The small courtyard shrouded in night was desolate and bleak. It was evident that Granny Qian had not been living well since leaving the palace. She showed no intention of inviting them inside, instead turning to face them beneath the eaves. Her gaze swept over Yan Chi before she stated with certainty, "I never expected Her Majesty the Empress would send Prince Rui to this place."
As she spoke, Granny Qian shifted her attention to Qin Guan standing beside Yan Chi. "This must be Yongci County Princess, I presume."
Though Yan Chi didn't recognize Granny Qian, her ability to identify them so quickly proved she had been no minor figure in the palace. Moreover, since leaving the palace, she had clearly been keeping track of matters related to the imperial family in the capital—a realization that darkened the expressions of both Yan Chi and Qin Guan.
Yan Chi frowned. "Since you've recognized us, tell us how Song Xiwen died."
Granny Qian's eyes remained slightly lowered, her expression obscured by the dim night. She seemed to gather her thoughts before finally looking up at them. "I know Her Majesty the Empress has been placed under house arrest. The case at Prince Jin Manor caused such an uproar throughout the city, yet in the end, it was Her Majesty who suffered the consequences. But Her Majesty was definitely not the one who killed Song Xiwen."
Qin Guan frowned while doubt flickered in Yan Chi's eyes.
After a pause, Granny Qian continued, "Not only did Her Majesty not kill Song Xiwen—she had actually intended to save him back then. But Her Majesty was still too careless."
Both Qin Guan and Yan Chi were startled. Song Xiwen's body had been sent out on the Empress's orders—how could she have wanted to save him?
Ignoring their surprise, Granny Qian went on calmly, "Her Majesty wanted to save not only Song Xiwen but Prince Jin as well. It's just... she was ultimately one step too late."
Exchanging glances, Qin Guan and Yan Chi's expressions grew solemn. This was far different from what they had previously known or deduced.
Qin Guan couldn't help asking, "Her Majesty wanted to save Prince Jin? Did she know that Prince Jin wasn't the one who killed Consort Jin?"
That Prince Jin was Consort Jin's murderer was almost universally accepted—so why would the Empress want to save him? And if that were the case, how had Prince Jin ultimately died?
Granny Qian gave a cold smile. "Prince Jin... his birth mother passed away early. The momma who raised him was someone close to the Empress. No one understood Prince Jin's temperament better than Her Majesty. Prince Jin had barely exchanged more than a few words with Consort Jin—how could he possibly have caused her death?"At this point, Granny Qian let out a long sigh, her tone distant and profound. "When the incident occurred last year, through a strange twist of fate, everyone witnessed that scene. However... Prince Jin was merely found beside Consort Jin's corpse at the time. There was simply no way to prove he was the murderer. Later, Prince Jin and his sole attendant, Song Xiwen, were detained in the Imperial Punishment Office. Since it was a royal banquet with numerous witnesses, the news couldn't possibly be contained. Sure enough, the court soon buzzed with discussions, and various rumors swelled violently within two or three days."
"Initially, the investigation was led by Lin Zhang, commander of the imperial guards. But after several days, no progress was made. Each time Prince Jin was questioned, he claimed he had gone to the Imperial Garden to sober up after the banquet, then heard screams and rushed to Consort Jin's chambers. When he entered, Consort Jin was already dead. If he wasn't the killer, then he must have been the first to discover her body..."
Granny Qian finished and looked at Qin Guan. "The matter dragged on for days while court debates grew increasingly heated. The Imperial Punishment Office failed to uncover anything substantial, and the Emperor remained silent. Given Prince Jin's exalted status, torture was out of the question. After three days of watching the court's criticism intensify, the Empress privately interrogated Song Xiwen. Unaware of the full circumstances and unable to exonerate Prince Jin, she had hoped to extract information from Song Xiwen. Yet unexpectedly, Song Xiwen died in Kunning Palace the very next day."
Qin Guan narrowed her eyes. Kunning Palace had always been under the Empress's control—how could Song Xiwen have died without her authorization?
As if reading her doubts, Granny Qian explained, "Though Kunning Palace is the Empress's domain, she had grown careless. Believing her private interrogation went unnoticed, she didn't realize someone was monitoring the palace's every move. Song Xiwen was assassinated—clearly to silence him."
"The Empress had taken him alive, but he was returned dead. Even the Imperial Punishment Office struggled to account for this. Zhu Yucheng then suggested it would be simpler to discreetly remove the body from the palace for disposal, arguing that Prince Jin was the primary concern. Subsequent arrangements were handled by Zhu Yucheng."
Qin Guan and Yan Chi found this unbelievable. Given the circumstances, why would the Empress wade into such muddy waters? After Song Xiwen's death, she could have investigated his murderer. Instead, she chose to minimize the incident—completely out of character for her!
Qin Guan frowned. "The Empress wouldn't have acted out of maternal affection for Prince Jin. This affair planted seeds of disaster for her—she must have understood that."
Granny Qian shook her head. "I never learned why the Empress acted this way. At the time, I served as head momma in the Imperial Punishment Office. Both Zhu Yucheng and I were the Empress's people. I was granted leave to retire from the palace due to my age, but as a eunuch, Zhu Yucheng had no prospects outside the palace even with imperial favor. Who could have predicted he'd remain there forever..."The Imperial Punishment Office was a place for disciplining both eunuchs and palace maids, with the punishment of maids overseen by senior Mommas who had served in the palace for many years. Granny Qian was one of them, and her words clearly indicated she knew Zhu Yucheng was already dead.
Qin Guan asked further, "What did Song Xiwen say at that time? Was there anything related to Prince Jin’s case?"
Granny Qian shook her head, "Her Majesty the Empress didn’t go into detail with me about this, but... both Zhu Yucheng and I were involved in this matter at the time. I remember Song Xiwen was very frightened and anxious, repeatedly echoing Prince Jin’s account."
At this point, Granny Qian suddenly added, "Oh yes, she mentioned the dagger—the one that killed Consort Jin. She insisted it wasn’t Prince Jin’s and that following this clue would lead to the real killer. At the time, he was so panicked he could only repeat over and over the events of that night when he and Prince Jin encountered Consort Jin’s murder. Her Majesty naturally concluded that Prince Jin had nothing to do with it. Originally, she intended to have Song Xiwen testify for Prince Jin, but then Song Xiwen died. He had been temporarily confined in the west wing of Kunning Palace, and something happened in just a short while."
Both Qin Guan and Yan Chi frowned simultaneously. Without having seen the case files, they naturally had no specific knowledge about the murder weapon, and Shen Yi’s notes didn’t mention the dagger either. Could it be that the dagger truly had issues?
"What happened next? Was the dagger investigated?"
As Qin Guan asked, Granny Qian’s expression twisted into a peculiar, bitter smile. "Of course it was investigated. They looked into it the very next day, but... later, both the Empress and Lin Zhang discovered that the dagger was indeed the very one Prince Jin always carried at his side."
Qin Guan and Yan Chi were both taken aback. Granny Qian sighed helplessly, "Song Xiwen had sworn it was true, but no matter how they investigated, it still turned out to be Prince Jin’s personal dagger. Prince Jin habitually carried a short blade, about the length of a dagger. That night, after they were discovered, the imperial guards arrived quickly. Prince Jin was still holding the dagger when he was taken to the Imperial Punishment Office, and the imperial guards had already confiscated it by then."
"Could it have been swapped?" Qin Guan urgently asked.
Granny Qian shook her head, "Impossible, because at that time, the dagger was in the custody of the Imperial Punishment Office."
And since the Imperial Punishment Office staff were loyal to the Empress, swapping it for a completely different dagger would have been obvious to anyone with eyes.
Qin Guan’s brow furrowed tightly. If the dagger truly was Prince Jin’s, then Song Xiwen must have been lying. But then, who killed him?
Having said this much, Granny Qian felt she had disclosed enough and said, "This should be what you two wanted to know. In short, last year’s case had nothing to do with Her Majesty the Empress. Later, when Prince Jin was transferred to the Ministry of Justice’s Celestial Prison, Her Majesty had even less ability to intervene..."
She paused briefly before adding, "During this time, Her Majesty also met once with Lord Shen."
Qin Guan’s heart skipped a beat. Granny Qian, as if afraid they wouldn’t know who "Lord Shen" was, clarified, "That’s Shen Yi, the former Minister of the Court of Judicial Review."
Qin Guan quickly asked, "What did she meet him for?""The Empress and Lord Shen said that Prince Jin was not someone who would murder consorts in the harem, urging Lord Shen to investigate thoroughly. Later, the case dragged on for over a month. No one expected that in the end, the Shen family would be exterminated, and Prince Jin would also die."
As if recalling something, a flicker of fear passed through Granny Qian's eyes.
"But whether it was the extermination of the Shen family or Prince Jin's subsequent death, neither could have been related to the Empress. The killer's intention to have Song Xiwen die in Kunning Palace was precisely for this purpose—to make it impossible for the Empress to clear her name. The subsequent handling of the matter was a last resort."
Granny Qian's tone still carried a hint of confusion as she spoke. For Qin Guan and Yan Chi, it was even more difficult to comprehend.
Seeing both of them lost in thought, Granny Qian couldn't help but say, "Both of you are noble individuals. I was once a servant in the palace, and now that I've left, I am but a commoner. If you trust this commoner's words, then believe in the Empress's desire to save Prince Jin. The current predicament at court speaks for itself." Granny Qian looked at Yan Che. "Prince Rui must understand what I mean..."
Yan Chi narrowed his phoenix eyes. "The one who imprisoned the Empress is the Emperor, and the one who placed the Crown Prince under house arrest is also the Emperor. With such claims, I can't help but entertain some disrespectful thoughts."
Despite being merely a former palace maid, Granny Qian remained remarkably composed upon hearing Yan Chi's words. She shook her head and lowered her gaze. "This commoner is of low status and little influence. Everything depends on Your Highness's own judgment. If you have further questions, please ask, Your Highness and County Princess. After tomorrow, I will leave the capital."
Though Granny Qian appeared calm on the surface, her words revealed some underlying truth.
Had their visit forced her to flee the capital?
Qin Guan steadied herself. "At that time, Song Xiwen was in Kunning Palace. Whoever acted there must have held power within the palace, especially someone familiar with the palace's workings to avoid leaving evidence. The Empress could have investigated thoroughly but chose this method instead. Did the Empress already guess the identity of Consort Jin's murderer? That person and the mastermind behind Song Xiwen's death are one and the same. The Empress... feared their power..."
Hearing this, Granny Qian smiled bitterly. "Over the years, the Empress has had a very difficult time. If she hadn't been left with no other choice, she wouldn't have stirred up unrest in the harem."
Qin Guan stared intently at Granny Qian for a moment but asked no further questions. Beside her, Yan Chi pondered briefly before saying, "After this case, did the Empress suddenly rush to have the Crown Prince designated as Heir Apparent?"
Granny Qian abruptly looked up at Yan Chi, surprise in her eyes. "Yes..."
She replied with a single strained word. Yan Chi nodded and asked nothing more.
Meanwhile, Qin Guan recalled that when she woke up in Jinzhou, it had indeed been less than two months before she heard news at Marquis Anyang Manor of Yan Che being appointed Crown Prince. From this perspective, the timing indeed seemed rather short.
Seeing that Qin Guan had no further questions, Yan Chi said, "We have asked all we needed. We'll take our leave now."Qin Guan nodded to Granny Qian, then turned and walked out with Yan Chi. Their back-and-forth had taken less than half a cup of tea's time. By the time they boarded the carriage and it slowly drove out of the alley, Granny Qian finally let out a long sigh. She immediately bolted the door, wiped the thin layer of sweat from her forehead, and entered the house with a tense expression and a wildly beating heart. She packed her belongings at the fastest speed possible, not even waiting for daybreak before leaving Anmin Quarter.
In the returning carriage, Qin Guan and Yan Chi remained silent for a while.
Song Xiwen's words in Kunning Palace seemed unremarkable at first, yet after repeated investigations, the dagger indeed turned out to belong to Prince Jin.
Thus, Prince Jin's suspicion was further confirmed.
Yan Chi said slowly, "The Empress must know who killed Consort Jin."
As he spoke each word deliberately, Qin Guan felt a slight chill run down her spine. That afternoon at Prince Rui's royal residence, Yan Chi's analysis had already made her hair stand on end. Now, after hearing Granny Qian's account, even Qin Guan found Yan Chi's speculation quite plausible. She instinctively grasped Yan Chi's hand, and he immediately clasped it back, adding, "Song Xiwen wouldn't falsely accuse his own master, and Prince Jin couldn't possibly be the one who killed Consort Jin... yet the dagger is indeed Prince Jin's..."
Qin Guan's heart skipped a beat as she suddenly suggested, "What if... Prince Jin himself switched the daggers?"
If Prince Jin had switched them himself, then everything would make sense.
Yan Chi frowned, "But why? And if the dagger was switched, where is the real one now?"
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