An Xin's eyes darkened as she said, "Dozens of bodies? How could such a thing happen!?"
Yan Zhen grabbed her hand and said, "When it comes to identifying corpses, you know it best."
The two did not linger and soon arrived at the hot spring pavilion. Since the incident, the hot spring pavilion had been guarded by Yan Zhen's men. The spring where the skeletons were found had been emptied of water, and the dense skeletons were enough to make one's scalp tingle at the sight.
As soon as the two arrived, Shen Zhuo brought over a skull. An Xin took it and examined it. The skull was smooth and exquisite, and it belonged to a woman. However, there were five finger holes at the top of the skull. This situation was very similar to the Nine Yin White Bone Claw in a certain martial arts novel. The white bone emitted a chilling aura and a pale light in the sunlight, and the dark eye sockets were terrifying at first glance.
An Xin gently tapped the skull with her fingertips, then touched it for a while and said softly, "It's been more than a year since he died. This time isn't accurate, since he's been soaking in water for so long, but it's only more than that time, not less."
Yan Zhen looked at the skull and said, "These five finger holes were pierced by someone with extremely powerful internal force, but I don't know why this person would kill this person in this way."
An Xin pondered for a moment and said, "I'll go check on the other skeletons." With that, she walked to the edge of the pool and jumped in. The skeletons had been soaking in the water for a long time, turning them pale white and giving them a chilling appearance. However, they had a faint warmth when touched, which was probably due to the long soaking in the hot spring.
An Xin examined the remains carefully and frowned, saying, "They are all women's bones. The finger holes are not only on the top of the head, but also on the neck, chest, and abdomen. However, all the finger holes are located at the body's vital points, and all of them resulted in instant death."
Yan Zhen stood by the pond, waving his folding fan, and said, "Could it be caused by some kind of evil or unorthodox skill?"
An Xin paused, then raised her eyelashes and looked at Yan Zhen, saying, "No, this person simply wants to kill someone..."
---Aside---
Um, Zhou Xiruo is Xueman's, I got it mixed up. Editing for VIP is too troublesome, and finding it is also a hassle. If it doesn't affect reading, please keep reading for now. I'll ask the editor later. As for the group...
Chapter Ninety-Two: Drunkenness
A sudden letter arrived from the imperial palace, summoning Yan Zhen to an audience with the emperor. At the same time, An Xin discovered a clue about Feng Yi—a waistband bearing his birth date.
The purple silk waistband was embroidered with Feng Yi's birth date in gold thread on the inside. It was the fifteenth day of the second month of the 135th year of Dayi, at 5:15 a.m. The last two characters, Feng Yi, were embroidered in small seal script.
The main problem An Xin is facing now is whether Feng Yi accidentally lost this waist belt when he was arrested, or whether he deliberately left it behind to provide her with a clue.
But if it's a waistband, how could it be lost without reason? Unless she untied it herself... Moreover, Feng Yi is intelligent and quick-witted; perhaps he intentionally left her a clue.
An Xin looked at the birth date, her brows furrowing slightly. She had naturally deciphered the code in her previous life, but were the methods for deciphering the code in her previous life applicable to the code in this time and space?
Since her transmigration, she has tried her best to familiarize herself with everything here. Will she be able to successfully crack the code?
An Xin rubbed her temples, feeling a bit of a headache.
"Have you encountered any difficulties?" A gentle voice came from behind her. An Xin casually put away the waist sash, turned around, and saw Jing Lan. He was dressed in a green robe, as elegant as jade, standing under the flowering tree, his smile still gentle.
"I was thinking about the headless corpse. Is there any news about Feng Yi?" An Xin stepped forward, and Jing Lan casually picked a magnolia flower and placed it in An Xin's hair. An Xin was startled and looked up at him.
She always felt a sense of distance from Jing Lan, unable to be as playful and affectionate as she was with Yan Zhen. Perhaps she never truly considered him one of her own, hence this aloofness. Yet Jing Lan was so gentle; his faint smile seemed to melt even the coldest iceberg. This man possessed an elegant demeanor, pure as a lotus, giving off an intuition that he was only to be admired from afar. Who says icy men are unapproachable? Someone like Jing Lan was truly unapproachable.
"Not yet. Feng Yi disappeared suddenly and left no clues. It will probably take some time to find him. Is there any progress in the headless corpse case?" Jing Lan looked at An Xin's face, which was made more gentle and beautiful by the bright red magnolia flower, and smiled faintly.
This was the first time An Xin had ever worn such fresh flowers in her past and present lives, and she felt extremely uncomfortable. However, she was too embarrassed to take them off in front of Jing Lan. If it were Yan Zhen, she would have taken them off and put them in his hair long ago. Even if it were anyone else, she could take them off without saying a word. But with Jing Lan, she could never easily say those words of refusal.
“Skeletons were found in the hot spring pavilion, and without exception, all of them were women. If these skeletons are related to the headless corpse case, the case seems to be more complicated.” An Xin smiled as she looked at the stone table not far away. “The master has placed the wine there, but no one is drinking with him. Isn’t that a regret in life?”
Jing Lan smiled faintly and said, "Drinking together also depends on fate; those who are not destined to be together cannot drink together."
An Xin raised an eyebrow and asked, "Would you say I have a special connection with you, sir?"
Jing Lan smiled but remained silent.
An Xin casually picked up a wine glass. The wine was amber in color and had a fragrant aroma. Even she, who didn't drink much, couldn't resist giving it a try.
"May I drink it?" An Xin asked Jing Lan with a smile.
Jing Lan smiled and said, "Okay."
An Xin took two sips from her wine glass. The wine smelled fragrant, but it tasted extremely spicy, causing her face to contort in anger. However, she forced herself to endure it and casually handed another glass to Jing Lan. Perhaps because she handed it to him suddenly, or perhaps because Jing Lan didn't notice, the wine in her hand accidentally bumped into his hand, spilling the wine all over his sleeve.
An Xin hurriedly grabbed a handkerchief to wipe him, but Jing Lan stopped her and said with a smile, "I'll go change my clothes."
An Xin wanted to say something, but he had already walked away slowly.
Feeling utterly bored, An Xin found the spicy flavor of the wine suddenly replaced by a sweet fragrance, so she picked up another cup and drank. The wine seemed addictive, so An Xin simply picked up the wine pot and drank straight from the spout.
Later, Anxin drank until she lost consciousness.
****
When Yan Zhen returned from the palace, he went to the Left Prime Minister's residence. It wasn't that he was particularly willing to step into the Left Prime Minister's residence, but rather that the matter of Fengxian Village was over, the Emperor had had enough of staying at the temporary palace, and all the civil and military officials wanted to set off to return to the capital. The matter of Fengxian Village had always been handled by him and Jing Lan, so if they were to bring the Empress Dowager and the Emperor back to the palace, they would naturally have to discuss it with Jing Lan.
Yan Zhen walked into the Prime Minister's residence as if no one was around, and went straight to the Linshui Pavilion with ease. The people in the Prime Minister's residence were dumbfounded.
Jinglan was indeed at the Linshui Pavilion, painting. Yan Zhen walked over without saying hello and saw that the person in the painting was a woman with a bright magnolia flower tucked into her hair and her eyes slightly curved, filled with a smile.
Yan Zhen's expression immediately turned somewhat unpleasant.
"Why is the Left Prime Minister painting my fiancée for no reason?" Yan Zhen casually snatched the painting away, and Jing Lan suddenly stopped, letting him take it.
Yan Zhen held the painting, feeling an urge to tear it to pieces, but ultimately the smile of the person in the painting was too striking, so she thought better of it and gave up.
Jing Lan smiled faintly and said, "It seems that the Right Prime Minister's fiancée is Miss Zhou."
Yan Zhen raised her eyelashes, pursed her lips, and her smile turned colder: "The Left Minister seems to care a lot about my family affairs."
Jinglan smiled faintly and said, "It was I who was being nosy. Qiantao, go and wake Miss An up. Tell her to have a meal before coming over."
Qian Tao curtsied and said, "Yes."
Yan Zhen's smile instantly froze into ice crystals: "Xin'er is here?"
Jing Lan raised her hand and snatched the painting back from his hand to continue coloring, only giving a faint "hmm," her unwillingness to talk further infuriating Yan Zhen to the point of wanting to kill her.