I slept quite well. When I woke up, the sun had already set, and the sky was bathed in a hazy glow. The distant mountains were like dark eyebrows, a truly breathtaking sight.
"Miss, the young master has already gone to the old lady's courtyard. I heard that although the young master looked gloomy, the old lady was really happy." Zihe said while setting out tea, and couldn't help but give Xie Lingqin a thumbs up. "Miss, your move was really clever. You pleased the old lady and helped the young master at the same time."
“But this kid’s thinking isn’t developed, so it’s hard for him to improve.” Xie Lingqin said, not caring at all. Instead, she changed the subject, “I secretly saw Wang Renyi slip something to Xie Lingyu. She was all smiles, so it couldn’t be anything bad. Go take a look later, when it’s dark.”
"Don't worry, Miss, I will certainly not fail in my mission."
"Hmm." Xie Lingqin tapped her brow, exhaled, and after a long while asked, "Um, has there been any unusual news from the Ministry of War?"
"I heard it's quite urgent, but the evidence is irrefutable, and even the Emperor hasn't spoken up. So, the Minister can't very well go to the Crown Prince for an explanation." Zihe thought for a moment, then her expression brightened. "Miss, do you think the Crown Prince might be doing this on purpose?"
"What?"
"Regarding the Seventh Princess, the Crown Prince probably already guessed that the Emperor wanted to protect Li Junru. He didn't want to arouse the Emperor's suspicion, after all, for so many years, the Emperor's heart has been devoted to Prince Xian. So even though there were many loopholes, the Crown Prince went with the flow to avoid displeasing the Emperor and to fulfill the Minister's wishes. Now, it has been revealed that Li Junru colluded with the barbarians, and the evidence is conclusive. The Emperor can't say anything, and the Minister can't say anything either. Naturally, Li Junru will not be able to recover."
Upon hearing this, Xie Lingqin nodded calmly, a glint of light flashing in her eyes. "Hmm, maybe."
She had indeed thought of this long ago, and it was precisely because she had thought of it that she had to admit that the Crown Prince's mind was profound and his strategies were deep.
Moreover, there is also the possibility that the Crown Prince may have long harbored the intention to eliminate Li Junru, proceeding step by step, little by little, without leaving a trace—of course, she wouldn't be so narcissistic as to think that the Crown Prince was doing it for her sake.
The best strategist is one who calculates without missing a single plan. The Crown Prince has held the position for so many years, yet he is not favored by the Emperor. This is simply a strange balance.
Seeing that Xie Lingqin was in low spirits, Zihe lowered her voice slightly, "This servant thinks it should be like this."
Xie Lingqin tapped her fingers lightly on the table.
Regardless of what the Crown Prince thought, it was none of her business. However, although Li Junru was beyond help, she was not entirely at ease.
Today's incident has made her famous and won her favor. I'm afraid that the person in charge of life and death on the jade steps of the palace will be restless.
When it gets dark.
Something has happened again at the General's Mansion.
Miao Qiao's body was dumped at the entrance of the general's mansion.
His clothes were tattered, he bled from all seven orifices, and he was as broken as trash.
General Xie immediately ordered someone to invite the Minister of Works.
After all, Miaoqiao had already been handed over to the young master Xu of the Ministry of Works that day.
The Minister of Works and his son rushed over and their expressions changed upon seeing this scene.
This is...too cruel, too bloody.
"General Xie, this..."
"I'd also like to know, Mr. Xu, didn't you take this maid away the other day? Why is she here?"
“This…she ran away on her own.” Young Master Xu stood behind his father, looking puzzled and somewhat guilty.
Because, although he didn't kill the girl, many of the wounds on her wrists and arms were inflicted by him before.
Soon after, the Prefect of the Capital arrived with his men. The air was thick with the smell of blood. Miao Qiao's body had been covered with a white cloth, leaving only her face exposed. Her face was covered in filth and blood, making her look extremely gruesome.
At this moment, Xie Lingqin stood far away with Zihe, her face also showing considerable horror.
This is not some random tactic.
Upon examining Miao Qiao's body, one could immediately discern the truth: Miao Qiao had clearly been strangled to death before being poisoned, which explained the relatively small amount of blood flowing from her seven orifices after her death.
To place the corpse so silently at the entrance of the general's mansion was clearly a blatant provocation.
"How could this happen?" Just as everyone was at a loss, Xie Danling came out from inside. He looked at Miao Qiao's corpse, immediately looked away, and his face was full of horror.
General Xie clearly sensed something amiss in Xie Danling's tone and quickly asked with a frown, "What's wrong?"
“Father, I was rushing back to the manor from the academy by carriage when I met Miaoqiao on the way. She said she wasn’t doing well at the Minister’s manor, and that…” Xie Danling glanced at Xie Lingqin, then quickly regained his composure. “At the time, I was going to take her back to the General’s manor, but she said she wanted to go back to the Minister’s manor. Then, I was afraid of being late for the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, so I came back first… At that time, she had many injuries, but she was still alive and well.”
"General Xie, Magistrate of the Capital, I swear to God, there would never be a case of a maid being beaten to death in my household, let alone dying so tragically. Besides, even if such a thing did happen, do you think we would be so stupid as to send the body here?"
The Minister of Works knew his son's true character, so he was somewhat guilty.
"I did hit her, but it wasn't enough to kill her," Young Master Xu immediately explained.
Upon hearing this, the Minister of Works, seeing his son's equally surprised and shocked expression, finally felt relieved and said righteously, "Prefect of the Capital, General Xie, I'm afraid this matter needs to be thoroughly investigated."
"To dare to dump a body in front of the general's mansion without leaving a trace, this is no small matter." The Prefect of the Capital frowned in thought. After a moment, he ordered the people behind him, "Remove the body. I'm afraid I have to report this to the Emperor."
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