When news of the Crown Prince’s assassination reached the capital, Dowager Consort Fan was accompanying the Crown Prince at his meal. When Eunuch An from His Majesty’s side came to summon the Crown Prince, his expression showed considerable difficulty as he quietly said to the Crown Prince, “His Majesty is furious and has already ordered the Governor of Shanxi to personally investigate this matter thoroughly and root out whoever was behind the assassination.”

Dowager Consort Fan’s eyelids twitched. She respectfully saw the Crown Prince off, then upon returning completely lost her appetite. She immediately had someone clear away the meal table. Restless, she reclined on the bed platform and sat there blankly for quite a while before instructing Nanny Fang, “Go summon Nanny Qi—no.” She called out to stop Nanny Fang again. After composing her agitated mind for a long time, she finally dared to speak. “Never mind, don’t go yet. Wait for Nanny Qi to come on her own.”

Her palms were already sweating. The sapphire blue gauze robe draped over her made her appear ethereal as an immortal. Nanny Fang, seeing her somewhat unsettled, recalled how previously whenever the Prince came, Dowager Consort Fan would close her doors, the two of them clearly discussing some highly confidential matter. Her heart sank—recently, the Dowager Consort had been sending messages out and having Nanny Qi deliver messages in far too frequently. Moreover, last time didn’t they say to have Attendant Wang deliver a message to the family in Xingyang? Just what message was being delivered? She knew her Dowager Consort’s temperament. Perhaps this assassination of the Crown Prince had her machinations behind it. Thinking of this, she couldn’t help but lower her eyes, forcibly suppressing the fear in her heart as she stood to the side, looking at Dowager Consort Fan and asking softly, “Should I go call Prince Dongping?”

With the Crown Prince’s assassination, it would inevitably set off tremendous waves in the capital. Now even the Governor of Shanxi had been specially appointed to supervise this case. They should at least let Zhou Weiqi mentally prepare himself. Dowager Consort Fan’s gaze burned intensely as she nodded. “Go summon him.”

Zhou Weiqi came very hurriedly—recently the imperial examination fraud case had been causing tremendous uproar. Elder Chen had been tormented to distraction by this matter. Of those scholars he had originally invited to attend the literary gathering, some could be won over while others no longer could be. He needed to think of other methods and pay more attention to the progress of this matter to see just how far things would develop.

Upon hearing what Dowager Consort Fan said, his heart immediately rose to his throat. Terrified for quite a while, he felt cold sweat in his palms. Gripping the chair’s armrest tightly, he asked Dowager Consort Fan, “Then, is there any definite news about whether the assassination succeeded or if he escaped?” After asking, he felt his question was somewhat superfluous—if Zhou Weizhao had died, the capital would have already erupted into chaos.

Dowager Consort Fan saw through his impatience and anxiety. She shook her head, also feeling somewhat weary. Reaching up to press her temples, she said softly, “We still don’t know exactly how things are, but I heard he was extremely gravely injured.”

Zhou Weiqi’s eyes brightened. He couldn’t help but feel somewhat excited, his heart pounding fiercely. He stood up and paced in place for a while before turning back to look at his mother. “Mother, we still need to have someone inquire.”

There had been no news from Huangjue Temple until now, but Zhou Weiqi was confident in them—they handled matters cleanly and efficiently. As for the Fan family’s side, he heard it was Second Uncle who went to Yangquan. Second Uncle had always been one to accomplish nothing but ruin everything. If Zhou Weizhao died from his severe injuries but Second Uncle got caught, that would truly become a laughingstock.

Dowager Consort Fan nodded with a somber expression. “Summoning people in now would be too conspicuous. Wait for Nanny Qi to come deliver news herself. As for that side, we can send some people to inquire.” Thinking of this, she instructed Nanny Fang, “You go in a while. Go find her people and ask what her situation is now.”

Her own son had been attacked and injured—surely she wouldn’t know nothing about it? Even Empress’s side should have communicated with her. She would definitely know most clearly whether the person was dead or alive—they still needed to ask.

By now, Nanny Fang was certain the Crown Prince’s assassination was connected to Dowager Consort Fan and Prince Dongping. Her heart trembled violently like autumn leaves shaking in the wind. Exerting all her effort to compose herself, she agreed and left.

After Nanny Fang left, Dowager Consort Fan softly asked Prince Dongping about the scholars’ matter. “Why has it gotten so severe? Even in the palace I’ve heard about it. I heard they even smashed the statue of Confucius, saying the court condoned fraud with clear price tags, and they seem to be fixated on Elder Chen? Elder Chen is a crafty old fox. He finally got to preside over the spring examinations—how could he possibly accept bribes and create such a scandal? His vision isn’t so shortsighted.”

Could someone be deliberately setting him up behind the scenes? She looked at Zhou Weiqi with eyes full of doubt. “Having this kind of matter break out causes trouble even if innocent. I heard the memorials from the censors at the Censorate are flying into the Imperial Study like snowflakes.”

Mentioning this matter, Zhou Weiqi also couldn’t help but sigh. “The matter has gotten far too big and alarmed Imperial Grandfather. I heard Censor Zhang nearly knocked his head against a pillar in the Hall of Supreme Harmony, repeatedly demanding His Majesty uphold justice. The imperial examinations for selecting officials are a major matter concerning talent appointment at court, related to the nation’s destiny. Yesterday, Imperial Grandfather appointed the Three Judicial Offices to jointly try the case. The rioting scholars and those newly appointed scholars who were accused have all been detained, just waiting for the trial to begin. We still don’t know the specific circumstances.”

After all, Elder Chen was an Eastern Palace man. With him entangled in such a major case unable to extricate himself, the Crown Prince was also extremely anxious.

Dowager Consort Fan let out a long, melancholy sigh. “I hope Elder Chen doesn’t stumble. Otherwise…”

Otherwise, if something happened to the Eastern Palace’s veteran minister Elder Chen, and the Crown Prince lost another son who could curry favor before Emperor Jianzhang, who knew how furious he would become.

Nanny Fang quickly returned, bringing some worry as she reported to Dowager Consort Fan and Prince Dongping. “The Crown Princess has gone to Empress’s Qingning Hall and hasn’t returned yet. I heard that His Majesty has already urgently summoned Attendant Li and Imperial Physician Sun into the palace—they should be planning to dispatch them to Yangquan.”

It seemed things had certainly gotten very serious. Zhou Weizhao’s injuries were probably not that simple. The people from Huangjue Temple had truly put their hearts into it. Thinking that even her second brother, whom she had always looked down upon, could actually accomplish something, besides being surprised, Dowager Consort Fan felt somewhat relieved. She had been worried her brother would be a liability, but now it seemed that in the years since she left Xingyang, her brother had improved considerably.

Zhou Weiqi impatiently instructed Nanny Fang, “Go investigate again. As soon as there’s news from that side, return immediately to report!”

Nanny Fang responded with acknowledgment and swiftly turned to leave again.