She took a deep breath and finally untied the sash, lifting the skirt…

Despite her considerable courage, she still held her breath, her breathing becoming rapid. When the examination was complete, a sudden crisp sound rang out. She trembled all over and quickly covered her mouth with her hand, barely stopping the sound that almost escaped her lips.

She panted slightly, looking at the corpse, but saw it was no different from before—delicate features, expression not fierce or frightening. But the post-mortem discoloration on her face still appeared rather eerie.

In her confused gaze, she noticed a small stone on the ground—apparently this had fallen just now.

Probably when she moved the body. Fearing someone would notice something amiss, she quickly picked up the object.

As palace Director of Jewelry, handling precious ornaments and jewels daily, she immediately recognized this as excellent raw jade. According to texts: “Gold and jade in the nine orifices keep the dead from decay.”

This was probably a jade mouth piece.

“I am still alive and mean no disrespect. Please forgive me, Magistrate Li.” She whispered softly, pushing the jade back into her mouth, then arranged the clothing and covered her with the robe again. Sounds came from the hall entrance as three female officials slowly entered.

Behind them, several eunuchs carried in the coffin, then closed the doors and left.

“Director Guo, didn’t expect you to be faster than us,” Director Yang spoke first in greeting. “You beat us here.”

Director Guo: “I hadn’t been out long before returning. As soon as I received the imperial decree, I came immediately.”

Everyone just nodded without much conversation, all showing grave expressions. She understood somewhat but said: “Come, let’s begin.”

“Wait,” Director Liang smiled bitterly. “Director Guo, you didn’t go to the Empress Dowager’s, so you don’t know…”

She proceeded to relay exactly what had been said before.

Director Guo looked shocked: “What should we do?”

Directors Yang and Liang said nothing, both looking at Director Xiao. Everyone always followed her lead. Director Xiao remained silent, first walking over to look, then exclaimed quietly: “My cousin was right—’he’ is indeed a woman.”

Suzhen lay on the table in men’s robes, but her long hair was unbound and she wore no makeup from her former male disguise. Her chest rose slightly, lacking the previous concealment.

“What should we do now?” Directors Yang and Liang asked urgently.

“We who walk in the inner palace cannot offend the Empress Dowager under any circumstances. Any mistake is a matter of life and death. But if this person isn’t completely dead, though His Majesty may not love her as much as Consort Gu, he surely still cares for her somewhat. If he discovers it was us… Now that he holds great power and has formidable methods, unlike the young child he was before, this also cannot…” Director Yang paced back and forth, her eyes full of anxiety.

Director Xiao gritted her teeth: “In for a penny, in for a pound. First examine the body—if she’s dead, that’s that. If she’s truly not completely dead, we’ll still follow the Empress Dowager’s wishes. We ultimately belong to the inner palace. Though my brother is also royalist faction, he only follows Minister Yan’s lead, and Minister Yan and the Empress Dowager have decades of friendship, supporting each other… Besides, this person was declared dead—even if she isn’t, His Majesty may not know.”

“Good.” Directors Yang and Liang nodded. Just as Director Xiao was about to step forward for careful examination, Director Guo suddenly said: “Wait.”

Everyone paused and looked at her. She slowly shook her head: “We cannot do this. His Majesty’s authority is not for us to challenge. If something truly happens, do you still remember General Liu, Scholar Fu, and their kind? That means extermination of nine generations!”

“Who doesn’t want both fish and bear’s paw, but we must choose between them!” Director Xiao laughed coldly. She and Director Guo had never gotten along, after all, since the Palace Director position had been vacant since last year’s director’s death.

She was capable, and Director Guo was no less so. Both were favored by Xiao’an, and this leadership position would almost certainly fall to one of them. But in terms of seniority, she had more experience—how could she submit to Director Guo!

“Are you abandoning the Empress Dowager for His Majesty?” Director Xiao asked mockingly with cold eyes.

Directors Yang and Liang looked at each other, momentarily uncertain whom to follow, but looking at Director Xiao, they clearly still favored her—after all, she usually made the decisions.

Director Guo suddenly smiled: “No, I have a method that won’t offend anyone.”

“Impossible!” Director Xiao interrupted immediately.

“Sister Xiao, don’t be hasty. Sisters Yang and Liang, please hear me out.” She half-smiled: “We can avoid touching this matter entirely—not examine at all. Then no one can blame us.”

“Not touch? This is an imperial decree!” Director Xiao made disapproving sounds: “Has Director Guo been frightened senseless?”

“I’m not senseless. We just need to shift responsibility to… the Princess. Think about it—if while we’re examining the body, the Princess suddenly comes to inspect, can we stop her, a princess? She orders the imperial guards to drive us out, then personally puts Magistrate Li in the coffin.” Director Guo said word by word.

“You’re not senseless—you’re mad, Director Guo. Not only isn’t the Princess coming, but when confronted later, we’ll face certain death. Even if she did come now, why would she help us?” Director Xiao stared at her mockingly: “Just who do you think you are?”

“No, she will do this. Before coming here, I first went to her bedchamber. Don’t forget Magistrate Li was once her consort—even if a false consort, they had deep friendship. I told her the Empress Dowager hated Magistrate Li and ordered us to dishevel his hair over his face and stuff his mouth with chaff, like Empress Zhen’s burial in history. She immediately wept. I told her she must pretend complete ignorance, coming only to personally handle the burial rather than leave it to others. She was grateful I informed her and promised to take full responsibility. In this world, even the most hard-hearted mother wouldn’t hold grudges against her own children.”

Directors Yang and Liang were both surprised and delighted. Director Xiao’s expression was grim, but she was ultimately relieved. However, she immediately asked suspiciously: “How did you know beforehand that we were burying Magistrate Li?”

“This matter was too unusual. I was always afraid something was amiss, so I spent silver beforehand to gather information in the palace. I learned from an imperial guard on duty today that Magistrate Li was beaten to death today, and Consort Gu died and came back to life.”

Just as Director Guo was speaking, waves of footsteps came from outside the door. Everyone looked at each other in alarm—was the Princess coming?

After handling affairs in the hall, Director Guo parted from the other female officials, but she didn’t immediately return to the Jewelry Bureau. Instead, she quietly detoured to another location.

Before entering, a scene flashed through her mind from midday when she returned to her room to find a slip of paper somehow placed under the makeup box on her dressing table.

It read: Li Huaisu has been beaten to death. You will receive orders for burial. If you wish to protect yourself, seek the Princess.

She was a clever person and immediately followed this clue, thinking of the imperial guards on duty today. She spent money to bribe them, learned most of the situation, discovered the emperor’s reaction, and figured out how to seek the Princess’s help.

In truth, before the Empress Dowager’s decree arrived, she already knew she would be burying this Magistrate Li whom she had met several times in the palace—a man whose life had seen several rises and falls.

Also, she had lied. Before coming to the Golden Luan Hall, she hadn’t gone out to handle subordinate palace maids’ errors, but had come here.

Consort Gu’s bedchamber.

She had received her secret decree and was given a secret task. Now she came to report.

Magistrate Li’s death seemed to stir too many people.

The task was crystal clear, but the note wasn’t written by Consort Gu—she had probed and tested, and it wasn’t her. Consort Gu was undoubtedly intelligent, but not to this degree of swift, ruthless precision that made one inexplicably afraid.

Who was this person who silently reminded her of everything?

“Director Guo, please enter.”

While deep in thought, she was gently interrupted. Her heart jolted as she quickly entered, not daring to think further.

It was already late night, yet Consort Gu was still fully dressed and seated on the consort’s couch. Seeing her enter, she immediately stood, her expression tense, and asked: “How did it go?”

Night was indeed very deep.

Yet at this time, even the nation’s ruler had not gone to sleep. The hall was heavily guarded. He seemed to have summoned someone to attend his bed—moments before, a woman had been carried in by Zhu Que.

He took her and placed her on the dragon bed.

But strangely, her eyes were tightly closed, her body scented with sandalwood, as if she had just been retrieved from a sandalwood pile.

He walked to the table, picked up a bowl of something still steaming hot, and returned to her side.

The air was filled with a bitter scent.

He sat down, placed the soup bowl on the small table beside the bed, and reached to pry open her jaw, but suddenly noticed something, anger immediately flashing in his eyes.

“I thought she had some cleverness—Director Guo, that damn fool!”

He quickly removed what was in her mouth, placed it beside her pillow, smoothed her disheveled hair, his throat bobbing: “You should wake up, Magistrate Li. Give me a verdict too. Your heart is truly cruel, calculating every step. You’ve had your satisfaction and freedom, while I’m forced to follow behind cleaning up your mess.”

“You nearly killed Aluo—I really… But I still worried about your life and death. For a moment, I really wanted to finish you off in the ice cellar. You wake up, and we’ll settle this account properly.”

He picked up the jade bowl, suddenly smiling with curves at his lips. In his eyes was self-mockery, tenderness, bitterness, and an extremely strange trembling fear—an expression that hadn’t appeared in Lian Yu’s eyes since he ascended to the crown prince position.