After considering it all night, Wen Qitian felt that although she hadn’t said much, it seemed she had genuinely struck a sensitive chord with the emotionally vulnerable antagonist.
Early the next morning, she rose at dawn, hoping to clarify things before the tyrant attended the morning court session.
Who would have thought that Nan Leli would be surrounded by a team of people bustling about, leaving her no chance to get close. She could only watch his retreating figure as he boarded the imperial dragon carriage.
He really was angry.
Wen Qitian felt troubled. Since childhood, others had always been the ones to coax her—she had no experience in comforting others.
Yue E offered a suggestion: “Miss, perhaps you could ask Princess Yuyao or Eunuch Zhang.”
Eunuch Zhang was a favorite in the Emperor’s presence and would surely know the Emperor’s preferences, right?
Wen Qitian nodded: “Alright, I’ll ask when I have the chance. First, let’s go check on Wei Chang to see the progress.”
Yue E’s eyes flickered, and she hesitated: “Tao Zhi died yesterday. Her body should already be stiff by today. If you go, Miss, you might have nightmares tonight.”
Nightmares?
Wen Qitian had a sudden inspiration and urged them to lead the way quickly.
Tao Zhi’s body was still in the small, dilapidated room where she had died that day, guarded by imperial soldiers. Logically, Wei Chang, as the commander of the imperial guards, shouldn’t have been involved in such a minor matter, but who could defy the Emperor’s orders?
He had added personnel to assist in the investigation. Tao Zhi had been confined inside, and all the guards during that period had been rigorously interrogated. The coroner’s examination revealed that she had died from shock due to a pollen allergy.
Regarding this result, Wen Qitian couldn’t shake the feeling that it was too coincidental. The rouge from that day clearly hadn’t been applied to Tao Zhi’s face.
Wei Chang spoke earnestly: “Miss Wen, rest assured, we will investigate further and will not let any suspicious individuals slip through.”
Wen Qitian turned her gaze to Tao Zhi.
By then, Tao Zhi had been dead for some time. She was still dressed in the dark green attire of a first-class palace maid, her face pale and some of her veins bluish, showing no signs of abnormality.
The palace coroner couldn’t be too incompetent; there shouldn’t be any issues.
But…
Wen Qitian frowned: “Did you change her clothes?”
Wei Chang: “The coroner only examined the body and did not change the clothes.”
They had been put back on after the examination.
Wen Qitian turned to Yue E and asked: “Look, was she wearing this before?”
First-class palace maids all wore green. Yue E glanced twice and shook her head: “It should be this one.”
No!
Tao Zhi had been somewhat attractive, and her clothing had always been quite presentable. The garment she wore now was slightly faded, as if it had been washed many times. Wen Qitian wanted to take a closer look, but Yue E reminded her from behind: “Miss, if you have any findings, let Commander Wei investigate. Your health is precious, and His Majesty would be angry if he found out.”
He’s already angry, isn’t he?
Wen Qitian didn’t pay much attention to this remark. Under everyone’s watchful eyes, she walked over to Tao Zhi’s side. After a careful inspection, she spoke: “Commander Wei, please have her clothes examined.”
Wei Chang was no fool. He immediately understood what was going on, but it was inappropriate for him and his guards to undress her. He had a few palace maids help remove Tao Zhi’s clothes and then covered the body with a cloth.
The examination of the clothes would take some time. Just then, someone from Nan Fengyao’s side arrived.
Wen Qitian thought for a moment and said to Yue E: “You stay here and assist Commander Wei with the investigation. Just report the results to me later. I’ll take Bai Zhi to Yuyao Palace.”
Bai Zhi had been unusually quiet since yesterday, and Wen Qitian wasn’t entirely at ease leaving her behind, so she decided to keep her close.
Yesterday, Bai Zhi happened to have a stomachache, and it just so happened that something went wrong while she was guarding Tao Zhi.
Wen Qitian couldn’t help but suspect her. It would be better to keep Bai Zhi close for observation while having others investigate.
Since arriving in this world, Bai Zhi had been the one she interacted with the most and was the most cheerful. Wen Qitian didn’t want it to be her.
At Yuyao Palace, Nan Fengyao had been waiting for a long time. Seeing Wen Qitian arrive, she excitedly said, “Tiantian, come quickly! There are so many handsome men—help me choose!”
Wen Qitian found her infatuated demeanor amusing. However, influenced by her grandfather, Wen Qitian had a fondness for ancient paintings, so she leaned in for a closer look.
Unlike modern paper, Jingnan Kingdom used slightly yellowish rice paper, and upon closer inspection, one could even see the fibers mixed within.
The painting style of Jingnan was quite similar to traditional Chinese painting—bold and unrestrained brushstrokes, employing a freehand technique that amplified the subjects’ strengths, even revealing their aura.
Although traditional craftsmanship had been passed down and continuously innovated, some of the ancient painting techniques had still been lost over time.
Jingnan Kingdom did not belong to any specific era, yet in certain aspects, it shared similarities.
Compared to the court painters, Wen Qitian finally understood why she had drawn the mouth so strangely that day.
Nan Leli wasn’t crooked-mouthed or cross-eyed—he was just… fierce!
“What do you think? Is this one good-looking?”
Seeing Wen Qitian staring intently at the portrait, Nan Fengyao raised an eyebrow lightly. “I think he’s good-looking too. Look at those clear, innocent eyes, that slender figure, and the scholarly aura—none of it compares to my imperial brother…”
“Your Highness!” The maid Xiao Yi gently tugged at Nan Fengyao’s sleeve, and she immediately fell silent.
She really didn’t want to be confined again and forced to copy Buddhist Sutras. If this continued, she’d be completely worn out.
Life was tough. Under such oppressive authority, Nan Fengyao had no choice but to mutter reluctantly, “He’s nothing special, not as good at fighting as my imperial brother.”
On the next page, she grew excited again. “This one’s good, this one’s good! So muscular and strong—he looks like he can really fight.”
Wen Qitian leaned over, her internal alarm bells ringing. “This one won’t do. I think you have a bold and straightforward personality, so you should find someone gentle and obedient. This man looks all brawn and no brains—he definitely won’t listen to you in the future.”
The man in the painting was muscular and about nine feet tall. Wen Qitian pulled up the plot from the System—wasn’t this Yang Ping, who had a crush on the original female lead?
As it happened, Yang Ping was Yang Jiali’s biological brother.
The son of General Yang, the princess had fallen in love with him at first sight during a hunting event and wanted to conquer him. However, this man had also taken a liking to the female lead, Wen Jiyue.
Falling for Yang Ping ultimately became the beginning of Nan Fengyao’s tragedy. Later, Nan Fengyao found the original female lead pretentious and excluded Wen Jiyue from every noblewomen’s event.
Wen Jiyue felt wronged, and the male lead naturally wouldn’t ignore it. At that time, the male lead’s power was not yet fully developed. On the surface, he told Wen Jiyue to endure what she could, but secretly, he was already preparing to rebel.
Wen Jiyue didn’t know this and thought the male lead didn’t care about her. In the end, she went to one of the male supporting characters to vent her grievances, causing Yang Ping—one of the male supporting characters—to despise Nan Fengyao, who liked him, even more.
If possible, Wen Qitian would do everything she could to prevent Nan Fengyao from liking that man.
She quickly turned the page.
“Look at this one—refined and elegant, with an aura… Brother?”
The man was dressed in martial attire, his hair neatly tied up, holding a long spear. Yet his aura was as gentle as jade, creating a striking contrast…
He had a smiling face, from his brows and eyes to the slightly upturned corners of his lips, everything about him looked gentle. Even in the portrait, one could still sense that he was smiling and embracing you, indulging you in everything without ever getting angry.
Wen Qitian’s eyes widened, her hands trembling uncontrollably.
Brother…
It was her brother!
Her brother!
For a moment, Wen Qitian couldn’t control her emotions, her expression dazed. Why was her brother here?
【Author’s Note】
The tyrant excitedly declared, “I don’t care, my wife is calling me brother.”
Wen Yongsī: “A cuckoo occupying a magpie’s nest??”