Chapter 59: Surveying the Scene

A palace maid had died. Her body was discovered in the lotus pond of the Imperial Garden.

This was the most secluded lotus pond in the garden, rarely frequented by anyone. Due to neglect, the water was perpetually murky, and if not for last night’s violent storm, the corpse might have remained hidden much longer.

In the grand scheme of palace affairs, the death of a maid or two was hardly worth mentioning. Yet this particular death sent shockwaves through the inner court, leaving every woman in the palace gripped by fear, and nearly causing the recently recovered Emperor Mingde to faint once more.

The manner of death was simply too gruesome.

Her clothing was in tatters, her head severed clean at the neck and missing, and on her exposed chest, four large, jagged characters were carved in blood: “Return my life.”

This was a clear act of malicious slaughter, designed to incite chaos and unrest within the palace walls.

Enraged, Emperor Mingde ordered the Ministry of Justice to investigate thoroughly.

Dong Runian, the Minister of Justice, was already a statesman who had served three reigns. Only days ago, he had submitted a petition to retire, and the favorite to succeed him was the current Vice Minister, Lu Ziqing. Of late, Dong Runian had been gradually stepping back, leaving all departmental affairs to Lu Ziqing.

Upon receiving the case, Lu Ziqing's always dark and handsome face grew even more somber. He had only just raced back from Wuji Island, barely settled before being buried under mountains of paperwork. Dong Runian, that old fox, had long since washed his hands of these matters, forcing Lu Ziqing to work overtime every day—a state that already had him in a foul mood.

And now, even the death of a palace maid in the imperial court was dumped on him. Did they believe he wasn’t busy enough? What about the Grand Court of Judicial Review? Was that group of idle old men drawing salaries for nothing?

Moreover, since the crime occurred in the inner court where women resided, the Ministry of Justice, staffed entirely by men, would face countless inconveniences investigating. It was a headache he dearly wished to avoid.

Inside the Hall of Diligent Governance.

As Emperor Mingde’s health had not yet recovered, he issued verbal orders, entrusting the matter entirely to the Crown Prince, Meng Tianluo.

Lu Ziqing stood in the center of the hall, head bowed, raising his concerns to Crown Prince Meng Tianluo on the grounds that the Ministry’s all-male staff would face many difficulties investigating in the women's quarters.

In truth, he hoped to suggest that the case not be given to the Ministry of Justice at all. Wasn’t the Grand Court of Judicial Review available? Its chief was idle and in need of meaningful work to justify his generous stipend.

After pondering for a moment, Meng Tianluo’s eyes flashed shrewdly, and he spoke with measured calm, “Lord Lu’s concerns are not unfounded. It would indeed be inconvenient for the Ministry’s men to enter the inner court. However, I have heard the future Princess Xuan is learned, wise beyond compare, and the people of the capital say there is nothing she cannot do. Since she is presently in the palace, why not have her assist you in this investigation?”

Why was Shen Qianmo in the palace? Lu Ziqing was taken aback. He would certainly welcome her assistance, but as for Prince Xuan...

Remembering Prince Xuan’s near-obsessive protectiveness and possessiveness towards Shen Qianmo, Lu Ziqing doubted he would consent to her involvement in such sordid palace affairs.

“Does Lord Lu fear that Prince Xuan might object?” Meng Tianluo seemed to read his mind, offering a cold smile. “Rest assured, I will personally obtain the emperor’s decree. I doubt Prince Xuan will dare defy an imperial edict.”

But Meng Yuanheng was not one to shy from defying orders. Upon learning of Meng Tianluo’s intentions, he immediately dispatched someone to escort Shen Qianmo, still awaiting the emperor’s summons in a side hall of Funing Palace, out of the palace.

What a joke—his Qianmo was not about to serve as a coroner for the Ministry of Justice.

However, the eunuch sent to deliver the imperial decree raced after them and intercepted Shen Qianmo midway, reading the emperor’s command aloud on the spot.

The eunuch’s shrill voice echoed as he finished reading the golden decree, then looked down at Shen Qianmo, who was kneeling before him. “Miss Shen, receive the decree.”

After struggling through the archaic language, Shen Qianmo finally understood the emperor’s intent: she was to assist the Ministry of Justice in investigating the murder of the palace maid.

She couldn’t help but sigh. What could have been said simply had to be made so convoluted—such was the old emperor’s way. And all that praise about her wisdom and learning—did the formalities have to be so extravagant?

She now understood why Meng Yuanheng had been so eager to get her out of the palace; clearly, he wanted to keep her out of the inner court’s tangled affairs.

But with the imperial decree in hand, she had no choice.

She returned to the palace and was brought before Meng Tianluo in the Hall of Diligent Governance.

Seeing Shen Qianmo’s return, Meng Tianluo, usually so grim, allowed himself a rare, triumphant smile.

So it was Meng Tianluo’s doing. Seeing his sly grin, Shen Qianmo silently cursed his shamelessness.

He clearly aimed to embarrass her as part of his rivalry with Meng Yuanheng. Did he have some unresolved enmity with Prince Xuan?

“Allow me to introduce the future Princess Xuan to Lord Lu, Vice Minister of Justice,” Meng Tianluo announced in his hoarse, somber voice.

Shen Qianmo glanced at Lu Ziqing, saw him looking back, and offered a formal bow. “Greetings, Lord Lu.”

She thought it best to pretend not to know him in Meng Tianluo’s presence.

Lu Ziqing was quick on the uptake and returned the courtesy, bowing slightly. “I am Lu Ziqing. I have long heard of Princess Xuan’s reputation.”

The capital was rife with tales of her supposed omnipotence—he had indeed heard much. Shen Qianmo’s lips twitched in resignation.

Unaware of their subtle exchange, Meng Tianluo stood and said, “I trust Princess Xuan knows why you are here. There is no time to lose—let us proceed to the scene.”

The scene was a secluded lotus pond in the northern part of the Imperial Garden. Shen Qianmo followed Lu Ziqing to the site.

The Imperial Guards had cordoned off the area, allowing no unauthorized entry.

As Shen Qianmo followed Meng Tianluo and Lu Ziqing into the cordon, the soldiers stared in stunned disbelief. How could such a beautiful woman enter a place so foul? The corpse, they had heard, was so horrifying even the guards dared not look closely. Surely, this beauty would faint at the sight.

Oblivious to their astonishment, Shen Qianmo immediately entered her professional mode, a unique light kindling in her eyes.

How long had it been since she’d performed an autopsy? She felt her scalpel might have rusted.

The maid’s body lay on the bank, covered with a white cloth.

Kneeling beside the corpse, Shen Qianmo lifted the cloth. The heavy scent of blood hit her, causing her to frown and silently curse Meng Tianluo.

He could have at least warned her, she thought—she could have brought gloves or a mask.

Just then, a white cotton mask was handed to her. Looking up, she saw Lu Ziqing’s awkward expression.

She arched a brow, accepted the mask with a nod, and quickly put it on.

Lu Ziqing, it seemed, was finally learning—considerate of even such small details. Impressive.

With the mask in place, she resumed her examination.

Having been soaked in the pond, the body was somewhat bloated, and the scene was indeed gruesome. The head had been cleanly severed at the neck, and on the exposed, pale chest, four blood-red characters screamed for vengeance—“Return my life.” Against the fair skin, the words were even more shocking.

Lu Ziqing prided himself on his courage, but the sight chilled him. He glanced at Shen Qianmo, who was examining the corpse with furrowed brows and unwavering focus.

Was she truly a woman? Was she even human?

As for Meng Tianluo, the moment the bloody stench reached him, he retreated beyond the guards’ cordon. Watching Shen Qianmo kneeling beside the corpse, radiating an inexplicable brilliance, his heart skipped a beat for no reason at all.

Without gloves, Shen Qianmo refrained from moving the body unnecessarily.

“From initial observation, the time of death was around the hour of the Ox. The head was severed by a sharp blade, and the characters on her chest were likely pricked out with an embroidery or silver needle, one stroke at a time. As for the cause of death, whether the head was removed before or after death, and whether the characters were carved pre- or postmortem, further dissection is needed.”

She stood, removed her mask, and reported her findings to Lu Ziqing.

He nodded and ordered the body transported to the Ministry’s morgue for further examination.

Turning, he saw Shen Qianmo already searching carefully along the pond’s edge and followed her.

“Has Lord Lu identified the maid?” Shen Qianmo asked as she scrutinized footprints and nearby vegetation.

Lu Ziqing shook his head. “Without the head, and given the number of maids in the palace, we have not yet determined her identity.”

The footprints along the bank were chaotic, likely from the guards retrieving the body. Circling the pond together, they came upon a small scrap of black cloth caught in a lush thicket.

Lu Ziqing examined it closely. “It appears to be from nightwear.”

Shen Qianmo nodded in agreement.

At that moment, Shen Qianmo seemed to catch a faint, elusive scent in the air.