Geschichte über einen Ehemanndiebstahl

Kapitel 73

Zhao Ting revealed half of his body, coldly glancing at the person who had spoken out against him, his expression somewhat awkward: "Chen'er, good morning."

Duan Chen also greeted them with a "Good morning." Fortunately, the corridor of the Prince's mansion was spacious enough for the three of them to walk side by side. The two young masters exchanged a glance and, as usual, walked on either side of Duan Chen. After a short while, they entered the side hall and saw that the Princess was already waiting there. Upon seeing the three of them enter, she greeted them with a smile, "Come quickly, the porridge has just been served. Today's breakfast must be eaten while it's hot."

The princess picked up her chopsticks and placed a steamed dumpling in Duan Chen's bowl, saying, "These are freshly picked bracken ferns from a few days ago. The skin is made of black wheat; they must be eaten while they're hot to be fragrant and soft." She then placed one for each of Zhan Yun and Zhao Ting, jokingly adding, "I won't bother with you two; you both know how to eat. This is young Master Duan's first time here..."

As she spoke, she picked up some more crisp pickled vegetables and put them in Duan Chen's bowl, smiling brightly: "Eat more. Don't be shy here, just make yourself at home."

Duan Chen smiled and said, "Thank you."

"Mother." Zhao Ting glanced at Duan Chen somewhat awkwardly, picked up a piece of sweet lotus root with osmanthus and gave it to the princess, signaling her not to speak carelessly.

The princess was slightly taken aback, blinked, and didn't say anything!

Zhan Yun, watching from the side, found it amusing. He first picked up a spoon, scooped some black vinegar into a small dish, added some chopped coriander, and handed it to Duan Chen so she could dip her steamed dumplings in it. Zhao Ting watched this, his deep eyes narrowing slightly, his thin lips pursed tightly.

The princess watched from the side, then noticed her son's obvious displeasure and suddenly realized—oh, he knew! No wonder when the three of them returned last night, she said she had arranged for Young Master Duan's room to be in the courtyard where Xingzhi was staying, and her son looked like he wanted to devour someone! As the princess figured it out, she shook her head repeatedly. This child, if he had someone in his heart, why didn't he say so sooner? If she had known this earlier, how could a mother not side with her son…

The Seventh Princess was lost in thought when a maidservant stepped forward and whispered in her ear, "Madam, is the porridge not to your liking? It's gotten cold. Let me get you a fresh bowl."

Seeing that all three people at the table were looking at her, the princess responded and continued to observe them with a smile, pondering her thoughts. Judging from the current situation, Xingzhi clearly had the upper hand. Indeed, Xingzhi was a good-natured, attentive, perceptive, and quite gentle and considerate. If she were Xiao Duan, she would probably like someone like him too… Thinking this, the princess suddenly felt that her son was utterly disappointing! What good was being handsome? That cold and hard temper, and he didn't know how to win people's hearts—no wonder the girl didn't like him!

The three people at the table slowed down their eating. First, Zhan Yun felt a chill run down his spine under the princess's gaze; then Zhao Ting was completely bewildered by his mother's stare; and finally, Duan Chen found the atmosphere at the table rather strange!

The Seventh Princess drank half a bowl of red bean porridge, wiped her mouth with a handkerchief, and then looked at Duan Chen with a smile: "Young Master Duan, did you sleep well last night?"

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Duan Chen swallowed the food in his mouth and nodded gently: "Very good. Thank you for your concern, Your Highness."

"Very good? What should we do then..." The princess frowned slightly, seemingly worried: "There is a patch of magnolias behind that house. Won't the fragrance be too strong when we sleep at night?"

Zhao Ting wasn't stupid; after a moment's thought, he realized that his mother was trying to help him. A slight smile appeared on his lips, and the worries he had been tossing and turning all night vanished instantly! Zhan Yun also saw it, but she wasn't annoyed. She just smiled faintly and watched the situation unfold.

Duan Chen shook his head and said softly, "No. I really like the fragrance of magnolias."

Uh! The princess was a little annoyed: "I like the fragrance of magnolias..." She glanced at her son with some guilt. Son, it's all my fault for not understanding the situation beforehand. Now I can't change rooms even if I want to.

Zhao Ting pursed his lips. He had been feeling unwell all night. At worst... the young prince gritted his teeth. There seemed to be a room in that courtyard. Although it was a bit small and dilapidated, he could just move in and sleep in the storage room!

Duan Chen continued drinking his porridge. Zhan Yun couldn't help but chuckle at the sight. He cleared his throat twice and said gently, "Just now, Chen'er said that the magnolias in that patch were blooming beautifully. Did the Princess plant them?"

The princess was still immersed in disappointment and guilt when she heard this. She was slightly taken aback, and after a while, she shook her head and smiled, "No. That flower garden was planted by an old friend."

Duan Chen's hand holding the small spoon paused almost imperceptibly as he silently ate his porridge, his eyes half-lowered. Upon hearing this, Zhao Ting raised an eyebrow: "Is it Mother's distant aunt?"

The princess smiled bitterly, "I suppose so." Her slender fingers gently fiddled with the beads on her wrist. "Your...aunt, she's very skillful, and quite beautiful..."

The princess muttered slowly, then suddenly seemed to remember something and couldn't help but chuckle. She glanced at Zhao Ting and said, "Speaking of which, you have met that child before."

Every year in mid-spring, the Princess would visit that family's grave, always bringing only one or two people. The Seventh Prince also seemed to have been searching for someone's whereabouts for the past few years. Zhao Ting naturally knew who she was referring to, and couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, waiting for his mother to continue.

Zhan Yun had heard some of it before, so he listened attentively. The princess said with a smile, "When your aunt came to stay with us, she brought her along. But she was still an infant then, and you were little too. When you saw the baby, you frowned and said, 'So ugly.' I don't know if you scared her or what, but the little baby cried for a long time."

Zhao Ting twitched his lips: "I really don't remember."

Zhan Yun's crescent-shaped eyes held a hint of mockery: "So Zhao Ting already knew how to judge people by their appearance when he was young, no wonder..." Before he could finish speaking, he chuckled.

Duan Chen's lips curled into a smile as he listened. Zhao Ting, feeling somewhat embarrassed by the laughter, glanced sideways at Zhan Yun, then pursed his lips and changed the subject: "Did Father go to the palace?"

The princess nodded, a hint of helplessness on her face: "It's all because of that Third Prince. His son made such a big mistake, yet he goes to His Majesty's place every day to cause trouble. Last night he even went to 'Flower Moon Pavilion' to embarrass you all. It's utterly absurd!"

Zhao Ting snorted coldly, recalling the events of last night, and was also very displeased: "I don't believe we can't get Zhao Lin's head off this time! So what if he's a marquis? The things he's done are enough to warrant being beheaded a hundred times!"

Zhan Yun smiled slightly: "I think this time, I probably won't be able to escape."

Zhao Ting was taken aback, but seeing the deeper meaning in Zhan Yun's eyes, he realized what was going on and couldn't help but curl his lips into a smile: "That's true. Yi Ran and I took some time these past two days to go to the palace. There are some things we need to show His Majesty."

After breakfast, the three headed straight for Kaifeng Prefecture. Zhou Yufei was already waiting there. Seeing them enter, he tossed a thick scroll into Zhan Yun's hands, rubbing his temples. "Xingzhi, you should handle this. It's giving me a headache..."

Zhan Yun held the dossier and smiled good-naturedly: "Didn't we say we'd see the body first? We weren't in the capital when it happened. You should tell us what you know beforehand. What's the use of just looking at the dossier?"

Lord Zhou took a sip of strong tea, nodded sullenly, and waved to the side. A constable came over, bowed to the four men, and said, "Please follow me."

Zhan Yun could tell something was wrong from the man's expression, so he asked with a half-smile, "What's wrong now?"

Zhou Yufei sighed and replied irritably, "It's all because of my mother! Last night, she brought me a stack of paintings thicker than this file and made me look at each one carefully. She gave me three days to pick out a wife for her." He then pouted and, with a look of resentment, roared to the sky, "But I don't want to get married—"

Zhao Ting glanced at him and said coldly, "Go home and yell if you want. What kind of nonsense is this, howling like a banshee here!"

Lord Zhou pouted, "I've yelled at him at home too, and my dad chased me all over the yard with a rattan cane during the first month of the lunar year." He then rolled his eyes, "The old man is so old, I'm really afraid he might accidentally hurt his back. My mother would skin me alive if that happened!"

Zhan Yun found this outrageous and slapped him on the head with her folding fan: "You!"

The four men entered the coroner's office as they talked. In the past twenty-odd days, a total of five high-ranking officials of the imperial court had died. Fortunately, the weather was not too hot, and ice blocks had been placed around the bodies, so their preservation was relatively good.

Zhan Yun glanced at the files on several officials, his handsome brows furrowing slightly: "These people shouldn't have much interaction in official circles. Do they know each other in private?"

Zhao Ting glanced at it and agreed. Zhou Yufei shook his head: "We don't know each other privately. At least that's the information we've gathered so far."

Duan Chen leaned closer for a look and saw a diverse group of officials, ranging from a second-rank civil official in the imperial court to a military officer patrolling the city, and even a registrar from Kaifeng Prefecture. The differences were enormous; it would be truly strange if they had any dealings in private!

Several people stepped forward and examined each corpse against the records kept by the coroner. They found that some had stab wounds to the abdomen, others had been struck in the head with a blunt object, and still others had cuts on their necks. These weren't the most eerie signs, however; what was truly unsettling was that four of the corpses were smiling. The coroner's room was already rather cold and somber, and the four smiling corpses laid out side by side were undeniably unsettling.

Seeing the three of them staring blankly at the corpse, Zhou Yufei smiled and sighed, "Now you know just how strange this case is, right?"

Duan Chen remained silent, beginning to examine each corpse one by one. Zhao Ting assisted him, helping to lift clothes and turn the bodies over. Zhan Yun reviewed the case files, reading aloud the coroner's autopsy records and other relevant information. Zhou Yufei stood by the window with his arms crossed, watching the three interact with a half-smile. After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, seeing that they had finished examining the bodies, he gestured with his chin towards them: "Well, what did you find?"

Zhan Yun noticed the clothing on the corpses, then looked down at the files and frowned, saying, "It is indeed a bit strange. Of these five people, the first died in a small alley in the east of the city, the second and fourth died in their own homes, the third died in a nunnery, and the fifth died in a brothel." No wonder some were dressed neatly while others were only wearing undergarments.

Zhao Ting pointed to the first corpse and asked, "This person didn't have a smile on their face, so why is they placed with the other four corpses?"