Murong Jinghou and Qiu Jing passed each other. Both men glanced at each other – not with the sharp confrontation of women, but the sinister meaning in their eyes was roughly the same. Qiu Jing raised an eyebrow with a smile and followed an inner palace monitor away.

Wei Chenghui, following closely behind, was calm and composed, revealing nothing, and also left with an inner palace monitor.

Next was Yan Da. This prime minister appeared steady, neither happy nor nervous, and also departed.

“Big brother?” Chao Huang asked Quan Feitong quietly, “What are you looking at?”

“The palace gambling pool – I didn’t bet on losing,” Quan Feitong smiled lightly. “Know yourself and your enemy – I need to see if my chances of winning are good.”

“Did you figure it out?”

“The possibility of losing is extremely high.”

“Meaning Li Huaisu will lose?”

“Don’t mention her.”

Quan Feitong’s voice turned slightly cold.

Chao Huang knew he was still brooding over Li Huaisu’s words in court – he disliked Li Huaisu speaking to Lian Yu in that tone.

Since they hadn’t entered court when the incident occurred years ago, they didn’t need to go, along with many young officials like Si Lanfeng, Gao Chaoyi, and others. But the Six Ministry Ministers like Huang Zhongyue, Xiao Yue, and others had all followed inner palace monitors away in all directions. Next were the former harem masters, including close attendants like Hong Gu who had all been invited over.

The only interesting part was that Lian Jie and Lian Qin, though young at the time, had attended the palace banquet and were thus also invited, their faces iron-gray.

Quan Feitong glanced at Li Zhaoting again. From the earlier exchange of looks, he hadn’t participated in today’s arrangements. Everything seemed to be Li Huaisu’s doing.

“Li Huaisu, what exactly are you trying to do?” he thought calmly.

“Your Majesty, shall we go have a look? This subject is truly curious how these bones will reveal injuries through steaming,” Murong Cui said with an eager expression beside Lian Yu.

Ming Yanchu explained with a smile: “According to Magistrate Li’s arrangements, during this period, except for those who attended the palace banquet that year, no one else may enter.”

Murong Cui’s face reddened. “She’s so arrogant! Making the Empress Dowager, the Late Emperor’s consorts, and respected ministers accompany her madness, with so many rules – Your Majesty, will you allow her to act like this?”

“This matter concerns my mother, and later dozens of innocent people died unjustly – it must be investigated. But Cui’er needn’t worry. If she accomplishes nothing this time, she won’t need to continue as magistrate and can retire early to her hometown.”

Lian Yu spoke slowly, his tone stern.

Murong Cui read his expression, saw his anger, was startled, then pleased. Since she couldn’t ally with Li Huaisu against Gu Xiluo, having one disappear first wouldn’t be bad either!

A’luo watched them chat as Murong Cui leaned toward Lian Yu, and she automatically stepped back slightly.

She knew Lian Yu felt nothing for Murong Cui. Openly, she didn’t need to compete for anything – Feng Suzhen was different.

Earlier in court, when Feng Suzhen mentioned Feng Shaoqing, she was puzzled and asked him afterward. He didn’t hide anything and told her about Feng Shaoqing’s cup-switching incident.

She already knew Lian Yu’s feelings for Feng Suzhen weren’t light. This matter let her know he truly loved Feng Suzhen – after hastily learning she was the daughter of his mother’s suspected killer, he still protected her in court.

She felt hurt and angry, then understood – he had ultimately given up this person for her. He was emperor – couldn’t the harem accommodate one woman?

This time, Feng Suzhen had truly angered him. She not only wanted to overturn the Feng family case but also clear Feng Shaoqing of killing Consort Yu.

After learning her father was the murderer of his mother, rather than showing any guilt, she used his feelings to overturn the case. How could Lian Yu not be angry?

Now she need say nothing – just quietly accompany him and watch this good show.

Something seemed to pass over her for an instant. Her heart stirred, and she secretly glanced toward Li Zhaoting, but saw him intently watching the direction where everyone had departed, completely focused – perhaps it was her imagination.

This made her nervous too, and she also looked over. What was happening inside?

This was an abandoned courtyard – the palace had many such places.

Outside was a long corridor, the railings stained with verdigris, with two round pillars on either side.

When Dowager Consort Ai entered, two other inner palace monitors were already waiting, lifting a straw mat from the ground and setting it aside. Looking at the setup ahead, her eyes couldn’t help showing curiosity, then her lips curved coldly: “This Magistrate Li certainly makes a grand spectacle. How many places in the palace will suffer this time?”

The inner palace monitor accompanying her smiled obsequiously without saying much. The straw mat and monitors weren’t unusual – what Dowager Consort Ai called a “grand spectacle” referred to the pit in front of the monitors.

It was about five or six feet long, three or four feet wide, and over two feet deep, filled with lit charcoal. The fire burned red-hot with boiling heat, with two leg bones suspended inside. The whole area reeked of strong wine vinegar acid, assaulting people’s noses unbearably.

Dowager Consort Ai frowned and covered her nose, saying coldly: “Treating human bones like pig bones to stew. What, are you all mute? What happens next? Don’t waste my time. If Li Huaisu finds nothing and plays supernatural tricks, disrespecting palace consorts and ministers, don’t blame me for impeaching her before His Majesty!”

Of the two inner palace monitors, one opened a red oil umbrella from the ground while the other quickly explained: “Dowager Consort, that Magistrate Li mentioned that ancient autopsy texts recorded: ‘Wash the corpse bones, string them with hemp rope, dig a pit five feet long, three feet wide, and two feet deep, pile in large amounts of charcoal, heat the pit until red-hot, remove the wood and charcoal, sprinkle in wine vinegar, while the pit’s heat is intense, place the bones inside, cover with straw matting, and after about an hour remove the bones. Under sunlight with a red oil umbrella, examination can proceed. If raining, use charcoal fire illumination instead.'”

“Oh, today’s sunlight is perfect. How will this prove under daylight that the person didn’t die naturally?” Dowager Consort Ai’s interest was piqued. She glanced at the sun overhead and asked slowly, showing some tension.

In another courtyard, an inner palace monitor respectfully answered Murong Jinghou: “If the deceased suffered blows while alive, under the red oil umbrella, blood-red marks will appear on the bone surface. If there’s no red on the bones, even if they’re fractured, it’s likely post-mortem damage.”

Murong Jinghou nodded repeatedly, his eyes crinkling with some amusement: “Quite interesting. But even if the bones show injury, that only proves these palace maids died by murder – how do you identify the killer?”

“Can the killer’s name somehow be etched in these post-mortem bone and blood through the victim’s memory?” A few walls away, Qiu Jing sneered slightly, questioning the inner palace monitor.

At the next location, the inner palace monitor had removed the bones and opened the red oil umbrella: “Magistrate Li said how to confirm the killer would be explained after examination – this must be done step by step, but results will come quickly. Minister, please first examine these bones.”

Yan Da’s eyes narrowed as he leaned closer to look.

“There are indeed injury marks…” In an adjacent courtyard, Hong Gu sighed, then laughed softly: “What’s the next step? Please finish quickly – this servant must return to serve the Empress Dowager.”

In Wei Chenghui’s courtyard, the inner palace monitor began explaining: “Following Magistrate Li’s instructions, these courtyards are using the remains of three palace maids who died over ten years ago. Now that bone injuries are confirmed, please pick up the bones.”

“What?” Wei Chenghui paused slightly upon hearing this.

“You want us to pick up the bones? What does this mean?” Not far away, Lian Qin was already furious: “What are you servants good for? Do we have to clean up too?”

“Seventh Prince, please.”

In another courtyard, Lian Jie didn’t scold the inner palace monitor. His tone was obviously much calmer, but he asked plainly: “What exactly does Li Huaisu want to do?”

“What did Li Huaisu say?” Unlike Lian Jie’s good temper, Lian Yue also darkened her face.

The inner palace monitor beside her folded the red oil umbrella and answered quietly: “Magistrate Li said when you pick up the bones, if the killer is present, the bones will show abnormalities.”

“Abnormalities?” Huang Zhongyue was initially shocked, then laughed heartily: “This is a trap? To see who gets scared and won’t dare touch these bones? This old man isn’t afraid. Good, I’ll do it.”

In one courtyard, a woman had already picked up the bones.

“Abnormalities? I really don’t believe these bones can show anything unless someone tampered with them. I won’t be afraid – I didn’t kill anyone!”

The fierce, murderous aura in her phoenix eyes made all the inner palace attendants in the courtyard freeze and retreat several steps.

“Who’s behind the pillar?!” The woman’s eyes suddenly moved as she shouted.

The monitors were shocked. Just then, behind the woman on the roof eaves, a black-clothed masked figure had silently appeared, drawing a bow aimed at behind the pillar.

This scene seemed copied and simultaneously repeated in several other courtyards.

The next moment, in all courtyards where this strange scene occurred, as the black-clothed figure’s arrow shot toward the person behind the pillar, another figure appeared on the eaves, throwing a sword to intercept the arrow mid-flight!

With lightning speed and complete surprise, they captured the black-clothed figure from behind and turned them around. Within sight, the black-clothed figure’s eyes suddenly showed cunning. The swordsman’s heart sank. Just then, another black-clothed figure dropped from the opposite eaves, hanging upside down, throwing a long sword that pierced the chest of the person behind the pillar. They fell into the courtyard, blood splattering everywhere.

—Divider Line—

Information sourced from “Records of Washing Away Wrongs” and encyclopedias. In modern terms, if the deceased had been struck while alive, blood vessels would rupture, leaving blood traces in the bones. Though traces are minute and hard to see with the naked eye, under a red oil umbrella in sunlight, other visible light is blocked while infrared can pass through the umbrella surface to illuminate the bones, clearly revealing the blood pathways in the bones.