Witch, don't do anything reckless!

Outside the Prince Jing's residence, security remained tight.

The bright red "double happiness" characters that were so lively yesterday have been taken down and replaced by white lanterns hanging high. White banners can be seen everywhere in the mansion, making the atmosphere extremely oppressive.

Li Chuqiu followed behind Liu Xu and Xu Jinghong, entering the Jingwang Mansion without any hindrance.

The servants led the group into the central courtyard, but Li Chuqiu was stopped outside a pavilion.

"Gentlemen, His Highness has been waiting inside for quite some time."

The servant spoke respectfully.

Liu Xu nodded slightly and stepped into the courtyard first. Xu Jinghong, who was following behind, turned around and gave Li Chuqiu a look before following Liu Xu inside.

Li Chuqiu was left standing alone in the courtyard, pretending not to see Xu Jinghong's winking.

As a mere constable, he naturally had no right to see Prince Jing and could only wait outside.

The courtyard was quiet; apart from the few guards standing watch outside, there wasn't a soul in sight. The guards, seeing that Li Chuqiu was wearing the robes of the Tianxuan Division and that he had entered with Liu Xu and Xu Jinghong, paid him no heed.

Li Chuqiu was able to stroll freely in the courtyard, taking in the layout and structure of the Prince Jing's residence.

With the death of Prince Jing's heir, the entire Prince Jing's mansion seemed to be shrouded in a shadow. The huge mansion was deserted, and Li Chuqiu wandered around the area but did not see a single person.

Where did everyone go?

The Prince Jing's mansion, which had been struck by this tragedy overnight, seemed to suddenly become deserted.

Li Chuqiu wasn't that interested in the death of the Prince Jing's heir; he was more curious about the heir's wife who had just married into the Prince Jing's household yesterday...

The Prince Jing's heir was assassinated, throwing the entire Prince Jing's residence into chaos, but the heir's wife seemed to have never appeared from beginning to end.

Even more so, it seems that no one has ever mentioned such a person?

The Prince Jing's heir was assassinated last night on his way to the bridal chamber, and the place where he was killed was not far from the bridal chamber of the heir's wife...

Li Chuqiu seemed to be deep in thought. It wasn't that he doubted her, but rather that he was just making an instinctive guess. In addition, the fact that the Crown Princess was so beautifully hidden made it all the more strange.

But upon further reflection, it doesn't seem difficult to understand.

The Crown Princess was, after all, the legitimate daughter of the Song family in Jiangnan. The Song family was a powerful and influential clan that had dominated the Jiangnan region for over a hundred years. Their influence was deeply entrenched and complex, and even the imperial court had to be wary of them.

The marriage alliance between the Song family and the Prince Jing's mansion was undoubtedly driven by political factors. However, given the noble status of the eldest daughter of the Song family, and the fact that her husband had died on their wedding night, no one knew whether she would be heartbroken.

But for now, it's unlikely that anyone will cause her any trouble.

As Li Chuqiu was thinking this, she gradually came to her senses and found herself on an unfamiliar, quiet path.

On either side were walls about one and a half meters high, covered with lush greenery and flowers. Not far away, at the far end of the walls, beside a rockery with a small bridge and flowing water, a young girl in a light green dress was furtively climbing over the wall, lifting her skirt...

With one foot on a rock of the artificial hill and her hands lightly gripping the wall, she was struggling to climb over in a very ungraceful posture.

Just then, the furtive girl glanced to the side and saw Li Chuqiu watching the scene with great interest not far away.

"what!"

The girl looked panicked, wanting to scream, but instinctively covered her mouth. This caused her to lose her balance, slip, and fall off the wall.

"Ouch!"

The girl fell backward, sprawling onto the grass beside her, her skirt billowing, revealing a pair of long, slender, snow-white legs beneath her emerald green dress.

Snow-white and exquisite, smooth as jade.

Hey, you're not wearing anything under your skirt?

Li Chuqiu's gaze instantly and subconsciously caught this scene.

The girl on the ground almost cried from the pain after her bottom made a hard, intimate contact with the grass.

But the girl bit her lip tightly, afraid that making a sound would attract attention. Her eyes were brimming with tears, and her eyes began to redden.

She rubbed her bottom as she struggled and scrambled to her feet. Only then did she realize that her skirt had exposed her, and her fair face flushed crimson.

She was both ashamed and angry, and then she suddenly turned around and looked at the 'culprit' not far away!

And that just so happened to meet Li Chuqiu's innocent gaze.

The girl was stunned... This guy is so good-looking!

But the next second, she felt extremely ashamed and angry... Being good-looking isn't enough? Does being good-looking give you the right to scare her?!

Just because you're good-looking doesn't mean you can peek at yourself!

"You, you..."

The girl pointed at Li Chuqiu, biting her lower lip and speaking angrily, but dared not raise her voice.

Only then did Li Chuqiu get a clear look at the girl's appearance.

She was about sixteen or seventeen years old, with a tender and slightly round face, delicate and exquisite features, and reddened eyes that seemed to be filled with glistening tears. She was glaring at him with a mixture of shame, annoyance, and anger.

The girl wore a long, light green dress made of silk, which was obviously priceless. Judging from her accessories and attire, she must have a very high social status.

Judging from the situation, they are from the Prince Jing's residence?

But why are they acting so furtively?

"This isn't my fault!"

Seeing the girl's face flushed red, as if she was quite angry, Li Chuqiu immediately shifted the blame: "I didn't do anything, you fell down by yourself."

"That, that wasn't you..."

The girl lowered her voice, annoyed, and said, "Who gave you the right to scare me like that?!"

"Who knew you were sneaking around like a thief, climbing over the wall here?"

The girl's eyes widened: "Who, who's thief?!"

"Then what are you doing leaning against the wall?"

"I, I..."

The girl didn't know how to retort for a moment, and then angrily said, "What's it to you? I can lie down if I want, it's none of your business!"

"Okay, then I'll have to go talk to the people inside!"

Li Chuqiu turned to walk towards the courtyard gate, but as soon as she took a step, her clothes were suddenly tugged.

Li Chuqiu turned around and saw the girl standing in front of him, one hand still rubbing her bottom, wincing in pain, the other hand clutching his sleeve, tense and flustered: "You, you're not allowed to go!"

Seeing this comical scene, Li Chuqiu chuckled: "You still say you weren't doing something wrong?!"

"I……"

The girl was furious, gritting her teeth: "Who are you? What are you doing here?!"

Li Chuqiu pointed to the clothes she was wearing: "I'm from the Tianxuan Division, here to investigate the assassination of Prince Jing's heir."

The girl stared at Li Chuqiu's clothes for a moment, then pouted, "So you're just a nobody from Tianxuan Division."

"?"

"This is the inner courtyard! Who gave you permission to come here!"

The pain in her buttocks seemed to have lessened considerably, and the girl became confident again, putting her hands on her hips and questioning in a low voice.

Inner courtyard?

No one stopped her along the way, and Li Chuqiu never expected that she would run into the inner courtyard.

This inner courtyard is where the women of Prince Jing's household reside. If an outsider like Li Chuqiu were to barge in and be discovered, the consequences would be severe.

Just as he was about to leave, he heard footsteps.

Before Li Chuqiu could react, the girl next to her panicked first.

"Hurry, let's get out of here!"

The girl grabbed Li Chuqiu's clothes and dragged him into a secluded corner without saying a word.

……