Chapter 50

Qin Jiyang, the esteemed Prince, what is he doing here at the morgue so late at night?

He shouldn’t be coming inside the morgue, right?

Gu Qiancheng still hoped that even if Qin Jiyang came, he wouldn’t enter the morgue. However, her hope was soon shattered when she heard Qin Jiyang say, "Open the door, this Prince is going to the morgue."

"Morgue? Your Highness, it’s so late, what do you need? I’ll handle it for you." The two guards were scared to death, and Qin Jiyang’s eunuch and guards also tried to dissuade him, but Qin Jiyang insisted on going in personally and didn’t reveal his reasons to anyone.

"This, this..." The guard’s face turned pale, and Uncle Gu, hiding in the shadows, was also drenched in cold sweat. As the head of the Ministry of Punishments, he knew Qin Jiyang very well.

Qin Jiyang was a man of his word, decisive and fair. If they were to fall into his hands, both he and Qiancheng would likely face severe punishment.

Uncle Gu couldn’t stop trembling, wishing he could rush forward to stop Qin Jiyang, but if he did, he wouldn’t be able to prevent the Prince from entering the morgue and would only raise suspicion.

"Qiancheng, you must hide well, don’t let His Highness find you." Uncle Gu silently prayed, and the two guards also hoped that Gu Qiancheng would be smart enough not to let the Prince discover her presence.

If the Prince came to the morgue at midnight, he wouldn’t stay long. They just needed to get through this. Otherwise, if the Prince found out they had let a suspect’s relative in to examine the body, they would all be in deep trouble...

The two guards carefully escorted the Prince to the door, and seeing no light inside, they both breathed a sigh of relief: the girl was smart enough, and now they only hoped she would be even smarter.

What the two guards didn’t know was that Qin Jiyang hadn’t thought much of it at first, but their nervous behavior made him realize something was amiss in the morgue. Qin Jiyang immediately became alert, took the lantern, and ordered the two guards to step back: "Step back."

"Your Highness..." The two guards, already nervous, almost jumped at the sound of Qin Jiyang’s voice.

"Didn’t you hear this Prince?" Qin Jiyang thought about the case that had made no progress recently, his brows furrowing. His three royal uncles wouldn’t resort to such despicable means, would they?

With this suspicion, Qin Jiyang, along with two guards, approached the morgue. The overwhelming stench of decay hit them, not just Qin Jiyang but even his guards couldn’t help but wrinkle their noses.

What a hellish place!

Fortunately, the bodies were all covered with white cloth; otherwise, seeing their grotesque and stiff forms would likely keep them awake for days.

Upon entering, Qin Jiyang didn’t rush to do his own business but began to search for anything unusual in the morgue.

The morgue was eerily quiet, with only Qin Jiyang and the two guards present, and the stiff bodies lying on the wooden slabs. There was no place to hide, but...

Qin Jiyang detected a smell of candles in the room. The smell hadn’t dissipated, indicating that someone had been there recently, and might still be there.

But where could someone hide in this place?

Qin Jiyang gestured for the guards to raise the lantern, illuminating the entire morgue.

Row after row of bodies lay still on the wooden slabs, showing no signs of anything unusual, except...

The seventh row, fifth position, and the eighth row, third position, which Qin Jiyang remembered were empty when he left, now had bodies.

As far as he knew, only the body of Lin Yuan, the son of Xianqi Marquis, was brought in today. So who was the other one?

"Go and check there." Qin Jiyang gestured for the guard to approach. The guard, unsure of the reason, hesitated for a moment before cautiously moving forward with the lantern.

"Your Highness, it’s a male body." The guard, mustering his courage, moved closer to the seventh row, fifth position, and saw a body with a bluish complexion. He quickly covered it with the white cloth.

"Check the eighth row, third position." Qin Jiyang pointed to another spot. The guard, though afraid, dared not disobey the Prince’s order. He forced himself to approach, quickly pulled back the white cloth, and glanced at the body: "Your Highness, it’s a female body."

The white cloth was quickly replaced, but the brief glimpse was enough for Qin Jiyang to recognize...

Gu Qiancheng?

What was she doing here?

Dead?

Qin Jiyang firmly shook his head. That woman was cunning, resourceful, and ruthless. Who could kill her?

If she wasn’t dead, why was she here?

A hint of doubt flashed in Qin Jiyang’s eyes as he gestured for the guards to leave...

He wanted to see what trick Gu Qiancheng was up to.

"Your Highness?" The guard called out worriedly. This wasn’t like any other place; if anything happened to the Prince here, they would be in deep trouble.

"Leave and close the door..." Qin Jiyang repeated, his voice tinged with impatience. The guard, knowing the Prince’s temper, didn’t dare to say more and reluctantly left.

The door closed with a click, blocking the wind outside. With two fewer lanterns, the morgue became even darker, but Qin Jiyang was not afraid.

Gu Qiancheng lay stiffly on the wooden slab, her body tense, her face flushed from holding her breath. Hearing the footsteps approaching, she had a bad feeling...

Soon, her premonition came true. Qin Jiyang walked over and stood beside her, motionless...

Damn it, what are you up to?

Gu Qiancheng was extremely frustrated. This man standing there, not moving, was trying to kill her, making her even afraid to breathe.

One minute, two minutes... Gu Qiancheng couldn’t hold it any longer and took a breath...

Her heart fluttered, and though it was just for a moment, it was enough for Qin Jiyang.

He knew it, Gu Qiancheng couldn’t just die like that.

A glint of joy, even to himself, flashed in Qin Jiyang’s eyes as he pulled back the white cloth covering Gu Qiancheng: "Gu Qiancheng, stop pretending!"

She knew she couldn’t escape!

Opening her eyes, she met Qin Jiyang’s cold gaze and exhaled forcefully, sitting up.

The narrow aisle between the rows of bodies was only wide enough for two people. With Gu Qiancheng standing, the space felt even smaller. When Qin Jiyang inhaled, he could smell the... ginger scent from Gu Qiancheng!

This smell, usually unpleasant, was particularly refreshing in the morgue, making Qin Jiyang reluctant to leave.

Qin Jiyang looked down at the woman before him: "Gu Qiancheng, why are you here?" Coming to the morgue in the middle of the night and daring to lie on a slab for the dead, how much courage did Gu Qiancheng have?

"I said I came to investigate, will Your Highness believe me?" Gu Qiancheng, still holding a piece of ginger in her mouth, spoke with a slight lisp, her cheeks puffed out, giving her a somewhat cute appearance.

Pfft... Qin Jiyang quickly shook off this thought. He must be blind to think this woman was cute.

"Believe you? I’ll believe it when pigs fly." Qin Jiyang said irritably...