Arriving at the entrance of the Longevity Palace.
Prime Minister Shangguan was indeed still waiting there. His energized demeanor, as if he'd been injected with chicken blood, made Lin Qingge deeply suspect if she had dug up his ancestors' graves.
"Where is the Empress going so late?"
Upon hearing Prime Minister Shangguan's question, Leng Ningyue narrowed her beautiful eyes and let out a disdainful snort, "Where I'm going is probably not for Prime Minister Shangguan to inquire about, is it?"
"Shangguan Wan'er, I am your father!"
"My father is dead. If you have something to say, burn some paper."
"You—"
Prime Minister Shangguan was so enraged that he almost choked to death.
"What 'you'? A good dog doesn't block the path. Move aside quickly."
Angered to the point of trembling all over by being compared to a dog, Prime Minister Shangguan pointed a finger at Leng Ningyue's nose and reprimanded her:
"What sin did I, Shangguan Hong, commit to have given birth to such an unfilial daughter like you!"
"You harbored a mistress and were unfaithful to your lawfully wedded wife; you are unworthy of being a husband!
You used your illegitimate daughter to impersonate your legitimate daughter in marriage to the Crown Prince, and you allowed your concubine to poison your legitimate daughter's son; you are unworthy of being a father!
You formed factions for selfish ends and framed loyal subjects; you are unworthy of being a minister!
All these deeds, one by one, are they not the sins you, Prime Minister Shangguan, have committed yourself?"
"Audacious!"
"This princess is even more audacious. Prime Minister Shangguan, do you wish to try?"
With that, Lin Qingge rolled up her sleeves as if preparing to fight.
Although her combat prowess was insufficient, dealing with an old bone like Prime Minister Shangguan was not a problem.
"You dare!
Ouch—"
Prime Minister Shangguan straightened himself and took a solid blow, letting out a pained cry.
The guards stationed at the entrance, seeing this, were about to step forward but were stopped by the imposing Empress:
"Anyone who dares to step forward dies!"
...
The guards exchanged bewildered glances. For some reason, the word 'die' uttered by this Empress did not sound like a mere threat at all.
After Lin Qingge's hands grew a little sore, the new Emperor, who had been standing behind the door for quite some time, slowly ambled out.
"Alright, Princess Changle, stop immediately.
If you continue hitting him, you might disturb Her Majesty the Empress Dowager's rest."
With the new Emperor's words, Lin Qingge certainly had to give face.
Seeing that Lin Qingge had finally ceased her assault, Prime Minister Shangguan, who had never suffered such a beating, wailed with snot and tears, accusing:
"Your Majesty, you must seek justice for your humble servant!
This Princess Changle is utterly tyrannical, using her status as a princess to assault your servant!"
"Uh, the wind was too strong earlier and blurred my vision; I saw nothing."
Prime Minister Shangguan: ...
On the other side, Lin Qingge gave the cooperative new Emperor a thumbs-up and then asked with a smile,
"This princess's muscles are a bit sore from exercising, and I'm feeling hungry.
Your Majesty, has the imperial kitchen prepared any late-night snacks?"
"Princess Changle, you may simply instruct the imperial kitchen on what you wish to eat."
"Alright."
Lin Qingge linked arms with Leng Ningyue and walked away grandly from under Prime Minister Shangguan's nose.
Not long after they had left.
They bumped into Yan Tinghao, who had recovered his senses. He stared at Lin Qingge for a long time and said with some confusion:
"Strange, why are you dressed as a woman again, sir?"
Nearly scared out of her wits by his remark, Lin Qingge quickly pulled the single-minded simpleton aside and corrected him through gritted teeth:
"Yan Tinghao, open your deer eyes and look clearly. This princess is your master's twin sister, not your master!"
"But—"
"If you 'but' again, this princess will have my brother dismiss you from your constable position and send you back to your hometown to inherit your family business!"
"Absolutely not! Absolutely not!"
Thoroughly cornered, Yan Tinghao shook his head like a rattle drum, then pouted dejectedly and muttered softly:
"As long as you don't dismiss your humble servant, even if you say you were originally a woman, I won't say a word of objection."
...
Feeling her blood pressure rise slightly, the veins on Lin Qingge's forehead twitched erratically. Fearing that this foolish deer would spout more nonsensical words, she brought him along.
Arriving at the scene of the crime.
Lin Qingge was surprised to find that the room where the Crown Prince of Dongying was resting was actually very close to where she had changed clothes.
A walking distance of only about two to three hundred meters.
"Constable Yan, go and ask if any Imperial Guards were on duty here tonight. If so, who was it?"
"Yes."
Hearing the command tone that was all too familiar, Yan Tinghao accepted the order and murmured to himself:
"Tch, still saying it's not sir, even the tone is exactly the same!"
If it weren't for the fact that she had used most of her strength beating Prime Minister Shangguan, Lin Qingge would have definitely dragged this simpleton to the ground and given him a good thrashing!
After silently reciting 'it's not worth arguing with a simpleton' three times, Lin Qingge ignored the Imperial Guards standing at the entrance and pushed the door open.
"Tsk, it's just as Forensic Investigator Murong said. There are no signs of disguise, nor any traces of bone reshaping or skin alteration.
The wounds on the body also don't look fake."
After speaking, Lin Qingge searched the room again but found nothing.
Meanwhile, Leng Ningyue stared at the body on the bed for a long time, then frowned:
"That's right. When I was at Wolong Villa, I had a fight with him. My dagger had pierced his left shoulder.
At the time, I deliberately flicked it upwards, which should have left a long gash on his left upper arm."
"Sister Ningyue, it's been so long. Even if that gash was deep enough to expose bone, it would have healed by now.
Even if there were any scars, given his status and position, it's likely they would be easily removed."
However, Leng Ningyue shook her head with conviction:
"No, from what I know of him, even if the wound healed, he would not remove that scar.
Because that scar was made by me."
"Sister Ningyue, Fu Xun wouldn't be that perverted, would he?"
"No, he's far more perverse than you imagine."
Lin Qingge shivered, goosebumps rising on her skin, and then bent down to examine. She found that besides the mark of the hairpin piercing his left shoulder, there was nothing else.
"So, the deceased is not the same person you fought at Wolong Villa, Sister Ningyue?
In other words, he isn't the real Fu Xun?
But the one at the banquet tonight was clearly him?"
"Don't forget, Fu Xun is not only skilled at manipulating people's hearts, but he is also an expert in hypnosis."
"Sister Ningyue, you mean that he hypnotized Su Mo, making him believe he was the Crown Prince of Dongying?
Or perhaps, Su Mo is indeed the Crown Prince of Dongying, but he was hypnotized by Fu Xun, and all his words and actions were controlled by Fu Xun?"
"Regardless of the situation, Fu Xun, as the hypnotist, could not be too far from Su Mo, who was under his control."
Upon hearing Leng Ningyue's words, Lin Qingge's eyes lit up, "In other words, the real Fu Xun is still in the palace? Or even hiding within the Dongying delegation?"