After the seven met up in the cave, Xiao Lou placed the unconscious Yu Hanjiang beside him, carefully covered him with a coat, and then turned to his teammates, calmly saying, "Carefully sort out the clues that everyone knows. Lao Mo, you go first."
Mo Xuemin said, "The former Prefect of Jiangzhou died of illness. I checked the records and found no obvious suspicious points. In addition, several young women in Jiangzhou have disappeared without a trace in recent years, which has become an unsolved case. Also, the four young ladies and three wives of the Prince's Mansion have complicated relationships. Captain Yu drew a relationship diagram, and I made a copy. Everyone can take a look."
He sent the relationship diagram to everyone, and everyone felt overwhelmed by the lines.
Captain Yu is truly a professional; this character relationship diagram is almost like a spider web.
Shao Qingge stroked his chin and said, "I know some things about the Lin family. The two richest families in Qi State are the Lin family, which are salt merchants, and the Shao family, which deals in silk. The eldest son of the Lin family, who is a good-for-nothing, was actually born into a poor family and was disliked by his father from a young age. The second son is an official in the capital, and the third son is the heir. The third son is the legitimate son, and his mother's family is also quite powerful."
Long Sen said, "During my two days at the Prince's Mansion, I noticed that the relationships between the young ladies are quite subtle. Although the Second Miss is the legitimate daughter, she is isolated by the other three sisters, and none of them speak to her. The Third Miss and the Fourth Miss are very close. The Eldest Miss spends all her time eating vegetarian food and chanting Buddhist scriptures, putting on an appearance of being detached from worldly desires. She has even set up a Buddhist Hall in her home."
Ye Qi didn't get any useful clues at Tianxiang Tower and complained, "My boss has been forcing me to practice the piano these past two days!"
Liu Qiao said, "I know the fourth young lady of the Prince's Mansion. She often comes to the outskirts of the city to learn medicine prescriptions from me. When she goes out, she likes to cover her face, only showing her eyes. I have never seen her true face."
Xiao Lou also recounted the Kyoto murder case that her father had solved to everyone.
Everyone frowned and fell into deep thought.
These clues are very scattered, like a string of candied hawthorns. Without a bamboo skewer to string them together, it's impossible to predict what will happen in Jiangzhou. Moreover, some of the clues might even be distractions.
However, it is still necessary to carefully summarize everyone's clues. Xiao Lou wrote down everything his teammates said, then looked at Liu Qiao and said, "I don't think we can get anything out of this group of assassins. They just commit suicide when their mission fails. They are even more loyal than the Hunter Alliance."
Liu Qiao said, "I just checked, and none of them have the Hunter Alliance totem mark on them. They shouldn't be Hunters, but rather characters from the Peach Eight Secret Chamber storyline, sent to assassinate the Prefect of Jiangzhou."
Shao Qingge raised an eyebrow and said, "A group of assassins risked their lives to kill Lord Yu. Could it be that they have a grudge against Lord Yu?"
Xiao Lou shook his head: "As far as I know, Lord Yu served as His Majesty's study companion when he was young. At the age of ten, he returned to Jiangzhou with his grandfather and studied at home. At the age of twenty, he went to the capital to take the imperial examination and became the top scholar. His official career was smooth sailing. Although many people in the court were jealous of him, he did not offend anyone or have any enemies who wanted to fight him to the death."
Old Mo said, "It seems that these people assassinated him not because he is Yu Hanjiang, but because of his sensitive identity as ' Perfect of Jiangzhou '?"
Xiao Lou agreed, saying, "Lord Yu is an honest and upright official. If there are some corrupt officials in Jiangzhou who have done bad things behind the emperor's back, they certainly don't want him to expose them after he takes office. I suspect that the missing women cases in recent years are very likely related to [illegible]."
Ye Qi suddenly interjected, "Could it be that the Prince did it?! Was he afraid that Lord Yu would find out, so he silenced him beforehand?"
Long Sen said, "His Majesty has instructed me to secretly monitor Eighth Prince's movements, and I also find the prince somewhat suspicious."
Just then, everyone suddenly heard a cough coming from behind them.
Xiao Lou turned around and saw that Yu Hanjiang was awake. The serious expression on his face immediately softened. He quickly went over to support Yu Hanjiang and asked softly, "You're awake. Are you feeling better?"
Teammates: "..."
Seeing Xiao Lou's tender care for Yu Hanjiang, everyone felt that Professor Xiao was really into his role; the couple's performance was just like a real one.
Yu Hanjiang sat up straight, his voice hoarse: "Much better, at least my head isn't dizzy anymore."
He glanced at everyone, quite surprised: "Why is everyone here?"
Xiao Lou explained in a low voice, "I was worried that you might be ambushed during the process of detoxifying you, so I used a carrier pigeon to summon them all. I'm still not entirely at ease with the Shadow Guard that His Majesty arranged for you."
Yu Hanjiang nodded approvingly: "It's always good to be cautious."
He gritted his teeth, stood up, walked to the front of everyone, and noticed that everyone had a map of the Prince's Mansion's relationships. He said knowingly, "Analyzing clues?"
Ye Qi said enthusiastically, "Yes, Professor Xiao gathered everyone to summarize the clues, but we still have no leads."
Yu Hanjiang said, "It's normal to have no clue. Don't forget, Qu Wanyue hasn't appeared yet."
Long Sen had been wanting to ask where Qu Wanyue was, but the situation had been critical just now, and Captain Yu was almost killed, so asking that question would have been inappropriate. Later, they were surrounded and busy escaping. Now that Yu Hanjiang had brought it up, he immediately asked worriedly, " Wanyue isn't here? Has anyone seen her?"
Xiao Lou said, "None of us have seen her. I guess she might not be in Jiangzhou and will only be back on the Prince's birthday."
Liu Qiao analyzed, " Since Teacher Qu is one of us, she must have been assigned an important role. She is alone and should not be attacked. She probably has another mission."
Long Sen nodded: "I hope she'll be alright."
Xiao Lou looked at him and comforted him, "Don't worry, Teacher Qu's [ chameleon card ] and [long jump card] are just like yours, so even if you encounter trouble, escaping shouldn't be a problem."
Long Sen felt relieved after hearing Professor Xiao's explanation.
Yu Hanjiang frowned and coughed a few times, saying, "It's getting late, you should all go back to avoid arousing suspicion after dawn." He looked at Long Sen and Ye Qi, saying, " Long Sen, you go back to the Prince's Mansion and keep an eye on its movements. Ye Qi, you should get some clues at Tianxiang Tower. Observe the wealthy young men coming and going, and don't pay too much attention to the identity of 'top courtesan'."
Ye Qi: "..."
Everyone had almost forgotten about it when Captain Yu said in a serious tone, "The top courtesan of the brothel," and everyone turned their heads away to suppress their laughter.
Ye Qi blushed and said, "I know."
Old Mo was still a little worried: "What if Captain Yu gets attacked again if we all leave?"
Yu Hanjiang said in a low voice, " Xiao Lou and I hid in the cave for a day. This place is very secluded, and no one will find us."
The group exchanged glances and had no choice but to agree to Captain Yu's arrangement.
With dawn approaching, it would be difficult to explain Ye Qi's sudden disappearance, so Shao Qingge took him and Lao Mo back first. Long Sen returned to the palace, Liu Qiao went to clean up the charred Herbal Hut, leaving only Yu Hanjiang and Xiao Lou in the cave.
Yu Hanjiang's complexion improved considerably. Xiao Lou unbuttoned his clothes and examined the wound on his back.
The wound began to scab over. Although it still looked gruesome, the bluish-black color around it had faded, indicating that the toxins had been completely removed. The remaining skin and flesh wounds could only heal slowly.
As Xiao Lou re-bandaged him, she asked softly, "Does it hurt?"
Yu Hanjiang remained calm: "It doesn't hurt."
He was once shot through the chest and endured excruciating pain to climb through the mountains all night. Now, Xiao Lou takes care of him closely, personally bandaging his wounds. With Xiao Lou by his side, his heart is warmed; what are these minor injuries compared to that?
When Xiao Lou finished treating his wound, Liu Qiao returned and gave Yu Hanjiang another pill.
Originally, Yu Hanjiang planned to go to the Prince's residence today to deliver the secret letter entrusted to him by His Majesty to the Prince, but...
He was suddenly attacked late last night, and his injuries haven't healed yet, so this plan has to be put on hold. He took out the secret letter from his pocket, intending to open it, but the secret chamber had a warning: "His Majesty's secret letter, opening it without permission is a capital offense."
Xiao Lou and Liu Qiao looked at each other in bewilderment.
Yu Hanjiang had no choice but to take back the secret letter, saying, "It can't be opened. It seems we can only hand it over to the Prince."
A day passed quickly. With Liu Qiao, a disciple who was well-versed in toxicology, and Xiao Lou's meticulous care, the toxins in Yu Hanjiang's body had been completely cleared, and his spirits had improved considerably.
In the early hours of the morning, Yu Hanjiang and Xiao Lou went back to the prefectural government office to change their clothes.
Today is the Eighth Prince's birthday. Every year on his birthday, many people come to wish him a happy birthday. Even though he is not very old, officials and wealthy businessmen who want to curry favor with him still come in droves. After all, His Majesty respects this Eighth Prince the most.
Shao Qingge carried a large box of congratulatory gifts to the Prince's Mansion.
Yu Hanjiang changed into clean and tidy official robes and entered the Prince's Mansion with his wife Xiao Lou and his advisor Mo Xuemin.
Ye Qi, as the top performer at Tianxiang Tower, will be performing at the Prince's Mansion.
Liu Qiao accepted the invitation from the Fourth Miss to visit the Prince's Mansion.
Long Sen, dressed as a guard, greeted them at the gate. He watched his teammates enter the palace one by one, but Qu Wanyue was still nowhere to be seen. Long Sen was getting anxious when, in the next moment, he saw two men walking towards the palace.
Walking in front was a handsome young man who looked to be under 20 years old. His skin was very well-maintained and smooth. The young man had red lips and white teeth, so he was obviously a girl in disguise.
Following behind him was a young man in his twenties with a fair and handsome face. His long hair was neatly tied back in a ponytail, and he held a folding fan in his hand. He looked elegant and dashing.
Isn't this Qu Wanyue, the woman he was with for four years before finally getting married and registering their marriage at the Civil Affairs Bureau?
Long Sen: "..."
Honey, how did you turn into a man?
Qu Wanyue recognized him too, raised an eyebrow, and gave him a "don't make a fuss" look.
Long Sen's survival instinct kicked in, and he immediately pretended not to know the person. As a guard of the Prince's mansion, he should have stopped the stranger, but before he could, the person next to him eagerly stepped forward: "Who goes there? How dare you trespass on the Prince's mansion?!"
The young man smiled and said, "This... young master has a visiting card!"
He pulled a card from his pocket, which was indeed an invitation to the prince's birthday banquet. The guards at the gate immediately let him through.
Long Sen watched as the "Young Master Qu" in his long robe passed by him, his mind filled with questions. He was eager to know what was going on when suddenly a crumpled piece of paper appeared in his hand, stuffed by Qu Wanyue.
When Long Sen and the others were alone, he secretly turned around and unfolded the document to take a look.
On the crumpled paper were three characters written in neat calligraphy: Ninth Princess.
It turns out that Qu Wanyue had been staying by the side of the capricious Ninth Princess and only arrived in Jiangzhou today.