Prince's Mansion.
As soon as Yu Hanjiang and Xiao Lou entered, Long Sen hurriedly came up to them and said in a low voice, " Third Miss and Qin Rui have both disappeared. It is said that it is because her biological mother, Madam Qing, does not agree to her marriage with Qin Rui and even threatened to kill herself. Third Miss has a strong personality. Last night, she packed her bags and eloped with Guard Qin."
Xiao Lou: "......"
She actually eloped with her guards! This girl is incredibly bold. Now she has no choice but to agree. Madam Qing is definitely going to be furious with her.
However, Yu Hanjiang felt that things were not so simple. He asked in a low voice, " Third Miss, Guard Qin, do you know martial arts?"
Long Sen nodded: " Qin Rui is the most skilled martial artist among the guards of the Prince's Palace. I have never seen Third Miss's martial arts, but I have heard that she is incredibly strong. A young lady like her can cut a tree in half with a sword, so her martial arts are obviously not weak either."
Yu Hanjiang said thoughtfully, "Don't you guys think that the Prince's sudden agreement to Third Miss's marriage yesterday was a bit hasty?"
After thinking about it carefully, Xiao Lou also felt that something was not quite right.
Third Miss is, after all, a daughter of the Prince's family. Qin Rui is a guard of the Prince's family and also Madam Han's younger brother. The two have vastly different statuses and are not of the same generation. Madam Han inexplicably said that she would make a decision for her brother, and the Prince went along with it and actually agreed to the marriage.
How could one possibly marry their daughter to a guard after just a few words?
Now, Third Miss and Guard Qin have run away together under the guise of "eloping"—is it a real elopement, or is the prince deliberately letting them out of the manor to carry out some special mission?
Yu Hanjiang said, "This prince is no simple man. The entire palace is currently under lockdown because of the murder case, and no one can get out. With this commotion, Third Miss and Qin Rui can leave the palace without any trouble. Moreover, everyone thinks that Third Miss has a strong personality and is unhappy with her mother's opposition to the marriage, so she decided to go all out and elope with the guards. Their disappearance will not arouse suspicion."
Xiao Lou hadn't considered this deeper aspect and still naively believed that Third Miss and Qin Rui had indeed eloped.
But upon closer examination, it's actually quite strange that the Prince and Madam Han arranged the engagement yesterday. The Prince had already agreed, so even if Madam Qing objected, there was no need for Third Miss to elope, right? Of course, the Prince has the final say in the Prince's mansion.
Xiao Lou thought about it more and more and felt that Captain Yu's speculation made a lot of sense: "So, he probably took the best martial artist Qin Rui and Third Miss out of the mansion to investigate the assassin organization?"
Yu Hanjiang nodded: "Yes, otherwise it wouldn't make sense for Third Miss to elope at this time."
He paused, then looked at Long Sen and asked, "What are the results of the investigation on the guard side?"
Long Sen looked dejected and shook his head, saying, "I've checked all the guards in the palace, and not a single one of their clothes is torn."
Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang looked at each other in bewilderment.
Where did Lin Shaobo get the pieces of clothing in his hand?
Yu Hanjiang crossed his arms and thought carefully for a moment before suddenly saying, "Could it be... that someone impersonated a guard of the Prince's Mansion, sneaked into the mansion, was caught by Lin Shaobo, and was killed to silence him?"
Xiao Lou agreed, "It seems that this is the only explanation, otherwise Lin Shaobo wouldn't have an extra piece of cloth in his hand for no reason."
On the prince's birthday, the palace was truly bustling with activity.
It's another assassin from Tianxiang Tower, another woman impersonating the Fourth Miss, and another person posing as a guard...
Unable to find anything amiss with the guards, Yu Hanjiang and Xiao Lou had no choice but to return home.
Liu Qiao and Shao Qingge were waiting for them at the prefectural office. Xiao Lou briefly recounted the clues from the day to the two of them. Shao Qingge pressed his temples hard and said, "So, all our previous reasoning has to be overturned?"
Liu Qiao also said with a headache, " The A-grade secret room is really complicated!"
The suspects in heart rooms like Fenglin High School and Express Train are limited, and investigating them one by one will eventually lead to the real culprit. But the Turmoil of War is a much wider case, and connecting all the clues is no easy task.
Xiao Lou smiled and said, "When I first entered this secret room, I felt it would be difficult because there is no time limit."
Recalling the notification in the floating window, Old Mo suddenly realized what was happening and slapped his thigh, saying, "A locked room without a time limit... if we can't solve the case, who knows, in a few months, the rebels might rise up and overthrow His Majesty on the throne. Lord Yu is His Majesty's confidant; we'll all be wiped out then..."
Shao Qingge said, "Indeed, if this treason case is not investigated in time, I also think that Great Qi State will be completely plunged into war, and not only us will die, but also a large number of innocent people."
Yu Hanjiang said helplessly, "Now, Eighth Prince's suspicion has diminished, and the person who killed Lin Shaobo was not a guard of the palace, but an outsider who infiltrated the palace disguised as a guard—the focus has returned to this assassin organization."
Xiao Lou suggested, "Should we go ask the girls who look at Tianxiang Tower?"
Yu Hanjiang led Xiao Lou and Mo Xuemin into the dungeon.
The girls at Tianxiang Tower had been hungry all day and were all dejected and listless. Yu Hanjiang had some food delivered to them and interrogated them one by one, focusing on questioning the boss, Aunt Qing.
However, Aunt Qing looked blank and said, "This humble woman doesn't know either. The dancer who assassinated the prince last night was named Snow Goose, she was..."
She came to Tianxiang Tower a year ago. She said she lost both her parents at a young age and survived by begging. She was beautiful and a good dancer, so I took pity on her and took her in. Who would have thought she would assassinate the prince? I'm truly innocent!
The other girls gave similar accounts, all saying that Snow Goose was taciturn and had few friends when she was at Tianxiang Tower. All they knew about her was that she was an "orphan who lost both her parents." As for her martial arts skills and her attempt to assassinate the prince during a performance, everyone said they knew nothing about it.
Unable to get any clues, Yu Hanjiang had no choice but to continue locking up the girls at Tianxiang Tower.
As night fell, Yu Hanjiang and Xiao Lou returned to their bedroom to rest.
While changing the dressing on his wound, Xiao Lou remarked, "We've been in this world for five days now, haven't we? If it were any other locked room mystery, we would have solved it long ago."
Yu Hanjiang said in a low voice, "Don't rush. If a treason case were so easy to solve, the person who planned the treason would be too careless."
Xiao Lou thought about it and agreed, then smiled and said, "Being in the royal family is truly fraught with danger. It's much more comfortable to be an ordinary citizen."
Yu Hanjiang nodded in agreement. If he and Xiao Lou were truly from this world, he would rather not become officials and live a carefree life as a leisurely couple with Xiao Lou.
But there's no other way now; they must find out as soon as possible who is the one plotting the rebellion.
...
The next morning, Yu Hanjiang and Xiao Lou got up on time.
Young Master Shao said he wanted to treat Lord Yu to breakfast, so he spent money to buy steamed buns and pastries from the most famous Zhuangyuanlou restaurant in Jiangzhou. He delivered them to Lord Yu's door with a smile and said, "I'm not good at analyzing cases, so I can only offer you some material support."
Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang sat down to eat steamed buns together; the buns at this shop were indeed delicious. Xiao Lou joked, "You sure know how to enjoy life! Have you spent all the boxes of gold your dad gave you?"
Shao Qingge waved his fan and said, "I haven't finished spending it all, it's a pity I can't take it out."
As they were talking, a constable suddenly rushed over and said, "Sir, something terrible has happened! There's been a prison break in Jiangzhou dungeon, and all the girls from Tianxiang Tower have been rescued!"
Upon hearing this, all three of them were taken aback.
Shao Qingge was smiling and waving his fan when he heard the yamen runner report that something had happened in the dungeon. Immediately, a picture of a guy dressed as a woman, eating snacks with his head down like a little squirrel, flashed through his mind.
Shao Qingge snapped his fan shut, his expression instantly changing: " Ye Qi is also in the dungeon."
Yu Hanjiang asked in a deep voice, " Where is Miss Ye?"
The constable said, " Miss Ye is also missing!"
Xiao Lou said, "Go and take a look!"
A group of people rushed to the dungeon. Shao Qingge strode into the depths of the corridor— Ye Qi's cell was empty. His heart skipped a beat, and a chill ran down his spine!
A prison break? Why would someone suddenly come to break into a prison?
Yu Hanjiang and Xiao Lou exchanged a glance, their faces also showing confusion. The girls were fine when they were interrogated yesterday. There were 12 people arrested at Tianxiang Tower, but now the dungeon is empty, not a single one left.
Nearby, the yamen runners on night duty lay on the ground. Xiao Lou immediately went over and checked their breathing with his hand.
Yu Hanjiang asked, "How is it?"
Xiao Lou said, "They were both breathing, and there were bruises on the back of their necks, so they must have been knocked unconscious."
Yu Hanjiang breathed a slight sigh of relief that the constable hadn't been killed. He looked at the person who had come to report and asked in a low voice, "When was it discovered?"
The constable said tremblingly, "When I came to change shifts this morning, I found the two men who were on night duty last night lying unconscious on the side, all three cells were empty, and the girls from Tianxiang Tower were all gone. I immediately went to report to you, sir!"
It seems the prison breakers acted last night.
Shao Qingge's face darkened: " What about Miss Ye?"
The constable, who had also received a bribe from him, paled slightly upon hearing his question: "I truly do not know."
Yu Hanjiang carefully examined the scene. The cell locks hadn't been pried open, but rather cleaved in two by a sharp sword, indicating that the jailbreak perpetrators were armed with sharp weapons. The fact that they didn't kill the guards, only knocked them unconscious from behind, suggests they weren't particularly vicious.
The Jiangzhou dungeon currently holds not only the girl from Tianxiang Tower, but also some people who have committed other crimes and are locked up on the other side. When Yu Hanjiang went over to take a look, he found that all of these people had also been drugged with sleeping pills.
Xiao Lou said, "It seems the people who broke into the prison had a clear objective: they wouldn't hurt anyone, they just wanted to save the girls from Tianxiang Tower."
Yu Hanjiang frowned: "This doesn't seem like the style of an assassin organization."
Shao Qingge's expression was somewhat grim, and he lowered his voice, asking, " Will Ye Qi be in danger?"
Just then, a gust of wind suddenly blew past his ear, as if a wisp of air was moving. Immediately afterward, Shao Qingge's sleeve was gently tugged by a pair of hands, and it seemed as if someone was writing in the palm of their hands.
Soft fingers quickly wrote a single character in his palm: "Ye" (叶).
Shao Qingge: "......"
That mischievous fellow actually wore an invisibility cloak and followed behind everyone, making him worry for nothing.
Shao Qingge's expression softened instantly. This guy was writing on his palm while invisible, just like a kitten scratching someone's palm. Shao Qingge couldn't help but chuckle and grab the transparent finger.
Although Ye Qi was invisible, his body was merely transparent, not turned into air; he could still be felt if touched. When CEO Shao grabbed his finger, Ye Qi struggled to break free but couldn't, so he gave up and followed CEO Shao, Yu, and Xiao out of the dungeon.
Shao Qingge whispered
He whispered in Yu Hanjiang's ear, " Ye Qi is following us like a ghost; he might have something to say."
Ye Qi: "..."
What do you mean by "a ghost behind you"? Can you describe it in a more palatable way?
Yu Hanjiang understood and ordered the constables to wake up those who had been drugged or knocked unconscious, and issued a city-wide warrant for the arrest of the girls from Tianxiang Tower. He led Xiao Lou and Shao Qingge to the prefect's backyard, entered the study, and closed the door behind them.
Shao Qingge chuckled and said, "Xiao Ye, come out."
Ye Qi then took off his Invisibility Cloak, revealing himself to the three of them.
Seeing his disheveled hair and dirty clothes, Shao Qingge couldn't help but soften and asked, "What happened last night? Are you alright?"
Ye Qi shook his head and said excitedly, "Holy crap, last night was terrifying! It was like a Hollywood blockbuster! Two men in black flew in from outside. One of them, a tall man, easily knocked down the two guards on night duty with a single chop of his hand. The other man held a white powder and sprinkled it over there, knocking out all the other prisoners!"
Xiao Lou couldn't help but laugh as he gestured wildly and vividly described the scene from last night. She poured him a cup of tea and said, "Take your time, have some water first."
Ye Qi took the tea to moisten his throat and continued, "I sensed something was wrong and immediately shrank under the covers and pretended to be asleep. The two men went to the place where the girls of Tianxiang Tower were being held, and with a few sword strikes, they broke the chains. The man said, ' Aunt Qing, our master sent us to rescue you.' Aunt Qing didn't seem surprised at all. She woke up the girls of Tianxiang Tower and followed them."
"Then a woman asked, ' How many people are locked up in Tianxiang Tower? Is the number correct?' Aunt Qing said, ' Miss Ye isn't one of ours, don't worry about her,' and they left in a hurry." Ye Qi scratched his head and said, "Luckily, I was locked in a cell in solitary confinement, and I was pretending to be asleep at the time, so they ignored me. If I had been awake, I might have been silenced."
Yu Hanjiang frowned slightly: "The ones who came to rescue people were a man and a woman?"
Ye Qi nodded: "That's right."
Xiao Lou asked pointedly, "Is the woman Snow Goose?"
Ye Qi's eyes widened: "Ah, I was just about to say! Although that woman was dressed in black and her face was covered, I recognized her eyes and eyebrows. She was Snow Goose, the assassin who tried to assassinate the prince that day. Madam Xiao... how did you guess?"
Xiao Lou smiled slightly and said, "It seems this assassin organization has finally surfaced. The girls at Tianxiang Tower aren't innocent. Besides Snow Goose, who is skilled in martial arts and assassinated the prince, the other girls might be responsible for gathering clues. The masked man in black last night may have also disguised himself as a guard and sneaked into the palace that afternoon, intending to commit murder, but was caught by Young Master Lin, so he killed Young Master Lin to silence him. Aunt Qing is the owner of Tianxiang Tower, and she arranged the performance. It would be very easy for her to bring people into the palace."
Yu Hanjiang said with a stern face, "It seems that the entire Tianxiang Tower is an assassin and intelligence organization."
Ye Qi: "......"
That sounds terrifying! It's a miracle he survived Tianxiang Tower.
Yu Hanjiang whispered, "Our previous reasoning was flawed. His Majesty's secret letter to the Prince may have been an attempt to join forces with him to investigate the treason case. Now, the Tianxiang Tower organization has revealed its true colors, and their 'mastermind' behind the scenes is the key to this case."