Card Room

Chapter 171 – Beacon in Troubled Times 21

The prince’s mansion.

The moment Yu Hanjiang and Xiao Lou entered through the door, Long Sen hurried up to them and whispered, “The third young lady and Qin Rui are gone. It is said that Mrs Qin disagreed with the marriage and even forced her to death. The third young lady has a strong personality and packed her luggage last night, directly eloping with Guard Qin.”

Xiao Lou, “……”

She actually eloped with the guard, this guard’s courage was really big. There was no way to disagree and Mrs Qing must be furious. However, Yu Hanjiang felt that things weren’t so simple. He whispered, “The third young lady and Guard Qin both know martial arts?”

Long Sen nodded. “Qin Rui has the highest martial arts ability among the guards. I have never seen the third young lady’s martial arts but I heard she is extremely powerful. She can directly cut a tree with her sword.”

Yu Hanjiang thought about it. “Don’t you feel that the prince suddenly promising the third young lady yesterday was somewhat hasty?”

Xiao Lou thought carefully and also felt it wasn’t quite right.

The third young lady was the prince’s daughter while Qin Rui was a guard of the prince’s house and Mrs Han’s nephew. They were very different in identity and weren’t of the same generation. Mrs Han inexplicably made the decision for her nephew but why did the prince agree? Why did he feel it was a good idea to marry his daughter to a guard after a few words?

Today, the third young lady and Guard Qin ran away in the name of ‘eloping.’ Was it really an elopement or had the prince deliberately released them from the prince’s mansion to perform a special task?

Yu Hanjiang stated, “The prince isn’t simple. Now the entire prince’s mansion is blocked due to the murders and no one can go out. There is such trouble and is it logically for the third young lady and Qin Rui to just leave the prince’s marriage. Everyone thinks that the third young lady has a strong personality and is dissatisfied with her mother’s opposition of the marriage. She simply dragged the guard with her and eloped. It wouldn’t be suspicious if the two of them are missing.”

Xiao Lou hadn’t expected something deeper. He simply thought that the third young lady and Qin Rui had really eloped. Yet after careful deliberation, yesterday the prince and Mrs Han had agreed to their marriage. Even if Mrs Qing objected the third young lady didn’t have to elope. The prince had the final say.

Xiao Lou felt more and more that Group Leader Yu’s speculation made sense. “So he got Qin Rui, who is the best martial artist, and the third young lady out of the house. Perhaps he also wants to investigate the situation of the assassin organization?”

Yu Hanjiang nodded. “Yes, otherwise the third young lady wouldn’t elope at this time.”

He settled down and looked at Long Sen. “What is the result of the search of the guards?”

Long Sen looked dejected. “I checked all the clothing of the guards and not a single one was damaged.”

Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang glanced at each other. Where did the piece of cloth in Lin Shaobo’s hand come from?

Yu Hanjiang folded his arms over his chest and pondered on it. Then he suddenly suggested, “Perhaps… someone pretended to be a guard of the prince’s mansion and sneaked in. Then he was spotted by Lin Shaobo and killed to keep his mouth shut?”

Xiao Lou agreed. “It seems this is the only explanation. Otherwise, Lin Shaobo wouldn’t have an extra piece of fabric in his hand.”

On the prince’s birthday, the prince’s mansion was really lively. The assassin of the Fragrant Sky House, the woman who pretended to be the fourth young lady and the person who pretended to be a guard…

Nothing was found with the guards and Yu Hanjiang and Xiao Lou had to go back home. Liu Qiao and Shao Qingge were waiting for them at the prefectural magistrate’s office. Xiao Lou recounted today’s clues to them and Shao Qingge pressed hard against his temple. “So all the previous reasonings must be overturned?”

Liu Qiao also had a headache. “An A-grade secret room is really complex!”

There were only a few suspects on Maple Forest High School and the speed train. They could always lock onto the real murderer through investigation. However, this troubled world was too wide and it wasn’t easy to string all the clues together.

Shao Qingge added, “Indeed, I think that if this treason case isn’t detected in time, Daqi will be completely engulfed in war. It isn’t just us who will die but a large number of innocent people.”

Yu Hanjiang spoke helplessly, “Now the suspicion of the eighth prince has become smaller. In addition, the person who killed Lin Shaobo isn’t a guard of the prince’s mansion but an outsider who pretended to be a guard and sneaked in. The focus has returned to this assassin organization.”

Xiao Lou suggested, “Do you want to go question the girls from the Fragrant Sky House?”

Yu Hanjiang went with Xiao Lou and Mo Xuemin to the dungeon. The girls of the Fragrant Sky House had been hungry for a day. Each of them was despondent and had no energy. Yu Hanjiang gave them and meal and questioned them one by one, focusing on the boss Aunt Qing.

However, Aunt Qing just spoke blankly. “I don’t know anything. The dancing girl who attacked the prince last night was called Xue Yan. She came to the Fragrant Sky House a year ago. She said that her parents have died since she was a child and she has been living through begging. She looks good and dances well. I saw she was pitiful and took her in. Who would’ve thought that she would’ve tried to assassinate the prince? This person is really wrong!”

The other girls said the same. They all said that Xue Yan was silent and had few friends in the Fragrant Sky House. Everyone’s understanding of her was only as an ‘orphan whose parents have died’. As for her martial arts ability and attempt to assassinate the prince in the middle of the performance, everyone said they didn’t know.

Yu Hanjiang got no clues from the questioning and had to continue locking up the girls from the Fragrant Sky House.

In the evening, Yu Hanjiang and Xiao Lou returned to their room to rest. Xiao Lou changed the medicine on the wound while speaking emotionally, “Have we been in this room for five days? If it was changed to another secret room then the case could’ve been solved a long time ago.”

Yu Hanjiang whispered, “Don’t worry. If the rebellion case was so easy to break then the person who planned the rebellion wouldn’t be cautious.”

Xiao Lou thought about it and smiled. “It is really dangerous to be royalty. Being a normal person is much more comfortable.”

Yu Hanjiang nodded in agreement. If he and Xiao Lou were really people of this world then he wouldn’t be an official. He would rather be a casual couple with Xiao Lou and live a free life. However, now there was no way. They needed to find the one who wanted to rebel as soon as possible.

***

The next morning, Yu Hanjiang and Xiao Lou got up on time.

Shao Qingge said he would invite Yu daren to have breakfast and spent money buying the steamed bun snacks from the most famous building in Jiangzhou. He smiled as he sent it to the door and said, “I don’t have enough brains to analyze the case so I can only give you some material support.”

Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang sat down to eat the steamed buns. The steamed buns in this store were indeed delicious. Xiao Lou joked, “Aren’t you enjoying this? Have you run out of the boxes of gold that your father gave you?”

Shao Qingge waved his fan. “I can’t take it out so it is a pity not to spend it.”

As they were chatting, a bailiff suddenly hurried over. “Daren, it isn’t good! Someone came to Jiangzhou’s prison and rescued all the girls from the Fragrant Sky House!”

The three people froze when the heard this.

Shao Qingge was waving his fan with a smile Once he heard the bailiff’s report that something had happened in the dungeon, his mind flashed to someone dressed as a woman, bending his head to eat the snacks like a little squirrel.

The fan in Shao Qingge’s hand snapped and his expression changed. “Ye Qi is also in the dungeon.”

Yu Hanjiang asked in a deep voice, “Where is Miss Ye?”

“M-MIss Ye is also gone!”

Xiao Lou cried out, “Go and see!”

The group of people hurried to the dungeon. Shao Qingge strode toward the depths of the dungeon, only to find no one in Ye Qi’s cell. His heart thumped and a chill shot down his back. Damn. Why would someone suddenly break into the prison?

Yu Hanjiang and Xiao Lou also looked at each other in a confused manner. It had been okay yesterday when they questioned the girls. There had been 12 people captured from the Fragrant Sky House and now the dungeon was empty. There was no one left.

Next to them, the bailiffs responsible for the night watch yesterday had fallen to the ground. Xiao Lou immediately went over and tested their breathing with his hand.

Yu Hanjianga asked, “How is it?”

Xiao Lou replied, “They are breathing. The back of the neck has bruises so they should just be unconscious.”

The bailiffs weren’t killed. Yu Hanjiang sighed with relief. Then he looked at the man who informed him and asked in a low voice, “When was it discovered?”

“This morning when I came to change shifts. My subordinates found that the two people on duty last night were unconscious and all three cells were empty. The girls from the Fragrant Sky House were gone and I immediately went to report it to you!”

It seemed that the robbers had moved last night.

Shao Qingge’s expression was ugly. “Where is Miss Ye?”

The bailiff had received benefits from Shao Qingge so when he heard this, his face turned a bit white. “I really don’t know.”

Yu Hanjiang carefully examined the scene. The locks on the cells weren’t pried open but directly cut by a sword. It seemed the ones who took out the prisoners had sharp weapons in their hands but didn’t kill the bailiffs, only stunning them from behind. This showed they weren’t completely vicious people.

The prisoners currently being detained in Jiangzhou’s prison wasn’t just the girls from the Fragrant Sky House but also people who have committed other crimes. Yu Hanjiang walked over and saw that these people were also unconscious due to medicine.

Xiao Lou stated, “It seems that the person who came to the prison last night had a clear target. Don’t hurt people and only save the girls of the Fragrant Sky House.”

Yu Hanjiang frowned. “This isn’t the style of an assassin.”

Shao Qingge’s face was ugly and he lowered his voice. “Will Ye Qi be in danger?”

Just then, a gust of wind blew by his ears. There seemed to be a burst of air moving, followed closely by Shao Qingge’s sleeve being pulled and someone writing on his hand. Soft fingers quickly wrote a word on his hand. “Ye.”

Shao Qingge, “……”

This ghostly guy actually put on an invisibility cloak and followed behind everyone while they were all worried about it.

The expression on Shao Qingge’s face eased instantly. The person writing on his palm invisibly was like a kitten scratching at his paw. Shao Qingge couldn’t help grinning and grabbed the invisible finger.

Although Ye Qi was invisible, his body was only transparent and he hadn’t turned into air. He could still be felt if he was touched. Once Chief Shao grabbed his finger, Ye Qi struggled to free himself and found he couldn’t. Therefore, he simply walked out of the dungeon together with Shao, Yu and Xiao.

Shao Qingge whispered in Yu Hanjiang’s ear, “Ye Qi is following like a ghost behind us. There might be something he wants to say.”

Ye Qi, “……”

Who was a ghost behind them? Couldn’t the description be a bit better?

Yu Hanjiang understood his meaning. He woke up the stunned people and announced that the girls from the Fragrant Sky House were wanted all over the city. Then he took Shao Qingge and Xiao Lou back to the prefectural magistrate’s office. He went into his study and closed the door behind him.

Shao Qingge chuckled. “Xiao Ye, come out.”

Ye Qi took off his invisibility cloak and revealed himself in front of the three people. Seeing him with messy hair and dirty clothes, Shao Qingge softened and he asked, “What happened last night? Were you hurt?”

Ye Qi shook his head and spoke excitedly, “Oh my god, I was really scared to death last night. It was like a Hollywood blockbuster. Two people in black flew in from outside. One of them had a large hand and chopped at the backs of the two night watchmen, easily making them faint. The other sprinkled white powder and the other prisoners were all stunned!”

Xiao Lou saw him dancing around while describing the scene last night and couldn’t help laughing. He poured a cup of tea and handed it to Ye Qi. “Speak slowly and drink first.”

Ye Qi took the tea to moisten his throat. Then he continued, “I noticed something was wrong and retracted into my quilt, pretending to sleep. The two of them went to where the girls of the Fragrant Sky House and cut apart the lock. Then the man said, ‘Aunt Qing, the master asked us to save you.’ Aunt Qing didn’t seem surprised at all and followed them both.”

“Then a woman asked,’ How many people are locked up from the Fragrant Sky House? Is the number correct?’ The aunt said, ‘Miss Ye isn’t one of us. Don’t worry about her.’ Then they hurried away.” Ye Qi scratched his head. “It was fortunate that I was kept in a cell alone and that I was pretending to sleep, causing them to ignore me. If I had been awake then I might’ve been killed.”

Yu Hanjiang frowned slightly. “There was a man and a woman who came to save the people?”

Ye Qi nodded. “Yes.”

Xiao Lou asked sharply, “Is the woman Xue Yan?”

Ye Qi’s eyes widened. “Ah, I was about to say that! Although the woman was dressed in black and covered her face, I recognized her eyes and eyebrows. It was the assassin Xue Yan who attempted to kill the prince on that day. Xiao… Madam Yu, how did you guess?”

Xiao Lou smiled. “It seems that the assassin organization has finally surfaced. The girls of the Fragrant Sky House aren’t innocent. Apart from Xue Yan’s martial arts and attack on the prince, the other girls might be responsible for collecting information. The masked man in black last night was probably also the one who sneaked into the prince’s mansion as a security guard, intending to commit an assassination, only to be caught by Young Master Lin and was forced to kill Young Master Link. Aunt Qing is the boss of the Fragrant Sky House and she arranged the show. It would be very easy for her to bring people into the palace.”

Yu Hanjiang’s face was calm. “It seems that the entire Fragrant Sky House is an intelligence and assassin organization.”

Ye Qi, “……”

It was too scary! It was a blessing that he survived in the Fragrant Sky House.

Yu Hanjiang’s voice was low. “There is a deviation in our previous reasoning. The emperor sent a secret letter to the eight prince and it might be that he wants to work with the prince to investigate the rebels. Now that Fragrant Sky House organization has shown its true face and the ‘master’ behind them might be the key to the case.”