Only Lu Qian had witnessed the proper events of last night in their entirety.
The grand hall was filled with swirling incense smoke and a rich, peculiar fragrance.
A dozen eunuchs and dozens of palace maids all held their breaths, standing quietly to the side.
Their eyes shone with curiosity as they stared intently at Lu Qian, listening closely to his detailed narration.
Lu Qian recounted his firsthand experiences in great detail.
He told how yesterday he teamed up with Lao He to patrol and investigate along Jiangtanzi Street.
By some stroke of luck, he discovered a few clues and rushed to two coffin shops on Youlouzi Street, only to run straight into a group of fiends worshipping the Ghost Mother cult.
Suddenly, a ghostly woman riding in a phoenix-red sedan chair appeared, sparking a fierce battle.
Fortunately, Luo Qingzhou arrived just in time to repel those ghost women.
Then came the great fire in Siji Alley.
Lu Qian and the others used every means to enter Siji Alley and persuaded the deranged hostages there to help fight the blaze.
They saved Prince Yinxing of Lancang from the inferno and quelled the mad assassins’ sudden attack.
Since Lu Qian was well-educated, his storytelling was like that of an experienced storyteller: step by step, vivid and gripping, drawing everyone’s full attention.
Yinyuan listened intently, nodding softly in approval.
But when Lu Qian finished, Yinyuan suddenly interrupted him, pointing toward Luo Qingzhou. “Let’s not talk about the remnants of the Nine Yin Sect rebels. What about those assassins? The crossbows they used—are they really the standard weapons of the Forbidden Army?”
Luo Qingzhou hurriedly bowed. “Your Majesty, we conducted a thorough examination. Indeed, they were the standard issue weapons of the Forbidden Army. Moreover, all were brand new, never once used. However, all inscriptions and serial numbers on the weapons had been erased, leaving no way to trace them.”
Yinyuan then looked toward the deputy commander of Leshan who had come along.
The deputy commander lowered his head, remaining silent.
That the assassins who attacked Siji Alley used the Forbidden Army’s standard weapons was something a mere deputy commander like him didn’t quite understand.
Not understanding was why he held his tongue.
Even if he knew, he wouldn’t dare speak up.
“Seems like a useless one as well,” Yinyuan sighed, then turned his gaze to Shuai Ying, the Prefect of the Wind-Taming Ward, who had been summoned. “Shuai Ying, do you know your guilt?”
Shuai Ying’s face turned pale.
He was the highest official of Wind-Taming Ward.
Whether one considered the Nine Yin Sect’s foothold within the Ward, the devastating fire in Siji Alley, or the sudden appearance of assassins, any of these, if pursued seriously, would at least be grounds for charges of “dereliction” or “incompetence” against him.
On the way to Jiucun Court, Shuai Ying had racked his brains for a way to absolve himself.
But facing Yinyuan, he realized he had no defense.
The Wind-Taming Ward’s performance last night had been abysmal.
He had contributed nothing.
If the Emperor truly wanted to investigate this matter thoroughly, Shuai Ying would likely be stripped of his official robes and thrown into prison.
And if they dug deeper…
Panic crept over him, and his face became even paler.
At that moment, a young eunuch ran in, out of breath, then knelt down with a ‘thud’ and bowed to Yinyuan. “Your Majesty, Chief Steward Yu Sandou’s men have reported that the Empress Dowager summons Prefect Shuai Ying for an audience.”
Yinyuan was momentarily stunned, rubbing his swollen cheeks and asking faintly, “Oh? Is it just Shuai Ying?”
The young eunuch glanced at Shuai Ying, whose complexion had suddenly returned to normal, then lowered his head. “Just now, many high-ranking officials including Grand Chancellor Zhu Chong, Minister of Justice Gongyang Xu, Minister of Punishments, Chief Justice, and Censors from the Imperial Inspectorate have entered the palace.”
Pausing briefly, the eunuch continued, “Also, Xiong Dingtian, who was locked in the Secret Prison of the Palace Guard, has been taken away by Chief Steward Yu’s men and handed over to the Inspection Department. The shopkeepers from Peaceful and Blessed Inns, along with the captured waiter, have been escorted by the Grand General’s men.”
“The bodies of those assassins were taken by the Ministry of Justice, carrying an imperial decree from the Empress Dowager.”
“Furthermore, all weapons and evidence stored in the Secret Prison connected to the assassins have been seized by the Chief Justice’s office.”
Yinyuan’s eyebrows drooped as he murmured, “So, it’s the Empress Dowager herself who will handle this matter, huh? That makes sense. After all, it involves palace secrets; naturally, the Empress Dowager would intervene.”
Yinyuan looked at Yu Changle. “Nothing for the Secret Prison to handle anymore.”
Yu Changle politely bowed to Yinyuan, smiling broadly but remained silent.
The anomalies in the coffin shops were uncovered by the Secret Prison.
The first people to confront the ghostly figures were from the Secret Prison.
They were also the first to rush to Siji Alley to fight the fire.
It was the Secret Prison that made the greatest effort to rescue Yinxing from the blaze.
After the assassins massacred and quickly fled, none of the other governmental agencies even found a single clue.
It was Lu Qian, the newly recruited young recruit of the Secret Prison, who found the trail and captured the suspect Xiong Dingtian, killing over thirty assassins in the process.
All the dirty, hard, exhausting work had been done by the Secret Prison.
Yet when it came time for a serious investigation, the Empress Dowager and Grand Chancellor swooped in and took every witness and piece of evidence away.
It was clear the Secret Prison no longer had anything to do with the matter.
The Grand Chancellor, the Inspection Department, Ministry of Justice, and the Chief Justice’s office were all controlled by civil officials.
Yu Sandou was the loyal old dog who had served the Empress Dowager for decades and wielded his own forces within the Secret Prison that reported directly to him.
His seniority far exceeded Yu Changle, and his influence inside and outside the imperial city was greater.
Yu Sandou was truly the number one eunuch of the Da Yin Dynasty.
Since he had dispatched men to take over, Yu Changle could no longer continue the investigation unless he wanted to challenge Yu Sandou’s authority or ignite open conflict between the Empress Dowager and the Emperor.
Lu Qian clearly felt the atmosphere in the hall grow heavy.
Behind Yinyuan’s smile lay deep frustration and helplessness.
Even Yu Changle’s kindly round face showed a faint shadow, though his cultivation kept a brilliant smile firmly in place.
The little eunuch delivering the message remained kneeling, unable to lift his head.
Yinyuan glanced at Shuai Ying and then at the exquisite painted ceiling decorations above, before breaking into a bright smile. “Alright then, Shuai Ying, go explain last night’s events to the Empress Dowager. Don’t blame me for meddling. I just want to satisfy my curiosity—is there really such a thing as ghosts in this world?”
The grand hall fell deathly silent.
A group of palace maids went pale as death, exchanging frightened glances and shivering slightly.
Shuai Ying frowned.
He hadn’t witnessed the battle between Lu Qian, Luo Qingzhou, and those ghost women firsthand.
But as a staunch disciple of civil education, Wen Ying could not tolerate talk of ghosts and spirits.
Taking two large steps forward, he snapped loudly, “Your Majesty, talk of ghosts and spirits is pure nonsense! There are no monsters in this world. The only specters belong to the human heart. As the sovereign of Da Yin…”
Yinyuan coughed heavily, touching his bruised right cheek.
Waving his hand with force, he said, “Right, right, no ghosts in this world. No ghosts, how could there be any ghosts?”
He smiled at Shuai Ying. “Prefect, off you go—the Empress Dowager summoned you, no time to waste. Hurry along.”
Pausing briefly, he added coldly, “This affair has caused great harm. I hope you won’t fail the state’s trust and will handle it properly.”
Sighing, Yinyuan rubbed his face again. “Ah, this bruise is really solid. I’m planning… no, I’m definitely going to fall seriously ill. For the next three months, I won’t be dealing with court affairs. Don’t come bother me…”
Shuai Ying was silent.
He looked deeply at Yinyuan, but said nothing.
Then he bowed slightly and strode out quickly.
Once Shuai Ying left, the deputy commander of the Forbidden Army also submitted his resignation.
When he heard from the young eunuch that the survivors from the two coffin shops had been taken by the Grand General’s forces, he knew the follow-up was no longer the Emperor’s concern.
Given the Emperor’s temperament, he likely didn’t care about what happened afterward.
Wasn’t it always like this over the years?
Whenever there was an imperial decree from the Empress Dowager and the Grand General and Grand Chancellor’s men took charge, the Emperor would remain carefree, running around Jiucun Court with his hawks and dogs, without worrying over anything.
So the deputy commander left decisively.
Even when bowing in farewell to Yinyuan, his gesture and expression were perfunctory at best.
Then the rest of the small officials, related or unrelated, from Haoging and the Wind-Taming Ward departments were all waved away impatiently by Yinyuan.
Most of them had only come to gawk at the commotion in Siji Alley last night, and many still didn’t understand where the fire originated or what had happened.
So they arrived at Jiucun Court nervous and fearful.
And left in a fog of confusion.
In the end, only the group from the Secret Prison remained in the hall.
Yinyuan straightened his back and eagerly pointed at Lu Qian and Luo Qingzhou. “Alright, no outsiders here now. All our own people. Give me the full story again. Were there really female ghosts last night? Hmm? What did the little one look like? Handsome? Big chest? What kind of figure? Hehe… sexy or not?”
Lu Qian froze momentarily.
So this was Yinyuan’s true nature?
After rushing out a long string of words, Yinyuan suddenly pointed at Lu Qian.
“Old Yu, this kid looks decent, but his white robe isn’t pleasing to my eye.”
“Change it. Change it… here, give him a red robe instead!”
Luo Qingzhou turned sharply, shocked and filled with envy at Lu Qian.
Yu Changle chuckled and responded crisply, “Very well, Your Majesty. This kid is tall and handsome, a promising young talent. Please don’t be stingy—give him more rewards, more!”
(End of Chapter)