Chapter 28: The Truth

Jiang Qionglin, wearing only a thin robe, walked directly out of Daming Palace and returned to his residence.

Throughout the journey, he felt feverish, fatigued, and on the verge of fainting several times. Despite this, he insisted on returning home.

Several palace maids offered to help him, but he politely declined. After this incident, he realized that the affairs of the palace, regardless of rank or gender, should be avoided as much as possible.

Jiang Qionglin dragged his weary body, each step unsteady, back to his residence.

In his heart, the waters of Daming Palace were too deep. He feared losing control of his emotions and making another mistake.

He couldn’t afford to provoke anyone anymore.

Upon reaching his residence, Jiang Qionglin immediately ordered the servants to heat up a bath. Even though the water wasn’t fully heated, he hastily began bathing.

After soaking, the fever dissipated, but he started feeling cold. A slight breeze made him shiver all over.

He still hadn’t fully recovered. If he had looked in the mirror, he would have seen his skin pale as paper, with dark circles under his eyes. Though still handsome, his appearance resembled a hungry ghost crawling out from hell.

At this moment, he was unfit for any tasks. Yet, he refused to rest.

Yesterday, he hadn’t inquired about Princess Tianxiang’s case, and it had been gnawing at him.

Jiang Qionglin quickly changed into his court attire and headed straight to the Dali Temple.

…

At the Dali Temple, Ci Wen wasn’t present, so he ordered someone to bring yesterday’s dossier for review. Upon careful examination, he found no significant clues compared to the previous two days—there was virtually no progress.

He clearly understood that if there were no results within seven days, their dismissal would be the least of their worries; triggering a war between the two nations would be catastrophic.

Jiang Qionglin set down the dossier and turned around to see two junior officials huddled together. At his glance, their eyes quickly darted away.

Their faces showed curiosity, surprise, disdain, and pity.

Jiang Qionglin turned back and picked up another dossier to scrutinize.

Such mockery he had endured many times before. It hurt, but he knew sorrow wouldn’t change anything.

He just wanted to focus on his duties; overthinking other matters was futile.

Not long after, a tall, burly figure entered—the Minister of the Dali Temple, Ci Wen.

“Your subordinate Jiang Qionglin pays respects to Minister Ci,” Jiang Qionglin bowed respectfully.

“Why are you here?” Ci Wen was surprised, frowning. “Aren’t you supposed to be standing in punishment?” He had witnessed everything yesterday. Jiang Qionglin’s physique… was exactly what he despised most.

The so-called pretty boy who could be blown away by the wind—this described him perfectly.

Jiang Qionglin respectfully replied, “Thanks to Her Majesty’s pardon, this lowly official can continue investigating the case.”

“There’s nothing for you here. Go back and rest.” Ci Wen waved his hand, and four guards immediately surrounded Jiang Qionglin.

“What does Minister Ci mean by this?” Jiang Qionglin asked, puzzled.

“Just seeing you makes me feel ashamed. Don’t linger in front of me anymore.” Ci Wen coldly said.

“...” Jiang Qionglin was stunned. Such blatant disdain was rare.

Seeing he still didn’t intend to leave, Ci Wen added, “In the past, you were Her Majesty’s favorite, but now that you’ve fallen out of favor and lost all dignity in the court, keeping you here will only disturb my peace of mind. Men—throw him out!”

As soon as Ci Wen finished speaking, the guards moved forward.

Before they could act, Jiang Qionglin spontaneously said, “No need to bother everyone. I’ll leave on my own.”

Jiang Qionglin took a deep breath and stepped out of the Dali Temple.

Behind him were endless jeers. He could feel the contemptuous gazes cast upon him, yet he had no power to change anything.

Outside the Dali Temple, the streets were deserted, starkly contrasting the bustling eastern and western markets.

Looking at the empty street ahead, he suddenly didn’t know where to go.

Where could he go?

Suddenly craving alcohol, he thought of Jian Su Medical Hall.

Perhaps there, he could find a moment of peace.

…

At Jian Su Medical Hall, Di Jiang and Wen Yao were still asleep, having exhausted themselves last night with no results. Only Shuxiang had opened the shop and was reading inside.

Arriving at Jian Su Medical Hall, Jiang Qionglin saw only Shuxiang and felt somewhat disappointed.

“Is your master not here?” Jiang Qionglin asked.

Shuxiang shook his head. “The master hasn’t risen yet.”

“I see, I came at an inconvenient time.” Jiang Qionglin sighed, preparing to leave.

“Lord Jiang.” At this moment, Shuxiang called him back.

“Young man, do you have something?” Jiang Qionglin turned around.

“The master instructed me to give this to you before she slept.” Shuxiang retrieved a book from behind the counter. “She said that once you read it, you will understand.”

“What is this…” Jiang Qionglin was puzzled.

“The master also said that last night, she and Prince Wu investigated the Wu Royal Mansion and discovered that the deceased wasn’t Princess Tianxiang. She then obtained the list of the Turkic delegation’s entourage from the Ministry of Rites. The list meticulously recorded every detail of the accompanying personnel’s lives. Recently, one maid went missing. This maid had fractured her shinbone as a child, leaving a one-inch scar, nearly identical to the mark on Princess Tianxiang’s body. From this, she deduced that perhaps the maid died in her place, and the main culprit… might be none other than the princess herself.”

“Really?” Jiang Qionglin was astonished and quickly grabbed the book to examine it. Sure enough, at the bottom of the page about the maid Langzhu, he found this record.

Every major event from birth to present for each accompanying person was listed to verify identity.

With a loud “thud,” Jiang Qionglin slammed the book onto the table, angrily exclaiming, “The Turkic delegation is crying wolf; their hearts are despicable!”

“Does Lord Jiang have a plan now?” Shuxiang didn’t look up.

“Please thank Master Di for me. Another day, Qionglin will surely visit to express gratitude. Farewell.”

Jiang Qionglin picked up the book and hurried towards the Ministry of Rites.

He didn’t rush back to the palace to report to the Empress because he preferred to prepare thoroughly before taking action. He needed to understand the situation fully before making any decisions.

On the second floor of the medical hall, the window of Di Jiang’s room was slightly ajar. Hidden in her room, she could just see Jiang Qionglin’s retreating figure fading into the distance.

After Jiang Qionglin completely disappeared from her view, Di Jiang raised her head. Just as she was about to sleep again, she noticed the bedroom window of the coffin shop across the way was also open.

Wu Rui’an and Di Jiang exchanged glances and smiled.

“What did you give him?” Wu Rui’an asked.

“Guess?” Di Jiang winked.

“You’re mysterious. How can this king guess?” Wu Rui’an pouted, looking dissatisfied.

Di Jiang smiled faintly, “You will know soon.”

Di Jiang closed the window and continued sleeping.

Her choice to avoid meeting Jiang Qionglin was to prevent complications. All of this was merely her conjecture.

However, she rarely guessed without reason. Whenever she did, nine out of ten times, she was correct.

If not, she would find ways to ensure accuracy.

…

At this moment, in the Qinzheng Hall of Taiji Palace, Empress Chen Zhao sat on the throne, listening to Gongsun Miao’s report on the Turkic delegation.

Gongsun Miao frankly stated, “The envoy has been frequently corresponding with the Turks, sending three letters daily. The message will soon reach the Khan’s hands. What will happen afterward, this minister cannot estimate. I hope to solve the case as soon as possible, otherwise, it will be increasingly disadvantageous for Xuanwu.”

“I understand.” Chen Zhao was extremely troubled.

This matter was of great importance; how could she not know?

Without a stable solution, it might drag the populace into the flames of war, causing widespread suffering.

“Summon Minister Ci Wen of the Dali Temple and Prefect Wen Li of Jingzhao.”

After Chen Zhao spoke, the attending eunuch immediately dispatched riders to summon them.

Not long after, the Qinzheng Hall quickly gathered a group of officials from the Dali Temple, Jingzhao Prefecture, Ministry of Rites, Ministry of Revenue, and the Left Chancellor’s office.

These people had not rested properly for days, always feeling like a heavy sword hung over their heads.

After Ci Wen and Wen Li arrived, they discussed and eventually formulated two emergency plans. First, compensate the Turks with a million taels of gold and countless cattle, sheep, and horses. Second, find a scapegoat to hand over to the Turks. In any case, Prince Wu must not be implicated.

Of course, no one present hoped the real culprit was Prince Wu. However, given the current state of the investigation, he remained the prime suspect. If the Turks didn’t accept, they would have to send military officers to fight to the bitter end.

Whichever plan was chosen, it would severely drain resources, and opposition was widespread.

Just as Chen Zhao was being driven to distraction by the clamor of officials, Jiang Qionglin appeared like a breath of spring, quickly walking up the hall and kneeling, “Your humble servant greets Your Majesty, long live Your Majesty, long live Your Majesty forever—”

“Qionglin? How are you up already?” Chen Zhao’s heart ached, and she quickly descended the throne to help him up, asking, “Are you feeling better?”

“Reporting to Your Majesty, this subordinate is fine.” Jiang Qionglin lowered his head.

“Glad to hear it… glad to hear it.” Chen Zhao sighed in relief.

At this moment, beside them, the ministers were all dumbfounded. Especially Ci Wen, whose face alternated between red and white, displaying quite the show.

Their eyes held the same question: How could Jiang Qionglin, who was publicly humiliated by the Empress yesterday, today enjoy even greater favor than before?

Chen Zhao ignored their confusion and calmly returned to the throne. “Ahem—!” She coughed twice, bringing everyone back to attention.

“Lord Jiang, do you have something to report?” Chen Zhao asked.

“Reporting to Your Majesty, this subordinate has discovered a lead in Princess Tianxiang’s case.” Jiang Qionglin replied.

“Oh? Quickly, tell us!” Chen Zhao was full of expectation, and the assembled officials listened intently.

Jiang Qionglin nodded and said, “This is the list of accompanying maids prepared by the Ministry of Rites. One maid named Langzhu has been missing for three days. Records indicate that Langzhu fractured her shinbone as a child, leaving a one-inch scar, almost identical to the injury previously suffered by Princess Tianxiang.”

“Nonsense!” Ci Wen interjected. “The coroner’s report clearly states that Princess Tianxiang’s body bore no marks. A princess, high above all, how could she have such a wound for no reason?”

“This subordinate initially had the same doubt, so before coming here, I specially checked the princess’s body at the Jingzhao Prefecture,” Jiang Qionglin looked at Ci Wen, showing no retreat. “There indeed were no obvious scars on the princess’s body, but if you carefully wipe off the powder on her calf, you will find this mark. The powder covering the scar isn’t ordinary cosmetic powder used by women but is made from special materials, ensuring it remains intact even when wet and lasts indefinitely. The coroner’s failure to discover it earlier is understandable.”

“Truly?” Chen Zhao’s expression brightened, a rare sight of her smiling.

Jiang Qionglin nodded. “This subordinate dares not deceive Your Majesty.”

“Good, good, good. This is the best news I’ve heard in three days. Quickly, summon the coroner to the hall!” As soon as Chen Zhao finished speaking, the attending eunuch immediately set to work.

At this moment, Jiang Qionglin added, “Please host a banquet tonight for the Turkic delegation. This subordinate wants to interrogate them in person.”

“This…” Chen Zhao hesitated, “On what grounds?”

“A family banquet will suffice; no need to alarm them.” Jiang Qionglin calmly replied.

“Do as Lord Jiang suggests.” Chen Zhao nodded and promptly announced the decree.

Officials from the Ministry of Rites immediately withdrew to begin arranging tonight’s banquet, leaving the Prefect of Jingzhao and the Minister of the Dali Temple along with others standing in the hall, exchanging glances.

“Any more matters, my lords?” Chen Zhao coldly asked.

Ci Wen and Wen Li, intimidated by her gaze, immediately knelt, pleading, “Your Majesty, it was our incompetence. We beg Your Majesty’s forgiveness.”

“What fault do you bear, my lords?” Chen Zhao frowned, her expression somber.

At this moment, Jiang Qionglin also knelt, saying, “This matter is not solely my achievement. Minister Ci and Minister Wen both fully assisted. They now wish to attribute all the credit to this subordinate, but I dare not accept it.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Ci Wen and Wen Li both turned to look at him, their eyes filled with astonishment.

They seemed unable to believe that Jiang Qionglin’s breadth of mind far exceeded that of an ordinary commoner.

In this situation, if it were someone else, they might have already reported them to Her Majesty…

“Enough, rise,” Chen Zhao, hearing this, smiled warmly. “You are all my left and right arms. No one’s contributions should be overlooked. We still rely heavily on all of you for future matters.”

“Yes, we receive the decree.”

The three rose, exchanged slightly awkward smiles, and then left the hall together.

Outside the hall, Ci Wen wanted to express gratitude to Jiang Qionglin but found that the latter had no intention of acknowledging him.

Without a glance at Ci Wen, Jiang Qionglin departed directly.

Leaving Ci Wen standing behind him, utterly astonished.

After a long while, he could only shake his head and leave with a wry smile.