Chapter 360: An Unreasonable Request (1)

The clues found so far all point to the Empress, and Gu Yun decided to make a trip to Yilan Palace. Zhuo Qing had been accompanying her to investigate the case, and after seven or eight days, her body was starting to struggle. Early this morning, Gu Yun did not let Zhuo Qing follow her; she came to Yilan Palace alone. After stating her purpose and a Gongnu went inside to report, a tall woman in blue walked out. Her face was delicate and pretty, and her manners were elegant.

Walking up to her, the woman bowed slightly as a greeting and smiled: "Is there something you need, Qing? The Empress is not feeling well and has not yet risen; I am afraid she cannot see you today."

Gu Yun secretly sized up the person in front of her, feeling that she was somewhat different from the others in the Imperial Palace. There was not the slightest sense of subservience about her; there was even a hint of recklessness in her brows, yet the expression on her face was so gentle, and the smile at the corners of her mouth was just right. Gu Yun felt in her heart that she was either skilled at pretense or had a split personality.

There was a waist token hanging from her waist. Gu Yun glanced at it and said: "No worries, Shui Xin. May I ask you a few questions?"

Shui Xin smiled slightly: "Of course." Last time at the full moon banquet, she had seen Qing Mo once. At that time, she felt that she already had a strong presence despite her young age. Now, facing her head-on, she realized that those eyes of hers were sharp and ruthless; she would have to be careful in dealing with her.

"What is Yiyue usually like in her conduct?"

"Yiyue has always been very well-behaved and gentle in her dealings."

"Did she have any grudges with anyone?"

"I have never seen her have any grudges with anyone."

Whatever Gu Yun asked, Shui Xin answered. After asking a few questions, Gu Yun knew she wouldn't get anything out of her, so she turned and asked: "May I go take a look at her room?"

Gu Yun thought Shui Xin might decline, but unexpectedly, she replied readily: "You may."

Shui Xin led her into Yilan Palace, bypassed the front courtyard, and walked toward a row of small rooms to the side. Having been a police officer for many years, Gu Yun habitually observed her surroundings. Many things looked unremarkable, yet they could very well be the key points that link the chain of evidence. She had investigated, and the water well was not the primary crime scene; with so many secrets in this Yilan Palace, one could not be sure there wasn't something suspicious.

Shui Xin walked by Gu Yun's side, watching her every move. A faint curve appeared at the corners of her mouth, and her pace actually slowed down, giving Gu Yun the opportunity to look at Yilan Palace more carefully.

Finally, the two arrived in front of a small room. Shui Xin pushed open the door and said: "Yiyue always shared a room with Xiao Si, but Xiao Si is on duty today. If you have anything you want to ask, you can have her summoned over."

"No need, I'll just take a look myself." Leng Xiao and the others had already questioned everyone who had frequent contact with Yiyue a few days ago; she was only here today to see if there were any clues in Yiyue's room.

Shui Xin smiled lightly, stepped aside to let Gu Yun enter, and stood outside the door waiting. The room was not large, and there were not many things in it. Gu Yun could feel a gaze fixed on her. Automatically ignoring this gaze, Gu Yun searched the room thoroughly. Perhaps Yiyue was murdered precisely because she discovered that letter; it was hard to say.

Shui Xin stared at the methodical, careful, and focused figure in the room, feeling truly curious. The Qing Family was just an ordinary family in Haoyue; how did they raise such three daughters?

After searching once, there were no clues, and Gu Yun could only give up. Walking out the door, she saw that Shui Xin seemed a bit distracted, wondering what she was thinking about. Gu Yun took out the one-finger-wide strip of cloth and asked: "Have you ever seen this fabric?"

Reaching out to take the strip of cloth, Shui Xin looked at it carefully for a while before replying: "If I am not mistaken, this looks very much like the fabric of the Imperial Guard's uniforms."

Imperial Guard? The Imperial Guard's uniforms were dark red, weren't they? Seeming to see Gu Yun's confusion, Shui Xin smiled slightly and continued: "The fabric of the Imperial Guard's uniforms varies in color depending on the rank."

Putting the strip of cloth into the hidden pocket at her waist, Gu Yun nodded: "Many thanks. I will be going now; I will trouble you again if I need to."

"Take care."

The female voice behind her remained gentle, but Gu Yun had only one feeling: this Shui Xin was not simple.

Her speech was flawless, her conduct was graceful and appropriate, and she had quite the air of a young lady from a noble family. However, there was a layer of thin calluses on the edges of the first joints of her right index and middle fingers. She was a Female Official; manual labor naturally did not fall to her, so where did the calluses on her fingers come from? Gu Yun had only seen such calluses on one person's hands: Qian Jing, that Bounty Hunter who excelled at using Flying Daggers. So, was this Shui Xin also an expert at using hidden weapons?

The weather was getting cooler, and Qingfeng was more prone to sleepiness than usual. In the past, she would wake up after sleeping for an hour at noon, but recently, she was unwilling to wake up unless she had slept for a full two hours. Opening her eyes and stretching, Qingfeng glanced out the window; the red clouds already filled the sky. Had she actually slept for an entire afternoon?

Pulling back the quilt and preparing to get out of bed to walk around, the door was suddenly pushed open. Ruyi ran in, panting slightly, and seeing that she was awake, she said anxiously: "Your Highness, something has happened..."

She had let Ruyi keep an eye on those two investigating the case these past few days; could it be that something happened to them? Qingfeng's heart skipped a beat, and she hurriedly asked: "What happened?"

"The Heavenly Prison caught fire, and Hui Jun... was burned to death."

Dead?! Qingfeng was stunned at first, and after reacting, she suddenly felt the air around her turn cold, and her abdomen cramped violently. Qingfeng's face turned pale, and her hand kept stroking her belly. Fearing that something might happen to her, Ruyi said anxiously: "Your Highness, what is wrong? This servant will go call the Imperial Physician immediately."

"Don't go!" Tightly clutching Ruyi's sleeve, Qingfeng took a few deep breaths. After that wave of pain passed, she let go and said: "Go pour a cup of hot tea."

"Yes." Ruyi helped her sit on the edge of the bed, went out to brew a cup of hot tea, and delivered it to Qingfeng's hands.

Holding the teacup tightly, Qingfeng tried to calm herself down with the slightly scalding temperature. Her slightly trembling hands still betrayed the unease in her heart. The heavily guarded Heavenly Prison had actually caught fire, and Hui Jun had died just like that. She did not know how great the power behind Xin Yuening was. Her current fear stemmed from the child in her belly. If there were no child, she would have nothing to fear no matter who she faced; the worst that could happen was death. Those two were not her sisters, and if they were truly in danger, Su Ling and Lou Xiyan would naturally protect them. She had no attachments and no desire to live. But now it was different; she had a child. If she could not topple Xin Yuening, what would happen to the child? Thinking of Zhi'er's death, her heart felt as if it were being twisted by a knife, and she became even more panicked. Xin Yuening could even think of such a ruthless method; could she protect this child?

Qingfeng did not drink a single sip of the tea in her hand; it had long since gone cold. She sat there blankly for nearly an hour, and Ruyi did not dare to disturb her. However, a Gongnu had just come to report, and she thought Her Highness would still want to see the people outside the door.

"Your Highness..." Ruyi gently patted Qingfeng's shoulder and whispered: "Lady Lou and Qing are here."

It took a long while for Qingfeng to come back to her senses. She handed the cold tea to Ruyi, tidied her clothes slightly, and said: "Please invite them in."

Ruyi led the two in. Qingfeng felt a bit awkward; she did not know how to face them. Although she could feel that they had no malice toward her and were even... well-intentioned, these two were ultimately not her eldest sister and younger sister.

Now was not the time to ask for the truth, so Qingfeng could only use the act of drinking tea to hide her inner confusion: "Why have you come?"

"We came into the Palace today, so we stopped by to see you." Zhuo Qing and Qingfeng were pregnant around the same time, and the two used to have similar figures, but now, by comparison, Qingfeng was much thinner. Zhuo Qing asked with some concern: "Are you alright?"

Hearing Zhuo Qing's caring voice now, Qingfeng had an indescribable feeling. She gave a hum and changed the subject: "How is the investigation of the case going?"

Zhuo Qing shook her head and replied: "We just had a clue, but it's broken now." She had come into the Palace today originally wanting to try and perform a deep hypnosis on Hui Jun one more time, but unexpectedly, she had died.

Although she had already known about the fire in the Heavenly Prison, Hui Jun's death might have caused this case to reach a deadlock. Now hearing Zhuo Qing say it herself, Qingfeng could not help but feel disappointed.

"The net of Heaven is vast, and nothing escapes it; there will always be clues. Killing to silence, humph, it is clear that the person is already losing their composure. The more they do, the more clues they leave for me. I will definitely solve this case."

The clear voice was not loud, but it was resonant. Qingfeng looked up; Gu Yun was standing by the window, leaning against the window lattice. The light of the sunset shone in from behind her, blurring her face so that nothing could be seen clearly, but that person exuded a sense of perseverance and certainty from head to toe, as if she could definitely solve it if she said she could. Zhuo Qing was long used to her being like this, only smiling slightly, full of helplessness and belief.

Qingfeng stared blankly at the two, a string in her heart being plucked, and a thought began to sprout in her mind.

"Ruyi, go close the door, stand guard in front of it, and do not allow anyone to approach."

Qingfeng's tone was solemn. Ruyi nodded and retreated.

Zhuo Qing and Gu Yun looked at each other, guessing that she probably had something to say, and the two stopped talking. Who would have thought that as soon as the door closed, Qingfeng would walk up to them and suddenly kneel down.

The two were startled. Zhuo Qing hurriedly stepped forward to help her up, saying anxiously: "Qingfeng, what are you doing?"

Qingfeng, with her large belly, remained kneeling and said: "I have a request."

Zhuo Qing was also pregnant and did not dare to pull her with force. After the two pulled at each other a few times, Gu Yun frowned. She wrapped one arm around Qingfeng's waist and supported her under the armpit with the other, using force to pull Qingfeng up from the ground: "If you have something to say, just say it; there is no need for this."

Qingfeng felt the strength from Gu Yun's hand; there was a power that steadily pulled her up. She could neither break free nor resist. Qingfeng had never thought that a woman could have such strength. Surprised, she looked up at Gu Yun. Gu Yun's eyes were cold, meeting her gaze frankly. It was not until Qingfeng shifted her gaze away first that Gu Yun slowly withdrew her hand.

Zhuo Qing watched the contest of eyes between the two but did not say anything. She pulled Qingfeng to a chair to sit down and asked: "What exactly is the matter?"

Once seated, Qingfeng held Zhuo Qing's hand without letting go and replied in a low voice: "I am very afraid."

Afraid? Zhuo Qing was even more confused: "What are you afraid of?"

(End of chapter)