“This servant is only speculating, the specifics…” Before Ruyi could finish speaking, Du Ruhui had already said to Yunyi: “Princess, I wish to go to the Zheng residence to see… Brother Zheng.” He simply could not bring himself to say the word “corpse.”

Yunyi knew that Du Ruhui had deep feelings for Zheng Yang, and immediately said: “Go quickly then. If there’s any news, send word to let me know.”

Du Ruhui acknowledged and quickly departed. Upon leaving the palace, he immediately boarded a carriage and said to the driver: “Go to the Zheng residence with haste.”

Upon reaching the Zheng residence, Du Ruhui had just gotten off the carriage when he saw Cui Ji also getting down from a carriage, the latter’s face equally urgent. Seeing Du Ruhui, he hurried over and said: “Brother Du, have you also heard the news of Brother Zheng’s drowning? Is this… is this true?”

Du Ruhui’s expression was grave as he said: “I don’t know either. Come, let’s go in and see.”

Cui Ji nodded and quickly walked inside with him. During these past six months, they had frequently visited the Zheng residence, so the gatekeepers already recognized them and did not obstruct them. Before reaching the main hall, they heard waves of crying from ahead, making their hearts sink. It seemed the situation was indeed very dire.

The two men entered the main hall with heavy steps. Zheng’s father, mother, and several of Zheng Yang’s brothers and sisters were all there, each sitting and crying with tears streaming down their faces, their expressions grief-stricken. After the two men bowed in greeting, Cui Ji carefully considered his words before saying: “Uncle Zheng, we two heard that Brother Zheng suddenly met with misfortune, so we came to visit. We don’t know if the rumors are true or false?”

Although Zheng’s father was not wailing, his eyes were red all around, clearly suffering extreme grief in his heart. He nodded: “It’s true. Third Son, he… he’s truly gone!”

Although they had prepared themselves mentally, when Du Ruhui actually heard these words, his heart still ached greatly, and he staggered backward several steps. He still clearly remembered that day when they drank together, Zheng Yang said that on the wedding day, he wanted them to accompany him to welcome the princess. Yet in the blink of an eye…

Over there, Cui Ji was even more overwhelmed with grief, tears uncontrollably flowing from his eyes, low sobs emerging from his throat. Du Ruhui barely contained his sorrow and said hoarsely: “We heard that Brother Zheng died by drowning. This matter…”

Before he could finish speaking, Zheng’s mother had already raised her tear-stained face and cried loudly: “My son was skilled in water! When he was six years old, he could already swim freely in the river. How could he drown? Someone must have harmed him, they must have!”

“Mother, don’t get excited. The coroner is already examining. We believe the true cause of Third Brother’s death will be found soon.” The speaker was Zheng Yang’s eldest brother.

Zheng’s mother beat her chest: “My poor Third Son! In another half month, it would have been his wedding day with the princess. Why did he have to leave at this time? Why doesn’t Heaven take this old woman away instead? Why!”

Amidst such wailing, a lean middle-aged man walked out. Seeing him, Zheng’s father quickly stood up: “Coroner Zhang, how is it? Have you found the cause of my Third Son’s death?”

Coroner Zhang bowed and said: “Reporting to Master Zheng, this humble one discovered much accumulated water in Young Master Zheng’s lungs and chest cavity. It can be confirmed that Young Master Zheng died by drowning!”

Zheng’s mother excitedly said: “Third Son couldn’t possibly have drowned. You’re clearly talking nonsense!”

After calming Zheng’s mother, Zheng’s father said: “My son was skilled in water. How could he possibly drown? Coroner Zhang, are you certain you examined thoroughly?”

“When Young Master Zheng was sober, he naturally could not have drowned, but under the circumstances of being drunk, it would be difficult to say.” Coroner Zhang’s words made Zheng’s father freeze: “Alcohol?”

“Correct. Young Master Zheng drank much alcohol before his death, then accidentally fell into the Jinshui River. Because the alcohol made his consciousness unclear, he was unable to swim to shore, ultimately leading to his death.”

Zheng’s father was stunned for a moment: “That is to say, all this… was merely an accident, and no one harmed Third Son?”

“From Young Master Zheng’s corpse, it indeed appears so.” As soon as Coroner Zhang finished speaking, they heard Cui Ji say: “Brother Zheng often went to drink at a tavern in the north of the city. He always said their Langguan Qing wine was the most delicious. Coming back from there to the residence, he couldn’t possibly have passed by the Jinshui River no matter what.” He wiped away tears from the corner of his eyes: “Could it be that someone deliberately lured Brother Zheng to the Jinshui River, then waited for an opportunity to push him into the water, creating the false appearance of death by drowning?”

The so-called Langguan Qing was a type of wine brewed from sorghum, and among all wines, it was the one with the strongest aftereffect. However, Zheng Yang had a good tolerance for alcohol and was not easily intoxicated. During their six months of acquaintance, Zheng Yang had only been drunk once – when they had forced him to drink after he was selected as Prince Consort.

Coroner Zhang thought for a while: “This humble one cannot be certain of this, but this humble one carefully examined every part of Young Master Zheng’s body and found no wounds.”

Zheng’s father was silent for a moment, then looked at Cui Ji: “Nephew Cui, what is the name of that tavern you mentioned?”

Cui Ji was extremely familiar with this tavern they often visited, and immediately said: “Qingxu Wine House.”

Zheng’s father nodded and called over his second son, Zheng Mo: “Go investigate immediately. See if anyone drank with Zheng Yang the night before last, or if he left together with anyone after drinking.”

As Zheng Mo prepared to leave, Cui Ji said: “Uncle Zheng, Brother Zheng was my best friend. Now that he has suddenly passed away, I…” His voice cracked: “I want to go with Second Brother Zheng to investigate Brother Zheng’s matter. May I?”

Zheng’s father sighed deeply: “Nephew, you have a good heart. Go then.”

With Zheng’s father’s permission, Cui Ji and Du Ruhui followed Zheng Mo out of the residence. Just as they reached the gate, they saw Pei Qiancheng galloping up on horseback. Before even dismounting, he urgently asked: “How is it? Is it just a rumor?”

Du Ruhui and Cui Ji both understood what he meant. How they wished this was just a rumor, but unfortunately…

Seeing the grief-stricken expressions of the two men, Pei Qiancheng’s heart plummeted like falling into an abyss. He nearly fell when dismounting, and without bothering to check if he was injured or in pain, he asked tremblingly: “Could it be… it’s true?”

He had rushed over immediately upon receiving the news, praying all along the way that what he heard was just a rumor and that he could still see Zheng Yang perfectly fine. Now it seemed his hope was merely wishful thinking.

Cui Ji said hoarsely: “Brother Zheng… is already dead. It was death by drowning caused by intoxication. We are now going to the Qingxu Wine House that Brother Zheng often frequented, to see if anyone was with Brother Zheng at the time.”

Pei Qiancheng said without hesitation: “I’ll go with you!”

The four men took a single carriage toward the Qingxu Wine House located in the north of the city. Along the way, all four kept their lips tightly pressed together, none in the mood to speak.

Upon reaching the Qingxu Wine House, Cui Ji was the first to get off the carriage and called over a server: “The night before last, were you at the wine house?”

The server recognized Cui Ji and dared not neglect him, hurriedly saying: “In reply to Young Master Cui, the night before last this humble one was feeling unwell, so I went home to rest for a day. Only the proprietor and He Er were in the shop.”

“Immediately go call the proprietor and He Er.” The speaker was Zheng Mo, who had walked in afterward.