Heavy responsibility on my shoulders
Song Pingzhang stood a step higher than her. Normally a gentle and composed man, his brows were furrowed deeply, his face almost dark, and his expression extremely serious: "Your Highness—"
Xiao Diting sighed deeply: "What's meant to happen will happen; hiding won't help."
Seeing her resolute attitude, Song Pingzhang loosened his grip on his sword and stepped aside to let her pass: "Your Highness, please."
Xiao Diting climbed a few steps. She vaguely knew that this matter was likely to cause a lot of trouble, but running away wouldn't solve anything.
The path to the side hall wasn't far. She looked at the hall door with a gap in it from a few steps away. Because she couldn't see inside, she felt a sudden chill of fear for no reason.
The side hall was warm and cozy, yet filled with a suffocating atmosphere. The Empress Dowager sat in the main seat, her face colder than when she had seen her earlier. Crown Prince Xiao Yiyu stood to the side, his expression somber, his eyes filled with a hint of inquiry as he looked toward the hall's entrance.
Seeing them enter, the Empress Dowager raised her eyes and asked, "Lord Song, how is the investigation into Yunmiao's cause of death progressing?"
Song Pingzhang bowed and replied, his tone respectful yet unambiguous: "Your Majesty, this humble servant, along with the coroner, conducted a preliminary examination. Lady Yunmiao had no external injuries, and the bloodstains around her mouth and nose were dark red, but no traces of common poisons were found. Before she died, her eyes were wide open, as if she had been greatly frightened, but the palace maids who were sweeping around said that they did not see anything unusual at the time."
"Can't find the cause of death?" The Crown Prince took a step forward, his tone tinged with dissatisfaction. "His Majesty supports you all, yet you can't even find the cause of death of a palace maid?"
Song Pingzhang lowered his head, not daring to refute.
The Empress Dowager gently tapped the armrest of her chair, her gaze sweeping over everyone in the hall before finally settling on Xiao Diting: "Mingzhao, you have a lot of experience in handling cases at the Dali Temple, so you can speak."
All eyes immediately turned to them, some with curiosity, some with scrutiny, and some with a sense of anticipation.
Xiao Diting knew that the Empress Dowager had thrown a difficult problem at her—if she could find out the truth, it would be her duty; if she couldn't, it would be because she was incompetent, and even the credit for the Huaizhou case would be diminished.
She composed herself and stepped forward: "Your Majesty, I have not yet seen Aunt Yunmiao's body, nor have I asked anyone present, so I dare not make any rash judgments."
“However,” she paused, turning her gaze to Song Pingzhang, “Lord Song said no poison was detected, but could it be something else, like an allergy or something else?”
Song Pingzhang's eyes lit up, and he quickly nodded: "Your Highness is right! This humble servant has only checked common poisons and has not yet tried to probe the internal organs with silver needles, nor has he examined the things she came into contact with before her death."
The Empress Dowager nodded, her tone softening slightly: "In that case, Lord Song, you immediately take people to investigate, focusing on the medicine and clothing that Yunmiao came into contact with today, as well as the flowers and plants in the courtyard. Mingzhao, you also go and take a look. If you find anything, report back to me immediately."
"Your subject obeys the decree." Xiao Diting bowed and agreed, but a thought arose in his mind—the Empress Dowager seemed to be giving her power to investigate the case, but in reality, she was pushing her into the eye of the storm.
Yunmiao died in Cining Palace, and had just served the Empress Dowager. If this matter is not investigated properly, she will be the first to suffer.
She followed Song Pingzhang out of the side hall. The snow was still falling, and the snow that landed on her shoulders melted quickly.
Xiao Diting followed Song Pingzhang around the side corridor of Cining Palace and headed towards the side room where the body was temporarily placed. His feet sank into the still-unmelted snow, each step feeling particularly heavy.
Only two oil lamps were lit in the side room. In the dim light, Yunmiao's body lay on a long bench covered with a white cloth, her hands folded in front of her abdomen. Her face was deathly pale gray. Although her eyes had been closed, one could still see some traces of her tragic state before death.
Song Pingzhang gestured for the coroner to step forward, while he stepped aside to make room for Xiao Diting: "Your Highness, please take a closer look. I have had the coroner examine the body three times, and he has indeed found no external injuries."
Xiao Diting nodded, walked to the bench, and bent down to take a closer look.
Yunmiao's hair was neatly styled, which was somewhat presentable. The buttons on the collar of her palace dress were also fastened tightly. Only the cuffs had some damp water stains on them, which must have been snow water from the morning sweeping.
She raised her hand, her fingertips about to touch Yunmiao's wrist, then suddenly stopped, turning to look at the coroner: "Have you checked under her fingernails? And inside her mouth and nose?"
The coroner was an elderly man nearing sixty. Upon hearing this, he quickly bowed and replied, "Your Highness, we have examined everything. There was only some dirt and grass clippings under the fingernails, which must have been picked up while sweeping. We also used a silver skewer to examine the inside of the mouth and nose, but found no foreign objects. The bloodstains also seeped from inside, so they don't seem to be caused by external force."
Xiao Diting frowned even more deeply, and she gestured for the coroner to loosen Yun Miao's collar.
As the fabric was slowly lifted, Yunmiao's skin from her neck to her chest was exposed to the light, still smooth and without any pinch marks or needle holes.
Song Pingzhang added from the side: "This humble servant has already had someone take her blood and hair samples and sent them to the Imperial Hospital for examination to see if there are any rare poisons. However, the Imperial Hospital said that the results will not be available until tomorrow at the earliest."
“Tomorrow…” Xiao Diting repeated these two words in a low voice. Yun Miao died too suddenly, without even a trace of struggle. If it was really poison, it must be a kind that takes effect very quickly. But if it was an allergy, what could possibly cause a female official who had been working in the palace for many years to suddenly die?
She straightened up, her gaze sweeping over Yunmiao's hand placed in front of her abdomen.
Those hands were very rough, with obvious calluses on the knuckles—probably from years of sweeping and cleaning work. Only on the pad of the right ring finger was there a small light brown mark, as if it had been burned by something, or as if it had been stained with some kind of paint.
"Did you notice this mark?" Xiao Diting pointed to the mark, his tone inquisitive.
The coroner quickly stepped forward to examine it and shook his head: "Your Highness, this mark looks like an old wound, and the color is light. I thought it was insignificant, so I didn't mention it."
Song Pingzhang also leaned over to take a closer look, his brows furrowing slightly: "It looks like a burn mark from charcoal fire, but how could a palace maid who sweeps the streets have such a mark?"
Xiao Di listened without speaking, bending down to examine the mark closely. The mark was about the size of a fingernail, with somewhat irregular edges. It didn't look like it was burned by charcoal; rather, it seemed to be… caused by rubbing after being stained with some kind of powder. Suddenly remembering something, she turned to Song Pingzhang: “Which area of Cining Palace did Yunmiao sweep today?”
“Your Highness, it’s the corridor leading from the Imperial Garden to the Cining Palace, and the courtyard outside the warm pavilion where the Empress Dowager usually rests,” Song Pingzhang replied immediately, then added, “I have already sent people to search those two places to see if there is anything unusual.”
“Let’s go take a look too.” Xiao Diting decided immediately. She always felt that Yun Miao’s death must be related to something she had come into contact with before her death.
The two stepped out of the side room, where the snow was falling even more heavily than before, turning the world into a vast expanse of white.
Under the corridor leading from the Imperial Garden to the Cining Palace, several Imperial Guards were carefully examining the snow on the ground and the grass in the corners with fine sieves. When they saw Xiao Diting and Song Pingzhang coming over, they hurriedly bowed and paid their respects.
“Your Highness, Lord Song,” the leading Jinyiwei officer stepped forward and reported, “we have searched the area and found nothing unusual except for the normal fallen leaves and snow, nor any suspicious poisons or powders.”
Xiao Diting nodded, walked to the railing of the corridor, and leaned down to look at the snow below.
There were scattered footprints on the snow, all left by the Imperial Guards during their search. Apart from that, there were only a few winter plum blossoms bent under the weight of the snow, swaying slightly in the cold wind.
She then walked to the courtyard outside the warm pavilion. The bluestone path in the courtyard was swept very clean, except for a few pots of orchids that had not yet been moved back to the greenhouse near the corner of the wall.
There were still orchids at this time of year, and Xiao Diting couldn't help but take a few more glances at them.
"Is this where Yunmiao swept today?" Xiao Diting asked, pointing to the bluestone path.
The palace maid waiting nearby nodded hurriedly: "Your Highness, yes. Aunt Yunmiao arrived at dawn today and has been sweeping snow here until around dusk, when she went to the side hall to report to the Empress Dowager, and then..."
The palace maid's voice choked with emotion as she finished speaking.
Xiao Diting squatted down, his fingers brushing across the thin layer of snow remaining on the stone path.
The snow was clean, without any unusual color or smell.
She then walked over to the orchids and carefully examined their leaves and petals. The orchids were growing very well, with emerald green leaves and pure white petals, showing no signs of wilting or insect damage, nor any suspicious residue.
"Could it be a tool she used?" Song Pingzhang suggested from the side, "like a broom, a dustpan, or the rag she used to wipe the railings?"
Xiao Diting's eyes lit up and he immediately said, "Quickly bring me the tools she used today!"
Soon, several Imperial Guards brought over the broom, dustpan, and rag that Yun Miao had used that day.
The broom was an ordinary bamboo broom with neat bristles and nothing unusual; the winnowing basket was also an ordinary tin winnowing basket, empty inside; only the rag, half-wet, hung on the bamboo pole, with some light brown marks on the edges, similar in color to the marks on Yunmiao's fingertips.
“This is it!” Xiao Diting strode forward and examined the rag carefully.
The rag was made of coarse cloth, with a rough texture. The light brown marks on the edges looked like they had been stained with something. If you scratched it with your fingernail, you could scrape off a little bit of fine powder.
"Send this rag to the Imperial Hospital immediately for testing, along with Yunmiao's blood sample!"
Xiao Diting turned to Song Pingzhang and said in a somewhat urgent tone, "Also, find out where this rag came from, and whether Yunmiao used any other rags today."
Song Pingzhang immediately nodded, ordered the rag to be wrapped up and sent to the Imperial Hospital, and also arranged for someone to investigate the rag's origin. After doing all this, he looked at Xiao Diting: "Your Highness, in your opinion, what could this mark be?"
Xiao Diting shook his head, his brows still furrowed: "It's hard to say. If it's pigment, most of the pigments used in the palace are made from minerals, and some are indeed poisonous; but if it's something else, such as powdered medicinal herbs, or..."
Before she could finish speaking, she heard footsteps behind her, followed by a eunuch's shrill announcement: "His Highness the Crown Prince has arrived—"
The two quickly turned around and saw Xiao Yiyu, dressed in a black python robe, walking slowly towards them, surrounded by several eunuchs.
Snowflakes fell on his shoulders, but he seemed oblivious. His gaze swept over the Imperial Guards in the courtyard, finally settling on Xiao Diting, his tone laced with sarcasm: "After investigating for so long, have you found anything?"
Xiao Diting bowed respectfully and said, "Your Majesty, my sister and Lord Song are investigating and have found some suspicious clues. They have been sent to the Imperial Hospital for examination, and the results will be available tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?" Xiao Yiyu scoffed, took two steps forward, and looked down at her. "Yun Miao died in Cining Palace, and the Empress Dowager is still waiting for a reply in the side hall, but you want to wait until tomorrow? Xiao Diting, how come your ability to investigate cases in Huaizhou is useless in the capital?"
His words were like a needle piercing Xiao Diting's heart. She raised her head to meet Xiao Yiyu's gaze, her tone still calm: "Your Majesty, investigations must be conducted with caution. If we rush to conclusions, it will only jeopardize important matters. Yunmiao's death is suspicious, and I dare not be negligent."
"Dare not be negligent?" Xiao Yiyu raised an eyebrow, his gaze sweeping over the safety buckle on her waist, his tone becoming increasingly sarcastic, "The Empress just bestowed this safety buckle upon you, and you're already wearing it. You're quite thoughtful... But don't forget, Yunmiao is someone close to the Empress Dowager. If the cause of death cannot be found, and you displease the Empress Dowager, the merits you made in Huaizhou might not outweigh this crime."
Xiao Diting managed a forced smile.
She knew that Xiao Yiyu's words were both a warning and a threat to her—if she didn't investigate this matter properly, not only would she suffer, but Pei Wenjin and the others might also be implicated.
"Your Majesty, I understand." She lowered her head, her voice still respectful. "Your Majesty, I will investigate the truth as soon as possible and give the Empress Dowager and His Highness the Crown Prince an explanation."
Seeing her like this, Xiao Yiyu curled his lips into a cold smile, said nothing more, and turned to leave. The cold wind whipped his robes, leaving behind a light, fleeting remark that landed on the snow: "It's best not to get yourself into trouble. Some people are not people you can afford to mess with."
As the footsteps faded into the distance, Xiao Diting slowly raised his head, his gaze falling in the direction where Xiao Yiyu had disappeared, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. Song Pingzhang, watching from the side, couldn't help but whisper, "Your Highness, what did the Crown Prince mean by that? Could it be that he knows something?"
Xiao Diting shook his head, took a deep breath, and suppressed his anger: "It's hard to say. But the more he acts like this, the more it shows that Yun Miao's death is not simple. We can't wait for the Imperial Hospital's results; we need to think again about what else we may have overlooked."
She turned to look at the orchids in the courtyard, then suddenly remembered something and quickly walked over.
Tiny snowflakes clung to the orchid's leaves. She gently brushed them away with her fingers, her gaze falling on the underside of the leaves. There, she saw an extremely small hole, as if something had bitten it, or perhaps it had been pricked by a needle.
"Lord Song, look here!" Xiao Diting hurriedly called Song Pingzhang over.
Song Pingzhang leaned closer and examined the hole carefully, his brows furrowing even more: "This hole... doesn't look like it was caused by insects, it looks more like it was man-made. Could it be that someone tampered with the orchid?"
Xiao Diting nodded and then checked the other orchids, finding a similar hole on the back of the leaves of each orchid.
She stood up, her gaze sweeping across the courtyard, before suddenly landing on the window of the warm pavilion. The window was tightly closed, but there was a noticeable dent in the snow beneath the windowsill, as if something had pressed it down.
“Let’s go and take a look inside the warm pavilion!” Xiao Diting said immediately.
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