The prince's personal bodyguard

Shangguan Qing and Xia Yang didn't know what was going on. They just stared at the prince as he left.

Mu Yunxiao took Yan San and headed straight for the northwest secret passage. Since Changli and Mr. Xuansu did not walk fast enough, they were soon caught up by Mu Yunxiao.

"Why is the prince here?" Mr. Xuan Su asked.

"It feels like Ayin was taken in this direction." Mu Yunxiao said without slowing down his pace.

Then, none of them spoke and they walked forward with their heads down. This secret passage was spacious and flat all the way without any danger. However, the distance was not short and they walked quite fast, but it took them nearly an hour to reach the end of the secret passage.

At the end of the secret passage was a deserted temple. The exit was under a bed in a dilapidated house in the temple. After lifting the bed board and lighting the surroundings with torches, the walls of the temple had lost their former glory, revealing signs of decay and decay.

A few people quickly walked out of the temple gate and found a path next to the temple. It meandered through a dense forest and disappeared into the distance.

The path looked very narrow. Mu Yunxiao shone a torch around and saw that the road was covered with moss and weeds, as if no one had walked on it for a long time.

Did I take the wrong secret passage? It seems like no one has ever walked this road.

Just as I was wondering, Mr. Xuan Su came over and said, "Your Highness, it seems that someone has set up an array here. Outsiders generally cannot come here."

Mr. Xuan Su then took everyone to check around the temple. Behind the temple, they found two pear trees full of fruits and surrounded by weeds.

Mr. Xuan Su looked at the two pear trees, and looked among the many pears. He saw a ripe, yellow peach and seemed to want to reach out and pick it.

"At this time, Mr. Xuansu still wants to eat pears?" Yan San muttered.

"Idiot!" Mr. Xuan Su rolled his eyes at him, his hands moving non-stop. He grabbed the big pear and twisted it hard. The other pear tree immediately moved to the side, and a road appeared in front of him.

Several people walked along this road for about half a mile and merged into a wide road in front of them. There was a stone tablet on the side of the road. When they moved the torch to the front, they saw "Anyang Road" written on it. It turned out to be the official road leading to Anyang.

We are already out of the city.

Following this road, you can go northwest and reach the border town of Liangcheng. After Liangcheng, you will be the Huns.

Mu Yunxiao was clear about what he was thinking at this time. He knew that Bai Xinyin was not in danger of life, so he ordered them to return to the city first.

"Why do we have to go back? Was the Ninth Princess kidnapped from here? Shouldn't we chase her?" Yan San seemed puzzled.

Chang Li was so angry that he hit Yan San with a big pear: "You are the only one who is smart! He is riding a horse, do you plan to chase him with your two short legs?"

"Oh." Yan San scratched his big head which was hurt by the hit and followed.

Several people returned along the same route and returned to the Imperial Garden.

The entire palace was lit up with pine trees and lanterns and torches, making it as bright as day.

Mu Yunxiao ordered Changli to go to the palace gate to get something, and arranged for Mr. Xuansu to assist Nan Huaijin in doing some things.

Several people acted separately.

In the emperor's study room.

The queen was kneeling on the ground, in front of her was a rag doll with the needles removed from it.

The emperor was furious, and pointed at the queen with a trembling hand: "This...you did all this? Huh?"

Although the queen was punished to kneel on the ground, she was not panicked at all.

"Your Majesty said that I did it. Does that mean I did it? Did Your Majesty see me do it myself?" The Queen looked like a dead pig that was not afraid of boiling water.

"What else do you have to say about the secret passage discovered behind the Buddha statue where you worshipped?" asked the emperor.

"How would I know there is a secret passage? I only worship Buddha and have never studied those things. Besides, this Kunning Palace was built by the previous dynasty. Who knows when it was built?" The queen yawned as she spoke.

At this time, Shangguan Qing opened the boxes and took out a golden hairpin from the box: "This hairpin is a new style that was popular in Kyoto two years ago. At that time, Fengchai Pavilion only made two sister styles of this style. One was bought by the prince of the current dynasty and given to the current queen. The other was auctioned and is said to have been passed on to the Queen Mother of Wei."

Then he opened a box full of gold ingots and said, "These are the gold ingots used to provide relief for the flood in Jiangnan in the 15th year of Tianbao. There is a special seal at the bottom, indicating the special funds at that time. I wonder why they appeared in the secret cave?"

Shangguan Qing's words made the Queen suddenly at a loss as to what to say, and no one noticed that the Prince beside him was sweating profusely.

"Mother, why do you want to practice this witchcraft?"

Just as the queen was trying to figure out how to make a clever excuse, the prince asked, "I'm not afraid of an eagle-like opponent, but I'm afraid of a pig-like son."

The State of Zhao prohibits the practice of witchcraft, and depending on the severity of the offense, there will be punishment. If she admits it today, her position as Queen will be in jeopardy.

"This person has already died. Even if he practices witchcraft, it will have no effect on her." The queen remained calm.

"You! Cough cough..." The emperor couldn't catch his breath.

"Did you capture Ayin?" the emperor asked again.

"I am innocent! I have never seen the Ninth Princess, so why would I arrest her?" The Queen insisted that she would never admit it as long as there was no evidence.

"Bring Qiubai!" Shangguan Qing ordered the guards at the door.

Qiu Bai, who had been rescued, was brought up.

"Why did you want to harm the Ninth Princess? Who ordered you to do it?" Shangguan Qing's majestic voice went straight to Qiu Bai.

"I did not harm the Ninth Princess, and the Ninth Princess is not dead."

"If there's no death, it's not harm? What kind of logic is that? Who instructed you? Tell me! Tell me earlier to avoid physical pain. Otherwise, you have to tell me after experiencing the torture of the Ministry of Punishment." Shangguan Qing felt like a scholar meeting a soldier, unable to explain himself clearly.

The Ministry of Punishment, Qiu Bai recalled that she had once passed by there and heard screams from inside, which frightened her to the point of chilling. She glanced at the Queen, her heart trembled with fear, and lowered her head: "No... no one instructed me. The Ninth Princess made things difficult for me while she was treating the Queen Mother, and I... I was so angry... I looked for a chance to take revenge on her."

Shangguan Qing looked at her flickering eyes and sneered: "It seems that you are not telling the truth. If the princess is okay, maybe she can spare your life and reunite with your family. It seems that you can't be reunited."

"Family? What I do has nothing to do with my family?"

"It has nothing to do with the family. The entire clan will be executed for murdering the royal heir. General Xia, take her mother and brother to the prison. They can't survive anyway, so there's no need to bother the doctor to save them." Shangguan Qing said while observing Qiu Bai.

"Mother, brother? Sir, where are my mother and brother now?" Qiu Bai said, tears flowing out uncontrollably.

"Your mother and brother have been hidden in a cave and drugged. They probably won't survive until dawn. Originally, we asked Doctor Si to rescue them, but since you don't want to confess, you will die sooner or later. So we simply don't save you to save money and medicine. Just send you to jail and wait for death!" Shangguan Qing said it calmly, as if he was just chatting about family matters.

"Please save my mother and brother, sir. I'll tell you! I'll tell you!" He glanced at the queen and said, "It was Ming Yuan, the chief maidservant beside the queen, who asked me to do this. She threatened me with my mother and brother to force me to do it."

"Queen, don't you admit it?" the emperor shouted.

"Your Majesty, please don't believe the one-sided words of these palace maids. The Queen Mother and I have always been at odds. It is possible that they want to frame me." The Queen had an attitude. She would not admit it unless she grabbed her wrist.

"Good, good, good!" The emperor laughed in anger.

"Bring Ming Yuan, the palace maid beside the Queen!" Shangguan Qing said.

Just now, the imperial guards locked up all the eunuchs and maids in the Queen's palace and put them under guard.

After a while, someone came to report that Ming Yuan went to the toilet and died inside.

The queen deliberately snorted coldly: "Who knows if they are deliberately colluding to frame me."

What a strong mentality! Xia Yang, who was standing by, was shocked. He really admired the Queen's words.

"Yes, Your Majesty, even the secret passage was dug just now, just waiting to harm you?" Shangguan Qing was really angry. This woman was just being stubborn. If she didn't think she was the queen, he would have slapped her mother twice.

"You!" The queen was speechless.