Neptune
"Your Highness, the first day of the month is approaching." Dale took the bamboo tube off the white dove's leg, took out the note inside, and handed it to Silver Lohar.
Yinluoha took it, glanced at it, and handed it back with a headache.
After reading it, Dale burned the note and asked, "Leaving tomorrow?"
Yinluoha tapped his temple with his index finger and sighed, "Go ahead, that old hag is really good at causing trouble. If we don't control her, she'll rebel against heaven."
“Then I…” Dale hesitated. Given Aunt He’s situation, it was best for her not to go.
“Go away,” Yin Luoha said decisively. “Don’t indulge her. That happened so many years ago. Besides, it’s their previous generation’s entanglement. What does it have to do with you?”
Yinluoha earnestly educated her: "Don't always feel guilty towards her, you don't owe her anything."
“Over the years, you’ve covered for her so many times. It’s time to give up.”
What happened to Wang Ji must never happen again.
Dale remained silent, her pale skin appearing ethereal and fragile in the candlelight. A warm touch came from her wrist, and she jolted, instinctively pulling away from the warmth.
Yinluoha's hand froze in mid-air, his gaze fixed on her with a complex expression.
Del frantically tried to cover it up: "I...I didn't mean to."
Yinluoha's eyes held a hint of sadness: "I just wanted to take your pulse."
Dale lowered her head: "I'm fine, I'm alright."
“But I think you’re not good at all.” Yin Luoha grabbed her hand forcefully, so tightly that she couldn’t break free.
"What exactly happened? Why did you become like this?" Yinluoha asked the question that had been on his mind for a long time.
"I just realized who I am, nothing happened at all, why won't you believe me?"
I kept chasing her for a reason, but some things don't have that many reasons.
In any case, they can never go back to their childhood. He is a prince, and she is just a shadow trailing behind him.
“Adele.” Yin Luoha pulled her hand and dragged her to the mirror, standing behind her and holding her shoulders. “Look at yourself now. What have you done to yourself?”
She looked up at the pale, withered girl reflected in the mirror. Her eyes had long lost their luster, like ashes about to burn out, only occasionally flashing with a final glimmer of light.
“You haven’t laughed in a long time.” Yinluoha’s voice was as soft as a sigh, drifting lightly into her ears.
She blinked gently and smiled, but she had forgotten what that feeling was like.
"I want the Adele I used to know, not this walking corpse."
After Yinluoha finished speaking, she took the assassination dagger from her waist. Dale didn't move; the shadow guards were absolutely not allowed to disobey any orders from their masters.
Even if he were to kill her now, she wouldn't put up any resistance.
The blade flashed, and seeing his movements in the mirror, a look of panic and anxiety flashed in Dale's eyes.
She turned her head, but before she could stop him, Yin Luoha made a deep cut on his forearm, and blood flowed out almost immediately.
He raised the dagger to slash again, but Dale lunged forward and desperately snatched the dagger from his hand, throwing it far away.
Anger flushed her pale face, and her eyes shone with a fierce light.
She stared at Silver Lohar in disbelief and said, "Are you crazy!"
Yinluoha's injured forearm was covered by Dale's hand, and he replied nonchalantly, "I won't die."
Adele was busy looking for something to bandage him; she couldn't look at him now, afraid she wouldn't be able to resist making a scene.
He's a madman, and the kind who's terminally ill.
"Are you angry?" The culprit was still stirring things up. "Looks like you still care about me."
"Ignoring me again? Then I'll try again." With that, he actually got up again.
Adele was scared of him and gave in, stopping him: "I was wrong, I'll talk to you, I'll smile at you every day from now on, okay? Stop messing around."
Yinluoha continued to push his luck: "Then give me a smile now."
Adele stood there, managing a stiff smile after a long while. She hadn't smiled in so long; every muscle in her face was stiff and unfamiliar, full of resistance.
"Hmm." Yinluoha was satisfied and released her hand, letting her bandage him.
"Adele, please stop. I really can't lose you again." Yinluoha's voice was sorrowful. At that moment, he was no longer the high and mighty prince, but had become that wounded child curled up in a dark corner again.
He remained forever silent in the dark, sunless woodshed, waiting for the girl who would appear at his window every day to comfort him.
Adele paused for a moment, then nodded.
The government office.
"What's the matter? Why are you in such a hurry?" Zhu Qinghe asked, bumping into Shen Wumei who was walking briskly.
She got up very early today to make pastries for Shen Wumei to appease him and calm him down.
“I have a clue, come with me.” Shen Wumei pulled her arm.
"Then my pastries..."
"Take it and eat it on the way."
Okay, the case is important after all.
"This is the clue you were talking about?"
Looking at the scene from Zhu Qinghe's current perspective, they were standing upstream of the moat. This place was very remote, and it would take a long time to reach the bustling city center.
However, the water here is much clearer than the river sections in the city, and occasionally small fish leap out of the water to breathe.
"The coroner made another discovery today; he found a bait shrimp inside Wang Ji's ear." Shen Wumei walked to her side and looked at the river with her.
Shrimp? Zhu Qinghe understood.
The river area under the bridge has become a waterway, with very few fish, and no one would use small shrimp as bait for wild fishing.
She looked at Shen Wumei: "You mean, Wang Ji didn't drown himself on the bridge, but died here."
She couldn't understand how the murderer dared to push Wang Ji into the river in full view of everyone, and how could no one have noticed when Wang Ji fell into the river with so many people on the Qixi Bridge at the time.
Looking back now, I realize how narrow-minded I was.
It turns out that Wang Ji didn't die there at all. He was pushed into the river from upstream and then carried downstream until he was discovered under the bridge.
"But how could the murderer be sure that Wang Ji floated down the bridge at exactly that time?" Zhu Qinghe still didn't understand.
"There's no need to be sure. No matter when it's discovered, the murderer's goal has already been achieved."
So that's why it was chosen to coincide with Qixi Festival, causing public panic.
The more I think about it, the more complicated this matter seems.
For some reason, Zhu Qinghe's mind flashed again to Yin Luoha's beautiful and arrogant face, as well as the mysterious girl in black beside him.
"Next, we should check who Wang Ji has recently met."
The fact that Wang Ji was able to come to this desolate place with the murderer without realizing it means that he knew this person.
“Okay,” Zhu Qinghe nodded, “Then you go ask Shui Hong, and I’ll go ask Miss Yu.”
She was about to leave when Shen Wumei grabbed her arm.
She turned around in confusion, and Shen Wumei's expression was a little awkward.
"What's wrong?" Zhu Qinghe asked, puzzled. It shouldn't be like this person; if there's a clue, shouldn't they be the first to rush out and investigate?
Why are you acting all coy now?
“You’ll come with me,” Shen Wumei said.
Shen Wumei kept a straight face and held Zhu Qinghe's hand tightly, knowing that she was the one who had to get information out of him.
Besides, just thinking about Shui Hong's inexplicable behavior last time made him feel uncomfortable all over.
He really doesn't know how to handle this situation.
Zhu Qinghe naturally didn't see through Lord Shen's little scheme; her mind was completely occupied with the case.
Shui Hong lived in a small alley behind Xi Xiang Ju, and was somewhat surprised to see the two of them.
"Why are you here?" Shui Hong was wearing a loose, dark red cloak, her hair casually tied up, and she was without makeup. She looked much better than when she pretended to be pitiful.
Zhu Qinghe explained her purpose: "Miss Shuihong, this is Lord Shen from the government office. He has come uninvited because he has some questions for you."
"So you're an official, please have a seat." Shui Hong leaned back lazily in the chair, looking rather listless.
"Young lady, you must eat well and take good care of yourself. After all, you're not alone anymore." Zhu Qinghe glanced at her stomach, her words carrying a hidden meaning.
Shui Hong's expression faltered for a moment, but the impatience in her eyes softened slightly: "You're right."
Seeing that Zhu Qinghe had warmed up the atmosphere enough, Chen Wumei began to get down to business.
Do you know who Wang Ji has recently met?
"Male or female?"
Shen Wumei pondered for a moment: "A woman."
Zhu Qinghe was somewhat surprised. The murderer was a woman. Could she be another of Wang Ji's lovers?
Tsk.
So, don't try to have your cake and eat it too, or you won't even know how you died.
If that's the case, then letting him die in the river would be too good for him.
Even after death, he'll still be a sea king.
Shui Hong pondered for a moment and said, "If it's a woman, the one Wang Ji has been getting closer to recently is the casino owner's wife."
A gambling den? Shen Wumei and Zhu Qinghe exchanged a glance.
He not only frequented brothels but also gambled.
Wang Ji seems to have mastered quite a few things.
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