Chapter 140: Shocked Capital

Upon hearing Li Tianyi's words, the Wang Hou fell silent, pondering for a moment, then frowned and asked:

"You previously said Li Zhu's death seemed linked to the Shengzhou Tianjinwei. How so? Even if Fu Qiwén had a thousand guts, would he dare kill an Imperial Prince?"

At this, Li Tianyi shook his head slightly and said:

"This matter, this servant has only heard rumors. It is said that before the incident, the Third Imperial Prince went to the Shengzhou Tianjinwei to meet the Eighth Imperial Prince, and shortly after leaving the Shengzhou Tianjinwei, he vanished—later found as a corpse."

"Again, the Eighth Imperial Prince?"

The Wang Hou narrowed her eyes, as if recalling something, and suddenly fixed her gaze on Li Tianyi before her:

"I had someone investigate the Eighth Imperial Prince's background. I discovered something most curious: the woman who brought him back from a remote small town was a female Constable—and that woman is the daughter of the Cangyuan Marquis. Isn't that a strange coincidence?"

Li Tianyi, however, showed no surprise; his expression remained calm as he nodded:

"This servant was also aware of this. And it is precisely one of the reasons I mentioned earlier for seeking the truth behind the Third Imperial Prince's murder."

The Wang Hou stared at him for a long while before withdrawing her gaze and waving her hand:

"Decide for yourself how to proceed. I have only one demand: before Your Majesty emerges from seclusion, ensure all matters reach a conclusion."

"After all, a Noble Consort has died in the palace, and now an Imperial Prince has been killed. You know full well how Your Majesty will rage upon hearing this."

Li Tianyi let out a soft sigh, a solemn expression briefly crossing his face. He bowed deeply to the Wang Hou and said:

"This servant understands. I will spare no effort to find the killer."

"Enough. Leave now. Come back to see me only when you've found the killer."

The Wang Hou ignored him, lifted the porcelain cup in her hand as if to drink tea, but clearly had no desire for it—she set the cup down heavily beside the table.

Li Tianyi bowed and withdrew. As he stepped out of Fengyi Palace, he turned back to look: within and without the palace, no fewer than a hundred hidden experts lurked, several elderly eunuchs possessing cultivation depths beyond measure.

"The Wang Hou is truly afraid."

Li Tianyi shook his head. Since the Noble Consort Ji's death, every palace concubine lived in dread—even the imperial palace, once safest of all, had become a place where one could die at any moment. Their terror was palpable.

Now, with Li Zhu's death spreading, the entire Shangyang City would surely erupt into chaos.

Thinking of this, he clasped his hands behind his back and gazed toward the palace gates, murmuring:

"The Eighth Imperial Prince… truly intriguing. A mere apprentice from a small-town martial arts school, yet the more I look, the less simple he seems. Just how deeply is he entangled in these two events?"

…

In less than half a day, the Third Imperial Prince's mansion was draped in white mourning, and news of Li Zhu's death spread through the entire capital—shaking court and populace alike, leaving all stunned and horrified.

Since the founding of Da Li, the events of these past few days were unprecedented in the capital.

A Noble Consort died within the palace. An Imperial Prince died in the capital.

Upon hearing these two rumors, the people of the capital found it hard to believe, some even falling into a strange daze, sensing as if the Da Li imperial house was nearing its end, on the brink of collapse.

Meanwhile, observant eyes noticed that since Li Zhu's death, the guards around the remaining Imperial Princes' mansions had tightened immeasurably—even outside their gates, rows of armored soldiers with weapons in hand patrolled constantly.

Worse still, entire streets surrounding the princes' mansions had been sealed off, barring all access.

Inside the Da Li Imperial Prison.

In the dim, gloomy dungeon lit only by flickering oil lamps, Li Zhi and a middle-aged man stood facing each other beyond the iron bars.

After hearing the man's report on the recent events in the capital, Li Zhi frowned deeply, his expression unusually strained.

He had never imagined that in just a few days, Shangyang City—once a stagnant pond—had undergone such massive upheaval.

"When did the capital gain such a reckless soul? Killing a Noble Consort and an Imperial Prince? If this continues, is there anyone left he won't dare kill?"

Li Zhi felt nothing for the death of the Third Imperial Prince, Li Zhu—a defeated rival, dead is dead, nothing worth remarking on.

What startled him was that someone in the emperor's own capital dared kill so brazenly, with no regard for consequences.

That was what chilled him to the bone: any sane person would never act so recklessly.

Even if the killer possessed formidable martial cultivation, he would face the wrath of Emperor Yuanwu and the entire Da Li court. Frankly, even the heads of the Four Great Sects would not dare such a thing.

At this, the middle-aged man standing outside the cell, Shen Qiming, thought for a moment and said:

"Your Highness, before coming here, I heard that the Third Imperial Prince's maternal grandfather, the Right Chancellor, allied with the Second Imperial Prince and surrounded the Shengzhou Tianjinwei headquarters. Though the reason remains unclear, rumors suggest it is tied to the Third Imperial Prince's death."

At this, Li Zhi's expression shifted slightly, but he said nothing. Before Shen Qiming arrived at the prison, the Yingwei of the Yinhuo Si had already visited him.

From them, he learned another matter: the Shengzhou Tianjinwei had suddenly decided to strike against Luoshen Peak, one of the Four Great Sects.

And if his prediction was correct, Fu Qiwén, commander of the Shengzhou Tianjinwei, was already en route to Luoshen Peak.

Yet in Li Zhi's view, Fu Qiwén's move was no different from suicide.

Luoshen Peak's strength far exceeded its surface appearance.

Fu Qiwén, though a formidable martial cultivator commanding the Shengzhou Tianjinwei, faced at least three masters on Luoshen Peak who could personally kill him.

Even without those three supreme experts, merely the combined force of Luoshen Peak's nine main peaks could crush the entire Shengzhou Tianjinwei.

Previously, when Your Majesty ordered him to choose one of the Four Great Sects for extermination, he had considered it—but Luoshen Peak was never among his options.

"Does Fu Qiwén truly not know Luoshen Peak's strength—or is he deliberately seeking death? To act so rashly… and he even brought the Eighth Imperial Prince along…"

Li Zhi narrowed his eyes. He had never intended to act against Li Mu. But now that Li Mu had returned to the capital, instead of quietly playing his role as an Imperial Prince,

he had actively entangled himself in the Shengzhou Tianjinwei's assault on Luoshen Peak. It could only be called utter ignorance—seeking death, and no one else to blame.

Thinking of this, Li Zhi shook his head, then turned to Shen Qiming outside the cell and asked:

"Did you receive word on the matter I assigned you last time?"

(End of Chapter)