The two supervising wet nurses returned, holding the list of newly admitted palace maids.
Jun Mohan had Yin Chen take the list, and immediately punished the two supervising wet nurses.
He then summoned Yin Chen again and whispered a few words into his ear. Yin Chen turned and left.
The palace maid with peculiar behavior was subsequently assigned to the Laundry Bureau to wash clothes.
"Yun Zhu, do you think those deceased palace maids had their souls sucked out by ghosts?"
This Yun Zhu was that peculiar palace maid.
"Don't talk nonsense, where are ghosts in this world?" Yun Zhu pursed her delicate red lips and retorted.
"But that night, we a group of palace maids were sleeping together, and only the five of them disappeared for no reason."
The young palace maid was very confused.
"Perhaps they were drugged and then carried away."
Yun Zhu said casually, but her words made Yin Chen, who was hiding in the dark observing her, fall into deep thought.
"What you said makes sense, but I still believe they were captured by monsters and died after their souls were sucked out."
After hearing the young palace maid's words, Yun Zhu shook her head, thinking she was too naive. That night, she had hidden in the grass and personally witnessed the five palace maids being carried away by a woman. Unfortunately, the woman's face was covered, and Yun Zhu could not see her true appearance.
The two chatted as they washed clothes. Although winter had arrived and the weather had become very cold, fortunately, the well water was still lukewarm, so washing clothes was not too cold. As they washed, it unknowingly became time for dinner.
"Yun Zhu, you go hang the clothes, and I'll go see if there's any food left in the mess hall."
The young palace maid said to Yun Zhu and then ran off without waiting for her reply.
Yun Zhu watched the departing figure, sighed, shook her head, and just as she was about to turn around, a figure suddenly appeared before her. With a single hand chop, she was knocked unconscious.
A moment later, Yun Zhu slowly woke up in Yiyun Palace. She looked at the people around her, was startled, and quickly got up and knelt down, saying respectfully,
"Your... your slave, pays respects to His Highness Prince Leng!"
"What you said to that palace maid at the Laundry Bureau today, this King already knows," Jun Mohan said in a calm tone.
"Your... Your Highness, your slave... your slave..."
Yun Zhu's red lips trembled, and she was extremely frightened. She stammered for a long time without saying a complete sentence. She trembled, her slender body kneeling on the ground, and broke out in a cold sweat.
"Don't be afraid. As long as you tell this King where you were that night and what you saw, this King will not make things difficult for you."
Jun Mohan looked at her with his beautiful purple eyes, trying to restrain his imposing aura.
"Your... your slave, indeed witnessed what happened that night."
Yun Zhu lowered her head and spoke tremblingly.
"Continue speaking, tell everything you saw from beginning to end." Jun Mohan urged impatiently.
"Yes, Your Highness, but your slave hopes Your Highness can promise your slave one thing." Yun Zhu said, mustering up her courage.
"Presumptuous! You, a mere palace maid, dare to negotiate terms with His Highness."
Yin Chen, who was beside Jun Mohan, immediately roared and placed his sword on Yun Zhu's neck.
Jun Mohan raised his hand, stopping Yin Chen's action.
"Speak, what do you want this King to promise you?" Jun Mohan said slowly, his lips thin and light.
"Your Highness, can you let your slave leave the palace?"
Yun Zhu said with red-rimmed eyes.
Upon hearing this, Jun Mohan frowned deeply.
"You've been in the palace for less than a month, and you want to leave?"
"Your slave was forced into the palace by the county magistrate. Your slave's family has a pair of elderly and sick parents who need care. Your slave truly does not want to enter the palace, let alone that your slave is already engaged."
Jun Mohan pondered for a few seconds, looking at her with a doubtful gaze. Under normal circumstances, the imperial palace's selection of palace maids each year required maids to volunteer to enter the palace before they were allowed to register. Yet this palace maid claimed she was forced to enter, making Jun Mohan's gaze even more complex.
"Alright, this King can promise you. If what you say is true, this King will have the Grand Supervisor release you from the palace early."
"Your slave thanks Your Highness first!" Yun Zhu said gratefully.
"Speak!"
Yun Zhu nodded.
"That night, after your slave lay down, worried about my frail and sick parents, I couldn't sleep. So I quietly climbed out of bed and went to the flower garden near Xi Yan Palace to gaze at the moon, to express my longing for my parents."
"After about the time it takes an incense stick to burn, your slave was about to quietly return to the dormitory to rest. But just as I stepped outside the courtyard of Xi Yan Palace, I saw a masked woman carrying a sleeping palace maid out of the dormitory door."
Yun Zhu recalled the scene of that night carefully.
"Are you sure you didn't see wrong? Was that masked person a woman, not a man?"
Jun Mohan's heart was once again filled with doubt, but the black robe was worn by a man. Could there be another culprit for the murder of those five palace maids?
"Your slave truly did not see wrong, because that woman had a hairpin inlaid with a shining ruby on her head. The first time she came out of the palace maids' dormitory, I saw that hairpin on her head. At that moment, your slave was extremely scared and quickly found a hidden place to hide. But not long after, the woman ran out again and carried away another palace maid. Your slave became even more terrified. After that, the woman carried away five palace maids in total before stopping."
Yun Zhu recounted the scene she had witnessed in detail.
"Besides the hairpin on her head, did you see anything else? Think carefully."
Yun Zhu's mind replayed the scene like a movie. After thinking carefully, she seemed to remember something else.
"That woman was wearing a chain ring inlaid with sapphires on her right hand."
Yun Zhu said excitedly, her eyes wide open.
"A chain ring? Are you sure she was wearing a chain ring on her right hand?"
Jun Mohan and Yin Chen were stunned upon hearing Yun Zhu's words.
"Your Highness, so it was her! In the palace, apart from her, no one else likes to wear chain rings."
Jun Mohan closed his eyes slightly, pondered for a moment, and said to Yin Chen beside him, "Yin Chen, escort her out of the palace tonight. Give her some more silver, and have her and her parents move out of their residence overnight and settle somewhere where no one knows them."
"Yes, subordinate obeys!"
Yin Chen accepted the order and prepared to take Yun Zhu out of the palace.
Before leaving, Jun Mohan sternly warned Yun Zhu, "If you want to live, never reveal what happened that night or tonight, otherwise you will be in mortal danger."
"Yes, Your Highness, Yun Zhu will keep it in mind."
Yun Zhu was very grateful to Jun Mohan, but she was also very scared. Judging by the expression of Prince Leng, she guessed that the perpetrator must be a very powerful person.