The seductive princess is no longer being pursued; the aloof prime minister is facing a crematorium.

Chapter 239 Half a Jade Pendant
It must be admitted that Jiang Jinshuang did indeed intend to arrest Zhou Yuan at the Qixi Palace Banquet.

As Pei Du said, Zhou Yuan is definitely still hiding in the capital, and the night of Qixi Festival is the best time for him to escape.

Can be biased.

The man was already dead before Zhou Yuan could appear?

"Are you sure? Is it really him?" Jiang Jinshuang asked in a low voice.

Zhao Yungui looked at Jiang Jinshuang and said slowly, "I went to see him myself yesterday, and it was him."

Jiang Jinshuang narrowed her eyes, a cold glint flashing in them: "There are still people watching him."

She came to a conclusion.

It's such a coincidence. I thought that after the death of the Prince of Changping, no one would notice his personal bodyguard.

It now seems that there are others who want the King of Changping to shut up.

Jiang Jinshuang had dealt with Zhou Yuan before. In Jiang Jinshuang's opinion, Jiang Zeyi's personal bodyguard was cautious and vigilant, and would not easily trust others.

Zhou Yuan would never risk his life by showing up unless he trusted someone completely.

One possibility for Zhou Yuan's drowning in Fu Ri Lake is that the person who came was highly skilled in martial arts, and even Zhou Yuan had no power to resist, thus drowning in the lake.

Another possibility is that he trusted the person who came, so he risked showing up, but was pushed into the lake because he was careless.

Regardless of the possibility, it all illustrates that—

Someone is secretly monitoring Jiang Jinshuang.

I didn't want her to investigate further.

With Zhou Yuan's communication cut off, Jiang Jinshuang seemed to be in dire straits once again.

His face looked a little solemn.

Zhao Yungui looked at Jiang Jinshuang, his expression unchanged, and his tone as calm as ever: "You've always been smart, so you should be able to guess that the person who wants to stop you from investigating has connections everywhere."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Jinshuang chuckled lightly: "Her connections extend to the heavens?"

“In Chang’an, the number of people who can be described as having connections and influence can be counted on one hand,” Zhao Yungui reminded him.

Jiang Jinshuang understood Zhao Yungui's meaning.

Aside from the emperor who sat high on the throne, there were very few people in Chang'an who were said to have "connections and influence."

Jiang Jinshuang knew that all the evidence now indicated that the Emperor was the most suspicious one.

If it weren't for the fact that the most compelling evidence still hasn't been found, Jiang Jinshuang might already be standing in the hall with a knife in hand, her sword pressed against the emperor's forehead, questioning him.

But something's not right.

Jiang Jinshuang felt something was off.

She needs evidence.

An absolutely compelling and irrefutable piece of evidence.

“If someone truly has extraordinary abilities,” Jiang Jinshuang laughed, “then I will draw my sword and cut off his hand, and pierce his eye.”

She didn't care who had connections or influence.

Looking into Jiang Jinshuang's cold and deep gaze, Zhao Yungui's expression remained unchanged, though a fleeting emotion crossed his eyes.

for a long time.

He finally lowered his head, took something out of his sleeve, and handed it to Jiang Jinshuang.

It was wrapped in red cloth.

Jiang Jinshuang frowned, glanced at Zhao Yungui first, then reached out and took the thing: "What is this?"

As she spoke, Jiang Jinshuang unfolded the red cloth.

A piece, no, half a piece, of jade pendant in the shape of an eagle's head was revealed.

The moment Jiang Jinshuang saw the jade pendant, she was slightly stunned, and her pupils instantly contracted!

Almost without thinking, Jiang Jinshuang grabbed the jade pendant, held it tightly in her hand, and examined it over and over. It was as if she wanted to poke a hole in the half of the jade pendant.

After a long while, Jiang Jinshuang finally looked up sharply, staring intently at Zhao Yungui in front of her, her throat tightening slightly: "Where did this jade pendant come from?"

Zhao Yun replied, "Yesterday I saw Zhou Yuan's body and found this on his body before the officials arrived."

It was obtained from Zhou Yuan.

Jiang Jinshuang frowned even more deeply, and the knuckles of her fingers gripping the jade pendant turned slightly white.

She recognized the jade pendant.

She saw it by chance in Uncle Wang's tent years ago.

The border environment is harsh and conditions are difficult. Even as a prince, Jiang Buhuo's tent is barely able to withstand the wind.

His tent was messy and small, with the only spacious area containing a map and sand table showing the defense layout of the Wanjin border and the Beihuai frontier.

In that cramped tent, a small, clean and tidy area was set aside on Jiang Buhuo's desk, where the eagle-headed jade pendant was placed in a beautiful wooden box.

It is smooth, bright, and crystal clear.

At that time, Jiang Jinshuang was about to turn nineteen.

But that birthday gift never actually reached her.

As time passed, when Jiang Jinshuang saw the familiar eagle-headed jade pendant again, countless memories surged up, and her throat felt like it was stuffed with cotton, making her feel extremely choked up.

So, this half of the jade pendant actually ended up in Zhou Yuan's hands.

Jiang Jinshuang took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down.

The half of the jade pendant in Zhou Yuan's hand should belong to the Prince of Changping. After the Prince of Changping was defeated, Zhou Yuan took the half of the jade pendant, probably hoping to survive.

But why is there only half a piece?
Where is the other half?
Also, why did the Prince of Changping have his uncle's jade pendant?
Countless possibilities and speculations flashed through Jiang Jinshuang's mind. She frowned and gradually tightened her grip on the jade pendant.

The faction of the Prince of Changping must know something about the Prince's uncle.

However, now that Zhou Yuan is dead, all she has left as a clue is this half of the jade pendant.

She had to find out who had the other half of the jade pendant.

"Can I keep this jade pendant for now?" Jiang Jinshuang asked Zhao Yungui.

Zhao Yungui nodded, his voice calm: "I'm just giving you some clues. What you do next is entirely up to you."

Jiang Jinshuang took a deep breath, and a smile finally appeared on her lips.

"Thank you, Zhao Yungui. If it weren't for you, all the clues would have been lost today."

Zhao Yun said calmly, "Zhou Yuan's body has been in the lake for a long time, and all traces have faded. You probably won't find any clues on him."

Jiang Jinshuang nodded, then glanced at the jade pendant in her hand: "I understand. I will continue to investigate the matter."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yungui said nothing more.

He turned around and glanced at the area outside the door: "Let's go."

"what?"

"Zhengze has prepared lunch; it's time to eat."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Jinshuang finally smiled with relief and followed Zhao Yungui out of the study.

Although Xiao Zhengze is always nagging, always pointing out Jiang Jinshuang's shortcomings and faults.

But when I heard that Jiang Jinshuang had come to the Imperial Observatory for a meal, I personally cooked several of her favorite dishes.

Sitting at the dining table, Jiang Jinshuang looked at Xiao Zhengze with a touched expression: "Little Zhengze is so kind, I'm almost moved to tears~"

Xiao Zhengze blushed, lowered his head, and muttered, "Eat your food!"

At the dinner table, Jiang Jinshuang chatted with Xiao Zhengze.

After chatting for a while, Jiang Jinshuang asked without thinking, "Little Zhengze, do you have any great heroes you admire?"