So the maid came again.

The door remained tightly closed. The maid stepped forward and knocked gently twice: “Your Highness, the King requests your presence.”

Inside was completely silent.

She waited for a short while, then knocked again, this time with more force: “Your Highness?”

Still, no one answered.

She bit her lip and pushed the door.

With a creak, it opened.

The maid walked in quietly and found the bed curtains lowered in the inner chamber, with what appeared to be the silhouettes of two people embracing in sleep.

Were they sleeping too soundly to hear the knocking?

The maid was observant and sensed something was wrong: when the door opened, cold wind from outside rushed in, yet neither person woke up. This was strange.

She gathered her courage and lifted the gauze curtain, indeed seeing the Crown Prince and his consort sleeping naked, the bedding in disarray.

This should have been an intimate scene, but the maid felt something was amiss.

These two individuals hadn’t stirred at all.

When she reached out to touch the Crown Prince’s shoulder, she truly felt the world spinning:

His touch was ice cold.

Crown Prince Miao Feng Yuan had lost his body heat long ago.

When State Preceptor An Ru Zhen of the Kingdom was summoned to Mingshui Garden, the most important members of the royal family were already there, with all others having been cleared out.

This kind of matter could not be spoken of to outsiders.

The King sat on a soft chair in the outer room and said gravely: “State Preceptor, I need your discerning eye to find the culprit who harmed my son!” In just a few days, the King appeared to have aged more than ten years. Standing beside him, the second prince Miao Feng Xian’s eyes were red.

The King handed a golden seal to An Ru Zhen.

This seal was circular, with a uniquely shaped top carved to resemble a domed palace. If one looked closely, one would discover it was modeled after the core building of the royal palace, just scaled down according to convention.

This was the pivot of the entire Golden City, allowing its bearer to activate most of the city’s mystical powers. An Ru Zhen nodded: “It is my duty.” He took the seal, silently recited an incantation, and presently placed it properly on the ground:

“Let me see yesterday’s events as they occurred!”

As soon as the words were spoken, the air before them suddenly filled with figures, one after another, with form, appearance, expressions, clothing, movements, and direction.

These were all the scenes that had appeared in Mingshui Garden over the past twelve hours.

The magnificent Golden City was a magical artifact. Theoretically, its master possessed absolute control within it, and viewing images from within the palace from several hours earlier was a simple matter. However, the current King lacked spiritual power and could only authorize the State Preceptor to exercise this magical ability.

The first thing everyone saw was Consort Zhao and the servants here. A woman’s palace life was uneventful, and Consort Zhao’s behavior also seemed normal. Then Crown Prince Miao Feng Yuan arrived.

He appeared preoccupied and spoke little. The two of them had a light evening meal before beginning to engage in intimacy.

Watching such private bedroom matters made everyone present feel somewhat awkward, but fortunately, what happened here would not leak outside.

This act of intimacy was particularly intense. Despite the snow falling outside, the warm room had floor heating, making the temperature pleasant. Both the man and woman were drenched in sweat. Even though Miao Feng Xian was filled with grief and anger, he was surprised at this moment: was his brother this vigorous in such matters?

How could an ordinary woman endure such intensity?

Yet, looking further, although Consort Zhao appeared delicate, she responded with equal enthusiasm, showing no sign of reluctance.

“They weren’t behaving normally this time!”

All observers had this feeling.

However, according to the royal physician’s earlier autopsy results, no aphrodisiac substances were found in the bodies of either the Crown Prince or his consort.

Such intense lovemaking continued for more than an hour. The Crown Prince’s face had turned deathly pale, while Consort Zhao fell into a semi-conscious state. When they finished, both were completely exhausted and collapsed into sleep on the bed.

They didn’t even pull up the covers, let alone summon maids to bring hot water or change the bedding as they usually would.

The position in which they laid down was exactly the same position in which the maid found them the next morning; they hadn’t moved at all. The only difference was that their previously heavy breathing had ceased, their chests no longer rising and falling.

After viewing this footage, Miao Feng Xian said in a hoarse voice: “From the images, the time of my brother’s death matches the royal physician’s assessment, around the Hour of Yin (3-5 am) this morning. No one entered or left the chamber afterward, so the deed must have been done before their intimate encounter.”

An Ru Zhen asked him: “Were any traces of mystical powers detected?”

Miao Feng Xian, who had received true teachings from the State Preceptor, had already examined the scene before his arrival and now shook his head: “None and the Dragon Chime Jade was not activated.”

An Ru Zhen stood up and said: “I beg your pardon,” then walked into the inner chamber to examine the deceased. Mystical powers that harm or kill often leave traces that might escape others but not experts. Unless, of course, the perpetrator is also a master.

After a while, An Ru Zhen emerged and said gravely: “Feng Xian’s verification is correct; the method used was likely not mystical power.”

The Crown Prince’s status meant he was surrounded by countless protective measures. Moreover, the Dragon Chime Jade he wore around his neck was an ancient divine artifact passed down through generations, capable of resisting tremendous force and malevolent attacks. The King knew his son had a normal constitution, so naturally gave him the best protective magical item.

Yet during the past night, the Dragon Chime Jade had not been triggered at all. This meant it did not perceive that the Crown Prince had been attacked or ambushed.

Even if the Crown Prince had been poisoned, the Dragon Chime Jade would have instantly expelled the toxins for him.

This time, why had it failed?

The King did not believe the problem was with the jade itself malfunctioning. He could only conclude that the perpetrator had bypassed the jade’s protection and still managed to harm the Crown Prince.

The question was, how was this accomplished?

Miao Feng Xian’s expression changed: “Could it have been through their sexual union?”

That would mean the scheme was carried out on Consort Zhao. This was indeed a possibility. Ambushing the Crown Prince directly would be difficult, but targeting his consort would be several degrees easier. The Dragon Chime Jade could not monitor the intimate exchange between a man and woman—perhaps this was one of the blind spots of protective magical items.

An Ru Zhen held the palace seal and rewound the scene for several more hours.

Miao Feng Xian suddenly pointed out: “There.”

They had initially thought poison might have been added to the food, but now they noticed a detail: a maid brought a bowl of soup with snacks, which Consort Zhao accepted and consumed.

The King tapped the table: “Investigate what this is!”

The results came quickly:

Consort Zhao took a bowl of nourishing porridge every day at the Hour of Shen (3-5 pm). This was a dietary supplement prescribed by the royal physician, containing various nourishing ingredients to help her quickly strengthen her body for pregnancy.

Seeing his father’s reddened eyes, Miao Feng Xian quickly said: “Find everyone who handled the nourishing porridge, from gathering the medicinal herbs to cooking and serving, and send them to the Grand Investigator for questioning.”

“No, this problem occurred within my household!” The King flatly refused, enunciating each word. “Bring them all here. I will interrogate them myself!”

Those who dared to extend their reach into the Golden City—he would sever their hands one by one!