"My cousin left on her own." The smile on Yue Wenhan's face faded slightly. Although he was happy to get the exact news about his cousin Ji, such an answer made him feel uneasy, and his smile became much more forced.
"That night, cousin Ji left in a hurry, taking only her personal maid with her and packing a package. A servant saw her maid carrying a package and leaving through the back door."
Yue Wenhan said.
The Ministry of Justice had investigated before and asked the servants of the Ji Mansion, but they all said they didn't know and were not aware of it. Now they dared not hide it anymore and told the truth one by one.
Some people saw Ji Yanyue leaving with two maids, some people saw the maid carrying a package in her hand, and no one knew what she was doing, and some people saw Ji Yanyue taking the maid to the back door.
That day was the wedding day of Ji Hanyue and the prince, and the mansion was in a state of hectic activity. After the banquet was over and the other guests had left, the Ji family themselves did not even get a rest. The servants in the mansion cleaned up together, and some of them did not go to bed until very late.
"Has anyone gone to report to my uncle?" Qu Moying bit her lip and asked slowly. Her breathing became heavier and the gentle expression on her face turned cold.
Every time she mentioned what happened on that day, it was like thousands of swords piercing her heart, and blood was dripping. But she had to mention it, and had to personally peel off the scars that had just formed, again and again...
"It is said that a servant went to tell her, but my uncle told people not to say more, saying that he knew about it and would make arrangements." Yue Wenhan said. This was something that Yue Wenhan could not understand. At such a late hour in the night, a weak girl went out through the back door like that. How could my uncle be so careless as not to send anyone to look for her
"Have you seen your uncle's people?" Qu Moying asked again.
Yue Wenhan shook his head and said, "I didn't see my uncle. He was said to be very drunk and had gone to rest. This was said by the servants beside him. No one else was allowed to enter where my uncle lived. That night, my uncle's place was heavily guarded. It might be because of the wedding, so the guards were even more strict. If a servant accidentally approached, the guards would appear with swords."
This was also something that Yue Wenhan couldn't understand. If the crown prince were still alive, such vigilance would indeed be necessary. But now that the crown prince was gone, although his uncle was also an important official, there was no need to be on guard to this extent.
I think they might be the people who protected the prince before, and then the prince returned to the East Palace, and these people stayed.
Can't you see it? Qu Moying smiled, and a sweet and fishy taste came from his throat. He suppressed it with great effort, and only then did he suppress the taste. At that time, his father might have died, or even if he didn't, he would have been controlled. How could he really pass on any message or say that he had his own arrangements
"Later, it was said that Madam Ji found out and sent people to chase after her, but they failed to catch her. Then the news spread that Cousin Ji eloped with someone. Many servants believed it when they heard it, and wondered what other reason Cousin Ji had to leave the Ling Anbo Mansion if it wasn't for this reason!"
Yue Wenhan's handsome brows were also tightly furrowed.
People who saw it thought that it was impossible for Ji Yanyue to leave alone, so they thought the rumor was credible. People who didn't see it, seeing that everyone said so, although they thought it was unlikely, there was no smoke without fire, so this kind of thing spread.
"Madam Ji was still awake at that time?" Qu Moying asked again, lowering his eyes.
Mrs. Ji is very health-conscious and goes to bed early every day.
"It is said that Madam Ji usually went to bed early at such times. But that day, probably because of the Crown Prince's wedding, Madam Ji slept very late. After hearing the servants report that cousin Ji was missing, she hurriedly sent someone to look for her. Later, she kept waiting for news. It is said that Madam Ji did not fall asleep until the early morning that day."
Now that the big things have been settled, she is dead, her father is dead, can Madam Ji finally put her worries to rest
His father was so filial, but he ended up like this. Qu Moying felt so sad and angry that his palm ached from the rubbing of the fan handle in his hand.
"Is anyone looking for something?" Qu Moying's voice became a little hoarse.
"I haven't heard about this, but later... I heard that the Crown Prince's East Palace was assassinated and the Crown Princess was seriously injured. The Crown Prince sent someone here to take some of the Crown Princess's old things. Then he went to talk to my uncle. I heard that my uncle was seriously ill at that time and his health gradually weakened."
Yue Wenhan asked, "You haven't looked through my uncle's things... have you? And why would you look through my uncle's things?"
After hearing this, Yue Wenhan became confused. He couldn't understand what Qu Moying meant. He was the person in charge of criminal affairs, and he keenly sensed that Qu Moying's words clearly had a deeper meaning.
Qu Moying pursed her lips gently, undecided.
Revenge was her business, but involving her cousin was not a good idea.
"Cousin, now that things have come to this, is there anything that cannot be said?" Yue Wenhan said with a serious face. At this time, he still could not see some problems, and he had resigned from his position as the Shaoqing of the Dali Temple.
"I heard some... rumors, and I didn't know if they were true... so I asked a few more questions." Qu Moying was silent for a moment, then spoke vaguely.
I knew that I had attracted my cousin's attention.
"What rumors?" Yue Wenhan stared at her and asked, seeing that she was still hesitating, "Cousin, it's already this time, is there anything you can't tell me?"
Seeing him like this, Qu Moying sighed: "Cousin, I suspect someone is looking for something. I heard from Madam Duan before that someone went to my uncle's study and looked for something, but didn't find anything. However, two Buddhist beads were left behind. Are there Buddhist beads in my uncle's study?"
"Impossible, my uncle can't have such a thing as Buddhist beads." Yue Wenhan said affirmatively.
My uncle is a military general and has never cared about such stories about gods and Buddhas. At most, he would just listen to them and follow the old man. How could he really bring Buddhist beads into the study
"It was discovered by Ji Yuanhai. He gave me one at the funeral hall, and he found another one when I went there later... I still have some smell of medicinal herbs, a smell that is not easy to wash off. I wrote this smell with ink and left it on the case file... If I come across it, I will smell it if it is not too long ago."
Qu Moying chose her words as she spoke, since Yue Wenhan had already seen through it, it would be impossible for her to say nothing. Besides, this kind of thing also needed to be cleared up early.
"The case file was still there, but later..." Qu Moying took a deep breath and looked directly at Yue Wenhan, "Later, I smelled this smell on a eunuch in the Prince's Eastern Palace."
This is true, but it was not Qu Moying who smelled it, but Aunt Miao. Compared with Qu Moying, Aunt Miao has a better nose. It was a while ago, and for Qu Moying, it was almost nothing, but Aunt Miao could still smell it.
You can even quickly point out which person it is.
"Prince... looking for something?" Yue Wenhan took a breath of cold air. He didn't expect the matter to be so complicated.
"Cousin, let's focus on investigating the matter of my cousin now, but sometimes... cousin has to be careful." Qu Moying gave him the news, but he was afraid that he would not know anything and would not know who would be responsible for the bad things in the end. It would be better to light the light in the window early. Even if he didn't expose the truth, at least he would have a rough idea in his heart.
Yue Wenhan pursed his lips, obviously realizing something: "Don't worry, cousin, I will handle it carefully."
What concerns Ji Youran is no longer a big deal, but what concerns the Crown Prince’s Eastern Palace is still a big deal.
The position of the crown prince cannot be shaken by anyone.
However, when it comes to Ji Hanyue's matter, Yue Wenhan is genuinely hostile to Pei Luoan. In Yue Wenhan's opinion, the prince appears to be sincere towards his cousin, but in fact, the farce in the mourning hall that day has long since revealed the prince's hypocrisy.
"Cousin, let's talk about the Ling Anbo Mansion. I don't know where my cousin is now. Can you ask someone to find out about her in private?"
Qu Moying said.
The Dali Temple is a place for handling cases. Even if he asks too many questions and draws attention, it won't be a big deal. He is doing his job well and there is nothing wrong with that. Compared with Pei Yuanjun's manpower, he will be even less eye-catching.
"I suspect my cousin is fine, she's just injured, maybe... maybe she hurt her hand." Qu Moying gritted his teeth and guessed with difficulty, "She should be in the capital, or in a manor not far from the capital. Someone saw someone who looked like my cousin before."
As for my sister's affairs, the truth has to be told by her herself, otherwise we can only guess that she left in a hurry that day.
"Cousin, could it be that my sister... My cousin got some bad news and had to leave, and she ran away in a hurry. It's impossible for her to elope with someone. She is just a child." Qu Moying added a few more sentences, using the investigation of the case to track down his sister's whereabouts.
Without Ji Youran, nothing serious would happen if Yan Yue came back.
Madam Duan is still here, the Ling Anbo Mansion is still here, and she is still here, and can protect her sister.
Yue Wenhan was shocked: "Do you think cousin Ji didn't leave?"
Qu Moying shook his head: "As long as it's not about eloping, what else do you think can make my cousin go there and never look back? Just give up everything in the mansion?"
"The Ministry of Justice has been holding a case. If cousin Ji knew about it, why didn't she go to the government office to close the case?" Yue Wenhan asked puzzledly, half believing and half doubting.
"Maybe... there is another mystery, or maybe cousin doesn't think it's a good time to show up. Madam Ji... used to be the favorite concubine of the Eastern Palace. If this matter is related to her, how dare cousin Ji bump into her? My uncle is gone, and my cousin has also had an accident. My cousin is alone... She must be scared and panicked!"
Yue Wenhan was silent for a while after hearing this. After a long while, he nodded heavily: "Okay, I'll have someone look around to see if Cousin Ji is still around."
"Thank you, cousin!" Qu Moying said happily.
"Thank you so much, this is my job." Yue Wenhan sighed and said helplessly, "Do you still have those two Buddhist beads? Can I take them back and have a look?"