Xie Yizhou narrowed his eyes, lost in thought. "There are two possibilities for the fire: first, to silence Princess Anyang; second, to manufacture the illusion that she is dead. As for Qiao Kun, Zhou Qi, and the Third Prince..."
Suddenly, he opened his eyes wide. "Was it Qiao Kun who testified that Princess Anyang was rebelling?"
"Yes."
"It seems it is the second possibility, and... the Emperor is lying." Xie Yizhou clenched his fists so tightly that the veins on the back of his hands bulged.
"I don't quite understand, sir," Zaishan said, looking at his master in confusion.
"The real Princess Anyang was the one locked in the dark cell. She was rescued from that fire last night. That is what led to the fates of Qiao Kun, Zhou Qi, and the Third Prince, because Princess Anyang’s imprisonment for rebellion was linked to the Chen family."
Zaishan shifted from confusion to shock. "If that’s the case, the Emperor's affection for Princess Anyang was nothing more than a show for outsiders, and the one truly rebelling is actually the Chen..." Zaishan hurriedly clamped a hand over his own mouth.
No wonder Qiao Kun’s corpse was hung on the gates of the Duke Chen residence, followed by Zhou Qi, and then the Third Prince...
A murderous glint flashed in Xie Yizhou’s sharp eyes. "Zaiye."
The guard Zaiye appeared instantly.
"Investigate the Chen family in secret and do it thoroughly."
"As you command, sir."
Once his shock subsided, Zaishan fell back into confusion. "Who could have beaten us to it and rescued the Princess? And how were they able to track it back to Duke Chen so quickly?"
Xie Yizhou did not answer immediately, but a wave of bitterness welled up in his heart. It appeared he was not the Empress’s only option. On second thought, that was only logical; it was Feng Wan, after all. How could she have pinned all her hopes on him alone?
"In this world, apart from the Empress, who else would care about that paper-thin princess?" His tone carried a note of self-mockery. The surrounding air grew stagnant, heavy with oppression.
Zaishan hurriedly poured tea for his master. His tone sounded casual. "If it really was the Lady who did it, it shows she still has capable people at her disposal, and you should be happy about that, sir. Although the Lady is the Empress, the Imperial Palace is a place that eats people without spitting out the bones. Princess Anyang is in such a state, and the Emperor’s affection is fake; with no one in the Feng family to support her, the Lady has had to care for the Princess and survive in the inner palace all these years. It has not been easy for her!"
"Keep your tongue to yourself."
Xie Yizhou glared at him and lifted his teacup, but the oppressive atmosphere in the room clearly dissipated.
The guard Zaiye, standing to one side, quietly gave Zaishan a thumbs-up. The servants of the "Zai" generation were those who had served both the master and the Lady back then. In those days, they all believed that the second daughter of the Feng family, Feng Wan, would surely become their mistress, and they had referred to her as "the Lady" in private. But who could have foreseen it? The eldest daughter of the Feng family, who was meant to marry into the Imperial Palace, suddenly died of illness. The marriage contract between the Feng family and the imperial house could not be broken, and the Lady ultimately had to enter the palace as Empress. Since then, the master and the Lady had lost all contact. Until last night—only after the master left the palace was that line of connection to the Lady activated.
***
In the Council Hall.
"Your Majesty... I beg you to avenge the Third Prince... Your Majesty..."
Noble Consort Chen was outside the hall, pleading for an audience. The Emperor was also furious, but he refused to see her. Who was it that dared to challenge imperial authority, time and time again? They had even dared to lay a hand on an imperial prince.
Wang Zhi, Commander of the Patrol Battalion, felt as though the heavens were crashing down. What kind of mess was this? The Wang family was going to be wiped out on his watch.
"Investigate... I command you to investigate!"
***
In Fengyi Palace.
As Nanny Qin combed the Empress’s hair, she whispered, "If the Eldest Miss hadn't rescued the Princess first, we would have been deceived by the Emperor as well."
"Since the Ji clan is heartless and devoid of justice, don't blame me for being ruthless," the Empress said, gazing at her reflection in the mirror, her phoenix eyes calm yet deep. "Since he claimed the Anyang in the dark cell was a fake, he will surely find a real one to fool me."
"Should we have Lord Xie arrange for people to watch?"
"No need. He only needs to investigate who in the Capital is colluding with the enemy," the Empress said in a very soft voice.
Contacting Xie Yizhou last night was an act of desperation. Initially, she had only wanted him to rescue Anyang from the cell; she had not wanted to drag the Xie family into the fire. Regardless of why they had parted years ago—he married and she wed—there should have been no further entanglements between them. But because of some news Lier had brought, things were no longer so simple.
The Feng family’s line was withering and the family was in decline. There were no brothers or sisters in her father’s generation, not even among the extended branches. In her own generation, there were only the two sisters. As a daughter of the Feng family, from the moment her eldest sister died suddenly and her parents aged overnight, she was forced to shoulder the family mission and step into the Imperial Palace. From that moment on, all romantic feelings were carved out of her heart, piece by piece. She had thought she would live out her life in a daze, as long as her two daughters remained safe.
But at this very moment, whether for the sake of her daughter or for the centuries-old foundation of the Great Zhou, she needed Xie Yizhou’s help. The Feng family truly had no one left. Although the hidden Jiuli Tribe had some latent power, that was a safety net left for Lier, a mother’s debt to her daughter. But now, she had to overthrow the Ji clan and ensure the foundation of the Great Zhou was not devoured by thieves. She could not touch the Jiuli Tribe; if things succeeded, well and good, but if an accident occurred, the Jiuli Tribe was the retreat for her two children.
Nanny Qin inserted the final hairpin. "The city is in chaos, and the palace is filled with panic. The affairs of Qiao Kun, Zhou Qi, and the Third Prince have sent the Emperor into a great rage in the Council Hall."
"I recall there being rumors that the Second Princess had an interest in Zhou Qi."
"That is indeed true. Could Zhou Qi and the Third Prince have played some role in the matter of Princess Anyang?"
The Empress’s face turned icy. "Qiao Kun testified that Anyang was rebelling, and his corpse was hung on the gates of Duke Chen’s mansion. The fact that Zhou Qi and the Third Prince could be hung outside the Prince’s residence is enough to show that it was the Chen family who framed Anyang. Zhou Qi was one of the Third Prince’s men, and the Second Princess’s torture of Yuer must have been at the instruction of Noble Consort Chen. Otherwise, how could a neglected princess like her have gained entry to the Imperial City Bureau’s dark cells?"
"Are you implying that the Eldest Miss was the one who..."
Nanny Qin had felt her restless heart settle the moment she learned the Eldest Miss had returned last night. Although she had had little contact with the Eldest Miss over the years, every time she saw her, she felt inexplicably at ease. She pondered, "Since we can guess that Duke Chen is plotting treason and framing Princess Anyang, could the Emperor have guessed it too? Ever since the assassins were captured, the Emperor has only publicly stated that the accusation of Princess Anyang’s rebellion was a frame-up. But he has never specified who was behind the framing. Could he be intentionally shielding Noble Consort Chen? Just now, the Noble Consort was weeping outside the Council Hall like rain on a pear blossom, yet the Emperor did not see her; he only expressed his rage inside the hall and ordered the Patrol Battalion to investigate thoroughly."
The Empress said, "For now, the Emperor is only letting the Patrol Battalion investigate who is challenging imperial authority and showing contempt for the imperial majesty. As for the one plotting treason, he may have known all along, but he has yet to obtain hard evidence."
She gazed at her reflection in the mirror for a moment, then took out the hairpin Nanny Qin had just inserted. "Go to the storeroom and find that jasmine hairpin."
The Nanny did not ask why. She hurried to the small storeroom and rummaged through a dusty box in the corner. Watching the Empress re-insert the pin, Nanny Qin saw a chill in the Empress’s eyes.
"Whether the Emperor is biased or not, one test will reveal it. After all, in the heart of our Emperor, even the deepest of affections becomes insignificant when compared to supreme imperial power."
Nanny Qin helped the Empress to her feet. "Should there be an official explanation for the Second Princess’s disappearance? After all, no matter how neglected she is, she is still a princess. If no one notices for a short time, it will be fine, but if it drags on, it may lead to trouble."
"There must be an explanation, but it cannot implicate Lier." The Empress’s eyes flickered. "Bring that jasmine-scented sachet as well."
She smiled with deep meaning. "Let’s bring some people to pay a visit to Noble Consort Chen."
Since Lier had done so much on the outside, as a mother, she could not fall behind in the palace.