The journey would take at least a day to return, and determining each team’s route would take even longer. Once darkness fell, it would be difficult to discern paths and directions—they might not return until tomorrow night.

Yan Chi left but had Bai Feng stay behind. Along with Commander Lin Zhang of the Imperial Guards, Tuoba Hong’s tent was now more heavily guarded than even Yan Huai’s main tent. Qin Wan arrived early in the morning to watch over Tuoba Hong, cleaning his wounds and changing his bandages. She anxiously monitored his condition, only relaxing when she confirmed his pulse showed no signs of weakness.

After changing the bandages, and seeing the elderly imperial physician was too exhausted to continue, Qin Wan sent him to rest. This left her alone in the tent, allowing her to properly examine Tuoba Hong’s injuries.

Tuoba Hong lay covered by a thin blanket. Qin Wan lifted it to examine his wounds carefully. However, since his wounds hadn’t healed yet and he couldn’t be moved, she couldn’t see the injuries on his back. Her gaze shifted to the wounds on his waist, which seemed peculiarly strange to her!

There was a large bruised area, but within the bruising was a deeper crescent-shaped mark. Simultaneously, the crescent had a gap in it. Looking at this shape, Qin Wan couldn’t guess what had caused it, wondering if it had been made when Tuoba Hong fell into the ravine.

As Qin Wan bent over, her fingertip touching Tuoba Hong’s waist, suddenly the tent flap moved and Tuoba Wu entered. Though Tuoba Wu knew Qin Wan was watching over her brother, when she saw Qin Wan touching his waist, the gesture seemed highly suggestive!

Tuoba Wu drew in a sharp breath, “What are you doing?!”

Qin Wan straightened up and turned around, seeing Tuoba Wu’s look of disbelief. After a moment’s thought, understanding how this might appear to Tuoba Wu, she shifted slightly and said, “I was examining his wounds.”

Tuoba Wu approached suspiciously and indeed saw the large bruising on her brother’s body. She looked at the wounds but noticed Qin Wan wasn’t applying any medicine. This seemed strange—while it wasn’t odd for a doctor to examine wounds, why wasn’t she holding any ointment? Instead of applying medicine, why was she just touching the bruises?

Tuoba Wu’s scalp tingled at the thoughts running through her mind. However, meeting Qin Wan’s clear eyes, she truly couldn’t imagine someone of Qin Wan’s character harboring any inappropriate feelings toward her brother.

“If you’re examining his wounds, why aren’t you applying medicine?”

As she spoke, Tuoba Wu reached for the nearby ointment to apply it herself, but Qin Wan raised her hand to stop her. “Let me examine them a bit longer.”

Tuoba Wu sighed in resignation, while Qin Wan leaned closer to Tuoba Hong again. Once the medicine was applied, the wounds would heal quickly, and as the marks faded, she wouldn’t be able to determine their shape.

After observing for another moment, Qin Wan walked to a nearby table, took paper and a brush used for writing prescriptions, and began carefully drawing the marks on Tuoba Hong’s body. Tuoba Wu’s eyes widened!

What a strange habit!

“What… what are you doing?”

Qin Wan blew on the paper to dry it as Tuoba Wu walked over. She saw that Qin Wan had indeed drawn the exact shape of the marks on Tuoba Hong’s body. Qin Wan explained, “This might help solve the case.”

Tuoba Wu blinked, “How will it help?”

Qin Wan glanced at the lying Tuoba Hong, “The marks on his body might be from the fall, or they might have been left by the killer. These could reveal the killer’s identity or certain characteristics.”

Tuoba Wu pointed at the paper, “So what does this reveal?”

Qin Wan considered, “The killer might have had some weapon, or it could be from a punch or kick—whatever it was, it left this mark on the Crown Prince.”

Tuoba Wu thought for a moment, “It couldn’t be from a punch or kick—there are two marks here.”

Qin Wan replied, “Could it be from a ring or something similar? Or if it was from a foot, perhaps they wore distinctive shoes?”

Tuoba Wu began to understand the logic, but could a single mark be so crucial?

Though she didn’t voice her doubts, her skepticism was clear. She watched Qin Wan put away the paper without further comment, then sighed and walked to Tuoba Hong’s bedside. “Elder Brother, why haven’t you awakened yet? If you’d wake up, we could know who harmed you. Who could be so heartless toward you?”

“His condition hasn’t worsened—there’s still great hope.”

Tuoba Wu turned to look at Qin Wan, “You said we need to wait five days. This is only the second day. Though he hasn’t gotten worse, he hasn’t improved either, right?”

Qin Wan nodded, “Yes, he hasn’t improved. It’s taking all his strength just to hold on with these medicines.”

Tuoba Wu’s eyes darkened as she took her brother’s hand. Qin Wan sighed, then suddenly asked, “In Northern Wei, did anyone have conflicts with the Crown Prince?”

Tuoba Wu straightened up, looking at Qin Wan, “You mean…”

“At this point, we don’t know where the killer is. Either His Highness needs to wake up immediately, or we need to catch the killer first. Right now, hunting for the killer is at least something we can start doing.”

Qin Wan’s voice was steady. Tuoba Wu’s expression grew solemn. After thinking, she shook her head, “No one was at odds with Elder Brother. Father highly valued him, and his position was secure. He was the destined heir and would inherit the throne. Even I, apart from our family bond, respected him as the future Emperor of Northern Wei. Others did the same.”

As Tuoba Wu finished speaking, Qin Wan inwardly disagreed. Tuoba Wu’s thinking was too simple. Throughout history, royal families have always been plagued by power struggles. Given Tuoba Wu’s impulsive nature and long absence from court, she naturally lacked this awareness.

“If something happened to the Crown Prince, who would inherit the throne in Northern Wei?”

At Qin Wan’s question, a glimmer flashed in Tuoba Wu’s eyes. After thinking, she said, “Fourth Brother or Fifth Brother.” Seeing Qin Wan still watching her, she continued, “Both Fourth Brother and Fifth Brother’s birth mothers come from noble families with considerable influence. If Elder Brother doesn’t inherit the throne, it would likely be one of them.”

After another moment’s thought, Tuoba Wu suddenly widened her eyes, “Are you suggesting Fifth Brother?”

Since only Tuoba Rui had come this time, Qin Wan’s question indicated suspicion of him!

Qin Wan replied, “Before the investigation is complete, everyone deserves scrutiny, especially those who went up the mountain that day. The Crown Prince’s status was noble—Da Zhou’s people wouldn’t take his life on their hunting grounds. Among others, the power struggle would be the primary motive. That being the case, who does the Princess think harmed the Crown Prince?”

Tuoba Wu thought for a moment, then shook her head, “Couldn’t it be Liu Yun?”

Qin Wan nodded, “Indeed, that’s possible. If Liu Yun did it, it would disrupt the alliance between Northern Wei and Da Zhou through marriage and could spark conflict between them. Then Da Zhou would naturally choose to ally with Western Liang, benefiting them.”

She paused, then continued, “I’m not saying Liu Yun couldn’t be responsible. I’m just saying we shouldn’t suspect only one person. If we do, we might become fixated and miss the real killer.”

Tuoba Wu stared at Qin Wan. There it was again—that serious, calm demeanor. It felt so strange. Qin Wan usually didn’t give off a cold or intimidating impression, but at certain times, this quality became particularly intense, creating an almost sacred, solemn atmosphere that commanded respect.

“How… how can you think of so much?”

Tuoba Wu was dumbfounded. Faced with this side of Qin Wan, even her normally arrogant nature was subdued.

Qin Wan smiled slightly and shook her head, “This logic is something many people could think of.”

Tuoba Wu scratched her head, “If many people could think of it, doesn’t that mean everyone suspects Fifth Brother is the killer?”

Qin Wan was covering Tuoba Hong with the brocade blanket when she heard this. Her heart skipped a beat. Seeing her pause, Tuoba Wu quickly asked, “What’s wrong? Isn’t that right?”

Qin Wan straightened up and nodded, “Yes, that’s correct.”

……

……

Due to Tuoba Hong’s incident, the great hunt had been suspended. Today the rain had stopped, and Yan Chi led a group back up Mount Wei. This time, he brought guards from both Tuoba Hong and Tuoba Rui’s teams, while others had been questioned the previous night. For groups that hadn’t separated into five, only one person needed to go up the mountain to retrace their route. But if they had split up, everyone needed to go. With fifty to sixty small teams ascending the mountain that day, and each team needing to confirm their position, one can imagine how complex this task was.

In Prince Cheng’s tent, the Prince frowned deeply, “If the Tuoba Crown Prince doesn’t wake up, who will inherit the throne in Northern Wei?”

Lu Xiao replied, “It should be either the Fourth or Fifth Prince of Northern Wei. Both have powerful maternal families, and their mothers—one a Noble Consort, and one a Virtuous Consort—are both highly favored by the Northern Wei Emperor. Comparatively, the Fourth Prince’s reputation is slightly higher than the Fifth’s, but the Fifth Prince’s mother is more favored.”

Prince Cheng pondered with furrowed brows, “Can our people make contact with this Fourth Prince of Northern Wei?”

Lu Xiao nodded, “Certainly we can.”

Prince Cheng nodded, “Good. Send someone to contact the Fourth Prince. Tell him to forget about the Fifth Princess—she’s just a noble clan lady—but something else is possible.”

Lu Xiao showed slight surprise, “Your Highness means…”

Prince Cheng smiled, “The chances of the Tuoba Crown Prince waking up are very small. Even if he does wake up, who knows if he’ll be simple-minded or dull? Continuing as Crown Prince is impossible. And with the Crown Prince’s incident this time, when the Princess and Fifth Prince return to Northern Wei, they’ll likely face some criticism. Looking at it this way, the Fourth Prince has a good chance of ascending the throne.”

“So Your Highness wants to contact the Fourth Prince early, getting ahead of the Crown Prince?”

Prince Cheng nodded, “Of course. We should also take good care of this Fifth Prince. I suspect in these two days people will suspect him as the killer. Tell our people who came along to speak well of the Fifth Prince during the investigation.”

Hearing this, Lu Xiao broke into a smile, “Your Highness is truly brilliant, making arrangements for both sides. No matter who succeeds, we won’t lose. Rest assured, I’ll arrange this immediately.”

Prince Cheng smiled, “Also, keep an eye on any movements around the Crown Prince.”

Lu Xiao nodded and left to carry out the orders. Meanwhile, in the Empress’s tent, Zhao Shuhua’s brows were deeply furrowed, “I thought the Northern Wei Crown Prince was quite good, but I never expected something like this to happen.”

Yan Che showed surprise, “Did Mother truly intend to marry Zhen’er to Northern Wei?”

A flash of cunning crossed Zhao Shuhua’s eyes, but she quickly smiled and said, “What wouldn’t I sacrifice to secure your position as Crown Prince? I thought the Northern Wei Crown Prince was excellent, certainly better than those noble sons in Lin’an City. Moreover, in Northern Wei, your sister could become the mother of a nation.”

Yan Che hesitated, “But… but Northern Wei is so far…”

Zhao Shuhua sighed, “Since entering the palace, how many times have I left? How many times have I seen your maternal grandfather? Though I’m high and mighty in the inner palace, aren’t I still alone? What difference does the location make?”

“But… but Sister is different from you. She’s been pampered since childhood and doesn’t understand anything. How could she cope in Northern Wei?”

Zhao Shuhua laughed, “Silly child, do you think Mother was born knowing all these things? When the time comes, she’ll learn what she doesn’t know. Your sister isn’t stupid.” She sighed again, “However, the current situation is complicated, so we must put aside these thoughts for now. What do you think about the Tuoba Crown Prince’s case?”

Yan Che said, “I somewhat suspect Tuoba Rui.”

Zhao Shuhua smiled, “A succession struggle?”

Yan Che nodded, and Zhao Shuhua smiled as if remembering something, “If that’s true, it’s quite good. Let His Majesty see what kind of bloodshed the crown prince position can cause.”

Her smile suddenly vanished, “He’s almost forgotten the events of twenty years ago.”

Yan Che sensed the chill in Zhao Shuhua’s voice but understood her meaning. If Yan Huai wanted to completely secure the crown prince position, he should grant Prince Cheng a fief and make him leave Lin’an City!

“Father doesn’t seem to have any intention of sending Prince Cheng to a fief at the moment.”

Zhao Shuhua smiled, “Of course not, after all, the incident back then was triggered by Prince Gong going to his fief.”

Yan Che thought for a moment, “Is Father afraid Prince Cheng will follow Prince Gong’s example?”

Hearing this, Zhao Shuhua let out a cold laugh. Her smile was faint, her eyes slightly narrowed, seeming to contain both hatred and some admiration, “Prince Cheng following Prince Gong’s example? No, no, your father definitely wouldn’t think that way. How could Prince Cheng ever match Prince Gong? Back then, Prince Gong was full of schemes and plots. In terms of ruthlessness and heartlessness, who in the world could surpass him? What is Prince Cheng compared to him?”