“This is not right.”

Yu Jiuling looked at Li Chi. “A warhorse startling out of nowhere might be one thing — but the timing, charging directly toward the Imperial Prince, is rather too convenient.”

Li Chi gave Yu Jiuling a slight shake of his head, signalling him not to continue speaking here.

He carried little Tuotuo and walked toward the building, while the Inner Palace Guards had already formed a defensive ring around them. Li Chi made a gesture, and Gao Xining and Xiahou Yuli followed him inside.

And as the Inner Palace Guards formed their defensive perimeter, countless dark figures had already swept toward the site of the incident from all directions.

Several senior officers from the廷尉府 *(Court of Justice)* advanced at the fore, arranging themselves in a square formation around the scene — four officers forming the four corners of that square.

Surrounded by the Court of Justice was a contingent of cavalry.

The men permitted to serve in the Imperial Guards — especially those accompanying the Emperor on an excursion and standing close guard — were, by and large, trustworthy individuals. But though this might look like coincidence at first glance, it was exactly as Yu Jiuling had said: a coincidence *too* convenient to be one.

Yet just as Zhang Tang stepped forward, the little eunuch Ding Qing’an came running from Li Chi’s side. He leaned close to Zhang Tang and murmured something. Zhang Tang listened, then nodded.

Moments later, upon Zhang Tang’s orders, all Court of Justice personnel withdrew — like the wind, arriving swiftly and departing swiftly.

The alarmed Imperial Guard cavalry stood in momentary bewilderment.

At this point, Ye Xiaoqian, Commander of the Inner Palace Guards, stepped forward and announced loudly for everyone to remain calm, to return to their positions, and not to let order break down. He explained that the Court of Justice and Inner Palace Guards had moved forward earlier because the startled horse had been a concern for further injuries, and to ensure no other horses might panic. Now that no further incidents had occurred, they had all withdrawn.

This was, naturally, a consoling explanation. Without the Emperor’s direct order, there was no way the Inner Palace Guards and Court of Justice would have suddenly stood down.

Li Chi simply had no wish to cause the Imperial Guard soldiers distress. He didn’t want them fearing that His Majesty now suspected them of something.

—

Inside the room, Li Chi set little Tuotuo on his knee and asked with a smile, “When you saw that horse charging at you — were you frightened?”

Little Tuotuo shook his head. “Not frightened.”

Li Chi asked with a smile, “Why not?”

Little Tuotuo said, “I already learned to ride the divine eagle. A horse running at me — I could ride that too. Not frightened at all.”

Li Chi burst out laughing and gave the little one a gentle pat on the head. “A remarkable young man indeed — already a little hero.”

Gao Xining took the child. “You discuss your matters. I’ll take Tuotuo to rest a while — he’s tired from playing.”

Li Chi made a sound of agreement, then looked toward Ye Xiaoqian, who was already back at the outer door. Ye Xiaoqian, understanding Li Chi’s look, passed the word along — and the Inner Palace Guards significantly increased their presence around Gao Xining’s quarters.

Yu Jiuling looked at Li Chi. “Your Majesty, an incident the moment we arrive at the Imperial Garden — something is wrong.”

Li Chi said, “Wait and see.”

Yu Jiuling and the others exchanged glances, uncertain for a moment what the Emperor meant by *wait and see*.

Just then, a middle-aged man in a plain blue robe stepped through the door, and the moment they saw him, everyone present understood at once.

Master Chu.

When Li Chi saw Master Chu enter, before the man could even bow, Li Chi said, “Master, no need for all the ceremony.”

Master Chu was equally direct — he walked up to Li Chi and said, “Saw nothing unusual. Could not identify anyone acting out of the ordinary.”

Li Chi made a sound, then looked at Yu Jiuling. “Go and tell Zhang Tang not to investigate further. Treat this as if it never happened. Also — go and find out whose warhorse spooked. Have a replacement horse sent to that soldier with a few words of comfort. Don’t frighten the man.”

Yu Jiuling acknowledged this and turned to leave.

Even Master Chu had found nothing out of the ordinary — which meant the incident may genuinely have had no deeper cause, and was merely coincidence.

Master Chu said, “Your Majesty, nothing unusual about the people — but the horse may be another matter. Have them move the horse’s carcass outside the Imperial Garden shortly. This subject will take a look.”

Li Chi looked at Ye Xiaoqian, who immediately said, “This subject will make the arrangements.”

Master Chu bowed. “This subject will wait outside the Imperial Garden.”

Li Chi walked Master Chu to the door, then returned to the room and slowly let out a breath.

Master Chu had said the people were fine but the horse might not be — which in effect meant a person *was* involved, just not necessarily someone present at the scene.

About half a quarter-hour later, Yu Jiuling returned and leaned in to speak to Li Chi in a low voice. “Zhang Tang did not investigate those present at the time, but quietly looked into the staff who had been stationed at the Imperial Garden beforehand.”

Li Chi nodded. It seemed Zhang Tang’s thinking aligned precisely with Master Chu’s.

This was also why Gao Xining had entrusted the Court of Justice to Zhang Tang. Though he had previously been demoted, and Li Chi had said he would appoint a Lord Ye as interim head, in practice Zhang Tang had continued to run things. And just the day before Li Chi had announced their journey to the Imperial Garden, he had issued an edict restoring Zhang Tang to the rank of Deputy Chief Justice.

Yu Jiuling said, “Zhang Tang bids me tell Your Majesty: those who accompanied His Majesty here need not be suspected. But there is certainly something wrong among the staff who were already stationed at the Imperial Garden beforehand.”

The Imperial Garden had been completed some time ago, but this was Li Chi’s first visit. Before this, the people guarding the Interior had not been the Imperial Guards.

Li Chi said, “Let Zhang Tang investigate quietly. Publicly, this matter is to be suppressed — it was an accident, nothing more.”

Yu Jiuling acknowledged the order. “This subject understands.”

—

Meanwhile, outside the Imperial Garden.

Inner Palace Guards loaded the horse’s carcass onto a cart and hauled it out of the garden, into a grove of trees beyond. There they dragged the carcass into the trees.

Master Chu was already waiting. Also present were examiners from the Court of Justice whose specialty was inspecting bodies — though they ordinarily examined human remains, they were thorough enough in their methods.

Master Chu went straight to the back of the horse carcass, crouched down, and examined it carefully for a time.

“Press with your hand — press thoroughly,” he instructed.

Beyond the wounds from being struck down, there appeared to be nothing unusual on the horse’s body. But warhorses had thick skin, dense flesh, and a coat of fur — if the wound were small, it would be extremely difficult to detect.

About half a quarter-hour later, one of the examiners suddenly raised his head, his eyes shifting. He looked at Master Chu and said, “There appears to be something here.”

He then pressed the spot with both hands for a good while, but was unable to squeeze anything out. He took a small, exceedingly sharp blade, cut the skin and flesh — and drew out a fine, slender needle.

Master Chu’s brow furrowed, because while the needle seemed small, the implications it revealed were anything but.

He had seen nothing unusual at the time, which meant the person who had struck the horse with this needle was outside his field of observation. To drive such a tiny needle into a warhorse’s body from a great distance was enough to demonstrate terrifying skill.

Moreover, this person was not only terrifyingly skilled — they had also been able to accurately judge which precise location on a horse’s body, if suddenly pierced, would cause the animal to bolt directly toward the Imperial Prince’s position.

Or alternatively — the direction the horse ran after being struck was the one genuine coincidence in this entire premeditated plan.

And if the person had struck the horse not to harm the Imperial Prince, but merely to cause chaos—

Master Chu suddenly grasped something and swept back toward the Imperial Garden.

—

Inside the room, Li Chi had just lifted his tea cup, and then — something seemed to surface in his mind. He lowered his eyes and looked at the cup in his hand.

He set the tea cup down abruptly. Like a shadow, he shot out of the room.

Moments later, Li Chi had reached the room where Gao Xining and little Tuotuo were staying.

He stepped inside and asked urgently, “Have either of you drunk any water?”

Gao Xining nodded. “We have. The child drank water just a little while ago too.”

Then her face went white in an instant. “The water — is there something wrong with it?”

Li Chi immediately called out, “Send for an Imperial Physician and the people from Shen Medical Hall — quickly!”

Just then, little Tuotuo, who had been sleeping, suddenly coughed several times — then opened his eyes and burst into wailing.

When Li Chi looked at the child’s eyes, he saw at once that something was not right with them.

On instinct, he pulled out the antidote he always carried, then heard Gao Xining cough several times as well.

—

One hour later.

Li Chi stood outside the door waiting. The sky had gradually darkened, so there were few people to see how cold the Da Ning Emperor’s expression had grown.

Moments later, Shen Ruqian came out from inside, walked to Li Chi’s side, and bowed slightly. “Your Majesty — the poison has largely been neutralised. Fortunately it was discovered quickly and treated quickly.”

From not far away, the look in Master Chu’s eyes carried a trace of guilt. Had he realised a moment sooner, had he returned sooner — perhaps this would not have happened.

The startled horse had been a diversion. And the horse charging toward the Imperial Prince was, it now seemed, genuine coincidence.

Someone had deliberately created chaos — and even though Li Chi had immediately ordered the Court of Justice and Inner Palace Guards to stand down, for one brief moment, chaos had been real.

The quarters were not far from the scene of the incident. The Inner Palace Guards stationed near the building — upon seeing the horse nearly injure the Imperial Prince — had all rushed over.

In that moment, the guards around the quarters were at their thinnest. One could even say there was no one watching over the building at all.

That was the opening the culprit had used. In that brief window, they had entered Gao Xining’s quarters and poisoned the water supply — then left immediately.

Shen Ruqian had them test the water in Li Chi’s own room: no issue there.

So this person’s targets had been Empress Gao Xining and Imperial Prince Li Longshi. And the culprit was exceptionally swift — the poison was placed and they were gone.

Before the Emperor arrived, the Inner Palace Guards and Court of Justice would have swept ahead and searched thoroughly. So the culprit could not have pre-poisoned the water — it would have been discovered immediately.

They had only been able to act in this window of opportunity. Which was yet further proof that this person was also possessed of an extraordinarily meticulous mind.

Li Chi let out a slow breath and turned to Shen Ruqian. “Many thanks, Master Shen—”

Before he could finish, Zhang Tang came from a distance in quick strides and reached Li Chi’s side. “Your Majesty — the investigation has turned something up. A person is missing.”

Li Chi asked, “Who.”

Zhang Tang said, “At first the check showed no one absent. But during a more careful search just now — one person is gone. One of the garden’s cooks, a man named Fang Mao.”

“However, just as this subject had people search more carefully, the body of the real Fang Mao was found — thrown into the cesspit at the back.”

Li Chi’s brow rose sharply upward.

The lift of that eyebrow released a killing intent cold as frost.

—