To investigate how the Crown Prince obtained the five-colored powder, they naturally had to start with the people around the Crown Prince.

Everyone in the palace knew that after Wang Gui died, the person most favored by the Crown Prince was Wang Fu. Upon investigation, they discovered Wang Fu had disappeared.

Head Eunuch Liu Chuan was responsible for inside the palace, while Jinlin Guard Commander Cheng Maoming was responsible for outside the palace. They began searching for Wang Fu’s whereabouts.

“Go to the Western Garden.” After confirming that Wang Fu had accompanied the Crown Prince when boarding the dragon boat today, Cheng Maoming decisively led his men to rush to the Western Garden.

The Western Garden covered a vast area. The shimmering lake waters were impossible to see to the end, like an ocean.

Over a dozen dragon boats were moored by the lake. The red and festive decorations remained, but the mighty dragon heads somehow seemed listless.

Cheng Maoming gave orders: “Inspect all the dragon boats.”

He personally led men to inspect the dragon boat Emperor Tai’an had boarded.

Besides an extremely spacious hall, the interior of the dragon boat contained over ten rooms with various purposes, as well as cargo holds used for storage. A thorough inspection took over an hour.

Cheng Maoming came up empty-handed and stood with his hands behind his back, watching his subordinates going in and out of the other dragon boats.

“Great Commander, nothing found.” A subordinate rushed over to report.

“Search other areas of the Western Garden.”

They continued until nightfall but still found nothing. Cheng Maoming left a team of men to guard the Western Garden and returned to the bureau.

“No movement from the palace either?” After asking the subordinates who had remained at the bureau, Cheng Maoming rubbed his temples.

A eunuch—besides the palace and the Western Garden, it was unlikely he could hide anywhere else.

Had they overlooked something?

This doubt persisted until dawn when an answer finally came.

Cheng Maoming, who had rushed to the Western Garden, looked at the corpse lying by the lake with a grave expression.

The most feared outcome had still occurred. The person they wanted to question had become a cold corpse—dead with no testimony.

“Enter the palace.”

Cheng Maoming entered the palace and met with Liu Chuan, informing him of Wang Fu’s death.

Liu Chuan’s side had also uncovered some information.

“This Wang Fu entered the palace as a child and has quite extensive connections. He took a eunuch from the Procurement Bureau as his godfather. Starting two years ago, every month he would ask the eunuch in charge of procurement to bring medicine from outside the palace, claiming it was to treat a cough ailment…”

“Where outside the palace did he get the medicine?”

“An apothecary called Renyi Hall.” Liu Chuan cupped his hands. “This was just discovered. We haven’t had time to send people there yet. Great Commander is more familiar with areas outside the palace, so I must trouble the Great Commander to investigate this apothecary.”

Cheng Maoming immediately understood Liu Chuan wanted to pass the buck, but this matter was originally assigned by His Majesty for the two of them to investigate together. If he refused, it would do him no good either.

He personally went to the apothecary called Renyi Hall. Accompanying him was the procurement eunuch.

Renyi Hall’s doors stood wide open with people coming and going. Upon seeing a tall, imposing group approaching aggressively, they hurriedly stepped aside.

“Who is it—” Hearing quite a commotion, the apothecary manager who had been absorbed in organizing goods frowned and looked up. His expression immediately changed. “Who are you?”

Cheng Maoming stepped forward and flashed his official badge: “Jinlin Guard investigating a case. You have someone here named Hu Xu. Where is he now?”

“Sir is looking for Hu Xu? He took leave yesterday and hasn’t come in today.”

Cheng Maoming naturally wouldn’t trust one-sided testimony. He waved his hand to his subordinates: “Search!”

A squad of Jinlin Guards immediately began searching inside and out.

The apothecary manager and assistants trembled, shrinking into a corner and not daring to make a sound.

If it were others, they might dare to say something to stop them, but these were the Jinlin Guard—they could even arrest those noble officials. How would they dare speak up?

“Great Commander, we found someone.” A Jinlin Guard returned from the back, hauling out a young man.

The apothecary manager mustered his courage: “This is the medicine boy who tends the fire, not Hu Xu…”

Cheng Maoming looked at the eunuch who had come along.

The eunuch shook his head.

“Where does Hu Xu live?”

The apothecary manager gave an address.

“You few, take them back for interrogation.” After Cheng Maoming gave the order, he led his subordinates outside.

The remaining Jinlin Guards immediately restrained the three from the apothecary.

The apothecary manager was so frightened his legs went soft. He trembled as he shouted toward Cheng Maoming’s retreating back: “Sir, sir, this commoner knows nothing—”

Cheng Maoming rushed to Hu Xu’s residence only to come up empty.

“Sir is asking about the person who lived here?” The woman next door clutched a handkerchief, nervous yet curious as she looked at the tall, sturdy men. “He left yesterday carrying a bundle.”

“Left?” Cheng Maoming’s brow furrowed.

The woman’s tone was certain: “Left for distant parts. I casually asked where he was going, and he said he was going to other regions to buy medicinal materials. What does sir want with him? Did he commit a crime?”

Meeting the woman’s curious gaze, Cheng Maoming felt somewhat irritated.

He’d fled yesterday. Once outside the capital, roads led in all directions—trying to find one person was like searching for a needle in a haystack.

“How long had Hu Xu lived here?”

“Several years, I suppose. He was a tenant, alone, and didn’t socialize with the neighbors.”

“So no one knows his background?”

“Some neighbors asked out of curiosity. He said he came from the south, his hometown suffered a disaster, his parents and relatives all perished, and he came to the capital alone to make a living.” The woman’s lips twitched. “Hearing him describe such misery, no one felt comfortable asking more.”

“Did you ever see him regularly associating with anyone?”

The woman shook her head: “Haven’t seen it.”

“Big sister, think carefully again.”

The woman furrowed her brow in thought, then her eyes brightened: “Right, before the New Year, a young woman came looking for him. I could tell she wasn’t from a respectable place, so I paid special attention and heard Hu Xu call her Little Golden Bell.”

“Does big sister still remember what this woman looked like?”

The woman immediately perked up: “Of course I remember. She was about an inch shorter than me, with a small nose and small eyes, but when you looked at them together, quite delicate. Look, there was also a small mole here…”

Listening to the woman eloquently describe the woman’s appearance, Cheng Maoming suddenly fell into doubt: Was there a problem with the Jinlin Guard’s composition? Perhaps they should recruit some auxiliary personnel like this big sister.

After questioning people throughout the area, Cheng Maoming called in more personnel and started searching from the nearest Rouge Alley.

Fortunately, they actually found a woman named Little Golden Bell among the brothels and pleasure houses in the Rouge Alley area.

“He’s one of this slave’s patrons. Two months ago he even said he would ransom this slave.” Hearing that Hu Xu had fled, Little Golden Bell looked indignant.

“An apothecary assistant’s words—you believed them?”

Little Golden Bell instinctively glanced around and said in a low voice: “He said he had a way to make money.”

“What way?” Cheng Maoming pressed.

“Selling goods. He didn’t tell this slave exactly what he was selling, but once when he came here, he encountered someone and casually mentioned the goods came from that person.”

“Who was that person?”

Little Golden Bell stopped talking.

Cheng Maoming’s face darkened: “Is Miss Golden Bell trying to obstruct the Jinlin Guard’s investigation?”

Little Golden Bell shuddered and said in a low voice: “It’s a gentleman surnamed Dou. You can ask the courtesan lady—that person is the courtesan’s patron.”

Surnamed Dou?

Cheng Maoming had a bad feeling and summoned the courtesan for questioning.