The hunting event scheduled for the second day was supposed to resume, but Fu Desheng’s death the previous night had cast another shadow over the camp. As a result, the second day’s hunt was postponed once again.
Shortly after daybreak, Liu Yun, who had collapsed from illness, regained consciousness. As his senses returned, he recalled Fu Desheng’s death the night before. Immediately, he summoned the guards and interrogated them fiercely. Upon learning that Fu Desheng’s body had been placed in a tent, Liu Yun hurried there without delay.
At the entrance to the tent, guards dispatched by Yan Chi stood watch. Seeing Liu Yun approach, they dared not stop him. While allowing Liu Yun to enter, one guard went to inform Yan Chi. As soon as Liu Yun stepped inside, he saw Fu Desheng’s rigid body. His eyes reddened slightly, and for a moment, he staggered, barely staying upright with the support of a guard.
“Your Highness, you must not let anger consume you again. After your collapse last night, the imperial physician warned that your condition has worsened. If you do not control your emotions, it will only deteriorate further. With the Grand General gone, you are our pillar of strength.”
The guard’s earnest words stirred complex emotions in Liu Yun. Fu Desheng had accompanied him here, and now he had died far from home on Great Zhou’s soil. Moreover, with the strange occurrences during this hunt, Great Zhou could not evade responsibility. It was impossible for Liu Yun not to feel enraged! Besides, Fu Desheng had been one of his supporters in Western Liang. With his death, military authority would surely be reclaimed. How could Liu Yun, weakened and isolated, seize any opportunity upon returning to Western Liang?
The more Liu Yun thought about it, the angrier he became, still wishing it were all just a nightmare.
It had been a perfectly normal banquet. Fu Desheng had only gone to fetch his medicine—how could he have ended up dead?!
As these thoughts raced through his mind, footsteps sounded outside the tent. The flap lifted, and Yan Chi entered. Liu Yun turned and glared at him fiercely. “A whole night has passed! Your Highness, I wonder if you can give me an explanation now?”
Yan Chi understood Liu Yun’s fury. “The culprit has not yet been found.”
His blunt reply only fueled Liu Yun’s anger. “The culprit hasn’t been caught?! Your Highness intends to dismiss this with just a few words?”
Yan Chi continued calmly, “We have increased patrols by the imperial guards in the camp to ensure everyone’s safety. Whether it’s Crown Prince Tuoba’s matter or General Fu’s, I will continue the investigation. Your Highness need not worry—there will be results.”
Taking in Yan Chi’s stern expression, Liu Yun sneered coldly. He had long heard of Yan Chi’s reputation as the Demon King and knew Yan Chi would never regard him seriously. After a moment’s thought, Liu Yun strode out of the tent and headed straight for Yan Huai’s main tent. It was still early, and Yan Huai had only just risen when Liu Yun arrived.
Upon hearing that both Liu Yun and Yan Chi were there, Yan Huai hurried to the front hall to receive them. The moment Liu Yun entered, he demanded, “Your Majesty, a full night has passed. Why has the person you assigned failed to uncover any clues?”
Yan Huai glanced at Yan Chi, entirely unruffled by Liu Yun’s accusatory tone. He replied evenly, “I understand your distress, Third Prince, but the culprit is no ordinary person. Investigating this thoroughly requires time. We began our inquiries immediately last night and have not treated the matter lightly in any way. You may rest assured—given time, we will uncover the truth.”Liu Yun sneered repeatedly, "Give time? How much time should be given? Tuoba Hong has been lying down for several days, and there is still no resolution to his case?!" As he spoke, Liu Yun's expression turned mocking, "Of course, Tuoba Hong didn't die—he was saved. But now it's our Western Liang's general who is dead. Your Majesty, the deceased is from Western Liang. I demand that priority be given to investigating General Fu's death..."
Yan Huai and Yan Chi exchanged a glance. Yan Huai said, "How does the Third Prince know that General Fu's death and the attempt on Crown Prince Tuoba's life weren't committed by the same person?"
Liu Yun was taken aback, momentarily speechless. After a pause, he retorted, "The same person? Why would the culprit harm Northern Wei and then target Western Liang?! Unless... the culprit is from Great Zhou?!"
Yan Huai frowned slightly, feeling that Liu Yun was likely blinded by rage. He replied helplessly, "Third Prince, why not consider what benefit the Zhou people would gain from such actions? Last night, the incident was sudden. The culprit clearly didn't specifically target General Fu's life. Unfortunately, General Fu acted alone last night, and we don't know what he encountered."
As they spoke, Yan Che, Yan Qi, and others arrived outside the tent, having heard that Liu Yun had caused a scene at Yan Huai's tent. Everyone entered the main tent together. Seeing so many people arrive, Liu Yun grew even more furious. "Your Majesty need not placate me with excuses. This is Great Zhou's hunting camp, guarded by so many imperial troops, yet such a bloody incident still occurred within the camp. If this had happened in Western Liang, it would be our shame!"
Liu Yun's tone was hostile. Yan Qi frowned slightly and said, "Third Prince, please watch your words!"
Yan Huai raised a hand to stop Yan Qi. Facing Liu Yun's anger, Yan Huai remained remarkably calm. Firstly, as the Emperor of Great Zhou, a few disrespectful remarks from Liu Yun couldn't shake him. Secondly, he understood Liu Yun's position and didn't want to further provoke him and make the situation harder to control. "Third Prince, please calm your anger. This incident occurred in Great Zhou, and it is indeed our failure in defense and protection. However, what's done is done. Now, uncovering the truth is paramount. Otherwise, how can General Fu rest in peace?"
Liu Yun lifted his chin defiantly. "Fine! Then I ask Your Majesty to give me a definite answer in front of everyone. How many days? How many days will it take to find the culprit? This is Great Zhou—I cannot wait indefinitely. The murderer is in this camp! I refuse to believe that in a place gathered with Great Zhou's elite troops, a mere killer cannot be uncovered!"
Yan Huai pressed his lips together and looked at Yan Chi, who nodded in response. Yan Huai then said solemnly, "Very well. I will give you a deadline. Three days. In three days, I will deliver the culprit to you!"
Upon hearing this, the Great Zhou officials all wore serious expressions. Liu Yun, however, broke into a smile. "Good! Your Majesty's word is as good as gold. Three days it is. If the culprit isn't found in three days, I will immediately take General Fu's body back to Western Liang. Great Zhou may be prosperous and militarily powerful, but dealing with the Rong invaders already requires massive annual investments. Adding Western Liang to the mix surely won't be easy!"Liu Yun's voice carried anger, his words forceful. His meaning was clear: if the murderer wasn't found within the deadline, Western Liang would send cavalry against Great Zhou. This was Liu Yun's furious threat, yet it wasn't an impossibility. After all, if Great Zhou failed to give Western Liang an explanation, it would be an extreme act of disrespect. Fu Desheng was a senior general of Western Liang, and the Western Liang emperor would also be enraged!
A flicker of shrewdness passed through Yan Huai's eyes. He stared at Liu Yun for a moment before suddenly smiling. "Third Prince, rest assured. In three days, you may await the results."
Liu Yun nodded, scanned the crowd once more, and was about to leave in a huff when he suddenly remembered something. "Wait! Last night, before General Fu breathed his last, he said something! He uttered the word 'north'!"
At this recollection, Liu Yun widened his eyes. "It's someone from Northern Wei!"
As these words fell, Yan Huai frowned slightly. Liu Yun stepped forward excitedly, "The murderer is from Northern Wei! Otherwise, General Fu wouldn't have said that!"
Yan Huai looked at Yan Chi, who immediately responded, "To be frank, Third Prince, what you mentioned is also a direction we're investigating. You needn't worry—last night we specifically searched the tents of the Northern Wei envoys."
Liu Yun questioned, "Truly?!"
Yan Chi nodded. "If Third Prince doesn't believe it, you can send your own men to verify."
Only then did Liu Yun become half-convinced. "Good! Remember, you only have three days!"
With that, he finally swept his sleeves and left.
Once Liu Yun was gone, Yan Che hurriedly turned to Yan Chi. "Yan Chi, with this three-day deadline, are you confident?"
Yan Chi shook his head, not mincing words. "No."
"What?! No confidence—"
Yan Che's brows knitted into a deep furrow, genuinely anxious. This hunting expedition was under his supervision. All imperial guard arrangements and the hunting grounds' planning had followed previous years' precedents. Who could have known something would go wrong this year of all times!
Yan Chi narrowed his eyes. "Whether there's a chance depends on the results of today's second corpse examination!"
Yan Che was frantic, but Yan Chi remained relatively calm. Moreover, Liu Yun's threat of mobilizing troops seemed like child's play in his eyes, utterly insignificant. Those in Lin'an City didn't know what the border was truly like, but he understood perfectly—Western Liang simply didn't dare to start a war now. Of course, this was the worst-case scenario. As a member of the Great Zhou royal family, maintaining friendly relations with other nations was always preferable to hostility. However, when dealing with Yan Che and the others, he saw no need for the pompous rhetoric of the court.
"Corpse examination? When will it be—"
Seeing Yan Che's urgent questioning, Yan Huai glanced at him. "Crown Prince, have the camp's defenses been rearranged?"
Yan Che quickly replied, "Rest assured, Father Emperor! They've already been rearranged! We've increased personnel and shortened patrol intervals. It's extremely difficult for the murderer to find loopholes now!"
Yan Qi remarked coolly from the side, "Ah, if only the Crown Prince had arranged things this way earlier."
Yan Che pressed his lips tightly. "Who could have predicted such an incident?"
Yan Huai's phoenix eyes narrowed. "Crown Prince, Lin Zhang, you two will investigate this matter thoroughly with Yan Chi. Within three days, you must produce results. At worst, this could lead to war; at best, it would still tarnish Great Zhou's reputation. Regardless, in three days I want to see the murderer before me. Otherwise, all three of you will be held accountable!"Lin Zhang and Yan Che were jointly responsible for various arrangements in the camp, while Yan Chi served as the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice. If the murderer wasn’t found within three days, it would be reasonable to assign blame. Hearing this, Yan Qi chuckled.
After leaving the main tent, Yan Qi looked at Yan Chi and asked, “Who exactly is the person performing the corpse examination? With such an expert by your side, solving this case shouldn’t be difficult, right?”
Yan Qi didn’t know who the examiner was, but Yan Che did. Yan Che said coldly, “If Prince Cheng can’t help, don’t cause trouble. It would be better to go and calm the Third Prince’s temper. Leave the rest to us.”
Yan Qi snorted lightly. Liu Yun was already somewhat sinister, and now, in a fit of rage, how could an ordinary person calm him down?! This matter had nothing to do with him anyway, so he naturally wouldn’t meddle unnecessarily. He just wanted to know who the person was that had assisted the Lin’an Prefecture with the corpse examination! Back then, he could have dealt a fatal blow to the Crown Prince, but this unknown individual had ruined his plans!
This time, he was determined to find out who this person was!
Yan Qi raised an eyebrow and smiled, “How dare I cause trouble? I only want to help. With such a skilled person by Yan Chi’s side, wouldn’t the Crown Prince want to meet them?”
Yan Che replied coldly, “Now is not the time for this!”
With that, Yan Che pulled Yan Chi away. Seeing this, Yan Qi immediately concluded that Yan Che also knew the person’s identity. Watching Yan Che and Yan Chi’s retreating figures, Yan Qi frowned deeply. Had Yan Chi already aligned himself with Yan Che?!
This made him even more eager to find out who the examiner was!
After walking some distance, Yan Che said, “The person you mentioned performing the corpse examination is Ninth Miss of the Qin Manor, isn’t it?”
Yan Chi knew Yan Che was already aware of Qin Guan’s forensic techniques and nodded, “That’s right—”
Yan Che nodded and cautioned, “Make careful arrangements to ensure her identity isn’t exposed.”
Yan Che’s tone carried not only caution but also a hint of concern. As a man, Yan Chi understood Yan Che’s intentions and frowned slightly. “Ninth Miss has the favor of the Empress Dowager and the Emperor…”
Yan Chi tested the waters, and Yan Che indeed responded gravely, “Even so, she is still a woman. Prince Cheng has been searching for the person who helped me back then. He must never find out it was Ninth Miss who aided me.”
A faint smile touched Yan Chi’s lips. “I recall now. Ninth Miss is the future Crown Princess’s sister. No wonder Your Highness is so cautious.”
Yan Che’s brow remained furrowed, clearly indicating that Yan Chi had missed the point. After a moment’s hesitation, Yan Che continued, “In any case, be careful with the arrangements. We not only need to find the murderer but also guard against anyone causing trouble.”
This was both a test and an attempt to win Yan Chi over. Yan Chi smiled and silently acquiesced.
Watching Yan Che leave, Yan Chi stood still for a moment, his expression darkening as his eyes grew somber.
Meanwhile, Lu Xiao hurried into Yan Qi’s tent. “Your Highness, I’ve found out. Last night, only Ninth Miss entered the tent where the body was stored. She stayed inside for the time it takes two incense sticks to burn before leaving.”
Yan Qi raised an eyebrow. “Only Ninth Miss went there?”
Lu Xiao nodded. “His Highness Yan Chi said Ninth Miss is skilled in medicine, so he asked her to examine Fu Desheng’s wounds. Coincidentally, Ninth Miss was present at the time, and the Emperor permitted it.”
Yan Qi thought for a moment and shook his head. “No, that doesn’t make sense. The examiner should be a man. Keep investigating. Perhaps they missed something.”Lu Xiao frowned with difficulty. "My prince, it shouldn't be. The person I managed to bribe wouldn't give us irrelevant information. If we're talking about men, only Bai Feng, who serves by His Highness Yan Chi's side, has entered."
Yan Qi knew of Bai Feng, but could it really be him?
Yan Qi remembered that day at the Mortuary Temple—the person he saw was much slimmer and shorter than Bai Feng.
"It probably isn't Bai Feng either. Go investigate further, and also check who visited the tent where the corpse is stored today. Under normal circumstances, no one would casually stay with a corpse for no reason."
Lu Xiao nodded and hurriedly turned to leave.
Yan Qi remained seated, lost in thought. Suddenly, a flicker of disbelief flashed in his eyes.
After noon, Qin Guan followed Bai Feng to the tent where Fu Desheng's body was stored.
Having passed a night, purple Cadaveric Spots had appeared on Fu Desheng's body, and a faint odor of decay lingered in the tent. Qin Guan lit Aversion Incense inside and also ignited a prepared medicinal pouch made with herbs like atractylodes. Once everything was ready, she began the Corpse Examination again. First, she wiped Fu Desheng's arms and upper body with prepared white vinegar. Sure enough, deeper bruises soon became visible. Qin Guan examined each one carefully, then focused on the wound on the side of Fu Desheng's neck.
She had prepared a new small knife today. After observing for a moment, she made an incision along the outer edge of the wound toward its center. With this cut, Qin Guan immediately noticed something amiss. "The entry point of the wound is high, and it slopes downward as it goes deeper. Additionally, the abrasions are mainly on the upper side of the wound, indicating that whether during insertion or withdrawal, the assailant's force was applied from above. This suggests the perpetrator is taller than Fu Desheng..."
She moved to examine the other injuries on Fu Desheng. "The deceased has very few other abrasions, further indicating the killer is skilled in martial arts—whether attacking or restraining, there was no hesitation. Given that, how did the victim manage to escape?"
Qin Guan carefully reviewed the wounds on Fu Desheng's body but still found no answers. Lowering her gaze, she noticed a fresh puncture wound on Fu Desheng's left hand—an extremely fine cut that might go unnoticed if not examined closely, resembling an injury from a wood splinter. Qin Guan looked up and said, "Can you take me to the medicine room?"
Yan Chi nodded. "Of course. Shall we go now?"
Qin Guan agreed, and Yan Chi led her to the medicine room. Soon, they arrived at the site where Fu Desheng was attacked the previous night. Guards were still stationed in front, and the place remained exactly as it was after the incident.
Entering the medicine room, Qin Guan saw bloodstains splattered everywhere, now dried. A medicine jar lay overturned on the ground, and the cloth bags storing herbs nearby were in disarray. Qin Guan paid particular attention to the herbs and jars intended for Crown Prince Tuoba's use, frowning slightly. "It seems this was indeed targeting Crown Prince Tuoba."
As she spoke, Qin Guan noticed a fallen candle and a chair knocked over to the side.
Her eyes lit up slightly. "Has anyone moved this chair?"
Yan Chi shook his head. "No, it was likely knocked over during their struggle.""No, that's not it." Qin Guan shook her head and crouched down. She carefully examined the chair and soon noticed a protruding wood splinter on the left side of the chair back. Upon closer inspection, she indeed found a speck of bloodstain on the splinter.
Qin Guan immediately picked up the chair. "Fu Desheng has an injury on his left ring finger. He likely grabbed this chair like this and threw it at the killer, buying himself time to escape. The killer couldn't detain him inside the main tent and didn't dare pursue him outside, so they had to let Fu Desheng leave—"
A glimmer lit up Yan Chi's eyes. "This chair isn't light. If it hit someone, it would definitely leave a mark."
Qin Guan nodded. "It would certainly leave a bruise. Bloodstained clothes can be hidden or washed clean, but injuries on the body can't be erased."
Yan Chi immediately said, "I'll go back to the Northern Wei envoy's tent once more."
Qin Guan nodded, and Yan Chi turned and walked out. Bai Feng stayed behind to look after Qin Guan. After a moment's thought, Qin Guan scanned the medicine room again but found nothing else for the time being. She then said, "I'll go back and take another look."
Upon hearing this, Bai Feng naturally led the way. When they returned to the tent where the body was kept, Qin Guan examined Fu Desheng's corpse while saying, "Did the Emperor order His Highness to uncover the truth within three days?"
Bai Feng nodded. "Yes. The Third Prince said that if the case isn't resolved in three days, he would take General Fu's body back to Western Liang and threaten with military force. Thus, the Emperor had no choice but to promise him the three-day deadline."
A three-day deadline—neither too short nor too long—and no one could guarantee that everything would be clearly resolved by then.
Moreover, Tuoba Hong's case and Fu Desheng's case were now entangled, making the investigation even more challenging.
Qin Guan sighed. "It's understandable that he's furious, given that such a thing happened during an embassy to Great Zhou."
Even without the three-day constraint, Qin Guan would have wanted to solve the case quickly. Now, with the threat from Western Liang, she dared not be careless. She proceeded to examine Fu Desheng's body from head to toe once more, yet this time, she still couldn't uncover more clues. Indeed, the incident had been sudden the previous night; Fu Desheng had suffered a fatal blow, leaving few other injuries.
Just as she was pondering this, footsteps sounded outside the tent. Qin Guan raised an eyebrow—had Yan Chi returned so soon?
No sooner had the thought crossed her mind than she heard the guards outside urgently say, "Your Highness Prince Cheng, you cannot enter. A corpse examination is in progress..."
The guards' frantic attempts to stop him made Bai Feng's heart race. He was about to step out to intercept Yan Qi when the tent flap was abruptly thrown open. The next moment, Yan Qi strode in!
Seeing Qin Guan standing beside Fu Desheng with her sleeves rolled up, Yan Qi smirked coldly. "So it is you."
OpenNovel