Xi Qingyue leisurely drove the mule cart back to Lu Qianning’s residence. When Luo Ling saw Tafeng again, her expression grew complicated.
She and the princess had seen this mule far too many times. From their first encounter in the mountains to the present, it had always looked like an utterly ordinary mule. And yet, this ordinary mule somehow managed to stay one step ahead of them every time. It truly was peculiar.
Unable to resist, she circled Tafeng once, but failed to spot anything unusual. Scratching her head in disappointment, she turned and left.
Watching her retreating figure, Xi Weilan shook her head with her hands clasped behind her back and sighed like a little adult. “Sigh… Sister Luo Ling really isn’t very bright. Staring at our Tafeng won’t help. Tafeng would never go with her.”
Xi Qingyue couldn’t help tapping her on the forehead when she saw her acting so grown-up. “You’re so young. What are you sighing about? You should smile happily every day. If someone makes you unhappy, make them unhappy too. Understand?”
Xi Weilan immediately put on a radiant smile. “I understand, Sister. I won’t sigh anymore.”
Xi Qingyue smiled and nodded, then took her little hand and led her inside. “Come on. Let’s go back and sleep for a while. We still have important business to take care of tonight.”
Before leaving the capital, she intended to collect the goods from those officials’ shops. Once they moved somewhere else, she could sell everything herself. It would be a waste to leave them sitting there.
Imperial Palace, Chengguang Hall.
Consort De, her face streaked with tears, sobbed to the Emperor, “Your Majesty, you must bring justice for our child! He died so tragically. Someone is clearly challenging Your Majesty’s authority. We absolutely cannot let the culprit behind this go unpunished.”
The Emperor looked grief-stricken as well. After waking, he had hurried straight to Consort De’s quarters. Having just lost her son, she had cried until the makeup on her face was completely ruined. Her pale, haggard appearance gave her a pitiful, sickly beauty.
“Don’t worry, my beloved. I will certainly find the murderer. The majesty of the imperial family cannot be violated. They hung Little Fourth’s head at the palace gates—that was an open provocation. Even if I have to turn the entire capital upside down, I will find the culprit.”
After saying this, he frowned and fell into deep thought.
His first suspicion had been Lu Qianning. But at present, Lu Qianning was barely clinging to life with the aid of ginseng. The injuries that had left so many imperial physicians helpless could not have been faked. Besides, he had sent the Imperial Guards to inspect the place himself. It could not have been her.
He had also suspected Lu Jinshuang, but the hidden assassins had found nothing when they searched her residence, and she had displayed no unusual behavior. It could not have been her either.
There were plenty of other suspects. Apart from the Fourth Prince, many princes might be willing to make a move for the throne.
The first three princes had already been granted titles and sent to their fiefs, but it was still possible that they had left people behind in the capital.
The Tenth Prince was dead. The Twelfth Prince had drowned and died young. The Eleventh Prince had developed a chronic illness after falling into the water with Little Twelfth all those years ago. He had been frail since childhood, and at only twelve years old, he still lived in the palace. He could not have done it either.
The Ninth Prince had been traveling abroad for several years and had yet to return, but there was no guarantee he had not secretly come back to the capital. He could not be overlooked.
The Seventh Prince loved to study and was staying at Changling Academy. Though he was not in the capital, the academy was not far away, so he was also a suspect.
Other than them, the princes currently in the capital were the Fifth, Sixth, and Eighth Princes.
The Emperor immediately focused his suspicions on the Eighth Prince. That son was not nearly as mild and courteous as he appeared. At a glance, he seemed like a thoroughly rotten piece of work.
“Du Chun, send people to keep watch on the movements of several of the princes. Pay especially close attention to the Eighth Prince’s residence.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.” Du Chun accepted the order and immediately withdrew.
When Consort De heard this, she stopped crying and hurriedly added, “Your Majesty, there’s also the Ninth Princess. She is the most likely person to have murdered my son. You must send people to keep a close eye on her.”
The Emperor nodded and gave a look to the eunuch beside him. The eunuch understood at once and hurried after Du Chun.
Unlike Consort De’s grief, the Empress was inexplicably delighted.
She had been the wife assigned to the Emperor by the late Emperor, but she had never been favored. Nor did she have a powerful maternal family to support her. She possessed the empty title of Empress, but little actual influence. When she heard that the Fourth Prince had died and Consort De had vomited blood, she had nearly ordered wine and dishes to be prepared in the palace so that she could celebrate.
She had not done so herself, but her son, the Sixth Prince, had.
A nanny entered with a worried expression and bowed to the Empress. “Your Highness, news has just come from the Sixth Prince’s residence. The Sixth Prince has had wine and food prepared and even invited musicians to perform. If word reaches the Emperor, I fear he may be punished.”
The Empress’s brows lifted even higher when she heard this. She waved her hand dismissively. “Leave him be. The Emperor is furious, but he’s also suspicious of everyone. If Little Sixth celebrates at a time like this, at most he’ll be scolded and punished. He won’t end up on the Emperor’s list of suspects. It’s nothing to worry about. Besides, my foolish son isn’t capable of accomplishing anything significant. Let him do as he pleases.”
The nanny shook her head. Her mistress was practically living out her retirement in the palace. Every day, she did little more than tend flowers, read, and paint. The son she had given birth to was mediocre and timid, but at least he had no danger to his life.
Thinking of the Fourth Prince—who had once relied on the Emperor’s favor to act arrogantly before her—now dead, the Empress could not help laughing aloud. She truly could not contain her joy. What wonderful news!
“Your Highness, please be careful. Walls have ears.” The nanny urged her to restrain herself and quickly glanced around.
“What is there to fear? The Emperor promised the late Emperor that he would never depose me. Could he really go back on his word before the ancestral spirits?”
As she spoke, the Empress picked up a pastry from the table and ate it. She thought the pastries tasted especially delicious today.
“Nanny Liu, the pastries from the Imperial Food Bureau are quite good today. Have them send a portion to the other ladies as well. Good things should be shared. Oh, and leave Consort De out. Their family has suddenly lost one of its three members; they probably haven’t adjusted yet. We shouldn’t disturb them.”
The corners of Nanny Liu’s mouth twitched at these words, but she still smiled and acknowledged the order. “Yes, Your Highness. This old servant will have it arranged at once.”
Lanlin Hall.
Consort Qin was equally pleased when she received the pastries. Seeing Mama Su enter, she smiled and said, “The Empress is truly kind and beautiful. I was just craving osmanthus cakes.”
She picked up a piece of osmanthus cake and put it into her mouth, making no effort to hide the smile on her face.
Mama Su was delighted as well. “Your Highness, the Seventh Princess sent word just now. She said you should prepare plenty of pastries, because the two sisters intend to enter the palace on their own. She also said not to ask too many questions—just give them something to eat when they arrive.”
Consort Qin was full of confusion. “Enter the palace on their own? Surely that doesn’t mean what I think it means. Have they mastered qinggong? The older one is only eight, isn’t she?”
Mama Su nodded. “Your Highness, that seems to be the case. It’s just that we don’t know when they’ll come. They may not arrive tonight. We should have more pastries prepared tomorrow, so there will be plenty for them to eat when they come in the evening.”
Consort Qin did not think any further about it. She simply smiled and nodded. “Very well. Just say that I want to send some pastries to Jinshuang, and have them make extra. Make sure they taste good—don’t let them cut corners.”
