Ji Yunshu rushed out of the room.
Tang Si held the two boxes by the bedside and looked at Mo Ruo in a daze.
'Unknown!' At this moment, Jing Rong had just returned from outside. He had just stepped into the mansion and hadn't even had the time to brush off the snowflakes on his shoulders when he saw Ji Yunshu hurriedly running towards him in her thin clothes. Almost at the same time, he quickly took off his cloak and waited for the figure to run in front of him.
Then, with a wave of his hand, the cloak drew a perfect arc in the air and landed steadily on Ji Yunshu's shoulder.
He pinched the ends of the cloak and forcefully pulled it forward, pulling the woman in the cloak towards his chest.
That strength was accompanied by a wave of anger!
He lowered his head and stared at Ji Yunshu in his arms. He frowned and his eyes narrowed. "Are you crazy?"
His concern was greater than his anger!
Ji Yunshu couldn't care less. She clutched Jing Rong's clothes tightly and raised her head.
"I think I understand now."
"What do you understand?"
"I finally understand why I couldn't find Zhao Hao after searching for so long, even after sending out a wanted poster."
'Huh?'
"What do you mean?" Jing Rong was puzzled.
He stared at her.
He quietly waited for the answer.
Ji Yunshu's expression turned serious and her tone carried a hint of excitement. "Because Zhao Hao died that year. The missing person … isn't him."
What？
Not only was Jing Rong shocked, even the manservant at the side was so shocked that his jaw almost dropped to the ground.
'Zhao Hao died?
The missing person for fifteen years wasn't him? '
Jing Rong suddenly felt his hair stand on end. His throat felt like something was stuck and he couldn't say a word.
Half an hour later.
When Qin Shiyu heard the news, he rushed over immediately.
He was equally shocked.
"If Zhao Hao died fifteen years ago? If he wasn't the missing person, then why aren't there so many skeletons? Could it be that Lord Ji made a mistake? Did you confuse the portrait? "He guessed.
"No." Ji Yunshu solemnly said, "The portrait of the skeleton can't be wrong!"
She was very certain!
"Since there's no mistake, then where did his skeleton go? Who is the real missing person? "
"Has Lord Qin forgotten that there were a total of 73 people in the Imperial Duke's residence? Among the 72 skeletons, five of them belong to the Imperial Duke, his wife, and his son, and were buried in the cemetery many years ago?"
"Of course not." Qin Shiyu pondered. "But what does this have to do with Zhao Hao and the missing people?" "At that time, the person in charge of the burial was able to determine that the Imperial Duke, his wife, and son were the Imperial Duke based on their clothes and accessories. Other than that, no one else could confirm that the charred corpse was the Imperial Duke himself. However, as far as I know, Zhao Hao's age was similar to the Imperial Duke's.
Tall and very similar. "
Ugh!
Qin Shiyu was taken aback, "Lord Ji, you're suspecting …" "That's right, if my hypothesis is correct, then it's very likely that the Imperial Duke and Zhao Hao exchanged clothes and jewelry during the fire. That's why Zhao Hao's body was mistaken for the Imperial Duke's after the fire." "That's right.
He was buried in the imperial mausoleum, and that's why we couldn't find any information related to him. The missing person was actually the Imperial Duke. He was lucky enough to escape and didn't die! "
Qin Shiyu couldn't believe it! Jing Rong, who was listening on the side, slowly stood up. He frowned in thought and was puzzled. "If the Imperial Duke is still alive, then why hasn't he shown himself all these years? Or, if he could escape, why didn't he bring his family with him? Instead, he exchanged clothes and accessories with Zhao Hao.
Why does everyone think he's dead? How do we explain all this? Or, what was his purpose in hiding after he escaped? "
That's right!
Why?
Qin Shiyu was also puzzled. "That's right. If the Imperial Duke is still alive, then why didn't he come out and explain what happened all these years after we worked so hard on this case?"
Ji Yunshu shook her head. "These are just my guesses, but they're not unreasonable. Right now, we can only clear up all the doubts if we can ascertain the identity of the person buried in the mausoleum."
Jing Rong asked, "Then how do you want to prove it?"
"Open the coffin and examine the corpse!"
Open the coffin and examine the corpse!
The four words immediately plunged the room into a deathly silence.
There were many rules in ancient times, and all of them had to be carried out according to the rules. Therefore, matters related to the imperial family were even more stringent. Every dynasty and every generation had set down the rules of their ancestors. After a member of the imperial family was buried in the mausoleum, they were not allowed to leave the coffin by even half an inch. Otherwise, they would be regarded as unfilial and disrespectful, and would be beheaded!
Unless they obtained an imperial edict from the Emperor.
However, there had never been a precedent since ancient times.
And those so-called rules, after a few hundred years, the person buried underground would still be dug up by archaeologists or grave robbers!
Qin Shiyu immediately said, "It's impossible to open the coffin and examine the corpse! The Imperial Duke has already been buried in the mausoleum. Without His Majesty's decree, no one can open the coffin. "
Ji Yunshu understood!
But —
She said, "But if we want to know the truth, this may be the only way."
Qin Shiyu was conflicted.
There was a long silence.
Jing Rong pondered for a long time before gritting his teeth. "Fine, I will go to the palace tomorrow to see Imperial Father and ask for an imperial edict."
Qin Shiyu tried to dissuade him. "But Your Highness, His Majesty has already given the order in front of all the civil and military officials to stop the investigation. It's already risky for us to investigate in secret. If you go to the palace to ask for an imperial edict, you will undoubtedly be defying His Majesty's decree. I'm afraid that when the time comes …"
"As long as the truth of the case is revealed to the world, what harm is there in taking the risk?"
I'm throwing caution to the wind!
He's a good man.
Qin Shiyu said, "Then this lowly official will go with you tomorrow."
Jing Rong refused. "No need, I can go alone."
He had made up his mind.
Qin Shiyu's heart was in a knot.
What if …
What if …
Countless' what if 'thoughts swam in his mind, and he was extremely worried.
After Qin Shiyu left.
Ji Yunshu looked at Jing Rong, wanting to say something but hesitating.
Jing Rong completely saw through her thoughts and said, "Lord Qin has already left. If there's anything else you want to say, just say it."
She pursed her lips and took a deep breath. "In my heart … there's a bolder guess."
"Speak." "It's also what you were wondering just now! I'm thinking that the fire that year wasn't actually a natural disaster. Otherwise, the Imperial Duke wouldn't have had to change clothes with someone else and pretend to be dead. But if it was man-made, then after the Imperial Duke escaped, he would have done everything he could to seek justice for the seventy people in his residence.
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