Chapter 16 Questioning

"I think the death of Princess Gao is a great joy for us."

Ji Lin swam over and heard them asking about Princess Gao. He could barely suppress the curled corners of his mouth. "This isn't just a happy event for the County Princess and the Changhua Palace, it's also a great thing for the court and the world. After all, if this troublemaker is broken, the world will be at peace!"

He was always frank and made no secret of his dislike for Princess Gao, which made Qian Deng unsure how to continue his questioning.

Cui Fufeng said, "Captain Ji, Princess Changyi has gone before the Emperor to lodge a complaint, suspecting her mother was pushed into the water and killed. Those near Qujiang Lake had already been cleared out, and we were the only ones near Princess Gao. Therefore, today we are seeking to question each of you, Captain Ji, one by one. I hope Captain Ji will understand."

Ji Linyou lifted his skirt and sat down in the chair: "No problem, this is Mr. Cui's job, I will naturally cooperate."

"We checked Captain Ji's itinerary and discovered that you left the barracks at the beginning of the 4th hour. If you were to head straight to Qujiang Pond, it wouldn't take even half an hour on horseback. So where did Captain Ji go for the rest of the time?"

Ji Linyou said cheerfully, "I'm indeed early. When I arrived at the waterside pavilion, I saw Jin Tang and his men busy with those effeminate gauze curtains and flower arrangements. I couldn't help, so I carried the royal flag I was going to give to the county lady and went to enjoy the scenery along the Qujiang River."

"I wonder which route Captain Ji took?"

"What kind of route can there be? I just walked around randomly. After crossing two bridges, I climbed up a high platform to look at the scenery below. I saw a small forest full of flowers. I don't know what kind of flowers they are."

Cui Fufeng asked, "So, Captain Ji followed the Jade Belt and Brocade Belt bridges to the Weeping Willow Terrace, next to which stood the apricot blossom grove."

Ji Linyou suddenly remembered: "Yes, it seems that these two names are written on the bridge."

"So, Captain Ji, do you know that behind that small apricot grove is Qichun Pavilion, where Princess Gao rests?"

"Huh?" Ji Linyou looked gloomy. "That pavilion behind the woods? If I had known she was there, I wouldn't even bother looking at her. It's really an eyesore."

The obvious disgust and hatred for evil in the young man's face could not be concealed and did not seem to be fake.

Cui Fufeng asked again, "So, Captain Ji didn't meet with Princess Gao at that time?"

"What are you meeting? You all know that she deliberately opposed our Ji family during this transfer. I didn't know she was there, but if I really ran into her in Qujiang Pond and there was no one else around, I would kick her into the water!"

At this point, he came to his senses. Princess Gao had indeed drowned in the water. Scratching his head awkwardly, he added, "But it's impossible. Even if we met alone, with our deep hatred now, wouldn't she have run away and called for help when she saw me?"

This is indeed reasonable. After Ji Linyou left, the three of them discussed it and they all believed that the grudge between the Ji family and Princess Gaoguo could indeed give Ji Linyou the motive to kill Princess Gaoguo, but on the other hand, it just proved that the possibility of him colluding with Princess Gaoguo in private or even maintaining a close relationship with her was almost non-existent.

Cui Fufeng said, "Ji Linyou was right. Princess Gao would have fled in panic had she seen him. When I checked the scene, I saw Princess Gao walking to the water's edge as usual, her steps steady and clear. There were only a few traces of footsteps where she lost her balance, no signs of panicked, chaotic escape."

Qian Deng agreed: "The person who went to the water with Princess Gao must be someone she trusts and knows very well."

Ling Tianshui, having witnessed many sinister human intrigues, proposed another possibility: "However, just like the King of Yue who slept on firewood and tasted gall in his youth, is it possible that the Ji family is openly at odds with the Princess Gao's residence, but secretly has connections?"

Qiandeng felt a chill when he heard his careless speculation.

Indeed, there was a man in her backyard who brutally killed her mother, Uncle Fu and Shi Jingning, but he perfectly hid his bloody hands and acted as a gentle fiancé in front of her, waiting silently for her to step into the trap he set and become his prey.

She clenched her fingers, using the pain in her palms to dispel the fear and resentment in her heart. "But... while there are people in this world who endure humiliation, Ji Linyou is usually cheerful and can't hide his passionate nature. If you say he can endure being by the side of Princess Gao and dealing with the enemy, I... don't quite believe it."

Cui Fufeng agreed with her view: "The Ji family was among the first to follow the Prince of Changhua. When the prince was just a small general, they loyally followed him, risking their lives. Today, the Ji family still leads the old subordinates of the Prince of Changhua, and they never forget to hold the Changhua flag when they swear an oath of war. Even when Princess Gao wanted to deal with the county lady, her first thought was to deal with the Ji family. You could even say that the honor and loss of the two families are interconnected. The possibility of him colluding with Princess Gao is extremely small."

In fact, among all her choices for fiancées, the ones most likely to continue the glory of Changhua Palace would be none other than Ji Jia and Ji Linyou.

Is it even possible that the person her mother pointed out to her before she died was Ji Linyou?

However, when they thought of that moment, they considered another thing——

When Lady Qi and Uncle Fu got into trouble, Ji Linyou was one of the people on the farm. Moreover, his skills were probably the best on the farm.

After Su Yunzhong shot her mother, he was the most capable among all the young men to sneak into the chaotic Water Pavilion and deal a fatal blow to her mother.

Besides Ling Tianshui, Ji Linyou is the most likely, or even the only, person who can cut Shi Jingning's throat with one knife.

After Ji Linyou, the next person to be summoned is Yan Penglai.

Ling Tianshui looked at Yan Penglai's name on the file and suddenly asked Cui Fufeng, "Do you think that Yan Penglai, a world-renowned immortal, had any connection with Princess Gao before becoming a candidate for the county lord's husband?"

Cui Fufeng hesitated for a moment and said, "There are some things that the court files will definitely not mention, but there are indeed rumors in the streets - some say that the reason he became the leader of the national sacrifice team was because of the recommendation of Princess Gao."

Ling Tianshui raised his eyebrows: "So, they do know each other."

"However, when choosing a husband for the county princess, the court initially entered over a hundred names on the list. Because the county princess's physiognomy was compromised, they were first sent to the Imperial Astronomical Observatory and the Imperial Divination Bureau for horoscope calculation before reaching me. If Yan Penglai had an affair with Princess Gao, he could have simply removed his name from the list. Why would he have even submitted his name to the selection?"

"So, could he be a spy planted by Princess Gao?"

"The chances are slim... At the time, the conflict between the Princess's Mansion and the Prince's Mansion hadn't yet intensified. Princess Gao had no reason to do something so unprofitable for such a big matter."

"What's more..." Qian Deng shook his head and said, "Yan Penglai spends his days burning incense and meditating. He can't ride a horse and has never practiced martial arts. How could he have the strength to commit murder at the manor and Jianfu Temple?"

This decisive evidence was indeed convincing, but when this handsome man walked into the house, even though he was extremely graceful and unworldly, Qiandeng's gaze towards him inevitably became complicated.

Like a perfect rare treasure, the most popular man in the world, the dream lover of thousands of girls, now lives in her backyard. Whenever she wants to see him, she can see him at any time by just calling him.

Because of a heavy rain, he temporarily stayed in her backyard. Later, the rain stopped and the floodwaters receded, but he never said goodbye and stayed there naturally until now.