Ma femme escalade le mur

Chapitre 100

"Ah!" the little maid exclaimed softly, and everyone turned to look at her.

Seeing her timid appearance, Zhao Ting urged her in a deep voice, "Speak what you have to say!"

The little maid trembled at Zhao Ting's glance, clutching her chest and answering in a trembling voice, "I remember there were fingerprints on the mirror too..." Seeing everyone's pained expressions, the little maid seemed to realize she had done something wrong, and her voice grew softer and softer, "It was near the edge of the mirror, like this." As she spoke, she timidly stretched out her little hand, her index and middle fingers gently tracing the edge of the mirror, making a gesture as if to imprint the fingerprint.

Duan Chen frowned slightly, quietly examining the dressing mirror for a long while before turning and walking towards the bed. The bedding had already been replaced with brand new ones, and the bloodstains on the floor had been cleaned up, except for a few marks remaining on the windowsill and window frame.

Duan Chen inquired carefully about the location of the bloodstains on the bed and floor from the maid before walking to the window to examine them closely.

According to Miss Lu's personal maid, she slept soundly that night and was still half asleep when it was already bright the next day. When she entered the inner room, she saw her mistress lying on the bed with her clothes wide open, a bloody hole in her chest, and the room was in a mess with bloodstains everywhere.

Zhou Yufei nodded to the head steward of the Lu residence, instructing him to take the maidservant away first. The group then carefully inspected several areas of the house before leaving the residence together.

As soon as I stepped outside, I saw a crimson sedan chair parked right in the middle of the street, with passersby all having to walk around it. The four sedan chair bearers were clearly martial artists, each with a fierce and menacing look, standing silently beside the sedan chair, as if waiting for their master's orders.

As the weather gets hotter, most people switch to lighter colors for their sedan chairs, and the materials are no longer as heavy as in autumn and winter. But this sedan chair, along with its roof and window curtains, is a deep crimson. The curtains are made of some unknown fabric, without a trace of shine, but rather thick and heavy, with a blood-like color and texture that exudes an eerie feeling.

Duan Chen was slightly taken aback and turned to look at Zhan Yun. He saw that Zhan Yun, Zhao Ting, and Zhou Yufei all had solemn expressions. Zhao Ting, in particular, had a cold glint in his dark eyes and his brows were tightly furrowed. He looked at the sedan chair with a look of deep hatred.

Xiao Changqing and Zuo Xin looked puzzled, clearly not understanding the situation either.

Just as Duan Chen was about to speak, a person in front of the sedan chair stepped aside, bowed, and lifted the curtain. A man slowly emerged, dressed in a moon-white robe over a blood-red veil. His hair was bound with a rare blood jade headband. His complexion was somewhat ashen, with a slightly weary bluish tinge under his eyes. His eyes, like a venomous snake eyeing its prey, were sinister as they slowly swept over the crowd. When they landed on Duan Chen, they suddenly stopped, a sinister smile playing on his lips. His slightly hoarse voice rang out clearly in the bustling street: "Gentlemen, long time no see. Young Master Duan, how have you been?"

Zhan Yun and Zhao Ting each took a small step forward, blocking the man's view of Duan Chen. Zhao Ting frowned and said somewhat rudely, "It seems that the Third Prince has been waiting here for a long time. Don't tell me it was just a chance encounter on the street!"

The Third Prince remained calm and composed, still wearing a smile, but that smile was chilling. Despite the sweltering heat, it sent shivers down the spines of everyone present: "Nephew, you are still so straightforward and honest. In doing so, it makes your uncle seem petty."

Zhao Ting pursed his thin lips, his gaze remained icy, and his expression subtly revealed anger: "Third Prince, please speak plainly. We are too busy with many matters to waste time beating around the bush with you."

The Third Prince raised one corner of his mouth, a cold glint in his eyes, and nodded with feigned regret, saying, "Indeed! Seventh Brother is so lucky to have a son like this. Unlike me, whose family members are all idlers. Not only have they been stripped of their official titles by His Majesty, but it seems they can't even stay in the capital anymore."

Zhao Ting scoffed, seemingly finding it amusing, but his eyes were full of disgust: "His Majesty is kind-hearted, he only stripped him of his title and exiled him to the southwest. Compared to those who lost their lives at his hands, Zhao Lin is already incredibly lucky!" He said the last sentence through gritted teeth. Duan Chen, Xiao Changqing, and Zuo Xin now understood why the other three had changed color upon seeing this man.

Regarding the previous incident involving the Seven Sheng Sect, all remaining members were sentenced to beheading as a warning to others. Only Zhao Lin was spared because the Empress Dowager intervened. The case was already unfairly judged, and everyone was furious when they learned the news.

Xiao Changqing angrily cursed at the sky inside the room. Zhao Ting, enraged, immediately smashed a table. Zhan Yun and Duan Chen also looked displeased. Zhou Yufei, though not surprised, only sighed repeatedly. The Seventh Prince and Zhou Qianbo, one cold and one warm, respectively, belittled the Third Prince and Zhao Lin. Although everyone was still unhappy, the imperial decree was as solid as a mountain, and they couldn't change it by themselves. Therefore, they could only sit around a table in the palace and vent their anger.

After Zhao Ting finished speaking, he exchanged a glance with Zhan Yun and Zhou Yufei, and then prepared to leave. They already had no leads on the case, and to make matters worse, they'd run into this troublemaker in broad daylight. Everyone felt frustrated and wanted to get away as quickly as possible—out of sight, out of mind!

But the Third Prince seemed to be deliberately looking for trouble, and called out in a hoarse voice, "Hey! Why are you all in such a hurry to leave? My three nephews, Young Master Duan, I have prepared a feast at Xixi Warehouse. How about we all sit at the same table and drink together?"

Xiao Changqing and Zuo Xin were both from the martial arts world. Duan Chen and Zhan Yun, while not entirely martial arts figures, had no connection whatsoever with officialdom. Zhou Yufei, though he had secured a minor official position, couldn't say much in this setting. After all, his father was the Grand Chancellor, and he himself worked in the Ministry of Justice; he couldn't openly show disrespect to members of the royal family. Otherwise, not only would he be in trouble, but the entire Zhou family and the Ministry of Justice would be implicated.

Therefore, in this situation, only Zhao Ting could confront the Third Prince alone. Although they were uncle and nephew in terms of seniority, Zhao Ting's throne was not hereditary. While there were many members of the royal family in the capital of similar status, there were no more than five people of his generation who had been granted the throne at a young age, including himself. In addition, Zhao Ting was known for his cold and arrogant demeanor, and the current emperor valued him highly. Therefore, when speaking with the Third Prince, Zhao Ting not only had little to fear, but could also utter some harsh words to embarrass him, though he couldn't go too far.

Therefore, upon hearing the Third Prince's words, Zhao Ting glanced at him, his voice still icy, seemingly polite but actually distant: "Thank you for your kindness, Third Prince. We have important matters to attend to and are afraid we are not fortunate enough to sit at the same table with you. I thank you in advance."

As he spoke, he reached out and touched Duan Chen's vest, then gave Zhan Yun a wink, signaling him to hurry up and leave.

The group was originally going back to the government office, but because of the Third Prince's matter, they decided to go directly back to the Seventh Prince's residence.

Zhao Rui had just returned from court and was playing chess with Zhou Qianbo in the back courtyard when the steward hurried over, saying everyone had returned. The two old men exchanged a glance, both sensing something amiss. These people usually stayed at the Kaifeng Prefecture whenever there was a case, even without many leads, and never returned until dinner time. If something serious hadn't happened today, they certainly wouldn't be back at this hour.

As soon as the two entered the front hall, sure enough, everyone was silently drinking tea, their faces grim and dark, giving off an air of "keep away, don't bother us." Zhou Qianbo looked at them one by one, finally pacing to his own son and tapping Zhou Yufei's forehead with his finger: "You brat! You don't even greet your father? You've really gone too far!"

Zhou Yufei blinked her charming eyes, pursed her lips, and rubbed her forehead, looking quite aggrieved. She thought to herself, "You're really picking on the weak! Why don't you try hitting Zhao Ting or Zhan Yun?"

The Seventh Prince sat back in the main seat, looked around, and asked slowly, "What's wrong? Everyone looks like they've been battered by frost! Zhengping, you tell me."

Zhao Ting glanced sideways at Zhou Yufei, as if to say, "You tell me, I'm too lazy to waste my breath mentioning that scourge!"

Zhou Yufei touched his nose, thinking to himself, "Let them all bully me then!" After putting down his teacup, Zhou Yufei bowed to the Seventh Prince and his father, and then told them in detail about his encounter with the Third Prince on the street.

This time, Zhou Qianbo didn't curse, and Zhao Rui frowned, both clearly deep in thought. Zhao Ting and the other two exchanged glances, and Zhan Yun asked gently, "Your Highness, Uncle Zhou, is there something you need?"

Zhao Rui and Zhou Qianbo exchanged a glance, hesitated for a moment, and then spoke: "I originally wanted to tell you about this in a few days, since nothing has been decided yet..."

Zhao Tingjian frowned: "What is it?" Has Zhao Lin not caused enough trouble? With what he did, he deserved to die a hundred times over. Now, thanks to the Empress Dowager's approval, his life has been spared, and his father's throne is still intact. What more does this man want?

Zhao Rui took a small sip of tea and glanced at Zhao Ting: "Do you still remember Zhao Qi?"

Zhao Ting frowned even more deeply, and answered decisively, "Of course I remember! The first time I led troops to the Northwest, he was my deputy general, a year younger than me. What's wrong?"

Zhao Rui gestured for all the servants in the room to leave. Zhan Yun also got up, closed the door, and stood by the door, while Zhou Yufei stood by the window, wary of the many people in the mansion talking and someone eavesdropping.

The Seventh Prince then continued, "Originally, there was no way to salvage Zhao Lin's situation, but that bastard Zhao Yan resorted to underhanded tactics, secretly sending someone to knock Zhao Qi unconscious and switch him with Zhao Lin, who was imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice. As you know, the Ninth Princess and that child are very close, so she begged the Empress Dowager to save him, which led to what happened next. I only found out a few days ago..."

Zhao Ting immediately slammed his hand on the table and hissed angrily. Zhou Yufei, standing by the window, also frowned. Zhan Yun frowned and thought for a moment, then looked at Zhao Ting: "Zhao Ting, Zhao Qi is the one you mentioned before..."

Zhao Ting nodded, cursing under his breath as he gritted his teeth. Finally, he looked up at Zhao Rui, his eyes also reddening: "That old bastard is inhuman! He must have accumulated so much good karma in his past life to have a son like Yizhi, and yet he used him to exchange for that bastard Zhao Lin..."

Seeing that the group was very agitated, Duan Chen frowned and asked, "The Ministry of Justice prison has always been heavily guarded. How could there be such a big oversight? Besides, even if the people were switched, although they are brothers, they do not look exactly alike. Wouldn't it still be exposed when they are beheaded?"

Zhou Yufei crossed his arms and leaned against the windowsill with a bitter smile: "Duan Chen, you don't know. They are twins, and their figures and appearances are extremely similar, except that Zhao Lin has a red mole behind his ear. Moreover, if the two of them stand in front of you at the same time, you can only distinguish the slight differences through their expressions and temperament. But locked up in the prison, with unkempt hair and dirty faces every day, who would notice those subtle differences? The Third Prince's move is truly ruthless!"

The other three then realized what was happening. Zhan Yun's eyes also turned slightly cold: "I remember Zhao Qi was quite skilled, and he was always accompanied by twenty shadow guards. For his father to throw him directly into prison, he must have been seriously injured..."

Zhao Ting nodded: "I heard that he moved out of the Third Prince's mansion a few years ago and has his own villa in the north of the city. Although he was granted the title of Marquis, he often travels all over the country and rarely stays in the capital, and he rarely appears in front of the royal family. The Third Prince must have put in a lot of effort to get him into this mess."

The Seventh Prince sighed, "This child lost his mother at a young age and has had a very difficult life. He has been all alone all these years, which has been truly difficult for him. To avoid any further complications, His Majesty has issued a secret order allowing him to recuperate in the palace. If you or the others want to see him, just let His Majesty know beforehand." Zhao Rui paused slightly, a cool smile playing on his lips, "However, it would be best to wait a while."

After pondering for a moment, Zhan Yun asked gently, "Your Highness, what did you mean when you said that the situation is still uncertain?"

Zhao Rui put down his teacup, gave him a meaningful look, and said in a low voice, "Zhao Qi might be making some moves soon. Your Uncle Zhou and I will try our best to help, plus the Ninth Princess and Eleventh Brother..." He didn't finish his sentence, but everyone understood that Zhao Rui and his group were brewing something big...

With no progress on their case and having learned many inside details about Zhao Lin's case, everyone felt somewhat heavy-hearted.

The Seventh Prince suddenly curled his lips into a smile: "Enough, enough. Such a beautiful day, let's not dwell on these troublesome matters. I invite you to lunch at the Scholar's Pavilion." As he spoke, a glint of light flashed in his dark eyes, causing Zhou Qianbo to shiver immediately. Sure enough, the Seventh Prince's lips curved slightly, and he said slowly with a smile: "Your Uncle Zhou will pay."