mtl008 Chapter 232 No Evil Will Be Let Off the hook
Chapter 232 No Evil Will Be Let Off the hook
Upon hearing this, Granny Sheng swayed as if she were about to fall, but managed to stand firm.
Her cloudy eyes filled with tears, which rolled down her wrinkled cheeks like broken beads, wetting her clothes.
“Rongxi, my dear granddaughter, you suffered in that cold place, and your grandmother was unable to protect you.”
Her voice was hoarse and sorrowful, filled with endless self-blame and regret, echoing in the silent space.
With trembling hands, Granny Sheng slowly took out a worn-out purse from her sleeve. It was a purse that Rong Xi had sewn for her by hand when she was a child.
She clutched the purse tightly, as if holding onto the last connection with Rong Xi. "You said you would stay with Grandma for the rest of your life, that you would take care of her in her old age and see her off in her final days, but now how come Grandma is all alone?"
Her body grew increasingly hunched, as if her spine had been bent by the immense grief. She appeared so small and helpless under the shroud of sorrow, yet she exuded an unwavering determination.
She gently placed the purse on Sheng Rongxi's body.
He straightened his hunched back and looked at Yu Wan with a resolute plea.
"Miss Sheng, please help me find the murderer who killed Rong Xi!"
"My old bones may be worthless, but I'm willing to give up my life if it means avenging Rong Xi!"
After saying that, she seemed to realize something was wrong and gave a self-deprecating bitter laugh.
"My life is worthless, and you certainly don't want it..."
Yu Wan stepped forward and gently supported Granny Sheng, saying, "Grandma, please don't say that."
"Now that we know about this, we won't stand idly by."
"Rest assured, we will work with you to find out the truth and we will never let Rong Xi suffer injustice."
Upon hearing Yu Wan's words, Granny Sheng gripped her arm tightly with her withered hands, her hands trembling slightly. "Girl, you are a good person. Rong Xi's spirit in heaven will be grateful to you!"
She looked up, her eyes filled with gratitude.
Yu Wan looked at Grandma Sheng and said, "Grandma, I will definitely not let the evildoers get away with it."
King Xiang is such a piece of trash and degenerate, he doesn't deserve to live!
……
Yu Wan sent people to help Granny Sheng send Sheng Rongxi's body back to their small courtyard.
Grandma Sheng seemed to have aged ten years overnight. She personally wiped Sheng Rongxi's body and changed her into clean clothes.
Then the body was placed in the coffin and the coffin was closed.
The moment the coffin was closed, Granny Sheng threw herself beside it and cried her heart out.
The cries were so heart-wrenching, as if they were tearing one's heart apart.
Yu Wan stood quietly to the side, her eyes red and brimming with tears.
She forced herself not to shed a tear.
Seeing this, Yun Shang gently patted Yu Wan's shoulder and said in a low voice, "Let's let Grandma have some peace and quiet first, and then we can discuss the next steps of the investigation plan in detail when we get back."
Yu Wan nodded, and the two silently left the Sheng family.
On the carriage back to Yunfu, Yu Wan leaned against the carriage wall, not saying a word.
Yun Shang also lowered his head, his eyes surging with complex and unfathomable emotions.
Although they were all convinced that Sheng Rongxi had been poisoned by King Xiang.
However, given the lack of conclusive evidence, we cannot make hasty and reckless conclusions.
The carriage moved slowly forward, the atmosphere inside so oppressive it was suffocating, so stifling it was hard to breathe.
After a long silence, Yu Wan broke the silence, her voice tinged with weariness and anger: "No matter what, the Prince of Xiang is the most suspicious. Let's start by investigating the people around him. No matter how well he hides it, there must be people around him who know the inside story. Perhaps we can find a breakthrough."
Yun Shang nodded slightly. "Yes, that's exactly what I was thinking too."
"You go back first, I'm going to Prince Chen's residence."
Yu Wan quickly realized that Yun Shang wanted Prince Chen to take action.
Half an hour later, Yun Shang arrived at Prince Chen's residence and requested an audience with Prince Chen.
Prince Chen quickly sent someone to invite him inside.
After hearing Yun Shang's account of Sheng Rongxi's situation, he frowned and looked grave.
"How could Li Ming do such a beastly thing?!"
"This beast!"
Yun Shang said, "Your Highness, we only suspect that Miss Sheng's death is related to Prince Xiang, but we haven't found direct evidence yet..."
Suppressing his surging anger, Prince Chen said, "I know your temperament. You won't easily draw conclusions unless you are absolutely certain."
"Although no direct evidence has been found yet, you should already be convinced that this was done by Prince Chen, right?"
Yun Shang remained silent for a moment, then slowly took out a handkerchief from his sleeve.
He gently unfolded the handkerchief, revealing a piece of cloth wrapped inside.
Prince Chen frowned and stared for a moment before saying coldly, "These are his clothes."
The court robes and uniforms worn by the princes when attending court were all meticulously woven by the Imperial Clothing Bureau in the palace, using cloud and mist brocade produced by the Huiling Zhou family.
This cloud-patterned brocade has a special texture, delicate patterns, and a unique luster, making it extremely difficult to imitate on the market.
Furthermore, to make them easier to distinguish, the Imperial Clothing Bureau embroidered unique hidden patterns on the clothes sent to each prince's residence.
The clothes sent to Prince Chen's residence by the Imperial Clothing Bureau on ordinary days were all embroidered with orchid patterns.
The cloud pattern was embroidered on King Xiang's clothes.
At this moment, cloud patterns were clearly visible embroidered on the piece of cloth in Yun Shang's hand.
Yun Shang handed the scrap of cloth to Prince Chen. "Your Highness, this scrap of cloth was found in Miss Sheng's palm when I found her. She was clutching it tightly in her hand, and it took me a lot of effort to get it out."
Before biting her tongue and committing suicide, Sheng Rongxi must have desperately torn off a piece of the King of Xiang's robe.
She must have harbored a sliver of hope that someone would find her body and use the tattered cloth to identify the murderer.
Prince Chen took the scrap of cloth, his fingers tracing the delicate texture, his eyes growing increasingly cold.
“He was wearing this same clothes yesterday.”
He looked up at Yun Shang and said in a low and authoritative tone, "You should not interfere in this matter for now. I will send my secret guards to investigate thoroughly. If there are any other discoveries, I will let you know."
Sending the secret guards to investigate is naturally more discreet than having Yun Shang investigate on his own, which is also Yun Shang's purpose in seeking out Prince Chen.
Yun Shang nodded and said coldly, "The Prince of Xiang is also connected with Jinglu Teahouse. When Your Highness sends people to investigate, please have them keep a close eye on things."
Jinglu Tea House?
Prince Chen frowned slightly.
He knew about this teahouse.
A year ago, several talented and handsome young men from prominent families enthusiastically engaged in a poetry contest at a teahouse, creating several exquisite and unparalleled poems.
Jinglu Teahouse became famous and a popular place for young people from prominent families and ordinary people to enjoy tea and discuss philosophy.
Not only were the young men from prominent families frequenting the teahouse, but even the ladies from noble families would often visit to compose poems, sing songs, and discuss literature and art.
Prince Chen narrowed his eyes slightly, pondering to himself.
This Jinglu Teahouse may seem like just a gathering place for literati and scholars, but if King Xiang is associated with it, then there are probably many secrets hidden behind it.
……
The weather is hot these days, and the temperature is too high, so it is not advisable to keep a coffin at home for too long.
So the next day, Yu Wan sent people to help Granny Sheng bury the coffin.
In just these two days, Granny Sheng has aged more than ten years, and her hunched back seems like she can never straighten up again.
When the coffin was lowered into the ground, Granny Sheng was heartbroken and fainted twice from crying.
After Yu Wan sent someone to escort her home, she received a message from Yun Shang.
There is already conclusive evidence that the person who killed Sheng Rongxi was King Xiang.