To reinvestigate Li Ying’s case would inevitably involve the Empress Dowager.

As Cui Xun had said, to discover who killed Li Ying, one needed only to see who benefited most from the matter. And no one could deny that from Li Ying’s death, the greatest beneficiary was the Empress Dowager.

Cui Xun had bribed a minor official in the Department of Palace Attendants to obtain records of the comings and goings of the Empress Dowager’s close maids from thirty years ago. He spent several nights poring over them by candlelight but discovered nothing unusual. During the day, he still had to attend to matters at the Investigation Bureau, and after several days, he had grown visibly thinner. Recently, the Empress Dowager had summoned him once. He had expected her to berate him for Wang Ranxi’s death, but to his surprise, the Empress Dowager did not punish him.

The Empress Dowager merely asked him: “Wangshu, why did you imprison Wang Ranxi? I cannot believe she was plotting anything treasonous.”

Cui Xun lowered his eyes and replied: “I arrested Wang Ranxi not because she was plotting treason, but because her husband Pei Guanyue only acknowledges His Majesty and not Your Highness. I wanted to humble his arrogance, but I never expected the Investigation Bureau would accidentally catch fire and claim Wang Ranxi’s life.”

Behind the pearl curtain, the Empress Dowager gave a soft laugh. She looked directly at Cui Xun. “Is that so?”

“It is true.” Cui Xun bowed his head. “My life and position all come from the Empress Dowager. Everything I do is only in service to Your Highness’s interests.”

Cui Xun’s words pleased the Empress Dowager. She smiled and said, “The weather is pleasant today. Wangshu, accompany me for a walk by the Taiye Pond.”

The Taiye Pond was located in the imperial gardens of Daming Palace. In springtime, its emerald waters rippled gently beneath swaying green willows, with orioles singing and butterflies fluttering about. Cui Xun accompanied the Empress Dowager along the pond’s edge. When a spring breeze blew past, Cui Xun, dressed in his deep crimson official robes, couldn’t help but cover his mouth and cough. Seeing this, the Empress Dowager called for an attendant to bring a snow-white fox fur cloak and draped it over Cui Xun’s shoulders.

After Cui Xun expressed his gratitude, the Empress Dowager asked: “Have you had the imperial physicians look at that cough of yours?”

Cui Xun replied: “Yes, they’ve examined me and prescribed medicine.”

The Empress Dowager nodded. “As for those memorials impeaching you, you need not worry. With me here, even His Majesty would not dare to move against you.”

“Thank you, Empress Dowager.”

“Pei Guanyue and his faction are constantly scheming to send me to Xingqing Palace to live out my retirement, but I will not indulge their wishes. Otherwise, thirty years of hard work would go up in flames.”

Cui Xun respectfully replied: “I am willing to be the blade in Your Highness’s hand.”

“Three years ago, you said these same words to me in the Dali Temple prison,” the Empress Dowager said, seemingly recalling that day when this son of the Boling Cui clan—who should have been boating on the Qu River and sipping tea while listening to the rain—was instead crawling toward her in a dark prison cell, his body covered in wounds from torture, grasping her skirt with bloodied fingers missing their nails, begging for his life with his dying breath. She continued slowly: “Otherwise, just for being from the Boling Cui clan, I would never have employed you.”

The Empress Dowager’s hatred for the Boling Cui clan had always been undisguised. After the Late Emperor’s passing, the first thing she did upon assuming regency was to drive the Vice Minister of the Right, Cui Songqing, out of Chang’an. Though Cui Songqing had labored diligently to assist the Late Emperor in implementing the Taichang Reforms and had demonstrated exceptional ability, throughout the Empress Dowager’s twenty years in power, he had remained idle in Boling, not even appointed as a magistrate of Jiangzhou.

No one knew why the Empress Dowager so despised the Boling Cui clan. Perhaps it was the old grudge from when Emperor Taichang compiled the “Clan Records” and the ministers ranked the Boling Cui clan above the imperial Li clan. Or perhaps it was because of some conflict with Cui Songqing during his time as minister. Whatever the reason, since the Empress Dowager assumed regency, she had not employed a single person from the Boling Cui clan.

Until Cui Xun appeared.

By the Taiye Pond, the willows were lush and green. Wrapped in the snow-white fox fur, Cui Xun’s figure was as elegant as jade, reflected alongside the green willows in the clear waters. He appeared like a noble scion of a great family who played the zither, watched cranes, and remained aloof from worldly ambitions. Who could imagine that this man was not only ambitious but also ruthless and infamous for his evil deeds—a living demon whom everyone wished to flay and drink his blood?

He bowed his head and said, “The Empress Dowager saved my life. I am willing to brave fire and water for you without hesitation.”

“Wangshu, these three years, though you have often been too zealous and occasionally defiant, you have proven your loyalty,” said the Empress Dowager. The gold openwork pomegranate flower and bird-patterned fragrance pouch hanging at her waist swayed gently as she walked, releasing a lingering fragrance. “Moreover, you not only helped me find the Bright Moon Pearl’s fragrance pouch, but also remembered the Bodhi tree that Bright Moon planted at Famen Temple. Since you understand my heart and favor what I favor, there are some matters I am willing to overlook.”

Cui Xun suddenly realized that the reason the Empress Dowager did not punish him for causing Wang Ranxi’s death was because she still valued his finding the fragrance pouch and the Bodhi tree. In other words, it was Li Ying who had once again helped him escape punishment.

But what would happen if the Empress Dowager discovered he was secretly investigating Li Ying’s death, and that the true culprit might very well implicate her?

Despite the spring chill, Cui Xun’s back suddenly became damp with cold sweat.

Nevertheless, Cui Xun continued to secretly investigate those close to the Empress Dowager without her knowledge, solely because only by finding the true culprit would Li Ying tell him where Sheng Yunting was buried.

He had no other choice.

Li Ying hated him and always spoke to him coldly during their conversations, clearly reluctant to see him. But she needed to inquire about the progress of the case, and so had no choice but to meet with him.

Even on this night of storm and thunder, with lightning flashing across the sky, she still came. She folded her silk umbrella and shook the raindrops from her green oilcloth cape. Her deerskin boots were stained with muddy water, yet they left no trace as she walked along the corridor of the Cui residence.

She slowly made her way to Cui Xun’s study, where he was reading the “Entry and Exit Records.” Li Ying walked silently, but Cui Xun seemed to sense something. He didn’t look up until Li Ying had removed her green oilcloth cape and sat down across from him. Then he raised his eyes slightly and said: “I’ve been reviewing these records for days but haven’t discovered anything.”

This answer was exactly what Li Ying had expected. She took the “Entry and Exit Records” from Cui Xun’s hands and began to read them in silence. She didn’t want to speak with him.

Cui Xun showed no reaction to her obvious contempt. He simply picked up another volume of the “Entry and Exit Records” from beside his desk and began to read.

The only sound in the study was the rustling of bamboo slips being unfolded. The two sat upright at the desk, heads bowed over the records—one wrapped in a snow-white fox fur, resplendent as the morning clouds; the other in light green attire, elegant and beautiful. They appeared to be a well-matched pair, yet in reality, she viewed him as her mortal enemy, and he had plunged her into peril. They were fundamentally incompatible.

After a long while, Li Ying finally looked up and said: “This servant named Dong’er who died suddenly thirty years ago—could there be some connection?”

Cui Xun shook his head: “I’ve already investigated. Dong’er died from dysentery. There are medical records as proof. It cannot be false.”

Li Ying responded with an “Oh,” secretly feeling relieved. She read the bamboo slips for a while longer, then looked up and asked Cui Xun: “We’ve gone through all these records and found nothing. Could it be that my case has no connection to my mother?”

Cui Xun mercilessly shattered her illusion: “The Empress Dowager remains the prime suspect.”

Li Ying was not convinced by his certainty: “That’s merely your one-sided opinion.”

“If the Princess does not trust me, she is welcome to find someone else.”

Li Ying was at a loss for words. After a moment, she laughed coldly: “I dare not trust the Junior Minister Cui. The consequence of trust was nearly a one-way journey to the netherworld!”

Hearing mention of the netherworld, Cui Xun fell silent. Recently, Li Ying’s heart had been filled with resentment, and her words were barbed. Cui Xun, perhaps knowing he was in the wrong, had not uttered a single rebuttal. He lowered his eyes and reached for the “Entry and Exit Records” in Li Ying’s hands: “If you’ve finished reading, I should return these to the Department of Palace Attendants.”

Li Ying was still somewhat angry. She snatched the records back from Cui Xun’s hands: “I haven’t finished.”

“Then continue reading,” Cui Xun said, glancing outside at the sky. “It’s almost the fifth watch. I need to prepare for court.”

Li Ying had finished reading the “Entry and Exit Records” long ago, but irritated with Cui Xun, she opened the bamboo slips again, prepared to read them a second time. When she heard Cui Xun say he needed to attend court, she couldn’t help but make another cold remark: “Others attend court to save the world and help the people, but Junior Minister Cui attends to kill and harm others. Having done so many evil deeds, how will you face Sheng Yunting and those Imperial Guard comrades when you descend to the Yellow Springs?”

After Li Ying spoke, Cui Xun’s face had already paled considerably, and his eyes revealed a distracted look. Seeing this, Li Ying felt somewhat regretful. Before her journey to the Underworld, she had always believed that Cui Xun wasn’t such a terrible person, and she had been willing to trust him. But the facts proved she was wrong, so when facing Cui Xun, she truly couldn’t suppress the anger in her heart. Yet when she saw that her words had truly hurt him, she vaguely felt she might have gone too far. After all, she was not someone accustomed to hurting others, and especially since she knew Cui Xun’s feelings toward the Imperial Guard, was it inappropriate for her to wound him with mentions of Sheng Yunting and the Imperial Guard?

Li Ying pressed her lips together and said nothing more. She lowered her head, desperately telling herself she had done nothing wrong. Cui Xun had nearly killed her; surely she was entitled to retort a few times to vent her anger?

She lowered her head and continued reading the “Entry and Exit Records,” though she hadn’t even noticed that she was holding the bamboo slips upside down. Cui Xun said nothing, but silently rose to depart from Xuanyang Ward for Daming Palace to attend court. Suddenly, a thunderclap shook the heavens, seeming to make the very earth tremble. Li Ying was so startled that she dropped the bamboo slips in her hand. Cui Xun also halted his steps. After the thunderclap came several consecutive bolts of lightning that tore across the night sky, illuminating it as bright as day. Torrential rain poured down like water cascading from a suspended river.

Li Ying stared blankly at the downpour, suddenly feeling uneasy. Her body trembled with each rumble of thunder. Cui Xun had already picked up the fallen bamboo slips and returned to sit properly at his desk. Li Ying turned to look at him: “Weren’t you going to attend court?”

“The rain is too heavy. I won’t go,” Cui Xun said.

Li Ying shook her head, thinking that people who cursed Cui Xun for abusing his favor and privilege hadn’t wronged him at all. To dismiss court attendance so casually—his airs were grander than the Emperor’s.

Cui Xun had already handed the bamboo slips back to Li Ying: “Didn’t the Princess say she hadn’t finished reading?”

“Yes, I haven’t finished,” Li Ying replied, taking the slips and opening them to continue reading the familiar names and entry records. However, with the continuous peals of thunder, she could not concentrate, and that sense of unease continued to surge within her. After reading for a long time, she hadn’t even finished a single bamboo slip. Cui Xun suddenly handed her a jade box. Li Ying asked: “What is this?”

Cui Xun replied: “Open it and you’ll know.”

Li Ying opened it to find two small, exquisite jade earplugs inside.

Cui Xun said calmly: “Put these in your ears, and you won’t hear the thunder anymore.”

With the thunder crashing deafeningly, Li Ying looked at Cui Xun. He had already lowered his head and was reading another volume of the “Entry and Exit Records.” Li Ying pressed her lips together, then silently took the jade earplugs from the box and inserted them into her ears. Once in place, the thunder outside indeed became much quieter. Li Ying’s heart gradually calmed, and she lowered her head to continue silently reading the bamboo slips in her hands.

The thunderstorm didn’t stop until the next morning. Li Ying removed the jade earplugs and rubbed her slightly painful ears. Outside the study, swallows were chirping again. The post-rain sunlight filtered through the wooden lattice windows, casting dappled golden light on the ebony floorboards. Li Ying turned her head, looking at the golden sunlight on the floor. She seemed to always have a talent for discovering beauty—a ray of sunlight, a blooming wildflower, a falling leaf—all could make her feel peaceful and contented.

As she turned to look at the sunlight, her eyes were calm and serene. Cui Xun could see her elegant profile, like a painting. Her small earlobe resembled an exquisite pearl inlaid on a jade earring. Her entire being was as pure as the snow on Tianshan Mountain, refreshing to behold and pleasing to the heart.

Cui Xun closed the bamboo slips. Hearing the sound, Li Ying turned back. Cui Xun had already lowered his gaze and was organizing the slips. Li Ying began to speak: “I’ve finished reading. You…”

She was about to say “you should return the records to the Department of Palace Attendants” to avoid discovery, but before she could finish, an urgent knocking sounded at the study door.

Cui Xun asked: “Who is it?”

“Junior Minister, it’s Liu Jiu. Something terrible has happened.”

Cui Xun and Li Ying exchanged a glance. He rose to open the door. Outside, Liu Jiu’s expression was anxious: “Junior Minister, it’s terrible! Last night’s heavy rain and thunder damaged Princess Yong’an’s tomb. The stone lions guarding the tomb have all been split in half by lightning!”