Brainstorming

At the beginning of Chen Shi (7-9 AM), the side gate of the Meridian Gate slowly opened, and the old eunuch walked to the door and announced loudly, "The court session begins!"

The noise immediately ceased, and the civil and military officials entered through the side gate in an orderly fashion, with civil officials on the left and military officials on the right, clearly separated.

After entering the Meridian Gate, officials of the fourth rank and above entered the hall, those of the fourth rank and below stayed at the hall entrance, and those of the sixth rank and below stayed in the square.

The officials entered the main hall and waited for a quarter of an hour before Emperor Yuanjing arrived late.

A multitude of gazes fell upon the monarch, attempting to glean clues from his eyes and expressions.

All of them failed. Emperor Yuanjing reigned for thirty-seven years. His cunning and experience were so profound that very few in the court could rival him.

That includes Wei Yuan and Chief Minister Wang.

This court assembly was no different from usual; the emperor and his ministers presented their reports as normal.

"Your Majesty, tens of thousands of people froze to death in Chuzhou during the dead of winter. The Provincial Administration Commission has exhausted its funds and grain reserves to provide relief to the victims. We humbly request Your Majesty to issue an edict ordering the Ministry of Revenue to allocate funds."

"The national treasury is empty; for disaster relief, we can solicit donations from the local gentry," Emperor Yuanjing replied.

"Your Majesty, the northern barbarians have repeatedly invaded the borders. Since the beginning of spring, border conflicts have intensified, and we must take precautions."

"Your Majesty, the Prince of Zhenbei ignored the barbarian raids on the border, stubbornly defending the border city without sending a single soldier, causing the border people to be displaced and suffer heavy casualties. I beg Your Majesty to punish him."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Yuanjing looked at Wei Yuan, his voice devoid of emotion. "Minister Wei, what is the situation with the northern barbarians?"

Wei Yuan frowned and said, "At the end of last year, heavy snow fell in the north for months, freezing countless livestock to death. I foresaw at the time that the barbarians would come south to plunder."

Emperor Yuanjing suddenly remembered this incident and frowned, asking, "What happened next? Why didn't the Nightwatchers receive advance warning when the barbarians invaded the border?"

"It was my oversight," Wei Yuan said.

Actually, he took back his spies in the north and transferred them to the northeast.

Emperor Yuanjing said calmly, "The northern barbarians have invaded from the south. Wei Yuan has failed in his duty of oversight. He is hereby dismissed from his post as Left Censor-in-Chief and fined one year's salary."

The hall fell silent for a moment, and a multitude of question marks raced through the minds of the assembled officials.

While Nightwatchers have a duty to gather intelligence, that's a secondary task. Furthermore, with the northern barbarians invading from the south, and the Prince of Zhenbei holding firm and refusing to fight, what use would it be even if he knew beforehand that the barbarians were going to invade the border?

How can this blame be placed on Wei Yuan?

However, Emperor Yuanjing was surprised to see his attacks turn against Wei Yuan. Despite their confusion, the civil officials immediately seized the opportunity to attack Wei Yuan and exclaimed that the emperor was wise.

An imperial censor stepped forward and emphasized, "Your Majesty, the Prince of Zhenbei has stood idly by while the people suffer the calamities of war. We beg Your Majesty to punish him."

Emperor Yuanjing's response was simply, "I understand."

The censor reluctantly returned.

As the court session drew to a close, after the officials finished dealing with the backlog of government affairs and ceased presenting their memorials, Emperor Yuanjing raised his index finger and gently tapped the table.

An old eunuch in a python robe stepped forward and looked around at the assembled officials.

Upon their arrival, the officials in the hall were taken aback.

The proceedings had been normal, and although the removal of Wei Yuan from his position as Left Censor-in-Chief was unexpected, Emperor Yuanjing's sudden call to court was definitely not due to this "trivial matter."

The old eunuch unfolded the imperial edict in his hand and announced loudly, "I have investigated the whole story of the Consort Fu case. Empress Shangguan instructed the palace maid Huang Xiaorou to murder Consort Fu and frame the Crown Prince."

"After repeated questioning by me, Lady Shangguan confessed to her crimes without reservation. The Empress has lost her order and is unworthy of her position; she is not fit to receive the Mandate of Heaven. She is hereby stripped of her imperial seal and ribbons and dismissed to reside in Changchun Palace."

Changchun Palace was the Cold Palace.

Inside and outside the hall, there was a deathly silence.

From the highest-ranking officials to the ministers outside the palace, everyone who heard the contents of the imperial edict was completely dumbfounded.

In the silence, a deep voice broke the silence:

"Your Majesty, this is unacceptable."

Emperor Yuanjing squinted, his face expressionless as he looked at the figure in blue robes who stepped forward.

Wei Yuan's temples were gray, and his eyes held the vicissitudes of time as he stared directly into Emperor Yuanjing's eyes.

After an unknown amount of time, the Minister of Ministry of Justice and the Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review stepped forward simultaneously and declared loudly, "Your Majesty, the case of Consort Fu has not been tried by the Three Judicial Offices and cannot be hastily concluded."

Emperor Yuanjing said, word by word, "This is my family matter."

The newly appointed Ministry of Rites stepped forward, bowed, and said loudly, "Your Majesty, deposing the Empress is also a matter of great national importance and should not be taken lightly. I urge Your Majesty to submit the case of Consort Fu to the Three Judicial Offices for review before making a decision."

Although the imperial edict stated that the empress had confessed her guilt, the matter of deposing the empress was of great importance, and the officials, unaware of the full situation, would not agree to Emperor Yuanjing's decision.

"Can!"

Early in the morning, after Xu Xinnian finished washing up, he went to the back hall to have breakfast. In the distance, he saw Xu Lingyin, wearing a little dress, sitting on the steps outside the hall, her cheeks puffed out angrily.

The little figure looked all alone and pitiful.

"Lingyin, what are you doing sitting here?" Xu Xinnian asked.

Xu Lingyin glanced up, then ignored her.

"Your second brother is asking you a question." Xu Xinnian frowned.

"Mother kicked me out and beat me," Xu Lingyin complained. "Second brother, can you help me scold Mother?"

Xu Xinnian shook his head.

The little boy, with an "I knew it!" look on his face, wrinkled his nose and said, "I wish my older brother were home. He loves to bully Mom."

Xu Xinnian entered the hall and sat in his familiar seat. As Lü'e ate, he asked, "Mother, did Lingyin make you angry again?"

"No, it was your older brother who made me angry," the aunt said coldly.

"My older brother hasn't come back yet."

My aunt sneered, "That's the skill of your eldest brother. Even when he's not here, he can still make me furious."

Xu Xinnian glanced at his younger sister and father, who were eating their porridge with their heads down, and asked, "What happened?"

Xu Lingyue whispered, "Lingyin ate steamed buns today, spitting them out after each bite, saying that this way she could keep eating them forever."

"You learned this from your older brother?" Xu Xinnian's lips twitched.

Xu Lingyue nodded.

Second Uncle Xu added, "After Lingyin finished vomiting, she felt it was a waste and wanted to pick it up and eat it, but your mother beat her up."

Xu Xinnian:

He looked down under the table and saw that he had indeed spat out quite a few chewed bun crumbs.

"My older brother didn't come home again today," Xu Lingyue said dejectedly.

Xu Erlang and Xu Pingzhi said in unison, "They must be at the Imperial Academy of Music)."

Xu Qi'an woke up in a side room in the backyard of the yamen. The huge courtyard was quiet, with only an old clerk hunched over sweeping the ground.

"This blanket hasn't been washed in ages; it smells awful. Dormitory dorms are just garbage."

He disgustedly threw off the covers, got out of bed with unsteady steps, and pushed open the window to let the sunlight in.

This is the communal dormitory of the Nightwatchers's office, where the clerks and Nightwatchers night duty rest. Except for the one with the golden gong, who has a private room, all the other rooms are shared.

The sanitation was terrible, and who knows how many children and grandchildren were buried under those thick quilts.

Thanks to the spirit medicine from the Bureau of Astronomy and his own strong physique, the penetrating wound in his left shoulder has scabbed over and will be fully healed in two more days.

However, the energy depleted by the Heaven and Earth One Slash had not yet recovered, and he was as exhausted as a Seven-Spear Leaf, his body completely hollowed out.

Xu Qi'an poured himself a cup of tea to rinse his mouth, then went to the courtyard to fetch a bucket of cool, clear well water. After washing his face, he headed to Chunfeng Hall.

"Phew, that feels good."

After finishing the lavish meal brought by the official, Xu Qi'an patted his bulging belly and lay contentedly on Li Yuchun's chair, his feet propped up on the desk.

Only then did he have time to think about the assassination attempt the previous night.

"I usually leave the palace at the beginning of Shen Shi (3-5 PM), but yesterday I didn't leave until after You Shi (5-7 PM) because I was checking the list of people entering and leaving the Imperial Pharmacy."

"It's not surprising that the assassins lying in ambush knew the route I took home; I walk that route every day. But how did they time it so precisely?"

"The Nightwatchers often keeps watch on the roof, so it's impossible for three assassins to lie on the roof waiting for me forever, otherwise they would have been discovered by the night Nightwatchers on patrol long ago."

"It's obvious they knew when I left the palace. The mastermind behind this is most likely someone from inside the palace; otherwise, there's no way to explain it."

"Was it the Empress? I just uncovered some clues that were detrimental to her yesterday, and she immediately sent someone to assassinate me. Does she want me to stop investigating?"

"If it really was the Empress who did it, then Huaiqing and I have no choice but to divorce."

Xu Qi'an pinched the bridge of his nose.

At this moment, a clerk in black entered Chunfeng Hall and, seeing Xu Qi'an inside, immediately breathed a sigh of relief, "I went to the backyard to look for Lord Xu, but couldn't find him. I thought you had left the yamen."

Xu Qi'an still had his legs propped up on the table, his eyes half-closed. "I won't be going to the palace to investigate the case today. We'll talk about it after I've recovered from my injuries."

The clerk nodded and said, "Duke Wei is looking for you. Please go to Haoqi Tower first."

Ha, it seems Wei Yuan found out about yesterday's assassination attempt. He must be dumbfounded by my achievements. Xu Qi'an put his leg down and stood up from the chair. "Lead the way."

As the official arrived at Haoqi Tower, he easily made his way to the seventh floor. Unexpectedly, besides Wei Yuan, there were two other unexpected guests in the tea room.

Princess Huaiqing, as elegant and noble as a snow lotus; the handsome and reserved fourth prince, the legitimate son of Emperor Yuanjing.

As Huaiqing's elder brother, the fourth prince's features did not resemble his sister's, but he did bear a striking resemblance to Emperor Yuanjing.

Huaiqing bears some resemblance to the Empress, but the difference in temperament between mother and daughter is so great that the slight resemblance is barely noticeable.

All three men looked extremely grim. Wei Yuan held his teacup, head bowed, seemingly unaware of Xu Qi'an's arrival. The Fourth Prince looked up at the sound and nodded slightly to him.

Huaiqing also didn't look at Xu Qi'an, frowning and pondering.

"Duke Wei," Xu Qi'an, clasping his hands in greeting.

Wei Yuan then raised his head, gestured to the seat next to Huai Qing, and said gently, "Sit down."

Xu Qi'an took his seat.

"Were you assassinated last night?" Wei Yuan pushed the teapot towards Xu Qi'an, indicating that he should pour the tea himself.

Having just finished a meal, Xu Qi'an poured himself a cup of tea, but didn't drink it. He nodded and said, "The mastermind behind this is connected to the Fufei case; they're in the palace."

"You suspect it's the Empress?"

Wei Yuan's words were too blunt, Xu Qi'an didn't know how to respond for a moment. He glanced cautiously at Huai Qing.

Huaiqing still didn't look at him, looking preoccupied.

The eldest princess looks just like a woman facing divorce papers, Xu Qi'an thought to himself.

"Today, His Majesty proposed deposing the Empress during the court assembly because the Empress was the mastermind behind the Consort Fu case," Wei Yuan said.

"???"

Xu Qi'an stared blankly at him, the first thought that popped into his mind: How long have I been asleep?

When I woke up, I felt like everything had changed, as if I had slept for a century.

He personally investigated the case of Consort Fu; every step and every clue was meticulously analyzed and painstakingly pieced together. Even he wasn't certain the Empress was the murderer, so what gave Emperor Yuanjing the confidence to?

Does he think he's Conan or Di Renjie?

But then, Princess Huaiqing's next words left Xu Qi'an completely bewildered.

"The Empress Dowager has admitted it."

What are you talking about?

Xu Qi'an waved his hand, "Sorry, I need to calm down."

He thought for a long time, then tentatively asked, "Your Majesty wants to depose the Empress because she is the mastermind behind the Consort Fu case, and she has really confessed?"

The fourth prince nodded.

"Could it be that he was forced?" Xu Qi'an wondered.

"No." Wei Yuan shook his head, his eyes, filled with the wisdom of time, fixed on him, and said in a deep voice:

"You personally investigated the case of Consort Fu. No one knows the clues and details better than you. Think about it carefully. Are there any suspicious or unreasonable aspects? Today, the two princes came to the yamen not only to discuss the matter of deposing the empress with me, but also to ask for your help."

"His Majesty hasn't revoked your gold medal yet. The officials need time to confirm this matter. You still have time to investigate this case."

Huaiqing and the Fourth Prince both looked at Xu Qi'an.

The fourth prince bowed respectfully and said, "Thank you for your trouble, Lord Xu."

Xu Qi'an ignored him and turned his gaze to Huaiqing.

The princess, as elegant and pure as a lotus flower, scrutinized him with eyes as clear as autumn water. "How are your injuries?"

She didn't discuss the proposal; instead, she was concerned about Xu Qi'an's injuries.

"Since you sincerely admitted your mistake, I'll not divorce you." Xu Qi'an hummed in agreement. "Thank you for your concern, Princess. This humble servant is without fault."

He paused, then continued, "In the case of Consort Fu, the Empress certainly had ample motive and reason to frame the Crown Prince. And according to the clues I uncovered yesterday, the real culprit does indeed point to the Empress."

The fourth prince interrupted excitedly, "Impossible! The Empress Dowager would never do such a thing!"

"Your Highness, please don't rush, I haven't finished yet." Xu Qi'an looked at Huaiqing and asked, "Does Your Majesty have any evidence?"

Huaiqing shook his head. "No, it was Mother herself who admitted it."

Xu Qi'an frowned. "That's strange. If His Majesty has no evidence, why would the Empress admit it? And since the Empress has admitted it, why would she still send someone to assassinate me?"

This presents a paradox.

The Fourth Prince sighed, "That's why I came to you. Lord Xu, you've solved so many strange cases. If there's anyone in the capital who can uncover the truth in a short time and clear the Empress Dowager's name, it's you."

After taking his first sip of tea, Xu Qi'an slowly said, "When I first took over the case, I thought there were only two possibilities for the Consort Fu case: one, the Crown Prince did indeed lose control of his temper while drunk and killed Consort Fu."

Second, someone framed the Crown Prince and plotted to seize the position of the Eastern Palace.

"After examining Consort Fu's Qingfeng Palace, I can conclude that the Crown Prince was indeed wronged. Therefore, this case falls into the second possibility: someone wanted to frame the Crown Prince."

"Following this line of thought, all the clues point to Her Majesty the Empress. To be honest with Your Highnesses, just now, I also suspected the Empress, and suspected that she sent assassins to kill me."

"But when I learned that the Empress had admitted to being the mastermind, I suddenly became suspicious of the case. Then the mastermind's purpose was not as simple as framing the Crown Prince, but rather killing two birds with one stone."

"But I have a question. The Empress rarely leaves her home, and the Fourth Prince isn't the Crown Prince. Why would the mastermind point the finger at the Empress? What are they after? It can't be the position of Empress, can it?"

Does the throne of the empress dowager hold any meaning for an emperor who has been celibate for over a decade?

Wei Yuan put down his teacup and sighed, "First of all, regardless of whether the Fourth Prince is the Crown Prince or not, he is His Majesty's eldest son. Secondly, the mastermind behind this is targeting me."

"???" Xu Qi'an looked at him blankly.

Wei Yuan paused for a moment, then explained, "The Wei family and the Shangguan family are old friends; the Empress's surname is Shangguan."

So that means Wei Yuan and the Empress were political allies, making Wei Yuan Wei Yuan?

Wei Yuan undoubtedly belongs to the Fourth Prince's faction. He managed to win over both the Crown Prince's faction and the Fourth Prince's faction in the case of Consort Fu. He's really impressive. Xu Qi'an secretly clicked his tongue in amazement.

"During today's court session, Father Emperor dismissed Duke Wei from his position as Left Censor-in-Chief," Princess Huaiqing said.

Wait, this doesn't make sense. Even if the mastermind behind this wanted to weaken Wei Yuan by overthrowing the Empress, it would mean harming Wei Yuan's "allies" and indirectly weakening his power.

Why did Emperor Yuanjing immediately dismiss Wei Yuan from his important position as soon as the Empress got into trouble, making it seem as if Emperor Yuanjing was the mastermind behind it all? Wait a minute, let's assume the Empress was the mastermind behind framing the Crown Prince, with the intention of supporting the Fourth Prince to become the Crown Prince.

When Emperor Yuanjing learned of this, he immediately weakened and reprimanded Wei Yuan. What does this indicate?

This shows that Emperor Yuanjing was very wary of Wei Yuan.

Xu Qi'an suddenly understood why Emperor Yuanjing chose to make a prince born out of wedlock the crown prince, rather than the fourth prince born to the empress.

The Empress and Wei Yuan are political allies. If the Fourth Prince were to be made Crown Prince, I would also be restless and unable to eat or sleep.

Pulling his wandering thoughts back, Xu Qi'an focused on the case, mentally re-examining the case of Consort Fu.

As Xu Qi'an fell into thought, the tea room fell silent, with only the soft breathing of the four people.

"After drinking with Consort Chen, the Crown Prince encountered Huang Xiaorou on his way back and was invited to Consort Fu's Qingfeng Palace. At that time, the Crown Prince did indeed have wicked thoughts about this woman who was his father's wife."

"Subsequently, Consort Fu fell to her death, and the Crown Prince became a suspect and was imprisoned in Dali Temple."

"I discovered that Consort Fu was murdered and the Crown Prince was framed. The very next day, Huang Xiaorou's body was found in Crab Pavilion. What a coincidence, what a coincidence."

"No wonder I felt something was wrong at the time. Huang Xiaorou was silenced, not committed suicide. So why did the perpetrator specifically choose Crab Pavilion?"

"If it's about killing someone to cover it up, burying them secretly is better than dumping the body in a well. Besides, there are at least dozens, maybe even hundreds, of wells in the inner palace, yet they chose the Crab Pavilion, a densely populated area where it's easy to be discovered."

"This was intentional, deliberately designed to make us discover Huang Xiaorou's connection to the Empress."

"Was my initial guess wrong? Huang Xiaorou wasn't the murderer who killed Consort Fu; she was just a prop, a tool to make us focus our suspicions on the Empress?"

"No, it was indeed Huang Xiaorou who tricked the Crown Prince into going to Qingfeng Palace. The Crown Prince might lie, but his guards wouldn't. It's too easy to tell. Moreover, to be able to set up the scene, secretly damage the railings, and know Consort Fu's habits and that she wanted to be affectionate with her fake husband, all of this must have been done by her personal head maid."

"If the Empress didn't do all this, why would she admit it? Perhaps there was some reason that forced her to admit it."

"What is the Empress afraid of? It must be related to this case. The three main people involved in the case are Consort Fu, the Crown Prince, and the palace maid Huang Xiaorou."

Of the three, Huang Xiaorou is the only one who has any connection with the Empress.

Huang Xiaorou?!

A jumble of thoughts and guesses flashed through Xu Qi'an's mind. Combining the clues he had obtained, he meticulously pieced together the events of the case.

Thinking of this, Xu Qi'an suddenly realized something and took out a piece of dull yellow silk cloth from his pocket.

Embroidered on it are bright red lotus flowers and a line of text: Spring of the thirty-first year of Yuanjing.

Princess Huaiqing stared at the yellow silk cloth and said, "This is from the palace maid Huang Xiaorou."

"Yes!" Xu Qi'an nodded, glanced at the three of them, and finally looked at Huaiqing, saying in a deep voice, "Your Highness, we only know that the Empress saved Huang Xiaorou, but there are two suspicious points. I wonder if you have noticed them?"

Huaiqing shook his head.

First, why did the Empress save Huang Xiaorou?

"The Empress Dowager has always been kind and benevolent. It's not surprising that she would expend so much precious medicine to save a palace maid," Huaiqing said.

The Empress might be a good person, but that's not the point. Xu Qi'an shook his head and said, "Then why would the Empress pay attention to a palace maid? And even send He'er from Fengqi Palace to keep an eye on her?"

"I asked the Empress Dowager, but she wouldn't say." Huaiqing frowned.

"Secondly, why did the palace maid Huang Xiaorou commit suicide?" Xu Qi'an pointed to the yellow silk cloth and said in a deep voice, "The answer is right here."

PS: Updated first, revised later.

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