Chapter 17: Paying Back the Debt of Love She knew he wasn't that kind! ...
"Prince Rong...Prince Rong'an."
Jia Ci lay on the ground, enduring the severe pain in his abdomen and looking up at the figure. Apart from that person, no one in the capital dared to wear the prince's clothes. Although he didn't know why Prince Rong An appeared here, he was sure that he must have been deceived by Deng Yesi.
Damn woman! Not only did they not recommend him, but they even teamed up with Prince Rong An to deceive him. What a ruthless bunch!
Jia Ci knew he couldn't escape, so he could only glare fiercely at Deng Yesi, who lay on the bed. He bared his lower teeth, then suddenly turned his head to look at Qin Yanheng, his eyes filled with hatred. If it weren't for this Prince Rong An, he would have become the top scholar long ago.
There was a flash of silver light, and the tip of the sword pointed directly at the neck.
Jia Ci lowered his head slightly to look at the silver sword in front of him, sneered, then looked up at Qin Yanheng, his tone arrogant and domineering: "Prince Rong An, what do you mean by this? I'm just here to have a tryst with my sweetheart, what crime have I committed?"
"A tryst? I didn't say you were guilty of trespassing into someone's house to meet them." Qin Yanheng stopped and looked down at the man pinned to the ground by his sword, unable to move. He raised his chin slightly, as if looking at an ant, and said slowly, "Why do you say you're guilty right away?"
"Are you...feeling guilty?"
The tip of Qin Yanheng's sword slightly pierced Jia Ci's skin, and blood flowed out from his neck. He lowered his eyes and glanced at him lightly, then moved his gaze back to Jia Ci's face with a look of disdain.
"What are you talking about, Prince Rong'an? Deng Yesi and I love each other and have a son. Isn't it normal for a couple who love each other but cannot be together to meet in secret under the cover of darkness and strong wind?" Jia Ci answered all the questions raised by Qin Yanheng with witty remarks.
"Tie him up, I don't want to bother with him."
Qin Yanheng didn't bother to listen, so he turned around and waved out the window. Just as everyone was puzzled, a secret guard suddenly jumped from the red wall and jumped directly into the room from the window sill...
"Hey hey hey - look carefully, I'm still here!" Qin Yanheng shouted, and dodged the secret guard who couldn't stop and rushed towards him. The two almost collided with each other.
Seeing this, the secret guard turned sideways and came to Jia Ci in a flash. Without giving Jia Ci any chance to react, he grabbed Jia Ci to the ground.
Outside the wing room, several secret guards rushed in after receiving Qin Yanheng's order, and immediately escorted the man to the Ministry of Justice. They also took away the horse rope tied to the window sill. Their movements were so quick that even Luo Qingling couldn't figure out where these secret guards were hiding and why they appeared so timely every time.
In the room.
After Deng Yesi calmed down, she straightened her clothes, which had been messed up by Jia Ci, and then stood up and walked towards Luo Qingling. Seeing this, Qin Yanheng consciously left the room, leaving the remaining time for the two of them.
"Madam Luo, I'm sorry to have embarrassed you."
Deng Yesi nodded, her expression gentle, without a trace of sadness, but Luo Qingling knew in her heart that Deng Yesi was simply hiding her pain in the deepest part of her heart. She had long been accustomed to appearing indifferent in front of others, while licking her wounds behind her back. It seemed that Deng Yesi had been living like this for the past twenty years.
Luo Qingling's nose felt sore. For some reason, she felt a little sorry for Deng Yesi. Such a beautiful girl shouldn't have suffered such a torment from fate. Her father didn't love her, her mother didn't care, and now she finally met someone she loved, but in the end, she was being used...
"Don't cry, Qingqing... don't cry." Deng Yesi smiled and raised his hand to wipe away her tears. Then he gently hugged her and comforted her in a soft voice in her ear.
"Don't feel sad for me, I'm fine, don't worry. Now I've figured it out. It's better to rely on yourself than on others. So what if my father doesn't love me, so what if no one loves me? Why can't I love myself? Why should I put my love on others?" Deng Yesi let go of his hand and took a step back, looking at Luo Qingling with a firm expression.
"Qingqing, I will have other plans later." Deng Yesi's eyes were filled with a smile, no longer as weak as when they first met. "Thank you and Prince Rong An for your help. I am lucky to have met Qingqing."
Although the night wind was cold, Luo Qingling's heart was warm. She held Deng Yesi's hands tightly with both hands and was speechless for a long time.
A quarter of an hour later.
The wooden door closed behind her. Luo Qingling refused Deng Yesi's offer to see her off. She walked out of the room alone and was about to turn around and go downstairs when she caught a glimpse of a piece of black and gold clothing out of the corner of her eye.
"Why is your Highness still here?" Luo Qingling's voice was low and a little hoarse. She didn't want to turn around and let the man see her red eyes, so as to avoid being laughed at again.
After waiting for a long time, no one spoke. Just when Luo Qingling was about to turn around, she felt a sudden weight on her shoulders. She looked down and saw that it was a thick crane cloak with shiny black feathers. It was obvious that it was very expensive.
What does he mean...
"It's a cold night, I'll take you back home."
Qin Yanheng didn't explain his actions. He just stepped past Luo Qingling and walked straight ahead. This drew her gaze to his back, and Luo Qingling's heart suddenly jumped.
There was warm sunshine during the day, so I didn't feel that cold. But now that night has come, the chill actually penetrates into my bones.
Luo Qingling gathered her clothes, donning the crane cloak as she followed Qin Yanheng. She didn't know where the young prince had gotten the cloak, perhaps it had always been in the carriage, but... could it be that Qin Yanheng had gone to the carriage to get the cloak while she was talking to Deng Yesi, just to keep her warm?
Why is it so sudden?
The moment Luo Qingling got on the carriage, an idea flashed in her mind. She suddenly lifted the curtain and shouted to Qin Yanheng, who jumped on the horse and was about to leave.
"Qin...young Prince!" Luo Qingling hurriedly got off the carriage and trotted after him. Standing in front of the tall horse, she looked up at Qin Yanheng. After taking a breath, she said, "Your Highness, are you going to the Ministry of Justice? I want to go with you!"
She knew Qin Yanheng didn't have such kind intentions. Why would he deliberately run to the carriage to get her a crane cloak to cover her? Wasn't it just to distract her and get her back home quickly, so she wouldn't follow him to interrogate Jia Ci anymore? This guy was really... really evil. She almost fell for his trick.
The young man in front of her sat on a tall horse, looking down at her with his eyebrows raised slightly, a smile on his lips, and he said nothing. He just looked at her like that until Luo Qingling thought she had lost her mind. Then she heard Qin Yanheng sigh and say quietly, "Forget it, we can go together. I just hope that Madam Luo won't be scared when she sees some serious criminals later."
After all, even seeing Deng Yesi being lifted up by Jia Lang and thrown onto the bed had frightened her so much that she almost shrank into his arms. Qin Yanheng lowered his head and smiled softly. He didn't let her go because he really was thinking about her.
But Luo Qingling didn't think it was a big deal. She just wanted to find out who killed Du Yubai and how the monster took over Du Yubai's body to murder several women in the capital. She didn't forget that her aunt who turned into a pottery figurine was still in Xiangshan Temple.
"If the young prince isn't afraid, how could I be afraid?" Luo Qingling said, looking up. "Your Highness, please don't leave. I will go to the Ministry of Justice with you."
She even began to command him.
Qin Yanheng smiled secretly, but didn't show it on his face. He nodded, and with a tug on the reins, he and his horse slowly walked in front of the carriage. Luo Qingling followed him in the carriage, and together they headed towards the Ministry of Justice.
*
Ministry of Justice, morgue.
The coroner placed the horse rope on the wound and compared them carefully. The shape and marks all matched. He put the horse rope aside, turned around, clasped his fists, and said to Qin Yanheng.
"Your Highness, I have verified that this horse rope is indeed the murder weapon used to kill Du Zhuangyuan."
Qin Yanheng walked around the corpse. There was no need to delve into the wound any further. After all, the murder weapon must have been a coarse hemp rope. Whether it was a horse rope or some other rope was secondary.
Qin Yanheng was about to return to the hall when he looked up and saw Luo Qingling sitting in his seat. He suddenly remembered that he had brought her here with him. He glanced at Luo Qingling without saying anything. He turned and said to the guards standing in the room, "Did you get anything out of Jia Ci?"
"Your Highness, Young Master Jia insisted earlier that he did not know Du Zhuangyuan, so I used that trick. But Young Master Jia still denied it. Now... there is nothing we can do." The guard clasped his fists and bowed, reporting to Qin Yanheng. Halfway through his words, he raised his eyes and glanced at Qin Yanheng. Seeing that the latter did not react, he felt relieved to continue.
"You didn't admit it even after using that trick?" Qin Yanheng stood beside Luo Qingling, leaned over to pick up the teacup on the table, took a sip, and then spoke.
What trick is so mysterious?
Luo Qingling raised her eyes slightly and looked at Qin Yanheng, her eyes full of confusion. Qin Yanheng seemed to sense her doubts, lowered his head and glanced at her, and whispered: "The Ministry of Justice has many inhumane tactics. Madam Luo, you'd better not listen to them, so as to avoid nightmares at night."
Humph, if she doesn't want to listen, then so be it. She's not here to see how the Ministry of Justice tortures people, so she doesn't care what methods they use.
In the next room, Jia Ci's cries, each one more miserable than the last, made Luo Qingling's shoulders tremble. Qin Yanheng glanced at her with a raised eyebrow, then tilted his chin toward the door, signaling the guards to close it.
The volume suddenly dropped, and Qin Yanheng picked up the teacup on the table and poured tea for her. The tea was boiling hot, and white steam was rising in the winter night.
"You wait here for me first, I'll be back soon." Qin Yanheng pushed the teacup in front of her and walked out the door without looking back. He did not forget to close the wooden door for her, so that the sound would not be too terrible and scare her again.
torture chamber.
Jia Ci's hands were hanging from the beams of the house, his legs dangling in the air, constantly swinging. Blood kept dripping from his feet, which was extremely creepy. Hearing the sound of the door opening, Jia Ci raised his eyes slightly. When he saw who was coming, he laughed and said "Pooh" to the side.
"If Prince Rong'an has any other tricks up his sleeve, just come to me." Jia Ci lowered his head with a gloomy smile.
Qin Yanheng did not answer and walked straight to Jia Ci. Seeing this, the guards beside him hurriedly picked up a chair and placed it behind him. Qin Yanheng sat down, leaned back, raised his chin and looked arrogant.
"Prince Rong'an is not here just to watch me execute my sentence." Jia Ci glanced at him and spat out a mouthful of blood.
"You are not qualified to ask my intentions." Qin Yanheng said coldly. He took out a piece of paper from his sleeve and handed it to the guard, indicating that he should show it to Jia Ci.
The paper is yellowed but very smooth, as if it has been treasured by its owner for a long time, and there is no flaw except the traces of time.
Jia Ci's eyes widened as he quickly scanned the contents of the paper several times. Suddenly, he looked up at Qin Yanheng. His eyes were red, his lips trembled for a moment, and he forced out a few words from his throat.
"Where did you find it?"
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