Chapter 1905: Counterattack

That evening, Zu'an entered the palace and went directly to the East Palace to find the Crown Princess, informing her of what he had uncovered.

Although Zu'an was supposedly under "house arrest" in the palace, that had no bearing on the Grand Commander of the Embroidered Envoys. Moreover, in his uniform, he had unobstructed passage through the palace. The Embroidered Envoys were notoriously feared, and no one wished to be associated with them in the slightest. Even upon reaching the East Palace and meeting with Bi Linglong in private, no one among the staff raised any objections. After all, the Embroidered Envoys were a secret intelligence agency, and their conversations were undoubtedly confidential; no eunuch or palace maid in the East Palace dared to eavesdrop.

Gazing at the dark red robes and the fierce-looking mask before her, Bi Linglong seemed lost in thought. After a long moment, she sighed, "I'm still more accustomed to the attire of Gold Medallion Eleven."

Back in the secret realm, the two had joined forces against Zhao Hao's divided soul, sharing life and death, and had no secrets left between them. After emerging, with Zhao Hao as their formidable enemy, they exchanged information about their respective resources and powers during a secret rendezvous, hoping to better integrate their intelligence. When Bi Linglong learned that he was also Gold Medallion Eleven, she was so happy she nearly fainted. She remembered how, during an assassination attempt by the Demonic Cult, she had nearly died, saved only by Gold Medallion Eleven. They had several more encounters afterward, and she had unknowingly developed a fondness for the mysterious Gold Medallion Embroidered Envoy.

However, through a twist of fate in the secret realm, she had given herself to Zu'an. As they battled side by side, she couldn't help but fall in love with him. Her feelings for him naturally surpassed those for a Gold Medallion Embroidered Envoy she had only met a few times. Yet, for some reason, in the quiet of the night, thinking of that person always brought a faint sense of regret to her heart. It was like a distant, cherished ideal from her youth, unforgettable precisely because it was tinged with regret. But after Zu'an, she buried that shadow deep in her heart, keeping it as a secret she would never reveal. This often caused her guilt, making her feel like a bad woman for liking two men simultaneously—as for the foolish fat man Zhao Ruizhi, she had never considered him a man.

Who knew that the two men she liked were actually the same person! The immense surge of happiness she felt at that moment was still vivid in her memory. No wonder she had felt an inexplicable familiarity with both of them—they were one and the same. That night, she was especially passionate, shedding her usual shyness and clinging to him proactively through the night.

Zu'an smiled. "From now on, I'll wear the Gold Medallion Eleven uniform when I come to see you."

"Okay," Bi Linglong replied, her face flushing and her heart quickening.

After chatting for a while, Bi Linglong's thoughts returned to the pressing matter at hand. She knew this was a good opportunity to strike at Prince Dai, so she immediately gave orders to summon ministers loyal to the East Palace to the palace that very night for discussions. After several hours of discussion, Bi Linglong saw off all the ministers, only to find that Zu'an had already vanished.

"Momo, where is he?" Bi Linglong asked.

"Which 'he'?" Rong Mo was momentarily confused.

"Of course, it's... *cough*, it's the Grand Commander of the Embroidered Envoys." Bi Linglong thought her maid was becoming increasingly slow-witted.

"Oh, him? He left a long time ago."

"When did he leave?"

"Probably when Your Highness was summoning those ministers."

Hearing this, Bi Linglong felt a pang of loss. He had left so quickly. She couldn't help but feel a little resentful, wondering if it was her imagination, but he seemed much more distant this time. Thinking of the strange questions he had asked earlier, her delicate brows furrowed. Could something have happened that she didn't know about?

The next day, at morning court, many ministers on their way wondered what was happening. A morning court had been called, and all ministers were summoned. It was known that even when the Emperor was well, he didn't hold court every day, and since the Battle of Purple Mountain, he had barely held court at all. Many matters were handled by seeking instructions from the Crown Princess at the East Palace or the Empress at the Kunning Palace; there was no need for a full court session.

When all the officials had taken their places in the Golden Imperial Hall, the Crown Prince finally arrived, conspicuously late. His pouting lips clearly showed his reluctance; in his mind, attending court was less interesting than fighting crickets. However, everyone needed him, the nominal acting regent, to be present, and out of fear of the Crown Princess, he had no choice but to come. Following him, the Crown Princess and Liu Ning listened to the court proceedings from behind a screen on either side. As women, they needed to be separated from the ministers by a pearl curtain.

After the usual procedures of the morning court were completed, the ministers from the Meng family and Prince Dai's faction were the first to launch an attack, bringing up the old case of Prince Jin's death and requesting the court to severely punish Zu'an, the culprit. All eyes turned to Zu'an, but he remained perfectly composed, as if completely unconcerned. Many people frowned slightly, sensing that something was amiss.

Sure enough, an official from the East Palace faction retorted, "Her Majesty the Empress previously dispatched the Embroidered Envoys to investigate this matter. Surely there should be a result by now."

The Empress glanced at Zu'an from afar, thinking, *This young man is truly handsome; just standing there makes one's heart race.* She smiled faintly. "Someone, send an Embroidered Envoy to report!" Of course, she knew the Grand Commander of the Embroidered Envoys was standing right there; she was specifically helping him save face. Soon, a Silver Medallion Embroidered Envoy arrived. Zu'an saw that it was Xiao Jianren, and his injuries seemed to have healed considerably.

At this point, Xiao Jianren presented the conclusion that Prince Jin had died of extreme anger, with no external injuries on his body. The entire court immediately erupted in an uproar.

"Foul play! There must be foul play involved!" Prince Dai couldn't help but shout first. Meng Yi frowned slightly at this, thinking his son-in-law was far too impatient. How could he personally get involved in such matters? Look at the Empress and the Crown Princess; when they want something done, they never easily show their hand, always letting their subordinates act so they can remain in a position to attack or retreat at any time. His daughter had managed him too strictly, which was why he didn't understand these things. It was a pity that Chan'er was a girl and could only marry this good-for-nothing.

Since things had come to this, he could only signal his subordinates. Many ministers began to echo Prince Dai: "Exactly! So many people saw Prince Jin die at Zu'an's hands. How could there be no external injuries?" "Your humble servant requests that the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review be sent to investigate together."

Hearing the agitated crowd below, an official under the East Palace sneered, "Are you questioning the impartiality of the Embroidered Envoys?" At these words, the entire hall instantly fell silent. Everyone instinctively looked towards Xiao Jianren, whose eyes were now cold. Although he was only a mere Silver Medallion Envoy, at that moment, he represented the entire Embroidered Envoys. The Embroidered Envoys were ruthless; countless ministers had been ruined by them over the years. Who dared to offend them?

Seeing that everyone else was silent, Meng Yi had no choice but to speak. "Of course, we are not questioning the Embroidered Envoys. However, this matter concerns the death of an imperial prince, so it should indeed be treated with caution." With him leading the way, many others followed suit: "Indeed, the Ministry of Justice should also investigate." "I suggest that Grand Justice Jiang personally investigate. Grand Justice Jiang has always been fair and is the embodiment of the law; everyone knows this."

Bi Linglong frowned slightly. Prince Dai and the Meng family's influence was greater than she had imagined. She hadn't realized it when they were cooperating against Prince Qi, but now she understood how many people they had secretly rallied.

At this point, Xiao Jianren spoke: "If you wish to send others to investigate, our Embroidered Envoys have no objection. However, if the investigation later reaches the same conclusion as ours, will all the esteemed officials who caused a stir today come to the Embroidered Envoys' headquarters to apologize?" Hearing this, the ministers who had been clamoring earlier immediately quieted down. Who dared to stake their future on this?

Prince Dai, however, was fearless. He snorted coldly. "I dare to make that bet with you. It would be best to include the Capital Prefect and the Inspector of the Imperial Secretariat as well, so no one can tamper with the results." If anyone could simultaneously manage all these different departments, their power would already rival the Emperor's, so what would be the point of fighting? As for the threat from the Embroidered Envoys, he didn't take it to heart. He was a dignified prince; surely they wouldn't dare arrest him and take him to their headquarters? Thinking about how his good night with Prince Jin's consort had been interrupted, and how his personal protector had been arrested by their Grand Commander, he now viewed the Embroidered Envoys with particular disdain.

Xiao Jianren scoffed, "Prince Dai, don't be in such a hurry. This matter is already greatly connected to you."

"What do you mean?" Prince Dai's heart skipped a beat.

"According to our investigation, the reason Prince Jin so aggressively targeted the Murong and Qin families, and ultimately confronted Master Zu, was actually due to someone with malicious intent secretly instigating him. In other words, the instigator is the true culprit who caused Prince Jin's death," Xiao Jianren replied coldly.

At his words, the entire hall erupted in an uproar. The ministers under the East Palace's command all looked towards Prince Dai. Others instinctively followed suit; any minister standing in the Golden Imperial Hall was a shrewd individual. With a little thought, it became clear that Prince Dai was the biggest beneficiary of this matter. In other words, he had the strongest motive. His agitated involvement in this matter over the past few days was clearly excessive.

At this point, Bi Linglong smiled faintly. "May I ask who this mastermind is?"

Xiao Jianren coldly uttered a few words: "It is none other than His Royal Highness, Prince Dai!"

Prince Dai felt a chill run through him, but Meng Yi flew into a rage. "Nonsense! Do you know that falsely accusing an imperial prince is a grave crime punishable by the extermination of one's entire clan!"

At this moment, the Empress on the high throne glanced at Zu'an, then turned her gaze to Xiao Jianren. "Do you have evidence for what you say?"

Xiao Jianren turned and bowed. "To Your Majesty, I have both human witnesses and material evidence here." Saying this, he presented the testimonies from the servants of Prince Jin's manor last night, as well as the statements from other witnesses in the vicinity. The Empress took a look, then handed them to the ministers to circulate. The documents stated that on a certain date, Prince Dai's consort and Prince Dai had successively visited Prince Jin, saying certain things, after which Prince Jin had furiously stormed out of his manor.

"These are nothing but random accusations by servants. How can they be considered evidence? Prince Jin's consort knows best how my wife and I treated Prince Jin. She can testify for us," Prince Dai quickly said.

The Empress was about to speak, but Bi Linglong had already interjected, "In that case, summon Prince Jin's consort!"