bookrebus Chapter 112 Bloodbath at the Prince's Mansion
Chapter 112 Bloodbath at the Prince's Mansion
The first rays of dawn broke through the sky.
The stench of blood filled the air in front of the Prince Chu's mansion.
Several officials covered their noses and disgustedly carried the dismembered corpse out of the Prince Chu's mansion; the scene was gruesome.
The Imperial Guards, carrying Liu Yunzhu's portrait, continued their search in Yanjing.
In the imperial court, the emperor was furious and ordered the Dali Temple and the Yanjing Prefectural Government to handle the case together.
It's truly a case of one wave after another.
Gu Yuan, dressed in court attire, couldn't help but narrow his eyes and show a moment of surprise as he listened to the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review describe the assassin leader.
His physical characteristics are exactly the same as Liu Yunzhu's.
At this moment, Gu Liang, standing among the officials, gradually lost his nonchalant expression, his long eyes narrowed, and a hint of joy flashed in his eyes.
He knew that he and Jiang Zhi deserved much credit for this result.
If it weren't for his secret guards last night, Liu Yunzhu alone would have been able to break into the Prince Chu's mansion.
Xingluo and Jiaoyue handled this matter reasonably well; those two boys will definitely brag about it to Qinghuai.
After the morning court session, Gu Yuan had just stepped into the Prince Jing's residence when she saw Xiao Feng rushing over.
"Your Highness, something terrible has happened," Xiao Feng said. "The portrait in the hands of the Imperial Guards belongs to Liu Wei. Liu Wei has been missing for the past two days; he went to Prince Chu's residence. If His Majesty discovers this, Your Highness..."
Xiao Feng looked up at Gu Yuan's expression and didn't say anything more.
Gu Yuan strode towards the study.
He naturally knew the reason why Liu Yunzhu killed Prince Chu.
He had intended to keep Hua Muyan's presence at the Prince Chu's residence a secret, but to his surprise, he found out.
“He is a secret guard,” he said in a deep voice. “Not many people in the manor have seen him. Send people to look for him privately and see if you can find him. If you do, leave no survivors.”
If Liu Yunzhu's identity is exposed, he may also be implicated.
If the Dali Temple uncovers any minor details, they might end up blaming him for the murder of the prince.
After all, he had just lost face at the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet, so it was best not to make any rash moves now.
Liu Yunzhu was a secret guard in the Prince Jing's mansion. He saved him unintentionally and saw that he had extraordinary talent and was a good secret guard. During the years he was in the Prince Jing's mansion, no assassins entered the mansion.
This is also the main reason why Jiang Zhi wanted him to leave Yanjing.
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News of the massacre of the Chu Prince's family quickly spread throughout Yanjing.
Not only were the noble ladies of Yanjing secretly pleased, but even ordinary people praised the matter.
At least, no more innocent women will be arrested.
At the dinner table, Gu Liang recounted the affairs of the court to Jiang Zhi without missing a single detail.
She smiled and served him food.
"The case of Prince Chu will be handled by the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review." Gu Liang glanced at her sideways. "Have you considered the consequences if they trace it back to you?"
He didn't mean to blame her; he just wanted to test her further, to see if she would think of him first.
Jiang Zhi smiled at Gu Liang, "Does Your Highness think he shouldn't die? How many women did he harm? Besides, I didn't kill him. If anyone is to investigate, it should be Prince Jing first."
Gu Liang looked at her stubborn yet fearless appearance, his eyes flashing with a dark light, and within that light, there was a hidden tenderness.
"Aren't you worried that in the end no one will protect you?" he asked.
“Isn’t this what you still have?” Jiang Zhi said.
Upon hearing this, the corners of his mouth curled up, and his eyes revealed a tender smile.
He coughed lightly twice, looking at the dishes Jiang Zhi had just served him, "What is this?"
"Baked buns made with red date paste," Jiang Zhi said.
"Didn't you go home this morning?" Gu Liang asked. "Did you get it from home?"
"My cousin made a new dish; she said it's good for the stomach." Jiang Zhi picked up a piece of toast for herself. "So I asked her to make a little extra so you could try it."
As soon as he got up in the morning, Lu Nianqiu sent Hua Jin to let him try her new dishes. Well, he got to enjoy them too.
“Your cousin,” Gu Liang glanced at her, “asked you to go, and you obeyed. She’s quite devoted.”
"Of course." Jiang Zhi was quite pleased to hear this. "My cousin and I are naturally close, but if Your Highness likes this dish, I can make it too."
Gu Liang paused, but didn't look at her.
Jiang Zhi saw that he had stopped eating and her gaze fell on his wound, but she couldn't see the condition of the wound.
"How is Your Highness's injury?" Jiang Zhi asked. "I noticed Your Highness hasn't touched his food much."
"It's alright," Gu Liang said nonchalantly.
Although several days have passed since the birthday banquet, the toxins in his body are still there, which is not necessarily a bad thing. It allows him to recover from injuries several times faster than ordinary people.
"Was that assassin very powerful?" Jiang Zhi asked, voicing her doubts. "That His Highness was actually injured by him."
Although she had never witnessed Gu Liang's martial arts skills, the rumors were not unfounded.
"Am I that great?" Gu Liang retorted.
He said that on purpose, and Jiang Zhi was almost used to it.
The assassin couldn't have hurt him; he deliberately took the blow so that Gu Yuan and the emperor would see it.
After all, the two of them were always worried about whether he could continue to live, and now that they saw with their own eyes that his blood was poisonous, they felt much more at ease.
During this period, the emperor was preoccupied with the affairs of Wen Xiangyu and Prince Chu, and would not come to see him.
Jiang Zhi was taken aback by his question. Well, it seemed he was trying to show off again, but she refused to go along with it.
"Isn't it enough that I'm worried about you?" Jiang Zhi stared at Gu Liang. "Don't take my kindness for granted."
Seeing the determination in her eyes, Gu Liang's gaze fell on the bowl, where the baked buns had cooled down.
"What kind of husband do you envision for yourself?" Gu Liang suddenly asked. "Someone who is good at managing a household? Someone who is understanding and considerate?"
Jiang Zhi was genuinely surprised by his question and looked up in surprise.
She opened her mouth, almost blurting out that she had never thought of it.
In the days since she was given a second chance, all she wanted was for those who deserved to die before to pay the price, especially Gu Yuan. She never thought that she could still have any so-called love.
She didn't have many wishes, just this one.
Seeing that she remained silent, Gu Liang lowered his head and looked into her eyes. "I am neither a kind person nor a gentle person. What merit do I have to be chosen by you?"
The irony in that statement intensified dramatically; if Jiang Zhi still didn't understand, he'd be a fool.
She simply put down her chopsticks. "Your Highness, by belittling yourself like this, are you looking down on yourself, or on me?"
Although she didn't know why Gu Liang wanted to bring this up again, she couldn't be so certain that she admitted she had never liked him.
During the time they spent together, she was only seventeen years old, and how could she not feel his special treatment of her? It's just that she couldn't fully immerse herself in it yet.