usatvline Chapter 373 1 It must be a coincidence
Chapter 373 1 It must be a coincidence
I didn’t expect Wen Zhu to act so quickly and actually catch the two murderers.
Gu Jianchu held Xie Ci'an's hand as he helped him untie his cloak, "Your Majesty, let's go over and take a look."
It just so happened that the food in the imperial kitchen was not ready yet, so it would be just right to have the meal after I finished dealing with this matter.
Xie Ci'an picked up the hot water bottle on the table and stuffed it into Gu Jianchu's hand. He then adjusted the cloak wrapped around her body to make sure that no wind could blow in. Then he took Gu Jianchu's hand and left the meditation room.
Little Shani only cleared the road, but did not sweep the snow on both sides, which accumulated into a thick layer. The moonlight shone down, making the snow sparkle brightly. Occasionally, a breeze blew, and the snow on the treetops could not withstand the force of the breeze, so it fell again with the wind, as if it was snowing again.
Xie Ci'an followed Gu Jianchu, holding her waist, and gently touched her cheek with his fingers, "Are you cold?"
"I'm not cold." She was wrapped up like a dumpling by Xie Ci'an, how could she still be cold.
After passing through the corridor of the east wing and a moon gate, you will reach the front yard.
There were more and more little Shanis in the front yard, and one or two could be seen at random. They all saluted them and stepped aside. When the two arrived at the front yard, the Zen room was surrounded by guards, and the Chief Justice and several ministers who were accompanying them had also come over.
Thinking of the emperor's pressure, several ministers did not want to join in the fun, but if they did not come, they were afraid that the emperor and empress would be dissatisfied and have a handle on them.
When they saw Xie Ci'an and Gu Jianchu coming over, several ministers bowed slightly and greeted them.
Xie Ci'an was not in a hurry to ask everyone to stand up. Instead, he slowly helped Gu Jianchu take off the heavy cloak wrapped around him, and threw it to Yun He who was standing beside him. Then he took Gu Jianchu's hand and walked to the main chair and sat down.
In order to take care of Gu Jianchu, the armchair was covered with thick cushions so that he would not feel the coldness of the chair when sitting on it.
Then a palace maid brought a charcoal brazier and placed it between the two of them.
Xie Ci'an slowly raised his hand, asking everyone to stand up. A cold voice echoed throughout the meditation room, "Bring the person up here."
As Xie Ci'an's voice fell, two guards brought up a man and a woman respectively. The man was wearing a padded jacket and cotton trousers, and had leather earmuffs on his ears. His nose was shrinking due to the cold.
The woman next to the man was wearing a coarse linen dress, her hands were calloused, and even her face showed the vicissitudes of life. There was a strand of white hair mixed in with her black hair.
It was not only the first time for the man and the woman to witness such a grand scene, but also the first time they met the emperor and empress. Their legs couldn't help but go weak, and their whole bodies were shaking with fear.
With a gentle push from the Imperial Guards, the two men almost simultaneously knelt down before the Emperor and Empress, their legs weakening. The man and woman exchanged glances before quickly kneeling down in a proper manner, kowtowed repeatedly to the Emperor and Empress, and said, "Your humble servant greets the Emperor and the Empress."
After kowtowing several times, he still didn't hear the voice of the emperor and empress asking them to stand up. The man couldn't help but look up in the direction of Xie Ci'an and Gu Jianchu, only to see Gu Jianchu stroking a jade pendant.
He was very familiar with that jade pendant; it belonged to her cousin.
Perhaps because he felt guilty, when the man saw the jade pendant, his whole body shook, his pupils kept shrinking and filled with fear, and his hands hanging by his sides couldn't stop shaking.
His mind went blank for a moment, and the man was quickly forced to calm himself down.
Coincidence, it must be a coincidence.
My cousin came from the palace, so it is not surprising that she has an identical jade pendant to the Empress. My cousin is dead, and their body has been dealt with. It is absolutely impossible for her to be resurrected, and the jade pendant must never appear in the hands of the Empress again.
Zhang, who was kneeling beside the man, couldn't help but raise her head slightly. If the emperor and empress said something, it would not make people so panic. If they didn't say anything, it would be hard to guess what the emperor and empress were thinking, and why they called them, an ordinary citizen, over.
Just as the two were about to collapse, Gu Jianchu put away the jade pendant in his hand, and his gentle voice echoed throughout the Zen room, "Raise your head."
Zhang and Chen Cong looked at each other, slowly raised their heads, and looked at Gu Jianchu cautiously.
Gu Jianchu said calmly, "Do you know why I asked you to come here today?"
Chen Cong's eyes had been fixed on the jade pendant in Gu Jianchu's hand. After hearing Gu Jianchu's question, his heart trembled and he said guiltily, "Your Majesty, Queen, I don't know why the Queen summoned me and my mother to this temple."
"Do you really not know, or are you pretending not to know?" Gu Jianchu swept a cold gaze over the two of them.
The aura of a superior emanating from his body is exactly the same as Xie Ci'an's.
On the contrary, Xie Ci'an supported his head with one hand, leaning lazily to the side, as if he was watching a good show.
Xie Ci'an had clearly handed over the matter to Gu Jianchu to handle.
Xie Ci'an knew Gu Jianchu too well. If this matter could not be handled properly, she would inevitably feel depressed and blame herself, which would be bad for her health. It would be better to leave it to her to handle. Not only would the matter be handled, but she would also be able to resolve the anger in her heart.
The ministers also realized that Xie Ci'an had no intention of interfering in the matter, so they just watched quietly from the side.
Zhang shook her head in panic, her body instantly bent, and she knelt in front of Gu Jianchu, "Your Majesty, please understand. I really don't know why you summoned me. I have no talent or virtue, just an ordinary farmer. I don't know why I caught your eye."
[She spoke clearly and logically, not like an ordinary farm woman.]
[The Zhang family was no ordinary farmhand. In their early years, they had held official positions, but they later offended a high-ranking official in the capital and were dismissed. Compared to ordinary farmers, they had seen a lot of the world.]
No wonder, although Zhang was flustered, she didn't look panic-stricken. If she were an ordinary farmer, seeing so many dignitaries at once, she would definitely be panicked and unable to speak so coherently.
It seems that we cannot start this case with Zhang. He has a strong psychological quality and I am afraid that without much evidence, we won’t be able to get anything out of him.
Gu Jianchu turned to look at Chen Cong who was standing beside him, and picked up the jade pendant she had placed on the table again. His cold eyes swept over the two of them, "I sent someone to call you here today because of Wu Yuan. You should know Wu Yuan, right?"
Chen Cong was about to deny it outright when Zhang, standing beside him, admitted it first. "I know her. I'm Wu Yuan's aunt. However, my sister died young. Because of the huge difference in status, we rarely interact with the Wu family."
This relationship cannot be concealed. Although it is not known to everyone, it will be known as long as we investigate. Denying it now will only make them look guilty.