Chapter 71 of 100

Chapter 71

15 min read3,693 words

It's not that Qin Jiyi didn't come to Gu Qiancheng for help, but rather that the case in his hands had hit a bottleneck.

This locked-room murder case had been ongoing for a year, with the last incident occurring a month ago, and the victim had been buried a few days earlier. If Qin Jiyi wanted Gu Qiancheng to perform an autopsy, he would first have to persuade the victim's family to agree to exhume the body.

Respect for the dead is paramount, and exhuming a body for an autopsy is a great disrespect to the deceased. Even someone like Qin Jiyi could not forcefully demand that the family agree to it.

The case was stuck here, with no body to examine and the crime scene long since destroyed. For the time being, Qin Jiyi had no use for Gu Qiancheng.

During this period, Qin Jiyi not only carefully reviewed the case files from beginning to end but also brought out a similar case from ten years ago.

Qin Jiyi compared the two cases in detail and found them astonishingly similar.

From the method of the crime, the time of the incident, to the selection of the victims, everything matched perfectly, as if the current case was a repetition of the one from ten years ago.

"Is it the same person, or is someone imitating the case from ten years ago?" Qin Jiyi noted down the details he had previously overlooked and compared every point of suspicion.

"The case from ten years ago resulted in thirteen deaths. If this is a repetition, does that mean two more people will die?" If the two cases were astonishingly similar, it would mean that the next incident would occur at a specific time...

Qin Jiyi quickly flipped through the case files. As soon as he saw this, he couldn't sit still. If the two cases were related, then the twelfth victim would appear today.

This thought had just flashed through Qin Jiyi's mind when a subordinate rushed in to report, "Your Highness, another person has died in a locked room."

The case was handled by the Six Ministries, and when a similar incident occurred, they reported it immediately.

"Indeed..." Qin Jiyi asked, "Was the victim a famous courtesan?" Knowing that this case was similar to the one from ten years ago, Qin Jiyi felt a sense of relief.

How did His Highness the Prince of Qin know?

The person who came to report was surprised and quickly lowered his head, hurriedly answering, "She was the top courtesan of Chunyi Tower, Mei."

"Secure the scene; I will be there shortly." At this point, Qin Jiyi was certain that this locked-room murder case was identical to the one from ten years ago. Even if it wasn't the same person, the perpetrator was imitating the previous case.

Qin Jiyi put away the case files, thought for a moment, and then sent someone to fetch Gu Qiancheng.

Gu Qiancheng was much more useful than a coroner or an official. With Gu Qiancheng, they might see things that others couldn't.

That morning, Gu Qiancheng had been punished by her grandmother again and was picking up prayer beans in the small prayer hall.

Kneeling in the enclosed, dark prayer hall and picking up beans the size of soybeans one by one was a very torturous task. The Gu family's ladies and young misses would change their expressions drastically at the mention of picking prayer beans, but Gu Qiancheng found it quite good.

Picking prayer beans could cultivate one's character and patience. Compared to standing as punishment, she preferred picking prayer beans, as long as she didn't have to kneel. Her legs couldn't take it if she knelt for too long!

When Qin Jiyi sent someone to fetch Gu Qiancheng, she was still in the small prayer hall picking up prayer beans. The servants searched for a long time but couldn't find her, which eventually alarmed the old master.

The old master personally inquired and, upon learning of Gu Qiancheng's whereabouts, led people to the back courtyard, disregarding the old lady's displeased face, and had someone bring Gu Qiancheng out.

"Who dares!" The old lady rushed over, her cane hitting the ground heavily, full of authority.

The old lady had a stubborn temper. The old master's grand gesture of coming to take someone was a slap in her face, and she would not allow such a thing to happen.

"Ignorant woman." The old master did not interfere in the back courtyard's affairs, but that didn't mean he couldn't command the servants. In the Gu family, the old master's word was final.

"Go and bring the young miss out." Ignoring the old lady's angry face, the old master ordered the servants to act.

"Who dares? What? I can't even punish my disobedient granddaughter?" The old lady rushed forward, blocking the servants' path, her face red with anger.

She usually didn't dare to challenge the old master, but today he had gone too far. If she backed down, she would lose her authority in front of her daughters-in-law.

"Disobedient granddaughter? Who are you calling disobedient? Qiancheng? Qiancheng has always been filial and obedient. How have I not seen her being disobedient?" The old master's eyes turned cold, and he looked at his wife with impatience.

He had never liked this wife, even when he was young. She was foolish, thinking herself clever when she was not. If it weren't for her good family background, he would never have married her.

"You, you, you... Are you trying to humiliate me?" The old lady was so angry she could hardly breathe, and her maidservant quickly came to help her calm down.

"I can't live anymore. A granddaughter can bully me like this, what's the point of living?" A woman's tactics were always the same: crying, making a scene, and threatening to hang herself. The old lady had used these tactics to control the old master for many years.

The old master couldn't stand unreasonable women. For minor matters, he would usually comply with the old lady, but not today. He had to bring Qiancheng out; the Prince of Qin's people had been waiting for a long time.

The old master ignored the old lady's tantrum, turned his sleeve, and led the servants to the small prayer hall.

The small prayer hall was behind the old lady's residence, small and dark. Fortunately, the weather was getting warmer; otherwise, her knees would have frozen after a day of kneeling.

When the old master entered, he saw Gu Qiancheng kneeling devoutly before the Buddha statue, picking up prayer beans one by one, completely unaffected by the outside world.

At such a young age, to be able to do this, even if it was an act, the old master had to praise her.

"Qiancheng." The old master stood at the door for a while, but Gu Qiancheng didn't move, so he had to speak up.

Although Gu Qiancheng was facing away from the old master, she had known he was there but didn't move. Hearing the old master call her, she put down the prayer beans and slowly stood up.

"Grandfather, why are you here?" Gu Qiancheng showed no resentment or dissatisfaction, as if she hadn't been kneeling and picking prayer beans in the small prayer hall every day recently.

She was truly a smart child, and the old master felt even more regret. Such a good child, if only she were a grandson, the Gu family would have an heir.

"Grandfather has something to discuss with you. Come with me..." The old master sighed inwardly and led Gu Qiancheng out.

When they came out, the old lady was no longer in the hall but had retreated to her room to avoid further embarrassment.

But the old lady wanted to hide, and Gu Qiancheng didn't agree. Before leaving, Gu Qiancheng specifically told the old lady's maidservant, "Sister Yuan, the prayer beans Grandmother asked me to pick are not finished. Could you please ask Grandmother to let me come back tomorrow? It's too dark in the small prayer hall at night, and my eyes hurt for a long time after I returned last time. I've been uncomfortable for a few days."

Gu Qiancheng admitted she was complaining, because one day, her "kind" grandmother had forced her to pick prayer beans in the prayer hall at night, saying it was to cultivate her character and prevent her from being impulsive and losing face for the Gu family...

At that time, Gu Qiancheng really wanted to leave, but she gritted her teeth and endured it.

Before the maidservant could speak, the old master was already displeased. "What? You have to pick prayer beans at night too?" Making a little girl pick prayer beans day and night, what did that old hag want?

"Old, old master..." Yuan was so scared that she knelt down with a thud. Gu Qiancheng said somewhat embarrassedly, "Grandmother said Qiancheng is too impulsive and needs to calm down. Qiancheng knows that Grandmother is doing this for her own good."

The old master didn't know if Gu Qiancheng really believed this or was just pretending, but regardless, he couldn't let the old hag ruin Qiancheng.

A girl's body is delicate. Kneeling in the dark prayer hall every day would ruin her health in a few months, and staying there too long could change her personality.

The old master immediately ordered, "No need. From now on, unless I agree, you don't have to come to pay respects to your grandmother."

"Grandfather, that's not proper." Gu Qiancheng smiled inwardly but showed concern on her face.

"From now on, you will come to pay respects to me." The old master didn't dare to challenge propriety and had to compromise.

Gu Qiancheng wouldn't say no and nodded quickly...

All the hardships she had endured were worth it. She was finally free. Once Lady Gu was released from her confinement, she wouldn't have to pay respects to her either...

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