No one had ever seen Xie Subai.
Even Nanyue, who spoke of him with gritted teeth, had never confronted him directly. Despite his extensive investigations over the years, he had no idea what kind of person Xie Subai was. All he knew was that Xie Subai was rumored to be in poor health, reliant on medicine, seemingly frail and delicate.
But this was only hearsay.
After all, someone who could develop an organization to its current scale within just a few years, commanding such loyalty and standing toe-to-toe with the Jinyiwei, could hardly be a sickly individual.
It could very well be false information meant to mislead people.
Huo Xian listened to Nanyue and Liyang discuss the affairs of Cuixue Tower, his gaze slowly moving across the dossier. The Ministry of Justice handled major cases, and the records were usually detailed. However, this dossier contained very little information about the culprit. Even the age was vaguely noted as “around fourteen or fifteen,” likely a speculation by the officer in charge of the interrogation, consistent with Nanyue’s statement that the interrogation yielded no results. Indeed, nothing had been uncovered, and—
Huo Xian flipped through the pages, “What about the portrait?”
Liyang shook his head, “There isn’t one. It’s unclear whether it was never presented in Yunyang or was lost at the Ministry of Justice. In any case, it couldn’t be found.”
He paused and then added, “The clerks responsible for the interrogation back then all died in that prison.”
In other words, no one knew what the woman looked like.
The man’s long, narrow eyes narrowed slightly. Regardless of whether the culprit from back then was related to the female assassin who attempted to kill him, the peculiarities of this case alone were enough to pique Huo Xian’s interest.
He half-curled his forefinger, rubbing it against his lips, his gaze unintentionally falling on the hairpin standing in the ivory pen holder at the corner of the desk.
This was the very hairpin used by the assassin that night, the one that nearly slashed Nanyue’s throat. Unlike the usual hair accessories worn by women, this hairpin had no decorative beads or pendants. The head of the pin was inlaid with a polished, light blue corundum, semi-transparent with a smooth surface, yet the internal pattern was cracked, resembling a fully bloomed frost flower under the light, both sharp and alluring.
Huo Xian aimed the sharp end of the hairpin at himself, and in his focused state, he seemed to envision the assassin’s movements.
Fast!
As swift as the wind, her strikes were like lightning, leaving almost no room to counter between moves. Her ghostly steps could create afterimages as she moved around, reminiscent of Lou Panshun.
Lou Panshun, originally a rogue, had developed extraordinary skills while wandering the Jianghu before serving the court. He had crafted a unique, speed-oriented martial art. Although speed was its essence, it was precise and well-structured.
Having learned from Lou Panshun, Huo Xian was intimately familiar with it. If the assassin’s only strength had been her speed, he wouldn’t have been caught off guard. What unsettled him was the uncanny similarity in the moves.
But Lou Panshun was long dead.
He had perished in that great fire at the Eastern Palace.
Huo Xian closed his eyes.
In truth, it had been a rainy night. The fire, however, was so fierce that by the time he, disguised as one of General Xuanping’s soldiers, infiltrated the imperial city, the sky above the Eastern Palace was black with smoke. One charred corpse after another was carried out of the palace, hundreds of them, including the Crown Prince, Crown Princess, and the young prince. No one survived, including Lou Panshun, who had been pardoned by imperial decree.
He held in his arms the renowned sword he always regarded as a precious gem.
As his breath surged, the parasite in his wrist, which had been calm for a moment, began to wriggle again. The stabbing pain brought him back to his senses.
The man’s seductive eyes lifted slightly as he heard Nanyue continue to curse Xie Subai incessantly, “That Xie must be hideously ugly, otherwise why wouldn’t he dare to show his true face? Using such underhanded and despicable methods, I don’t think he is a decent person.”
Liyang was speechless; Nanyue indeed bore grudges.
He looked towards Huo Xian, “Master, any instructions?”
Huo Xian pressed the end of the hairpin, seemingly still lost in old memories. After a while, he pushed the dossier forward and said, “Investigate it, follow the trail wherever it leads.”
Suddenly, he stood up, appearing displeased, took long strides towards the exit, and left without looking back.
Nanyue watched from behind, feeling anxious and worried, “Did I talk too much?”
Liyang acknowledged with a hum, patted his shoulder, “Good that you realize it.”
Then, carrying the dossier, he left as well.
At the villa on the mountain.
The usually silent estate was brightly lit. Nanny Wan stood in the long pavilion holding a lantern while a few servants who could swim were retrieving Gu Rou’s corpse. Lin Chan’s face was pale, almost unable to stand, and Nanny Sun hugged a pillar, crying out, “Murder, there’s been a murder!”
The old woman guarding the house had never seen such a scene. She hurriedly brought Ji Chongwang, who had just arrived, and then hid far away.
Ji Chongwang had been reviewing some articles in the duty room and had not even had time to get on his carriage when a servant hurriedly reported the incident. Shocked and angry, he rushed straight to the villa without returning to the Ji residence.
Seeing him arrive, Lin Chan, who had always been arrogant, seemed to find her backbone and immediately clung to his sleeve, leading him to the shore. Ji Chongwang craned his neck to see the body floating on the water, then glanced at the servant woman Sun, who was shouting about murder. He stared at Lin Chan.
Lin Chan shook her head repeatedly and whispered, “It wasn’t me, Master, it really wasn’t me!”
Ji Chongwang wanted to explode but, after surveying the surroundings, restrained himself and said, “We’ll discuss this inside.”
Nanny Wan supported Lin Chan while Nanny Sun, trembling, followed them. Once the door was closed, facing Ji Chongwang’s sharp gaze, Nanny Sun couldn’t utter her accusation of murder anymore.
Ji Chongwang sat at the head, his fist resting on his knee, exuding an inherent authority, “Tell me what happened.”
Nanny Sun cried, “The estate has been quiet, and the old servant and the concubine have been going to bed early these days. Tonight, after the concubine entered her room, I also went to sleep. Half-asleep, I heard a noise at the window, so I got up to check… I vaguely saw a figure on the opposite side. Thinking it was the concubine, I was about to bring her an umbrella, but then I saw the lady. When I went over to speak, I saw her looking flustered, and as I moved closer, I saw…”
Nanny Sun shuddered at the memory of the floating corpse. Although life had been tough for her with her mistress at the villa, as the concubine said, “Where there is life, there is hope.” She still had her young master and young lady. There was always hope for a better future, but now, with someone dead, Nanny Sun was overwhelmed by grief and despair. “Why must the lady be so aggressive? The concubine has already been punished. How could this end in death?”
Lin Chan slammed the table in anger, “You wicked woman, spewing nonsense!”
Nanny Sun replied, “This old servant saw the sachet in the lady’s hand at that time, the very same one the concubine wore today…”
Lin Chan was too furious to speak; she had found that sachet on the road!
It was hanging on a branch at the bend of the path as she came, anyone passing by would have taken it down to have a look!
Facing this servant, Lin Chan didn’t know where to start explaining, or perhaps she didn’t feel the need to explain to a mere servant. So, she turned to Ji Chongwang and said, “Master, the reason I came today was entirely at the invitation of Concubine Gu. But when I arrived, I saw an oil lamp lit under the pavilion. When I went over to look, I saw Concubine Gu already lying in the water. That’s when I sent someone to inform you. If I wanted to harm her, why would I bother coming all the way to this villa?”
Nanny Sun, exhausted from crying, muttered softly, “The concubine and I were trapped in the villa. How could she invite the lady? Besides, why would the lady come at the concubine’s casual invitation?”
Lin Chan took a deep breath, “That’s because—”
Clenching her fists, Lin Chan said to Ji Chongwang, “The concubine mentioned something from seventeen or eighteen years ago. I had to come and ask in person, and this matter is known to you as well.”
Ji Chongwang wasn’t particularly heartbroken over Gu Rou’s death, at most feeling a faint regret. He was contemplating how to properly handle the situation today when Lin Chan’s words made him pause and look at her sharply.
After a long silence, Ji Chongwang dismissed Nanny Sun.
With just the two of them left, Ji Chongwang and Lin Chan locked eyes for a while before he asked, “What exactly is going on?”
Clenching her fists, Lin Chan said, “She knew that Ji Yuyao is not my biological child, and she also knew there was another child back then. I feared she would spread rumors. I came to probe her intentions, but I didn’t expect to find her like that… The railings around the pavilion are low, and the ground is slippery when it rains. Who knows if she slipped and fell into the water? Why would I harm her for no reason?”
Her words were half-true, concealing a certain secret.
Ji Chongwang furrowed his brow.
This matter had been buried in his heart for a long time, and no one had brought it up in years. Although Lin Chan’s past actions constantly reminded him of it, the two of them hadn’t spoken about it in a long time.
After all, it was not a good thing to discuss.
And he had never told Gu Rou about it.
Lin Chan suggested, “Could it be that she was drunk—”
“Impossible.”
Ji Chongwang didn’t even have to think before he spoke. Someone harboring such filthy secrets wouldn’t dare let themselves get drunk, especially not someone as cautious as Ji Chongwang, who hadn’t touched alcohol in years.
Another silence fell.
Both seemed unsure of where the leak had occurred. Just then, Ji Chongwang looked at Lin Chan with a scrutinizing gaze, “Is that all she told you?”
Knowing his wife well, he understood that in a situation where she knew he would be the one most unwilling to let the matter escalate, she would have eagerly informed him of this, hoping he would, in a fit of rage, confine Gu Rou to the villa permanently. Why would she come alone on a rainy night?
Ji Chongwang’s instincts were indeed sharp.
Though Lin Chan usually indulged in petty troubles, she couldn’t help but flinch under his piercing gaze, her eyes darting away.
Ji Chongwang demanded, “What’s really going on?”
Lin Chan clutched her handkerchief, her breathing quickened, but she only furrowed her brow at the oil lamp, refusing to speak.
Seeing this, Madam Wan sighed in exasperation and said urgently, “Madam, at a time like this, with a life at stake, why hide old secrets?”
With that, Madam Wan reached into Lin Chan’s sleeve for the letter. Lin Chan tried to stop her but eventually let her take it. As Ji Chongwang took the letter, Lin Chan gritted her teeth.
Ji Chongwang frowned, perplexed, “What is Qianfang Pavilion? What does it have to do with that child?”
But the name “Qianfang Pavilion” wasn’t hard to decipher by its meaning, suggesting it was a place of some disrepute. Ji Chongwang seemed to falter, clutching the letter, closing his eyes before saying, “Tell me the truth. When I wanted to send the child out of the capital back then, you volunteered to do it yourself. That year, there was a famine outside the city and many refugees. You said the child was lost. Was he really lost?”
Outside, the cold wind blew in bursts. The rain was light, mixing with the mist. A young girl stood by the window, her hair quickly dampened at the temples.
Leaning against the green wall, she played with a thin twig between her fingers, a faint smile on her lips. She blew gently, sending the dandelion fluff floating far away.
She looked up, her gaze losing focus as she watched.
