Chapter 367: Chapter 291 Crown Prince_3
"If it was a theft, why would they go to the ancestral temple where there’s absolutely no one?" The Crown Prince stood up and paced around the room. "All the servants working at the memorial hall insist on the same story, but they might have been coerced. You should go further away and look for those in remote places to inquire."
"As you command."
The eunuch retreated.
The Crown Prince rotated the thumb ring on his hand and squinted as he looked out at the passersby in the distance outside the window.
The mourning at Prince Rong’s Mansion shook the entire capital city, and the people coming to pay their respects were like a continuous stream of fish crossing the river.
The mansion opened up the entire west route to host the visitors, and as it approached noon, more and more people arrived.
The noblewomen of the aristocratic families would not join such a scene. After paying their respects, they typically found a quiet place to sit and drink tea.
Pei Zhan, fearing Fu Zhen would be bored, dispatched Guo Song to see if there were any familiar women whose temperament matched with Fu Zhen and her group. With experience, he bypassed the memorial hall and came to a small garden on the west route.
Indeed, upon reaching here, the noise from outside noticeably faded, with the only sound being that of a few noblewomen drinking tea under the shade near the flower beds.
Guo Song looked around, but they were not the targets he was looking for. He continued to walk along the corridor.
Just as he crossed the moon gate, he heard a light voice clearly coming from ahead.
"... That night, did the Prince return to the mansion in a hurry? And then went straight to the Buddhist hall to find the Princess?"
Upon hearing this voice, Guo Song immediately halted his steps and hid behind a column.
He saw two people standing under a lush patch of bamboo. One was leaning on a broom, obviously a rough maid from the mansion. The other was dressed in a eunuch’s attire, and upon seeing, this eunuch was familiar. Guo Song, having long accompanied Pei Zhan in the palace, instantly recognized this as Jin Bao, the eunuch by the Crown Prince’s side!
"I’m not exactly sure, but that day when the Prince returned, he indeed went directly to the Buddhist hall."
"What time was that?"
"The time?... It should have been around the Hour of the Pig."
"What happened after the Prince went to the Buddhist hall?"
"Afterward, I know nothing. Please spare me, sir. I’m just a rough worker; I’m not allowed near the inner courtyard affairs at all."
The maid kept pleading, and Jin Bao asked no further.
Guo Song heard the sound fade away before he peeked out. The maid was still sweeping, but Jin Bao quickly headed in the direction of the Luli Pavilion.
Guo Song furrowed his brows and decided not to look for the women any longer. He turned and quickly retraced his steps out.
Fu Zhen and Su Xinger were in the room listening to Pei Zhan recount the results of the day’s and night’s covert gathering of information when a figure flashed by the door, and Guo Song burst in.
"General! I just saw the Crown Prince’s man secretly investigating the cause of Princess Rong’s death!"
"The Crown Prince?!"
Fu Zhen instinctively looked up. "What does it have to do with him?"
"I found it peculiar as well, as I overheard Jin Bao repeatedly inquiring, so I hurried back to report!"
The three people in the room exchanged glances. Pei Zhan stroked his chin.
Su Xinger, still worried for Fu Zhen about Consort Yu’s collusion with Yongping, rolled her eyes. "The Crown Prince isn’t very attentive with his harem, yet he is quite concerned about these matters!"
Fu Zhen asked, "Where is the Crown Prince?"
"He’s in the Luli Pavilion!"
Pei Zhan then said, "It’s time to patrol, especially today with so many people, expand the range, particularly guarding the Crown Prince’s resting area!"
Guo Song understood, "Yes!"
The three exchanged another glance, but this time, they all tacitly lowered their heads to drink tea and did not speak further.
The matter regarding Princess Rong had long been reported to the palace by Prince Rong. Logically, the Crown Prince was only performing routine duties, with no reason to pursue it further, so why was he secretly sending someone to investigate?
Was this at the Emperor’s behest, or was it merely his own curiosity?
Considering the task the Emperor gave to Pei Zhan, no one yet knew the intent? At this moment, everyone wanted to get to the bottom of it.
Jin Bao returned to the Luli Pavilion and immediately leaned over to report to the Crown Prince.
Upon listening, the Crown Prince frowned. "Returned at the Hour of the Pig?"
"Exactly. However, other information I’ve gathered indicates that the night’s discord started around midnight."
"That says the timeline doesn’t match." Jin Bao deeply remarked, "If he returned at the Hour of the Pig, the fight wouldn’t start until midnight."
The Crown Prince paced around the room.
After two circles, he stopped under the window, "Investigate further. Find out exactly when the fight started?"
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