“King of Kui Li Zi—no, evil ghost Pang Xun! Today I shall sacrifice my broken body for the Great Tang! If heaven has a spirit, I will surely ascend through corpse liberation and bless my Li Imperial clan to never perish for ten thousand years!”

When rumors were rampant throughout the capital, the weather gradually turned cold, reaching the Winter Solstice.

The Great Tang held ceremonies to worship Heaven on Winter Solstice, with elaborate and grand rituals. This year’s archery ceremony for Heaven worship still followed the tradition: the Emperor shot first, the Empress second, and the King of Kui third. So Li Shubai changed into proper attire early in the morning and headed to Daming Palace.

After seeing Li Shubai off, just as Huang Zixia was wondering what to do alone in the prince’s mansion, Zhou Ziqin arrived at her door: “Chonggu, today all the major Taoist temples in the capital are holding ceremonies. It’s quite lively! Come on, let’s go watch together!”

After a moment’s hesitation, Huang Zixia changed into men’s clothing and went out with him. Zhou Ziqin was still riding that horse Little Xia, and his horse Brushing Sand had grown familiar with it. Both horses were gentle in temperament, and they affectionately rubbed noses with each other.

The weather was gloomy and cold, showing signs of snow. The capital’s major Taoist temples each displayed their divine powers, employing various tricks during their rituals. Some specifically had handsome young Taoist priests chanting sutras, some brandished swords and breathed fire nearly burning their peach wood swords, while others performed with gongs and cymbals, tossing cymbals back and forth between two people, creating quite a spectacle…

They toured around the capital, stopping for tea and snacks four or five times along the way, and it was already afternoon.

“Chonggu, where do you want to go play? I’ll take you… Oh right, are you still the lowest-ranked eunuch? Did you receive your salary this month?”

Huang Zixia replied helplessly: “No, I’m having such a hard time now. Everyone knows I’m a woman, so it seems impossible for me to get promoted. They won’t give me my salary either. These days I’m just freeloading meals at the King of Kui’s mansion.”

“That’s what I’m saying, you should join me instead. Come be our female chief constable in Chengdu. It’s fun and eye-catching. Not only can you realize your life’s value, but you’ll also get paid monthly, twice as much as others. How about that?”

“No need. The property my parents left me is enough for a lifetime,” she sighed, warming her cold hands with her breath, and said softly, “With the King of Kui around, the clan won’t dare to seize it.”

Zhou Ziqin thought for a moment, then remembered something particularly serious and hurriedly asked: “Oh right, Chonggu, let me ask you, did Wang Yun break off the engagement?”

“I suppose so.” She didn’t want to discuss this matter and turned to walk aimlessly forward.

Zhou Ziqin followed behind her, saying glumly: “That bastard Wang Yun, where else could he find such a good woman like you? Beautiful, smart, and kind, plus you can dig up graves and examine corpses with me! After missing out on you, could he find another one like you under heaven?”

Huang Zixia wasn’t sure if he was complimenting her and could only smile bitterly. When she looked up and realized where she was, she stood still in a daze.

She was standing in front of Guangde Ward.

The place where she had made her name twelve years ago, and also, Yu Xuan’s home.

She slowly walked to the entrance of what used to be Yu Xuan’s house, standing before the low wall, and looking inside.

The place was completely different from years ago. The honeysuckle that once covered the walls was gone, leaving bare stone walls covered in moss. The pomegranate tree in the courtyard had been cut down, the bluestone slabs were covered in dust, and the small drainage ditch was clogged with garbage. The courtyard was cluttered with bamboo baskets and straw containers, making her doubt at first glance if she had found the wrong place.

Zhou Ziqin stood behind her, not understanding why she stood dazed before this courtyard for so long. He asked: “Are you looking for someone here?”

She slowly shook her head and said: “No, I just came to take a look.”

“What’s there to see?” Zhou Ziqin turned and sat on the good railing nearby, brushed off the railing for her, took out recently bought tangerines, peeled one, and shared half with her, “They’re quite sweet, here.”

Huang Zixia sat down beside him, took the tangerine ate a segment, then said softly: “This is Yu Xuan’s home.”

Zhou Ziqin suddenly made an “oh” sound, his mouth forming a surprised circle: “You still remember this place?”

She nodded: “Yes, that was the first time I helped my father solve a case.”

“If…” Zhou Ziqin looked at the small courtyard, then turned to look at her, hesitantly asking, “I mean if you could go back to when you were twelve and came here again, and that case happened again before you… would you warn your father to arrest Yu Xuan’s brother, changing Yu Xuan’s life destiny?”

“Yes.” She answered without hesitation.

Zhou Ziqin blinked in surprise, not expecting her to answer so quickly.

“Even if I wanted to change Yu Xuan’s life and change my family’s fate, the crime had already occurred. Knowing the truth in my heart, how could I deliberately ignore and endure it for the sake of future events, rather than uphold justice?” She held the tangerine, looked up at the gloomy sky-threatening snow, and slowly said, “But I would have people pay close attention to their family situation, absolutely not letting the tragedy happen again. At least, properly care for his mother, not letting her fall into madness after losing her son and eventually end her life in grief.”

Zhou Ziqin nodded seriously: “Yes, and then very importantly, very importantly, is to help Yu Xuan properly.”

Huang Zixia gazed at the sky for a long, long time before letting out a soft sigh. The weather was too cold, and her sigh diffused into faint white mist, dissipating in the gloomy air.

She spoke slowly but with absolute clarity: “No, if I could live again, I wouldn’t get to know him.”

Those beautiful times, those dreamlike girlhood days, that youth who once smiled gently in the sunset—

Let them all go.

“However… life cannot be lived again, can it?” She seemed to be talking to herself, or perhaps murmuring, as she drew in the cold air deeply, then squeezed out those things blocking her chest bit by bit, exhaling them into the air.

“Let’s go, there’s nothing left to linger over, nothing to feel sad about.” She said, slowly standing up.

Zhou Ziqin looked at her with great concern and asked: “Chonggu, what will you do from now on?”

Huang Zixia turned to look at him.

“You… broke off your engagement with Wang Yun, and Yu Xuan is dead…” he worried while eating the tangerine, frowning, though it wasn’t clear if it was from the tangerine’s sourness or psychological reasons, “Why don’t you come join me? Won’t you consider the female chief constable position?”

Huang Zixia shook her head and said: “Perhaps in the future, but right now, I still have things to do.”

“Eh? What things?” He blinked.

“My family’s wrongful case could be overturned thanks to the King of Kui. Now that such strange talismans have appeared around him, I must help him investigate the truth thoroughly.”

Zhou Ziqin patted his chest and said: “Right, the King of Kui has helped me a lot too. That set of autopsy tools was forged with his help at the Ministry of War. No question about it, count me in!”

“That’s great, with your help, we’ll surely get to the bottom of this quickly,” Huang Zixia nodded and said, “I suspect someone is using fadeabale ink to tamper with that talisman, attempting to harm the King of Kui.”

“I know about ink fading. Didn’t I help you restore the text on that paper ash before? It’s about the same principle, I can make another batch.”

“No, it’s different. This time it’s vermilion ink,” Huang Zixia frowned and said, “Vermilion ink’s formula is completely different from black ink. Your spinach juice won’t work. Moreover, the other party didn’t leave any traces on the original paper.”

“What a master… There must be techniques I don’t know about!” Zhou Ziqin’s eyes immediately lit up with excitement, “I must learn them!”

“Where do you plan to learn?” she asked.

“Follow me!” He threw all the tangerines in his arms into Little Xia’s small basket and ran with her toward the West Market.

At a mounting shop, Zhou Ziqin pointed at an old man with a goatee inside and asked: “See that old man?”

Huang Zixia looked at this old man dozing with his hands tucked in his large cotton coat and nodded.

“He’s the most famous mounting master in the capital. That spinach method, I discussed it with him after seeing it in ancient texts and figured it out together.”

Huang Zixia immediately showed deep respect: “You plan to specifically learn mounting from him for this?”

“Yes, in our coroner profession, don’t we have to keep learning until we’re old? Remember last time in the King of Kui’s consort’s case? To distinguish between Wang Ruo and Jin Nu’s handwriting, I specifically went to learn orthopedics and chopped up lots of pig trotters at the slaughterhouse.”

Zhou Ziqin pulled her into the shop. The old man slightly opened his eyes to glance at them and asked listlessly: “Young Master Zhou, what brings you here again?”

Zhou Ziqin immediately put on a fawning smile: “Uncle Yi, anyway winter is so boring, I’ve come to learn from you again today.”

The old man’s face turned ashen: “Get out! This old man has no time for you. Last time with that spinach juice you pestered me for half a year, nearly cost me my old life!”

“Don’t be like that… Don’t you want to know how to remove vermilion ink traces?”

“Need to research that with you? Too simple, white vinegar can dissolve vermilion color!” The old man gave him a side-eye.

“But white vinegar has a smell?” Zhou Ziqin wore an expression of eager pursuit of knowledge.

The old man proudly threw back his head and laughed: “Hmph… Would this old man tell you the untransmitted secret passed down through my ancestors?”

“Alright…” Zhou Ziqin said, walking to the counter with a helpless expression, and asked, “Uncle Yi, let me ask you, can your family’s method wash away vermilion ink completely clean, without leaving any trace?”

“Nonsense, absolutely clean as new! My Yi family has run this mounting shop in the capital for so many years. How could we establish ourselves here without such unique skills?”

“Really?”

“Really!” The old man craned his neck like a fighting rooster.

“Then…” Quick as lightning, he grabbed a mounted painting from nearby, whooshed it open, then took a dish of half-dried vermilion ink from the side and decisively splashed it all over.

The old man who had been leaning in his chair suddenly jumped up, snatched the painting now dripping bright red, and trembled all over with anger, nearly crying: “Zhan Ziqian… Zhan Ziqian’s Reclining Horse…”

Huang Zixia stepped forward to look at the painting, and indeed it was Zhan Ziqian’s original work. Although the horse was reclining beneath mountain rocks, it had an air of being ready to leap up, the spirit vivid and dynamic, truly a master’s work. Unfortunately, now that Zhou Ziqin had splashed a dish of vermilion on it, the horse looked as if it was covered in blood, truly a pitiful sight.

“How… how did you grab that one so precisely? Huh?” The old man nearly went mad with anger, his mustache bristling as he glared, almost ready to tear Zhou Ziqin apart, “Those paintings by Scholar Wang and Minister Liu next to it, you could splash a hundred of those and it wouldn’t matter! But you splash Zhan Ziqian, you splash… I’ll let you splash…”

The old man grabbed a scroll from nearby and brought it down on Zhou Ziqin’s head. As Zhou Ziqin ran around a pillar in the shop, covering his head, he asked: “Didn’t you say it could be cleaned completely without leaving any trace?”

“I… my method takes at least three days! But someone’s coming to collect the painting today!” The old man shouted hysterically between gasps, “Besides, this is Zhan Ziqian! If even a fingernail-sized piece gets damaged while treating it, killing a hundred rascals like you wouldn’t make up for it!”

“Fine… who’s the owner? At most, I’ll use my influence to make them come three days later to collect it.”

“Pah! You little second-generation nobleman want to throw your weight around? The owner is a prince!”

“…At most I’ll kneel at their door and beg for forgiveness with thorns on my back.” Zhou Ziqin had no shame and immediately responded, “By the way, which prince?”

“Prince Zhao!”

“Should have said so earlier. I have some connection with Prince Zhao. I’ll go tell him now to come collect it two days later,” Zhou Ziqin said, as he was about to walk out, he turned back to ask, “It can be fixed in three days? Then I’ll come to observe…”

“Get out!” The old man’s anger blazed, and he directly swung a scroll at him.

Covering the large bump on his head, Zhou Ziqin scurried out of the mounting shop.

Huang Zixia followed behind him, feeling somewhat helpless: “Ziqin, you can’t be so reckless in the future.”

“Eh, wasn’t I doing this to help the prince?” Zhou Ziqin covered his bump, still excited, “Look, now we’ve discovered a way to remove vermilion ink. Haven’t I solved an important problem for you?”

“Impossible,” Huang Zixia shook her head, “They absolutely wouldn’t risk taking three days to tamper with that talisman. If they did that, what if the King of Kui checked it within a day or two? Wouldn’t that cause problems?”

“…Fine, did I get beaten up for nothing?” Zhou Ziqin grumbled pitifully.

Huang Zixia was still pondering when she looked up and found they had arrived at the Lu family’s incense and candle shop.

Today being Winter Solstice, the shop was packed with customers. They stood outside and saw Zhang Xingying’s elder brother and sister-in-law so busy they could barely turn around, so they didn’t go in to chat, just looked for a moment before leaving.

“Come to think of it… although Dicui had an unfortunate fate, at least there were some bright things in her life,” Zhou Ziqin sighed and said, “Her father, and Zhang Xingying’s family whom she met, all truly cared for her.”

Huang Zixia didn’t answer, only looked back at the incense shop.

Among the endless stream of people at the shop entrance, she saw a familiar petite figure standing under a tree across from the shop, motionless.

She widened her eyes in surprise and turned to walk toward that petite figure.

However, the crowd in the street blocked her way, the shoulder-to-shoulder throng pushing her back two steps instead. When she steadied herself and looked that way again, the person was gone.

She anxiously searched through the crowd but found nothing.

Zhou Ziqin asked: “What are you looking at?”

“Dicui… I saw a woman’s figure at the incense shop entrance, looking very much like Dicui!” she said softly.

“Huh? No way, no way?” Zhou Ziqin stood on tiptoe, looking around. But finally gave up, saying dejectedly, “There’s no one. You must have seen wrong.”

“Maybe…” was all she could say.

After all, Dicui was still a wanted criminal, how could she dare return to the capital?

Seeing the sky grow dark, Zhou Ziqin accompanied Huang Zixia toward Yongjia Ward. Before reaching the King of Kui’s mansion, scattered snow had begun to fall slowly. There were fewer people here, so they urged their horses forward, arriving at the mansion gates.

Before she could dismount, someone who had been standing at the gate hurriedly ran down the steps, stamping his feet and saying: “Oh my, Miss Huang, you’re finally back!”

It was the mansion’s young eunuch Lu Yunzhong, who was always chattering, speaking quickly and urgently: “The prince sent word from the palace saying there’s a banquet at Daming Palace tonight. Last year when the palace was busy and chaotic, Prince Zhao fell asleep drunk inside the palace gates, and wasn’t discovered until nearly dawn, resulting in a serious illness! This year it’s snowing again, so the palace has specially ordered each mansion to send someone to wait in attendance, to prevent the princes from getting drunk and causing such trouble again!”

Huang Zixia dismounted and walked under the eaves, brushing snow from her body: “The prince wants me to wait in attendance at the palace?”

“That’s right, you should quickly change back into your previous eunuch clothes… oh right, the fox fur coat that was just tailored a few days ago, the prince wants you to wear it.” He thrust the clothes at her without further discussion.

Huang Zixia smiled wryly as she sent Zhou Ziqin away first, then changed clothes and put on the fox fur coat. The carriage was already waiting at the gate. Lu Yunzhong pushed and urged her to get in.

Huang Zixia looked at the sky and said: “It’s still early, the banquet must have just started, I don’t think it will end before midnight.”

“Still need to hurry and wait there, what if the prince needs attendance?”

The carriage braved wind and snow, heading toward Daming Palace. Fortunately, Yongjia Ward wasn’t far from Daming Palace, and after a short while, they saw the palace’s tall walls.

Tonight’s banquet was indeed set in Qifeng Pavilion as the Emperor had planned earlier. While at Xiangluan Pavilion, female musicians and dancers were arranged. Huang Zixia got off the carriage at Wangxian Gate, where the scattered snow had stopped. She felt grateful as she followed a eunuch carrying a red gauze palace lantern, crossed Dragon Head Canal, entered Zhaoxun Gate, passed the East Court Hall, and along the long Dragon Tail Path, step by step climbing the five-zhang-high Qifeng Pavilion.

The majestic Hanyuan Hall stood in the center. Qifeng and Xiangluan pavilions extended east and west like phoenix wings, protecting the court. After renovation, Hanyuan Hall and its twin towers were magnificent in the bright lights, like a celestial palace.

Huang Zixia removed her fox fur coat and entered Qifeng Pavilion through a side door, seeing the King of Kui’s seat placed right below the Emperor’s. She moved inconspicuously along the wall, as everyone was watching the dance at Xiangluan Pavilion, no one noticed. Only when she quietly sat down behind Li Shubai did he turn to look at her, slightly furrowing his brow and asking softly: “Didn’t I tell you to wear more?”

She took the wine pot from a palace maid’s hands, kneeling beside him to pour wine, and said quietly: “I did, it’s warm inside, I just took it off.”

He took the wine cup, discreetly touched the back of her hand with his own, and only nodded slightly after feeling it wasn’t particularly cold.

Huang Zixia stood up to attend behind him, joining everyone in watching the performance opposite.

Across the way, Xiangluan Pavilion faced them from a hundred paces away through scattered snow. Brightly lit, with flying arches, the singers’ voices were ethereal and distant, perfect at this distance. A thousand candles inside the hall illuminated the golden splendor of the wall decorations and embedded treasures.

All doors and windows of Xiangluan Pavilion had been removed, and in the palace-like building, amidst floating celestial music, a hundred dancing girls performed together in the transparent pavilion, like a spring night in Chang’an causing peonies to bloom brilliantly, dazzling and magnificent, a flourishing world of flowers.

Huang Zixia watched casually, feeling that despite all the grand arrangements, it wasn’t as good as the “Rainbow Feather Dress Dance” choreographed by Lan Dai. Her gaze swept around the great hall, across from the King of Kui were King E Li Run and Prince Zhao Li Yan, who were also turning to watch outside.

Her gaze fell on Li Run, slightly surprised. Like Li Shubai and Li Yan, he wore a purple brocade robe, but the color seemed somewhat darker than others’ in the lamplight. Yet the brocade color should certainly be the same.

She then looked at Prince Zhao Li Yan, only to discover he wore a plain gauze inner garment, while King E Li Run wore a dark inner garment, slightly visible at the collar and sleeves, making his purple outfit less vibrant, along with the cinnabar dot between his brows appearing dim.

Her gaze fell on Li Shubai again, seeing he also wore a plain gauze inner garment, the same attire that on him was like early snow reflecting rosy clouds, surpassing all the assembled nobles.

She couldn’t help but smile slightly, turning her attention back to the dance performance. The snow had completely stopped, and the performance was also reaching its end, with urgent strings and numerous pipes, swirling skirts, even all the candles in the pavilion seemed moved by the dancing airflow, their flames tilting to the side.

With the final beat, the performance ended. All the court dancers bowed gracefully, the candles extinguished one by one, and in the remaining light, the dancers, singers, and musicians filed out in sequence, leaving only two or three palace lanterns hanging under the eaves opposite.

The doors and windows of Qifeng Pavilion closed one by one, and soon the warmth from the lights and incense burners made it as warm as spring inside. The warmth and wine made the royal relatives and court officials excited, each raising their cups to toast the Emperor, the hall filled with harmony between ruler and ministers.

Huang Zixia stood behind Li Shubai, watching these people from a distance. Although she hadn’t had dinner, she wasn’t hungry at all after having four or five tea breaks with Zhou Ziqin in the afternoon, just waiting for the banquet to end so she could return early. Her gaze swept across the people in the pavilion, noticing that after three rounds of drinks, most showed signs of intoxication, except for King E Li Run, who seemed distracted, often spacing out between toasts, his expression quite unusual.

Li Shubai also noticed his abnormality and raised his cup in greeting. Li Run saw this and casually raised his cup in return, but his gaze was unfocused, drinking that cup with great difficulty.

Amidst the noisy atmosphere, Huang Zixia faintly heard the time being called outside marking the second watch. Li Run finished the cup in his hand and slowly stood up to walk out.

King E’s attendants had also arrived and were standing behind him, quickly moving forward to support him. However, he raised his hand indicating they needn’t follow, walking alone toward the door. Huang Zixia assumed he was going to change clothes, so she turned her attention back to watching Li Shubai.

Li Shubai had good alcohol tolerance; although he had drunk the most except for the Emperor, he still appeared completely normal. The Emperor was already somewhat drunk, his eyelids drooping, yet still beckoning Li Shubai to come talk: “Fourth Brother, I hear the matter of the seventy-two pagodas has been resolved?”

“Yes, everything was arranged yesterday. Rich merchants from various prefectures and counties competed to build pagodas to welcome the Buddha’s relics, making the Ministry of Works’ bidding site quite lively.”

“Good, Fourth Brother, the court needs talented people like you!” The Emperor patted his arm, but after the praise, his face darkened, “But have you thought about it? These seventy-two pagodas, seventy-two great merits, with your arrangement, are no longer mine, but count toward those merchants building the towers! It was I who wanted to welcome the Buddha’s relics to the capital, how did these merits get distributed to them?”

“Your Majesty, you’re drunk,” Li Shubai said calmly, “This world is Your Majesty’s world, the Buddha’s relics will be enshrined in the palace temple for Your Majesty to worship. Your Majesty’s grace extends to all people, the merits of all under heaven are Your Majesty’s merits. Even if some sand slips through the fingers, it all contributes to building the court’s tower for the masses. How can there be talk of dividing merits?”

The Emperor nodded, savoring his words, showing a slight smile, saying: “Fourth Brother speaks truly, this world is my world, the common people are but ants, all running around for me, hardly worth mentioning…”

Before he finished speaking, a sudden scream came from outside the tightly closed pavilion doors.

Everyone in Qifeng Pavilion was startled, not yet knowing what had happened, but outside was already in chaos, with someone shouting: “King E!”

Others cried out: “Quick, go help!”

Someone else hurried into the hall, quickly walked to the imperial presence and knelt down, urgently saying: “Your Majesty, King E, he… he’s in Xiangluan Pavilion…”

Li Shubai looked at the Emperor, who was still half-drunk and confused about what was happening, so he said: “This brother will go look.”

He immediately stood up and walked quickly outside.

Huang Zixia hurriedly followed out, and by the time she reached the hall entrance, Li Shubai was already standing at Qifeng Pavilion’s railing, looking toward Xiangluan Pavilion opposite.

Regardless of the cold wind outside, eunuchs and guards had thrown open Qifeng Pavilion’s doors and windows. Everyone saw King E Li Run standing on the railing at the back of Xiangluan Pavilion.

Looking across the hundred paces, his face was pale, the crimson cinnabar dot between his brows no longer clear, but that face and figure were undoubtedly King E Li Run.

He had somehow climbed onto the railing of Xiangluan Pavilion, standing motionless in the cold wind. The bitter wind blew scattered snowflakes from the ground, speckling his purple robe and clinging to his hair.

Sudden cries erupted from Qifeng Pavilion, with some shouting: “King E, you absolutely must not!”

“Your Highness, you’re drunk, please be careful!”

Li Run seemed deaf to the commotion from this side, only watching the chaotic crowd.

Li Shubai turned his head to find Wang Yun beside him and asked: “Is anyone still in Xiangluan Pavilion?”

Wang Yun frowned and said: “No one. After the performance ended and everyone withdrew, all personnel came to this side, it’s completely empty now.”

Li Shubai frowned and asked: “How can such a large hall be left unguarded?”

“Most guards are below, only dozens came up, and since His Majesty and important officials are all on this side, naturally everyone is guarding this side, with no one attending to the empty hall over there.” As Wang Yun spoke, he glanced at Huang Zixia, his expression complex, seeming to want to say something but holding back.

Huang Zixia felt slightly awkward, not knowing what to do, when Li Run across the way suddenly shouted: “Nobody come closer! If you take one more step, I’ll jump!”

The guards who were about to rush over could only stop in their tracks.

Li Run stood on the railing behind Xiangluan Pavilion, raised his hand, pointing at Li Shubai, his voice trembling but absolutely clear. He said: “Fourth Brother… No! King of Kui Li Zi—you scheme and plot, corrupting the court. Today, I Li Run die because you coerced me into a corner!”

Li Shubai heard his fierce rebuke but stood motionless in the night wind, watching Li Run opposite.

The night wind whirled snow fragments, sticking to Li Shubai’s hair and skin, cold as needles, melting into a bone-chilling cold that penetrated his body.

Countless points of cold forced into his marrow, rendering him momentarily immobile.

Li Run’s words instantly reminded everyone of the capital’s rumors. All eyes gathered on Li Shubai.

Standing behind him, Huang Zixia clearly saw his face turn ashen in an instant, and the desperate hatred in his eyes. Her heart involuntarily clenched, an icy chill spreading across her chest—

She never imagined the fatal first strike would come from King E Li Run.

From this youth who always smiled gently with a distant expression, from the Seventh Brother closest to Li Shubai, from this King E Li Run who just days ago had asked them to investigate the truth of his mother’s murder.

Li Shubai stood outside Qifeng Pavilion, watching Li Run in Xiangluan Pavilion opposite, his voice still steady though his breathing was somewhat hurried: “Seventh Brother, I don’t know how I’ve offended you to cause such suspicion. Come down first, and I’ll explain everything to you slowly.”

“Explain? Haha…” He threw back his head and laughed, appearing mad, “King of Kui, you think I don’t know what kind of person you are? Since you returned from campaigning against Pang Xun, you’ve become a completely different person! You’re not King of Kui Li Zi, you’re an evil ghost possessed by Pang Xun! If I don’t die today, falling into your hands would be worse than death!”

Li Shubai pressed his hands on the railing, his palms unconsciously tightening, gripping so hard the veins on the backs of his hands visibly bulged. He shouted at Li Run: “Whatever the case, Fourth Brother, calm down first and come down from there!”

“King of Kui Li Zi—no, evil ghost Pang Xun! Today I shall sacrifice my broken body for the Great Tang! If heaven has a spirit, I will surely ascend through corpse liberation and bless my Li Imperial clan to never perish for ten thousand years!” As he spoke, he pulled out a large stack of white paper from his chest, covered in identical black characters, though too distant to read clearly.

He scattered all the papers in his hand into the air, the night wind carrying them away like a sudden snowstorm.

“The things you once gave me, today I burn them all before you, to sacrifice our past friendship!”

The flame of his torch flared, and he took one last look at Li Shubai. The torch’s bright light illuminated the twisted and eerie smile on his face. He cried out harshly: “The Great Tang will fall, mountains and rivers will collapse, court and country will be in chaos, disaster rises from the King of Kui!”

As the final words “King of Kui” left his mouth, his body leaned backward, and he fell from the palace railing into the night sky.

Only the torch fell to the ground, erupting into a great fire, a sheet of flames.

On Xiangluan Pavilion, King E Li Run’s figure was no more.

Li Shubai immediately ran madly toward Xiangluan Pavilion.

Wang Yun, recently reassigned to the Imperial Guards, ordered those around him: “Quick, go to the base of Xiangluan Pavilion!” He didn’t finish his words, but everyone understood his meaning. Both Qifeng and Xiangluan pavilions stood on five-zhang-high platforms; the King of E had no chance of survival after jumping. The Imperial Guards could only go to collect his body.

Huang Zixia followed behind Li Shubai, running through the thin snow toward that side. Li Shubai moved extremely quickly, passing the soldiers ahead, rushing to Xiangluan Pavilion.

Flames lit up Xiangluan Pavilion, black oil had been spread on the ground beforehand, making the fire rise fierce and violent. The things Li Shubai had once given him all turned to ash in the fire, except for a string of golden rosewood Buddhist beads, obtained from the Huihe Sea King and given to Li Run by Li Shubai. The wood was so hard it hadn’t yet burned through, still gleaming in the flames.

Huang Zixia ran to Xiangluan Pavilion and saw Li Shubai standing motionless before the fire.

She walked to the railing and looked down, seeing people still searching below, and frowned slightly. Turning back to see Li Shubai grief-stricken and dazed, still staring at the golden rosewood beads in the fire, she walked to his side and said softly: “My lord, contain your grief, something is amiss here.”

Li Shubai and Li Run had been closest, and now suddenly faced with this great change, even though he was usually calm and decisive, he finally couldn’t bear it, not knowing what to do. Hearing Huang Zixia’s words, he shivered slightly in the cold wind, coming back to his senses, slowly turning to look at her.

She said quietly: “Below, there’s no body of King E Li Run.”

Li Shubai’s eyelashes trembled, and he immediately turned, striding to the railing to look down.

There was thin snow on the railing, with nothing but two footprints. They looked over the railing: below Xiangluan Pavilion was a vast empty space, with Imperial Guards searching the large bluestone paved ground. However, forget about a body—they couldn’t even see a drop of blood.

Li Shubai withdrew his gaze, looking at Huang Zixia.

Both remembered what Li Run had said as he jumped—

If heaven has a spirit, I will surely ascend through corpse liberation and bless my Li Imperial clan to never perish for ten thousand years!

Down the long Dragon Tail Path, before and behind Hanyuan Hall were vast flat spaces paved with large polished bluestone slabs. To showcase Daming Palace’s magnificence and vastness, apart from stone lanterns along the paths, nothing else was placed there.

Yet in this place with no obstructions, hundreds of them watched King E Li Run leap from Xiangluan Pavilion, but he never reached the ground below.

From Xiangluan Pavilion to the ground, a distance of five zhang, he seemed to vanish in mid-air, silent and traceless, like a speck of dust flying away, smoke and clouds dispersing.

Huang Zixia followed behind Li Shubai as they quickly walked down Dragon Tail Path, seeing the panicked crowd on the vast flat ground below Xiangluan Pavilion.

The ground was covered with paper slips scattered by Li Run, some trampled into the snowy mud, others being picked up by people carefully examining the writing. Some recognized the writing but quickly threw the slips away, no one daring to read them aloud.

Huang Zixia bent down to pick up a slip, holding it up to the light of a burning pine torch nearby for a look.

On the narrow slip, a single line of chaotic characters—

The Great Tang will surely fall, court and country in chaos, disaster rises from the King of Kui

These were the same words they had seen carved on the sandalwood table in the small hall of King E’s mansion by Consort Chen.

King E Li Run had copied it countless times, scattering them now throughout the palace.

Her heart pounded violently, her hands trembling uncontrollably. She turned to see Li Shubai standing behind her, his gaze fixed on the paper slip, expression gloomy.

She tucked the slip into her sleeve, helplessly watching other slips blown by the night wind, spreading throughout Daming Palace.

Nearby, someone muttered softly: “Could it be that King E sacrificed himself for the state, so the Imperial Ancestors showed their divine power and truly lifted him to immortality in mid-air?”

Someone next to him quickly jabbed him with an elbow, and he immediately fell silent, not daring to say more.

Wang Yun came to see Li Shubai, his gaze sweeping over Huang Zixia behind him, expression slightly stiff, saying: “This official hasn’t found any trace of King E.”

Li Shubai looked around, asking: “Where are the Imperial Guards who were stationed here at the time?”

“At that time… there were no Imperial Guards posted here.” Wang Yun frowned and said, “Although by law there should be guards, this high platform is five zhang above ground with no entrances or exits, absolutely impossible for anyone to go up or down, so what use would guards below serve? Thus the system exists in name only, and for decades by custom, no one has guarded here. Tonight the Imperial Guards were all posted along Dragon Tail Path and at various entrances and exits, with no one stationed here.”

Li Shubai looked all around, then asked: “Were you the first to arrive?”

“Yes, when I led everyone here, the thin snow on this vast empty ground was undisturbed. Let alone King E’s body, there wasn’t even half a footprint.”

The Imperial Guards following Wang Yun all agreed, guaranteeing there had been no marks in the snow at the time.

Huang Zixia looked up at the platform from below. Xiangluan Pavilion was now lit up, its five-zhang-high walls smooth, covered with evenly scattered fine snow, showing no signs of any scratches.

The Emperor had arrived, standing where King E Li Run had jumped, looking down.

Li Shubai’s gaze met his exactly. The distant lights illuminated the malevolence on the Emperor’s face, the dancing flames distorting his features, making him appear for an instant like a dark and terrifying deity, looking down over the entire palace city.

The drum of the third watch echoed throughout Chang’an.

The Winter Solstice night had passed, and in the early morning hours, all carriages departed from Daming Palace.

Li Shubai and Huang Zixia sat inside their carriage, a glass lamp lit within, swaying slightly with the carriage’s movement, its light flickering unsteadily.

Huang Zixia leaned against the carriage wall, watching Li Shubai. In her ears was only the slight, mechanical sound of the carriage’s golden bells, and beyond that, Chang’an’s deathly silence of night. She felt she should say something to break this silence, yet didn’t know what she could say, so could only silently watch Li Shubai, letting the lamplight cast heavy shadows over them both.

“What must come will come, with nowhere to hide. Isn’t that so?” Li Shubai’s voice finally sounded softly, still that cold tone that bordered on indifference, deep and calm, “Only, I never imagined it would be him who would deliver this fatal blow first.”

“I think perhaps this wasn’t from King E’s true heart.” Huang Zixia took out that paper slip from her sleeve, examining it carefully, speaking slowly, “Not long ago, King E asked you to help investigate Consort Chen’s matter. If he had already planned to move against you, why would he bring up this matter then, alerting us and letting us prepare early?”

Li Shubai nodded, saying quietly: “Yes, we likely think the same—Seventh Brother perhaps, like Yu Xuan, fell victim to soul-controlling techniques. However… who would dare use King E as a blade to wound me?”

Huang Zixia looked at him but said nothing.

He too remained silent; both actually had the answer in their hearts, but were unwilling and unable to speak it.

The glass lamp swayed slowly, its flame flickering between bright and dim.

Outside the window, the wards’ lights shone in dimly, hazy and indistinct. Li Shubai changed the subject, saying: “Also, where did Seventh Brother actually go? He clearly jumped from the palace terrace before our eyes, yet how did he vanish in mid-air?”

Huang Zixia said softly: “I think there must be some mechanism—we just don’t know what yet.”

“Did we really see him standing on the railing then?”

“Yes, he really stood on the railing.” Huang Zixia raised her hand to touch her hairpin, pressing the scrollwork pattern on its head, pulling the jade pin from within the silver one, slowly drawing a concave shape on her clothes. Like a phoenix spreading its wings, the two high pavilions extending out opposite each other before Hanyuan Hall—Qifeng Pavilion and Xiangluan Pavilion—formed a “concave” shape with Hanyuan Hall.

She pointed her pin’s end at the leftmost point, recalling the scene, frowning as she said: “Qifeng Pavilion and Xiangluan Pavilion both stand on five-zhang-high platforms, with railings surrounding the entire Xiangluan Pavilion. He stood on the railing at the back, further from us—this was the first suspicious point I noticed when he took his life.”

Li Shubai nodded: “If he truly meant to denounce me and then jump to his death, he should have chosen the railing facing Qifeng Pavilion. Because there, directly facing Qifeng Pavilion, everyone would have watched him fall from the height, thus stirring more hatred and horror toward me among those present, rather than choosing the back railing where he’d disappear with one leap.”

“Right, unless he had some reason forcing him to stage this scene at the back railing. Or rather, there was something at the back railing that could be manipulated.”

“Nothing was manipulated,” Li Shubai slowly shook his head, saying, “When King E fell and we immediately rushed over, in the thin snow on the railing there was only one mark—Seventh Brother’s footprint from standing there. Nothing else left any trace.”

Huang Zixia nodded silently, her hairpin marking a second point on her clothes as she said: “The second suspicious point was that fire that blazed up before him beside Xiangluan Pavilion.”

Li Shubai threw back his head and let out a long breath, leaning against the carriage wall, saying softly: “Burning all my things before his death perfectly created a scene of severing ties.”

“I don’t believe a King E who was throwing away his life in grief and anger would think to stage such an emotional scene at that moment. Unless it helped his disappearance.”

Before Li Shubai’s eyes appeared again that string of golden rosewood Buddhist beads gleaming in the fire. Li Run had been quiet in nature and devoutly Buddhist, so when he received this item he immediately thought of his seventh brother and gave it to him, never imagining that now he wouldn’t even keep this, burning it all to nothing.

He stared blankly for a while, then said: “Moreover, those things needed to burn quickly, so he had to spread black oil on the ground to turn everything to ash in an instant.”

“And the third hypothesis has another possibility: that King E died, the moment he leaped from the terrace was his moment of death. But someone, to support the tale of ‘ascending through corpse liberation,’ hid his body. And whoever could do this must have been below Xiangluan Pavilion then, or rather, had gathered all the people before Hanyuan Hall while deliberately neglecting guards below the high platform.”

Wang Yun. The one responsible for deploying and arranging the Imperial Guards tonight.

Their thoughts turned to him simultaneously.

The Left and Right Imperial Guards responsible for Daming Palace’s defense tonight were under Wang Yun’s command. When King E Li Run jumped from Xiangluan Pavilion, he was the first to lead people searching for King E’s body behind Xiangluan Pavilion. It was also he who believed the five-zhang-high platform could absolutely have no issues, thus only stationed troops along Dragon Tail Path and at various entrances and exits. After the dancing and music stopped at Xiangluan Pavilion, all guards were withdrawn, giving King E Li Run the opportunity to enter Xiangluan Pavilion alone, leading to the tragedy.

After explaining the three suspicious points, Huang Zixia inserted the jade pin back into the silver pin in her hair, calmly looking at him, saying nothing more.

Li Shubai pondered for a long while before saying: “So now, the biggest problem before me isn’t Seventh Brother’s death, nor how he vanished and where he went after vanishing, but how I should deal with the person behind him.”

Huang Zixia nodded, her eyes holding two bright points of light in the glass lamp’s glow, watching him unblinkingly.

He opened the carriage window, listening to the hoofbeats behind, then closed it again, slowly turning to look at her, saying: “You can still leave now.”

“No, it’s too late,” she shook her head gently, saying, “Even if I left physically, my heart would be with you. Wherever I went would be the same.”

Her gaze reflected his face, clearly visible, absolutely transparent.

Li Shubai also watched her, watching the clear light in her eyes, the clear reflection of himself.

At this point, anything more would be superfluous.

The lamplight refracted multiply through the glass, creating rippling light that wavered hazily around them. Just for this moment, everything outside became void; at least they were together, this moment of tranquility keeping all approaching storms at bay.

The King of Kui’s mansion was before them.

They got down from the carriage, standing at the gate waiting for the palace carriage behind to arrive.

The arrival was Xu Fenghan, the Emperor’s most capable eunuch. He personally conveyed the Emperor’s verbal order—today the King of Kui had worked hard and might be shocked by the cold night, so he could rest at home for ten days, court matters could be handled by others, with arrangements to be made later.

With one sentence, all Li Shubai’s authority was stripped away.

Li Shubai remained very calm, ordering Jing Heng to accompany Xu Fenghan in the flower hall, and sending someone to collect the documents sent from various departments in the study, sealing them for storage at the gatehouse, ready to return to the departments early tomorrow morning. Xu Fenghan took his reward, looked at the pile of official documents in the gatehouse, secretly clicked his tongue, but dared say nothing, immediately departing by carriage.

Huang Zixia accompanied him through the nine gates, returning to Jingyu Hall.

Before the hall, pine and cypress stayed green, showing faint verdant hints under the thin snow, appearing even more elegant in the lamplight.

Huang Zixia gently squeezed his hand, saying: “It might not be a bad thing, at least you can rest a while.”

He held her hand, pausing for a long while before saying: “Indeed, it’s just returning to four years ago.”

Huang Zixia studied his expression, smiling slightly: “I don’t believe that.”

He also smiled, the night’s heavy oppression finally lightening somewhat: “Still a net of heaven and earth, still a fish in the net. Only pity that while this fish has grown fatter, its scales have also hardened.”

So whether the fisherman would net this fish, or the fish would overturn the boat, remained to be seen.

Huang Zixia’s current identity was still that of a minor palace eunuch.

However, since everyone knew Yang Chonggu had become Miss Huang, it wasn’t appropriate for her to live next to the eunuchs anymore, so she had moved to a courtyard not far from Jingyu Hall.

When she returned to her quarters, it was already the fifth watch. The night attendant Chang Yi saw her and hurried to help her draw water to wash, saying: “Yesterday was Winter Solstice, the mansion distributed money and goods, but Miss Huang, you’re still a lowest-ranked eunuch by mansion rules, so you received even less than me. Tomorrow we must quickly ask Master Jing Yi about it; New Year’s goods will be distributed soon, don’t let them give you the smallest share again!”

Huang Zixia smiled and shook her head: “We’ll see. I’m alone in the mansion, what use would I have for New Year’s goods?”

Besides, who knew if there would even be a New Year to celebrate.

Chang Yi saw she seemed very tired and said no more, only sending her to rest in her room.

Huang Zixia did feel extremely weary, but lying down she couldn’t close her eyes, only staring with open eyes at the gradually brightening sky outside, countless visions flashing before her eyes.

On King E Li Run’s ethereal face, the crimson cinnabar dot between his brows.

Those characters chaotically carved on the sandalwood table edge, then copied onto paper slips.

The slips scattered in the wind, spreading throughout Daming Palace with the scattered snow.

King E standing on the railing, turning to lean backward, vanishing into the night sky.

Threads impossible to untangle, truths impossible to verify, what had vanished in that great fire—

Huang Zixia pressed her throbbing temples, lying stiffly in bed, watching the gradually brightening sky outside, letting out a long breath.

Even if what must come would come, she couldn’t sit and wait for death, couldn’t let those spreading mysteries cover and drown her.