Chapter 100: Mount Qishan 7: Death of King Chen
Prince Chen is the current emperor's younger brother. Nearing forty, he left the capital for his fiefdom upon coming of age. He has rarely returned to the capital in recent years, and Your Majesty has not seen him in a long time. His fiefdom is only a three-day journey from Mount Qishan. Since the date for the Fengshan ceremony was set six months ago, he has taken the initiative, traveling back and forth between Mount Qishan and his fiefdom, working with the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Rites to prepare for the ceremony.
Yesterday, after Your Majesty arrived at the Zhai Palace, Prince Chen also stayed there, enjoying a vegetarian meal with Your Majesty before leaving at nightfall. This morning, while sweeping the grounds, the palace servants stumbled upon Prince Chen's body in the deserted courtyard. Their shock attracted the patrolling imperial guards.
The Fengshan Ceremony was approaching, but something unexpected had occurred in the Zhai Palace. Unsure of what to do, the Imperial Guards commander immediately reported the incident to the Eastern Palace. Upon receiving the news, the Eastern Palace brought the Imperial Guards commander to see His Majesty and sent someone else to deliver the news to Li Xuanhe.
Qin Yuan did not accompany him to Qishan this time. The only person nearby who could investigate the case of the prince's murder was Li Xuanhe.
After hearing Chi Xiao's report, Li Xuanhe didn't hesitate and immediately left. He had originally wanted to leave Xun Shu to rest in the courtyard, but he was worried she wouldn't stay there and might wander around and bump into the Imperial Master and others who also lived in the Zhai Palace. So he simply took her with him.
The courtyard where Prince Chen's body was found was located in the backyard of an abandoned palace east of the Zhai Palace. It had long been neglected and lay in a state of disrepair. When Li Xuanhe and Xun Shu arrived, the courtyard had been cordoned off by imperial guards. The guards, recognizing Li Xuanhe, made way for him to enter.
The dark sky gradually brightened, and the stars and moon faded. Chi Xiao followed Li Xuanhe, holding a lantern to illuminate the dim courtyard for him.
The courtyard was a shambles, its windowsless and doorless palaces shrouded the night like dark holes, lurking an unknown danger. Weeds sprouted from the cracks between the stone tiles, reaching knee-high, their roots growing unchecked beneath the bricks, causing them to become uneven and crumbled at the edges. The weeds formed a continuous mass, leaving only a sunken center where King Chen's body lay face up.
The corpse was dressed in black, its sleeves tied up, resembling a nightgown. A sword was lodged in its chest, piercing its heart. Blood spread beneath it, soaking a small patch of stone. Tiny droplets of blood clung to the grass around the corpse, clotted on the blades, and had already dried.
Xun Shu took a few steps closer, frowned and looked at the corpse carefully. He saw that the corpse had closed eyes, the furrows between the eyebrows had not disappeared until death, and the lips were dark purple. It looked like the death was quite painful.
She remembered what her senior brothers and sisters had speculated last night, that Mars had once landed on the Shuzi Star, and that this change might be related to His Majesty's two brothers, Prince Chen or Prince Xiang, and she was filled with doubts.
Is King Chen the key to this shift in celestial phenomena? He must have been secretly meeting someone in his nightgown. Could this person be connected to this incident? Now that King Chen is dead, will the celestial phenomena shift again?
Xun Shu's thoughts were all mixed up, and he couldn't make any sense of it. He scratched his head and muttered softly, "It doesn't look like he was stabbed to death..."
Li Xuanhe thought so too, but couldn't say it out loud at this moment. Suddenly, another thought occurred to him, and he asked curiously, "Can you tell anything from his face?"
Xun Shu rolled his eyes and said angrily, "Go find the people from Changsheng Palace, maybe they will."
These words were blunt and sarcastic, and the guards nearby glanced at Xun Shu curiously. Li Xuanhe was quick to notice, and his gaze icy coldly swept over him. The guards instantly averted their gaze, not daring to look any further.
Li Xuanhe gritted his teeth, annoyed that Xun Shu was talking nonsense and attracting attention, but he was reluctant to argue with her over such a trivial matter. He could only keep a cold face and continue to look at the place where the body was found.
It was still dark at this moment. Li Xuanhe squatted down, took the lantern from Chi Xiao's hand, moved closer to the corpse and looked at it carefully, and finally his eyes fell on the sword on the chest of the corpse.
There was a brand on the hilt, signifying the identity of the wielder. This brand looked familiar, and Li Xuanhe's eyes flashed. He wrapped his sleeve around the hilt, exerted some strength, and pulled the sword free. He then handed it to Chi Xiao, "Wrap this up and keep it safe."
This instruction was rather strange, as if he already knew whose sword it was. Xun Shu frowned and glanced at him, but didn't ask any further questions. Chi Xiao pulled a handkerchief from his sleeve pocket, covered the totem on the hilt, and carefully held it in his hands.
The wound on the corpse's chest was oozing blood from the sword's pull. Li Xuanhe pried the corpse's arms apart. The joints were stiff, indicating it had been dead for at least two hours. He rested his hand on his sleeve and felt around the corpse, but found nothing suspicious.
The weeds from the gate to the body were mostly flattened, trampled by people entering and leaving the yard after the body was discovered. There were no signs of a struggle around the body, and while there was blood splatter around it, it was not abundant. It was unclear whether this was the crime scene or the place where the body was dumped after the murder.
However, all the people coming and going in Sai Palace are inspectors, whether they are alive or dead. How did he appear here without anyone noticing?
Li Xuanhe stood up and said to his attendant, "Go to Anle Town and ask for a coroner. If the county magistrate asks, just say that a eunuch died in the Zhai Palace. Don't say anything else."
The man took the order and left, and Li Xuanhe looked around again.
The palace servant who discovered the body was a young eunuch. He was standing in the corner of the courtyard, pale and trembling. Li Xuanhe walked up to him and asked, "Did you find the body?"
"My Lord, it is you."
"Tell me exactly what happened when the body was found."
The young eunuch swallowed, trying to control the tremor in his voice as he recalled what had just happened.
"Your Excellency, I am responsible for sweeping the Zhai Palace, and I start work every day at the hour of Yin. I pass by the back door of the courtyard every day. Today, when I passed by, I found that the gate had been opened without my knowledge. This courtyard is in a remote corner and does not receive sunlight. It has been locked for many years, and I have never seen it opened. Curious, I pushed the door open and walked in. I saw His Highness Prince Chen lying in the courtyard, lying in a pool of blood..."
Li Xuanhe asked, "When the body was discovered, were there any suspicious traces around it?"
The young eunuch frowned and thought for a moment, then said with a mournful face, "Your Excellency, I don't know. I was so frightened when I saw the corpse that I couldn't possibly notice all these details..."
Most people who saw a corpse for the first time would have a similar reaction to the young eunuch. Li Xuanhe didn't embarrass him and instead asked other questions: "You said this yard is usually locked, but I see this is only the backyard. What is the front yard?"
The young eunuch said, "I heard from the old maids in the palace that a royal concubine once lived in this palace a hundred years ago. The royal concubine committed a crime and was punished to reflect here, and later died here. Afterwards, the masters disliked this place because it was unlucky, and no one lived here anymore. Gradually, the front yard of this courtyard became a warehouse for storing sundries." He pointed to a small sealed door in the corner, "Originally, this was a moon gate without a door panel. Later, because the backyard was where the royal concubine died, door panels were installed and locked, completely sealing off the backyard.
"When the Imperial Concubine lived here, she must have arranged everything around this courtyard. Surrounded by flowers and trees, it's extremely quiet. Not far to the west is the Ordination Hall, formerly where the Imperial Concubine chanted Buddhist scriptures and practiced self-reflection. This use was later retained, and it's still where Your Majesty chants daily. To the north of the courtyard is a pond, and across the covered bridge is the palace where the Empress now resides. Not far to the south of the courtyard, next to the East Gate, is where Your Majesty summons ministers and handles official business during the day."
The young eunuch had spent many years in the Zhai Palace, and was extremely familiar with every palace there, like he knew them all by heart. As he spoke, he even forgot about the corpse lying not far away, and gradually became more cheerful.
"Where is King Chen? Where does he live?"
"His Royal Highness Prince Chen lives in the palace southwest of the Zhai Palace. That's the Ci'an Palace, which was once the Empress Dowager's temporary residence. This time, the Empress Dowager did not accompany her to the Zhai Palace, so the courtyard was renovated but uninhabited, so His Royal Highness Prince Chen was allowed to move in."
Li Xuanhe pondered for a moment and continued, "I heard that the Imperial Master has also moved into the Zhai Palace and is not camping outside with the others. Which palace is the Imperial Master staying in?"
"Your Excellency, the Imperial Preceptor resides on the south side of the Zhai Palace. There's a massive sundial on the south side, and next to it, an altar. After the auspicious date for the Fengshan Ceremony was set, His Majesty specifically instructed that a comfortable palace be built for the Imperial Preceptor next to the altar. That courtyard is quite secluded. Actually, it's not too far from the courtyard where His Royal Highness Prince Chen's body was found, separated only by the Jing'an Palace, where he met with ministers, and a small, picturesque garden."
After carefully noting the locations of the various palaces in the Zhai Palace, Li Xuanhe had the young eunuch who had discovered the body taken away and temporarily guarded. He ordered the imperial guards to seal off the courtyard where Chen Wang's body lay, move the body indoors, and forbid anyone from entering the courtyard.
In the distance, mountains overlapped, and the sun slowly rose from between the mountains. The night was completely forced back, and the sky finally brightened.
Although Li Xuanhe had intended to suppress the news of Prince Chen's death, he could not and would not conceal it from the Crown Prince and His Majesty. As soon as Li Xuanhe left the courtyard, an eunuch beside the Crown Prince emerged from a corner, stepped forward, and blocked his way, saying, "Sir Shaoqing, His Highness wishes to see you."
Li Xuanhe's face was cold as he nodded. "That's just right. I also have something to say to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince." He paused, then glanced sideways at Xun Shu behind him, saying meaningfully, "Don't you want to see the Crown Prince? This is your only chance, so be careful."
While Xun Shu was stunned, Li Xuanhe had already left with the eunuchs of the Eastern Palace. She hurriedly followed him, fearing that Li Xuanhe would regret it and miss the opportunity to meet the Eastern Palace.
The palace where the prince is temporarily staying is called Qing Palace. It is not far from here. Follow the winding path, pass the Jietang, and then walk north for a while to arrive.
The Qing Palace is located on the east side of the palace where His Majesty resides. Guards are standing on duty outside every entrance and exit of the palace, with eyes like eagles, vigilantly scanning people coming and going.
If the residence of the Imperial Master in the capital was the most heavily guarded place Xun Shu had ever seen, without even a dog hole to crawl into, then the guards in the Qing Palace in front of him were even better than those in the Imperial Master's Mansion. Even flying insects could hardly escape the guards' eyes and fly over the wall into the courtyard.
She originally thought that as long as she could sneak into the Sai Palace, she would be able to find a way to look around and perhaps see a few people related to the Mars in the Heart astronomical phenomenon. Now it seems that she was ridiculously naive.
Li Xuanhe seemed to know what she was thinking and snorted coldly, "Do you think all places are like the Marquis of Pingyang's Mansion and the Princess's Mansion, heavily guarded outside but lax inside?" He led Xun Shu into the Qing Palace courtyard and, lowering his voice, instructed, "Don't talk nonsense once you're inside. Follow me closely. Got it?"
Xun Shu nodded obediently.
Li Xuanhe was a little uncomfortable with her obedient appearance. Before he could say anything else, the two of them had already walked out of the main hall of Qing Palace.
The eunuch who had led the two here said with a smile, "Please wait a moment. I will go and report first."
"Thank you, Eunuch Fu." Li Xuanhe was extremely polite.
Eunuch Fu moved quickly, and a moment later he emerged from the hall, leading the two of them into the palace. Xun Shu followed behind Li Xuanhe, using his presence as a cover to quietly survey his surroundings.
The palace here had clearly been meticulously renovated. The black gold bricks paved the floor shone even brighter than the bronze mirror on her desk. The dragons coiled around the pillars were vibrantly colored and lifelike. In the corner, a golden incense burner stood half a man's height, emitting a rich, refreshing aroma that was incredibly invigorating. Just one sniff told me it was a good thing.
It turns out this is where the most distinguished people in Daliang live.
The Crown Prince was standing in the hall, looking at a topographic map. When he saw the two enter, he said gently, "Let's skip the formalities." His gaze passed over Li Xuanhe and landed on Xun Shu's face behind her. After a pause, a hint of surprise appeared on his face. "I have seen you."
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