Chapter 413 The Death of Qin Keqing 3
"You brute!"
Yinzhi, angered by Yinreng's retort, became furious.
There was nothing he could do; he was surrounded by monsters in human skin while he was in the funeral procession.
The main reason was that he was also a little guilty. If Yinreng hadn't held him back, he would have really run away with Yinzuo in his left hand and Yinzhi in his right.
If it weren't for Yinreng's reminder not to reveal their identities, they might have been swallowed up by the monster as soon as they ran out of the room.
Even though the people around me are crying so much that their skin is uncontrollably tearing open, it's still better than dying young.
Therefore, Yinzhi could only endure Yinreng's mockery, since Yinreng was indeed a little bit smarter than him.
On the other side, the four members of the Yinzhen group, who were also playing their respective roles and enduring the fright caused by the occasional deliberate exposure of the human-skin monsters around them, managed to safely make it to dawn.
Qin Keqing's funeral was a grand affair, drawing people from the entire Ningguo Mansion and even the Rongguo Mansion, which also gave them some opportunities to slack off.
As dawn broke, they cautiously reunited behind the artificial hill in the courtyard. Yin You, with a somber expression, delivered a new message to them: "Qin Keqing has ligature marks on her neck."
“Strangled to death?” Yinqi asked in surprise. “I noticed she arranged for the body to be laid to rest at Huifang Garden, and Jia Zhen invited many Taoist priests and monks to perform rituals. Is she feeling guilty?”
Yinzhen thought of Ruizhu, the lively and carefree maid who had come to see him yesterday. He closed his eyes and said coldly, "Qin's maid Ruizhu, said to have died by hitting her head against a pillar, was also put into a coffin, but her body has not been seen."
"Last night, Jia Zhen ordered Jia Rong to invite ninety-nine Taoist priests to set up an altar at Tianxiang Tower, and forbade anyone else in the mansion to approach, saying that they would be holding a ritual to resolve grievances and cleanse karma on the nineteenth."
"A ritual to resolve grievances and cleanse karma?"
Yinqi and Yinyou exchanged a glance. "Why is it set up at Tianxiang Tower? Qin Keqing went to Tianxiang Tower last night and died there?"
After Yinqi finished speaking, the four of them felt a chill run down their spines. They looked around warily but found nothing.
"Keep the talisman close to your body." Yinzhen glanced at Yinsi, who patted his chest in acknowledgment. Yinqi and Yinyou also nodded.
None of the four of them were particularly skilled in combat, and they were all quite young. After carefully selecting items from the points mall, they found that the defensive talismans that Yinzhen had initially prepared for Yinsi were the most valuable, so they each redeemed one and carried it with them.
"Time is running out, so let's each do our part and find out the true cause of Qin Keqing's death. Also..." Yinzhen pursed his lips and looked at Yinsi. Although he was not very willing, his eighth brother was indeed the only one among them who could contact the outside world.
“Xiao Ba, pay attention to the other people at the funeral. I have a feeling that things aren’t as simple as they seem.”
"Okay." Yinzhi nodded.
"Be careful." Yinzhen's eyes were full of worry.
Seeing this, Yinqi interjected, "Don't worry, I can take care of Eighth Brother at Huifang Garden."
"Then Seventh Brother and I will work together in the backyard. Eighth Brother, you and Yinqi will support each other."
After Yinzhen finished speaking, the other three had no questions. They told each other to be careful and then quietly dispersed.
...
"This was brought by my late father. It was originally intended for the late Prince Zhongyi, but he ruined things and it was never used. It's still sealed in the shop now, and no one can afford to buy it. If you want it, bring it out and take a look."
Jia Zhen, dissatisfied with the coffin used for Qin Keqing, nodded repeatedly upon hearing Xue Pan's words.
When he saw the coffin, which was eight inches thick at the bottom and top, with patterns like betel nut, a scent like sandalwood and musk, and a sound like jade, he was even more delighted and immediately wanted to put it on Qin Keqing.
Only Jia Zheng offered a word of advice, but Jia Zhen completely ignored it, and the others present didn't take it seriously either, and the change was made anyway.
Yin Jiazhen's attendant, Zhidu, couldn't help but twist his expression for a moment. Was this acceptable? Huh?
As far as he knew, the so-called Prince Zhongyi was the former crown prince, right? You're letting a woman without an official title lie in the former crown prince's coffin... even if he didn't use it, that's overstepping his bounds! Overstepping his bounds!
Do the people from both Duke's mansions have absolutely no political acumen?
Then, Yinzhi realized that he had underestimated the Jia family.
Seeing Jia Zhen crying in front of Qin Keqing's coffin as if his father had died, and Jia Rong standing by indifferently, unable to even squeeze out a tear, Yin Zhi felt embarrassed for them.
Does no one really think there's a problem?
Looking at You Shi, whose handkerchief was almost torn to shreds, Yin You Shi's servant, Reng, felt a rare pang of pity. Living in such a wretched place, You Shi must have it tough.
After a busy day of funeral rites, at dusk, during dinner, the four of them, including Yinreng, finally managed to gather together.
"Shameless old man!"
Yinzhi was seething with anger. When he heard him cursing, Yinzu couldn't help but nod. His small world was greatly shocked. How could there be such a shameless person as Jia Zhen in this world?
Yinreng glanced around to make sure no one else was there, then whispered, "Make a long story short, what did you find?"
"The funeral proceeded too quickly, as if the forty-nine days of mourning had been crammed into one day."
After Yinzhi finished speaking, Yinreng and the other two nodded; they had all noticed this.
“Furthermore,” Yin Zhi added with a frown, “Qin Keqing’s funeral was a bit too grand. The people who came were four kings and eight dukes. It felt like even more complete than Jia Jing’s birthday banquet.”
“Qin Keqing’s identity is questionable!” Yinreng concluded decisively. “After I followed Lady You, I saw the servants tidying up Qin Keqing’s room. The things inside are not something an ordinary woman from a fallen noble family could afford.”
Yinzhi, the servant assigned by Ningguo Mansion to temporarily serve Qin Zhong, recalled Qin Zhong's attire and scratched his head: "Qin Keqing is only the adopted daughter of Qin Ye, the Minister of Works. Qin Zhong, as his biological son, is dressed very plainly. But Qin Keqing is obviously much more noble, which means she is not supported by her maternal family."
Yinzhi glanced at Yinreng's expression and cautiously suggested, "There's a loyal prince here who's up to no good..."
Seeing that Yinreng's expression remained unchanged, Yinzhi continued, "I see that the Jia family gave his coffin to Qin Keqing without hesitation. Could it be that Qin Keqing is the daughter of Prince Zhongyi?"
Rather than believing that the Jia family is brainless, Yinzhi is more inclined to believe that there is a royal secret hidden here... So, the Jia family can't really be brainless, right?
Yinzhu looked left and right, and added in a low voice: "Ruizhu, who used to take care of me, was Qin Keqing's personal maid. It is said that she died by hitting her head against a pillar. I went with her to Huifang Garden to keep vigil and found... there were strangulation marks on Qin Keqing's neck."
"Traces?"
The three were startled by this, and recalling the suspicious circumstances surrounding Qin Keqing, they felt that the situation was even more complicated. Did she really die because of incest, or did she die because of some secret about her identity?
Yinreng patted Yinzuo on the shoulder, "Well done." Yinzuo smiled demurely, his lips pursed.
Yinreng turned his head, squinted at the setting sun, and said in a deep voice, "I have a feeling that tonight won't pass so easily. No matter how Qin Keqing died, her resentment will not be small..."
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