The spring midnight chill was biting. Shortly after the hour of Hai had passed, Deputy Commander of the Imperial Guards Zhao Yu rushed into the strategy tent, "Crown Prince, those two tall, lean men from Northern Wei have disappeared—"
Yan Chi, seated in the main position listening to Bai Feng's report, frowned. "What did you say?"
His expression stern, Yan Chi's phoenix eyes shot out sharp, arrow-like glints. The young and capable Zhao Yu immediately felt overwhelmed, a thin layer of sweat beading on his forehead. "Those two men are gone. Just now, they left the main tent together, heading toward the latrine to the north. Our men saw them enter, but after waiting for a long time without seeing them emerge, they checked again—the latrine was empty, with no trace of them. They must have sensed our suspicion and fled!"
The first shift of guards belonged to Yan Chi's men, but the second shift was Zhao Yu's responsibility. The latrine was located at the edge of the camp, precisely where Zhao Yu had stationed his men. Thus, the blame for losing the suspects fell squarely on Zhao Yu.
Not only was the matter of grave importance, but Yan Chi was the chief investigator. Even if the Emperor might tolerate such a lapse, this heir apparent certainly would not!
Yan Chi fixed a heavy gaze on Zhao Yu for a moment, then abruptly stood up. "Mobilize the troops immediately. Those two left the camp on foot, without horses and unfamiliar with the terrain. They couldn't have gone far. We must retrieve them at all costs!"
Yan Chi's command carried a thunderous, suppressed fury. Zhao Yu dared not delay, promptly acknowledging the order and rushing out to gather the men. It was already deep into the night, and the entire camp had quieted down. Most of the tents had extinguished their lights, with the accompanying nobles and officials largely retired for the night. Fearing the two fugitives might escape, Zhao Yu strode to the military drum and delivered a series of heavy beats. Soon, nearly a hundred men from the nearest tents assembled in the square.
Zhao Yu quickly selected three hundred men, dividing them into three groups: one heading upstream, one downstream, and the third toward Mount Wei. Only the Wei River route was left unassigned, as Zhao Yu doubted the two would take that direction.
The sudden mobilization in the camp soon roused all the tents, their lights flickering on one by one. Unaware of what was happening, people stepped out to investigate. In no time, the neighing of horses, gathering soldiers, and curious officials and their families turned the paths outside the main tent into chaos.
Many were left bewildered, including the guards outside Tuoba Hong's tent, who had no idea what was transpiring. Qin Guan and Tuoba Wu emerged from their tent to look and saw patrol after patrol heading toward the Northern Wei warriors' quarters.
Qin Guan frowned. "Xu Chang, go and see what's happening."
Hearing the order, Xu Chang felt a slight sense of relief and hurried after the patrol teams. When he reached the front of the camp, he found the Northern Wei warriors being treated like prisoners, held under guard in front of their tents. Zhao Yu, frantic with anger, was interrogating them one by one about the whereabouts of Wei Chan and Xiao Yu. Seeing the surrounding crowd in disarray and no one paying him any mind, Xu Chang paused but did not approach Zhao Yu.
After glancing around, he slipped into the dark camp paths and vanished.The direction near the square was brightly lit, but many corners and narrow paths elsewhere remained submerged in darkness. Xu Chang hurried swiftly toward the infirmary and soon arrived before its dimly glowing entrance. Compared to the chaos at the square, this place was remarkably quiet. The soldiers originally guarding the infirmary were nowhere to be seen—perhaps drawn away by the commotion. Xu Chang glanced outside but saw no sign of the medicine boy. Recalling Qin Guan’s instructions from the afternoon, he knew the boy must have already begun brewing the medicine. Yet the decoction required half an hour to simmer, and the boy’s absence might be due to other reasons.
The medicine boy was gone! Perfect!
Narrowing his eyes, Xu Chang warily scanned his surroundings before darting swiftly into the infirmary. His expression was stern and ruthless, his heart vigilant at every moment. Upon entering, he found the space empty and deserted. Against the tent’s felt wall, a small stove burned, with a medicine pot simmering atop it. The boiling decoction bubbled audibly in the silent night, emitting a soft gurgling sound.
Xu Chang’s eyes gleamed sharply. He strode quickly to the pot, pulled an object from his robe, and swiftly tossed it in. Watching the tiny pill dissolve into the medicinal broth, he let out a faint sigh of relief.
But before his relief could fully settle, a blinding torchlight suddenly flared outside the infirmary tent. Simultaneously, countless overlapping shadows fell upon the felt carpet. Xu Chang’s expression shifted abruptly. He turned to leave, but as he lifted the tent flap, his swift movement halted abruptly. Slowly lowering the flap, his face grew unprecedentedly grave.
Ten paces ahead, Yan Chi and Qin Guan stood watching him. Behind them were Zhao Yu, Lin Zhang, Tuoba Rui, Tuoba Wu, and numerous imperial guards of Great Zhou, all staring at him with solemn expressions.
Xu Chang’s face remained cold and impassive. He knew he had fallen into a trap.
"Xu Chang! It was you! You’re the one who harmed my elder brother!" Tuoba Wu stared at him in disbelief, her gaze shifting from shock to fury. She stepped forward, demanding, "Why?! Why would you harm him? He valued and trusted you so deeply, yet you betrayed him! No wonder—no wonder he sustained such severe injuries. How could he have been on guard against you?! Xu Chang, who promoted you to drill instructor of the imperial guards?! Has your conscience been devoured by dogs?!"
Xu Chang regarded Tuoba Wu expressionlessly, as if unaware of any moral transgression or unmoved by her accusations. As Tuoba Wu seethed, ready to unleash more reproaches, Yan Chi’s cool voice interjected, "The grace of promotion could never compare to the grace of saving a life. Xu Chang, am I right?"
Xu Chang’s previously unshakable composure faltered. He stared at Yan Chi in disbelief before quickly regaining his cold demeanor. "I don’t know what the Crown Prince is referring to," he replied icily.Yan Chi narrowed his eyes. "You are the deputy captain of the Northern Wei envoy guard this time, but in the Northern Wei kingdom, you hold the position of deputy instructor in the Imperial Guard. For someone your age to achieve such a position is exceedingly rare. The one who promoted and recognized you was Crown Prince Tuoba, yet no one knows that six years ago, it was the Fourth Prince of Northern Wei, Tuoba Qi, who saved you from the list of deserters about to be executed! When you were wronged in the army and on the brink of facing military punishment, it was the Fourth Prince who rescued you."
Watching Xu Chang's cold expression gradually crumble, everyone knew Yan Chi had hit the mark.
"From then on, you served the Fourth Prince. Later, when you entered the Imperial Guard, it was to pave the way for the Fourth Prince. Unexpectedly, you gained the Crown Prince's favor and rose to a high position. You are aware of the Fourth Prince's ambitions, so he sent you with the Northern Wei envoy to eliminate the Crown Prince in Great Zhou. This way, the blame would fall on Great Zhou, while he could consolidate his power domestically, as the only one who could compete with him—the Fifth Prince—also came to Great Zhou."
"That day on the mountain, you all separated initially, but then you turned back and pursued the Crown Prince. Taking him by surprise, you shot and wounded him. Fearing that if the Crown Prince were discovered, it would expose the flaw, you placed bait on his body to destroy the evidence. But you never expected it would rain that day."
Yan Chi laid bare Xu Chang's secrets word by word. Xu Chang clenched his fists at his sides and sneered, "Does the heir apparent intend to shift all the blame onto the Northern Wei people themselves? Where is the evidence? What proof do you have?"
"The evidence is in the medical tent behind you," Zhao Yu stepped forward angrily. Just moments ago, he had finally understood Yan Chi's strategy of feigning weakness to lure the enemy in, but the fear he had felt earlier was real. Now, all that pent-up fear and anger were directed at Xu Chang. Confident in his martial arts and unafraid, he advanced and declared, "Did you come here tonight not to poison? Ninth Miss said the Crown Prince would wake tomorrow, and you’ve known these past few days that His Highness was improving! So, like a cornered dog, you took the risk again. Three days ago, you came here to poison but unexpectedly encountered General Fu, so you killed him here!"
A cold smile played on Xu Chang's lips as he glanced at Yan Chi, then at Qin Guan. In the end, he offered no further excuses. Instead, he scanned Yan Chi and the others one by one, as if searching for someone. After a moment, he chuckled softly and said, "The heir apparent must believe all his deductions are correct at this moment, but is that truly the case?"
Xu Chang's smile was sinister, sending a chill down Tuoba Wu's spine. She shouted sternly, "Xu Chang, was it the Fourth Prince who ordered you to harm the Crown Prince?! Do you think that by killing the Crown Prince here, Tuoba Qi can become the Northern Wei Crown Prince?!"
Pointing at Xu Chang, she commanded Zhao Yu, "Arrest him! I will take him back for Father Emperor to interrogate personally!"
This meant she intended to bring Xu Chang back to confront Tuoba Qi. Zhao Yu acknowledged the order and gestured to move forward. Xu Chang eyed Zhao Yu warily, stepping back cautiously. Then, in a chilling tone, he said, "Who says only the Fourth Prince wants the Crown Prince dead? If the princess wishes to impose a crime, any excuse will suffice!"
Tuoba Wu frowned sharply. "What nonsense are you spouting?! Are you still trying to make excuses at this point?!"Xu Chang glanced at Tuoba Wu, then suddenly looked past her shoulder. He gave a cold sneer, his face abruptly hardening with resolve. Before anyone could react, he took a step back into the tent. Zhao Yu frowned and swiftly charged inside, but the moment he crossed the threshold, his steps faltered. Then, with a heavy thud, he collapsed to the ground!
Yan Chi and Qin Guan hurried forward. Peering through the tent flap Zhao Yu had lifted, they saw Xu Chang lying on the ground, eyes slightly open, blood trickling from all seven orifices. Qin Guan quickly entered, examined him briefly, and turned back to announce, "It's poisoned wine."
She then walked to the medicine pot, retrieved a silver needle from her sleeve, and inserted it. After a moment, she confirmed, "Also poisoned wine."
Poisoned wine was one of the deadliest toxins under heaven, with no known antidote. Seeing Xu Chang die instantly from bleeding from all seven orifices, everyone knew there was no saving him. Tuoba Wu gritted her teeth. "He died just like that?! He got off easy!"
Tuoba Rui frowned deeply. "So it was him! Then what Wei Chan and Xiao Yu told me today was true?"
Zhao Yu raised an eyebrow. "Fifth Highness, what did they say to you?"
Tuoba Rui glanced at Yan Chi briefly. "They said they were suspected by the Crown Prince and claimed they were framed. At the time, I thought since the Crown Prince was investigating both cases, there was no reason to wrong two minor warriors, so I even spoke to the Crown Prince about it." He paused slightly. "They ran away, didn't they? If they weren't guilty, why flee?"
Zhao Yu blinked, then looked at Yan Chi again. "If they did it, they'd likely run. If they didn't, running is still understandable—why stay and suffer?"
Yan Chi's reputation preceded him; if it were him, he'd run too!
Zhao Yu continued, "The Crown Prince knew early on it wasn't those two. Having them watched was just to mislead the real culprit. Whatever Xu Chang said to them, he played a part in their escape. Tonight, seeing the chaos in the camp, he seized the chance to poison the medicine. Crown Prince Tuoba's camp is tightly guarded—the only way to strike was through this medicine. The Crown Prince had it all planned, waiting for him!"
Zhao Yu had only just learned of Yan Chi's scheme himself and was eager to share it. After he finished, those who understood and those who didn't now grasped that this was all Yan Chi's strategy! Tomorrow was the third day—catching the culprit tonight was perfect! All the Great Zhou officers breathed a sigh of relief.
It was already late at night, and the commotion had naturally alerted Yan Huai, Yan Che, and others. Hearing the culprit was caught, Yan Huai sighed in relief, while Yan Che rushed to the medicine tent with his men. The poisoned wine in the pot was undeniable evidence—Xu Chang's intent to murder Tuoba Hong was indisputable!
"Xu Chang was the one my elder brother trusted most. In the Northern Wei imperial guards, there's one chief instructor and no deputies. Xu Chang was the youngest among them. In the future, my brother intended to keep him close. Who would have thought he'd..." Tuoba Wu fumed, then turned to Yan Chi. "How did you know he was Fourth Imperial Brother's man?"
"That's not for you to know, Princess. If you doubt it, investigate yourself—you'll find out."Yan Chi gave stern orders for Xu Chang's body to be collected. Tuoba Wu snorted coldly, "Xu Chang was an exceptional archer. If he had made the move, the Crown Prince's injury would make sense. We just never imagined..."
Tuoba Rui added from the side, "And what did Xu Chang mean by his last words? Was he still trying to exonerate himself?"
If Tuoba Rui hadn't mentioned it, Tuoba Wu would have forgotten. After a moment's thought, she said, "He merely implied many people wished harm upon the Crown Prince, and he never admitted to being instigated by the Fourth Prince—"
Her expression turning grave, Tuoba Wu quickly looked at Yan Chi. "Crown Prince, I must trouble you to temporarily seal off tonight's events. Aside from those present, this news must not leak out!"
Tuoba Wu clearly intended to devise a way to deal with Tuoba Qi, who was far away in Northern Wei. If word of Xu Chang's exposure got back, Tuoba Qi would surely take precautions. Being close to the Northern Wei Emperor, it would be simple for him to cover his tracks and exonerate himself. Yan Chi nodded upon hearing this. "That won't be difficult."
Yan Che's expression relaxed slightly. "Although Xu Chang is dead, we still need to find some evidence to prove it."
Yan Chi nodded. "Naturally. We'll search his tent immediately."
Yan Che nodded in agreement, then glanced over and saw Qin Guan still crouched beside Xu Chang. Her expression was serious, her brow carrying a calm solemnity. Faced with a corpse, her composure was astonishing even to him. Recalling how she had previously helped solve numerous cases, he suddenly felt as if Qin Guan were cloaked in a radiant aura.
"He's already dead. Let me escort you back first."
Just as Yan Che was watching, Yan Chi walked over to Qin Guan's side. At his words, Qin Guan turned to look at him and said, "I'd like to examine his body to see if there are any injuries left from his fight with General Fu."
Although Xu Chang had been caught red-handed poisoning someone, Qin Guan evidently still wanted to find more compelling evidence to confirm it.
Yan Chi curved his lips slightly and immediately instructed Bai Feng to take Xu Chang to an empty tent nearby. Seeing Bai Feng approach with others, Qin Guan stood up and instinctively moved closer to Yan Chi. This subtle detail caught Yan Che's eye, and he frowned slightly.
At that moment, Tang Fu approached Yan Che and whispered, "Crown Prince, the Emperor requests your presence."
Knowing it was about Xu Chang, Yan Che nodded, exchanged a brief farewell with Yan Chi, and turned to leave.
Xu Chang had remained hidden for days, yet once exposed today, his resolve was terrifying. Despite his high status, he made no attempt to save himself and died just like that. Qin Guan carefully examined the wounds on his body and finally sighed. "He has three types of injuries. The earliest were from the night of the martial contest. The drunken soldiers beat him with clubs. The remaining fresh wounds were from when he killed General Fu. There's a bruise under his left rib, likely from an elbow or fist strike. Additionally, both his left and right arms have similar strip-shaped bruises, which I suspect were caused by a stool."
"So this proves it was indeed him who harmed General Fu!"
Qin Guan nodded. "Yes, exactly." Then she turned to Yan Chi. "When did you start suspecting him?"
Yan Chi replied, "When you told me about the injuries on Tuoba Hong."
Qin Guan raised an eyebrow. "That early? But at that time, Xu Chang was still a trusted aide by Tuoba Hong's side."Yan Chi looked at Qin Guan's clear, bright eyes and curved the corners of his lips slightly. "At that time, I had already questioned the others who went up the mountain together. There weren't many people who had the opportunity to get close to Tuoba Hong. Since Tuoba Hong had been perfectly fine before something happened to him, everyone suspected Liu Yun and Tuoba Rui the most. I thought the same back then, but I knew Xu Chang had exceptional martial skills, so I also had some suspicion toward him. Later, when General Fu died and bruises were found on his body the next day—even though he claimed they were from sparring with his subordinates—I was about eighty percent sure it was him. Afterward, he repeatedly entered the tents of Wei and Chan, and you had someone inform me that he had visited the medicine storage. That was when I became certain."
Qin Guan looked at Yan Chi, still somewhat puzzled. With Tuoba Rui and Liu Yun as the primary suspects, why had Yan Chi allocated even a fraction of doubt to Xu Chang? Although it was necessary to suspect everyone with any possibility, this time, she had initially trusted Xu Chang quite a bit. She wondered if her favorable impression of him from the martial arts contest on the first night had influenced her.
"After Tuoba Hong's incident, the first thing I thought of was the struggle for the throne in Northern Wei. Whenever it involves a succession dispute, the schemes and conspiracies go far beyond what meets the eye…"
Hearing Yan Chi's words, Qin Guan began to understand. This time, she truly hadn't considered the conspiracies of the succession struggle much. But who would have thought that the Fourth Prince of Northern Wei, though not present himself, had arranged for Tuoba Hong's most trusted person to take his life?
When they stepped out of the tent, Yuan Qing was already waiting outside. He said, "Crown Prince, His Highness the Crown Prince, along with Princess Tuoba and the Fifth Prince, are all with the Emperor. His Majesty requests your presence for a conversation."
Yan Chi nodded and said to Qin Guan, "It's late. Since Xu Chang has already committed suicide out of guilt, you don't need to keep watch tonight. Go back and rest."
Qin Guan nodded in agreement, and only then did Yan Chi follow Yuan Qing away.
Qin Guan stood in place for a moment before walking toward Tuoba Hong's tent. Inside, she noticed that Tuoba Hong's pulse had grown stronger. Relieved, she said, "Crown Prince Tuoba, we've caught the culprit who harmed you. If you don't wake up soon, your body won't be able to hold on. Her Highness the Princess has been watching over you day and night—don't let her down."
After speaking, Qin Guan didn't leave immediately. She sat by Tuoba Hong's bedside, pondering how this case had unfolded. As she thought, her gaze fell once more on the bruise at Tuoba Hong's waist. With Xu Chang dead, there was no way to uncover the exact process of the harm inflicted. So, how exactly had that injury come about?
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