“The upper half of this letter is…” Li Zhaoting asked after reading it and remaining silent for a long time.

“What else could it be? Words of resentment toward Lian Yu.”

“Mm, thank you, Senior Brother.”

Watching Li Zhaoting leave with a somewhat pale complexion, Quan Feitong leisurely put the letter back in his breast, finally feeling a trace of satisfaction in his heart. Love was one thing, but he just disliked this junior brother’s entanglement with her and that attitude of his.

Returning to his room, the woman was quite clever, her garments half-removed as she helped him undress. He raised his hand to stop her and said indifferently: “Go collect some reward money and leave.”

The woman looked bewildered, “But did this slave serve poorly, or is the Prime Minister dealing with matters… temporarily lost interest?”

“I’m actually in better spirits now and have more interest than before. It has nothing to do with you—this Prime Minister fears his wife.” He said this while moving to sit on a soft couch by the window, waving his hand dismissively and saying nothing more.

Though his posture was lazy and his tone gentle, the woman was frightened by the coldness in his eyes. Not daring to say more, she gathered her clothes and quickly left.

Soon after, the steward entered the room. Seeing him holding a letter with his eyes slightly closed, he carefully asked: “Master, was that girl not to your taste? This slave can bring in the remaining ones…”

“No need,” he interrupted softly, opening his eyes. “Your skills aren’t bad—in just a moment you found several whose features bore some resemblance. This one had a pair of clever eyes and was the most similar among them.”

Imperial City.

Except for Ming Yanchu, who returned only to hurriedly leave again, Xuan Wu stood to the side with his head lowered in silence, while the others worried about Lian Yu like ants on a hot pan.

No matter how calm Lian Yu was, his heart must be in pain.

Lian Qin kept asking: “Seventh Brother, what do you think Li Huaisu’s letter actually said?”

“I don’t know either, can’t guess. When she puts her mind to scheming, she’s cunning as a ghost. I can’t figure out such a person, but our… old friend had her heart set on death—that’s certain.” Lian Jie sighed.

Soon, two eunuchs entered—one tall and thin, one dark-skinned. One carried a box, the other a copper basin and cloth towels. Xuan Wu stopped being silent and went over to stuff the box into Zhu Que’s hands: “You prepare.”

This inexplicable statement left Zhu Que, whose eyes were still red, stunned. Over there, Ming Yanchu had already taken the copper basin.

“Ready. Come in.” Lian Yu’s voice came from within, deep and resonant.

Ming Yanchu said, “Let’s go.”

He went forward first, pushing open the door. Zhu Que, not understanding the situation and filled with uncertainty, followed him in.

“What is this for?” Lian Qin asked strangely, grabbing Xuan Wu.

Inside the hall, Lian Yu had drawn the gauze curtains. Dressed in snow-white undergarments, he stood by the window. Seeing the two enter, he said to Ming Yanchu: “Put the things down and leave first.”

“Yes, Master.” Ming Yanchu didn’t say much, placed the items before Lian Yu, and quickly turned to leave.

“Master…” Zhu Que frowned as he approached. Lian Yu said nothing, rolled up his sleeves, crouched down to wet the cloth, wrung out the water, and lifted the curtains again. Zhu Que began to understand—though the Empress Dowager would send female officials to handle things, he wanted to personally cleanse her body before burial, to make her clean and presentable…

Night, Xiao’an’s bedchamber.

“Ah Hong, how is Lian Xin?” Xiao’an frowned slightly, asking Hong Gu who had just returned from Lian Xin’s palace. She picked up her tea bowl, then put it down again—clearly worried.

Hong Gu said quietly: “She has no appetite and just sits on the bed crying.”

“This is truly the first time this dowager has seen this precious daughter so heartbroken—she wasn’t even like this when her own uncle died.” Xiao’an sighed, then quickly sneered coldly. “This little one weeps bitterly for her, while her brother wraps her corpse in dragon robes—if this isn’t madness, what is?”

“Your Ladyship, His Majesty still has his limits. No matter how much he cares, didn’t he still have her beaten to death?”

“His Majesty dotes on Gu Xiluo. When this wicked woman saw no hope of clearing her family’s name, she used this method to kill herself, making His Majesty unhappy. This saves this dowager from having to eliminate her and harming the harmony with His Majesty. His Majesty’s wings are already strong now, and he’s quite capable.”

Hong Gu said: “Old Ancestor, you’re too kind—still arranging for female officials to handle that little hoof’s funeral affairs after she seduced His Majesty.”

“Ah Hong, this dowager actually has some respect for this girl. It’s also a kind of consideration for His Majesty. Moreover…”

Xiao’an stopped speaking here as several leading female officials from the Palace Bureau arrived.

Hong Gu exclaimed: “Where is Director Guo?”

Only three female officials had come: Directors of Food, Furnishing, and Manufacturing.

The female official responsible for summoning in Xiao’an’s hall quickly reported: “Replying to Your Ladyship and Aunt, when this slave went to Director Guo’s room to relay the message, Director Guo had just stepped out. I heard there were some issues with a batch of jewelry being rushed below, and she went to inspect. This slave has left word that as soon as Director Guo returns, she should immediately rush to the Golden Luan Hall to help with arrangements, lest time be delayed.”

“Mm.” Xiao’an nodded, her phoenix eyes sharply scanning the faces of several people. “I’ve secretly summoned you here because I want you to go to the Golden Luan Hall to prepare a court official for burial.”

At these words, even these well-experienced female officials were stunned. Not only would court officials never be prepared for burial in the palace, but this was in the Golden Luan Hall itself—how high an official would this have to be?

Moreover, the palace had specialized eunuchs to handle funerals. Why would it be them?

“This person’s name you’ve surely heard before. When cleansing her body, don’t be too shocked—clean her up properly. Also, if you discover she hasn’t died completely and is holding her breath, still treat her as dead and proceed with burial—put her in the coffin after preparation!”

“Her death is currently being kept secret. The court will issue an obituary about her life, and then you’ll know. Until then, even if you see anything, don’t spread gossip. If this reaches outside the palace, this dowager dislikes loose-tongued people. Understand?”

At this point, Xiao’an suddenly swept away her tea bowl. The sound of shattering porcelain immediately startled everyone.

“Yes! We slaves understand and will do our utmost with sealed lips!”

The female officials prostrated themselves in unison.

Leaving the palace gates and heading to the Golden Luan Hall, everyone’s faces showed strange, deeply suspicious expressions.

Finally, Director Liang of Manufacturing stopped and spoke first: “Everyone, the Empress Dowager having us prepare the burial clearly has ulterior motives. The key point is preventing someone who isn’t yet dead.”

The other two were also shrewd and understood perfectly. Director Yang of Furnishing asked quietly: “Who do you think this deceased court official is? Logically, with the Empress Dowager’s status, even killing an ordinary court official would be easy as pie. Why would she need to use us…”

Director Liang suddenly grabbed the Director of Food: “Director Xiao, Minister Xiao Yue is your cousin. Have you heard any rumors? Please tell us—we’re all in the same boat now and should help each other. After all, palace affairs have always been mysterious and unclear. One careless step and we could become scapegoats. Do you know who died?”

Director Xiao smiled bitterly at this and pulled the two aside: “I won’t hide it from you—I was planning to discuss this with you anyway. This evening I received a secret message from my elder brother. We knew nothing, but when this official died today, my brother was present. Can you guess who died? It’s Li Huaisu, beaten to death by His Majesty. I’ve heard my brother say that General Murong’s death wasn’t as the court announced to the public—sudden illness—but indirectly caused by Li Huaisu.”

“This Magistrate Li reportedly suffered considerable torture before death and is probably thoroughly dead. But she was the Empress Dowager’s enemy, and the Empress Dowager is being extra cautious. After all, though rare throughout history, there have been cases of fake death by holding one’s breath. But His Majesty was reportedly very fond of this Li official before, and today only acted in killing rage because she nearly harmed Consort Gu. Afterward, he still felt some grief. The Empress Dowager must also consider His Majesty’s feelings completely… My brother sent word to me originally just knowing the Empress Dowager would have Palace Bureau people handle burial arrangements, asking me to carefully dress this official and not neglect her just because she died from palace punishment, lest we offend His Majesty. Who knew that just now…”

“What?!” The other two were shocked.

“Also, this Li official was actually a woman… We’ll talk as we walk—listen to me explain in detail.” Under Director Liang and Director Yang’s stunned expressions, Director Xiao lowered her voice to speak.

Director Guo was actually the first to arrive at the Golden Luan Hall. When she carried her supplies there, Ming Yanchu was already waiting outside the hall.

Director Guo smiled: “Eunuch Ming, please.”

“Director Guo, since the Empress Dowager sent you to handle this, this slave going in would only cause trouble. If you need anything, just call for this slave.” Ming Yanchu also smiled slightly. “Please.”

After exchanging pleasantries, Director Guo entered the hall.

The hall was dimly lit. A table stood in the center with a corpse laid upon it, covered with a black robe with red trim and golden dragons. Though she had been forewarned, seeing this still stirred something strange in her heart. She slowly walked over to examine the corpse’s features. She saw its face was pale, eyes tightly closed, but without much blood or grime—not frightening. Presumably it had been cleaned beforehand.

She reached out to touch the face—remarkably, it hadn’t stiffened in death. At first glance, it looked like a sleeping person, though the face seemed to have been pressed downward during life, showing considerable post-mortem discoloration.

Yes, she had died from beating while face-down. That would be right, she thought indifferently, then suddenly lifted the robe covering her body and reached to undo her waist sash.