Gu Xiaosi sat down on the ground, crying and refusing to give up.
At this moment, Gu Dalang strode over and stood in front of Gu Xiaosi, frowning. The three people present were his sisters. As the saying goes, even an upright official finds it hard to settle family disputes. He did not want to get involved in this matter, but since Prince Jing had reported it to the authorities, he had no choice but to come here to investigate.
Before he could speak, Chen Yu stepped forward and complained, "Lord Gu, someone has attempted to assassinate Ping'er. Rong Momo and many guards are dead. Please investigate this matter thoroughly and bring the perpetrators to justice."
"Big brother, Chen Yu's maid killed my Rong'er! Please, big brother, do justice for me..."
Gu Dalang nodded, noticing Ping'er's wounded face and the casualties on both sides' guards. He then ordered, "Seal off the Hundred Herbs Garden and take everyone to the yamen for questioning."
------
Inside the main hall of the yamen (government office).
Jiu'er, with a white cloth wrapped around her head, knelt on the ground, looking at Gu Dalang in the hall, and cried out, "My lord, my mistress has no grudge against the Jia family, so why would she murder Jia Rong'er? Someone knocked me unconscious, then killed Rong'er and threw him into the river."
Gu Dalang hurriedly asked, "How do you know Rong'er was murdered and thrown into the river?"
With so many people admiring the flowers along the river corridor, if Rong'er were alive and fell into the water, she would surely struggle.
Gu Dalang nodded repeatedly. Jiu'er's account matched the coroner's findings. It seemed that someone wanted to kill Rong'er, and Jiu'er was just implicated.
Unexpectedly, Gu Xiaosi rushed in, punching and hitting Jiu'er while yelling, "The guards at Prince Jing's mansion said everyone was admiring the flowers on the stone bridge and corridor, except you who took Rong'er to the grass by the river. Who else could it be but you? And you still refuse to admit it..."
"Stop!" Chen Yu walked in, pushed Gu Xiaosi aside, and said, "Fourth Sister, you're so confused! Rong'er is dead, and now someone's targeting my Ping'er. Can't you see the real culprit is someone else?"
Gu Xiaosi was already in a daze, her eyes brimming with tears as she looked at Chen Yu and asked, "What do you mean?"
Shen Yu knew that the murderer intended to kill Ping'er, and Rong'er was merely a scapegoat. If she revealed the truth, she feared she would offend the Jia family.
Therefore, she changed her tune, saying, "As everyone knows, Lord Jia is Ping'er's uncle. Clearly, someone is trying to sow discord between my Hundred Herbs Garden and the Jia family. First, they killed Rong'er, and then, under the pretext of your intrusion into the Hundred Herbs Garden, they attempted to assassinate my Ping'er, trying to frame the Jia family."
Why was there no third person at the crime scene?
Chen Yu pondered, recalling the small boat she had seen in the river from the pavilion. Was anyone on it? She hadn't noticed. It seemed that perhaps the person on the boat was the murderer.
She quickly looked at Gu Dalang and said, "Big brother, hurry to Prince Jing's mansion and find the person on the small boat in the river."
It was dark when Gu Dalang returned.
Chen Yu, holding An'er and Ping'er's hands, waited in the courtyard, followed by Hong Yu and dozens of guards.
Since the assassination attempt, Shen Yu has been extremely vigilant, ordering all the guards in Baicaoyuan to stay close to An'er and Ping'er, even in the yamen.
Facing Chen Yu's gaze, Gu Dalang shook his head. "That small boat has been moored in the river the whole time. Today is Prince Jing's wedding, and no one has boarded it."
Why did it stop in the river?
[Used for picking lotus flowers.]
Who is responsible for picking lotus flowers on weekdays?
[Cailian, Prince Jing's personal maid.]
Chen Yu nodded. Cai Lian had always followed Prince Jing faithfully. Even though Prince Jing had broken ties with her, surely he wouldn't kill Ping'er?
It seems the murderer took advantage of Cailian's absence from the boat to commit the crime.
"Big brother, bring Cailian here. I want to ask her a few questions."
Just then, a guard ran over, panting, and reported, "[My lord, Cailian has been found...dead...drowned.]"
Shen Yu became even more frightened and tightly hugged An'er and Ping'er into her arms.
Seeing this, Hongyu stepped forward and stroked An'er's head, comforting her, "Madam, don't panic. We're in the yamen; guards are protecting us. Nothing will happen."
[Seventh Sister, the coroner is not here. You must come with me to Prince Jing's residence to examine the body.]
Gu Dalang said this and left in a hurry.
Shen Yu was naturally worried about the children. Just then, Master Gu rushed over and pulled An'er and Ping'er away, saying, "Yu'er, go quickly. With your father here, An'er and Ping'er will be alright."
Yes, Madam, Hongyu will protect An'er... and Ping'er, you can rest assured.
------
We arrived at Prince Jing's Mansion.
Dozens of guards stood on both sides holding torches, the flames soaring into the sky, as bright as day.
King Jing stood by the river, frowning in thought: Yesterday morning, he did not see Cai Lian. Yi Shui said that Cai Lian went to prepare flower tea as soon as it was light.
King Jing then had no further suspicions.
With a whoosh, Gu Dalang strode over. Seeing the bloated, white corpse on the shore, he quickly turned around and saw that Chen Yu had already put on a mask and gloves and was walking steadily towards him.
When Shen Yu passed by King Jing, he deliberately tilted his head to look elsewhere, but Shen Yu kept her eyes straight ahead and ignored him.
Chen Yu squatted down to examine the body. Cai Lian had indeed drowned. Judging from the time, she must have drowned early in the morning.
She looked at the guard beside her and asked, "Can Cailian swim?"
The guards looked at each other, then all turned to look at King Jing.
King Jing uttered only one word: "No."
Shen Yu pouted, examining the body while asking, "[Cailian must have drowned before dawn. There were few people in the garden then; the murderer certainly chose the right time. Who entered the Prince Jing's residence so early in the morning?]"
Today is my wedding day, and there are too many people entering the Prince Jing's residence. Fortunately, I've recorded their arrival in order of arrival. Should I question them one by one?
[It's necessary. Let's wait until tomorrow. Summon those who entered Prince Jing's residence before Chenshi (7-9 AM) to the yamen for questioning.]
After Chen Yu finished speaking, she stood up. Gu Dalang covered his mouth and asked, "Any clues?"
Shen Yu had a clue. Seeing King Jing looking over, their eyes met, and Shen Yu demanded sharply, "Where was the body found? Was it moved?"
King Jing glanced sideways at Chen Yu, his face cold as he replied, "[It was Yi Shui who found her by the small boat. The guards tried to pull Cai Lian up, but couldn't budge her. Later, they discovered that Cai Lian was tied to the reins with a ribbon.]"
Shen Yu nodded and walked towards the small boat on the riverbank. As soon as one of her feet entered the water, she was grabbed by King Jing.
She turned around and saw King Jing's eyes filled with worry. He asked in a low voice, "What are you going down there for?"
Seeing the surprised looks from those around her, Chen Yu abruptly pushed Prince Jing away, then returned to the shore and ordered the constables, "Bring the small boat and the body back to the yamen, including the reins and ribbons."
Having said that, she strode away. As she walked out of the garden, flames soared into the sky, and a group of servants stood guard outside the gate with torches in hand.
Yanran stormed over: "Mu Chenyu! I've always treated you with utmost respect because of my older brother's kindness, but I never expected you to scheme against me and Prince Jing. I was actually going to thank you for this."
But you actually seduced Prince Jing behind his back! How can you be worthy of being the mother of An'er and Ping'er with such shamelessness?
Shen Yu retorted sharply, "Liu Yanran, you're so straightforward and impulsive, like a mad cow, spouting nonsense and unable to distinguish right from wrong..."
"Nonsense? Look at this!" Yanran said, throwing a letter at Chenyu's face.
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