Chapter 35 Horse Head
He did what he said. Taking advantage of his drunkenness, Mingjiu climbed over the courtyard wall using a soft ladder and headed straight for Princess Gao's mansion.
Although Princess Gaoguo's mansion was surrounded by high walls and a large courtyard, Ming Jiu was very skilled and had a ladder with him, so he quickly found a gap in the corner of the back alley and slipped in.
Coincidentally, the stable was right in this corner. He went in and took a look, and sure enough, there was a snow-white Dayuan horse inside.
Taking advantage of the dark night when no one was around, he quietly led the horse to the hay chopper, pressed the horse's neck down, and then pressed the chopper, quickly and neatly obtaining a horse's head.
For fear of shocking the others, Mingjiu didn't describe the horrific sight of the horse's blood gushing out. But upon hearing about such a brutal act, everyone inwardly gasped.
Ming Jiu grew up on the battlefield and didn't care about it. After lifting the horse's head and draining the blood, he moved towards the high place of the nearby building.
He climbed over several walls and walked around several corridors, guessing that the place in the middle should be where Princess Gao lived, but he just couldn't find it.
Fortunately, it was late at night and the lights in the mansion had been turned off. Occasionally, a few maids or patrolling guards passed by, but he easily avoided them.
As he was walking around, not knowing where to go, suddenly a small stone hit him.
He was immediately startled and was about to look for the source of the stone when he saw a second stone land on the brick floor not far from him. He looked over in confusion and saw a few squares faintly drawn on the brick floor with a branch. On one of them was the word "Princess" written crookedly. In the corner of the side, there was a horse head that looked like a horse head, and a zigzag line was drawn between the horse head and the princess square.
Mingjiu looked at the horse head in his hand, then at the layout of the house in front, and realized that it was pointing him in the right direction.
Although this matter was strange, he was drunk and thought that the feud between Princess Gao and him was known to everyone in the capital. He thought it was a heroic act for him to break into the princess's mansion and chop off the horse's head while drunk in the middle of the night, and he was not afraid of being known.
So he followed the map to find the place. Strangely, the door of the hall marked "Princess" was open, and the guards and maids inside and outside were all dozing off and sleeping. No one was awake to stand guard.
He didn't expect the guards at the princess's mansion to be so lax. He tiptoed in with his horse's head held high and took a look. The lights in the house were dim, and the maids on guard were sleeping soundly leaning against the incense burner. The huge inner hall was filled with the sound of breathing.
If other people saw this scene, they would definitely find it strange, but Mingjiu was a foreigner and he didn't know the rules of the wealthy families. He simply walked to the bed with the horse's head in his hand, lifted the curtain and saw a woman sleeping soundly inside. It was Princess Gao.
He wanted to throw the horse's head at her, but then he thought of something more fun. With a sly smile on his face, he gently placed the white horse's head on her pillow.
He wanted to use a pillow to prop up the horse's face at a good angle, so that it would be opposite her from top to bottom, but it was too difficult, so he put the pillow back to its original position and only put the horse's head in a position to sleep opposite her.
Then he suppressed his laughter, tiptoed out, climbed over the wall and left the princess's mansion.
"Xianzhu, am I super powerful? Am I more powerful than Ling Tianshui?"
Qian Deng and Cui Fufeng exchanged glances, and a thought suddenly came to their minds - Princess Gaoguo had more guards than the Changhua Palace, but Mingjiu broke in and caused trouble so easily. Who could be the person who first gave him the map and then helped him to knock out the guards and maids?
Mingjiu continued, "When I returned to the palace, Shangluo was gone. I was gone for quite a while, and I didn't think much of it, considering he was just a kid waiting for me so late at night. This footprint must have been made while he was waiting for me."
He said this with a depressed look on his face. "I thought the Princess' Mansion would be frightened by me and would spread my mighty power throughout the capital, and the Fairy Pearl would surrender to me. I didn't expect the Princess' Mansion to be so depressed. It's really frustrating!"
"He prostrated himself and said nothing..." Liuli couldn't hold it in any longer and helped him correct himself.
Mingjiu didn't care. He waved his hand and said, "So, Xianzhu, look, if I really wanted to kill Princess Gao, why would I chop off the horse's head? I would have killed her the day I entered the Princess's mansion!"
This makes a lot of sense. As a latecomer, he has nothing to do with any clues. He has no previous connection with Princess Gao and Shangluo. His suspicion should be the least among all the men.
Cui Fufeng just asked him as usual when was the last time he saw Shangluo. Sure enough, he was busy at the Uighur garrison outside the city, and after returning from Qujiangchi, he did not have the chance to meet Shangluo.
After leaving Xiliuwu, there was a fork in the road ahead. Qiandeng discussed with Cui Fufeng and decided to go to Yilan Pavilion first to find Ling Tianshui and discuss the matter of Mingjiu breaking into the princess's mansion at night.
As soon as I passed the clear spring, I could smell a faint fragrance lingering in my nose.
Looking up, I saw the flourishing flowers and trees in Yilan Pavilion. Amidst the falling petals and flowing water, Meng Lanxi was at the water's edge, fetching water from a small porcelain cup. When she saw them approaching, she stood up to greet them, her charming smile still on her face: "County Lady."
Qian Deng nodded to him and said, "I'm here to look for Shangluo. His family wanted to take him home, but he went into hiding and is nowhere to be found now."
Meng Lanxi looked surprised: "How could this be? Does the county lady need our help?"
Before Qiandeng could say anything, Ling Tianshui had already heard the noise and came out of the house. Knowing that they were looking for Shangluo, he immediately understood their intention and raised his chin slightly to signal them to go inside and search.
Yilan Pavilion had two small rooms, one in front and one in the back, so Ling Tianshui could come and stay with him from time to time. However, the two bamboo rooms were not large, with only a table, a chair, and a couch. The rest of the wardrobes and bookshelves were made of bamboo, creating a delicate fragrance and a clean and clear atmosphere.
The room was in full view. A few books and incense-making tools were spread out on the table. There was nothing extra. As for the wardrobe, suitcases, under the bed, behind the door and under the window, they were all clean.
Aunt Xuanji and the maid carefully examined it. Ling Tianshui and the others stood at the door watching and asked in a low voice, "What's wrong?"
Qiandeng and Cui Fufeng motioned him to go outside. When the white rabbit heard the sound, it huddled in its nest, trembling as it looked at them.
Qiandeng picked it up and caressed it gently. Cui Fufeng briefly recounted the story and mentioned the incident of Mingjiu sneaking into the princess's mansion at night.
Ling Tianshui listened thoughtfully and asked, "Mingjiu thinks Shangluo's footprints on the wooden ladder might have been left by Shangluo when he was hanging on the wall on the day he killed the horse?"
Cui Fufeng said, "This speculation is logical. It's very likely that Shangluo tried to step on the ladder after he got out. Of course, it's also possible that after Princess Gao's death, Shangluo used this opportunity to climb over the wall and disappeared."
"But if that's the case, then who took the ladder back after Shangluo escaped?" Although Ling Tianshui was asking, the three of them already had the answer in their hearts -
Since the humming eagle has the ability to enter and exit the backyard, it naturally has the possibility of taking things or even someone out of the backyard.
While the three were discussing, Aunt Xuanji and others had already finished checking Yilan Pavilion and came out. They shook their heads at Qiandeng, indicating that they saw nothing.
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