Time Travel: Pampered by the Aloof Prince
Chapter 325: Will the Grandmaster Agree to Meet Him?

Chapter 325: Chapter 325: Will the Grandmaster Agree to Meet Him?

Cuiyu was a person close to Madam, and the maids in the residence were quite polite to her. When they heard her utterance, which was both sudden and abrupt, they didn’t find it odd and responded, "I heard that several bodies were dug up from the well in the back courtyard!"

After this statement, the two maids exchanged a glance and both shook their heads in horror.

But Cuiyu was stunned, murmuring to herself, "Bodies?"

Seeing her dazed look, the maids thought she was frightened, and they chuckled nervously again, saying to her, "Perhaps, they accidentally fell in. Although rare, such things do happen."

Subconsciously, Cuiyu shook her head and came back to her senses. Seeing that the two maids were staring at her with puzzled faces, she forced a slight smile, "It’s nothing. I’m busy with something else and must be going."

With that, she walked forward a few steps, slightly absent-minded.

Seeing her pale face, the maids didn’t think much of it, simply assuming she was scared.

Usually, after Cuiyu returned from the east wing, she would head back to the West Courtyard.

But today, her steps were as heavy as if they were leaden, making it hard for her to move forward.

Her complexion was deathly pale, and she bit her lips so tightly that they began to bleed.

After a few steps, she suddenly stopped, turned around, and went in another direction.

At that moment, the back yard was in complete chaos.

Gu Qing had just brought Qiu Lian over, and coincidentally met Liu Yan, who had rushed back upon receiving the news, at the doorway.

After sharing a few courteous greetings, they hurried to the back yard together.

Not long after entering the back yard, the Grandmaster also arrived, supported by Liu Shun, and the group exchanged greetings with each other.

Qi Yu hid behind Li Mingjue, sparing herself the need for pleasantries with these people. As a result, she started scrutinizing them out of sheer boredom.

There was no need to mention Gu Qing and Qiu Lian, as they were old acquaintances.

The Grandmaster and the butler had just introduced themselves; both men were unremarkable and inscrutable, with nothing discernible from their expressions.

However, the unfamiliar Minister of the Ministry of Justice caught her attention.

Her gaze drifted over Liu Yan for a few seconds before finally settling on his face with a slightly raised eyebrow.

Indeed, he was from the same family as the Empress, bearing some resemblance to her.

However, while the Empress was delicate but lacked stunning beauty, which made her not as memorable as An Ruoya or Lingya.

As for this Mr. Liu, his face was like a landscape painting, perfectly incomplete. Although not particularly handsome, he resembled the refined and beautiful male protagonists in storybooks, sparking one’s imagination.

While she was examining Liu Yan’s face, he was also discreetly sizing her up.

In his eyes, Qi Yu’s face was like the dew of early spring, a vivid and tender image of a young girl.

But the sparkling gleam in her eyes added a touch of mischievous charm to her appearance.

Thus, although the Princess had a beauty that could overthrow states, she did not invoke a feeling of inaccessibility.

Their gazes briefly met, and Qi Yu somewhat guiltily withdrew her eyes, meekly hiding behind her own Prince, trying to make herself less noticeable.

Liu Yan appeared calm and composed, though a flicker passed through his eyes.

After the pleasantries, they quickly got down to the matter at hand.

The forensic doctor recited the information written in his notebook in a monotone, showing no emotion.

Listening to it made Qiu Lian’s teeth hurt, causing him to wince.

When Gu Qing had tricked him into coming here earlier, he had no idea what he was about to face.

Now, looking at the situation, Gu Qing had simply dug a trap and was waiting for him to jump into it voluntarily.

And yet, he had no way to refuse.

Liu Yan was frowning too, but his expression remained normal. After listening to the forensic doctor, he asked gravely, "Have the identities of these individuals been clarified?"

The forensic doctor paused and honestly said, "I just questioned all the servants in the residence, and they all said they had never seen these people."

Liu Yan’s eyebrows suddenly relaxed, and a cold arc formed at the corner of his lips. He said lightly, "If that’s the case, it seems these individuals have nothing to do with our Liu Residence."

As soon as he finished speaking, Qiu Lian scoffed, "Is this how Minister Liu usually concludes his cases? Merely based on a few servants’ words, you determine these three weren’t from the Liu Residence?"

Liu Yan glanced at him askew and retorted, "May I know if Minister Qiu has any better insights?"

The fighting spirit in Qiu Lian’s heart was ignited, and he choked out, "Even if they are not from your esteemed residence, the corpses did indeed appear in the well of your esteemed residence. No matter how you look at it, your residence cannot be uninvolved."

Just as the two were about to argue again, the Grandmaster immediately coughed.

Liu Yan huffed slightly and ignored Qiu Lian’s words.

Qiu Lian then smiled, clearly feeling like he had won the battle.

Gu Qing could no longer care about the grievances between his colleagues. He now only wanted to get himself out of this situation as soon as possible, lest a deeper investigation reveal something inappropriate and implicate him.

He straightened up slightly and turned to Li Mingjue, asking, "Regarding this matter, I wonder how the Prince views it?"

Li Mingjue looked at him with a smile that wasn’t a smile, "This is Minister Liu’s family affair; it’s not appropriate for this Prince to intervene."

"The Prince is right, it was my confusion," Gu Qing said apologetically with a laugh.

For a moment, everyone was at a loss for words, not knowing where to look.

It was Qi Yu who took the initiative to step forward, pointing at the bodies on the ground and saying, "Since these individuals are not from the Grandmaster Residence, someone must be attempting to harm the Grandmaster. We must ascertain the identities of these people as soon as possible."

Qiu Lian nodded and frowned, "The Princess speaks sensibly, but the faces of these individuals have already rotted considerably. I fear even their own parents wouldn’t recognize them, so where do we start our investigation?"

After speaking, he looked somewhat gleefully at Liu Yan, "I wonder if Minister Liu has any good strategies?"

Liu Yan clenched his teeth, suppressing his resentment and not engaging with him.

He was in a difficult position now.

Although he also did not know why three oddly deceased bodies were unearthed from the well in the backyard of the Grandmaster Residence, he knew that this matter had to be investigated but not too thoroughly.

Moreover, he did not believe the words of Prince Qiu and Princess Qiu.

According to the forensic doctor, these three individuals had been dead for nearly seven or eight months, and during that period, no one in the Grandmaster Residence had noticed anything unusual.

Yet these two had barely arrived for half a day and had stirred up such a major incident.

If it were a case of framing, it would be good. Once the identities of these bodies were determined, the truth could be traced back from there.

But who would bring three bodies that had been dead for days to this well in the courtyard where hardly anyone came?

Therefore, even without knowing the full details, Liu Yan knew that this must involve someone within the Grandmaster Residence causing trouble.

His face slightly darkened, and for the moment, he could not think of any solution that would satisfy both sides. He chose to remain silent and observe how things unfolded.

Qi Yu had been closely observing his expression, guessing his psychological movements with nearly perfect accuracy, and scoffed lightly to herself.

She then turned her gaze to the Grandmaster and smiled slightly, suggesting, "I have a friend who is highly skilled in martial arts and capable of heavenly feats. If he were to take action, he could certainly clarify this matter. However, I wonder if the Grandmaster would be willing to meet him?"