Chapter 139 Leaving the Capital (Part 23) Who named her Jiu Li...?

A moment later, the palace doors opened wide, and several ministers bowed their heads and withdrew. Shen Quan took the medicine and hot tea and brought them into the inner hall. Zhou Hao was standing in front of the incense burner on his desk, warming his hands. Hearing the noise, he remained unmoved, staring blankly at the bright white window.

Only after Shen Quan placed the medicine and tea on the kang table and came to invite him from behind did he slowly walk to the couch and sit down. "That Yu Qi took Jiu Li away?"

"Your Majesty, I was afraid you might have questions, so I sent a eunuch to lead them out of the palace."

After all, he was an old eunuch who had served him for decades. To put it bluntly, Shen Quan had spent more time with him than the late emperor. This servant knew him best, and of course he had questions to ask. But all those questions he asked were just suspicions. No one could be sure whether Shan Heng had actually had an affair with Prince Feng behind his back.

But she did betray him by helping Prince Feng alter the imperial edict, and she wanted revenge; she couldn't bear to see him become emperor. Perhaps it was because he hadn't kept his promise to make her his concubine that she hated him, and she even kept the birth of his daughter a secret.

Women can be both loving and hating in ways that leave one helpless. In that instant, he suddenly felt a touch of helpless indulgence and forgave her from the bottom of his heart.

He murmured Jiu Li's name in his heart, his back hunched, his face lowered so that no one could notice the slight smile on his face. Before meeting Jiu Li, he was unsure whether she was his daughter or not, but since seeing her that morning, he almost knew the answer in his heart.

He thought and thought, but couldn't decide what to ask. "Who gave you the name 'Nine Carp'?"

Shen Quan hesitated for a moment, then, not daring to hide anything, she chuckled softly, "I asked you, Miss, and you said it was Yu Qi who named it."

"She didn't have a name before?"

"The girl said she was too young then and doesn't remember."

Zhou Hao said with a gloomy face, "This name is too petty."

Shen Quan blew on the medicine and chimed in, "That's true. I suppose Yu Qi hasn't read many books. He's just a commoner; how much knowledge could he possibly have?"

He felt a little better and took the bowl of medicine. "Did you find anything?"

"I went to the Camellia Garden and Qingniao Pavilion where the incident occurred, but I didn't find any useful clues." Shen Quan laughed and said, "Even Lord Qin from the Ministry of Justice and Lord Zou from the Court of Judicial Review, who are so experienced in criminal matters, couldn't find anything useful. No matter how capable Yu Qi is, he is still short-sighted and ignorant."

After taking his medicine, Zhou Hao quickly rinsed his mouth with water, wiped his mouth with a handkerchief, and threw the handkerchief heavily onto the kang table. "Just now, Lord Chen said that Yu Qi is quite skilled and has some ability. Don't underestimate him—"

Shen Quan lowered his head and said in a low voice after a while, "But if it weren't for his skill, perhaps even you would have perished in the fire back then."

She chuckled again, a hint of tenderness in her high-pitched voice, "Your Majesty didn't see it, but that girl is quite bold. Just now in the camellia garden, she offended the Imperial Concubine without thinking and almost angered her. She looked very scared, but I could tell that she was quite calm inside."

Zhou Hao took a sip of hot tea. "How did I end up running into the Imperial Concubine in the camellia garden?"

As Shen Quan tidied up the medicine bowls, she smiled and said, "Your Highness was sitting in the pavilion outside the camellia garden to relieve her boredom. This servant led Yu Qi and the young lady there and ran into her."

Zhou Hao smiled, "How elegant of the Imperial Concubine to seek refuge in that drafty pavilion—"

"Hey, Shuqiang is from the Empress's palace. The Empress always cares for her servants, so she must be there to check on the progress of the case."

Zhou Hao glanced at him, "Besides the case, did the Imperial Concubine and Jiu Li say anything else?"

No, not at all.

Zhou Hao paused for a moment, then changed the subject, "Did you hear that? Chen Ju just said that Yu Qi had a disciple named Du Zhong who was poisoned on his way to the capital—"

"This servant has never heard Yu Qi or Miss Jiu Li mention this matter."

"According to Chen Ju and the others, Du Zhong was murdered because he was suspected of being Jiu Li's brother. What do you think?"

Shen Quan hurriedly knelt before the bed, saying, "I dare not make wild guesses about matters of the court."

"Even you think the affairs of the court are the work of those in the court." Zhou Hao smiled as he slowly got off the bed, went behind the desk, tapped the desk lightly with one hand, turned his head to look out the window and sighed, "How could I not know that Consort Chen is jealous? She gave birth to a prince in her thirties, and he is my only biological son. Not only is she afraid that this 'only' honor will be shaken, but the two Chens are also afraid. It's my fault that I have been willing but unable to do so all these years, which has led to the growing power of the two Chens. It can be said that they have raised a tiger to cause trouble and disrupt the court."

As he finished speaking, he pounded the table harder. Shen Quan's heart skipped a beat, and she knelt before the table, wiping away her tears, and said, "To speak the most outrageous words, I have watched Your Majesty grow up. When Your Majesty was still a prince, you worked tirelessly to share the burdens of the late Emperor. Since ascending the throne, you have worked day and night to manage state affairs, quell foreign enemies, rectify the court, and establish great achievements and virtues. Even in recent years, when Your Majesty's health has declined, you still worry about the country day and night. Throughout history, which monarch has had Your Majesty's dedication and spirit? Even gods and saints may not be perfect in everything. If Your Majesty blames yourself, the whole world should die of shame!"

Zhou Hao sat down on the chair, glanced at him for a while, and then slowly nodded. "Although it was just a palace maid who died this time, it has implicated the Chen family of Prince Zhao and even the Consort. Du Zhong has already died on the way, and several assassins have appeared. I'm afraid Jiu Li is still surrounded by danger. You must take good care of her for Shan Heng."

"Please rest assured, Your Majesty, I will immediately arrange for several shadow guards to protect your safety at all times."

Not long after, Shen Quan took his leave of the palace. Not long after returning home, a servant came to report that Yu Qijiu had lunch on the street after leaving the palace and had gone to the Ministry of Justice with Zou Chang and others, presumably to check the autopsy case files.

The case file not only recorded the cause of death, but also detailed the size and depth of the wounds, as well as all kinds of injuries on her body. Yu Qi counted them carefully and found that, as Shen Quan had said, Shu Qiang had seven bruises and eleven suspected scratches on her body, most of which were fresh injuries. There were also tear marks on her genitals, which were clearly caused by rape.

Jiuli looked at it for a long time, but felt something was wrong. She whispered in his ear, "Uncle, look, there are two bruises and three scratches that are old wounds. They must have been formed a few days before he died. The new wounds look like they were caused by fighting with someone just before he died. But judging from these wounds, they all seem to be the work of a woman. Only women like to scratch people with their fingernails."

Qin Ji overheard this and chuckled, “Young lady, your words are too one-sided. Anything is possible in a moment of panic. Perhaps the man was holding her tightly, and she struggled, which is why she was scratched by his fingernails.” As he spoke, he walked to the table and picked up the dagger on it. “The important thing is that the fatal wound on her chest fits perfectly with this dagger. This dagger is undoubtedly the murder weapon.”

The dagger, inlaid with ivory and rubies, was one of King Zhao's personal belongings. Yu Qi went to take it, pulled out the dagger, and carefully compared it with the wound description in the case file. Indeed, it was the murder weapon.

He handed the dagger to Jiuli and looked at Zou Chang, saying, "But Lord Zou, I remember you said that King Zhao lost this dagger before the incident. Does that mean that someone else might have used this knife to kill the person?"

Qin Ji, his face displeased, interrupted first, "Yu Qi, are you implying that someone is using you as a scapegoat to commit murder and frame you? What evidence do you have? You'd better be careful what you say without evidence! Hmph, this is the inner court of the Ministry of Justice, not your Tongshou Hall in Nanjing!"

Yu Qi smiled and walked to the chair on the left, then turned and sat down. "Lord Qin, I did not say that someone was using another person to do the dirty work. You said that yourself."

Xu Bai glanced at the dagger and said, "Even if someone says that, it's a reasonable suspicion. Lord Qin is an official of the Ministry of Justice. Are you not even allowed to make reasonable speculations?"

Qin Jiyi snorted coldly, "Qi Xubai, you've already been dismissed from your post. Don't put on airs like a county magistrate. Although you have official rank, you're just a scholar. You were allowed into the Ministry of Justice because of the Prince and Lord Zou. Don't push your luck."

Jiu Li and Zhang Da were standing behind the last chair on the left, examining the dagger closely. They finally noticed the tense atmosphere in the hall. They glanced at the group and saw Yu Qi sitting calmly on the left, Zou Chang sitting composedly on the right, and Qin Ji and Xu Bai standing above and below, each with their own anger.

Now, all the officials who have met her treat her very politely because of Jiu Li's tacitly known secret about her background. Thinking that it might be worth a word of advice, she stepped forward and said with a smile, "There's not even a clue about the murderer yet, and you gentlemen are already arguing about him. It's not worth it."

Zou Chang immediately nodded and smiled, "That's right, let's get back to the main topic. About seven or eight days before the incident, two maids who served the Prince Zhao in his mansion discovered that the dagger was missing. The day before the discovery, the Prince had gone hunting in the outskirts of the capital and suspected that it had been lost in the mountains. He even sent more than a dozen servants to search for it in the mountains, but they couldn't find it. All the servants in the mansion can testify to this."

Jiuli turned to Zou Chang, "So, it's also possible that someone deliberately stole this dagger?"

Zou Chang glanced at Qin Ji and smiled, "You could also suspect that. The Prince doesn't like to put on airs in the capital. You must have heard about this habit, Lord Qin. The Prince often travels incognito, usually with only one or two attendants. If someone wanted to steal from him, it wouldn't be impossible."

Since these words came from Jiu Li, Qin Ji couldn't say anything, so he just nodded and sat down next to Zou Chang. "That's why this case has become an unsolved mystery."

Jiuli walked over to Yu Qi's side and saw him frowning as he flipped through the autopsy file again. She leaned down and whispered, "Uncle, is there anything else wrong?"

Yu Qi shook his head slightly, glanced at the case file a couple more times, and then put it down. "Did the deceased, Shu Qiang, have any enemies in the palace? Have you two inquired about that?"

Qin Ji said impatiently, "I've checked. Shuqiang is twenty years old this year, from Baoding Prefecture. She only has her parents. She was selected to enter the palace at the age of fifteen. She first worked in the Shangqin Bureau, in charge of matters related to lamps and candles. Last winter, she was transferred to the Cangwu Pavilion of the Imperial Concubine, in charge of the Imperial Concubine's daily meals and medicines. I haven't heard of her making any enemies in the Shangqin Bureau." As he finished speaking, his expression clearly hesitated, and his voice lowered.

Yu Qi understood immediately, and then asked, "Did she have any conflicts with anyone at Cangwu Pavilion?"

Zou Chang glanced at Qin Ji and, seeing that he was unwilling to speak, smiled and said, "I and Lord Qin have also inquired about this. During the year that this Shuqiang worked at Cangwu Pavilion, she was often punished. According to the six palace maids and two eunuchs at Cangwu Pavilion, she was forgetful and careless in her work, so when the head maid was angry, she would inevitably pinch her a couple of times and often deduct some of her salary."

Jiuli immediately thought of the arrogant palace maid who had been by Consort Chen's side that morning. "Is this head maid around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old? She has long, narrow eyes, is tall, and has a slender figure?"

Zou Changdao said, "That's right, her name is Han Yun'er. Ever since the Imperial Concubine was selected to enter the palace, she has been serving by her side until the Imperial Concubine was conferred the title of Imperial Concubine and she was then promoted to the position of head maid of Cangwu Pavilion."

Yu Qi stroked his chin, resting it on his clothes, and pondered for a while. He sensed something was amiss. "The Empress passed away ten years ago. According to rank, the Imperial Concubine should be the highest-ranking official in the harem right now, and she should be in charge. Presumably, the Imperial Concubine's palace is staffed with the most capable and efficient maids. How could such a clumsy maid be assigned to work at Cangwu Pavilion? If it wasn't discovered earlier, and it was discovered later, this maid should have been replaced in time." As he spoke, he straightened his posture and asked with a smile, "Could it be because the palace is short-staffed?"

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Author's note: Thank you for reading.