Chapter 18: Fire

From that day on, Yan Penglai's knees began to suffer. Although he was able to walk normally again, he could no longer engage in strenuous activities.

Everyone knew that he would never touch mud or dirty water again, and even hated it.

Princess Gao and he never met in public again.

After Yan Penglai left, there was a brief silence in the room.

"If what Yan Penglai said is true, then is there any possibility for the two of them, who had such an ugly breakup back then, to reconcile again?"

Qian Deng pondered and said, "Come to think of it, when Yan Penglai gave me the futon he had sewn himself yesterday, I took a close look at his clothes. I clearly remember that there was not a speck of dirt on him. Even his shoes were spotless, without a single stain of mud or water."

Even if Yan Penglai could trick Princess Gao to the water's edge based on their old friendship, he would never let her jump in by herself. He could only push her in from nearby.

The shore where Princess Gao had slipped was covered in wet mud, exactly the kind of place Yan Penglai, due to his obsessive-compulsive disorder, would never set foot on. However, the edges and soles of his shoes were spotless, without any traces of mud or scrubbing, which was enough to prove that he couldn't have done that.

After summoning this weak immortal young man, Qiandeng flipped through the list of young men behind him and discussed with them: "Based on distance, we should summon Shangluo or Jintang first."

Ling Tianshui glanced at him and said, "I don't think there's anything to investigate about Shangluo. He's not tall enough, and the people in the princess's mansion said that the man who came to meet the princess privately was a tall young man."

Qian Deng agreed: "Besides, considering his age, it's impossible for him to be so familiar with Princess Gao. Shangluo almost fell into the water yesterday and was already extremely frightened. He might not have recovered yet. Otherwise..."

Cui Fufeng, however, looked pensive, tapping the table with his fingertips as if he was considering something.

Qian Deng then asked, "Does Cui Shaoqing have a different opinion?"

"Based on Shangluo's age, stature, and personality, he could indeed be ruled out as a suspect, but..." He hesitated, finally frowning and speaking, "His father, Shang Nanliu, the deputy governor of Jizhou, had a history with Princess Gao."

Qian Deng had never thought of this connection. He looked in surprise at the young man from a noble family in front of him, who seemed elegant and noble, but was well aware of all the intricate interests - or gossip - in the court.

"Back then, Shang Nanliu was very successful at a young age, achieving the third place in the imperial examination in his twenties. He had a close relationship with Princess Gao. So after the princess's second husband passed away, many people were optimistic that he would become her third husband."

But to everyone's surprise, the princess was persuaded by the queen mother to declare that she would not marry again for the sake of the future Crown Princess Xiao Fuyu. Shang Nanliu's wife was a famous girl from his hometown. She was arrogant and after catching him having an affair with the princess, she even ignored her son Shangluo and divorced him in anger to become a Taoist monk.

Shang Nanliu has been exiled to Jizhou for training, and he has been praised for maintaining order among the army and the people during the chaos. The court, however, is considering recalling him back to Chang'an due to the Fengtian Rebellion, which has left the various departments empty.

"If my predictions are correct, Shang Nanliu should be coming to the capital in the near future under the pretext of reporting on his work. The person most likely to help him then is his old lover, Princess Gao."

Qian Deng pondered and asked, "So, Shangluo actually meets the conditions of being acquainted with Princess Gao and hating her?"

"And he looks very similar to his father Shang Nanliu when he was young."

Can a lively young man who looks like an old friend make Princess Gao feel nostalgic and follow him to the waterside?

Qiandeng thought about Shangluo's usual heartless appearance and couldn't imagine him luring Princess Gao into his trap and killing her.

"The biggest question is Shangluo's height..."

Seeing her hesitation, Ling Tianshui said, "It's possible. For example, if the maid was squatting on the ground and only glanced at him, she might have misjudged his height in an unfamiliar environment."

Of course, the possibility is not very high.

Shangluo is young and the possibility of him committing the crime is the lowest among all the men in the backyard, so we can wait and ask him later.

Just as Qiandeng stood up and walked to the door, about to ask someone to summon Jintang, he heard hurried footsteps, and then Shangluo's figure appeared in the corridor.

Seeing Qian Deng, he immediately rushed over and asked repeatedly, "County Princess, I have something to talk to you about. It's related to...it's related to the death of Princess Gao last night!"

When Qiandeng heard his words, she was stunned. She didn't expect Shangluo to be so proactive and actually come to her on his own initiative.

Cui Fufeng asked logically, "Really? Did you notice anything unusual when you found the princess's body last night?"

"I don't know. I didn't dare look at her body any longer. It was so scary..." Shangluo said, hesitating for a moment, rubbing his eyes and saying, "It's just that even now, I still feel a little uncomfortable in my eyes."

Cui Fufeng took a closer look and saw nothing unusual: "What's wrong with your eyes?"

"Last night, when I nearly fell into the water, Brother Linyou grabbed me. I was hanging upside down above the surface, and I saw sparks flying right before my eyes—County Lady, do you know? Fireworks look better from a distance. If you look closely, the sky, the water, and even the cracks in the rocks are all filled with golden light. It's all so dazzling that it burns my eyes!"

Qiandeng thought of the grand fireworks last night. Jintang relied on his status as the richest man in Chang'an to set off all kinds of fireworks. She felt that they were bright and dazzling even when she was standing on the waterside pavilion, let alone Shangluo who almost fell into the water.

"You're at school age, so you must take care of your eyes. Remember to ask Doctor Jiang to take a closer look at you later." Qian Deng warned, "Remember to get plenty of rest over the next two days and go to bed early."

"Well, but..." Shang Luo touched his eyelids, his face filled with fear. "But as soon as I closed my eyes, Princess Gao's face appeared before my eyes... It was so scary! County Lady, do you know, I had a nightmare last night? I dreamed that she was floating in the water, her face was green, then red... I was so scared that I fell off the waterside pavilion and dangled in the crack of the rocks below. But guess what, County Lady, a golden light emerged from the crack, and Princess Gao emerged from the crack again!"

At this point, he held his head and screamed, tears almost coming out of his eyes. "What should I do, County Princess? I woke up with my eyes open all night. I'm so scared. Will Princess Gao turn into a ghost and come to find me?"

Cui Fufeng said, "Don't worry. Even if Princess Gao becomes a ghost, she will only go after the person who killed her. You're not the murderer, so what's there to be afraid of?"

"Is... is that so?" Shang Luo's face showed no sign of fear. "What if, what if there was a grudge between them?"

"You are so young, how much hatred can you have against her?"

Shangluo opened his mouth and said with difficulty, "It's very serious. Before she accompanied the emperor to the Lishan Hot Springs, my father had a secret meeting with her. I put croton seeds in her tea, which made her have diarrhea all the way..."

Even though the three people in front of him were knowledgeable and experienced, they couldn't help but twitch their lips when they heard him say this. They could not imagine how Princess Gao had endured the bumpy journey, and how she had accompanied the empress dowager and the concubines to take a bath in the hot springs after arriving.

"She was originally unwilling to forgive me. My father had a falling out with Princess Gao in order to protect me, and was driven out of the capital and sent to Jizhou... So my grandfather has always hated me and almost beat me to death to make amends for the princess..."

Qian Deng thought about how he was beaten like that by his grandfather, and it turned out to be because of this.

She sighed and comforted him, "Don't worry. Since your father has shown signs of returning, I think Princess Gao has calmed down. Besides, she's made many enemies in her life. How could such a small matter as yours be worth her taking revenge on him even after her death?"

"Really?" Shangluo looked at her eagerly.

Qian Deng nodded and said affirmatively: "Don't forget the dispute between her and me. I have clashed with her several times and I am not afraid. What are you afraid of?"

"Then, then County Lady, you have to be careful too. Otherwise, how about we...we find someone to pray for the soul to be reborn?"

"Don't worry about that." Shang Luo was the least lethal person in the palace's backyard, and he couldn't fake this appearance, so Qian Deng comforted him, "Protect your eyes, stay out of the osmanthus hall less, and have less contact with people. You'll be fine in a couple of days."