The Government Office of Jingzhao Prefecture received a report that Princess Qingping had been shot by a cold arrow in the middle of the street. The Prefect’s face turned white. How could such a major incident occur during broad daylight in the capital? He feared his official hat would not be secure anymore. He promptly instructed the Deputy Prefect of Jingzhao Prefecture to lead a team to thoroughly investigate the place where Princess Qingping was attacked, while he himself rushed to the Imperial Palace to plea for mercy from the Emperor.
The carriage from Princess Qingping’s Residence arrived at the Imperial Palace faster than the Prefect of Jingzhao Prefecture could on foot.
Upon seeing the Emperor, Qingping wiped her eyes with her handkerchief and began to cry, "My Imperial Brother, someone tried to murder me, they shot a cold arrow at me."
The Emperor had been listening to the Grand Scholar’s report on exam readings. Hearing Qingping’s words, he asked sharply, "What happened?"
Princess Qingping tearfully recounted the incident and pointed at Fen Ling for confirmation, "If not for Fen Ling’s excellent martial arts, Your Majesty might not ever have seen me again."
The Emperor also became angry, "What audacity! Who dared to shoot a cold arrow at you? This happened during daylight."
"Exactly, during daylight. If not for that, I could’ve almost died of fright," Princess Qingping grumbled, "What’s going on with the security in Jing? Dare I even go out on the streets anymore?"
The Emperor immediately ordered, "Summon the Prefect of Jingzhao Prefecture to the Palace."
The Eunuch Yu consented and hurried off.
The Emperor asked, "And the cold arrow?"
"It’s outside the palace gate. Without your permission, I couldn’t bring it in to show you," Qingping cried.
The Emperor nodded and ordered someone to fetch the arrow.
Lǐ Shu, the Prefect of Jingzhao Prefecture, ran into the Palace, full of sweat. After seeing the Emperor, he immediately knelt and begged for forgiveness, "Your Majesty, it was my poor governance. I beg you to give me some time, I will definitely find the rebel who conspired against the princess and bring him to justice."
The Prefect, a trusted confidant of the Emperor, ensured that the Emperor could rest easy since he was in charge of the capital’s security. He hadn’t made any mistakes in the past few years, but this incident had happened now, so, the Emperor frowned, "I give you three days. If you can’t find the rebel, resign and go home."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Li Shu exhaled in relief, then turned to Qingping, "Princess, could you please describe what happened at that time?"
Qingping was uncooperative, "What do you want me to say? I was scared to death at the time."
Li Shu was in a difficult position, "Well...for the investigation, we need to recreate the situation..."
"A civilian will say it." Fen Ling, who had been kneeling since seeing the Emperor, clearly recounted the situation, "The Princess, the County Princess, my sister, and I were getting into the carriage when the sharp arrow was shot from the rooftops opposite Qianjin Square. I heard the sound of the arrow cutting through the air and realized something was wrong. I quickly pulled out my sword and knocked down the arrow."
At this moment, an Imperial Guard brought in the arrow and showed it to the Emperor.
After seeing it, the Emperor’s face darkened.
Fen Ling continued, "It was this arrow. This arrow was particularly fierce, fast, and sharp. If I hadn’t been standing beside the carriage, ready to respond quickly, it wouldn’t have hurt anyone, otherwise, being hit by this arrow is likely to result in severe injury, if not death."
Qingping nodded, her eyes red and full of fear, echoed, "Right. Those stupid guards of my residence only reacted after Fen Ling knocked down the cold arrow. If we relied on them, I’d have been dead by now."
"Don’t keep talking about death," the Emperor shot a glare at Qingping, "You can go back now. The Prefect of Jingzhao will handle this."
Qingping disapproved, "Imperial Brother, you’re going to let the Jingzhao Prefecture handle the investigation? Didn’t Prefect Li just take in a young concubine? Could he be so sunk in his idyllic life that he’s been neglecting his official duties?"
Li Shu turned pale with fear and hurriedly begged for mercy, "Princess, I will give you a proper explanation. Please rest assured, I won’t eat or sleep until I catch the culprit."
Qingping snorted and turned to the Emperor.
The Emperor said, "Alright then, the Jingzhao Prefecture will be in charge of this case, with the Dali Temple collaborating in the investigation. Li Shu has three days to find the culprit, or he will be dismissed."
Qingping was satisfied, "Alright, let it be so then!"
After saying, "Imperial Brother, I will take my leave now," she signaled Fen Ling to follow her.
Li Shu hurriedly said, "Princess, please wait."
Qingping glared at him, "Aren’t you going to go investigate? What now?"
Li Shu had a bitter thought in his heart, "I ask the princess to loan me this Fen Ling. He is the one who broke the flying arrow, and he was the first to chase over the roof. He must have seen an image of at least one thief and the direction they headed. Thus, I would like him to assist me in investigating the case over the next few days, to help identify the criminals."
Upon hearing this, Qingping asked Fen Ling for his thoughts, "Fen Ling, what do you say?"
Fen Ling assented promptly, "Sure." 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖
Qingping nodded, "Alright, I’m entrusting him to you. You must not mistreat Fen Ling. He is a distinguished guest of my residence."
Li Shu agreed repeatedly.
The emperor’s gaze fell upon Fen Ling, knowing that Li Shu was anxious to start the investigation with him, he didn’t ask further. He just waved his hand, signaling them to leave.
Upon returning to her residence, Qingping immediately went to visit Duanhua at Cangjiao Pavilion.
The imperial doctor was still there. After checking Duanhua’s pulse, he prescribed a calming prescription. Duanhua then requested the imperial doctor to check Su Rong’s pulse. However, Su Rong declined and was about to see the imperial doctor out when Princess Qingping arrived. She immediately sat down and said to the imperial doctor: "Check my pulse as well and prescribe me something to calm my nerves."
The imperial doctor hastily read Qingping’s pulse and nodded, "Hmm, the princess is also somewhat shocked, it would be good to take some medicine to calm down."
Pressing a hand to her chest, Qingping commented, "The robber is simply too despicable! Once we find him, I will skin him alive."
The imperial doctor left after writing the prescription. The prince consort received the news and hastily came back to the residence. After asking about the situation, he simply patted Duanhua’s head, "Your complexion isn’t good. Take your medicine and rest."
Duanhua nodded and asked the prince consort, "Father, was it the Crown Prince who sent someone to assassinate Su Rong? She told me the flying arrow was aimed at her. She hasn’t offended anyone since coming to Beijing, except for that woman Ning Yao. The Crown Prince failed to impeach Su Rong’s father, so he sent someone to shoot the flying arrow as revenge, right?"
The prince consort immediately frowned and admonished her, "Don’t make baseless accusations. Your mother also mentioned that the emperor has turned over the matter to the Jingzhao Prefecture and Dali Temple for investigation. Let’s wait for their results."
Duanhua made a face, "Understood."
After the kitchen had boiled the medicinal soup, Duanhua drank it, became sleepy, and returned to her room to rest.
Qingping and the prince consort did not leave. Rather, after asking the servants to leave, they questioned Su Rong, "Who do you think wanted to kill you?"
Naturally, Su Rong knew that it couldn’t have been the Crown Prince. Even if he wanted to use the Su family against the Crown Prince, there’s no reason for him to shoot a flying arrow at her in broad daylight, while she was with Princess Qingping. Killing her would not benefit the Crown Prince; it would be more straightforward to attempt to assassinate Su Xingze instead.
Therefore, she decided not to mention the Crown Prince, shaking her head instead.
The prince consort hesitated for a while, then asked, "What relationship do you have with Princess Zhenmin?"
Su Rong kept her composure, "Princess Zhenmin?"
"The late Princess Zhenmin, the only daughter of Prince Mingrui during the reign of the previous Emperor. She traveled to Dawei for a diplomatic marriage and passed away there," the prince consort gazed at Su Rong. Seeing that she showed no change in expression, he exhaled a sigh and stated straight forward, "After you moved into the princess’s residence, we determined that your face resembles the late Princess Zhenmin. I sent someone to Jiangning County to investigate your background. There hasn’t been enough time to uncover any connection between you and Zhenmin, but some suspicious points were found. Xie Yuan arrived at Jiangning after your mother was taken into the Governor’s residence and stayed on. After your mother’s death, he raised and educated you. Zhao Mama, who used to serve the Empress Dowager, reportedly sold herself to you not long ago and is now at Jiangzhou Inspector Residence. These two have some relations with Princess Zhenmin, especially Xie Yuan."
Su Rong laughed, "Does the prince consort think that these two clues are enough to deduce a relationship between the late Princess Zhenmin and me? What relationship do you think she has with me?"
The prince consort shook his head, "If I had found out, I wouldn’t be asking you."
Qingping glanced across, "You are fifteen this year, and Zhenmin left for Dawei sixteen years ago. She stayed in Nanchu for three months before leaving, so..."
She paused, "Of course, just by your appearance, we can’t determine your relationship with Zhenmin. There are plenty of people with similar looks in this world. Aside from your resemblance to Zhenmin, we don’t see any other trace of her in you."
The prince consort carried on the conversation, "However, during the investigation of your background, it was found that there were multiple attempts by Nanchu’s forces to infiltrate Jiangning County. Although the evidence was deliberately erased, there are still traces if one looks carefully. This is the main reason why I am asking you today."
After listening to these words, Su Rong paused for a moment before smiling, "Since both the princess and the prince consort have said this, it is unnecessary for me to hide anything. Zhao Mama mentioned that, back in the day, you, princess, shared a good relationship with my mother. This is why I dared to move into your residence after running into Duanhua. The only reason I relied on was my face, which could make you more amiable towards me. I also knew that the moment you saw me, you could question my origin at any time, just like Zhao Mama initially did. Anything could be hidden, except for this face. I couldn’t help but show my true self."
Qingping froze, "So you... Your mother... You are..."
The prince consort held Qingping’s hand tightly and asked in a low voice, "So, you are referring to... your mother is... Princess Zhenmin?"
Su Rong nodded, "Yes, my mother is Princess Zhenmin Yan Ruzhen, and my biological father is Nanchu King Chu Rong."
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