Chapter 1902: Widow

After King Dai left, Zu An waved his hand and commanded, "Open the coffin and examine the body!"

"Yes, sir!" Old Qi Dai and Old Ba Chen bowed, then led their men to the coffin in the center of the mourning hall.

They knew it was just a formality, but the formality still had to be observed.

Seeing the men roughly push open the coffin lid, Princess Jin almost fainted. "Gently," she pleaded, "don't disturb King Jin."

Zu An said in a deep voice, "Don't worry, Princess, they know what they're doing. You can step out for a moment if you wish."

It was undeniably a cruel sight for her.

"No, I want to stay here." Princess Jin stubbornly raised her head, her gaze sorrowfully fixed on her husband's coffin, and tears involuntarily streamed down her face again.

Zu An thought to himself, *Is this woman made of water? She's been crying since earlier, and now she's weeping again.*

Seeing her insistence, Zu An found it difficult to say anything further, and gestured for his subordinates to proceed.

Soon, the professional coroner brought by the Embroidered Uniform Guard began examining the body. Because King Jin had only recently passed away, and there was cold jade and ice in the coffin, the body was well-preserved, with no signs of decay or deterioration.

Aside from a slightly ashen complexion, he looked much the same as he did when he was alive.

It was known that King Jin had always been sickly, and rarely had much color in his face.

The coroner's movements were highly professional. He opened a tool kit, took out various instruments, and examined every inch of King Jin's body.

After a while, the coroner began putting his tools back into his bag, then washed his hands in a copper basin, and nodded to Zu An, saying, "Commander, the examination is complete."

Zu An grunted in acknowledgment and gestured that they could leave.

King Jin's cause of death had already been determined beforehand, so all of this was merely for show.

Unexpectedly, Princess Jin suddenly called out to them. "Wait," she asked, "what are the results of the examination?"

The coroner hesitated and instinctively looked at Zu An.

Seeing this, Princess Jin gathered her courage and stepped before Zu An, looking up at him. "As a victim's family member," she asked, "I have the right to know the cause of my husband's death, don't I?"

Perhaps it was because she was usually timid and quiet, and this was a rare show of courage, but her small face was flushed, and her chest rose and fell rapidly. Evidently, facing a legendary formidable figure like the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, she was quite afraid at that moment.

Seeing her appearance, Zu An couldn't help but recall scenes from "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" in his previous life, where Zhou Yu died young and Xiao Qiao, in mourning clothes, was heartbroken in the mourning hall.

He secretly sighed and motioned for the coroner to speak truthfully.

The coroner nodded. "To answer Princess Jin," he said, "King Jin died due to chronic illness, extreme emotional agitation, and a sudden attack of heart failure caused by fright."

"What?" Princess Jin exclaimed, her face paling. "Wasn't His Royal Highness brutally murdered by that Zu An?"

The coroner's expression was serious. "Please trust my professional judgment, Princess," he stated.

He had appeared to be conducting an autopsy, but in reality, he was covering up.

After his recent actions, even if other coroners were to examine the body now, they would only reach the same conclusion.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard was professional in every aspect.

"But so many people saw it..." Princess Jin murmured to herself.

"Seeing is not always believing," Zu An replied.

Princess Jin bit her lip tightly, her entire body trembling slightly. She didn't know if it was due to emotional turmoil or some other reason.

After a moment, she said softly, "Commander, there's something I wish to speak with you about privately."

As she spoke, she cast a deliberate glance at the other Embroidered Uniform Guards.

Zu An hesitated for a moment, then waved his hand, signaling his subordinates to leave.

The Embroidered Uniform Guards naturally saw no issue. How could a frail woman like Princess Jin possibly harm their unfathomably powerful Commander?

After the Embroidered Uniform Guards had left, Princess Jin also addressed her maidservant beside her. "You may also withdraw," she instructed.

The maidservant hesitated. "But this might be a bit..." she began.

She couldn't bring herself to say it directly; it was improper for a single man and woman to be alone in a room together.

Princess Jin snorted. "In His Royal Highness's mourning hall," she retorted, "would the Commander possibly dare to bully a weak woman like me?"

The maidservant realized she had a point. The Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard felt too terrifying to her anyway, and she was quite unwilling to stay there any longer.

After everyone had left, Zu An secretly transmitted a message. "Old Qi Dai, Old Ba Chen," he instructed, "take this opportunity to gather intelligence from the household servants."

"Understood!" Old Qi Dai and Old Ba Chen bowed towards the room, then led some of their men away, and ordered the remaining subordinates to guard the perimeter, allowing no one to enter and disturb without the Commander's orders.

The other Embroidered Uniform Guards didn't think much of it. Given the situation, Princess Jin clearly had something confidential to discuss with the Commander, so it was natural that no one should disturb them.

Once the surroundings quieted down, Zu An looked at the woman opposite him, dressed in mourning clothes. It was truly a case of "a woman looks fetching in mourning attire..."

He frowned. *Why are there so many messy thoughts today? Was it because of that girl Nan Xun just now?*

He reined in his thoughts and lightly coughed. "Princess, what is it you wish to tell me?" he asked.

Princess Jin suddenly walked up to him, then fell to her knees before him with a thud, and said, choking back tears, "Please, Commander, be my patron and deliver justice for me!"

"Princess, please, rise quickly!" Zu An was startled. Although the Embroidered Uniform Guard held a transcendent status, the woman before him was a legitimate princess. If anyone were to witness this scene, he would surely face accusations.

He instinctively helped her up. Only when his hand made contact with her soft, smooth skin did he realize the impropriety. However, withdrawing his hand now would be too obvious, so he subtly continued to help her stand.

At such close proximity, a faint, pleasant fragrance emanated from her, which was very appealing.

Although she was mourning King Jin today, Princess Jin was dressed very simply and had not intentionally applied makeup. Yet, women always possess their unique subtle scents.

Feeling the burning warmth in his palm, Princess Jin's heart also pounded wildly. She had never had physical contact with any man other than her husband, and the strong masculine aura emanating from him was completely different from King Jin's.

"Princess Jin?" Zu An called out again, seeing her lost in thought.

"Ah?" Princess Jin snapped back to reality, quickly withdrawing her hand. She wondered what was wrong with her. She said, somewhat flustered, "That Zu An, relying on the Crown Princess's favor, cruelly murdered my husband. I have no one else to rely on, so I beg you, Commander, to do me justice."

Zu An raised an eyebrow. "Did you not hear what the coroner just said, Princess?" he asked. "King Jin died from an accident. His body was too weak; he was destined for a short life. You should have been mentally prepared for this, Princess. Please accept my condolences."

Princess Jin gently bit her pearly teeth, her eyes glistening with tears. After a moment, she said, "King Jin's health was indeed poor, but not to the extent of dying just yet... Although he wasn't directly killed by Zu An, he still died from fright caused by Zu An's intimidation. So, strictly speaking, that man Zu is still the murderer."

Zu An sighed and said coldly, "If a person chooses to jump off a cliff, can they blame the cliff afterward?"

Princess Jin was stunned. She understood that he had a point, but how could she be so rational about such a matter, and not blame that Zu An at all?

She took a deep breath. "I understand what you mean, Commander," she said, "but that man Zu even sent people to persecute my family! It's simply too much!"

Zu An was taken aback. *Why didn't I know about this?*

"You said that man Zu is targeting your family?" he asked.

Princess Jin nodded. "Although my He family is of humble origins," she said, "we are still considered reputable figures in our local area. Moreover, after I became Princess Jin, all parties in official circles treated my family with courtesy. Everything changed in the past two days, though. I received a message by homing pigeon from home, saying local officials have been coming to our doors, finding fault in every way. Who else would do such a thing besides at the instigation of that man Zu?!"

After all, she was still a princess; even if King Jin had died, officials would have no reason to target her maiden family. After much thought, only Zu An had the motive for this.

First, he killed her husband, then to eliminate any future trouble, he sent people to deal with the He family. He was truly worse than a beast!

Hearing her tearful accusations, Zu An frowned. "That Zu An was immediately confined in the palace," he said. "The Embroidered Uniform Guard is monitoring him. He wouldn't have had the opportunity to trouble your maiden family."

"But if not him, then who else could it be?" Princess Jin said resentfully. "He's so familiar with the people in the Eastern Palace; he surely has ways to send messages out."

Zu An said in a deep voice, "The current Crown Prince and King Jin are blood brothers. Even if the people in the Eastern Palace are familiar with him, how could they possibly help him in such a matter?"

"But..."

Princess Jin was about to say more, but Zu An interrupted her. "As I just said, seeing is not always believing," he stated. "Has anyone been saying anything to King Jin recently that might have made him act impulsively and confront that Zu An?"

Princess Jin was startled. "Commander," she asked, "are you saying someone incited my husband to go against that Zu An?"

Zu An hesitated for a moment. "These words shouldn't originally be spoken to you," he began, "but seeing the Princess so distraught... very well, I shall tell you."

"The capital appears calm now, but in reality, undercurrents are surging," Zu An continued. "Now that the Emperor has passed away, some princes are coveting the throne. Therefore, we suspect someone deliberately incited King Jin to confront Zu An. This would eliminate a key general from the Eastern Palace, severely weakening the Crown Prince's faction, allowing them to reap the benefits of the conflict."

"Ah!" Princess Jin gasped, her mouth wide open in surprise. However, her small mouth was too delicate; even in such astonishment, it couldn't fit an egg.

"Has the Princess thought of something?" Zu An gazed intently into her eyes.

Princess Jin's expression shifted between various emotions, and finally, she slowly exhaled. "Princess Dai came to visit me some time ago," she began. "Afterward, it seemed she also had a private discussion with my husband for a while. However, I never inquire about my husband's official matters, so I don't know what they discussed."

Waves crashed in her heart, as she thought, *No wonder King Dai has been so active lately. So, the couple harbors ill intentions.*

Zu An's heart stirred. *Indeed,* he thought, *it seems King Dai and the Meng family conspired to incite King Jin against me, solely to undermine the Eastern Palace's prestige.*

They simply never imagined I would be so ruthless as to directly kill King Jin.

However, by doing so, it played even more into their hands. Thus, a series of interconnected schemes were subsequently launched against him.

Any other person would likely have been completely ruined by now. The only thing they hadn't accounted for was that both the Empress and the Crown Princess were on his side.

He wondered if all this was the scheming of Meng Yi or Princess Dai.

At this moment, Princess Jin suddenly grasped his hand, looked up at him, and said in a soft, gentle voice, "Commander, if you can help me avenge my husband, I will surely repay you well."

Her eyes were misty with tears, and her voice was several shades sweeter than usual.