Chapter 98

The gift that Gu Qiancheng personally picked out was naturally special... and terrifying!

But this wasn't enough. Gu Qiancheng placed the bones she had selected to one side and said to Qin Jiyi, "Your Highness, could you trouble your guards to catch two wild chickens and keep the chicken blood?"

The last five words made everyone present understand Gu Qiancheng's intention.

This girl is interesting!

She does bad things so openly, it really leaves people speechless.

"Go." Qin Jiyi, purely out of curiosity, waved his hand, and his subordinates immediately took action.

The people who followed the Prince of Qin were all very cold, and they were accustomed to learning from their master. However, this did not mean they lacked a playful side. Gu Qiancheng's "gift" had piqued their playful interest.

Gu Qiancheng did not pick just one skull or a broken bone; she picked many broken bones and pieced them together into a complete skeleton.

If Qin Jiyi hadn't seen Gu Qiancheng pick them out, he would have suspected that this was a complete and undamaged skeleton, not one found among a pile of scattered bones.

"Is this a complete skeleton?" Qin Jiyi stepped forward and asked.

Gu Qiancheng was arranging the bones. Hearing Qin Jiyi's words, she replied without lifting her head, "It is, but it isn't... This is indeed a complete skeleton, but I can't guarantee that it belongs to one person. Since their ages and bone sizes were similar, I pieced them together."

"Is it male or female?" Gu Qiancheng had said she could determine the gender.

"Female, judging by the bones, she should be around fifteen to eighteen years old." Without DNA comparison or advanced techniques like facial reconstruction, Gu Qiancheng could only use the most basic methods to make her determination.

But this was enough for Qin Jiyi...

"Try to piece together as many complete skeletons as you can from these broken bones." Only solid evidence could expose the corrupt coroners and officials who just took their salaries without doing their jobs.

"I'll try... the workload is enormous, and I need help." How long would it take her to do this alone?

"Sure, teach them." The Prince of Qin's help wasn't easy to get.

Similarly, it wasn't easy to take advantage of Gu Qiancheng: "I need to do something for Your Highness. Could you send two people to help me deliver the gifts?" These gifts must be delivered by the Prince of Qin's subordinates; she couldn't do it alone.

"Sure." Who else could Gu Qiancheng ask to deliver the gifts besides his subordinates?

"Thank you, Your Highness." Gu Qiancheng gave Qin Jiyi a bright smile, almost blinding him...

"Your Highness, Miss Gu, here is the blood you requested." The Prince of Qin's subordinates were indeed smart; they didn't bring the whole prey but directly brought a bag of blood.

"Your subordinates are very capable." Gu Qiancheng praised without reservation. Qin Jiyi smiled slightly, took a few steps back, and watched Gu Qiancheng smear the blood on the skulls and bones.

Qin Jiyi's lips twitched slightly...

Could he say that he completely didn't understand Gu Qiancheng?

How could there be such a bold girl, using bones like sewing needles without any fear?

Soon, Gu Qiancheng had prepared the "gifts." Besides the two complete skeletons, the rest were only partial...

A skull, a hand bone, a leg bone, all incomplete.

"Put clothes on these two complete skeletons." This was also a sign of respect for the deceased, but the main purpose was for the effect of the "gifts."

Qin Jiyi glanced coldly, and his personal guard immediately went to find clothes...

"Having subordinates is indeed convenient for everything." Gu Qiancheng looked envious...

Back then, she had a few assistants, but now?

She had to do everything herself, and Gu Qiancheng felt very busy...

Seeing Gu Qiancheng's melancholy face, Qin Jiyi almost blurted out, "This prince will give you a few."

Fortunately, Qin Jiyi still had his wits about him and knew that such words shouldn't be said lightly...

Speaking of which, Qin Jiyi immediately remembered, "Your dowry, this prince has already had it appraised." Although he had no silver to pay, he couldn't just take the items and act as if nothing happened.

"So fast? How much is it worth?" Gu Qiancheng stopped her work and looked at Qin Jiyi with anticipation.

Concerning her future property, Gu Qiancheng naturally cared.

"1.5 million taels." Qin Jiyi did not cheat Gu Qiancheng. Her mother's dowry was said to be worth a million, but in fact, it was far more valuable. Moreover, some ancient paintings and calligraphy, after being preserved for so long, were now even more valuable.

"1.5 million taels?" This number far exceeded Gu Qiancheng's expectations. Although she didn't mind having too much money, she knew the truth that too much money was hard to keep: "Your Highness, I only want 800,000 taels." This was the price she mentioned on the wedding day, and she would be very satisfied if she could reach this number.

"What do you mean? Would this prince cheat you out of your silver?" Qin Jiyi was unhappy. Although he had no silver, he wasn't so low as to need a woman's charity.

"Your Highness misunderstood." Gu Qiancheng moved her numb legs and explained, "I'm not complaining about the amount of silver. In my heart, those dowries are only worth this much. 1.5 million taels is a high price that Your Highness found for me. If I had to find it myself, getting 800,000 taels would be difficult."

This was no lie. Merchants prioritize profit, and if Gu Qiancheng had to find someone to sell these items herself, their value would definitely be greatly reduced, and she might even be cheated.

The price Qin Jiyi gave Gu Qiancheng was based on market value, not the merchants' purchase price.

It was fortunate that Qin Jiyi was a prince; if he were a merchant, he would have bankrupted many families...

Qin Jiyi thought about it and realized that this was indeed the case. The price he gave Gu Qiancheng was indeed high, and he currently didn't have that much silver. There was no need to pretend to be a hero. Since Gu Qiancheng only wanted 800,000 taels, they would do it this way. He could compensate her later when the opportunity arose...

"This prince will give you 800,000 taels first." Qin Jiyi was unwilling to take advantage of a woman: "The silver..."

Qin Jiyi was about to say that he would give the silver to Gu Qiancheng in a while, but Gu Qiancheng spoke first, "Your Highness, there's no rush with the silver. If it's not a problem for Your Highness, could you please keep it for me for a while? I'll ask for it when I need it."

If the silver were to reach her hands so quickly, what would the old master think if he found out?

No matter what, she needed to avoid this issue for now. She didn't want to be targeted by the old master and have her previously established "good" image ruined...

Gu Qiancheng's words aligned perfectly with Qin Jiyi's intentions, and he nodded in satisfaction...

This trip was not in vain. Not only did he keep the batch of paintings and calligraphy, but he also didn't lose face as the eldest grandson of the emperor...