeing the queen mother shut up, the queen asked intrigue, "It's just how?"

The Empress Dowager sighed and said, "It's just that the sentence is too sad and depressed. And at a young age, how can I write about this kind of old man? I'm afraid that the child is also a blessed person."

Hearing this, another noble lady who had been silent, cried out in a whimper. I don’t know why she was so sad. The queen quickly comforted her: “The Queen Mother just said this. If the queen mother named Fan Xian is really blessed, the queen mother will just pick some blessed fates in her nails. Then she will fill it up.”

The Empress Dowager was also the most annoying to her crying and said with an unhappy face: "I gave birth to three children. Needless to say, the emperor, although Li Zhi was playful, he always knew his fate. But you girl, you have been crying for decades and have not yet understood it. It's really..." After all, she was her own daughter. In addition, her daughter was miserable and helpless in this life, so it's hard to say harsh words.

The noble lady cried and said, "My child is already a blessed man. The emperor's brother insisted that she marry the more blessed child of the Fan family. What should I do in the future? What if Chen'er's illness has not improved?" It turned out that this extremely weak lady who cried nonsense was actually Fan Xian's mother-in-law, the eldest princess who had never married!

The empress dowager finally couldn't help but curse, "The root of Chen'er's illness is because you, the one who is a mother, did not accumulate blessings for her. Now you are still embarrassed to say these words! What's wrong with the Fan family's children? When you say you want to cheer for Chen'er, you took the child back from Danzhou without saying a word. If you don't say that he is also a poor child without name. It's just for Fan Jian's concern for our royal family, you shouldn't say that the Fan family is not."

The palace maid next to him had already retreated, and only a few old maids stood still, as if they had heard nothing.

The queen mother was so angry that her chest kept rising and falling. The queen quickly came up and rubbed her. The queen took the queen's hand away, and said a little slower and said, "Besides, Chen'er always wants to get married. Her identity is the son of a famous minister and general in the court. Whoever wants to marry her may not be able to live a good life. What's this Fan... Fan?"

The queen quickly reminded: "Fan Xian."
Chapter completed!