freenovelworld Chapter 460: The Butler's True Colors
Chapter 460: The Butler's True Colors
The people following the prince were also stunned, and the room was filled with an atmosphere of sadness and fear.
Fang Xiaoxiao arrived at the scene quickly. Looking at the scene before her, she frowned and felt a strange feeling rising in her heart.
The prince was devastated and nearly collapsed to the ground. "How could this happen? How could this happen?" he murmured to himself, unable to accept this cruel reality.
Fang Xiaoxiao calmly stepped forward and carefully examined Zhang Xiaoxiao's body. She noticed that Zhang Xiaoxiao's complexion was somewhat unusual, and the ligature marks on her neck were also a bit off.
"Your Highness, there seems to be something fishy about this," Fang Xiaoxiao said softly.
The prince raised his tear-streaked face and looked at Fang Xiaoxiao. "Miss Fang, what do you mean by that?"
Fang Xiaoxiao pointed at Zhang Xiaoxiao's body and said, "Your Highness, look, Madam Zhang Xiaoxiao's face is not the normal color of bruising, and her tongue is not sticking out. This does not meet the characteristics of suicide by hanging."
Upon hearing this, the prince's eyes widened. "You mean... Xiaoxiao was murdered?"
Fang Xiaoxiao nodded. "I suspect she was smothered to death first, and then it was staged as a suicide."
The prince clenched his fists in anger. "Who dares to be so audacious!"
Fang Xiaoxiao comforted the prince, saying, "Your Highness, don't worry. We will definitely find the murderer and give Madam Zhang Xiaoxiao justice."
Fang Xiaoxiao then began to examine the body more carefully. She noticed some fine flakes of skin under Zhang Xiaoxiao's fingernails, as if she had scratched them off the murderer during the struggle.
Then, she searched the room for clues. Under the bed, she found an unfamiliar piece of clothing that looked like it had been hastily torn off.
Fang Xiaoxiao presented these findings to the prince one by one, saying, "Your Highness, these may help us find the murderer."
The prince looked at the clues, his eyes burning with rage. "The murderer must be brought to justice!"
Fang Xiaoxiao pondered to herself that the murderer, who could kill so brazenly within the Prince's mansion, must be someone familiar with the place. The steward's previous actions only fueled her suspicions.
She decided to start her investigation with the butler. At the same time, she strengthened the prince's protection to prevent the murderer from striking again.
In the days that followed, Fang Xiaoxiao searched everywhere for evidence, leaving no stone unturned. Meanwhile, the atmosphere in the Prince's mansion grew increasingly tense and oppressive, with everyone filled with unease, wondering who the next victim would be.
The following day, shocking news spread throughout the Prince's residence: the Prince's distant nephew, Cui Sheng, had drowned in a water vat in the garden. This news instantly caused an uproar throughout the residence, with everyone discussing it animatedly.
Upon hearing this, the prince's face darkened, and he hurriedly led his entourage to the garden. Fang Xiaoxiao followed closely behind, eager to find out what was going on.
When they arrived at the garden, a crowd had already gathered around the water vat. The steward stood to one side, looking somewhat flustered, but still trying to appear calm, and said, "Your Highness, this Cui Sheng must have accidentally fallen into the water vat and died."
Looking at the housekeeper's expression, Fang Xiaoxiao's doubts deepened. She stepped forward and carefully observed the water tank and the surrounding environment.
The prince, gazing upon Cui Sheng's body, was overcome with grief and exclaimed, "How could this happen? This child..."
Fang Xiaoxiao crouched down and carefully examined Cui Sheng's body. She noticed that Cui Sheng's face was bluish-purple and his lips were black, which were different from the symptoms of ordinary drowning deaths.
“Your Highness, I feel this matter is not as simple as the steward said. There are some abnormalities in Cui Sheng's body,” Fang Xiaoxiao said.
The prince frowned and said, "Miss Fang, what makes you say that?"
Fang Xiaoxiao pointed at Cui Sheng's face and said, "Your Highness, look, Cui Sheng's complexion and lip color are not right. This doesn't seem like a simple case of drowning."
Hearing this from the side, Li Wan'er questioned, "Fang Xiaoxiao, don't talk nonsense. How can this not be drowning?"
Fang Xiaoxiao said with a firm expression, "I am certain that Mr. Cui did not drown, but was poisoned."
Upon hearing this, the prince said incredulously, "Poisoning? How is that possible? Miss Fang, do you have any evidence?"
Fang Xiaoxiao said, "Your Highness, the truth will come to light once an autopsy is performed."
The prince hesitated for a moment, but ultimately agreed.
So, Cui Sheng's body was carried to the morgue. Fang Xiaoxiao and the prince stood to one side, and Li Wan'er followed, still not quite believing Fang Xiaoxiao's judgment.
Fang Xiaoxiao began a thorough autopsy. She first examined Cui Sheng's mouth and nasal cavity, finding little algae or silt, which was inconsistent with drowning. Next, she checked Cui Sheng's pupils and found them constricted, a sign of poisoning.
“Your Highness, as you can see, all of this indicates that Cui Sheng did not drown,” Fang Xiaoxiao said.
The prince was still somewhat skeptical.
Fang Xiaoxiao continued, "Your Highness, I can further prove my judgment by dissecting the corpse and examining its internal organs."
The prince was somewhat reluctant, but in order to find out the truth, he nodded.
Fang Xiao carefully performed the autopsy and found that Cui Sheng's internal organs showed obvious signs of poisoning, with discolored liver and residual poison in his stomach.
“Your Highness, do you believe me now?” Fang Xiaoxiao said.
The prince was shocked by what he saw; he never expected things to turn out this way.
Li Wan'er was also so surprised that she couldn't speak. She hadn't expected that her previous doubts were wrong.
Fang Xiaoxiao said, "Your Highness, there must be something fishy about this. We must find out who poisoned us."
The prince said angrily, "The murderer must be found, and I will make him pay for his crime in blood!"
Fang Xiaoxin already had some suspects in mind, but she knew that more evidence was needed to bring the murderer to justice.
In the butler's room, the lighting was dim, and the atmosphere was so oppressive it was hard to breathe. The butler was kneeling on the floor, his body trembling uncontrollably, large beads of sweat rolling down his forehead.
Before him stood the First Prince, Pei Zuo, dressed in black, his tall figure radiating a chilling aura. His face was hidden in shadow, only his sharp eyes flashing with a cold light.
"You good-for-nothing!" Pei Zuo's voice was deep and filled with anger. "You've made a complete mess of things. I, the prince, am extremely disappointed in you!"
The steward lowered his head even further, pleading in a tearful voice, "Your Highness, please spare me! I never expected things to turn out this way. Please give me another chance."
Pei Zuo snorted coldly, "Opportunities? You've wasted far too many opportunities. I originally hoped you could help me take control of the Prince's Mansion, but I didn't expect you to be so incompetent."
The steward kowtowed desperately, "Your Highness, I will definitely atone for my sins and will never let you down again."
Pei Zuo remained silent for a moment, his eyes growing increasingly cold. "Fine, I'll give you one last chance. You have three days to eliminate the prince. Otherwise, you can expect your entire family to be executed!"
Upon hearing this, the steward nearly collapsed to the ground in shock. "Three days? Your Highness, isn't that too short a time?"
"Tight?" Pei Zuo roared, "This is your own mistake, and you must pay the price. I want to hear news of the Prince's death within three days."
The steward knew there was no room for negotiation at this point, so he could only bite the bullet and agree, "Yes, Your Highness, I will certainly do it."
Pei Zuo glared at the butler. "Remember, there can be no more mistakes this time. Otherwise, you and your family will not live." With that, he turned and disappeared into the darkness.
The butler slumped to the ground, his heart filled with fear and despair. He knew this was a life-or-death gamble; if he failed, the consequences would be unimaginable.
It took the steward a while to recover. He stood up, wiped the sweat from his face, and began racking his brains to figure out how to get rid of the prince within three days.
He paced back and forth in the room, one plan after another flashing through his mind, but he rejected them all.
"No, the Prince is currently surrounded by that girl Fang Xiaoxiao and his great-grandmother. It would be too difficult to take direct action," the steward muttered to himself.
Suddenly, his eyes lit up. "Perhaps we can start with the food, poisoning it..."
But soon he shook his head. "No, the food at the Prince's residence is inspected by special personnel. This method is too easy to be discovered."
The butler was gripped by deep anxiety. Time ticked by, and he felt like a wild beast trapped in a cage, unable to find a way out.
Just then, there was a knock on the door. "Butler, something has happened."
The butler's heart tightened. "Come in!"
A servant rushed in and said, "Steward, Fang Xiaoxiao is investigating the cause of Cui Sheng's death, and it seems she has some leads."
"What?!" the butler exclaimed in shock. "That damned girl, why does she always ruin my plans!"
The butler realized that Fang Xiaoxiao's investigation might make his situation even more dangerous. He had to come up with a way to get rid of the prince as soon as possible, while also stopping Fang Xiaoxiao's investigation.
"It seems we have no choice but to take the risk." The butler gritted his teeth and made up his mind.