Leaving Lingbao Temple, it was already 13:35.

Xu Qi'an entered the palace and waited at the palace gate for a quarter of an hour before a young eunuch arrived.

"Mr. Xu, how should we proceed with the investigation?" the young eunuch asked.

"Go to the Phoenix Palace and find the Empress... Do I need to inform His Majesty before seeing the Empress?" Xu Qi'an said.

The young eunuch quickly waved his hand. "His Majesty said that within the harem, you can go wherever you want. Of course, it is necessary to have attendants accompany you, especially when meeting the Imperial Concubines and the Empress."

Xu Qi'an nodded.

Of course, one cannot meet the Emperor's women privately.

The full name of the Phoenix Palace is the Phoenix Perching Palace, the largest and most luxurious palace in the harem - the Emperor's sleeping palace is not included.

Arriving at the Phoenix Perching Palace, Xu Qi'an learned that the Empress was taking a nap. He and the young eunuch waited in the corridor outside for half an hour before a graceful palace maid came to inform them:

"The Empress is awake. Mr. Xu, please come in."

Xu Qi'an followed and entered the hall, where he saw the Empress, the mother of the nation, in the luxuriously decorated front hall. She was wearing a dark phoenix robe embroidered with golden thread and a magnificent headdress.

With beautiful eyebrows and plump lips, she was no longer young, but her face was full of collagen, showing no signs of aging. This flawless beauty added a touch of mature charm to her perfect appearance.

Among the beauties I have seen, she ranks second, with Luo Yuheng being the first. But the National Teacher has inherent charm and a buff bonus, while the Empress relies on her own qualities... With such a woman as the Empress, there is no one in the harem who can compete.

Xu Qi'an quickly lowered his head, maintaining the etiquette and rules befitting an outsider.

"Indeed, a talented young man."

The Empress, apparently also a fan of beauty, examined Xu Qi'an and nodded in satisfaction. "Huai Qing often speaks highly of you in front of me. I have also heard of your achievements in solving extraordinary cases in the capital."

The first impression between the two sides was good.

Not knowing if Xu Qi'an was feeling good about himself, he felt that the Empress appreciated him and showed no signs of being distant.

"Wei Yuan is fortunate to have such an outstanding subordinate as you," the Empress said softly. "Serve Mr. Xu some tea."

A palace maid presented a steaming cup of tea. Xu Qi'an received it with both hands but did not drink it. He went straight to the point and asked, "I came here for the case of the Imperial Concubine. I have a few questions for the Empress."

"Please ask, Mr. Xu."

"Do you know a palace maid named Huang Xiao Rou?"

"I do not know her," the Empress shook her head.

"Then, in the palace, is there a palace maid named He Er?"

"There is," the Empress fell silent for a few seconds before nodding slowly.

"Crab Pavilion's Rong Mama said that four years ago, Huang Xiao Rou inexplicably committed suicide, and the palace maid who lived with her saved her. That palace maid is He Er in the Empress's palace."

"He Er has never been to Crab Pavilion," the Empress denied directly.

Xu Qi'an continued, "After examining the body, I found that Huang Xiao Rou had suffered fatal injuries, which could not have been saved by just a palace maid or the imperial physicians from the Imperial Medical Office. It must have been due to the consumption of a life-saving elixir."

The Empress stared at Xu Qi'an and said calmly, "Mr. Xu, do you have evidence for these words?"

"The body is the evidence."

"What about the elixir?"

"... There is none," Xu Qi'an shook his head.

Was it the Empress who tore up the records of the Imperial Pharmacy?

The Empress nodded, speaking softly, "I am tired. Please escort Mr. Xu out of the palace."

But you just finished your nap... Xu Qi'an's lips twitched a few times, helplessly stood up, and left the Phoenix Perching Palace with the palace maid.

........

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Xu Qi'an looked at the sun and asked, "Little Eunuch, have you completed the list you were supposed to collect?"

The young eunuch took out a folded piece of paper from his pocket. "I was just about to give it to you, Mr. Xu."

Good, you are very efficient. No wonder you were trained in the palace.

Xu Qi'an unfolded the list and glanced at it. It listed more than a dozen palace maids, officials, and guards.

"Let's investigate them one by one according to the list," Xu Qi'an said.

"What about the Empress's side..."

"Naturally, we won't be able to investigate that."

Xu Qi'an sighed. Although Emperor Yuan Jing gave him great privileges to investigate anyone he wanted, he couldn't force the Empress to cooperate. But one thing is certain, the Empress is hiding something.

Could it really be the Empress who did it? Then Huai Qing would be very pitiful. Should I not continue the investigation? But if I don't investigate, then Su Su would be very pitiful. Here comes the dilemma of choosing one out of two... Xu Qi'an sighed silently in his heart.

But on the other hand, the Empress is really beautiful. Even when she's older, she still has such charm. How beautiful must she have been when she was young? No wonder she became the Empress.

There is a resemblance between Huai Qing and the Empress in their eyebrows and eyes.

"Compared to that, I still think Luo Yuheng is better because she can satisfy my various tastes... Oh, Su Su can too."Xu Qi'an couldn't help but think of Taoist Master Jin Lian's words just now. Luo Yuheng had a charm that could make men see their favorite type of women. And what he saw was a beautiful young girl in her twenties, a charming woman in her thirties, and a mature woman in her forties...

"I really don't want to admit that I'm lustful."

In the next hour, Xu Qi'an arranged to investigate the people on the list. Because time was limited, he had to leave the palace before it closed. Therefore, he only had time to investigate one-third of the list.

Amidst the loud sound of the closing city bell, he successfully left the palace, took his little mare from the Imperial Guards, and retrieved the black gold long knife given to him by the Chief Supervisor. He leisurely left the imperial city.

At this time, only the afterglow of the setting sun remained.

The curfew had begun, and the streets were already deserted. Xu Qi'an, dressed in the Nightwatcher's uniform and with a golden plaque by his side, had no obstacles except within the palace.

"Clatter, clatter..."

The little mare slowly trotted on the empty street as Xu Qi'an pondered the clues of the Empress's case.

The Empress was the biggest victim in the whole case, used as a sacrifice to frame the Crown Prince. The person who acted was Huang Xiaorou, who had already been silenced.

Huang Xiaorou had once been seriously injured but was healed by the Empress. Therefore, the Empress owed her a great favor.

And the Empress's fourth prince was her legitimate son, while the current Crown Prince was born of a concubine. The Empress was unwilling to let the Crown Prince take the throne, so she set up a scheme to frame him and take back the position of the Eastern Palace.

The motive was clear, and the whole case made sense, but there was a lack of evidence.

Yes, to convict the Empress, there was currently a lack of evidence.

"What Rong Mama said is right. There are too many secrets in the deep palace, once you step in, you can't get out. I thought this case would take some time, but I didn't expect it to progress so quickly. Now I don't even have the chance to delay anymore. Damn Emperor Yuan Jing, he hasn't issued the decree to confer titles yet. I'll take leave tomorrow."

At this moment, a scene appeared in Xu Qi'an's mind: a black-clad figure crouching behind the left roof, and another black-clad figure crouching behind the right roof.

In the alley ahead, there stood a black-clad figure holding a knife.

With the special perception of a Refining Qi Realm cultivator, he immediately sensed the danger.

"I've been ambushed..." This thought arose in his mind, and the next moment, a sharp sound of breaking through the air came.

...

Dusk.

Emperor Yuan Jing finished his dinner and was planning to go to the Lingbao Temple to find Luo Yuheng, to meditate and listen to the Taoist scriptures.

The eunuch guarding outside suddenly reported, "Your Majesty, Concubine Chen is here to see you."

At this time, what is she doing here... Emperor Yuan Jing frowned, pondered for a moment, and said, "Let her in."

If it were a few years ago, he would have thought she was offering herself for a night of pleasure. In the first ten years of his cultivation, the concubines in the harem persistently begged to sleep with him, but Emperor Yuan Jing ignored them all. He was stubborn, and if they knelt outside, they would kneel for a whole night.

Later, seeing that his heart was as firm as iron and that they couldn't win back his affection, the concubines gave up and settled down.

Now, they all lived their own lives, occasionally coming together to chat.

Emperor Yuan Jing's harem was probably the most harmonious in the Great Feng for the past five hundred years.

After the eunuch left, Emperor Yuan Jing sat cross-legged on the bed, closed his eyes, and meditated. Not long after, Concubine Chen rushed in, crying and saying:

"Your Majesty, you must make a decision for your concubine, for the Crown Prince."

To come for the Crown Prince at this time, Emperor Yuan Jing was not surprised by this result, or rather, it was within his expectations.

Emperor Yuan Jing, whose black hair had regrown, opened his eyes and looked calmly at Concubine Chen. "The matter of the Crown Prince is still under investigation. Beloved consort, please leave. Right and wrong will naturally be judged."

"Still under investigation? Hasn't the case already been solved? Your Majesty, I heard everything from Lin'an." Concubine Chen wiped her tears with a silk handkerchief and said mournfully, "The Crown Prince has been wronged, he has been wronged."

Hmm? Emperor Yuan Jing furrowed his brows. "What did Lin'an tell you?"

"That Mister Xu has already found out the truth..."

Emperor Yuan Jing was taken aback. He knew that a drowned body had been fished out of the Crab Pavilion today, the missing palace maid who had been by the side of the Empress. But he never expected Xu Qi'an to find out the truth so quickly.

While crying, Concubine Chen revealed the information she knew.

After listening, Emperor Yuan Jing's face turned as dark as water. He turned his head and ordered the Grand Supervisor, "Bring the person in charge of supervising Xu Qi'an."

The python-robed old eunuch left, and in less than fifteen minutes, he returned with a young eunuch.

The young eunuch glanced at the scene, Emperor Yuan Jing sitting cross-legged on the bed with an indifferent expression, and Concubine Chen kneeling by the bed, sobbing.

Emperor Yuan Jing calmly asked, "What progress has been made in the case today?"

The young eunuch had already prepared his script in his heart, so without hesitation, he replied, "After Mister Xu entered the palace, he immediately went to examine the body and concluded that the palace maid Huang Xiaorou was first drowned by someone and then thrown into the well."

He then supplemented the details of the autopsy to prove this conclusion."Moreover, Master Xu discovered that the palace maid, Huang Xiaorou, had suffered a fatal injury to her heart. She should have died years ago, but someone saved her with a miraculous elixir... He then went to the Crab Pavilion to question Nurse Rong..."

This time, the young eunuch was very experienced. He only narrated the process, without adding any personal opinions, nor did he mention the interactions between Xu Qi'an and the two princesses.

He had come to understand that while revealing these matters would undoubtedly cause trouble for Master Xu, his own behavior of tattling on the two princesses would probably displease His Majesty even more.

Why harm others and oneself in the process?

Besides, Master Xu had been extremely kind and caring towards him. Although he was a bit hot-tempered, he was genuinely not a bad person.

"Has it been confirmed that part of the income and expenditure ledger of the Imperial Pharmacy has been torn?" Emperor Yuan Jing asked for confirmation.

"That's what Master Xu said," the young eunuch replied, still refraining from expressing his personal opinion.

Emperor Yuan Jing slowly nodded, "Notify the coroner to enter the palace overnight and re-examine the body of palace maid Huang Xiaorou. I want to know the answer immediately."

Half an hour later, the chief eunuch brought back the results of the coroner's examination, which corroborated with Xu Qi'an's findings, leaving no room for doubt.

Emperor Yuan Jing seemed to lose himself in thought, remaining silent for a long time. The vast sleeping chamber was eerily quiet.

It wasn't until Concubine Chen fell to the ground, crying, "Master Xu dares not investigate the Empress. Only Your Majesty can handle this matter personally. Please, for the Crown Prince, for your servant, take action."

......

PS: 15,000 words completed. The typos in the previous chapter have been corrected, and this chapter will be edited after it's updated.