coobybook Chapter 192 Major Discovery
Chapter 192 Major Discovery
Qin Qi didn't argue with her, but quickly left the house.
Jiang Zhi instructed that at noon, he should stay at the Marquis's residence to wait for his cousin to return home and to keep an eye on Pei Shangdao.
She went to see Min Xiang immediately.
He bumped into a woman with exquisite makeup while getting off the carriage in his haste.
Jiang Zhi apologized, but was drawn to her makeup.
"Girl, is this a new makeup style? It's quite unusual."
The woman smiled and said, "This is the most popular pearl makeup look these days. It's said to be the favorite makeup of Consort Duan in the palace, so I'm going to try it out myself."
“It looks very nice,” Jiang Zhi replied with a smile.
Chunzhuo Tower.
After exchanging a few polite words, Min got down to business.
"Does the Princess have any evidence?" Min wondered. "The Marquis of Zhenyuan is a minister; who would attack him alone? Unless,"
Min realized that what he was about to say might cost him his head, so he dared not continue.
“I know,” Jiang Zhi said coldly. “It would be inappropriate to rush into the palace. We are in the open, and every move we make is public.”
“Your Highness, you’re not exactly a saint. What’s wrong with you staying in the shadows?” Min suggested.
Jiang Zhi immediately had an idea.
"Young Master Min, could you write a few lines for me..." Jiang Zhi whispered to Min Xiang.
"Is that alright?"
Jiang Zhi and Min Xiang exchanged a glance. Although there was some doubt in his eyes, he was also secretly excited.
"Don't worry about what the Princess Consort entrusted to you."
Jiang Zhi smiled and reminded him, "There's no need for a bottom line."
Min wanted to lower his head.
At dusk, a white dove flew to the Liang Prince's residence.
Jiang Zhi removed the letter tube from the pigeon's leg and released it back.
She opened the mailbox and took out the note inside.
The note contained a sketch.
A landscape painting was sketched with just a few strokes; the back of the slip of paper contained only four characters.
Go ahead and do it.
Jiang Zhi looked at these four words and smiled.
He also guessed what would happen in Kyoto, and worried that she would be afraid and have no one to confide in, so he specially sent her a message to tell her that she was not alone.
Four simple words, without any sentimental phrases, yet they stirred her heart.
He was the only person in the world who understood her, but he was completely different from her.
"princess?"
Shuyao came looking for her.
Jiang Zhi put the note away.
“Shuyao,” she instructed, “go to the Silk Clothes Shop and have two of the most fashionable pearl-patterned dresses made.”
Shuyao acknowledged and withdrew.
Jiang Zhi, lost in thought, decided to play a game of chess to sort out her ideas, but the midday noise outside drew her out.
"Your Highness, Your Highness." It was obvious he had run back at noon, "Your Highness,"
Jiang Zhi poured her a cup of tea. "What happened at home?"
I took a sip of tea at noon and finally felt better.
"So, Prince Pei has been secretly visiting his aunt and mother's graves behind his cousin's back?" Jiang Zhi spun his teacup. "If he were visiting his elders as a son-in-law, it would be perfectly reasonable."
“No, Your Highness,” Wu Shi retorted. “At first, I thought so too. I followed your instructions and secretly observed their actions. There was nothing unusual during the day. But when night fell, I had to relieve myself, and I saw the Crown Prince leave alone, dressed in all black.”
"Out of curiosity, I followed, only to see the Crown Prince wearing a mask and talking to a tombstone. I couldn't tell whether he was talking to the Lady's tombstone or... "
"Alright, I understand." Jiang Zhi put down his teacup. "If he were to meet his elders as a son-in-law, he would not need to wear a mask. Therefore, he is definitely not meeting our family's elders."
"Yes, his elder."
Wu Shi widened his eyes. "His elders? But aren't the young master's elders from the Pei family? And why are the Pei family's tombstones together with ours?"
"The master ordered that the tombstones for Madam and Aunt be placed there, because of Concubine Liu..."
Jiang Zhi noticed Wu Shi's hesitation and said softly, "I understand, it's alright. What we need now is to know who he went to see."
Did you go up and take a look?
At noon, she gave an awkward smile. "I... I forgot. I was so surprised that I rushed to tell you, Your Highness, and didn't think to look at the inscription on the tombstone."
"Give me some clothes to change, let's go take a look," Jiang Zhi said.
"Now?" Wu Shi glanced at the pitch-black sky outside the window, somewhat hesitant. "Your Highness, the weather..."
“Let’s continue.” Jiang Zhi showed no sign of backing down.
At noon, we had no choice but to bite the bullet and go.
After helping Jiang Zhi change her clothes, she looked at Wu Shi and comforted him, "Don't worry, we've been to a mass grave, what's a little cemetery to us?"
"I feel that what the Princess is doing is too dangerous, and I'm afraid it might affect you..."
"I was born into danger, so why should I worry about the danger of what I do?"
At noon, he obediently listened to her and followed behind her.
She carried a tinderbox to the cemetery and went to her mother's grave first.
“Mother, I’m sorry for being so unfilial, only coming to see you now. But I have important matters to attend to, so I’ll chat with you another time.” Jiang Zhi glanced at the tombstone beside her. “And Aunt, I’ll chat with you both next time.”
The master and servant walked around and saw a tombstone about a mile away from the tombstones of their mother and aunt.
Upon closer inspection, it read: "Dedicated to the Tomb of My Beloved Mother, Zhao Yingying."
“Zhao Yingying?” Jiang Zhi frowned. “I’ve never heard of this name before. Did he come to pay respects at this grave because it was only for his mother?”
In Jiang Zhi's memory, Pei Shangdao's birth mother, the first wife of the Marquis of Guangde, did not have the surname Zhao.
At noon, following Jiang Zhi's gaze, he kept blinking and muttering to himself.
Having received no information other than their names, the master and servant returned home.
"Wu Shi, what's wrong?" Jiang Zhi had sensed that Wu Shi was thinking about something the whole way, but didn't want to disturb her. "I noticed you looked off on the way here."
Where have I seen the name Zhao Yingying before? From someone else? From someone with the same name? Or in a pharmacy?
Oh! Right! The pharmacy!
"Your Highness! I remember now!" Wu Shi exclaimed excitedly. "I remember her name. Not long after you went to Liangzhou, a patient came to us, saying she wanted us to save her sister. At that time, the best doctors from Junkangtang went, but they were still powerless to help."
“That patient even made a scene, saying that it was a problem with our Junkangtang, and that her sister died because she took our medicine.”
"Was it a big commotion back then?" Jiang Zhi asked.
"The master quickly suppressed it; after all, this wasn't the first time he'd seen a patient like this—they just didn't want to pay, so they resorted to this method."
"Did Father often suppress these kinds of things in the past?" Jiang Zhi asked again.
“Your Highness, Junkangtang is the largest pharmacy after all. It’s common for competitors to be jealous and try to trip us up. The master can resolve it with just a few words, and no one needs to lift a finger.”
A fight? Could it be that someone made the first move?
"Never laid a hand on me?"
"The master forbade it, saying he was afraid it would damage his reputation."