The Prime Minister's Darling
Chapter 1106 - 1106 533 Redemption (second update)

Chapter 1106: 533 Redemption (second update) Chapter 1106: 533 Redemption (second update) The crowd of onlookers outside the Xianle Inn was so packed it was impenetrable.

During the Lunar New Year, to attract such a large crowd, it was clear that something significant had happened inside.

A few official carriages from the Official Government were parked nearby; by looking at their emblems, there were some from the Capital City Prefecture as well as the Ministry of Justice.

To have alarmed two major authorities, Gu Jiao elevated the severity of the incident by another level.

“Hey! Brother, what happened at Xianle Inn?”

A young man who arrived around the same time as Gu Jiao to see what the commotion was about, politely asked the middle-aged man beside him.

The middle-aged man stretched his neck to look into Xianle Inn, saw nothing, sighed in disappointment, and turned to the young man, saying, “I heard someone died!”

“Died, someone died?” The young man was shocked!

During the Lunar New Year, that word was too ominous, and it took the young man a while to utter the complete phrase.

“Who… died?” asked the young man.

Having spoken once, it seemed less difficult when he asked a second time.

Gu Jiao hadn’t paid much attention to their conversation, until she heard the middle-aged man say, “The Courtesan of Xianle Inn!”

If she remembered correctly, the Courtesan of Xianle Inn seemed to be Mo Qianxue.

Gu Jiao had only met Mo Qianxue a few times; the first time, Mo Qianxue told her where the assassin of the Emperor was, the second time, Mo Qianxue revealed to her that the owner of Xianle Inn was a woman.

Afterward, when she visited Xianle Inn again, she was told that Mo Qianxue had been ordered to leave.

After that, she was no longer in Capital City.

Could it really be that Mo Qianxue was in trouble?

Having left for only three months, Capital City already had a feeling of change she could sense.

Gu Jiao circled around to the side entrance of Xianle Inn and easily jumped in.

The walls of Xianle Inn’s courtyard were higher than ordinary ones; three months earlier, it would have taken her some effort, but now it was almost effortless.

It seemed that the three months she spent at the border pass, fighting many battles—especially the one against Heaven’s Wolf—had unlocked much of her potential.

She was certain she had regained more than thirty percent of her strength.

Gu Jiao passed through a corridor adorned with red lanterns and followed the sounds to the back door of the Grand Hall.

The Grand Hall was filled with people from Xianle Inn as well as officials there for the investigation; Gu Jiao glanced at a sycamore tree next to her, climbed it without changing expression, and found an excellent vantage point to sit down.

She saw a corpse covered with a white cloth on the ground, and next to it knelt a few maids weeping inconsolably, with the one crying most heartbreakingly being someone Gu Jiao had seen by Mo Qianxue’s side.

She couldn’t remember the maid’s name, but she was certain that the maid was Mo Qianxue’s confidante.

“Miss… Miss…”

She lay on the body, wailing loudly.

The Capital City Prefect furrowed his brows and said, “Alright, alright, stop crying now. It’s better to cooperate with us in the investigation so we can find your miss’s murderer quickly, so she can rest in peace beneath the nine springs.”

The maid, hearing this, lifted her body from the corpse and pointed with a trembling hand towards the other women of Xianle Inn, “It’s her! She killed my miss!”

From Gu Jiao’s perspective, she couldn’t see who the maid was pointing at, but she recognized the voice as soon as she spoke.

“You can eat anything carelessly! But don’t speak carelessly! Where have your eyes seen me killing Sister Qianxue?”

It was Hua Xiyao.

A woman in Xianle Inn who had some status but could never quite compare with Mo Qianxue.

Gu Jiao remembered one time when Hua Xiyao took her to her room and tried to administer a love potion that actually had no effect on her; Mo Qianxue arrived in time and slapped Hua Xiyao in public.

The maid tearfully accused, “It was you! I heard it with my own ears!”

Hua Xiyao didn’t even lift her eyelids, “What did you hear?”

The maid glared furiously at her, “I heard you say you wanted to kill my miss! Not only did I hear it, but Hongyu and several others heard it too! If you don’t believe me, let the officials ask them!”

The Capital City Prefect and Minister Li from the Ministry of Justice looked toward the other ladies the maid was pointing to; the ladies clutched their handkerchiefs, appearing unable to contradict.

It seemed they had heard it.

The two officials exchanged a glance.

Hua Xiyao huffed, “I was just saying it, can’t I even do that much?”

The maid turned to look at the Capital City Prefect and Minister Li, “Your Honors! It really was her!”

The Capital City Prefect asked, “Did you actually see her kill your miss with your own eyes?”

“This… No,” the maid looked down.

Hua Xiyao laughed unrestrainedly.

The Capital City Prefect frowned; as an official, he knew he shouldn’t let his emotions affect the case, but Hua Xiyao’s attitude was indeed too arrogant.

He addressed Hua Xiyao, “When and why did you utter such words?”

Hua Xiyao glanced at the handkerchief in her hand and said with a nonchalant tone, “It was probably two days ago. Mo Qianxue has always been someone who bullies others with her power, acting tyrannically in front of the other sisters by flaunting her status as the top courtesan of Xianle Inn.”

The maid yelled, “You’re talking nonsense! My lady would never do such a thing!”

Hua Xiyao looked at her with a sneer, “The Official is asking me, not you.”

The maid was so angry that her face turned red and her neck thickened.

Hua Xiyao continued, “Mo Qianxue took a fancy to my rouge and demanded that I give it to her. When I refused, she tried to snatch it forcibly. I warned her that now that the master of the inn isn’t around anymore, did she still think someone would back her up? As a result, she injured me. If you don’t believe it, my lords, take a look.”

As she spoke, Hua Xiyao lifted her left sleeve, revealing her fair wrist and arm, on which several bruises were clearly visible.

The officials should avert their eyes from impropriety; it is the duty of the designated officials and the physician to inspect injuries.

But at this moment, the designated officials had not yet arrived.

The Deputy Minister of Justice, Li, and the Prefect of Capital City, tried to maintain composure as they glanced quickly at the injuries before averting their eyes.

The Prefect of Capital City cleared his throat and waved his hand, “Alright, alright.”

Hua Xiyao slowly let her sleeve fall back down, “After she beat me like this, I threw out a couple of harsh words, saying that one day I would kill her. But, my lord, I hadn’t even made a move, and she was already dead.”

The maid could hardly bear to listen any more, “You’re still making excuses! You’ve always had a grudge against my lady! Not only did you kill my lady, but you also want to tarnish her reputation! My lady would never even want your rouge!”

Hua Xiyao spoke with confidence, “If you don’t believe me, go look. Is there not a box of Yulan Building’s rouge in your lady’s cosmetic box? I personally went to the Yulan Building to buy it. The owner of the Yulan Building knows very well which shade I bought. Take the rouge and ask them, see if it isn’t the one I bought! Don’t say your lady bought it herself; whether she ever bought Yulan Building’s rouge, you know better than I do, and so does the owner of the Yulan Building!”

The maid was suddenly at a loss for words and stammered, “But besides you, who else would hate my lady enough to want to mutilate her corpse?”

Hua Xiyao shook the handkerchief in her hand and said with a mocking tone, “How would I know whom your lady has offended out there?”

The maid was so angry she almost rushed up to tear her apart!

The Prefect of Capital City looked at Hua Xiyao again, “What did you mean earlier when you said the owner of Xianyue Inn was no longer around?”

Hua Xiyao’s expression paused for a moment, “…It means our inn’s owner is dead.”

…

Gu Jiao left Xianle Inn as the sky began to darken, with light flurries of snowfall dotting the evening air.

The liveliness of Xianle Inn did not extend to the streets of Capital City.

Gu Jiao walked down an alley that seemed to echo with her footsteps, pondering over Mo Qianxue’s affair.

She always felt that something wasn’t right.

“Uh…”

A suppressed groan came from a dark corner.

Gu Jiao paused, her assassin’s instincts telling her that the person posed no threat to her.

She wasn’t one to meddle in other people’s business.

If there was no threat, she was ready to leave.

But after taking a few steps, she frowned and turned back.

She entered the dark corner and found a frail figure curled up in the snow, a pool of blood long since congealed underneath.

Gu Jiao knelt on one knee, brushed the hair from the person’s cheek, and took a look: “Mo Qianxue?”

Medical Hall.

The last patient had left, and the assistant manager was preparing to close up when a figure in green clothes rushed in, carrying a blood-soaked woman.

The assistant manager nearly got hit, quickly sidestepping and looking at the newcomer, before exclaiming in surprise, “Little Gu? Eh? Who is she?”

“Prepare hot water!”

That’s all Gu Jiao left behind as she carried the barely breathing Mo Qianxue away to her own courtyard.

“Wait…” The assistant manager was baffled as he watched her go, “What kind of patient is she, bringing them into her own courtyard?”

By the time the assistant manager had the hot water delivered, Gu Jiao had already placed Mo Qianxue on the surgery bed in the side room.

“Need help?” asked the assistant manager.

Gu Jiao opened the first-aid kit and put on gloves, “Is Doctor Song around?”

She needed an assistant.

The assistant manager replied, “He’s not here, he went back. Should I call him over?”

Gu Jiao looked at the rapidly decreasing blood pressure on the sphygmomanometer, “There’s no time.”

Severe blood loss, combined with tension pneumothorax, could lead to rapid death. Surgery had to be performed immediately.

“I’m here, I’m here!” intervened the child Medical Officer as he ran over, stopping at the door, “Can I, can I come in to help?”

Gu Jiao nodded, took out a large needle, touched Mo Qianxue’s chest with her fingertips, located the second intercostal space at the midclavicular line, and thrust the needle in!