Chapter 60

Standing at the doorway, Tao Siqing locked eyes with Nangong Yunshang. Though neither of them uttered a single offensive word—not even trading barbs—the air crackled with undercurrents of tension, the atmosphere thick enough to cut.

Then Tao Siqing smiled. “Your Highness is right. The world is vast, full of strange and wondrous things, so anything is possible.”

Nangong Yunshang narrowed her eyes at the unflappable man, thinking to herself that this old fox was just circling evasively with her, offering not one scrap of real truth.

Just as the two engaged in their silent sparring, Tao Chuyi looked around curiously.

Why were they just staring at each other without saying a word?

Tao Chuyi scratched the back of her head, utterly baffled.

“I’m hungry.”

In an instant, the tension evaporated. Tao Siqing hurriedly called for the kitchen to prepare some food, while Nangong Yunshang beckoned Chuyi over to soothe her.

The three of them sat together at the table, harmonious and cheerful, as if nothing untoward had ever happened.

Nangong Yunshang served food to Tao Chuyi, reminding her to eat more slowly.

If not for Chuyi, she definitely would have gotten straight answers out of him.

“Chuyi, scallion-fried lamb—your favorite.”

With that, Tao Siqing picked out a large helping for her, but only the meat, carefully removing all the scallions.

“Daddy picked out all the scallions.”

Tao Chuyi tucked in heartily, her mouth soon glistening with grease. Xichan stepped forward with a silk handkerchief, but Nangong Yunshang took it from her.

“Look at you, always eating in such a rush.”

Nangong Yunshang carefully wiped her mouth.

“Good girl, Chuyi. Tell sister—who do you like best in this whole world?”

The question stumped Tao Chuyi. She tilted her head, pondering so hard it made her temples throb.

“I like sister and Daddy.”

Tao Siqing fanned the flames from the side. “Then who do you like more—Daddy or Your Highness?”

Tao Chuyi shook her head vigorously, refusing to answer.

“They’re not the same.”

The two adults fell silent. After a long moment, Nangong Yunshang was the first to let it go.

“You’re right, they’re not the same. Sister was wrong to ask.”

She stroked Tao Chuyi’s head. “Chuyi is such a good child.”

Their covert battle concluded, the pair temporarily called a truce, putting on a show of one happy family.

Tao Chuyi paid no mind to whatever was going on between them and simply focused on eating. Once she was stuffed to the gills, she suddenly remembered what the steward had mentioned about the big tree.

Tao Siqing knitted his brow at the mention of the case.

“I’ve never seen a death like this in all my years. We can’t close it yet.”

“Daddy! I want to see the big tree!”

Tao Chuyi grabbed her father’s arm and shook it for all she was worth, nearly rattling him apart.

“This… it’s quite frightening. Not suitable for you to see.”

When Tao Siqing still refused, Tao Chuyi got mad. She slammed her forehead onto the table, presenting the back of her head to him.

Nangong Yunshang pinched her cheek, amused. “Tao Siqing, just take her to see it. Otherwise, she’ll sulk all evening.”

After hesitating repeatedly, Tao Siqing relented. The body was right there at the Dali Temple Yamen. He immediately ordered the lock opened and personally escorted the two of them.

As the door creaked slowly open, the trio stepped into the morgue, where the air hung heavy with the reek of blood and rot.

Tao Chuyi wrinkled her nose and sniffed hard. “There’s a floral fragrance.”

How could a morgue smell of flowers? The other two didn’t believe her at first and sniffed for themselves. Sure enough, amid the stench lurked a faint sweet aroma. The nauseating combination of rot and perfume was even worse.

Nangong Yunshang bore it the least. She clutched the doorframe and dry-heaved for a good while.

Tao Chuyi hurried over and patted her back. “Sister, are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

Nangong Yunshang pressed the silk handkerchief over her mouth and nose, shaking her head resolutely to signal that Chuyi should head inside.

The coffin lay in the inner chamber. Lifting her gaze, Tao Chuyi saw a tree sprouting from within, taller than a person, with red blossoms unfurling from its treetop.

Even Nangong Yunshang stared in speechless astonishment, rooted to the spot for ages.

Drawing closer, they saw the tree’s roots fused to the corpse. Miss You’s body had withered to a dry husk, as if every drop of vitality had been siphoned into the tree. The roots twisted intricately over the corpse, coiling around Miss You’s neck, abdomen, and limbs.

Tao Chuyi edged nearer. A tree really was growing right out of the body.

She reached out to pluck a flower, only for Nangong Yunshang to scold her sharply.

“What if it’s poisonous?”

Nangong Yunshang pulled her back, forbidding her from touching anything.

Tao Siqing frowned in concentration. “I’ll summon the coroner for an examination and see exactly what sort of flower this is.”

The stench had them all reeling, so they hurried out of the morgue at last able to gulp fresh air.

The princess and prince consort clearly took a keen interest in the case, so Tao Siqing handed over the files summarizing their investigation thus far.

The You family had been merchants for generations and counted among the kingdom’s great grain traders. Keeping pace with them were two other great houses: the Yan family and the Lu family. All three dealt primarily in foodstuffs, and this year marked the selection for imperial merchant status. The younger generation’s heirs had taken charge of the bid: daughters of the You and Yan houses, and the young master of the Lu house. The three had been classmates and close friends since childhood.

“It’s possible they resorted to murder over the competition.”

Nangong Yunshang mused to herself that even the imperial family played such ruthless games, to say nothing of merchant clans.

Tao Siqing nodded. “Far from impossible, but we have no evidence yet. Miss Yan was a friend to both Miss You and Young Master Lu, and those two had fallen mutually in love, even becoming betrothed with a wedding set for next year.”

Be they dear friends or lovers, plenty betrayed each other when interests clashed.

Nangong Yunshang wasn’t remotely surprised. She herself swam in such treacherous waters and had long grown numb to it.

“I want to investigate the case too!”

Tao Chuyi clamored to dash off.

Nangong Yunshang yanked her back. “Investigate where? Let me tell you—if you sneak out alone at night again, I’ll spank your bottom.”

Tao Chuyi deflated instantly and huddled behind her, falling silent.

On the way back, Tao Chuyi sulked, draping herself over the carriage curtain to gaze at the moon like she was pouting at someone.

Nangong Yunshang found it endearing and tugged at her sleeve. “What’s wrong? You really want to work the case?”

Tao Chuyi nodded solemnly.

“All right, you can investigate. But no going alone, understood?”

Nangong Yunshang compromised—otherwise, Chuyi would puff up like a storm cloud all night, leaving no room for her in bed.

Tao Chuyi whipped around. “Really? Sister’s the best!”

Nangong Yunshang’s head spun as Chuyi hugged and shook her. “Enough of that. If I catch you acting alone, you’ll still get that spanking when you get back.”

The next day, with the Third Princess out of the residence, Tao Chuyi dragged Zishan along and took off.

Sister said no going alone, but two people didn’t count as alone.

“Prince Consort, uh… where are we going?”

Zishan trailed after her in a daze, getting the nagging sense she’d been roped into playing the fool again.

“To catch the bad guy!”

Without further ado, Tao Chuyi hauled Zishan into the streets. Not knowing the way, they ended up relying on Zishan to inquire after the Yan family manor before finding it.

Once there, Tao Chuyi crooked a finger at Zishan, then vaulted onto the wall to peer inside.

Zishan couldn’t stop her and could only clamber up alongside.

“Prince Consort…”

“Shh!”

Tao Chuyi mimicked Nangong Yunshang’s gesture to perfection.

Zishan: “…”

You’re really taking it out on just me, huh.

Tao Chuyi pricked up her ears as passing servants chatted, mentioning that their young mistress wasn’t home—she’d gone to some temple.

“What temple are they talking about?”

Zishan whispered, “Qu River Temple.”

Tao Chuyi nodded with exaggerated gravity. “Where’s Qu River Temple?”

The pair asked around the whole way—really, Zishan did all the asking. They finally located the temple, but it was enormous. Tao Chuyi wandered front to back, left to right, utterly lost on where to go next. In a huff, she plopped down atop a rock in the rear garden’s artificial mountain.

“Ancestor, didn’t we come to find someone?”

Zishan swore training had never worn her out like this.

With her back turned, Tao Chuyi grumbled, “Can’t find them. Not looking anymore.”

Zishan was just about to speak when a fitful sobbing drifted from behind the rocks.

Tao Chuyi heard it too. The two quietly rose and peeked through a crevice in the stones. There, behind the mound, stood a man and a woman—the woman clad only in her undergarments, the man fully dressed.

“Don’t come looking for me anymore. I’ve told you, the one I love is You Xian, not you.”

Young Master Lu stood with his back to the woman, every inch the upright gentleman.

Miss Yan lunged forward and hugged him from behind. “I don’t believe you. Before you met her, you clearly had feelings for me. She stole you away from my side.”

From their conversation, it was clear they’d stumbled onto the key players. Zishan shot the prince consort a shocked glance. This worked?

Tao Chuyi watched with rapt fascination, like she was at a shadow puppet play, occasionally leaning in eagerly for the next twist—completely forgetting why they’d come.

Perhaps Miss Yan’s embrace was too tight; Young Master Lu struggled but couldn’t break free.

“I love You Xian. Even if she’s dead, I love her.”

Tears welled in Miss Yan’s eyes, streaming down her face like pear blossoms in the rain. “Am I not even as good as a corpse?”

Young Master Lu drew a deep breath and shut his eyes. “That’s right!”

No sooner had the words left his mouth than Miss Yan turned vicious. She yanked open his sash with savage force.

“Fine, then. Let’s consummate things right here and now. After that, married or not, you’ll have to take me as your wife.”

“What are you doing?!”

For all his manly vigor, Young Master Lu proved no match for Miss Yan’s strength. In short order, she stripped him bare.

Zishan whipped around at once, clapping a hand over Tao Chuyi’s eyes.

“Prince Consort, such things are not for the eyes.”

Tao Chuyi recalled Nangong Yunshang saying the exact same thing and turned away too. All that echoed in her ears were the pair’s heated struggles.

“That Lu guy’s such a pushover.”

Zishan blinked, confused. “Why do you say that, Prince Consort?”

Tao Chuyi jerked a thumb backward. “Miss Yan’s kicking his butt—he can’t even fight her off.”

Hearing this, Zishan was momentarily stunned. Was it because she couldn’t overpower Nangong Yunshang, or was she simply going along with it despite her half-hearted resistance?

The two of them hurried back to the Princess Mansion before nightfall, finally avoiding any breach of the household rules. Tao Chuyi’s rear end was spared, but her face was not.

“Sister, my face hurts.”

Nangong Yunshang finally took pity on her and let go. “I told you not to go alone. And you only brought one person?”

Tao Chuyi shrank back into herself. “Next time, I’ll bring five… Sister, did they go catch the bad guys?”

“They did. The Dali Temple guards searched the Yan Mansion again and discovered some unidentified powder. They’re examining it right now. By this point, they should be off making arrests.”

Nangong Yunshang pulled over a thin silk quilt and draped it across her. “That’s enough. You’ve been through the wringer all day—now get some sleep.”

At that moment, a servant reported from beyond the door, and Zishan’s voice came through with unusual clarity.

“Your Highness, by the time the Dali Temple guards arrived at the Yan Mansion to make the arrest, Miss Yan was already dead.”