Chapter 910: Trapped Inside
I can’t believe I let this guy trick me into doing this! Sang Qien was panicking so much that she almost stomped her feet. At the same time, she quickly thought about how they were going to deal with the aftermath.
With her identity, King Qi probably wouldn’t kill her, but breaking in and conspiring against him was a huge matter that could end really badly. Her father had finally made a bit of a comeback, but he might lose his post because of this. After all, her father was definitely someone on the emperor’s side. King Qi could even use this to threaten the Sang clan and bring them over to his side. If that happened, the Sang clan would be at King Qi’s mercy.
She even thought about making sure she had the same confession as Zu An, to tell him what to say so they wouldn’t get punished as much. But who could have thought that he would grab her, then jump straight into the pond off to the side?!
Sang Qien thought to herself, What’s the point? The manor’s security were all experienced personnel. They’d definitely notice if they jumped straight into the water and caused a huge scene.
But she was completely surprised. They didn’t make a single sound when they jumped into the water! The water’s surface seemed as if it had been parted by an invisible pair of hands. Then, after they went inside, the water closed up again on its own. There wasn’t even a single ripple.
What was even more shocking was that she had planned to hold her breath. She had even wondered what she'd do later if Zu An wanted to feed her oxygen… Should she refuse him or not? Such plots always happened in those romantic novels!
“Why are you staring at my mouth?” Zu An asked, confused.
“Who… Who’s staring at your mouth?!” Sang Qien blushed and she quickly looked away.
But what was shocking was that she didn’t feel as if she were underwater at all. The surroundings were empty, and there was fresh air. It was as if the two of them were in a transparent bubble.
“What… is going on?” Sang Qien was shocked. The patrolling guards were already close by, and she was scared of exposing herself with her voice. She could only move closer to Zu An and whisper into his ear.
Meanwhile, Zu An was enjoying the whole process. He also moved closer to her and whispered, “Is little sis Qien’er trying to tease me by coming so close? I’m a married man, you know?”
Sang Qien was speechless. She pushed him back like a startled rabbit. This idiot can go to hell!
Only when those guards left did Zu An grab Sang Qien and reappear on the surface.
Sang Qien couldn't even be bothered to be angry when she saw that there wasn’t a drop of water on her. She asked quietly, “How did you do that?”
“A secret.” Zu An chuckled. It was obviously because of the Blue Mallard’s elemental affinity effects, but the intricate use of the element was something Mi Li had taught him. Mi Li had fallen asleep again toward the end of the dungeon test. He wondered how her recovery was going.
Sang Qien pouted. This guy really made her want to bite him. However, her mood was quickly replaced by admiration. Zu An sometimes led her through a casual walk, and sometimes brought her quickly through an area. There were times when they had to sometimes proceed and sometimes go backward… But because of all that, they weren’t noticed by a single guard.
They quickly arrived at a secluded courtyard. There were white lanterns hanging everywhere, and paper money and dried branches were scattered across the ground. The giant Chinese character at the very center looked especially eerie under the dim lighting.
Zu An had already had his subordinates look around the area during the day. It was where the concubine’s coffin was.
According to this world’s traditional beliefs, departed souls would remain in the world for a period of time and couldn’t be buried immediately. Only on the seventh day after their death would the spirit then return to take a look. Then, it would enter the cycle of reincarnation.
That meant at least seven days had to pass before they could be buried. Today just happened to be the seventh day after King Qi’s concubine had passed away.
“Why is there no one in the courtyard?” Sang Qien was careful at first, but when she looked around, she saw that there wasn’t a single person present.
“It’s because today is the seventh day since her death.” Zu An used the jade badge to control several little creatures and look around. When he confirmed that there was no one around them, he then sighed in relief.
Sang Qian immediately understood. Ancient customs said that the departed soul would return home on the seventh day, so they had to prepare a meal in advance for the soul before it returned. Then, they had to stay away from the place. If the departed soul saw some family or people they knew, it might influence their future reincarnation.
She couldn't help but give Zu An a look. Even though this man always seemed so nonchalant and carefree, he had actually thought things through. No wonder he had chosen today to examine the concubine’s remains.
Zu An walked up to the funeral hall. There was a massive coffin in the center. This was the concubine of a king after all, so they wouldn’t skimp on such details for her. He placed his hand on the coffin and felt the surface. Then, ki rippled out, sending the sealed coffin’s nails flying. The coffin opened up as he said, “Little sis Qien’er, I’ll leave the rest to you.”
A chill swept through the place when the lid opened up, as if what was inside were an ice cupboard. King Qi’s concubine lay inside calmly. Her features were beautiful, and she looked as if she were still alive.
Zu An immediately understood that the cold was because of a formation’s refrigeration effect, preventing the body from decaying. He had to admit that these nobles’ lives were all quite extravagant.
Sang Qien gave him a look, clearly criticizing his crudeness. She walked up to the coffin and joined her hands together, saying “Please do not take offense, your highness. We only wish to uncover the truth about your death so you can rest peacefully.”
After apologizing, she then moved next to the coffin and took a look. She sighed the moment she saw the body inside. “This concubine is still so young and beautiful… Beautiful women truly suffer unhappy fates.”
Zu An chuckled and remarked, “But I don’t think she’s as pretty as little sis Qien’er.”
“Hmph, you’re just a smooth talker.” Sang Qien harrumphed, but she didn’t get angry at all. Instead, she had a grin on her face. Girls all liked to hear words of praise. Sigh, how could my big brother’s stupid chauvinism win against him? No wonder sister-in-law…
She raised the concubine’s arm and began to examine her. “Normally, if someone were to drown, their mind would be extremely tense before death. They would struggle frantically and flail their arms. There would be water plants, silt, and other such things trapped in their fingernails. However, there’s nothing in her fingernails. Of course, there’s a chance that the manor’s staff already helped to wash these areas. But I also checked her oral and nasal cavities, and I didn’t find any red suds there. That would be one of the biggest signs of someone who died from drowning.”
She began to undo the concubine’s clothing as she spoke. Halfway through the process, she turned around and gave Zu An a look.
Zu An quickly turned around. He had no interest in necrophilia and didn’t want to look at a dead person’s body, even if she was still as beautiful as when she was still alive.
Sang Qien spoke again a while later. “Even though her palms and soles are a bit wrinkled and pale, it’s not too severe. I don’t think she stayed underwater for that long. Also, I could barely find any dirt in her mouth or nose. That’s why my overall conclusion is that she was just thrown into a pond to fake her drowning.”
“Not surprising at all.” Zu An nodded. “Then what’s her real cause of death?”
Sang Qien replied, “I checked her entire body, but there weren’t any external injuries. There aren’t any signs of poisoning either. However, there seemed to be bleeding from her eyes. If I’m not wrong, she suffered damage to her head. But how could a glorious concubine be killed like this in this heavily guarded King Qi Manor?”
Zu An said with a sigh, “The only one who could do something like this is that person.” Sang Qien was about to say something when Zu An’s expression suddenly changed and he said, “There are guards coming.”
“Were we discovered?” Sang Qien exclaimed in horror.
“I don’t think so.” Zu An shook his head. He saw that Sang Qien was about to jump through a side window. He quickly grabbed her and said, “There’s no time.”
Immediately afterward, he pulled her into the coffin. Those outside came into the room just as the coffin lid closed back up.