The rain was falling heavily, Xue Yuanchu was galloping on his horse, and the rain flowed along the edge of his hat into a curtain of water.

The veins in his hands, which were tightly gripping the reins, bulged and his knuckles turned white from the exertion.

"Gee!" He shouted loudly, and the horse's hooves crushed the mud and water, splashing water three feet high.

When he rushed to the ancestral tomb on the outskirts of the city, the scene before him hit him like a heavy blow to the chest - the Xue family's ancestral tomb had been dug up, the yellow soil mixed with rainwater to form turbid mud, and several broken coffins were half exposed.

Officials from the Dali Temple were stringing up hemp ropes around the area, preventing anyone from approaching.

"My Lord!" the old butler's voice trembled, "The Lord's coffin...is gone!"

Xue Yuanchu turned over and got off the horse. The rain flowed down his cheeks and he couldn't tell whether it was rain or sweat.

He strode towards the Jinyiwei captain who was giving orders and grabbed him by the collar: "Where is my father's coffin?"

The captain's expression remained unchanged as he pulled out a scroll of yellow silk from his bosom. "By imperial order, the remains of General Xue Yonghuai are being transported to the Dali Temple for examination. If you have any questions, you may personally see the emperor."

Xue Yuanchu let go of his hand. Raindrops hit the imperial edict, blurring the cinnabar seal. He took a deep breath, turned to the old housekeeper, and whispered, "Prepare the horses, and go to the Ministry of Works."

In the duty room of the Ministry of Works, Xue Zhongfu was working at his desk drawing a blueprint of a canal. He looked up when he heard hurried footsteps and saw his brother rushing in, soaking wet. He immediately waved his hand to send his attendants away.

"Brother?"

"Father's coffin has been transported to the Dali Temple." Xue Yuanchu lowered his voice, but could not hide the trembling in it. "The emperor wants to investigate what happened three years ago."

The brush in Xue Zhongfu's hand snapped, and the ink splattered across the drawing, creating a black blur. His face instantly turned pale: "That's not my father in the coffin..."

"I know." Xue Yuanchu slammed his fist on the table, making the teacup clink. "My father died on the battlefield. His body was not found. He was buried with only a cenotaph and a substitute skeleton. Now that the emperor suddenly wants to perform an autopsy, he must be suspicious."

A flash of lightning struck outside the window, illuminating Xue Zhongfu's gloomy face.

He walked to the window, looking at the blurred outline of the palace wall in the rain, "Brother, if the emperor really finds out that the remains in the coffin are not our father's..."

"Then we'll strike first." A flicker of determination flashed in Xue Yuanchu's eyes. "Most of my father's former subordinates are in the northern border. As long as we can make proper contact..."

A quick knock on the door interrupted him. A clerk's voice came from outside: "Master Xue, someone from the Dali Temple wants to see you."

The two brothers exchanged a glance, and Xue Zhongfu quickly regained his composure: "Please wait a moment." He turned to his brother and whispered, "Go through the back door and find Ji Yan. I'll go to the Dali Temple to deal with it."

Xue Yuanchu nodded, and before leaving, he gave his brother one last look: "Remember, a man of the Xue family would rather die standing than live on his knees."

In the rain, Xue Yuanchu's figure quickly disappeared.

Xue Zhongfu straightened his clothes, took a deep breath and opened the door.

Outside the door, the Dali Temple Secretary held an official document in his hand, his face expressionless: "I am ordered to investigate the case. Lord Xue, please assist in investigating the cause of General Xue Yonghuai's death."

Xue Zhongfu smiled slightly, but the smile did not reach his eyes. "I will cooperate. I just don't know why the Dali Temple is suddenly interested in an old case from three years ago?"

A strange look flashed in the eyes of the Dali Temple Secretary: "Someone has reported that there is something else behind General Xue's death."

…

In the study of the Linjiang Prince's Mansion, the air was filled with the aroma of agarwood. Li Longjing reclined on a rosewood couch, toying with a white jade chess piece, his gaze fixed on the gradually easing rain outside the window.

"Your Highness, I just received news." Yan Boxi hurried in, the hem of his blue official robe still wet with rain. "The Dali Temple has opened the coffin for an autopsy and confirmed that the remains are not Xue Yonghuai's."

"Oh?" Li Longjing paused with the chess piece in his hand, a playful smile curling up at the corner of his lips. "My brother must be feeling very uneasy right now."

Yan Boxi lowered his voice and said, "What's even more bizarre is that when Xue Zhongfu, the second son of the Xue family, was summoned for questioning, he didn't seem surprised at all that the body in the coffin wasn't his father."

Li Longjing suddenly sat up straight, his eyes gleaming. "Interesting... It seems there's something hidden behind Xue Yonghuai's death."

He stood up and walked to the window. In the courtyard after the rain, several crabapple trees had their petals blown down, leaving scattered petals all over the ground.

Yan Boxi followed and asked, "What does your Highness intend to do?"

"Since the Emperor wants to investigate, we might as well help him muddy the waters even further."

Li Longjing turned around, a calculating look on his face. "Spread rumors in the capital, saying the emperor was worried that Xue Yonghuai's achievements would overshadow his own, so he ordered his men to collude internally and externally to murder a loyal official three years ago on the battlefield in the Western Rong region."

Yan Boxi frowned slightly: "Is this... too straightforward? If we trace it back to the palace..."

"What are you afraid of?" Li Longjing sneered. "Use the common folk to spread the news, and make it half true and half false—say, General Xue isn't dead, but is secretly imprisoned somewhere by the emperor. Then have storytellers make up a few stories about 'loyalty and righteousness being envied, and the emperor betraying his loyalty,' and sing them in restaurants and teahouses."

He walked back to the desk, picked up the pen, dipped it in ink, wrote a few words on the rice paper, and then casually rolled it up and threw it into the incense burner.

The flames shot up and instantly engulfed the paper ball.

"Remember, rumors are like knives, they kill without shedding blood." Li Longjing stared at the rising smoke. "If the Xue family rebels, it will be our opportunity. If they don't, we can also alienate my brother from the generals."

Yan Boxi bowed and said, "I'll arrange it right away."

"Wait." Li Longjing stopped him, "What has the third son of the Xue family been doing lately?"

"I heard that she went to the Ding Mansion today to propose marriage, and the wedding date is set for next month."

Li Longjing pondered: "The Ding family... but is it the Ding family that controls the three guards of the Northern Frontier?"

"Exactly. Although General Ding has retired, his prestige within the military remains."

"Good, very good." Li Longjing clapped his hands and chuckled. "If this marriage goes through, the Xue family will be even more powerful."

Yan Boxi had just left the study when a guard hurried in: "Your Highness, there's news from the palace. The Emperor has urgently summoned the Minister of War and the Commanders-in-Chief of the Five Armies to the palace for a meeting!"

A sharp glint flashed in Li Longjing's eyes: "It seems that my brother can no longer sit still."