Painting Doctor Jinhua

Chapter 175: Dali Temple Confrontation, Xiao Jinyu's Routine

At this time, Lu Lingxuan was staying in the discipline room of the Dali Temple Prison, "enjoying" the treatment of being repeatedly interrogated by Bi Yiyun and Sima Maozong. After the interrogation, this woman remained calm and did not reveal any information that was unfavorable to herself.

Until Xiao Jinyu and Lanling King came to this prison!

Seeing the discipline room full of torture instruments, Xiao Jinyu felt a sense of emotion. It turned out that this was the highest-level prison in Northern Qi, similar to the Supreme Court of the Southern Dynasties. However, when Emperor Wenxuan of Northern Qi first established the Dali Temple Prison, it was just an important bargaining chip in the struggle between imperial power and civil officials. It was also the primary way for the emperor to pardon prisoners.

The "official punishment" in the Northern Qi law was a common means of pardoning criminals. As long as one paid enough money or demoted their official position, they could be easily pardoned!

Seeing "Xie Zhen" coming, Lu Lingxuan raised her eyebrows and asked, "You actually came to the Dali Temple Prison to see me?"

"How did you manage to set up a trap for me step by step?"

Xiao Jinyu smiled and said, "Lord Lu, you are joking. It is obvious that Lord Lu cannot tolerate me and has set traps for me step by step!"

Lu Lingxuan sneered, thinking that all these things were caused by Murong Jue. She originally just wanted to capture Murong Jue and accuse Lanling Wang of harboring a wanted criminal, but why did it turn out like this?

It was clearly her who set up the trap for Xie Zhen, but why did she fall into their trap step by step, leading to this ending today?

Where did the two letters on Gao Ana Gong's body come from? Who could imitate her handwriting?

It was indeed as Gao Zhan said, this Xie Zhen was a complete stranger to her. If he was imitating her, where did he see her handwriting?

She couldn't understand all this!

And all this was indeed part of Xiao Jinyu's plan. She let Fenghuang lure Gao Anagong to Beigong in the identity of Xie Zhenzhi, and then asked Ling Ye to kill this man and put the two letters into his arms as evidence.

She had seen Lu Lingxuan's handwriting on the secret letter in Nie Yinniang's handwriting as early as when she was in Pengcheng, Xuzhou. Moreover, Zu Ting, a cunning and talented man, had imitated her handwriting!

Fenghuang then gained the trust of Yuwen Hu's mother Yan as a spy for the Zhou State, and took the real Yan out of Yecheng with the delegation!

If Lu Lingxuan finds out about this later, she will definitely send people to retrieve the delegation!

As long as Lu Lingxuan goes after the delegation, Gao Zhan will surely become suspicious, because this matter has always been a secret, and if Lu Lingxuan knows about it, it only means that she has planted an insider next to Gao Zhan, which is something Gao Zhan cannot tolerate!

The emperor can delegate power to his ministers, but if the ministers take advantage of their favor and become arrogant, they want to undermine the emperor's power. This violates the emperor's bottom line, and the result is self-evident!

In fact, the whole plan has flaws. For example, why Xie Zhen went to Beigong, and why Yang became Yan. These would also make Gao Zhan suspicious of Xie Zhen.

But Gao Zhan himself is also a suspicious person. Except for He Shikai and Lu Lingxuan, there are probably few people in the court who are not suspected by him. Now it is enough for her to make Gao Zhan suspicious of these two people. She can explain everything else!

……

Lu Lingxuan, who didn't know what Xiao Jinyu was thinking, couldn't help but sneer, "You two came to the Dali Temple Prison just to see how they interrogate me?"

She glanced at Bi Yiyun and Sima Maozong.

The former lowered his head slightly, while the latter looked angry.

"Lord Lu, this is the Dali Temple Prison, not a place for you to joke around!"

"But you have been interrogating him for a long time and haven't found anything?" Lu Lingxuan said with a teasing smile, "Why don't you change direction and interrogate Minister Xie?"

She pointed at "Xie Zhen" with her eyes.

"You——" Sima Maozong was so angry that he didn't know how to refute.

At this time, "Xie Zhen" said: "Great! I, Xie Zhen, act upright and am not afraid of interrogation!"

As he said this, he actually sat down on the stool opposite Lu Lingxuan.

"I wonder what Lord Lu wants to get out of me?" she asked.

Lu Lingxuan smiled and said, "Just tell me how you sent Murong Jue out of Yecheng?"

When Murong Jue was mentioned, Sima Maozong and Bi Yiyun's faces changed. Xiao Jinyu smiled and replied, "Excuse me, who is this person that Lu Junjun is talking about? What does it have to do with me?"

How could he lie to such an extent without blushing or getting nervous?

This expression even looks a bit innocent!

Lu Lingxuan smiled wryly: "Okay, let's see if we can find this person among the delegation?"

"Yeah, sure!"

"Then is it my turn to ask Lord Lu? I don't need to explain your relationship with Gao Anagong. He became the leader of the imperial guards because of your recommendation. You sent them to kill me, so you don't have any excuses, right?"

"Yes, I admit it!" Lu Lingxuan laughed contemptuously, "However, I do not admit that Yang's identity was replaced, and I do not admit that I colluded with Zhou's spies!"

"As for collusion with Zhou spies, I think you, Xie Zhen, are more likely. After the Hou Jing Rebellion, Yang Zhong led his troops south to Jiangling and killed Emperor Xiao Yi of Liang. He then captured a large number of nobles and your Southern Dynasty's current emperor Chen Xu and brought them to Zhou. Among these captured nobles, there is no guarantee that there are no members of your Chenjun Xie family!"

"Well, what Lord Lu said makes sense. According to what you said, your husband Luo Chao also fled from Wei to Qi, and was later killed for treason. Lord Lu might have become a spy for the Zhou Kingdom because of the revenge for her husband's murder and her husband's relationship with the Zhou Kingdom, right?"

"You are—so eloquent!"

Lu Lingxuan was so angry that her eyebrows were raised. Bi Yiyun and Sima Maozong on the side were stunned. Why did it feel like this interrogation had nothing to do with them, the presiding judges?

Even Gao Changgong, who was watching from the side, couldn't help but laugh.

"Thanks for the compliment!"

Xiao Jinyu followed suit and continued to speak slowly, "Actually, I don't like to wrongly accuse good people. If I didn't have real evidence, I wouldn't come to identify you, Lord Lu!"

"So, don't be so confident. You have a tavern in Pengcheng, Xuzhou, called Fenglaiju, and this place is where you communicate with the Zhou Kingdom and hide spies, right?"

When Xiao Jinyu said this, Lu Lingxuan's face changed. Not only her, but also Bi Yiyun and Sima Maozong changed their faces.

"Although I don't know why you have correspondence with the Zhou Kingdom, there is a shopkeeper in Fenglai Residence. We took him with us on the way back from Nanchen. Now we are providing him with good food and drink, and we are waiting for him to reveal the whereabouts of other spies in the Zhou Kingdom!"

Lu Lingxuan clenched her teeth tightly and listened to her continue:

"Oh, by the way, not long ago, we received a letter from the Zhou Kingdom from Fenglaiju, saying that it was for you, Lord Lu. The Zhou Kingdom wanted to use spies to spread rumors in our Qi State and frame General Hulu. They also said that they needed you, Lord Lu, to stir up trouble again and fan the emperor's ears. Nod your head, and this time we must remove this pillar of support for our Qi State!"

"Lord Lu, you must hate General Hulu! After all, he is extremely opposed to a woman like you holding power!"

When Xiao Jinyu said this, Bi Yiyun and Sima Maozong were no longer shocked and astonished!

Even Gao Changgong changed his expression!

Sima Maozong was even more indignant, and hurriedly asked Xiao Jinyu: "Do you take Minister Xie's words seriously? Where is the shopkeeper now?"

Xiao Jinyu returned the greeting to Sima Maozong and said, "Please forgive me for not telling you right now. Otherwise, this shopkeeper will be killed and Zhen and Lanling King will never be able to get anything out of him again!"

"However, Zhen can tell you two one direction. There are indeed spies sent by Wei Xiaokuan, the Grand Commander of the Zhou Kingdom, in our Ye City, and these people are likely hiding in Yebei City. I hope Sima Qing and Minister Bi will investigate this matter strictly!"

"Of course!" Sima Maozong replied.

After saying these words, Xiao Jinyu looked at Bi Yiyun meaningfully and said, "I have always heard that Minister Bi is strict with the law. During the reign of Emperor Wenxuan, he impeached nobles and relatives of the emperor. He is upright and incorruptible. I hope that Minister Bi will not tarnish his good reputation in his later years and enforce the law impartially!"

After saying this, he said goodbye and left with Lanling King.

Seeing the two of them leave, Lu Lingxuan's face turned purple with anger and suspicion. She gritted her teeth and asked loudly, "Xie Zhen, since you and Lanling King have captured this Zhou spy, why did you only reveal his existence until now?"

"That's because the time has not come yet. Acting rashly will only backfire, just like when Princess Lanling accused you of forging an imperial decree to assassinate Prince Lanling at the Bingjingtai banquet that day.

Didn't you kill all the witnesses?"

"You are—you are full of false accusations!"

After Xiao Jinyu said this, Sima Maozong looked at Lu Lingxuan with even more suspicion. After all, this was the first time he saw anger on this woman's face! In the past, she was so distant, mysterious and unattainable, making it impossible to guess what she meant.

Bi Yiyun also seemed to reflect on her last words!

……

After returning to Lanling Palace, Gao Changgong couldn't wait to ask Xiao Jinyu: "You said that Zhou wanted to send spies to spread rumors in Qi to frame General Hulu. When did you receive the news? How come I didn't know about it?"

Xiao Jinyu laughed and said, "Chang Gong, I was just making this up. However, General Hulu is more powerful than his master, so Gao Zhan will definitely be afraid of him. The people of Zhou are also afraid of General Hulu. This may not be impossible in the future. It may not be a bad idea to take precautions early!"

In the original owner's memory, Hulugu was the elder whom Gao Changgong respected the most, and Hulugu's ending was even more sad. He was lured into the palace and killed because of a rumor spread by a Zhou spy!

The final fate of this famous general was not to die on the battlefield, but to die in the conspiracy of suspicion between the emperor and his ministers and the scheming of treacherous ministers. The person who killed him was Liu Taozhi, the emperor's number one assassin. This incident had a huge impact on Gao Changgong's heart. It seemed that from that moment on, he could foresee his own ending, so when the last glass of poisoned wine came, he just chose to accept his fate out of extreme disappointment!

Thinking of this, Xiao Jinyu felt a little sympathy for the ending of General Hulug, and also thought of Gao Changgong.

However, Gao Changgong just stared at her without blinking, and his worry grew even more intense.

Xiao Jinyu smiled, cupped his cheek and asked, "What are you thinking about again, Chang Gong?"

Gao Changgong smiled bitterly and replied:

"Ayu, I have angered Gao Zhan today. If it were in the past, I would not be afraid of being more successful than my master and causing the king to be suspicious. I always felt that this life was nothing more than killing enemies on the battlefield and living a happy life. Even if I died on the battlefield, life was short, as long as I did not let my country down and did not let myself down, I would be content."

At this point, he looked at Xiao Jinyu lovingly, stroked her snow-white and delicate cheek, and said,

"But now I have you, and because of you I have more greed, I want to spend the rest of my life with you.

I’m also afraid that you’ll be lonely…”

After hearing what he said, Xiao Jinyu started laughing.

"There's nothing wrong with having greed in your heart. We are human beings, not saints who have no desires or demands!" After a pause, she asked with a smile, "Then can you tell me now, what did Gao Zhan say to you?"

Gao Changgong felt uncomfortable when he mentioned this. He pondered for a long time before answering, "He thinks he is the emperor and wants the best of everything in the world, including women. Now he still misses you in his heart. Today is not the first time that he wants to take you away from me.

But I refused every time.

I think he won't mention it again from now on, but he won't be nice to me either.

I don’t know what actions he will take in the future…”

So this is ah!

Xiao Jinyu smiled and said, "It doesn't matter. I will find a way to deal with it, just like I did when I sent the phoenix away this time. In the end, didn't we still win?"

Yes! Originally, it was full of dangers, but with her careful planning, there was light at the end of the tunnel, and she was able to survive!

Thinking of all the things that had happened in the past few days, which were nothing short of legendary to him, Gao Changgong felt quite emotional. He had never thought that she was so smart. His uneasy mood slowly dissipated, and he happily held her in his arms.

……

After learning that his mother was imprisoned in the Dali Temple, Mu Ti Po hurried over and wanted to ask Bi Yiyun for an explanation, but Bi Yiyun told him that all the troops selected to join the delegation were given by His Majesty, which means that this group of armed troops were most likely the Imperial Guards. If you say that there were Zhou spies infiltrated into the Imperial Guards, doesn't that mean that Zhou spies were so powerful that they were omnipresent and could even infiltrate the Imperial Guards?

Moreover, Bi Yiyun had indeed verified and examined the identities of every member of the delegation. Even for the recruited imperial guards, detailed records could be found of their names, where they lived, how many people were in their family, and when they joined the imperial guards, and their relatives could be found to recognize them.

"There is no descendant of the Murong clan you mentioned! Not to mention any pretty boys of eleven or twelve, there is no one under fifteen!"

Mutipo gnashed her teeth in anger: "Apart from these people, is there no one else? Or the one who is with that Yan family?"

"You brought all of them back. There was a maidservant beside Yan, but she was pushed to the edge of the mountain by the bandits. No trace of her body was left!"

"What? A maid?"

"That's bad. I thought there were no fish that slipped through the net, but one did slip through. Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

Mu Ti Po cursed angrily and reported the matter to Lu Lingxuan!

Lu Lingxuan sighed, "So that's what it is!"

"What should we do? Mother, should we go to the bottom of the mountain and retrieve the boy's body?"

"What are you still looking for? If he's dead, there's no evidence. If he's alive, he would have run away long ago. Is he still waiting for you to catch him?"

"So this matter...is it over? Are you admitting defeat?"

Mu Ti Po was very unwilling, but Lu Lingxuan said, "Now, Xie Zhen has gained Gao Zhan's trust. I can't continue to entangle in this matter, otherwise it will only make Gao Zhan unhappy. First, find a way to get me out of this Dali Temple prison, no matter how high the official position is."

"Yes!"

Mu Ti Po was about to leave when Lu Lingxuan stopped him and said, "Wait, tell Prince Lanling and his princess about the boy's death and see how they react."

"Yes!"

……

The next day, the butler delivered a letter to Lanling King and Xiao Jinyu. When Xiao Jinyu saw the content of the letter, he was indeed scared for a moment, but then he thought that Fenghuang had once fallen off a mountain cliff with its original owner, but survived. This should not be a fluke, but his survival was due to his own ability.

And sure enough, seven days later, Xiao Jinyu received a letter sent by phoenix carrier pigeon, which said that he had arrived in Jinyang safely, and told her not to believe what others said and to put her mind at ease!

She was very familiar with Fenghuang's handwriting, which was quite sharp. Seeing this line of words, Xiao Jinyu couldn't help but burst into tears, and her heart, which had been hanging for a long time, finally settled down a little.

But just half a month later, Gao Zhan suddenly ordered the eunuch to deliver an imperial edict, and the content of the edict was to order Gao Changgong to garrison Jinyang and Bingzhou!

At the same time, he sent an imperial edict to Xie Zhen, ordering him to go on a diplomatic mission to the State of Zhou. However, the first condition for the peace talks of the State of Zhou was to let the envoys of Northern Qi go to Yubi to discuss the peace talks with Wei Xiaokuan, the commander-in-chief who was appointed as the governor of Xunzhou in Yubi!