Chapter 156: The Duke of Chengen Falls into the River…

Chapter 156 The Duke of Chengen Falls into the River...

The Cold Palace does not refer to a specific palace but rather to this cluster of long-abandoned, crumbling palaces.

After shaking off the trailing maids and eunuchs who had been following at a distance, Ji Xianshan and Xiao Fuzi slowly approached the Cold Palace.

The two eunuchs hauling their burden had long disappeared, vanished into one of the derelict structures.

Fortunately, the morning's heavy snowfall had occurred earlier, covering earlier traces of activity while leaving fresh ones clearly visible.

Ji Xianshan told Xiao Fuzi to stay put outside for him.

As for himself, after determining the general direction the two eunuchs had taken, he deliberately circled around the outer perimeter of the palace complex and entered from the opposite side to avoid being detected.

Xiao Fuzi, of course, refused to stay outside alone, but on this matter, Ji Xianshan was unusually adamant.

"Grab some branches or whatever's handy to erase our footprints.

"Do you remember the rockery we passed on our way here? Hide there. Don't come investigating, no matter what you hear. Wait for me to return."

Xiao Fuzi had no choice but to comply. After quickly obscuring their footprints, he found a secluded, sheltered spot behind the rockery and crouched there.

After what felt like an eternity, Xiao Fuzi finally caught sight of the familiar figure.

His eyes burned, tears of relief threatening to fall.

Thank heavens His Majesty was back.

It was almost midnight, and the Emperor was supposed to join the Empress Dowager for the New Year's watch.

As Ji Xianshan drew closer, Xiao Fuzi stepped forward to support him, only to find the Emperor’s body as cold as ice, his lashes frosted over, his frame shaking violently.

Gulping nervously, Xiao Fuzi asked cautiously, "Your Majesty, are you all right? Did you catch a chill?"

Ji Xianshan dodged the question. "What time is it?"

"Not yet the third watch."

"We return to the palace at once."

His breath fogging in the air, Ji Xianshan’s gaze remained hollow. "Tonight, I remained at the Observatory Tower to study the stars. That is the story you stick to with everyone who asks. Do you understand?"

Xiao Fuzi, ever the perceptive confidant, caught his meaning at once.

This "anyone" included the Empress Dowager.

Xiao Fuzi felt ice in his veins.

Every shred of curiosity he'd harbored about the events in the Cold Palace vanished entirely.

To keep breathing in the palace, one needed not only intelligence but also the restraint to curb one’s curiosity—to know what could be known and what must never be asked.

"Have a runner go to the Hall of Supreme Harmony to inform His Majesty that the Empress Dowager has gone to bed with a chill and is too weary to join him for the New Year's watch."

***

The Shouning Palace was heated by underfloor heating. After bathing, Huo Ling leaned on the couch in thin undergarments, her damp hair half-dried.

The palace maid withdrew at her command. Wu Mo approached with pear juice, her eyes filled with quiet concern.

Huo Ling took the cup from her and took a small sip.

Wu Mo quickly reminded her, "Your Highness, be careful—it's hot."

"It’s fine, it’s fine as it is."

Setting the cup aside, Huo Ling spoke casually, as if chatting idly, yet suddenly said, "The Duke of Chengen is dead."

Wu Mo stood frozen, as if the words didn’t register.

For a long moment, she didn’t move. Then she blinked.

In an instant, tears welled up in her eyes.

She didn’t make a sound, only reached out to embrace Huo Ling, burying her face in her shoulder.

As tears soaked Huo Ling’s robe, she asked, "Why are you crying?"

"I cry for you, Your Highness. It breaks my heart to see you like this."

Huo Ling raised her hand and rested it atop Wu Mo’s head. "I was never meant to have family love. There’s no need to grieve too much for me."

At these words, Wu Mo wept even harder.

How could she not grieve?

She had once witnessed Her Highness’s deep reverence for the Duke of Chengen, the tender moments between father and daughter, and how they had worked together to return to the capital—only to gradually walk toward an irreparable rift.

How much disappointment had it taken to reach such cold acceptance?

Enough that she could believe her own father’s death was for the best.

Seeing Wu Mo’s sobs grow even more ragged, Huo Ling sighed softly. Her hand drifted from Wu Mo’s head down to her back, patting gently. "He and Huo Ze were my blood relatives. But you—you are the family I chose for myself. I rarely use your full name, so have you forgotten that you, too, bear the surname Huo?"

"Yes," Wu Mo choked out. "I am Your Highness’s family."

***

Over the New Year holiday, most government offices were shut down, with no official business conducted.

Of course, there were exceptions.

Such as the Capital Prefecture.

The Capital Prefecture was responsible for maintaining order in the capital. With numerous gatherings during the holiday and the dry winter weather, stampedes or fires were far from rare.

At dawn, Zhuang Anyi, the Capital Prefect, arrived at his office by carriage.

Before he’d so much as taken a sip of tea, a subordinate hurried in. "Sir, a night watchman’s come to report an incident."

The capital’s moat was a waterway that ran through the city. Last night, during the third watch, the watchman had passed by Longjin Bridge when he saw a carriage careening wildly before plunging into the moat.

By the time the watchman reached the spot, the carriage was already mostly sunk.

"The watchman said it was too dark and freezing—he didn’t dare go in after it. He waited by the bank, but by the fourth watch, no one had climbed out.

"He figured anyone inside was probably already gone, so he went home first and only came to report it this morning."

Magistrate Zhuang pressed his fingers to his forehead, unable to suppress a silent lament in his heart.

A murder case on the first day of the Lunar New Year—this was truly terrible luck.

"Start by sending two men with the night watchman to the scene to see if we can identify whose carriage it was."

Magistrate Zhuang had thought a murder case on New Year’s Day was the worst luck possible. But he was wrong—misfortune had no limits.

When the dispatched subordinates returned and, trembling, reported that the carriage appeared to belong to Duke Chengen’s household, Magistrate Zhuang nearly dropped his most treasured inkstone in shock.

"Can you confirm it?"

"The carriage hit a nearby stone pillar when it skidded, then overturned completely into the moat. By the time we arrived, the carriage had already broken apart, but from the salvaged items, we found the Duke Chengen’s insignia."

Magistrate Zhuang asked, "Were the occupants of the carriage found?"

The subordinate shook his head.

Magistrate Zhuang wasn’t surprised by this answer.

Luocheng had an extensive network of waterways, especially this moat that ran through the city. Upstream, it connected to the Northern Moat, and downstream, it flowed past Longjin Bridge, Xuanwu Gate, and Chongwen Gate before merging into the Yongning River.

The Longjin Bridge stretch was infamous for its treacherous, twisting undercurrents.

If someone fell in and didn’t get out fast, they were as good as dead, and their body might even be swept away to who-knows-where by the currents.

Magistrate Zhuang knew he had to personally visit Duke Chengen’s Estate.

***

Duke Chengen’s Estate

Fang Shi sat alone in the hall, her tea growing cold and being replaced, over and over, yet she had no mind to take a single sip.

"What time is it? Even if he was out drinking with colleagues, he should be back by now."

Fang Shi couldn’t sit still anymore and paced anxiously.

But even as the hour of midnight passed completely, Fang Shi still did not see Huo Shiming return.

A maidservant tiptoed in, asking if Fang Shi wanted to go to bed.

Fang Shi waved her off, but a growing dread weighed on her heart.

By the late hours of the night, Fang Shi couldn’t take it anymore. She dozed off, head in hand, but jerked awake when her chin dropped.

As dawn’s pale light crept in, she pulled her robe tighter and summoned the maidservant. "Has the master returned?"

"Madam, madam!"

The sound of hurried footsteps echoed down the hallway.

The gatekeeper rushed in, panic written on his face. "Someone from the Capital Prefecture is here. Magistrate Zhuang himself has come in person."

After a sleepless night, Fang Shi was drained. At these words, a rush of heat surged to her head, blurring her vision.

Her husband hadn’t come home, and now the Capital Prefect showed up unexpectedly—this couldn’t be good.

...

When the gatekeeper said the Duke hadn’t come home all night, Magistrate Zhuang’s forced smile vanished instantly.

Disaster!

The worst has truly happened.

The biological father of Her Majesty the Empress Dowager, the First-Rank Duke of Chengen of Great Yan, was spooked by a horse, causing him to fall into the water after attending the New Year's Eve palace banquet—his condition is unknown!

"Do not worry, Madam. I will dispatch men to search immediately."

Magistrate Zhuang trembled, his face even paler than Fang Shi's.

An outsider might think it was his own father who had died.

Fang Shi stood stunned for a long moment before nodding. "Then I must trouble Your Excellency. The Duke of Chengen's household also has some manpower. I will have them join the search with the officers from the Capital Prefecture."

Magistrate Zhuang said, "I will personally go to the palace to report this matter to Her Majesty and His Majesty. Would Madam also like to send someone along?"

Normally, Huo Ze would be the one to go with Magistrate Zhuang.

But Huo Ze was not currently in the residence, so the steward had to follow Magistrate Zhuang for now.

***

Huo Ling had barely fallen asleep very late the night before.

But soon after she dozed off, someone from the Hall of Supreme Harmony came to report that His Majesty had stayed too long at the Star-Gazing Tower and caught a chill, coming down with a fever overnight.

"Has the imperial physician been summoned?"

Huo Ling threw on a robe and got up.

Zhu Qingyun replied, "Someone has already been sent to fetch him. The physician on duty tonight is Imperial Physician Chen. He administered acupuncture and said there is nothing to worry about. Your Majesty need not worry."

Huo Ling wasn’t that tired anyway, and now that she had been abruptly awakened, she knew sleep wouldn’t come.

After a brief pause, she decided to go to the Hall of Supreme Harmony herself.

When she arrived, Physician Chen was still there.

This Physician Chen hailed from Yong'an County in Yanxi and had known Huo Ling for years. After Huo Ling entered the palace, he had also been summoned to the Imperial Medical Bureau to study under the chief physician.

"Your Majesty." Spotting Huo Ling from the corner of his eye, Imperial Physician Chen immediately halted his work and bowed.

Huo Ling asked, "How is His Majesty?"

Imperial Physician Chen answered in detail, but the gist was the same as what Zhu Qingyun had said.

Huo Ling then called over Xiao Fuzi, who served closely by the emperor's side. "How did His Majesty suddenly develop a fever?"

Xiao Fuzi shook with fear. "His Majesty overindulged at the banquet yesterday. While walking outside to clear his head, he suddenly declared he wished to observe the stars from the Star-Gazing Tower and remained there until nearly midnight before returning."

"The winds at the Star-Gazing Tower are biting at night. If he was drunk, why did he stay there for so long?"

Xiao Fuzi knelt and begged for punishment. "I failed in my duty. Please punish me, Your Majesty."

Huo Ling frowned slightly. "You are His Majesty's most trusted attendant. Wait until he wakes—he will punish you himself. You may withdraw for now."

Huo Ling swept past the others into the inner chamber, lifted the yellow bed curtains, and saw Ji Xianshan lying on the bed, his face flushed red with fever.

His brow was tightly furrowed, his forehead glistening with sweat.

Huo Ling sat by the bed, wrung out a warm cloth herself, and gently wiped his forehead.

After wiping his forehead, Huo Ling also cleaned his palms, tucked his arms back under the quilt, and smoothed the corners.

"The Empress Dowager, the Capital Magistrate and people from the Duke of Chengen's household request an audience."

Wu Mo had cried too much the night before, her eyes swollen. Not wanting anyone to notice her condition, she hadn’t accompanied Huo Ling.

So it was Zhu Qingyun who came to report to Huo Ling.

"Why would the Capital Magistrate and people from the Duke of Chengen's household come together?" Huo Ling said. "Bring them in."

Huo Ling didn’t go far, meeting with Magistrate Zhuang and the steward in the outer hall.

The moment the steward saw Huo Ling, he knelt and wept as if he'd found his salvation: "Empress Dowager, the Duke... he's in grave danger! Please save the Duke!"

Huo Ling’s eyes turned steely, and she ordered someone to help the steward up. "What happened?"

Seeing the steward too emotional, Huo Ling called on Magistrate Zhuang. "You explain."

Magistrate Zhuang took a deep breath and recounted everything he knew truthfully, not daring to leave anything out, afraid of angering the Empress Dowager.

If possible, he wouldn’t have wanted to trouble the Empress Dowager on the first day of the new year.

Huo Ling turned to Zhu Qingyun beside her. "Work with Magistrate Zhuang to investigate when the Duke of Chengen left the palace last night and whom he encountered along the way."

She then instructed Magistrate Zhuang, "Send more men from the capital guard to search. Find him, dead or alive."

Magistrate Zhuang wiped the sweat from his brow with his sleeve and hastily agreed.

"The Empress Dowager is tired. All of you, withdraw."

Huo Ling waved her hand, dismissing everyone.

She closed her eyes, sat alone in the quiet for a moment, then decided to check on Ji Xianshan’s condition.

But as she turned, she saw Ji Xianshan standing by the screen, looking confused and half-asleep.

"Did we wake you?"

Ji Xianshan nodded, then shook his head, his voice hoarse from illness. "I've had enough sleep."

"Did you hear everything?"

Ji Xianshan walked to Huo Ling’s side, his weak legs making his steps unsteady. "It was so cold last night. If someone fell into the river, it’s likely too late."

Huo Ling murmured in agreement.

Instead of sitting on a chair, Ji Xianshan settled at Huo Ling’s feet.

He curled up and took her hand. "Mother... does this grieve you?"

"Don’t be sad." After a pause, Huo Ling repeated, "You mustn't grieve."

Ji Xianshan leaned against Huo Ling’s knees, like he used to when he was small, and suddenly began to sob uncontrollably.

Huo Ling took out a handkerchief and handed it to him. "What's all this crying for?"

"... I don’t know."

He couldn't even explain himself why he was crying or what exactly was upsetting him.

"Stop crying." Huo Ling wanted to comfort him but didn't know what to say, finally just put away the handkerchief and gently patted Ji Xianshan's head. "You're still unwell."

The warmth of her hand on his head brought a comforting presence.

But Ji Xianshan suddenly remembered the still figure he'd seen from behind the screen.

"Mother, I want to visit the Duke of Chengen's residence."

"You're still ill."

"I know my own condition. After taking the medicine, I'm fine now. If it'll make you feel better, I can wait a couple more days until I've fully recovered before leaving the palace."

"...Very well."

***

When Huo Ze got the news, he immediately returned to the Duke of Chengen's residence with his wife and child.

"How did this happen?"

Huo Ze said to Fang Shi, "Just last night, I mentioned coming over today to wish you and Father an early New Year. How could he... just... like this?"

Fang Shi had already cried her eyes out.

Though she insisted, "Your father will pull through," she had quietly changed into simple, dark clothes.

All the festive decorations prepared for the New Year had been put away by the servants.

The reason they hadn't yet set up a mourning hall or donned mourning attire was simply because of the saying: "No mourning without proof of death."

Huo Ze let out a heavy sigh.

No matter how strained their relationship had been, that was still his father.

His father had gone missing on New Year's Eve, and with still no sign of him, it weighed on him.

"I noticed many constables outside. Which office do they belong to?"

Fang Shi replied, "They're Capital Prefecture officers. The Capital Prefecture was the first to discover your father's disappearance."

Huo Ze glanced at Fang Shi's weary face and then at his confused little boy before turning to his wife, Guan Shi. "Stay here with Mother. I'll take some of our household staff and join the Capital Prefecture constables in searching for Father."

Guan Shi nodded. "That's best. This is our family's matter—we can't leave it all to the Capital Prefecture."

Truthfully, Guan Shi's opinion of her father-in-law was not exactly positive.

Even "not exactly positive" was to put it nicely.

He'd been dealt such a good hand, yet still messed it all up.

If he alone had suffered the consequences, that'd be bad enough—but he had dragged her husband and her own father down with him.

Her family's hereditary title, passed down for generations, had been stripped away. Though her parents bore no grudge against her, her big brother and his wife had said many hurtful things.

Yet what could Guan Shi do?

In this matter, her father-in-law was clearly in the wrong.

Her big brother and his wife had suffered greatly, and even her parents could hardly blame them for complaining.

During that time, Huo Ze had been confined in the imperial palace, leaving Guan Shi in tears every day.

Now, hearing of her father-in-law's misfortune, Guan Shi didn’t feel the slightest bit sad.

However, seeing Huo Ze and Fang Shi so distressed, she kept any snide comments to herself.

After a moment’s thought, Guan Shi added, "I’ll have someone send some money to get some hot meals and pastries from the tavern.

"After all, it’s the New Year. Since they’re working so hard for our family’s affairs, they deserve a hot meal. They can take the pastries home to their families too."

Huo Ze said, "That’s the least we can do."

When Huo Ze arrived near Longjin Bridge with the household staff, someone suddenly called out to him.

Turning around, Huo Ze was surprised to see that it was Ding Jinghuan.

"Lord Ding," Huo Ze said, unable to hide his astonishment. "What are you doing here?"

Ding Jinghuan replied, "I live not far from here. When I heard about the commotion, I came to see what was happening. What’s with all the people, Imperial Uncle?"

No use keeping it quiet. After a brief hesitation, Huo Ze explained the situation.

Ding Jinghuan asked, "Mind if I tag along, Imperial Uncle?"

Huo Ze quickly replied, "Of course not, Lord Ding. Be my guest."

When the two reached the stretch of river where the carriage had fallen in, Huo Ze had no time for Ding Jinghuan. He hurried over to Fu Yin Zhuang to ask what he could do to help.

Fu Yin Zhuang assigned Huo Ze a section of the river to search with his men, then glanced at Ding Jinghuan, who was poking around, now and then stopping to grill the constables.

"Lord Ding," Fu Yin Zhuang approached him eagerly, "to what do we owe the pleasure?"

Fu Yin Zhuang had served under Ding Jinghuan for years.

It was only after Ding Jinghuan became the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice that Fu Yin Zhuang took over as the Capital Prefect.

Ding Jinghuan stroked his chin, his face serious. "Something isn’t right. I must go to the palace and report to Her Majesty."

Huo Ze’s heart sank, but before he could press for details, Ding Jinghuan had already strode away, leaving him and Fu Yin Zhuang staring at each other in confusion.

Huo Ze did not mention this incident to Fang Shi.

For two days, he oversaw the riverbank search but found nothing.

Then, on the morning of the third day, news came from a downstream section that they’d pulled up a middle-aged man’s body.

But when they checked, the description wasn’t his father—it was related to another case.

Huo Ze didn’t know whether to be relieved or just sigh.

Rubbing his throbbing temples, he was about to order the search to continue when the steward pushed through the crowd and hurried over. "Young Master, the mistress needs you back right away. We have an esteemed guest."

"Who is it?"

The steward leaned in and whispered, "His Majesty."

"Why has His Majesty come so suddenly?"

"That, I do not know. The mistress is unwell and unable to receive him, so she sent me to fetch you."

Huo Ze had spent the entire morning by the river, his shoes and the hem of his robes were stained with mud.

He rode back to the Duke of Chengen’s estate, intending to first return to the inner courtyard to change into clean clothes before going to the front hall to pay his respects to Ji Xianshan.

But Xiao Fuzi stopped him.

"His Majesty said the Imperial Uncle needn’t bother with formalities."

Huo Ze had no choice but to relent and follow Xiao Fuzi to the front hall.

When he entered, he saw not only His Majesty but also Lord Ding Jinghuan and Lord Song Xu.

Huo Ze had assumed Ding and Song were with Ji Xianshan.

However, as soon as he finished paying his respects to Ji Xianshan, Ding Jinghuan stood up.

"Imperial Uncle, I’m afraid I’m here on unpleasant business today. May I ask if there is an advisor in your household by the name of Kong Yi?"

"Yes, he is my father’s most trusted advisor and has served under him all these years."

Ding Jinghuan asked, "Is he currently in the residence?"

Huo Ze hadn’t been back to the Duke of Chengen’s residence in ages—how would he know? "Lord Ding, please wait a moment. Let me ask around."

Of course, Huo Ze asked the steward.

After Huo Shiming was transferred to the capital, Kong Yi followed him there and moved into the Duke of Chengen’s estate.

However, Kong Yi did not always stay in the residence. To serve Huo Shiming more conveniently, he sometimes stayed at an outside residence.

So the servants weren’t fazed by his absence lately.

Huo Ze asked cautiously, "Lord Ding, is Kong Yi in some kind of trouble?"

Ding Jinghuan replied, "Your Majesty, Imperial Uncle, on Her Majesty’s orders, I am investigating the incident of the Duke of Chengen’s carriage falling into the river. I may need to search Kong Yi’s quarters."

Before Huo Ze could reply, Ji Xianshan, seated at the head of the room, suddenly spoke. "Teacher Song and I will go with Teacher Ding to check it out."