Li Muyun lived in seclusion and maintained a low profile, arguably even more upright and incorruptible than Shen Yi had been in the past. After Qin Guan returned to the capital, she had people investigate Li Muyun extensively, yet found nothing. Running into Li Muyun today naturally left Qin Guan somewhat surprised.
With a quick glance at the shop Li Muyun had just entered, Qin Guan narrowed her eyes—Yunhe Tower.
Yunhe Tower was located closer to the imperial city than Zuixian Tower, yet it lacked the latter’s reputation. Few high-ranking officials or nobles dined here, and at this hour, the restaurant appeared particularly deserted. Qin Guan frowned slightly, watching as Li Muyun’s carriage began to move, uncertain whether to follow.
While hesitating, Qin Guan noticed a young man emerging from Yunhe Tower.
His appearance was ordinary, and his attire unremarkable, yet his face struck Qin Guan as strangely familiar.
However, she couldn’t recall where she had seen him before.
Filled with suspicion, Qin Guan saw Li Muyun’s carriage heading toward the southern part of the city. Her interest piqued, she quickly instructed Baiying, "Baiying, follow that carriage with the blue curtains ahead…"
Baiying flicked the whip, and their carriage immediately set off in pursuit. Qin Guan lifted the curtain to look outside and saw the carriage heading straight south.
Li Muyun’s residence was in the southwestern part of the city, yet he was now heading directly south. Was he going to the Lin’an Prefectural Office?
Qin Guan assumed it was for official business, but as the carriage continued south, it clearly wasn’t taking the path toward the Lin’an Prefectural Office. Watching closely, Qin Guan grew increasingly puzzled.
Was Li Muyun planning to leave the city?!
Her mind brimming with questions, Qin Guan only dismissed the idea when Li Muyun’s carriage turned into a narrow alley. Seeing that the alley was only wide enough for one carriage to pass through, she hurriedly signaled Baiying to stop.
"Don’t go in—it’s too easy to be spotted. This alley doesn’t seem to be a straight path. Get down and check which residence Li Muyun entered…"
Baiying obeyed and headed into the alley. Qin Guan waited in the carriage for the time it takes half an incense stick to burn before Baiying returned. "Miss, Lord Li entered the third house in the alley. His carriage is parked outside. I took a glance—the plaque reads 'Guo Residence.' The gate is ordinary, likely a small two-courtyard home."
Most households in this area were modestly well-off, with no prominent officials or nobles. What was Li Muyun doing here?
Qin Guan said, "Note this location. Later, instruct Han Dong to investigate it."
Baiying nodded, and Qin Guan returned to the Marquis’s residence.
The next day, Qin Guan went early to Xun Niang’s place. Seeing that Fan Xin’s wound showed no further signs of festering, she breathed a sigh of relief and personally changed his dressing. Fan Xin took the opportunity to ask about the situation in the capital.
"The Northwest Frontier Army has been under the prince’s command for years. Now that something has happened to him, the army is like a piece of fat waiting to be divided. Everyone in the capital wants a share."
Qin Guan sighed inwardly. "Given the current circumstances, His Highness cannot act openly for now. But rest assured, he has his own plans."
Fan Xin understood, yet as he looked at Qin Guan, his eyes held a restrained, unspoken hesitation.As a member of the Northwest Frontier Army who had personally witnessed Prince Rui's misfortune, Fan Xin was naturally filled with boundless anger. The thought of the Northwest Frontier Army losing its commander, being subjected to others' interference, potentially being reorganized and assigned a new leader, and the grim fate awaiting those generals who had been utterly loyal to Prince Rui—all this was unbearable to him.
At this thought, Fan Xin wished he could head northwest immediately.
Qin Guan understood his inner turmoil. "You must trust the Crown Prince."
Mention of Yan Chi eased some of the fury in Fan Xin's eyes. After staying a while longer, Qin Guan took her leave and headed west to visit the Grand Princess. She hadn't visited Marquis Anyang Manor these past few days.
In truth, Qin Guan was worried about Yan Chi, but now was not the time for her to openly visit the royal residence of Prince Rui. Only by keeping busy could she alleviate her anxiety. After a brief stay at Marquis Anyang Manor, she accompanied Yue Ning to Prince Yi's residence. Since no needle therapy was required today, Qin Guan and Sun Muqing jointly prescribed a new formula for Yan Ze. By the time they finished, dusk had fallen upon their return to the manor.
The next day, Qin Guan entered the palace to attend to the Empress Dowager. Her complexion had indeed worsened since the previous visit. The Empress Dowager said little, and Qin Guan, not daring to be negligent, promptly prepared a new prescription.
After ensuring the Empress Dowager took her medicine and rested, Qin Guan sat with Yan Sui for a while.
They settled on the corridor's reclining bench, with others keeping their distance. Recently, Qin Guan often conversed with Yan Sui here, and since the Ninth Prince rarely spoke so much, no one dared interrupt.
Qin Guan could easily survey the surroundings, preventing any eavesdropping. Moreover, Yan Sui spoke in a hushed tone. "My mother fears everyone she sees..."
"But doesn't the Emperor dote on Consort Jin? Does she fear him too?"
Yan Sui nodded. "And the Empress, and the Noble Consort..."
Though Yan Sui had a cherubic face, his demeanor was precocious. Qin Guan asked, "Did they perhaps upset her before?"
Yan Sui shook his head. "I don't know."
His ignorance didn't mean it hadn't happened.
Qin Guan was uncertain about the source of Consort Jin's fear but found it peculiar. As the only consort the Emperor cherished like a pearl after the Noble Consort, there was no reason for her to suddenly become fearful. Although the Crown Prince hadn't been appointed then, Yan Sui was too young for either the Crown Prince or Prince Cheng to consider him a threat, ruling out fears stemming from succession struggles.
If not for that reason, then what could it be?!
Qin Guan continued, "Your Highness, the calligraphy you often practice—was it taught by Consort Jin?"
Yan Sui shook his head. Qin Guan frowned, and the little prince's brow furrowed tightly as well. He glanced around, his eyes filled with conflict, as if weighing whether to tell Qin Guan.
Qin Guan didn't press him, simply watching quietly. After what felt like a long time, Yan Sui straightened up, tugged her sleeve, and gestured for her to lean closer. As Qin Guan bent down, he whispered one sentence into her ear.
"I... that day when I saw my mother... I noticed several red characters written beneath her..."Upon hearing this, Qin Guan's expression instantly changed! At that time, Yan Sui was the first to run to Consort Jin, who lay in a pool of blood. Prince Jin was also beside Consort Jin then. Yan Sui had seen those characters, yet none of the people who arrived later mentioned them—not even Prince Jin's testimony brought them up. If Yan Sui said they were red characters, then they must have been written in blood!
Qin Guan felt a pang of heartache imagining young Yan Sui witnessing such a scene. With bated breath, she pressed on, "Your Highness, how many characters did you see?!"
Yan Sui thought for a moment, "Two, or three... Mother Consort was bleeding so much, the first character was only half visible."
Qin Guan's breath hitched. "Did Your Highness recognize those characters?"
"Only the last one."
Qin Guan quickly asked, "Was it... the character 'king' (wáng)?"
Yan Sui's eyes lit up, and he nodded.
Growing anxious, Qin Guan inquired, "What about the first two characters? Do you remember their general appearance?"
Yan Sui pursed his lips. "The first character wasn't very clear. I didn't recognize the second one, and... I don't remember it well either. I only recall one stroke like this, and two dots..."
Yan Sui traced two strokes in the air. Qin Guan found it puzzling—a downward stroke with two dots could match countless characters.
"If you saw that character again, would you recognize it?"
Yan Sui pressed his lips together, looking tense and hesitant. Not wanting to push him too hard, Qin Guan quickly reassured him, "It's alright, it's fine. When you see it and think it looks familiar, just remember to tell me."
Yan Sui relaxed slightly and nodded.
Although Yan Sui was now learning characters with his tutor, he had been spending less time on recitation and writing lately. With the Empress Dowager ill, no one was overseeing his studies anymore. Perhaps Yan Sui would recall it when he encountered the character in his lessons, but how could she be sure now? Back then, only Prince Jin was in the palace—or at most, Prince Yong or Prince Cheng might have been present. But why would Consort Jin write three characters?
Qin Guan continued, "Your Highness, do you know Prince Jin?"
Yan Sui nodded. Qin Guan asked, "What was Prince Jin doing when you saw him?"
Yan Sui's pupils contracted, as if frightened, but he still replied, "He was holding a dagger, standing beside Mother Consort. Mother Consort was lying on the ground, covered in blood... her eyes were closed..."
As he spoke, Yan Sui's small face turned deathly pale. Qin Guan quickly grasped his hand. "Did Your Highness notice anything unusual about Prince Jin? When Her Majesty the Empress and the others arrived, did they see those characters?"
Yan Sui shook his head. "I don't know if it was unusual or not. By the time Her Majesty arrived, Mother Consort's blood had already covered the characters..."
"Have you told anyone else about this?!"
Yan Sui's lips tightened. After a moment, he said, "I told my former wet nurse. She told me not to speak of it, so I stopped."
Qin Guan's heart trembled slightly. She wanted to ask more, but seeing the sheer terror in Yan Sui's eyes, she couldn't bear to press further. She quickly stood up and led him to stroll in the courtyard. Yan Sui cheered up a bit and asked about the golden sparrow. Qin Guan had to make up a few words to placate him for the time being. A short while later, Qin Guan went to find Momma Su.
"Momma, there's something I'd like to ask you."
Momma Su now trusted and respected Qin Guan deeply. "Please give your order, County Princess."
Qin Guan lowered her voice. "Before you, who was serving the Ninth Prince?"Momma Su’s expression shifted slightly. “Why does the Young Mistress ask this?”
Qin Guan gave a bitter smile. “His Highness mentioned it earlier, asking where that wet nurse had gone…”
Hearing this, Momma Su showed no surprise but said, “Young Mistress, please don’t ask about the people who followed Consort Jin anymore. All of them were dealt with, especially this wet nurse—she was personally handled by Eunuch Yuan.”
Yuan Qing handled it personally?!
Qin Guan’s heart sank, and she nodded. “I understand. Don’t worry.”
Momma Su bowed and went to attend to Yan Sui. Unwilling to linger, Qin Guan bid farewell and left the palace with a heavy heart. In the carriage on the way back to the estate, Yan Sui’s words weighed on her like a block of iron.
The matter was too straightforward. If Prince Jin had killed Consort Jin, how could he have allowed her to write those words in blood?!
If she wrote in blood, he should have destroyed the evidence immediately. Yan Sui saw those words, so Prince Jin must have seen them too—yet Prince Jin never mentioned them, and there was no record of it in her father’s manuscripts…
As Qin Guan pondered this, her heart suddenly jolted. In her father’s manuscripts, the final entry mentioned a meeting with Prince Jin—a meeting that led her father to decide to flee the capital with his family. What had Prince Jin said to him? Could it be related to Consort Jin’s blood-written words?!
At this thought, Qin Guan’s heart raced wildly.
Despite her agitation, she dared not reveal any hint that she was investigating the matter. Upon returning to the marquis’ estate, she suppressed her worries about Yan Chi while meticulously analyzing the details of Prince Jin’s case. After repeated scrutiny, she remained convinced that Prince Jin had been wrongfully accused. Yet, within the palace, who could have killed Consort Jin so silently? And where did Consort Jin’s fear originate?!
Qin Guan found no answers. The next day, after visiting Xun Niang, she went nowhere else, waiting at the estate for two days. Han Dong was the first to send news. Reading the letter he delivered to the estate, Qin Guan’s brow furrowed deeply.
Baiying said, “Han Dong came in person. The Marquis and his wife thought it was about shop matters.”
Han Dong’s letter stated that the residence was empty and registered under Li Muyun’s name. Could it be that Li Muyun, like the Third Young Master of the Wu family, enjoyed occasionally staying in his own vacant property?!
Qin Guan shook her head, utterly unconvinced. She suddenly realized Li Muyun likely went there to meet someone and regretted not waiting longer that day.
Unable to see Yan Chi and with no leads in the palace case, Qin Guan found the wait unbearable. Yet, she never expected that two days later, a breakthrough in the case would finally arrive—
Early that morning, after finishing breakfast and preparing to enter the palace, Qin Guan was interrupted by a servant announcing Zhan Butou Zhan Yang’s arrival. Her heart leaped at the news, and her first thought was: someone had died!
Upon reaching the front courtyard, she saw Zhan Yang waiting anxiously. Spotting her, he hurriedly said, “Young Mistress, a new case has been discovered. Please come with me and lend your assistance.”
Qin Guan naturally agreed readily but asked, “Who is the victim?”
Zhan Yang shook his head. “The identity is still unknown. We were hoping you could help confirm it.”Seeing Zhan Yang's grave expression, Qin Guan's heart tightened involuntarily. Unable to ask more questions within the Marquis residence, Qin Guan quickly informed Hu Shi and followed Zhan Yang out of the estate, her mind filled with suspicion—had the corpse already decomposed beyond recognition?
Once inside the carriage, with Zhan Yang riding ahead on horseback to lead the way, Qin Guan watched as they traveled northeast. She instinctively suspected they were heading toward Prince Rui's residence, but when they were still three blocks away, Zhan Yang changed direction. Soon, Qin Guan caught sight of the crime scene: the grand and imposing gate was densely covered in cobwebs, yet even so, nothing could obscure the formidable presence of the three characters "Prince Jin Manor," their strokes as sharp as iron and silver.
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