Chapter 14 Suspicion
The prince was also greatly shocked and looked at Qiandeng helplessly. He could not have imagined that his great-aunt, the mother of the prince's wife, would have a secret rendezvous with the candidate for the fiancé of Lingling County Lord in Qujiang Lake.
He managed to calm himself down and asked the maid, "What else did they say?"
"The princess then said to the man, 'Come, help me put on this dress. It's a rare and precious thing. That little bitch will never be able to wear it in her lifetime...' I knew the princess and him were having an intimate affair, so I didn't dare to listen any further and immediately turned and left. Later, the princess got into trouble and a large number of officials arrived. I didn't dare to tell the princess about this in public, so I could only report it privately to the princess after returning home..."
Qiandeng clenched the cup in his hand, feeling shortness of breath and nausea in his chest.
Unexpectedly, before all the gentlemen celebrated her 17th birthday with such affection and love, one of them had ulterior motives and was secretly having an affair with Princess Gao. He even had an intimate relationship with her just before giving her a gift!
Xiao Fuyu glared at her and asked fiercely, "Princess Lingling, tell me, are you the only woman celebrating your birthday at Qujiang Lake today? Are the men in your backyard the only ones who gave you birthday gifts? Is the place where you celebrated your birthday not far from Qichun Pavilion, where my mother rests?"
Qiandeng tried his best to remain calm and said, "Yes."
"My mother hasn't been near the water these days because of the nightmare she had the day before yesterday. She stayed in the pavilion while playing today and didn't go near the water. Unless someone deliberately led her to the water's edge, took her to the slippery shore, or even gave her a push, she would have slipped and fallen, right?"
Qian Deng looked at her weeping and slowly replied, "Based on the few words the maid heard, it's difficult to say whether the man was still with the princess when she was in trouble. Moreover, judging by the situation at the scene, it's impossible to rule out an accident at this time."
"It must be him! If it wasn't him, how could my mother go to the waterside and slip? The murderer who killed my mother must be the man in your backyard!"
Xiao Fuyu burst into tears and turned to the Crown Prince, pleading, "Your Highness, the evidence is now irrefutable. My mother's murderer must be within the palace! I beg Your Highness to have the Princess of Lingling hand over the murderer as soon as possible to comfort my mother's soul in heaven!"
Seeing her weeping so hard, the Crown Prince felt deeply saddened. He patted her back to comfort her. He then looked at Qian Deng and asked, "Lingling, if that's the case, do you have any idea who in your family is the murderer?"
Qian Deng was silent, going over the nine gentlemen in the backyard one by one in his mind.
However, the men who had treated her tenderly and attentively in the afternoon, each of whom had carefully prepared heartwarming gifts for her, moved her immensely.
Which one of them is the one with ulterior motives and hidden fangs?
She always suspected that the murderer of Shi Jingning and her mother was also one of these men.
The person who killed Princess Gao might not be the same person who killed her mother.
Thinking of this, she felt goosebumps all over her body, and deep resentment and anger surged in her heart.
When she looked up and saw Xiao Fuyu's eyes filled with tears, leaning on the prince's shoulder and crying so hard that she was about to faint, her heart was filled with even more grief.
There is one more person in this world who has lost his mother.
Although she and Xiao Fuyu did not get along well, and even had a hostile relationship with Princess Gao's Mansion, they shared the same deep pain of losing their mother.
She stood up, took a deep breath and exhaled, then said solemnly, "Please rest assured, Prince and Princess. Lingling will thoroughly investigate all the candidates for husbands. If the princess's death was not an accident and the murderer is among them, I will find him and show no mercy!"
After seeing off the Crown Prince and Xiao Fuyu, Qiandeng felt restless. Fortunately, Meng Lanxi's sleeping incense was very effective and helped her close her eyes for a while.
When it was daybreak, she immediately ordered Cui Fufeng and Ling Tianshui to come to the study, and told them in detail about the visit of the prince and Xiao Fuyu last night.
"The Princess Changyi's speculation this time does make some sense. And regardless of whether it's an accident or not, if someone in the Princess's backyard is having an affair with Princess Gao, we certainly can't tolerate him hiding any longer." Cui Fufeng frowned as he pondered the Princess's maid's words. "When choosing a husband for the Princess, I considered various political parties, trying to avoid those with connections to the powerful or those with a bad reputation... Who knew they'd still choose someone with a secret relationship with Princess Gao?"
"Perhaps someone had ulterior motives when they ran for the position and deliberately concealed their identity. Or perhaps, like Yang Huaijiang, they were originally sent here by Princess Gao and have ulterior motives. We knew nothing about them beforehand, so how could we possibly prevent them?" Qian Deng tried to remain calm and asked, "In your opinion, is it possible that this person... is involved in the deaths of my mother and Shi Jingning?"
"It's possible." Cui Fufeng said without hesitation, "If such a person really exists, he would naturally be the most suspicious one."
Ling Tianshui also agreed with their views and added, "So, everyone who was at the waterside pavilion yesterday, except for the three of us who arrived last and can testify against each other, all the other gentlemen are suspected of murdering the princess."
The three of them clarified the initial direction, that is, if what the maid said was true and there really was such a man, then he must have acted during the afternoon yesterday when the princess dismissed everyone and stayed alone in the small pavilion, and Qiandeng had not yet reached Qujiang Lake, that is, between the hours of Wei and the beginning of the hours of Shen.
Cui Fufeng analyzed the situation yesterday in detail: "Qujiang Lake covers a vast area. The nine of us agreed the day before yesterday. I will be responsible for taking the county lady to Qujiang Lake at 3:00 p.m., Jintang will lead the masters to set up the fireworks and waterside pavilion, and the other young men will come from the government office and the academy on their own. We agreed to gather at the waterside pavilion at 3:00 p.m. to welcome the county lady.
"So, even if they arrived early before the 30th day of the 9th month, they would have dispersed around Qujiang Pond because the pavilion was busy setting up. We need to investigate when each person arrived at Qujiang Pond and what traces they had before the 30th day of the 9th month."
At this point, Ling Tianshui interrupted, "No, the time when Princess Gao drowned was between the hours of Shen and You, so the beginning of Shen must be checked, and the middle of Shen must also be included."
"But we've already gathered here, so no one will leave midway..." Qian Deng said this, and suddenly thought of someone, blurting out, "Mingjiu!"
Because his roasted lamb was smoky and hot, he was driven to the river bend by the crowd. He stayed there alone for a long time before returning with the roasted lamb.
While drifting his quilt, Cui Fufeng had surveyed the terrain: "Speaking of which, the river bend where Mingjiu roasts the lamb is closer to Qichun Pavilion than the waterside pavilion where we are, separated only by a small patch of trees."
"But..." Qian Deng pondered, slowly shaking his head. "The conflict between Ming Jiu and Princess Gao is well known to everyone. Besides, he's only been in Chang'an for two or three months. There's no way he could have such a shameful relationship with Princess Gao, let alone with my mother and Shi Jingning."
Cui Fufeng said, "Precisely because it is impossible, we must question the Huihe prince in a big way and eliminate him."
Qian Deng was confused about what this meant, so Cui Fufeng explained, "This is a message to Princess Gao's Mansion, and more importantly, to the Crown Prince, proving that the Changhua Palace is doing everything in its power for the Grand Princess's cause. However, this matter is extremely difficult and will inevitably be tortuous. We need more help. Let them be mentally prepared."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com