Emperor Jingming considered summoning Yu Jin back to inquire about his photographic memory but worried that such frequent summons might arouse suspicion, so he decided against it.
Meanwhile, after leaving the palace and returning to Prince Yan’s residence, Yu Jin went straight to his study.
To say he had a photographic memory was an exaggeration, though his memory was indeed exceptional. While examining the register in the palace, to Pan Hai it appeared he had merely skimmed through the entire book, but in truth, Yu Jin had focused his attention mainly on the batch of people from fifteen years ago. This greatly reduced what he needed to remember.
Upon entering his study, Yu Jin immediately laid out paper and ground ink, quickly writing down the names and details he had memorized.
In the courtyard of Yu He Yuan, Jiang Si was taking a slow walk. The weather was bitterly cold, with snow falling repeatedly, remaining unmelted in corners and tree branches. The path where Jiang Si walked was covered with straw mats for safety and traction.
As lunchtime approached, Jiang Si instructed A Man: “Go ask if His Highness has returned.”
A Man rushed off and quickly returned: “His Highness is back, but he went straight to his study upon returning and hasn’t come out yet.”
Jiang Si knew about Emperor Jingming summoning Yu Jin to the palace. Hearing A Man’s report, she pondered briefly before heading toward the study. A Man hurried to follow, supporting Jiang Si to prevent her from slipping. Her mistress was carrying the young master or mistress in her belly—a fall would be disastrous. No, no, her mistress wouldn’t fall; if anyone were to fall, it would be herself.
The usual servant stood guard at the study door. Seeing A Man supporting Jiang Si, he quickly bowed to her.
“Is His Highness still inside?”
“Yes, he is.” The servant eagerly opened the door for Jiang Si.
The wise adapt to circumstances—over the past half year, he had witnessed how the Prince treated his Princess. At this point, trying to block the Princess’s way would only result in a scolding.
A Man glanced at the servant, thinking: this cunning fellow has learned.
Jiang Si gestured for A Man to remain outside and stepped in. As the door closed, A Man and the servant stood guard on either side, exchanging glances.
“Hehe, Sister A Man.” The servant, adaptable as ever, took the initiative to greet her.
A Man initially wanted to roll her eyes, but remembering her position as the Princess’s chief maid, she decided to be more gracious. She responded with a “hmm” and asked sweetly, “What’s your name?”
The servant couldn’t help but wipe his sweat. After being called “cunning fellow” for half a year, she finally thought to ask his name—it was truly moving.
“I’m called Yuan Bao.”
“Yuan Bao…” A Man drew out the syllables.
The servant prepared himself for mockery. Young ladies usually found his name vulgar, extremely vulgar.
A Man smiled: “Yuan Bao is a good name.”
“You mean that?” Yuan Bao was startled.
A Man gave Yuan Bao a surprised look: “Of course I do. Yuan Bao is wonderful—it’s auspicious and pleasant-sounding, rolls off the tongue too.”
She preferred such straightforward names. Some servants called themselves things like Mo Yu (Ink Rain) or Qing Feng (Clear Wind)—were they trying to ascend to heaven?
A Man’s sincere praise touched Yuan Bao deeply, and suddenly the sharp-tongued young lady seemed much more appealing. Come to think of it, Sister A Man was quite pretty…
Inside the study, Jiang Si found Yu Jin sitting at his desk with furrowed brows in thought and walked over with a smile.
“A Jin.”
Hearing her call, Yu Jin looked up, immediately breaking into a smile.
“The paths outside are slippery, why did you come?”
“Didn’t you have straw mats laid down everywhere? The paths aren’t slippery.” Jiang Si leaned closer, looking at the papers before Yu Jin.
The papers were filled with names.
“What’s this—”
Yu Jin pulled her to sit beside him and explained: “It’s a register of people who entered the palace fifteen years ago and remain there today.”
Jiang Si pondered briefly before asking: “Did Father Emperor ask you to investigate palace matters?”
After Princess Fuqing’s incident, the Emperor and Empress couldn’t possibly let matters rest with Chen Meiren’s death—they would surely investigate deeper.
This was something they had anticipated.
“Yes, Father Emperor summoned me to the palace today for this purpose.” Although he hadn’t discovered much yet, Yu Jin was in good spirits.
Compared to Pan Hai, they had an absolute advantage—they already knew about the Wu Miao grandmother and granddaughter.
Working backward from the result would undoubtedly be easier and more efficient.
“This is good, we’ve been worried about finding the person who gave Rongyang Princess the venomous insects.” Jiang Si scanned the names on the paper. “Are there any suspicious ones?”
Yu Jin pointed with his finger: “Look, Pan Hai recorded the key points of these people from their palace entry until now. Fifteen years isn’t short—most people who stayed until now have moved through several positions, but there are a few who never moved.”
Yu Jin pointed out those individuals, finally resting his finger on four names: “If that person’s name appears in this register, I think these four are the most suspicious.”
Jiang Si read those four names, her gaze lingering on the notations after them.
The four, both male and female, all belonged to Cining Palace.
“Why do you find these four most suspicious?”
“Because there’s too little information about them.” Yu Jin explained, “Look, A Si—these four entered the palace fifteen years ago. Two were directly assigned to Cining Palace, while two were transferred there later. Over the past decade and more, only their position changes were recorded, nothing else.”
Jiang Si nodded slightly.
“I figure this is because these four serve in the Empress Dowager’s palace. Pan Hai subconsciously overlooked them without a detailed investigation. If that person is among them, I think these four are the most likely candidates.”
“Cining Palace…” Jiang Si murmured these three words, trying hard to recall information from her previous life.
Unfortunately, she had died too soon after returning to the capital in her previous life, and couldn’t remember anything at the moment.
Seeing her furrowed brows, Yu Jin raised his hand to smooth her forehead, smiling: “Don’t strain yourself now. I’ll investigate slowly. That person has hidden in the palace for so many years—there’s no rush.”
“I know being anxious won’t help, but since I’m free anyway—” Jiang Si suddenly stopped, her expression changing.
Yu Jin immediately became worried: “What’s wrong?”
Jiang Si pointed to her belly, somewhat uncertainly: “I think I felt the child move.”
“Really?” Yu Jin placed his hand on her soft belly, suddenly feeling a flutter.
Yu Jin’s eyes widened, filled with wonder and excitement: “A Si, it, it moved!”
Facing their incoming child, both were first-time parents, marveling at feeling their little one’s movements.
In the palace, Emperor Jingming faced a dilemma.
The Empress Dowager unexpectedly wanted to visit the Da Fu Temple to burn incense.
For Emperor Jingming, who had just encountered a murder case during his excursion outside the palace, the Empress Dowager wanting to leave the palace was terrifying.
It was one thing for him to encounter a murder case, but what if something happened to the Empress Dowager at her advanced age?
The consequences were unimaginable.
“Mother, the New Year is approaching. Perhaps we could wait until spring when the weather is warmer?” Emperor Jingming employed delaying tactics.