"What on earth is going on?" Perilla had been waiting for Yi Qing without sleeping. As soon as she saw her come back, she immediately went into her room to ask.
On the way back, Yi Qing had completely calmed down and sorted out the existing facts quite well.
She didn't quite believe the news that Xiao Tian had been thrown into prison by the emperor.
She didn't even believe that he was imprisoned by Xu Maozhi.
If Xiao Tian wanted the tiger tally, the emperor, who was on such good terms with him, would have presented it with both hands.
As for the claim that he had lost it, it was utter nonsense.
If it was lost in the study, what responsibility did Xiao Tian have?
He was just a bodyguard and not responsible for the study.
It would be more reasonable to say it was her responsibility.
Even Xu Maozhi's speculation about their relationship - didn't she also bear some responsibility?
If it was really Xu Maozhi who had taken action, how could he have let her go?
So Yi Qing didn't fully believe the emperor's words.
But if the emperor was joking, he wouldn't have played such a big joke - even if he wanted to, Xiao Tian wouldn't have indulged his nonsense!
So what exactly was going on in between?
Also, what did the tiger tally look like and what was its significance? She didn't believe that just anyone could mobilize troops with the tiger tally. That would be too childish.
"Perilla, go and get Old Man Sun for me. No, it's too late. Call Meng Huaisheng instead."
Perilla didn't hesitate. "Okay."
However, just as she was about to step out, Yi Qing changed her mind.
"No, Perilla. Meng Huaisheng won't do either. Go and invite the King of Zhen."
With the theft of the tiger tally, many people couldn't be cleared of suspicion.
But the King of Zhen's arrival in the capital was an accident. And his entanglement with the General's Mansion because of Perilla was also an accident. Moreover, he didn't want to rebel, so there was no need for him to steal the tiger tally at a time when he had just offended the emperor.
The King of Zhen came quite quickly, yawning continuously. "What are you guys up to in the middle of the night? You're disturbing my sweet dreams."
"I want to ask you what the tiger tally is," Yi Qing said bluntly. "Xiao Jinghan's tiger tally has been lost."
"Ah?" The King of Zhen was greatly startled, and his drowsiness was completely scared away. "Where did Xiao Jinghan lose his tiger tally? In Licheng?"
"No, in the capital, in the study of the General's Mansion. It's lost."
The King of Zhen was stunned. "Wasn't the tiger tally left in Licheng or given to the emperor?"
"They said it was lost in the mansion," Yi Qing said calmly. "Is there something wrong?"
"What was the tiger tally doing in the mansion? Were you using it?"
"I didn't even know the tiger tally existed before."
"That makes sense. Who brought the tiger tally back? Lu Tianzuo and the others? But let's not talk about that for now. When was it lost? During the fire?" The King of Zhen asked anxiously, his expression rarely serious.
"Yeah." Yi Qing nodded.
Perilla was an impatient person. She kicked the King of Zhen. "If you know something, just say it quickly. Who told you to keep asking questions? Be careful or I'll beat you up!"
"Just because I let you get away with it, you really think you're something?" The King of Zhen snorted, his tone much more relaxed. "It's okay. It's too late today. Tomorrow you can send a memorial to the emperor saying that the tiger tally is lost."
Yi Qing was stunned. "It's that simple? And then?"
"How much more complicated does it need to be?" The King of Zhen said indifferently. "It's just been lost, right? The emperor will send an urgent document to all places tomorrow, telling everyone that Xiao Jinghan's tiger tally is invalid. What else can be done?"
Yi Qing began to understand. This was equivalent to an ancient - style statement of loss and invalidation.
It was a bit troublesome, but compared to the potential disasters, it didn't seem like much.
That is to say, if the loss of the tiger tally was discovered in time, it wouldn't cause any serious consequences.
She wasn't sure yet, so she asked another question. "Is this the idea the king came up with, or do all the military generals know about it?"
"Of course everyone knows. And of course I could have thought it out on my own too," the King of Zhen said. "This isn't the first time Xiao Jinghan has lost it. But last time he was alive. We can't blame him this time."
Yi Qing: "...... When was that?"
"I forget. Anyway, we received a document once," the King of Zhen said. "That time he was only fined one year's salary by the emperor. We all thought the emperor was partial to him."
The matter wasn't that serious at all!
Was Xu Maozhi just making a mountain out of a molehill?
"The tiger tally doesn't have much real use. It's just a certificate. Normally, no one would touch it. When really mobilizing troops, it's rarely used. It's more of a symbolic meaning. Or rather, only if someone could obtain the tiger tally without being discovered for a long time could it be of any use, right?" Yi Qing summarized and confirmed with the King of Zhen.
"That's exactly it."
Yi Qing fell into deep thought.
She didn't bother to figure out what the emperor was up to anymore.
She was thinking about who had stolen the tiger tally.
According to what the King of Zhen said, stealing the tiger tally was more like a symbol, a symbol of provocation.
If someone really wanted to do something bad, they could have stolen it quietly. After all, the tiger tally was in the study, and no one but Xiao Tian would check it.
But this thief not only stole the tiger tally but also set a fire, as if he was afraid that others wouldn't know the tiger tally had been stolen. This was very strange.
This person's purpose couldn't be just a prank, could it?
What was the purpose of making such a big deal out of it?
By attracting so much attention, who was this thief targeting?
The frightened horse was targeting Baozi. Could the fire and the loss of the tiger tally be targeting her?
Suddenly, Yi Qing seemed to think of something. "Search! Search immediately!"
"Search for what?" Perilla was completely confused.
"Search for the tiger tally."
"You've gone crazy," the King of Zhen said. "Didn't you just say the tiger tally was lost? Where can we search for it in the middle of the night?"
Yi Qing said firmly. "Start from my room and my courtyard first. If we can't find it, then search your courtyards and then the whole mansion."
Seeing that both Perilla and the King of Zhen looked puzzled, Yi Qing felt a thrill and excitement as if she was about to solve a case. "I have a bold guess. No matter who this thief is, his purpose is probably to frame someone."
They didn't alarm anyone else. The King of Zhen helped search in the flower hall and the courtyard, while Yi Qing and Perilla rummaged through the room.
"Here it is!" Yi Qing let out a long breath and took out the tiger tally from the clothes trunk. "This should be it."
Perilla was stunned. She stepped forward to take a look. "You really guessed right."
"First ask the King of Zhen if this is the one."
The King of Zhen confirmed that this was the tiger tally.
"What should we do now?" Perilla looked at Yi Qing and asked.
"Stay put and wait for the culprit to show up," Yi Qing said coldly. "It's not enough for just us to know about this. We have to let Xu Maozhi know."
"Okay," Perilla immediately said. "Tomorrow I'll go to the Xu Mansion and wait for him. I'll explain everything to him after he comes back from court."
"No," Yi Qing said. "If we're too late, things might change. Stop him on his way to court and explain it clearly to him."
"Okay." Perilla readily agreed.
"I'll go with you," the King of Zhen volunteered. "I'll also go to court tomorrow to see if anyone will mention this matter."