“General Fu! What’s wrong with you? Someone—”
Liu Yun’s shout suddenly disrupted the entire night feast. Yan Chi was the first to notice something was wrong!
He abruptly stood up, his gaze quickly locking in Liu Yun’s direction. He immediately rushed toward Liu Yun, and upon reaching him, saw Fu Desheng bleeding profusely!
“Someone! Call the Imperial Physician—”
Yan Chi’s sharp command instantly alerted everyone in the venue. Some rushed to call the Imperial Physician while Yan Huai led others toward Fu Desheng. As they approached, they saw Liu Yun had already stood up from the ground and was now holding Fu Desheng while calling out urgently. Fu Desheng was spitting blood, his face covered in blood. His eyes were wide open, staring motionlessly at Liu Yun. Seeing Liu Yun’s anxious expression, he struggled greatly to open his mouth.
“It’s… North…”
After uttering just two words, Fu Desheng’s body shook violently, and then his eyes remained wide open, unmoving.
Liu Yun froze, his eyes turning red with anger!
“Fu Desheng! Fu Desheng!”
Despite his shouts, Fu Desheng’s eyes remained unblinking. Liu Yun helplessly shook Fu Desheng, and as his hand moved, he felt a wound on Fu Desheng’s neck. Looking closely, Liu Yun saw a large bloody hole on the left side of Fu Desheng’s blood-covered neck – this was his fatal wound!
“The Imperial Physician is here! The Imperial Physician is here!”
The guards shouted from outside, and the surrounding crowd immediately made their way. The accompanying Imperial Physician strode in, but upon seeing Fu Desheng’s condition, his expression immediately changed. Liu Yun’s eyes were red as he immediately shouted at the physician!
“Hurry! Hurry and save him!”
The physician knelt beside Fu Desheng, first checking his wrist, then his neck. His frown deepened progressively. Liu Yun’s expression turned fierce. The physician turned to look toward Yan Huai, “Your Majesty, he has already passed.”
Hearing this, Liu Yun grabbed the physician’s collar, “Save him immediately! Don’t give me that ‘already passed’ nonsense! He is Western Liang’s Great General! If he dies, I won’t let Great Zhou off easily!”
The pale-faced physician knelt on the ground, “Your Majesty, Third Prince, he has truly passed. Even if we had been here earlier, such a severe wound would have been difficult to treat. Now there is no pulse at all, absolutely no signs of life.”
Liu Yun glared at Yan Huai, “Ninth Lady! Call your Ninth Lady! Didn’t she cure Tuoba Hong?! Get her here to save Fu Desheng! Quickly—”
Yan Huai frowned and gave Yuan Qing a look. Yuan Qing nodded and immediately ordered someone to call for Qin Wan.
The distant music had stopped due to the sudden incident. Everyone surrounded Liu Yun, and seeing Fu Desheng’s condition, they all knew he was beyond saving, though they were reluctant to say so. Yan Huai’s brows furrowed into a “川” shape, anger about to overflow from his eyes. Tonight was supposed to be a grand feast, but he never imagined someone would die, and that it would be Western Liang’s Great General!
First, the Northern Wei Crown Prince’s life hung in the balance, and now Western Liang’s Great General had died violently. Why was this hunt so ill-fated?! Yan Huai turned his gaze and noticed Yan Chi had disappeared from the crowd. Just as he was about to ask, Lin Zhang approached him, “Your Majesty, the Crown Prince has gone to investigate this matter.”
Yan Huai nodded, looking around, “Investigate this matter thoroughly for me!”
Lin Zhang acknowledged this and immediately retreated to the outer edge to instruct his subordinates.
Qin Wan was guarding Tuoba Hong’s tent when Yuan Qing’s messenger arrived. She had no idea what had happened but heard the young eunuch say, “Ninth Lady, Western Liang’s General Fu is in trouble and about to die. Please come quickly.”
Qin Wan was startled, and nearby Tuoba Wu was also shocked, “Western Liang’s Fu Desheng?! How could he be dying?!”
The young eunuch hurriedly shook his head, “This servant doesn’t know, please hurry over, Ninth Lady!”
Tuoba Wu immediately said, “Then I’ll go too!”
But Qin Wan refused, “No, stay here and guard. I’ll go look!”
Tuoba Wu knew Qin Wan wanted her to watch over Tuoba Hong, so she reluctantly stayed behind.
When Qin Wan reached the plaza, it was already surrounded by people. Upon seeing her arrival, Yuan Qing immediately announced, “Your Majesty! Ninth Lady is here—”
Everyone turned to look, seeing Qin Wan in sky-blue palace robes, hurrying over.
Yan Huai quickly said, “Ninth girl, come take a look—”
Qin Wan could smell the blood from far away. Seeing this, she dared not delay, not even bothering with formalities as she walked to the inner circle. As soon as she entered, she saw Fu Desheng’s eyes wide open and unmoving. She immediately noticed his fatal wound and her heart sank.
Liu Yun saw her arrive and said harshly, “Hurry and save him, aren’t you supposed to be very skilled—”
Qin Wan still knelt to check his pulse, but she shook her head, “Third Prince, it’s too late to save him.”
Liu Yun’s eyes widened. He wanted to rage at Qin Wan, but meeting her somewhat pitying eyes, he found all the words stuck in his throat. He had only asked Fu Desheng to get him medicine! How could this happen?! How could Fu Desheng die?!
“Seal off the entire camp immediately! Find the murderer!”
At Yan Huai’s command, Lin Zhang immediately acknowledged. Yan Huai looked at the others, “Everyone return to your seats. Tonight’s feast ends here!”
Then he looked at Yan Che, “Crown Prince and Prince Cheng, search the camp together. Arrest all suspicious persons!”
Yan Che and Yan Qi acknowledged in unison and quickly led people to search left and right.
The crowd dispersed, leaving only Liu Yun to collapse on the ground holding Fu Desheng. Yan Huai sighed, “Third Prince, where did General Fu go earlier?” After a pause, he continued, “Such an incident occurring in the camp is Great Zhou’s responsibility. Third Prince, please accept our condolences. The urgent matter now is to find who committed this violence in the camp.”
The wound on Fu Desheng’s neck was horrifying, clearly not accidental. If so, who had attacked him?
Liu Yun gritted his teeth and looked at Yan Huai, “This hunt – first the Northern Wei Crown Prince, then my Western Liang Great General. It’s just a hunt, yet it has claimed two lives. Your Majesty, Great Zhou has outdone itself!”
With these successive incidents, Yan Huai naturally lost face. However, at this point, stabilizing the situation and calming Liu Yun’s anger was crucial. Yan Huai sighed, “Third Prince, any casualty is against my wishes. Two visiting nations’ envoys meeting with incidents repeatedly – one can only think this is deliberately orchestrated. If the Third Prince directs your anger at Great Zhou, you may be falling into the mastermind’s trap. The urgent matter now is to find General Fu’s killer.”
Liu Yun stared fiercely at Yan Huai for a moment, seemingly looking for any flaw in his expression. After a while, he looked down again at Fu Desheng’s unseeing eyes. His eyes reddened, and after a pause, he raised his hand to gently close Fu Desheng’s eyelids.
“My heart condition was acting up, and General Fu went back to get my medicine. Seeing he hadn’t returned for a long time, I decided to go look myself. Just as I reached this area, I saw him stumbling and lunging toward me.”
As he spoke, nearby Western Liang guards helped Liu Yun up. Yan Huai nodded and instructed Lin Zhang, “Find a tent and properly arrange General Fu’s body.”
Lin Zhang immediately ordered people to clear out a nearby storage tent. After Fu Desheng was carried away, a large pool of blood remained on the ground. As Liu Yun stared at it, suddenly, his body swayed and he fainted!
With Liu Yun’s collapse, there was another round of chaos. Only after the Imperial Physician said Liu Yun had merely suffered a relapse did Yan Huai relax. Yan Huai personally escorted Liu Yun back to his tent. When he returned to the plaza, he saw Lin Zhang speaking with Tuoba Rui, who looked annoyed.
Yan Huai raised his eyebrows and walked over immediately, “What’s the matter?”
Seeing Yan Huai arrive, Lin Zhang immediately said, “Your Majesty, during the feast everyone stayed put except for the Fifth Prince, who left. We asked Fifth Prince where he went, but he hasn’t given a clear answer.”
Tuoba Rui’s eyes widened, “Why should I tell you?! Have I lost even this bit of freedom?!”
Yan Huai said sternly, “Does the Fifth Prince know that Western Liang’s General Fu was murdered?”
Tuoba Rui’s expression changed slightly, “Fu Desheng is dead?! How did he die? Wasn’t he at the banquet?”
“General Fu was stabbed while getting medicine for the Third Prince, and quickly died after.”
Hearing Lin Zhang’s explanation, Tuoba Rui’s brows furrowed deeper, immediately understanding why the camp was suddenly under martial law. “I left here intending to see if Royal Sister had come. Halfway there I felt some stomach discomfort, so I went to the latrine first, then went to Elder Brother’s tent for a while. When I arrived, Ninth Lady was already gone, and Royal Sister just said she would stay to watch Elder Brother, so I came back…”
Lin Zhang’s face showed some doubt. At this moment, Yan Chi strode back from the direction Fu Desheng had gone.
Yan Huai quickly beckoned Yan Chi over. When Yan Chi approached, Yan Huai urgently asked, “How is it?”
Yan Chi nodded, “Following the blood trail, we found General Fu had gone to the medicine storage.”
“Medicine storage?!” Yan Huai was startled, and Lin Zhang also looked uncertain.
Yan Chi nodded, “Yes, and we found the murder weapon—”
Yan Huai quickly asked, “What is the weapon?”
Yan Chi turned and took a white cloth-wrapped object from Bai Feng. Opening it revealed a bloody candlestick. The candle had been removed, and blood could still be seen on the sharp metal core.
Yan Huai frowned deeply, “So General Fu was attacked in the medicine storage?”
Yan Chi nodded, “Yes, indeed—”
Yan Huai’s phoenix eyes narrowed, “Good, you continue to lead this case. During tonight’s feast, the culprit dared to murder in the camp, showing their utter viciousness. I’ve already sent the Crown Prince and Prince Cheng to search the camp. This area is yours and Lin Zhang’s responsibility. Investigate as you see fit. The Third Prince is now ill, and when he wakes, he will surely question this matter. We must have answers soon.”
Yan Chi nodded, but added, “I want Ninth Lady to help examine General Fu’s wounds.”
Yan Huai and Yan Chi exchanged glances and nodded, “Use anyone in the camp as you need!”
Qin Wan waited nearby for instructions. Soon, Yan Chi left the banquet area to Lin Zhang and led Qin Wan to the tent where Fu Desheng’s body lay—
“Following the blood trail led to the first medicine storage entrance. During tonight’s feast, the medicine storage was supposed to be guarded, but for some reason, no one was there when we arrived. This point is already being investigated.”
“The blood trail extended from outside into the doorway. Inside the medicine storage, there were signs of disturbance, but no obvious signs of struggle. Only a bloody candlestick was found.”
“If I guess correctly, the candlestick should be the murder weapon. We searched other areas but saw no blood trails, so after being attacked, Fu Desheng ran toward the banquet area first.”
Yan Chi walked and talked quickly, with Qin Wan following closely behind, frowning.
“No obvious signs of struggle? General Fu was Western Liang’s Great General with excellent martial arts. An ordinary person couldn’t succeed even with a sneak attack, let alone in direct combat. From my brief look earlier, General Fu was killed almost instantly. To fatally strike General Fu when he was on guard, could there be such a skilled fighter in the camp?”
Hearing Qin Wan’s words, Yan Chi asked, “What if he was off guard?”
Off guard? Qin Wan looked at Yan Chi, their eyes meeting. A light dawned in Qin Wan’s mind – if it was someone familiar, naturally there would be no guard. Fu Desheng had been in the camp for many days. While he might not know all the common soldiers, he would know the higher-ranking officers and the main figures from each country. Could it be one of them?
Soon, Yan Chi and Qin Wan arrived at the tent together.
Three wind lanterns lit the tent brightly. Fu Desheng had just died, and the wound on his neck was still bleeding. His face still looked alive.
Yan Chi had Bai Feng guard outside while he and Qin Wan remained inside. Qin Wan stepped forward, first solemnly looked at Fu Desheng for a moment, then said “Excuse me” before beginning to remove Fu Desheng’s clothes. Seeing this, Yan Chi immediately came forward to help. Soon, Fu Desheng lay on the wooden board wearing only his undergarments.
Yan Chi showed the candlestick to Qin Wan. After examining it, she began the autopsy.
A quick scan showed no obvious wounds elsewhere on Fu Desheng’s body. Qin Wan stood by Fu Desheng’s head, carefully examining the wound on his neck. “The wound is on the victim’s right neck major blood vessel. The killer must have been very familiar with human blood vessel distribution. The candlestick’s metal core is very thin, yet the killer struck accurately with one blow.”
This reminder made Yan Chi think of Tuoba Hong, “The wound on Tuoba Hong was also extremely precise.”
Qin Wan’s brows furrowed slightly as she continued examining, “This wound is very deep. Being on the right side suggests the killer was left-handed…”
Qin Wan’s voice held some uncertainty as she spoke, then suddenly she shook her head decisively, “No, the killer wasn’t left-handed. They attacked from behind the victim, which is why the wound is on the right side. There’s a bruise from choking on the front of the victim’s neck.”
Qin Wan bent down and carefully examined the marks on Fu Desheng’s neck again, then spoke more confidently, “The killer must have been behind the victim, choking him while delivering the fatal strike with the candlestick.”