Golden Branch

"Your Highness, I pay my respects to you!"

Lou Yu came to the main hall of the East Palace and saluted respectfully.

The prince waved his hand wearily, "Get up! No need to be polite!"

He barely slept last night.

In the first half of the night, the prince watched the imperial physician treat Yang Cheng's wounds and administer internal medicine. He also ordered people to thoroughly investigate the Eastern Palace while also blocking the news and comforting the Crown Princess.

The Crown Princess is already seriously ill. If she hears the bad news, she will definitely be shocked and her condition will worsen.

Moreover, if there is only one grandson, it would be easier to conceal it.

But if the Crown Princess is also dying, it will be difficult to cover up the matter.

After finishing all this, it was already late at night.

At this time, the effect of the Ma Fei San that Yang Cheng had taken had worn off, and the teenage boy was abruptly awakened by the pain.

The prince had just seen the saint off and returned to the east side hall, when he saw his son sweating and groaning in pain.

But Yang Cheng was a very sensible man. When he saw the prince coming in, he clenched his teeth and did not let out another cry of pain.

He could even manage a smile, and weakly tried to comfort the prince: "...Yeah, I, I'm fine!"

A mist flashed in the prince's eyes.

How can there be nothing to do?

The child's tiny body was trembling.

Even though he was in so much pain, he still didn't forget to comfort his elders. Such a sensible and filial child suffered this disaster because of the greed of some people!

The prince pinched his palms hard to suppress the anger surging in his chest.

He sat down on the bed, forced a smile, and said softly, "It's okay. If Ah Cheng feels any pain, just tell Ye Ye. There's no need to endure it!"

The prince knew that because Yang Cheng was the eldest son, he had been strict with him since he was young.

Yang Cheng himself was well aware of the heavy responsibility he was carrying.

Therefore, he is sensible and self-disciplined, and at a young age he already has the bearing of an eldest son and elder brother.

But no matter how smart he is, he is only a ten-year-old child.

Now still——

The prince's heart felt as if it was placed on a hot iron plate, experiencing unbearable torment and burning pain.

He once again gave the mastermind behind the scenes a severe lesson.

"Yeah, yeah, I, it hurts!"

Seeing the prince being so kind, Yang Cheng could no longer hold back and cried out in pain.

The prince hugged him tightly with one hand and gently stroked his back with the other: "Yeah, I know, yeah, I know everything! Ah Cheng, be good, just bear with it a little longer. The imperial physician said that you can't use too much Ma Fei San. Wait until tomorrow, and you'll feel better."

"……Um!"

With a strong nasal tone, Yang Cheng responded obediently.

He buried his head in his father's broad, warm arms, smelling the familiar scent of sandalwood and feeling a sense of security he had never felt before.

In ancient times when people emphasized "holding sons but not grandsons", Yang Cheng was never held by the prince again after he was three years old.

Therefore, in his memory, he and Aye had never had such an intimate and warm moment.

He likes it very much and is very satisfied.

Feeling the deep fatherly love, Yang Cheng, who was already extremely fragile due to his injury, became even more sentimental: "Yeah, can my leg heal?"

"Will I become a cripple?"

Although Yang Cheng lives deep in the harem, he is not a child who knows nothing.

He met many people, including veterans who had retired from the battlefield, and among them were many disabled people with scars on their faces and missing limbs.

In addition to the wounded and disabled soldiers, there were also some children of powerful and wealthy people who were occasionally injured due to riding, playing football, hunting, or fighting.

Therefore, Yang Cheng had seen a lame man and knew that a leg injury could lead to disability.

He doesn't want to be a lame person who can't walk.

"...No! Aye will definitely not let Acheng become a cripple!"

There was a slight tremor in the prince's voice.

He was afraid when he said this.

He was also afraid that his eldest son would become lame.

He would not despise it, but he was afraid that his son would be sad and feel inferior.

There are also secular views and criticisms from the world... These are not something a teenager can bear!

The prince was worried that the heir he had carefully cultivated would have his mind distorted and go to extremes that he did not want to see.

For the rest of the night, the prince held Yang Cheng in his arms, comforting and coaxing him in low voices.

When it was almost dawn, Yang Cheng finally felt sleepy. With tears in the corners of his eyes, he fell into a deep sleep.

The prince carefully placed him on the bed, and stood by the bed with his clothes on until it was completely light.

After hearing the eunuch's announcement that Lou Yu had arrived, the prince stood up and went to the bathroom to wash his face and brush his teeth. He then changed out of his wrinkled clothes and put on some casual clothes suitable for meeting guests.

"Hanzhang, tell me, how's the investigation going?"

The prince did not exchange too many pleasantries. After Lou Yu finished his greetings, he went straight to the point.

He believed that Lou Yu not only knew about what happened yesterday evening, but also conducted an urgent investigation.

Han Zhang has always been capable, perhaps he has already achieved some results.

"The assassins we captured alive by Quchi have confessed. They are the Li family's assassins!"

Lou Yu directly took out a dozen confessions.

"There was indeed an accident on the Hundred Cavalry Division's side!"

"Zhou Jiming investigated the missing person case and found the villa of Grand Princess Rong'an."

"Zhou Jiming led the officers to the other courtyard to arrest the suspect. Although the suspect confessed to his crime, he refused to surrender!"

"They escaped from the other courtyard and tried to break through the city gate and escape from the capital."

"Zhou Jiming led the officers in pursuit. During the chase, the suspect panicked and bumped into the fleeing young prince!"

Lou Yu’s words are very objective and fair.

He did not mix personal feelings into his report just because he disliked Zhou Jiming.

He even spoke fair words for Zhou Jiming——

Although this person is a bit stubborn, he is not afraid of power and handles cases impartially.

The prince nodded slightly, he understood what Lou Yu meant:

The assassination at Quchi Lake was a long-planned plot by the Li family.

However, the fall from the horse outside Quchifang was an accident.

The prince was very pleased with Lou Yu's objective description of Zhou Jiming.

As expected of someone he personally trained, Han Zhang is broad-minded and upright in his actions.

Even if they want to plot something, it should be an open conspiracy that can be put on the table.

The prince was secretly satisfied, but Lou Yu hesitated for a moment and continued, "Your Highness, as for that Miao girl, I have already ordered her to be captured and tortured!"

Having said that, Lou Yu paused again.

The prince's eyes flashed, "Why, the interrogation is not going well?"

That Miao girl is the key person involved in the poisoning of the Crown Princess.

By prying open her mouth, we can not only find out the mastermind behind the poisoning, but also find a way to detoxify the Crown Princess.

"My subordinates tried some tricks, but they still couldn't make her speak!"

A dark light flashed in Lou Yu's eyes, and his tone was gentle, without any emotion.

However, the prince was familiar with him and still heard a hint of resentment in his words.

It seems that the Miao girl is really troublesome.

Lou Yu spoke lightly, but the prince knew his tactics.

"Some tricks"?

Haha, this is not the ordinary beating with a stick or pinching of fingers in the yamen, but a torture that is more terrifying and more soul-shaking than the imperial prison of the Baiqi Division.

Without being too arrogant, if we can't even torture Lou Yu's people to find out the truth, then there is basically no solution!

"Your Highness, there is something strange about that Miao girl!"

"You should know my methods. Basically, no one can really keep silent."

"But that Miao girl seemed to have separated her spirit from her body. No matter what kind of torture her body endured, she felt no pain or sensation."

It's like being hypnotized.

Lou Yu had heard this word from Wang Mian and roughly understood the principle of hypnosis.

To put it bluntly, it is a method of mind control.

Lou Yu once sought out some extraordinary people from the martial arts world for training based on the few "inspirations" that Wang Mian briefly mentioned.

Some small success!

Even if it is not possible to turn a person into a puppet in an exaggerated way, it is still possible to make the other person utter the hidden truth in a "distracted" state.

However, the Miao girl's state was not quite the same as hypnosis.

She looked awake and not asleep, but she showed no reaction to anything that happened to her body.

The secret guards in charge of the interrogation felt a chill down their spines when they saw this scene.

unusual!

How abnormal!

This has gone beyond normal cognition and is heading towards ghosts, spirits, etc.

Of course, Lou Yu’s people would not be really scared or helpless.

Seeing that torture was ineffective, they resorted to hypnosis.

In her "dream", the Miao girl revealed some clues:

"Your Highness, our previous speculation was correct. Something unexpected has indeed happened in Yongzhou."

"King Yong imposed heavy taxes and levied heavy taxes, oppressing the Yi people and causing them to rebel."

"They attacked the Governor's Office in Yongzhou, and within three days, they were suppressed by the personal guards of the Yong Palace."

"King Yong's methods of suppression were extremely brutal, triggering even greater hatred and backlash among the Yi tribes."

"However, this time, they have learned their lesson and are afraid of the palace's guards. After discussion, they decided to enter the capital."

"Ani is the daughter of their tribal leader. She is proficient in witchcraft and has studied the classics of the saints. She was chosen to lead the vengeful expedition to the capital."

"She used witchcraft to disguise herself as a miracle doctor. She was discovered by the Li family and successfully entered the capital."

There is no need for Lou Yu to tell the story that follows.

The prince knows everything.

Moreover, there is no "then" after this "then".

The Miao girl seemed to have set up a "mechanism" in her subconscious mind. Even when she was hypnotized, she would shut up immediately if a certain keyword was touched.

For more clues, such as how to detoxify the Crown Princess, unless Ani herself is willing, Lou Yu can't get a single word no matter how hard he tries!

"...This Miao girl is so weird?"

After listening to Lou Yu's report and speculation, the prince couldn't help but sigh.

"It's truly amazing! Since torture didn't work, I had no choice but to try another method and meet Annie in person!"

"Ani said that she could detoxify the Crown Princess, but the court must severely punish Prince Yong and restore peace to Yongzhou."

At this point, Lou Yu's expression grew serious. He looked up at the Crown Prince and said, "Your Highness, this matter is of great importance. I would like to request to be appointed Governor of Yongzhou!"

This matter involved a prince and was not something that ordinary officials could handle.

Lou Yu's identity, ability, and royal favor make him the best candidate.

When the Crown Prince and Lou Yu had just guessed that "the incident happened in Yongzhou", the Crown Prince had this idea in his mind.

However, Yongzhou is located in a remote area, and even being a governor is more like exile.

The career path he had originally planned for Lou Yu was that one year later, Lou Yu would come of age, take over the Dali Temple, and become one of the Nine Ministers.

This is the bright and promising career path that Lou Yu deserves, instead of going to Lingnan to suffer misery.

PS: It’s the end of the month, and the monthly tickets are doubled. Dear book friends, please give me the monthly tickets!