Song Yu quickly finished reading Shen Qingping's letter.
When he saw the part where Lady Chang suspected Song Ling had been poisoned, Song Yu's face remained eerily calm, though inwardly he was nearly soaring with joy.
A wrongful death—this was the ending Song Ling deserved.
"To think someone dared to harm my younger brother in secret, how utterly..."
How utterly perfect.
Song Yu forcefully pressed down the corners of his mouth that threatened to curl upward.
"We must investigate!" Song Yu declared resolutely.
Liuxi and Baoxia, standing at the doorway, exchanged bewildered glances. Wasn't their lord the one who despised Prince Ping the most?
Why did he now seem determined to seek justice for him?
Meanwhile, Song Shihuan, dredging up the scant memories she had of the Eastern Palace from her past life, spoke slowly:
"Song Ling had a servant named Bing Shi, who was responsible for his daily needs. This man was from Mugui County. I recall Liu'er mentioning that after Song Ling's death, Bing Shi was so grief-stricken... he was granted imperial mercy and allowed to return home to recuperate."
"Mugui County isn't far from Ji'an Prefecture. I'll send someone there immediately to find him," Song Yu said, his expression turning serious. Granted imperial mercy to return home...
How unusual.
Song Shihuan nodded. "Aside from him, you should also reply to the tutor and have Liu'er document the details of all the servants who previously attended to Song Ling in Ping Prince's Mansion. We may need to investigate each of them."
Song Yu agreed wholeheartedly and added, "Poisoning leaves traces. We must also check what medicines were purchased from pharmacies by Ping Prince's Mansion."
"We'll investigate first. Once we have enough evidence, we’ll request His Majesty's permission to exhume the body for examination."
Exhume the body.
Song Yu's eyes flickered with something unreadable, while Song Shihuan gazed into the distance.
To be dug up and dissected after death—wasn’t this heaven’s punishment for Song Ling?
"Good. We’ll proceed as you suggest, Ahuan."
Song Yu stood to draft a reply to Shen Qingping and handed it to Liuxi once finished.
Yet, a few moments later, Song Yu let out a long sigh.
"Ahuan, how did you know Ping Prince's Mansion had a servant named Bing Shi, responsible for Song Ling’s daily needs?"
"I already told you, Father—Liu'er mentioned it to me."
Song Shihuan tilted her head, her almond-shaped eyes curving into crescents. But Song Yu felt as though a thousand-pound weight hung from the corners of his lips.
An indescribable discomfort settled in his chest.
......
Meanwhile, in the capital...
At the Purple Palace Hall.
"Someone poisoned Lady Chang?" Emperor Yuanyou straightened, his expression grave. "Lady Chang has been secluded in the mansion, never stepping beyond its gates. She couldn’t have made enemies outside."
"Your Majesty, the poison was administered in minuscule doses over time, designed to accumulate until it took effect," Mei Zhilin carefully explained. "This humble official dares to speculate—only someone close to her could have done this."
"Someone close?"
The emperor’s eyes darkened. "By that logic, everyone in Ping Prince's Mansion qualifies."
"Your Majesty, Lady Chang requested that I keep this matter confidential. It seems she intends to investigate it herself."
"What do you suggest I do?" Emperor Yuanyou glanced at Mei Zhilin, who tensed under his gaze.
"As the saying goes, 'A family elder must feign deafness and blindness at times.' Perhaps we should let the consort investigate first. Once she uncovers clues, Your Majesty can intervene as needed."
Mei Zhilin, recalling intelligence from the Red Rouge Pavilion, steeled himself and spoke these words—even boldly omitting Lady Chang’s inquiry about Prince Ping’s final illness.
He suspected Prince Qin’s faction might involve themselves. If so, it was best to let Prince Qin investigate freely.
"A fine saying indeed. Then let Lady Chang handle it for now."
Emperor Yuanyou rotated the jade ring on his thumb. If Shen Hua'er was behind this, he’d deal with her accordingly.
But if Yan Zheng or the others were involved...
Poisoning their own mother.
The ancestors of the Song family would be rolling in their graves.
So it had better not be those little brats!
......
And so, Shen Qingping—already stretched thin overseeing the salt smuggling case—was now burdened with investigating Ping Prince's Mansion.
Though Song Yu repeatedly assured him that once he passed the imperial exams and returned to the capital in glory, he’d share the load.
Shen Qingping couldn’t help but wonder:
Would Song Yu becoming a scholar-official really ease his current pressures?
Clearly not.
Still, the thought of Song Yu bringing the young mistress back to the capital allowed him to exhale half a sigh of relief. "Summon the men. We have new orders."
If Shen Qingping used to retire at midnight, Song Yu’s reply kept him burning the candle well past the hour of the ox.
Shen Mingwen, after much internal struggle, swallowed his pride and approached his son’s quarters.
"Third Son, is there anything your father can do to help?"
The words made the elder Shen’s face burn. After decades more life experience, he now felt less burdened than his son.
It was embarrassing, but Grand Tutor Shen chose not to dwell on it.
"These are unsavory matters. I wouldn’t dirty your hands with them."
Well. His son didn’t want his help.
With a sigh, Shen Mingwen retreated, dejected.
......
Yet the next morning at court, Shen Mingwen received astonishing news.
"I’ve received two memorials from Ji'an Prefecture’s subordinate counties, impeaching Ye Shijie."
At Emperor Yuanyou’s words, Shen Mingwen’s despondent face instantly brightened. Impeaching Ye Shijie? This was his specialty.
"The accusers argue Ye Shijie is unfit to remain as chief examiner, alleging he favored candidates from Yong'an County. During the last prefectural exams, Guo Feng and Ling Ming of Yong'an ranked suspiciously high. Some even claim Ye Shijie provided them with study materials beforehand."
"Ye Shijie would never show favoritism!"
Shen Mingwen, initially delighted, now sprang forward indignantly. "Your Majesty, if they accused Ye Shijie of making the exams unfairly difficult, I’d believe it. But accusing him of bias? Preposterous!"
Anyone familiar with Ye Shijie’s temperament would say the same.
The man was like a rock in a latrine—stubborn and unyielding.
"Yet Ye Shijie did once serve as magistrate of Yong'an County," Emperor Yuanyou said coldly, scanning the memorials. "Therefore, I shall forward these accusations to Ye Shijie himself and see how he responds."
When imperial examinations were involved, all manner of demons crawled out of the woodwork.
Just as the court atmosphere grew tense, Gu Zheng suddenly smacked his forehead.
"Magistrate Ye’s study materials weren’t just given to Guo Feng and Ling Ming, were they?"
"How would you know this?" Emperor Yuanyou turned to him.
"When Mingzhu was studying intensively, I wrote to Magistrate Ye. He sent several volumes of materials. Some military officers followed suit, requesting copies for their children."
"If you asked, Magistrate Ye provided. Where’s the favoritism?"
Gu Zheng said this as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
If you didn’t ask, did you expect the prefect to deliver them personally?
Who do you think you are?
