Water Reflects Peach Blossoms

When Gong Yunzheng and Gong Yuanzheng arrived at the Elders' Council, Elder Yue's body was placed on a stretcher and covered with a white cloth. Qinglan was standing in the center of the hall. Gong Shangjiao was wearing a slim black gown with gold laurel patterns. It was obvious that he was called to the Elders' Council during a break and was not even dressed properly.

Elder Xue stood aside with a serious expression.

Under the top screen, Elder Hua stood with his hands behind his back.

Gong Yunzheng looked at the screen at the top. There were a few words written in blood in the upper right corner of the screen. The two most eye-catching sentences that revealed the murderer were: The murderer is nameless, and the blade has no edge.

The murderer who killed Elder Yue called himself - Nameless.

The hall was filled with an oppressive feeling, as if a storm was about to come.

Because this matter was related to Gong Yunzheng's maid, Gong Yuanzheng was not in a position to go forward and check, for fear of being suspected of favoritism.

A doctor from the clinic came forward and lifted the white cloth to examine Elder Yue's body. After examining him, he concluded, "Elder Yue died from a sword wound on his chest. The sword was as thin as a cicada's wing, but the blow was ruthless and fatal."

Gong Yunzheng looked at the wound on Elder Yue’s chest.

Gong Shangjiao asked, "Are there any traces of incense?"

The doctor shook his head: "No."

Gong Shangjiao's eyes turned dangerous. "Who could have gotten Elder Yue to shift the guards and secretly meet him late at night? And Elder Yue is such a skilled martial artist, how could he have been killed with a single blow?"

Gong Yunzheng's words were profound: "Someone Elder Yue trusts, or...he is sure that person's martial arts can't hurt him."

Even if someone he subconsciously believed wouldn't harm him and whose strength was inferior to his, what could they do even if they got close? Why would Elder Yue be wary of him?

"There is indeed such a possibility." Gong Shangjiao ruled it out in his mind and found that there was more than one such person in the palace.

With a suspicious direction, he looked at Qinglan: "Qinglan was the first person to discover Elder Yue's body."

Qinglan lowered his eyes and said nothing.

Seeing this, Gong Yuanzheng frowned and his body tensed up.

He moved to Gong Yunzheng's side calmly, standing in a position where he could protect her at any time. He looked at his sister, and was relieved when he saw that there was no strange expression on her face.

Seeing that his intentions were misunderstood, Gong Shangjiao softened his attitude. He never questioned Gong Yunzheng from beginning to end, and his eyes were still fixed on Qinglan: "Don't get me wrong, I just want to ask about the situation and why you appeared in the Elders' Council."

"I know about Qinglan's affairs." Elder Xue said.

He looked at Gong Yunzheng. "The Council of Elders ordered Yunzheng to investigate the poisoning of the bride at the guest house. Although Zhiren later became involved and took over the case from Yunzheng to investigate personally, no one has written a summary of the case since it was concluded."

"Originally, it was Zhiren who closed the case, and he should have written it, but Zhiren went to the back mountain for a trial a few days ago, so I had no choice but to let Yunzheng write it. Also, because of a lot of things going on these days, the time for the file to be submitted has been delayed, so I need it more urgently."

"I asked Yun Zheng to work hard and get it out overnight. I also felt that the dew was getting heavier and she was not in good health. She didn't want to waste her energy and catch a cold. So I asked her to write it and ask Qing Lan to leave it directly in the Zhiren Hall. I will go and get it after I finish my work."

"Sister has indeed been writing files all day today," Gong Yuanzheng confirmed. "After dinner, I even ground some ink for her. Seeing that she had finished writing the files and was ready to rest, I went to do my own thing."

"It was exactly half an hour ago."

Gong Yunzheng said to Qinglan, "Tell me everything that happened since you came to the Elders' Council."

Qing Lan nodded and said, "When I arrived at the Elders' Council, the gates were shut tightly and the courtyard was pitch black. The same was true inside the main hall. The usual guards were nowhere to be seen. I sensed something was wrong and smelled blood, so I ran into the main hall."

"When I pushed open the door of the hall, I saw Elder Yue lying in a pool of blood. The hall was empty."

"Where are the bloody words on the screen?" asked Elder Hua.

Qing Lan shook his head: "There was no light at the time. Besides, I was busy calling for help and didn't pay attention."

Gong Shangjiao said in a deep voice, "Qinglan doesn't have Elder Yue's trust, and it's well known that she's a master of martial arts. If he were to see her, Elder Yue would definitely be on guard, and she wouldn't have a chance to deliver a fatal blow to Elder Yue."

Elder Hua agreed: "That's the truth."

Not long after, Gong Ziyu came hurriedly, with traces of crying in the corners of his eyes. He was sad and angry about the murder of Elder Yue.

Gong Yunzheng said to Elder Xue and Elder Hua, "Now that Qinglan's suspicion has been cleared, I'm feeling a little unwell, so I'd like to take her back first."

Elder Xue said kindly, "Go ahead. You're not in good health, so take care of yourself."

"Thank you Elder Xue for your concern."

Gong Yunzheng bowed and left with Qinglan.

After walking out of the Elders' Council and tightening his cloak, Gong Yunzheng walked slowly. Soon, several guards carried the stretcher with Elder Yue lying on it and walked towards the clinic.

Following behind were several doctors who were responsible for examining the body.

They walked fast and soon overtook her and Qinglan.

Gong Yunzheng watched them walk away.

"Don't worry." Qing Lan was beside her, whispering in a very low voice, "While he was pretending to be shocked and panicked to check if he was still breathing, I took the opportunity to press several major acupuncture points around his wound. This acupuncture technique is special and difficult for those who are not well versed in it to detect. The wound only looks fatal and the bleeding is heavy, but there is actually a chance of survival. I also fed him that medicine."

Gong Yunzheng lowered his eyes: "I always trust you to do things."

After Elder Yue was murdered, the entire palace was under martial law.

It was a frosty night. Gong Yunzheng sat in the corridor outside the room. The courtyard filled with white medicinal mist looked like a fairyland. The candles in the lanterns hanging on the big trees in the courtyard were replaced by new ones by Qinglan, and the burning light became bright again.

She looked across.

Yuanzheng's room was still dark and he had not returned yet.

Qinglan walked over and handed the letter tube to Gong Yunzheng, saying softly, "Elder Yue's funeral ceremony was simple. His tablet has been taken to the Gong family ancestral hall by the newly appointed Master Yue."

"Is it arranged?" Gong Yunzheng asked.

"Everything has been arranged," Qing Lan replied. "Elder Yue was placed in a secret room beneath the Elders' Court by the other two elders. The exact location of the secret room is known only to the two elders. Elder Yue is proficient in medicine and is familiar with the anatomy of the human body. When that person attacked him, he deliberately moved slightly away. Although the sword wound on his chest is severe, as long as the bleeding is stopped in time, it will be fine."

Gong Yunzheng held the letter tube in his hand. "No matter how clever the murderer was, he could not have imagined that a dead person would be hidden in the underground secret room where he killed him."

Only Elders Xue and Hua know the specific location of the secret room and how to open it. Although she and Qinglan know that there is a secret room, they don't know its specific location. In this way, if Elder Ruoyue gets into trouble again, it can only prove that there must be a traitor among the remaining two elders. It is indeed an open conspiracy that can test people's hearts.

As for her, although she reached an agreement with the three elders, she was only certain that Gong Huanyu was not dead, but she could not find his hiding place.

This could only make the three elders, who were half-believing and half-doubting, be on guard against someone meeting with them alone next time.

Now it seems that the three elders Hua Xueyue have believed what she said before.

He placed the red-hot charcoal brazier next to Gong Yunzheng to keep her warm, then Qinglan retreated to the end of the corridor and turned his back.

Gong Yunzheng opened the mailbox and unfolded the letter paper sealed with a wax seal. There were only three words written on it: Ming Wu Ji.

It's Elder Yue's handwriting.

These words must have been written just after he woke up. The strokes were a bit weak and not as strong as usual.

The person who wanted to assassinate Elder Yue in the Council of Elders was Madam Wu Ji.

Madam Wu Ji is Wuming?

But she had been in the palace for more than 20 years, and Lao Zhiren treated her very well. She even regarded Zi Yu and Gong Huanyu as her own children.

Wu Feng could not give a woman the warmth of home, but only endless killing and coldness. After entering the palace, she had a husband, a son, her own family, and all the spiritual support she needed, so why would she still be controlled by Wu Feng?

Unless Wufeng has some leverage over her.

She is Wufeng, so how did Gong Huanyu get her to help him fake his death and escape?

Or was it, as she thought, that Gong Huanyu wasn't collaborating with Ming Wuji, but was using her? If so, Gong Huanyu must have known her identity long ago.

Gong Huan Yuruo knew that Lao Zhiren, Ming Wuji's bedmate, was not a fool who could be easily deceived. He couldn't have been unaware of this.

If Lao Zhiren knew that Ming Wuji had stayed at the palace gate for so long, and had lived in peace for so long without taking any action...

Could it be that she had already betrayed Wu Feng and defected to the palace?