Chapter 1034: Chapter 755: A Cluster of Pine Branches
In front of Qianqiu Palace, Tushere stepped out to take a look and saw that Wo Xue still hadn’t returned. She could only anxiously walk back inside, looking at Shang Ruyi sitting on the couch, seemingly deep in thought. Unable to hold back her complaints, she said, "Why did the Princess only send Wo Xue alone? Now look, she’s been gone for ages and hasn’t returned."
Shang Ruyi glanced up at her and, with a teasing smile, said, "If not her, then who else? You? What could you possibly do if you went?"
"I could—"
"With your courage, you’d be scared stiff within minutes. What could you do then?"
Tushere pouted and, just as she saw Chang Wan coming over to refill Shang Ruyi’s teacup, she said, "Why not send Chang Wan to follow along?"
Chang Wan looked at her, smiled tightly, and Shang Ruyi said, "Chang Wan works in the inner courtyard. As for the outside affairs, especially those involving the dead, neither of you can get involved."
Chang Wan added, "Don’t worry, just wait for Wo Xue to return."
Though she said so, Chang Wan couldn’t help but glance outside. To protect Wo Xue from being targeted, her true identity was rarely known to others. However, those close to Shang Ruyi were aware that she was a secret agent sent by His Majesty the Emperor. Not only was she exceptionally skilled, her unique experiences made her much more adept in these matters than the maids who handle the simpler tasks like brewing tea and making beds in the inner court.
Still, she had been gone for too long.
Seeing that Wo Xue had been out for nearly an hour, Tushere became increasingly restless. When she was about to go out once more to seek news, she finally saw Wo Xue’s petite figure hurriedly returning.
Tushere said, "Oh my, you finally came back!"
Wo Xue looked up at her, barely having time for greetings, and simply said, "I have something to report to the Princess."
"As expected, we’ve been waiting for you."
Saying this, the two walked into the great hall together. As soon as she saw Shang Ruyi, Wo Xue immediately came forward to salute. Shang Ruyi waved her off and asked, "How are things?"
Wo Xue replied, "Your Highness, it was discovered that the one who died was Jian Chun from Jinyu Garden. She was thrown into the dry well behind Bai Fu Hall."
Shang Ruyi asked, "Did she die from the fall?"
Wo Xue shook her head, "No, her neck was broken, which caused her death!"
Upon hearing this, both Tushere and Chang Wan were startled. They instinctively reached for their own necks. Shang Ruyi frowned, thought for a moment, and asked, "Was her neck broken from the fall into the well?"
Wo Xue shook her head again, "No. I saw some bruises on her neck. Although they have faded, it is clear that someone manually broke her neck. Moreover, her body had no other injuries. If she were alive and fell into the dry well, she would have more than one injury."
Shang Ruyi pondered, "Are you saying that she was killed elsewhere and then her body was thrown into the dry well?"
"Yes."
Shang Ruyi took a deep breath, thought again, and asked, "Did you find anything else?"
Wo Xue said, "Just as I finished examining, Aunt Hui arrived. She brought people to carry away the body, saying she would investigate the cause of death and report back to you, Your Highness. However, judging by her demeanor, she’s likely going to conclude that Jian Chun accidentally fell into the dry well."
Tushere immediately said, "She’s trying to cover up the truth."
Then she said to Wo Xue, "You should have stopped her."
Chang Wan considered, "As a palace maid of Qianqiu Palace, Wo Xue can’t confront the Chief Palace Maid directly. However, if you bring up the Princess, you might suppress her enough so that she can’t simply cover it up."
Wo Xue looked at them, pursing her lips.
Listening to their chatter, Shang Ruyi fell silent. The cause of Jian Chun’s death was one thing Wo Xue could discern, but Aunt Hui’s judgment and report were another matter entirely. Given the number of people under her, Aunt Hui had too much room to maneuver.
Why would she clearly inform Wo Xue of her intended conclusion?
It’s as if she intended for Wo Xue to know she’d downplay the incident, prompting Wo Xue to act to stop it. Or, Wo Xue might avoid confrontation and report to Princess Qin, prompting her to investigate thoroughly.
This would escalate things significantly.
But what was the benefit for Aunt Hui? If Jian Chun was one of her own, or someone she sent to silence, she should wish to handle it quietly, leaving no traces, especially without alerting herself.
Moreover, watching Wo Xue’s demeanor, something seemed off.
Thinking this, Shang Ruyi said, "There must be a reason Wo Xue didn’t mention me."
After finishing, she looked at the solemn-faced Wo Xue, "Did you find anything else?"
Wo Xue nodded slightly, stepped forward, and extended her tightly clenched fist toward Shang Ruyi, slowly opening it, "This is what I found in Jian Chun’s hand. It must be what she grasped before dying."
Shang Ruyi looked down and saw a cluster of slightly withered pine branches in her palm.
"This is—"
Tushere and Chang Wan also leaned in for a look, both somewhat surprised, not understanding why Jian Chun would hold such a thing before dying, nor what impact it might have on Wo Xue’s decision not to stop Aunt Hui. Shang Ruyi pondered, then suddenly took a deep breath.
She looked up at Wo Xue and saw the same light in Wo Xue’s bright eyes.
Tushere, still puzzled, asked, "Princess, what’s strange about these pine branches?"
Shang Ruyi, her expression grave, did not immediately answer. Wo Xue turned and said to them, "After His Majesty ascended the throne, many flowers and trees were replanted in the palace. Yet, only two places have pine trees planted."
Chang Wan immediately came to a realization and instinctively glanced outside the palace, "Our Qianqiu Palace!"
At this, everyone glanced outside in unison, where several towering pine trees stood in the courtyard outside the great hall. When Shang Ruyi first moved into this palace, she loved those pine trees, finding them strong and vibrant, containing a certain majestic energy, particularly fitting Yu Wenye’s temperament.
Then, Tushere muttered, "Where else in the palace has pines... huh?"
The hall fell silent.
A cold gleam flashed across Shang Ruyi’s eyes. It hadn’t been long since the event, and indeed, even after much time had passed, she would never forget walking out of Bai Fu Hall during the Taiyuan victory banquet and encountering a slightly tipsy Yu Mingyue.
That night, Yu Mingyue emerged from a grove of pines and cypresses.
That was—Chengqing Gate.
And beyond Chengqing Gate, lies the Crown Prince Yu Wenqian’s residence, Chengqian Hall!
