When Liu Yun received the news, Xu Chang’s body had already been examined. Upon hearing that the murderer had been caught and was a Northern Wei warrior named Xu Chang, Liu Yun immediately changed his clothes and headed toward Yan Huai’s main tent!
Walking briskly to the tent entrance, Yuan Qing was waiting outside. Seemingly having anticipated Liu Yun’s arrival, he showed no surprise at seeing him and directly lifted the tent curtain, saying, “Third Prince, please enter—”
Liu Yun adjusted his clothes and stepped inside. As soon as he entered, he found Yan Chi, Yan Che, and others already present in the tent, including even Yan Li who hadn’t appeared in the main tent for several days.
Liu Yun stepped forward, gave a ceremonial bow, and then asked, “Your Majesty, I heard the murderer has been caught, a warrior from Northern Wei?”
Both Princess Tuoba Wu and Tuoba Rui were in the tent, and upon hearing Liu Yun’s words, they both internally exclaimed “Not good.”
Yan Huai nodded, “Indeed. Ninth Miss has already examined Xu Chang’s wounds and can confirm that Xu Chang was the person who encountered General Fu that night.”
Liu Yun took a deep breath and turned to face Tuoba Wu and Tuoba Rui, “Princess, Fifth Prince, what do you have to say?! Your Xu Chang killed our Western Liang’s Great General, you must give us an explanation?!”
Though Tuoba Wu and Tuoba Rui both disliked Liu Yun, at this point, they had to consider the diplomatic relations between Northern Wei and Western Liang. Moreover, since Xu Chang had indeed killed someone, Northern Wei was clearly in the wrong. Tuoba Rui turned to look at Tuoba Wu, who lightly coughed and said, “Third Prince, Xu Chang is a criminal of Northern Wei. This was truly not our intention, and we deeply regret what happened to General Fu. Regarding this matter, we can have our Father Emperor write a formal letter of apology later and send gifts to express our remorse.”
Liu Yun gave a cold laugh, “Oh? Is a mere apology enough?! That was our Western Liang’s Commander-in-Chief! Do you think Western Liang cares about your trivial gifts?!”
Tuoba Wu suppressed her anger and said through pursed lips, “Then what do you want!”
Liu Yun narrowed his eyes. Though he hadn’t thought of what he wanted, after a moment’s consideration, he declared firmly, “You want to express remorse, fine. Ten thousand warhorses from Northern Wei’s southern region!”
At these words, Tuoba Wu immediately drew in a sharp breath. Northern Wei’s southern region bordered Great Zhou’s northern territory. Located on the plateau, it had vast grasslands and abundant rainfall. The horses bred there were mostly large and extremely strong, making them the best choice for warhorses. However, Northern Wei’s treasury was empty, and the funds for breeding warhorses were limited. The horses they bred were barely enough to meet Northern Wei’s own military supply needs. Yet Liu Yun opened by demanding ten thousand warhorses—such an outrageous demand that Queen Qin Wan could never agree to!
“Does Third Prince think ten thousand warhorses is a joke?! Or perhaps the Third Prince doesn’t want compensation from Northern Wei at all?!”
Seeing Tuoba Wu still being so arrogant despite being in the wrong, Liu Yun became increasingly angry. He laughed coldly, “It seems Princess shows no remorse for Northern Wei’s wrongdoing! Northern Wei’s envoys to Great Zhou first caused such chaos that ruined Great Zhou’s biennial hunt, then killed our Western Liang’s Commander-in-Chief. Northern Wei should apologize to both Great Zhou and Western Liang and pay the price! Princess speaking so disrespectfully shows that you don’t take Great Zhou and Western Liang seriously!”
Though Liu Yun was making threats while deliberately involving Great Zhou, just as Tuoba Wu was about to speak again, Tuoba Rui pulled her back. Tuoba Wu shook off Tuoba Rui’s hand, and Tuoba Rui said helplessly, “Third Prince, please calm down. This is indeed Northern Wei’s responsibility, but you immediately demand ten thousand warhorses—this greatly overestimates Northern Wei’s capabilities. You know Northern Wei cannot do this, so why make things difficult for both sides? Does Third Prince also want to resort to military action that would severely weaken both countries?!”
The wasteland between Western Liang and Northern Wei had long been occupied by the Rong enemies, serving as their natural base camp from which they harassed Western Liang, Northern Wei, and Great Zhou. Though Western Liang and Northern Wei had territorial disputes in earlier years, they had been effectively separated by the Rong enemies for several decades now. Military conflict was simply impossible. If Liu Yun pushed Northern Wei too hard, he wouldn’t get any compensation, and this grievance would have to be swallowed in vain. Forced by Tuoba Rui’s words to reconsider his demands, Liu Yun could only snort, “Fifth Prince certainly has a way with words. What the Fifth Prince says isn’t without reason. In that case, I’ll need to think about it.”
Tuoba Rui nodded, “As long as the Third Prince is willing to accept our apology, everything can be discussed. Northern Wei is not without courtesy.”
With Fu De Sheng’s death, Liu Yun naturally wanted to gain something substantial, but as for what exactly, he needed to think carefully. With this thought settled, Liu Yun asked again, “Where is Xu Chang’s body?”
Tuoba Rui replied, “In the outer tent—”
Liu Yun laughed coldly, “Good, surely you won’t protect such a criminal, right?! I want his body!”
Tuoba Wu frowned, “What do you want Xu Chang’s body for?!”
Liu Yun gave a fierce smile, “To make offerings to General Fu!”
Tuoba Wu clenched her fists and looked at Tuoba Rui. She was unwilling—even though Xu Chang was dead, he was still Northern Wei’s criminal. What right did they have to hand him over to Liu Yun? She still wanted to take Xu Chang back to let Tuoba Qi see him properly!
Tuoba Rui’s face also showed hesitation, “Sister… perhaps… perhaps we should give him the body…”
Tuoba Wu raised an eyebrow, “Xu Chang is also Northern Wei’s criminal. When the Crown Prince wakes up, he’ll need to see who the murderer is. We still need to investigate further. No, Xu Chang must be taken back to Northern Wei—”
Tuoba Rui sighed helplessly, “Take a dead body back? Such a long way…”
Tuoba Wu pressed her lips together, momentarily uncertain. Liu Yun watched Tuoba Wu with an ambiguous smile, “Princess can’t even part with a dead body, is this truly how you show that Northern Wei acknowledges its wrong?”
Tuoba Wu felt helpless for a moment, thinking of how Tuoba Hong hadn’t awakened yet, feeling isolated. Seeing the fierce light in Liu Yun’s eyes, she finally bit her lip and said, “Fine, you can have him, after the Crown Prince finishes his investigation!”
Liu Yun looked toward Yan Chi, who said, “Though we know he’s the murderer, there are still many pieces of evidence we haven’t found.”
Liu Yun smiled, “Very well, then we’ll respect the Crown Prince’s wishes. After the case is fully investigated, Liu Chang’s body will belong to Western Liang!”
Just as he finished speaking, Yan Huai said calmly, “The case has been solved before the three-day deadline, Third Prince should be satisfied, right? Both Northern Wei and Great Zhou bear responsibility in this matter. If the Third Prince wishes to pursue it further, Great Zhou will naturally cooperate.”
When facing Yan Huai, Liu Yun’s attitude was naturally different from how he treated Tuoba Wu. Hearing Yan Huai speak thus, Liu Yun became more agreeable, “The Crown Prince found the murderer within three days, showing Great Zhou’s dedication to this matter. Now that Xu Chang is dead, I believe General Fu can rest in peace. As for pursuing the matter further, I have no such intention.”
Yan Huai curved his lips slightly, but Liu Yun continued, “However, since this happened in Great Zhou if I show complete indifference, I won’t be able to explain it when I return to Western Liang. Please allow me to consider this matter further before discussing it with Your Majesty.”
“Of course, that’s fine.” Yan Huai remained very cordial, as the greatest fault now lay with Northern Wei, and he could remain a neutral observer. “Now that both the cases of the Northern Wei Crown Prince and General Fu have been clarified, we can all rest easier. There are still a few days of hunting left. Tomorrow, let’s first hold a memorial ceremony for General Fu in the camp, and the day after we can continue hunting for a few more days before returning. I hear from Ninth Miss that the Crown Prince’s condition has improved considerably. If he wakes up in these two days, that would be best. This hunt has had many complications—the other envoys from Northern Wei and Western Liang will need the Princess and both Princes to pacify them.”
Yan Huai spoke graciously, and Liu Yun naturally agreed. Tuoba Wu and Tuoba Rui had even less reason to act up—their Northern Wei internal disputes had spilled onto Great Zhou territory, not only affecting Great Zhou’s spring hunt but also disgracing themselves. Tuoba Wu couldn’t express any anger now, and hearing Yan Huai’s words, she could only repeatedly agree.
After a few more words, Tuoba Wu and the other two took their leave first. Once the three had left, the smile on Yan Huai’s face slightly faded, and Yan Qin said, “Really, we should be the ones demanding accountability from Northern Wei! A perfectly good spring hunt, ruined by their internal fighting!”
Yan Che thought of Zhao Shu Hua’s words and said, “In the end, it’s really about the succession struggle. If Northern Wei’s Fourth Prince hadn’t had thoughts of seizing power, this tragedy wouldn’t have happened. Now Princess Tuoba is still in Great Zhou, but once they return to Northern Wei, who knows what bloodbath will unfold within Northern Wei.”
Hearing this, Yan Huai seemed moved, his expression becoming serious, while Yan Qin narrowed his eyes, his face turning cold.
It was already deep into the night. Since the murderer had been caught, there was no need for further discussion. Yan Huai didn’t ask any more questions and dismissed everyone to rest. Meanwhile, Yan Chi led people to search Xu Chang’s quarters. They indeed found a blood-stained garment under Xu Chang’s bed, completing the evidence for his crimes. As for the matter of Northern Wei’s Fourth Prince’s involvement, that was beyond his jurisdiction.
At the same time, Wei Chan and Xiao Yu, who had fled from the main camp, hadn’t gotten far before they were found. The camp was situated on the flat plains beside the Wei River, and it would take nearly half an hour just to reach Mount Wei. These two had indeed planned to escape through the mountains, and when the Imperial Guards caught up with them, they had barely covered five li.
When the Imperial Guards came to arrest them, Wei Chan and Xiao Yu put up some resistance. However, the Imperial Guards numbered several hundred strong—how could two people possibly resist? When they were brought back to camp, they naturally thought death was certain. When brought before Zhao Yu, they knelt and began crying out their innocence—
“We’ve been wronged! We did not harm the Crown Prince or General Fu!”
“Where is the Young Lord? Are you going to execute us immediately?!”
“No! We want to see Princess and Fifth Prince—”
Xiao Yu shouted, then suddenly remembered that Tuoba Rui hadn’t helped them, so he changed course mid-sentence, “We’re innocent! We want to see the Princess! We want to see the Princess!”
Zhao Yu listened impatiently to their shouting, finding it somewhat amusing how they had been used by Yan Chi. He watched leisurely as they shouted themselves hoarse, then finally smiled and said, “Release their bindings!”
As soon as he spoke, two guards immediately came forward to untie them. Xiao Yu and Wei Chan were stunned, staring at Zhao Yu in confusion. After being captured and brought back, they hadn’t seen Yan Chi and had assumed they would be executed immediately. They never expected to be untied! What did this mean?!
“Alright, we know you two aren’t the murderers. This was just part of the Crown Prince’s plan to solve the case. The real murderer has been caught now, so you two can rest easy. Consider the hardship you’ve endured as loyalty shown to your Crown Prince.” Zhao Yu said with another smile, “You could even say you’ve done a meritorious service. Get up and go rest, everything’s fine now…”
Xiao Yu and Wei Chan’s eyes widened in shock. After all their anxiety, fleeing and being captured, even being beaten when they were caught, now they learn they were just decoys in Yan Chi’s plan?!
The two were stunned, first feeling relief at surviving, then a surge of anger and bitterness.
They had been completely innocent, yet had endured all this fear and worry. That was bad enough, but Zhao Yu’s casual dismissal about serving their Crown Prince was truly too discourteous.
Wei Chan and Xiao Yu stood up while massaging their sore limbs. Though frustrated and angry, they dared not say anything. Zhao Yu raised his chin while looking at them. Wei Chan turned away numbly, but as Xiao Yu was about to leave, he asked, “May I ask Commander Zhao, who was the real murderer?”
A knowing smile spread across Zhao Yu’s face, “It was Xu Chang.”
Wei Chan turned back in disbelief, “Deputy Commander Xu?! How is that possible?!”
Zhao Yu’s expression turned serious as he looked at these two foolish Northern Wei men, “Xu Chang was caught trying to poison your Crown Prince in the medicine room. He then took poison and killed himself.”
Wei Chan and Xiao Yu were shocked, both utterly horrified!
Xu Chang held a high position in Northern Wei’s Imperial Guard, and during this journey had developed a brotherly bond with them. He had even helped them escape—how could he be the murderer?!
As they thought about it, understanding gradually dawned. Fleeing had cut off their retreat—once they were framed for the crime, Xu Chang would have been safe. Moreover, Xu Chang’s attempted poisoning tonight was taking advantage of the chaos…
Wei Chan and Xiao Yu exchanged glances, both breaking out in cold sweat!
They had been grateful to Xu Chang, but who could have imagined they were being used by him?!
Seeing their change in expression, Zhao Yu smiled again. The Northern Wei people had created this farce, and in the end, their people suffered for it. Though Western Liang’s General Fu had died, Liu Yun wasn’t someone to be trifled with. Their Great Zhou had been dragged into the chaos but fortunately suffered no real losses. “Alright, if you want to know more, go ask your fellow soldiers. You can leave now.”
Wei Chan and Xiao Yu were completely stunned, nodding dumbly and turning away, still unable to process everything.
“Young Lord, we found something else, please take a look?” Bai Feng came in from outside, holding a token in his hand. “We found it in Xu Chang’s belongings, hidden in a hair tie. We almost missed it at first.”
Yan Chi took it and saw it was made of bronze with an azure sparrow pattern carved on it. He smiled noncommittally, “Take it to show Princess Tuoba, she’ll know what it is.”
The azure sparrow was the Northern Wei royal family’s totem—this must be a royal item. Yan Chi suspected it was related to Northern Wei’s Fourth Prince but decided not to interfere in the matter. After Bai Feng left, Yan Chi got up to leave.
The commotion had awakened everyone, but now in the late night, the camp had returned to tranquility.
Yan Chi walked toward Tuoba Hong’s main tent. Arriving at the tent, he saw the warm lamplight inside.
When Yan Chi arrived, the guards he had stationed quickly bowed. Inside, Tuoba Wu and Qin Wan were startled by the sound of the greeting. Tuoba Wu frowned slightly and glanced at Qin Wan, “You go ahead, I can watch alone.”
Qin Wan didn’t know why Yan Chi had come, so she walked out first. Emerging from the tent, she saw Yan Chi standing with his back to the entrance, his gaze slightly lifted toward the crescent moon on the horizon. It had been overcast during the day, with no stars or moon at night, but now this crescent moon had emerged from behind the clouds, coinciding with the solving of the case.
“Young Lord—” In front of so many guards, Qin Wan maintained proper etiquette.
Yan Chi turned around, frowning, “Didn’t I tell you to go rest?”
Qin Wan’s lips curved slightly, “Tuoba Crown Prince’s pulse seemed to show improvement again, so I stayed to keep watch for a while.”
Yan Chi’s brows furrowed deeply. In the past few days when Tuoba Hong had just been rescued, they didn’t know when his condition might worsen, and with the investigation being tense and the murderer potentially striking again, it made sense for Qin Wan to keep watch. But now that the murderer had been caught and Tuoba Hong’s condition had improved considerably, why was she still keeping watch? Though Qin Wan had rarely been seen these past few days, the fatigue on her face was evident.
Seeing Yan Chi’s apparent displeasure, Qin Wan looked back and said, “Alright then, I’ll go rest now.”
She gave some instructions to the guards, went back to say goodbye to Tuoba Wu, and then came out again. Tuoba Wu had faintly heard the conversation outside and couldn’t help but snort softly.
“Is this better now? Young Lord has also been mentally exhausted these past few days, you should go rest early too.”
With the case solved and Tuoba Hong’s pulse growing stronger day by day, Qin Wan was now quite relaxed and at ease.
Hearing this, Yan Chi’s expression finally softened slightly, and he nodded, “I’ll escort you back—”
Though it wasn’t far from the Empress Dowager’s tent, this would allow her to spend some time alone with Yan Chi. Qin Wan naturally nodded happily, “The case is solved, yet why do you still look so serious?”
Yan Chi turned to look at her, his expression somewhat stern. He was considerably taller than her, so his gaze was angled down toward her, “With the case solved, tomorrow His Majesty will likely summon us. Have you thought about what reward you want?”
So… that’s what this was about!
Qin Wan knew Yan Chi was anxious. She slowed her pace slightly, “Tell me, is there any possibility for women to become officials?”
Yan Chi stopped in his tracks, “You want to join the Ministry of Justice?”
Qin Wan blinked, a faint smile appearing on her face due to Yan Chi’s unusual seriousness. Though she smiled outwardly, countless feelings of helplessness filled her heart. Yan Chi must have been unable to guess her intentions these past few days, and the resulting worry must have been quite tormenting, yet how could she express herself?
“I… I want women to be able to investigate cases openly. Do you think it’s possible?”
Yan Chi looked at Qin Wan, his eyes softening slightly. It was as he had suspected after all—Qin Wan’s dedication to criminal cases ran deeper than he had imagined. She had previously helped people out of necessity, but now she truly wanted to put her coroner skills to use.
“In Great Zhou’s two hundred-plus years, there has never been a female official.”
Yan Chi had to tell Qin Wan this reality, but she curved her lips slightly, “I know, but I still want to try.”
Yan Chi met Qin Wan’s clear eyes, “Is your unfulfilled wish to set a precedent for female officials, to use your coroner skills to advocate for the people?”
Qin Wan pressed her lips together, “It’s not quite as noble as advocating for the people…”
Yan Chi remembered what Qin Wan had said that day. He had spoken of how scholars and officials should establish their hearts for Heaven and Earth, establish their destiny for the people, continue the lost teachings of past sages, and establish peace for ten thousand generations. She had said that although she was a woman, she too had aspirations to stand tall under heaven. Thinking of these words now, Yan Chi was still moved—Qin Wan wanted to become an official.
Thinking this way, Yan Chi took Qin Wan’s words as modesty. The seriousness on his face lessened somewhat, “If this is what you want to do, why did you hide it from me? I kept thinking you were planning something dangerous.”
Qin Wan knew Yan Chi was thinking too simply, and smiled bitterly, “This matter, when you think about it, is also dangerous.”
“The most peaceful path would naturally be to stay content in the inner chambers, but you’re not an ordinary woman. What you want to do certainly has some risks, but it’s much simpler than what I had imagined. Since His Majesty has already tacitly approved of you helping with autopsies, and your reputation for helping solve cases has spread, in the future people will likely seek your help even if you don’t want to assist.”
Seeing Yan Chi’s expression finally relax, Qin Wan couldn’t bring herself to say that her ultimate goal wasn’t so simple. What she wanted to do couldn’t be fully revealed to him, so why make him worry now?
Qin Wan’s lips curved upward, “In that case, I should ask for something more practical!”
Seeing no one around, Yan Chi reached out and took her hand briefly. Qin Wan’s heart skipped a beat, and her face grew slightly warm. Fortunately, Yan Chi only squeezed her palm before letting go, “Whatever you want, the Empress Dowager will surely grant it. But tell me, what should I ask for this time?”