Liu Rumei's expression faltered slightly. Without much thought, she knew what Mo Yun was referring to.
Mo Litian instinctively wanted to follow, but the eunuch bowed respectfully to Mo Litian and said, "Your Highness the Crown Prince, His Majesty has ordered this humble servant to bring only Miss Liu."
Mo Litian pursed his lips, a flicker of worry flashing across his eyes.
Liu Rumei's smile remained undiminished. She looked up at the sky. The crowing of roosters could already be faintly heard in the distance. "I'll leave this place to Your Highness the Crown Prince."
Mo Litian nodded, his gentle voice slowly emerging. "Alright."
It was too dark. Even if there were any traces, it was impossible to see clearly. Even with the candles lit, it was of no avail. For now, they could only wait until dawn.
Following the young eunuch to the outside of the imperial study, she was then led inside.
Liu Rumei bowed respectfully to the man sitting high on the throne. "This commoner pays respects to Your Majesty!"
Mo Yun nodded, his voice tinged with a bit of coldness. "Do you have any leads?"
At present, there was panic and rumors spreading throughout the palace. If the murderer was not captured as soon as possible, his imperial dignity as the emperor would probably be completely lost.
Liu Rumei shook her head indifferently. "Not yet!"
There were truly no clues at all. The murderer's methods were extremely sophisticated. The corpses seemed to have simply vanished into thin air!
Mo Yun's face instantly darkened, and his tone was filled with coldness. "Seven days! I'll only give you seven days! You must solve this case within seven days!"
Three murders had occurred within just three days, and each one was extremely strange!
No one knew who would be the next victim. For a moment, the entire imperial palace was filled with panic! If this continued, where would his dignity lie?
Liu Rumei showed a look of difficulty, but she also knew in her heart that Mo Yun would not listen to her excuses.
"This commoner obeys the order!"
Seeing that she was so sensible, Mo Yun's face looked a bit better. He waved his sleeve, indicating for her to leave.
"This commoner takes her leave!"
Just as she left the imperial study, she saw a figure standing on the steps not far away. When he saw her come out, his eyes softened instantly. He stepped forward and whispered, "How was it?"
He had already heard about what happened last night. Unfortunately, Mo Yun was extremely wary of him, and he couldn't enter the palace at will.
Liu Rumei shook her head, her eyes filled with confusion. "There are no clues."
Mo Liandi sighed slightly. "I'll come to find you later."
Liu Rumei nodded. Mo Liandi had extensive knowledge and experience. Maybe he would discover something else. "I'll go first."
Mo Liandi nodded. Watching her retreating back, a flicker of coldness flashed across his eyes. Finally, he still sighed helplessly and turned to walk towards the Golden Luan Hall.
During the morning court session, there was also panic among the officials. "Another murder occurred yesterday!"
"The murderer is simply too presumptuous. He dared to act right under His Majesty's nose! He is truly lawless!"
"I heard they encountered a ghost!"
"We must capture this murderer as soon as possible, or else His Majesty..."
"..."
Although the words were not finished, everyone understood the hidden meaning. The murderer's methods were too cruel, and there were no traces to follow. No one knew who his next target would be! If something happened to His Majesty...
Thinking of this, everyone's hearts trembled, and a flicker of uneasiness flashed across their eyes.
Just then, Mo Liandi walked in. Everyone bowed respectfully. "Greetings to the Prince of National Peace."
Mo Liandi pursed his lips and stood leisurely at the front.
After a while, Mo Yun appeared in everyone's sight in his bright yellow dragon robe. "Your humble servants pay respects to Your Majesty! Long live Your Majesty!"
...
When Liu Rumei arrived at the Cold Palace, Mo Litian had already searched the area. Seeing Liu Rumei come, he heaved a sigh of relief. He stepped forward, pulled Liu Rumei to the place beside the corpse, and said, "Look here!"
Liu Rumei followed the direction he pointed and saw the all-too-familiar strangulation marks on the tree. "This is exactly the same as the ones in the Zilan Pavilion!"
And the ones on the Star - watching Platform!
What could have left such marks? It was so thin yet extremely deep!
Liu Rumei couldn't help but get a bit closer. She stepped forward, stood under the tree, and looked up. She was sharp - eyed enough to notice a thin mark still higher up.
Mo Litian also noticed this. He winked at a guard beside him. The guard immediately stepped forward, climbed up the tree, and looked through the gaps in the leaves at the opposite side. His face changed. "Your Highness, there are marks on the opposite side too!"
Liu Rumei and Mo Litian glanced at each other and immediately walked in that direction. Two identical strangulation marks appeared in their sight.
"What on earth is it?"
Liu Rumei was also completely puzzled!
Then she squatted down and carefully examined the wounds again.
The guards around watched as Liu Rumei calmly knelt in front of the severed limbs. A flicker of admiration flashed across their eyes.
On Xiao He's head, fear and terror were intertwined, making his face look extremely distorted. His eyes were bulging. Even these tough - as - iron men felt a shiver in their hearts when they saw it.
However, the next moment, everyone watched as Liu Rumei calmly moved the severed limbs aside without changing her expression.
Mo Litian's face also turned a bit pale, but he held it back. He pursed his lips and asked, "Has Miss Liu discovered something?"
Liu Rumei nodded. Her eyes fell on the place where the body had fallen. A small groove appeared in their sight.
At this moment, the groove was already filled with thick blood.
"Was this here before?" The road here was paved with stones, and the location of this groove was exactly where a small stone should be.
Mo Litian frowned. "I don't know."
This was the Cold Palace. Usually, few people came here. Moreover, with the unrest in the palace these days, no one dared to get close. How could they have noticed that a small stone was missing from the middle of the road?
Liu Rumei pursed her lips and nodded, her eyes filled with confusion. Solving this case within seven days was indeed a bit urgent.
Then she couldn't help but let out a long sigh. Squatting on the ground and rummaging through Xiao He's severed limbs, she said, "Your Highness the Crown Prince, could you help me find some food?"
She had been dragged here before dawn, and her stomach was already empty!
In this bloody scene, she was still thinking about food. Everyone swallowed hard.
Mo Litian looked at the severed arm in her hand. His face also changed a bit. "Go and prepare some food."
Just as he finished speaking, Mo Liandi walked over.
"Greetings to the Prince of National Peace."
Mo Litian also cupped his hands. "Why has Your Highness come?"
Mo Liandi walked to Liu Rumei's side and said indifferently, "I came to take a look."
He took out a packet of pastries from his bosom. His cold eyes swept across briefly. Seeing that Liu Rumei's hands were covered in blood, he frowned. He could only take out a pastry himself and brought it to her lips, whispering, "Sixi said you haven't eaten. Have some to fill your stomach first."
Liu Rumei looked at the pastry in front of her lips. Her expression faltered slightly. Looking at her blood - stained hands, she could only open her mouth. "Thank you, Your Highness."