Chapter 65

With his whereabouts known, Qin Jiyi's plan to take Gu Qiancheng to the crime scene naturally fell through. He couldn't possibly expose what he was doing privately while knowing he was being followed.

Qin Jiyi, the eldest imperial grandson, didn't have an easy life. The emperor's favor was a double-edged sword; while it protected Qin Jiyi, it also brought him fatal danger. When such an incident occurred, Qin Jiyi naturally had to handle it.

Gu Qiancheng wasn't a naive girl with only a sense of justice. She wouldn't make demands that would put Qin Jiyi in a difficult position. Even if she did, Qin Jiyi wouldn't pay attention to her; she wasn't anyone special to him.

Moreover, having grown up in a world with a well-established legal system, she needed time to digest the order Qin Jiyi had just given. The ability to take a life with a single command and without any legal consequences was clear to Gu Qiancheng. In this world, imperial power was supreme, and the emperor could do anything. However, knowing and witnessing it firsthand were different. She needed time to process her feelings...

Qin Jiyi left hurriedly with his subordinates, while Gu Qiancheng sat quietly in the room, pondering the philosophy of survival.

She couldn't change the existing rules of this world. If she wanted to survive, could she have any other choice besides compliance?

While Gu Qiancheng was contemplating life and Qin Jiyi was retaliating, the masters behind the dead men also received the news...

"That old man really did give the best to that little brat." In the palace, a woman dressed in luxurious attire, with a twisted expression, picked up a jade pillow and smashed it to pieces.

The next day, a young palace maid was executed for accidentally breaking the jade pillow that had been bestowed by the emperor.

In a lavish mansion in the capital, an older prince, upon hearing the news, smiled bitterly. He then ordered his subordinates to clean up their tracks, leaving clues that pointed to two other people...

Apart from these two places, someone at the Donglin Academy was also awake. That person was Jing Yan.

Qin Jiyi wasn't a spoiled, idle aristocrat pampered by the emperor. He was even more difficult to deal with than Jing Yan had imagined...

When Jing Yan received the news, dawn had already broken. The bodies had already been hung on the city walls. Jing Yan stood on the roof, gazing in the direction of the city walls until he heard someone getting up, then he returned to his room.

Gu Qiancheng didn't sleep all night. When the maids came in to serve her in the morning, they clearly saw that Gu Qiancheng's face was off. They wanted to show their loyalty and say a few kind words.

However, when they saw a wooden box on the table that didn't belong to the Gu family, the maids completely forgot about it and stared at the box intently.

"Miss..."

"Remember, you saw nothing." Gu Qiancheng stood up and glanced at the maids.

"Your servant understands." The maid's face turned pale, and she knelt down with a thud. Gu Qiancheng walked past them and opened the box.

The ice in the box had mostly melted, leaving only a small piece. Gu Qiancheng poured out the water, and with a thud, a small box rolled out.

"What is this?" As soon as Gu Qiancheng opened it, she smelled a faint medicinal fragrance. Without needing anyone to explain, she knew this ointment was not ordinary.

It made sense; how could something used by the eldest imperial grandson be anything but the best?

"Put the box away." Gu Qiancheng held the ointment in her hand. The smooth, round box didn't hurt her hand, and the more tightly she held it, the hotter it became...

Gu Qiancheng acted as if nothing had happened, getting ready as usual. However, the maids couldn't remain as calm as she was. They nervously tidied up the room, not daring to move without Gu Qiancheng's orders.

Miss Gu wasn't as simple as they thought. They were truly afraid of knowing too much and being silenced.

Gu Qiancheng didn't take the maids seriously at all. She wasn't afraid of the Gu family knowing that Qin Jiyi had visited her last night.

Opening the ointment, Gu Qiancheng took out a small piece the size of a fingernail and applied it to her face in front of the bronze mirror...

The ointment was smooth and felt cool and refreshing on her skin. Gu Qiancheng estimated that her facial injuries would heal completely in no more than three days.

After breakfast, Uncle Gu and Third Lady came to see Gu Qiancheng. Today was the day the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Punishments would publicly hear the case of Gu Chengyi.

They inquired about Gu Qiancheng's injuries, and Uncle Gu asked if she wanted to attend the hearing.

Gu Qiancheng hesitated for a moment and declined: "Uncle, it's the same if you come back and tell me the result." Her face was still visibly injured, and being recognized would be embarrassing.

Although Uncle Gu hoped Gu Qiancheng would go, he understood her concerns and didn't force her. Third Lady, however, was very anxious and said, "Qiancheng, if you don't go, what if the Ministry of Punishments decides the case today?"

"Third Aunt, even if I go, I can't stop the Ministry of Punishments from making a decision." Third Lady was worried, and although Gu Qiancheng was annoyed, she didn't show it.

"But..." Third Lady tried to persuade her, but Gu Qiancheng interrupted, "No buts. Third Aunt, no one can interfere with the Ministry of Punishments' decision. Disrupting the court is illegal."

If she went, she could only listen. Even if she thought the judgment was unreasonable, she couldn't challenge the Ministry of Punishments and the Ministry of Justice in public, which would make the government lose face.

Third Lady's face turned pale, and she wanted to explain but was pulled back by Uncle Gu: "Qiancheng, your third aunt is just worried about Chengyi. Don't take it to heart."

Third Lady was usually very clear-headed and rational, but this time, the matter involved her son's life and future, so she lost her composure.

"I understand. It's getting late, Uncle, go quickly." Gu Qiancheng really didn't take it to heart. Among the peculiar people in the Gu family, Uncle and Third Aunt were already quite normal.

Although Gu Qiancheng was waiting for news at home, she wasn't idle. She had collected two bloodstains from the scene. Of course, she wasn't going to test the blood samples; the equipment of the time couldn't do that.

Gu Qiancheng carefully extracted the bloodstains and drew their shapes on paper...

Blood, when dropped with different force, forms different shapes. These two drops had smooth edges, which didn't match the violent impact of a sudden splash.

Gu Qiancheng planned to use the shape of the bloodstains to add a piece of evidence for Gu Chengyi, which would help Qin Jiyi overturn the case...

Meanwhile, Qin Jiyi, whom Gu Qiancheng was thinking about, wasn't investigating the case. Instead, he was being scolded by the emperor in the imperial study.

"Jiyi, you were too reckless. Do you know how bad the impact of your actions last night was? The people of the capital thought someone was attacking the city." The emperor was no longer young, with age spots on his face, but he still looked spirited.

"Grandfather, I know I was wrong. Please punish me." Qin Jiyi had a very good attitude in admitting his mistake.

However, both the emperor and Qin Jiyi knew that although Qin Jiyi admitted his mistake, he wouldn't repent. If given another chance, he would do the same.

Everyone has a temper, and Qin Jiyi, who had been pampered by the emperor, was never a person without a temper.

The emperor knew this well, which was why he was troubled. On one side was his son, and on the other was his grandson whom he had watched grow up. If they truly clashed, the emperor didn't want to see either of them get hurt, but...

Even as the emperor, he couldn't stop it.