“What important business do you have tomorrow? The Prince specifically wanted to give you instructions,” Zhou Ziqin asked Huang Zixia curiously as they headed toward Daning Ward.

“Oh, just some matters at court.” In her heart, she silently thought that it wouldn’t matter if she didn’t go.

Zhou Ziqin expressed his admiration, saying, “Chonggu, you’re amazing. Very few people can thrive by Prince Kui’s side.”

Huang Zixia nodded and said, “Prince Kui is extraordinarily gifted and too capable. Naturally, working under him comes with great pressure.”

“Exactly. Earlier this year, he just went to pay respects at his mother’s tomb for half a month, and the court almost fell into chaos. Dozens of people from various ministries couldn’t handle his duties. In the end, the Emperor had no choice but to issue an edict calling him back to the capital early.”

Having witnessed Li Shubai handling affairs at various ministries, Huang Zixia deeply agreed. She nodded silently, thinking to herself that a person living in this world should have some hobbies, but Prince Kui seemed to be skilled at everything yet appeared to have no particular interests. She wondered what in this world could spark his interest.

After much contemplation, it seemed the only thing that had stayed with him long-term was that small redfish. She wondered what important matter that little red fish was connected to. Even the current Emperor explicitly stated he couldn’t inquire about it – it must be an enormous secret capable of overturning the empire.

However, what secret could be hidden in a small red fish kept in a crystal bowl, a fragile life that could be easily crushed between two fingers?

As she spurred her horse following Zhou Ziqin, she suddenly recalled the man she saw that day in Taiji Palace.

By the window where that man stood, in that fish tank, there was a fish as red as fresh blood. Though she was too far away to see its exact shape, she felt something strange about it—

She had a feeling that Empress Wang specifically summoning her to Taiji Palace and that man who gazed at her from afar seemed to have some connection.

The Wang family of Langya… Wang Yun.

Recalling their last meeting, she felt her situation was becoming increasingly complex and confusing, almost suffocating.

The matters she needed to handle now included her parents’ wrongful case, her identity as a fugitive wanted across the four seas, Empress Wang’s order to help her return to Daming Palace, and Princess Tongchang’s unsolved case…

And then there was the unexpected reunion with Yu Xuan and Wang Yun who had already uncovered her identity.

She felt a deep headache coming on, sitting dazed on horseback, barely able to control the reins in her hands.

Suddenly Zhou Ziqin stopped his horse and said, “Wang Yun.”

She made a sound of acknowledgment, unconsciously saying, “Wang Yun is also trouble…”

As she said this, she suddenly became alert. Zhou Ziqin looked at her in confusion, while Wang Yun was slowly riding towards them from the other side of the street.

On the cool summer night, a transparent dark blue color shrouded Chang’an. As Wang Yun approached them, against the dark blue sky, his expression was calm and gentle, still that refined young master like a graceful spring willow.

“Chang’an is about to implement the night curfew. Where are you two heading?”

His voice was gentle, as usual carrying a hint of a smile before speaking. His gaze slid past Zhou Ziqin and landed on Huang Zixia, his smile noticeably deepening, the upward curve of his lips appearing particularly handsome.

Huang Zixia recalled their last meeting, his final words and actions. Looking at his smile now, as clear as Chang’an’s moonlight, she felt a slight resistance and fear rising in her heart, yet unable to express it, she could only silently lower her head, avoiding his gaze.

Wang Yun urged his horse to her side and asked softly, “Going to investigate another case?”

She bit her lower lip and gave a slight nod.

Zhou Ziqin quickly explained from the side, “Prince Kui instructed us to go together. The Prince even wrote a note, look…”

Wang Yun glanced at it and smiled, “With such an incident in Daning Ward, that area might be unstable. Let me accompany you.”

“That’s wonderful! I knew Brother Wang was the most helpful,” Zhou Ziqin said excitedly. “Right, Chonggu?”

Huang Zixia nodded.

Riding alongside her, Wang Yun casually mentioned, “Tomorrow is a good day. Zhang Xingying will report to the office.”

Huang Zixia hurriedly said, “This matter is thanks to Young Master Wang’s help. Another day… I must properly express my gratitude.”

Wang Yun smiled and said, “You can come to our Capital Defense Office tomorrow to see. Zhang Xingying will surely thrive there, getting along smoothly.”

“Great! I love going there to mooch meals!” Zhou Ziqin immediately became animated, brightening up at the mention of food. “Speaking of which, I’ve mooched meals from all government offices in the capital. The Censorate is one place I never want to return to after one visit – they give lectures and preach imperial teachings before every meal, isn’t that too much? The most unpalatable is the Court of Judicial Review, with snow-white walls covered in legal codes, all about beheading, hanging, or exile for three thousand li! But my favorite place to mooch meals is your Defense Office – lots of young people with similar tastes, many familiar faces, livelier than eating at home! And that cook of yours is the second-best female chef I’ve seen in the capital!”

Wang Yun smiled and asked, “I wonder who’s the first?”

“Of course, it’s Zhang Er-ge’s bride-to-be! She’s a divine hand in the kitchen!” Zhou Ziqin exclaimed dramatically.

Wang Yun smiled, “Really? Even better than the master chefs with decades of experience in restaurants?”

“I’m not the only one who thinks so – Prince Zhao and Prince E say the same. What do you think, Chonggu?”

“Mm, take hibiscus flowers for example. Miss Adi would certainly remove the calyx one by one, taking away any withered petals, but restaurants might have people prepare them in advance, just grabbing a handful of petals when needed, and many petals might not be fresh anymore. From this perspective, Miss Adi’s cooking is naturally superior.”

Huang Zixia nodded in agreement, but at that moment, something suddenly flashed through her mind, making her freeze.

She suddenly remembered that day at Zhang Xingying’s house when they were drinking hibiscus tea, Prince E saw that strange painting, and his peculiar expression at that time still seemed odd when she thought about it now.

And thinking about the content of that painting made her heart pound even more violently.

The painting showed three scribbles: the first was of a person being struck and burned to death by heavenly lightning; the second was of a person dying in an iron cage surrounded by heavy encirclement…

It wasn’t a coincidence that these matched almost exactly with the methods used in the two murder cases—

Could this be just a coincidence?

And what did the third one foretell – the person pecked to death by a phoenix descending from the sky?

Phoenix…

For some reason, Princess Tongchang’s image quickly appeared in Huang Zixia’s mind.

She stood on the high platform, recounting her dream. She said the Virtuous Consort Pan Yu’er of Southern Qi came to her dream to reclaim her Nine Phoenix Hairpin.

Nine Phoenix Hairpin… the person who died under the Nine Phoenix Hairpin.

Sitting on horseback, Huang Zixia felt cold sweat breaking out on her back in just that moment of daze, making it almost impossible for her to sit straight.

“Chonggu, what’s wrong?” Wang Yun’s voice sounded beside her ear. Seeing her swaying figure, he grabbed her horse’s reins to help steady the mount.

Huang Zixia collected herself, pushing away her ominous thoughts, and said, “Nothing… it’s just gotten quite dark, and I suddenly couldn’t see the road ahead clearly.”

She looked up to see the not-too-high ward walls, with two faded lanterns hanging at the ward gate, bearing the characters for “Daning.”

The three dismounted at Daning Ward. Seeing Wang Yun following them in, Zhou Ziqin asked with some surprise, “Brother Wang… don’t you need to patrol the other wards tonight?”

“If I had to patrol such a large place as Chang’an by myself, wouldn’t I work myself to death sooner or later?” Wang Yun smiled and said, “Actually, I usually just make a few rounds and head back. Today I happened to meet you all, and I’ve never seen officials investigate a case before, so it’s a good chance to broaden my horizons.”

“The body has already been taken to the public burial ground, what’s there to see? Next time when there’s a chance, I’ll let you watch me examine a corpse,” Zhou Ziqin said while showing Li Shubai’s note to the old soldiers guarding the ward, leading them toward Sun Laizi’s house.

“This scoundrel Sun Laizi’s real name is Sun Fuchang. Because his body is covered in sores and his head is full of scabs, everyone calls him Sun Laizi. He has no brothers or sisters, rarely associates with his clan members, and with his parents passing away in recent years, he now lives alone in a dilapidated courtyard in the northwest corner of Daning Ward.”

Zhou Ziqin led them along the ward wall, to a row of narrow single-story houses in the northwest corner. One of them was unlocked, with an official seal on it.

Zhou Ziqin carefully peeled off the seal – clearly not his first time doing this – removing the entire seal intact. He pushed open the door, and from the long-closed interior came a mixture of musty, putrid, and various other chaotic odors that made one want to vomit.

Zhou Ziqin came prepared, taking out two cloth strips soaked in ginger-garlic vinegar juice, and giving one each to Huang Zixia and Wang Yun. Pinching his nose, he said, “What strange smell is this… the stench is one thing, but there’s also an indescribable disagreeable odor mixed in, even worse than the stench!”

Wang Yun covered his face with the cloth, his expression uncomfortable, showing he wasn’t used to such smells. He started to remove it, saying, “I won’t use your…”

His words trailed off, he paused hesitantly, then put the cloth back over his face. Through the cloth, he said muffledly, “Ziqin, Chonggu, your job is truly not easy. The mixture of stench and fragrance is indeed more unbearable than pure stench.”

Zhou Ziqin asked in surprise, “What fragrance?”

“You can’t smell it?” Wang Yun slightly furrowed his brows, and even with the cloth covering his face, his hand unconsciously waved in front of his nose a couple of times. “Lingling fragrance.”

Huang Zixia asked in astonishment, “This broken house… has Lingling fragrance?” She had covered her nose and mouth before entering, so hadn’t smelled anything.

“Yes, Lingling fragrance,” he said with absolute certainty. “Though it’s very faint and mixed with various stenches, I’m quite knowledgeable about fragrances and definitely wouldn’t mistake it.”

Zhou Ziqin frowned and said, “Lingling fragrance is very precious, how could it appear in such a broken-down house?”

“It is strange, but I shouldn’t be wrong,” Wang Yun said firmly.