The peach-pink gaze by her side was so ambiguous that it was impossible to ignore. Zhao Huairen suddenly looked up and caught Qin An, who was peeking at her. “Have you finished sorting the files I gave you?”
Qin An scratched the back of her neck. “Not yet…”
“Then why are you staring at me?”
“The Heir Apparent is right.” Qin An lowered her eyes submissively and reached for the files at the corner of the desk, but her mind was not on the work in front of her.
She had been following the Heir Apparent for nearly two years now. She had originally thought that the Heir Apparent was like a cold jade bodhisattva steeped in an ice pool—any touch or fantasy would be a blasphemy. But she had never expected—the Heir Apparent to have such skillful means.
One really could not judge by appearances.
That distant, cold fragrance was the most tantalizing to the heart.
Qin An quietly pressed down the edge of the file with her fingertip and sneaked another glance at Zhao Huairen. Then, she once again tried hard to suppress the smile tugging at her lips.
Zhao Huairen set down the purple brush in her hand and frowned at her. “Qin An, what exactly are you thinking about?”
“Nothing, nothing.”
“Since you say nothing,” Zhao Huairen paused, then continued, “if you look at me with that strange gaze again, go to the punishment room and receive your penalty yourself.”
“Heir Apparent.” Qin An called out weakly.
Zhao Huairen lightly tapped the surface of the desk and looked at her leisurely. “Speak.”
“It’s just that your subordinate is a bit…” Qin An rolled her eyes, originally wanting to hold back her curiosity, but in the end, she couldn’t resist beating around the bush. “When did the Heir Apparent fall for Young Master Yan?”
The bubble hidden deep in the sea was suddenly burst.
A strange and gorgeous warmth silently spread across the water’s surface.
Words spoken aloud always echoed twice in the mind, but this time, Zhao Huairen blurted out without thinking, “Who said I like her?”
“Then why did the Heir Apparent deliberately make her jealous?”
“What nonsense are you spouting?” Zhao Huairen’s sword brows furrowed tightly.
Having some understanding of her master’s temperament, and seeing her like this, Qin An suddenly felt a bit confused. “Wasn’t the Heir Apparent doing it on purpose at Qingyun Hall? Calling Lady Xie over to deliberately provoke Young Master Yan’s jealousy.”
“It happened suddenly. How could I have called Lan Qin in advance…” Halfway through her words, Zhao Huairen quickly latched onto the key point. “Young Master Yan was jealous?”
“The Heir Apparent didn’t notice?” Not to mention at the time—even thinking about it now gave her goosebumps on her arms. Qin An sighed. “I never expected Young Master Yan to have such a side. It was truly frightening. A few words so sour they made this subordinate’s bones go soft.”
A rare blankness appeared in her light brown phoenix eyes.
Yan Yiqing had been jealous?
Why? Because of herself and Lan Qin?
“General Yan truly is from the military. She immediately said she didn’t want to share a room with Lady Xie. Heir Apparent, I think…”
Qin An talked until her mouth and throat were parched, then lifted her face, only to find that Zhao Huairen showed no reaction at all.
“Heir Apparent?”
“Heir Apparent? Heir Apparent, don’t scare me!”
A sudden palm wind swept past her eyes, and her hair strands trembled slightly. Zhao Huairen abruptly came back to her senses and saw that Qin An, who had been sitting in the corner, had somehow come right up to her.
“You scared me to death just now, Heir Apparent!”
“She wasn’t jealous.”
Qin An tilted her head. “What?”
“Yan Yiqing wasn’t jealous. She doesn’t like me.”
If things had continued to develop, General Yan might have directly stood up and carried Lady Xie out the door.
It had been so obvious…
And yet the Heir Apparent insisted it wasn’t liking her?
Qin An’s mouth twitched, but meeting Zhao Huairen’s slightly cold gaze, she immediately played along wisely. “Yes, Young Master Yan has no interest in the Heir Apparent. It was this subordinate’s poor judgment.”
The butterfly flapped its wings, stirring up massive waves on the sea’s surface.
Her long lashes trembled slightly, and the brewing storm instantly calmed.
“Mm. Not only that, I have no interest in her either.” Zhao Huairen said coldly. “Don’t mention this kind of thing again. There is nothing between Young Master Yan and me… like what you’re imagining.”
“Yes.” Qin An drooped her head.
Zhao Huairen suddenly stood up, her jade-like voice devoid of any warmth. “What, do you think I said anything wrong?”
“This subordinate wouldn’t dare.”
“Go to the morgue.” Thin lips parted slightly as Zhao Huairen strode out of the office. “By this time, the coroner should have finished examining Shi Yun Si’s body.”
“Yes.”
The muggy dampness never played favorites. The hot, humid summer wind seeped everywhere. They had not even entered the morgue when the foul, fishy stench proudly asserted its presence.
“Vice Minister.” The coroner, face covered with cotton cloth, bowed to Zhao Huairen in greeting.
Zhao Huairen, stepping into the morgue, was like a magnolia flower dropped into a mud swamp—her pristine purity clashed utterly with the filth of the place. Yet she didn’t even furrow her brows, clearly long accustomed to the dank air here.
“Any peculiarities with the corpse?”
The coroner shook his head, picked up the record book from the small table, and presented it to Zhao Huairen with both hands. “In response to the Vice Minister, this official found nothing unusual on the deceased. There were no other wounds on his body, only the fatal one on his neck.”
“Shi Yun Si was the Vice Minister of War. Though his martial skills weren’t outstanding, he wasn’t completely helpless either.” Zhao Huairen’s gaze swept over every word in the book as she asked, “Killed in one strike, without any resistance?”
The coroner replied, “Aside from that fatal wound, there were a few shallow marks on Vice Minister Shi’s neck, roughly left during his struggle with the killer.”
“What about poison? Have you checked?”
“The silver needle didn’t change color upon insertion. If we need to cut the flesh or test the bones, I’m afraid…” The coroner swallowed and finished, “we’ll need the Hejia Princess’s approval.”
“Mm.” Zhao Huairen frowned.
Shi Yun Si was already dead.
Dissecting the corpse for bone testing—the Hejia Princess probably wouldn’t agree.
A faint, imperceptible glint flashed in her eyes. Zhao Huairen placed the record book back on the small table, her clear voice muffled somewhat by the cotton cloth. “You’ve served at Dali Temple for many years. In your opinion, do you think the killer used poison on Vice Minister Shi?”
After hearing this, the coroner shrank back his neck.
The killer’s strike had been precise and ruthless.
Judging from the wound, he probably hadn’t even gotten blood on the killer.
The killer’s skills far surpassed Shi Yun Si’s. Since Shi Yun Si couldn’t even resist, why would the killer bother adding poison?
Such a simple truth.
How could the Vice Minister not understand…
“In this official’s view, the killer did not use poison beforehand.” Gauging Zhao Huairen’s expression and seeing no displeasure, the coroner continued, “This person’s skills far exceed the deceased’s.”
“You’re saying the killer has good martial arts?”
“Yes.” The coroner nodded.
“If compared to me, then what?” Her elegant brow bone lowered. Before the coroner could answer, Zhao Huairen said coldly, “This case involves many parties. You must answer every question I ask truthfully, without any falsehood.”
Flattering words stuck in his throat as cold sweat broke out on the coroner’s back. “In response… to the Vice Minister—”
“The killer’s skills may surpass the Vice Minister’s.”
“May?” Zhao Huairen mulled over the two words, then said, “Dali Temple handles cases with ‘may’ now?”
The coroner didn’t understand Zhao Huairen’s intent but didn’t dare think too much, simply reporting truthfully. “Please forgive this official, Vice Minister. This official misspoke.”
“Based on the deceased’s wounds.”
“With this official’s experience, the killer’s skills are also above the Vice Minister’s.”
Having gotten the words she wanted from the coroner, Zhao Huairen pursed her thin lips. “In Yanjing, there shouldn’t be many whose skills surpass mine?”
“The Vice Minister is right.” The coroner quickly cupped his hands.
“Mm, then let’s investigate along this clue first.” Glancing sideways at Qin An following behind her, Zhao Huairen said indifferently, “Did you record everything I just said?”
Holding the file in her hands, Qin An nodded.
–
As the sun was about to set, wisps of cooking smoke rose over Yanjing.
In a mansion occupying prime real estate, taking up half the street—it was Prince Gong Mansion, granted personally by His Majesty.
“Yiqing is here? How long has she been waiting? Why didn’t you come in to report?” Washing the ink stains from her fingers, Yan Yue frowned at Ruyi.
“In response to the Princess Consort, it was Lady Yan who told me not to disturb…”
“Never mind.” Yan Yue simply wiped her hands with a cloth and said, “Next time she comes, remember to report it to me immediately.”
“Yes.” Ruyi curtsied.
The mistress and servant passed through the corridor, their one azure and one pink skirts leaving a faint fragrance in the back garden of Prince Gong Mansion.
Arriving before the parlor.
A smile immediately lit up her eyes.
“Yiqing!” Yan Yue quickly walked up to Yan Yiqing, her tone slightly reproachful. “How long have you been waiting? Since you came, why didn’t you have someone call me?”
“Just a quarter of an hour.” Yan Yiqing rose from the grand chair.
“I’ve already steeled myself in my heart—if Sister didn’t come in another quarter hour, I would have barged into Prince Gong Mansion’s inner residence.”
Knowing she was joking, Yan Yue smiled. “Then you’d be arrested.”
“I wouldn’t arrest you.”
“If it’s for self-preservation, killing wouldn’t be a crime.”
Seeing Yan Yiqing suddenly zone out, Yan Yue stepped forward curiously. “We’re just chatting nicely, and you space out? What are you thinking about?”
“A very bad woman.”
“What woman?” Yan Yue pressed. “Did someone bully you at the Duke Mansion?”
“No bullying, and no woman either. Sister, just take it as my nonsense.” Yan Yiqing was concise. Then, she tilted her head toward Ruyi by the door. “Sister, is this a place where we can talk?”
“You can go first. I need to have some private words with Yiqing.”
Ruyi curtsied and withdrew. “Yes.”
“The case of the Vice Minister of War, after the Hejia Princess made a fuss, has now been handed over to joint investigation by the two ministries.”
“The Ministry of Punishment is manageable…” After hearing this, Yan Yue’s eyes tightened. “But Dali Temple isn’t easy to fool. Though this matter was handled cleanly, that spouse of yours is like a bottomless pool whose depths can’t be fathomed.”
“She won’t arrest me.”
“Why?” Yan Yue frowned.
Masking the conversations she’d had with Zhao Huairen, Yan Yiqing summed it up in one sentence. “I don’t know. Anyway, she’s already promised me that.”
Yan Yue’s expression suddenly turned unpleasant.
“Sister, what’s wrong?” Yan Yiqing curled her fingertips and asked. “Isn’t it good that she won’t arrest me?”
Though she herself had never fallen into love—
She had seen plenty who had.
That Duke Rui Heir Apparent looked just like a seductress. A girl like Yiqing, who had grown up rolling in yellow sands, where had she seen such a sight?
“Yiqing, tell me honestly—have you fallen for her?”
Yan Yiqing said, “No.”
Seeing no hesitation in her answer at all, Yan Yue suddenly felt unsure. “Really?”
“I’ve said it—I have someone I admire.”
Yiqing’s infatuated nature.
Was truly—just like Mother’s.
“It was Sister who spoke wrongly.” Recalling that she didn’t like these questions, Yan Yue soothed her warmly.
At those words, the black, glossy peach-blossom eyes flickered slightly.
