Chapter 207 Luo'er's Blood Fragrance, Being Targeted?

Pei Sanlang replied, "Your Highness is unaware of the situation. My grandfather is usually not in his right mind, but last night he suddenly became lucid for a short while, so he summoned me here."

Duan Rongshi: "So, you were here all night last night?"

Pei Sanlang: "Yes. I arrived at this courtyard at 5:15 pm last night and did not leave the courtyard at all throughout the night."

Li Qingluo followed Prince Su into the house to take a look at the old Duke.

As she passed Pei Sanlang, who was waiting at the door, she saw that although he had reached out his hand, he still did not stop her.

In the pitch-black room, heavy curtains were drawn all around. Only a lamp was lit in front of the bed, and in the dim light, one could vaguely see an old man with messy white hair lying on the bed.

This is the old Duke!?

Grandmother's own brother!

He was my elder brother, whom my grandmother had thought about for decades and could never let go of.

He was a great general who once dominated the battlefield and defended the entire Liang Dynasty!

At this moment, he was fast asleep with his eyes closed, just like an ordinary old man who had been bedridden for a long time.

It's hard to imagine what he looked like when he was incredibly violent.

Li Qingluo took a sniff, and found that there was no strange smell of blood in the room, but rather a faint sweet fragrance...

Duan Rongshi did not go forward again, but quickly left the place with Li Qingluo.

Little did they know that as soon as they left, the old Duke on the bed opened his eyes.

He sniffed the air, a strange smile spreading across his face: "Hong'er, why do I smell something unusually sweet?"

Pei Qinghong had just seen Prince Su and his companion off when he immediately stepped forward and reported, "Grandfather, a young girl did indeed come in just now."

The old Duke, his eyes red, exclaimed, "Who is it? This smell... it's so delicious! It's several times sweeter than any sweet sauce I've ever had before!"

Pei Qinghong thought of the veiled woman and hardened his heart: "Grandfather, do you want this woman?"

The old Duke lay on the bed, clearly unable to move, yet he still stretched out his neck, revealing a greedy, drooling expression.

"Yes...yes...Hong'er, bring her to Grandfather, bring her here—"

"Even if I die, it will be worth it..."

Pei Qinghong lowered his head, a dark bitterness on his lips: "Yun Yi just died. Since he's already dead, we can't waste him. Why don't we quench your thirst before he gets too cold?"

Li Qinglu did not stay at the Duke Pei's residence for long.

Duan Rongshi was also leaving, so he took her with him.

As soon as Li Qingluo boarded the carriage, Granny Deng said, "Miss, there are people watching us from over there."

Li Qingluo lifted a corner of the carriage curtain and looked out.

There was a carriage with a blue canopy at the opposite alley entrance. When they saw them looking over, the carriage immediately turned around and drove away quickly.

Granny Deng: "When we came this morning, the carriage was already parked there. Just now, I saw the people inside lift the curtain and look over as soon as they saw us come out. I don't know why they've run away now?"

Li Qingluo: "Wu Quan, go and chase after them, see whose carriage it is?"

Wu Quan jumped down and ran away in a flash, disappearing from sight.

Prince Su rode forward on horseback, running alongside Li Qingluo's carriage.

He said, "This is the only time. Miss Li, please don't come to the Duke Pei's mansion again."

After saying that, he quickly rode off.

Li Qingluo knew that it was already an extraordinary exception that Prince Su would take her to see Nan Jia one last time today.

But she had to get to the bottom of Nan Jia's death!

That evening, Wu Quan sent a letter saying that the carriage with the blue canopy came from the Pan residence.

"The Pan residence?"

For some reason, Pan Li's face popped into Li Qingluo's mind.

Could it be Pan Li at the alley entrance today?

If it were her, why would she come to the gate of the Duke Pei's mansion? What was she looking at?

Moreover, what a coincidence is that Pan Li came back to life last night, and Nan Jia was also found dead last night...

At roughly the same time, the two noble ladies died simultaneously!

Li Qinglu shook her head, not daring to let herself continue to indulge in such fantasies.

"Sparrow, Granny Deng, tell me quickly, how's the information you've gathered coming along?"

Today, when Li Qingluo and Prince Su went to the old Duke's courtyard, Que'er and Granny Deng followed Sha Lei and Leng Dian separately to gather information at the Pei residence.

Que'er went to close the door, and Granny Deng quickly said, "Miss, my granddaughter and I have sorted things out. This matter is really too strange, please listen."

It turns out that Pei Nanjia hadn't left her own courtyard for a whole month.

Since she fell seriously ill from poisoning, she has been drinking soup and taking medicine in her small courtyard every day. Apart from Pei Sanlang occasionally visiting her, none of the other ladies in the mansion have come to visit for many years.

Because of a childhood feud with the other girls in the Pei household, they have never been on good terms with each other over the years.

The second wife and the second courtyard were not close to the entire Duke Pei's mansion. Except for holidays, they spent most of their time behind closed doors living their own quiet lives.

Therefore, everyone in the Pei family believed that Pei Nanjia was just suffering from a minor illness and that there was no danger to his life.

Even on New Year's Eve, the old lady of the second wife sent someone to take Pei Nanjia out for dinner and scolded her for being ignorant. It was only because Pei Yuan disobeyed her mother that he managed to protect Pei Nanjia.

As for last night, Pei Nanjia drank a bowl of medicine in the afternoon, so she was still asleep at 5 pm.

At a quarter past 5 pm, the maidservant noticed that it was getting late and went into the room to wake her up for something to eat.

But where is the girl on the bed?

There was no one in the courtyard, inside or out.

However, due to the poison in her body, Pei Nanjia was unable to move an inch, making it absolutely impossible for her to walk out alone in front of everyone in the courtyard.

Therefore, Pei Nanjia's disappearance can only mean that she was kidnapped.

Upon hearing the news, Master Pei Yuan and his concubine Guan were extremely anxious.

He immediately ordered everyone in the courtyard to go out and search, making a big fuss, with lanterns and gongs banging.

The search was quick; around 3:45 PM, they found Pei Nanjia's dismembered remains in that dilapidated courtyard.

“Minister Pei also suspects that it was the old Duke who did it, but many people in the manor testified that the old Duke is now absolutely bedridden and would not do such a thing. Moreover, I heard that the Third Young Master Pei was in the old Duke’s courtyard last night.”

So, what Pei Qinghong said was true?

He really is with the old Duke!

Is it possible that they did it together?

Li Qingluo found it hard to believe that Pei Sanlang would do something so heartless and cruel!

Nan Jia is his cousin, after all. They used to have a very good relationship and even lived together at Siyuan occasionally. So could it be him?

What could have been his motive for killing Nan Jia?

Li Qingluo: "What about the others? Is there anyone suspicious?"

Sparrow: "They each have their own testimonies, and they can all claim that they weren't there last night. At least before we left the Pei residence, we didn't hear anything particularly unusual or strange about anyone."

Li Qinglu sneered: "Right here in the Duke Pei's mansion, are there other thieves?"

Li Qingluo thought of something else.

"There wasn't a single drop of blood in that courtyard!"

Although a heavy snow fell, it covered many things overnight.

But if you were to dismember a person alive, Nan Jia would have to bleed out completely.

And it involved dismemberment!

Blood will also be sprayed everywhere.

Li Qinglu followed Prince Su around the courtyard, but there was no blood, not even under the snowdrifts.

Granny Deng exclaimed in surprise, "So, that wasn't the scene where the Twelfth Miss died?"

Li Qing nodded.

"She must have been tortured to death by being dismembered, and then dumped in that dilapidated yard."

Upon thinking of such cruel methods, Li Qingluo immediately clenched her fists, her heart filled with rage, and she trembled with anger!

Que'er clicked her tongue in amazement: "With such a commotion, is it really true that no one in the entire Pei residence saw it?"

Absolutely not!

Therefore, someone must have seen it, but no one has said it.

Li Qingluo then thought of another question: "Are all the people in the Pei State Duke's mansion truly incompetent nowadays, not practicing martial arts at all?"

She always felt that only an inside traitor could do such a thing.

Even if they weren't an inside traitor, they must be connected to the Pei family!

After a moment of silence, Granny Deng replied softly, "Miss, the Duke... he couldn't possibly be without martial arts skills."

Li Qingluo: "What did you say?"

Granny Deng lowered her head: "His martial arts skills were taught by the old lady herself back then... Even this old servant practiced with him with a spear when he was young."

"And the masters of each household... when they were young, the first thing they learned was not a pen for writing, but a knife and gun that could kill."

Li Qingluo recalled her first meeting with Pei Sanlang at the mortuary.

Didn't he escape there with a count's son?

They were referring to the former crown prince at the time!

Pei Sanlang is secretly working for the former crown prince!

Li Qingluo was suddenly so shocked that she broke out in a cold sweat.

"I should have realized this sooner. I shouldn't have been fooled by his seemingly mediocre appearance and his status as Nan Jia's older brother... So, he must also know martial arts!"

"Did Prince Su kill that maid in front of him today as a test?"

"If all the people in the Duke Pei's mansion are hiding their strength and know martial arts, yet they are being treated like livestock by His Highness Prince Su today, and they are pretending to be afraid and have no choice but to bow their heads... then what exactly are they hiding?"

"Pei San has connections with the former crown prince. Could the entire Pei State Duke's mansion be implicated?"

Sparrow asked in confusion, "Miss, who are you muttering about?"

Li Qingluo: "I'm saying that the entire Duke Pei's mansion may have been playing a huge game all these years."

What exactly is the Duke Pei's mansion plotting?

For the next few days, Li Qingluo was busy with matters related to Nanjia.

The news of Pei's twelfth daughter's tragic death spread like wildfire, quickly becoming the talk of the entire city of Jinling.

The Pei State Duke's Mansion, which had kept a low profile for thirty years, was suddenly thrust into the spotlight again, and everyone had something to say about it.

Princess Nanping's eyes were swollen from crying when she heard the news.

"Why is it that Pan Li can be brought back to life, but my sister Nan Jia had to die such a tragic death!?"

"Heaven is so unfair! I'd rather have ten Pan Lis die than have my Nan Jia die! Ahhh... Waaaaah..."

"I heard she was dismembered by the thief, her body separated from her body... It's so tragic! Waaah..."

Li Qingluo quickly covered Princess Nanping's wide-open mouth as she cried, saying, "Don't let your father hear this!"

"What if both of them unfortunately lose their lives? Would you still think that way?"

Princess Nanping finally quieted down, sobbing.

Pei Nanjia's funeral was delayed again and again because the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review wanted to keep the body to solve the case.

However, the Pei family wanted the person to be buried in peace.

Therefore, Duke Pei sent people to cause trouble at the Dali Temple.

Finally, Pei Yuan stepped forward and said, "My daughter is my daughter, and I, Pei Yuan, have the final say!"

"As long as the murderer who tortured her is not brought to justice, my Jia'er will remain in the Dali Temple to appease her vengeful spirit. I will never rest in peace until she is buried!"

On that day, it was said that Pei Yuan, dressed in white with a full head of white hair, stood in front of the Dali Temple, his eyes red from crying, and proclaimed to the world with words that were filled with blood.

However, at that moment, a handsome man dressed in a Taoist robe, with an ethereal and otherworldly air, stumbled out from the side with disheveled hair.

He stared with equally bloodshot eyes, his face filled with extreme sorrow, and walked step by step toward the Dali Temple.

"Twelfth Sister... Twelfth Sister... No, this isn't real, it's not real—"