The small courtyard was desolate and bleak under the night’s cover. It was clear that Madam Qian hadn’t lived well since leaving the palace. She had no intention of inviting them inside, merely turning around under the eaves. Her gaze swept over Yan Chi before she stated with certainty, “I never expected the Empress would send Prince Rui here.”

She then looked at Qin Wan beside Yan Chi. “And this must be Princess Yongci.”

Though Yan Chi didn’t know Madam Qian, her ability to recognize them so quickly proved she wasn’t a minor figure in the palace. Moreover, since leaving the palace, she had been following developments related to the royal family in the capital. This realization caused both Yan Chi and Qin Wan’s expressions to darken.

Yan Chi frowned. “Since you’ve recognized us, tell us how Song Xiwen died.”

Madam Qian’s eyes were slightly downcast, her expression unreadable in the dim night. She seemed to gather her thoughts before finally looking up at them. “I know the Empress is under house arrest. The Prince Jin Manor case caused an uproar throughout the city, and the Empress ended up suffering for it. But the Empress wasn’t the one who killed Song Xiwen.”

Qin Wan frowned, while questions floated in Yan Chi’s eyes.

Madam Qian paused before continuing, “Not only did the Empress not kill Song Xiwen, but she wanted to save him. But the Empress was still careless.”

Qin Wan and Yan Chi were both shocked. Song Xiwen’s body had been sent out on the Empress’s orders – how could she have tried to save him?

Madam Qian continued as if she hadn’t noticed their surprise, her tone remaining steady. “The Empress not only wanted to save Song Xiwen, she wanted to save Prince Jin even more. Unfortunately… the Empress was still one step too late.”

Qin Wan and Yan Chi exchanged glances, both their eyes showing gravity.

This was far different from what they had known and deduced before.

Qin Wan couldn’t help asking, “The Empress wanted to save Prince Jin? Did the Empress know Consort Jin wasn’t killed by Prince Jin?”

Prince Jin being Consort Jin’s murderer was almost universally accepted. But why did the Empress want to save Prince Jin? And if so, how did Prince Jin end up dead?

Madam Qian gave a cold laugh. “Prince Jin… Prince Jin’s birth mother died early. The elder maid who raised him was from the Empress’s side. The Empress knew Prince Jin’s character better than anyone. Prince Jin had barely exchanged a few words with Consort Jin – how could he have killed her?”

At this point, Madam Qian let out a breath, her tone distant and profound. “When the incident occurred last year, by coincidence, everyone saw that scene. But… Prince Jin had merely appeared beside Consort Jin’s body. There was no way to prove he was the killer. Later, Prince Jin and his only attendant, Song Xiwen, were confined in the Imperial Punishment Office. Since it was a royal banquet and many people had witnessed it, the news couldn’t be contained. Sure enough, discussions soon arose in court. Various rumors spread more intensely over two or three days. Initially, Imperial Guard Commander Lin Zhang was in charge of the investigation, but several days passed without results. Whenever questioned, Prince Jin always said he had gone to the Imperial Garden to sober up after the banquet, then heard screams and went to Consort Jin’s palace. When he broke in, Consort Jin was already dead. If he wasn’t the killer, then he was the first to discover her body…”

Madam Qian looked at Qin Wan. “This matter dragged on for several days. Court discussions grew increasingly unfavorable toward Prince Jin. The Imperial Punishment Office couldn’t find anything, and His Majesty hadn’t spoken. Given Prince Jin’s noble status, they couldn’t even torture him. After three days, seeing the court discussions growing worse, the Empress privately interrogated Song Xiwen. Not knowing the truth, she couldn’t help clear Prince Jin’s name but hoped to learn something from Song Xiwen. Unexpectedly, Song Xiwen died in Kunning Palace the day after arriving.”

Qin Wan narrowed her eyes. Kunning Palace was under the Empress’s control – how could Song Xiwen die without her authorization?

Sensing Qin Wan’s disbelief, Madam Qian explained, “Although Kunning Palace was the Empress’s domain, she was careless then. She thought the private interrogation went unnoticed, but someone was watching Kunning Palace’s every move. Song Xiwen was assassinated to silence him.”

“He was alive when the Empress took him away but dead when returned. Even the Imperial Punishment Office couldn’t explain this. At the time, Zhu Yucheng suggested simply sending the body out of the palace, since Prince Jin was the main concern. Zhu Yucheng handled all subsequent arrangements.”

Qin Wan and Yan Chi found this puzzling. In that situation, the Empress needn’t have involved herself. After Song Xiwen’s death, she could have investigated his killer. Instead, she chose to minimize the incident – completely unlike her style!

Qin Wan frowned. “The Empress couldn’t have tried to save him just because of maternal feelings toward Prince Jin. She must have understood this would cause her trouble.”

Madam Qian shook her head. “I don’t know why the Empress acted this way. I was just the head matron at the Imperial Punishment Office. Zhu Yucheng and I both served the Empress. I retired with her blessing due to age. Even with privileges, a eunuch can’t live well outside the palace. Who knew he would end up staying in the palace forever…”

The Imperial Punishment Office handled both eunuchs and palace maids, with senior matrons like Madam Qian overseeing the maids. Her words showed she knew of Zhu Yucheng’s death.

Qin Wan asked, “What did Song Xiwen say then? Was there anything related to Prince Jin’s case?”

Madam Qian shook her head. “The Empress never told me details, but… Zhu Yucheng and I both handled it. I remember Song Xiwen was terrified, constantly repeating Prince Jin’s version of events.”

Here, Madam Qian suddenly said, “Oh right, he mentioned the dagger – the one that killed Consort Jin. He said it wasn’t Prince Jin’s. Following that clue would reveal who killed Consort Jin. He was panicked then, and could only keep repeating how he and Prince Jin discovered Consort Jin’s murder that night. He repeated it over and over, and the Empress naturally felt Prince Jin wasn’t involved. She wanted Song Xiwen to testify for Prince Jin, but then he died. He was temporarily confined in Kunning Palace’s west garden and was killed in just a brief moment.”

Qin Wan and Yan Chi both frowned. Having never seen the case files, they didn’t know the specific records about the murder weapon, and Shen Yi’s notes didn’t mention the dagger. Could there be something wrong with that dagger?

“What then? Wasn’t the dagger investigated?”

When Qin Wan asked this, Madam Qian’s expression turned to an odd bitter smile. “Of course, it was the very next day. But… both the Empress and Lin Zhang discovered the dagger was indeed Prince Jin’s weapon.”

Qin Wan and Yan Chi were both stunned. Madam Qian explained helplessly, “Song Xiwen was so adamant, but investigation showed it was Prince Jin’s dagger. Prince Jin usually carried a short blade, about dagger length. That night when people discovered them, the Imperial Guards quickly arrived. Prince Jin was holding the dagger, which the guards took when sending him to the Imperial Punishment Office.”

“Could it have been switched?” Qin Wan quickly asked.

Madam Qian shook her head. “Impossible. The Imperial Punishment Office kept the dagger.”

And the Imperial Punishment Office staff were the Empress’s people. If someone had switched it with a completely different dagger, anyone observant would have noticed.

Qin Wan’s brows furrowed tightly. If the dagger truly was Prince Jin’s, then Song Xiwen was lying – but who killed him?

Having said this much, Madam Qian felt she had covered everything important. “This should be what you wanted to know. In any case, last year’s case wasn’t connected to the Empress. Later, when Prince Jin was transferred to the Ministry of Justice prison, the Empress couldn’t intervene anymore…”

After a pause, she added, “During this time, the Empress met once with Lord Shen.”

Qin Wan’s heart jumped. Madam Qian, fearing they might not know who “Lord Shen” was, clarified, “The former Chief Minister of the Court of Judicature, Shen Yi.”

Qin Wan quickly asked, “Why meet Lord Shen?”

“The Empress told Lord Shen that Prince Jin wasn’t someone who would kill imperial concubines, asking him to investigate thoroughly. The case dragged on for over a month. No one expected the Shen family would be exterminated and Prince Jin would die.”

As if remembering something, fear flashed in Madam Qian’s eyes.

“But neither the Shen family’s extermination nor Prince Jin’s later death had anything to do with the Empress. The killer wanted Song Xiwen to die in Kunning Palace for this purpose – to make the Empress unable to explain herself. Her later actions were out of necessity.”

Madam Qian’s tone showed her confusion. Qin Wan and Yan Chi found it even harder to understand.

Seeing them both deep in thought, Madam Qian said, “You are both noble persons. I was once a palace servant, now just a commoner. If you believe this commoner’s words, trust in the Empress’s desire to save Prince Jin. The current court situation proves this.” She looked at Yan Chi. “Prince Rui must understand this commoner’s meaning…”

Yan Chi’s phoenix eyes narrowed. “His Majesty imprisoned the Empress and confined the Crown Prince. Your words could lead to disloyal thoughts.”

Though just a palace servant, Madam Qian maintained her composure at these words. She shook her head and lowered her eyes. “This commoner is of low status and my words carry little weight. Everything is for Your Highness to judge. If you have any questions, please ask. After tomorrow, this commoner will leave the capital.”

Though Madam Qian appeared calm, her words revealed inside information.

Were they forcing her to leave the capital by coming to find her?

Qin Wan collected herself. “When Song Xiwen was in Kunning Palace, those who could act there must have held power in the palace and known its workings well enough to avoid detection. Though the Empress could have thoroughly investigated, she chose this approach. Had the Empress guessed who killed Consort Jin? Was it the same person who ordered Song Xiwen’s death? Did the Empress… fear their power…”

Hearing this, Madam Qian gave a bitter smile. “These years haven’t been easy for the Empress. She wouldn’t have disturbed the inner palace’s peace if she hadn’t run out of options.”

Qin Wan stared intently at Madam Qian for a moment but asked nothing more. Beside her, Yan Chi pondered before asking, “After this case, did the Empress suddenly become anxious to have the Crown Prince invested as heir?”

Madam Qian suddenly looked up at Yan Chi, surprised. “Yes…”

She answered with one difficult word. Yan Chi nodded and asked nothing more.

Qin Wan recalled that after waking in Jinzhou, she had heard about Yan Che’s investiture as Crown Prince within two months at Anyang Marquis Manor. Indeed, the interval wasn’t long.

Seeing Qin Wan had no more questions, Yan Chi said, “That’s all we needed to ask. We’ll leave now.”

Qin Wan nodded to Madam Qian and left with Yan Chi. Their visit had taken less than half an incense stick’s time. Only after their carriage had left the alley did Madam Qian let out a long breath. She quickly bolted the door, wiped the light sweat from her forehead, and with a pounding heart and nervous expression, entered her house. She packed her belongings as quickly as possible and left Anmin Ward before dawn.

In the returning carriage, Qin Wan and Yan Chi were both silent for a while.

Song Xiwen’s words in Kunning Palace seemed unremarkable, yet investigation proved the dagger truly was Prince Jin’s.

This further confirmed suspicions against Prince Jin.

Yan Chi spoke slowly. “The Empress must know who killed Consort Jin.”

As he spoke each word, Qin Wan felt a chill down her spine. That afternoon at Prince Rui’s manor, Yan Chi’s analysis had already made her hair stand on end. Now, hearing Madam Qian’s words, even Qin Wan found Yan Chi’s deductions reasonable. She unconsciously gripped his hand. Yan Chi gripped back and continued, “Song Xiwen wouldn’t slander his master, and Prince Jin couldn’t have killed Consort Jin, yet the dagger was Prince Jin’s…”

Qin Wan’s heart jumped, and she suddenly said, “What if… Prince Jin switched the dagger himself?”

If Prince Jin had made the switch himself, that would explain everything.

Yan Chi frowned. “But why? And if the dagger was switched, where is the real one?”