Feng Yexuan’s heart tightened. He crouched down and reached out to touch the bloodstains on the ground.
Although it had been wiped, it was still evident that it had been a large pool, as if it had spilled everywhere.
He couldn’t imagine what kind of injury would cause so much blood.
Yet, when he saw her again, she was perfectly fine, with no obvious external injuries.
Perhaps the most serious injury was to her hand.
But, so much blood couldn’t have come from a wound on her hand.
“Your Highness, this blood… perhaps it doesn’t belong to Miss Li.”
Leng Ji recalled seeing Chu Qianli during these past two days and indeed, Chu Qianli had no major injuries on her person.
Feng Yexuan said nothing, his heart simply clenched tightly.
If it wasn’t hers, then who else had been here during this time?
How could someone so severely injured not be discovered?
“Your Highness need not worry. Although we don’t know whose blood this is, at least the Miss Li we saw is well.”
Leng Ji rarely saw His Highness look so grim. His brows were furrowed tightly, indicating he must be feeling distressed.
He just wanted to comfort him.
Feng Yexuan glanced at him, suppressing the surging pain in his heart, and said coldly, “Why should I worry? Isn’t that woman fine?”
“This… yes, there’s no need to… worry. Miss Li is quite well now.”
As someone who couldn’t fathom His Highness’s thoughts, Leng Ji didn’t even dare to breathe too loudly.
Serving a ruler was like accompanying a tiger; one could be on edge at any moment.
“Your Highness, that… Your Highness, let me see what else is in the room, hehe, hehe…”
Leng Ji quickly retreated from the doorway.
Feng Yexuan’s gaze remained fixed on the traces left by the bloodstains.
What appeared before his eyes was a large pool of scarlet blood flowing from her.
But she had no such severe injuries on her person. If she did, her breathing wouldn’t be so steady.
What exactly was going on?
“Your Highness!” Leng Ji suddenly discovered something, his face filled with shock.
“Your Highness, this… is this you?”
Feng Yexuan frowned, finally snapping back to attention from the bloodstains.
It couldn’t be hers. She had no problems now, only a slight weakness and a pale complexion.
But at least, she was well.
As for whose blood it was, he would have it investigated thoroughly.
Feng Yexuan looked at the paper Leng Ji picked up from the table, his eyes darkening slightly, and walked over slowly.
Day had broken.
A few rays of light seeped in from outside the window, illuminating the drawing on the paper clearly.
Leng Ji, holding the drawing, looked at the portrait and then at Feng Yexuan. After the initial shock, he was suddenly filled with joy. “Your Highness, it really is you!”
“Who allowed you to touch her things?” Feng Yexuan’s expression turned stern.
With a flick of his sleeve, the drawing landed in his hand.
His back.
Although only half of his profile could be seen, her drawing skills were exceptional, and the likeness was striking.
One look, and it was clear who it was.
This woman, for no reason, had secretly drawn him?
Feng Yexuan’s heart was stirred. After being stirred, his gaze suddenly darkened. “It was just left on the table?”
“No, I pulled it out from here.”
Leng Ji pointed to a pile of papers nearby.
Some had strange symbols written on them, while others were clearly text, as if understood, yet not quite.
There were three characters that Feng Yexuan felt he understood, but the characters were clearly incorrect.
It made him almost neurotic, yet inexplicably excited.
Yexuan, this was clearly his name, but why was the surname different?
Why did she write the surname as “风” instead of “風”?
This character “风” seemed correct, but it wasn’t precise.
Could it be that the woman was illiterate and had even gotten his surname wrong?
It didn’t seem like she was that foolish, yet she couldn’t even write the simplest character “風”.
Truly… so foolish.
“Your Highness, Miss Li wrote your name, didn’t she?”
Leng Ji also noticed this, but Miss Li even got His Highness’s surname wrong; her literacy level was truly not high.
As for this drawing…
Leng Ji couldn’t help but secretly glance at the drawing again.
“Your Highness, Miss Li secretly drew your portrait and wrote your name. How much does Miss Li like you!”
“Does that have anything to do with you?” Feng Yexuan retorted coldly.
In his heart, however, he felt inexplicably uneasy.
Did the dead woman really secretly draw his portrait and write his name, or was she deliberately creating these to confuse him?
Leng Ji, however, did not understand. “Your Highness, aren’t you happy?”
Feng Yexuan said nothing. He put away the drawing and took the writings as well.
“Throw all these other things away for me and get her a new batch.”
“Why?” Why throw away Miss Li’s things when they were perfectly fine?
No, His Highness had taken away the paper Miss Li had used, including some with messy symbols.
What he wanted thrown away were the unused ones.
Leng Ji was completely bewildered. “It’s a shame to throw these away when they are perfectly fine. If Your Highness is worried Miss Li doesn’t have enough, I can send more new ones…”
Under Feng Yexuan’s gaze, which was as cold as if quenched with ice, Leng Ji’s voice grew quieter and quieter.
By the end, his voice was so faint that even he could barely hear it.
Feng Yexuan was somewhat annoyed with him.
Not only did he talk too much, but his mind was also exceptionally dull!
If he didn’t throw them all away, was he supposed to tell that woman that he had taken away her writings and drawings?
“Order people to come and clean this bedchamber properly!”
He strode away.
When he reached the doorway, his gaze couldn’t help but fall on the remaining bloodstains.
Whose blood was it, after all?
“Investigate thoroughly for me, who else has been here recently?”
“Yes!”
This time, Leng Ji was finally smart enough to know that His Highness wanted to find the owner of the blood.
Fortunately, Miss Li was fine now. This blood must not be hers.
Otherwise, if anything had happened to Miss Li during her captivity, His Highness… would regret it for life, wouldn’t he?
…When Feng Yexuan returned to Wuzhou Yuan, the sky had already completely brightened.
Seeing the two figures waiting at the door, Leng Ji looked surprised.
“Miss Huaiyu, your body has not yet recovered, why are you waiting here so early?”
Leng Ji glanced at His Highness.
Although His Highness’s expression was not good when he came out of Qianyun Pavilion because of the bloodstains,
Leng Ji knew that he was in a somewhat good mood, hiding the portrait Chu Qianli had drawn for him.
At this moment, seeing Chu Huaiyu, the subtle hint of pleasure in His Highness’s eyes had completely vanished.
Chu Huaiyu, supported by Xiao Ya, walked with a slightly unsteady and slow pace to Feng Yexuan.
Her voice, as always, was as gentle as a spring breeze. “Your Highness, Huaiyu has a humble request, and I hope Your Highness will grant it.”