Chapter 71: Shock

The old eunuch slowly glanced at the surrounding concubines, hesitated a moment, then took a deep breath and spoke in a low tone:

"Your servant just arrived at Yixin Palace and found everyone dead—including Noble Consort Ji—each with a horrific death wound!"

At these words, the Wang Hou, who had been sipping tea, froze in place; the other concubines in the hall suddenly lifted their heads, and silence fell so complete not even a pin could drop.

"Say that again. What happened?"

The next instant, the Wang Hou snapped out of her shock, leapt to her feet, her expression filled with disbelief and alarm.

She knew full well that the old eunuch beside her would never dare lie—especially not about a noble consort of the palace.

Yet she simply could not believe what he had just said was true.

"I saw it with my own eyes. No one survived in Yixin Palace. Noble Consort Ji and all the servants were surely murdered."

The old eunuch's face was equally grim—he too found it unbelievable, yet it was what he had witnessed.

Moreover, the corpses of Noble Consort Ji and the others were too gruesome; even now, recalling them sent a chill through his heart.

The old eunuch then bowed his head and spoke in a low tone:

"Your Majesty, as mistress of the inner palace, you must now take charge of this matter."

Upon hearing this, the concubines in the hall erupted in panic, each face twisted with terror.

For everyone knew the Great Li Imperial Palace was heavily guarded—even a mosquito could not fly in; it was the safest place in all of Great Li.

Yet now a noble consort had been murdered within the palace walls—this was utterly horrifying!

"All of you, be silent!"

The Wang Hou sharply rebuked the concubines; after a moment of shifting expression, she turned to the old eunuch and said:

"His Majesty has entered a sealed meditation since last night and cannot be disturbed for at least half a month. Go immediately and inform Li Tianyi of the Office of Ceremonial Affairs—he must go to Yixin Palace himself."

Hearing this, the old eunuch bowed and added in a whisper:

"The murderer's whereabouts are still unknown—he may still be hiding somewhere in the palace. You must be extra cautious."

With that, he vanished in an instant like a shadowy wind.

The Wang Hou's face was grim; she then summoned several eunuchs and ordered:

"Carry out my decree: immediately deploy the Imperial Guard to seal off the inner palace, and command the Palace Commander, General Shenwei, to thoroughly search every corner of the palace for the murderer's trail."

Having finished, she swept her gaze over the concubines before her and said coldly:

"No one is to spread word of this matter."

…

Marquis Cangyuan Hou Fu.

Above a pit littered with bleached bones, Shenbu Guan Shanxue stood with a solemn expression, staring down in silence.

Nearby, Fu Yu—the chief of the Ten Famous Constables of the Zongya—and other constables including Ji Feiyun were also present.

This morning, before dawn, a constable on duty at the Liushan Sect had found Guan Shanxue lying unconscious at the gate of the Liushan Sect.

After barely reviving her, they discovered she was dazed and could not recall why she had fainted; the only thing she remembered was declaring that Cang Yuning was a flower-plucking thief.

Upon learning this, Liushan Sect immediately sent men to question the Marquis Cangyuan Hou Fu—only to find this scene before them.

Given the gravity of the matter, the constables dared not act on their own and reported it up the chain.

It not only drew the attention of Fu Yu and others, but even Shenbu Guan Shanxue, upon hearing the news, arrived at once.

"What did the servants and maids say?"

Guan Shanxue frowned, turning to Fu Yu.

Fu Yu shook his head.

"The Hou Fu issued orders forbidding anyone to leave their rooms at night. Someone did hear fighting last night, but no one dared step out, so no one knows what truly happened."

Guan Shanxue nodded slightly, then asked:

"Has Cang Yuning's identity as a flower-plucking thief been confirmed?"

Fu Yu hesitated, then nodded.

He was about to speak when Guan Shanxue's gaze suddenly shifted—he had noticed something—and he barked:

"Everyone, step back!"

Though confused, Fu Yu and the others quickly retreated from the courtyard.

At the same moment, Guan Shanxue shot upward without wind or aid, rising dozens of zhang into the air; he flipped his palm downward and lightly slapped the courtyard below.

In the next instant, a palm-shaped shadow, as large as a house, descended from the sky and slammed into the courtyard with a thunderous crash.

Soil erupted, dust shook violently; the ground cracked open into deep fissures, forming several lines of characters.

Guan Shanxue, hovering above, scanned the characters and his expression changed slightly; he slowly descended.

At once, Fu Yu and the others below saw the characters on the ground—and all their faces turned pale with shock.

"This…"

Ji Feiyun was stunned—the few lines of writing revealed the hidden truth behind the bleached bones in the Marquis Cangyuan Hou Fu.

Yet he could hardly believe it—this case somehow involved a noble consort of the palace.

"My lord."

Fu Yu hurried to Guan Shanxue's side, hesitated, then asked:

"Should we continue investigating this case?"

Guan Shanxue glanced at him but did not answer immediately; instead, he said slowly:

"The one who struck is extremely powerful. From what I observed, he killed purely with true qi—so I cannot discern his martial style."

His gaze settled on the characters, and he added:

"But I can confirm this man is a practitioner of the Heaven-and-Mortal Realm. And the fact that he left these characters beneath the ground without a trace means his control over the true qi of heaven and earth has reached the level of exquisite refinement."

Fu Yu said nothing, only furrowed his brow.

At this moment, Guan Tianqian shook his head and said:

"Since the other party left a message, they must hope we continue the investigation. There is no need to offend such people, don't you agree?"

"But what if, by doing so, we offend the one in the palace..."

Guan Tianqian waved his hand and said:

"The Six Fan Gate investigates cases according to the law; there is no question of offending anyone. We only need to find the truth. As for what happens afterward, the Ministry of Justice and Your Majesty will handle it; it has nothing to do with us."

Immediately, his gaze fixed on Fu Yu, he patted his shoulder and said:

"I know you have a deep relationship with the Marquis Cangyuan Hou Fu, but public matters are public, private matters are private. Do not disappoint my expectations of you."

Having spoken, Guan Tianqian did not linger, turned around, and departed.

However, what no one saw at that moment was that Guan Tianqian held a small stone in his hand.

Only after leaving the Marquis Cangyuan Hou Fu did he slowly unfold the stone in his hand; on it was carved a line of writing:

"Consort Ji is dead. Investigate the case thoroughly."

"Interesting."

Guan Tianqian narrowed his eyes, then looked toward the direction of the Imperial Palace:

"I shall see whether that Consort is truly dead."

The words on this stone clearly carried a tone of threat.

Although, from beginning to end, Guan Tianqian had no intention of suppressing this case.

But since this matter involves too many important figures, the pressure he will face next is certainly considerable; it is hard to guarantee he can truly investigate it to the very end.

Guan Tianqian's face showed a look of contemplation, then he shook his head again.

He could not break into the Imperial Palace to kill a consort, but if the other party can do so, then he would truly have to carefully consider the threat they pose to him.

(End of this chapter)