Emperor Shun’an ordered heavy guards outside the warm pavilion, pacing anxiously. When he saw Huo Xian, he hurriedly approached, his voice trembling, “Zhe’an, Zhe’an! The Jinyiwei are on duty tonight. You must investigate this matter and catch this assassin. You cannot let him roam freely in the palace!”
Huo Xian, seeing the frightened emperor, supported him and said, “Since the problem occurred on my watch, I will take full responsibility. Rest assured, Your Majesty.”
Emperor Shun’an waved his hand, nearly in tears, “I am not blaming you; I am just too scared… I order you to thoroughly investigate this matter. You must catch the assassin, you must!”
When Emperor Shun’an ascended the throne two years ago, the palace was in turmoil, with frequent assassination attempts. It was Huo Xian who protected him, leaving the emperor unscathed but deeply traumatized. Now that an assassin had appeared again, Emperor Shun’an had ordered heavy guards around Chonghua Hall, fearing for his safety.
Huo Xian knew the emperor’s temperament well and was also concerned about the assassin. He took the imperial order and went to the duty room beside the Nine Gates for inspection.
The duty room was controlled by the Jinyiwei, and Zhao Yong sat gloomily to the side, with Shengxi’s corpse at his feet, his face looking grim.
Huo Xian cupped his hands, “Foster father.”
Zhao Yong waved his hand, and Huo Xian stepped forward to examine Shengxi’s body. His pupils contracted upon seeing the fatal wound on Shengxi’s neck. He then composed himself and said, “Shengxi was killed in your duty room, so it must be aimed at you. Do you have any idea who did it?”
Zhao Yong, perhaps because he had offended too many people, seriously pondered for a moment but found no answer.
His eyes clouded, and he said heavily, “The fire in Anhe Palace tonight is no coincidence.”
Huo Xian had thought about this on his way here. Because of the fire in Anhe Palace, the nearby Jinyiwei went to fight the fire, and most of the guards at the Nine Gates were withdrawn. This was the best time for the assassin to act.
Moreover, the assassin acted boldly, seemingly planning to disappear after tonight.
So, had the assassin achieved his goal?
If Huo Xian was Zhao Yong’s dog outside the palace, then Shengxi was his dog inside the palace.
A dog relying on its master to do evil deeds.
But Shengxi’s abilities were limited to the inner palace; could he really make such a fuss?
It was undoubtedly aimed at Zhao Yong. Since Zhao Yong was still alive, the assassin would certainly come again.
Huo Xian said, “The Jinyiwei will thoroughly investigate this matter. Foster father, I need to take Shengxi’s body back for examination.”
Zhao Yong waved his hand, allowing him to do as he wished, and said, “He has been with me for many years, a poor orphan. After it’s done, give him a proper burial.”
Huo Xian cupped his hands, “Yes.”
By midnight, the entire imperial city was pitch black. As Huo Xian stepped out of the palace gates, snowflakes began to fall again. He held his large saber at his waist, his black boots stepping in the snow. He took the reins handed to him by a Jinyiwei but did not immediately mount the horse. He walked slowly with Qingfeng, as if deep in thought.
Liyang followed closely behind, still upset, “It’s my fault for being careless. If I had been more vigilant and left more men at the Nine Gates, this wouldn’t have—”
“Liyang.” Huo Xian interrupted him, “That eldest daughter of Ji Chongwang… yes, Ji Yuyao, what kind of person is she?”
Huh?
Liyang was stunned for a moment and hesitantly said, “Miss Ji, I have had little contact with her. From the few times we met, she seemed to match what Nanyue said: gentle, kind, and obedient, not one to cause trouble. Isn’t that why you chose her in the first place?”
Huo Xian almost whispered, “Is that so?” After a brief pause, he continued, “Go investigate her. I want every bit of information about her in recent years, including her whereabouts and activities, down to the smallest detail.”
Liyang was even more puzzled. “Master, hasn’t Nanyue already looked into these matters?”
“Nanyue?” Huo Xian sneered, “He lacks foresight.”
She had entered the palace twice, and both times, something happened. Once, Consort Xi fell into the water, and another time, there was a fire in her palace.
How could such coincidences happen? If they were truly coincidences, then Ji Yuyao must be extraordinarily unlucky. No wonder her family kept their distance from her.
But Huo Xian never believed in luck.
****
At the main courtyard of the Huo residence.
Hongshuang was holding a small box, which contained some personal items meant to be taken away tonight. She hesitated and looked at the person sitting in front of the dressing table with an unreadable expression, asking, “Miss, should we still leave?”
Ji Yuluo frowned slightly and exhaled slowly.
She was a very impatient person, not adept at waiting. Otherwise, three years ago, she wouldn’t have nearly lost her life in the Yunyang prison. Later, Xie Subai often told her to cultivate patience. He wanted to teach her how to brew and appreciate tea, but Ji Yuluo refused to learn. She couldn’t endure the patience required, so Xie Subai compromised, asking her only to watch him brew tea.
Often, an hour would pass just like that.
He said that not everything could be approached head-on; when there is no direct path, one must learn to maneuver, to endure, and to wait.
But she never truly grasped the essence. Her patience had worn thin, exhausted by the daily pretense of being someone else over the past days.
She thought tonight would be the night she would get her revenge, with everything packed and ready for departure, but she had failed again.
Reflecting on this, Ji Yuluo recalled the not-so-large inner room of the duty office.
She hadn’t seen wrong; if Zhao Yong had truly entered, but then disappeared, there was likely a secret passage in the room.
And he dared to set up a secret passage in the palace.
She wondered where the passage led.
This thought only flickered in Ji Yuluo’s mind for a moment before dissipating.
She didn’t care where it led; she only wanted Zhao Yong dead.
Ji Yuluo slightly raised her head and said, “We’re not leaving. Send a message to Chaolu, telling her not to wait.”
Huo Xian did not return to his residence but stayed in the duty room at the Zhenfu Division.
At dawn the next day, the coroner reported the cause of Shengxi’s death: “Sir, after examining the body, I’ve found multiple bruises on Eunuch Shengxi, likely caused by struggling. He also had water in his lungs, but the fatal wound was the stab on his neck. The wound was inflicted by a weapon that was sharp on one end and smooth on the other.”
Huo Xian hadn’t slept all night. He propped his head up with one hand on the table, lifting his eyes slightly. “What kind of weapon, for example?” he asked.
The coroner looked troubled. “Um—”
Huo Xian leaned back, pressing down on the documents on the desk. “A hairpin or a hair ornament?” he suggested.
The coroner’s eyes lit up. He had found the object familiar but hadn’t considered it. With Huo Xian’s hint, he nodded repeatedly. “Yes, yes, exactly like such items.”
Huo Xian’s expression remained calm; he wasn’t surprised. However, he recalled the assassination attempt at the Huo residence. That night, besides him, there had been agents from the Eastern Depot sent by Zhao Yong. Considering Shengxi’s body, it seemed that the woman back then might not have been targeting him specifically.
But when she was discovered, she had indeed tried to kill him.
Over the years, Zhao Yong had used him to commit various misdeeds in the capital. The people knew the traitorous Huo Xian but rarely mentioned Zhao Yong. Hidden deep in the palace, Zhao Yong had kept himself clean, leaving no evidence for the Censorate to accuse him.
This didn’t mean he was free from hatred.
A slight smile appeared in Huo Xian’s eyes. If the deep palace were not so difficult to enter, Zhao Yong would have faced many assassination attempts, just like him.
People only targeted Huo Xian’s residence because its security wasn’t as tight as the palace’s.
So, if someone intended to assassinate Zhao Yong, it wouldn’t be surprising.
What bothered Huo Xian was the technique of the attacker.
He tiredly rubbed his forehead, dismissing the nervous coroner. After sitting for a while, he got up and went outside.
The sky was fully bright, and the sunlight made his eyes squint uncomfortably after sitting all night. The air carried the cold scent of melting snow, mixed with the faint stench of decay.
Following the smell, he saw several corpses covered with white cloth lined up in the courtyard, with more being brought in by the Jinyiwei.
Huo Xian took Qingfeng, who was grazing under a tree, and frowned. “Do you think this place is a mass grave?”
The Jinyiwei officers looked troubled. Wiping the sweat from their necks, one said, “The Ministry of Works is dredging the river. There are many drowned bodies in the river outside the city. Master Yang from the Ministry of Works asked the Jinyiwei for help in retrieving them. People who had reported missing persons at the government office are here to identify the bodies.”
Huo Xian patted Qingfeng’s head, taking the last bit of grass from its mouth. “Isn’t that the government’s responsibility?”
The Jinyiwei replied, “The government office is already piled with bodies. They had to temporarily store some here. Some bodies are so decomposed that they’re unrecognizable.”
Huo Xian didn’t concern himself with these matters and was about to leave with his horse when he noticed a string of red coral bracelets.
The material was mediocre, even poor quality, but the color was striking, making him stop immediately.
He looked at the wrist exposed from under the white cloth and stepped forward to uncover it, staring directly at the face.
One of the Jinyiwei sighed, “This one’s easy to recognize. The face is still fresh, seems to have died recently. No idea whose young girl she is. Probably fell into the river at night. The Ministry of Works should have fixed that river outside the city long ago. It’s dangerous.”
Some people echoed, saying that the river outside the city was a deathtrap. Huo Xian didn’t pay any attention to them. He used two fingers to lift the wrist of the female corpse, examining the string of red coral bracelets under the sunlight. Everyone fell silent. After a moment, Huo Xian released the wrist, took a cloth, and slowly wiped his fingers. “Call Liyang,” he said.
Liyang arrived quickly, striding forward. “Master, what happened?”
Huo Xian gestured with his chin for him to look. Liyang lowered his gaze to examine the fresh female corpse, but couldn’t find anything particularly noteworthy.
Huo Xian paused his wiping, a playful smile tugging at his lips. Liyang hesitated; it had been a long time since he’d seen Huo Xian show such… almost joyful interest in something.
Over the years, nothing seemed to pique his interest.
Liyang couldn’t help but stare at the body a bit longer, finding it somewhat familiar, but couldn’t recall where he’d seen it before.
As he pondered, Huo Xian tossed the cloth into his arms. “Check if one of the maids who accompanied Ji Yuyao when she got married is missing, and find out her name. Also, have the coroner examine the body.”
Huo Xian looked down at the corpse.
He had glimpsed this person in the main courtyard yesterday. Though he hadn’t clearly remembered the face, the striking bracelet had left an impression.
Surely, it couldn’t be another coincidence.
Liyang nodded and saw Huo Xian leading his horse away. He hurried to catch up. “Master, are you heading to the palace?”
“Returning home,” Huo Xian replied with a smile. “To have breakfast with my wife.”
