On Our Wedding Night, I Discovered the Crown Prince’s Hidden Illness
Chapter 306: Clues to the Murder Case

Chapter 306: Chapter 306: Clues to the Murder Case

In the end, it was Lai Taihong who broke the silence, "Go ahead, I have some confidence in my granddaughter’s abilities."

Hearing this, Leng Yu Yan let go of Lai Ran’s sleeve, trotted to Lai Taihong’s side, wrapped her arms around his neck, and rubbed her head against his shoulder, "Thank you, Grandfather!"

Lai Taihong affectionately patted her head, "Be careful out there!"

"Granddaughter will follow your order!"

As soon as she had spoken, Leng Yu Yan took the reins from a guard, mounted the horse, and followed Li Yuyue away.

Lai Ran stood stiff-necked, squinting his eyes as he watched his daughter’s figure shrink with distance until he could see her no more; then he walked to the edge of the cliff for another look.

Lai Taihong paced over, turned his head to glance at the Old Princess Consort and his daughter-in-law’s horse carriage, and said in a hushed voice, "I know you’re afraid of losing this daughter as well."

"Father, I am just..."

Lai Ran moved his lips but did not continue.

He harbored extreme hatred for the mountain bandits.

Mian’er had lost her life at the hands of mountain bandits, and no matter who these bandits were, he was determined to capture them all!

Lai Taihong clapped him on the shoulder, "Don’t worry, Yan’er is skilled, not like Mian’er who we protected too well from an early age. A girl experiencing the strife of blades and guns is not necessarily a bad thing; at least it teaches her how to protect herself!"

Ye Yiheng sat calmly inside the carriage, and only after Leng Yu Yan rode away did he instruct Song Guo to open the carriage window.

As the light flooded in, he rotated his wrist and said quietly to Mo Chen Ruofeng, "You two, go and protect her swiftly."

The two immediately jumped down from the front of the carriage, bowing and acknowledging the command.

"No need to say it was by my command."

Together, they replied, "Yes, Your Highness!"

Previously, on their way to Beilan City, they had passed through this area and encountered mountain bandits, likely the same ones mentioned by Xiaoshan. Having crossed swords with them before, with their protection, the Commandery Princess would surely be safe, thought His Highness.

When Mo Chen Ruofeng caught up to Leng Yu Yan on horseback, she was quite surprised, "Why have you come?"

Mo Chen replied, "Has the Commandery Princess forgotten? Before, we encountered those bandits together."

Leng Yu Yan nodded in acknowledgment, "Then I am in your debt!"

The caravan rested.

Song Guo quietly asked, "Your Highness, why not let the Commandery Princess know you care about her?"

Ye Yiheng moved his arm, then leaned back against the carriage wall and closed his eyes for a brief respite.

What good would knowing do?

Li Yuyue and Leng Yu Yan shared a deep bond as siblings; even before they recognized each other, they had a strong relationship. Now, Leng Yu Yan listened even more to Li Yuyue.

And she put her family first; what was he, an outsider, to her?

Led by Xiaoshan, Li Yuyue and Leng Yu Yan and their party arrived at the bandits’ stronghold to everyone’s surprise.

The lair was webbed with cobwebs, the tiger-skin chairs covered in dust, and an air of decay lingered everywhere. The remnants of domestic life were either destroyed or so old as to be unusable.

Gao Yuan angrily kicked a stone, "Princely Heir, Commandery Princess, considering the state of this place, it looks like the bandits must have deserted the camp and fled long ago!"

Xiaoshan was even more infuriated, having checked several houses and found no one.

Somewhat dejected, he approached Leng Yu Yan and called softly, "Commandery Princess..."

Leng Yu Yan surveyed the surroundings and said to him, "A gentleman may take revenge ten years later – one day, you will surely avenge yourself upon your enemies!"

Xiaoshan nodded vigorously, "Commandery Princess, I remember something. Before I left the stockade, many people there had nightmares every night, claiming that the girl from three years ago came back for revenge."

Hearing this, Li Yuyue tightly gripped Xiaoshan’s shoulder with one hand, "A girl, from three years ago? Explain yourself clearly!"

Xiaoshan winced in pain, and furrowed his brow, "I don’t know the details, but I’ve heard people say that three years ago, the people in the stockade kidnapped a beautiful young girl. She was tortured and humiliated to death, and her death was particularly horrifying."

"Just before I left the stockade, many people in there were plagued by nightmares. The Boss tried to find the reason and expended much effort to no avail; in the end, he could only blame it on the spring water. Maybe because of this, everyone in the stockade fled the place."

Li Yuyue murmured, "A girl, from three years ago..."

Suddenly, his eyes brimmed with tears.

"Mian’er!" Li Yuyue bitterly looked around and shouted, "Sister!"

Leng Yu Yan covered her mouth, crying, surprised to discover that this group of bandits were the murderers of her sister Mian’er.

Xiaoshan was bewildered, having no idea why the Princely Heir and Commandery Princess were so disturbed.

Gao Yuan explained to him, "In our Prince Mansion, aside from the Princess Beilan, there used to be another Commandery Princess, Princess Mian’er, which you should know. But what you don’t know is that Princess Mian’er died a wrongful death three years ago. The girl you mentioned earlier is very likely Princess Mian’er!"

After Xiaoshan followed Leng Yu Yan into the Prince Mansion, he had heard that there used to be another Commandery Princess who was no longer there. However, he had never connected Princess Mian’er with the girl he had heard discussed casually in the stockade.

"Princely Heir, Commandery Princess, I didn’t know..." Xiaoshan wiped his tears with his sleeve and said, "If I had known that the girl was Princess Mian’er, I would’ve spoken up sooner!"

Li Yuyue waved his hand, "You can’t be blamed for this. When Mian’er’s body was found, it was in a bandit nest within the borders of Beilan City; no one would have connected the bandits there with those from other places."

"Big brother..." Leng Yu Yan tearfully looked at him, "These bandits are inhumane, my sister must have suffered greatly."

Li Yuyue quickly walked a few steps and saw Leng Yu Yan, who looked almost identical to Mian’er. In a moment of illusion, it seemed as though he saw Mian’er, and in his excitement, he pulled her tightly into his arms, "Sister!"

Big brother, it has been so long, only to gain a clue, and from someone else at that.

Leng Yu Yan poked her head out from his embrace, "Big brother, they must have fled after the incident, when the Prince Mansion was searching for the culprit."

Hearing this, Li Yuyue realized he had mistaken Yan’er for Mian’er and quickly released her.

But the more he thought about it, the angrier he became, trembling with rage as he clenched his fists and roared, "When will we be able to avenge Mian’er?"

Leng Yu Yan patted his arm, "Brother, when we get home, we’ll have Xiaoshan describe the bandit leader’s face and sketch it. Catching the criminal with a portrait will be more useful than having no clues at all."

Hearing her words, Li Yuyue regained his composure, "That’s a good idea!"

He then looked up, opening his eyes wide, trying to stop the tears from spilling out of his eyes.

The white-haired boy who was rescued by his recently recognized sister provided a clue—it was fate’s arrangement!

There was hope to avenge Mian’er!

The group returned to their resting place.

Li Yuyue reported the clue to his grandfather and Father King as soon as possible, both of whom were furious when they heard. Considering the Yun Family, the three of them decided not to disclose this clue for the time being, planning to sketch a portrait after returning home and then send people to pursue the criminal all over Tiansheng.

On the other side, Mo Chen Ruo Feng also reported the matter to Ye Yiheng.

After all, Li Fei was Leng Yu Yan’s biological sister; Ye Yiheng was also touched upon hearing the news.

Upon hearing that Li Yuyue held Leng Yu Yan in his arms, Ye Yiheng’s face turned stern in an instant.

Although he knew Li Yuyue mistook her for Li Fei, he was quite displeased to hear it.

Through the eye veil, Ye Yiheng looked towards her not far away, her eyes red, clearly having cried.

His heart inexplicably wrenched, wanting to hold her close and comfort her properly.

Yet, he couldn’t even warm her hands on a winter’s day...