Chapter 25: Strange Laughter
Ling Tianshui didn't bother to correct that it was "mind" instead of "heart": "Where are the guards?"
"They went out to collect firewood and find seasonings, leaving me alone to be blown away by the fire..." Mingjiu couldn't use high-level words like "smoky and fiery", so he could only use onomatopoeia.
"I remember that there was a conflict between Jintang and the people from the Princess's Mansion. You know that the princess was not far from the river bend where you were roasting the lamb. So, when you were roasting there alone, did you ever leave?"
Mingjiu thought for a moment before understanding what he meant. He glared and asked, "Haven't you eaten my roasted lamb? You have to keep turning it over and over when you roast it. If you stop for even a moment, it'll burn! What will happen to my lamb if I kill someone? Besides..."
When he said this, he suddenly shut up and swallowed the rest of his words.
Ling Tianshui looked at him carefully and asked, "What else do you want to say?"
"Besides..." Screeching Eagle hesitated, finally acting like a rogue, "Just tell me if my lamb is delicious. Why would I kill someone while roasting lamb? Holding a torch in one hand and a lamb in the other?"
Ling Tianshui calculated the time it took to roast the lamb, then slowly shook his head at Qian Deng and said, "According to the time calculation, the lamb was roasted without interruption, otherwise it wouldn't be so fast."
"Also, wasn't Princess Slap called to the river and pushed into it? This woman is making me draw my sword and die..."
Cui Fufeng actually heard what he was babbling about: "It's an awkward situation."
"Whatever it is, she saw me outside the palace the day before yesterday and ran away so fast. Why would she follow me to the river? Is she an idiot? Or is she..."
As he spoke, he looked up at Cui Fufeng and Ling Tianshui in front of him, implying that if they still doubted his words, then they were idiots.
After all, Mingjiu was of noble status, and at this point in the conversation, his attitude was very clear - he denied any involvement in the death of Princess Gao, and he had reasons and evidence to prove that he had neither the time nor the possibility to kill anyone.
After Mingjiu left, Qiandeng pondered and looked at Ling Tianshui: "Speaking of Meng Lanxi, when you were away on official business before, did you send someone to protect Meng Lanxi?"
Ling Tianshui nodded. "He does have someone protecting him, but your backyard has been so peaceful lately, I'm sure the soldiers are exhausted. And he's a grown man, so it shouldn't be difficult for him to avoid being seen in a place like Qujiang Lake."
Qiandeng nodded silently, still considering Mingjiu's description of Meng Lanxi, when he saw a head poking in from the doorway, a lock of long curly hair falling across his excited face. It was Mingjiu—
"Oh, I remember now. Meng Lanxi's smile at that time was like that of a child who set the whole mountain on fire and then realized that everyone was scrambling to put out the fire, but no one knew it was him who had done the evil!"
At this point, he patted his chest confidently and said, "This time it's correct, because my brother laughed like that when he burned more than 200 sheep of the herdsmen to death while roasting a fire, and before the adults found out - of course, he was beaten half to death by us afterwards!"
Meng Lanxi was summoned to the study and saw Ling Tianshui and Cui Fufeng there. The county lady looked at him with a thoughtful look in her eyes, and he suddenly felt that the atmosphere was wrong.
But he remained calm and composed, smiling and bowing to Qiandeng, still the same young man brimming with pure energy like smoke and clouds. He then nodded to Cui Fufeng and Ling Tianshui, "I wonder what instructions the County Lady and Cui Shaoqing have for summoning Lanxi here?"
Cui Fufeng said, "It's about the matter of Princess Gao. It's just a routine inquiry. I want to know your whereabouts at Qujiang Lake that day."
Meng Lanxi looked at Ling Tianshui and saw him nod calmly, so she felt relieved. She walked over to the table and looked at the map of Qujiang Pond spread out on the table, pointing her finger near the waterside pavilion. "I arrived at Qujiang Pond around noon, which was still early for the county lady to arrive. Everyone in the waterside pavilion was busy, and I couldn't help, and would have been a hindrance. So I went out and walked around Qujiang Pond. I saw the moss growing quite lovely on the rocks by the water, so I picked some and put it in the orchid pot for the county lady."
Qiandeng thought of the lovely moss under the orchid, nodded, and said, "The moss is indeed very lively and goes well with the orchid."
Cui Fufeng asked again, "After nearly an hour, is this all Mr. Meng has done?"
"I also saw some nice herbs by the water, so I picked some and put them on the stone platform outside the pavilion to dry. But then something happened to Princess Gao, so I forgot to bring the herbs with me when I returned."
This statement confirmed Mingjiu's whereabouts, which meant that it was true that he met Meng Lanxi picking herbs by the river bend.
Qiandeng's gaze inevitably fell on Meng Lanxi's face, as if he was looking for that strange smile.
But he was standing in front of the window with a smile on his face, his demeanor elegant and graceful. How could there be any sign of weirdness at all?
Ling Tianshui, who had been silent the whole time, finally spoke up and asked, "What herbs did you pick?"
"It's mainly Polygala tenuifolia, which calms the nerves and helps with sleep. I think the county lady could use it. I also randomly picked some Corydalis yanhusuo, Bletilla striata, and others." Meng Lanxi recalled calmly, "After Princess Gao's accident, we were immediately expelled by the officials. Now the Qujiang Lake area is cordoned off for investigation, and no one is allowed in or out. So the herbs I picked back then should still be on the stone platform. If Shaoqing Cui goes over to check, he can verify it."
"It doesn't matter what kind of herbs you were picking, but judging by your whereabouts, the river bend where you were picking herbs is not far from Qichun Pavilion, where Princess Gao was in trouble. Did you encounter any movement at that time?"
Meng Lanxi recalled for a moment, then shook her head and said, "The trees along the river were densely covered, obscuring my view. I was picking herbs in the bushes, so I didn't look up or around, and didn't notice anything moving."
Ling Tianshui asked again: "Have you ever been in contact with Princess Gao before?"
Meng Lanxi said without hesitation: "No, I have only heard of the name of the Grand Princess of Gao State, but I have never even seen her in person."
He was just an ordinary student of the Imperial Academy, and his family had no relatives serving as officials in the court, so naturally he had nothing to do with Princess Gao.
Whether from the motive, the evidence at the scene or the testimony of the maids in the princess's mansion, it is impossible for him to kill Princess Gao.
It can even be said that among all her husband candidates, he is the cleanest and the least likely to be involved in this matter.
The only thing that bothered people was what Mingjiu had said about the strange expression on his face when he was picking herbs.
"But, I observed the situation at the river bend, and it's indeed as Meng Lanxi said. The dense branches obscure the view. If you're a little further away, you might not be able to see people clearly." After Meng Lanxi left, Ling Tianshui said thoughtfully, "What's more, Mingjiu not only had to recognize Meng Lanxi through the trees, but also saw the strange smile on his face. I'm afraid it would be difficult."
"Well, there's a good chance that I'm mistaken amidst the dense branches and bushes." Cui Fufeng also thought that Meng Lanxi was only doubtful, but compared to others, that strange doubt was minimal.
Qiandeng unfolded the file and said, "Since that's the case, Mr. Cui, please ask someone to go to the stone platform next to the waterside pavilion to check the herbs and see if what Meng Lanxi said is true."
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