Chapter 23

Chu Qingwan glanced at Lu Baolin, who did not meet her gaze. Consort He immediately echoed, "Lu Baolin is right. If I were the one who did this, why would I let myself fall into such a predicament?"

Once Consort He had spoken, Lu Baolin fell silent again, as if she had never uttered a word.

Noble Consort Zhou frowned, appearing to ponder Lu Baolin’s words deeply. The hall fell into a momentary silence. Chu Qingwan wondered how such a stalemate could ever be investigated. There were no human witnesses, and no material evidence.

Noble Consort Zhou, however, did not find it difficult. Were there not enough muddled affairs in this palace? Not every matter could be uncovered to reveal the truth. Sometimes, even when the truth was laid bare before one’s eyes, everyone had to pretend to be blind. At the very least, for this matter, she did not need the truth.

Noble Consort Zhou glanced at the hourglass; seeing that dawn was approaching, she was about to turn and advise Xu Yanheng not to delay the morning court session when Wei Ziming walked in.

"Your Majesty, the coroner has made a discovery."

She looked up abruptly, her eyes slightly darkened.

Wei Ziming bowed, "It is that servant. Flesh tissue was found under his fingernails. The coroner speculates that it must have left marks on the killer when the palace attendant was being harmed."

It was a coincidence; the well had been abandoned for a long time and contained little water. The palace attendant must have been thrown in later, landing right on top of Lady Zhang, which prevented the body from bloating and allowed the evidence under the fingernails to be preserved.

Chu Qingwan gripped her handkerchief tightly. She had been observing everyone silently, especially the expression of Noble Consort Zhou. Thus, when Wei Ziming came to report, the subtle change in the Noble Consort's expression did not escape her.

Chu Qingwan’s breathing grew shallow, barely masking the emotions in her eyes.

It was her indeed.

When Nongqiu mentioned the name Lu Desheng, Chu Qingwan had realized who was behind this. Since she went to Zhaoshe Palace to pay her respects every day, she naturally knew the name of the head eunuch there. She also understood why Little Luzi had guessed the truth but dared not get involved. No one wanted to offend the current power-holder in the palace. If they failed to topple Noble Consort Zhou today, the outcome for them would be self-evident.

Noble Consort Zhou did not know that someone had witnessed Lu Desheng committing the crime. She lowered her hand from her temple, seemingly relieved. "At last, there is progress."

She turned her head to ask Xu Yanheng for instruction: "I shall have people search to see who bears any wounds."

Xu Yanheng nodded.

Noble Consort Zhou turned to instruct Meiying: "You go with Lu Desheng. Do not let any suspicious detail escape you."

Meiying lowered her head, not letting her emotions show, and replied respectfully, "This servant will go at once."

Chu Qingwan blinked. It was a case of a thief crying "stop thief"—the real culprit was the one in charge of the investigation. It would be a miracle if the truth were ever found.

A long time passed, and Chu Qingwan's legs had gone numb before Meiying and Lu Desheng finally returned with their men. When Consort He saw the person being dragged in, her expression turned dreadfully ugly. She pulled her lips into a stiff grimace. "Is there a mistake somewhere? How could it be Little Linzi?"

Little Linzi was a eunuch from her own palace. Consort He was on the verge of grinding her teeth to dust, her mind racing: was someone framing her, or had Little Linzi betrayed her? Regardless of the result, she would not emerge unscathed today.

Meiying was not intimidated by Consort He. She said with composure, "This servant searched with the people from the Imperial Guard, and only this Little Linzi has a fresh wound on his arm."

She mentioned the Imperial Guard as if in passing, leaving no room for anyone to doubt the investigation results. Lu Desheng ripped open Little Linzi's sleeve, revealing a wound that had indeed been treated with ointment, yet it was clearly a fresh injury. The suspicious gazes of everyone gathered on Consort He.

Nongqiu felt a sense of terror. Lu Desheng was clearly the one who had harmed the others, so how could Little Linzi have a fresh wound? And, by a strange coincidence, it was a scratch.

Noble Consort Zhou’s face darkened instantly. "Consort He! Lady Zhang’s body was found near your palace. You kept insisting that someone was framing you, but now that the servant’s wound is laid bare—with one coincidence after another—do you still intend to quibble?!"

Consort He panicked. She knelt down and shook her head frantically at Xu Yanheng. "Your Majesty, please believe me. It truly was not me who harmed Lady Zhang. I had no grudge against her; why would I kill her?"

At this moment, Concubine Su seemed to recall something and frowned slightly. "I recall that a few days ago, I happened to see Consort He and Lady Zhang having a conflict."

Consort He was suddenly choked for words.

Noble Consort Zhou frowned. "Why didn't you mention such a thing earlier? It would have saved us so much time."

Consort He felt they were being utterly unreasonable. "That was because her servant insulted me, so I punished her! And I have already punished her; would I kill her over such a trivial matter and bring trouble upon myself?!"

Having said that, Consort He realized where the breakthrough point was. Her face grew ghastly. She turned to look at Little Linzi, her eyes filled with such hatred that she could have killed him. "How did you get that wound? Tell the truth at once!"

Little Linzi’s face turned deathly pale. He seemed stunned, and under Consort He's interrogation, he remained silent for a moment.

Noble Consort Zhou sneered, "The evidence is as solid as a mountain; your quibbling is futile!"

Little Linzi seemed to collapse in spirit. He kowtowed heavily. "It is this servant who deserves to die! This servant has failed his mistress!"

Hearing this, Consort He closed her eyes. She was not a fool; she knew that once Little Linzi said these words, the matter was settled. She did not understand—she had treated him well, so why would he betray her?

Little Linzi dared not look at Consort He. He buried his head deep, his voice choked and hoarse. "It was this servant who acted on impulse and killed Lady Zhang. I also killed Xiao Hezi afterward to silence him. It is all my fault."

He took all the blame upon himself but remained silent about the reason.

Consort He trembled with rage. "Nonsense! A servant like you could have no grudge against her. Why did you kill her?"

She had been in the palace for years, and Little Linzi had been with her since the Emperor ascended the throne. Their years of loyalty made her instinctively defend him. The more she did so, the deeper Little Linzi buried his head.

Chu Qingwan frowned slightly. The more Little Linzi avoided looking at Consort He, the more it suggested that he was not without loyalty toward her. If that was the case, how had Noble Consort Zhou forced him to take the blame for murdering a consort?

Concubine Qiu also found it strange. "There must be a reason for murder. You have followed Consort He for a long time, and you do not seem like an impulsive person."

Consort He was the one with the impulsive nature; the servants under her were usually calm, often keeping her in check. Little Linzi refused to speak, unwilling to frame Consort He as Noble Consort Zhou had instructed, but he could never reveal his own secrets.

"Everything is my fault. It was just a moment of madness that led me to kill Lady Zhang!"

No sooner had he spoken than Little Linzi suddenly rushed toward Xu Yanheng. Xu Yanheng did not even raise an eyelid. The Imperial Guards behind him instinctively stepped forward with their blades drawn. In an instant, the sound of tearing silk echoed, and blood splattered, staining the floor of Yanxi Palace.

Everyone stared in shock at Little Linzi, who had slammed into the blades. The next moment, panicked cries filled the hall.

Chu Qingwan had never witnessed such a scene; she subconsciously covered her mouth. Consort He stared blankly at the scene, completely dumbfounded. She closed her eyes, hatred surging within her. Death was like a light going out; no matter how much she resented Little Linzi, now that he was dead, her anger could only drift away with the wind. Instead, she found herself remembering his better qualities. Consequently, she felt a trembling hatred for the person who had forced Little Linzi to betray her.

A cold glint flashed in Noble Consort Zhou’s eyes. She had not expected that a fool like Consort He could make her servant choose death over betraying her.

Wei Ziming saw the bloodstains on the Emperor’s robes and, trembling with fear, immediately knelt to wipe them clean, only to be kicked away by Xu Yanheng. "Get out."

The calm, low voice echoed through the hall, finally bringing everyone back to their senses. The room fell deathly silent. Xu Yanheng gazed at Little Linzi’s body on the floor, his expression seemingly calm, yet the coldness in his eyes was chilling, hinting at an impending storm.

Chu Qingwan swallowed hard.

Only Noble Consort Zhou could not remain silent. She frowned, "Why haven't you dragged this dog away yet?"

Xu Yanheng interrupted her. "What is the hurry?"

Noble Consort Zhou paused. The moment Little Linzi killed himself, she had a sense of unease that the situation was slipping out of her control. Xu Yanheng’s words pushed that unease to its peak.

"Let the imperial physicians and the coroner come in to examine the wound on his arm."

Chu Qingwan was surprised. She did not dare look at Xu Yanheng at this moment; the sharper Xu Yanheng was, the more she had to ensure her behavior remained indistinguishable from the others. Otherwise, if Xu Yanheng sensed she knew the truth, it would not be a good thing for her.

Noble Consort Zhou’s face stiffened. She seemed confused. "Is there something wrong with his wound?"

Though she asked, she dared not hesitate and immediately allowed the physicians and the coroner to enter.

Little Linzi still lay in the center of the hall, a bloody wound on his neck continuously spilling blood, quickly staining the carpet and even the hem of Consort He’s gown. Yunlin held her; both mistress and servant were deathly pale and did not react even when they heard Xu Yanheng’s words.

The physician and the coroner examined the body, removed the ointment from the wound, and soon reached a conclusion.

"The wound on the palace attendant’s arm is indeed fresh, but..."

The physician and coroner exchanged a look. The physician sighed and said, "But this wound is a bit too fresh; it has likely been less than an hour."

In other words, it could not have been a scratch from the palace attendant in the well.

Thus, why Little Linzi had taken the blame became a matter of intrigue. Yet, with the man dead, the trail ended there.

Xu Yanheng let out a short, cold laugh. "My inner palace is truly filled with hidden dragons and crouching tigers."

No one took that as a compliment.

Consort He finally recovered from the shock of Little Linzi’s suicide. She wept miserably, stumbling to fall at Xu Yanheng’s feet, clutching his robes. "Your Majesty!"

She was crying so hard she could not speak, the bloodstains on her hands marking Xu Yanheng’s robes. But Xu Yanheng did not kick her away as he had done to Wei Ziming.

Something flashed through Chu Qingwan’s mind, causing her to narrow her eyes.