The next day was the investiture ceremony.

Incense filled the great hall. One of the tasks of the ceremonial female officials was to guide the consorts to their seats one by one, and to inform them when to offer thanks and when to speak auspicious words.

Qun Qing began arranging the banquet before dawn and stayed busy until morning light shone into the hall, illuminating the golden swaying hairpins atop the heads of Consorts Han and Lü.

Zheng Zhiyi wore the court robes that Qun Qing had altered for her—neither too long nor too short, just right. Adorned with a phoenix crown, her rosy face also carried a trace of solemnity, though this was broken the moment she was praised. She lifted her skirts and twirled around to show them off: “Isn’t Dianyi Qun’s alteration beautiful?”

This drew laughter from the consorts, and Qun Qing smiled as well.

From afar, Li Xuan saw these ladies laughing and actually smiled gently for a moment. Thinking that today was the day of investiture, a trace of melancholy briefly crossed his features.

After arranging the empress and consorts with another ceremonial official, Qun Qing’s smile faded slightly. She returned to where the female officials were gathered, searching through the crowd for the person she wanted to find.

Registrar Xu stood among them—elongated face, lips slightly pursed, expression severe. When she raised her eyes and met Qun Qing’s gaze, Qun Qing somewhat flustered avoided her and walked into the crowd. A mocking smile appeared at the corners of Registrar Xu’s lips.

Having worked for Nan Chu these past two years, Xu Lin had been cautious and had never made an error. She had seen many agents who wanted to flee—they all died at her hands. But she hadn’t expected the Crown Prince to be so lenient with Qun Qing, actually allowing this already-traitorous “Killer” to become a fish that slipped through the net, which rather vexed her.

However, today’s focus was not Qun Qing. The moment Princess Bao’an entered the hall wearing auspicious robes, Xu Lin immediately fixed her gaze on her.

Xu Lin couldn’t help but think of the wax pellet she had picked up at the rear window a few days ago, sent by another “Sky” in the palace besides herself.

The vermilion seal on the paper slip was clear, but the “Sky” agents in the palace never contacted each other, and the location of the wax pellet was also wrong, making Xu Lin somewhat suspicious. But the other party had revealed their identity as Princess Bao’an, so Xu Lin felt she could understand.

Princess Bao’an was Crown Prince Zhao’s own sister, of noble status. Naturally she wouldn’t undergo the same harsh training as other agents, so occasional lapses in rigor were quite normal.

Xu Lin opened the paper slip and saw that the other party had made a thorough plan, deciding to assassinate Li Huan at the investiture ceremony, requiring the two of them to coordinate.

Though she had made preparations today, she wanted to confirm once more.

Just as she was thinking this, Yang Fu walked up before Xu Lin. Golden silk tassels hung from the princess’s jet-black coiffure, with a golden ornament at the center of her forehead. Her dark eyes held a mournful, questioning look, and the fan in her hand accidentally fell to the ground.

Xu Lin immediately bent to pick up the fan and returned it to Princess Bao’an. When their gazes met, Yang Fu gave her a slight nod—a signal to proceed.

Xu Lin finally felt at ease.

After Yang Fu walked past, she took a deep breath, thinking of how when she was at Xianyou Temple, she had suddenly received Registrar Xu’s wax pellet.

The Nan Chu agents who had previously contacted Yang Fu had all been wiped out. Yang Fu simply assumed Crown Prince Zhao had sent new people to transmit orders. Opening the wax pellet, Registrar Xu wanted her to coordinate in assassinating Li Huan at the investiture ceremony.

Since parting at Xianyou Temple, Yang Fu had been regretting that she hadn’t acted against Li Huan. This time she could no longer shirk, but having never carried out an assassination before, she was nervous and distressed, her throat feeling as if it were being seared by fire.

At this moment Yang Fu thought of Qun Qing—Qun Qing who had become an agent for her sake. How had she completed one assassination after another? Why could Qun Qing do it while she could not?

Qun Qing’s eyes were lowered. Her lashes were long and curled, casting butterfly-wing shadows on her cheeks. Her face showed extreme calm, as if all this had nothing to do with her.

Crouched outside the window, Juan Su looked at her, then at Lu Huating: “Miss Qing looks like she doesn’t know anything. Are you sure something will happen today? Could this be a trick on us?”

Lu Huating merely smiled and beckoned behind him: “San Lang, come here and witness it with your own eyes.”

At this time, Emperor Chenming and the Empress took their seats. A eunuch’s shrill voice proclaimed the investiture edicts for the Crown Princess and Prince Yan’s secondary consort.

The Empress presented Zheng Zhiyi with the seal and册宝 (册宝 -册宝 means ceremonial册 document and treasure seal). Xiao Yunru also stepped forward to bestow the secondary consort’s seal upon the elaborately dressed Yang Fu.

Yang Fu stared at the slightly protruding belly of Prince Yan’s consort, feeling reluctant in her heart, along with an indescribable stabbing pain and resentment. Having decided on assassination, she thought it wouldn’t be bad to let her life and Li Huan’s end on the most joyous of days…

Yet Xiao Yunru inexplicably stopped and examined Li Huan beside Yang Fu: “Why isn’t Your Highness wearing a sachet today?”

Li Huan paused and cleared his throat: “I forgot.”

Xiao Yunru examined him once more but said nothing further, bowing before retreating to a side hall.

When the Great Chen imperial family performed investitures, they also drank the nuptial cup for good fortune. A young eunuch entered bearing a tray on which sat a wine pot and cups.

Qun Qing then saw Yang Fu tremblingly pick up the wine pot, seizing the opportunity to sprinkle powder from under her fingernails into the wine. Her hands shook so badly that nearly half spilled outside. Li Huan couldn’t help asking: “What’s wrong?”

Yang Fu couldn’t even speak, only shaking her head. Li Huan called for a young eunuch, wanting a handkerchief to wipe up the spilled wine, then drank this celebratory wine.

“Your Highness,” Yang Fu said, seeing Li Huan grow dizzy, “emotions run high, making one easily intoxicated. Let’s go rest behind the screen.”

With that she hastily helped him sit in a chair behind the screen. There was another figure moving simultaneously with them: Xu Lin silently departed. As she walked, her long, wide sleeves brushed past the screen, her fingers touching the latticed screen, stopping at the appropriate position. She glanced inward.

Li Huan slumped in the chair, propping his head, unconscious. This man who had pursued her with mad devotion was about to die. Yang Fu gazed at him with a deathly pale face, then looked through the screen toward Xu Lin, her eyes full of grief.

Xu Lin had no such grief. The mechanism in her sleeve moved slightly, and two silver needles shot through the gaps in the screen like arrows splitting a watermelon, ruthlessly aiming for Prince Yan’s temple, directly seeking Prince Yan’s life.

In that instant, Yang Fu suddenly cried out: “Don’t!”

She pushed “Li Huan” aside, and “Li Huan” simultaneously leaped up, causing Yang Fu to fall to the ground. The silver needles shattered a teacup on the table. Xiao Yunru rose in alarm, drawing a guard’s sword, and chaos erupted in the room.

Xu Lin’s head buzzed. She could hardly believe her ears and eyes. It had clearly been Princess Bao’an who arranged the assassination—they were just a hair’s breadth from success—what was she doing? Enveloped in immense terror and disappointment, she turned to flee, but behind her were already seven mansion guards surrounding her.

Xu Lin’s face turned white as paper. Seeing Qun Qing leading the Crown Prince forward, she was almost incredulous, staring fixedly at Qun Qing.

Qun Qing merely bowed to Li Xuan and said calmly: “The Nan Chu agent within the Bureau of Palace Attendants—this subject has identified her and delivers her to Your Highness.”

Xu Lin said: “This subject has served in the Bureau of Palace Attendants for years without a single misstep. It’s only because I questioned Dianyi Qun’s palace registry that she retaliates like this.”

“There should be a needle box mechanism in Registrar Xu’s sleeve. If caught with evidence and perpetrator together yet she still won’t confess, this subject has other corroborating evidence.” Qun Qing presented the golden arrow and handwritten paper to Zheng Fu, who then passed them to Emperor Chenming.

“What are these?” Emperor Chenming looked at the arrow.

Consort Lü at the side saw these two items and frowned slightly, taking dainty steps forward to confess: “Sage, this is the arrow that this subject’s concubine was responsible for during the autumn hunt, which struck the envoy.”

This matter had never been resolved. Emperor Chenming’s face showed displeasure: “What about it?”

This Qun Qing was truly rash, directly presenting this item to the Sage. Consort Lü’s heart seethed with hatred, but she could only force a smile: “It’s just the foolish people in this subject’s concubine’s palace who, eager to curry the Sage’s favor, came up with this idea: using arrows from the same batch but making arrow shafts of different weights. The Sage’s and the princes’ arrows were the heaviest. Beyond that, the lower one’s official rank, the lighter the arrow shaft, making it less likely to strike large prey and thus not compete with the Sage.”

Qun Qing couldn’t help but admire Consort Lü. Jin Zi had made the arrows this way simply to embezzle the pure gold inside them.

How could Emperor Chenming not understand in his heart? But hearing Consort Lü say this, he actually laughed twice, feeling that Consort Lü had spent considerable effort to please him, and didn’t want to pursue those few points of deception. Consort Lü continued: “Having failed to catch the person who sabotaged the autumn hunt, this subject’s concubine felt uneasy. After interrogating palace servants, she finally found clues in this arrow shaft—the person who secretly shot the arrow that day was Registrar Xu.”

After all, she was a palace official. Emperor Chenming said coldly: “Commit her to the Ministry of Justice.”

Xu Lin’s face was already ashen. The look she gave Princess Bao’an was as if she wanted to flay and dismember her. As she was dragged away, she pointed at Qun Qing: “You set this trap. Otherwise, why would you know so clearly? Unless you’re also an agent, what other reason could there be? Sage, she definitely is an agent!”

Li Xuan said: “Silence.”

In Qun Qing’s peripheral vision, Xu Lin was gagged and dragged away.

Now only one “Sky” remained in the palace.

Yang Fu’s skirt trailed on the ground. She had thought she would soon be able to die and be done with it. Through streaming tears, she realized none of it would happen now. The poisoned wine she had drugged had long been switched out.

What struck her even harder was that the “Li Huan” she had given wine to bowed in salute and withdrew. Meanwhile, Li Huan entered the hall intact with his close ministers and hidden guards, his voice hoarse: “This son pays respects to Father Emperor.”

Li Pan said with a cold laugh: “San Lang, casually using shadow guards on such an occasion—where does that place imperial dignity?”

Li Huan gazed at Yang Fu collapsed on the ground, truly unable to speak, his hands clenched tightly in his sleeves. Just now he had personally witnessed Yang Fu feeding poisoned wine to Ying Su. If Ying Su hadn’t substituted for him, she had truly intended to kill him.

Though he didn’t care whether Yang Fu loved him, witnessing this scene firsthand was inevitably chilling to the heart.

What was more ironic was that the first person to discern that Ying Su was impersonating him was not Yang Fu, but Princess Consort Xiao Yunru.

Li Huan said: “This son was eager to root out the agent. I beg Father Emperor and Mother Empress to forgive this offense.”

Li Pan laughed: “The agent was caught by the Crown Prince. Someone clearly knew who the agent was, yet preferred to use a shadow guard to impersonate San Lang rather than report to the Sage in advance—simply to have everyone accompany San Lang in watching this performance.”

Emperor Chenming suddenly slammed the table, making the great hall fall silent: “Lu Huating, once or twice would be one thing, but this is an imperial banquet, not a place for you to flaunt your cleverness for amusement. Half a year’s salary is forfeit. Reflect properly.”

Half a year! Juan Su looked at Lu Huating in astonishment.

Qun Qing couldn’t help but raise her eyes, quietly glancing toward Lu Huating. He knelt on the ground, back straight, quietly enduring imperial wrath. From his back one could not discern joy or anger.

She had caught “Sky,” and Lu Huating had been penalized half a year’s salary.

By rights, this should be cause for double celebration. Yet somehow, Qun Qing felt a trace of guilt rise in her heart.

She only heard Li Pan say quietly to Li Xuan: “This Miss Qing is truly useful.”

Li Xuan said nothing. Li Pan continued: “Minister Meng has matters to discuss with Elder Brother. After the spring festivities, we should discuss how to check San Lang’s momentum.”