Huh? It's him.
The secret document contained the words "the eunuch's name contains the character 'An'", which, together with the old files bestowed by the king and the white bones in Qingxu Temple, made her vaguely feel that her second uncle's wrongful case not only involved Qinglang Mountain, but also hid the shadow of palace forces.
But who is that "eunuch with the character 'An' in his name"? And where did the cloud-patterned token on the purple-clad man's waist come from?
The next morning, she sent her secret guards to check the list of eunuchs whose names contained the character "An" from twenty years ago. She herself took the half of the cloud-patterned silk handkerchief to the most famous silk shop in the capital. The cloud pattern embroidery on the handkerchief was unique, and perhaps she could get clues from the embroiderer.
The silk shopkeeper took the handkerchief, examined it repeatedly for a long time, and frowned deeply: "Miss, this cloud pattern uses 'gold thread embroidery,' and the gold thread is mixed with peacock feathers. It is an embroidery technique used exclusively by the imperial court in the previous dynasty, and now only the embroidery workshops in the palace still use it."
However… this kind of embroidery is strictly controlled; apart from members of the royal family, no one else can obtain it.” Royal family?
Yin Li's heart skipped a beat, and she was about to ask further when suddenly the sound of horses' hooves came from outside the door, followed by the orderly footsteps of guards. The shopkeeper's expression changed, and he hurriedly said, "It's Prince He Mo! Miss, you should quickly go to the backyard to take shelter."
Prince He Mo is the current king's younger brother, wielding military power and possessing an unpredictable temperament; no one in the capital dares to provoke him easily. Just as Yin Li was about to hide, she heard a deep voice from the doorway: "Why are you hiding? I'm not going to eat her."
She turned her head and saw a man dressed in a black brocade robe walk in. The hem of the robe was embroidered with dark gold cloud patterns, which were somewhat similar to the patterns on the silk handkerchief.
The man was tall and handsome, with a hint of aloofness in his eyes; he was none other than He Mo.
What shocked Yin Li even more was the faint, cool fragrance emanating from him—the crisp scent of pine needles mixed with snow water, which was somewhat similar to the scent she had smelled on Master Mu Han at the Ye Hui Flower Banquet.
"The eldest daughter of the Silver Prince's Mansion?" He Mo's gaze fell on her, his eyes sharp. "I heard that you have been investigating an old case involving the Yin family from twenty years ago?" Yin Li clenched the handkerchief in her hand, suppressing the tremor in her heart, and curtsied. "Your Highness is joking. It is just sorting through old family belongings, which does not count as investigating a case."
"Sorting out old things?" He Mo chuckled and walked to the counter, his gaze falling on the silk handkerchief in the shopkeeper's hand. "A silk handkerchief with cloud patterns embroidered with gold thread in the imperial court, is that also an old item from your family?"
These words hit the nail on the head, leaving Yin Li speechless for a moment. He Mo didn't press further, but instead reached out and took the handkerchief, tracing the pattern on it with his fingertips: "This embroidery comes from the 'Yunjin Workshop' in the palace. Ten years ago, the Yunjin Workshop caught fire, and all the embroiderers and patterns were burned. Now, only a few old items are still hidden in my manor."
Yin Li's heart tightened: "Does Your Highness mean... that this handkerchief is related to you?"
"This has nothing to do with me, but it's related to the person I'm investigating." He Mo returned the handkerchief to her, his gaze darkening. "This cloud pattern is the mark of the powerful eunuch Wei An from back then, and Wei An was the eunuch responsible for delivering the memorials regarding the Yin family case twenty years ago—the very eunuch you're looking for whose name contains the character 'An'."
Wei An! Yin Li clenched her handkerchief, finally piecing together the clues: Wei An was the eunuch who delivered memorials; the clan head colluded with Wei An to forge salt permit evidence, then had Yin Kun report her second uncle, and finally silenced Wei An and destroyed the account books to completely cover up the truth. But just as she was about to ask about Wei An's whereabouts, He Mo said, "Unfortunately, Wei An 'died of illness' three years ago, and his body was switched back then; we don't even know where he's buried now." The clues went cold again.
A hint of disappointment flashed in Yin Li's eyes, but He Mo looked at her and his tone softened a bit: "If you want to investigate Yin Lin's wrongful case, I can help you. But you should know that there is someone behind Wei An, and that person's power is far greater than you imagine."
"Why is Your Highness helping me?" Yin Li looked at him warily. After all, He Mo was of noble status and had no dealings with the Yin Prince's Mansion. His sudden act of helping her was bound to arouse suspicion. He Mo smiled faintly and looked at the pearl hairpin in her hair: "Back then, there was a cultivator surnamed Mu on Qinglang Mountain who once saved my life."
Before he left, he said, "If you encounter anyone from the Silver Prince's Mansion in the future, please take good care of them." "Master Mu Han!" Yin Li's heart skipped a beat, and the mole at the corner of her eye instantly lit up: "You know Master Mu Han? Where is he now?"
“I don’t know either.” He Mo shook his head. “Three years ago, he suddenly disappeared, leaving behind only a jade pendant. He said that if any of the Yin family’s descendants were in danger, they could use the jade pendant to find me.” He took out a jade pendant from his sleeve, which was engraved with the character “Mu”. It was Mu Han’s personal possession.
Looking at the jade pendant, Yin Li's eyes reddened slightly. So the cold fragrance she smelled at the Ye Hui Flower Banquet wasn't an illusion; so He Mo's appearance wasn't a coincidence either. She took a deep breath and looked at He Mo: "Your Highness, I want to investigate the whereabouts of Wei An's body, and the identity of the man in purple."
“The man in purple is Wei An’s former subordinate, and now he is loyal to the Qinglang Mountain Grandmaster.” He Mo said frankly, “As for Wei An’s body, I found out that it was buried in a mass grave on the outskirts of the city, but someone dug up that grave last month and the body has disappeared.”
It's happening again. Yin Li gripped the jade pendant tightly, feeling that the road ahead was still shrouded in mystery. Wei An's body had disappeared, the man in purple had Qinglang Mountain backing him, and the clan leader still held power in prison... It seemed that every time she got closer to the truth, new obstacles would appear.
"Don't be discouraged." He Mo looked at her dejected appearance and spoke in a rare gentle tone. "At least we now know about Wei An. If we find his body, we might be able to find some clues on it."
"I have already sent people to investigate the grave diggers' whereabouts. I will inform you when I have any news." Yin Li nodded, a warm feeling welling up in her heart.
From encountering the familiar Leng Xiang at the Ye Hui Flower Banquet, to reuniting with Jin Jing, and now meeting He Mo, it seems she is no longer investigating the case alone.
As she left the silk shop, the setting sun cast its golden rays across the streets. Yin Li looked at the handkerchief and jade pendant in her hand, the smile in her eyes fading slightly—though the clues had run cold, she knew that as long as she kept going, one day she would be able to unravel all the mysteries, find Master Mu Han, and clear her second uncle's name.
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