“Xu Qi An!” Wei Yuan enunciated clearly, composing his expression.
Emperor Yuanjing didn’t care about the name of a minor Constable. He glanced at Wei Yuan, somewhat surprised by the solemn tone the Grand Eunuch used to say a Constable’s name.
“He’s a promising talent. He solved the case of the Small Banner Officer and Zhou Chixiong, and also pointed out the source of the gunpowder.” Emperor Yuanjing took a sip of tea, looked down at the chessboard, and said while placing a piece, “So many days have passed. Has there been any progress on his end? I heard from Eunuch Liu that the lad leaves early and returns late, and the recording eunuchs can’t even find him.”
“There have indeed been some discoveries,” Wei Yuan continued on this topic. “Magistrate Zhao of Taikang County died in the dungeon of his yamen yesterday before dawn.”
Emperor Yuanjing nodded, “Prefect Chen has already reported this matter.”
Wei Yuan continued, “The cause of death was natural, with no external injuries, poisoning, suffocation, or other external means. It must have been either a Daoist Yin Spirit or the work of a shaman from the Northeast.”
Bang… The white piece in Emperor Yuanjing’s fingertips fell on the chessboard.
The emperor, with thick black hair and only crow’s feet at the corners of his eyes, silently paused for a few seconds. Then, smiling, he picked up the fallen piece, tossed it into the chess box, and said, “I’ve played for so many years and never won once. It’s boring.”
Wei Yuan stood up and bowed.
Only then did Emperor Yuanjing turn to look at the Crown Prince and ask, “I heard that the day before yesterday, the Spirit Dragon suddenly went berserk and threw Lin’an into the lake?”
The Crown Prince lowered his head and replied, “At that time, Lin’an was riding the Spirit Dragon, frolicking on the water’s surface. It was Huaiqing who blew a whistle, startling the Spirit Dragon, which then threw Lin’an into the water.”
The Crown Prince and Princess Lin’an were born of the same mother. There was no problem with him saying this when Princess Huaiqing bullied Lin’an, as he was the legitimate elder brother.
It was truthful, but slightly biased towards Lin’an in his heart. In his father’s eyes, this was a kind of “simplicity.”
Then, the Crown Prince added, “But there’s one point that I’ve been pondering and still can’t figure out.”
Emperor Yuanjing nodded, “The Spirit Dragon’s reaction was too intense.”
Except for himself as the Emperor, the Spirit Dragon treated the princes and princesses more or less equally, including the Crown Prince.
Whether it was the Crown Prince or other princes, as long as they hadn’t ascended to the throne, they were essentially the same.
“Father, it’s not just that,” said the Crown Prince. “Not only did the Spirit Dragon throw off Lin’an, it swam excitedly towards Huaiqing, even bumping its head against the shore, lying prone at the water’s edge waiting for Huaiqing to ride.”
A sharp light suddenly burst from Emperor Yuanjing’s pupils, fixating on the Crown Prince, “Did Huaiqing ride it?”
The Crown Prince shook his head, “Strangely when Huaiqing was about to ride, the Spirit Dragon unusually repelled and drove Huaiqing away.”
Hearing this explanation, Emperor Yuanjing frowned, thought for a moment, and said, “Prepare the imperial carriage. I want to go see the Spirit Dragon.”
Emperor Yuanjing left in his dragon palanquin.
The Crown Prince and Wei Yuan followed. Before entering the sedan chair, Wei Yuan casually asked, “Your Highness, besides Princess Huaiqing, who else was by her side at that time?”
The eunuch at his side lifted the curtain of the sedan chair. The Crown Prince didn’t immediately climb in, but turned back to answer, “As it happens, that Constable under Wei Gong’s command was also there.”
Xu Qi An… Wei Yuan froze in place.
For the Crown Prince, a mere Constable wasn’t worth noting. He remembered him purely because that half-poem was truly stunning.
Otherwise, with so many confidants of Huaiqing, the Crown Prince couldn’t be bothered to remember some insignificant underling.
Thinking of this, the Crown Prince lifted the curtain and found Wei Yuan still standing in place.
“Isn’t Wei Gong going?”
Only then did Wei Yuan seem to react, also following into the sedan chair.
The Crown Prince didn’t lower the curtain, smiling as he said, “But that Constable was indeed interesting. I never imagined that a mere Constable would have such poetic talent. That day, when we were having a banquet by the lake, he composed a poem on the spot to help Lin’an out of a difficult situation.”
The Crown Prince was telling me that this Constable under my command is already Princess Huaiqing’s man… Wei Yuan smiled indifferently, but it was the last sentence that piqued his interest. He also lifted the curtain and said, “What poem did he write?”
Whether it was “Don’t worry that there are no confidants on the road ahead, who in the world doesn’t know you?” or “Slanting shadows cross the shallow, clear water; a faint fragrance drifts in the yellow dusk moon,” in Wei Yuan’s well-read opinion, they were both excellent works worthy of raising a big toast.
For the past two hundred years, every well-read person in Great Shang had a talented poet living in their heart.
The Crown Prince recited loudly, “After drinking, I know not the sky is in the water, a boat full of clear dreams presses down on the starry river!”
What a poem!! Wei Yuan’s eyes lit up, deeply amazed by these two lines of poetry.
The Crown Prince silently waited for a moment, and sure enough, he heard Wei Yuan’s follow-up question from the opposite sedan chair: “What about the first half?”
The Crown Prince’s lips curled up, “There isn’t any.”
There isn’t any… Wei Yuan fell into silence.
Seeing the long silence from the opposite side, the Crown Prince’s mood suddenly became joyful.
…
Xu Qi An entered the palace and met the voluptuous Imperial Princess in her elegant courtyard. She was wearing a beautiful palace dress with a white base, dotted with red plum blossoms.
Her hair was styled in the most popular hairdo of the time, adorned with exquisite accessories, complementing her beautifully delicate face.
Princess Huaiqing had the palace maids serve tea, then smiled and said, “What progress has been made on the case?”
She must be asking about the investigation results of Qinglong Temple… Xu Qi An said, “There are indeed some clues.”
Yesterday, they had just worked together in the Wenyuan Pavilion to uncover the rise and fall of Baota Temple and its current inheritance. The Imperial Princess was certainly asking about the Qinglong Temple information.
Hearing this, Princess Huaiqing’s eyes lit up, looking at Xu Qi An expectantly.
So far, this little Constable had never disappointed her. His ability to handle affairs was first-rate, and his intuition was keen.
When she initially recommended him to the Night Watchmen’s Office, the Imperial Princess had thoughts of taking him for her use. However, in her imagination, the process was: observe, hint, bestow favors, win over.
Unexpectedly, Xu Qi An was surprisingly flexible and perceptive, completing the last step in advance.
“When the Small Banner Officer case occurred, this humble official used the Qi Observation technique to observe Zhou Chixiong. At that time, he showed no abnormalities. Only now do we know that a special magical artifact was used to shield against the Qi Observation technique?
“This official has ruled out several magical artifacts from the Astronomical Bureau and the palace, and after extensive investigation, discovered that Qinglong Temple has a magical artifact that can conceal one’s Qi.
“Of course, we can’t be certain now that the artifact on Zhou Chixiong is definitely from Qinglong Temple.”
The Imperial Princess pressed further, “Is that magical artifact from Qinglong Temple still there?”
Xu Qi An shook his head, “It’s long gone. This humble official was about to report this matter to the Princess. About a year ago, a monk named Henghui from Qinglong Temple was moved by worldly desires and eloped with a female worshipper, fleeing the capital, and in the process, stole that magical artifact.”
The Imperial Princess immediately said, “Eloping is one thing, but why steal the artifact?”
This woman is indeed clever, pointing out the key issue with one sentence. Xu Qi An said, “This matter needs further investigation, and I’ll need the Imperial Princess’s help with this.”
“Me?” Her delicate eyebrows raised slightly, somewhat surprised.
“Does Your Highness know about Princess Pingyang?” Xu Qi An’s words struck like a thunderbolt in the Imperial Princess’s mind. Her face, as cold and beautiful as jade carving, showed intense emotional fluctuations for the first time.
“Is this true?” Her voice trembled slightly, her eyes fixed on Xu Qi An.
“This is what Abbot Panshu of Qinglong Temple revealed to this humble official. Whether it’s true or false, we’ll only know after investigation.”
Bold hypothesis, careful verification. Without evidence, he wouldn’t assert anything definitively.
Princess Huaiqing didn’t speak for a long time. The hall fell into silence. In the complete quiet, she sighed softly:
“Pingyang is the legitimate daughter of Prince Yu, and also my cousin. You’ve met my Third Brother, right? He has always regarded himself as a scholar, unlike other princes and princesses. The third Brother’s enlightening teacher was Uncle Prince Yu.
“Uncle Prince is a learned and talented scholar who once studied under the great Confucian scholar Zhang Shen. He’s well-versed in military strategy and once held the position of Minister of War. There were even rumors that he would enter the Inner Cabinet and contend for the position of Prime Minister.”
This is impossible… Xu Qi An didn’t believe it. Wasn’t the Inner Cabinet only for scholars? Besides, the Prime Minister’s power was even greater than Wei Yuan’s. Would Emperor Yuanjing feel at ease letting a prince serve as Prime Minister?
However, Xu Qi An knew his historical knowledge was lacking, and he only had a vague understanding of the court situation, so he didn’t refute it on the spot.
“Uncle Prince Yu has the support of the noble faction. There have been examples in the past of nobles holding positions in the Inner Cabinet, and it’s not an isolated case,” Princess Huaiqing patiently explained.
“The Great Shang dynasty has continued until today, and the nobles have gradually been pushed to the margins of the court. They no longer can contend for the position of Prime Minister.”
So, Prince Yu is the standard-bearer put forward by the noble faction? Does this involve the struggle between the scholar faction and the noble faction?
Thoughts flashed through Xu Qi An’s mind.
Princess Huaiqing continued, “Prince Yu’s wife was a talented lady with considerable abilities. Unfortunately, she was short-lived and only left Prince Yu with one daughter. Uncle Prince is a sentimental person and hasn’t taken another princess consort to this day. He cherishes this child left by his late wife as if she were a treasure.
“But over a year ago, Pingyang suddenly disappeared. At that time, the Father Emperor mobilized the imperial army to search the entire city, and half of the Astronomical Bureau’s sorcerers were dispatched, but they couldn’t find Pingyang.
“This incident had a huge impact on Prince Yu. Not long after, he became bedridden, falling ill from accumulated depression. Even the sorcerers from the Astronomical Bureau were at a loss because matters of the heart are hard to cure.”
Xu Qi An absorbed this shocking news while mentally processing it.
The imperial army searched the entire city, the Astronomical Bureau’s sorcerers assisting, and still unable to find Princess Pingyang’s whereabouts… So, so they needed that artifact to conceal their Qi, otherwise, it would have been very difficult to take Princess Pingyang out of the capital’s boundaries.
No wonder Henghui wanted to steal the artifact. So that’s how it is.
Neither of them spoke for a long time, each lost in their thoughts. After a while, Princess Huaiqing sighed, “You continue to investigate. If you encounter any trouble or insurmountable obstacles, feel free to come to me.”
Xu Qi An nodded.
“By the way, I heard Lin’an came to see you yesterday?” Xu Qi An noticed that the Princess’s pupils suddenly darkened.
This sounded just like: “I heard your ex-girlfriend came to see you yesterday?”
Xu Qi An said helplessly, “Yes, Princess Lin’an insisted that I join her side and serve her. She even rewarded me with a jade pendant.”
The Princess’s face was expressionless, “Why didn’t you refuse her?”
Xu Qi An smiled bitterly, “Princess Lin’an said that if I didn’t agree, she would scream that I was molesting her.”
This reason should be enough, right? You royal sisters are fighting, I’m just a small fry, what can I do?
Xu Qi An believed that the Imperial Princess was understanding, tolerant, and a mature woman who wouldn’t quibble over such a small matter.
However…
The Imperial Princess mercilessly exposed him: “With your intelligence, you should have seen through such an empty threat.”
This woman’s personality, though appearing cold on the surface, is quite domineering… Xu Qi An looked at the Imperial Princess in surprise, quickly lowering his head, “This humble official understands. I will return the jade pendant to Princess Lin’an immediately and cut off all ties with her.
“From now on, I will only be loyal to Your Highness.”
I swear, from now on I will sever all ties with Biaobiao and only serve you!
The Imperial Princess nodded with satisfaction.
At this moment, a commotion came from outside.
“Second Princess, you, you can’t go in…”
“Get out of my way!”
Amidst screams and sounds of struggle, a bright red-dressed figure burst into the hall. Princess Lin’an, with her oval face and peach blossom eyes, scanned the hall and indeed saw her loyal dog once again shamelessly fawning on his former master.
Immediately enraged, her small brows furrowed, eyes widened, and she shouted, “You treacherous slave, how dare you betray me? Have you forgotten whose person you are?”
Xu Qi An inwardly sighed and instinctively looked towards the Imperial Princess, hoping she would step in to resolve the situation for him.
Who knew that the Imperial Princess, cut open, was black inside? She looked at him with a meaningful smile, her eyes seeming to say: Choose one.