# 248. Assassination Attempt
Leaving Lingbao Temple, it was already the quarter to two.
Xu Qi'an entered the imperial palace, requesting a message to be delivered. He waited at the palace gate for a quarter of an hour, and by two, the little eunuch finally arrived.
"Sir Xu, how should we proceed with the investigation?" the little eunuch asked.
"We'll head to Feng Palace[^1] to see the Empress... There's no need to inform His Majesty in advance if I'm going to see the Empress, right?" Xu Qi'an asked.
The little eunuch quickly shook his head. "His Majesty has said that within the harem, you may go wherever you wish. Of course, the condition is that a servant accompanies you, especially when meeting with the Noble Consort or the Empress."
Xu Qi'an nodded.
It wouldn't be appropriate to meet the Emperor's women in private, after all.
The full name of Feng Palace was Fengqi Palace, the largest and most luxurious hall in the harem—excluding the Emperor's sleeping quarters.
When they arrived at Fengqi Palace, they were informed that the Empress was taking a nap. Xu Qi'an and the little eunuch waited in the outer corridor for nearly half an hour before a graceful palace maid came to inform them:
"The Empress is awake; Sir Xu, please come in."
Xu Qi'an followed her into the hall, where he saw the Empress, the mother of the nation, in the luxuriously decorated main hall. She was dressed in a dark robe embroidered with golden phoenixes, wearing an exquisite phoenix crown.
Her eyebrows were as delicate as a painting, her lips full and soft. Though she was no longer young, her face was full of collagen, showing no signs of aging. This added a mature charm to her flawless beauty.
*Among the beauties I've seen, she ranks second. Luo Yuheng ranks first, but the National Teacher has an inherent allure, a buff of sorts, while the Empress relies on her natural assets... With such a woman as the Empress, no one else in the harem could stand a chance.*
Xu Qi'an quickly bowed his head, maintaining the proper etiquette and decorum expected of an external official.
"Indeed, a young talent," the Empress, evidently a connoisseur of appearances, scrutinized Xu Qi'an and nodded approvingly. "Huaiqing often mentions you to us, and speaks highly of you. We have also heard of your achievements in solving cases in the capital."
The first impression on both sides was good.
Whether it was due to his self-confidence, Xu Qi'an felt that the Empress held him in high regard and didn't treat him as an outsider at all.
"Wei Yuan is fortunate to have such an outstanding subordinate as you," the Empress said softly. "Serve tea for Sir Xu."
A palace maid presented him with steaming tea. Xu Qi'an accepted it with both hands but did not drink it, instead getting straight to the point: "This lwoly official is here regarding the Consort Fu case and has a few questions for Your Majesty."
"Please ask, Sir Xu."
"Does Your Majesty know a palace maid named Huang Xiaorou?"
"We do not know her," the Empress shook her head.
"Then, in Your Majesty's palace, is there a palace maid named He'er?"
"There is." The Empress remained silent for a few seconds before slowly nodding.
"Nanny Rong from Xie Pavilion said that four years ago, Huang Xiaorou once attempted suicide for no apparent reason. The palace maid who shared a room with her saved her, and that maid was He'er from Your Majesty's palace."
"He'er has never been to Xie Pavilion," the Empress flatly denied.
Xu Qi'an continued, "After examining the body, this humble official found that Huang Xiaorou sustained fatal injuries, beyond the abilities of an ordinary maid to save, and not even the imperial physicians could have cured her. It must have been a miraculous elixir that brought her back to life."
The Empress stared at Xu Qi'an and said coldly, "Does Sir Xu have any evidence for these claims?"
"The body itself is evidence."
"And what about the elixir?"
"...There is none," Xu Qi'an shook his head.
*Was the Empress the one who destroyed the records in the Imperial Pharmacy?*
The Empress nodded and softly said, "We are tired now, escort Sir Xu out of the hall."
*But you just finished your nap...* Xu Qi'an's lips twitched as he reluctantly rose and left Fengqi Palace with the palace maid.
...
Xu Qi'an glanced at the sky. "Little Eunuch, have you finished collecting the list I asked for?"
The little eunuch pulled a folded sheet of xuan paper from his sleeve. "I was just about to hand it over to you, Sir Xu."
*Not bad, efficient as always, the palace trained you well.*
Xu Qi'an unfolded the list and quickly scanned it. It contained the names of a dozen or so palace maids, servants, and guards.
"We'll investigate them one by one, following the list," Xu Qi'an said.
"And what about the Empress..."
"We won't be able to investigate her."
Xu Qi'an sighed. Though Emperor Yuanjing had given him great authority, allowing him to investigate anyone he wished, if the Empress refused to cooperate, there was no way for Xu Qi'an to force her hand.
But one thing is clear: the Empress has something to hide.
*Could it really be the Empress who did this? If so, wouldn't Huaiqing be pitiful? Should I continue investigating? But if I don't, wouldn't Biaobiao be pitiful? Here it comes, the classic two-choice dilemma...* Xu Qi'an sighed silently.
*But speaking of which, the Empress is incredibly beautiful. Even at her age, she still has such grace—how stunning must she have been when she was younger? No wonder she became the Empress.*
*Huaiqing does resemble the Empress in certain features.*
*Comparing the two, I still think Luo Yuheng is superior because she satisfies my varied tastes... Oh, Su Su is also nice.*
Xu Qi'an couldn't help but recall what Daoist Jinlian had just said: Luo Yuheng possesses the image of all beings, allowing men to see the type of woman they prefer. For Xu Qi'an, that was a young lady in her twenties, a woman in her thirties, and a mature lady in her forties...
*I really don't want to admit that I'm a lecher.*
In the next two hours, Xu Qi'an arranged for the investigation of the people on the list. Due to time constraints, he had to leave the palace before the gates closed, so he only managed to investigate a third of them.
Amid the loud closing of the palace gates, he left the imperial palace, retrieved the black-gold long sabre gifted by the Jianzheng from the Imperial Guard, and leisurely rode out of the imperial city.
By this time, only the last rays of the setting sun remained.
The curfew had begun, and the streets were already deserted. Dressed in his Nightwatcher uniform and with the golden token in hand, he could pass through anywhere except the inner palace.
"Clip-clop, clip-clop..."
His mare trotted down the empty streets as Xu Qi'an contemplated the threads of the Consort Fu case.
*Consort Fu was the biggest victim in this entire case, a pawn sacrificed to frame the Crown Prince. The one who acted was the already silenced Huang Xiaorou.*
*Huang Xiaorou had once been gravely injured but was saved by the Empress, so she owed the Empress a great debt.*
*The Empress’s fourth son is a legitimate heir, while the current Crown Prince is of concubine birth. The Empress was unwilling to see the Crown Prince's position taken by another, so she devised a scheme to frame him and reclaim the position of the heir apparent.*
*The motive is clear, and the entire case makes sense, except for the lack of evidence.*
*Yes, to convict the Empress, more evidence is needed.*
*Nanny Rong was right; the secrets in this deep palace are too many. Once you step in, you can't pull yourself out. I thought this case would take some time, but I didn't expect it to progress so quickly. Now I don't even have the chance to drag it out. Damn it, Emperor Yuanjing still hasn't issued the decree to grant me a title. I'll request leave tomorrow.*
At that moment, a picture formed in Xu Qi'an's mind: to his left, a black-clad figure crouched behind the roof ridge, and to his right, another black-clad figure was similarly hidden.
Ahead, a black-clad man with a sword stood in the alleyway.
Thanks to the unique abilities of a Refining Spirit martial artist, Xu Qi'an immediately sensed the danger.
*I'm being ambushed...* The thought flashed in his mind just as the sharp sound of something slicing through the air reached his ears.
…
Dusk.
Emperor Yuanjing had just finished his evening meal and was planning to visit Lingbao Temple to meet with Luo Yuheng, to meditate and listen to her Daoist teachings.
A eunuch stationed outside suddenly reported, "Your Majesty, Noble Consort Chen is requesting an audience."
*What could she want at this hour...* Emperor Yuanjing frowned, pondered for a moment, and then said, "Let her in."
If Consort Chen had come to his quarters at this time a few years ago, Emperor Yuanjing might have thought she was offering herself to him, seeking to spend the night. In the first ten years of his cultivation, the consorts in the harem persistently sought his favor, requesting to serve him in bed. Emperor Yuanjing ignored them all, and those with stubborn tempers would kneel outside his quarters all night.
Eventually, when they realized that his heart was resolute and they could not regain his favour, the consorts gave up and settled into their lives peacefully.
Now, they were quite buddhist about the matter.
Each lived their own life, and sometimes they would even gather to chat and socialize.
The imperial harem under Emperor Yuanjing's reign was probably the most harmonious in five hundred years of the great Feng Dynasty.
After the eunuch left, Emperor Yuanjing sat cross-legged on the bed, closed his eyes, and began his breathing exercises. Not long after, Noble Consort Chen rushed in, crying as she spoke:
"Your Majesty, you must seek justice for me, and for the Crown Prince."
So she's here for the Crown Prince. This outcome did not surprise Emperor Yuanjing—in fact, he had anticipated it.
With his rejuvenated black hair, Emperor Yuanjing opened his eyes and looked calmly at Consort Chen. "The matter regarding the Crown Prince is still under investigation. Beloved Consort, please return. The truth will naturally come to light."
"Still under investigation? But hasn’t the case been solved already, Your Majesty? I heard it from Lin’an." Consort Chen dabbed at her tears with a silk handkerchief, speaking in a sorrowful tone:
"The Crown Prince has been wronged. He’s been wronged!"
Hmm? Emperor Yuanjing frowned and asked, "What did Lin’an tell you?"
"That that Sir Xu has already uncovered the truth..."
Emperor Yuanjing was taken aback. He knew that earlier today, a drowned body was pulled from the Xie Pavilion's well—the missing palace maid from Consort Fu’s entourage. But he never expected Xu Qi'an to uncover the truth so quickly.
Between sobs, Consort Chen relayed the information she had learned.
After listening, Emperor Yuanjing’s expression grew dark. He turned to the chief eunuch and ordered, "Bring the one monitoring Xu Qi'an to us."
The old eunuch in the serpent robe responded and left, returning in less than a quarter-hour with the little eunuch.
The little eunuch glanced around. Emperor Yuanjing sat cross-legged on the bed, his expression unreadable, while Consort Chen knelt by the bedside, sobbing softly.
Emperor Yuanjing asked calmly, "What progress was made in today’s investigation?"
The little eunuch, having already prepared his report, responded without hesitation: "After entering the palace, Sir Xu immediately went to examine the body. He concluded that the palace maid, Huang Xiaorou, was first drowned by someone pressing her into water before being thrown into the well."
He then detailed the process of the autopsy to substantiate this conclusion.
"Moreover, Sir Xu also found that the palace maid, Huang Xiaorou, had previously sustained a fatal injury to her chest several years ago, which should have killed her. However, she was saved by a miraculous pill... He then went to the Xie Pavilion to question Nanny Rong..."
This time, the little eunuch wisely stuck to the facts, avoiding any personal commentary or mentioning the interactions between Xu Qi'an and the two princesses.
He had realized that while reporting these incidents could cause trouble for Xu Qi'an, his own use of the princesses to snitch would likely displease the Emperor even more.
You harm others and harm yourself, why bother?
Besides, Xu Qi'an had always treated him well, caring about him. Even though he had a bit of a temper, he was otherwise good-natured.
"The records from the Imperial Pharmacy were confirmed to be tampered with?" Emperor Yuanjing asked for confirmation.
"That is what Sir Xu said," the little eunuch replied, still withholding any personal judgment.
Emperor Yuanjing slowly nodded. "Notify the coroner to enter the palace immediately and re-examine Huang Xiaorou's body. We must have an answer tonight."
Half an hour later, the chief eunuch returned with the coroner's autopsy results, which corroborated Xu Qi'an's findings without a doubt.
Emperor Yuanjing was momentarily lost in thought, not speaking for a long time. The vast palace was enveloped in silence.
Finally, Consort Chen, still prostrate on the floor, cried out, "Sir Xu dares not investigate the Empress. Only Your Majesty can intervene in this matter. Your consort begs Your Majesty to seek justice for the Crown Prince and for me."
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[^1]: Phoenix Palace