Chapter 729: Is It Him?

Guo Zhi was startled. "All palace entry and exit records? That's a huge undertaking. May I ask, Lord Eleven, what exactly are you investigating? I can help narrow down the scope."

Zu'an hesitated. "I need to check the entry and exit records of palace maids."

Guo Zhi breathed a sigh of relief. "That's easy then. The imperial palace has four gates. The Vermilion Bird Gate to the south is only opened for major ceremonies and grand court assemblies. The Cloud Dragon Gate to the west is used by civil and military officials for daily entry into the palace for work. The Wenhua Gate to the east is generally used by some officials from the Nine Ministers and members of the Hanlin Academy who compile books. Palace maids and eunuchs, however, can only enter and exit through the Xuanwu Gate to the north, so you only need to check the records for that gate."

Zu'an hesitated, "What if someone left through one of the other gates?"

Guo Zhi shook his head. "Absolutely impossible. With so many eyes watching each gate, a palace maid couldn't possibly leave through any of those other places."

Only then did Zu'an feel relieved. "Thank you for your trouble, General Guo."

"You're too kind, Lord Eleven." Guo Zhi then led him to the Xuanwu Gate in the north.

Soon, a golden-armored general with thick eyebrows and large eyes arrived, having heard the news. "Greetings, General Guo. Greetings, my lord..."

Guo Zhi introduced them. "This is Lord Eleven, a Gold Medallion Envoy, who is investigating a case by imperial decree. You must cooperate fully. And this is Ouwu, the Sima of Xuanwu Gate. He is responsible for all matters big and small at Xuanwu Gate, so you can ask him anything directly."

Each palace gate had a Sima, who was in charge of the gate guards and the security of the imperial palace.

"Greetings, Lord Eleven." Seeing that it was a Gold Medallion Envoy personally brought by Guo Zhi, Ouwu did not dare to be negligent.

"General Ouwu," Zu'an greeted, cupping his hands. "I want to check the recent entry and exit records of palace maids."

"No problem," Ouwu nodded. "All entries and exits from the imperial palace are meticulously recorded. Please follow me, my lords."

Soon, he led the two into a storeroom near the gate and instructed someone inside to bring out a ledger-like volume. "Which palace maid's entry and exit records would Lord Eleven like to check?"

Zu'an said in a deep voice, "I'll look myself. Please mark out all the records from the past half-month for me."

He didn't want others to know he was investigating Xinrui, so he deliberately extended the timeframe.

"Alright!" Ouwu showed no surprise; he had seen many such incidents in the palace and knew it was best to know as little as possible.

Soon, a thick register was placed before him. Zu'an quickly began to flip through it. Ouwu, understanding the hint, went outside to wait, and Guo Zhi followed him out to chat.

Zu'an was astonished as he reviewed the dense records. So many people entered and exited the palace on a daily basis?

He realized he had been misled by TV dramas from his previous life; in reality, there was a lot of interaction between the palace and the outside world, as many items for the palace had to be purchased externally.

Furthermore, with so many nobles in the palace, each with several servants at their beck and call, the total number quickly accumulated.

Fortunately, as a cultivator, Zu'an's mental strength was far greater than in his previous life, and his reading speed was incomparable.

Zu'an scanned the relevant records ten lines at a time. After about an hour, he had reviewed everything, but unfortunately, there was no record of Xinrui leaving the palace.

Zu'an emerged from the room. Guo Zhi had long since departed, leaving only Ouwu waiting there.

"Did you find anything, Lord Eleven?" Ouwu asked.

Zu'an shook his head, then asked, "Is it possible for someone to leave the palace by impersonating another identity? That way, her record wouldn't appear."

Ouwu exclaimed, "There shouldn't be, I think. That's a capital offense if discovered. Who would take such a risk?"

"So it is possible?" Zu'an pressed.

Ouwu hesitated, "If someone could acquire the waist tokens and passes of other palace staff, then yes, it's certainly possible. However, the difficulty would be extremely high..."

Zu'an cut him off. "Later, I'll have my Embroidered Uniform Emissaries come and cooperate with you to verify the identity of every person entering and exiting."

He was concerned that the gate guards might not be diligent enough if left to their own devices, as discovering a discrepancy would imply their dereliction of duty. Thus, he specifically dispatched Embroidered Uniform Emissaries for oversight.

It must be said, having subordinates certainly makes things much more convenient.

Ouwu's heart tightened. "Yes, sir!"

Zu'an rushed back to the Embroidery Building, dispatching a team of Embroidered Uniform Emissaries. As a Gold Medallion Embroidered Uniform Emissary, he already possessed this authority, not to mention being currently entrusted with an imperial mission.

Immediately afterwards, he summoned another team and instructed them to investigate various hidden places within the imperial palace, such as wells, ponds, and lake bottoms, to see if any new palace maid corpses were discovered.

He strongly suspected that after being involved in such an affair, Xinrui had most likely been silenced.

However, if alive, he needed to see her; if dead, he needed to see her body.

After arranging these matters, he immediately hurried to the Imperial Household Department to investigate Xinrui's detailed information.

Soon, he found what he was looking for. Indeed, just as Consort Bai had said, Xinrui's father had died young, leaving only her mother and a young brother in their hometown. Because Xinrui had served as a senior palace maid in the Hundred Flowers Palace for several years, their lives had gradually improved. With her saved monthly wages and and rewards, she had purchased a house in the southern suburbs of the city and brought her mother and brother from their old home to live there.

The detailed address of her home was also listed.

Zu'an couldn't help but sigh with emotion. He hadn't expected houses in the capital of this alternate world to be so expensive. Despite Xinrui having a respectable job, she could only afford a house outside the sixth ring.

He dared not delay, immediately gathered a team of Embroidered Uniform Emissaries, and prepared to leave the palace with them, wondering if it was still early enough to get there in time.

Meanwhile, in the Eastern Palace, as the Crown Princess finished discussing the upcoming Crown Prince's grand examination with some trusted ministers, Rong Mo quietly arrived and whispered a few words into her ear.

"Embroidered Uniform Emissaries are investigating palace maids?" The Crown Princess's delicate brows immediately furrowed.

As the Crown Prince was currently incapacitated, the Eastern Palace was almost entirely managed by her, and she naturally had many informants within the imperial palace.

Zu'an's hurried investigation had not escaped the notice of observant individuals, and she quickly received the news.

"Do you know what it's about?" A hint of worry appeared between the Crown Princess's brows. Investigating palace maids at this time—she hoped it wasn't related to her own affairs.

"It seems they're investigating palace maids' entry and exit records. At the same time, many Embroidered Uniform Emissaries are searching in wells everywhere. From their appearance, it's highly likely they're looking for a body," Rong Mo offered her conjecture. "I wonder which palace maid was unfortunate enough to be beaten to death by her master, alarming the Emperor. If it's found out, those responsible won't fare well."

The Crown Princess's face turned pale. How could the death of an ordinary palace maid alarm so many Embroidered Uniform Emissaries? It was clearly directed at *him*.

Why did these Embroidered Uniform Emissaries discover a problem with a palace maid so quickly?

"Where is Lord Zu? Have him come to see me." The Crown Princess's heart was in turmoil. She couldn't discuss this matter with anyone else, and instinctively thought of Zu'an. That fellow had managed to escape calamity even in such a dire situation; surely, he would have a solution this time too.

For some reason, upon thinking of him, her heart gradually settled a great deal.

Rong Mo scoffed, "That fellow hasn't returned at all since he was summoned by the Emperor."

"He's still in the Imperial Study?" The Crown Princess's expression subtly changed. Could something have happened?

"I heard he left the Imperial Study a while ago, but he didn't even return to pay his respects to the Crown Princess afterward. He clearly doesn't regard Your Highness highly at all." Rong Mo chattered on, seizing the opportunity to subtly undermine "that male fox spirit." After all, he had begun competing with her for the Crown Princess's favor the moment he arrived.

Hearing that Zu'an was fine, the Crown Princess breathed a sigh of relief. Her personal maid's little thoughts did not escape her, but she had no intention of exposing them. After all, showing too much special regard for Zu'an in front of others would ultimately not be good.

"By the way, which Embroidered Uniform Emissary is in charge of this investigation?" The Crown Princess picked up her tea, took a sip, and simultaneously wondered if she could use her connections to contact the person in charge.

Although the Embroidered Uniform Emissaries were the Emperor's direct subordinates, the Eastern Palace had maintained good relationships with several high-ranking officials there through years of cultivation.

"A Gold Medallion Emissary is in charge this time, Lord Eleven, it seems," Rong Mo replied.

"Lord Eleven?" The water in the Crown Princess's teacup nearly sloshed out. For a moment, her expression was dreamy and shy. "It's him..."