“Mo Cang.” Zhong Li leaned against Lu Wuxie, the afterglow painting her face, making her want to sleep yet unable to.
“Yes!” Lu Wuxie tightened his grip on the reins, deliberately slowing the horse’s pace, and murmured his reply.
“Empress Dowager Nangong said tomorrow’s banquet for the little prince will not be canceled. What do we do?” Zhong Li paused for a long time before finally voicing her concern.
Hearing this, Lu Wuxie’s arm around Zhong Li tightened slightly. “In truth, when I saw you emerge from the palace, I knew Empress Dowager Nangong had rejected your request.”
As he spoke, his sword-like brows furrowed. The Zhong Li he knew had always been confident and brave. This was the first time he had seen her so melancholic and powerless, and a wave of tenderness washed over him.
“Do you know, Mo Cang… how painful it is to watch someone die?” Zhong Li narrowed her eyes, facing the setting sun, a deep melancholy filling her heart.
“Before I met you, I had examined no less than a hundred corpses. Sometimes I would help families who had lost loved ones prepare the deceased’s remains.
I remember one time responding to a scene. The deceased were a man and a woman, their cause of death a slit throat. The woman was more unfortunate; before her death, there were signs of sexual assault. As I was examining the woman’s body at the scene, I unintentionally saw a family photo on the wall. They were holding a child in their arms. That child was only in primary school.
I suddenly realized that if these parents were murdered, where had their child gone?
In a panic, my colleagues and I searched the house frantically. We finally found the child in the wardrobe. A knife was held to his throat, and the murderer was hiding behind him. The police arrived in time, leaving the murderer with nowhere to escape, so he used the child as a hostage.
The Metropolitan Police Department called in negotiation experts, but the final outcome… the child was still lost. At that moment, I was by the wardrobe, examining his mother’s body. If I had discovered the situation earlier, if we hadn’t made such a commotion calling for colleagues to search together, causing the murderer to become agitated, perhaps the child might have had a chance to survive.”
Zhong Li closed her eyes slowly as she spoke. “I can never forget that child’s heartbreaking cries and painful pleas. From that moment on, I vowed never to let such a thing happen again, even if I was just someone who wielded a scalpel.”
Lu Wuxie lowered his gaze to the woman in his arms, whose body trembled as she spoke with emotion. Although he didn’t understand some of the words she used, he could still empathize. He held her tightly in his embrace, his nose gently brushing against her hair and ear.
“It’s over, it’s all over. It wasn’t your fault,” he murmured softly.
They arrived at the Dali Temple half an hour later.
Zhong Li had unconsciously dozed off in Lu Wuxie’s arms, luckily missing the dinner hour at the Dali Temple.
At this moment, Hua Yao was waiting for her at the entrance and hurried to greet her upon seeing her.
“Li’er.”
Zhong Li looked at the unharmed young girl standing before her. “Yao’er, I heard you almost got into trouble in the black market. Are you alright?”
Hua Yao shook her head. “I’m fine. It was all my fault for not inquiring about the rules when I went. Fortunately, the Marquis’s people came to my rescue, or I really might not have gotten out.”
“It’s good that you’re fine,” Zhong Li said, and walked towards the Dali Temple with Hua Yao.
“How are the investigations?” she asked.
When Hua Yao heard about the serious matters, her smile faded. “As Li’er predicted, those two children’s corpses indeed came from the black market.”
“Have you identified who purchased them and how many?” Zhong Li pressed.
Hua Yao nodded. “Of course. The buyer, based on the facial descriptions, is very similar to an old palace maid by Concubine Rong’s side.”
“You mean Concubine Rong’s wet nurse, Nanny Dou?” Zhong Li asked.
“Yes.”
Zhong Li narrowed her eyes and looked towards the imperial palace. “I heard that this Nanny Dou was the daughter of the High Priest of the Shu Rong Kingdom when she was there and knows many forbidden arts of Shu Rong. If that’s the case, then these corrosive worms might also be her doing.”
“Right, did you ask the black market merchants? How many children’s corpses did this Nanny Dou buy in total?” Zhong Li asked, remembering something.
Hua Yao nodded and held up three fingers.
“As expected, the last one was prepared for Nangong Xiaodie.”
The next day.
Zhong Li sat in the main hall, watching the dancers in the dance pit with seductive poses.
Lu Yuanchen’s birthday banquet proceeded as scheduled, with almost all the ministers of the court invited.
Zhong Li observed the palace entrance, surrounded by imperial guards, three layers deep and three layers thick. She figured that not even a fly could get out, indicating Nangong Xiaodie’s unusually strict security this time.
“Minister Zhong,” Nangong Xiaodie glanced over everyone, her gaze finally settling on Zhong Li. “How? Do you believe your words will still come true?”
Zhong Li stood and bowed to Nangong Xiaodie. “Since Your Highness has made complete preparations, you never intended to believe this minister. Therefore, what Your Highness believes is what it is.”
“Hmph!” Nangong Xiaodie, not receiving praise from Zhong Li, rolled her eyes, clearly displeased.
Lu Jing’an, sitting beside her, smiled and whispered a few words in her ear, causing Nangong Xiaodie to beam with happiness again.
Zhong Li, not bothering to say pleasantries, bowed to Lu Jing’an and returned to her seat, preparing to dine.
The food this time was different from usual. From the preserved plums to the main dishes, everything was unfamiliar. Many ministers, out of curiosity, tried them one by one.
Zhong Li sipped her wine, her gaze falling on Lu Yuanchen sitting beside Nangong Xiaodie, then shifting to Lu Wuxie not far away.
Seeing him nod at her, she knew Lu Wuxie had made other arrangements.
As the banquet grew livelier, many officials and imperial concubines who had brought birthday gifts began to present them.
Most people gave items like brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones. Only a few, seeking to flatter Nangong Xiaodie, offered gold, silver, jewels, and jade that pleased her.
The Empress presented a pair of small golden pigs. Pure Consort, who disliked lively occasions but forced herself to attend, gifted a book titled "Comprehensive Understanding." The only remaining concubine in the harem was Concubine Rong.
Concubine Rong stood and approached Nangong Xiaodie. “Concubine Die, the gift I prepared for the little prince is quite special and may require some time to prepare. Please wait a moment.”
The little prince Lu Yuanchen, who had been well protected by Nangong Xiaodie, was the most innocent. He blinked his innocent eyes twice and nodded. “What has Consort Rong prepared for Chen’er? Chen’er is very curious!”
“Is that so? What I’ve prepared will surely make the little prince unforgettable,” Concubine Rong said, glancing at Nanny Dou following behind her.
Upon hearing this, Nanny Dou bowed, excused herself, and quickly exited the hall.
Seeing this, Zhong Li cast a glance at Concubine Rong. Lost in thought, she quickly followed.
Nanny Dou’s pace was extremely fast. She left the main hall and hurried through the corridors, heading directly for the Imperial Garden.
Zhong Li, afraid of losing her, glanced nervously in Lu Yuanchen’s direction. After hesitating again, she decided to continue following Nanny Dou.
Nanny Dou arrived near a rockery, glanced around, and slipped inside.
Zhong Li followed closely behind her, listening intently. Faint whispers could be heard.
“The worms? Are they all prepared?”
“They are prepared. I will head to the main hall now and guarantee that the little prince will not survive this banquet.”
“Good, go quickly, don’t make any mistakes!”
“Yes!”
…
Hearing this, Zhong Li could no longer concern herself with other matters. She followed into the rockery, preparing to catch Nanny Dou and the other person red-handed.
But when she saw only Nanny Dou and no one else, her gaze fell on Nanny Dou’s triumphant smile. A flicker of realization crossed her mind, and she muttered, ‘This is bad!’
She turned around, about to rush back towards the main hall, when piercing screams echoed from a distance: “It’s bad, there are worms, all worms!”