“Go!”
Yan Tongshu did not even stop to change her clothes, heading straight for the door.
Pearl hurried after her.
The steward had received the news only moments earlier. As he rushed toward Yan Tongshu, he had already sent someone to tell Jinbao to ready the carriage.
Thus, by the time Yan Tongshu stepped outside, the carriage was waiting at the gates.
Inside the carriage, countless images flashed through Yan Tongshu’s mind.
Princess Xing’an had been so kind, so innocent, so lively, so beautiful—like a gesang flower blooming beneath the sun.
She had come bearing a mission of peace.
She had never wished to harm anyone.
Yet she had died a tragic death in a foreign land.
Yan Tongshu clenched her fists.
If—if it truly had been the work of extremist followers of the Heavenly God Sect’s new doctrine in Northern Liao’s Northern Prefecture, then those people must still be in Bianjing. And when she found them, she would never let them go.
Those people were a cult!
What “new doctrine of the Heavenly God Sect”? A creed that sought to keep the people of its own country trapped in endless warfare was utter nonsense. It was a cult—an out-and-out cult!
The carriage reached the Metropolitan Guesthouse at top speed.
Yan Tongshu leaped down from the carriage at once.
By then, Zhang Jiu had arrived with constables from the Kaifeng Prefecture, while the Minister of Justice had come with soldiers from the Ministry of Justice.
Because the matter involved a foreign delegation, a host of officials from the Ministry of Rites were also present.
Even Chang Zhengzhang and the Chief Minister had rushed over without delay.
Meng Zheng had already led the Imperial Guard in encircling the Metropolitan Guesthouse. He stared at its gates, his expression grim.
The followers of the Heavenly God Sect regarded offering up their lives to the Heavenly God as a badge of honor. They were fanatical agents willing to die.
They sought to eliminate anyone who intended to “sell out the country” through peace negotiations.
Yes. In their eyes, peace talks were betrayal.
So if Princess Xing’an really had been murdered by them, they would never stop after killing just one person.
And this time, what had happened to Princess Xing’an was a failure on the part of his Imperial Guard.
He ought to bear full responsibility.
Yan Tongshu had no time to greet anyone. She strode straight into the Metropolitan Guesthouse. The surrounding officials and soldiers all knew her and saluted as she passed.
Yan Tongshu quickly arrived outside Princess Xing’an’s bedchamber.
Zhang Jiu cupped his hands in greeting to Yan Tongshu.
The Minister of Justice wore a cold, severe expression.
After the Law Office had selected its female officials for their half-year terms, the male officials such as Cen Xu, who had temporarily filled middle-ranking posts, had stepped down and returned to their original positions. Thus, Cen Xu was now here in his capacity as an official of the Ministry of Justice.
Upon seeing Yan Tongshu, Chang Zhengzhang and the Chief Minister both stepped forward. “Lord Yan.”
Yan Tongshu returned their greeting, but her gaze was already drifting toward Princess Xing’an’s bedchamber.
She asked, “Who was the first to discover the princess’s death?”
Zhang Jiu looked toward Xie Li.
Xie Li sat slumped to one side, his fingernails digging deeply into the stool beneath him. His nails had torn open, yet he seemed utterly unaware.
He was hunched over, his face streaked with tears, looking as though his soul had left his body.
Fine snowflakes settled in his hair and on his face, but he did not notice them. It was clear that grief had overwhelmed him completely.
Zhang Jiu explained, “Last night at the hour of the boar—around nine in the evening—guard Xie Li changed shifts with guard Penglai. After that, he remained stationed outside the princess’s bedchamber. Princess Xing’an kept a very regular schedule. This morning, when her maid A-Lian came to knock on the door, there was no answer. Xie Li and Penglai sensed that something was wrong. Since Xie Li was the princess’s martial arts master and closer to her, Penglai had him push open the door and enter.”
Immediately afterward, Xie Li’s cries rang out from inside the room. A-Lian and Penglai rushed in and saw Xie Li kneeling beside the altar to the Heavenly God, weeping. Princess Xing'an’s headless body was slumped against the altar.
When the two tried to approach, Xie Li stopped them, telling them not to disturb the scene and to fetch help at once. Soon, everyone arrived.”
Yan Tongshu asked, “Has the scene remained untouched the entire time?”
Zhang Jiu replied, “Yes. Chancellor Yelu happened to be passing nearby at the time. The moment he heard that something had happened to Princess Xing'an, he rushed over. From the discovery of the body to Chancellor Yelu ordering the scene sealed off, not even a third of an incense stick’s time had passed.”
Yan Tongshu’s expression turned grave as she stood at the doorway and looked inside.
Princess Xing'an was of exalted status, and her quarters were spacious. A folding screen divided the room into inner and outer sections.
The outer room held a writing desk, used for writing, reading, drinking tea, and receiving visitors informally. The inner room was for rest.
The screen stood intact, completely concealing the space beyond.
Several clerks from the magistrate’s office stood properly beside the screen, sketching the layout of the inner room.
The screen was embroidered with a scene of ten thousand horses galloping.
The surrounding decorations—paintings, calligraphy, vases, and ornaments arranged by the officials of the Duting Post Station—were all unremarkable.
The only unusual item was a blessing sachet hanging from the window. Embroidered on it was a fiery eagle, the totem of the Heavenly God.
The Heavenly God Sect was the state religion of Northern Liao. It had both orthodox and reformed doctrines. Most extremists belonged to the reformed branch.
Since the clerks needed time to complete their sketches, Yan Tongshu first summoned Penglai and A-Lian for questioning.
The two had already been questioned by other officials, so their accounts of the previous night were now clear and well organized.
A-Lian had served Princess Xing'an for many years and shared a close bond with her. Her eyes were red, clearly swollen from weeping.
Her voice was hoarse and choked with emotion, yet she did her best to remain composed as she said, “Last night, it was my younger sister A-Fu who was on duty. I was not present. At the hour of the Dragon, around seven in the morning, I got up and went to the kitchen for hot water. Then I came here to wake Her Highness and attend to her morning toilette. When I arrived, I called out several times, but Her Highness did not answer. I felt something was wrong, so I knocked on the door. There was still no response. Everyone then realized something was amiss, and we had Guard Jieli enter the room to check.”
Her account matched Zhang Jiu’s exactly.
Yan Tongshu asked, “Where is your sister?”
A-Lian looked to one side. A-Fu was being questioned by an official from the Ministry of Justice.
A-Fu wore the same style of maid’s uniform as A-Lian, but her shoes and the lower half of her skirt were soaked through with melted snow. They were even wetter than A-Lian’s, and were stained with brown mud.
At this hour, if A-Fu had only just awakened, changed clothes, and come over, how could she be so dirty?
This was a matter of great importance. Every department was investigating, questioning witnesses.
Yan Tongshu did not wish to interrupt, so she turned to Penglai. “What about you? What happened from last night until now?”
Penglai said, “Since I was on night watch, and I’d had a few drinks with some people last night, I went to bed early to catch up on sleep. At exactly the Hour of the Pig—nine in the evening—Xie Li woke me, and we came here to the Princess’s quarters to relieve the previous watch. We had only just taken over when the Qin heir came out of the Princess’s room. His expression was terrible. After that, Xie Li and I kept watch outside the door.
“Not long afterward—not even a fifth of an incense stick’s time later—the Princess extinguished the lamps and went to sleep. Nothing else happened after that. It snowed during the night, and then this morning, at the Hour of the Dragon, A-Lian came to help the Princess wash and dress, but there was no answer. Xie Li is the Princess’s master, and she was closer to him. We were afraid something had happened to the Princess, or that there might be an ambush inside, so we had him go in first to take a look.
“Then we heard Xie Li crying out in anguish from inside. We rushed in and found the Princess sitting beside the altar table, without her head. There was blood on the bed as well. Xie Li was afraid we would disturb the crime scene, so he told us to fetch people at once. Panicked, A-Lian and I rushed out of the room, shouting that something had happened and calling for help. We had not gone far when we encountered Chancellor Yelu. The Chancellor acted decisively, summoning soldiers to surround the Princess’s room and forbidding anyone from entering or leaving.”
Yan Tongshu asked, “After the Qin heir left, you did not enter the room. How could you be certain that the Princess had put out the lamps and gone to bed?”
Penglai froze for a moment before answering, “There was light inside, and the Princess’s silhouette kept moving. Later, the candlelight went out, so she must have gone to sleep.”
Yan Tongshu asked again, “Did either of you leave your post during the watch?”
Penglai said, “Nature calls. We did go to relieve ourselves, but we’re men, so at night we generally took care of it nearby. Even when we stepped away, we never took our eyes off the post.”
Yan Tongshu said, “At what times did you leave?”
Penglai replied, “I can’t remember the exact times. I only know that I left once in the middle of the night, and Xie Li also went to relieve himself once before dawn.”
Yan Tongshu gave a slight nod. Then he stepped forward, crossing the snow that had yet to be cleared away because of the incident, and came to Xie Li’s side.
In a soft voice, Yan Tongshu asked, “Are you all right?”
Xie Li tried to wipe away his tears, but they would not stop.
He sniffed. “Whatever Lord Yan wishes to ask, ask it.”
Yan Tongshu said, “What did you do last night? And what did you see after entering the room this morning?”
An expression of utter agony filled Xie Li’s eyes. “I—I…”
His lips were pale, and his voice was so hoarse it seemed as if his throat had been dried out by the wind.
He swallowed, easing the discomfort in his throat somewhat, then said, “The Princess has been in Bianjing for a long time and dearly missed the roasted beef from the grasslands. But the supply she had brought from home had run out. Last night, I finally managed to obtain some beef, so I roasted it and brought it to the Princess. After that, I returned to my own room. Then Penglai and I came here to take over the watch, and that was how it remained until morning…”
Choking back sobs, he said, “The princess is a woman. Although I am her tutor, there are still many things that would be inappropriate. So I called softly to her as I walked forward, asking, ‘Princess, are you awake?’ Then I passed through the screen and went to the princess’s bed. When I lifted the bed curtains, I found no one inside. Panicking, I searched everywhere until I reached the altar…”
As Xie Li spoke, tears once again streamed down his face. “I—I discovered… discovered that the princess was already dead, and that someone had hacked off her head. I had often heard about Lord Yan’s accomplishments and knew how important the crime scene was, so I didn’t let A-Lian or Penglai come near. I sent them to call for help and preserve the scene. Lord Yan…”
Xie Li rose, bent his knees, and knelt before Yan Tongshu. “I beg you, find the murderer and avenge the princess! Please!”
As he spoke, he struck his forehead against the floor with a muffled thud.
“Get up first. I will do everything I can.”
Yan Tongshu helped Xie Li to his feet and asked, “You changed shifts at the beginning of the Hai hour last night. What about the two people who relieved you?”
Penglai came over when he heard this. “Lord Yan, the ones who relieved us yesterday were Amang and Shiyi.”
Penglai called the two men over.
Yan Tongshu asked them the same question: what had happened the previous night?
Amang said, “We were on duty during the first half of the night. Nothing happened in particular. The Qin heir came to see the princess. We knocked on the door to report his arrival, but Guard Jieli and the princess were talking, so Guard Jieli had A-Fu send the Qin heir away. Afterward, Guard Jieli left, and the princess had A-Fu invite the Qin heir inside. The two of them stayed in the room for quite some time.
“When it was time to change shifts at the Hai hour, the Qin heir happened to be coming out. We didn’t think anything of it. After changing shifts, Shiyi and I went back to our room to sleep. Our room is just behind here, only a few steps away. Nothing happened in between.”
Yan Tongshu nodded to show that he understood.
Just then, the Ministry of Justice finished questioning A-Fu. Yan Tongshu had A-Lian bring her over.
He asked her the same questions. A-Fu shook her head. “The princess was perfectly normal last night. After the Qin heir arrived, Her Highness dismissed me. Nothing unusual happened. She never called for me again afterward.”
Yan Tongshu seized on her final words and asked sharply, “Doesn’t Princess Xing’an need her attendants to serve her while she washes and prepares for bed?”
A-Fu shook her head. “I don’t know why, but the princess truly never called for me again last night.”
Yan Tongshu’s gaze moved between the nearly identical faces of A-Lian and A-Fu. He asked, “The Princess Xing'an said she had someone she liked. Who was it?”
“This…”
The two women exchanged a glance. The princess was already dead. Would revealing this bring shame upon her reputation?
After a moment’s hesitation, A-Lian asked, “Lord Yan, is this question related to the princess’s death?”
“It may be, or it may not,” Yan Tongshu replied. “But until the case is solved, we cannot overlook any possible clue.”
At that, A-Lian and A-Fu instinctively turned to look at Xie Li.
Yan Tongshu followed their gaze and looked toward Xie Li as well.
Xie Li was Princess Xing'an’s martial arts master and often secretly took her out for fun.
Moreover, Xie Li was tall, handsome, and chivalrous, with formidable martial arts skills.
It was only natural for Princess Xing'an, at the age when first love began to bloom, to develop feelings for him.
“However...” A-Lian said slowly, “the princess has not told Guard Jieli yet. She only confided in us privately. The princess embroidered a sachet and planned to give it to him after returning, as a token of their betrothal, then ask the Empress Dowager and the King to grant them a marriage.”
Yan Tongshu gave a slight nod to indicate that he understood, then instructed A-Lian and A-Fu to leave first.
For now, everything remained uncertain. They could only wait for the clerks to finish sketching the scene, then examine the site and Princess Xing'an’s body for any definite clues.
At that moment, Zhang Jiu approached and lowered his voice. “Lord Yan, there is something this subordinate finds rather strange.”
Yan Tongshu asked, “What is it?”
In a quiet voice, he said, “Lord Yan, I received word early this morning and hurried over, so I arrived fairly early. This subordinate came together with men from the Ministry of Justice. After arriving, I questioned A-Lian. Only afterward did A-Fu hurry over from the servants’ quarters. She and A-Lian are Princess Xing'an’s personal maids, and the servants’ quarters are separated from the princess’s rear courtyard by only a single wall.
“By rights, A-Fu should have heard the cries and rushed over immediately, yet she arrived quite late. This subordinate was about to question her when A-Lian stepped forward first and whispered several words of instruction to her. Only then did she take A-Fu by the hand and bring her before me. At the time, they were too far away for me to stop them, and I did not hear what they said.”
Yan Tongshu asked, “Where is Qin Yunduan?”
He was the only person who had truly seen the princess—rather than merely through her shadow—last night.
Aside from the extremist followers of the Heavenly God Sect, he was the primary suspect.
Zhang Jiu replied, “The Qin heir has already been placed under guard by Lord Chang and the Grand Chancellor. Anyone wishing to see him must submit a request.”
Zhang Jiu bent slightly, lowering his voice even further. “Princess Xing'an’s head was placed upon the Heavenly God altar inside the room. The walls also bore a declaration claiming that extremist believers of the Heavenly God Sect had murdered the princess. But the truth has yet to be determined. The two lords fear that something may go wrong in the meantime.”
Yan Tongshu understood.
Princess Xing'an had come bearing a mission of peace.
She was King of Northern Liao’s own daughter, and Empress Dowager Xiao’s granddaughter.
If Princess Xing'an had been killed by extremists of the Heavenly God Sect, then the responsibility would not lie with this dynasty.
But if further investigation uncovered something—or if Qin Yunduan revealed something detrimental to the peace talks—and it was ultimately discovered that Princess Xing'an’s death had been caused by certain ill-intentioned people of this dynasty, then there would no longer be any possibility of peace between the two nations.
Thus, the Grand Chancellor and Chang Zhengzhang had acted decisively and placed Qin Yunduan under control.
But...
Yan Tongshu fixed Zhang Jiu with a cool, piercing gaze. “Why?”
Zhang Jiu did not understand. “Why what?”
Yan Tongshu said, “Why does everyone assume that Princess Xing'an’s death will ruin the peace talks?”
Zhang Jiu glanced around, his eyes grave. “Perhaps because it has always been that way.”
But did “always” make it right?
A while later, the clerks finished drawing their plans.
After a brief discussion between Chang Zhengzhang and the Grand Chancellor, Yan Tongshu was permitted to enter and inspect the scene first.
Although the Minister of Works held opposing views on many of Yan Tongshu’s political proposals, in a matter of such grave importance, everything else could be set aside for the time being.
They all believed in Lord Yan of Kaifeng Prefecture and her ability to solve cases.
Yan Tongshu took only Zhang Jiu and the coroner, Wu Suowei, inside with her.
To guard against any trickery by the Wuchao delegation, Chancellor Yelu followed Yan Tongshu every step of the way.
Yan Tongshu first stood by the screen and surveyed the overall layout of the inner chamber.
According to the room’s orientation, the screen stood to the west. Two windows faced each other along the north and south walls. Both were vertically opening windows that could only be opened halfway from inside, too narrow for anyone to pass through. They were currently locked shut from within.
Beside the southern window stood an altar to the Heavenly God.
The bed was positioned slightly north of east. The altar and the bed were on the same side of the room, both against the eastern wall, separated by a curtain.
Though the curtain was presently tied back, allowing Yan Tongshu to see beyond it, her line of sight covered only half the altar. She stepped forward and passed through the curtain.
On the altar stood a stone statue of the Heavenly God, along with candles and lotus lamps.
Beside the statue rested Princess Xing’an’s severed head.
Princess Xing’an’s eyes were closed. Her complexion was cyanotic, her face swollen, and her lips and ears tinged a bluish purple.
A sheet of paper had been pasted to the wall behind the altar. It read:
“Those who defy the Heavenly God’s will and betray Great Liao shall die.”
Beneath the altar lay a square kneeling cushion.
It was embroidered with various totems of the Heavenly God Sect—symbols unfamiliar to people of the Central Plains.
Yan Tongshu clenched her teeth hard, her fists tightening as her face darkened with fury.
A pack of cultist terrorists.
Princess Xing’an had only been a young girl!
She drew a deep breath and forced herself to calm down.
Investigate the case. Investigate the case.
The most urgent task was to find the murderer, bring him to justice, and avenge Princess Xing’an.
She turned her gaze to the princess’s body.
The princess’s headless corpse sat propped against the wall beneath the window.
According to Xie Li and Penglai, Princess Xing’an had most likely died around half past nine in the evening.
It was now nearly eight in the morning. Roughly five and a half shichen had passed—eleven hours.
Rigor mortis peaked between ten and twelve hours after death, when the entire body became stiff.
No one could alter the princess’s position after death.
Yan Tongshu approached Princess Xing’an’s headless body.
The princess wore a bright red winter outfit—not a dress, but trousers. Her boots were blue-green, and since she had apparently been preparing for bed before the incident, she wore no ornaments or accessories.
Strange.
Something was wrong.
Though Princess Xing’an was propped against the wall beneath the window, her legs were not stretched out naturally. Instead, her knees were drawn up.
Her body leaned slightly to the right. Her right hand hung loosely at her side, while her left hand clutched her belt with desperate force.
If the murderer had been a member of the cult, and Princess Xing’an had been killed to intimidate the peace faction of Northern Liao, then after killing her and severing her head, they would have simply left her body here. Her legs should have fallen naturally forward, lying flat on the floor.
Her hands, too, should have hung naturally at her sides.
Yan Tongshu crouched down.
Princess Xing’an’s fingernails were bluish purple, a sign of oxygen deprivation. Her livor mortis was a dark purplish red.
The princess’s left hand was gripping her belt. Now that rigor mortis had set in, Yan Tongshu tried to tug the belt free, but the dead fingers held it too tightly. It would not budge.
However, a closer look made it obvious that the fastening was in the wrong position. The belt had shifted. The spot Princess Xing'an was clutching should have been at the side of her waist, yet it had been moved to the front and was gripped tightly in her hand.
Princess Xing'an was Khitan. The Khitans were a people of the steppes, who revered horsemanship and archery. Their everyday ornaments were often decorated with eagles, falcons, horses, and the like.
Princess Xing'an's belt was no exception. The section she was clutching was embroidered with a gyrfalcon.
Yan Tongshu took the gloves handed to her by the coroner and put them on. She pressed lightly on the livor mortis. It did not fade easily, though there was a slight change, indicating that death had occurred within the past ten to twelve hours.
After twelve hours, livor mortis would generally show almost no further change.
According to Penglai, Princess Xing'an had died around a quarter past nine in the evening. It had been eleven hours since then, which matched the current condition of the lividity.
Yan Tongshu removed her gloves and touched Princess Xing'an's skin with her fingers.
Based on the balance of heat transfer between a corpse and its surroundings, a person's body temperature generally drops by one degree per hour during the first ten hours after death. After ten hours, the rate of cooling slows, and after twenty-four hours, the body temperature approaches room temperature.
In winter, the rate of cooling is slower than in spring or autumn.
But Princess Xing'an's room at the Duting Post Station had underfloor heating, and the indoor temperature was close to eighteen degrees.
Although there was no thermometer to measure Princess Xing'an's temperature precisely, Yan Tongshu could tell that her body was still warmer than the room.
Combined with the fact that the livor mortis was fully fixed, without any sign of shifting or redistribution, Princess Xing'an's time of death was indeed close to eleven hours earlier—at the very least, within the range of ten to twelve hours.
Yan Tongshu had Zhang Jiu lower the bed curtains. She put her gloves back on, loosened Princess Xing'an's clothing slightly, and looked inside. The areas where the lividity had heavily pooled corresponded with her present posture.
This meant that Princess Xing'an had either died in this position and remained so for a long while, or she had been arranged in this posture immediately after death and kept that way until rigor mortis set in.
Yan Tongshu dressed Princess Xing'an again.
Her gaze shifted downward. She lifted the hem of Princess Xing'an's skirt. “Wu Suowei, come here. Record this: there are corrosive stains on the skirt hem, and burn marks around the ankles.”
“Yes.” Wu Suowei immediately crouched down to examine them while sketching the appearance and shape of the corrosive stains.
Yan Tongshu continued, “The fingernails of the right index and middle fingers are damaged, and there is residue beneath them…”
Using a bamboo pick, she scraped out the material from beneath the nails and ground it between her fingertips. “Wood shavings.”
Wu Suowei was stunned. Wood shavings?
Why would there be wood shavings beneath Princess Xing'an's fingernails?
Yan Tongshu examined the nearby window. There were scratch marks on it, as well as tiny abrasions along the sill.
The window opened vertically, and its range was very limited. Even when fully opened, the opening was only large enough for a thin child to squeeze through. An adult could not possibly pass through it.
Moreover, the window was currently locked from the inside and could not be opened from outside.
She opened the window and leaned out. Beyond it lay snow-covered ground and sparse vegetation, but... there was something strange about the snow on the windowsill.
Yan Tongshu reached out and grabbed a handful of snow, studying it closely. It seemed to be stained with something unusual.
She had people go around outside to gather up the snow, then examined the cut on Princess Xing’an’s neck.
