Long before Zhen Shicheng arrived, Prince Xiang had repeatedly recalled that night’s events.
In the autumn of the 19th year of Jingming, on the night of Cui Mingyue’s grand wedding, she killed Zhu Ziyu and fled, only to fall into the hands of the men Prince Xiang had sent to keep watch. The foolish subordinate then brought her back to Prince Xiang’s residence.
Left with no choice but to kill and conceal the body, Prince Xiang had deliberately removed Cui Mingyue’s clothes, shoes, socks, purse, and jewelry, leaving her in only her undergarments before disposing of her in the abandoned well.
So much time had passed that it was difficult to determine whether there had been any oversights. Even after repeatedly recalling the events, he couldn’t help but feel uneasy.
Now, thankfully, Zhen Shicheng’s men hadn’t discovered anything.
As Prince Xiang pondered this, the color gradually returned to his face.
What did it matter if a skeleton was found in an abandoned well on the prince’s estate? No one could prove he was the killer. Even in the worst-case scenario, if it were somehow linked to him, what great consequence could there be for a prince accidentally killing a maid? Even if the Emperor found out, he would be angry at most.
Prince Xiang’s thin lips curled slightly as he grew increasingly composed.
“No discoveries?” Zhen Shicheng stepped forward, crouching down to examine the bones on the ground, even using a handkerchief to gently touch them.
This action caused the observing princes to turn pale, struggling to suppress their nausea.
Prince Lu, recalling his earlier panic upon falling into the well, glanced at Yu Jin as he observed Zhen Shicheng’s careful examination.
How terrifying Lord Zhen was—he wondered how the Seventh Prince had managed to work under him before.
Then he saw an eager expression on Yu Jin’s face.
Prince Lu was momentarily stunned and quietly averted his gaze.
“Has Lord Zhen made any discoveries?” Now composed, Prince Xiang took the initiative to ask.
If Zhen had found nothing, he could use his princely status to dismiss him.
Zhen Shicheng straightened up but didn’t directly answer Prince Xiang’s question. Instead, he asked, “Have any women gone missing from the prince’s residence in the past three years?”
He knew all too well that if he said he had found nothing, someone of Prince Xiang’s high status would immediately have reason to send him away.
Ignoring questions that were difficult to answer and asking what he wanted to know was the proper approach.
Prince Xiang indeed followed Zhen Shicheng’s line of thought: “This prince is not certain.”
“Not certain?” Zhen Shicheng stroked his beard.
He had forgotten to groom his beard this morning, and one part seemed tangled.
“Lord Zhen should know that this prince is not yet married. The household affairs, including personnel matters, are all handled by the steward…”
“In that case, please summon the prince’s steward,” Zhen Shicheng calmly requested.
Prince Xiang cooperated fully, immediately ordering a servant to call for the steward.
The servant had barely left when he pushed back through the crowd of onlookers, accompanied by a man in his forties with a goatee—the steward of Prince Xiang’s residence.
Needless to say, the steward had already been standing among the spectators.
“Your Highness—” The steward bowed to Prince Xiang.
Faced with a member of his household, Prince Xiang’s attitude grew colder and more arrogant. He asked indifferently, “You heard Lord Zhen’s words, didn’t you?”
“This humble servant did.”
“Then answer Lord Zhen’s questions properly.” Prince Xiang’s reminder was filled with deeper meaning.
The steward’s heart skipped a beat as he quickly replied, “Please rest assured, Your Highness.”
Prince Xiang turned to Zhen Shicheng and nodded slightly: “Lord Zhen, please ask your questions.”
Zhen Shicheng looked the steward over for a few moments before repeating his earlier question.
The steward hesitated for a moment before saying, “There are many people in the prince’s residence. To speak of maids who have gone missing in the past three years, I cannot say for certain at the moment. I would need to check the registers.”
Zhen Shicheng stroked his beard and reminded him, “Not limited to maids.”
“This—” The steward couldn’t help but glance at Prince Xiang.
Prince Xiang spoke seriously, “Lord Zhen, this prince has only four personal maids. Apart from them, all young women in the residence are ordinary servants.”
“So you’re saying there are no women of high status in the prince’s residence?”
Prince Xiang nodded.
“In that case, steward, just report on any missing women.”
The steward bowed and hurried off to check the registers.
With no immediate results, Zhen Shicheng instructed the yamen runners to continue searching the well for clues, turning his attention to Erniu.
“I hear that Prince Lu’s arrival here was thanks to General Xiaotian?”
Prince Lu rolled his eyes upon hearing this.
So he should be thankful to Erniu for falling into the well?
Yu Jin answered on Erniu’s behalf: “That’s correct.”
Zhen Shicheng walked up to Erniu, cupped his hands in respect, and said very politely, “If that’s the case, I trouble General Xiaotian to help this official search once more.”
His solemnity surprised the onlookers.
Did Lord Zhen truly believe Erniu had some mystical powers?