The daughter of the emperor was reborn and was spoiled by the sickly prince.

It was late at night and the sky was covered in a thick layer of ink.

Liao Qinglan was still sitting in front of the sandalwood table in the study, her clothes neatly dressed, her eyes staring through the window lattice at the moonlight outside, as if waiting for something.

There was a hint of anxiety and worry on her face, and a barely perceptible fatigue between her brows.

Jinxiu looked at the young lady from the side and said with a worried look on her face: "Miss, it's getting late, you should take a rest first."

Liao Qinglan shook her head. "No, Duke Zheng obviously doesn't want me to get involved in this case. Even if Lord Du wants to help me, it's not convenient for him to do it during the day. There will probably be a reply tonight, and I have to wait here."

Jinxiu sighed helplessly. She knew the young lady's temper. Once a decision was made, it would be difficult to change it. All she could do was to accompany her silently.

Time passed little by little, the night grew darker, and Liao Qinglan looked more and more tired.

Jinxiu couldn't help but feel a lot of emotions.

For more than half a month, the young lady never mentioned Mr. Gu. I thought the young lady's enthusiasm for Mr. Gu had faded, but I didn't expect that she would still care so much about him after something happened.

At this moment, there were rapid footsteps outside the door.

It’s Cheng Yuan who is here.

There was a certain solemnity in his belt.

Liao Qinglan immediately stood up and went to greet him, and asked anxiously: "Second cousin, what's wrong?"

Cheng Yuan nodded and said in a deep voice: "The situation is not good. There are witnesses and evidence, and Duke Zheng has also requested an imperial decree to personally try the case."

How could there be both witnesses and evidence...Gu Mingzhao clearly said that he didn't do it.

He is not the kind of person who would not admit what he has done.

There must be something wrong.

Liao Qinglan thought for a moment and said to Cheng Yuan, "Is the evidence currently in the Dali Temple? I want to go and take a look."

Cheng Yuan was not surprised. He knew that she would not give up easily, so he nodded and said, "I knew you would ask this. There are too many people during the day, so we can only go quietly at night. Du You is waiting for us at the Dali Temple now."

Liao Qinglan was filled with gratitude as her cousin had thought of everything for her.

She turned to Jinxiu and ordered, "Jinxiu, you stay in the mansion. If anyone looks for me, tell them that I am not feeling well and am resting."

Jinxiu agreed and told the young lady to be careful.

Liao Qinglan put on a black cloak, wrapped herself tightly, and followed Cheng Yuan out of the back door of the prime minister's residence.

In the darkness of the night, the two men walked in a hurry and soon disappeared around the corner of the street.

The Dali Temple is located in the center of the capital, and it looks even more solemn and majestic at night.

Cheng Yuan brought her to a secluded corner and knocked on the wall gently a few times. A school gate opened quietly and Du You stood inside to greet them.

In an emergency, the three of them tacitly skipped the polite part. Du You whispered, "I have arranged everything. You guys follow me."

Liao Qinglan asked anxiously: "Master Du, how did the prince of Duke Zheng die?"

Du You said as he walked, "The prince of Duke Zheng was found dead by a night watchman in the corner of the alley. His body was already stiff when he was found. The night watchman immediately reported the matter to the authorities. The coroner from the Dali Temple examined the body and found that he was killed by being hit on the head with a heavy object."

Liao Qinglan asked, "What about the evidence? What else is there besides the body?"

Du You said: "Next to the body, a broken lotus jade pendant was found. Many people have seen Master Gu wearing this jade pendant, so Duke Zheng believed that it was Gu Mingzhao who killed his son."

The lotus jade pendant... many people have seen it... isn't that the jade pendant she gave to Gu Mingzhao on the day of the poetry gathering!

Liao Qinglan couldn't help but frown and questioned, "This is obviously a frame-up! There was a jade pendant next to the body. Wouldn't the murderer see it and take it away? This is too illogical."

Cheng Yuan also nodded in agreement: "It is indeed unreasonable. If it was really Gu Mingzhao who killed someone, why would he leave such obvious evidence?"

Du You was quite helpless: "I also know that there must be something fishy, ​​but besides that, there are also witnesses."

"Witness?" Liao Qinglan's heart sank.

"That's right. Miss Ruyan from Zuihonglou said that she was accompanying the prince of Duke Zheng that day. Later, the prince saw Gu Mingzhao outside the door, and the two immediately had an argument. Gu Mingzhao forced his way out, and the prince chased him out. Miss Ruyan also specifically mentioned that when she saw Gu Mingzhao, she also noticed that he was wearing the jade pendant."

Drunk Red Mansion...

If she remembered correctly, this should be a famous brothel in the capital.

Why would Gu Mingzhao go there...

Liao Qinglan frowned. Just as Cheng Yuan said, the situation was not good.

"Thank you, Lord Du, please take me to see the evidence first." Liao Qinglan said softly.

The three of them walked through the winding corridors and came to the room where the evidence was stored.

The people guarding the door had been sent away by Du You in advance, so Liao Qinglan went in easily.

There were no candles in the room. Liao Qinglan held up a fire starter and carefully examined each piece of evidence.

As they said, there is physical evidence and testimony from witnesses.

Her eyes fell on the jade pendant, which was the key physical evidence to incriminate Gu Mingzhao.

Liao Qinglan picked up the broken lotus jade pendant and carefully put the two halves together, examining every detail carefully.

After a moment, her tense heartstrings finally relaxed a little.

This is not her jade pendant.

She looked up and told Cheng Yuan and Du You her conclusion: "This jade pendant does not belong to Gu Mingzhao."

Cheng Yuan was a little surprised and asked, "How did you know?"

Liao Qinglan did not answer this question.

She continued to look through the testimonies. All of them were said by Miss Ruyan alone, with no corroboration from anyone else.

After checking everything, she looked at Du You and asked, "Did anyone else in Zuihonglou see Gu Mingzhao and the Duke of Zheng arguing?"

Du You shook his head and said, "Miss Ruyan is a courtesan and lives on a separate floor. Usually, few people disturb her."

"She lives alone on the first floor. How did Gu Mingzhao get to her door and be seen by the prince of Zheng? And when they had a dispute, no one else came to check?"

Du You sighed, "Miss Ruyan said that Gu Mingzhao suddenly appeared at her door that day, and she didn't know why Gu Mingzhao came. As for the others, the girl and the steward that day said that they were far away and heard an argument upstairs. When they arrived, only the frightened Miss Ruyan was there."

Liao Qinglan's heart trembled.

All the evidence and testimony seemed to be designed specifically to target Gu Mingzhao.

Even if there are numerous loopholes, as long as Duke Zheng is in charge, I'm afraid no one will investigate the irregularities in detail, and the case will be closed hastily in the end.

She stood up and said to Du You, "Thank you, Lord Du. I know the details of the case. Gu Mingzhao is innocent. Lord Du, please take care of him for me. I will find other evidence as soon as possible."

Du You looked serious and promised, "There are indeed many doubts in this case. Don't worry, Miss Liao, I will try my best to take care of you."

"Thank you, Master Du."

After saying this, she quietly left the Dali Temple along the same path she came from.