The closer we got to the cell where Lu Zongyuan was imprisoned, the more pronounced the stench of corpse became. Old crows were circling on the roof of the prison, making hoarse sounds that made people feel uneasy.

Although he had prepared himself mentally, Xiao Ruyu still subconsciously took two steps back when he saw Lu Zongyuan's eyes wide open and his face purple.

"Find a piece of cloth and cover him up."

Eleven noticed Xiao Ruyu's little action and turned to instruct the jailer beside him.

[His death was... a little strange.]

Xiao Ruyu frowned slightly, walked around Lu Zongyuan's body twice, looked up at Doctor Yang, and tugged at his clothes.

[Master, what do you think at this moment? ]

Squatting down and prying open Lu Zongyuan's pupils to observe them, Doctor Yang looked solemn and withdrew his hand, "The mouth is pale and the pupils are dilated. It's not poisoning."

Since he wasn't poisoned, and the prison was heavily guarded, how did he die...

This is not ordinary!

Xiao Ruyu thought for a moment and proposed another possibility.

[Is it possible that he committed suicide?]

[When I came to see him yesterday, I saw that he was not quite right. He kept saying that he was just a... pawn? ]

After checking again and again that there were no external injuries on Lu Zongyuan's body, Doctor Yang shook his head and said, "There are no obvious external injuries on his body. It should not be suicide."

"The little princess said...he said he was just a pawn?"

He looked at Xiao Ruyu in confusion, then shifted his gaze to Lu Zongyuan.

Xiao Ruyu told him everything about Lu Zongyuan's madness yesterday.

It's not poisoning... nor suicide...

Then the possibility of homicide is very high!

As soon as this thought came to mind, Doctor Yang rejected the idea.

"Not to mention sneaking into the heavily guarded prison, even entering the palace would take a lot of effort. If someone really sneaked into the prison to kill someone..."

His pupils shrank and he whispered to Eleven who was standing beside him.

"Eleven, go and mobilize more imperial guards to strengthen the defense of the palace gates in the next few days."

Xiao Ruyu guessed what he was thinking, and her face was filled with confusion.

[Master is suspecting that someone from the cult has sneaked into the palace? Logically speaking, this is unlikely, unless that person is very powerful and can deceive everyone...]

[No strangers have entered the palace recently. 】

etc!

Yesterday's little boy!

The prison is an important royal place. Not only royal members need a token to enter, but anyone else who approaches will be interrogated. But yesterday, the little boy appeared easily around the prison and had not been discovered yet.

The more Xiao Ruyu thought about it, the more she felt something was wrong, so she quickly grabbed Doctor Yang's sleeve and spoke anxiously.

[Yesterday, I did run into a sneaky person! ]

She paused, feeling that this was not quite right. After all, when she met the little boy yesterday, he did not do anything sneaky.

[No... it was a completely unfamiliar person who bumped into me when I was leaving the prison.]

Thinking of this, Xiao Ruyu was so angry that her teeth itched. She gritted her teeth hard but accidentally touched the broken tooth and screamed in pain.

Eleven was startled and wanted to go forward to check but was rejected by her.

Xiao Ruyu covered her teeth, feeling indignant.

[It’s all his fault, otherwise I wouldn’t have gotten hurt! ]

After hearing her words, Doctor Yang fell into deep thought. He led her out and spoke.

"Little boy? Apart from the little prince and the eldest prince, where else can there be other children in the palace?"

He raised the question again, causing Xiao Ruyu to think about it carefully.

Thinking back to the boy's delicate and fair face, he didn't look like the slaves' child...

Then who is he?

[Master, I don't know him at all, and I have never seen him in the palace.]

Xiao Ruyu nodded firmly.

After hearing this, Doctor Yang became more suspicious. He stroked his chin and suggested, "How about, little princess, draw this person's face?"

"Master, I really don't know where to start if I just describe it with words."

"If he is not from the palace... Master can take the portrait to the former court to ask."

Without thinking twice, Xiao Ruyu agreed. [Of course I can. I have a deep impression of his face.]

She was too embarrassed to say that she let him go because of his pretty face.

The imperial physician looked inside.

Doctor Yang brought the writing brush, ink, paper and inkstone, spread out the paper, and put the brush into Xiao Ruyu's hand.

"It's up to the little princess now."

Xiao Ruyu grabbed the brush confidently and began to paint on the paper. A pool of ink was thrown onto the paper, and she was ready to show off her skills.

After half an incense stick of time, Doctor Yang's brows became more and more furrowed.

He pointed at an abstract thing on the paper, which had a distorted face and eyes that were twice as big as its mouth, and the corners of its mouth were twitching.

"Little Princess, is this really that person's face?"

He thought about it carefully, but still couldn't figure it out, and couldn't help but complain.

"It looks like a pig's head..."

Seeing that Doctor Yang didn't understand her painting, Xiao Ruyu rushed over to cover it with her little face puffed up.

[Master! How can this be a pig head? Look here are the big eyes, here is the small mouth, here…]

She scratched her head, not quite sure what it was, and made up a story. [This is the weeds on the roadside.]

"Weeds are growing on this person's head?" Doctor Yang was speechless and suddenly felt that she could not get any useful information from her.

"Forget it, Master, go call the painter over."

He smiled helplessly and pinched Xiao Ruyu's puffy cheeks to let out some of her anger.

"Princess, just describe the person to the artist and he will draw him."

Eleven gave the order, and soon the painter from the palace came hurriedly.

"Meet the little princess."

The man with thick eyebrows and white hair wiped the sweat from his head, laid out his painting tools, and asked carefully, "The little princess called me here, is there anything you want to tell me?"

Xiao Ruyu pointed at the paper in front of him and spread his hands helplessly.

"Draw this person."

The painter came over, froze in place, and spoke at a loss, "This, this, this..."

"Okay, little princess, just describe your appearance to the artist."

"Master Zhang, you must depict the person in the portrait."

Imperial Doctor Yang smoothed things over and made way for Painter Zhang.

"Little princess, please feel free to speak." Painter Zhang picked up the pen carefully and listened to Xiao Ruyu attentively.

Xiao Ruyu's eyes rolled around, recalling the little boy's face that day.

"He has two eyes, a nose and a mouth."

Painter Zhang paused with his brush in mid-air, feeling more and more fearful.

"Little princess, everyone has these..."

"Please tell me something key, such as what the characteristics are..."

When asked about the little boy's characteristics, Xiao Ruyu blurted out without thinking.

"He's very good-looking."

Everyone fell silent for a while. Painter Zhang's brush trembled slightly. "And...?"

“It’s very nice.”

Xiao Ruyu nodded seriously.

Doctor Yang's mouth twitched and he slapped her lightly on the top of her head.

"Little princess only remembers that it looks good?"

"He is as pretty as a woman, even prettier than a woman. As for the rest..."

She scratched her head and looked to Eleven for help.