Translator: Dj22031
Editor: Dj22031
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Lu Qian frowned slightly upon hearing the sound, “With the fire raging in the mansion and all the commotion— assassins and people rushing back and forth to put out the fire— the old prince has found nothing and hasn’t even left his room?”
“Yes,” Ye Wuchen nodded, “Grandfather likes all kinds of spices. For example, he always burns calming incense before going to sleep. This incense has a miraculous sleep-inducing effect; even if it’s thundering and raining outside, it won’t disturb him in the slightest.”
“Ah, that’s good, that’s good. As long as the old prince is safe and sound, this official is relieved.” Governor Yu wiped his sweat and chuckled dryly a few times.
Lu Qian looked at Ye Wuchen and slowly shook his head. “I feel something’s not right. If the incense has a sleep-inducing effect, that makes sense, however thunder and rain aren’t that loud. But now, with assassins and fires raging in the manor, people rushing back and forth to put out fires and chase after assassins, it’s incredibly noisy and chaotic. How can the old prince still sleep peacefully?”
Mu Zhao lowered his eyes and looked at Ye Wuchen, who had a smile on his face. “Young Prince, could you take us to the old prince’s courtyard to check on him? If the old prince is truly alright, we can leave in peace.”
Ye Wuchen nodded with a smile. “Of course, I thank you all on behalf of my grandfather for your concern, Your Highness and the other officials.”
“Yes, yes, very good, very good.” Governor Yu smiled and looked around, then turned to ask Wu Yong, who was attending him, “Where is the Third Miss?”
The Third Miss was quite displeased.
She had thought that after putting out the fire and killing the assassins, she could go back to her residence for a nap, but unexpectedly, the governor sent someone to fetch her again.
After getting out of the carriage, the third young lady looked up at the starry night sky and sighed deeply.
Chen Buyu, Wei Ling, and the others all secretly glanced at her, and only looked away with feigned composure when her gaze swept over them.
The third young lady appeared calm on the surface, but in reality, a hint of impatience had appeared in her eyes.
Governor Yu followed Ye Wuchen, Prince Mu, and the others, jogging all the way.
When they arrived at the main courtyard of the Liang Wang, they found the courtyard pitch black and silent.
Several servants living in the side rooms rushed out upon hearing the noise and hurriedly bowed to greet everyone.
“Please wait a moment, everyone.” Ye Wuchen instructed a servant to push him forward and personally knocked on the door of the old Liang Wang’s room.
He knocked for a long time and called out “Grandfather” several times, but there was no response from inside the room.
Ye Wuchen’s brows furrowed, and a look of confusion flashed across his slightly gloomy face.
“Is the old prince inside?”
“Yes.” A thin layer of sweat beaded on the servant’s forehead as he answered earnestly, “The old prince, as usual, ordered incense to be lit and went to bed at the first watch.”
“That calming incense is so effective? He didn’t even hear us knocking or shouting?” Ye Wuchen also became suspicious.
“That shouldn’t be the case.” The servant hurriedly stepped forward and pushed the door, turning back to report, sweat dripping down his face, “Young prince, the door is locked from the inside.”
“Open it now!” Ye Wuchen frowned and shouted angrily.
“I’ll do it!” Wei Ling strode forward, kicked the door, and it crashed to the ground. Ye Wuchen ordered his wheelchair to be pushed into the room, and the group stepped through the door, immediately catching a whiff of a sweet, cloying fragrance.
The third young lady coughed first, expressionless, and took a silk handkerchief from her sleeve to cover her face, her disgust evident.
The others glanced at her silently before averting their gaze.
“Grandfather, Grandfather!” Ye Wuchen called out several times, but when no one responded, he quickly had a servant push him towards the inner bedroom.
Mu Zhao, Lu Qian, and the others sensed something was wrong and hurriedly followed.
A servant screamed and frantically pulled the young prince’s wheelchair backward.
“Grandfather!!” Ye Wuchen bent down, pounding on the armrests of the wheelchair, letting out a heart-wrenching cry.
“Quickly, push the young prince out first,” Prince Mu ordered hastily, his face darkening.
The scene was chaotic; the old prince’s body was a gruesome sight!
Governor Yu’s legs went weak, and he almost collapsed to the ground. Wu Yong quickly grabbed his arm, calling out “My lord” several times.
“It’s over, it’s over, it’s over!” Governor Yu muttered to himself.
Liang Wang had been sent to Weizhou to retire, but now he had died unexpectedly in his own territory. Governor Yu’s official position was about to be lost!
His vision blurred, and he became weak and unable to speak.
Yu Linlang glanced at the old man, her contempt deepening.
The ground was a mess, almost impossible to step on.
Wei Ling told everyone to retreat to the main hall, while she lit her Cangshu (a type of magical acupuncture) and put on her gauntlets to prepare for the autopsy.
Yu Linlang followed the others out, but was stopped halfway by Wei Ling, “Third Miss, please help me.”
The Third Miss’s expression was extremely blank.
After everyone had left, Wei Ling said, “Please, Third Miss, help me record this. If there’s anything wrong with my examination, please don’t hesitate to point it out.”
Yu Linlang remained silent, took the booklet handed to her by the attendant, and stared intently at the corpse of Liang Wang.
Compared to Liang Wang, the previous corpses that had been whipped or tattooed after death were minor tricks.
This Liang Wang was decapitated, his body somewhat resembling someone torn apart by five horses. Not only was his upper body and abdomen hollowed out, but his lower body was also a mangled mess, unrecognizable.
Wei Ling examined the body and spoke as she went, and Yu Linlang recorded everything.
Seeing that she was writing with her left hand and at a considerable speed, Wei Ling couldn’t help but look at her a few more times.
“In Third Miss’s opinion, could this be the same perpetrator?” Wei Ling asked.
“It’s hard to say,” Yu Linlang said honestly. “But judging from the Wang’s body, it does seem like the work of a master dismemberer.”
“The cuts on the old Wang’s limbs are neat and clean, not the work of an ordinary person with profound skills.” Yu Linlang picked up a severed arm and examined it carefully. “Such a clean and artistic cut, like a sword strike, the perpetrator must have had more than ten years of internal martial arts skills.”
She turned her head and saw Wei Ling staring at her blankly, so she silently put the severed arm down.
“Third Miss, forgive my bluntness, but have you really never worked in the yamen before?”
Yu Linlang stood up and turned to walk towards the outer room. “Let’s report after we’ve examined it enough. The old Liang Wang is of noble status, so I doubt the mansion will allow anyone to transport the body to the mortuary for another autopsy.”
The two came out one after the other and saw Governor Yu pacing around in the room.
Ye Wuchen slumped dejectedly in his wheelchair, his face still damp with tears. “I’ve already sent for Zhao Ji. She was the one who bathed and lit incense for my grandfather tonight, and helped him to sleep. We’ll have to ask her for details.”
“This Lady Zhao is the old prince’s bedmate; she should know what his condition was like tonight.”
Ye Wuchen looked extremely tired, rubbing his forehead and sighing softly. “My grandfather has always been robust and young at heart. He’s always had more than ten concubines in his harem.”
“Some were bestowed by His Majesty, and some were offered by commoners. This Lady Zhao has recently become quite favored by my grandfather; for the past half month, she’s been the one serving him incense and helping him to sleep.”
As she spoke, a fragrant breeze wafted over, and before she arrived, her voice preceded hers. Lady Zhao was weeping softly and sweetly, “My old prince…”
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