Gu Erlang ran into the yamen with weak legs, but was stopped by a yamen runner. "Officer Gu, someone reported that a carriage was robbed outside the west gate after midnight last night..."
"You can handle these minor cases; stay out of the way for now."
Gu Erlang pushed aside the yamen runners and caught up with Chen Yu, asking, "Seventh Sister, don't be anxious. When did the cripple disappear? Who did you have a dispute with?"
Chen Yu was so anxious that tears streamed down her face as she hurriedly recounted what had happened:
Yesterday, I took the cripple back to the Mu family to visit my mother. My mother agreed that I should find an ordinary man to live a stable life. She also gave the cripple the jade thumb ring that my father left behind.
However, my elder brother and sister-in-law advised me to marry Prince Jing, which I naturally refused. We parted on bad terms, and I left the Mu family with the cripple and returned to Guhe Village.
Early in the morning, Jiu'er told the lame man to get up early and go gather herbs. But when she opened the door, the floor was covered in blood, and the lame man was nowhere to be found. Second brother, quickly send someone to look for him!
"Alright! I'll take some men and go after them right away. Seventh Sister, tell Lord He about this so he can help with the investigation."
After saying that, Gu Erlang ran away weakly.
One hour later.
Chen Yu and Jiu'er stood at the entrance of the yamen, looking around.
Chi Yan and Shen Lan rode up quickly on horseback to report, "Miss, the bloodstains disappeared outside the west gate. We asked the guards at the next two gates, and none of them had seen the injured man leave the city. It seems the villains have hidden the cripple inside the city."
Shen Yu nodded slowly, looking dejected. "Officer Gu led his men to the west gate, while Lord He led his men to the east gate. Perhaps they can find the cripple. You should go back first and take care of your families."
"yes!"
"You can rest assured that we've taken care of things at home."
"Jiu'er, take good care of the girl."
After finishing their conversation, Chi Yan rode away.
Lord He returned. He dismounted, waved to Chen Yu, and the two hurriedly went into the back hall.
When he came to the door with the adults, he took out a handkerchief, placed it on the table, and carefully opened it.
"Fish, this is a jade pendant I found outside the East City. There are bloodstains on it. Take a look."
Shen Yu quickly held the handkerchief in her hands to examine it closely. A red jade pendant? Wasn't this the jade pendant that Hong Yu gave to Kang'er? The bloodstains on it were fingerprints.
I heard that Kong Ying killed King Yan at his residence yesterday. How did King Yan's jade pendant end up outside the East City?
Thinking back to yesterday when Yan Wang bumped into the cripple, could it be that Yan Wang recognized the cripple as Liu Yu and thus kidnapped him?
But Yan Wang was killed yesterday, so how could he have kidnapped the cripple?
Chen Yu was puzzled and decided to find out what was going on.
She asked the official to find the fingerprints of the late Prince Yan, which matched the fingerprints on the jade pendant.
Lord He exclaimed in horror, "How could this be? Prince Yan was killed yesterday!"
Shen Yu was also puzzled. If Yan Wang was still alive, why would he kidnap Liu Yu? Could it be that he wanted to start anew and make a comeback?
No!
Liu Yu has not only lost his memory, but his leg ailment has not yet healed. If he does not continue treatment, he may become disabled.
With a thud, she knelt on the ground and pleaded, "The death of Prince Yan must be a hoax. Please, Uncle, take Yu'er to Prince Yan's mansion to investigate the case. Yu'er will definitely find the cripple."
9:00 AM (巳时).
Lord He ordered the gates of Prince Yan's mansion to be unsealed, and the constables escorted Kong Ying into the mansion to identify the scene of the crime, with Chen Yu following behind.
Lord He has requested permission from the Emperor to have Shen Yu assist in investigating the case, with Second Master Bai and Third Master Bai accompanying Shen Yu.
Shen Yu followed Kong Ying into the Dongrui Pavilion, but someone grabbed her sleeve. When she turned around, she saw it was Prince Jing.
King Jing glared at Shen Yu and hissed, "Why did you have to get involved in this case? Wouldn't it be better if you just stayed in the countryside and farmed peacefully? The cripple is missing, and I've already sent people to look for him. As long as he's alive, I will definitely bring him back."
Shen Yu wouldn't listen; she was determined to investigate anything she suspected. Besides, since it concerned Liu Yu, she had to handle it personally to avoid any mistakes.
She struggled to break free from King Jing's grasp and followed Kong Ying to the stone table.
Kong Ying pointed to the stone table and said, "When I came in, Prince Yan was standing here with a servant at the stone table."
Are there any other people in the courtyard?
"No."
"What are they saying? Who is speaking?"
Kong Ying paused for a moment before replying, "It must have been the servant speaking; his voice was very soft, and I couldn't hear him."
"Alright, what does that servant look like?"
After speaking, Shen Yu looked at Lord He and gestured for him to summon the servants from the Prince Yan's residence. Then she continued to scrutinize Kong Ying's expression.
Kong Ying said, "That servant had his back to me, so I couldn't see his face, but his build was the same as Yan Wang's."
"Why were you fighting with Prince Yan? Where did that servant go?"
Kong Ying recalled: He saw Yan Wang talking to a servant, and immediately drew his sword to stab Yan Wang. But to his surprise, the servant ran away. It was good that he ran away, so there were no eyewitnesses.
To cover up the fact that he had committed the crime first, he had no choice but to lie, "I came to return the pendant to Young Master Kang'er. King Yan said that my father had seduced Lady Yu, and he immediately drew his sword against me. I fought with him to save my life and did not see where the servant went. I did not pay attention to him afterward."
At this moment, all the servants of Prince Yan's mansion arrived. Kong Ying looked them over again and again, shaking his head repeatedly, "No, not a single one resembles Prince Yan in build."
Shen Yu nodded repeatedly, suspecting that the servant must be Yan Wang, and that the one killed by Kong Ying was just a substitute.
But no one seems to have noticed when this double appeared.
Oh, right, the autopsy.
She looked towards the doorway, where Yan Wang's concubines and maids had already arrived.
She stepped forward and asked, "If the King of Yan were headless, could you recognize his body? Do you know any markings on his body, such as moles or scars?"
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