Chapter 30
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Chapter 30:
The deceased was named Lai Wu, a junior eunuch who didn’t talk much in the group.
[Linglang](Maid), "Where are you right now? Are you in danger? Send me your location and I will come find you right away."
[Pebble](Eunuch), "I can come over to your side too."
[Ying Rui](Maid), "I am in the Peaceful Heart Courtyard, so scary, really scary… that person died so tragically, like being cut in half…"
[Gu Cai](Merchant), "Cut in the waist?"
[Ying Rui](Maid), "No, it’s like being cut vertically in half, the left side and the right side of the body completely separated."
[Cheng Yingchu](Prostitute), "It’s different from the last death, do you have any photos?"
[Ying Rui](Maid), "No, I was too scared to look closely, but a clue stood out."
(Picture)
[There were a set of triplets, they all slept together from a young age. One day, the eldest suddenly died, then the second one killed the third, why did this happen?]
Cheng Yingchu (prostitute), "Triplets? It seems like the previous clue doesn’t point to the same one…"
Wang Ruyu (Miss Wang from the Wang family), "One’s not solved yet, and another one pops up."
Zang Bing (Miss Zang from the Zang family), "Does that mean the number of murderers has increased?"
A’ping (beggar), "I feel familiar with this set of triplets."
Ji He (Fifth young master from the Ji family), "It’s turtle soup! I played with friends before, the base is: triplets look exactly the same, have a good relationship, do everything together, even sleep together. The second sibling is mentally ill. After the eldest brother died, the second sibling cut the third sibling in half. The left side sleeps with the right half of the third sibling’s body, and vice versa. This way, it looks like the eldest brother didn’t die."
Qi Leyuan frowned as he looked at it, then turned around and typed, asking, "Lady Chun, is this also a Sub-dungeon?"
Li Chunzhou absentmindedly responded, as if not caring much about this Sub-dungeon, just asking, "Li Li, do you know who around the Emperor is influencing him?"
Qi Leyuan scrolled down again, honestly replying, "It seems to be Jian Hou, he’s from the Astronomical Bureau, probably the one who can influence the Emperor’s thoughts. There’s also a player who’s a concubine, but she says her status is very low and hardly sees the Emperor."
[However, Qi Leyuan discreetly moved away a bit, fearing that Li Chunzhou’s anger would be directed at him, "Second Prince didn’t show up today, are you being stood up…?"]
After reading Li Chunzhou’s words, he smiled, touched his chin calmly, and said, "No."
Qi Leyuan forgot about the window, outside the small courtyard was a pitch-black darkness, but inside the Spring Flowers Tower, everything seemed lively. Guests recited a few poetic lines with elegance, blending in with the laughter of the girls and the gentle breeze of the fan, floating in the air.
Qi Leyuan discreetly said, "It’s already so late…"
He didn’t finish the second half of the sentence, but both of them understood he meant: Second Prince probably wouldn’t come.
Although Li Chunzhou usually appeared submissive to others, she was actually a very controlling person, but her way of controlling others was different from the rest.
Li Chunzhou raised her eyes to look at Qi Leyuan, sighed, and said, "Li Li, do you think I can only wait helplessly for others to remember me, and then come to see me?"
Seeing Qi Leyuan’s puzzled look, Li Chunzhou smiled again and whispered, "You underestimate me too much. How can something obtained through waiting compare to something seized by oneself?"
She put down her embroidered fan, stood up slowly, rolled up her sleeves, hugged a ceramic vase on the table, and suddenly threw it with force to the ground.
Chihong, who was guarding outside, heard the noise and walked in. Li Chunzhou waved to her, indicating that she didn’t need to worry. Then she picked up a shard and pressed it against her neck, speaking towards the window in a moderate voice, "I know your master must have people watching me. Come out quickly, or I’ll use this shard. Think of how you will explain to Second Prince!"
Just as Li Chunzhou finished speaking, a Dark Guard in a black cloak appeared. His face was partly hidden by a silver mask, making it hard to see his features. He knelt in front of Li Chunzhou.
Qi Leyuan’s emotions were like a rollercoaster as he stared at Li Chunzhou, looking surprised.
Seeing that she had achieved her goal, Li Chunzhou’s voice softened, but her eyes still held a fierceness. She smiled and said, "Go back and tell your master that if I don’t see him at Spring Flowers Tower tonight, he can find me at Qinming River outside the city walls… I will do as I promised."
"Miss, please don’t act rashly. I will go now," the Dark Guard said, feeling nervous. Without much persuasion, he quickly climbed out of the window to deliver the message to the Second Prince’s residence.
Li Chunzhou tossed aside the ceramic shards and gave Qi Leyuan a small, smug smile, showing a bit of pride and mischief without being annoying.
While she talked about risking her life for Liang Changfeng, in reality, it was just talk. She couldn’t bear to die for the Second Prince. Li Chunzhou knew the Second Prince enjoyed seeing her act like she couldn’t survive without him, so by causing a scene, she was sure to get his attention.
Li Chunzhou was not the type to keep her grievances to herself. After so many times, her temper hadn’t improved much. She couldn’t just sit around and wait for others to ignore her.
Despite the huge gap in status between her and the Second Prince, he could see her anytime he wanted, while Li Chunzhou had no right to see him whenever she wished. So, she had to be clever in her approach.
Li Chunzhou was skilled at using a submissive posture to control others. People’s emotions towards her were like reins in her hands.
Before Liang Changfeng arrived, Li Chunzhou rummaged through a deep drawer and found his unused carving knife and wood. In less than half an hour, he carved a round chubby bird.
Qi Leyuan happily approached and asked, "Is this me?"
Li Chunzhou coldly shook his head.
Suddenly, there was a rustling sound at the door, and Li Zhexuan came back.
Li Chunzhou looked up at him and waved for Li Zhexuan to come over.
Li Zhexuan hesitated at the door, like a child who had secretly played in the mud and dirtied his clothes, afraid to go home. Seeing no signs of anger from Li Chunzhou, he happily approached her cautiously.
Li Chunzhou twisted his face, looked carefully, and confidently said, "A’xuan went out to steal food!"
No matter how much taller he was than Li Chunzhou, when Li Zhexuan hugged her, he would lean his head on Li Chunzhou’s shoulder, habitually presenting a submissive, affectionate posture. He didn’t realize that his tall figure doing such actions looked out of place. Li Zhexuan slowly explained for himself, "So hungry…fragrant…couldn’t resist…went to eat."
Qi Leyuan lost focus for a moment, suddenly remembering that he had not paid attention to Li Zhexuan for more than a day. He wanted to ask Li Chunzhou about what Li Zhexuan had been up to, but seeing the current situation, Qi Leyuan keenly realized that it might not be the best time.
Li Chunzhou looked into Li Zhexuan’s eyes, feeling a little scared. She watched him as if she was looking at something that belonged to her, or would belong to her eventually. He was there, within her reach easily.
Li Chunzhou’s gaze at Li Zhexuan couldn’t even be called possessive, but rather a kind of… natural.
Qi Leyuan then turned to look at Li Zhexuan’s face, finding him unaware, like a prey caught by a python, unaware of death slowly closing in. Li Zhexuan’s gaze towards Li Chunzhou was equally strange, admiring, greedy, obsessed, a mix of many pure emotions entwined, suffocating if looked at for too long.
They were like two intertwined vines, inseparable, intertwined with each other, impossible to completely separate.
"Good child, have you eaten well today?" Li Chunzhou stroked Li Zhexuan’s hair as if petting a fluffy bear.
Li Zhexuan took out a pile of gold and silver jewelry from his pocket, along with various jade ornaments, a big heap, pushing it towards Li Chunzhou on the table, then innocently smiled at her, with a hint of trying to please and test.
He didn’t know what these things represented, more like a curious attempt after learning the rules, similar to a child’s exploration.
Li Zhexuan had seen Mi Hongbao give such things to Li Chunzhou before, which made her smile. So, Li Zhexuan had stolen many of these things from the palace to give to Li Chunzhou.
Li Chunzhou leisurely played with the jewelry for a while, then casually tossed everything into a box without much care.
She actually wasn’t very obsessed with money and possessions, she was just pretending for Mi Hongbao’s sake.
Li Zhexuan carefully watched her expression, and when he saw that Li Chunzhou really didn’t care anymore, she dropped her head in disappointment.
***
Half an hour later, Liang Changfeng indeed arrived, but Li Chunzhou turned her head away and showed that she didn’t want to talk to him.
Liang Changfeng had never been treated coldly by Li Chunzhou before. Unlike the Crown Prince who was busy with his royal duties, Liang Changfeng had free time every day and was patient enough to play along when she acted stubborn.
He lazily leaned against the door, playfully watching Li Chunzhou for a while before teasing, "Since Lady Chun doesn’t feel like talking to anyone today, should I leave, my lady?"
Li Chunzhou ignored him, and the Second Prince raised an eyebrow before calmly walking out of the room.
Just after taking a few steps, he heard hurried footsteps from inside the room, "pat pat" on the ground. Although Liang Changfeng kept walking, his pace slowed down.
Li Chunzhou ran out wearing wooden clogs and jumped into Liang Changfeng’s arms, clinging to him like a little monkey.
Liang Changfeng knew he used to favor her, and among the people around him, no one could compare to her status. That’s why Li Chunzhou never thought about the possibility of falling out of favor. This time, she was being so clingy probably because she heard about the incident of a skinny horse arriving at his mansion.
Holding the soft and fragrant body in his arms, a smile appeared at the corner of Liang Changfeng’s mouth. He affectionately kissed Li Chunzhou’s smooth black hair. She met him at a very young age and grew up under his care, naturally believing that she belonged to him.
Similarly, Liang Changfeng also believed that Li Chunzhou belonged to him. She liked to play around sometimes, which didn’t bother Liang Changfeng at all because he thought Li Chunzhou was young and that’s why she showed interest in other men. In the end, she would come back to him.
Liang Changfeng was not the kind of person who would give face to others, only Li Chunzhou could provoke a reaction from him. Seeing Li Chunzhou jealous made him feel a sense of pleasure. He lifted the person in his arms slightly and asked with a slightly raised corner of his mouth, "What’s bothering you now?"
Moonlight shone down, casting Li Chunzhou’s cheeks as soft as jade. She hugged Second Prince’s neck and said, "I’m not throwing a tantrum, I just miss Second Master."
The rest of her words were left unsaid, but her eyes were full of affection as she pursed her lips and blinked at Liang Changfeng.
It was like she was acting spoiled.
Liang Changfeng was delighted and didn’t care about formalities, holding her with one hand as they walked into the lively Spring Flowers Tower.
Many guests looked over enviously, unsure if they envied the beautiful woman in Second Prince’s arms or if they envied Li Chunzhou for catching the most prominent aristocrat in Daliang.
Li Chunzhou remembers clearly the first year she met Second Prince.
Back then, Li Chunzhou was sitting on Second Prince’s lap, watching people kneeling and bowing in front of them. Second Prince looked bored and was half-heartedly responding to their flattery.
After the experienced courtiers left, Second Prince hugged Li Chunzhou, feeling her cool and soft waist through the fabric. He propped his head on his hand and said to her, "Lady Chun, do you see? In this world… as long as you have power, you can make half of the people kneel before you. Give them what they want, and the other half will kneel too."
He seemed indifferent, with a hint of boredom and lack of interest in his eyes, "Most people in this world are fools."
"What about the other few?" Li Chunzhou asked, looking up at him.
Second Prince looked at her, took her delicate hand, and played with it gently, chuckling, "Those few won’t be found in the busy streets. Don’t worry about them, understand?"
He exuded a sense of laziness, a feeling of emptiness that comes after fulfilling all desires, like a kite flying high in the sky without a string.