Exiles were always walked to their place of banishment. Su San’s group traveled on foot, and at night they didn’t stay at post stations—they found a mountain spot to camp.
In the middle of the night, assassins struck, going straight for Su San. Iron hooks caught his head and limbs, tearing them apart by brute force—no different from dismemberment by five horses.
Having killed Su San, the assassins fled, leaving behind two trembling escort officers.
The two didn’t dare stay, but they didn’t dare leave either. They endured until dawn, then one stayed behind while the other rode back to the capital to report.
The Ministry of Justice personnel arrived at the scene first. Gu Huangying realized for the first time just how big this trouble was. The moment she arrived and took a look, she grabbed a tree and vomited.
The summer heat was brutal. The mountains were indeed secluded and cool, but mosquitoes and flies had come for the blood, buzzing and crawling over the corpse, the stench suffocating.
Yun Qian arrived and froze at the horrendous sight. Qin Xiang, following behind, craned her neck to look—Yun Qian snapped back to her senses and turned to cover her eyes.
Not only Gu Huangying had vomited; the other Ministry of Justice personnel looked pale too. Only the coroner walked straight in to examine the body.
Gu Huangying vomited for a long time, her face ashen. Meeting Yun Qian’s accusing gaze, she trembled. “Prime Minister Yun, I sent several of our best investigators to follow. This shouldn’t have happened. This isn’t a simple assassination—this was deliberate, premeditated murder born of vengeance.”
“The man is dead. Will you still investigate?” Yun Qian’s tone was so faint it was barely audible. A citizen of our dynasty had died—and a member of an aristocratic family at that. The investigation had to continue.
The things Su San had done would gradually surface. He deserved to die—but who was it that killed him?
Yun Qian couldn’t help glancing at the girl beside her, whose expression remained unchanged. Gu Huangying had vomited; everyone else had gone pale. Why could Qin Xiang remain so composed?
Qin Xiang’s gaze had settled on Gu Huangying, envy in her eyes. A woman entering court as an official could be this impressive.
Suddenly, a hand grasped hers. She turned to meet her sister’s eyes.
Yun Qian smiled casually. “Is she pretty?”
“No, I was thinking—being a female official looks so glorious. I want that too.” Qin Xiang looked utterly innocent. “Sister, none of them are as beautiful as you.”
Her clear, watery eyes were pure innocence, sinking into Yun Qian’s heart—no wariness, no lies.
Yun Qian thought to herself: I’m overthinking. Qin Xiang was at the residence every day. Even when she went out, A-Gui followed her. She hadn’t even contacted the Qin family. How would she have had time to arrange an assassination?
Not her… not her…
Yun Qian set aside her suspicions. The coroner walked over. Beneath the tree shade, the light was dim, sunlight sliced into slivers by the branches and scattered across their faces.
“Unheard of. Utterly brutal. Five people must have simultaneously bound the victim’s head and limbs and pulled together. You’ve all heard of dismemberment by five horses—the method is always the same.” The coroner wiped sweat from his brow, sighing repeatedly as he spoke.
Qin Xiang looked at the corpse. “He must have been in terrible pain before he died.”
“Naturally. Being torn apart limb from limb—before he died, he probably thought long and hard about who he’d wronged.” Gu Huangying slowly calmed, leaning against a tree trunk, her lips colorless.
Qin Xiang pressed her fingers together and sighed—more girlish sentiment than pity. Yun Qian watched her the entire time, never looking away. When the girl sighed, something like pity flickered in her eyes.
Yun Qian lowered her gaze, composed herself with dignity, and walked forward to examine the body.
“Sister…” Qin Xiang pulled at her, concern in her eyes. “Don’t go over there. It’s terrifying. You’ll have nightmares.”
Yun Qian looked at her. “I’m not afraid. I’ll just take a look. And if I have nightmares, you’ll be there with me.”
Qin Xiang reluctantly let go. She glanced at Gu Huangying and said, disgruntled, “The Prime Minister went. Why aren’t you going?”
“You little…” Gu Huangying stared at the young person. She looked gentle and harmless, but her heart was wicked.
Qin Xiang thought about it and decided to follow along herself. Under the tree, Gu Huangying was dumbfounded. “Now that’s a real married couple—of one heart and one mind.”
As the two approached, Qin Xiang covered her nose. The stench of blood mixed with rot slammed into her skull, making her head ring. She looked at her sister, crouched down examining the torn limbs, and couldn’t take it anymore. She wanted to run.
But her sister was there—she couldn’t run off alone. So she just covered her nose with both hands and breathed in shallow gasps.
Looking at the wound, she seemed to notice something. “Sister, he suffered a lot before he died. The tearing was slow—that makes it more painful.”
Back in the valley, she’d treated wild beasts. When beasts fought, they tore with bites, ferociously. The wounds from a fierce tear versus a slow one were different.
“How do you know?”
“I’ve treated stray dogs. The wounds are different.” Qin Xiang held her breath and said it in one go, then immediately covered her nose again.
Yun Qian nodded. Absently, she searched the corpse’s pockets—nothing.
After a moment, she returned to her original spot and instructed Gu Huangying: “Collect the body and send it back to the Ministry of Justice. Let the Su family come identify it. The Great Grand Princess won’t let this rest.”
Such were the benefits of the gentry—when one member erred, countless others covered for him. Even in the wrong, they’d argue three parts right.
Subordinates fetched water for Yun Qian to wash her hands. Gu Huangying frowned. “Who did he offend to deserve such suffering? And why strike so close to the capital?”
Yun Qian said, “Perhaps to send a message to others.”
Gu Huangying’s scalp crawled. “You mean there could be more victims?”
“So, about the investigation I asked you to run yesterday—how far have you gotten?” Yun Qian’s expression didn’t change.
Gu Huangying stammered, “It’s only been a day! I haven’t found anything yet. Give me a few days, at least!”
“Move faster.” Yun Qian’s gaze passed over Gu Huangying and landed on Qin Xiang, who was gasping for breath. Qin Xiang looked around, her fair face touched with a hint of pink.
Gu Huangying dared not argue further. Her own negligence had created this situation. From now on, she couldn’t afford to be lazy.
Yun Qian pulled Qin Xiang and left. The coroners stayed to clean up the scene, and Gu Huangying had to follow the body back to the Ministry of Justice, watching forlornly as the two rode away on horseback.
Ah, the Prime Minister’s residence Little Son-in-Law didn’t know how to ride—tsk tsk tsk—needed the Prime Minister to protect him.
Though, from the back of the horse, the Little Son-in-Law really did look tiny, curled up in the Prime Minister’s arms. Other people had little darling wives; he was a proper little darling husband.
Once they were far away, Gu Huangying snapped out of it. Looking at the severed limb on the ground, she vomited again.
Too cruel. An inhumane method of murder.
The Great Grand Princess came to Yun Qian demanding answers at the first opportunity.
Yun Qian handed her the coroner’s report and said, “I’d also like to ask the Great Grand Princess: what exactly did your brother-in-law do in the past to invite such retaliation?”
The one who had come to accuse fell silent, not even daring to take the coroner’s report. Yun Qian looked at her steadily. “Do you have an answer in your heart?”
Yun Qian had a subordinate prepare herbal tea and invited her to sit. In the face of Yun Qian’s calm, the Great Grand Princess was caught off guard. The other’s composure made her look like a clown.
“I never paid much attention to the Su family’s affairs. Eight or nine years ago, he returned from abroad, purchased some private property, and sent some treasures to his elder brother. That’s when I noticed that this younger brother, who had never had two coins to rub together, had apparently found success in business. In recent years, the Su family’s wealth has been largely thanks to him.”
“Now it seems his business dealings were deeply suspect. To be honest with the Prime Minister, I know nothing of the Su family’s affairs.”
Yun Qian knew she was telling the truth. Casually, she asked, “Did he ever bring back a woman?”
“He kept a woman outside.” The Great Grand Princess’s voice caught. “I suggested he bring her into the household. His wife is no shrew. But he refused.”
Yun Qian’s expression remained unchanged, yet somehow the temperature dropped.
“Where is this kept woman? Please point me to her.”
The Great Grand Princess agreed to everything, fearfully. “Will the killer come after the Su family?”
“Don’t leave the city.” Yun Qian was somewhat concerned, but the killer had only struck after Su San left the city—his influence was likely shallow, not yet reaching the capital.
The Great Grand Princess nodded. “I’ll instruct them the moment I return. I’d appreciate the Prime Minister’s protection.”
Yun Qian disliked the empty pleasantries. After obtaining the address, she sent someone to bring the woman to the Ministry of Justice.
Her subordinates moved quickly. Within the hour, they returned with a woman.
Oddly enough, the woman had been with Su San for nearly ten years, yet had never borne him a child.
Yun Qian said nothing, but thought of Qin Xiang drinking the sterility drug. Her head throbbed.
She studied the woman and asked, her voice softer than usual: “Your surname is Wengu?”
The woman nervously pressed her lips together and shook her head in denial.
Yun Qian was unmoved, her eyes carrying the pressure of deep water. “Let me put it differently. Are you from the Northern Frontier?”
The Southern Dynasty and the Northern Frontier had once been one nation, split apart when a vassal prince rose in rebellion. The two courts hadn’t gone to war since, remaining at peace to this day.
The Southern Emperor had repeatedly wanted to reclaim the Northern Frontier, but its army was stronger than the South’s. If the South marched, it might well lose its own territory to the North.
These were secrets that could not be spoken aloud.
The woman knelt on the ground, silent.
Yun Qian stared at her. “Tell me the truth, and I’ll give you your freedom. The surname Wengu is too distinctive. I’ll give you a new identity—a new name, a new record.”
Only then did the woman look up at Yun Qian. Yun Qian studied her in return. The woman was beautiful—skin like snow, hair like clouds—appearing to be eighteen or nineteen.
In truth, she was far older than that. By any estimation, she should be at least twenty-five.
Perhaps even older.
“What does my lord wish to know?” The woman’s voice was low and rough.
“What happened in Warm Valley, and whether Su San participated in it.” Yun Qian came straight to the point.
The woman met Yun Qian’s eyes with a contempt that defied life and death. “Even if he did, will you do anything about it?”
The Northern Frontier tragedy, with Southern Dynasty involvement. Would the Southern Emperor punish a gentry son for the sake of lowly mountain folk from the North?
Yun Qian was silent. The woman stood, facing her. Perhaps out of guilt, Yun Qian seemed softened—like a warm piece of suet jade, lacking the sharp pressure of officialdom.
“I can’t do that. But I can give you—and your people—freedom.”
“Freedom? What difference does freedom make to my current situation? It’s just a few drops of blood. I don’t want it.” The woman sneered, meeting Yun Qian’s gaze. “I don’t know what you’re trying to do, my lord, but we’re both women. I won’t make things hard for you. Just kill me.”
Yun Qian drew in a sharp breath. “Why not give it a try?”
“Try? I’ve tried escaping before. I went to the Capital Governor to file a complaint. Who listened? Drop the act. And I advise you—don’t make enemies of two nations.” The woman sighed. “It’s not easy for a woman to hold office. Don’t ruin your own future.”
