The confirmation from Zhen Shicheng, the expert in solving cases, didn’t please Emperor Jingming one bit.
He didn’t want to have guessed correctly at all!
An imperially bestowed marriage and the bride killed the groom—and the bride was his niece! What a mess!
Emperor Jingming rubbed his temples in distress.
Compared to this, he’d rather read a hundred memorials.
“Minister Zhen, where do you think the bride might have fled?”
“It’s hard to say.”
“Oh? What do you mean?”
“The bride must have fled immediately after killing the groom. Although there’s no curfew in the capital, the city gates close at night. The bride must still be in the city during the time before the gates reopen at dawn.”
“And after the gates open?”
“If the bride is skilled at disguise, she might slip out of the city.”
“So you’re saying anything is possible…”
Zhen Shicheng nodded solemnly, “That’s correct.”
He was skilled at solving cases, not finding people.
Emperor Jingming waved his hand dismissively, signaling Zhen Shicheng to leave.
“Pan Hai, summon Han Ran to the palace.”
Soon after, Han Ran rushed in.
“Your subject greets Your Majesty.”
“Well? Any news of Lady Zhu Cui?”
If Emperor Jingming had any affection left for Cui Mingyue before, now only disgust remained.
“Your subject has questioned the gate guards. They didn’t notice any young, beautiful women leaving the city early in the morning. General Cui has searched several places where Lady Zhu Cui might have taken refuge, but found nothing…”
Emperor Jingming opened his mouth to scold but swallowed his words.
His niece—how could he blame others?
The capital was the most prosperous city in the country; finding one person was like searching for a needle in a haystack.
Three days later, Cui Xu and Princess Rongyang came to the palace together to beg for punishment.
“I have failed to teach my daughter properly, allowing her to commit the crime of killing her husband and fleeing her marriage. I request Your Majesty’s punishment,” Cui Xu knelt straight, his haggard face reflected in the smooth golden tiles.
Princess Rongyang silently wept beside him.
“Still haven’t found her?” Emperor Jingming asked with a frown, feeling stifled.
“There’s still no news of that unfilial daughter for now.”
Emperor Jingming glanced at Princess Rongyang, then fingered the white jade paperweight on his desk.
The coolness of the paperweight dispersed some of the frustration in his heart.
“A living person has disappeared; we can’t just let it go. General Cui, you need to put more effort into finding Mingyue. As for the rest… we’ll discuss it when she’s found.”
“Your subject is ashamed—”
Emperor Jingming sighed, “Enough, there’s no use in saying these things now. Finding her is the most important thing.”
Cui Xu and Princess Rongyang silently withdrew.
Outside the palace, Princess Rongyang suddenly asked, “Cui Xu, if Mingyue is found, how do you think His Majesty will deal with her?”
Cui Xu’s eyes were full of fatigue, “Mingyue has committed a capital offense.”
Princess Rongyang stopped abruptly, “Mingyue couldn’t have killed Zhu Ziyu without reason!”
“Princess, regardless of her reasons, Mingyue has killed someone—and not just anyone, but the husband bestowed by His Majesty.”
“So? You want to find Mingyue and hand her over to my royal brother for punishment?”
“Everyone should face the consequences of their actions. We should, and so should Mingyue. We should be grateful that His Majesty hasn’t blamed us for Mingyue’s actions.” Cui Xu strode forward after speaking.
Princess Rongyang caught up and grabbed Cui Xu’s sleeve.
Cui Xu stopped and looked at her.
“There’s a reason Mingyue ended up in this situation!”
“What reason?”
Princess Rongyang didn’t continue.
What could she say? Tell Cui Xu that their daughter’s transformation was related to the Prince of Yan’s wife. Lady Jiang was Su Ke’s daughter, and if this man knew, he might even side with Lady Jiang, which would be even more frustrating.
Thinking of Cui Xu’s heartlessness, Princess Rongyang suddenly lost interest in finding her daughter.
If found, she might lose her life. If that’s the case, it’s better to maintain the status quo.
As the Mid-Autumn Festival approached and people were busy buying gifts, they suddenly noticed an increase in official inspections. However, people weren’t clear about what exactly was being investigated.
After several days of unease, things gradually returned to normal.
“Are they still searching for Cui Mingyue outside?” In the Prince of Yan’s residence, Jiang Si asked Yu Jin as she leaned against the railing.
Erniu squeezed between them, placing his front paws on the railing and wagging his tail happily at his mistress.
“Get away!” Yu Jin warned Erniu sternly.
Erniu gave Yu Jin a sidelong glance, then sauntered off to gnaw on a meaty bone, grumbling discontentedly.
The master was getting worse. He called for Erniu when there was work to do, but found him a nuisance when idle.
Seeing his rival for attention leave, Yu Jin smiled, “It’s not as chaotic as it was a few days ago. The corpse is lying in an abandoned well in the Prince of Xiang’s residence. They won’t find her even if they turn the world upside down.”
Jiang Si’s expression turned serious, “In an abandoned well?”
Erniu, who had been listening with pricked ears while gnawing on his bone, immediately barked twice at Jiang Si.
Jiang Si understood immediately, “Erniu found her?”
“Woof woof!” Erniu barked contentedly.
Good, the male master hadn’t claimed all the credit.
In the past, the male master wasn’t like this. Ever since the female master moved in, he changed suddenly… Erniu thought of the harmonious days he used to spend with the male master and felt a bit melancholy.
Yu Jin turned slightly, blocking the dog’s credit-seeking face, “The Prince of Xiang’s subordinates were too stupid and brought her back to his residence. Caught in a dilemma, the Prince of Xiang wouldn’t have left Cui Mingyue alive as long as he wasn’t as foolish as his subordinates. Cui Mingyue’s disappearance would surely alert the Jinlin Guard. Staying still is better than moving, so the Prince of Xiang’s best choice was to dispose of Cui Mingyue’s body without leaving his residence.”
Yu Jin reached back and accurately patted Erniu’s head, “So I thought I’d give it a try and send Erniu over. He managed to find the hiding place quite smoothly.”
Jiang Si gazed into the distance over the railing.
The fragrance of osmanthus wafted through the garden as autumn deepened.
“Although the weather has turned cool, wouldn’t there still be an odor?”
Yu Jin looked at Jiang Si with a strange expression.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” Jiang Si was puzzled.
Yu Jin’s face turned solemn, “A Si, don’t you think you’re taking this too seriously?”
Faced with his wife, who was more beautiful than flowers, he couldn’t help but think of Zhen Shicheng’s old face!
“This is indeed a problem. I once learned from the coroners under Minister Zhen about the relationship between the degree of body decomposition and time…”
Seeing Yu Jin’s eyes glaze over, Jiang Si stopped, “What’s wrong?”
“Ahem, it’s an abandoned courtyard, and the well has been filled in. We were lucky that Erniu’s nose was keen enough to smell it out. I then had Long Dan secretly go down to confirm. It’s undoubtedly Cui Mingyue.”
Jiang Si smiled, “Actually, Long Dan didn’t need to go down. Erniu can distinguish the mixed smell of corpse odor and cosmetic fragrance from other scents.”
Erniu barked once in agreement.
“Confirming it personally puts my mind at ease.”
“A Jin, what do you plan to do?”
Yu Jin smiled nonchalantly, “That depends on what you want.”
“Cui Mingyue’s death is enough. I don’t want to meddle further.”
“In that case, let’s leave her there.”
Seeing Jiang Si look at him, Yu Jin smiled slightly, “As for the Prince of Xiang, what we know that others don’t is what we call leverage.”
This leverage might not be useful now, but who knows about the future?