If she laughs again, she will be really angry.
The bright moon was setting in the west, and outside there was the sound of night watchmen's drums.
In Heli Hall, Jinyun and Canglang were talking to each other in low voices. At some distance, the little girl beside Yueli Terrace pretended to hold the book in her hand while secretly looking into the inner room.
Perhaps she noticed that the person over there was looking at her, so she quickly withdrew her gaze and tried to sit up straight, but the button on her waist was caught on the corner of the table.
The small table, which was not big to begin with, was pulled askew by her in an instant. Tang Ning quickly stood up and tried to press it down, but the book in her hand fell to the ground without her being able to hold on tightly. The small lamp on the table also fell on the fluffy blanket and rolled forward.
Three pairs of eyes in the room looked over here at the same time, and Tang Ning stood there frozen in embarrassment.
Xiao Yan's eyes were filled with smiles: "Come over if you want to listen."
"I don't want to listen!" Tang Ning muttered.
"You really don't want to listen?" He raised his eyes: "It's related to Queen Lu..."
Tang Ning's eyes moved. She knew that Xiao Yan had already made a plan, and she also knew that he was using Prince Cheng to lure Queen Lu, but she was not very clear about what he had done.
She wanted to know what Queen Lu was doing, but when she looked up at Xiao Yan's handsome face under the lamp, she suddenly remembered those "reckless" words that she had blurted out outside the academy before.
Tang Ning moved on tiptoe, holding on to the table, her face flushed.
She didn't know why she was so bold.
Canglang and Jinyun couldn't help but tremble their shoulders when they saw her embarrassed look. However, Xiao Yan saw that the little girl over there seemed to be a posture that she was about to go back into her turtle shell and refused to show her head no matter what. He coughed lightly with a smile on his face and glanced at Canglang and the others.
The little girl is thin-skinned and will be really annoyed if she laughs again.
"Come here, I just happen to have something to ask you."
Tang Ning quietly raised her head and saw Xiao Yan had a serious expression on his face. There was nothing unusual about Cang Lang and the other man beside him. She then moved her feet and asked hesitantly, "What do you want to ask me?"
Xiao Yan saw her walk to the edge of the steps, her feet seemed to be glued to the ground, and she refused to move an inch. He was not in a hurry, nor did he force her. He just said, "It has something to do with the Lu family." Glancing at Jinyun, he said, "Tell the girl about Queen Lu."
"yes."
Jinyun now looked at the little girl in front of him and regarded her as his future mistress. Although he didn't know how much she knew about the governor, it did not stop him from looking respectful.
"Previously, the governor and the girl suspected that someone in the palace had an affair with Prince Cheng and was plotting to murder the person who was engaged to Prince Cheng. It was also related to Xie Yin's background. Princess Huan has been keeping an eye on her for many days and has basically ruled out any suspicion that she had any contact with Prince Cheng. The only person suspected is Empress Lu."
"She was highly suspicious, but because of her identity, it was difficult to test her. Later, the governor used the fact that King Cheng was imprisoned to provoke her into losing her composure, but she remained unmoved."
"What happened next?" Tang Ning asked.
"Then there was the torture that night."
Jinyun told the story of Xiao Yan's interrogation after Prince Cheng was arrested, including how Prince Cheng refused to reveal the person he had an affair with, but was later tricked out by Xiao Yan. How, under Xiao Yan's deliberate guidance, Prince Cheng put the blame for the person he had an affair with on other members of the Lu family.
Xiao Yan supported his forehead with his hand and said, "I went to Fengxi Palace today and told the Queen about Prince Cheng's confession..."
Tang Ning tilted his head and thought for a while: "Brother wants to find out her background. If she is unmoved or directly tells the Lu family about this, it means that she has nothing to do with the matter of King Cheng. We are looking in the wrong direction. She can use this matter to show her merit to Lu Chongyuan, ease the relationship with the Lu family, and protect the clan behind her."
"But if she concealed the matter from the Lu family, or even tried to make it true by finding a scapegoat in the Lu family to take the blame for everything and help her and the Fourth Prince get out of this, then it would be equivalent to confirming all our previous speculations."
The one who had an affair with Prince Chen was Queen Lu, and it was also Queen Lu who had harmed my aunt for many years.
Seeing that the little girl thought of the key in an instant, Xiao Yan's eyes flashed with admiration. The little girl who used to only follow him like a parrot has now transformed into a smart and clever girl, making people even more reluctant to let her go.
Xiao Yan said "hmm" and said, "After I left the palace, Queen Lu sent her personal confidant to the Lu family. She stayed there for nearly three quarters of an hour before coming out. However, after she left, there was no unusual behavior from the Lu family, and none of the women in the Lu family were questioned."
Tang Ning's face turned cold: "Has she found a scapegoat?"
Xiao Yan raised his lips: "Guess who it is?"
Tang Ning thought about all the women in the Lu family, ruling out those who were not suitable, those who were not qualified to take the blame for Prince Cheng's crime, and those who could die for Queen Lu but could not really anger the Lu family and make them break off relations with Queen Lu at all costs...
Tang Ning opened her eyes wide: "Mrs. Lu?"
Xiao Yan suddenly laughed softly, and Cang Lang beside him showed a hint of amazement: "The girl can actually guess it?"
"I told you, our girl is smart."
Xiao Yan said this with great satisfaction. He waved at Tang Ning. Tang Ning no longer cared about his previous embarrassment and walked quickly to Xiao Yan's side, full of shock.
"Did she really choose Madam Lu? How did she do that? Doesn't she know that without evidence, Madam Lu would never admit to the crime, and Prince Cheng wouldn't be able to put the blame on Madam Lu?" Tang Ning asked.
"So her close confidant went to deliver the evidence."
After Xiao Yan motioned the little girl to sit next to him, he said calmly, "Ever since Lu Zhao went to jail, Lu Chongyuan has cleaned up the Lu family. The Lu family is now as strong as a copper wall and an iron wall. The nails we planted earlier have long been cleared away."
"Although I don't know what the maid did after she went to the Lu family, she simply tried to find a way to deliver the evidence to Madam Lu without leaving any trace, and she also had to keep it willingly."
Tang Ning cursed when she heard this: "She is simply shameless!"
"She is more than shameless, as she can get involved with King Cheng and play him around." Xiao Yan mocked.
Tang Ning asked: "So what are you going to do now, brother? Just expose her?"
Xiao Yan shook his head: "Not yet, the evidence is insufficient, and this matter concerns the reputation of the royal family. His Majesty is unpredictable, and it may not be a good thing to rashly expose the affair between the Queen and Prince Chen. We can't be the one to take the blame."
The emperor has been cuckolded for twenty years. The empress, who was personally appointed by the emperor, had an affair with his own brother. Not to mention the lack of evidence, it would be difficult to prove it as long as Prince Chen and the emperor refused to admit it. Even if there was enough evidence, Emperor An had a violent and unpredictable temper, the emperor's reputation would be damaged, Empress Lu and Prince Chen would not survive, and the person who revealed this secret would not have a good end.
Xiao Yan said: "And not all the fish I want have been caught yet."
Tang Ning was stunned for a moment: "Who else do you want to hook, brother?"
"Lu Zhao."
Xiao Yan did not hide it: "I must find a loophole in the Lu family's affairs, and use this opportunity to put them to death so that they cannot counterattack. Otherwise, once Lu Chongyuan is free, he will definitely bite me to death. With his cunningness, he may be able to deal with me."