red wheel

Chapter 356 The Heavenly Family Has No Father and Son

At night, Wen Dinghoufu dungeon.

Dugu Ziyan had just entered the dungeon when he heard screams one after another.

In the execution room, Liu Zheng was tied to the execution rack. At this moment, his body was covered with whip marks and his flesh and blood were blurred.

Seeing Dugu Ziyan approaching, the secret guard stopped the torture instrument in his hand and replied: "Your Majesty, he has been refusing to say anything."

Dugu Ziyan waved his hand, and all the secret guards retreated.

Seeing the person coming, Liu Zheng's eyes darkened and his body trembled: "Shi...zi."

Duguziyan said coldly: "Liu Zheng, you are so big-hearted! You have been with me for all these years, and now you are the left minister of the household department, and you still can't satisfy you. I, Duguzi, have spoken to countless people. I have always supported you all the way, but in the end, I have caused trouble for myself."

Liu Zheng closed his eyes to hide the panic in his heart, trying to find some courage for himself. When he opened his eyes again, he was instantly discouraged, but he still said: "Your Majesty, Liu Zheng feels inferior. Since he has been You have been arrested. You can kill or cut him into pieces as you please. Liu Zheng has nothing to say."

Dugu Ziyan smiled at the corner of his mouth: "Not bad, he is quite tough. Liu Zheng, I am very curious. When did your mind change?"

Hearing this, Liu Zheng frowned, but remained silent.

Dugu Ziyan shook his head and smiled: "What? You dare to do it but don't dare to say it?"

"It doesn't matter, if you don't tell me, then I will. Maybe after Concubine Xian died of illness, you started to feel uncertain, because you feel that I, Dugu Ziyan, have always kept a low profile, and without Concubine Xian in front, the future of Wending Marquis Mansion will definitely be It's worrying, right? You're afraid that you'll never end up as the left minister of household affairs, so you started making other plans, right?"

"No, it's not just that. Perhaps earlier, with Emperor Mingxi's character, just half a year is not enough for him to trust you so much."

Hearing this, Liu Zheng finally raised his eyes to look at Dugu Ziyan and said, "Your Majesty, if I hadn't secretly followed you back to the imperial capital this time, I would have never known that Your Majesty could secretly play such a big game of chess under the eyes of the Emperor!"

"You can even control the imperial capital's city defenses so quickly. And we both disguised ourselves, and we were found so quickly. Your Majesty, your ability really shocks me!"

Then, he laughed at himself: "I am blind. After following you for all these years, I didn't really understand my master's strength. I thought I chose a wiser path."

Dugu Ziyan sneered: "There are still many things you don't know."

Hearing this, Liu Zheng instantly looked at Dugu Ziyan, fearful and even trembling...

Dugu Ziyan shook his head, smiled, and continued: "Liu Zheng, are you scared? Suddenly you find that you don't understand your master and you don't know what you will face, so you are scared?"

Hearing this, Liu Zheng turned pale in an instant, stared at Dugu Ziyan closely, and said with a trembling voice: "Sir, all my mistakes are Liu Zheng's fault. I plead guilty."

Dugu Ziyan said: "Liu Zheng, although you betrayed me, I can still give you a way out. It depends on whether you choose or not."

Liu Zheng was shocked and confused: "Give me a way to live? Why? I betrayed you, shouldn't you kill me?"

Dugu Ziyan chuckled softly and shouted: "You are right, Liu Zheng, from the moment you did it to the child, you had no way out! From the moment you drugged the child, you deserved death. !”

"The survival I'm talking about is your family, your parents, your wife and children."

Liu Zheng felt cold in his heart and felt uncertain. He said tremblingly: "No, Your Majesty, you are not such a person. You will not implicate innocent people."

"Innocent?" Dugu Ziyan shouted: "Liu Zheng, then what you did today, how did you ever think that this child was innocent!"

"At this moment, you are still talking to me about this. Did you secretly send your family away a long time ago? That's why you are so unscrupulous."

"But, do you really think that you will be safe if you send her away?"

"Liu Zheng, you don't understand your master so well. Since I dared to use you, I have a clear understanding of everything behind you. The only mistake I made was that I didn't understand your nature!"

"Liu Zheng, if I want to check, I can find it no matter where you send it. Are you trustworthy?"

Liu Zheng was startled and said in a panic: "Your Majesty, I didn't want to do that either. I wrote to the Emperor and asked him. It was the Emperor who asked me to do this. Your Majesty, that is the child's father. He asked me to take the child away. There’s nothing I can do about it.”

"Father?" Dugu Ziyan shouted: "Is he worthy of being the child's father?"

"From the time Concubine Xian was seriously ill to the time Concubine Xian passed away, he did not dare to announce it to the public. From that moment on, he was not worthy of being the father of his child."

"Since you know the identity of this child, you will have some scruples, but you still drugged the child. I think he gave you the drug!"

Hearing this, Liu Zheng trembled, his face turned pale, and he did not dare to answer.

Dugu Ziyan sneered: "They say there are no fathers and sons in the Tian family! Emperor Mingxi really made me see what it means that there are no fathers and sons in the Tian family!"

"Liu Zheng, as long as you answer my questions well, I will not touch your family!"

"You have to think about it. Emperor Mingxi has no time to care about you now, not to mention that the task he gave you has failed. At this moment, do you think Emperor Mingxi still has time to protect your family?"

"Also, I think Emperor Mingxi doesn't know that you are mine. If he knew, with his character, he would never be able to trust you so much and send you alone to Yangzhou to look after me."

"That's the great thing about you! You can eat well on both sides without showing any signs of it!"

"Liu Zheng, if I tell Emperor Mingxi about your identity, do you think Emperor Mingxi will still protect your family?"

"Ha...ha..." Liu Zheng laughed at himself: "I am really looking for death. I ignored the good road and sought the far away, and ended up like this."

Then, he asked helplessly: "Your Majesty, if I told you, would you really not touch my family?"

Dugu Ziyan chuckled: "Liu Zheng, your life has really been in vain these years. You don't understand the strength of your master. Don't you even know anything about this master's character?"

Hearing this, Liu Zheng smiled bitterly: "Yes, in the eyes of the world, Prince Dugu has always been as gentle as jade and behaves in a low-key manner. But in the eyes of our subordinates, he is rarely harsh."

"But at that time, I was worried about this gentleness. I was afraid that my future would be hindered. I was not satisfied with the present and wanted more. Now I will suffer the consequences. Ha... ha... That's all, okay, I said. "

Dugu Ziyan nodded with satisfaction: "Very good, as long as what you say is true, I will allow you to leave easily, and I will not cause trouble for your family again."

Liu Zheng, however, felt heavy and uncertain, and said tremblingly: "Your Majesty, if I answer truthfully, I will definitely offend the Emperor. If the Emperor attacks my family, can you help me?"

Dugu Ziyan chuckled: "Liu Zheng, from the moment you took action on the child, do you think it is still possible?"

Liu Zheng said hurriedly: "Your Majesty, even if you let my family go, if the Emperor knows that I betrayed him, he will definitely not let my family go when he returns to the imperial capital. Your Majesty, Liu Zheng, please, please You."

Dugu Ziyan looked at Liu Zheng and remained silent...
Liu Zheng became even more panicked and said hurriedly: "Your Majesty, as long as I know, I will tell you the truth. Please help me for the last time. Please, Your Majesty, please..."

After a moment, Dugu Ziyan finally said: "Okay, let's see if what you said is worth it for me to do this for you."

Finally receiving a positive answer, Liu Zheng nodded hurriedly and replied: "Okay, okay, I'll say it, I'll say it all."

Dugu Ziyan asked: "How did you enter the Marquis of Wending's Mansion that day?"

Liu Zheng hesitated and said, "Although I have been with the Crown Prince for many years, I cannot come to Wen Dinghou Mansion without your permission. Because of this, no one has ever known about our relationship."

"Du Chuan has been contacting me secretly over the years, so I am very familiar with Du Chuan. It is not difficult for me to imitate Du Chuan."

"That night, after the guard at the door took over his shift, I came in disguised as Du Chuan. Those guards had just taken over their shift and didn't know that Du Chuan hadn't gone out, so they didn't suspect when I came in. All the way into the Hou Mansion, I followed me The person who said hello never had any doubts.”

"It was already very late, but I saw a brightly lit courtyard. I was confused and sneaked over to take a look."

"It was also at that time that I discovered that the young lady was not dead. Based on the time, I guessed that it was the emperor's child, but I don't know why you concealed it, the prince." "The prince has always been low-key and thoughtful in his actions, and the emperor has been unable to catch him. There are traces of the crown prince."

"At that time, Xiao Tianhao's incident and Qingluan's incident happened one after another. The emperor had always had doubts in his mind, but he couldn't find conclusive evidence. The emperor said that since he went on an expedition, the prince would definitely relax his guard, and maybe there would be Other actions, so let me follow the prince secretly."

"That night, the lady had a difficult delivery, and everyone was very nervous, so I hid in the yard without being discovered. I was shocked when I found out that the lady was not dead, and even pregnant and gave birth to a child."

"That night, I also saw the two wet nurses who had been waiting in the next room. I knew that if the emperor knew about this, he would definitely ask me to do something. So I paid special attention to the appearance of the two wet nurses."

"During the period, a wet nurse left, so I quietly followed her there, only to find out that it was the road to the hut. However, I accidentally discovered that there was a roof there that was relatively hidden. You could leave the house through there and it would not be easy to be discovered."

Hearing this, Du Chuan was shocked and hurriedly bowed to apologize: "Your Majesty, it's my subordinate's fault."

Duguzi said: "Let him speak."

Liu Zheng looked embarrassed and said: "I returned to the courtyard later. After a long time, I finally heard the cry of the child. Soon a maid came out to report that a boy was born. At that time, everyone was worried about this. I was very happy. I took the opportunity and hurriedly sneaked out of Wending Houfu from the hut."

"I sent a letter to the emperor later, and sure enough, soon the emperor sent a secret guard, that is, the commoner woman, her name is Heiyu."

"My task was to assist her in taking the child out of Wending Marquis and let her take her to the north. I drew her portraits of the two wet nurses, and also drew her the route to the latrine. I prepared the human skin masks of the two nannies for her.”

"We have been lurking outside Wending Houfu. Because I know that the Crown Prince will return to Yangzhou soon, we think it will be safer to wait until then to take action."

"But this evening, I saw Xu Yan coming. I had a bad feeling. Xu Yan must have discovered that I left Yangzhou, or even discovered that I came to the Imperial Capital."

"We were worried that if we didn't take action today, we might not have a chance, so we hurriedly took action. We lurked in the hut, and a wet nurse happened to come over, so we started to kill the person. I was responsible for taking the body outside. And Hei Yu disguised herself as a nanny and returned to the room."

Duguzi shouted angrily: "Is that the medicine that Emperor Mingxi wants you to use?"

Liu Zheng shook his head: "I don't know about this. Heiyu brought the child out with the stuffed clothes under his clothes. When I saw the child, he was already asleep. I asked Heiyu, and she said that to avoid trouble, Let the child sleep peacefully."

"Sleep quietly!" Dugu Ziyan said with murderous intent in his eyes, and shouted angrily: "Hehe... such a heavy dose of medicine, if we don't save him in time today, the child will become a cripple even if he wakes up!"

Liu Zheng's face was filled with astonishment for a moment: "What? Your Majesty, I really don't know about this. I didn't know that Black Rain actually administered so many medicines."

Dugu Ziyan sneered: "Liu Zheng, what you said is not enough for me to protect your family."

Liu Zheng said hurriedly: "No, I also know about the emperor's stronghold in the north."

"Stronghold?" Dugu Ziyan's eyes darkened: "Okay, tell me how you knew."

Liu Zheng looked troubled, hesitated for a moment, and finally spoke: "In September of the 15th year of Zongyuan, the late emperor passed away and the new emperor ascended the throne to grant amnesty to the world. The emperor also specially rewarded the troops in the north and west and gave them extra food and pay."

"At that time, the Ministry of War just released a batch of new knives and arrows. According to the law, the Ministry of War also has to send a batch to the armies of the Western and Northern Territories. I am responsible for transporting the food, wages, and weapons to the Northern Territory. In this matter, Your Majesty, you I also know it.”

It turns out that you, Liu Zheng, have been undecided since Emperor Mingxi came to the throne. Duguziyan's eyes darkened and he said, "Yes, I know about this. Even if it's the food, wages and weapons you transported, Emperor Mingxi The stronghold is so hidden. How could it be so easy for you to know? Liu Zheng, are your words credible?"

Liu Zheng looked troubled and hesitated, then continued for a moment: "According to the custom in previous years, the Ministers of the Ministry of Household Affairs and the Ministry of War reported to the Emperor, and all subsequent transportation matters are arranged by the two Ministers."

"But that time, after the two ministers reported it, the emperor directly appointed someone to transport it. At that time, the two ministers thought it was the new emperor's new style, so they didn't pay attention."

"Later...the emperor secretly summoned me, and I realized that it was the emperor who specially arranged for me to go to the north."

Dugu Ziyan's eyes darkened: "Why did I choose you?"

Liu Zheng hesitated and finally spoke: "Because in May of the 14th year of Zongyuan, I accompanied my mother to Xiangguo Temple. I had nothing to do that day and wanted to go for a walk in the back mountain. As a result, I unexpectedly saw the Sixth Prince seeing off... ··Miss left. I...I just knew that the Sixth Prince was wandering between Miss Xiao and Miss Xiao."

Hearing this, Dugu Ziyan instantly smiled bitterly, Liu Zheng, you are really awesome, you knew it earlier than me!I only found out about this when Yan'er and her father had a bad temper after the imperial edict came down!
He shouted angrily: "Liu Zheng, you actually knew about this a long time ago! But you kept silent! Haha... I really am raising a tiger for trouble!"

Liu Zhengzhan said tremblingly: "Shi...zi."

Dugu Ziyan shouted: "Keep talking."

Liu Zhengzhan said tremblingly: "When... I was about to leave in a hurry, but the Sixth Prince saw me. He greeted me and hinted that I should not say anything. Later, the Sixth Prince knew that I had not publicized the matter. After he went out, he secretly sent someone to give me some things, and said that he just wanted me to continue helping him, and he would be grateful in the future."

"When the fourth son took over the throne, the sixth prince at that time was already quite capable. I... I hesitated in my heart and acquiesced. Therefore, the emperor didn't know that I... I was the son of the heir apparent."

"Later on, the Sixth Prince learned some news about the Ministry of Finance from me several times, and he slowly began to trust me."

Dugu Ziyan suppressed his anger: "Ha... Emperor Mingxi is really powerful. Not only did he take advantage of Yan'er, he also took advantage of my people early on."

He shouted angrily: "Tell me, what did Emperor Mingxi ask you to do in the north?"

Liu Zhengzhan said tremblingly: "Before that departure, the emperor secretly summoned me and gave me a method for making new weapons and asked me to send them to a place together with some new weapons. He also said that one day he would let me sit on it. Secretary of the Ministry of Finance."

"I followed the emperor's request and secretly replaced the new weapons with some old weapons. There were many weapons sent that time, and I only replaced a small part of one box. Therefore, when they were sent to the northern border, the northern army Not found either.”

"That night, we stopped at Linfengduguanyi. I secretly sent the things out at night, and Hei Yu came to pick them up."

"To find out how to make new weapons, it's just that the emperor wants to secretly make the weapons himself. Those new weapons should be given to them to have finished samples. Since they want to make weapons, they must have a place to make them."

"At that time, I was also curious, where did the emperor make weapons?"

"But I know that my martial arts skills are not worth mentioning in front of real masters. I'm afraid there are many masters around the emperor, so I don't dare to follow him myself."

"So I arranged people early to lurk in several directions near the meeting place. I could only know which direction Heiyu left from first, and then check it later. That night, after I handed over my things, I returned to the official post office .”

"I returned to the imperial capital after finishing my errands in the north. Because of this, the emperor has real trust in me."

Duguzi said: "So, you found the place where weapons are made later."

Liu Zheng responded hurriedly: "Yes, I secretly sent people for nearly four months to find the stronghold at the beginning of the first year of Emperor Mingxi's reign."

Duguzi said: "Du Chuan, give him paper and pen."

"Yes, Crown Prince." Du Chuan hurriedly took a pen and paper and walked forward, shouting: "Liu Zheng, write it out."

"Okay, I'll write, I'll write." Liu Zheng hurriedly took the pen and started writing.

After a long time, Liu Zhengfang put away his pen and said hurriedly: "Your Majesty, everything I found is written on this."

Dugu Ziyan took the paper and looked down at it. After a moment, he shook his head and smiled softly: "Liu Zheng, I liked you back then and had a delicate mind in doing things, so I helped you get to the position of left minister of the household department. You really have What an ability you have to be able to deal with me and Emperor Mingxi like this."

Liu Zheng said hurriedly: "Your Majesty, that's all I know. Every mistake is my subordinate's fault, and I deserve death. Please help me, Your Majesty, for the last time."

After a moment, Dugu Ziyan finally said: "Okay, after I verify it, as long as what you said is true, I will do what I promised you."

Liu Zheng said hurriedly: "Okay, okay, you go and check, everything I said is true."

Dugu Ziyan shouted: "Du Chuan, take Ruanjin San once a day, be optimistic about Liu Zheng." When the sound fell, he was out of the cell.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Du Chuan responded, stuffing a piece of Rujinsan in his hand into Liu Zheng's mouth, and shouted angrily: "Liu Zheng, leave your good master alone, if you don't want it, you are doing your own evil." ."

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(End of this chapter)