Qin Wan took the package and opened it. Inside were two manuscripts – one was a draft memorial to be submitted to the emperor, and another was an official document detailing the case. It also contained the latter part of the previously collected records. With just a glance, Qin Wan saw many details of Prince Jin’s case, and her heart trembled with shock.

Zhao Xun said, “I was just a minor clerk at the time. In the yamen, I worked with Master Shen for a long time, but once I left the yamen, I knew nothing more. I only remember that Prince Jin’s case broke in early June, but by early July, Master Shen already believed Prince Jin was wrongly accused. After hesitating for two days, he reported it upward. The Emperor summoned Master Shen to the palace, and afterward, Master Shen became very tight-lipped about the case, only frequently visiting Prince Jin in the imperial prison. That’s when the rumors started…”

“Prince Jin was in charge of the Ministry of Rites at that time. The Ministry of Rites was a peaceful place with hardly any connection to Master Shen, yet because of this case, such rumors spread. Later…”

Qin Wan narrowed her eyes. “Was it the current Chief Justice Li Muyun who exposed it?”

Zhao Xun nodded. “Yes, it was Minister Li who exposed it. Minister Li was promoted by Master Shen himself. We never expected something like this to happen. There was no reason for Minister Li to do this. Usually, Minister Li seemed to highly respect Master Shen. I don’t understand such matters between superiors, but I thought these writings might be useful, so I kept them. I didn’t think much, just felt it wasn’t right…”

The night was deep, and though it had been sunny during the day, now the bright moon was nowhere to be seen.

The moon was hidden behind dark clouds, just like Qin Wan’s heart, which was covered by heavy gloom.

Zhao Xun continued, “I don’t know anything else. The case involved a prince, and Master Shen didn’t say much about it. We just followed his orders.”

Qin Wan nodded, understanding Zhao Xun’s difficult position. “What are your plans now?”

Zhao Xun gave a bitter smile. “I can’t go back to the capital. My mother is seriously ill, and I want to stay home to take care of her. All these years I’ve been in the capital, thinking I could make something of myself, but now…”

Zhao Xun’s face was filled with bitterness. Though young, his face already showed signs of world-weariness. He had hoped to rise in the world, yet watched helplessly as his superior, a third-rank official, met with complete ruin. His desire for power had faded, but he still felt grateful for his superior’s guidance and indignant about the injustice and false accusations.

Qin Wan nodded. “Very well, thank you.”

Zhao Xun shook his head without speaking. With Yan Chi and Qin Wan’s status, if they wanted to force him, they had ten thousand ways to do so. But since Yan Chi and Qin Wan were being courteous, and since he felt indignant anyway, why not tell them?

“I am humble, but if there comes a day when the truth of this matter is revealed if Master Shen was truly wronged when the truth comes to light, I will certainly light three sticks of incense at home to comfort Master Shen’s spirit.”

Qin Wan looked at Zhao Xun, feeling increasingly grateful. Her father had always been generous to others in life, and earning such loyalty from Zhao Xun would surely comfort him in the underworld. “Don’t worry, we won’t disturb you again after this, and no one will know about this matter.”

Zhao Xun nodded. With that said, Qin Wan and Yan Chi had nothing more to discuss. They bid farewell to Zhao Xun and his wife and returned to their borrowed farmhouse courtyard. As soon as they returned, Qin Wan couldn’t help but open the case files and documents to read. What she found left her deeply troubled.

“No wonder we couldn’t find the case files anywhere. This file must be Father’s first statement after questioning Prince Jin. It says that on the night of the sixth day of the ninth month, after the palace banquet, Prince Jin was drunk and went to sober up in the Imperial Garden with his servant. By chance, the sobering spot was near Consort Jin’s palace. Prince Jin said he only went over after hearing Consort Jin’s scream!”

Qin Wan looked up at Yan Chi. “Prince Jin heard the scream first, which means when he reached Consort Jin’s side, she was already harmed. Not only that, Prince Jin had his servant with him, but where is that servant?”

As she spoke, Qin Wan quickly flipped through other official documents and case files. After reading through everything, she shook her head. “Nothing. There’s no mention of that servant’s testimony. Master Shen’s later writings don’t mention this person at all…”

Bai Ying and Bai Feng stood guard outside. The room was empty except for them. After Qin Wan finished speaking, a night wind suddenly rose outside. The wind howled, making the tree shadows outside the window sway. Soon, raindrops began falling with a pitter-patter.

Summer rain always comes swift and fierce. The sound of rain mixed with the howling wind muffled Qin Wan’s voice. She never imagined that she would finally see Prince Jin’s case files here in this rural farmhouse hundreds of miles from the capital. Qin Wan’s back was extremely tense, her lips tightly pressed together, her whole being radiating sharp anger.

Yan Chi stood behind Qin Wan, his warm hand falling on her shoulder. He slowly stroked her shoulder, but Qin Wan’s throat felt hoarse. “This case file must have been submitted. Unfortunately, there was no one by Consort Jin’s side at the time, and Prince Jin’s servant was nowhere to be found. Prince Jin’s testimony remained the same throughout – the so-called ‘Prince Jin caught in the act of assassinating Consort Jin’ was nothing but a false accusation!”

Qin Wan felt both angry and pained. She had been resurrected for over half a year now, and the initial grief had long been suppressed. But at this moment, seeing her father’s familiar handwriting, that grief and anger became fresh and bloody before her eyes. In a flash, the scene of being surrounded by the Imperial Guard that night appeared in her mind again, as if several arrows were shooting through the air straight into her heart.

Qin Wan’s fists were clenched so tight her veins stood out. This case file couldn’t be clearer – was it that the Emperor didn’t believe it, or were there others interfering with the case? Why did Li Muyun expose it? What evidence did he have?

Qin Wan opened Shen Yi’s collected records and read word by word. Her heart was stirred up like a stormy sea. Shen Yi’s records were personal documents that not only recorded many speculations about the case but also included other statements made by Prince Jin during questioning, and even the conjectures of subordinate officials like Li Muyun.

“Something’s wrong… Li Muyun initially thought the same as Master Shen…”

Qin Wan pointed to a passage in the records. “Look… here it writes, ‘Discussed with Muyun, Muyun agreed and raised three additional arguments…’ He also felt Prince Jin was wrongly accused, so why did he end up being the one who exposed Master Shen?”

Qin Wan’s eyes were slightly red, mere anger insufficient to express her feelings.

There must be a reason for Li Muyun’s change from beginning to end, but who was pulling the strings?

Yan Chi sat beside Qin Wan and pulled her shoulder close. Qin Wan was exceptionally agitated, having lost the near-cold rationality she usually maintained when dealing with other cases… Yan Chi didn’t want to think about the reason why, he just wanted to comfort her.

Seeing all this, the doubts about the case became even clearer. They could even determine now that Prince Jin was wrongly accused, and so was Shen Yi. Li Muyun was initially the Deputy Chief Justice of the Court of Judicature, a position that Shen Yi had recommended him for, yet later it was Li Muyun’s exposure that completely confirmed Shen Yi’s crimes!

“Wan’er, Li Muyun’s dramatic change must have been due to external factors. He was Deputy Chief Justice at the time – whoever could influence him must not have been of a low position. In such a major case involving a prince, a favored consort, and high court officials, the only thing I can think of is the struggle for succession. Only the fight for succession could stir up such a storm.”

Politics is always cruel. There is only one emperor’s position, yet more than one person wants to occupy it. After much thought, Qin Wan could only think of the Crown Prince and Prince Cheng. After all, at that time, when the current Emperor was still Prince Yong, the Crown Prince, and Prince Cheng had already begun their struggle. But her father never involved himself in factional struggles, and Prince Jin also seemed to keep to himself.

“Master Shen was a commoner and an upright official, he wouldn’t get involved…”

Yan Chi shook his head. “Have you forgotten? Master Shen’s daughter was the Emperor-designated principal consort of Prince Yong at the time.”

Qin Wan’s back instantly stiffened. Yes, how could she forget – at this time last year, she was already the designated principal consort of Prince Yong. In other words, in others’ eyes, her father was definitely on Prince Yong’s side!

Qin Wan’s heart ached as if stabbed. She never wanted to be Prince Yong’s principal consort…

Yan Chi sensed something wrong with Qin Wan’s emotions and held her tighter. “Regardless of how Shen Yi himself thought, in others’ eyes at the time, he was undoubtedly part of Prince Yong’s faction. Although Prince Jin hadn’t participated in the factional struggles then, he was in charge of the Ministry of Rites. Though the Ministry was peaceful, there were people at court following Prince Jin’s example of staying neutral. When the Crown Prince and Prince Cheng fought fiercely, they would only force the court’s upright officials to gather around Prince Jin. Prince Jin had a reputation for wisdom, which itself caused others to be wary.”

Not everyone at court was a sycophant taking sides. There were always those who didn’t want to choose sides early. When the Crown Prince and Prince Cheng used underhanded methods, these upright officials would look to the non-competitive Prince Jin.

Outside the window, the wind was fierce and the rain heavy. Large raindrops hit the windowsill, and moisture seeped through the window gaps. Qin Wan felt as if she had fallen into an ice cellar, with only Yan Chi’s body temperature providing a few traces of warmth.

Qin Wan took a deep breath and suddenly closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, her gaze was much calmer and more controlled.

She stopped making pointless speculations and continued reading Shen Yi’s records, which were much more complex and detailed.

“Prince Jin only said he heard the scream, but when he reached Consort Jin’s side, he didn’t see anyone. Who killed Consort Jin? This person must have been someone from the palace, but why did they assassinate Consort Jin…”

“Where did Prince Jin’s servant go? Father didn’t mention it at all, the person must not have been in the imperial prison.”

“Prince Jin suspected Consort Jin’s death was due to harem struggles…”

“Prince Jin seemed to have doubts… but didn’t speak clearly to Master Shen…”

Qin Wan looked at the second-to-last page of the records. “This was Master Shen’s tenth visit to Prince Jin. It says here that Prince Jin seemed to want to speak but held back, as if he had some difficult circumstances, yet never spoke clearly, only insisting he was not the murderer.”

Qin Wan turned to look at Yan Chi. “What were Prince Jin’s difficult circumstances?”

Yan Chi frowned deeply. Even at the point of life and death, what could Prince Jin not say?!

“Prince Jin, from a young age, upheld the way of the sages and maintained justice. He would never admit to something he didn’t do, and what he wouldn’t say either concerned the imperial family’s face or would not help protect himself even if said, or might even hasten his death…”

Qin Wan narrowed her eyes. “If it only involved the imperial family’s face, then was it some secret about the favored consort? Did Consort Jin have some scandal? But if speaking would make it even harder to protect himself, then…”

Qin Wan had no ideas, but a chill ran up her spine. What would make a prince so fearful? What was so terrible that he dared not speak of it even though it could prove his innocence and reveal the truth?!

As Qin Wan read on, she reached the last page. Her pupils suddenly contracted. “Prince Jin told Master Shen to leave the capital.”

Even now, Qin Wan couldn’t understand why her father, such an upright and honest official, would choose to flee with his entire family. Such behavior would make anyone think her father was guilty, yet he still did it. There could only be one reason – her father knew his entire family wouldn’t survive, which was why he resorted to such a desperate measure. They didn’t manage to escape in the end, but Qin Wan never imagined it was Prince Jin who urged her father to leave.

These records must have been written during the day of the eighteenth of July, probably after her father returned to the yamen from visiting the imperial prison in the morning and wrote a few more lines. Her father’s writing was usually neat and dignified, but these few sentences were somewhat messy and disorganized. It was obvious that her father was somewhat panicked at that time. His last sentence wasn’t even complete.

Qin Wan still remembered that final day. Her father had been worried for many days but still went to work at the yamen on time. That day, before leaving, her father sat alone in his study for a while. When she went to bring tea, she saw her father’s hunched silhouette. Prince Jin’s case had been going on for a month, yet her father seemed to have aged several years. At that time, she only thought it was because the case involved the royal family that her father was troubled, never imagining that her father might have known the hidden truth behind the case.

“‘Prince Jin’s words still ring in my ears, justice cannot prevail, great disaster approaches.’ These were Master Shen’s last words. It seems in this final meeting with Prince Jin, Prince Jin told Master Shen something. Prince Jin urged Master Shen to leave, also answering Master Shen’s doubts, which is why Master Shen wrote ‘great disaster approaches,’ why Master Shen took his family and left that night…”

Qin Wan’s voice lowered as if these words might be heard by people outside. The heavy words accompanied by the fierce wind and rain outside seemed even more oppressive. Yan Chi also took in every stroke of Shen Yi’s character, and his heart sank.

Qin Wan fell silent looking at Shen Yi’s last line. After writing this final sentence, her father must have struggled for a long time before deciding to flee. But in the imperial city, how could they let him escape?! The blood and fire of that day was still fresh in her mind. That night, whose eyes were hiding in the darkness, watching that silent massacre?

Qin Wan and Yan Chi both remained silent for a while, listening to the torrential rain outside. They both had a premonition that a storm even greater than this was about to crash down on the glory and desires of the capital!

And Prince Jin’s case might just be the trigger for this storm!