Chapter 272
**Chapter 270: A Disturbing Encounter**
Ever since getting entangled with the national master of Yue, Mo Xun had been unable to sleep, plagued by insomnia. But after encountering the tree of hehuan flowers, her sleepless nights inexplicably came to an end.
Shen Wei didn’t pry further; there were many oddities in the world, each with their own peculiarities.
Shen Wei took Mo Xun along, discreetly heading to the Yeting, the place where errant palace servants were sent to serve their time.
In a secluded storage room, Cai Ping spread out two rolls of straw mats, revealing two gruesome corpses.
Mo Xun covered her face with a cloth soaked in boiled vinegar, donned gloves made of sheepskin, and picked up a small knife. As she examined the bodies, she muttered, “I’m a physician, not a coroner. I’m not particularly interested in dissecting corpses. Next time there’s such a delightful task, please ask a coroner on behalf of the Consort.”
Shen Wei, always eloquent, stood outside the room and said, “In this palace, I only trust you.”
Mo Xun curled her lips into a slight smile, her examination becoming more meticulous.
After a moment, Mo Xun stepped out of the storage room. She removed the bloodstained, foul-smelling gloves and told Shen Wei, “Both bodies were brutally tortured before death—whipped and stabbed. One died from a severed throat, while the other’s fatal injury was a stab to the heart.”
“The murderer is likely young, with average strength but a vicious streak. Their methods are frenzied, inflicting wounds at will; it seems they might have some form of hysteria.”
Shen Wei fell silent.
It was almost certain that the murderer was the Second Prince, Li Chengzhen. Though young, Li Chengzhen had a strange and cruel disposition, yet he was the only son of the Empress, making the situation difficult to handle.
If word got out that a prince had brutally killed several servants, his reputation would be irreparably tarnished. But Li Chengzhen would not face execution; his status as a prince was enough to ensure his survival.
In this era, social hierarchy was paramount; a prince’s life mattered, while that of a servant was of little concern.
Shen Wei sighed deeply and instructed Cai Ping to escort Mo Xun back to the Tai Hospital. After much contemplation, she decided to inform the Empress Dowager about Li Chengzhen, seeking her guidance.
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In the Cining Palace.
The jade ruyi in the Empress Dowager’s hand clattered to the ground, shattering into several pieces. Her expression was one of shock. “Is this true?”
Shen Wei nodded. “It is true. I intended to inform His Majesty, but I feared he might think I was slandering the prince. Mother, please give me your advice.”
The Empress Dowager fell silent.
She had to admit that she wasn’t particularly fond of Li Chengzhen. Just as fingers vary in length, so does a grandparent’s love often show favoritism.
Grandparents typically favor obedient, sensible, and clever grandchildren. Li Chengzhen, raised by the Empress, had become weak and twisted, filled with jealousy and paranoia. The Empress Dowager’s dislike for the Empress had led her to gradually distance herself from Li Chengzhen.
But she never expected Li Chengzhen to turn out this cruel.
The Empress Dowager closed her eyes and spoke slowly, “I will handle this matter. After all, it’s a scandal for the royal family…”
Shen Wei nodded, deciding not to involve herself further. She went to the back courtyard to play with Le You and the others for a while before leaving the Cining Palace.
The Empress Dowager believed Shen Wei’s words. She sent people to secretly monitor the movements around Li Chengzhen’s palace.
Days passed, and late one night, the watchers reported hearing screams from the Second Prince’s quarters.
As the night deepened, the Empress Dowager waited until several of her grandsons were asleep. She donned a black cloak and, accompanied by two elderly maids and two eunuchs, quietly left the Cining Palace.
The summer night was windy and uncomfortably hot. The Empress Dowager walked briskly, the night breeze causing her cloak to flutter. When she encountered patrolling guards, the maids presented their tokens, claiming they were on urgent business for the Empress Dowager. The guards recorded this and did not inquire further.
They arrived at the palace where Li Chengzhen was resting.
The palace doors were tightly shut.
Madam Qian, following the Empress Dowager, knocked on the door. An impatient guard opened it. “What is it?”
As the door swung open, the guard’s eyes widened at the sight of the Empress Dowager’s exclusive bronze and gold token. Panic washed over him; he had mistaken them for the Empress Dowager’s old maids. Stammering, he said, “It’s late; what do you need, ladies?”
Madam Qian stepped aside, revealing the Empress Dowager in her black cloak.
The guard was taken aback, bowing repeatedly in greeting.
Another guard, sensing trouble, tried to slip away to alert others. The Empress Dowager hissed softly, “Stop! Kneel at the door and don’t make a sound.”
The two guards fell to the ground, trembling.
The Empress Dowager entered the courtyard. Li Chengzhen, the eldest prince, did not reside with the Empress and had been given a luxurious palace of his own. As the night deepened, the sky was overcast, and Madam Qian held a palace lantern, carefully illuminating the way for the Empress Dowager.
The pale light of the lantern illuminated the dark path. The main house was dark, the study was dark, but Li Chengzhen’s chamber was brightly lit.
An elderly maid was keeping watch at the entrance. Hearing the footsteps of the Empress Dowager and her entourage, she scolded, “Foolish child! I told you not to come to the prince’s chamber tonight! Get lost! Tell Old Li to prepare the straw mats; they’ll be needed tomorrow morning.”
The lantern light revealed the Empress Dowager’s cold face.
The watchful maid was terrified, exclaiming, “Your… Your Majesty! This old servant pays her respects!”
Though it seemed like a greeting, it was a warning to Li Chengzhen, who was inflicting torment within.
The Empress Dowager remained silent. Madam Qian pushed past the old maid and forcefully opened the tightly shut palace door.
A strong smell of blood wafted out. The Empress Dowager stepped over the threshold, and the gruesome scene inside came into view.
On the floor lay a small eunuch, barely clinging to life, while another was bound on the bed. Li Chengzhen sat on the bed, completely unclothed, holding a bloodied dagger, with a whimpering eunuch beneath him…
Upon seeing the sudden appearance of the Empress Dowager, Li Chengzhen froze, the knife clattering to the ground. He opened his mouth, his eyes slowly clearing. “Grand… Grandmother…”
Half an hour later.
The injured eunuch was taken for treatment, while Li Chengzhen, trembling, dressed himself and knelt in the hall. The most grotesque side of him had been exposed, and he felt utterly ashamed, a whirlwind of emotions swirling within him.
In the main hall, the candlelight flickered gently. The Empress Dowager sat in a chair, observing this familiar yet strange grandson. The Li Chengzhen of the past had been innocent and shy, always keeping his head down, following his elder brother, Li Chengke.
But after Li Chengke’s sudden death, Li Chengzhen’s personality changed drastically; he became jealous, cruel, and cunning.
Tears streamed down Li Chengzhen’s face as he choked back sobs, raising his head to ask, “Grandmother, are you going to kill me? I… I don’t even know why I did this. I feel so terrible inside; it’s only when I treat them like that that I feel better…”
“I’m so lonely… Mother doesn’t care about me, Father always scolds me, Sister Yao ignores me, and my brother never dreams of me… No one likes me… They all want to take away what’s mine…”
Sometimes, Li Chengzhen felt like a rat in a gutter, unable to see the sun.
He was in pain, struggling in the mire, slowly losing his breath.
The Empress Dowager stood up, lovingly ruffling Li Chengzhen’s hair, her tone calm. “For the next few days, you should rest well. You don’t need to attend the Guozijian for your studies, nor do you have to go to Anguo Temple for archery… I’ll have the physician prepare some calming herbal medicine for you.”
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