Wei Shuxuan glanced at Ge Zian and Xuan Ruoling with her head down. She sensed an undercurrent surging between them. She nodded. "All right, I'll wait for you in the study."
When the sound of Wei Shuxuan's footsteps gradually faded away, Ge Zian looked at Xuan Ruoling. "Princess Ninth, I really don't know what about me you like. But I can be straightforward with you, Princess. A willful and unreasonable woman like you is definitely not the type I like."
"… Brother Zian…" Hearing her beloved say such things, the tears that had been welling up in Xuan Ruoling's eyes fell one by one like broken beads. She cried piteously. However, faced with this scene, Ge Zian couldn't bring himself to feel sorry for her.
"Princess Ninth, there's no need for you to say more. You'd better go back to the palace first. I still have matters to discuss with Young Master Wei," Ge Zian flicked his sleeve and was about to leave. After walking a few steps, he stopped. He didn't turn around but just tilted his head slightly. "In the future, if there's no urgent matter, Princess Ninth, please don't leave the palace casually and come to my mansion. I can't bear your kindness."
Ge Zian's words were so straightforward that Xuan Ruoling couldn't help bursting into sobs. She wiped away her tears and pouted. "Humph, what's so great about you? I won't come anymore. You bastard, Ge Zian!"
The scolding was so loud that even Wei Shuxuan in the study could hear it.
After scolding Ge Zian, Xuan Ruoling left the general's mansion angrily and returned to the palace.
Wei Shuxuan was sitting in the study, flipping through the personal information of the deceased compiled by the imperial guards for her in the morning. Hearing the sound of Ge Zian opening the door, she immediately looked up. "Ge Zian, you're back so soon. I thought you'd be entangled by that shrewish princess and couldn't get away."
"Please don't tease me, Young Master Wei. I've already exhausted myself because of this Princess Ninth."
Ge Zian sat down beside Wei Shuxuan. Wei Shuxuan looked at him with a beaming smile and asked curiously, "Why?"
"You saw it clearly just now, didn't you? Why are you still asking me?" Ge Zian joked.
"That shrewish princess is head - over - heels in love with you. As soon as she faces her beloved, her attitude does a complete 180 - degree turn. I've been scolded by her twice."
"Twice? Did you meet her before?"
"Yeah, I did."
So Wei Shuxuan told Ge Zian about the time she met Xuan Ruoling in the night market. Judging from Ge Zian's expression, she knew that he would probably dislike this shrewish little princess even more. Wei Shuxuan felt a sense of vengeful pleasure.
"All right, all right. Let's stop talking about her. It's time to get down to business."
Wei Shuxuan showed Ge Zian the personal information of the deceased. "Before I and Prince Fifth… came back, there were six more murders in the palace. Together with the two later ones, there are a total of eight. According to my investigation, the causes of death and the modus operandi of these eight corpses are different. They should have been committed by different people."
"Well, who do you think did it?" Ge Zian flipped through the record book.
"I think it was done by someone who is very familiar with the palace. Look, these dead maids and eunuchs all served by the Emperor's side. And the dead concubines, although they were no longer in favor, were very much loved by the Emperor before being sent to the Cold Palace. So they can also be regarded as people around the Emperor."
Wei Shuxuan flipped the record book to the last page. She had made a detailed analysis chart at the back. "If the murderer wasn't very familiar with the affairs in the palace, how could he manage to kill every single person around the Emperor? I'd believe it was a coincidence if it was one, two, or three people, but eight people. It can't be a coincidence, right? There's an obvious purpose."
After listening to Wei Shuxuan's analysis, Ge Zian looked at the record book again and thought about all the things that had happened. It made quite a lot of sense. Most likely, the murderer was someone in the palace!
"So what do you plan to do?" Ge Zian asked her in return.
"This is the purpose of my coming to find you. After all, there are many restrictions in the palace. It's simply impossible to investigate as one pleases. Maybe I'll even be framed by someone with ulterior motives."
"You're right in thinking so. The palace is different from the outside. There are many people scheming inside. You have to be careful when investigating cases in the palace. Moreover, you said the murderer is someone in the palace. If the murderer is a person with great power, it'll be very easy for him to frame you."
"I didn't expect you to think so much," Wei Shuxuan smiled. Actually, she didn't have such thoughts at first. But later, when she remembered the palace dramas she watched in modern times, she had to take these things into consideration. "So what do you think is a better way for us to investigate?"
"Naturally…"
Ge Zian whispered a few words to Wei Shuxuan. Wei Shuxuan nodded to show that she understood. "All right, let's do it like this then."
After discussing what needed to be discussed, Wei Shuxuan relaxed completely. "Don't you need to go to the palace today? You seem quite idle."
"No. I don't need to go to court for discussions today, but I have to go back to the military camp to train the new recruits," Ge Zian glanced at Wei Shuxuan. "Are you interested? Do you want to go to the military camp with me and have a look?"
Hearing this, Wei Shuxuan became interested. Her handsome face was full of excitement. "Yes, yes, yes! I want to go and have a look!"
"Then come with me."
Wei Shuxuan thought to herself that she wondered how the ancient military training was different from the modern one.
Just as they walked out of the general's mansion, Wei Shuxuan saw her carriage still waiting outside. She almost forgot about it. "Ge Zian, can my carriage and coachman stay at your place for a while?"
Looking at the coachman waiting outside, Ge Zian nodded. He waved to the guards waiting behind him, signaling them to take the coachman to rest. "Of course they can."
Ge Zian had planned to go to the military camp, so he had prepared a carriage early.
It was still a long way from General Long'an's Mansion to the military camp. Ge Zian was afraid that Wei Shuxuan would feel bored, so he chatted with her. Moreover, there were also some pastries and tea prepared in the carriage, so he wasn't worried that the guest would get hungry.
"I wonder where Young Master Wei is from?" Ge Zian asked casually.
Wei Shuxuan didn't expect Ge Zian to ask her such a question. Her hand paused slightly. She smiled. "I'm really ashamed. I was seriously injured before and was saved by Prince Fifth. Unexpectedly, I lost my memory."