This question had been overlooked by Emperor Jingming and the others.
It wasn’t surprising; with the affair between the Crown Prince and Imperial Consort Yang coming to light, who would still be thinking about Prince An’s fate?
But with Zhen Shicheng’s question, everyone suddenly realized something was amiss.
Indeed, how could Zhang Hu of the Jinwu Guard have prepared two identical sets of clothes in advance for assassinating Prince An in the great hall, given that weather changes were beyond human control?
“I’ll go ask,” Wang Hai, Chief of the Jinwu Guard, requested permission from Emperor Jingming.
Emperor Jingming nodded slightly.
Seeing Wang Hai walk out, Zhen Shicheng silently followed.
He wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight without clarifying this issue.
Hearing the movement, Zhang Hu looked up.
“Zhang Hu, Imperial Consort Yang has already confessed,” Wang Hai said.
Zhang Hu’s face suddenly changed. Meeting Zhen Shicheng’s calm gaze, he closed his eyes in despair, muttering, “So foolish, she’s truly so foolish…”
Wang Hai sneered, “With the brilliant case-solving Lord Zhen here, did you think you could get away with it?”
“It has nothing to do with her. Killing Prince An was my own choice!”
“Enough, whether it was voluntary or not doesn’t matter now. I only have one question for you.”
Zhang Hu looked at Wang Hai.
“How did you know the sky would suddenly darken during the banquet?”
Zhang Hu was stunned by the question, his expression slightly odd before quickly returning to normal. He scoffed, “Chief Wang’s question is ridiculous. I’m not some fortune-telling immortal, how would I know such a thing?”
“If you didn’t know, why did you wear two identical layers of clothing in advance?” Wang Hai asked, his voice tinged with anger.
It was impossible not to be irritated by the formerly respectful guard’s current attitude.
But he also knew the man before he was certainly doomed, so arguing further would be unseemly.
Zhang Hu looked at Wang Hai in surprise: “I was determined to assassinate Prince An during the heaven worship ceremony, so naturally, I had to be fully prepared. Wearing two identical layers of clothing was to ensure I could remove the outer layer without leaving traces after killing Prince An, regardless of where it happened. The sudden darkness in the great hall during the banquet was just a heaven-sent opportunity. Even without this chance, I would have found another opportunity to act.”
At this point, Zhang Hu gave a self-mocking smile and looked deeply at Zhen Shicheng: “If it had happened elsewhere, without Lord Zhen present, perhaps no one would have discovered it was me…”
And Yuling wouldn’t have been implicated.
At this moment, endless disappointment and regret flooded Zhang Hu’s heart.
Zhen Shicheng coldly smiled: “You’re wrong. Heaven’s net casts wide with a fine mesh, letting nothing slip through. As long as evil is done, the truth will eventually come to light.”
He had seen many perpetrators who always thought they would be the lucky ones to escape, but that was never the case.
To be honest, he did have one elusive opponent – the mastermind behind the arson case on the Jinshui River pleasure boat.
Based on his years of case-solving intuition, Yang Shengcai’s death was certainly not as simple as panicking, jumping ship, and drowning.
However, that was carrying out heaven’s will, ahem, not considered evil-doing.
Zhen Shicheng pulled back his thoughts, his gaze locked on Zhang Hu: “Moreover, you lied.”
Zhang Hu’s eyes suddenly narrowed: “What?”
“Your explanation is plausible, but I still believe you knew about the weather change in advance. This information must have come from Imperial Consort Yang. What I want to know now is, who told Imperial Consort Yang?”
“Nonsense!” Zhang Hu turned away, no longer responding to Zhen Shicheng.
Seeing that no more information could be extracted from Zhang Hu, Zhen Shicheng nodded slightly to Wang Hai and returned to Emperor Jingming.
“Your Majesty, I wish to clarify this matter with Imperial Consort Yang.”
Emperor Jingming’s expression was inscrutable as he stared intently at Zhen Shicheng: “Lord Zhen, are you suggesting there’s someone behind Imperial Consort Yang?”
“It’s just my conjecture, Your Majesty.”
“What evidence do you have?”
“No concrete evidence, just intuition,” Zhen Shicheng replied frankly.
Often, intuition, scorned by many, is a flash of insight formed from countless experiences.
It sounds mystical, but it truly exists.
Whether the Emperor believed it or not was beyond his control.
“Very well, I permit you to question her,” Emperor Jingming said.
The death of Beauty Chen had left a knot in Emperor Jingming’s heart that had only tightened with time.
A mere beauty who had been in the palace for years couldn’t possibly have outside connections, yet where did the insect that blinded Princess Fuqing years ago come from? And the poisonous aconite that killed the Fifteenth Princess?
If such a person truly existed, they were most likely hidden within the harem, yet remained undetected.
And now, there was Imperial Consort Yang…
The more Emperor Jingming thought about it, the more chilling it became.
Imperial Consort Yang had committed a grave offense. To avoid any association with the Crown Prince’s deposition, she couldn’t be dealt with immediately, nor could the Empress and others be alerted. It took considerable effort for Zhen Shicheng to meet with her.
The moment Zhen Shicheng’s eyes met Imperial Consort Yang’s, his heart sank.
Her gaze was so calm, completely that of someone who had achieved their wish and was ready to die. It would be difficult to extract information from her in this state.
“Are you the famous Lord Zhen, the Prefect of Shuntian?”
Zhen Shicheng hadn’t expected Imperial Consort Yang to speak first.
“I am.”
To his surprise, Imperial Consort Yang gave a slight bow: “I must thank Lord Zhen for uncovering the culprit who killed my brother.”
“It was my duty, I don’t deserve such thanks,” Zhen Shicheng replied coolly.
Imperial Consort Yang looked at Zhen Shicheng, her tone changing: “But Lord Zhen couldn’t bring the true culprit to justice!”
Zhen Shicheng stroked his beard, remaining silent.
Didn’t Imperial Consort Yang know why the true culprit wasn’t brought to justice?
Imperial Consort Yang suddenly laughed: “Indeed, I can’t blame Lord Zhen. After all, the Emperor makes the final decision.”
Zhen Shicheng remained even more silent.
Discussing the Emperor’s rights and wrongs was not something he would do unless he had a death wish.
“Since Lord Zhen couldn’t bring the true culprit to justice, and the Emperor was unwilling to do so, I took matters into my own hands. Lord Zhen, was I wrong?” Imperial Consort Yang asked softly.
Zhen Shicheng couldn’t help but roll his eyes: “Your Highness, please stop with the nonsense. I’m here to ask who informed you about today’s weather change.”
Imperial Consort Yang was taken aback, then shook her head: “I don’t know what Lord Zhen is talking about.”
“At this point, are you still trying to cover for that person?”
“I’m not covering for anyone. Lord Zhen’s question is absurd. How could anyone in this world know about weather changes in advance?”
“There are such people,” Zhen Shicheng said seriously. “Otherwise, why would the Imperial Astronomical Bureau exist?”
Imperial Consort Yang closed her eyes: “Lord Zhen can assume it was someone from the Imperial Astronomical Bureau who told me. You can go report back to the Emperor now.”
“Your Highness, are you truly content being manipulated like a pawn?”
“Silence! I am no pawn. Being able to avenge my brother, I can die without regrets!” Imperial Consort Yang became agitated, then suddenly her face changed as she clutched her chest.
Zhen Shicheng was immediately alarmed: “Your Highness?”
Imperial Consort Yang, still clutching her chest, slowly collapsed.