The Self-cultivation of a Salted Fish Concubine

Chapter 229 One Month Pregnant

When Xie Run and Ting He arrived at the back room, they found that a body had been fished out from the side of the well. It was covered with a white cloth and could not be seen clearly.

As we approached, the housekeeper asked, "Leaving this body here is disturbing the master. Should we move it to the room?"

Xie Run: "No need, it's right here."

She looked around but couldn't see anything, so she asked, "Who entered her room before the body was found?"

The housekeeper whispered, "Mother Zhang, who is in charge of needlework."

"This girl was assigned to Madam Zhang's care. Today was her first day working. She hadn't been seen for a long time, so Madam Zhang came looking for her. She couldn't find her inside or outside the house. Then, a maid was fetching water to wash clothes, and she saw her reflection in the water..."

"Is Mother Zhang the only one who has entered her room?"

The housekeeper was quiet for a moment, then Ting He realized something was wrong and immediately scolded her, "Xie Concubine is here, how dare you conceal this?!"

"This is a matter of life and death. If something goes wrong, you guys won't have enough brains!"

The housekeeper immediately said, "Because Madam Zhang said someone was missing, a few people went into the house to help look for him."

Xie Run thought to himself, this is bad. He was afraid that all the evidence in the house was gone.

Ting He was furious: "The house is so small, where can anyone hide?!"

"You old ladies are restless, so you've deliberately run into the house to join in the fun, right?! I'm afraid there are some shady people out there who wouldn't let go of the chance!"

Ting He had been following the princess in charge of affairs for so many years, and she had a clear understanding of the moral character of the maids in the backyard.

"You dare to touch the belongings of this person who died for no apparent reason? Aren't you afraid of bad luck?"

The housekeeper lowered her head and accepted the scolding obediently, not daring to say anything else.

Xie Run sighed softly: "Everyone who has entered her house must be searched, inside and outside the house!"

It happened that the guard Jin Yuan from the front yard came forward with his men, "Your subordinates are here to pay their respects to Concubine Xie."

Xie Run: "Please trouble Guard Jin to send people to cordon off the backyard. The person who died was the palace maid that Concubine Rou rewarded yesterday. This matter is extremely strange."

"Now that the prince is out of the palace and the princess is unwell, I'm afraid this matter will all depend on Guard Jin!"

The guard that King Jing valued the most was Jing Wu. Jin Yuan was the second in command and had never been given much importance.

Now that the credit had been delivered to him, he naturally dared not slack off. He clasped his fists with a hint of excitement and said, "I will definitely fulfill my mission!"

After saying that, he took people to investigate.

Xie Run didn't rush to leave, but followed him and walked around the room.

The housekeeper explained, "There are many servants in the backyard, and there are no vacancies. I put her in this room where the sundries are stored, and planned to free up a room for her in two days. Who would have thought..."

There were not many women in King Jing's backyard, so there were not many maids and old women serving him. Usually two or four people slept in one room.

This palace maid had just been arranged to come to the palace and lived alone.

If it is a murder, it will also make it easier for someone to do it in secret.

Xie Run had no experience in solving cases, and after looking around he couldn't find any clues. Just then, the court doctor came over.

Xie Run: "Please ask Hu Luofu to examine her first."

Doctor Luo was suddenly called in, and he thought that a maid in the backyard was unwell.

After hearing what Xie Runyi said, he looked forward and saw the corpse covered with a white cloth on the ground. His face turned pale, "Xie Concubine, this... the doctor treats the disease but doesn't save the life. What do you want me to check?"

Xie Run nodded and said, "Old Doctor, this maidservant is from the palace. She was given to us by Concubine Rou yesterday, and she is gone today."

"I'm a woman in the backyard, so it's not easy for me to hire a coroner. So, I can only ask Doctor Luo to take a look."

Xie Run also heard that some doctors were quite skilled and could see a lot of information from the dead.

She whispered, "I've heard that some methods of harming others leave less trace the later they are discovered."

Doctor Luo was shocked after hearing this. He immediately understood and bowed to Xie Run, saying, "I'll go and try it right away."

Jin Yuan was investigating the scene for traces and interrogating the servants.

Doctor Luo used many methods. First he looked at the complexion and tongue coating, then he took the pulse, carefully examining every inch.

Xie Run thought it would take some time, but after a while, a look of shock appeared on his face.

He glanced at Xie Run, and Xie Run knew that Dr. Luo must have discovered something.

Doctor Luo bowed to Xie Run and said, "Replying to Concubine Xie, this woman is probably already one month pregnant."

"what?!"

Xie Run opened his eyes wide, and one could imagine how shocked he was.

Concubine Rou gave her son a pregnant woman?!

Could it be that Prince Jing had already had an affair with this person in the palace, which is why Concubine Rou suddenly gave her to him?

wrong!

Xie Run still had some faith in King Jing's integrity.

No matter how lustful he was, he would never touch anyone in his mother's palace.

Especially when he brought the maid to Qingsong Court that day, King Jing showed no affection and was cold to her.

The baby in this palace maid's belly is most likely not King Jing's!

Now is the critical moment in the fight for the throne, and King Jing cannot do such a stupid thing.

Whose is that?

It couldn't possibly belong to the emperor? Or perhaps... to another prince or palace guard?

Xie Run's face was solemn. He simply said, "Continue to check! See if there are any scars or needle holes on her body, or if there are any traces of poison or drugs in her blood..."

Xie Run told everything he could think of, hoping to find some clues.

After Jin Yuan made some inquiries, he did not find any useful information.

The palace maid had just arrived and had no acquaintances. She fell into the well quietly and no one knew much about her.

Doctor Luo checked everything according to Xie Run's instructions. Only when he got to the blood test did his face change slightly.

"What's wrong?" Xie Run walked over and asked.

Doctor Luo: "Replying to Concubine Xie, there are traces of anesthetic powder in this girl's blood. It is a formula used for hunting in the northwest. The effect is extremely strong!"

Jin Yuan happened to be nearby and immediately said, "It seems he didn't commit suicide. Someone drugged him and made him pass out, then threw him into the well."

Xie Run: "If someone drugged you, then the drinking cup and eating bowls might have traces of drug residue..."

Jin Yuan took people to look for it, and soon found traces of anesthetic powder in the cup that the palace maid used to drink water.

Someone put anesthetic drugs in her water cup, knocked her unconscious and threw her into the well to create the illusion that she had fallen to her death!

This also explains why the palace maid didn't make any noise when she fell into the well.

Normally, this would be a murder case and the police should be notified.

But the incident happened in Prince Jing's mansion, and Prince Jing is not there now, so it will be difficult to deal with it in the short term.

Xie Run could only keep his mouth shut and let Jin Yuan investigate the person carefully. He also sent someone to the main courtyard to ask the princess how to deal with the matter.

The princess was also shocked when she heard the news. Her first reaction was: "Whose child is she pregnant with?!"

It can be seen that the princess and Xie Run had the same idea.

He was afraid that the child in the maid's belly was the result of an affair with King Jing.

However, after asking this question, the princess immediately understood that King Jing would not do such a thing.

After all, if this were true, it would be a huge scandal.

The princess immediately said, "Send a message to the prince immediately, and then send someone to the palace to inquire with mother about this person's background."

The princess thought of Concubine Rou's temper and suddenly felt a headache: "Remember to talk to mother carefully and make sure she understands the seriousness of this matter!"

"Yes!"