The crape myrtles at Su Wei Garden were still in full bloom, clusters of purple flowers displaying the thick essence of summer under the newly risen yet already scorching sunlight.

Prince Consort Wei Baoheng was currently complaining to Li Shubai: “Your Highness, as you know, it’s not that I don’t want to attend to the Princess. The truth is that I have no authority as a husband. If the Princess doesn’t summon me, how can I go over? I’d be willing to serve her tea and water, but she’d rather listen to Academic Yu from the Imperial Academy lecture about the Zhou Dynasty Rites!”

As he said this, he saw the eunuch leading Huang Zixia in, and an awkward smile appeared on his face as he raised his hand to her: “Eunuch Yang.”

“Greetings, Prince Consort Wei.” She bowed and then stood behind Li Shubai.

Li Shubai gently shifted away from that topic, only saying: “Recently, it seems there have been quite a few strange occurrences in the Princess’s mansion.”

“Yes… Wei Ximin died, I had an accident while playing polo, and now… the Princess’s most treasured Nine-Phoenix Hairpin has mysteriously disappeared.” Wei Baoheng held his forehead and sighed, “I don’t know if it’s like what those worthless Taoist priests say, that there’s something in the mansion stirring up trouble…”

Li Shubai asked: “What thing?”

“Well… the incident at Knowledge Brocade Garden.” He looked at Huang Zixia and asked, “Has Eunuch Yang also heard the rumors circulating in the mansion?”

Huang Zixia nodded and asked: “Are you referring to the incident where Doukou, who served at the Prince Consort’s side, mysteriously drowned in Knowledge Brocade Garden?”

“Yes…” He nodded silently, a flash of almost imperceptible sorrow passing through his eyes, but he immediately turned his head toward the window, looking at the purple crape myrtles blooming furiously in the sunlight. His voice maintained its usual unperturbed tone, “Since then, Knowledge Brocade Garden has been sealed off due to nightly ghost wails, but it seems that ever since strange things keep happening in the mansion… Like how the Princess dreamed her Nine-Phoenix Hairpin was missing, and then it vanished without a trace. Tell me, how could such an item disappear under such tight security? Isn’t this utterly bizarre?”

Huang Zixia nodded and said: “Indeed it is, it seems impossible no matter how you look at it.”

“So… I’ve been thinking, could it be Doukou’s vengeful spirit causing trouble.” Wei Baoheng said thoughtfully, “Perhaps only ghosts could make the Nine-Phoenix Hairpin suddenly disappear under such circumstances.”

“Prince Consort Wei, do you think Doukou, who served you faithfully for over a decade since childhood, would be saddened to hear you call her a ghost?” Huang Zixia asked.

Wei Baoheng froze for a moment, then said softly: “Perhaps… if she died unjustly and painfully.”

Huang Zixia remained silent. Li Shubai then said: “Let’s set aside talk of supernatural phenomena for now. I want to ask the Prince Consort something first: where were you at noon yesterday?”

Wei Baoheng started slightly, then answered: “At noon I was in Daning District.”

“May I ask what business the Prince Consort had in Daning District?”

“Master Wuyin of Xingtang Temple in Daning District is a highly virtuous monk. Due to recent events in the mansion, I went to ask him to chant sutras for the departed.” He recalled clearly and explained, “After arranging the date with Wuyin, I walked around the temple for a while and lost track of time. When I left, I heard there had been a murder in the district. I went to take a look and saw that the Court of Judicial Review already had people investigating, so I returned to the mansion on my own.”

Huang Zixia asked: “Did the Prince Consort encounter anyone while wandering in the temple?”

Wei Baoheng shook his head and said: “It wasn’t the first or fifteenth of the month, so there were few worshippers. I walked around the back courtyard for a while but didn’t meet anyone.”

“And after that?” Li Shubai asked slowly, “Before you left Daning District to return to the mansion.”

Wei Baoheng looked at him in surprise and asked: “What does Your Highness mean…”

“Yesterday when I was returning from the office to the mansion, I saw you in Daning District,” Li Shubai didn’t conceal it, mentioning casually, “You were talking with that Lu Dicui.”

Wei Baoheng’s expression finally changed. He hadn’t expected that his conversation with Dicui in Daning District would reach their ears.

His face alternated between red and white, but he finally nodded and admitted: “Yes… previously, when I went to settle this matter, I met her once.”

“But your manner and words toward her didn’t seem like you had only met once,” Li Shubai’s tone remained cold and unsparing.

Wei Baoheng let out a long breath and said: “Indeed… after all, the Princess’s mansion has wronged her, I wanted to treat her as well as I could.”

Li Shubai coldly watched him without speaking.

“Just because I appeared in Daning District and exchanged a few words with Lu Dicui, does Your Highness believe I’m connected to Sun Laizi’s death?” He finally couldn’t hold back and hurriedly spoke in his defense, “Your Highness, do you think I would go alone to Daning District to kill a diseased wretch covered in sores? If I gave the order, that Sun Laizi could die in a hundred different ways, wouldn’t you agree?”

Li Shubai leaned back in his chair, watching Wei Baoheng who had jumped up to defend himself, without even blinking: “Prince Consort Wei, you’re overthinking. I merely wanted to say that as you are the Prince Consort of Tongchang, meeting privately with a young woman seems rather ill-considered.”

Wei Baoheng froze, then sat back down weakly and said in a low voice: “Yes… I will heed Your Highness’s guidance.”

After lingering in the Princess’s mansion for a long while, the sky was filled with colorful sunset clouds.

The Prince Consort personally saw them off at the exit of Su Wei Garden, then said somewhat anxiously: “Your Highness, please go slowly. I’ll go see if the Princess needs me.”

Li Shubai nodded and said: “Go ahead. With so many recent incidents in the mansion, you must take good care of the Princess. It’s best not to go out or meet with outsiders.”

“Yes.” Wei Baoheng responded respectfully, agreeing to everything.

Huang Zixia followed behind Li Shubai, walking along the small path to the side gate.

Prince Kui’s mansion in Yongjia District wasn’t far from the Princess’s mansion, just across from Xingning District. The Princess’s mansion was located in the Sixteen Princes’ Residences in the northeast corner of Chang’an. The southwest side gate led to various districts of Chang’an.

Seeing the brilliant sunset clouds in the sky like brocade, they both unconsciously slowed their pace, not minding that Prince Kui’s carriage was waiting for them, and walked slowly through the Princess’s mansion.

This most famous wealthy residence in Chang’an, in the evening glow, had colors of gold, jade, vermillion, and purple interweaving. The high platforms, small pavilions, winding corridors, and grand halls were like the ethereal and illusory Penglai fairy mountain or Yingzhou Island where immortals dwelt.

Yet the people living inside seemed to all have inescapable pain and melancholy. So, wasn’t such beautiful architecture and pavilions a waste?

As Huang Zixia was thinking this, she heard Li Shubai say softly: “Yesterday in Daning District was indeed bustling, just as the Prince Consort said.”

Hearing him suddenly bring up yesterday’s events, Huang Zixia turned to look at him and nodded slightly.

“When Sun Laizi died, all the relevant people were gathered in Daning District—Zhang Xingying, Lu Dicui, Lu Zhiyuan, Qian Guansuo, and… Prince Consort Wei.”

“More remarkably, everyone had a motive for murder,” Huang Zixia said.

“Yes, but I’m sure you’ve also noticed that from the beginning, the Prince Consort has been subtly directing our attention toward Doukou. What do you think his intention is?”

Huang Zixia nodded and said: “The first time we visited the Princess’s mansion, the Prince Consort deliberately drew my and Cui Shaoqing’s attention to Doukou’s portrait and poem on the wall, arousing my interest and naturally leading to the matter of Doukou’s death in the mansion.”

“But I’ve already had people inquire—the Prince Consort did indeed have a maid named Doukou who was ten years older than him,” Li Shubai stopped walking, standing on the empty stone path, and said softly, “She took care of the Prince Consort since childhood, and even when he insisted she not marry and brought her to the Princess’s mansion—last month, she drowned in the small pond in Knowledge Brocade Garden.”

Huang Zixia nodded thoughtfully and said: “Changpu told me this as well.”

“There’s one more thing you might not know.” Li Shubai looked at the lush grass before them, where summer flowers bloomed brilliantly but withered one by one under the scorching sunlight, unnoticed by anyone, “Doukou had more than ten siblings. Because her brother couldn’t afford the bride price for marriage, she was sold with a contract to the Wei household at twelve years old. She was clever and well-behaved, and the following year she was assigned to serve the then-three-year-old Prince Consort Wei. Twenty years passed, and she rose from a lowly maid to become the most important person at the Prince Consort’s side, but she had no savings because she had seven brothers who were like bloodsucking leeches, each family requiring her support.”

Huang Zixia nodded silently, listening as Li Shubai continued: “Her eldest sister was more than twenty years older than her. After she entered the Wei household as a maid, her eldest sister died in childbirth, leaving behind only one daughter named Lu Dicui.”

Huang Zixia looked up at him in surprise and asked: “Did they have any contact?”

“No. All these years, Doukou supported her brothers, always believing that brothers were her true family, while her married sister had already become part of another family—moreover, her eldest sister was so much older, and had married Lu Zhiyuan before Doukou was even born, so they rarely had chances to meet. After Dicui’s mother died in childbirth, those uncles were all lazy good-for-nothing themselves, how could they care about this orphaned daughter left by their eldest sister? I suspect Doukou might never have even met this niece.”

Huang Zixia nodded thoughtfully: “Dicui’s mother and Doukou were sisters, perhaps this niece and aunt looked somewhat alike. This might be why the Princess suddenly became unwell upon seeing her and had her beaten and driven out.”

“So Doukou’s death must be connected to the Princess.”

Huang Zixia frowned and said: “Many people saw this incident, but why did the Prince Consort deliberately tell me the easily disprovable lie about the silk scarf when first mentioning Doukou?”

“It seems you’re skilled at solving cases but unfamiliar with court affairs,” Li Shubai said flatly, “Cui Shaoqing went with you at the time. From the Princess’s unusual reaction to Dicui, the Prince Consort and Doukou must have had an extraordinary relationship. Perhaps he wanted to hint at this to you, but what need was there for the nominal Vice Director of the Court of Judicial Review, who was just going through the motions, to know about these scandals?”

Huang Zixia asked again: “Does Lu Zhiyuan know about Doukou?”

“Lu Zhiyuan’s candle contract with the Princess’s mansion had nothing to do with Doukou. For someone like him, do you think if he knew, he wouldn’t have approached Doukou for favors?” Li Shubai gazed at her, a faint smile appearing at the corner of his lips, and said: “The relationships between people are quite intriguing, aren’t they?”

Huang Zixia remained silent, and they walked on without speaking, slowly leaving the Princess’s mansion. They could see the side gate ahead, beyond which lay the residences of princes and high officials, with their deep walls and large courtyards, silent and empty.

Just as they reached the turn near the side gate, they saw someone walking past the side entrance.

Yu Xuan.

She had thought he had left long ago, yet unexpectedly he was only leaving now, and coincidentally right in front of her.

Unconsciously, her steps faltered, falling behind Li Shubai.

Yu Xuan hadn’t noticed them. He appeared to be in a daze, his usually jade-like posture showing slightly unsteady steps.

Li Shubai slowly turned back to look at her. He saw her staring blankly at Yu Xuan, her expression unclear whether it showed surprise or sorrow.

“Aren’t you curious?” Li Shubai paused, then said, “Go see what he’s holding in his hand.”

Huang Zixia agreed, then came to her senses and looked up at him in surprise.

But Li Shubai was already walking toward the carriage waiting at the gate, saying: “We’ll talk when we return to the mansion.”

Huang Zixia stood there for a moment but finally lifted her feet to follow in the direction Yu Xuan had gone.

When she was in Shu before, she had tracked criminals, and although her steps were slightly unsteady now, Yu Xuan ahead of her appeared even more troubled in mind and paid no attention to his surroundings at all.

In this twilight street corner, at this silent moment, he walked along the street between Daning District and Xingning District, while she followed far behind him, seeing that what he held in his hand was a letter.