The princess arrives and the prosperous Tang Dynasty begins

Chapter 199 Clues interrupted

Just when Lin Xiao and Li Yi thought they were about to get to the truth, fate seemed to play a cruel joke on them. All the clues were instantly cut off by an invisible hand and disappeared without a trace.

The witness who provided key testimony for the case died inexplicably overnight. The evidence that could have been the key to the conviction also disappeared without a trace. Lin Xiao's expectations were shattered in an instant. She had never felt so frustrated and powerless.

Lin Xiao dragged her heavy steps and slowly walked into the palace, her eyes full of loss and confusion. Li Yi felt a pang of pain in his heart when he saw her like this.

"Your Majesty, someone is deliberately obstructing us." Lin Xiao's voice was filled with deep frustration and helplessness, "We are so close to the truth, but at this critical moment..." Her voice gradually became low, and her shoulders drooped.

Li Yi walked quickly to Lin Xiao, gently held her hands, and looked at her firmly and tenderly: "My beloved, don't be discouraged, let's comb your hair again."

Lin Xiao raised his head and looked at Li Yi's eyes full of trust and encouragement. He felt a little comforted, but the heavy feeling of frustration still weighed on his heart like a huge rock.

"Your Majesty, what kind of powerful means do you think the person behind this has? He can eliminate all traces so cleanly and neatly right under our noses." Lin Xiao frowned, his eyes flashing with unwilling anger.

Li Yi shook his head slightly, his expression solemn: "I am also thinking about this problem. This person can act so quickly and accurately, he must have a complex network of relationships in the palace and even in the entire capital. But no matter what, I will not let him get away with it."

Lin Xiao took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down: "Your Majesty, I think we need to re-examine every detail. Perhaps there are new clues hidden in places we have overlooked."

Li Yi nodded in agreement: "My beloved concubine is right. We will start from the initial discovery of the clues of the case and review it step by step."

So, the two of them sat in front of the desk and laid out all the information they had collected before. Lin Xiao stared at the papers, and his thoughts seemed to have returned to the initial investigation.

"Your Majesty, do you remember the testimony of the first witness? He mentioned that he saw a dark shadow hurriedly leaving the crime scene on the night of the incident. But we didn't pay too much attention to this detail at the time, thinking it was just his momentary dazzle." Lin Xiao spoke while tapping the table with his fingers.

Li Yi pondered for a moment: "Indeed, at that time our attention was more focused on other evidence. But now I think about it, maybe this black shadow is not insignificant."

"Also, the jade pendant found at the crime scene before, although it seems to have no direct connection with the case, I always feel that there is something else fishy about it." A glimmer of hope rekindled in Lin Xiao's eyes.

Li Yi stood up and paced back and forth in the room: "My beloved, do you think this jade pendant was left behind intentionally to mislead the direction of our investigation?"

Lin Xiao nodded thoughtfully: "It's possible. Your Majesty, perhaps we should start with the source of this jade pendant and conduct an investigation."

The two of them kept talking, constantly coming up with new ideas and hypotheses. Time passed unnoticed, and the sun outside the window gradually set in the west, casting a golden glow.

However, despite racking their brains and combing through the case again and again, they still could not find any key clues that could directly point to the mastermind behind the scenes. Lin Xiao's mood fell to the bottom again. She held her head in her hands and fell into deep self-doubt.

"Your Majesty, am I too incompetent? I can't even solve such a small case." Lin Xiao's voice was tinged with tears.

Li Yi quickly embraced her in his arms and comforted her softly, "My beloved, please don't say that about yourself. The complexity of this case is far beyond our imagination. It is not your fault."

Lin Xiao leaned in Li Yi's arms, feeling his warmth and strength: "But Your Majesty, those witnesses died innocently, and the evidence disappeared for no reason, but we have no way to deal with it. I really..."

Li Yi gently stroked her hair and said, "My beloved, I believe that as long as we don't give up, the truth will come out one day."

At this moment, a guard came hurriedly and reported outside the door: "Your Majesty, Concubine Lin, another body was found outside the palace just now, and it is suspected to be related to the previous case."

Lin Xiao and Li Yi looked at each other, with a hint of shock and confusion in their eyes. They immediately stood up and prepared to go to the scene to check.

Arriving at the crime scene, he saw a body lying in a dark alley, covered with wounds. Lin Xiao carefully observed the wounds of the body, his face becoming more solemn.

"Your Majesty, judging from these wounds, the deceased seemed to have experienced a fierce fight before his death. Moreover, the shape and depth of these wounds are similar to those in previous cases." Lin Xiao said.

Li Yi frowned: "Could this be the work of the mastermind behind this?"

Lin Xiao squatted down and continued to examine the body: "Your Majesty, I found that the deceased was holding a piece of cloth tightly in his hand. Perhaps this is the clue he left before he died."

Li Yi quickly asked someone to fetch the cloth and examined it carefully: "This cloth looks like it has a fine texture and is definitely not something that ordinary people have."

Lin Xiao's eyes lit up: "Your Majesty, maybe we can start from the source of this cloth and look for clues."

After returning to the palace, Li Yi immediately ordered his men to investigate the origin of the cloth. However, the investigation process was not smooth, as if someone was deliberately interfering in secret.

"Your Majesty, the people sent out to investigate the fabric have come back to report that no similar fabric has been found in any of the major fabric shops in the capital." A eunuch hurried over to report to Li Yi.

Li Yi snorted coldly: "It seems that the person behind this has been prepared for a long time."

Lin Xiao frowned: "Your Majesty, what should we do?"

Li Yi pondered for a moment and said, "Since we can't find any clues in the capital, let's expand the scope and send people to the surrounding towns to investigate."

Lin Xiao nodded: "That's all we can do. I hope we can gain something from this."

In the following days, Lin Xiao and Li Yi continued to analyze the previous clues in the palace while waiting for the results of the investigation. Lin Xiao often stayed up all night and looked much more haggard.

Li Yi saw it with his own eyes and felt pain in his heart: "My beloved, you should pay more attention to your health and don't exhaust yourself."

Lin Xiao forced a smile and said, "Your Majesty, I am fine. As long as the case can be solved as soon as possible and justice can be done to the deceased, my hard work will not matter."

Finally, one day, the people sent out to investigate brought back important news.

"Your Majesty, in a small town a hundred miles away from the capital, I found a cloth shop that once sold this kind of cloth."

Li Yi and Lin Xiao were immediately cheered up when they heard this.

"Hurry up, tell me in detail." Li Yi said anxiously.

"According to the owner of the cloth shop, the cloth was bought by a mysterious customer. The customer was generous but wore a veil, so his face could not be seen."

Lin Xiao asked: "Are there any other clues? For example, the guest's figure, accent, etc."

"The boss said that the customer was tall and spoke with an accent that sounded like someone from Beijing."

Li Yi thought for a moment: "It seems that our investigation direction is correct. We must continue to track down and find out the true identity of this mysterious guest."

However, just when they thought they had finally made a breakthrough, new troubles came one after another. The person in charge of the investigation was attacked on the way back and his life or death was unknown.

After Lin Xiao heard the news, he could no longer hold back his anger: "Your Majesty, the person behind this is too arrogant!"

Li Yi clenched his fists tightly: "I will never let him go!"

Faced with such a difficult situation, Lin Xiao and Li Yi did not back down. They knew very well that the more times like this, the more they needed to remain calm and firm.

"Your Majesty, I think we can no longer wait passively for clues. We should take the initiative and lure the snake out of its hole." Lin Xiao said.

A hint of appreciation flashed in Li Yi's eyes: "What's your plan, my beloved concubine?"

Lin Xiao leaned close to Li Yi's ear and whispered his plan.

After hearing this, Li Yi nodded slightly: "Let's follow your advice, my beloved concubine."

Thus, a carefully planned plot was secretly launched. Lin Xiao and Li Yi deliberately spread rumors that they had obtained key evidence and were about to uncover the mastermind. They waited for the mastermind to lose his composure and reveal his flaws.

However, as the days passed, there was still no movement. Lin Xiao and Li Yi began to feel uneasy. Could it be that their plan had been discovered?

Just when they were about to give up, an unexpected person appeared in front of them.

"Your Majesty, Concubine Lin, I have something important to report." A young eunuch knelt in front of them with a panicked look.

Lin Xiao and Li Yi looked at each other, and a glimmer of hope surged in their hearts: "Hurry up and tell me!"

"I accidentally heard the maids around the Queen talking about this matter. It seems that the Queen is related to this case." The young eunuch said tremblingly.

Lin Xiao and Li Yi were both shocked when they heard this. They never thought that the case would be related to the queen.

"Is this true?" Li Yi asked sternly.

"I dare not tell a single lie." The young eunuch kowtowed repeatedly.

Li Yi and Lin Xiao fell into deep thought. The queen had always been cautious in her words and deeds in the palace, and was deeply respected by everyone. Could there be another hidden story behind this?

"Your Majesty, this matter needs further investigation and we cannot jump to conclusions easily," Lin Xiao said.

Li Yi nodded: "My beloved concubine is right. I will send someone to secretly monitor the queen's every move."

After some secret investigation, they found that the queen's recent behavior was indeed a little abnormal. She often paced around the palace alone, looking anxious.

"Your Majesty, it seems there is something fishy going on here." Lin Xiao said.

Li Yi frowned: "But these alone are not enough to prove that the queen is related to this case."

Just when they were confused, the queen suddenly asked for a meeting.

"Your Majesty, I have something to say." As soon as the queen saw Li Yi, she knelt down.

Li Yi and Lin Xiao looked at each other, their hearts full of doubts.

"Queen, stand up and talk. What do you want?" Li Yi said.

The queen slowly stood up, tears in her eyes: "Your Majesty, I know you are investigating that case. In fact, I was also framed."

Lin Xiao asked: "Empress, what do you mean?"

The queen took a deep breath and told a shocking truth. It turned out that the queen's family was threatened and if she did not cooperate, it would be bad for her family. She was forced to participate in some things, but she was not clear about the specific case.

After hearing this, Li Yi and Lin Xiao suddenly understood.

"Queen, why didn't you tell me earlier?" Li Yi asked.

The queen burst into tears and said, "Your Majesty, I was also worried about bringing trouble to my family, so I was confused for a moment."

Lin Xiao said, "Empress, as long as you tell me the truth about what you know, His Majesty will certainly give you a lighter sentence."

With the help of the Queen, Lin Xiao and Li Yi finally found new clues, and the truth of the case gradually surfaced.