Chapter 34: In Order to Repay You

If the Second Prince were to die, the truth behind the past incidents would become even more impossible to uncover.

From the moment the late Emperor suddenly issued a decree summoning the Prince of Jingyang’s household—long removed from court politics—back to the capital to oversee the Privy Council, this turn of events had taken on an ominous tone. While sending guards to retrieve the Second Prince, Yan Bei had inspected the body of the late Emperor, as well as the corpse of Prince Duan, which had been placed alongside him as a funerary companion.

According to the palace servants, the late Emperor had allowed only Prince Duan to attend to him in his final moments. They claimed the Emperor had loudly rebuked Prince Duan, blaming him for proposing that the First Prince go to welcome the Second Prince home, which had led to the disaster that befell both brothers. Prince Duan, they said, had wept bitterly and begged for forgiveness. Shortly thereafter, the Emperor, consumed by rage, had vomited blood and died, and Prince Duan, overwhelmed by guilt, had taken his own life before the Emperor’s spirit tablet.

These, however, were merely the accounts given in the palace; they were not things Yan Bei had witnessed himself. Yet, that the two brothers closest to the throne had died on the same night was indeed suspicious. After his inspection, Yan Bei found that their states of death matched the servants’ descriptions exactly.

However—why did the palace coup, in which the Emperor and Prince Duan perished, coincide exactly with the arrival of news that the First and Second Princes had met with peril? And why, of all people, had the Lady Yongjia also died by accident?

Doubts existed not only within the palace but also within the court and his own mansion—take, for instance, that tutor of his who had been secretly sending messages outside. This was a trap, and Yan Bei himself was caught in the vortex. Shouldering the lives of a thousand people in his household, and with various factions growing in power, he had resolved to strictly fulfill his duties, remain loyal to the Emperor as commanded, and avoid entanglements with any other party. As time passed, he had become convinced that Wang Huan could not possibly have survived.

But now, he had her handwriting. And it seemed she was targeting the Du family.

If he published her portrait, what if someone with ulterior motives recognized her?

"She appeared at Feiyun Temple, yet I did not discover her. I suspect the Du family hasn't found her either. Or rather, they likely do not yet know the identity of the assassin who killed Zhang Shaode. Otherwise, with the power of the Imperial City Guard, they would have already found a pretext to issue a massive, blanket warrant for her arrest."

Yan Bei, having had Gao An tidy his hair, spoke these words while looking into the mirror. As he was fastening his official hat, Cui Xun walked in from outside. He glanced at the two men in the room and said, "Your Highness, the Marquis of Guangling requests an audience."

A cold, austere expression immediately settled on Yan Bei's face.

"He comes at just the right time!"

...

Last night, while Du Yu went to Feiyun Temple to apprehend He Hui, the Marquis of Guangling had waited in his study. When Du Yu returned at midnight, he brought the good news that He Hui and Zhang Shaode were dead, but also the bad news that the mastermind had escaped.

The plan had been foolproof: use He Hui to eliminate Zhang Shaode, then kill He Hui under the pretense of capturing a criminal—it was a legitimate and seamless scheme. With so many assassins deployed, the mastermind could never have escaped once they revealed themselves. It would have been a clean sweep. From then on, they would have been able to sleep soundly, and the events of three years ago would never again pose a threat.

Yet, despite being surrounded by so many, the assassin had still escaped!

The culprit had met with Zhang Shaode right under the noses of the Imperial City Guard, killed him, and vanished without leaving a trace! The Marquis of Guangling was so furious he vomited blood. If the mastermind had escaped, what was the point of wiping out the He and Zhang families? No one knew what the culprit had learned or what had been gained from meeting Zhang Shaode. Worse still, the father and son did not even know who this person was or what they looked like! It had all been for nothing!

Before he could even catch his breath, at the first light of dawn, his guards reported that the Prince of Jingyang’s mansion had suddenly posted a notice seeking a woman with the surname Wang. This news was no less shocking than the escape of the assassin. Yan Bei had never been involved with any woman; his sudden search for a commoner was undeniably strange. And no strange action was without a reason.

With the chaos at Feiyun Temple last night, Yan Bei had not yet summoned the Du family for questioning. The Marquis was terrified; he could not fathom what Yan Bei was thinking. Just as he was planning a way to probe the Prince’s mansion, Yan Bei had sent guards to summon him!

Mustering his courage and gritting his teeth, the Marquis bowed before Yan Bei: "The Old Madam recently sent some local specialties from the North to the Dowager Consort, and the Consort has just sent a reply. The Old Madam remarked that Your Highness bears a six or seven-part resemblance to your mother, and seeing you is like seeing her own sister. She hopes you might spare a moment to visit and sit for a while, to soothe her longing for her kin. I was just about to pay a visit, never expecting Your Highness to summon me."

The Marquis of Guangling put on a sycophantic smile, but faced with Yan Bei’s indifferent gaze, he found it difficult to continue.

Yan Bei took a sip of tea and looked at him: "I have heard some rumors lately that the family of Martial Virtue General He Jianzhong died in succession over just a few days, and his in-law, Zhang Shaode’s family, was also assassinated at Feiyun Temple last night. With such a major matter, why did you not report it to me?"

The Imperial City Guard was originally under the direct command of the Emperor; when Prince Duan was alive, they answered only to the late Emperor. But as the current Emperor did not yet fully hold the reins of power, the functions of the Guard had naturally changed. Fortunately, since the Prince of Jingyang was the force the late Emperor had assigned to support the Emperor, and the Marquis of Guangling was his relative, there was little dissent in the court regarding Yan Bei, the Commissioner of the Privy Council, overseeing the Imperial City Guard.

The Marquis’s face twitched: "This—this matter with the He family, though it happened coincidentally, the Shuntian Prefecture found no cause for suspicion."

He Jianzhong and Zhang Shaode were his subordinates. If Yan Bei were to investigate, wouldn't he eventually uncover his own involvement?

"Whether there is cause for suspicion is not for you to decide," Yan Bei said, toying with the lid of his teacup. "I had the Shuntian Prefecture bring the case files for me to review, and I find there are too many coincidences. I heard these two were your loyal subordinates. With such a tragic end, are you not saddened for them?"

The Marquis hardened his resolve: "Yes, I am naturally heartbroken. That is why I have hired monks to chant sutras for their souls..."

"That is all superficial," Yan Bei said. "If you truly wish to do right by them, shouldn't you investigate this case to the end and give them justice?"

The Marquis was drenched in sweat: "I shall return and immediately organize men to investigate thoroughly. These past few days, I have simply been overwhelmed..."

"I know you are busy," Yan Bei continued, sipping his tea, "so I shall handle this matter for you personally. Furthermore, bring all records and testimonies related to last night’s events at Feiyun Temple to the mansion within the hour. I will personally preside over the cases of the He and Zhang families."

The Marquis of Guangling felt his entire body go numb: "How could I dare to trouble Your Highness with such labor!..."

"Why stand on such ceremony? Didn't you just say that the Old Madam misses me and the Dowager Consort? Given the deep friendship between our two houses, it is only right that I return the favor. Besides, this case has already caused such an uproar; if someone other than me were to take it up, I doubt you would feel at ease, would you?"

As Yan Bei spoke these words with a piercing gaze, the Marquis of Guangling was nearly covered in his own cold sweat.