Chapter 58: Exposure

At the construction site of the Star Observation Pavilion, there was first a faint “click,” as if a foundation had sunk or a beam had snapped.

At first, no one paid it any attention, until the cracks rapidly spread, gaining momentum like a collapsing dam. Amidst the shaking of the earth and the crumbling of the mountains, the grand palace turned to dust, and thick clouds of dust enveloped the remnants of the wooden structure.

At the Pavilion, the hanging eaves bells, shaken by the tremors, emitted a chaotic, rapid jingling sound.

On the top-level terrace, Wen Renlin, clad in dark red robes, stood against the wind, having found an excellent vantage point to watch the collapse of this colossal structure.

Zhang Cang widened his eyes and exclaimed, “Your Highness only deliberately leaked a bit of information, and they’ve already turned on each other like trapped beasts, driven to such extremes! Who would have thought they’d cause such a commotion!”

Wen Renlin instinctively rubbed the jade pendant at his waist, his cold lips curling into a faint smile.

Indeed, the vermin in the gutter never disappoint. When they turn on each other, the result is even more spectacular than he had anticipated. However, this spectacle was only just beginning.

Wen Renlin was in a pleasant mood, the exhilaration even making him forget the icy, searing pain in his organs. The ashen ruins reflected in his eyes, dissolving into a mesmerizing, vivid hue.

“Go and escort the Crown Prince back to the Eastern Palace. Let the prince rest assured and wait there,” Wen Renlin said with a gentle smile, instructing Zhang Cang behind him.

The Crown Prince’s meticulously planned birthday banquet had been ruined, and she was undoubtedly shocked and dismayed. He would have to set aside his pride to comfort her.

At the Phoenix Perch Pavilion.

The guests were stunned, sitting in silence, too shocked to speak. Several officials from the Ministry of Works were pale with fear, constantly wiping sweat from their brows with their sleeves.

Ningyang Marquis Wei Yan did not look at the devastation at the Star Observation Pavilion. Instead, he instinctively tightened his grip on Rong Fuyue’s hand, softly comforting his frightened wife.

Empress Wei stood up and calmly reprimanded the imperial guards, “Why are you standing there? Seal the palace gates immediately and investigate the cause.”

Seizing the opportunity, Censor He stepped forward solemnly, holding a memorial in both hands as he knelt and presented it, saying, “Your Majesty, I, He Yi, impeach the Divine Light Sect and the Ministry of Works for colluding to pass off inferior materials as quality, purchasing rotten nanmu wood, which led to today’s disaster! I beg Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly!”

Cen Meng followed suit, stepping forward and prostrating himself on the ground, kowtowing as he said, “I beg Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly!”

At these words, everyone in the hall was shocked.

Some were skeptical, others were astonished, and the room erupted into chaos, like water splashing into hot oil.

Amidst the uproar, Zhao Yan remained standing, maintaining her posture of addressing the emperor, faintly sensing that something was amiss.

While it was true that the nanmu wood was problematic, for the structure to collapse precisely during the Empress’s birthday banquet, in front of the emperor and all the officials and their families, seemed far too coincidental.

Censor He pressed his forehead to the ground, and Vice Minister Shen of the Ministry of Personnel also knelt, requesting a thorough investigation. The emperor’s expression was grave, and the hall was in complete disarray.

Yet, the emperor was still the emperor. Despite the chaos, he remained composed, setting down his cup and standing up. “Where is the Divine Light Master? Imperial guards, go and see what exactly happened.”

Amidst the chaos, Zhao Yan suddenly thought of something and felt a chill run down her spine.

With the collapse of the Star Observation Pavilion, the majority of the imperial guards were concentrated at the Phoenix Perch Pavilion and the Star Observation Pavilion. The northern gardens were in complete disarray, and the Divine Light Sect was too preoccupied with their own troubles. Their stronghold, the Tongtian Platform, was likely poorly guarded…

This was the perfect opportunity to infiltrate the Tongtian Platform and search for evidence and witnesses!

Liu Baiwei clearly had the same thought. He glanced at her from across the room, giving her a slight nod of acknowledgment.

The birthday banquet was clearly beyond salvaging. Empress Wei stood up, offering her apologies and requesting to withdraw. As she lifted her head and looked over the crowd, she couldn’t help but frown slightly.

The Crown Prince’s seat was empty—Zhao Yan had already disappeared.

…

At that moment, Zhao Yan was leading her people up the long stone steps to the Tongtian Platform.

After the incident at the Star Observation Pavilion, the Taoist priests at the Tongtian Platform had all disappeared, hiding who knows where. They encountered a few confused and dazed alchemy apprentices, but Liu Baiwei quickly silenced them.

On the main platform, there were two small pavilions on the left and right, used for Taoist debates and alchemy.

“You take the left, I’ll take the right,” Zhao Yan signaled to Liu Baiwei, adding earnestly, “Safety is the most important thing. Protect yourself!”

Liu Baiwei gave her a carefree smile.

The two of them split up, passing through the front courtyard and heading toward the left and right pavilions.

The door to the right pavilion was half-open, and the sound of objects falling and shattering could be heard from inside. Li Fu and another eunuch picked up a stick for self-defense and nimbly positioned themselves in front of Zhao Yan before kicking the door open.

The interior was a complete mess.

Tables were overturned, porcelain vases were shattered, and two unconscious Taoist priests lay behind the door. Gu Xing, who had arrived ahead of the chaos, was locked in a struggle with a young Taoist priest, fighting over a thick ledger.

The young priest was short but sturdy, with a fierce glint in his eyes. His martial skills were extraordinary, and he was evenly matched with Gu Xing in hand-to-hand combat. Seeing Zhao Yan and the others burst in, the priest realized he was outnumbered and quickly threw the thick ledger into the alchemy furnace, attempting to burn it and destroy the evidence.

Flames immediately shot up more than a foot high. Gu Xing stretched out his arm, trying to retrieve the burning ledger from the furnace, but the priest repeatedly blocked him.

“Li Fu!” Zhao Yan barked.

Li Fu immediately rushed forward, pulling the ledger out of the furnace and stomping out the flames with his feet. Sparks and ash flew everywhere.

Gu Xing took advantage of the priest’s panic and disarray, spotting an opening and sweeping his leg out. The priest was kicked flying, landing a zhang away and knocking over the alchemy furnace.

The priest, his leg scalded by the furnace, realized escape was impossible and bit down on a poison pill hidden under his tongue, collapsing to the ground dead.

Li Fu let out a disgusted sound and stepped aside, picking up the ledger he had rescued from the furnace. He patted off the ash, sniffed it to ensure it wasn’t poisoned, and then presented it to Zhao Yan with both hands.

The furnace had been extremely hot, and although they had acted quickly, the ledger was already burned down to a little more than the size of a palm.

“I was following Your Highness’s orders, keeping an eye on the Tongtian Platform. When the Star Observation Pavilion suddenly collapsed, chaos broke out here, and I seized the opportunity to sneak in. I happened to catch this man rummaging through the place, looking for this ledger. I figured it must be crucial evidence, which is why he risked coming here to search for it. That’s when we got into a fight.”

Gu Xing quickly explained the situation in a few words, then clasped his fists and said, “I was incompetent and allowed him to burn most of the evidence.”

Only now did Zhao Yan have the strength to exhale the tension in her chest. She waved her hand dismissively. “It’s not your fault. That man clearly wasn’t a Taoist priest—he was a death warrior.”

Fortunately, they had managed to salvage at least half of the ledger.

As she was thinking this, hurried and unsteady footsteps approached from outside the hall.

A hoarse voice urgently called out, “Quick, go and hide my account books!”

Hearing this, Gu Xing immediately positioned himself in front of his master. Zhao Yan tucked the ledger into her robes and looked up to see the Divine Light Master, his hat askew and robes disheveled, standing breathless outside the threshold.

The old Taoist glanced at Zhao Yan and her group, then at the dead priest on the ground and the overturned alchemy furnace. His eyes widened in horror, and he turned to flee.

Zhao Yan chased him out of the hall, but the Divine Light Master took a shortcut down the winding staircase.

Zhao Yan calmly ordered Gu Xing, “Stop him! If he falls into the hands of the imperial guards, I won’t have a chance to question him…”

Before she could finish her sentence, the fleeing Divine Light Master suddenly came to a halt.

He was panting heavily, staring at the winding stone steps as if he had seen something terrifying. Trembling, he began to back away step by step.

At the bottom of the staircase, the first thing that came into view was a dazzling phoenix crown atop a high chignon, followed by the majestic and ornate phoenix robes. The shadows of the staircase gradually receded from Empress Wei’s figure, and the sunlight illuminated her cold, majestic beauty.

The pair of lotus jade pendants at her waist tinkled softly as she walked, followed by a number of trusted eunuchs who completely blocked the staircase.

Zhao Yan’s heart tightened, and she asked urgently, “Why is Mother here?”

Her gaze swept between Liu Ying and Li Fu, and when she saw Li Fu guiltily lower his head, she knew that he must have sent word to the Kunning Palace.

Zhao Yan had no right to blame Li Fu—after all, he was someone trained in the Kunning Palace.

The gazes of mother and daughter met across the distance, and Zhao Yan lowered her eyes like a child who had done something wrong.

Her mother knew everything…

She had not obeyed her mother’s orders to stop investigating the truth. Instead, she had continued under the guise of Zhao Yan, ruining her mother’s birthday banquet.

The Divine Light Master straightened his hat and spoke with a pained expression, “Your Majesty, you’ve arrived just in time! The Crown Prince has led people into my alchemy chamber, destroyed the furnace, and killed my disciples. This is a grave offense against the gods!”

Empress Wei frowned upon hearing this and turned her gaze to Zhao Yan, who stood with her head bowed and lips pressed tightly together.

Zhao Yan silently endured the weight of her mother’s gaze, almost able to imagine the look of disappointment that would soon appear on her face.

In her ears echoed the words from many years ago: “When will you ever stop causing me worry?”

She secretly clenched her palms, took a deep breath, and raised her eyes, ready to face the scolding.

The Divine Light Master, with his eyes closed and fingers pinched together, muttered mysteriously, “It matters not if the Crown Prince has harmed me, but he must not disrupt His Majesty’s great undertaking of cultivating the Dao! I beg Your Majesty to allow me to report this to the Emperor, so that we may burn incense and perform rituals to appease the heavens…”

Before he could finish, a swift kick to his chest sent the old Taoist sprawling to the ground with a yelp.

Zhao Yan was stunned, staring in disbelief as Empress Wei lowered the hand that had lifted her skirt and steadied herself.

Empress Wei’s magnificent phoenix robes fluttered in the wind, making her look like a female general on the battlefield, her cape billowing as she gazed down at the Divine Light Master, who was clutching his chest and struggling on the ground.

“You deceitful sorcerer! How dare you wag your tongue in front of me and slander my child!”

Her words rang out with authority, echoing in the ears of everyone present.

It was only then that Zhao Yan remembered. She had always been captivated by her mother’s majestic appearance in her phoenix robes, but she had forgotten that the Wei family ancestors had once followed the founding emperor in conquering the realm, earning their noble title through martial prowess.

The daughters raised by the Wei family naturally carried within them a fierce and unyielding spirit.

Zhao Yan’s throat tightened.

She had no time to dwell on this. She signaled Gu Xing to detain the Divine Light Master and stepped forward to interrogate him. “Are you the so-called ‘Immortal Master’?”

The Divine Light Master, having just managed to sit up, closed his eyes and assumed a meditative posture, feigning an air of detached serenity.

“Do you think that by saying nothing, you can escape unscathed? The Star Observation Pavilion has collapsed, and the court is in an uproar over the impeachment against you. Sooner or later, His Majesty will investigate you to quell the public’s anger. But the Divine Light Sect is a den of corruption. You risked returning to the Tongtian Platform for this ledger, didn’t you?”

Zhao Yan pulled out the half-burned ledger from her robes. Seeing the old Taoist’s face stiffen, she nodded in understanding. “The person who was rummaging through your alchemy chamber earlier wasn’t one of your disciples… which means there are others who want to destroy the secrets in this ledger while chaos reigns. Even if I let you go, do you really think you’ll survive the journey to plead your case, or even in the prison of the Ministry of Justice?”

“I… I don’t understand what Your Highness is saying.”

“Then let me make it clear: right now, I’m the only one who can keep you alive.”

The old Taoist’s beard trembled, and his dry eyelids fluttered rapidly.

All the composure and detachment of a man who claimed to be above worldly affairs crumbled in the face of life and death, leaving only instinctive fear and panic.

“Was it you who created the poisonous incense that killed the scholars of the Mingde Academy and was sent to the Eastern Palace? The poison that could dissolve into ink and paper, using the glands of a candle snake as its base?”

Seeing the old Taoist’s resolve waver, Zhao Yan raised her voice. “Because their political views threatened the interests of the Divine Light Sect, you poisoned them and attempted to harm the imperial heir! This is a crime punishable by the extermination of your entire clan!”

“No, it wasn’t…”

The old Taoist’s defenses collapsed. His eyes snapped open. “Although I feared Your Highness, how could I dare to openly plot against you? I only concocted the poison under someone else’s orders! It truly had nothing to do with me!”

Zhao Yan was stunned. She took a step forward, pressing him further. “Who ordered you to do it? Who is behind you? Speak!”

“I’ve delivered medicine to so many families… how could I remember…”

A faint whistling sound cut through the air.

“Changfeng!”

Empress Wei, sharp-eyed and quick-handed, grabbed Zhao Yan’s arm and pulled her aside.

Almost simultaneously, an arrow grazed Zhao Yan’s temple and buried itself in the Divine Light Master’s throat, piercing through the back of his neck.

He remained frozen in the act of speaking, his eyes wide open, before collapsing backward, dead on the spot.

“Protect Her Highness!” Gu Xing barked.

Zhao Yan fell to the ground, her pupils contracting slightly.

The sunlight was bright, but a sharp chill rose from the depths of her heart.

Imperial guards swarmed in, clasping their fists toward Empress Wei and Zhao Yan. “We are here on His Majesty’s orders to bring the Divine Light Master in for questioning…”

The guard captain’s words trailed off as he caught sight of the Divine Light Master’s corpse on the ground, stunned.

The Divine Light Master was dead. But the bloodstained black iron arrow on the ground unmistakably belonged to the imperial guard’s armory.

“Who killed him?”

Zhao Yan slowly rose to her feet, her golden-purple robes billowing in the wind as she surveyed the imperial guards who had just arrived. “Which one of you shot him?”

The guards hesitated, glancing at each other, but no one answered.

“Her Highness and I arrived too late. The Divine Light Master was silenced by a traitor within the imperial guards. This is a grave matter. We must report it to His Majesty immediately!”

Empress Wei’s authoritative words quickly stabilized the situation. She then turned to Zhao Yan, who stood in silence, and spoke in a softer tone, “The Crown Prince has been frightened. There’s no need to face His Majesty today. Rest well.”

With that, she gave Zhao Yan a deep look before leading the imperial guards and palace servants away.

Zhao Yan stood there for a while longer, her icy limbs gradually warming.

“What happened?”

Liu Baiwei had just returned from searching the left hall and was shocked to see the imperial guards carrying away the Divine Light Master’s body. “What’s going on? Is Your Highness alright?”

“The witness has been silenced,” Zhao Yan replied softly, though she still had the ledger.

She clutched the remaining half of the ledger in her arms, her eyes downcast as she pondered.

Seeming to come to a decision, she looked up with determination. “Let’s return to the Eastern Palace.”

…

At the Crane Return Pavilion.

Zhang Cang hurried up the stairs, barely catching his breath before reporting to Wen Renlin, who was seated in a chair reading a scroll.

“Your Highness, the Crown Prince somehow found her way to the Tongtian Platform and snatched half of the ledger from those people.”

Wen Renlin looked up, and Zhang Cang swallowed hard before continuing, “I was too late. The Crown Prince has already taken the half of the ledger and is on her way back to the Eastern Palace.”

For the Crown Prince to be carrying such a hot potato meant she had become a target, a moving bullseye!

Before Zhang Cang could finish speaking, Wen Renlin had already set down the scroll and stood up, brushing past him as he descended the stairs.

His face was pale as frost, his eyes gleaming with a mesmerizing light, and his robes seemed to move on their own, untouched by the wind.

Zhang Cang was forced to take a step back by the overwhelming killing intent emanating from Wen Renlin. It wasn’t until Wen Renlin’s figure disappeared down the stairs that Zhang Cang seemed to snap out of it and slapped his forehead in realization.

His Highness’s poison was due to flare up any day now, and he hadn’t taken his medicine yet!

—

The Eastern Palace carriage had just passed through the Qing’an Gate of the northern gardens and was now traveling along the narrow path adjacent to the palace walls, making its way back to the Eastern Palace.

Gu Xing and a group of Eastern Palace guards, hands on their swords, flanked the carriage on both sides.

The assassination attempt happened in an instant.

Arrows rained down from the rooftops of the buildings lining the narrow path, all aimed at the Crown Prince’s carriage!

Gu Xing drew his sword, deflecting the arrows with a series of clanging sounds as he fought and retreated, shouting, “Protect His Highness!”

One of the assassins leaped down from the rooftop and charged toward the carriage, seemingly intent on seizing something.

But he only managed to run a few steps before another black-feathered arrow struck him down.

At the other end of the narrow path, the solemn figure of Prince Su, clad in dark red robes, rode forward on horseback. He drew his bow like a crescent moon, aiming at the assassins hidden behind the rooftops.

Three arrows shot out in quick succession, followed by another three in a fluid motion—each one hitting its mark without fail!

The remaining two assassins were swiftly subdued by Gu Xing, who dislocated their jaws to prevent them from committing suicide.

Before his horse even came to a full stop, Wen Renlin dismounted with his bow in hand, landing steadily on his feet. He strode toward the Eastern Palace carriage with purpose.

He moved so quickly that when he reached out to lift the curtain—now riddled with arrow holes—his fingers trembled imperceptibly for a brief moment.

As the curtain was pulled aside, light spilled into the carriage, illuminating the figure inside, clad in full armor and wearing a helmet…

It was Li Fu.

Li Fu, huddled awkwardly in the rattan armor with a few arrows sticking out of his arms, stared blankly at the man before him, unsure whether he was a demon or a deity.

Wen Renlin’s hand slowly fell to his side, the turbulent emotions in his eyes settling into a calm stillness.

He suppressed the suffocating pain rising in his chest and, after a moment, asked in a low, hoarse voice, “Where is Her Highness?”

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