Midnight (11 PM - 1 AM).
In the pitch-black night, Su Qingcai stood by Mirror Lake. He silently gazed at the misty lake surface, waiting from midnight to early morning, but the boat he had been hoping for never appeared.
"What's going on...?"
Su Qingcai spoke softly, a mist seemingly rising in her eyes.
Since disembarking that night, he had tried to investigate Xiuyi Workshop again, but it had never appeared again, as if it had never existed in the world. Everything about this was strange, but he didn't know where to begin.
As dawn broke over the distant horizon, Su Qingcai felt helpless and had no choice but to return empty-handed.
He had originally planned to make other plans in a few days, but before he had even rested at home for a day, he received an imperial edict summoning him to the palace.
Inside the palace, Su Qingcai stood before the emperor, whose expression was serious and whose gaze was slightly impatient.
"You promised me you would investigate this matter thoroughly. Have you made any progress?"
"Your Majesty, we have made some progress, but the truth is still somewhat thorny." Su Qingcai pursed his lips and answered cautiously, "Didn't Your Majesty give me time to investigate before? Why are you urging me now? This matter cannot be rushed."
"I don't want to rush things either. I don't know who instigated those officials, but they've been submitting petitions every day for the past few days, demanding that you give an explanation for the slander against Lord Cao. What can I do?" The emperor snorted coldly, feeling extremely displeased as he recalled the pressure he had been under these past few days.
Upon hearing the emperor mention a joint petition, Su Qingcai immediately knew that it was most likely Su Qinghe who had written it.
A slight coldness appeared in his eyes. Although he was dissatisfied, he still had to suppress his anxiety and cupped his hands, saying, "I beg Your Majesty to grant me more time. I have made some progress in my investigation and I believe the truth will come to light soon."
"I would like to give you more time, but my ministers don't think so!"
The emperor waved his hand, seemingly not intending to agree to Su Qingcai's request. However, Su Qingcai stood there stubbornly, not even changing his posture. It seemed that the emperor was going to force him, just like the other ministers who had jointly submitted the petition.
He felt a tightness in his chest, and with a wave of his sleeve, he said helplessly, "Fine, fine, I really can't do anything with you! I'll talk to those ministers again, and you can find out the truth as soon as possible."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Su Qingcai breathed a sigh of relief, thanked the emperor, and turned to leave, but the emperor suddenly called him back.
"Xiao Jiu, don't go back today. Stay in the palace and play chess with me. I'm troubled and just want to talk to you more."
The emperor's rare display of tenderness startled Su Qingcai. He stopped and simply replied with a single word: "Okay."
Since returning to the capital, undercurrents have been swirling within the city. Su Qingcai and the Emperor have been extremely busy, with almost no opportunity for leisure to communicate. Now, the two brothers have reunited in the palace, playing chess all night long. They chatted and laughed, and their moods have improved considerably.
In the early morning, the warm sunlight shone into the bedroom. Su Qingcai made his final move, and the chessboard on the table was now set in stone.
He cupped his hands in greeting and said with a smile, "Your Majesty, I've made a fool of myself."
The emperor's pieces had no more room to move. He stared at the chessboard and sighed, "In terms of chess skills, I am still no match for Xiao Jiu. Well, you must be tired tonight, so go back and rest."
"Thank you for your understanding, Your Majesty." Su Qingcai nodded slightly, rubbed his temples wearily, and wanted to go back to continue investigating the Xiuyi Workshop matter.
He had just reached the entrance of the imperial bedchamber when a young eunuch rushed in in a panic. Without even bowing to him, he rushed to the emperor with a nervous expression.
"Your Majesty, something terrible has happened! Lord Cao is in trouble!"
Su Qingcai paused, a sudden, inexplicable panic rising in her heart. She quickly asked, "What happened?"
The young eunuch trembled, not daring to raise his head: "Lord Cao... he died at home!"
"What?!" Su Qingcai gasped sharply, his body reacting before his mind, grabbing the eunuch by the collar.
"Lord Cao... he's actually dead?! You need to find out exactly what happened!"
The young eunuch was so frightened that he dared not raise his head. His voice trembled as he hurriedly said, "Your Highness, I don't know what happened! I only heard that Lord Cao's body was found at the Cao residence this morning. He had been dead for a long time, and no one noticed him last night. Now the news has spread, and the ministers are all saying... saying that Your Highness did it!"
"Nonsense!" Su Qingcai gritted her teeth, her grip tightening.
The emperor's face was also very grim. He waved his hand impatiently and said, "Put him down first, and we'll hear other people's opinions before making a decision."
Su Qingcai pursed his thin lips, his heart churning with anger and frustration, but grabbing at an unrelated person at this moment would be of no use. Since the emperor had spoken, he forced himself to calm down, released the little eunuch, tidied his clothes, and went to court with the emperor.
As expected, in the imperial court, the ministers brought up the matter of Lord Cao's death and pointed the finger directly at Su Qingcai.
"Your Majesty, the only person who had a grudge against Lord Cao was the Ninth Prince. Lord Cao's death must be related to the Ninth Prince. I beg Your Majesty to severely punish the Ninth Prince!"
"You people speak without thinking, trying to shift the blame onto me without knowing anything?" Su Qingcai sneered, his dark eyes filled with anger.
"I've been playing chess in the palace all night, how could I possibly have the time to harm Lord Cao?"
"This..." The minister, who had spoken out in anger, was clearly not prepared for this and was stunned into silence.
Su Qingcai then looked at the emperor and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, this matter is suspicious. I am willing to take on this matter and investigate the cause of Lord Cao's death."
If he wasn't mistaken, the death of the Minister of Justice was probably related to Su Qinghe. He had to keep the investigation in his own hands to prevent Su Qinghe from doing anything underhanded.
The emperor understood the implications, nodded, and was about to speak when Su Qinghe suddenly stepped forward.
"Your Majesty, this investigation must not be entrusted to the Ninth Prince!"
He pointed directly at Su Qingcai and said sternly, "The Ninth Prince only stayed in the palace for one night. Who doesn't know how powerful his secret guards are? Perhaps he ordered his secret guards to assassinate Lord Cao? The Ninth Prince is the only one in the entire court who has a grudge against Lord Cao. He can't clear himself of any wrongdoing. How can we entrust the investigation to the Ninth Prince with peace of mind? We beg Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly!"
"Yes, if we really need to investigate, the Seventh Prince is probably the most suitable! Your Majesty, please think it over!"
The ministers echoed this sentiment, some even suggesting that the power of investigation be handed over to Su Qinghe.
Su Qingcai clenched his fists, and Su Qinghe gave him a provocative look. Their gazes met silently in the air, and the atmosphere was tense.
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