Steal my marriage? Turn around and marry the tyrant to take the throne

"The temple was bustling with worshippers that day, and there were quite a few people. Who would have thought that Fatu Temple would..."

Li Changde followed her words and said, "The capital is not peaceful these days, and you have probably heard some rumors. There are also remnants of the Fatu Temple who are colluding with others to cause trouble."

"His Majesty is furious and has ordered a thorough investigation and manhunt."

Basho's heart tightened instantly.

Anything associated with Fatu Temple is never a good thing...

But thinking that the young master had only gone to offer incense and had nothing to do with those traitors, Bajiao felt much more at ease and echoed, "Your Majesty is wise and will surely eliminate the treacherous officials!"

"Exactly that."

Li Changde sighed: "In order to bring those scourges to justice as soon as possible, we cannot let any clues slip by. Therefore, we must carefully examine all those who have had contact with Fatu Temple."

"Bashō, you were with Consort Jiang back then, do you still remember the specifics of what happened at the temple that day?"

"For example, when did you arrive and when did you leave? Where did you go in the temple, what did you do, and which monks did you meet?"

"Even the smallest thing might be of help."

Once the label of "investigating traitors" is attached, any questioning of details is simply an expression of loyalty to the country.

Although Basho felt that Steward Li's questions were a bit too detailed, she dared not hide anything and carefully recalled: "That day... the Jiang family's carriage departed from the mansion at the end of Chenshi (7-9 AM) and arrived at Fatu Temple at around Sishi (9-11 AM)."

"My lady and I first followed the madam to offer incense and donate money for incense oil in the main hall of the front hall."

"Afterwards, the lady discussed Buddhist teachings with several monks."

“My lady… My lady said she wanted to find a quiet place to relax, so she led me slowly to a quiet room in the west wing.”

Li Changde narrowed his eyes and chimed in at the opportune moment: "That's where Fatu Temple entertains distinguished guests. Did Consort Jiang go in alone?"

"Yes."

Banana nodded and said, "The young mistress said she wanted to be alone and told the guards to wait outside and not to go in to serve her."

"He also said that on the way here he saw a teahouse at the intersection selling the unique Qingxin Tea of ​​Fatu Temple, as well as newly made vegetarian pastries, and sent his servant to buy them."

The fact that both the guards and the personal maid were sent away makes things even more suspicious!

Li Changde's eyes were slightly cold, but his tone remained calm: "Empress Jiang is usually just as fond of quiet."

Basho said, "When you are at home, you do indeed often read and practice calligraphy alone in your study, and you do not like to be disturbed."

Li Changde then asked, "When did you return?"

Basho recalled earnestly, "I didn't keep track of the time carefully, but I remember that the tea house was very far away, and it took me a long time to walk there."

"Later we met up with my wife and had a vegetarian meal at Fatu Temple. We left the temple and returned home around 11:00 p.m.

"As for the monks I met... apart from the young novice who led the way, there was the guest monk in the front hall."

Basho believed that she had explained everything clearly and without any concealment.

Li Changde sneered inwardly upon hearing this.

Jiang Changzai... is definitely suspicious!

His heart sank slowly, but he said gently, "I see."

"I've done my job asking all the questions. Now you can go back and take good care of Consort Jiang."

Seeing Li Changde's amiable smile, Bajiao's unease finally dissipated. She curtsied and said, "Yes, this servant will remember Chief Steward Li's instructions."

"The slaves retire."

Li Changde went to the main hall, bowed before the imperial desk, and reported the results of his questioning to the emperor.

Finally, he said, "...Your Majesty, what Basho said is completely consistent with the old records."

“She appeared calm and answered questions fluently just now. She didn’t seem to know anything or lie. She probably only knew the surface-level information.”

"All signs point to the fact that there was something unclear about Jiang Changzai's behavior that day. As for whether she had an affair with Xingchen, further investigation is needed."

"How to handle this matter is up to Your Majesty's wise decision."

Nangong Xuanyu's eyes were icy cold, and faint blue veins were visible on the back of his hand.

Jiang Changzai...

Awakening Dust...

In this matter, emperors have always believed that it is better to kill a thousand innocent people than to let one guilty person go free!

Consort Jiang was merely the daughter of an insignificant fifth-rank official, and since entering the palace, she had only been the emperor's concubine a handful of times.

Although she was quite beautiful, the imperial harem was never short of beauties.

Jiang Changzai's beauty was nothing special in the eyes of the emperor, who was used to seeing stunning beauties.

It was not enough to arouse Nangong Xuanyu's pity.

"Li Changde."

The emperor said without a trace of emotion, "Immediately arrest Jiang and interrogate him severely!"

"There is no need to mention the past events of Fatu Temple to outsiders."

"Regarding the fire at Yawen Garden, there are still some unresolved questions. Upon investigation, it was found that Jiang had contact with Jiang on the day of the fire, and their words and actions were suspicious. They need to be detained and interrogated in detail to find out the truth behind the fire."

Li Changde respectfully replied, "This servant understands!"

That's a perfect pretext.

The mysterious fire at Yawen Garden was already shrouded in suspicion. It was perfectly reasonable to interrogate Jiang Changzai, the only person who had recently had contact with the Jiang family.

It will not cause panic among the women in the harem.

As for whether Chiang Chang-tsai is truly innocent.

Will this incident completely ruin his future, or even cost him his life...?

These are clearly not among His Majesty's considerations.

If she is innocent, perhaps after this ordeal, she can receive compensation from His Majesty after the truth is revealed.

If she slipped through the net...

As a result, one can imagine what happened to Jiang Changzai!

……

Lingyan Pavilion.

Jiang Changzai questioned Bajiao in detail about the questions Li Changde had asked her in the past.

Bajiao recounted everything in detail, not daring to omit anything.

As Jiang Changzai listened, a storm of emotions gradually surged within him!

Li Changde actually asked in detail about her trip to Fatu Temple on the ninth day of the tenth lunar month last year!

why? !

So much time has passed since then.

Fatu Temple has long since been reduced to ashes, and Xingchen's remains are nowhere to be found.

Nangong Xuanyu's attention should have been drawn to Jiang Wange's "death" and the Xiongnu's spies!

How could this be...? Why would he suddenly ask about her life before she entered the palace, and why would Li Changde investigate so thoroughly?!

Could it be... that he knows something?!

Was there a mistake among those left behind by Xingchen?

Or perhaps... Jiang Wange's escape ultimately implicated her?

Any possibility made Jiang Changzai feel as if he had fallen into an ice cave.

She forced herself to maintain her composure and gave Basho a reassuring smile: "...Manager Li is always meticulous in his work. It's good to ask him more clearly to avoid any further complications."

"You handled it well, go and rest."

Seeing that Jiang Changzai's expression was normal, Basho replied "Yes" and withdrew.

Jiang Changzai was the only one left in the inner room.

Her face was ashen white.

No!

She must not sit still and wait for death!

However... Nangong Xuanyu clearly did not give Jiang Changzai any time to respond.

The door to Lingyan Pavilion was suddenly pushed open forcefully from the outside.

Jiang Changzai's heart almost stopped beating; the blood in his body seemed to freeze at that moment.