Princess Sheng An had sat with the Empress for a short while when a report was sent in: someone had been murdered in the palace.
The Empress shot up, "Who?"
The eunuch reported, "It’s the father and son duo, Zhao Lao and Zhao Fei. They’ve been killed."
The Empress turned to look at Princess Sheng An upon hearing the news.
Princess Sheng An nodded at her, "Let’s go and see. Zhao Lao and his son Zhao Fei have been incarcerated in the palace for several days. It would happen today of all days. Let’s find out what exactly occurred."
Understanding, the Empress realized that Princess Sheng An had come to the palace today waiting for this very incident.
When the Emperor was informed of the deaths of Zhao Lao and Zhao Fei, who had just been breathing, his vision blackened. The fact that Zhao Lao and Zhao Fei were killed shortly after the Rui’an King entered the palace to interrogate Zhao Fei suggested the Emperor’s close circle had been infiltrated.
He glared at Eunuch Yu, "Yu An, what happened? Was it you?"
Eunuch Yu fell to his knees with a thump, "Your Majesty, my loyalty to you is known to heaven and earth. If you do not trust me, I can only prove my innocence through death."
The Emperor glared at him, "Then you tell me, what happened?"
Eunuch Yu shook his head, "I do not know. When I arrived, I heard a scream from inside. As I rushed in with my men, I found the father and son lying together on the ground. There were no signs of injuries, but they were already lifeless, their bodies still warm."
Eunuch Yu continued with a pale face, "I had people seal off the area. Now we can only call in the coroner to conduct an autopsy and get to the bottom of it."
Nearly in tears, he said, "I can assure you, Your Majesty, that I entrusted the duty of guarding to my most reliable servants. Nothing had happened all these days, who could have known that something would go wrong today."
The Emperor turned to look at the Rui’an King.
The Rui’an King remained impassive, as if he had expected all of this, he bowed to the Emperor, "Your Majesty, I will go and take a look."
The Emperor responded sternly, "I will go with you."
So, the two of them went to the place where Zhao Lao and his son had been held.
As they arrived, they saw the Empress and Princess Sheng An approaching from afar. The Emperor stopped in his tracks and asked Eunuch Yu, "Why has the Princess entered the palace?"
The Rui’an King chimed in at that moment, "Your Majesty, the Princess and I happened to meet at the palace gate and came in together. The Princess had mentioned she wished to see you, but she chose to visit the Empress first when she learned I had an urgent matter to discuss."
The Emperor nodded in acknowledgement, waiting for the Empress and her party to approach.
The Empress hadn’t seen the Emperor for several days. Upon seeing him again, she was startled to find more white hair on his head and a darker aura overshadowing his usual radiance. She bowed in respect to the Emperor.
The Emperor responded with a simple "rise", before turning to Princess Sheng An to greet her, "Great Aunt, why did you come to the palace? Rui’an mentioned that you have something to discuss with us. What is it?"
"It’s about Brother Gu, nothing of great importance." Princess Sheng An waved her hand dismissively, "I had just sat down for a moment in the Empress’s palace when I heard about the incident. I thought I’d come and have a look since it’s been many years since a murder occurred in the palace."
Princess Sheng An made a point of stressing the years, and the Emperor was prompted to reflect. Indeed, it truly had been many years. His intent to chastise the Empress was promptly diffused.
The Empress felt grateful. Although she was in charge of the Imperial Harem, there were certain places her influence did not reach, such as the Emperor’s Imperial Study Room, Council Hall, Sleeping Hall, the sleeping palaces of the concubines, etc. But whenever a situation arose within the palace, she was the first one to be held accountable as the Empress.
Even though the people were appointed by the Emperor, when things went wrong, with his temperament, the blame would certainly fall on her. She dreaded constant criticism, fearing it would eventually affect the Crown Prince, especially in the current volatile political climate.
Princess Sheng An had come to the palace today on her behalf, and also on behalf of the Crown Prince. It was evident that the Duke’s Residence now firmly sided with the Crown Prince. Compared to the past when only Zhou Gu was inclined towards the Eastern Palace and the Duke’s Residence remained neutral, things had improved significantly.
She had truly had it tough over these years.
The Emperor said, "I just found out too. Let’s go in and take a look together."
The group entered the courtyard where Zhao Lao and Zhao Fei had been kept. Just as Eunuch Yu had reported, the father and son showed no signs of injury. They looked as if they were sleeping, but they were already dead, bodies still warm.
"Were they poisoned?" The Emperor questioned.
By now, the Imperial Doctor and the coroner had also arrived. After examination, both shook their heads, "This doesn’t appear to be poisoning."
"It doesn’t seem like poisoning, but the fact that there are no visible injuries is indeed unusual," added the coroner.
Several officials from the Imperial Medical Bureau and coroners peered at the bodies but could not determine the cause of death. The Rui’an King suggested, "Your Majesty, may I be allowed to take these bodies out of the palace for Lady Su Qi to examine? Lady Su Qi is skilled in medicine and might be able to uncover the cause."
Upon hearing this, the Emperor nodded in approval, "Very well."
The Rui’an King gestured for the bodies to be removed, then turned to the Emperor, "Your Majesty, it’s impossible for people to die without a reason. An investigation must be conducted within the palace. However, as the palace is mainly inhabited by the noblewomen, I believe it would be inappropriate for me to lead the investigation."
He made his recommendation, "Since Princess Sheng An is here today, it would be best for her to conduct the investigation. This case is significant, and given Your Majesty’s busy schedule, it would not be feasible for you to personally carry out the investigation."
The Emperor wanted to argue that despite his workload, he could still conduct the investigation himself and that it would be improper to let Princess Sheng An intrude. He feared that such a capable woman, once given access, would leave no stone unturned in his palace, leaving no secrets for the future. Would he ever be able to sleep peacefully again?
However, before he could express his retort, the Empress pleaded, "Yes, Your Majesty, recent occurrences in the palace have been troubling, and I too believe that it would be appropriate for Great Aunt to take up the task of investigation. She is a trusted individual. When our late Emperor faced several major cases in the palace, it was Great Aunt who was tasked with the investigations."
Implying, the late Emperor trusted the Princess, why wouldn’t you?
The Emperor was left speechless and turned to look at Princess Sheng An, suddenly realizing that her hair was entirely gray. Now standing before him was an old woman, aged and frail.
The memory of her powerful presence aiding his ascension to the throne years ago came rushing back. He had momentarily forgotten that over the years she too had aged.
A sense of tension that had held the Emperor suddenly eased. He reluctantly agreed, "Since both of you insist, I have no objections. I burden Great Aunt with this case for investigation in the palace. I trust you completely."
The primary reason for Princess Sheng An’s visit to the palace today was to take over this investigation. She would be the most suitable person for this task. She gave a curt nod, readily accepting the responsibility, "Rest assured, Your Majesty. I will find the culprits, no matter who they may be, nothing can be hidden."
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