The “Crown Prince” had just escaped an assassination attempt, so Zhao Yen had, after all, to put on a show for outsiders, claiming illness and lying in bed for two days.

On the morning of the next day, news came from Kunning Palace.

“This servant greets His Highness the Crown Prince.”

Lady-in-waiting He saluted outside the hall and said, “Her Highness Consort [the Empress] has been attending upon His Majesty these past two days and truly could not get away. Having heard that His Highness the Crown Prince encountered danger, she especially entrusted this servant to come inquire after His Highness.”

Zhao Yen, draped in a robe and leaning against the couch, guessed that Lady-in-waiting He must have words to convey, so she raised her hand to dismiss those around.

“What instructions has Mother Empress?” she asked.

Only then did Lady-in-waiting He clasp her hands and enter the hall, lowering her voice across the screen to report: “To reply to Your Highness, just now the Imperial Guards reported the casualties from the collapse of the Zhaixing Observatory. One overseer and three laborers dead, nineteen wounded.”

This was only because the collapse happened at the noon mealtime, when most of the craftsmen and laborers were gathered in the sheds resting. If not for this, the casualties would have multiplied severalfold.

Zhao Yen loosely gathered her collar and asked: “How about Censor He and the others?”

“Censor He impeached that the demon priest had thrown the world into chaos, colluding with court officials, and firmly requested His Majesty to punish severely. But just at this critical moment, Perfected Master Shen Guang died. At this morning’s deliberation in the Taihe Hall, His Majesty flew into a rage, stripped Commander of the Imperial Guards Gao Jian of his robes and sentenced him to forty blows of the rod, and along with that…”

The lady-in-waiting paused, then said, “Along with that, Censor He was also punished with the rod.”

“Beating a remonstrating official? Why?” Zhao Yen sat up a little straighter.

Perfected Master Shen Guang died under the arrows of the Imperial Guards—Commander Gao being punished could still be understood, but what sense was there in punishing Censor He?

Lady-in-waiting He shook her head: “Her Highness the Consort dares not rashly speculate on His Majesty’s intent. Only that His Majesty had Prince Su personally supervise the punishment, with all the officials witnessing, it shows he meant it in earnest.”

“Is Censor He all right?”

“Her Highness sent people to inquire. Elder He’s wounds look frightful, but did not injure muscle or bone.”

That meant Wenren Lin had ordered his men to hold their hands.

Zhao Yen understood clearly in her heart. After pondering a moment, she asked again: “Before Father Emperor ordered the court punishment, what did he say?”

“His Majesty said, the Zhaixing Platform had just collapsed, and Censor He’s memorial was immediately placed before him—could it be that he had the supernatural ability to foresee this calamity? Evidently it was long premeditated, with sinister intentions.”

“The officials did not remonstrate?”

“They did. This morning the court was full of kneeling figures. His Majesty only said one sentence…”

Lady-in-waiting He glanced around, then stepped forward and repeated: “His Majesty said, ‘Do you still wish to force Gu to write a self-condemnation edict?’”

This sentence already revealed Father Emperor’s stance: if he destroyed with his own hands the Shen Guang Sect he had nurtured, it would be the same as admitting fault to the realm. The dignity of the Son of Heaven would never permit him to bow his head and yield to his ministers.

Therefore, he would only unleash the thunder of imperial might upon those outside the Shen Guang Sect, forcing the officials into silence.

No wonder last night, before leaving Hegui Pavilion, Wenren Lin had said to her: “Regarding the court’s affairs at present, you must not get involved.”

That Mother Empress had especially sent Lady-in-waiting He to pass along the happenings in the Taihe Hall, was surely also to let her weigh the situation, and not be swept into this turbulent confrontation between sovereign and ministers.

“Mother Empress’s meaning, I understand.”

Zhao Yen had no grand ambition. From beginning to end, she only wished to light a solitary lamp, to seek out the truth for Zhao Yan.

Now that Perfected Master Shen Guang was dead, her road still had to continue.

Zhao Yen hugged her knees in a daze for a while, and without realizing it, recalled the scene under Changqing Gate last year: Wenren Lin in a robe of crimson with a black cloak, leisurely wiping the blood from his fingers.

At that time he had already said that executing publicly was in order to overawe the court.

This time he had actually spared Censor He’s life—could it be on account of her?

Amidst such disturbances one after another, what was his attitude then? Merely a bystander, or… a schemer?

As soon as this thought raised its head, Zhao Yen shook it out of her mind.

At just that moment Liuying entered the hall, cutting off Zhao Yen’s train of thought, and said: “Your Highness, Commander Gu has gone once to the Court of Judicial Review. Regarding the assassins of yesterday, there is already some clue.”

Zhao Yen gathered her mind and quickly asked: “They were interrogated?”

“Two alive. One died of grievous wounds during interrogation, the other yielded not much. It is all here.”

Speaking thus, Liuying took from her sleeve a confession and spread it before Zhao Yen.

Zhao Yen glanced over it twice, then lowered her eyes and smiled faintly: “All said to be hired killers of the jianghu, who do not know their employer? Whom are they deceiving? From the moment I snatched half a ledger at Tongtian Platform, to the moment Li Fu disguised as the ‘Crown Prince’ was attacked, not even an hour passed. How could there have been time to hire jianghu killers at the last moment?”

“Your Highness means, behind it must be one among the court officials present at the banquet.”

“Most likely one of the households implicated in the ledger, a cornered dog leaping over the wall.”

Liuying immediately understood: “This servant will go convey to Commander Gu that he must apply pressure upon the Court of Judicial Review, to interrogate more strictly.”

“No need. Since he is a death-sworn, interrogating further will yield nothing.”

Entrusting to Wenren Lin might perhaps pry open his mouth, but Zhao Yen did not wish to trouble him with such trifles. By nature she was not one to cling to others for existence—what she could resolve herself, she would resolve herself.

She propped her chin and thought for a while, soon having an idea: “Let Gu Xing release word that the surviving assassin is imprisoned in the gaol of the Court of Judicial Review, and say that the assassin has already revealed some traces of the employer.”

Liuying was doubtful: “The person behind it is high in position and weighty in power. If he learns that there is a survivor in the gaol of the Court of Judicial Review, he may, as with Perfected Master Shen Guang, kill to silence.”

“Let him go to silence—that is best.”

Zhao Yen rose from the couch, stretching the slender waist sore from lying, and said: “Only if they slip into the Court of Judicial Review to strike, can we follow the vine to find the gourd.”

Liuying was suddenly enlightened: “This servant understands, I will arrange it at once.”

“Wait.”

Zhao Yen thought and said: “Censor He was punished with the rod. The imperial physicians in the palace surely dare not defy the imperial command to treat him. The old retainer has it hard, and moreover it was repaying my favor. Go take some wound medicine and blood ginseng to him, and be sure he nurses himself well.”

Liuying saluted: “This servant needs no reminding, I have already ordered Li Fu to arrange it.”

…

As night fell, half a moon hung low upon the mountainside.

A hawk spread its wings and skimmed past the eaves. Zhang Cang bent his body as he came upstairs, bringing the latest news.

“My Lord, ever since the Emperor punished several remonstrating officials, there are inner eunuchs propagating that the collapse of Zhaixing Observatory was Heaven’s punishment for Great Xuan’s insincere heart in revering the gods. The Emperor tacitly approved this talk, not only wanting to hold an extremely grand Sacrifice to Delight the Gods, but even suggesting the conscription of suitable young maidens to become nuns to serve the gods…”

Speaking thus, Zhang Cang clicked his tongue and sighed: “Now the state treasury is in deficit, the disaster relief funds for Luozhou have not yet been gathered, the officials of the Ministry of Revenue are so troubled they nearly want to hang themselves. Where is there money for sacrifices? Outside the Taihe Hall, a host of remonstrating ministers kneel— even the Left Chancellor Li Kexing has come. I fear it will stir up again.”

Wenren Lin, robed in deep blue-green, his features under the lamp profound, with joy or anger indistinguishable.

Everything unfolded just as he had foreseen. The collapse of the Zhaixing Observatory was like the fuse of a firecracker, destined to set off a prairie blaze.