Chapter 5

Episode 5 Ye Qiansi had originally thought that Wei Chan's sudden visit was because he had discovered some clues and wanted to tell her about them. But after sitting in the Department of Caution and Punishment for quite some time, Wei Chan had already finished two pots of West Lake Longjing tea. Apart from asking Ye Qiansi about the progress of the case at the beginning, everything else he talked about was completely unrelated to the investigation. For a while, Ye Qiansi even wondered whether he was simply bored and had come over to find someone to chat with. As soon as she saw Wei Chan off, an imperial summons arrived. Ye Qiansi didn't even have time to rest before hurrying to the Imperial Study. As usual, whenever the Emperor summoned Ye Qiansi, it was always in the Imperial Study. And as usual, a curtain was placed between them. Two years ago, Ye Qiansi had entered the palace. Because she possessed an extraordinary talent and strong interest in solving cases, she had entered the Department of Caution and Punishment after achieving exceptionally high results in the examination. Over the past two years, she had solved countless strange and difficult cases and gradually risen to her current position. Yet despite all this, Ye Qiansi had never actually seen the Emperor's face. At first, she thought there must be some special reason why the Emperor always used a curtain when meeting officials. Later, however, she discovered something strange. The Emperor only did this when meeting her. "This subordinate pays her respects to His Majesty." Looking at the familiar curtain in front of her, Ye Qiansi couldn't help wondering whether she was simply too ugly and the Emperor was afraid of being frightened by her appearance. But even if she wasn't a breathtaking beauty, she certainly wasn't ugly either. "Lady Qiansi." While she was lost in thought, Eunuch Li, who stood beside the Emperor, called out to her. "Lady Qiansi, His Majesty is asking you to rise. Please come and sit here." "Oh. All right. Thank you, Your Majesty." As usual, during these past two years, whenever the Emperor summoned her, he would have Ye Qiansi sit beside the curtain and chat with him. He would also prepare various pastries and tea, always choosing flavors that suited Ye Qiansi's tastes. "How is the case at the Laundry Bureau progressing?" Ye Qiansi smiled. She hadn't expected the Emperor to ask exactly the same question Wei Chan had asked earlier. "Why are you smiling?" The Emperor's voice came from behind the curtain. It was deep and authoritative, yet strangely reassuring rather than intimidating. Ye Qiansi shook her head. "To answer Your Majesty..." She suddenly remembered that the first thing the Left Chancellor had asked her about when he visited the Department of Caution and Punishment today had also been the case at the Laundry Bureau. There was silence behind the curtain. Yuan Chengyi's hands tightened into fists, and his expression unconsciously became colder. Ye Qiansi continued, "As for this case, I am investigating it with all my effort. Your Majesty can rest assured. I will uncover the truth as soon as possible." By the time Ye Qiansi left the Imperial Study, the sky was already beginning to darken. She wanted to be alone for a while and carefully organize all the clues in her mind, so she walked toward the Imperial Garden alone. When she reached the rockery, she suddenly saw a dark figure flash past in the distance. Without having time to think, her first instinct was to follow. After following the figure for some distance, Ye Qiansi watched as it entered Pingle Palace, the residence of Consort Xian. The guards at the entrance didn't stop the person. That meant Consort Xian had permitted the visitor to enter. Pingle Palace was heavily guarded. Entering through the main gate was obviously impossible. Fortunately, Ye Qiansi knew a little light-footed martial arts. She quietly jumped onto the roof. After estimating the position, she carefully lifted three roof tiles and peered downward through the gap. Two figures stood below. One was Consort Xian, dressed in luxurious clothing and exuding an air of dignity. She stood with her back toward the other person. Ye Qiansi couldn't hear what they were saying. She wanted to see the black-clad person's face more clearly, so she moved a little farther forward until almost her entire body was lying flat against the roof. Finally, the black-clad person slightly raised their head. Ye Qiansi stared carefully. Her eyes widened. It was Madam Xu, the old palace maid she had encountered in the Imperial Garden the previous night. And Madam Xu was one of Consort Fang's people. Because Ye Qiansi was completely focused on the two people below, she momentarily forgot that she was standing on a roof. Her foot slipped. She fell straight down. "Ah!" By the time she realized what was happening, it was already too late. This fall wasn't merely a matter of getting injured. If she landed in front of Pingle Palace's guards, they could very well arrest her as an assassin. She could already hear the guards rushing toward her. Just when she didn't know what to do, her body suddenly became weightless. Someone caught her in midair. The person didn't even land on the ground. Instead, he stepped onto a nearby tree to gain momentum, then leaped over the palace wall and carried her away from Pingle Palace. "Are you all right?" When her feet finally touched solid ground, Ye Qiansi breathed a sigh of relief. She couldn't help admiring her savior's incredible lightness skills. Then she looked up. She immediately found herself staring into a pair of eyes as bright as stars. "Lord Chancellor?" "Why are you here?" "Why were you there?" Her surprise was written plainly across her face. Wei Chan couldn't help laughing softly. He acted as casually as though he were merely a passerby. "What if I told you that I happened to be passing by, and coincidentally saw a foolish person falling from a roof?" "I happened to feel charitable, so I decided to play the hero." "Lady Qiansi, would you believe me?" Ye Qiansi suddenly raised her head and looked straight at Wei Chan. She said nothing. She simply stared at him without moving. Wei Chan began to feel slightly uncomfortable under her gaze and was about to speak when Ye Qiansi beat him to it. "I believe you, Lord Chancellor." "You have no reason to lie to me, do you?" "So I believe you." "It's already late. Lord Chancellor, you should go home and rest." "I'll be leaving too." Ye Qiansi wasn't worried that Wei Chan would reveal what had happened that night. Otherwise, he wouldn't have rescued her in the first place. As for why Wei Chan had appeared there, if he didn't want to explain, she wouldn't force him. The following day, the palace was completely peaceful, as though nothing had happened. Ye Qiansi allowed herself to sleep in. But as soon as she arrived at the Department of Caution and Punishment, Madam Chen hurried over and reported everything she had learned that morning. "It's strange, Lady Qiansi. You caused such a commotion at Pingle Palace last night. Normally, there should have been rumors this morning about an assassin entering the palace." "But I went over to investigate, and there was absolutely no commotion." Ye Qiansi smiled. Everything was exactly as she had expected. "If Pingle Palace really had reported an assassin, that wouldn't necessarily have been good news." "This proves our suspicion was correct." "There's something wrong with Pingle Palace." "More precisely, Consort Xian has a problem." "Madam Chen, what about the matter I asked you to investigate?" "Did that senior palace maid really return to her hometown?" Madam Chen shook her head, her expression becoming serious. "No." "I checked the records of people leaving the palace. Quite a few palace maids have returned home to visit their families over the past two months, but there is no record of any maid from Pingle Palace doing so." "Come. We'll go to the Palace Affairs Bureau later." "It's time we uncovered the identity of that palace maid." After returning from the Palace Affairs Bureau, Ye Qiansi went straight to Pingle Palace. Consort Xian was sitting calmly in her usual place. When she saw Ye Qiansi enter, there wasn't the slightest trace of surprise on her face. It was almost as though she had known Ye Qiansi would come and had been waiting for her. "This subordinate pays her respects to Consort Xian." "Lady Qiansi, there is no need for such formality. Rise quickly and come sit here." Compared with Consort Xian's attitude the previous time, this sudden change was so drastic that Ye Qiansi found it rather strange. Nevertheless, she obediently walked over and sat down very close to Consort Xian. "Lady Qiansi, regarding the matter you mentioned last time about one of my palace maids returning home..." "I remembered afterward that one of the senior maids in my palace, Xiaocui, did indeed ask for leave some time ago, and she still hasn't returned." "I was occupied with other matters before and didn't pay attention." "But now that I think about it, there does seem to be something suspicious." "Lady Qiansi, I ask that you please help me find Xiaocui and bring her back."