Three days later, Zhao Yue came to report that Qi Chengye had died.
"Just as Your Highness predicted, as soon as this man was dragged to the bustling market square, former creditors came to demand repayment. Seeing that his tongue had been cut out and his arms and legs crippled, they assumed it was the work of one of the creditors. Knowing they wouldn’t get their money back, they simply beat Qi Chengye to vent their anger. Over the past three days, he only ate some rotten vegetables and spoiled eggs before finally breathing his last this morning."
The Crown Prince was unsurprised and merely said indifferently, "Hand him over to the Pingzhou Prefecture authorities."
Zhao Yue acknowledged the order. "There’s one more thing. You instructed me to investigate events in Kaiyang County before the Qi woman became pregnant, and I’ve found a lead."
The Crown Prince lifted his gaze. "Speak."
Zhao Yue replied, "The Qi woman was diagnosed with pregnancy in July that year. After investigation, I confirmed that the medical clinic where she worked had not treated any suspicious patients that month, nor had she visited government offices or temples. She simply carried out her duties at the clinic as usual. However, according to a clinic assistant, she had frequently gone into the mountains to gather herbs. Coincidentally, that same month, a group of bandits fleeing from Jiangnan to Shandong clashed with pursuing forces in the eastern mountains of Kaiyang—the very mountains where the Qi woman often gathered herbs."
Cao Yuanlu and Qin Ge stood nearby, not daring to interject, though they couldn’t help speculating silently.
Could the girl’s father be one of those bandits? Is that why the Qi woman refused to reveal his identity?
No wonder there were no keepsakes left. The fact that the Qi woman survived an encounter with bandits was nothing short of a miracle.
But if it really was a bandit…
The Crown Prince’s expression darkened as he rubbed the jade thumb ring between his fingers. After a long silence, he ordered, "Continue the investigation."
Zhao Yue immediately bowed and withdrew.
……
After more than half a month of covert investigation, the Crown Prince finally gathered conclusive evidence of the military provisions deputy commissioner Lin Cheng’s embezzlement.
It turned out that Lin Cheng had not only misused public funds to purchase vast tracts of farmland and shops but also owned over a hundred mansions, each housing a beautiful concubine. He had modeled his lifestyle after the emperor’s harem, spending more than fifteen nights a month with these women. They even had their own "green name plaques," and on nights he chose to stay, his subordinates would present the plaques for him to select his companion for the evening—a perverse thrill he indulged in.
Beyond this, selling official positions and accepting bribes were among his gravest crimes.
Investigations revealed that more than a dozen mid-ranking officers in Pingzhou Prefecture had paid Lin Cheng so-called "promotion fees." Additionally, there were "summer ice tributes," "winter coal tributes," and lavish "festival tributes" during holidays.
On the day of his return to the capital, the Crown Prince instructed Shen Yanyu to impeach Lin Cheng in court and present the account books detailing the extravagant expenditures on his concubines.
The records were damning—just the monthly spending on cosmetics alone amounted to thousands of taels of silver, while other expenses ran into tens of thousands, shocking the entire court.
Emperor Chunming was furious and immediately ordered the Imperial Guards to arrest Lin Cheng and bring him to the capital for trial.
He never imagined that a military officer he had personally promoted would secretly engage in such corruption, exploiting his power for personal gain and even maintaining a private harem! The list of crimes was inexhaustible.
Yet he also suspected that Lin Cheng’s downfall was orchestrated by the Crown Prince. After all, where else could the Crown Prince have been during his half-month absence if not in Pingzhou?
A month ago, when the Crown Prince had appeared unwell and then vanished for fifteen days, Emperor Chunming had assumed he was recuperating in a palace retreat or seeking medical treatment for his chronic headaches.
Now it seemed he had gone to Pingzhou himself!
During the years the Crown Prince had been away from the capital, the court had remained tranquil. But in the mere six months since his return, the emperor’s trusted officials had fallen one after another—first Xie Huaichuan, then Minister of Works Xue Jingzhi, and now Lin Cheng. Every incident bore the Crown Prince’s fingerprints.
Though Lin Cheng’s rank was not high, the emperor had placed great trust in him, stationing him in Pingzhou’s military camp as a contingency against the Crown Prince’s potential rebellion. Lin Cheng was meant to lead reinforcements and tip the scales in the emperor’s favor.
But who could have foreseen that Lin Cheng’s lust and greed would lead to such crimes? The investigation and subsequent purge would undoubtedly shake Pingzhou’s entire administration.
If the Crown Prince were to launch a coup now, how could the emperor’s capital guards possibly stand against his 200,000 elite troops? Even the Imperial Guards, the emperor’s most loyal force, had been infiltrated by the Crown Prince’s agents.
Sheng Yu had already departed Pengcheng and would soon arrive in the capital. The secret of Lu Qi might not remain hidden much longer. Despite sending multiple assassins, the emperor had failed to eliminate Sheng Yu…
At this thought, Emperor Chunming clenched his fists in frustration.
……
Meanwhile, Yun Kui returned to the Eastern Palace and presented Nanny Yan with a sandalwood comb and a gold-inlaid hairpin adorned with longevity motifs.
Having spent decades in the palace, Nanny Yan was no stranger to imperial luxuries. She recognized at once that these items were far too extravagant for a mere bedchamber maid to afford—nor would the Crown Prince, burdened with state affairs, personally select such gifts for an old servant like her.
With a teasing smile, Nanny Yan said, "You’ve spent all the rewards His Highness gave you on this old woman. Though he may not say it aloud, he’ll surely blame me for it."
Yun Kui hurriedly replied, "How could that be? His Highness holds you in high regard."
Nanny Yan chuckled. "Now that His Highness has a beauty by his side, how could he remember an old crone like me?"
Yun Kui blushed. "You’re teasing me again."
Nanny Yan grew thoughtful. "Since His Highness is so fond of you, has he mentioned granting you an official rank?"
Yun Kui herself was uncertain of the Crown Prince’s intentions.
Though he had publicly addressed her as "Madam" outside the palace to assert his protection, she was still just a low-ranking maid. How could she presume to call herself the Crown Prince’s consort? Given her obscure origins, even the lowest rank of "Beauty" would invite scorn.
Leaving the palace was out of the question—the Crown Prince had confiscated the deed and keys to her house in Pingzhou, making it clear she was not to leave. Even if she never voiced the desire, the mere thought of departing seemed to displease him.
Moreover, now that she knew she could alleviate his headaches, she couldn’t bring herself to leave before his condition improved, even if he permitted it.
Still, the black jade thumb ring he had given her served as reassurance. His promise that he would "handle everything" meant she no longer needed to live in fear as before.
Yun Kui pressed her lips together. "He hasn’t mentioned it yet, but His Highness is investigating my background. My mother passed early, and my father… his identity remains unknown."
She saw no harm in confiding this to Nanny Yan. Even if she didn’t, the old servant, as one of the Crown Prince’s most trusted aides, would eventually learn of it.
Hearing this, Nanny Yan needed no further explanation to grasp the situation.
Yet as she studied Yun Kui’s delicate, exquisite features, another face—long unseen—resurfaced in her memory.
Twenty years had blurred the details, but something in Yun Kui’s eyes and brows faintly mirrored that person, as though bound by fate.
And now, with the girl’s father unknown… could there be a connection?
"By the way," Nanny Yan couldn't help but ask, "where is your hometown?"
Yun Kui answered truthfully, "My mother was from Kaiyang in Shandong. I grew up with my uncle and aunt."
Nanny Yan sighed—it seemed she had overthought things.
That person had been exiled from the capital to Jiangnan Province when the current Emperor ascended the throne. The timing and location didn’t match at all, so there couldn’t possibly be any connection.
Truthfully, if not for the striking resemblance in their eyes and brows, Nanny Yan would never have linked the two in her mind.
Returning to Chengguang Palace, Yun Kui immediately retreated to the warm chamber to rest.
Yesterday, on their way back to the capital, she had been resting in her own carriage as usual when, halfway through the journey, the Crown Prince suddenly barged in and took over, forcing her to sit on his lap.
Somehow, as they rode, her undergarments ended up gone, and just the rocking of the carriage alone had made her lose control twice. By the time they disembarked at the Eastern Palace, she had to grit her teeth to stand steadily. Even now, she still felt a faint soreness and swelling.
Cao Yuanlu arrived outside the door with a stack of portraits, and Yun Kui quickly composed herself, calling for him to enter.
During their last visit to Zuixiang Tower, the Crown Prince had introduced her to several officials, but she had already forgotten most of their faces. So she had requested portraits to study, hoping to reinforce her memory and perhaps dream of useful clues.
Though Cao Yuanlu didn’t know about her dream-walking ability, he already treated her as the future mistress of the palace. When she casually mentioned her request, he naturally obliged without hesitation.
As Yun Kui flipped through the portraits, she finally matched the painted faces to the officials she had seen at Zuixiang Tower. She had hoped to enter at least one of their dreams that night, but to her surprise, she didn’t.
Instead, she dreamed of an entirely unexpected scene.
It seemed to be a martial arts arena of some sort, with stands filled with royals and nobles in lavish robes. There were even unfamiliar faces—foreign envoys with distinct hairstyles, features, and attire—likely from neighboring countries, here to pay tribute and engage in friendly martial contests with the Dazhao warriors.
At the center of the stands sat a young man in a bright yellow dragon robe, his expression stern and imposing, his posture tall and commanding. Beside him was a woman wearing a phoenix crown adorned with pearls and jade, dressed in a grand crimson gown embroidered with golden peonies. She was dignified, graceful, and exuded an air of elegance rarely seen in the mortal world.
Only the Emperor and Empress could wear dragon robes and phoenix crowns, and only they could possess such regal grace—yet these were not the current Emperor and Empress.
Yun Kui studied their features curiously and found them faintly resembling the Crown Prince—the man’s authoritative presence, the woman’s striking eyes and brows, almost identical to His Highness.
Could they be the late Emperor and Empress, the Crown Prince’s birth parents?
If so, this scene was from over twenty years ago.
At that time, even the Crown Prince hadn’t been born yet. Yun Kui scanned the crowd and finally spotted a familiar face beside Empress Huigong.
Her cheeks slightly rounder, her dark hair neatly combed—it was Nanny Yan, twenty years younger!
Compared to now, Nanny Yan had fewer wrinkles and a fuller figure, but her features remained largely unchanged.
Was Yun Kui in Nanny Yan’s dream?
Or had she entered the dream of one of the officials she’d seen in the portraits, who might have been present in the stands?
Suddenly, a burst of cheers erupted. Following Nanny Yan’s gaze, Yun Kui looked toward the Dazhao warrior who had just stepped onto the stage.
Clad in a white martial robe, his face was somewhat blurred, but his handsome and heroic bearing was unmistakable. Even the red-clad foreign princess in the stands stood up, waving her arms excitedly in admiration.
The opposing side sent forth a towering, axe-wielding warrior. After exchanging formal bows, the burly fighter swung his heavy axe with a fierce slash. The white-robed warrior dodged with agile grace, his spear flashing toward his opponent’s vital points. The foreign warrior raised his axe to block, attempting to overpower him with brute strength, but the white-robed fighter’s fluid movements effortlessly countered every strike.
The dazzling play of spear shadows and the relentless clang of weapons left Yun Kui breathless. After dozens of intense exchanges, the foreign warrior’s axe was knocked out of his hands and sent flying off the stage. The white-robed warrior’s spear halted just half an inch from his opponent’s throat.
Yun Kui saw the Emperor and Empress exchange approving glances. The foreign princess exclaimed something unintelligible, and a courtier loudly proclaimed, "This is Dazhao’s youngest martial champion—is he not as dashing and peerless as jade?"
Before she could get a clear look at the champion’s face, the dream ended, and Yun Kui slowly opened her eyes.
The dream had been set over twenty years ago. The only person she recognized in the stands was Nanny Yan—likely reminiscing about the past, hence the nostalgic vision.
Yet Yun Kui never expected to see the late Emperor and Empress Huigong in such a way. They were so perfectly matched—radiating imperial majesty yet also sharing the tender harmony of an ordinary couple.
She had also heard that the late Emperor had taken no other consorts—Empress Huigong was his only wife.
Her thoughts drifted until a sudden realization struck her—the Crown Prince could read minds!
Her heart trembled, a chill creeping up her spine.
He was a light sleeper. In the past, whenever she woke and recalled her dreams, he would often overhear her thoughts.
Had he just heard her dream about the late Emperor and Empress?
Would His Highness… feel sorrow?
Hesitantly, she glanced up. The man’s eyes remained closed, his lips pressed into a thin line, his expression cold and detached—like an ice sculpture devoid of warmth.
After a long pause, she finally reached out and gently wrapped her arms around his waist.
(Note: Late due to overestimating typing speed. Thank you for your patience, dear readers!)
