"Miss Rou, would you like to help us catch the murderer?"
Song Yihuan looked up, a bit surprised as she glanced at Ji Lingchuan.
During the days they had spent together, she had come to know Ji Lingchuan a little. She was sharp enough to notice that after Uncle Qi had said that, Ji Lingchuan seemed to be in a much better mood than before.
At least, when he looked at her, his gaze was no longer as cold and piercing as it had been the previous day.
She lowered her eyelashes, avoiding Ji Lingchuan's gaze that made her feel flustered, and replied, "This commoner is willing to give it a try. I'll do my part for you two lords and seek justice for those dead women."
"That's great!" Gu Yunzheng beside them couldn't help but exclaim. When Qi Lei looked over, he cleared his throat and said, "With Miss Rou's assistance, we'll surely be able to arrest the murderer as soon as possible!"
His eyes were burning as he looked at Song Yihuan, and he was extremely excited inside.
The fact that Song Yihuan was willing to help meant that they would act together from then on. No matter what, he would be content just to be closer to her.
Gu Yunzheng's gaze was too intense. Song Yihuan shifted her body uncomfortably and focused her attention on Ji Lingchuan, asking, "I wonder how far the investigation of the case has progressed? And what clues does Lord Ling have?"
Ji Lingchuan looked at the chair on his right and said, "Sit down and talk."
Without much thought, Song Yihuan walked over and sat down on the chair, not realizing that she was now only a step away from Ji Lingchuan.
Gu Yunzheng's expression changed slightly. Although he tried his best to hide it, one could still tell from his eyes.
Qi Lei didn't notice the strange atmosphere among the three. To make it easier for Song Yihuan to understand the case, he offered, "You guys talk. I'll go get you something to eat."
After Qi Lei left, only the three of them were left in the room, and it became quiet.
But it was too quiet, and Song Yihuan felt uncomfortable. She tightly grasped the armrests of the chair, not knowing what to say for a moment.
Seeing her embarrassment, Ji Lingchuan took the initiative to tell her about the progress of the case.
However, he didn't mention his own deductions. He only mentioned that there was an abandoned old water - canal in the homes of all the dead women and that there were trampled traces on the moss around the canal. Then he stopped, waiting for Song Yihuan's reaction.
Song Yihuan tilted her head slightly, lost in thought.
"It seems that the murderer used the old water - canal to sneak into the victims' homes and kill them. I once went to watch the excitement when the water - canals in the city were being renovated. Although the newly built canals are wider than the previous ones, it would be extremely difficult for an adult man to walk freely in them and cross most of the capital in such a short time."
When she was seriously thinking, her gorgeous face took on a hint of solemnity, which somehow made her look cute and innocent in Ji Lingchuan's eyes.
Suppressing the urge to smile, Ji Lingchuan asked, "Oh? So what's your opinion, Miss Rou? If it wasn't done by a person, could it really be, as the common people say, that those women had done something wrong and were punished?"
"No, this must be man - made." Song Yihuan shook her head, her deer - like eyes full of energy.
"I remember that in the 16th year of Jinghong, the Ministry of Works had summoned dwarfs from acrobatic troupes and short - statured men to enter the secret passages to repair the water - canals, and they quickly repaired them. My lord... Lord Ling can send people to check these people. Maybe there will be new discoveries."
Song Yihuan almost blurted out "His Highness the Prince" instinctively. Remembering that he had hidden his identity from Qi Lei, she quickly corrected herself.
Ji Lingchuan handed the drawing on the table to her and said meaningfully, "Miss Rou is truly intelligent. I thought so too. But when we traced this clue, we found that among the group of craftsmen who participated in the construction of the water - canals back then, some had died and some had left. There is no trace of them in the capital anymore."
Song Yihuan took the drawing and frowned, "Not a single one left?"
"Just now your adoptive father mentioned that one person was washed away by the water and disappeared during the construction of the water - canals that year. I have a bold guess. That person didn't die after being washed away by the water. Instead, he survived by luck. But for some reason, he never returned to the capital. Instead, he found a place to hide."
Song Yihuan unfolded the drawing in her hand. At a glance, she saw the distribution of the old and new water - canals in the capital. Her eyes quickly scanned the drawing, and she said thoughtfully, "Or maybe, being washed away by the water back then wasn't an accident but something he did on purpose?"
Watching the two of them analyzing the case as if there was no one else around, seemingly completely unaware of his existence, Gu Yunzheng felt a bitter taste in his throat.
He had long known that Song Yihuan was an extremely intelligent woman, not the kind of vain and coquettish young lady from a marquis's mansion. Unfortunately, they were just fated to be apart.
Taking a deep breath, forcing himself to forget all the past, he said, "All these are just speculations for now. We won't be able to make a definite judgment until we catch the person. The murderer left a message saying that he would kill another person within three days. Today is already the second day, and tomorrow is the deadline he set. We need to arrest him as soon as possible."
Ji Lingchuan pointed at the drawing in Song Yihuan's hand and said,
"The areas circled in the drawing are the locations of the previous victims. There aren't many families in the city that still have the old water - canals. But it will still be very difficult to catch him. We need to judge his next target one step ahead of him, and also figure out which route he will take to escape if we try to chase him."
"Miss Rou, you have a good memory. Please remember the distribution of the old and new water - canals in the drawing. We need your help to quickly determine the most suitable route."
At this point, Song Yihuan looked up and nodded at Ji Lingchuan, "I understand. I'll do my best to help you two lords."
Just then, Qi Lei's voice came from outside, "Coming, coming. Have some fruits."
Qi Lei carried two plates of fresh fruits into the room and put them on the table, smiling, "I just picked these from the tree. You two lords should have a taste. They're guaranteed to be juicy and sweet."
Ji Lingchuan nodded, "Thank you for the hospitality."
He looked at the fruits on the plate, picked two big and red ones, and offered them to Song Yihuan. Unexpectedly, Gu Yunzheng had the same thought. He picked two fruits and specifically stood up to offer them to Song Yihuan.
"Miss Rou, have some fruits."
Qi Lei saw this scene. An alarm went off in his mind. He coughed twice forcefully, stepped forward and said, "You two lords don't need to do this. I've also picked fruits for Huan girl."
Saying so, he magically took out a few more fruits from his pocket and stuffed them into Song Yihuan's hands, doting on her as he said,
"Huan girl, here. These are for you."
Song Yihuan stood there stunned, looking at the three different hands reaching out in front of her, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.