The question was so direct—and the weight of it so heavy—that the smile on Dowager Consort An’s lips slowly faded.

She remained silent for a long while before gently shaking her head.

“I don’t know.”

Fan Changyu was taken aback by the answer, but Dowager Consort An continued.

“In the early winter of the sixteenth year of Qishun, the fighting at Jinzhou had become increasingly desperate. At the same time, the Sixteenth Prince, who had long competed with the Crown Prince for the throne, caused another disaster in Luo City. Although Noble Consort Jia’s faction did everything they could to keep it quiet, there are no secrets that stay hidden forever. I still heard bits and pieces.”

She looked at Fan Changyu.

“Do you know what trouble the Sixteenth Prince caused?”

Fan Changyu nodded.

Had the Sixteenth Prince not recklessly sought military glory and become trapped in Luo City, her grandfather would never have been forced into such an impossible dilemma.

Dowager Consort An sighed softly.

“I don’t know how the late emperor handled matters in court, as I remained confined to the inner palace. But I imagine he would never have abandoned the Sixteenth Prince. During that period, Noble Consort Jia also became much quieter. The late emperor seemed intent on giving her the cold shoulder. He stopped visiting her palace and instead spent most of his time with Rongyin.”

“At the time, I thought that after everything that had happened, Noble Consort Jia and the Sixteenth Prince had both fallen from favor. Once the Crown Prince returned victorious from Jinzhou, how could the Sixteenth Prince possibly continue competing for the position of heir?”

“Then… Rongyin was found to be pregnant.”

She paused.

Whether because the memories were absurd or for some other reason, even the fingers moving over her prayer beads slowed.

“The entire Imperial Medical Bureau was summoned to examine her. Yet no matter how many physicians checked her pulse, the estimated stage of her pregnancy did not match the records kept by the Office of Imperial Consorts.”

Fan Changyu’s eyes flew open.

Sadness filled Dowager Consort An’s gaze.

“Rongyin was already three months pregnant. Counting backward, she would have conceived sometime around the Mid-Autumn Festival.”

“That year’s Mid-Autumn banquet… something happened.”

“Wei Yan became drunk during the banquet and, while intoxicated, forced himself upon a palace maid at the pavilion by Taiye Lake. Unfortunately for him, the late emperor happened to arrive with his ministers while they were admiring the moon and caught them red-handed.”

“I heard the late emperor’s face darkened considerably. But since the woman was only a palace maid, he couldn’t make too great a scene of it.”

“So he simply bestowed the maid upon Wei Yan.”

Instantly, Fan Changyu thought of how the young emperor had tried to frame Xie Zheng on New Year’s Eve.

Her brows drew together.

“So… Wei Yan was set up?”

Otherwise, how could it have been such a coincidence that the emperor appeared with all the ministers at precisely that moment?

And since Consort Shu’s pregnancy timeline didn’t match the palace records, then the woman Wei Yan had supposedly violated while drunk had probably never been a palace maid at all.

It was very likely Consort Shu herself.

Dowager Consort An merely sighed.

“How could I possibly know?”

“But Rongyin undoubtedly incurred the emperor’s wrath.”

“Every servant in Qingyuan Palace was beaten to death during the interrogation, yet no one confessed to anything. Rongyin herself was confined within Qingyuan Palace. Every day, elderly palace matrons questioned her…”

“…asking who she had been involved with.”

“On the night of the Laba Festival, Qingyuan Palace suddenly caught fire. When the Imperial Guards rushed over to extinguish the flames, they found Wei Yan nearby.”

Fan Changyu stared at her.

“So it really was Wei Yan who set fire to Consort Shu’s palace?”

Dowager Consort An answered,

“That was what everyone in the palace believed.”

“I had known Rongyin for many years. When I rushed over after hearing the news, the fire had already grown so fierce that no one could get inside.”

Fan Changyu noticed her voice had become hoarse.

Looking up, she saw a tear slowly slide from the corner of the older woman’s eye.

Her voice trembled slightly.

“Have you ever seen people throw water onto a fire…”

“…only for the flames to burn even higher?”

“I have.”

“The entire blaze reeked of tung oil.”

Fan Changyu frowned.

“So… it was the late emperor who burned Consort Shu alive?”

Dowager Consort An dabbed away her tears with a handkerchief, barely maintaining her composure.

“I never got to see Rongyin one last time. I cannot tell you exactly how she died.”

“But…”

“…the tung oil was indeed poured onto Qingyuan Palace by the Imperial Guards who had supposedly come to put out the fire.”

“At dawn, the palace was surrounded. The sounds of battle shook the heavens. I only survived because I tightly shut the gates of Shouyang Palace.”

“That day, even the waters of the moat surrounding the imperial city turned red with blood.”

“The white marble steps before Taihe Gate reeked of blood for an entire month, no matter how much they were washed.”

“Everyone in the palace was replaced.”

“The late emperor and Noble Consort Jia both passed away soon afterward, consumed by grief.”

“The slaughter that filled the palace before dawn that day…”

“…sometimes it feels as though I alone still remember it.”

“It’s almost like it was all just a dream.”

Incense smoke drifted lazily through the Buddhist hall.

Even the White Jade Guanyin enshrined upon the altar seemed imbued with greater compassion.

Fan Changyu rose, cupped her fists respectfully, and bowed.

“Thank you, Your Highness, for telling me about the past.”

—

After leaving the small Buddhist shrine, Fan Changyu drew in a deep breath of the cold, refreshing air scented with snow.

She stood quietly for a long moment, absentmindedly watching the birds perched atop the palace walls.

The mysteries surrounding Wei Yan were becoming increasingly tangled.

He had originally been ordered to mobilize reinforcements, yet halfway through the journey he handed that responsibility to her father before turning back toward the capital himself.

Had he already conspired with Prince Changxin by then?

Had he already planned for Jinzhou to fall, returning to the capital early in order to seize control there?

If that were truly the case, then with Wei Yan’s careful nature, he should never have recklessly sneaked into Consort Shu’s palace.

An even stranger question remained.

If he had gone there intending to silence Consort Shu because he feared she might expose him…

…why had the late emperor then ordered the Imperial Guards to pour tung oil over her palace?

Fan Changyu frowned deeply.

Thinking back to what Dowager Consort An had said—that Wei Yan had become drunk during the Mid-Autumn banquet and supposedly violated a palace maid, only to be discovered by the emperor and his ministers—she became increasingly convinced that Wei Yan had been framed that time as well.

Then perhaps the late emperor had deliberately caught Wei Yan sneaking into Qingyuan Palace.

Wei Yan had escaped thanks to his martial skills, but Consort Shu had remained behind.

Enraged and humiliated, the late emperor might have burned Consort Shu alive before shifting all the blame onto Wei Yan.

Afterward, Wei Yan had launched the palace coup simply to protect himself.

Filled with unanswered questions, Fan Changyu headed toward Wenyuan Pavilion to find Xie Zheng.

Before she had even left Shouyang Palace, someone called after her.

“General Fan, please wait!”

She turned around.

A breathtaking beauty in magnificent court attire was walking toward her.

The elaborate palace robes, embroidered with golden thread and floral patterns, were as splendid as the jeweled flowers adorning her coiffure.

She herself was every bit as dazzling as a blooming peony.

Although she walked swiftly, the tassels of her phoenix hairpin swayed only slightly, giving her an effortless elegance and noble bearing.

Fan Changyu guessed this must be the Grand Princess.

She cupped her fists.

“Greetings, Your Highness.”

Qi Shu quickly returned the courtesy.

“There’s no need for such formality, General.”

She handed Fan Changyu an exquisitely decorated brocade box.

“I hope you’ll forgive me for stopping you so abruptly. I’d like to trouble you with delivering this to Mister Gongsun.”

The box felt surprisingly light in Fan Changyu’s hands.

She assumed it contained something that was inconvenient to send from within the palace to the outside world.

“I’ll be sure to deliver it to Mister Gongsun personally.”

“Thank you, General.”

Qi Shu gave a graceful curtsy.

As she turned to leave, however, her eyes lingered on the brocade box, a trace of melancholy hidden within them.

Finding it rather strange, Fan Changyu looked at the box once more before tucking it into her robes and continuing toward Wenyuan Pavilion.

—

Using the excuse that the young emperor had fallen ill after the shock of recent events, Xie Zheng had suspended court sessions for several days.

Even so, important memorials submitted by the officials still required his approval after Gongsun Yin sorted through them.

Before Fan Changyu entered the hall, she heard Gongsun Yin complaining loudly.

“The Three Departments and Six Ministries are all pressing for Wei Yan’s case to be concluded. Just look at this old fox’s confession. Does he think this is some kind of game?”

The more he spoke, the angrier he became.

He slapped a confession onto the desk before Xie Zheng.

Even in the freezing weather, he fanned himself furiously.

“He admits he delayed military reinforcements, causing Jinzhou to fall. Then he claims he feared punishment, so he massacred the imperial palace, seized power, altered the imperial edicts, and pinned every crime on Old General Meng.”

“Tell me—who would believe this confession?”

“If he really delayed the reinforcements, then he should’ve been somewhere on the road to Jinzhou.”

“So how did he end up in the capital instead?”

Xie Zheng calmly continued writing at his desk without even lifting his head.

Gongsun Yin pulled out a second confession from his sleeve and slapped it down as well.

“And here’s the revised confession I got after asking why he returned to the capital early.”

“This time he changed his story.”

“He admits the Jinzhou Massacre was entirely his own design.”

“His reason?”

“He disagreed politically with the Crown Prince of Chengde. In order to monopolize power and build his own great legacy, he deliberately handed Wei Qilin a fake Chongzhou Tiger Tally…”

Fan Changyu knew this was almost certainly another false confession Wei Yan had fabricated.

The Tiger Tally her father had carried had been genuine.

She stepped into the room.

“Did Wei Yan confess to defiling the imperial harem?”

“General Fan, you’re back.”

Gongsun Yin greeted her before answering.

“No.”

“He refuses to admit it.”

“In fact, he won’t mention that matter at all.”

The man who had been reviewing memorials finally looked up after Fan Changyu entered.

Xie Zheng silently pulled out a chair beside him.

Fan Changyu sat down next to him as naturally as breathing.

Pretending not to notice, Gongsun Yin continued.

“Strange, isn’t it?”

“He’s confessed without blinking to countless crimes—whether he committed them or not.”

“But of all things…”

“He keeps avoiding this affair.”

A porcelain cup clinked softly.

Xie Zheng poured another cup of hot tea and handed it to Fan Changyu.

“It’s cold outside. Warm yourself.”

She really was thirsty.

Taking the cup, she tilted her head back and drank it in several large gulps.

The corner of Gongsun Yin’s mouth twitched.

He had known Xie Zheng for years.

Never—not once—had he seen the man personally pour tea for anyone.

Suppressing his irritation, he continued.

“The palace maid from the Cold Palace also died at Wei Yan’s hands.”

“So I believe the affair between Wei Yan and Consort Shu was probably real.”

“He simply kept trying to cover it up…”

“It’ll be a while before dinner. If you’re hungry, have some pastries first.”

The cool, calm voice interrupted once again.

Right before Gongsun Yin’s eyes, the usually expressionless Xie Zheng reached behind him, pulled out a food box, and carefully set a plate of pastries before Fan Changyu.

That was the final straw.

Just as Fan Changyu accepted the plate—

Bang!

A loud smack echoed through the room.

She turned to see Gongsun Yin standing with both hands planted on the table.

The veins on his forehead bulged visibly.

“Xie Jiuheng!”

“That’s enough!”

Fan Changyu blinked in confusion.

She picked up one pastry for herself, then pushed the entire plate toward Gongsun Yin.

Her bright almond-shaped eyes were completely sincere.

The meaning couldn’t have been clearer.

You can have some too.

Gongsun Yin nearly fainted from anger.

As if adding fuel to the fire, Xie Zheng said coolly,

“Don’t mind him.”

Unable to contain himself any longer, Gongsun Yin roared,

“Xie Jiuheng! The day will come when you’ll have to ask me for help! I’ve been talking this whole time—”

Xie Zheng calmly cut him off.

“Consort Shu was a descendant of the Qi family.”

“Wei Yan was once taught by Old General Qi.”

Gongsun Yin froze.

The broken train of thought in his mind instantly connected.

“So…”

“The reason Wei Yan concealed the affair…”

“…was to protect the Qi family’s reputation?”

Old General Qi and all of his sons had died in battle.

The Qi family was celebrated as a household of loyal martyrs.

The Crown Prince of Chengde had also inherited the Qi family’s unwavering integrity and was deeply loved by the people.

If such a distinguished family produced an unfaithful imperial consort…

…their reputation would indeed be forever stained.

After thinking for a moment, Fan Changyu shook her head.

“I don’t think he was protecting the Qi family’s reputation.”

“I think…”

“…he was protecting Consort Shu’s.”

“They had a past together.”

“And the crimes Wei Yan committed are the sort that will be cursed for generations.”

“If he admitted to having an affair with Consort Shu…”

“…then history would condemn her alongside him forever.”

Throughout every dynasty, imperial consorts who had become entangled with both emperors and ministers had always been remembered for scandal rather than virtue.

The stories written about them in unofficial histories were even more vulgar.

They became little more than gossip for drunken loafers after meals.

For an ordinary woman, merely being associated with such disgrace would often leave suicide as the only means of preserving her honor.

Gongsun Yin slowly sat back down.

“If that’s really the case…”

“Then it’s rather astonishing.”

“A man as cold-hearted as Wei Yan would actually go this far for a woman?”

Fan Changyu then recounted everything she had learned from Dowager Consort An.

After she finished, both Xie Zheng and Gongsun Yin fell silent.

She continued,

“If the late emperor truly framed Wei Yan back then, then Consort Shu’s death—and even that palace coup—may not be as simple as they appear.”

“But there’s still one thing I can’t understand.”

“If Wei Yan cared so much about preserving Consort Shu’s reputation that he still protected it after her death…”

“…then why, when he was discovered sneaking into Qingyuan Palace all those years ago, did he abandon her and flee alone?”

Xie Zheng remained silent.

Gongsun Yin rubbed his forehead.

“Unless…”

“Unless that old fox knew he couldn’t save her…”

“…and wasn’t willing to die alongside her.”

“He fled instead.”

“Then, after spending all these years intoxicated by power, he gradually came to regret it…”

“…and tried to make amends.”

Fan Changyu said nothing.

If that were truly the truth…

…then everything Wei Yan was doing now to preserve Consort Shu’s reputation would seem pitifully ironic.

“In my opinion…”

Gongsun Yin suddenly spoke.

“…perhaps it’s time to close the case.”

Neither Fan Changyu nor Xie Zheng responded.

Using the handle of his fan, Gongsun Yin tapped lightly on the table.

“The masterminds behind the Jinzhou Massacre were Wei Yan and Sui Tuo. The Sui family has already been wiped out.”

“Wei Yan has also been brought to justice.”

“The false accusations against Old General Meng can now be cleared.”

“Once Wei Yan dies, the countless lives he owes will have been repaid.”

“Wouldn’t that be enough of an explanation to the soldiers who died at Jinzhou and to the people of the realm?”

Still neither of them spoke.

Growing helpless, Gongsun Yin continued,

“If we can’t force the truth out of Wei Yan, we can’t keep dragging this on forever.”

“And besides…”

“…the new emperor must soon ascend the throne.”

Silence lingered.

Only after a long while did a calm yet resolute voice finally break it.

“No.”

“The case cannot be closed.”

Gongsun Yin looked up.

Xie Zheng also turned slightly toward the speaker.

Sunlight streamed through the half-open lattice window, bathing the hall in brilliant light.

The young female general sat upright upon the cushion in her soft armor.

Her long lashes were lowered slightly.

Her features were resolute, and her entire bearing radiated courage.

Gongsun Yin asked,

“Why not?”

Fan Changyu slowly lifted her head.

Her eyes, illuminated by the morning light, resembled an endless sea shimmering beneath the sun.

“We’ve already reached this position.”

“We shouldn’t end a case so carelessly.”

“Even in the courtroom of a mere seventh-rank county magistrate hangs the plaque that reads, ‘Justice as Clear as a Mirror.'”

“What it represents…”

“…is fairness.”

“…and justice.”

“Wei Yan murdered my parents.”

“He ruined my grandfather’s good name.”

“I hate him to my very core.”

“He committed countless unforgivable crimes.”

“He deserves to die.”

“But not like this.”

Her gaze was unwavering.

“The Jinzhou Massacre deserves the truth.”

“The real truth.”

Not a muddled conclusion where Wei Yan simply dies and everyone claims old debts have finally been settled.

If Wei Yan died now…

…the truth behind everything that happened seventeen years ago would be buried forever.

The last trace of casualness vanished from Gongsun Yin’s eyes.

He studied Fan Changyu with unprecedented seriousness.

The young woman before him was still the same brave and sincere person she had always been.

Yet now, that sincerity and courage had gained something deeper.

Not the towering majesty of lofty mountains…

…but something broader still.

Like the endless earth beneath their feet.

Only such fertile land could nurture mountains that pierced the heavens.

That realization left Gongsun Yin stunned for quite some time.

It wasn’t until Xie Zheng spoke that he finally returned to his senses.

“We’ll continue investigating the Jinzhou case.”

“As for the new emperor’s enthronement…”

“…begin making preparations.”

The first sentence was directed at Fan Changyu.

The second was for Gongsun Yin.

Gongsun Yin nodded.

As he rose, however, he solemnly bowed to Fan Changyu.

“I am ashamed of what I said earlier.”

His sincerity caught Fan Changyu off guard.

She hurriedly replied,

“Mister Gongsun was only considering the overall situation.”

She suddenly remembered something and handed him the brocade box.

“Oh—that reminds me.”

“The Grand Princess asked me to give this to you.”

The moment Gongsun Yin accepted the box, his expression subtly changed.

“Did Her Highness ask General Fan to pass along any message as well?”

Fan Changyu answered truthfully.

“No.”

“I see.”

“Then… thank you, General.”

He smiled.

Yet his smile lacked its usual carefree ease.

After Gongsun Yin left, Fan Changyu turned to Xie Zheng.

“Don’t you think Mister Gongsun acted rather strangely after receiving that box?”

Xie Zheng wrapped his arms around her from behind.

“He avoided the Grand Princess for so many years.”

“But…”

“…time is no longer on her side.”

Before Fan Changyu could fully understand what he meant, she felt a weight settle against her shoulder.

Xie Zheng had rested his chin gently in the crook of her neck.

“Thank you.”

His voice was low and hoarse.

With Wei Yan’s death, he might never learn why his father had truly died.

The murder of his parents.

The injustice suffered by the Meng family.

How could she not hate Wei Yan?

Once Wei Yan died, her vengeance would finally be complete.

Yet…

She had rejected Gongsun Yin’s proposal.

Fan Changyu turned her head and smiled at him.

“General Xie and the Crown Prince of Chengde deserve the truth behind their deaths.”

“So do the tens of thousands of soldiers who died at Jinzhou.”

She placed her hand over the one encircling her waist.

Her eyes remained as pure and sincere as ever.

“We’ll find it together.”

“We will.”

—

The breakthrough came after Yu Qianqian arrived in the capital.

Fan Changyu had never mentioned Qi Min in front of her.

But with both her and Xie Zheng investigating Wei Yan and the Sui family so relentlessly, Yu Qianqian inevitably learned what was happening.

A nation could not remain without a ruler.

While Xie Zheng and Tang Peiyi discussed placing Yu Bao’er on the throne, there remained one unavoidable problem.

Qi Min was still clinging to life.

How should the Imperial Grandson die?

Although Yu Bao’er was still very young and shared no fatherly affection with Qi Min whatsoever, Tang Peiyi and the others still opposed having Xie Zheng execute him personally.

They argued that blood ties were innate.

If someone later manipulated Yu Bao’er, it could become a hidden danger.

Fan Changyu was unconcerned.

“I’ll kill him.”

“That child understands right from wrong.”

“He knows his biological father was no good man.”

“And even if, ten thousand years from now, he comes to hate me…”

“…it was I who saved him from Qi Min’s blade in the first place.”

“I’m not afraid of his hatred.”

Without drawing attention to it, Xie Zheng gently clasped her wrist, signaling for her not to argue further.

“I’ll go.”

His voice was calm.

He repeated it once.

It wasn’t a suggestion.

It was simply a decision.

Tang Peiyi was about to object again when a woman’s voice suddenly came from the doorway.

“My Lord Marquis… Generals…”

“…allow me to go.”

Everyone turned toward the entrance.

A graceful young woman slowly pushed open the door and stepped inside.

Fan Changyu was startled.

“Qianqian? Why are you here?”

The other generals and advisers weren’t particularly familiar with Yu Qianqian.

Faced with the future Empress Dowager, they treated her with respectful courtesy.

Looking at Fan Changyu, Yu Qianqian said,

“I know you’re only trying to protect me.”

“Bao’er and I already owe you and the Marquis far too much.”

“So let me kill Qi Min.”

“It will eliminate him…”

“…and perhaps he’ll also reveal the truth about the collusion between Wei Yan and the Sui family.”

“It can only benefit us.”

After hearing those words, every argument Fan Changyu had prepared disappeared.

In the end, she simply looked at Yu Qianqian and said,

“Then…”

“I’ll go with you.”