There had been no prior interactions between the Crown Prince and Jiang Ruan in the palace, which made the Emperor cast a suspicious glance at Xiao Shao. Xiao Shao had previously expressed his intention to marry Jiang Ruan, yet when she was sent to the Ministry of Justice's prison, he remained completely silent. The Emperor had found it strange at the time—could this have been part of his plan? The thought immediately soured his mood.
With the Crown Prince stepping forward as a witness, two imperial princes had now spoken in Jiang Ruan's defense, abruptly shifting the dynamics of the situation.
Ye Lang grew increasingly anxious. What should have been a foolproof plan had been disrupted by the sudden appearance of the Crown Prince and Ye Pei. Most crucially, after Ye Pei's testimony, the way Ye Li looked at him had changed entirely, with no intention of speaking up for him. Once the seed of doubt was planted, it would inevitably take root, grow, and eventually become an insurmountable poison. For someone as inherently suspicious as Ye Li, this was especially true.
He kowtowed repeatedly to the Emperor, each knock resounding loudly. "Father, every word I've spoken is true! I wouldn't dare deceive you. Please see the truth, Father!"
The Crown Prince glanced at Ye Lang with indifference. "Fourth Brother, what are you implying? Are you suggesting that I and Thirteenth Brother conspired to frame you?"
Some among the court officials exchanged puzzled looks. The Crown Prince and Ye Lang had always been on good terms—how had things escalated to such hostility?
But Ye Lang knew better. Ever since Jiang Ruan had spoken to the Crown Prince about something unknown, the Crown Prince had deliberately distanced himself, even going so far as to belittle and provoke him. Ye Lang was certain this was Jiang Ruan's doing, and it was why he had always harbored a sliver of wariness toward her. Now, with the Crown Prince relentlessly attacking him, Xian Fei absent, and Ye Li silent, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and endure.
The Crown Prince turned to the Emperor. "That day, I happened to run into Thirteenth Brother on the road, and on a whim, we went to Bathing Breeze Pavilion. Unexpectedly, we witnessed the scene Thirteenth Brother just described. At the time, I was terrified. But seeing how young Thirteenth Brother is, yet brave enough to testify, I couldn't remain a coward—not if I wish to be worthy of being your son. That's why I've come forward to testify for the Princess of Great Peace."
His words were delivered with the careless, roguish demeanor the court officials had come to expect from him, leaving them momentarily speechless.
The Emperor, suppressing his anger, was about to speak when the Crown Prince added, "However, this case has many unanswered questions. That's why I've brought someone to assist. With their help, resolving this matter satisfactorily shouldn't be difficult."
"Who?" the Emperor asked sternly.
"Bring him in," the Crown Prince announced loudly. "Summon the Golden Mausoleum Master Hand, Miracle Healer Xia Qing!"
A eunuch's voice echoed through the hall as a young man in his early twenties, dressed in a simple blue robe, slowly entered. With a cheerful, boyish face and a satchel at his waist, he knelt before the Emperor. "This humble subject, Xia Qing, pays respects to Your Majesty."
Gasps filled the hall at the mention of the Golden Mausoleum Master Hand, Xia Qing. His family had served in the Imperial Medical Bureau for generations, but Xia Qing was the exception—a restless soul who disdained the outdated methods of the imperial physicians, favoring unconventional and unheard-of treatments. Yet, the imperial physicians treated nobles whose lives couldn't be risked on untested methods—one wrong move could cost a head. Xia Qing's radical ideas had no place in such a rigid system.Xia Qing felt increasingly constrained the longer he stayed in the palace, so he bid farewell to his family and set out to travel. Little did he know that he would later ascend Mount Canaan to study under Mr. Yaqi, becoming his disciple. His medical skills reached miraculous heights, earning him the illustrious title of "Golden Mausoleum Master Hand."
Now, despite his young age, Xia Qing's name was known throughout the Da Jin Dynasty. Even so, when the Imperial Medical Bureau extended another invitation to him, Xia Qing politely declined. He had been traveling far and wide, and this was his first time entering the palace since gaining fame.
No one had expected the Crown Prince to summon Xia Qing, nor that Xia Qing had any connection to the Crown Prince. Now that Xia Qing had arrived, what exactly did he intend to do?
Seeing the stunned expressions of those present, the Crown Prince smiled faintly. "There's no need for confusion, everyone. This prince believes Princess Heyi's death was highly suspicious—even her corpse seems unusual. Coincidentally, Miracle Healer Xia is an old friend of mine, so I asked him to examine Heyi's body." He paused before continuing slowly, "Without inspection, one wouldn't know, but upon closer look, we discovered something rather shocking."
"What did you find?" The Emperor's expression was inscrutable. The Crown Prince smiled again and turned to Xia Qing. "Miracle Healer Xia, please share your findings with His Majesty."
Xia Qing hurriedly bowed respectfully and replied, "Reporting to Your Majesty, this humble one observed Princess Heyi's corpse and noticed peculiar expressions on her face, unusual lividity, and strangely colored patches. As a physician, one must be meticulous and avoid even the slightest error. Though the princess was of noble birth, and this humble one's examination of her body was already presumptuous, no detail should be overlooked in such matters. Physicians must especially guard against arrogance, so I dared to scrutinize her once more. Upon closer inspection, I found her lips were cyanotic, her body bore tiny red spots, her limbs were not stiff, and her hair had clumped together..."
The man was a medical fanatic, rambling on in a way that left the entire hall bewildered. Yet Xia Qing remained oblivious, still speaking earnestly and with relish about the symptoms. Even the Emperor's face showed signs of impatience. Finally, after Xia Qing finished listing the anomalies on Princess Heyi's body, he concluded, "Observing these signs, this humble one concluded that the princess had ingested a substance called 'Fresh Flesh Powder.' This powder is colorless and odorless, and when administered orally alongside incense fumes, it can preserve a corpse in a state resembling recent death. I detected the scent of incense on the princess's body and confirmed she had been given 'Fresh Flesh Powder.'"
"Nonsense!" Consort Shu couldn't hold back. "What Fresh Flesh Powder? Heyi was clearly murdered by Jiang Ruan!"
"Your Highness, please remain calm." Xia Qing remained unhurried, speaking with earnest deliberation. "Aware of the peculiarities, this humble one used a method taught by my master to remove the 'Fresh Flesh Powder' from Princess Heyi's body. Once the substance that misled the coroner was eliminated, the corpse could no longer lie, revealing the true time of death. Upon examination, I found the princess's wounds had turned bluish, indicating she had died at least a full day earlier than the coroner's estimate."
As soon as these words were spoken, an uproar erupted in the Golden Hall.Xia Qing's words implied that Princess Heyi had already died before the day Jiang Ruan went to the Bathing Breeze Pavilion. This meant the murder charge against Jiang Ruan was completely unfounded. On the contrary, Ye Pei and the Crown Prince's earlier statements now appeared to be true. Moreover, considering further, Ye Pei had claimed it was Ye Lang and Princess Heyi's palace maid who brought the princess to the pavilion. Why would Ye Lang be with Princess Heyi's corpse unless—wasn't it highly possible—he was the one who killed her? This whole affair might just be a case of the thief crying "stop thief."
Ye Lang's expression changed drastically. The sudden appearance of the Crown Prince and Ye Pei today had already thrown his mind into disarray, and now Xia Qing's unexpected emergence completely disrupted his plans. Ye Lang was never a strategic thinker to begin with, relying solely on Ye Li's influence in the palace to act with impunity. But now even Ye Li had grown distant, clearly intending to stand aside today. In his panicked state, Ye Lang could think of no counterargument and could only futilely insist, "No! You're lying! I saw with my own eyes that Princess Heyi died by her hand! The princess was perfectly fine at the time!"
Consort Shu also harbored doubts about Xia Qing's words. Not being a miracle healer, she naturally couldn't detect anything amiss with Princess Heyi's corpse. Initially convinced of Jiang Ruan's guilt, she had been determined to see her executed. But now Xia Qing's declaration threw everything into question. If what he said was true—that Princess Heyi had died a day before the Bathing Breeze Pavilion incident—then who was the real murderer? Though Consort Shu disliked Jiang Ruan because of Princess Heyi, she couldn't bear the thought of her daughter's true killer escaping justice, nor could she accept being deceived. Her delicate brows furrowed sharply as she demanded, "Xia Qing, are you speaking the truth?"
"Of course it's true." Though somewhat indignant at being questioned, Xia Qing maintained his composure and explained patiently, "Though I travel widely, my clinic in Jinling has operated for many years without complaint. I would never tarnish my own reputation. Having examined the princess's body—now cleared of drugs—if Your Ladyship remains unconvinced, you may summon coroners and imperial physicians to conduct another examination to verify my findings."
The reputation of the Golden Mausoleum Master Hand was unimpeachable throughout the Da Jin Dynasty. His word carried absolute authority among physicians—who would dare question his diagnosis? To doubt him would be to oppose the entire medical community. Xia Qing's straightforward nature and sterling character were widely acknowledged. With his firm declaration, no one suspected any falsehood.
The Crown Prince added, "Father, earlier I had the Imperial Medical Bureau and palace coroners re-examine the evidence. As Physician Xia stated, He Yi died before the day of the Bathing Breeze Pavilion incident."
The Emperor's expression shifted subtly. Empress Dowager Yide, her hands slowly unclenching within her sleeves, absently stroked her ruby nail guards as she remarked coolly, "Fourth Prince, do you have anything further to say?""No, that's not..." Ye Lang never expected Xia Qing to have such a trick up his sleeve, catching him completely off guard. However, turning the situation around now seemed increasingly difficult. The Emperor's scrutinizing gaze filled Ye Lang with dread. He had schemed for so long, feigned weakness and harmlessness for so long, and now, just as his grand plan was about to succeed, could all his efforts be undone today?
"Fourth Brother, I know you admire the Princess of Great Peace, but resorting to such underhanded methods is unacceptable," the Crown Prince said with a smile. "Moreover, Deputy General Jiang's fate at the front remains uncertain. To go so far as to frame the Princess of Great Peace is truly despicable."
This remark immediately reminded everyone of the matter concerning Jiang Xin Zhi. Earlier, Ye Pei had suggested that Ye Lang intended to force a marriage by implicating the death of Princess Heyi. But why resort to such extreme measures? If it were merely for the sake of a beauty, destroying what he couldn’t obtain—and at the cost of Princess Heyi—would be too great a loss. However, if it were for the military power in Jiang Xin Zhi’s hands, the motive became far more plausible.
Though Jiang Xin Zhi’s current position was precarious, success would bring him boundless merit, while failure would still allow him to retain military authority. Marrying Jiang Ruan would be a profitable move either way. If this was Ye Lang’s plan, everything made sense. Yet, realizing this, the courtiers couldn’t help but marvel—this seemingly incompetent fourth prince, who had always trailed behind the Crown Prince, harbored such ambition and cunning. He was not to be underestimated.
Ye Lang glared at the Crown Prince, who returned his gaze with a smirk. After Jiang Ruan’s warning, the Crown Prince, though not the brightest, was no pushover in the palace, especially when it came to betrayal. He had treated Ye Lang well, only to discover his secret ties to Ye Li. The thought that Ye Lang’s earlier displays of brotherly affection were mere pretense disgusted him like swallowing a fly. Moreover, past mysteries were now revealed to be Ye Lang’s doing. The Crown Prince’s fury had long simmered, and now, given the chance, he struck without mercy. As the saying goes, one reaps what one sows—had Ye Lang shown even a shred of sincerity, he wouldn’t be facing isolation today.
Soon after, Lord Gu, the Commander-in-Chief, entered the hall to report: "Your Majesty, in the abandoned well within the palace, I found bloodstains and torn garments, confirmed to belong to the Princess."
If Jiang Ruan had truly committed the murder, and Ye Lang had witnessed it, when would she have had the time to strip Princess Heyi’s clothes and discard them in a distant well?
The Crown Prince shook his head. "Fourth Brother, I must say, killing your own sister for the Princess of Great Peace is beyond justification. I know you and Consort Shu share a deep bond—she always defended you before His Majesty when you erred as a child. How heartbroken she must be now. And yet, she trusted you so completely, never suspecting you."
At these words, Consort Shu’s expression twisted in shock, and Ye Lang froze where he stood.The Crown Prince's words were indeed accurate. Noble Consort Chen appeared gentle but was actually haughty, keeping her distance from the other three consorts in daily life. Consort Shu was spoiled and willful, and without a son of her own, she posed no threat. She had enjoyed the Emperor's favor for quite some time. In the past, Ye Lang had deliberately curried favor with Consort Shu, hoping she would speak well of him before the Emperor.
Now, the Crown Prince's words had redirected everyone's accusations toward Consort Shu. Indeed, after losing Princess Heyi, Consort Shu had immediately targeted Jiang Ruan, placing complete trust in Ye Lang's words. If Ye Lang and Consort Shu were indeed close, could there be some hidden agenda? Once a consort in the deep palace harbored ambition, her actions could become terrifying. Was it possible that Consort Shu had known about Princess Heyi's death all along and had conspired with Ye Lang to force Jiang Ruan into marriage? For what purpose? Naturally, because Consort Shu had no son, and Princess Heyi was merely a woman. If Ye Lang gained power in the future—or, thinking even deeper, if he could ascend to the throne—Consort Shu could also benefit.
The Emperor's heart was especially sensitive to such matters. Almost as soon as the words were spoken, his gaze shot straight toward Consort Shu.
Though Consort Shu was spoiled in the palace, she understood the stakes well. While silently cursing the Crown Prince for dragging her into this, she quickly raised her voice in protest: "I never thought I trusted you so much, Fourth Prince, only for you to harm my Heyi like this! Your Majesty," she turned to the Emperor, her beautiful face now streaked with two lines of tears, "You must uphold justice for your humble consort!"
This was her way of joining the condemnation of Ye Lang. Only by doing so could she silence the murmurs of the crowd and prove she had never conspired with him. At this point, Ye Lang was utterly abandoned by all.
The Emperor flew into a rage: "Guards! Take the Fourth Prince away and imprison him in the Ministry of Justice for trial at a later date!"
"No, Father, it wasn't me—" Before Ye Lang could even think of a counterargument, he heard this command and immediately panicked, resorting to desperate pleas of innocence.
But by now, it was too late for anything he said. The Crown Prince Ye Pei, Xia Qing, and now Lord Gu had all but confirmed his deceit. And Ye Pei's divisive words had finally made Ye Li hold his tongue at this critical moment. Or perhaps Ye Li had never intended to intervene—after all, sacrificing a pawn to save the king was his usual tactic.
(End of Chapter)
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