Chapter 102: No one has been there for a long time, but there are traces
"Oh, interesting." Yu Qiansi opened her mouth lightly, full of interest.
With so many pairs of eyes staring at her, how could the princess get to the Star Tower without being discovered?
Moreover, the door on the ninth floor has not been opened for years, but some people have seen the windows opening and closing.
Could it be that the princess really flew up and fell down again?
Boyi still rubbed his nose unconsciously.
Yu Qiansi asked: "But what's wrong?"
Boyi sighed in anger and whispered: "The smells are all gathered together around this curtain, and the smell of blood is particularly strong."
After falling from such a height, there must be damage to the internal organs, and naturally the smell of blood will be stronger.
Yu Qiansi arranged the corpse's clothing, and Deming ordered people to remove the curtains.
Boyi stood up and breathed a long sigh of relief.
"I finally feel better. The fishy smell just now and the smell of osmanthus hair oil... came together and stung my eyes."
Yu Anning on the side was shuddered when she heard this and stared at Boyi in disbelief.
"Brother Boyi, your nose... is so sharp...?"
Boyi shrugged, noncommittal.
After the words came out of her mouth, she suddenly recalled that when he was in Fengtingyuan, he also smelled a strange smell all of a sudden, and then found a clue to find the murderer. So she said no more.
Yu Qiansi wiped her hands with a towel and looked to the side at the maids serving the princess who had just been gathered here.
"What did the princess like to do in the past?"
Those people hesitated and refused to speak clearly.
Yu Anning couldn't see it and said, "I know you don't dare to say it!"
"Don't think that I don't know this because I don't go to Lin'an often! You treat her badly on weekdays, and you can't even describe it as 'laissez-faire'! A princess has to do everything by herself except for three meals a day, food and clothing!"
You can’t even tell when she went to the Imperial Garden! If you had gone to look for the princess earlier today, this wouldn’t have happened!”
Those maids were used to bullying their masters and fearing those who were strong. When they encountered someone as domineering as Yu Anning, they softened a bit.
Now that something big has happened and the saint is here, he is even more scared, for fear that he will be implicated and even be wronged.
"The slaves are not lazy and neglecting the master. It's really because the princess doesn't allow me to serve him closely! The princess said that she is used to being alone and doesn't like people around her, so we are not allowed to disturb her except for three meals a day.
she."
A princess of a country has such a withdrawn temperament?
Yu Anning's eyes were red and she choked with sobs: "That's not because she suffered too much when she was a child..."
Jiang Jiqing looked at Boyi, only to see him standing straight with his eyes lowered, his dark eyes as lonely as the night outside the lamp.
"Sister Lin'an did suffer a lot when she was young... It's all my fault. If I had paid more attention to her..."
Princess Lin'an was not of high birth, and her biological mother was originally a low-ranking maid in the Shouan Palace where the concubines lived.
He was born accidentally after the late emperor was drunk.
Because her biological mother was in Shou'an Palace, she met the late emperor by chance and was despised by the nobles in the palace.
It was Empress Mingde who felt pity for the child in her belly, so she begged the late emperor to grant her a title.
In the palace, it is customary for the master to look down on him and look down upon him. Sometimes, a master who is down and out is worse than a slave who is in power. Especially when a person with such a lowly status suddenly turns over and falls into the dust again, he is naturally the easiest to be targeted.
.
Although Queen Mingde is kind-hearted, she cannot always pay attention to the mother and daughter.
As a result, not only did the slaves bully them, but Lin'an's biological mother also harbored a grudge against her and beat and scolded her frequently.
She always thought that if she hadn't been pregnant, she could have continued to be a slave without being discovered, which would have been better than such a dilemma. But now that she was pregnant, if she could get a man in one fell swoop, she might not be like this now.
.
Until Lin'an was five years old, no one cared about her. A woman with royal blood lived like an ant in the palace.
Even, it has no name and has not been included in the jade plate.
Her biological mother gave her nicknames, calling her "depressed ghost!" and "unlucky!"
The few warmth in childhood came from Jiang Jiqing when he was young and Yu Anning who accidentally entered the palace.
But the kindness of those in high positions will always be like a small cloud occasionally drifting from the depths of the desert, which can neither block the sun nor bring down the sweet rain.
This situation lasted until Jiang Jiqing succeeded to the throne ten years ago, and things got better.
Yu Anning looked across the corpse and pointed angrily at the officials opposite who were hanging their heads in silence.
"You all say that she is a princess, with a respected status, and she should serve the country and the people. But she has never received preferential treatment because of her status! Now that she is needed, I remember that there is such a person, and I don't want to let her go...
...You guys really..."
Her green and satin-like fingers trembled slightly, but I couldn't think of a word to describe them.
This episode of the past was enough to make those who heard it cry, but Yu Qiansi was not too moved. All his thoughts were related to today's seemingly simple but very strange case.
No wonder she has thin calluses on her hands.
"Where is the key to the ninth floor of the Star Building?" She had a hunch that all the answers to today's mysteries were hidden there.
Ma Jian said: "Hang it on the wall of the Qianniuwei barracks."
When Yaoguang heard this, a young eunuch led the way to get it.
Soon after, the two returned, and Yaoguang handed over the key and said: "Sir, this key is hanging on the wall of the barracks, but perhaps because it is not commonly used, the location is not conspicuous."
In other words, if someone wants to, anyone can take it away without being discovered?
"Ma Jian, take everyone in your team and follow me upstairs."
After giving the instructions, she looked at Yu Anning, who looked a little strange today, and pondered for a long time.
"Your Majesty, it's getting late, why don't you go back to the palace earlier. Princess, you——"
"——I won't leave!" Yu Anning's answer was expected.
"An Ning is worried about Lin'an, so let her stay here. All matters related to this case will be handed over to Lord Yu. I will return to the palace first."
After that, he drove away, leaving only Deming to take care of him.
Those officials seemed to have received amnesty. Seeing that Yu Qiansi relaxed, they also left one by one.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! "Are you going to let them go?" Suifeng muttered. They should just stand here and enjoy the night breeze.
Seeing the person walking away, Yu Qiansi whispered: "Nonsense, they are here to dictate, how can I investigate the case?"
Sui Feng took a deep breath and figured out some of Yu Qian Si's meaning. She quickly closed her mouth and said no more.
Yu Qiansi ordered: "You two stay here, Boyi and I will take them upstairs."
The group of people walked through the bronze door and went upstairs.
Yu Qiansi told them to reset according to their positions on duty today and report the time of arrival.
After walking around to the seventh floor, except for her and Boyi, only three people were left.
Only after taking a trip myself did I understand the key to this.
The Star Reaching Tower is wider at the bottom and narrower at the top. Therefore, the number of guards on each floor is also decreasing.
There were two people on the seventh floor, and there was only one person on the eighth floor, Ma Jian.
In this way, there will be people guarding every corner, and there will be no blind spots. It is indeed impossible for the princess to sneak up quietly in this situation.
They went up to the eighth floor with Ma Jian. This floor was only big enough for three people to sit side by side. Since there were no stairs blocking the way to the ninth floor, the view was wide and clear.
As soon as I went upstairs, a breeze with the uniqueness of the dark night passed through the building.
The wind comes from the only two windows on this floor. One faces the outside of the palace, reflecting the lights of thousands of houses in the capital. The other faces the inner palace, showing a dark background.
The sage likes to be quiet and frugal, and does not like the constant light in the palace.
If the candlelight is too bright, the emptiness of the Daming Palace will become more apparent, and the darkness will become deeper.
She turned her head and looked in the direction outside the palace again. The lights of thousands of houses dotted the streets, which warmed her eyes to the atmosphere of the world.
Ma Jian motioned for them to look up: "The door above the head is the only entrance and exit to the ninth floor. After opening the door, a rope ladder will fall down."
After the fire ten years ago, the palace ordered the nine floors to be closed, so they did not bother to repair the stairs. They only hung a length of soft rope in case of emergency.
Yu Qiansi looked back, but the sparks were still spreading in her eyes.
Whether it's the top door or the keyhole, it looks like no one has touched it for a long time.
Boyi, who was the tallest, stood up on tiptoes and stretched out his arms, reached the lock, fumbled twice, and with a "click" the lock was opened.
After taking off the lock, the two doors slowly dropped, letting out the usual long sigh of wooden doors that have been in disrepair.
Very harsh.
Then, the ladder slid down, bringing with it a cloud of dust.
The voice from downstairs came clearly, with some curiosity: "Master Yu, are you okay?"
The noise of opening the door was so loud that it could be heard clearly on the sixth floor, let alone the seventh floor. Although Ma Jian was the only one here at the time, it was absolutely impossible to open the door quietly without the people downstairs noticing.
.
The dust settles slightly.
Seeing Yu Qiansi about to climb the ladder, Boyi stopped her: "I'd better come first."
Ma Jian kindly reminded: "Two adults, be careful. The ninth floor will be smaller, and the upper part is in disrepair. You must be careful where you step."
Boyi climbed up the ladder. As he moved, more dust fell.
As soon as I stood on the ninth floor, I heard the "creaking" sound of friction on the floor.
It really deserves the words "in disrepair".
He lit the fire fold and looked around. After seeing the marks on the floor, he bowed his head and said to Yu Qiansi: "You'd better come up and have a look."
Ma Jian held the lower end of the ladder while Yu Qiansi climbed up.
The ninth floor is indeed very small. In the dark room, there is only a flash of fire, which flickers on and off according to Boyi's movements.
"Look at this." Boyi motioned her not to move and pointed to the ground.
The two squatted on the spot, almost head to head.
There is a series of very clear reflections, heading towards a window.
Ma Jian also climbed up at this time, making the ninth floor even more cramped.
Seeing the reflection, I was shocked: "This...how is this possible?!"
He was a little panicked, but he also understood the importance and walked quickly to the window, avoiding the footprints.
Boyi also followed.
The floorboards creaked again.
Two martial arts practitioners were standing by the window at the same time. Boyi immediately felt his feet sinking and immediately signaled Yu Qiansi: "Don't come here, it's really unstable here."
Although the window was not locked, it was fastened by the bolt from the inside. Ma Jian looked horrified, glanced at Boyi, pulled out the bolt and looked outside, his whole head hanging in the air.
Then he was shocked and froze on the spot.
Downstairs, there was a cluster of candles surrounding the princess' body.
He looked away with a pale face and stood there, in disbelief.
Boyi pushed him away and looked out. The night breeze was light, and something was half stuck under the window, swaying in the wind.
He stretched out his arm, reached it, and handed it to Yu Qiansi.
Judging from the pattern and shape, it is the small piece of clothing that the princess is missing.