Chapter 381: Revealing the Secret

The officials surrounded one place in twos and threes, their eyes lingering between the prince and the tung hemp tree in front of him. The emperor and the empress dowager sat down and propped up the canopy.

"Duan Qigao." Zong Zhenglin slowly lowered his slightly raised jaw, and glanced at the official censor, the man stood with his hands behind his back, but opened his mouth lightly. This is also the first time that the crown prince asked the courtiers to question him on this matter.

"The position of the censor is the duty of supervision, and the righteousness of the country. As a doctor of the censor, you are the measure of the morality of all officials. You should set an example, be fair and selfless."

I thought this master should be asking questions harshly, but unexpectedly he opened his mouth to lecture, and his tone was very peaceful. His Highness the crown prince has a high crown and a solemn python robe, so there is no danger at all.

Withdrawing his gaze, Zong Zhenglin didn't look at him again, he raised his eyes to find Wei Zhen, turned around and walked straight to Yujia's place.

With a salute, Zong Zhenglin was calm and calm when facing Emperor Yuan Cheng who was allowed to give orders from the beginning to the end. "Father, what is going on with this matter will be known in a moment. You and the ancestors will see."

"Wei Zhen."

Everyone saw that the prince's close minister, Mr. Wei, greeted the two father-in-laws, lifted the grand master's chair, and placed it safely and securely at the head of the present. The prince's robe was lifted, and he sat down in a grand manner. This master sat very upright, with a sharp look in his eyes, so that no one dared to move rashly.

His Highness the Crown Prince put one hand on his knee, and the other lightly caressed the pearl. "Lead that man up."

Can someone be found and questioned so quickly? Everyone looked at each other in blank dismay.

Kneeling at the bottom, the little eunuch dressed in maroon sackcloth still trembled a little on his shoulders.

"My Majesty, the Empress Dowager, and Your Highness the Crown Prince, the young one was sent by the House of Internal Affairs to take charge of the flowers and trees in the imperial garden and lead the eunuch Xiao Xiaozi. This morning, I got a report from my subordinates, and only then did I learn of the century-old tung tree in the garden. A big accident happened to the hemp tree. At that time, I was very scared and rushed to play, and I saw the tree again, except for a little more watering, I really couldn't find any mistakes that caused the branches and leaves to wither. The servant is thinking, I am afraid that I will not be able to save my life today."

After wiping his forehead, the little eunuch leaned down even lower, and continued to reply, but his tone changed slightly, as if he was greatly relieved. "Until His Highness the Crown Prince ordered Lord Wei to bring the slave out from the place of detention, and asked the slave to inspect the tree carefully, without missing a single point. After walking around the tree several times, the slave finally found out that something was wrong." The ending sounded faintly excited, as if saving his life, he lost control with joy.

How could he not like it? If something wrong could be found out, how could he lose all hope and be detained by the head of the respect room for questioning. Now that he was able to escape by chance, if Lord Wei hadn't mentioned something, he would still be trapped in the prison at this time, and he was very worried.

Actually found something wrong? The expressions of the people present were shocked, and they were greatly surprised. It's unbelievable how quickly things have changed. Just now they also looked around the tree, but really didn't see anything unusual.

He Lianzhang caught a glimpse of Su Bowen stretching out his hand to comb the sash around his waist that was blown by the wind, and he was even more certain that the old guy still had the mind to tidy up his appearance before the imperial court.

Emperor Yuan Cheng rested his arms on the throne, straightened his sitting posture slightly, and looked at Zong Zhenglin again, his eyes were full of interest. His son responded very quickly.

What I don't know is that the Crown Prince also admires the woman in Huiyi Palace in his heart. The little girl stirred up trouble and caused today's disturbance. It was attracting evil wolves to feed on it, but unexpectedly, she fueled the fire again. I don't know if after a while, the hungry wolves around will still be able to keep their tails behind each other.

"Did you notice the difference?" Among the three, the Empress Dowager Jin spoke first. First, the old lady attached great importance to this matter and was anxious to find out the truth of the period. Secondly, the queen mother is also very curious about the sudden leaf fall of the tung hemp tree. There are a lot of flowers and plants in her palace, such rare things, apart from ghosts and gods, I have never heard of them.

The little eunuch kowtowed quickly, but when he raised his head again, he pointed to the tree with one hand, and answered very confidently. "Responding to the words of the Empress Dowager, the servant carefully inspected the lower part of the trunk, and found that it was very wet from the bottom down to the roots. I touched the soil with my hand, it was soft and moist, and when I pushed it lightly with my fingertips, the soil actually stuck to it. hands."

Gu Changde immediately asked someone to try it, and sure enough, it was just as Xiao Xiaozi reported.

"It's been very hot these past few days, and it hasn't rained in a day. If no one pours a lot of water in, it shouldn't be like this. The slave went to check the surrounding flowers and trees, and they all owed water. The surface of the soil has never been watered."

"It's just that the slave didn't have a big deal. He was too flustered when the incident happened. He realized that the tree had been watered too much, but he didn't compare it carefully, so he couldn't report to the father-in-law in time." The little eunuch said with a serious face. A little apprehensive, both ashamed and afraid.

Fortunately, Wei Zhen took a step forward at this time, and there was something important to do.

"My Majesty, I have also asked the eunuch in charge of the gate of the palace. In the past few days, there have indeed been three young eunuchs with a face, holding a waist card, pushing a shelf cart, saying that the manager explained that the garden is full of precious plants and trees, watering and fertilizing. You can’t slack off. For two days in a row, it’s in the morning and in the evening, and three cars are transported inside each time.” Wei Zhen summoned the eunuch on duty in the imperial garden, and the man hurriedly presented the pamphlet with the number on his waist plate.

At this moment, it is clear that someone really poured several jars full of water under the tree while on duty. But if you water too much, the root system will be rotted, and the whole tree will wither its branches and leaves within two or three days, right? This tung hemp tree is a 700-year-old tree, and it is not unheard of in Shengjing during the rainy season.

Things have come to this point, the tree has been tampered with, and the truth of the matter is clearly revealed. But what the answer is, it still tickles everyone's heart.

The tense complexion of the Empress Dowager Jin finally eased, and when she looked at the tree again, the rest was doubts. "I'm afraid this water alone won't do it." Sure enough, he is someone who has personally taken care of flowers and trees, and someone who doesn't deserve the name like Su Linrou may be comparable.

"Empress Dowager, that man brought water in for another purpose." Xiao Xiaozi felt a little scared, if Master Wei hadn't woken him up with a word, his little life might have been lost.

"The purpose of this water is to wash away the remaining smells around! The real method that man used was extremely unorthodox. Farmers called it 'burning plants', but the slave master taught it. In the books, it should be called 'burning plants'. Fertilizer damage'. Originally, fertilizer damage was just born by ordinary people, and it was improperly fertilized when growing flowers and plants. However, someone deliberately added feed to this tung hemp tree, and it greatly increased the weight. It sprinkled it for several days Apply the powder. Afterwards, rinse vigorously to annihilate the traces."

As he spoke, he took out a handkerchief from his sleeve pocket, and slowly opened it. On the ginger handkerchief, there was a small handful of white powder.

"This is a fine powder that my servant found at the edge of the flower bed a few steps away. After smelling it, the servant found that it was the fat powder distributed by the palace, with a monthly quota. This powder was used in the past for Long Live God and Flowers and plants are placed in the empress halls of the palaces, so as not to leave the smell of fertilization in the house. The flowers and plants in the imperial garden, except for a few very precious pots, are taken care of separately, but this powder is useless."

Just now when Xiao Xiaozi mentioned the waist card, the emperor and the prince's expressions darkened. At this moment, when he mentioned the distribution rules in the palace, he lost his face even more.

The House of Internal Affairs, the House of Internal Affairs is in chaos again! Emperor Yuan Cheng was not considered handsome, but there was a hint of sternness on his square and majestic face. After the cleaning in the palace a few years ago, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, is it possible that they want to revive again?

The people at the bottom whispered, shaking their heads and sighing at the ominous things that the censor said, and avoided them one after another. Dare to use God's will to talk about things, deceive the current emperor, and harm the prince of Wei... Once this case is thoroughly investigated, it may be fatal immediately.

Glancing coldly at the censor, the emperor narrowed his eyes slightly, and even the empress dowager also closed his eyes, slowly fiddled with the Buddhist beads.

"Duan Qigao."

Stared at the spot by Emperor Yuan Cheng's dark eyes, the little old man was so frightened that his clothes were wet with sweat, and his voice trembled a little. "Your Majesty, this old minister has been wronged, and this old minister has absolutely no intention of harming His Royal Highness the Crown Prince! This humble minister also wished that my country, the Great Wei, would last forever. That's why I rushed to the memorial as soon as I heard about such unlucky things. There is a mistake, because the old officials are not aware of the supervision, and shamelessly went down to see the late emperor." Then he pulled up the corner of his sleeves and groaned.

The little old man is worthy of having gone through two dynasties, although he was terrified in his heart, his face was pale and he was still struggling. "My minister thinks that the theory of the omens of this matter has been broken, so the case should be filed pending trial and strictly examined. The old minister is also deceived by the traitor. If no one mentions the banyan tree in the Empress Dowager's palace, he will rush to the old minister again and again. , the old minister dare not participate in the performance of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"

Zong Zhenglin frowned, and there was only ridicule in his eyes. What a repeated villain, this is a life-saving plan, pushing people out to be a scapegoat to prevent disasters.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, please forgive me. At the beginning, I mistakenly believed in the slander, and believed that the banyan tree was just the beginning. Then I heard about the withering of the banyan tree. How dare I delay, so I wrote the memorial overnight, making a big mistake."

The censor doctor with a bloated figure and a white beard, there is no one in the Palace of Qinzheng at this moment who is upright and arrogant with his deadly remonstrance.

Before Yuan Chengdi could speak, the Crown Prince cast a cold glance at him and spoke first.

"Since you are a first-rank censor doctor, you have no talent and virtue. What kind of face do you have to stand above the court and take the position of supervisor."

Su Bowen's heart skipped a beat. The crown prince's implication is that this official position is better for the virtuous? Could it be that this master is thinking of directly sending off the first-rank ministers of the dynasty without the approval of the Ministry of Officials?

The people below were silent, and waited for a long time with their ears pricked up. Seeing that Emperor Yuan Cheng remained calm, they knew that the emperor acquiesced in this matter.

Tsk tsk, compared to the abolished prince, this master is decisive and tenacious in his actions, and he is much more victorious. The most important thing is- quite a sacred heart.

"It's the first time I've heard that the Queen Mother is so loving that even giving Gu a pot of flowers and trees can even affect the government and society." Zong Zhenglin played with his fingers, his eyes dark and dark.

"It's so strange, bring it up and let me have a look." A few days ago, the East Palace surrendered a treasure forest because of it, and today it's about the crown prince, so Emperor Yuan Cheng fell in love with it without realizing it.