On her wedding night, she went into exile with her pharmacy arsenal

Chapter 2093 Portrait of Liu Jiulang

Yan Ruyu walked back to the bloodstain and stared at the messy bloodstains on the ground, pondering: Yu Liang's blood extended from the alley entrance inwards, with several deeper marks along the way, which must be where he staggered and fell after being stabbed.

The silver hairpin lay in the grass not far from there, as if it had been accidentally dropped during a fight.

"Perhaps it was a desperate counterattack?" she murmured to herself. "The murderer probably didn't expect him to fight back, which is why he was cut by the silver hairpin."

Yan Ruyu put the silver hairpin into a handkerchief, wrapped it up, and put it into her spatial storage.

When Yan Ruyu stepped into Yu Liang's room, Yin Ding was guarding the bedside.

She first looked at Yu Liang's face and saw that although his face was pale, there was nothing wrong with him, so she reached out and put her hand on his wrist.

The pulse she felt through her fingertips was steady and without any irregularity. She then raised her hand to feel Yu Liang's forehead, and his temperature was normal.

“Your Highness, he hasn’t woken up since he came back. I check his temperature every now and then, and he hasn’t had a high fever.”

Yan Ruyu nodded: "Keep watching over him. If he wakes up, go to my courtyard immediately to report."

She thought to herself that as long as Yu Liang woke up, she could find out what happened in the alley and about the silver hairpin.

Just as he turned to leave, footsteps sounded outside the door, and Yu Fei strode in.

He rushed to the bedside and, seeing that his cousin was still unconscious, panicked and turned to Yan Ruyu: "Your Highness, is my cousin still not awake?"

“His pulse and temperature are normal; he should wake up soon.” Yan Ruyu said, taking a silver hairpin wrapped in silk from her sleeve and handing it to Yu Fei. “Take a look at this. Have you seen it before?”

Yu Fei looked down at the silver hairpin and immediately nodded: "I've seen it before! It belongs to my cousin. A few days ago, someone arranged a marriage for my cousin, and both of them were satisfied. He wanted to give the girl a gift, and he chose this silver hairpin. He even asked me to go with him to buy it."

Yan Ruyu nodded: "Think again, when you rushed into the alley, did you see anyone or hear anything?"

Yu Fei's expression darkened as he carefully recalled, "I heard that my cousin went to that alley, so I rushed over there."

I saw him lying on the ground as soon as I reached the alley entrance. My heart skipped a beat, and all I could think about was his safety. I didn't pay attention to anything else.

He paused, his brows slowly relaxing, as if he had suddenly remembered something: "But now that I've calmed down, it seems there really is a figure there."

As I rushed into the alley, I glimpsed a figure near the withered vines at the other end. The figure moved incredibly fast; it was just a silhouette, gone in a flash. Later, I was so focused on helping my cousin that I forgot all about it.

In the end, Yu Fei's tone was full of guilt: "It's all my fault. I was too hasty at the time and forgot such an important thing. If I had paid more attention, I might have been able to see the murderer clearly."

"That's only natural, don't blame yourself," Yan Ruyu said softly. "Think again, was there anything unusual about that figure? For example, how did they move their legs when they ran, or were they carrying anything in their hands?"

Yu Fei closed his eyes and thought carefully for a while before slowly speaking: "I couldn't see the legs and hands clearly, but I think that person should be a woman."

"How so?" Yan Ruyu asked.

“She is petite, shorter than the average man, and looks rather thin,” Yu Fei explained.

Yin Ding, standing nearby, couldn't help but interject, "That's not necessarily true. Men can also be petite. You can't conclude that someone is a woman just based on that."

“It’s not just that she’s petite,” Yu Fei shook his head, his tone very certain, “the way she runs is different from a man’s; it’s more graceful, making her look like a woman.”

Yan Ruyu nodded: "If there's anything else, think about it slowly. If you do, come and report back. You stay here and watch over Yu Liang. As soon as he wakes up, go to my courtyard to report. I still have something to ask him."

Yu Fei quickly replied, "Yes, thank you, Your Highness."

Yan Ruyu returned to her courtyard, but Huo Changhe was not there.

She had barely entered the house and hadn't even sat down when Su Shengsheng strode over, his face full of displeasure.

She complained, "I heard it's very lively outside, but my dad won't let me go out! He says it's not safe outside, so he keeps me locked up at home and won't even let me leave the front door."

“It’s not that your father won’t let you go out, it’s that it’s really dangerous outside.” Yan Ruyu’s tone became serious. “Liu Jiulang hasn’t been caught yet. Those who have been caught are all minor characters. The key figures are still missing.”

"Your father was the main force behind the arrest of the Liu family. Those people definitely want revenge, and they might target those close to him. You're naturally a prime target. Your father isn't letting you go out for your safety."

Su Shengsheng's dissatisfaction vanished instantly, replaced by a serious expression: "So that's how it is. Then I won't go out, so as not to cause trouble for my father or give bad people an opportunity to take advantage."

Yan Ruyu nodded: "It's good that you think that way. If you feel bored, it's good to practice your martial arts in the manor."

Just as Su Shengsheng was about to respond, a servant at the courtyard gate quickly walked in, bowed, and said, "There is a man named Wu Liang outside who wants to see you. He says he has important business to discuss with you."

"Let him in."

The servant replied "Yes" and turned to leave.

Yan Ruyu turned to Su Shengsheng and said, "You should go back to your own courtyard first."

Su Shengsheng knew she had important business to attend to, so she immediately stood up and nodded, "Okay."

Wu Liang walked into the room, stood in front of the table with his hands hanging down, his fingertips slightly wrinkled as he pinched the edge of the portrait, and there was a little sweat on his forehead.

"Your Highness, I found something at the Liu residence. Please take a look."

Yan Ruyu looked up as he laid the portrait flat on the table.

On the Xuan paper, the three characters "Liu Jiulang" were written, and below them, a personal seal in vermilion ink was neatly affixed.

Her fingertips traced the patterns on the seal, her gaze falling on the face of the person in the portrait, her eyebrows slowly rising.

The three body doubles they captured bore a striking resemblance to the people in the painting, about 70-80% similar.

Yan Ruyu wondered to herself, "Could this really be Liu Jiulang's true appearance?"

The three body doubles look identical, plus this painting.

However, she still felt that she couldn't be completely certain.

Before I could figure it out, I heard footsteps at the door.

Huo Changhe lifted the curtain and entered, his black robe stained with mud and his hands bearing dark red bloodstains.

Yan Ruyu's gaze immediately fixed on his hand, and as she stood up, she lightly brushed the floor with the chair leg: "Are you injured?"

Huo Changhe shook his head, walked to the table, picked up a cloth and wiped the blood: "It's not mine. I just went to the West Market to investigate and saw a man wearing a straw hat loitering at the alley entrance."

“I told him to stop, but instead of stopping, he quickened his pace.”

I quickened my pace to catch up with him and reached out to lift his straw hat.

"Square face, a layer of dark stubble on his chin, looks to be in his forties—this is the person whose confession was drawn by the second double, and he didn't even turn his head when he heard the reprimand."

Huo Changhe wiped his hands clean: "I reached out to grab the back of his collar, and he drew his short knife in a backhand motion. I blocked it with the scabbard when he slashed at me. During the struggle, he took a hit on the arm, and that's when the blood splattered."

Yan Ruyu's eyes suddenly lit up, and she tapped the portrait heavily with her fingertip: "It really came to me without any effort!"

"What about others?"