Gu Yunzheng looked surprised and taken aback. "Your Highness, what brings you here?"
Even though Ji Zihuan had betrothed Gu Yunzheng to Cao Jinyu, seeing Gu Yunzheng here at this moment still stirred up hostility and vigilance in Ji Lingchuan's heart.
He had chased after that sixty - year - old woman and unexpectedly ran into Gu Yunzheng here, which couldn't help but arouse his suspicion.
He glanced at Gu Yunzheng's hand and saw a package in it. He squinted his eyes. "What's the matter, Lord Gu?"
Gu Yunzheng knew his doubts and explained, "Today is New Year's Eve. I've settled down in the capital city, but my ancestral home is in Yunzhou. I'm afraid I can't celebrate this festival with my family, so I came here to offer incense and pray for my family's good health in the coming year."
"Really?" Ji Lingchuan said indifferently. "Lord Gu is truly filial."
Frowning more tightly, Ji Lingchuan's gaze continued to sweep across the pilgrims in the City God's Temple, searching for the person he was looking for.
"Your Highness, what about you? Why are you here today?" Gu Yunzheng asked.
Ji Lingchuan looked at him, his eyes showing no emotion. "I'm praying to the City God to help me find her sooner."
Gu Yunzheng was taken aback for a moment and lowered his voice. "Your Highness, the dead cannot return to life."
His words touched Ji Lingchuan's sore spot.
"Shut up!"
With a strong hand gripping Gu Yunzheng's neck, the red bloodshot in Ji Lingchuan's eyes was clearly visible. "How many times do I have to tell you? She's not dead!"
His sudden outburst frightened the other pilgrims in the City God's Temple. The common people screamed and quickly retreated, looking at Ji Lingchuan, who had pinned Gu Yunzheng against a pillar, in horror.
With his neck being held, Gu Yunzheng showed no sign of panic. He looked back at Ji Lingchuan and said, "Your Highness, face the reality. Don't indulge in the past and refuse to wake up. She was so heartless. She just left without a second thought, clearly showing that she had no nostalgia for this world and everything here. Why do you trap yourself like this?"
Ji Lingchuan sneered. "I'm really surprised to hear such words from Lord Gu. I trust my intuition. Since we can't find her body, she must still be alive."
Gu Yunzheng murmured softly, "Really?"
Ji Lingchuan released Gu Yunzheng and said impatiently, "I don't have time to chat with you here. I have something important to do. Get out of my way."
He bypassed Gu Yunzheng and was about to go deeper inside when a panicked shout came from outside. "General! General!"
A black - armored soldier rushed into the City God's Temple. His expression was solemn, and he was breathing heavily. He knelt on one knee in front of Ji Lingchuan, clasped his fists, and reported, "General, we fished out a female corpse from the Cang River today!"
Ji Lingchuan's pupils suddenly contracted. "What did you say?"
He stepped forward and grabbed the soldier's collar. His eyes were blood - red. "Say it again!"
The soldier trembled when he met Ji Lingchuan's gaze and stammered, "Just now, we fished out a female corpse downstream of the Cang River. The body had been in the river for a long time, and her face was unrecognizable, but the clothes she was wearing were the same as those Miss Song wore that day..."
Before Ji Lingchuan could react, Gu Yunzheng stepped forward, looking anxious. "What are we waiting for, Your Highness? Let's go and have a look quickly!"
Ji Lingchuan's heart ached violently, and he could hardly stand steadily. Fortunately, Fuzhou supported him.
"Your Highness, are you okay?"
Ji Lingchuan clenched his fists tightly, his fingernails digging into his flesh, forcing himself to calm down. He strode outwards, and Fuzhou and Gu Yunzheng quickly followed.
Outside the door, a black - armored soldier was already leading a horse. Ji Lingchuan mounted the horse, grabbed the reins, and was about to urge the horse to leave when he seemed to sense something. He turned his head and looked behind.
Across from the City God's Temple was a branch of the Bianliang River, which would eventually flow into the Bianliang River and then southward to various prefectures in the Yu State.
A small boat was sailing on the river at this moment, going in the opposite direction.
The small boat looked very ordinary, and the boatman seemed to be an ordinary person, but Ji Lingchuan couldn't take his eyes off it. He even turned the horse's head and intended to go towards the boat.
"Take my official token and go to the prefectural yamen to invite the coroner. Go with us."
Gu Yunzheng's words interrupted Ji Lingchuan's train of thought. He turned his head and saw the black - armored soldier holding Gu Yunzheng's official token, giving him a meaningful look. He tightened the reins tightly and said,
"Do as Lord Gu said. Go and invite the coroner."
"Yes!"
Ji Lingchuan glanced at the small boat again. Finally, he gritted his teeth, clamped his legs on the horse's belly, and galloped towards the west city gate.
Through the fluttering curtain on the boat canopy, Song Yihuan watched the figure gradually fade away. Her hand holding the luggage tightened so much that her knuckles turned white.
The small boat sailed with the wind, carrying her, slowly leaving the area of the City God's Temple and entering the freight dock.
She boarded a cargo ship at the criss - cross freight dock. With the boatman's loud shouts, the ship hoisted its sails and sailed southward with the current.
...
Downstream of the Cang River, Ji Lingchuan, along with Gu Yunzheng and the coroner from the prefectural yamen, rushed over in a hurry.
He leaped off the horse and quickly walked towards the crowd gathered on the riverbank. When they learned of his arrival, everyone turned around and saluted him.
From afar, he saw a body covered with a white cloth, and there was a faint stench of decay in the air.
Walking closer with the people behind him, he frowned at the white cloth in front of him and waved his hand. "Coroner, come forward to examine the body."
His face and eyes seemed emotionless, but Fuzhou, who knew him well, could hear the tremor in his voice.
The discovery of this body shattered his persistence during this period.
At Ji Lingchuan's order, the coroner stepped forward with his tools to conduct an examination. Gu Yunzheng thought Ji Lingchuan would avoid it, but unexpectedly, he watched the whole process.
The white cloth was lifted, revealing the female body that had been soaked in water and was completely unrecognizable. She was indeed wearing the clothes Song Yihuan had worn when she fell off the cliff that day. Ji Lingchuan closed his eyes tightly and opened them after a moment.
After the examination, the coroner said, "This woman is about eighteen years old. Judging from the bones and internal organs, she did fall from a high place, and there are also many wounds on her body. It's winter now, and the body has been in the river for too long, so it's difficult to determine the time of death. But based on other characteristics, it should be Miss Song Si without a doubt."
Ji Lingchuan silently looked at the body in front of him, feeling a sharp pain in his chest. Every breath was painful.
Give in. Give in. She's really gone.
Ji Lingchuan tried to persuade himself in his heart, but there was still a voice shouting in his heart: Trust your intuition. She must still be alive. She must not have left you!
Suddenly remembering something, he stared intently at the body, then suddenly squatted down, reached out and tore open the body's clothes, and looked at the position of the shoulder blades on her back.
Although the body had turned white from being soaked and there were many wounds on it, there was nothing on the position of the shoulder blades.
But he clearly remembered that there was a small mole there, so small that only he, who had gently stroked every inch of her skin with his fingers, knew about it!