Phoenix Startles the Sky

  The night was as thick as ink, so deep that it couldn't be dissolved. The vast Huaiwang Mansion seemed to be submerged in the darkness, quiet like a tomb, without any human presence, and everywhere exuded an eerie atmosphere.

  Xiao Lizi brought in a bowl of medicine and handed it over to Prince Huai, who drank it all down in one gulp.

  Xiao Li's heart felt sour and bitter. Ever since the king met with his mother, he seemed to have perked up a bit, which should be a happy thing. However, the king's thoughts had grown heavier, so even though he drank bowl after bowl of medicinal broth like water, his illness didn't show any signs of improvement. On the contrary, his spirit and energy were getting weaker and weaker, to the point where he needed to take to bed due to illness.

  The curtains fluttered gently, and a figure appeared at the head of the bed, with a hint of cold air from outside clinging to their body.

  Xiao Li Zi took a glance at the little runaway who had appeared, silently accepted the bowl and put it aside, then poured another cup of water and brought it over.

  Although he felt sorry for the king who was bedridden due to overthinking, his master had been lonely for too long. If he didn't think of something or do something, he would worry that his master would wither away like a flower.

  Huai Wang rinsed his mouth and leaned against the soft pillow under Xiao Lizi's service, before looking at Tiao Yao with a faint smile: "How? Yuan Wuyou has solved the mystery?"

  He respectfully handed over the letter from his bosom and slowly recounted everything he had found out.

  Listening to Xiao Tiaozi's report, Little Li was stunned, and the expression of Huai Wang also changed slowly with Tiaozi's words.

  Until he had escaped and was no longer heard from, he opened the letter, which was blank except for four words: "Don't disappoint great expectations."

  Looking at the letter with only four words, Escaped a shock: "This letter was personally handed over to Xiao Xiangzi by Yuan Wuyou, and I directly took it from Xiao Xiangzi." So, Yuan Wuyou had expected that Wang Ye would investigate her?

  The king remained silent, his eyes narrowed as he stared at the four elegant and flowing characters in his hand, lost in thought.

  An eerie quietness indoors.

  Xiao Lizi was shocked and couldn't help but sneak a glance at Prince Huai, who was half-reclining on the bed.

  The king remained silent, then a faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. The smile gradually deepened and intensified, until he finally couldn't help but laugh out loud in a weak, coughing voice that echoed through the room.

  Xiao Lizi was worried that Wang Ye's emotions would be too agitated and trigger a cough.

  Beside him, Yu Yan's face was expressionless, but from his eyes, it could still be seen that in his heart, he wasn't as calm as his appearance suggested.

  The king smiled quietly for a long time before stopping. He raised his eyes to look at Escaped and asked, "Little Escaped, what do you think of her?"

  Tao Yao almost instinctively replied: "If he cannot be used by the king, this person will be the first to be eliminated."

  The king smiled again: "Green, taken from blue but greener than blue, ice, made of water yet colder than water. What a wonderful Yuan Wuyou, the biggest mistake in Yuan Haotian's life is that he spared her life."

  "Your Highness..."

  But he had just spoken when King Huai stopped him with a wave of his hand: "I know what you want to say, are you worried that she will burn the bridge after crossing the river? But I have never doubted this point." Even saving her was the most correct thing he did in his life, as she said, without considering the outcome, the process itself was enough.

  "Little Li, help Ben Wang get out of bed." King Huai lifted up the brocade quilt on his body.

  Xiao Lizi anxiously said: "Your Highness, may I get the pen and ink?" The king needed to rest in bed and it was really not suitable for him to get out of bed.

  The king gave him a cold glance, Xiao Li had no choice but to go forward and support him as he walked towards the desk.

  With Xiao Lizi's support, Prince Huai came to the desk, picked up his pen and wrote a second letter. After sealing it, he handed it to Tiao Yao: "Take this letter to Princess Wuyou and tell her that on the day she fulfills my second request, it will be the day she leaves the palace."

  "Yes."

  "Xiao Tuo Zi, I have made up my mind and must make it happen. From this moment on, you will personally protect her."

  Little Li Zi exclaimed in shock, "Your Highness, absolutely not!" Xiao Tiao Zi was the king's secret guard; if the emperor wanted to harm the king and Xiao Tiao Zi wasn't at the Huaiguo Mansion, the consequences would be unthinkable.

  Escaping in shock, he stared at King Hui of Zhao and said: "That slave chose two people with the best martial skills to enter..."

  "No need, the Marquis of Hua's residence doesn't require any hidden guards."

  He wanted to speak again, but was stopped by King Hui: "No need to say more, the king's mind is already made up."

  "Yes." After bowing respectfully, he silently backed away and left.

  Xiao Li was still worried, but he also knew that Wang Ye would not change his decision.

  At the same time, in the hall of Liao's Half Slope Garden, Gu Ling and Liao Qingyun were also discussing the case under the lamp.

  Liao Qingyun lifted the teacup that Liao Zhonggang had just poured, and gently blew on it, but his attention was not on the tea, rather it was fixed on the booklet spread out on the table in front of him, which he had flipped through countless times that afternoon.

  Gu Ling was also flipping through files on the opposite side.

  Liao Qingyun looked at him and repeatedly searched through the files, but they didn't find any clues. Perhaps he should start from somewhere else, such as: "Could Shi Cingxiang know something?"

  Gu Ling returned to his senses: "What did Brother Qingyun just say?"

  Liao Qingyun narrowed her eyes: "I think Shi Ningxiang might know something?"

  Gu Ling thought for a moment and shook his head, "No, I think she knows something. The reason she dislikes the Grand Princess is probably because of what she said, it's all due to the petty thoughts of the young lady from her household."

  "Is that all?" Liao Qingyun raised an eyebrow.

  Seeing his suspicious gaze, Gu Ling rubbed his brow and said: "Shi Kaiyan is not a member of the Shi family. This is a secret of the Shi family, even Yu Fei in the palace didn't know about it before. It's unlikely that Shi Qingxiang knew about it. Since she doesn't know her father isn't a member of the Shi family, how could this 12 or 13-year-old little girl, no matter how clever, possibly connect her father and the Grand Princess? So, I actually believe what she said about the little girl's thoughts is true."

  "As for how the princess knew, I'm afraid only Shǐ Kāi Yán knows now. But I guess that the princess might have inadvertently learned about it during the year she lived in the Shǐ family's house. Perhaps because she accidentally found out this news, Shǐ Kāi Yán was especially close to her and won her over."

  Liao Qingyun frowned: "But if what you said is true, Shi Kaiyan deliberately got close to the princess to prevent her from revealing his secret, it means he cares about his identity and status. But since that's the case, why would he risk everything and have an affair with the princess?"

  Gu Ling's expression was taken aback: "What does Brother Qingyun want to say?"

  Liao Qingyun closed the book in her hand, took a light sip of the tea in her hand, and then said: "I have doubts about whether Shi Cingxiang is aware of it. I agree that the eldest princess knew ten years ago that Shi Kaiyan was not a member of the Shi family. As for your inference that Shi Kaiyan deliberately got close to the eldest princess, I tend to think there's another possibility."

  Gu Ling raised an eyebrow and looked at him, quietly waiting for his next words.

  "Ten years ago, Grand Princess was five years old and Shi Kaiyan was twenty-three years old. Ten years later, Grand Princess is fifteen years old, and Shi Kaiyan is only thirty-three years old."

  Liao Qingyun looked at Gu Ling, and Gu Ling nodded.

  "Brother Gu is not a native of the capital city. Having seen Shi Kai and the Grand Princess before, it's hard to avoid knowing the situation."

  Gu Ling was taken aback: "What does Brother Qingyun mean?"

  "Shi Kaiyan was tall and slender, with a gentle and affectionate disposition. The eldest princess's appearance was extremely similar to that of Yu Fei."

  "So?" Gu Ling's expression turned strange.

  "Shi Kaiyan and Yu Fei are emotionally closest, Yu Fei may regard him as an elder brother, he is unlikely to have a fraternal relationship with Yu Fei."

  Gu Ling remained silent for a moment, and did not speak out to raise an objection. As for the truth between Shi Kaiyan and the Grand Princess, perhaps only Shi Kaiyan's heart is clear about it now. This is not important to the case, but hearing Qingyun say this, he had an idea in his mind.

  "Qingyun, if what you said is true, that Shikai has feelings for Yufei, then as long as Yufei speaks up, he will definitely help her. Since there are no missing palace maids in the palace, could it be that this person is someone Yufei 'borrowed' from outside?"

  Liao Qingyun's eyes lit up: "You mean that among the fifteen corpses, one of them is not a person from the palace? So there isn't actually a missing palace maid?"

  Gu Ling nodded: "Shi Kaiyan is outside, and with the help of Yu Fei and the Second Prince's power, this shouldn't be too difficult to accomplish."

  "I understand." Liao Qingyun let out a long sigh.

  "So I think it's better to speak directly with Shang Shi," said Gu Lingdao.

  Liao Qingyun remained silent for a long time, then got up and walked to the window, gazing out at the deep darkness outside. After a while, he suddenly turned his head and looked at Gu Ling, saying: "There's another way."

  "What's going on?" Gu Ling asked.

  "As soon as it's daylight, I and my father will go to find Shi Kaiyan. You directly go to the palace. I guess the corpse of the eldest princess is still hidden in the palace. As long as we find the corpse of the eldest princess, the murderer will have no way to argue."

  But at this moment, the two of them couldn't have imagined that they were one step too late, just one step!