As Xu Qi An left Lingbao Temple, it was already 1:45 PM.
He entered the palace and asked a guard to announce his arrival. After waiting for a quarter of an hour at the palace gate until 2:00 PM, a young eunuch finally came to meet him.
“Lord Xu, how shall we proceed with the investigation?” the young eunuch inquired.
“Let’s go to Phoenix Palace to see the Empress… There’s no need to inform His Majesty beforehand when meeting the Empress, right?” Xu Qi An asked.
The young eunuch quickly waved his hands, “His Majesty said you can go wherever you wish in the inner palace. Of course, as long as this servant accompanies you, especially when meeting the Noble Consort or the Empress.”
Xu Qi An nodded.
Of course, one couldn’t meet the Emperor’s women in private.
The full name of Phoenix Palace was Phoenix Perch Palace, the largest and most luxurious palace in the inner court—excluding the Emperor’s bedchamber.
Upon arriving at Phoenix Perch Palace, they learned that Her Majesty the Empress was taking an afternoon nap. Xu Qi An and the young eunuch waited in the outer corridor for about half an hour until a pretty palace maid came to inform them:
“The Empress has awakened and requests Lord Xu’s presence.”
Xu Qi An followed her into the hall. In the lavishly decorated front hall, he met the Empress, the mother figure of the nation. She wore a dark phoenix robe embroidered with gold thread and an ornate phoenix crown.
Her eyebrows were like paintings, her lips full and moist. Though no longer young, her face was filled with collagen, showing no signs of age. This added a mature woman’s charm to her flawless beauty.
Among the beauties I’ve seen, she could rank second, with Luo Yuhen taking first place. But the National Teacher had an inherent allure, a buff bonus, while the Empress relied solely on her natural assets… With such a woman as Empress, no one in the harem could compete.
Xu Qi An quickly lowered his head, maintaining the etiquette and decorum expected of an external official.
“Indeed, a talented youth,” the Empress, clearly appreciating his appearance, nodded with satisfaction as she examined Xu Qi An. “Huai Qing often speaks of you in my presence, praising you highly. I’ve also heard of your exploits in solving bizarre cases in the capital.”
Their first impressions of each other were favorable.
Xu Qi An wasn’t sure if it was just his own good feeling, but he sensed that the Empress admired him and didn’t treat him as an outsider at all.
“Wei Yuan is fortunate to have such an outstanding subordinate,” the Empress said softly. “Serve Lord Xu some tea.”
A palace maid brought steaming hot tea. Xu Qi An accepted it with both hands but didn’t drink. Instead, he got straight to the point: “This humble official has come regarding the case of Noble Consort Fu. I have a few questions for Your Majesty.”
“Please ask, Lord Xu.”
“Do you know a palace maid named Huang Xiaorou?”
“I do not,” the Empress shook her head.
“Then, is there a palace maid named He’er in Your Majesty’s palace?”
The Empress was silent for a few seconds before slowly nodding, “There is.”
“Matron Rong from Crab Pavilion said that four years ago, Huang Xiaorou attempted suicide for no reason. She was saved by a palace maid who shared her quarters. That maid was He’er from Your Majesty’s palace.”
“He’er has never been to Crab Pavilion,” the Empress denied outright.
Xu Qi An continued, “After examining the body, this official found that palace maid Huang Xiaorou had suffered a fatal wound. It’s impossible for a mere palace maid to save her, nor could the physicians from the Imperial Medical Office. It must have been a miraculous medicine that brought her back from the brink of death.”
The Empress stared at Xu Qi An and said calmly, “Does Lord Xu have any evidence for these claims?”
“The corpse itself is evidence.”
“And the medicine?”
“…There is none,” Xu Qi An shook his head.
Was it the Empress who tore up the records from the Imperial Pharmacy?
The Empress nodded and said softly, “I’m tired. Please see Lord Xu out.”
Didn’t you just wake up from a nap… Xu Qi An’s lips quivered, but he had no choice but to stand up and follow the palace maid out of Phoenix Perch Palace.
…
Xu Qi An glanced at the sun, “Little Eunuch, have you prepared the list I asked you to collect?”
The young eunuch pulled out a folded piece of paper from his bosom, “I was just about to give it to Lord Xu.”
Not bad, very efficient indeed. As expected of someone trained in the palace.
Xu Qi An unfolded the list and scanned it. It contained the names of over a dozen palace maids, servants, and guards.
“Let’s investigate these people one by one according to the list,” Xu Qi An said.
“And what about the Empress…”
“We obviously can’t investigate her further.”
Xu Qi An sighed. Although Emperor Yuan Jing had given him great privileges to investigate whoever he wanted, if the Empress refused to cooperate, even he, Xu Qi An, couldn’t force the issue.
However, one thing was certain: the Empress was hiding something.
Could it really have been the Empress? If so, wouldn’t that be terrible for Huai Qing? Maybe I shouldn’t investigate further. But if I don’t, wouldn’t that be unfair to Biaobiao? Here we go again, a dilemma where I have to choose between two… Xu Qi An sighed inwardly.
But then again, the Empress was truly beautiful. To still have such charm at her age, how stunning must she have been in her youth? No wonder she became the Empress.
Huai Qing bore some resemblance to the Empress around the eyes.
“Comparatively, I still think Luo Yuhen is more attractive, because she can satisfy my various preferences… Oh, Su Su can too.”
Xu Qi An couldn’t help but recall what Daoist Jinlian had said earlier. Luo Yuhen possessed the faces of all living beings, allowing men to see the type they preferred. What he saw was a woman in her twenties, a young wife in her thirties, a mature woman in her forties…
“I really don’t want to admit that I’m lecherous.”
Over the next hour, Xu Qi An investigated the people on the list. Due to time constraints, as he had to leave the palace before the gates closed, he only managed to investigate one-third of them.
With the resounding closing bell of the palace, he successfully left the imperial palace, retrieved his mare from the Imperial Guard, and reclaimed the black gold long saber gifted by the Censor. He leisurely departed from the imperial city.
By now, only the afterglow of sunset remained.
The curfew had begun, and pedestrians had long since disappeared from the streets. Wearing his night watchman uniform and carrying his golden token, Xu Qi An had unrestricted access everywhere except within the palace itself.
“Clip-clop, clip-clop…”
The mare trotted slowly along the empty street as Xu Qi An pondered the threads of the Noble Consort Fu case.
Noble Consort Fu was the biggest victim in the entire case, a sacrifice used to frame the Crown Prince. The perpetrator was Huang Xiaorou, who had already been silenced.
Huang Xiaorou had once been severely injured but was saved by the Empress, so she owed the Empress a great debt of gratitude.
The Empress’s fourth son was the legitimate heir, while the current Crown Prince was born of a concubine. The Empress, unwilling to let the position of Crown Prince fall to another, had set up this scheme to frame the Crown Prince and reclaim the Eastern Palace.
The motive was clear, and the whole case seemed logical, but it lacked evidence.
Yes, to convict the Empress, they still lacked evidence.
“Matron Rong was right, there are too many secrets that can’t be spoken of in the deep palace. Once you step in, you can’t pull yourself out. I thought this case would take some time, but I didn’t expect it to progress so quickly. Now I don’t even have the chance to drag it out. Damn Emperor Yuan Jing, he hasn’t even issued the edict to confer a title on me yet. I’m taking a day off tomorrow.”
At this moment, an image flashed through Xu Qi An’s mind: a black-clad figure crouching behind the roof ridge on the left, and another black-clad figure lurking behind the roof ridge on the right.
In the small alley ahead stood a black-clad figure holding a knife.
Thanks to the special abilities of a Refined Spirit realm martial artist, he immediately sensed the danger.
I’ve been ambushed… This thought had barely formed in his mind when a sharp whistling sound pierced the air.
…
Dusk.
Emperor Yuan Jing had just finished his evening meal and was planning to visit Lingbao Temple to seek out Luo Yuhen for meditation and to listen to Taoist classics.
The eunuch standing guard outside suddenly came to report, “Your Majesty, Noble Consort Chen is outside requesting an audience.”
What is she doing here at this hour… Emperor Yuan Jing frowned slightly, pondered for a moment, and said, “Let her in.”
If Noble Consort Chen had come to his bedchamber at this hour a few years ago, Emperor Yuan Jing would have thought she was offering herself for the night.
For the first ten years after he began cultivating the Dao, the concubines in his harem had persistently begged to serve him in bed. Emperor Yuan Jing had ignored them all. Those with stubborn personalities would kneel outside for entire nights.
Later, seeing his heart was as hard as iron and knowing they couldn’t win back his affection, the concubines gave up and resigned themselves to their lives.
By now, they had become very zen about it.
Everyone lived their own lives, occasionally gathering to chat.
Emperor Yuan Jing’s harem was probably the most harmonious in the 500 years of Great Feng’s history.
After the eunuch withdrew, Emperor Yuan Jing sat cross-legged on the bed, closing his eyes to meditate. Soon after, Noble Consort Chen rushed in crying, sobbing as she spoke:
“Your Majesty, you must do justice for this concubine and for the Crown Prince.”
So she had come for the Crown Prince. This result didn’t surprise Emperor Yuan Jing; in fact, it was within his expectations.
Emperor Yuan Jing, his black hair regrown, opened his eyes and looked calmly at Noble Consort Chen. “The matter of the Crown Prince is still under investigation. Beloved Consort, please return. The truth will naturally be judged fairly.”
“Still under investigation? Hasn’t the case already been solved? Your Majesty, I’ve heard everything from Lin’an,” Noble Consort Chen dabbed at her tears with a silk handkerchief, lamenting:
“The Crown Prince has been wronged, he has been wronged.”
Hm? Emperor Yuan Jing frowned, “What did Lin’an tell you?”
“That Lord Xu has already uncovered the truth…”
Emperor Yuan Jing was stunned. He knew that a drowned corpse had been fished out of Crab Pavilion today, which turned out to be the palace maid who had been missing from Noble Consort Fu’s side for days. But he never imagined that Xu Qi An would uncover the truth so quickly.
Noble Consort Chen, still crying, relayed all the information she knew.
After listening, Emperor Yuan Jing’s face darkened like water. He turned to his chief attendant and instructed: “Summon the person supervising Xu Qi An.”
The elderly eunuch in python robes responded and left. In less than a quarter of an hour, he returned with the young eunuch.
The young eunuch glanced around. Emperor Yuan Jing sat cross-legged on the bed, his expression unreadable. Noble Consort Chen knelt by the bedside, weeping softly.
Emperor Yuan Jing spoke calmly, “What progress has been made in the case today?”
The young eunuch had already prepared his thoughts and replied without hesitation: “After entering the palace, Lord Xu immediately went to examine the corpse. He concluded that palace maid Huang Xiaorou was first drowned in water and then thrown into the well.”
He then supplemented the details of the autopsy process to support this conclusion.
“Moreover, Lord Xu also discovered that palace maid Huang Xiaorou had suffered a fatal wound to her chest and should have died years ago, but was saved by some miraculous medicine… Then he went to Crab Pavilion to question Matron Rong…”
This time, the young eunuch was more experienced. He only narrated the process without adding any personal opinions, and didn’t mention Xu Qi An’s interactions with the two princesses.
He had figured it out. Revealing these things might indeed cause trouble for Lord Xu, but His Majesty might be even more displeased with him for tattling on the two princesses.
Why harm others and himself unnecessarily?
Besides, Lord Xu had treated him very well and cared for him greatly. Although he had a bit of a temper, he wasn’t a bad person.
“Is it confirmed that part of the Imperial Pharmacy’s account ledger has been torn out?” Emperor Yuan Jing sought confirmation.
“That’s what Lord Xu said,” the young eunuch still refrained from offering personal opinions.
Emperor Yuan Jing nodded slowly, “Notify the coroner to enter the palace tonight and re-examine palace maid Huang Xiaorou’s body. I want to know the answer immediately.”
Half an hour later, the chief attendant returned with the results of the coroner’s examination, which corroborated Xu Qi An’s findings beyond doubt.
Emperor Yuan Jing seemed lost in thought and remained silent for a long time. The vast bedchamber was utterly quiet.
Finally, Noble Consort Chen prostrated herself on the ground, crying, “Lord Xu dares not investigate the Empress. Only Your Majesty can personally intervene in this matter. I beg Your Majesty to do justice for the Crown Prince and for this concubine.”