nycdaug Chapter 288 Entering the Palace
Chapter 288 Entering the Palace
Just as everyone was filled with surprise and discussions, the trusted attendant who had always followed Marquis Wu'an came forward with a nervous and slightly trembling look on his face, and respectfully presented a wrinkled letter to Marquis Wu'an with both hands.
He lowered his voice and said, "My Lord, I accidentally found this letter in Zhang Dazhuang's room. I speculate that this must be his suicide note."
Marquis Wu'an's face was as gloomy as water. He didn't say a word, but just frowned tightly.
He scanned the entire letter at a rapid speed, then without hesitation handed it to Elder Han standing nearby. He instructed in a serious tone, "Elder Han, please take a look at this letter with everyone else to see if it was deliberately forged."
Marquis Wu'an spoke bluntly, leaving no room for maneuver, and directly defined Zhang Dazhuang's death as a deliberate murder.
His already tightly furrowed brows were now twisted into a knot, as if he wanted to lock all his worries and doubts deeply between his brows.
This letter, which seemed normal at first glance, always gave him an indescribable strange feeling for some reason. However, he could not pinpoint what was wrong for a moment.
At this time, several confidants around Wu'an Hou saw this and hurriedly gathered around. They stretched their necks, widened their eyes, and began to carefully examine the mysterious letter.
The content of the letter was quite concise and clear—Zhang Dazhuang sincerely expressed his endless gratitude for the generous treatment Wu'an Marquis had given him over the years. However, it was precisely because of this deep gratitude that he had to face a serious problem: Chu Ning'an.
In his opinion, Chu Ning'an not only had the powerful Chu family as a backing, but also had a grudge against the entire Wu'an Marquis Mansion because of the unfortunate death of Mrs. Chu in her early years.
As a result, there was not only no sign of closeness between him and the Wu'an Marquis Mansion, but there was even a deep hidden hatred between them.
This situation is undoubtedly extremely unfavorable for the Marquis's Mansion and the Marquis himself.
Therefore, after careful consideration, Zhang Dazhuang finally decided to take the risk and try to eliminate the hidden danger Chu Ning'an in order to replace a more suitable heir to the Wu'an Marquis Mansion.
Zhang Dazhuang took all the responsibilities on his shoulders without hesitation. His righteous look seemed reasonable at first glance, but at this moment it felt particularly weird and deliberate.
It's as if there's an invisible hand behind the scenes, precisely controlling the entire situation. No matter what you seek, it always throws out a seemingly perfect and impeccable answer.
After a long while, Old Han and the others slowly put away the letter in their hands and said to Marquis Wu'an with a serious expression, "My Lord, after careful examination, we can confirm that this letter is indeed from Zhang Dazhuang. But...but there may be something fishy going on here!"
Marquis Wu'an stared at Old Han and the others with a sharp gaze, and said in a deep voice, "Old Han, please feel free to speak."
Old Han hesitated for a moment, then responded carefully, "My Lord, in my opinion, although this letter was undoubtedly written by Zhang Dazhuang himself, there must be some hidden details in it that are unknown to the public.
Please see, at the end of the letter, Zhang Dazhuang repeatedly emphasized that this incident was entirely his fault, and begged the Marquis not to wrongly accuse others and not to investigate further... From all these actions, it seems that he is deliberately trying to cover up some truth.
After listening to the analysis and reminders from Old Han and the others, Marquis Wu'an suddenly understood as if he had been enlightened!
Yes, if he really was the mastermind behind the persecution of Xuan Er, why did he repeatedly insist that no one was instructing him? Isn't this a typical case of trying to cover up something and making it more obvious?
He had just learned of Xuan'er's whereabouts, and he hadn't even returned to the Marquis' Mansion yet, yet something so bizarre had already happened in the Marquis' Mansion. No one would believe that there wasn't someone secretly manipulating the situation.
But who on earth is this powerful being in the Marquis of Wu'an's Mansion who possesses such omnipotent abilities?
Just as everyone was lost in thought, one of the staff members suddenly stepped forward.
This man looked to be about thirty years old, with an ordinary appearance. He was inconspicuous in the crowd, except for his narrow eyes, which flashed with an unwavering and extremely sharp light.
He said calmly, "My Lord, in my opinion, this letter probably came from more than just Zhang Dazhuang!"
As soon as these words were spoken, it was like a stone that caused a thousand ripples, and the eyes of everyone present were immediately focused on this person.
Wu Anhou looked puzzled, staring at the man closely and asking, "Mr. Gao, I wonder what you mean by this?"
Mr. Gao clasped his fists respectfully and said, "My Lord, to be honest, I have been extremely sensitive to all kinds of smells since I was a child, far more sensitive than ordinary people.
This letter indeed exudes an extremely delicate fragrance, but this fragrance definitely cannot come from Zhang Dazhuang's hand!"
As he spoke, he handed the letter in his hand to several staff members beside him.
After taking the letter, those people put it close to their noses and sniffed it carefully.
However, no matter how hard they tried, they could not detect any strange smell, and their faces revealed an expression of surprise that was difficult to conceal.
Seeing this, the Marquis asked with great interest, "Oh? I wonder if Mr. Gao can tell what kind of fragrance this is?"
Mr. Gao looked embarrassed and replied humbly, "In reply to your Majesty, this scent is indeed too light. Although I feel it is somewhat familiar, as if I have smelled it somewhere before, I can't accurately distinguish it at the moment."
As soon as the words fell, a hint of disappointment flashed across the eyes of everyone present.
Originally, everyone was looking forward to following this clue and quickly finding the real culprit behind the murder of the prince.
Now it seems that they thought the matter was too simple.
At this moment, a series of crisp and rapid "knock knock knock..." knocks on the door resounded throughout the conference room.
A servant's anxious voice came from outside the door: "My Lord, someone has come from the palace and said that the Emperor has summoned you for an important matter. Please come to the palace and see him immediately!"
At this moment, the noisy discussions came to an abrupt halt, as if an invisible barrier had abruptly cut off everyone's thoughts.
They looked at each other, knowing clearly that there was no room for further discussion on today's matter.
Then, everyone saluted Wu'an Hou with fists, and then turned around to leave.
Marquis Wu'an frowned, as he knew very well that the emperor had suddenly summoned him into the palace, and that there must be something extremely important that needed to be discussed.
Time is pressing and there is no room for delay.
However, the current case concerning the cause of Zhang Dazhuang's death and the murder of the prince is also urgent.
After a moment's thought, Marquis Wu'an summoned his trusted aides and solemnly instructed them, "Zhang Dazhuang's death was definitely not accidental. It must have been inextricably linked to the Crown Prince's murder.
This matter is of grave importance and must not be taken lightly. I now entrust both cases to your hands, and I hope you will devote all your efforts to uncovering the truth as quickly as possible.
Especially Mr. Han, I'm counting on you to take great care of this investigation. You must sort out all the clues and uncover the real culprit before the palace examination results are announced!"
Several people agreed to this matter, "Don't worry, my lord. We will do our best and will not let you down."
After hearing this, Marquis Wu'an no longer hesitated and hurried out the door. His figure soon disappeared from everyone's sight.