Chapter 50: The consequences of one's actions "I wonder when this kid will finally come to his senses"...

The soil was turned up, revealing the flower roots. A woman's body lay stretched out beneath a flowering tree, a few red flowers blooming on her bones. The woman was adorned with gold and silver, her pale face adorned with vibrant red lips—truly a "daughter of gold."

"This is...Mrs. Liu!" someone exclaimed behind her.

Upon hearing this, Madam Hongmei stepped forward to take a closer look. The deceased's face was filled with hatred, his eyes wide open, fixed on a single spot, as if waiting for someone. Seeing this, Madam Hongmei clutched her chest, stepped back a few steps, and nodded gently to Qin Yanheng.

She would never make a mistake. The woman who suddenly died in their Caiyifang garden was none other than Liu Zhang, the wife of Lord Liu of the Jinwu Guard!

"She is indeed the wife of Lord Liu of the Jinwu Guard," said Madam Hongmei. "We at Caiyifang interact most with the nobles of the capital every day. I wouldn't be mistaken."

Luo Qingling raised his head and looked towards Qin Yanheng beside him. They exchanged glances and both saw a look of understanding in each other's eyes.

"So, the batch of cloth that was damaged was most likely made with Qianjinhong from Madam Liu's corpse, which caused the actor to be possessed by Madam Liu's wronged spirit, and that led to the previous incident?" Luo Qingling looked at Qin Yanheng and asked.

I think the "dead" actor they saw in Luo Mansion that night was Madam Liu. No wonder the troupe owner said the next day that the actor was still alive. It turns out that this actor was not that actor.

Everyone then realized that because the Qianjinhong used in the dye came from Madam Liu's corpse, Madam Liu's wronged spirit was entangled in the cloth and then possessed the actor's body.

So, who killed Madam Liu?

Within half a day, the news that Liu Zhang, the wife of Lord Liu of the Jinwu Guard, died outside the capital and her body was found under the roots of a flower spread out, causing panic among the people in the capital.

"Since Lord Liu favors his concubine over his wife, it must be the concubine who killed his wife!" Someone on the street couldn't hold back his voice.

"No matter how unpopular Liu Zhang is, she is after all from a wealthy businessman in Yangcheng, and the concubine is just a farmer's daughter. How could she have the power to harm others?" The other person nudged the speaker with his elbow, signaling him to speak more quietly.

"If you ask me, considering Liu Zhang's personality of never making friends with outsiders, she probably wouldn't have offended anyone. It's likely that she had a dispute with her concubine and was killed by her." Someone else interrupted.

Public opinion continued to ferment, and even the saint sitting in the palace heard about it.

In the main hall, the saint held a scroll in one hand and a teapot in the other to pour tea. While doing so, he glanced at the young man standing below, snorted suddenly, but reluctantly pushed the teacup to his youngest son, Qin Yanheng, whom he had doted on for twenty years.

Qin Yanheng was not polite either. He stretched out two fingers to pick up the teacup and took a sip. He was instantly grimacing from the heat. He looked up at the saint with a look of shock in his eyes: "Father, this tea is not tasty. Can we try another one next time?"

Also, the boiling water really scalded him to death.

"Now you know it's hot?" The sage said, looking very disappointed. "I ordered you to prepare for the Southern Tour two months ago, but there has been no progress to this day. Tell me, you..."

"Father, you know there has been a monster in the capital for the past two months!" Qin Yanheng covered his ears with an unhappy look on his face.

Upon hearing this, the Saint let out an "Oh," his tone rising as he teased, "So you've been relaxing with the young lady from the Luo family for two months. Your mother is constantly worried about your marriage. I heard you threw all those portraits out of your room not long ago? Wasn't there one of Miss Luo in there? Why are you actively clinging to her now?"

"How could I!" Qin Yanheng was the most stubborn person in the world. He retorted, "I just did it because... because..."

If the matter of the Golden Dragon Sword's connection were to be made known, it would likely reach the Queen Mother within an hour. Given her temperament, she would undoubtedly suddenly grant him and Luo Qingling a marriage. Right now, the two of them were only together because of the Golden Dragon Sword, not for the purpose of marriage, so this matter must not be made known.

"Forget it. You are even more awkward than I was when I was young. I am too lazy to say anything to you. Just figure it out on your own." The saint waved his hand and passed over the topic.

"The news of the sudden death of Lord Liu's wife in the garden has spread throughout the capital. The deceased was a member of the family of a court official. I have appointed you to personally investigate this case. You must resolve it for me within three days."

Qin Yanheng changed his playful look and accepted the order with a serious face, then lifted his robe and left the hall.

"You little brat," the sage suddenly said, speaking with great earnestness, "if you have made up your mind, you should have brought someone here earlier to show Father, the Emperor, and Mother, the Empress."

Qin Yanheng, who was about to step out of the hall, suddenly stopped. He did not look back, but stretched out his right hand and bent four fingers to show his approval.

In the hall behind him, the sage took a sip of tea, watching his youngest son's receding figure, and shook his head secretly. He hadn't felt this awkward when he was young. He had just married the empress and made a promise to be together for the rest of their lives. Everyone had advised him not to fantasize about love in his high position, and that filling his harem was the right path.

What did he say at that time?

The Queen is my only wife in this life, and not just this life, but for the next three lives as well.

Thinking of this, the sage lowered his head and smiled. His expression was remarkably similar to Qin Yanheng's usual appearance, though a little older. As a father, he knew his own son's true nature well. If he didn't accept the young lady from the Luo family, he wouldn't even look at her, let alone accompany her day and night to hunt monsters.

"I just don't know when this kid will come to his senses." The saint murmured.

"The young prince has been intelligent since childhood, so the saint does not need to worry too much." Eunuch Zhao came over with a teacup and poured tea for the saint.

The sage nodded, a look of worry on his face. "It's just that this young lady from the Luo family, it was I who wronged General Luo back then, which led to the current dilemma faced by the Luo family. I just wonder if that young lady hates me."

"After all, the incident happened suddenly back then. It is understandable that you did not have time to find out the facts. How can you take all the blame on yourself?" Eunuch Zhao had been with the saint for a long time and knew his temper very well, so he became bolder.

"This matter is of great importance. I have long planned to send His Highness south to investigate. However, I heard that the young lady from the Luo family also wants to accompany Yan Heng south to seek the truth of that year." The Saint stroked his chin and looked at Eunuch Zhao with some distress. "What do you think I should do to appoint the young lady from the Luo family to accompany Yan Heng on the southern tour?"

*

Dali Temple.

"Brother Heng..."

Song Yutai rubbed the back of his head and smiled sheepishly at Qin Yanheng, who sat in the position of Dali Temple Minister. Although his cousin liked to play around with others, he was exactly like a saint in one respect: he would never neglect his duties.

Qin Yanheng, whose personality is very similar to that of a saint, is now sitting in the hall reading files.

"Liu Zhang, wife of Lord Liu of the Jinwu Guard, was born into the Zhang family, a merchant family in Yangcheng," Qin Yanheng said slowly, looking down at the bamboo slips in his hand. "Who did this woman, who usually never leaves the house, offend to be so brutally murdered and buried among the flowers?"

Such a peculiar method of burying a body is the first case in Beijing in all these years.

Qin Yanheng rolled up the bamboo slips and ordered Liu Daren's concubine, Lu, to be summoned to the court for questioning. Lu was supported by someone and walked in. She looked weak and frail, and did not look like the murderer.

In the hall, Mrs. Lu moved slowly to the middle of the hall with a trembling body and stood there, waiting for Qin Yanheng to ask questions.

"Ms. Lu, when was the last time you saw Mrs. Liu Zhang?" Qin Yanheng leaned back in his chair, his eyelids drooping.

Hearing the conversation, Madam Lu, who had kept her head down since entering, was somewhat surprised. She secretly raised her eyes and glanced at the legendary Prince Rong An. The young man, with his hair tied in a jade crown, was handsome and handsome. He was indeed a young man as beautiful as a crown jade, just as the rumors said.

Mrs. Lu couldn't help but tremble in her heart. Her body, which had been shaking with nervousness, suddenly calmed down. She coughed lightly, put on a weak expression, and said in a pinched voice, "I don't remember..."

"Speak normally!" Qin Yanheng glared at Lu and shouted coldly.

After she finished speaking, Mrs. Lu was so frightened that her heart was beating wildly. She shook her head repeatedly to indicate that she really didn't know where Mrs. Liu Zhang had gone.

Qin Yanheng waved his hand, signaling his followers to detain Lu temporarily, and then raised his chin towards the door. Another person from the Liu Mansion walked in under the guard of officers and soldiers.

As expected, it was another person who was not clear about the situation.

After interrogating several people from the Liu Mansion, there was no progress. Everyone in the Liu Mansion claimed in unison that the lady was still working as a maid in the yard before nightfall, but when they woke up the next day, they heard that the lady and the eldest son were missing.

"Liu Chang is missing too?" Qin Yanheng grasped the key point.

"Yes, the eldest son and his wife disappeared into the mansion together. None of the servants on duty that day saw anyone leave the mansion."

It was the same story as before with Sun Zhenbao's wet nurse. Qin Yanheng suddenly felt a headache, puzzled as to why there were suddenly so many unsolved cases in the capital after the New Year. He raised his hand to rub his forehead, and with a weary look on his face, he inquired again about whether Liu Zhang had argued with anyone in the past few days. Everyone shook their heads and denied it.

Just when Qin Yanheng was worrying about how to continue the interrogation, he heard the report from the attendant at the door.

"Your Highness," the attendant saluted and handed the coroner's examination results to Qin Yanheng, "Mrs. Liu died of an addiction to hard objects."

Qin Yanheng took the bamboo slips, on which was written: Liu Zhang, female, there was a purple-red lump on the back of the body at the same position as the ribs. The cause of death was that a hard object pressed against the back, causing excessive pressure and broken bones.

"Did the coroner find the murder weapon?" Qin Yanheng asked. He couldn't understand why Liu Zhang was killed by someone stabbing her with a hard object while she was perfectly fine in the mansion. And how could the body be moved all the way from the capital to a garden in Caiyifang, a suburb of the capital? Wasn't the murderer afraid of being seen on the way to bury the body?

"Your Highness, the coroner was unable to identify the murder weapon."

"It's strange. Lord Liu's son Liu Chang and the deceased Liu Zhang disappeared in the mansion together and their whereabouts have been unknown until now. Could it be another tragedy of exterminating the entire family?" Qin Yanheng talked to himself.