Kangping, dressed in her nightclothes, hugged her blanket and gazed at Feng Boyu with plaintive eyes. He had been staring at the thick stack of case files in his hands for a long while now, flipping through them over and over as if he never tired of it, simply unwilling to lift his head and look at her even once.

“Boyu.” Kangping pouted, unable to hold back, and called out to him. “How much longer until you sleep? I’ve been waiting so long I’m starting to feel cold.”

In truth, though her clothing was thin, the room was warm and she wasn’t cold at all — but Feng Boyu had ignored her for so long that she couldn’t bear being overlooked and left out in the cold like this, and hoped that saying so might pull his attention back to her.

“How much longer, really.” Seeing that Feng Boyu still paid her no mind, she pressed him again, somewhat flatly. She knew he was diligent in his official duties and often came home late from the yamen, but it was rare for him to keep poring over case files even after returning home, the way he had these past few days.

He had lingered in his study until midnight, and only after great difficulty had he finally returned to their bedchamber — yet even now he still couldn’t put the files down. She had no idea what important case he was handling these days that required him to forget food and sleep like this.

Feng Boyu paid no heed to Kangping’s words. Having finished going through Female Official Lu’s case file, he opened another file — one from a case two years prior.

This case differed from Female Official Lu’s. The deceased was a drunkard who, two years ago, had had his throat slit by a single sword stroke and died beneath the outer wall of Yunyin Academy.

When the night-patrol constables found him, the drunkard’s body was still warm, clearly indicating he had died only shortly before. After discovering the corpse, the constables had searched the surrounding area for a good while but found no suspicious person; they guessed the murderer, hearing them approach, had feared being exposed and had already abandoned the body and fled before they arrived.

The two cases appeared to have no connection whatsoever, but upon closer examination, quite a few similarities could be found.

First, although the causes of death differed, both victims had died at Yunyin Academy. Second, both cases had occurred in the early morning hours, with the timing matching up precisely.

What surprised him most was that the official who had handled both cases was none other than Vice Minister Li.

However, when Vice Minister Li had handled this case back then, he had only recently been transferred to Chang’an from elsewhere and had just joined the Court of Judicial Review, holding nothing more than the minor post of Assistant Magistrate.

After taking over the case, within just a few days he had uncovered the truth and caught the murderer — a Chang’an street ruffian with nothing better to do, who, after drinking and causing trouble, had gotten into an argument with the drunkard and accidentally killed him.

After the murderer was caught, Vice Minister Li was promoted from Assistant Magistrate to Case Adjudicator, and a year later was promoted again to Vice Minister.

In the span of a single year, he had risen several ranks in succession, going from an obscure petty clerk to a rank-five official handling major cases.

Not long ago, he had — quite conveniently — also been the one to handle Female Official Lu’s case, which had likewise taken place at Yunyin Academy.

Yesterday, Feng Boyu had heard from Lord Liu Zan that word had already spread within the Ministry of Personnel that Vice Minister Li would soon be transferred to the post of Vice Prefect of Chang’an Prefecture — a rank that wasn’t particularly eye-catching, but a genuinely lucrative position all the same.

He frowned inwardly. This Lord Li truly had a remarkably smooth official career — a middle-aged official from out of town, who, without someone backing him from the shadows, would have found it nearly impossible to rise above the crowd in Chang’an’s densely packed officialdom.

It was clear that, despite his short time in Chang’an, this man had managed to catch the eye of someone in a position of power — and whether the reason for that favor had anything to do with how “neatly” he had closed the two Yunyin Academy cases remained unknown.

If both victims had been killed by the same person, what taboo had the two of them touched upon that brought such a fate of murder down on them?

What puzzled him most of all was why Qin Yao would have deliberately pried into the matter of Female Official Lu’s case in front of him.

Lost in thought, he didn’t notice that Kangping had already thrown off the blanket in irritation and gotten out of bed, walking briskly over to stand before him.

Only when a shadow fell across the case files did he start, suddenly alert, and look up to find Kangping glaring at him with displeasure.

“What time is it already — are you even planning to sleep?” Kangping had a bellyful of pent-up irritation and her tone was sharp at first, but the moment she saw the exhaustion on Feng Boyu’s face, her heart softened, and her tone eased along with it. “Look at it again tomorrow. Even the biggest case in the world can’t be solved in one sitting, can it?”

Feng Boyu had only just begun to grasp a thread connecting Vice Minister Li to these cases and was about to settle his mind to think it through properly, when Kangping’s interruption scattered his train of thought once more. A flicker of irritation rose in him, but he also knew that Kangping was always one to pester and cling once she’d started — she would never simply leave him in peace now.

He glanced at Kangping without a word, fell silent for a moment, suppressed the irritation rising in his chest, and set down the case files to stand.

It seemed he was finally ready to go wash up in the bathing chamber.

Kangping’s face flushed and she didn’t dare meet Feng Boyu’s eyes any longer, hurriedly lowering her gaze — only to accidentally catch sight of the name written on the case file.

“Li Lin?” she blurted out without thinking. “So this is the matter you’ve been so busy with these past few days?”

“You know him?” Feng Boyu, who had only taken a single step, hurried to turn back upon hearing this, fixing his gaze directly on Kangping.

Kangping was stunned for a moment — this was the first time Feng Boyu had looked at her with such focused attention. Though she knew it was only for the sake of official business, she still felt an inexplicable flutter of joy, and nodded. “Once, I happened to see Mother Consort’s gift ledger and noticed this man’s name on it. I know that without fail, every festival and holiday, he sends gifts to Mother Consort, never once missing a single occasion, no matter how trivial — which just shows how skilled he is at currying favor.”

Having said this, she looked at Feng Boyu with a hint of displeasure in her tone. “Is he bullying you on purpose, relying on his greater seniority to dump his cases onto you? Don’t hide it from me — I have plenty of ways to deal with him.”

As she said this, her tone was lofty and commanding, full of princess airs, once again taking on her usual domineering manner.

Feng Boyu, however, was quite taken aback, staring at Kangping in astonishment. What standing did Consort Yi hold within the harem? If Vice Minister Li hadn’t already pledged himself to her camp, how could a rank-five official’s festival gifts possibly have reached her hands?

He had assumed Vice Minister Li had cultivated connections through pillars of the court like Chamberlain Mo or Minister Wang — he had never imagined the man was actually Consort Yi’s person.

No wonder he had been so unguarded that day in front of him — clearly, because of his status as Prince Consort, Li had already counted him as belonging to the same camp.

The more he thought about it, the more uneasy he felt. If Vice Minister Li really had been promoted by Consort Yi because of the two Yunyin Academy cases, then just what tremendous secret did Yunyin Academy hold, that Consort Yi would be so wary of it?

Seeing that Feng Boyu only stared at her without speaking, Kangping grew rather puzzled and walked up to him. “Are you tired? Why don’t we talk about Li Lin’s matter tomorrow instead — go wash up and rest early.”

Not daring to let Kangping notice anything was amiss, and fearing it would only make Consort Yi suspicious of him, Feng Boyu turned and headed toward the bathing chamber, saying as he walked, “Indeed, I should have gone to bed long ago.”

Yet just as he stepped out of the bathing chamber, a hurried knocking sounded at the door, and a servant called out urgently from outside, “Your Highness, someone has come from the palace! There’s an urgent matter — they’re looking for Your Highness and the Prince Consort. Please put on your outer robes and come to the front courtyard at once.”

Kangping had already lain down, but upon hearing this commotion, she hurriedly sat up again, exchanging a bewildered glance with Feng Boyu. Whatever could have happened, that the palace would send someone to find her in the dead of night?

Knowing this was a matter of great importance, she didn’t dare be willful, and called out for the servant to enter, asking as she dressed, “Is this by my Imperial Father’s decree, or by Mother’s?”

“This servant doesn’t know either,” answered Xuenu, helping Kangping dress with quick, deft hands as she spoke. Feng Boyu had, over the years, cultivated the habit of managing himself, never letting maids near him to help with dressing — so all the maids were gathered around Kangping instead. “We only know it’s someone from Her Highness’s side, and they’re in a great hurry. The moment they entered the estate, without so much as a polite word, they pressed us to come find you — it really does seem like some matter of extreme urgency.”

Xuenu and Hongnu were hidden guards that Consort Yi had placed at Kangping’s side, trained for years to read situations clearly and react swiftly — and if even they sensed the urgency of the matter, then nine times out of ten something tremendous had happened within the palace.

Though Kangping was impetuous, she wasn’t naive to the ways of the world. She said no more for the moment, finished putting on her thick winter robes, and hurried with Feng Boyu to the front hall.

Sure enough, waiting in the hall was a young palace attendant, along with a dozen or so silent, grim-faced guards.

“Her Highness has ordered us to escort the Princess out of the city,” said the attendant, who had only joined Consort Yi’s service in recent years but, through steady conduct and unwavering loyalty, had gradually become one of her trusted confidants. “Your Highness, please don’t ask anything — come with us out of the estate at once. Once Chang’an has returned to peace, we will escort Your Highness back.”

“What exactly has happened?” Kangping could no longer keep calm. “Why does Mother want to send us out of the city?”

“Now is not the time to explain in detail,” the attendant said, looking at Kangping firmly. “Your Highness need only know that Her Highness’s heart is full of motherly love for you, and that everything she does is for the future of all the princes and princesses. There’s no time to lose — please, Your Highness and the Prince Consort, leave the city at once, and do not delay any further. All necessities for food and clothing have already been prepared in the carriages; there’s no need to return to the inner courtyard to pack.”

Feng Boyu’s heart was filled with suspicion and unease — tonight’s events were far too strange. He hadn’t heard the slightest word of warning beforehand, and now this attendant of Consort Yi’s had come calling in the dead of night, every word betraying a life-and-death urgency, insisting on escorting the Princess out of the city the very moment she arrived. How abrupt and bizarre.

Thinking of how Consort Yi had been secretly buying off officials, he reasoned — unless what she was doing did not stand on legitimate ground, why would she be in such a rush to send Kangping out of Chang’an to take refuge?

A cold sweat broke out across his back. Could it be that something major had already happened within the palace?

But no matter how things turned out, if he truly left the city with Kangping tonight, by the time they returned he would inevitably be marked as belonging to Consort Yi’s faction.

If she behaved herself, that would be one thing — but what if she turned out to be a rebel and a traitor? Was he to be dragged into the mire for no reason at all, simply because he was the Prince Consort, and carry the infamy of it for the rest of his life?

He gave a faint, wry smile, glancing outside the door without changing his expression. There was a hidden door at the back of the estate, normally used by the servants to come and go for marketing. If he could find some way to slip back to the rear courtyard, he wouldn’t lack for a chance to break free.

He furrowed his brow and said flatly to the attendant, “I’ve caught a chill, and I have some medicine kept in the rear courtyard. I’m afraid my old illness might flare up on the road, so I’ll need to bring the medicine along. Please wait outside for a moment — I’ll go to the rear courtyard and be right back.”

Before Kangping could even speak, the attendant shot a glance at one of the guards, who drew his sword with a hiss and coldly leveled it at Feng Boyu’s throat.

Kangping flew into a rage, stepping forward to shove the guard back with all her strength, glaring at him as she cursed, “You dog! How dare you even touch the Prince Consort — are you tired of living?”

The guard’s skill was considerable, and Kangping’s shove shouldn’t have moved him at all — but he would never dare defy the Princess, so he allowed himself to be pushed back several steps along with the force of her hand.

The attendant glanced at the guard, signaling him to sheathe his sword, then turned to Feng Boyu with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Prince Consort, Her Highness Consort Yi has always been meticulous to a fault — she has already prepared all manner of common remedies in the carriages. I’m sure that for a mere cold, you’ll find the right medicine there.” Seeing Feng Boyu glaring coldly at him, clearly unwilling, he gave a mocking smile and added with emphasis, “And if the right medicine cannot be found, well — for the safety of Her Highness the Princess, the Prince Consort will simply have to bear with a little discomfort.”

With that, he turned and said to the guards, “Let’s go — escort the Princess and the Prince Consort out of the estate.”

Feng Boyu was practically forced onto the carriage under escort; had Kangping not been there throwing her weight around, the attendant might well have ordered him bound.

The main city gates had already closed for the night and did not open after dark — but with the Crown Prince’s token in hand, passage would naturally be unimpeded.

The line of carriages raced ahead at lightning speed, and just as they were about to reach the city gate, the guard riding at the very front suddenly called for them to halt. He reined in his horse and rode back to the attendant’s carriage, his expression tense. “Sir, the city gate is surrounded by a great many Imperial Guard soldiers. It looks like they mean to seal the city — I’m afraid we won’t be able to get out.”

“The Imperial Guards?” Kangping, hearing this, threw open the carriage curtain in astonishment. “Aren’t the Imperial Guards always under Eleventh Brother’s command? Why won’t they let us leave the city?”

The young attendant’s face darkened, and he said bitterly, “We were a step too late after all. If that person has already ordered the city sealed, there’s no way we’ll be getting out now.”

A growing unease rose in Kangping’s heart, and she pressed the attendant relentlessly. “What exactly has happened? Why would Eleventh Brother seal the city? Stop playing dumb and answer me!”

Feng Boyu heard every word clearly, and the tension that had gripped him the entire ride suddenly eased. He slumped back against the carriage wall as if drained, thinking with no small measure of irony that, no matter what, as long as he remained in Chang’an, he would surely find a chance to draw a clear line between himself and Consort Yi, and avoid being branded a rebel and traitor.

Had Lin Xiao, in some roundabout way, just saved his life?