Even as he quietly left the ancestral shrine, the feeling of being watched did not fade.
Only after he left the Palace of Compassionate Tranquility did it disappear.
The sensation left him uneasy.
There had to be something strange in that shrine, and it most likely had something to do with Emperor Xianzong's portrait and spirit tablet.
After returning to the Martial Suppression Bureau, Zhao Feng spent two days compiling all the clues from his investigation of the Empress Dowager into a brief report. He folded it, tucked it into his sleeve, and entered the palace again.
The bamboo blinds in the Imperial Study had been replaced with thick winter curtains, further dimming the afternoon light and shrouding the room in an even wash of warm gray.
Emperor Jing sat behind his desk without a memorial in his hands, as though he had been waiting for him.
"Your Majesty, I have come to report on the matter concerning the Empress Dowager."
Zhao Feng did not sit. He placed the few pages of notes on the edge of the desk, then stepped back, keeping his voice just loud enough to carry across it.
Emperor Jing picked up the report and read it carefully. His expression grew increasingly grave, and he gripped the pages so tightly that his knuckles began to whiten.
After a long silence, Emperor Jing spoke. His voice was quiet and distinctly hoarse.
"Prince of Northern Pacification, you dared enter the Palace of Compassionate Tranquility and the late emperor's ancestral shrine without permission. You have some nerve."
"Forgive me, Your Majesty." Yet there was not the slightest plea for forgiveness in Zhao Feng's words.
"You suspect something is wrong with the late emperor's spirit tablet and portrait?" Emperor Jing asked.
"Yes. That is why I must make a request