Chapter 26: Breaking the Greed, His Highness Was Blackened by Smoke
"Ahem... I'm choking to death."
As Bai Ruxue opened the door, a cloud of soot blew in his face, choking him and causing him to step back. Behind him, Hei Rutie and the other two caught up, each poking their heads into the room to see what was happening.
This is even more amazing.
The fire in the room had been extinguished, but the doors and windows were blackened, and the sky was filled with smoke and ash. The young prince stood in the corner with a gloomy face, his golden and purple Taoist robes burned to a pulp. However, the girl in his arms was not stained by a trace of black ash, her gouache-colored gauze dress hidden under the charred robes. Luo Qingling heard the noise and lifted her face from Qin Yanheng's arms, her face pale and clean.
Didn't the young prince reject Lady Luo's portrait? Bai Ruxue's mind suddenly popped up an inappropriate thought. Looking at the two of them now, it didn't look like the young prince had rejected the marriage proposal. It looked more like...
"What are you so distracted about! Hurry up and find a way to catch that corpse demon!" Qin Yanheng shouted to the four Taoist priests who were hesitantly wandering outside the door, "The pond at the Sun Mansion is connected to the river. The corpse demon must have hidden in the river again."
Qin Yanheng just felt annoyed.
He spent most of the day trying to catch the corpse demon, but Sun Zhenbao was such an idiot that he couldn't even walk steadily and knocked over a candle, setting the whole house on fire. If he hadn't dodged quickly and his Taoist robe was thick, he would have been burned to ashes by now.
"Young Prince, why don't you let me go first?" The person in his arms spoke softly. Luo Qingling looked up at him. There was a blush on his fair face, his eyelashes were long, and his eyes were clear.
The situation was urgent just now, so he pulled Luo Qingling into his arms and hid them under his Taoist robe. Now that the fire had died down, he actually felt a little cramped.
Qin Yanheng turned his head and coughed lightly, then dropped the hand that was restraining Luo Qingling's shoulder. Without saying a word, he walked straight to the back of the door. The moment he stepped over the threshold, he paused. He seemed to have thought of something, and turned back to look at Sun Zhenbao who was hugging his wet nurse. He said in a cold voice: "Call everyone in your Sun Mansion to me, no one can be left behind!"
The corpse demon jumped into the pond of Sun Mansion and then disappeared in the water. This was the second time the corpse demon jumped into the water. If the same method was used again, the corpse demon would probably not be fooled again. In other words, the formation they had prepared for most of the night was useless, and they could only think of another way.
He had clearly already captured the corpse demon and used his magic to force it to reveal itself. If it weren't for Sun Zhenbao, why would everyone have to start all over again? Qin Yanheng felt annoyed and unconsciously quickened his pace.
"Young Prince, do you want to wipe your face?" Luo Qingling followed behind him, holding a light pink handkerchief in her hand. She looked up at him with a smile, her eyes twinkling with stars.
Qin Yanheng was stunned for a long moment, wanting to refuse Luo Qingling's kindness, but before he could say anything, his hand had already taken the handkerchief. The silk handkerchief was soft, cool, and embroidered with peonies, the needlework messy. Could it be Luo Qingling's work? How could it be so ugly?
"Thank you, Madam Luo."
Qin Yanheng continued walking forward, but suddenly stopped. The person behind him murmured in confusion, and he didn't dare look back. Did her handing him the handkerchief mean...his face was blackened by smoke?
The lake beside him was calm, and Qin Yanheng's face, half of which was blackened by smoke, was reflected in the moonlight.
The sky is falling, why didn't anyone tell him before! Could it be that he just spoke to everyone with such a face? Qin Yanheng's heart sank to the bottom of the valley. When had he ever been so embarrassed? The dignified Prince Rong An was charred by the fire. If the news got out, he would lose his face!
Qin Yanheng wiped his face hastily, and the light-colored handkerchief instantly turned black. He hid the handkerchief in his sleeve without hesitation, pretending nothing had happened and turned around and said, "I am so dark, why are you still white?"
After saying this, Qin Yanheng felt that he must have had soot in his brain to ask such a question. When the fire started, he immediately grabbed Luo Qingling into his arms, hiding her from head to toe in his Taoist robes, while his face was exposed. If he wasn't the one to blame, who else would be?
"Your Highness, it's alright. I won't tell anyone." Luo Qingling pursed her lips, forcing a smile back. Her voice was a little breathy and trembling. She hadn't expected Qin Yanheng to be such a beauty-conscious person. He cared so much about a small dark spot on his face. No wonder he was always seen in brocade robes and a silver crown tied around his hair. He was such a person who cared about his image.
As for the handkerchief that Qin Yanheng "casually" stuffed into his arms... never mind, she just picked it up before going out today, so she gave it to him. Anyway, the handkerchief was not embroidered by her.
*
It was already the fifth watch of the night, the sky was pale, a glimmer of light shone through the horizon, and mist rose from the mountains. The Sun Mansion was brightly lit, and everyone was dressed neatly and hurried, their faces filled with worry.
Indeed, no one would be in a good mood if they were woken up at the hour of Yin.
In the main hall of the Sun Mansion, Qin Yanheng sat in the hall, holding a cup of tea and taking a sip. Beside him, Luo Qingling half-closed her eyes and looked drowsy. He smiled silently, pushed the jade plate with snacks in front of her, raised his chin to signal Luo Qingling to eat something to refresh herself.
"Your Highness..." Sun Zhenbao knelt in the hall, dusty and dusty, his head half-raised, his eyes filled with panic. He lacked the arrogance he had shown when facing the Sun Mansion, instead displaying a touch of humility. Although his father held the position of Minister of the Imperial Household, a high-ranking official in the capital, he was but an ant before Prince Rong'an. How could he dare to act so presumptuously?
"Did the king ask you to speak?"
His movements were interrupted. Qin Yanheng looked at Sun Zhenbao impatiently. He opened his thin lips slightly, but could not utter any good words: "This king gives you two choices. Either you confess yourself, or..."
The officers and soldiers surrounded Sun Zhenbao, holding sharp swords in their hands.
"I, I, I..." Sun Zhenbao stuttered in fear, his mind blank, "What should I confess?"
Sun Zhenbao looked extremely puzzled. He stared at Prince Rong An in the hall with wide eyes, not understanding how it had developed into an interrogation. He had just slept with his wet nurse, and then... then the wet nurse saw a ghost, and then the eyeless Su Su and Prince Rong An, who had somehow appeared in the mansion, got into a fight - what on earth was going on?
"Sun Zhenbao, you still refuse to admit it!" Qin Yanheng slammed the table and demanded in a stern voice, like a prince. "Then tell me why I came to you the first time the corpse demon appeared."
"Did you kill the corpse demon?"
Sun Zhenbao was stunned by the string of questions. He crawled forward on his knees, trying to grab Qin Yanheng's clothes, but was frightened back by the latter's cold eyes. He said with trembling teeth, "Prince Rong'an, I, I really don't know... I only know that she is Su Su!"
According to previous speculation, the woman died by the river, her spirit lingering, her final thoughts centered on finding the real murderer and seeking revenge. Then, the woman's corpse merged with the demonic energy, transforming into a corpse demon, leading to the events that followed. Now that the corpse demon has reappeared, the first person it seeks out is Sun Zhenbao, and judging by Sun Zhenbao's reaction, it's clear they knew each other.
Sun Zhenbao seemed highly suspicious, and Qin Yanheng's decision to conduct a "trial in court" at Sun's residence made sense. Luo Qingling thought, since the real culprit had to be found and the demon had to be caught, it would be better to do both at once to save time.
"Then do you know that Susu died on the boat deck in the river this morning?" Luo Qingling interrupted.
"Susu... is dead?" The wet nurse ran over and hugged Sun Zhenbao, her eyes red. Tears flowed unconsciously when she heard this. She said with trembling lips, "Susu... how could it be? Susu clearly asked me to buy some milk for her last night, how could she..."
"Prince Rong'an, dear...Princess..." The nurse didn't know who Luo Qingling was, but a woman who could sit next to the prince must be the princess, so she subconsciously called her the princess. The nurse pointed to the cups beside her and said, "It's very cold, so I specially put the milk by the brazier to warm it up, so that Susu won't get a stomachache if she drinks it."
The situation was urgent. Luo Qingling did not react much to being mistaken for a princess again, and the little prince beside her did not explain either. It was not the first time that the two of them had been mistaken for each other. The key now was to find the real culprit, and the name could be explained later.
Thinking about this, Luo Qingling asked, "Are you Sun Zhenbao's wet nurse?"
"Yes," the wet nurse nodded repeatedly, "I usually serve Master Sun and Susu... and Li Qingqing."
The wet nurse paused for a moment when talking about Li Qingqing, and silently glanced at a woman not far away who was also surrounded by soldiers, with a hint of fear in her eyes.
Qin Yanheng took in the wet nurse's reaction. He picked up the teacup and took a sip of tea, pretending not to notice the wet nurse's "hint." Although the subconscious expression of the "criminal" during interrogation is the best way to express the truth, but... expressions can be faked.
"Li Qingqing, who is she?" Qin Yanheng asked.
"Li Qingqing must be the murderer!" The nurse suddenly raised her voice, pointing at the woman in green standing nearby. "She and Susu have always been at odds. This is common knowledge in the Sun Mansion. If Prince Rong An doesn't believe it, go ahead and investigate."
"I didn't ask you!"
Qin Yanheng hated interruptions. After a sharp rebuke, he turned to look at Li Qingqing, who had maintained a sneer throughout. Seeing this, Qin Yanheng stared at her expressionlessly for a long moment. The main hall fell silent, with mixed reactions. However, due to Qin Yanheng's authority, no one dared to move.
"Li Qingqing, I will only give you one chance to defend yourself." Qin Yanheng said word by word. His voice was not loud, but it could be clearly heard by everyone present.
Upon hearing this, Luo Qingling glanced sideways at Qin Yanheng. He felt that although this young prince was young, he understood human nature very well - not everyone could withstand pressure interrogation.
The incident happened suddenly, and the Dali Temple had no time to perform an autopsy on Susu, so naturally, they couldn't identify the murder weapon. And how could they conclude that Li Qingqing was the real murderer based solely on the wet nurse's words? Qin Yanheng wasn't stupid. He must have been trying to find a different approach, discarding the murder weapon and clues, first assuming a murderer, then working backwards from the murderer to infer the details of the crime, and finally catching the real perpetrator...
He is truly worthy of being the "ancestor" of the Dali Temple, his method of solving cases is very tricky.
Luo Qingling understood what was going on and unconsciously wanted to play along with Qin Yanheng. She smiled softly, her voice particularly clear in the quiet room. She said softly, "Li Qingqing, if you admit your mistakes now, you still have a chance of survival. If you wait until you're in the Ministry of Justice and are tortured before speaking out, you won't end up well."
After she finished speaking, Qin Yanheng looked at her in surprise, with a faint smile on his lips, and still pretending to be a stern interrogator. He stroked the teacup with his fingers, tilted his head and agreed nonchalantly.
"It seems that Madam Li is a hard-hearted person and wants to try my methods of punishment." Qin Yanheng raised his eyelids lazily and glanced at Li Qingqing. Just one look made Li Qingqing almost lose her knees.
"I'll tell you, I'll tell you..." Li Qingqing released her strength and said bravely.
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