Chapter 227: The Cat’s Corpse Appears
Perhaps it was due to the change in seasons, but many people had been suffering from stomach ailments lately.
The Prince of Chu’s Heir Apparent was no exception, and neither were the two esteemed scholars giving lectures. Consequently, the lectures in the Palace had to be suspended for these past few days.
Bored, Ying Tong arranged to go riding with Gong Changan at the Imperial Horse Garden early in the morning.
After a few laps around the riding grounds, the sun rose higher and it became hot.
Ying Tong dismounted and tossed his horse whip aside.
His follower quickly caught it and handed him a towel.
While wiping himself, Ying Tong said, “There was fog this morning, and it’s going to be scorching hot once the sun is fully out. Changan, why don’t we play the Cuju Ball game this afternoon?”
“That sounds excellent. Besides, those little eunuchs won’t be free until noon anyway,” Gong Changan replied with a cheerful, guileless expression.
Normally, they would need several little eunuchs to play the Cuju Ball game, as it couldn’t be played with too few people. Besides the three of them, they would need to find a few more little eunuchs to join.
They had a set route when walking back from the Imperial Horse Garden, and although there were many paths in the Palace, they didn’t wander aimlessly.
“The osmanthus flowers are about to bloom,” Gong Changan said, sniffing the air. “The Palace Maids and Eunuchs will be very busy.”
Every year, the Palace made osmanthus honey and osmanthus candy, which was a major undertaking.
Coupled with the Mid-Autumn Banquet, everyone would be incredibly busy in August.
“I dislike osmanthus flowers the most,” Ying Tong said with a frown. “They’re so fragrant they make me dizzy.”
“Then what flower do you like the most, Heir Apparent?” Gong Changan asked with a smile.
“As for me, of course, I like peonies the best. Although people say peonies are beautiful but lack fragrance. I, however, find the lack of fragrance to be just right. What’s the point of that scent? It just attracts bees and butterflies.” Ying Tong chuckled twice after speaking.
As they walked further, a group of young Palace Maids were weeding not far away.
One of the young Palace Maids had a delicate appearance and fair skin. Ying Tong couldn’t help but look at her a few more times.
He was already thirteen or fourteen years old this year and was beginning to notice girls.
Gong Changan chimed in, “Heir Apparent, we’ve walked quite a bit. I’m feeling a bit tired. There’s some shade here, why don’t we sit down and rest for a while?”
“That’s fine too.” With nothing else to do, Ying Tong didn’t refuse.
Gong Changan then had his attendants fetch some tea, which naturally made their stay there even longer.
He had intended to stop here anyway, but it seemed even more natural because Ying Tong had glanced at that young Palace Maid a few times.
It wasn’t until a scream rang out that Gong Changan knew he had gotten what he was waiting for.
“What’s wrong?” Ying Tong looked over in that direction. “Making such a fuss, go and take a look.”
Ying Tong’s follower scurried over eagerly, but he ended up screaming even louder than the Palace Maid.
Ying Tong frowned and stood up. He was still a child, after all, and lacked composure.
“Young Master…” the follower then ran back in a panic.
“What are you yelling about?” Ying Tong asked him. “What’s over there?”
“The young Palace Maids were weeding just now and actually found… found a dead cat…” The follower pointed in that direction. “It looks like… it looks like our cat.”
“What did you say?!” Ying Tong asked, but he didn’t wait for an answer. Instead, he ran over, taking two steps at a time.
Under a tree not far away, amidst the overgrown grass, a dead cat was unearthed.
Ying Tong looked closely; it was indeed his lost cat.
Its fur, which had once been sleek and glossy, was now dirty. It looked like it had been buried in the ground for several days and even emitted a foul odor.
Upon closer inspection, there were several wounds on its body, which appeared to be stab wounds.
“That was so scary! I initially thought someone had buried something here, but who would have thought it was a cat.” The two young Palace Maids who discovered the dead cat also looked quite pale.
At this point, Gong Changan slowly walked up from behind.
He was the one who buried the cat, but he wasn’t the one who killed it.
It was already getting dark that day, and he was returning to the front alone from the passage east of the Fourth Department.
He saw a little eunuch acting suspiciously and quietly approached him.
He discovered Ying Tong’s cat at the eunuch’s feet, already on its last breath.
“This is Prince Zhao’s Heir Apparent’s cat. What did you do to it?” Gong Changan asked immediately.
“I know, sir,” the little eunuch stammered. “It was truly an unintentional mistake! Fourth Young Master Gong, please save me!”
The little eunuch recognized the cat and also recognized Gong Changan. Knowing that he was close with Ying Tong, he wanted Gong Changan to plead on his behalf.
“Tell me clearly first, and then I’ll see if I can help you,” Gong Changan said, placing his hands behind his back, his young face set.
“I’m truly so unlucky. In the past few days, an owl has been coming around here, hooting incessantly every night, which is quite eerie. The Steward sent me to drive the bird away or kill it. I couldn’t think of any other method, so I figured since owls like to eat dead mice, I’d get one and coat it with poison.
Then it would die after eating it, right? That’s what I thought, and that’s what I did. But I only placed the mouse on the tree before it got dark. When I came back to check later, I saw this cat poisoned under the tree; it had clearly eaten the dead mouse…” the little eunuch lamented. “I truly didn’t do it on purpose! But I’ve caused such a disaster. Fourth Young Master Gong, everyone says you’re a prodigy, you must be a reincarnated star. Please, save me!”
Anyone who knew this cat belonged to Prince Zhao’s Heir Apparent would also know how much the Prince doted on the cat.
Although the little eunuch had accidentally poisoned it and it wasn’t intentional, he had ultimately taken the cat’s life.
How could Prince Zhao’s Heir Apparent let this matter rest?
“What is your name?” Gong Changan asked the little eunuch.
“My name is Zhang Jin,” the little eunuch replied quickly.
“Alright, Zhang Jin, I will help you with this, but you must keep your mouth shut and not mention this matter to anyone else,” Gong Changan said, his expression unreadable.
Although he was only a nine-year-old child, he made the little eunuch feel a sense of pressure at that moment.
“Yes! Yes! Fourth Young Master, you are truly a reincarnation of a Bodhisattva!” The little eunuch kowtowed to him several times.
“Alright, you can go now! You don’t need to worry about what happens next.” Gong Changan waved Zhang Jin away after seeing that the cat had completely stopped breathing.
Afterward, he picked up the cat and chose a spot.
He often wandered around the Palace when he had nothing to do, and he knew that soon, Palace Servants would come to weed this area. Moreover, this was a place he and Prince Zhao’s Heir Apparent often passed by.
“Little cat, you are dead now and cannot feel pain. Might as well help me out. If I succeed in the future, I will thank you properly,” Gong Changan whispered, pulling out a dagger.
He stabbed the cat several times before burying its corpse.
Of course, he didn’t bury it deep. He even intentionally left the tip of the cat’s tail exposed.
He estimated that the cat’s corpse would be discovered in two to five days at the latest.
Therefore, for the past couple of days, he had been intentionally leading Ying Tong to pass by this spot every day. He hadn’t expected it to happen so perfectly today.
