Chapter 139

Prince Ning's temporary residence in Jin Ling.

In the main hall, Yang Hongbin stood to one side with four of Prince Ning's personal guards, implying a sense of deterrence.

Prince Ning, Li Zhongrui, sat in the main seat, looking at the Jin Ling Embroidered Uniform Guard Battalion Commander, Feng Fengnian, who was kneeling in the hall, his gaze somewhat cold.

"Battalion Commander Feng, according to Judge Yang's examination, Wang En was strangled to death in his sleep last night.

In your Embroidered Uniform Guard prison, the key criminal of the Longtan Port blood case, a Grade 4 eunuch in charge, was killed right under your nose!

There is actually such an absurd thing in the world. As the chief official of the Jin Ling Embroidered Uniform Guard Battalion, what explanation do you have!"

Speaking to the end, Prince Ning, who had always been gentle in his behavior, was stern and murderous in his words, which had never happened before.

Feng Fengnian knelt on the ground, his face pale. Being able to become the leader of the Jin Ling Embroidered Uniform Guard, he was not an ordinary person and had experienced many storms and dangers.

But a Grade 4 suspect was actually killed in the Embroidered Uniform Guard prison, which is known for its strict security; it is simply unheard of.

As the chief official of the Jin Ling Embroidered Uniform Guard Battalion, he would be hard-pressed to shirk his responsibility even if he found a hundred reasons.

Qin Keqing would come over to bring Qin Ye a change of clothes, as well as fresh fruits, vegetables, and food, but Qin Ye spent most of his time at the construction site.

Looking from the corridor on the third floor of the official residence, the construction site of Da Ci'en Temple would change every few days, and a magnificent temple complex was gradually taking shape.

Jia Cong and Qin Keqing had sat on the same boat for more than ten days, but they had never faced each other on the boat, nor had they said a word.

Prince Ning was at his wit's end and muttered to himself: "Who exactly is killing people to silence them?"

Ever since Madam Qin and the young lady came to see Qin Ye once, they would come over every day or two after that, and sometimes the young lady would come alone with her maid.

Yang Hongbin replied: "Your Highness, Wang En was locked in the Embroidered Uniform Guard prison for more than a month and was safe and sound."

Mount Qixia, official residence at Ding'an Temple.

Prince Ning's face was solemn. The Longtan Port blood case had just had a clue, but the thread was broken again, and the matter became increasingly treacherous.

Prince Ning looked gloomily at Feng Fengnian, who retreated in a daze.

Jia Cong sometimes thought that he and her father were colleagues from the Divine Capital, so perhaps she regarded this as a kind of politeness.

"Reporting to Your Highness, your subordinate has failed in his duty and deserves death. It's just that the incident happened suddenly, and we are currently still investigating."

He asked: "Judge Yang, what is your opinion on this matter?"

"I will give you three days. If you cannot find the murderer and there is no reasonable explanation, your career as a Battalion Commander will be over."

In the opinion of your subordinate, Feng Fengnian is the chief official of the Jin Ling Embroidered Uniform Guard Battalion. Since such a thing happened, he is the first one who cannot shirk responsibility. He would not do such an obvious thing; there must be another reason behind it.

We just wanted to investigate this person Zhou Suqing from him, and he was killed. There is no such coincidence in the world; it looks like someone knew the secret in advance and killed him to silence him!"

Qin Keqing usually cooked and sat in Qin Ye's room, waiting for Qin Ye to return and finish his meal before leaving.

Yang Hongbin said: "To be able to kill in the Embroidered Uniform Guard prison, besides the Embroidered Uniform Guard themselves, it is probably extremely difficult for others to do so."

Please, Your Highness, issue an order to allow me to coordinate with Feng Fengnian to investigate the Embroidered Uniform Guard officers and jailers who were on duty in the prison yesterday. We should be able to find some clues from them."

Finally, one day, the two met in the corridor on the third floor of the official residence.

Qin Keqing's maid, Rui Zhu, often came to find Qing Wen to play, and every time Qing Wen returned, she would bring the food and snacks sent by Keqing.

They should have been two very strange people, but because of those few bags of herbs and a handkerchief, there had long been an unusual connection between the two.

In the warm afternoon sun on Mount Qixia, the two people who met by chance in the veranda seemed to be able to see their own shadows in each other's eyes. The mountain breeze disturbed, green hair curled, and sleeves rolled up.

By the side of the Liuyang River, that distant, stunning, and elegant appearance was finally close at hand, with those willow-leaf eyebrows, eyes flowing like water, and lips like flower petals.

Having had the first encounter, there would be the first conversation, and there would be the first time walking closer.

Thus, Jia Cong's scripture-copying work at Ding'an Temple had an extra kind of expectation.

Every time Qin Keqing sent things to Qin Ye, she would always bring some for him too. The two seemed to always have a tacit understanding to meet. How big could this temporary official residence at Ding'an Temple be?

By the time the main hall of Da Ci'en Temple was set up and the masons began to build the palace walls with bricks made in Su Zhou.

Jia Cong and Keqing were already very familiar with each other. When they met, they always had a lot to talk about. Rui Zhu would often come to find Qing Wen, not knowing where to go for a stroll.

Occasionally, when Jia Cong was copying scriptures at Ci'an Hall, Keqing would also go to worship before the Buddha.

Buddha's golden body, the murmuring of wooden fish, the daughter kowtowing, and the lover by her side.

At this moment, the inexplicable warmth was deeply engraved. She felt that as long as it was kept in her heart, it was enough to let her walk through the darkness ahead.

Keqing was already engaged, and Jia Cong had long heard Cai Xiaoyu mention it.

Next year, Keqing would become the eldest daughter-in-law of the Ningguo Prefecture, while Jia Cong would still be the most outstanding disciple of the Rongguo Prefecture.

Living under the clan rituals of this world, they had no illusions about each other, nor did they think about abandoning the secular world and running to the wilderness.

Moreover, there was no time and opportunity for them to reach the point of being inseparable, and the things they needed to care about and cherish were not just what was in front of them.

For them, this was just a chance mutual appreciation between two souls.

Amidst the evening drums and morning bells, there was a brief encounter, a moment of companionship, and then each walked their own path and future.

Qin Ye had been rushing to the construction site and had never discovered his daughter's dangerous actions, nor the recklessness of his little colleague.

Prince Yongning's temporary residence.

Yang Hongbin was reporting to Prince Yongning about his investigation into the suspects of Wang En's murder at the Embroidered Uniform Guard Battalion over the past two days.

"Reporting to Your Highness, after two days of investigation, the Embroidered Uniform Guard platoon leader Zhao Bingliang, who was on duty in the prison on the night Wang En was murdered, is very likely the murderer."

"This person was originally a squad leader guarding the border. Three years ago, he was recommended to join the Embroidered Uniform Guard. On the night Wang En was murdered, he was not originally on duty; he swapped with someone else temporarily.

The day after Wang En died, he disappeared without a trace and his whereabouts are still unknown."

Prince Yongning sighed: "That Zhou Suqing was not caught, and even Wang En was killed to silence him in the Embroidered Uniform Guard prison. Now all the information is broken."

At this time, Prince Yongning's personal guards came to report that the construction official Qin Ye and the Grade 8 official Jia Cong were waiting at the door.

Prince Ning thought that today was the fifth day, and these two came to report the construction progress of Da Ci'en Temple according to the agreement, so he hurriedly asked them to come in.

The construction progress of Da Ci'en Temple was very smooth, but there had been clouds and steam in the past few days, and there would be rain in the next few days, but it would not have much impact on the construction progress.

After finishing the business, Qin Ye and Jia Cong were about to take their leave, but Prince Ning kept Jia Cong alone. Qin Ye was already used to this, so he took his leave alone.

Because of the information provided by Jia Cong, Prince Ning made progress in the Longtan Port case, but the final result was not satisfactory.

The matter fell into a stalemate again, and even the important criminal Wang En was killed to silence him. He might have to return without success. How could he explain it to his father, who had always trusted and relied on him?

A few days ago, Jia Cong's sharp thinking, which peeled the cocoon and pointed directly to the key, left a deep impression on him.

Such extraordinary qualities often appear in old hands in the government like Yang Hongbin who are immersed in investigation.

Now that he was at his wit's end, he never let go of any possibility of a breakthrough. He suddenly wanted to hear the advice of this youth, perhaps it could bring good luck like last time.

(End of chapter)