Su Jin said: “Very well. When this official sees Qingyue, I’ll deliver the invitation to him.”

By the time Gu Yunjian was seen off, it was already the hour of the Rooster. Su Jin thought that since she was waiting for Shen Xi anyway, she instructed subordinate officials to retrieve the Imperial Noble Consort’s case files for another review.

The Imperial Noble Consort had died suddenly in Chonghua Palace on the sixth day of the sixth month. One day after her death, Medical Official She who had treated her also suddenly committed suicide. Before dying, Medical Official She left a blood letter claiming he himself had poisoned the Imperial Noble Consort, clearly confessing the poisoning process and details of committing the crime.

The case thus fell to the Ministry of Justice.

Su Jin immediately had people investigate the case. Unexpectedly, the investigation process went extremely smoothly. All testimonies and evidence without exception pointed to Medical Official She. Even Young Master She from the She household testified that Medical Official She, having been falsely accused of being a quack by the Imperial Noble Consort years ago and thus failing to become director of the Imperial Medical Bureau, had harbored resentment ever since.

The case seemed to have reached a conclusion, but Su Jin hadn’t closed it.

She vaguely felt the Imperial Noble Consort’s death was like a perfectly staged, flawless performance.

And this performance wanted to tell everyone: there, the palace’s anxiety and unease over the past half year ends here—no need to investigate further.

But…

Su Jin stared at the two characters “Consort Qi” on the case file, that familiar strange feeling arising in her heart again.

“Has Lord Su found a lead?” Wu Jizhi, who was reviewing case files together with Su Jin, asked.

Su Jin said: “Let me think more.”

Before long, an official outside came to report: “Lord Su, Lord Shen has arrived.”

The sky had completely darkened, with only the public hall brilliantly lit.

Shen Xi wore his seventh-rank insignia badge, dressed quite properly, but conspicuously carried a travel bag in his hand.

Su Jin said in surprise: “Why did you come looking like this?”

Shen Xi set the travel bag on her desk, then lifted the teapot to pour tea himself: “Zhu Zhaowei’s three thousand warhorses are nowhere to be found. This morning he flew into a rage at the Court of the Imperial Stud again. Minister Huang was originally crying injustice to heaven and earth, but upon hearing that Lord Su of the Ministry of Justice was summoning me for interrogation, he was absolutely delighted, hoping you could give me a few lashes to make me confess under torture. He specifically granted me permission to pack my bag and roll over to the Ministry of Justice to receive punishment.”

Su Jin said: “What’s he so happy about? Zhu Zhaowei has long suspected you, but he just has no evidence. I can only help you suppress the case here, but Zhu Zhaowei is on guard against me and will certainly use his own methods to investigate.”

“Actually, he doesn’t even need to investigate.” Shen Xi laughed. “In another couple days, when news reaches the capital that the Thirteenth seized his horses and killed his men, the first person he’ll want to slaughter with his blade will be me. I’ve already thought it through—since I can’t escape anyway, I might as well move into your Ministry of Justice. Life should be enjoyed to the fullest! During these final days, you can spare time daily to share a few cups with me. Consider it fulfilling my wishes before hitting the road.”

Su Jin said: “I happened to receive an invitation for you today.” She retrieved from her desk the red card Gu Yunjian had delivered and handed it to him. “If your life is long, you might even get to enjoy fine wine at the feast.”

Then she looked at Shen Xi and asked ambiguously: “What do you think?”

Shen Xi read the names on the red card, first stunned for a moment. After a while, he nonchalantly put away the invitation, smiling: “I’m counting the days until meeting King Yama—living one day at a time. You already called it fine wine. What’s there for me to think about? Of course I should go.”

Wu Jizhi beside them couldn’t help saying: “Lord Shen, with all this talk of King Yama and hitting the road, it’s far too inauspicious.” He then said to Su Jin: “Lord Su, you should also advise Lord Shen. Perhaps the Thirteenth Prince will rush back to save us?”

Su Jin was noncommittal: “Zhu Zhaowei has a death register in his hands. The first two names are Su Shiyu and Shen Qingyue. A few days ago, Zhai Di told me Zhu Zhaowei’s scouts sent to Shu are nearly at Suzhou. These past days going to court deliberations, I feel my head is no longer on my neck.”

This time was different from before—the two of them truly had damning evidence of capital crimes in Zhu Zhaowei’s hands.

Shen Xi said: “Exactly so. Either way it’s death. Better to face life and death directly. If we happen to survive, just consider it a life picked up for free. Wouldn’t that be delightful?”

Speaking thus, he set down his teacup, walked to Su Jin’s desk, glanced at the spread-out case file, and said in surprise: “Why are you still investigating the Imperial Noble Consort’s case?”

“If I don’t investigate hers, should I investigate yours instead?” Su Jin said. Then thinking, she pushed the case file in front of Shen Xi, pointing to the two characters “Consort Qi,” saying: “Look at this.”

Shen Xi frowned slightly: “Why is she involved again?”

The case file recorded testimony from palace maids of Chonghua Palace. On the day the Imperial Noble Consort died suddenly, Consort Qi had seen her.

Su Jin said: “I’m also suspicious of this. Last year when Beauty Li died tragically in the palace’s front hall, Consort Qi was present. At the beginning of the year during the Eastern Palace ‘concentrated char case,’ Consort Qi was also present. This time when the Imperial Noble Consort died suddenly, she’d also seen Consort Qi beforehand. One or two times could be coincidence, but at least things don’t happen more than thrice.”

Shen Xi looked toward Wu Jizhi: “After the Imperial Noble Consort died suddenly, didn’t you summon people from Consort Qi’s palace for interrogation?”

“No.” Wu Jizhi said. “The Imperial Noble Consort was poisoned and died suddenly at noon after drinking medicinal soup brewed by Medical Official She. Consort Qi visited her in the morning, spoke with her briefly, then left. Later when investigating the case, the poisoned medicine bowl from Medical Official She was still there, and the palace maids of Chonghua Palace watched the Imperial Noble Consort consume the medicine before she became critical. So suspicion never fell on Consort Qi.”

Speaking thus, he hesitated: “However, Lord Su, Lord Shen, based on this subordinate’s years of investigative experience, among palace and court cases, none are laid out so clearly and openly. The Imperial Noble Consort’s case closed so smoothly—it actually makes this subordinate feel there’s something false about it.”

Hearing this word “false,” Su Jin and Shen Xi were simultaneously startled.

Shen Xi looked at Su Jin: “What do you think?”

Su Jin’s gaze locked directly on the two characters “Consort Qi” in the case file: “I’m thinking about that one sentence the young prince’s wet nurse said before dying…”

Last year after the palace front hall case, before committing suicide at the Court of Imperial Clan, Prince Zhu Lin’s wet nurse had intermittently left behind a very strange dying message—

Everything is false. This life wronged the young prince. Even in death, cannot atone for sins.

Shen Xi pondered: “We need to find a way to interrogate this Consort Qi.”

“Any interrogation would have to wait until after the seventh month.” Wu Jizhi said. “This year started inauspiciously—so many incidents occurred inside and outside the court. Consort Qi is after all carrying a dragon heir and will give birth in the seventh month. If she can bear a young prince to bring joy to the palace, it would be best. Everyone in the palace believes in this. Right now it’s become a matter of utmost importance.”

Su Jin and Shen Xi looked at each other and sighed.

Wait until the seventh month? By the seventh month, who knew whether the two of them would be in the underworld or the mortal realm?

However, before this sigh was finished, both were simultaneously alarmed, looking together at Wu Jizhi: “What did you just say?”

“I said Consort Qi will give birth in the seventh month.”

“And then?”

Wu Jizhi was bewildered, so he repeated his earlier words: “If she can bear a young prince to bring joy to the palace, it would be best. Everyone in the palace believes in this. Right now it’s become a matter of utmost importance?”

Su Jin and Shen Xi were completely stunned.

Only now did they realize—the two of them had from beginning to end overlooked one question.

The wet nurse’s dying words were: Everything is false. This life wronged the young prince. Even in death, cannot atone for sins.

But “young prince” was a general term referring to younger imperial heirs. And at that time in the palace front hall, besides Zhu Lin, there was another young prince—the young prince in Consort Qi’s belly.

Could it be that the “false” the wet nurse spoke of actually referred to the child in Consort Qi’s belly?

After a long while, Su Jin said: “It couldn’t be…”

After a moment, Shen Xi said: “It seems like it is…”

After another pause, Shen Xi suddenly lifted a brush from the desk: “Shiyu, do you remember when Secretary Hu conveyed the wet nurse’s dying words to us, he said she was grief-stricken then and spoke intermittently? Since intermittently, there must have been repetition. What if—” He paused, spreading out a blank sheet and writing a sentence on it. “What if the dying message was originally like this?”

Everything is false.

This life wronged the young prince.

Young prince—even in death, cannot atone for sins.

Not one sentence, but three.

Shen Xi set down the brush, looking at Su Jin: “Could it be that these two young princes aren’t the same person at all?”

“The first is Lin’er—the person the wet nurse truly wronged in this life.”

“And the second.” Shen Xi held the brush inverted, pointing directly at the three characters “young prince.” “Refers to the prince in Consort Qi’s belly. This is what’s false, what even ten thousand deaths cannot atone for.”