The Prime Minister's Darling
Chapter 1596: 771 Hand-torn Crown Prince (First Update)

Chapter 1596: 771 Hand-torn Crown Prince (First Update)

Gu Changqing’s body stiffened all over, and he looked at the dark figure in front of him in shock.

The man was dressed in black robes and wore a black cloak; his face hidden in shadow, only revealing a pair of eyes, colder and more piercing than a Treasure Sword.

The man pushed his long sword deeper, piercing straight through Gu Changqing’s chest.

Immediately after, the man coldly withdrew the sword, the splattering blood was deflected away with a flick of his blade.

Gu Changqing fell to the ground like a puppet drained of all strength.

The mute servant was too scared to move.

The man did not even glance at the mute servant; instead, he ordered the guards who had hurried over, “Dispose of the body.”

“Yes!”

The guards complied.

One of them crouched down, reached out and felt Gu Changqing’s neck, confirming that he was indeed dead.

A corpse could not be allowed within the Prince’s mansion—it was considered an ominous harbinger, so several people brought an old cart to throw Gu Changqing’s body onto the horse-drawn carriage.

A rumble of thunder resounded in the sky that had been stifling the whole day.

It looked like it was going to rain.

The guards covered the body with a straw mat and exited through the rear gate of the Prince’s mansion.

Lightning flashed and thunder roared across the Horizon, and several pedestrians hurried along the way, each seeking shelter from the imminent rain.

“Ugh, what bad luck, why did it have to die?” one of the carriage drivers complained.

Another guard tried to find some humor in their situation, saying, “A stroll outside isn’t so bad; don’t you feel stuffy always staying in the residence?”

“But later, we have to go to the mass burial mound, where nothing but rotten bodies can be found. Sometimes you might even see severed hands and feet, and if we’re unlucky, we might catch some foul diseases there.”

“You’re making me scared,” said the first.

Half an hour later, they arrived at the mass burial mound, filled with the stench of death and decay. Bodies were not buried but rather simply cast aside.

The breeze brought a retch-inducing smell, the shadows of the trees swayed eerily, and the cawing of crows sent shivers down their spines.

“Let’s dump it and go back quick! This place is creepy as hell!”

“Let’s stop here, don’t get any closer,” they decided.

The two men parked the carriage near the mass burial mound and then jumped down to move Gu Changqing’s body.

But when they lifted the straw mat covering the body, they found that the corpse had vanished into thin air!

Their faces blanched, and their first instinct was to search under the carriage.

“What the hell happened?” asked one guard.

There was nothing under the carriage.

“I don’t know,” said his companion, scared. “Could it have been… playing dead?”

The guard frowned. “This isn’t good, we need to inform His Highness immediately!”

–

“To think he didn’t die after taking one of my strikes,” said the black-robed man upon hearing the report. He glanced at the guard, put down his teacup, and told the Prince, “This man is quite interesting. I’ll go and capture him myself.”

The Prince stopped the black-robed man, “Wait, he was wounded by Master’s sword; his injuries must be severe. He can’t have gone far. Let the Jin Yi Wei handle the search; Master shouldn’t need to reveal his identity.”

The black-robed man replied leisurely, “Fair enough. My strike damaged his foundations. Even if he’s lucky enough to escape, he won’t live through the night.”

The Prince said with a stern look, “I won’t be at peace until I see him dead with my own eyes.”

–

“It’s raining again.” Gu Jiao pushed the wheelchair to the window, grabbed the pole to hook the support bar of the window, and was about to close it when a wet figure dropped from the sky. The figure staggered a couple of times before falling to the ground with a plop.

The torrential rain scattered the pedestrians on the streets.

The Jin Yi Wei of the Prince’s mansion, dressed in oiled cloaks and hats, dashed through the pouring rain.

“Hm—”

When they reached the entrance of the National Master Hall, they all reined in their horses at once, stopping the running stallions.

The leading Jin Yi Wei said coldly, “Are we sure it’s here?”

Another responded, “Yes, sir. I tracked him to this point and saw with my own eyes that he climbed over the wall into the National Master Hall. Sir, should we enter to search?”

Looking at the imposing and solemn Plaque of the National Master Hall in the pouring rain, the leading Jin Yi Wei sneered, “Is the National Master Hall a place we can just search on a whim? Even if Guan Duwei came to search personally, he was turned away at the door. We are just a few Jin Yi Wei, without any right to enter the National Master Hall!”

“So, what do we do?” asked a guard.

The leader of the Jin Yi Wei frowned, “You few, guard all the major entrances to the National Master Hall, and keep a close eye on the surrounding walls. If he escapes, capture him immediately! I’ll go inform His Highness.”

“Yes!”

The lead Jin Yi Wei sped back to the Prince’s mansion on his horse and reported to the Prince about Long Aotian having fled into the National Master Hall.