Coroner's Diary

"Your Majesty, Consort and Loyal Duke's heir Feng Zhang are requesting an audience outside—"

Yuan Qing entered with a peculiar expression, his tone equally strange.

Yan Huai glanced up at Yuan Qing. "Feng Zhang is here too? What is the matter?"

It was one thing for Feng Lingsu to come, but why would Feng Zhang, who held no official position, seek an audience?

Yuan Qing's lips twitched. "Well... the Consort said Heir Feng was beaten by Lord Yan Chi..."

Yuan Qing spoke with hesitation, his eyes showing both helplessness and sympathy, along with disbelief. Hearing this, Yan Huai's eyebrows shot up. "Feng Zhang was beaten? By Yan Chi?!"

Yan Huai thought he must have misheard, but Yuan Qing nodded bitterly. "Indeed."

Yan Huai raised an eyebrow. "That boy Feng Zhang has always been the one causing trouble in the capital. How come he got beaten by Yan Chi today?"

Yuan Qing continued with a pained smile, "You'll understand when you see them."

At this, Yan Huai set down his imperial brush. "Very well, I shall take a break. Let them in."

Yuan Qing nodded and hurried out to announce them. Soon, a group arrived at the hall entrance.

The first sight that met the eyes was Feng Zhang, beaten black and blue. Compared to when he was at the palace gate, Feng Zhang's clothes were now more disheveled, his hair had come loose, the blood on his face remained uncleaned, his entire face swollen purple and blue. His lips and eyes were so swollen they were barely recognizable, his nostrils stained with blood. Carried by four eunuchs, he entered the hall covered in mud and blood. The moment he entered, Feng Zhang began wailing.

"Your Majesty—I beg Your Majesty to grant me justice—"

"Your Majesty, I deserve death ten thousand times for daring to offend Lord Yan Chi."

"Before I die, I beg Your Majesty to grant me justice."

Yan Huai had heard of Feng Zhang's notorious arrogance and was well aware of the Loyal Duke's family reputation. Previously, whenever Feng Zhang came to court, he had always appeared proper and dignified. But this time, seeing Feng Zhang's miserable state, Yan Huai felt both surprised and amused. The esteemed heir of the Loyal Duke actually had such a day?!

Suppressing his laughter, Yan Huai looked further back and indeed saw Feng Lingsu following with reddened eyes.

The four eunuchs carried Feng Zhang to the center of the hall. Groaning, Feng Zhang tried to kneel but collapsed sideways before stabilizing due to his severe injuries. He simply crawled forward a couple of steps in his wounded state, his bloody tears genuine.

"Your Majesty, your humble servant pays respects. I beg Your Majesty to grant me justice!"

Meanwhile, Feng Lingsu stepped before Feng Zhang and also knelt.

"Your Majesty, I've come to beg for justice for Zhang'er. Just look at his condition—I need say no more for Your Majesty to understand how outrageously Prince Rui's heir has behaved?"

As she spoke, Feng Lingsu's tears fell like rain. Never looking her age, she appeared even more pitiful when crying. Yan Huai emerged from behind the imperial desk and helped Feng Lingsu up with affection. "Su'er, rise first. What exactly happened?"

Then he turned to Yuan Qing. "Quick, help Feng Zhang up too, and summon the imperial physicians!"Yuan Qing immediately instructed the young eunuch to summon the imperial physician and helped Feng Zhang to a nearby stool. Feng Zhang whimpered in pain at the slightest touch, prompting Feng Lingsu to burst into tears once more. "Your Majesty," she sobbed, "Zhang'er was coming to the palace today to pay his respects to me, but who could have known that at the palace gate he would encounter Qin Manor's Ninth Miss? Zhang'er recognized her and went to greet her, but after just a few words, His Highness Yan Chi arrived. He insisted that Zhang'er was harassing Ninth Miss..."

Feng Lingsu clutched Yan Huai's arm desperately. "Your Majesty, Ninth Miss is the one you personally appointed to treat the Empress Dowager's illness. No matter how immature Zhang'er might be, how could he possibly bully her? Prince Rui's heir has become too wild from his time in Shuoxi—he acts lawlessly even here in the capital! You may not govern Shuoxi, but this is the capital! How could he behave this way?!"

With tearful eyes fixed on Feng Zhang, Feng Lingsu pleaded pitifully, "Your Majesty, you've watched Zhang'er grow up since childhood. Now... now he's nearly beaten to death! You must uphold justice for Zhang'er, for your humble consort..."

Yan Huai frowned deeply. "Did Yan Chi truly attack him without provocation? This is utterly outrageous!"

Feng Lingsu nodded vigorously. "Exactly, Your Majesty! I've heard that His Highness had a notorious reputation in the western regions, but now that he's returned to the capital—and you've even granted him such a prestigious position—how can he still show such disregard for law and order? You assigned him to the Ministry of Justice! If he acts like a tyrant, assaulting people at will, how can he possibly fulfill his duties there?"

Holding Feng Lingsu close, Yan Huai nodded repeatedly. "Su'er speaks wisely. Please don't cry anymore—we're in the depths of winter, and tears will make you ill. Look at you, your face is already red from the cold."

Hearing this, Feng Lingsu immediately stifled her sobs. The tears made her eyes burn and her chilled cheeks ache. As someone who prioritized skincare above all, she couldn't risk damaging her complexion.

After a few suppressed sniffles, she composed herself. Yan Huai declared, "Yan Chi was in the wrong, and I will certainly punish him. For now, tending to Feng Zhang's injuries is most urgent."

No sooner had he spoken than Feng Zhang resumed his exaggerated moaning. He had rushed straight to Changxin Palace upon entering the palace grounds, having deliberately disheveled his hair and clothing to appear more pitiful—he hadn't even sought medical treatment yet. His only goal was to convince Yan Huai of the severity of his injuries.

Hearing his cries of pain, Yan Huai approached. "Feng Zhang? Are you still conscious?"

Feng Zhang weakly opened his eyes, which were bloodshot. "Your Majesty... just now... this humble subject thought I would be beaten to death by His Highness Yan Chi, that I'd never see you again... Your Majesty, though I may have been somewhat extravagant in daily life, that was only because you and the Noble Consort honored the Zhongguo Duke's household. But today... today I truly didn't provoke His Highness! He took offense at my bringing several guards and used that as pretext to assault me! Your Majesty, I've been wronged—"

Feng Zhang's wails grew increasingly dramatic. Yan Huai listened with a sorrowful expression. "I can see you've suffered injustice. Don't cry now—a real man doesn't solve problems with tears. When the physician arrives, we'll have you examined. If your injuries are truly serious, I will surely charge Yan Chi with a grave offense—"

Upon hearing this, Feng Zhang finally toned down his theatrical moaning and crying. Shortly after, the imperial physician entered the hall.Feng Lingsu clutched her chest, her face full of worry. "Your Majesty, Zhang'er is still so young. If he were to become permanently disabled, or... or succumb to his injuries, what would we do... Your Majesty, he's my brother's only hope, the sole heir of the Feng family."

Yan Huai gently patted Feng Lingsu's back. "I know, I know. I understand, Su'er. Don't worry, I will definitely see that justice is served for Feng Zhang." As he spoke, Yan Huai turned to Yuan Qing. "This happened at the palace gates? Go, summon the imperial guards on duty today. I want to see just how far Yan Chi's disregard for law and order has gone!"

Yuan Qing acknowledged the order and went to instruct the young eunuch to summon the imperial guards.

Meanwhile, after examining the patient, the imperial physician respectfully reported to Yan Huai, "Your Majesty, the young heir apparent has sustained only external injuries. Apart from what appears to be a minor fracture of the first rib on the left side of his chest, all other areas—his limbs and head—are unharmed. These injuries will heal completely within half a month with proper medication. The rib injury isn't serious and should heal within a month."

After the physician finished speaking, Feng Lingsu glared at him. "Are you certain? You haven't missed anything?!"

The physician continued nodding respectfully. "Yes, Your Highness Consort, the young heir apparent is truly unharmed."

Feng Lingsu kept glaring at the physician, while Yan Huai seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. "You see, it's nothing serious. There's no need to worry."

At these words, Feng Lingsu began crying again. "But Your Majesty, Zhang'er is so badly injured, he's lost so much blood. How can you say it's nothing serious? Look at him, beaten so pitifully..."

Upon hearing that he was fine, Feng Zhang felt relieved internally but had no intention of letting Yan Chi off easily.

"Physician, my head feels heavy and dizzy, I feel terribly uncomfortable..."

Hearing this, the physician went over to examine Feng Zhang's head again. After looking carefully, even combing through every strand of Feng Zhang's hair, he still shook his head. "Young heir apparent, please don't worry. Perhaps the dizziness is due to blood loss. There are no injuries on your head at all—it must be that the person who struck you didn't actually intend to harm you seriously."

Feng Zhang felt a lump of frustration stuck in his throat. Was this physician actually taking Yan Chi's side?!

"I... I'm in pain, my whole body hurts. I think I can't see anymore..."

The physician sighed. "Heir apparent, your face is still covered in blood that hasn't been cleaned. Once it's cleaned, you'll be fine. I've already checked—while the area around your eyes is bruised, your eyeballs themselves are completely unharmed."

Feng Zhang gritted his teeth, about to say more, but Yan Huai interjected, "That's good then. You may go prepare the prescription now and immediately prepare medicine for the young heir apparent. I'll watch you administer it later."

The physician accepted the order and respectfully withdrew.

Feng Lingsu quickly cried out, "Your Majesty, even so, Prince Chi has gone too far. We're truly fortunate this time—otherwise Zhang'er could have been disabled or even lost his life! How could I ever face my brother if that happened?" She began wiping her tears again.

Yan Huai reached out to wipe Feng Lingsu's tears. "I understand what you mean, but we must wait until I get to the bottom of this matter. What if Yan Chi's actions were even worse than what you've described? Wouldn't I be failing in my duty if I overlooked that?"

Hearing this, Feng Lingsu's heart tightened. Yan Chi couldn't have been worse than what they claimed—once the imperial guards arrived, it would become clear that Feng Zhang had offended the Qin family's Ninth girl first. At that moment... Feng Lingsu's heart clenched. "Well, Your Majesty..."Yan Huai grasped Feng Lingsu's hand, "Don't panic or rush. Now that we know Feng Zhang isn't seriously injured, stay with me to clarify today's incident. We'll summon Yan Chi later and punish him in your presence."

Having no alternative, Feng Lingsu was pulled by Yan Huai to sit nearby. Shortly after they took their seats, the imperial guards on duty at the palace gate arrived. After they bowed, Yan Huai asked, "You're all aware of what happened outside the palace gate earlier, correct?"

The chief and deputy guard captains on duty at the gate that day both nodded simultaneously, not daring to conceal anything.

Yan Huai continued, "Good. Then before the Noble Consort, explain how today's dispute began and how it escalated to violence. It would be best if you could recount in detail everything that was said by all parties involved."

At these words, the two guard captains showed signs of hesitation. Yan Huai's phoenix eyes narrowed slightly, "Do not conceal anything."

Just these four words made sweat bead on the foreheads of the two captains. They exchanged a glance, and the chief captain cleared his throat, "Your Majesty, today's incident involves Ninth Miss of Qin Manor. At the time, Ninth Miss had just finished treating the Empress Dowager and was heading toward the palace gate. As soon as she exited, she encountered the heir apparent. The heir apparent brought his men... brought his men..."

The speaking captain hesitated in his tone. Yan Huai looked at him calmly, "Speak frankly. Both I and the Noble Consort are fair-minded. If you withhold information, you know the consequences."

The captain's expression turned serious, and he no longer showed any hesitation, "The heir apparent brought his men and stopped Ninth Miss's party. We quickly noticed the commotion outside since we were nearby. We heard the heir apparent demand that Ninth Miss treat him, to which she replied that he indeed had an illness, but it was one she couldn't cure, saying his sickness was in his skull."

"The heir apparent paused, then realized Ninth Miss was implying he had a mental disorder, and became angry immediately. At that moment, Ninth Miss's maid did something, and the heir apparent said... said he wanted to arrest the maid..."

"You—you're lying—" Feng Zhang, slumped in his chair, inwardly panicked upon hearing this and hurriedly defended himself, "I only meant to warn that maid! I had good intentions to praise Ninth Miss's medical skills, but she interrupted me, and the maid joined in. I wouldn't dare offend Ninth Miss, but can't I even warn a maid?"

After Feng Zhang finished, Yan Huai said calmly, "There's no need for you to explain. I will judge fairly. Aren't you severely injured? Since your injuries are serious, it would be better for you to rest and conserve your energy by not speaking."

Feng Zhang sensed a warning in Yan Huai's tone and could say no more.

Yan Huai then looked at the guard captain, "Continue—"

Understanding Yan Huai's intent, the captain promptly recounted everything he had seen and heard. These guards, having faced difficulties from Feng Zhang at the palace gate before, and given that Feng Zhang had indeed been bullying a defenseless woman with his numerical advantage, the captain reported Feng Zhang's offensive remarks verbatim while omitting most of Yan Chi's sharp retorts."After hearing the heir's words, His Highness Yan Chi grew even more furious. He stated that the Emperor had always treated Prince Rui's residence with great favor and could never have such intentions, accusing Heir Feng of falsely implicating the Emperor. The heir then deliberately had his subordinates seize Yan Chi, but then he said... he said the Northwest Frontier Army in the west was Prince Rui's private troops—"

Yan Huai listened with an indifferent expression. "And then?"

The guard captain straightened his posture. "Then the Crown Prince asked three questions: about military discipline in the Northwest Frontier Army, the consequences of disrespect towards superiors, disrespect towards the commander, and finally, disrespect towards the Emperor. Yan Chi's guards answered each in turn. The heir then claimed he was only referring to Yan Chi and Prince Rui, adding that if Yan Chi laid hands on him, he would have the Emperor punish Yan Chi. By then, Yan Chi was enraged. Upon hearing this, he ordered his men to attack."

"When the heir was beaten, the Feng residence guards dared not intervene. The heir continued shouting insults. I already sensed trouble and stepped in to stop it. Yan Chi initially intended to bypass the heir and ask if he admitted his wrongdoing, but the heir called him... a son of a bitch... So Yan Chi didn't halt the beating. Eventually, the heir was struck so severely he fell to the ground and yielded."

Though Feng Zhang found no obvious bias in the guard captain's account favoring Yan Chi, something felt off. Not only had Yan Chi spoken arrogantly, but he'd also acted utterly disgracefully, with no redeeming qualities.

Yan Huai listened and asked again, "And then?"

"Then, seeing the heir continuously crying out in pain, Yan Chi ordered us to bring him to the palace for imperial physicians, warning the heir never to repeat such vile acts. That was all."

After the guard captain finished respectfully, Yan Huai remained silent for a moment before nodding. "Dismissed."

The two bowed and withdrew, leaving the hall empty. Feng Lingsu grabbed Yan Huai's arm. "Your Majesty, did you hear? Prince Rui's Heir truly holds no respect for Zhang'er, ordering his men to brutally beat him..."

Yan Huai glanced at Feng Zhang. "Why should he respect Feng Zhang?"

Feng Lingsu froze. Yan Huai's expression darkened. "Over a dozen grown men ganging up on a young girl? No wonder Yan Chi called him trash. If not for Yan Chi, what would have happened to the Qin family's Ninth Girl today?"

Withdrawing his arm from Feng Lingsu's grasp, Yan Huai continued, "Even Yan Chi knows Ninth Girl is treating the Empress Dowager and must not be offended. Yet Feng Zhang remains ignorant?!"

As Yan Huai's temper flared, Feng Lingsu was stunned. She knew clearly that during tender moments, Yan Huai might indulge her pillow talk, but when truly angered, not even her tears could sway him.

Meanwhile, Feng Zhang was also dumbfounded. "Your Majesty... Your Majesty... I merely..."

"Merely what?!" Yan Huai snapped coldly. "You've long disgraced the Loyal Duke's residence and the Noble Consort with your misdeeds in the capital, but today you dared target the Qin family's Ninth Girl?! Do you think a young girl is easy to bully, or that the Empress Dowager's health is insignificant?!"

Feng Zhang's throat tightened. He scrambled from his chair, kneeling on the floor—no longer slumped weakly as before. "Your Majesty, please see clearly! This humble subject would never dare harbor such thoughts! It was only... only at that moment...""Moreover, you dare to drive a wedge between Us and Prince Rui's royal residence?! Yan Chi was right—what contributions has your ducal house or you, Feng Zhang, made to the Great Zhou? How dare you recklessly criticize Prince Rui and the Northwest Frontier Army? And you, Feng Zhang, even presume to know Our thoughts? You speak on Our behalf?!"

Upon hearing this, Feng Zhang's face turned pale, and he immediately prostrated himself, kowtowing. "This humble subject wouldn't dare, wouldn't dare! I merely... merely acted impulsively without thinking clearly... The Northwest Frontier Army has been in the west for years, solely under Prince Rui's command, so it's inevitable that... I was foolish. I beg Your Majesty to spare me—I will never dare again."

Seeing this, Feng Lingsu hurriedly knelt on the ground with tear-filled eyes. "Your Majesty..."

As soon as she spoke, Yan Huai raised his hand to stop her. "Today's matter is indeed Feng Zhang's fault. Although Yan Chi had someone beat you, it was measured. Therefore, you did not suffer this beating unjustly."

Feng Lingsu looked at Yan Huai as if wanting to say more, but Yan Huai continued, "Yan Chi was also wrong to resort to violence. However, We will address these matters later. For now, Noble Consort, take Feng Zhang and leave. Whether to tend to his wounds or lament, do not disturb Us further with such absurdities."

"Your Majesty..." Feng Lingsu whimpered softly. "Yes... Your servant understands. Your servant takes her leave."

Feng Lingsu rose and glanced at the eunuchs waiting at the palace entrance of Changxin Palace. "Why aren't you quickly supporting the heir apparent?"

Several eunuchs stepped forward and helped Feng Zhang to his feet. Feng Lingsu bowed once more before leading Feng Zhang away.

Yan Huai stood and returned behind the imperial desk. After a long moment, his eyes narrowed slightly.

Glancing at Yuan Qing, Yan Huai asked, "What is your view?"

Yuan Qing hesitated briefly before responding, "Although the heir apparent was at fault, His Highness Yan Chi also acted improperly. That said, the heir apparent's error was greater, but... overall, both were in the wrong."

Yan Huai chuckled. "You certainly know how to equivocate."

Yuan Qing smiled. "The rights and wrongs are all clear in Your Majesty's heart."

Yan Huai lightly tapped the desk twice. "A minor matter. It is Yan Chi, capable of making mistakes, who pleases Us more."