The intimidated official endured a sleepless night at the foot of the couch. At dawn, he felt relieved. Tie Ci actually kept him for breakfast and personally escorted him to the hanging flower gate. Throughout this time, her attitude was affectionate and her face beamed with spring radiance. Anyone who saw this would think this person had successfully attached himself to the dragon and phoenix, ascending to heaven in one step.

Before leaving, Tie Ci turned and smiled: “Let’s meet again tonight.”

This smile was radiantly spring-like yet intimately affectionate. People coming and going kept their eyes straight ahead while their peripheral vision swept over them.

Only the official felt bitter in his heart. He could only bow his head and agree, thinking of another sleepless night ahead and having to deal with colleagues’ probing looks of envy and jealousy when he returned—truly a human tragedy.

While he suffered in silence, the other officials seemed to have received tremendous good news. They weren’t afraid of the Crown Princess being lustful—they were afraid of her not being lustful. As long as a person had weaknesses to exploit, naturally countless people would rack their brains to take advantage. Tie Ci’s subsequent travels became quite lively. Today came a handsome uncle, tomorrow a strapping young man—elegant officials, handsome guards, clever attendants—all kinds of beautiful men were sent before her like a revolving lantern. Although none of them later had the “luck” of the first one to enter her chambers, the Crown Princess’s reputation for lust and debauchery quickly spread.

On this day, the Crown Princess again specifically requested that official to accompany her for a walk. The two of them strolled around the post station garden under everyone’s watchful eyes. That official kept his back rigid, enduring the deadly stare from not far behind. Having barely completed one circuit, he hastily apologized to Tie Ci, claiming stomach troubles. Tie Ci smiled and waved her hand. After the official hurried away, she unhurriedly walked to the latrine.

Inside, there were indeed low voices in conversation…

“…I can’t do this, really can’t do it… Your Highness has no real intentions toward me at all. All the preferential treatment is just for show, making me constantly fearful under people’s gazes. Who knows when someone might kill me out of jealous hatred. Wealth and glory are fine, but one must be alive to enjoy them. Sir, this time you’ve really misjudged!”

The latrine fell silent for a moment, then a somewhat strange voice said: “Since it’s all an act, have you observed whether the Crown Princess is deeply infatuated with that person of ours during these days? Since that person has won the Crown Princess’s devoted love, he must be utterly loyal too, right?”

The Liping Prefecture Magistrate gave a vague grunt in response.

The strange voice then gave a cold laugh, predictably showing some vexation, and said in a low voice: “…No matter what, he must fulfill his promise…”

No more talking came from inside.

Tie Ci waited a while. There was no movement, and the official didn’t come out either. Only a muffled thud came from inside, dull like someone falling. She suddenly felt something was wrong and struck out with her hand. With a thunderous crash, half the latrine collapsed.

No one screamed, no one fled. When the dust settled, in the ruins lay a person face-down.

It was that Liping Prefecture Magistrate.

A knife was stuck in his back.

Judging by the knife’s position and blood loss, the person was surely beyond saving.

Tie Ci looked up and saw faint boot print traces on the wall. Someone seemed to have escaped from here.

Outside, wind sounded as Wan Ji led people running over. Seeing the person dead in the latrine, his expression was shocked: “I just led people patrolling this area and saw no suspicious individuals!”

Tie Ci said: “Just now someone was talking with him in the latrine.”

Wan Ji’s expression became grave. He turned to arrange intensified searches, angrily saying: “Too audacious! In broad daylight, daring to openly assassinate a court official right in front of Your Highness!”

Tie Ci crouched halfway down, staring at the person’s wound. She lightly wiped her finger on the ground, then looked up at the traces on the wall, suddenly saying: “Come back.”

Wan Ji stopped in puzzlement.

The commotion here alarmed the officials staying in the post station’s separate courtyard. People gathered around, and upon hearing of a murder that occurred right in front of Tie Ci, their expressions became panicked.

But before people could approach, Murong Yi appeared on the wall top, hands tucked in his sleeves, gazing down at the officials discussing below, saying indifferently: “Everyone immediately return to your lodgings and await questioning. Anyone still lingering outside without permission will be treated as a spy.”

Someone was dissatisfied and protested loudly: “You’re just a guard beside His Highness, aren’t you? His Highness hasn’t given orders yet—how is it your turn, a mere commoner, to boss people around?”

Murong Yi usually stayed by Tie Ci’s side wearing a mask, and with his outstanding figure and bearing, in the eyes of those officials who didn’t know the inside story and didn’t dare inquire about people around the Crown Princess, he was just a male favorite.

Murong Yi wasn’t angry, only saying: “Someone just died, and the murderer might not have escaped yet. You’re here rambling and challenging me—I have reason to believe you’re covering for the murderer.”

Guards behind him stepped forward with hands on swords, frightening those officials who had wanted to gather information into scattering like birds and beasts.

A group of guards arrived, reporting: “We’ve searched the entire post station and found no suspicious individuals!”

Wan Ji: “Search again!”

Dan Shuang angrily said: “Who is this scheming behind the scenes again!”

Chi Xue frowned, knowing this matter was quite serious. A court official suddenly dying in the post station latrine, dying when separated from the Crown Princess by only a wall, and this person had previously been linked to the Crown Princess in rumors—heaven knew how much gossip this would stir up.

If they couldn’t catch the murderer quickly, it was predictable that this incident would either be spread as a scandalous murder case, pointing at the Crown Princess’s conduct and ruining her reputation, or it would criticize the Crown Princess’s incompetence for allowing someone to kill an innocent official right in front of her, raising questions about the Crown Princess’s capabilities.

Either way would be very disadvantageous for the Crown Princess who was about to openly contest power with Yannan.

Everyone present thought of this point. Seeing those officials whispering in the distance, they couldn’t help but feel secretly anxious. Just as Wan Ji was about to personally dispatch more people for another search, Tie Ci, who had been crouching and thinking, suddenly slowly stood up and said: “No need.”

The guards all looked at her in astonishment.

Murong Yi leaped down from the wall. After glancing at the corpse, he frowned: “Disguised as stabbing from behind?”

Tie Ci said: “There’s fish glue on the ground.”

Murong Yi: “You said someone was talking with him in the latrine?”

Tie Ci frowned: “That’s the point I can’t figure out.”

Murong Yi pondered for a moment: “Was there anything unusual about the conversation?”

“The person talking to him seemed to have somewhat unclear speech…” Tie Ci slowly recalled, “Right, after the other party started speaking, this person never said another complete sentence.”

Murong Yi crouched down and lifted the corpse’s abdominal clothing, feeling around with his hand. Seeing this, Tie Ci’s eyes lit up and she smiled broadly: “So that’s how it is!”

Their question-and-answer exchange left Wan Ji and others bewildered, as if listening to heavenly script. Wan Ji anxiously said: “Your Highness! Now isn’t the time to discuss the case. The urgent matter is to catch the murderer first, preferably in front of that group of officials. Look at them—” He pointed to the outer courtyard. “The dead person was their colleague. When the rabbit dies, the fox grieves—heaven knows what this will be twisted into tomorrow if we can’t catch the person!”

Tie Ci nodded: “If so, call them in by order and tell them they needn’t panic—the murderer has been caught.”

A moment later, the officials were invited back in with surprised expressions.

This time they were all arranged in order—no crowding to watch.

Tie Ci saw their eyes darting about, whispering things like “definitely a jealous murder to silence someone” and “such perfunctory handling, not even planning to stop wagging tongues—how could they catch the murderer so quickly!”

The official’s corpse was laid out in the open space. Someone couldn’t help asking: “May I ask Your Highness, where is the murderer?”

Tie Ci pointed to the corpse on the ground: “This is him.”

The crowd erupted in uproar.

After a long moment, everyone looked at each other, then together bowed deeply to the ground: “Your Highness is wise and mighty. We subjects are in admiration.”

Tie Ci’s gaze swept around in a circle. Seeing everyone’s face full of heartfelt conviction, she almost laughed in anger.

Just as she was thinking of driving all these bastards away, suddenly Pang Duan stepped forward and bowed: “Your Highness, this is the victim—how can he be called the murderer? Magistrate Tao of Liping Prefecture died unnaturally, which is already a tragic fate. How can we further damage his posthumous reputation?”

Only then did Tie Ci feel somewhat appeased. At least Pang Duan could stand up, proving her judgment wasn’t wrong.

But Murong Yi chuckled softly behind her: “Don’t be angry. The Qianzhou officials can call a deer a horse in front of you because, fundamentally, they’ve developed fear of you from the bottom of their hearts. At this time, their fear of you is a good thing. Don’t set your expectations too high.”

Tie Ci smiled, deeply agreeing.

Murong Yi seemed simple and crude in his actions, but he was actually very good at understanding people’s hearts. Prince Da’an really had his brain squeezed by a door when he didn’t choose him initially.

But then again, establishing such an heir so early would probably make it hard to sleep peacefully too.

With Pang Duan providing a way out, Tie Ci pointed to Magistrate Tao’s corpse: “Earlier, I inadvertently heard Magistrate Tao conversing with someone. After just a few exchanges, he made a strange sound. I immediately split open the wall and discovered Magistrate Tao was already dead. From when the conversation stopped to discovering Magistrate Tao’s death was only an instant. With countless guards around, no one saw any trace of the murderer. Tell me, who in this world could cross such a large courtyard in the blink of an eye without being discovered? And who could traverse the latrine wall under my very nose in that instant? If someone truly had such ability, they would probably be a top expert in the world. Why would they sneak into the post station not to directly assassinate me, but instead target an unremarkable magistrate?”

This time someone couldn’t help asking: “Then who killed Magistrate Tao? He was stabbed in the back! There are even traces on the wall where the murderer climbed!”

“Who says being stabbed in the back must mean someone else did it? Who says climbing traces must be left by the murderer? If the murderer left traces of leaping over the wall, then the flowers and trees outside would certainly show damage, but the surrounding flowers, trees, and grass show no trampling marks.” Tie Ci wiped her hand on the ground, picking up some white substance. “This is fish glue. To create the illusion of someone being in the latrine, Magistrate Tao fixed the dagger to the ground with fish glue, then climbed up the wall himself and fell onto the dagger, making it look like he was stabbed from behind.”

Everyone’s expressions were shocked, obviously unable to imagine such a method of death.

“But… but wasn’t he talking with someone in the latrine? Your Highness heard it personally. Since someone was there, where did that person go?”

Murong Yi stepped forward and lifted Magistrate Tao’s abdominal clothing, then rolled up his sleeves and pant legs. Everyone watched in bewilderment.

Murong Yi said: “This person’s body muscles are smooth and slack, with no calluses on his hands, showing he was inactive and knew no martial arts. Only his abdominal muscles are very firm, as if he frequently used his abdominal muscles… He knows ventriloquism.”

“Right, ventriloquism. That conversation was him asking and answering himself. Because he couldn’t smoothly switch between ventriloquism, after using ventriloquism, he himself never spoke again.”

Another silence fell, obviously the crowd hadn’t caught up with their reasoning. Pang Duan softly said: “Your Highness means Magistrate Tao committed suicide, but why would Magistrate Tao, perfectly fine, want to kill himself and stage this scene?”

“Staging this scene was to make me believe this murderer existed, yet couldn’t be found, preventing me from accounting to the victim and to you fellow officials, shaking your trust in me and smearing my reputation.” Tie Ci said indifferently, “I just received news that Magistrate Tao was suspected of colluding with Huangzhou Prefect to transport large quantities of fire oil to the Water Patrol Office. He probably learned his crimes were exposed and, fearing the law, deliberately created this murder case to make himself the victim and preserve his posthumous reputation and family.”

The officials became even quieter.

But Tie Ci sighed inwardly.

No, that wasn’t right.

Magistrate Tao was suspected of participating in the river ship burning case, providing convenience for the Water Patrol Office’s fire oil transport—his actions were secretive, and she had only just received this news. But Magistrate Tao’s death arrangement required advance preparation. At that time, this official didn’t know what fate awaited him. People always have hope for luck—why would he so resolutely commit suicide? Obviously, he had previously wanted to curry favor through his looks, his thoughts burning with ambition.

From her perspective, it seemed more like it was just to convey that last vague conversation through the latrine wall.

Giving a life for a few words seemed incredible, but for some powerful figures who could overturn heaven and earth, human life wasn’t important—smooth paving of the way was what mattered.

But what was being paved for?

Thinking of those somewhat sinister words, Tie Ci felt vaguely uneasy.