The Mastermind
Among those present, Zhao Qirong and the Yuan brothers wore the most troubled expressions. No one wanted the Fourth Prince to ascend to the throne more than his mother and the Empress’s family, the Yuan family of An Guogong. Everyone in the room was intelligent enough to connect the dots.
Seeing his husband and friends so distressed, Luxian offered some reassurance.
“Don’t overthink it just yet. Investigate thoroughly to confirm the facts first. By the way, who sent those concubines?”
Chun Gong Gong replied, “The Second Concubine, whom you have eliminated as a suspect, was sent by Minister Zhong of the Ministry of Public Works[1]. The Sixth Concubine was sent by Minister Su of the Ministry of Justice. As for the Eighth Concubine...”
“Wait,” Zhao Qirong interrupted. “The Ministry of Justice? Earlier, you mentioned calling someone from the Ministry of Justice to investigate. Can they be trusted?” he asked, looking to Qin Muwen and Yuan Shaochang for answers.
“Don’t worry,” Yuan Shaochang reassured him. “He’s one of my father’s men. There’s no way anything that happens at Qi Wang Manor will reach Minister Su. But... Gong Gong, what did you just say? Who sent the Eighth Concubine?”
“The Zhong family is the ancestral home of Consort Zhong Guifei. The Su family is the ancestral home of Consort Su Shufei, and...” Qin Muwen trailed off, his voice lowering.
Before he could finish, Zhao Qirong and the Yuan brothers exclaimed in unison, “The Empress Dowager?!”
Chun Gong Gong hesitated before confirming, “Yes... what this servant was about to say was that the Eighth Concubine was sent by the Empress Dowager.”
It was clear now. There was only one possibility left.
“The Empress Dowager... If this is the case, the Zhong family has no reason to want me dead. The Second Concubine was clearly a scapegoat. But why would the Empress Dowager want me killed? Does she truly wish for you to ascend to the throne? What reason would she have? Why not support her own grandnephew? Isn’t the eldest prince one of her relatives? He seems like a strong contender for the throne, just as capable as you,” Luxian said. He had gathered some background information about the capital from his friends before, but he hadn’t deeply analyzed it until now.
“I don’t know either,” Zhao Qirong admitted. “However, there’s one thing that might be relevant. The Empress Dowager isn’t my biological grandmother. She was the Empress during the reign of the late Emperor, but she was childless and adopted my father, who was the son of Consort Xianfei, as her own. She has always insisted on the legitimacy of direct lineage. No one but her adopted son, my father, could be Crown Prince at the time.”
“If that’s the case, her motive becomes clear. You’re the only son of the Empress. She wants you on the throne. Even if rumors claim you’re crippled, should you recover, having me by your side would be an obstacle. She wants to eliminate me before that can happen,” Luxian concluded. “But this is just my hypothesis. The rest is up to you to investigate. Perhaps we’re overthinking it, or if it really is the Empress Dowager, it won’t be easy to trace this back to her. Even if we do, holding her accountable won’t be simple. It’s better to gather evidence first. I don’t believe someone capable of ordering a person’s death would only do it once. In the future, when we have multiple cases to build a solid case, we’ll deal with her then.”
With that, Luxian leaned back, removed the pillow, and lay down, clearly signaling he needed rest.
“You’re not going to handle this yourself? With your personality, I thought you’d never let the culprit go,” Yuan Shaochang remarked, raising an eyebrow.
"If it were me before, yes, I’d handle it myself. But now, I’m no longer alone. Leave the interrogation and punishment to Wangye. After all, they are your concubines. Whether you willingly accept them or not, only you have the authority to deal with what they’ve done. As for me, I plan to stay here for a month. Once this little one is strong and healthy, I’ll return. In the meantime, please help keep this news a secret. When everything is fine, we’ll give the Empress Dowager a big surprise," Luxian said, his tone calm but decisive.
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to confront those who had hurt him and his child, but right now, the safety of the little one in his womb was his top priority. Luxian trusted the Eastern General’s abilities. While Zhao Qirong might have seemed like a lovesick young husband faking illness for months, hiding his strength so thoroughly it seemed to rust, the commanding aura and killer instinct honed on the battlefield had never truly disappeared. It was just that Luxian had never seen Zhao Qirong this serious before.
"I’ll handle this myself. Don’t worry—I won’t let anyone harm you or our child again," Zhao Qirong said, his voice steady and resolute like an unyielding mountain.
"By the way, when I fell into the water, didn’t my face veil come off? And you weren’t wearing your mask either. Does that mean your act of feigning illness is officially over?" Luxian asked, voicing a question that had been on his mind for some time.
"I originally planned to lure the people who sent assassins after me at the border into acting again. But after all these months, they’ve yet to make another move. They’re likely being cautious. Switching to becoming a visible target for them isn’t a bad idea. Next month, during the celebration of my imperial father’s birthday, let’s make a public appearance together. We’ll show the world that instead of being ’rotten wood and a decayed coffin,’ we’re actually ’a couple of golden branches and jade leaves,’" Zhao Qirong replied with a faint smile.
"I’ll return to the manor to settle this and then come back to stay by your side."
The four friends left to deal with the unresolved matters at Qi Wang Manor, while Chun Gong Gong and the maids remained behind to care for Luxian at Hall of Lu Yue.
...
In the dark, damp, and foul-smelling dungeon, the Sixth and Eighth Concubines were shackled with heavy chains. Their faces were pale, and their eyes dull from days without water. They no longer resembled the beautiful concubines of Qi Wang.
"Who ordered you to poison Wangfei?" Zhao Qirong’s voice was cold and laced with an overwhelming killing intent. His demeanor was no different from when interrogating prisoners of war. You are reading on novelping(.)com, the official source.
"I didn’t... I swear... I only slipped and fell...,” the Eighth Concubine stammered weakly, her voice hoarse from fever after falling into the lake. Despite receiving medical treatment, her condition had only worsened in the dungeon.
"No one... ordered me... anything..." the Sixth Concubine whispered faintly. She had endured countless tortures, from being whipped with salted lashes to having her fingers crushed, yet her response remained the same as when Qin Muwen had first interrogated her.
"No one ordered you? So, you’re saying the two of you conspired to harm Wangfei—a person with whom you have no grudges—just to gain favor with a cripple like Ben Wang? Do you take me for a fool?!" Zhao Qirong roared, his fury filling the room.
"Even if you don’t speak, do you think Ben Wang doesn’t already know who gave the orders?"
"I swear... I didn’t do it...Your Highness..." the Eighth Concubine sobbed, while the Sixth Concubine stood motionless, resigned to her fate.
"During the search, Deputy General Qin’s manor found a dried coconut buried beneath the Eighth Concubine’s quarters. What a coincidence that it happened to be floating in the artificial lake near the waterside pavilion as well. And how convenient that dried coconuts help people float in water. Tell me, Eighth Concubine, how did you know you’d fall into the lake and prepare such a tool to save yourself in advance? Surely the world isn’t full of such convenient coincidences," Zhao Qirong said coldly, his piercing gaze landing on the Eighth Concubine.
The Eighth Concubine fell silent, unable to find an excuse. She turned her head toward the Sixth Concubine, who kept her eyes downcast, staring at the ground.
"It was my plan... I wanted Wangfei to fall into the water... but I had nothing to do with the poison..." the Eighth Concubine confessed at last.
"So, you’re saying the poison was solely the work of the Sixth Concubine?" Zhao Qirong pressed, his tone sharp and unyielding.
Despite Zhao Qirong’s cutting words, the Sixth Concubine remained silent. She showed no trace of fear, even as all the blame was being placed squarely on her.
“Heh. Do you think keeping silent will protect the one pulling the strings? Do you think admitting to pushing Wangfei into the water will spare you from execution?” Zhao Qirong said, his voice icy.
“Do you think the golden-embossed Xuan paper your master used to send letters through garbage collectors is so common? You two were careless enough not to burn those letters. Sixth Concubine, Eighth Concubine—even if you don’t speak, His Highness already has enough evidence to find the one responsible,” Yuan Shaoqi added, his patience wearing thin.
The investigation had already uncovered ample evidence to implicate the Su family as the mastermind behind the events. Zhao Qirong’s only objective now was to extract a confession from the two concubines.
As Luxian had predicted, even with solid evidence leading back to the Empress Dowager, it wouldn’t be enough to convict her. The old woman, having spent a lifetime in the palace, was far too cunning to leave herself vulnerable. The rare Xuan paper, used only in a few select palaces, wouldn’t suffice to implicate her. Worse, acting too soon might only alert her to their suspicions.
Their plan now was to note down her wrongdoings. When the day came, they would settle all scores with both the Empress Dowager and the Su family.
Hearing this, the Sixth Concubine finally lifted her head, her eyes wide with shock. Had they really uncovered all the evidence already?
“Write your confession,” Zhao Qirong commanded. “If you do, the punishment will fall on you alone, sparing your entire family. But if I have to take this to the Su family and they abandon you, your entire bloodline won’t have enough heads for me to sever. Isn’t that right, Eighth Concubine?” His voice was filled with murderous intent, and his aura radiated the chilling air of a battlefield.
“I... I...” The Eighth Concubine stammered, her words incoherent as terror overtook her.
The Su family...
So Wangye already knew who was behind everything. Keeping her imprisoned was simply a way to extract a confession. She had always known that failure would mean she would be disposed of as a mere pawn. However, if confessing meant the blame would end with her, sparing her family and dragging the Su family down with her, then perhaps it was worth it. She had nothing left to lose.
In the end, Zhao Qirong obtained the Eighth Concubine’s written confession.
“Don’t worry, Sixth Concubine. Ben Shizi[2] is well aware that Minister Su paid a hefty price to purchase you from the martial world,” Yuan Shaoqi said, his light tone and kindness were far from genuine. “But for the Gu worm they planted in you to ensure obedience, if left unfed, it will start eating your internal organs instead. Isn’t it better to speak up now? Watching a beauty like you being eaten alive would be such a shame. At least this way, it’ll be over quickly,” he added with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes, as though he were a frivolous noble admiring a fragile flower.
The Sixth Concubine said nothing, only raising her hollow gaze to meet Yuan Shaoqi’s.
...
The first was the swift execution of Qi Wang’s concubines involved in the plot to harm Wangfei. They were sent to the Ministry of Justice, and by the end of the day, Minister Su—who had personally introduced these women into the manor years ago—signed their death warrants. As for the Empress Dowager, she remained silent, perhaps orchestrating matters from the shadows through Minister Su.
The second announcement was that Qi Wang decreed the return of all concubines to their original families. This included the three concubines who had been involved in the earlier incident of the mysterious head-shaving crime and all others who were still reeling from the chaos at the waterside pavilion. Furthermore, Zhao Qirong declared that he would ‘never again accept secondary consorts or concubines.’ He also announced that no one, be it man or woman, should attempt to send any more companions to Qi Wang Manor.
Thanks to Zhao Qirong’s handling of the matter, there were no rumors about Wangfei’s health or the true appearances of Qi Wang and Wangfei. The story of the poisoned Wangfei became just another insignificant piece of gossip, baseless and ignored by most.
After obtaining the written confessions from the culprits and resolving the long-standing issue with the concubines, more than a week had passed since Zhao Qirong had last seen his beloved Aifei. With all the matters settled, Qi Wang wasted no time heading straight to Hall of Lu Yue.
When Zhao Qirong arrived with the three companions who had tirelessly worked alongside him to investigate the case, he found Luxian, looking much healthier than seven days ago, sitting and writing something in a notebook.
“What are you writing?” Zhao Qirong asked as he walked over and sat on the chair next to the bed. Luxian had yet to move to the private resting chambers built for him and remained in the same place as before.
“I’m writing a medical manual,” Luxian replied without looking up.
“...”
“I’m preparing it for Lu Lu and the others to study. In eight months, I’ll have to give birth. You know how dangerous childbirth is. I’m a man, so it’s not the same as a woman. Even with the imperial physicians, it’s better to be prepared. Honestly, I can’t even imagine a natural birth. If we can’t find someone experienced to help by then, a surgical delivery might be the best option,” Luxian explained, glancing up briefly before continuing to write. His tone was casual, as if it were just another task to tick off his list.
Qin Muwen chuckled. “You’re as thorough as ever, Luxian. By the way, how is your manual different from the methods used by the imperial physicians?”
“Well, childbirth is a natural process, but complications can arise. For example, a baby might not turn head-down, or the mother might lose strength and faint during labor. In such cases, there are usually two options: save the baby while the mother dies or save the mother while the baby is lost,” Luxian replied in a matter-of-fact tone, seemingly unbothered by the life-and-death scenarios he might face.
Everyone listening grew even more worried for him. Chun Gong Gong, having spent many years in the palace, knew well how many palace concubines died in childbirth during the late Emperor’s reign and how many princes and princesses perished alongside their mothers.
“What can be done to prevent this?” Zhao Qirong asked, his concern evident. The thought of losing Luxian in exchange for a child was unacceptable to him.
“Don’t make that face. There’s always a way. You just cut the baby out, then stitch the wound closed. It may sound absurd—who could survive having their abdomen cut open? But isn’t it the same as your leg? You’ve had surgery, and now you’re walking just fine. If you’re curious, I’ll let you read this once I finish,” Luxian said nonchalantly, continuing to write.
Seeing how focused he was, no one asked further questions. Luxian’s medical expertise was so extraordinary it was beyond their understanding.
“How are things at the manor? All sorted?” Luxian finally asked, setting his brush down.
“We got the confessions from the Sixth and Eighth Concubines. As expected, it was on the orders of the Empress Dowager,” Yuan Shaochang answered.
“And what happened to the two of them?” Luxian nodded and pressed on.
“We sent them to the Ministry of Justice, but not even a day has passed by, and they were executed. Hah, Minister Su must have panicked and had them beheaded to close the case quickly, without even bothering with a sham trial,” Yuan Shaoqi said with a bitter laugh.
“The evidence we have isn’t enough to bring down the Empress Dowager or the Su family. The case has been officially labeled as one of jealousy. But one day, I swear I’ll make them pay for what they did to you,” Zhao Qirong said, his tone heavy with frustration.
But what could he do? Even if he pushed the investigation further and proved the Empress Dowager’s guilt, what punishment would she face? Writing scriptures a thousand times? Three months of house arrest? Being stripped of her title and confined to the Cold Palace?
None of that would ever be enough to atone for her crimes.
Zhao Qirong vowed that, when the time was right, every debt she owed would be repaid in full, with interest.
“And what’s this about you sending all the concubines back to their families? Declaring you’ll never take secondary consorts or concubines again? What’s going on in Qi Wang’s mind? Are you sure you’ll never marry for political power again?” Luxian asked, his voice tinged with curiosity.
[1] The Department of Public Works, or Gong Bu, oversees the empire’s construction efforts. This includes the management of buildings, roads, canal digging, and agricultural projects
[2] Ben Shizi means "I, the heir apparent" or "I, who am the heir apparent." It is a formal and authoritative way for a shizi (heir to a noble title) to refer to themselves.