noffsinger Chapter 456 There is a secret passage under the well
Chapter 456 There is a secret passage under the well
"Let me do it." A cold voice sounded, it was Rong Jing.
He was the Minister of Dali Temple and also concurrently the Minister of Justice. Investigating cases was his job, so he also came along.
Ning Zhiwei nodded slightly and let him handle the case.
The guards brought tables and chairs, and the palace maids made jasmine tea and presented a box of snacks.
Ning Zhiwei sat on a chair, drinking scented tea, picked up a piece of white sugar cake from the snack box and ate it slowly.
No one dared to speak.
The scene was completely silent. Rong Jing took a quick look and came to the conclusion, "This should be the body of Nanny Zhou."
"So, what about the Zhou family?"
Everyone's expression was very subtle and they looked around blankly.
Ning Wenyin frowned, "Mrs. Zhou has been locked up with the wet nurse these days and has not gone out."
The guards also nodded. "Yes, we take turns guarding here day and night. Except for the three meals a day, no one is allowed to go in or out."
So the question is, if a corpse is missing, something seems wrong, can it still go up to the sky or down to the earth?
Whether he hides himself or is taken away by someone, it is not good news.
The hearts of the women in the Ning family were hanging in the air, and their feelings were indescribably complicated.
Just now I was still lamenting that Zhou passed away at such a young age, what a pity.
But, something is wrong at this moment, which makes people feel inexplicably uneasy.
The scene was burnt out and there were ashes everywhere.
Rong Jing looked around and his eyes fell on a burnt beam in an inconspicuous corner. "Move it away."
Sure enough, another corpse was found under the burnt bricks and beams.
"Autopsy."
The autopsy results came out quickly, "He was very young, in his early twenties, and died before the fire."
Rong Jing frowned slightly, "Not burned to death?"
The coroner said cautiously, "No, those who died of burns would have soot in their mouths and noses, and their hands and feet would be clenched into fists. This corpse does not have these symptoms." Note (1)
Madam Ning hesitated for a moment, "Then, is it possible to make someone realize death in advance in order to avoid the pain of burning, and then have that person commit suicide?"
I don't want to excuse Zhou, but I think this is too unbelievable.
Zhou married Xiao Qi, so she was a member of the Ning family. The Ning surname was the national surname, and she was a member of the royal family. She had everything she needed, so why would she write and perform her own story? Even to the point of self-immolation?
The coroner nodded slightly. "Theoretically, it is possible. However, there is one thing: this corpse has never given birth."
The whole audience was silent, with different expressions.
They knew very well whether Ning Zhou had given birth to a child or not.
So, there is only one possibility, this is not Ning Zhou.
So, Ning Zhou must have escaped!
How did she escape? Who helped her? What was she trying to achieve?
Who is she...?
Countless doubts came to everyone's mind, and everyone looked unhappy, feeling as if they were being played around.
Ning Zhiwei was very calm, as if she had expected it. "Bring up all the members of the Zhou family and have a thorough trial."
"Yes."
Rong Jing's face darkened. He calculated the time. Ten hours had passed since the self-immolation. Although the scene had been preserved, the man might have escaped far away.
"Dig three feet into the ground to find the person."
"Yes."
At a command, the Imperial Guards and the Embroidered Uniform Guards took action, pushing forward inch by inch.
Rong Jing stared at a well, walked over and took a look. There was water in the well, and it was quite clear.
"There is a well here. Find someone who is familiar with water to go down and check it out."
A Jinyiwei immediately responded, "I'll do it."
His companion found a rope and tied it around his body. The Jinyiwei climbed down the well along the rope and went deep into the water.
It was strangely quiet, and everyone was watching eagerly.
After a while, a voice came from the well, "Master Rong, there is a secret passage under the water."
The whole audience was in an uproar. There was actually a secret passage!
"I'll follow the secret passage and see where it leads to."
Rong Jing looked at the soldiers without hesitation, "One more person will go down, so we can take care of each other, and be careful."
Another Jinyiwei climbed down the rope.
Rong Jing then looked at the women of the Ning family, his expression as indifferent as snow, "Madam, there is a secret passage under the water, do you know?"
Madam Ning was extremely surprised and her mood was extremely complicated. "I don't know."
She had been married into the Ning family the longest and married the eldest son, so she was destined to be the mistress.
If the Ning family had a secret passage, she would be one of the people most likely to know it.
When asked, others shook their heads and said they didn't know about it.
"I only come here to worship my ancestors during the Qingming Festival every year. I rarely come here at other times. I have only been here for a few years to observe mourning and stay indoors. I have only lived in Qingluo Villa for a while, but I have never heard of a passage."
"This is the first time I know there is a secret passage. Maybe only the men in the family were told. Could it be that the Seventh Young Master told her?"
"The Seventh Young Master may not know. Logically speaking, only the head of the family could know about this kind of thing."
Everyone looked at the woman drinking tea, "Your Majesty, do you know?"
Ning Zhiwei used to be the head of the Ning family. He raised his eyebrows and said, "I don't know."
Everyone's expressions became more complicated.
Rong Jing stood by the well, staring at the inner wall, "I'm just curious, why is the passage here?"
"This is neither the main courtyard nor a special place, but it happens to be in the courtyard where Zhou lives."
"However, Zhou mysteriously disappeared. Before she disappeared, she set a fire that burned down the entire yard."
As he spoke, Zhou's suspicion grew.
Yes, she said it was self-immolation and acted so tragically, but in the end, the person who died was not her!
Even a child of a few years old can see the doubts in this.
Rong Jing turned his head and looked at everyone, "Think carefully, what's wrong with Zhou? Is there anything unusual about him?"
Madam Ning felt mixed emotions; she couldn't believe that she had made a mistake.
"Zhou was very normal before. When she was in prison, she would rather suffer herself than not protect her children."
Several young ladies looked at each other in bewilderment. "Her personality changed drastically after the late emperor granted her marriage, but it is understandable. The hatred of having her husband taken away is hard for any woman to let go."
"After Xiao Qi married the Duan family girl, she wanted to be the first in everything. Xiao Qi felt guilty about her and gave in to her in every way. The old lady also protected her, which made her even more arrogant. She felt that the whole world owed her and everyone would avoid her."
The main reason was that Zhou and Duan Xinyu were competing with each other and were not targeting them, so they all chose to turn a blind eye and watch the fire from the other side of the river.
Little do people know that some small things can lead to huge changes.
How can you feel the pain if the knife doesn't cut your body?
Ning Zhiwei sighed silently. The woman was taught from childhood that she should take care of her husband and children, and that her husband's honor and glory should be tied to the man for her whole life's honor and disgrace. This destined her to have a narrow vision and only focus on the backyard, lacking a sense of the overall situation and political literacy.
There is still a long way to go in women’s education.
A figure jumped out of the well, "Your Majesty, we have made a major discovery."