As mid-October arrived, the weather turned particularly cold. When Qin Wan arrived at Prince Rui’s mansion as planned, dark clouds loomed on the horizon, signaling the first snowfall of early winter. As she approached the Water Pavilion, Yan Chi was writing a letter to Shuo Xi.
“Your Highness, the Princess has arrived.”
Yan Chi quickly put down his brush and went out, soon seeing Qin Wan approaching gracefully.
Yan Chi went forward to hold Qin Wan’s hand and asked, “Coming from the palace?”
Qin Wan nodded, and upon noticing the ink stains on Yan Chi’s hand, she smiled, “What were you writing?”
Yan Chi also noticed the ink mark on his finger and replied somewhat helplessly, “Writing a letter to Shuo Xi.”
Qin Wan looked at Yan Chi earnestly, and knowing she was also concerned about Shuo Xi, he said in a low voice, “Things are progressing smoothly there. The winter military provisions for Shuo Xi have all been sent out. They won’t have to worry about supplies until May next year.”
Qin Wan breathed a sigh of relief. “It’s good that everything is going well. Have you rescued all the people you intended to save?”
Yan Chi nodded, “Master Qi and Yu Qi have made arrangements in Shuo Xi, and everyone has been rescued.”
Thinking of Yue Ning, Qin Wan asked, “Young Master Yue is also in Shuo Xi. What’s his attitude now?”
Yan Chi’s expression grew serious, “He’s not part of Prince Rui’s direct lineage, nor is he the Emperor’s man. He’s just an observer now, which is good. He hasn’t been implicated, and he hasn’t helped Lin Xu Gui and the others. He’s keeping to himself.”
Qin Wan understood Yan Chi’s meaning. The current chaos in Shuo Xi’s military camp meant that Yue Jia’s presence was beneficial to them.
Yan Chi looked at Qin Wan again, “Did you learn anything in the palace today?”
Qin Wan nodded and waited until they were inside the Water Pavilion before briefly recounting her conversation with Yan Sui. Upon hearing that Consort Jin had greatly enjoyed the Emperor’s calligraphy and paintings, even viewing them alone, Yan Sui found it strange. “Throughout history, imperial calligraphy and paintings have always been eagerly collected by officials. But for Consort Jin, during those years when she was highly favored, reading and painting with the Emperor was a daily occurrence. She could see the Emperor’s works every day, so why would she need to appreciate them behind closed doors? If she wanted to appreciate them, she would have done so thoroughly long ago.”
Qin Wan nodded, indeed this was true. Last year marked Consort Jin’s sixth year in the palace. She had been valued by the Emperor from the moment she entered the palace, enjoying his favor for six years. After such a long time, why would Consort Jin need to especially admire the Emperor’s paintings?
“Could there be something in the Emperor’s paintings? Perhaps Consort Jin discovered some palace secret and met with disaster because of it.”
Yan Chi shook his head, “Maybe we should try to find some of the Emperor’s paintings to look at? But what secrets could be in the Emperor’s paintings? When he was with Consort Jin, it had nothing to do with state affairs. If Consort Jin suddenly discovered some secret… I can’t imagine what kind of secret could be revealed through paintings.”
This was also what puzzled Qin Wan. “Finding the paintings is possible, but I’m not skilled in calligraphy and painting, so I probably won’t notice anything. If we’re going to look… we should find the paintings that were in Consort Jin’s possession, but I’ve already asked about this. Everything in Consort Jin’s palace was confiscated. Even the Ninth Prince doesn’t dare wear the longevity lock that Consort Jin gave him.”
Yan Chi hesitated, and Qin Wan continued, “When Consort Jin gave birth to the Ninth Prince, her position became increasingly secure. She should have felt at ease. Although Consort Jin wasn’t skilled at social interactions in the palace, with the Emperor’s favor, she didn’t need to form alliances or engage in superficial relationships. But the Ninth Prince clearly said that shortly before Consort Jin’s incident, she showed great fear and even spoke of wanting him to leave the palace.”
“Although the Ninth Prince was preceded by Prince Jin, Prince Cheng, and Prince Yong at the time, given the Emperor’s age and his favor towards Consort Jin, the future crown prince wasn’t necessarily going to be Prince Yong. Didn’t Consort Jin have better hopes in her heart? Even if she didn’t have such thoughts, she could have hoped for the Ninth Prince to become a wealthy and carefree prince. She must have been extremely frightened at that time to think of sending the Ninth Prince out of the palace.”
After Qin Wan finished speaking, Yan Chi suddenly said, “Prince Jin switched the murder weapon that killed Consort Jin, so he must have been trying to hide something. Consort Jin’s fear must have been because she discovered something… and something that would make both of these people wary must indeed be something that could cause tremendous upheaval in the royal family.”
Qin Wan shared this thought, “Thinking about it over and over, I still feel this matter can’t be separated from the Emperor. He’s the only one who could cause such an impact.”
Yan Chi’s eyes grew solemn, and he suddenly said, “Madam Qian has already left the capital, presumably heading towards Luo Province.”
Qin Wan couldn’t help but think of Madam Qian’s words that night. This elderly palace maid, who had left the palace due to her age, was still trembling with fear and unable to sleep at night even after leaving the court. Where did her fear come from? The answer seemed self-evident…
“There are no other leads now. The Emperor’s calligraphy and paintings might be a clue.”
Yan Chi made a decision, “I’ll have people find ways to obtain some of the Emperor’s calligraphy and paintings. If we can discover anything, that would be best.”
Qin Wan nodded, “I went to look at Yongning Palace. That night, Consort Jin suddenly turned back halfway. I guess she suddenly remembered something she hadn’t finished, and then she went to Hanguang Hall alone. Could it have something to do with the Emperor’s paintings?”
Yan Chi nodded, “Either she had an appointment with someone, but if she had an appointment, she wouldn’t have remembered it halfway.”
Qin Wan thought again, “It’s a pity we can’t see the autopsy report from that time.”
Qin Wan was most skilled at autopsies, but now without being able to examine Consort Jin’s body, they could only make such dry deductions. Yan Chi said, “It’s said that Consort Jin was found lying in a pool of blood, but the wound was visible on her chest, a fatal stab, and there weren’t many signs of struggle or fighting at the scene. This was initially investigated by the Imperial Guard and then transferred to the Court of Judicial Review. Although we can’t see the most detailed examination report, many people know these facts.”
“A fatal stab…” Qin Wan narrowed her eyes, “The murderer was undoubtedly a man. Killing Consort Jin with one strike, and then Prince Jin heard the scream in the Imperial Garden and went over, only to find the murderer had already fled. This shows the murderer was also very familiar with the palace layout. Was there a banquet for male officials in the outer court that night?”
Yan Chi nodded, “Yes, at that time, it was just when the inner palace banquet was beginning and the outer court banquet was ending, which is why Prince Jin went to the Imperial Garden to sober up.”
Qin Wan thought for a moment and said, “Could it have been a male official from the outer court?”
Yan Chi shook his head, firmly rejecting Qin Wan’s idea, “That’s impossible. Male officials cannot walk freely in the inner palace, and Hanguang Hall is quite remote. Ordinary male officials wouldn’t be very familiar with that area’s layout.”
“If that’s the case, then the scope is narrowed. It must be someone from the palace or someone who could frequently enter and exit the palace.”
At this point, Qin Wan sighed again. If they were to say the Emperor killed Consort Jin, it seemed somewhat strange, but if it was someone else, the range of suspects was still not small.
Yan Chi brushed Qin Wan’s temple hair and said, “Don’t rush. We still have time. We’re very close to the truth.”
It was most torturous to know they were close to the truth yet unable to grasp it. Qin Wan sighed, “If possible, I’d like to meet the Empress. She must know more than we do.”
Though she said this, Qin Wan knew that meeting the Empress at this crucial time wouldn’t be wise.
Yan Zhen’s wedding was set for the twentieth of October, and though it was just days away, the Emperor still had no intention of releasing the Empress. Beneath the surface calm, there seemed to be a long-standing tension that Qin Wan only now perceived.
“By the way, has the Fu family’s child been confirmed?”
Qin Wan suddenly remembered this matter and quickly asked. Yan Chi nodded, “It’s confirmed. Yan Li now has two closest guards, one called Lu Yun and one Fang Yu. The Fu family’s child must be one of these two.”
Qin Wan’s brows furrowed again. Although the Empress Dowager deserved credit for protecting Prince Gong’s wife and child back then, the Emperor didn’t take any other measures afterward. Now he had even named Yan Li as Prince Gong, while on the other side, there was the coldness between the Emperor and Empress. Qin Wan couldn’t shake off an eerie feeling lingering in her heart.
…
With less than ten days until October 20, the biggest event in the entire capital was Yan Zhen’s wedding.
The inner palace was busy preparing for this event. Yan Zhen was the Emperor’s only princess, truly the pride of heaven, and now she would represent Great Zhou in marriage alliance with Northern Wei. By all accounts, this wedding should be grand and magnificent.
Qin Wan had originally planned to establish a memorial tomb for her parents earlier, but after learning that Li Mu Yun had inquired about who bought the Shen residence, she decided to postpone the matter. Moreover, after discovering that last year’s case might be connected to the Emperor, she became even more cautious.
On this day, when Qin Wan arrived at Shou Kang Palace, Yan Chi was already there. These days, they rarely appeared together at Shou Kang Palace. Now that they had met, even Matron Chen looked at them with a teasing smile. Matron Chen whispered to Qin Wan, “Today, the Young Master came to the palace to ask the Empress Dowager to bestow some items to add to the betrothal gifts. Actually, the Inner Treasury has already prepared everything, and Prince Rui’s mansion isn’t lacking in wealth either – they’ve prepared well too. But Young Master feels the betrothal gifts are still too modest, so he insists on asking the Empress Dowager for more bestowments. Princess, you don’t know this, but Young Master has never asked the Empress Dowager for anything since childhood.”
Qin Wan listened with a shy expression, but she knew in her heart that Yan Chi’s real purpose was to seek the Emperor’s calligraphy and paintings.
In the inner chamber, the Empress Dowager smiled, “It’s good that you have such thoughts. Whatever you want, just have the Inner Treasury open my storehouse. I’ve collected quite a few paintings, calligraphy, and jade pieces there – all tribute items. There are many treasures. Go pick them yourself…”
Yan Chi then asked, “I wonder if there’s Wang Yan Nian’s ‘Hundred Herbs Chart’?”
At Yan Chi’s question, the Empress Dowager immediately smiled. Wang Yan Nian was a legendary painter from over three hundred years ago. Legend had it that he was also a physician, and his ‘Hundred Herbs Chart’ was painted after he emulated Shen Nong’s tasting of a hundred herbs. Not only was it worth thousands of gold, but it was also a medical treasure that all physicians yearned for. Since Qin Wan excelled in medicine, Yan Chi’s choice of this painting showed his thoughtfulness. The Empress Dowager laughed, “I do remember having it, but I’m not sure where it’s kept. I’ll have someone take you to look for it. Most of these paintings and calligraphy are kept in the Inner Palace’s Xuan Ji Pavilion. Well, I’ll have Yuan Qing take you to find it.”
Yan Chi waved his hand, “Master Yuan serves His Majesty. If he knows, His Majesty will know too. What if His Majesty doesn’t want to part with this treasure?”
The Empress Dowager could only shake her head helplessly, “You clever fox, you know this painting is incomparable to others.” After thinking for a moment, she said half-jokingly, half-seriously, “If the Emperor knows, he might not give it to you. At the very least, he’d want you to promise to work diligently at the Ministry of Justice.”
Slapping the armrest, the Empress Dowager said, “I’ll have A-Chen take you there later. However, the Xuan Ji Pavilion is quite large – it will take some time to search.”
Yan Chi quickly expressed his gratitude. Qin Wan entered the inner chamber only after they finished talking. The Empress Dowager naturally didn’t mention Yan Chi’s purpose, hoping his intentions would become a surprise for Qin Wan. She held Qin Wan’s hand while talking, and Yan Chi soon took his leave. Matron Chen was a considerate person; hearing Yan Chi’s words, she accompanied him toward the Xuan Ji Pavilion. However, just as they left, they encountered Yan Li approaching.
Yan Li, who had been struggling in the Ministry of Personnel these days, immediately brightened upon seeing Yan Chi. “Seventh Brother!”
Yan Chi smiled, and as Yan Li approached and saw Matron Chen, he asked in surprise, “What’s happening? Where is Matron taking Seventh Brother?”
Matron Chen smiled and said, “His Highness feels the betrothal gifts for the Princess are too modest, so he’s asking the Empress Dowager for treasures. I’m about to take His Highness to the Xuan Ji Pavilion.”
Upon hearing this, Yan Li became excited, “Xuan Ji Pavilion?! I’m familiar with it! I’ve taken good things from there before…”
Matron Chen smiled helplessly, while Yan Li put his arm around Yan Chi’s shoulders, “Let’s go, let’s go! I’ll come too. It’s rare for Grandmother Empress to be generous. I’ll also pick a couple of items to give you and Qin Wan as wedding gifts…”
Yan Chi hesitated for a moment but didn’t say much. Matron Chen, knowing Yan Li’s personality, naturally went along with him.
Upon seeing Yan Chi, Yan Li couldn’t help but complain about the torments of the Ministry of Personnel. However, compared to last time, Yan Li now seemed much more at ease, even asking several serious questions. The two talked while walking to the Xuan Ji Pavilion. When they arrived, Matron Chen announced their purpose, and the palace servants, not daring to be careless, opened all twelve book repositories. Upon hearing that Yan Chi wanted Wang Yan Nian’s ‘Hundred Herbs Chart’, the palace servants immediately began checking registers and records. However, there were simply too many items, and the servants couldn’t find them right away. Yan Chi looked at Yan Li and assigned tasks, “Wang Yan Nian’s ‘Hundred Herbs Chart’ – you search from the east side, I’ll search from the west…”
Yan Li had originally come hoping to snag something easily but now found himself having to search through the vast library for a painting. He felt bitter inside, but for the sake of making Yan Chi’s betrothal gifts weightier, he could only dutifully dive into the mountain of books, paintings, and documents.