There were quite a few corpses on the street. Many common people hadn’t expected the Golden Militia Guards would actually kill people and had already hastily retreated. However, not all had fled—there were still many who remained filled with resentment and indignation, shrinking back in corners and craning their necks to look this way.

Many old people, weak people, women, and children were crying bitterly. They hadn’t expected the Golden Militia Guards would really take action and were truly frightened badly.

Hearing the crying from this direction, the Imperial Guard Commander’s gaze on Song Chuyi’s carriage became even more contemptuous. He laughed mockingly, looking at Song Chuyi’s magnificent carriage with its vermillion tassels and ornate canopy, and asked with ridicule in his tone: “Your Ladyship asks why I arrived late? This subordinate also deeply resents that I came late.” As he spoke, he happened to see a cat nimbly pounce onto a corpse, then quickly scurry away. The disgust on his face could no longer be concealed, and the malice in his tone was no longer hidden: “If this subordinate had come earlier, Your Ladyship would not have slaughtered innocent people like this!” After saying this sentence, without waiting for Song Jue or Song Chuyi to refute, he said coldly: “The Grand Heir’s trusted chief bodyguard has reported that the Grand Heir ordered Zhang Tianshi to poison His Majesty, causing His Majesty to be beyond salvation.” Speaking to this point, his voice carried grief and indignation: “Now the Empress Dowager wants to interrogate the chief bodyguard in Taiji Hall. This subordinate has come to invite Your Ladyship back to the palace!”

What “back to the palace”—he was probably afraid she would flee, wasn’t he?

A trace of indignation appeared on Qing Ying’s face. She instinctively wanted to retort sarcastically, but she quickly froze, then turned back to look at Song Chuyi in disbelief. Her lips moved for a while, but she couldn’t utter a single word.

Qing Tao similarly turned deathly pale, looking at Song Chuyi somewhat at a loss.

Just now, what had the Imperial Guard Commander said? It seemed he said the Grand Heir’s chief bodyguard had reported the Grand Heir?

The chief bodyguard beside the Grand Heir—wasn’t that Old Kong?!

Old Kong?! This Old Kong who had followed the Grand Heir the longest, who had always been treated by the Grand Heir as an elder?!

They simply couldn’t believe it, but upon careful consideration, they felt this actually made sense—if it had been someone else, they wouldn’t have been able to reach this point without leaving any trace, wouldn’t have been able to grasp both His Highness’s and Song Chuyi’s movements in their hands.

No wonder Qing Bai had committed suicide so silently back then, and just happened to commit suicide in that residence at the Temple of the Yellow Immortal, just managing to escape the pursuit of Qing Bai and the others. And Zheng Baihu—if Old Kong was the one who killed him, that truly made perfect sense. Besides Old Kong, who lived next door constantly monitoring, who else had the capability to easily kill someone before Song Chuyi arrived and escape without leaving a trace? Of course he could escape without leaving a trace, because no one was more familiar with those two residences than he was.

This was truly…

It really was Old Kong!

Song Chuyi’s shock was in no way less than Qing Ying’s and Qing Tao’s. Right after learning that Grand Master Lu was in collusion with Han Zhengqing, she had vaguely guessed that the traitor beside Zhou Weizhao was probably extremely important to both Zhou Weizhao and the Lu family.

But even so, she hadn’t expected it would be Old Kong.

Yes, Old Kong—only Old Kong, when stabbing Zhou Weizhao, could do it quickly and ruthlessly, making Zhou Weizhao wish he were dead.

She felt somewhat heartbroken, thinking of how well Zhou Weizhao treated Old Kong—Old Kong often coughed, so Zhou Weizhao would every time ask people to go to Shu to find the Sichuan fritillary and loquat syrup made by the Tang family. Old Kong suffered from chronic rheumatism, and whenever it was windy or rainy, on gloomy and wet days, Zhou Weizhao wouldn’t let Old Kong go out. In that residence, throughout all four seasons, there was always a physician specifically attending to Old Kong.

But this Old Kong, whom he treated so attentively, had without hesitation turned around and stabbed him.

“Very well.” Song Chuyi withdrew her thoughts. When she spoke again, her emotions had already settled, without a trace of any other tone, saying simply and decisively: “First arrest these assassins and take them all back for interrogation together.”

Only then did the Imperial Guard Commander’s gaze fall on the person Wei Zheng had knocked unconscious and was holding, asking: “Assassins?” This person, like the corpses lying on the ground, was wearing ordinary cotton and hemp clothing, clearly just a common person. How had they become assassins in Song Chuyi’s mouth? But this wasn’t surprising either—probably in this Grand Heir Consort’s eyes, anyone who spat at her to show contempt was an assassin.

“They are assassins.” Song Chuyi paid no attention to whatever he was thinking. She called out “Elder brother” to the outside. When Song Jue came near and she slightly lifted the curtain, she lowered her voice to look at him: “The investigation into the Lu family matter is almost complete, right? Elder brother, please help me with two more things.”

At this point, she had no more patience to watch these people continue jumping around before her eyes, continuing to make trouble with their endless schemes and plots. She wanted to thoroughly catch all these annoying people in one fell swoop.

Song Jue asked nothing. He looked at her and nodded slightly, saying: “Alright.”

Before the Imperial Guard Commander could urge them, Song Chuyi and Song Jue had already finished their conversation. Song Jue called to Wei Zheng and led the Golden Militia Guards to make way to the side.

The Imperial Guard Commander instead had nothing to say. Watching one of Song Chuyi’s guards take that person in hand and continue carrying him, he rode his horse forward.

What assassins? In his heart he was still somewhat indignant. The Grand Heir and Grand Heir Consort who dared to poison and plot against His Majesty—they were the real assassins!

The Imperial Guard Commander took over the task of escorting the Grand Heir Consort. The common people who had already been frightened by the Golden Militia Guards didn’t dare approach again and retreated like a tide, revealing an open field of vision. Several people standing not far away looked at each other, exchanged glances, and ultimately didn’t dare move again, all retreating.

Earlier, dealing with the Golden Militia Guards had already exhausted them. Now the Imperial Guards had come with so many more people. Even if they were determined to die, it would probably be useless—it would purely be going to their deaths. Since that was the case, it was better to wisely retreat.

They wound east and west, waiting for quite a while. When the sky had almost turned dark, they dared to disperse and wind around again before regrouping, hurriedly passing through many small alleys, finally stopping before an extremely unremarkable door.

The door opened with a creak. They hurriedly flashed inside the door, just about to recount what they had witnessed earlier. But before they even had time to speak, the outer door was kicked open with a bang. The last person to enter, caught off guard, was kicked in the rear and flew forward directly, losing his center of gravity and falling heavily to the ground.

They couldn’t spare time to check whether the person fell hard or not. Their hearts sinking, they looked back, only to see that person wearing the silver robe who had led the Golden Militia Guards to block their assassination and scattered them thoroughly—the Grand Heir Consort’s elder brother, the current Left Chiliarch of the Golden Militia Guards, Song Jue—with a stern expression, leading a large force through the door.