Chapter 31 How to break the deadlock
After leaving Qujiang Lake, the three exchanged their discoveries on the way back.
Qian Deng relayed to them the story of someone breaking into the princess's residence at night and killing horses. Ling Tianshui's tone became meaningful upon hearing this: "Not many people are capable of such reckless, crude, and impulsive behavior."
Seeing his expression, Qiandeng and Cui Fufeng looked at each other, and subconsciously the image of that man appeared in their minds. Acting recklessly and without scruples was his hallmark.
"It seems that when I wasn't paying attention, the backyard of the palace had already been bustling with activity..." Qian Deng muttered, and then thought of Shang Luo who had mysteriously disappeared in the backyard, and made a decision, "It seems that I should go to the backyard more often and interact with the gentlemen."
After thinking about it, she asked about the emerald feather cloak again.
Cui Fufeng had just questioned the people from Princess Gao's residence and replied, "That emerald feather cloak certainly doesn't seem to belong to anyone from Princess Gao's residence. The princess's residence has duck-cheek fur coats, and they and her mother once publicly ridiculed the material. How could they use something like this?"
Qiandeng nodded. They all remembered that on New Year's Eve outside the Daming Palace, she was ridiculed by Princess Gaoguo's mansion because she wore a green feather fur coat similar to that of Princess Changyi.
"Although the emerald feather fur coat is not as valuable as the duck-cheek fur coat, it is definitely not something that the maids in the princess's mansion can wear. Moreover, the only people who can have the princess's mansion mark embroidered on it are the princess and her daughter."
But even if this thing existed in the mansion, after the New Year's Day incident of wearing the same clothes, I'm afraid this green feather fur coat would be buried deep in the cupboard and would never be used.
"Besides the people from the Princess's Mansion, after clearing the ditch that day, we were the only ones who left anything behind in that section of the river..."
But that day, the gentlemen came with light clothing, carrying only gifts for her. No one was wearing a cloak or coat, and there was no possibility of seeing bright and eye-catching women's clothing such as emerald feather fur.
While pondering, Ling Tianshui said, "That emerald feather fur coat is a bit strange."
"What's strange?"
"I travel a lot, so I'm not very familiar with women's clothing, but common sense suggests that if a piece of clothing is worn out, the parts that will show the most wear and tear are likely to be those that move frequently or have prominent joints, such as shoulders, elbows, and knees."
Qiandeng naturally agreed with him: "So, what about the wear and tear on this cloak?"
"I just took a look. The collar, chest, and abdomen are so worn that the warp and weft threads underneath are showing. While the dye has faded elsewhere due to water exposure, the cloak appears to be well-maintained, with neatly trimmed feathers. However, the cloak's knots have all fallen off."
"The collar, chest and abdomen..." Qian Deng and Cui Fufeng pondered, wondering what the person wearing this clothes often did that would cause wear and tear on these three places on the cloak.
"Is it because I often hold things in front of me that the cuffs and chest are worn out? Then why is the collar worn out?"
Qian Deng shook his head. "But who would wear a emerald feather cloak to do anything? It's not for everyday wear. It's thin and gorgeous, but it doesn't keep you warm or flexible. It can only keep you out of the cold wind on sunny days."
"Let's wait for Princess Changyi to investigate the matter at the Princess's residence. She'll always be very concerned about her mother's death," Cui Fufeng said, frowning slightly. "But Princess Changyi's attitude is a bit strange. She seems inclined to blame Mingjiu for the situation. Of course, her intentions are understandable. This will be better for her mother's funeral than anyone else's. After all, now that Princess Gao has passed away, Princess Changyi is at a critical juncture in her journey to the Eastern Palace. Having her mother die at the hands of her lover is very disadvantageous for her."
Qian Deng was silent. Xiao Fu Yu's father died early, and her mother and she depended on each other. The relationship between mother and daughter was very deep.
But despite the grief of losing her mother, she still had the energy to choose the murderer, which made Qiandeng feel complicated.
The three of them rode their horses towards the palace. Qian Deng reflected on what Aunt Su Wan had said, feeling somewhat emotional. "Right now, Princess Gao's residence is in a state of utter chaos and facing a difficult time. I'm actually quite curious: if Princess Gao were still alive, how would she and her daughter plan to break the impasse?"
The Grand Princess of Gao State suffered a severe injury at Jianfu Temple and has lost the Emperor's favor. Now, Xiao Fuyu's wedding to the Crown Prince has been postponed, and the horse head beside her pillow hints that her life is in danger...
How will Princess Gao, who once dominated the court and enjoyed great glory, fight back?
Cui Fufeng said calmly, "If that's the case, Princess Gao's death was just the right time. At least... it was a good time for the Princess's Mansion."
These words were cruel, but the three men who had witnessed the ups and downs of the imperial court remained silent when they thought of the countless families that were once powerful and influential but ended up in a miserable state in an instant.
There was a lot of noise in the street ahead, and a group of people were crowded against the wall reading the notice.
Three people passing by heard someone exclaim, "Is it at Qujiang Pond? What a specter! Didn't Princess Gao die there too?"
Hearing the sound, Qiandeng subconsciously looked back.
Cui Fufeng got off his horse, walked to the wall to read the notice, asked the yamen runners of Wannian County nearby, and returned soon.
"Yesterday, a tragedy occurred in Qinglongfang, where a family surnamed Liu was killed. Wannian County has issued a notice urging all nearby neighborhoods to be on high alert."
After the war, most people in Chang'an were short of food. Now that spring was here, the newly sprouted willow buds, elm seeds, and dandelions were all delicious. Therefore, people from nearby often went to Qujiang Pond to pick wild vegetables to fill their stomachs.
While picking elm seeds, Mrs. Liu saw a handsome young man in elegant clothes searching in the grass and picking a kind of inconspicuous gray-black mushroom.
When the mushroom was broken open, the cross section turned from white to purple, which looked a bit strange. The woman from the Liu family asked him, "Young Master, is this mushroom edible?"
When the young man saw that she had discovered him, he hurriedly said, "It's not edible," and left immediately.
Mrs. Liu felt something was strange, so she looked at him through the branches. She saw him tearing off a small piece of the mushroom in his hand in an empty place, putting it in his mouth to taste and chew it, with a smile of sudden realization on his face.
Mrs. Liu saw that the mushrooms were edible even raw, and judging by his expression, they were clearly delicious. She figured he wouldn't want to share them with anyone else. So, after he left, she picked a handful of the remaining mushrooms and brought them home, cooking them and enjoying a delicious meal with the whole family.
As a result, the whole family became abnormal that night. The five members of the family wandered around in the dark, talking nonsense as if they had seen ghosts.
An old woman kneels before a wooden block and says she is praying to the Buddha. A man clings to a stone and says it is a gold brick. A child chews on a clod of earth and says it is an osmanthus cake.
Locals rushed the family to a clinic and forced them to drink mung bean detoxifying water. After a day and night of tossing and turning, the couple and their child gradually regained consciousness, but their elderly parents, frail and old, passed away.
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