Concubine Zhang was slightly stunned. Following the direction of her searching gaze, she noticed a thin cut on the index finger of her right hand. The scarlet blood had stained her finger. "Perhaps I was just startled earlier and didn't notice it!"
Mo Yun frowned slightly. A maid stepped forward to apply some wound medicine.
Liu Rumei nodded indifferently. Her eyes fell on the room again. A living person had actually been dismembered right before their eyes. It was truly too strange.
Mo Liandi also frowned. Recently, the palace had been full of intrigue and unrest.
At this time, the people Mo Litian had sent to search came back. They all shook their heads at Mo Litian. "Your Highness, there's nothing."
Empress Qi and Concubine Zhang were full of surprise in their eyes, looking utterly incredulous. This was absolutely impossible!
A perfectly good person had been dismembered in front of them, and part of the body had disappeared strangely. This...
A glint of malice flashed across Mo Yun's eyes. He said coldly to Liu Rumei, "I'll give you a month. You must solve this case!"
How dare someone commit such a heinous crime in the imperial palace? It was really audacious!
Liu Rumei nodded respectfully. Her cold voice suddenly rang out, "If I solve this case, I hope Your Majesty will allow me to decide my own marriage!"
Mo Yun narrowed his eyes. There was uncontrollable anger in his eyes. "Are you threatening me?"
Liu Rumei said indifferently, "I wouldn't dare!"
Mo Litian's expression beside them was extremely ugly. He couldn't help clenching his fists. Was it because of Mo Liandi that she didn't want to marry him?
Empress Qi didn't know the whole story. Her eyes were full of confusion.
A smile curled up on Mo Liandi's lips. His eyes looking at Mo Litian were full of disdain.
Seeing Mo Yun's cold expression, Concubine Zhang quickly said in a coquettish voice, "Your Majesty, you can't force feelings. Forcing two people together might just create a pair of resentful spouses. Moreover, the murderer is extremely cruel and may still be hiding in the palace. If we can't bring the culprit to justice, I'm afraid... I'm afraid it will endanger Your Majesty!"
Liu Rumei gave her a grateful smile and then knelt on the ground respectfully. "I will surely live up to Your Majesty's expectations!"
A hero may be trapped by a beautiful woman. This was an unchanging truth through the ages. Moreover, Concubine Zhang's reputation as a favored concubine was not for nothing. She did carry some weight in Mo Yun's heart!
Mo Yun's heart wavered a little. If the murderer wasn't captured soon, hiding in the palace would indeed cause a lot of trouble!
However, looking at Liu Rumei and Mo Liandi in front of him, Mo Yun felt his heart tighten. He snorted coldly. "If you can't find the murderer, come back with your head!"
With that, he flicked his sleeves and left.
Liu Rumei instantly let out a sigh of relief. A smile flashed across her eyes.
Seeing this, Concubine Zhang forced a smile. "This matter will be left to Miss Liu!"
Empress Qi was also terribly frightened. Since Mo Yun had left, she got up and headed towards her own palace. Before leaving, she didn't forget to say to Concubine Zhang, "Sister, would you mind staying in Suiyu Pavilion for a few days?"
Such a big case had happened here. Naturally, no one could live here anymore. She felt creepy just staying here. Just thinking about a living person being dismembered right in front of her eyes made her extremely afraid!
Concubine Zhang nodded repeatedly. She bowed to Empress Qi and said respectfully, "Thank you, Your Highness, for your concern. But moving around is really troublesome. There are many yards in Zilan Pavilion. I can just move to the side yard. With the maids guarding, there won't be any problem."
Empress Qi was just being polite. Hearing this, she didn't say much. "Then be more careful, sister!"
Concubine Zhang nodded with a smile. "Your Highness, take your time!"
As the crown prince, Mo Litian naturally wouldn't ignore this matter. He told the maids to take good care of Empress Qi and then stayed behind.
Liu Rumei was full of confusion in her heart. "You don't want to leave? Aren't you afraid?"
Her face was still pale. Moreover, they still didn't know where the murderer was. Maybe the murderer was still hiding in Zilan Pavilion. If...
Concubine Zhang bit her red lips. She subconsciously glanced at the blood - soaked room. But in an instant, she turned her head away. Clenching her teeth, her voice trembled a little. "If you're not afraid, I'm not afraid either!"
Then, her beautiful eyes looked at the surrounding environment, full of reluctance. "Zilan Pavilion was given to me by His Majesty. I won't go anywhere else!"
After saying that, a smile appeared on her face again. She said softly to Liu Rumei, "Do you think I'm a bit stupid?"
Liu Rumei shook her head. "Since Your Highness isn't afraid, I won't say much."
Concubine Zhang smiled faintly. "Since the day I entered the palace, I've known that talking about love in this imperial palace is just empty talk. It's just seducing with beauty. One day, I'll grow old and lose my charm. But I still have a glimmer of hope."
Maybe this was just her stupidity.
A flash of complexity passed through Liu Rumei's eyes. Living in this palace was like being a caged bird. It was really pitiful.
Mo Litian's eyes fell on Liu Rumei. Was it also for this reason that she didn't want to agree?
Mo Liandi said softly, "Do you have any clues about this case, Rumei?"
Liu Rumei pursed her lips and shook her head. "No. Yesterday, Eunuch Xu fell from the Observatory and was also dismembered. His body was sewn up with silk threads, and he was missing his right arm. Today, Dr. Xu was dismembered right in front of everyone and was missing his left arm. The murderer may be the same person. But I have a bad feeling in my heart!"
Mo Litian pursed his lips. "Do you mean the murderer will continue to kill, Miss Liu?"
Liu Rumei sighed and shook her head. "It's just my guess. But what does the murderer want with the victims' severed limbs?"
Could it be because of some special fetish?
A thoughtful look flashed across Mo Liandi's eyes. He said to Concubine Zhang, "Did you see anything or notice any abnormalities when Dr. Xu was dismembered?"
Concubine Zhang shook her pale face. "No. The doctor prescribed some calming medicine for me. He was just about to leave when he was..."
Just recalling that bloody scene, her heart was filled with fear again.
Liu Rumei frowned tightly. After thinking for a moment, she said to Mo Litian, "Your Highness, could you help me send this body back to the yamen? I'll go back and check it later."
Mo Litian nodded and immediately called two people over to take away the body that Liu Rumei had pieced together.
Liu Rumei said to Concubine Zhang, "Your Highness, please ask the maids not to move anything in this yard!"
Concubine Zhang nodded. "Okay. You can rest assured!"
"I want to go to the Observatory again!" She still couldn't figure out how the murderer had gotten down from the Observatory. Even if the murderer knew the art of disguise, Eunuch Xu had gone up alone. A person suddenly coming down from there without arousing suspicion was really strange.
The same was true for Zilan Pavilion. All the maids present were suspects, but it was still unknown who the culprit was!