Chapter 325 Gain

Green Water's hands trembled, and tears streamed down her face.

Looking at the pile of bones, he nodded reluctantly.

Meng Lingge had the guards take Lord Liu and the pestle maker to a dark room, where they conducted another investigation.

She then briefly recounted the information she had previously gathered, and asked, "Lord Liu, what are your thoughts?"

Lord Liu said solemnly, “Your Highness, the corpses are now reduced to bones. I don’t know if the three masks are related to the five bodies. Although the three masks are very fresh, we cannot rule out the possibility that they were soaked in a potion. The bloodstains in the dark room are very clear. With such a large area of ​​bloodstains, at least one person must have been killed in the last few days. So, it involves at least six or more lives.”

Meng Lingge nodded slightly, signaling him to continue.

Seeing that she agreed, Lord Liu simply revealed all his guesses.

"Based on the Princess's description, the prime suspect in the murder is Princess Qiongxiao, Master Fu is the perpetrator who changed his appearance, and the remaining maid, Han Cui, is an insider. The five bodies found so far have all been dead for more than five months, so where is the body of the last victim, the one whose blood was found in the dark room? Princess Qiongxiao fled in such a hurry that she didn't even deal with the two male favorites who knew the inside story, so why would she go to the trouble of taking a body with her?"

He lowered his voice, speaking in a tone only those in front of him could hear: "Could the last victim be the maid Han Cui? If so, where is her body now? Is her face still intact? Is the current Princess Qiongxiao still using her own face?"

"In my opinion, in order to clarify these issues, in addition to continuing the search for the three fugitives, the interrogation in the palace is also crucial. Furthermore, the case of Guan Yi'an, mentioned by the Princess, is also the most important witness in this case, and a search of him is also essential."

Meng Lingge listened to Lord Liu's logical analysis and knew that he was not someone who did nothing but give instructions.

"This case is particularly cruel and bloody. In order to avoid panic among the people of the capital and cause too much impact, we must arrest the three criminals as soon as possible. Those in the government who are willing to cooperate with the investigation should be protected and their safety should not be made difficult. Once the case is closed, irrelevant personnel can leave."

Lord Liu bowed his head and agreed.

Meng Lingge added, "I know what Guan Yi'an looks like now. I'll have someone draw his portrait and send it to you later."

Unexpectedly, investigating Guan Yi'an and Zheng Qingshan's whereabouts would lead to such a major case. Now there are too many victims, and it is no longer a personal grudge between her and Guan Yi'an.

It's best to let the authorities investigate and resolve this matter as soon as possible, so that justice can be served for the deceased.

"Thank you for your help, Your Highness." Lord Liu expressed his sincere gratitude.

Seeing that Meng Lingge was getting up to leave, he and the official guarding the princess's residence escorted her to the door.

He couldn't return for the time being because of this shocking case; he had to investigate it through the night and try to bring the truth to light as soon as possible.

This case was handled brilliantly; even if he doesn't get promoted, he'll leave a good impression on the new emperor. If the investigation drags on without results, his official career will be over.

Lord Liu and the officials hurriedly returned to the princess's residence, while Meng Lingge sat in the carriage and left with her maids and guards.

No one noticed that at the corner of the outer wall of the princess's residence, a man wearing a tiger-head mask was secretly watching them, using the trees at the corner as cover. Only after they had gone far away did the man leave, still shaken.

This man is Guan Yi'an, who recently gained Meng Qingyu's trust.

When he followed Meng Qingyu out of the city, he never expected Wen Zhiming to storm the capital and enter the palace so quickly. Now that the situation is settled, Wen Zhiming will ascend the throne in three days, and he has no way to stop him.

He had used all his abilities to gain Meng Qingyu's trust, temporarily save his life, and have someone to rely on.

Before returning to the Meng residence today, Meng Qingyu said she would pick him up and take him there. So he took the opportunity to leave the Anshun Prince's residence and wanted to visit the Princess's residence before going to the Meng residence.

Before Wen Zhiming ascends the throne, he will definitely have to eliminate the old emperor's forces. However, Princess Qiongxiao does not concern herself with court affairs and is not involved in factional struggles. Based on his understanding of Wen Zhiming, he should show leniency towards Princess Qiongxiao.

But with each new emperor comes a new court. Although Princess Qiongxiao was Wen Zhiming's aunt, the two rarely interacted and their kinship was weak. Wen Zhiming's treatment of Princess Qiongxiao was certainly not as good as that of the former emperor.

Guan Yi'an harbored resentment towards Princess Qiongxiao for betraying him last time, and also longed for Old Master Fu's face-changing technique, so he secretly came to the princess's residence to investigate the situation and see if there was any opportunity to take advantage of the situation.

Upon closer inspection, one discovers this extraordinary event.

The arrival of the Censorate officials must mean a murder has occurred. The arrival of Lord Liu of the Censorate in person must mean a major murder has taken place.

Has his face-swapping been discovered? Or has Princess Qiongxiao swapped someone else's face again?

What is Meng Lingge's purpose in coming here? Could she have already discovered that he replaced Zheng Qingshan's face?

Guan Yi'an became increasingly frightened, feeling that the major case inside must be related to the face-changing incident. He really wanted to sneak into the princess's residence to investigate, but the princess's residence was now under the control of the government. If his face were discovered, it would be like a lamb entering a tiger's den.

His hands trembled as he touched his face. When he touched the cold metal mask, he suddenly came to his senses. Even if Meng Lingge found out that he had swapped Zheng Qingshan's face, so what? Zheng Qingshan's face had long been thrown away by him. He was no longer Guan Yi'an, nor Zheng Qingshan, but just a pitiful person who had saved her brother. Even if Meng Lingge had some doubts, she could not confirm his identity.

Thinking of this, Guan Yi'an quickly took a shortcut and returned to the Prince Anshun's Mansion.

He had already made up his mind. Since he was now unable to speak, no matter how others threatened or tempted him, as long as he didn't panic and confessed on his own initiative, no one would know his true identity.

It must be said that Guan Yi'an's intuition was indeed very accurate.

As they sat in the carriage returning to the Prince of Anshun's Mansion, Meng Lingge and Lushui almost simultaneously thought of him.

After all, the most crucial point in the murder case at Princess Qiongxiao's residence was the face, and Guan Yi'an's appearance was so coincidental, and he also happened to be missing his face, which made it hard not to be suspicious.

Green Water is now preoccupied with avenging her brother, so of course she won't let any clue slip by.

"Miss, I remember the man in the manor who saved the young master. His face was also cut off. Could he be related to this case? Could he also be a victim in this case?"

Meng Lingge carefully recalled the details of her meeting with the mute man who saved Meng Qingyu.

"Before today, I never imagined that anyone would possess such an evil and terrifying skin-changing technique. This method is so cruel and vicious that it is truly unique. Since both involve the cutting off of the face, the two must be related. As for whether it is a victim or a perpetrator who benefits from evil, further observation and interrogation are needed before a conclusion can be drawn."