Половины жизни, посвященной музыке и макияжу

Глава 80

Seeing Duan Chen staring at the stain, the coroner chuckled and said, "It should be sesame paste. This gentleman probably ate something like pufferfish before he died."

With the lingering taste of pufferfish still in his mouth, Zhou Yufei leaned closer upon hearing this, glanced at the small stain, and then raised an eyebrow at the coroner: "How did you know?"

The coroner chuckled and explained, "This gentleman's teeth weren't very good. When I examined his mouth on the day the body was brought in, I found quite a few fish meat residues in his teeth."

Zhou Yufei's face darkened, and he turned and strode out of the house. Zhan Yun, standing beside him, shook his head with a slight smile. This guy probably wouldn't be thinking about that taste for a while.

Author's Note: There will be an update tomorrow at 9 AM~ This is Xue Luo's author page, where I've outlined my writing plans for the coming period. Feel free to check it out if you're interested~ Please bookmark this page if you're reading. Just click "Bookmark this author" next to "Luo Xue Ge" after you enter. A high number of bookmarks greatly helps Xue Luo's new novel climb the charts, which is very important to me. I would be extremely grateful for any help. Thank you all!

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Chapter Eight: Jiang Xueluo • A Roundabout Probing...

In the evening, Duan Chen and his companions returned to the Prince's residence. As soon as they reached the gate, the steward rushed to greet them. The steward, being rather elderly and having run so fast, gasped for breath before he could even speak: "Young Prince, it's wonderful… the Princess Consort just sent me to find…"

Zhao Ting waved his hand, indicating that there was no rush: "Let's catch our breath first."

The butler took a deep breath, clutching his chest, his emotions running high: "This afternoon, a young lady came to our door. She said she was... a descendant of General Jiang. The Princess was so shocked when she saw the girl that she dropped her teacup, repeatedly saying she looked just like her. The Prince spoke with the girl for a while, then sent someone to Kaifeng Prefecture. The messenger just returned, saying he couldn't find you. The Princess was in a hurry, so I..."

Zhao Tingjian raised an eyebrow, momentarily unable to recall: "General Jiang? There's no general in the court with the surname Jiang."

Zhan Yun, however, sensed something amiss and gently reminded him, "Zhao Ting, the one from ten years ago..."

Zhao Ting nodded, not caring much. He glanced at Duan Chen and saw that her brows were furrowed and her face was pale. He quickly lowered his head and asked, "What's wrong? Are you tired?" As he spoke, he waved to the butler, signaling him to go back to the front hall first, his eyes still fixed on the beauty's face. "If you're tired, go back to your room and rest for a while. I'll have someone bring your dinner to your room later."

On the other side, Zhan Yun glanced at Zhao Ting and gently advised, "Chen'er, let me accompany you back to the backyard first."

His hands, tucked into his sleeves, clenched tightly, the wound on his palm reopening slightly. Feeling a sharp pain in his left palm, accompanied by warm liquid slowly seeping out, Duan Chen gently curled the corners of his lips: "No need." His phoenix eyes fixed on the shadowy wall in front of him, his voice icy cold and devoid of warmth: "I want to go to the front hall first."

Both of them sensed that something was wrong with her, but they couldn't quite figure out what she was thinking. They exchanged a glance, and Zhan Yun said gently, "In that case, let's go to the front hall together and meet Miss Jiang."

As soon as they entered the room, a gentle voice rang out unhurriedly: "This must be the young prince." The woman wore a crimson dress over a snow-white, soft gauze veil. Her eyebrows were delicate and arched, her lips were cherry-red, and her large eyes shimmered with light. Her beauty was exceptionally radiant. As she spoke, she gave Zhao Ting a slight curtsy, then looked at the other two with a half-smile. When her gaze swept over Duan Chen, a glint of malice flashed across her eyes.

The Seventh Prince tapped the tea table beside the chair with his fingers, and glanced at Duan Chen with a pair of deep eyes that resembled Zhao Ting's, then nodded to Zhao Ting and Zhan Yun: "Now that everyone is here, let's begin the feast."

Throughout the meal, the woman chatted with the princess with a smile, occasionally adding food to the princess's bowl. The other three, however, remained tacitly silent. The Seventh Prince drank a cup of wine, then looked up at the woman who claimed to be a descendant of the Jiang family: "Miss Jiang."

The woman quickly put down her chopsticks and looked at the Seventh Prince with a respectful expression and a polite smile on her lips: "Your Highness, please don't be so polite. Just call me Xue Luo."

The Seventh Prince slowly curled the corners of his lips, murmuring cryptically, "No rush." His deep eyes narrowed slightly as he toyed with the empty wine cup in his hand: "Miss Jiang, what kind of handwriting do you usually prefer?"

The woman paused slightly, her smile becoming somewhat awkward: "My mother personally taught me that a woman's virtue lies in her lack of talent. Xue Luo has never learned to write."

"Oh?" The Seventh Prince raised an eyebrow and said slowly, "What a pity. I remember Brother Jiang, you used to have excellent calligraphy skills. Especially your Liu style, tsk tsk..."

Duan Chen slowly drank the wine in his cup, his fingers so cold they were almost stiff. Just as he set down the cup, he heard the Seventh Prince across the table say leisurely, "I remember seeing Young Master Duan's calligraphy before; it had a distinctly Gongquan-esque style!"

Duan Chen remained expressionless and replied in a deep voice, "Your Highness flatters me. Liu Chong's handwriting is quite neat, while mine is very messy and truly unpresentable."

Zhan Yun noticed that Duan Chen's hand, resting under the table, was trembling slightly. She also noticed that Duan Chen had been sitting upright since she sat down, her body tense like a fully drawn bow. Zhan Yun felt puzzled and heartbroken at the same time. Without making a sound, she ladled a bowl of hot soup and placed it next to Duan Chen. Then, she smiled slightly at the Seventh Prince and said, "Xingzhi, I remember there was a painting hanging in Your Highness's study. The inscription on it, with the character 'Liu,' was very beautiful."

Upon hearing this, the Seventh Prince raised one corner of his mouth, his smile somewhat enigmatic: "Nephew Zhan, you certainly have an eye for talent. That line of writing was indeed penned by your Uncle Jiang himself back then." As he spoke, he glanced sideways at the Princess, "Remember, when I painted that picture, it was you who helped me put on the seal."

The princess placed a piece of pork rib on the woman's plate, who had been keeping her head down, and said with a slightly reproachful smile, "Alright, you always bring up those old stories after a few drinks. Didn't you see that no one dared to touch their chopsticks when you started talking? Let the children eat properly, and we can talk about it after dinner."

The woman smiled gratefully upon hearing this, picked up her bowl, and began to eat in small bites.

Zhao Ting glanced at the woman sideways, a strange smile playing on his lips. He picked up his chopsticks, placed a tender piece of chicken leg in Duan Chen's bowl, and leaned closer to ask in a low voice, "What would you like to eat? I'll get it for you."

Duan Chen lowered his eyes to conceal his cold gaze and said in a low voice, "I can do it myself."

The meal was unusually long. After dinner, everyone sat in the hall drinking tea and eating fruit. Two maids brought in strawberries, and the woman immediately turned to look at the princess, her rosy lips trembling slightly, and her eyes misting over: "Your Highness still remembers that my mother loved strawberries the most..."

The princess smiled gently and beckoned one of the maids to come forward. She personally took the plate and placed it on the tea table between the two of them: "Does Xue Luo like it too?"

The woman nodded, a hint of sadness in her smile: "What Mother likes, Xue Luo likes too."

Another maidservant placed strawberries along with a dish of rose honey on the table between Duan Chen and Zhao Ting, gave them a slight curtsy, and retreated with small steps.

The others also had fruit and teacups placed beside them. Zhan Yun lifted the lid, scraped off the layer of tender leaves covering the tea, took a sip, and looked thoughtfully at the woman in scarlet clothes with his crescent-shaped eyes.

Zhao Ting, however, did not care much. He held a pear in his hand, his eyes occasionally sweeping over the beauty beside him, silently reciting the words Zhou Yufei had taught him that morning.

The Seventh Prince leisurely sipped his tea, his dark eyes sharply fixed on the woman in crimson: "For the past ten years or so, Miss Jiang has been all alone. It must have been quite difficult for her."

The woman smiled and replied obediently, "The old servant who escaped from the mansion with me is still alive. Although he is not very wealthy, he can manage. I often do some needlework, and Ah Jin takes it to the street to sell for money, which helps supplement the family income."

The princess patted the woman's arm with pity and smiled kindly, "You've suffered so much these past years." The woman shook her head repeatedly, but her eyes glistened with tears.

The Seventh Prince revealed an expression of realization, picked up an apricot and played with it between his fingers. As if he had thought of something, a smile suddenly appeared on his face: "Miss Jiang, you don't blame me?"

The woman was taken aback by the question. The Seventh Prince looked at her with a smirk, but his eyes were cold and sharp: "Back then, I personally led the raid on your home. Miss Jiang's parents, relatives, and even your servants were all imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice's jail by my own hands. Doesn't Miss Jiang harbor any resentment at all?"

Duan Chen paused slightly, his hand still moistened with honey, then picked up a strawberry and put it in his mouth, taking a small bite. His phoenix eyes remained lowered, his lips slightly pursed, seemingly enjoying the meal immensely. The other two were visibly startled, quickly exchanging a glance. Although they had heard some mention of it from their elders, they had never known there was such a layer to it. Zhao Ting frowned, glancing at his parents, thinking to himself that this was hardly a decent thing to do!

Zhan Yun suddenly realized why the Jiang family's young lady had been missing all these years, even though the emperor later issued an imperial edict to clear the Jiang family's name, and even though the Seventh Prince had been searching for her for many years... it turned out there was a hidden story behind it all.

The woman pursed her cherry lips, her bright face appearing somewhat pale, her large eyes shimmering with tears. After a long while, she choked out, "The person is already gone, what is there to resent?" As she spoke, she blinked her misty, tearful eyes at the Seventh Prince, "Besides, if it weren't for Your Highness showing mercy back then and sparing Xue Luo and my loyal servant's lives, not a single bloodline of the Jiang family would have survived, and the Jiang family would not be where it is today..."

The Seventh Prince seemed quite satisfied with what he heard, nodding repeatedly: "Miss Jiang is indeed very kind and righteous, and she can understand my good intentions."

Upon hearing this, the woman burst into tears of joy and said softly, "Your Highness is too kind. Xue Luo knows that Your Highness was also forced into this situation back then."