When news of Xie Si’s attempted assassination of the Nanjiang Princess reached the Palace, the young Emperor immediately began to speculate.
Xie Si was Xie Pan’Er’s brother. The Emperor had even witnessed Xie Si unravel the Gu Insect case that had afflicted his own father and him.
Xie Si was an intelligent young man. Surely, he couldn’t have been unaware of the grave consequences of clashing with the Nanjiang Envoy?
If the Ministers hadn’t delayed the young Emperor with discussions of state affairs, he would have rushed out of the Palace to see for himself.
Once the Ministers had dispersed, he mulled it over. There were only two possibilities for this assassination attempt: either there was something amiss with the Nanjiang Princess, or something was wrong with Xie Si. If an Envoy from Nanjiang, here for peace talks, were assassinated in the Capital City of Great Han, war between the two nations would be unavoidable!
It was precisely these thoughts that led the young Emperor to urgently summon Ji Youzhi to investigate.
"Xie Si should be innocent," Ji Youzhi reported after some time. "The Nanjiang Princess, however, seems problematic. But she’s currently unconscious, so I couldn’t question her."
The young Emperor frowned upon hearing this. "Without questioning the Nanjiang Princess, how can you be certain she is the one with the problem?"
Ji Youzhi rested for a moment, gathering his strength before speaking.
"I personally visited the posthouse. When the Nanjiang Princess was attacked, the other Nanjiang Envoys showed no signs of urgency. Only one guard was tense and agitated, solely concerned about whether their princess would survive. As for the other Envoys, I didn’t see a trace of them!"
Hearing this, the young Emperor’s brow furrowed.
"Their Princess is injured. As Envoys, they should naturally be worried and anxious, especially since this concerns matters of state. If their princess were to die, war between our two nations would surely follow..."
"Your Majesty has realized this as well!"
"Indeed! There’s something suspicious about the Nanjiang Envoy delegation!" the young Emperor affirmed.
Ji Youzhi nodded.
"The only thing I can’t figure out is how they managed to make Xie Si personally stab the Nanjiang Princess in the heart with scissors."
"Have you questioned Xie Si?"
"I did. According to him, the Nanjiang Princess provoked him with harsh words, and he was certain he had controlled himself. Yet, after the princess left, he inexplicably grabbed a pair of scissors as if possessed, chased after her, and stabbed her."
"Could Xie Si be lying? Did he intentionally assassinate the Nanjiang Princess?"
Ji Youzhi agreed with the young Emperor’s hypothesis. "That is indeed a possibility. However, I haven’t questioned the Nanjiang Princess yet, so the truth remains unknown."
"Let’s put aside the matter of the Nanjiang Princess for now. Has Mr. Wu been found?"
"He’s incredibly slippery. Every attempt to apprehend him has failed!"
"So slippery? This person is clearly no simple character!"
"I secretly interrogated Lady Lin. Apart from learning that Mr. Wu possesses exceptional medical skills and uses Gu Insects for healing, I couldn’t glean any further information."
Upon hearing this, the young Emperor suddenly remembered something.
"I recall Xie Yingying’s face being disfigured by Suisui’s pet, correct? Yet, at the last Palace Banquet for the Double Ninth Festival, not only was her face healed, but her previously blind eye also showed no signs of any problem."
"We’ve investigated. That too was Mr. Wu’s doing. It’s a type of self-healing Gu Insect. My second brother mentioned that such a Gu Insect cannot be cultivated by an ordinary Witch Doctor."
"So, Youzhi, what are your suspicions about this Mr. Wu?"
"I’ve already written to my eldest brother. The letter should reach him very soon."
While the young Emperor and Ji Youzhi were talking, Eunuch Ling appeared outside, announcing in a shrill voice:
"Your Majesty! The Nanjiang Envoy has submitted a petition requesting an audience with Your Majesty!"
The young Emperor and Ji Youzhi exchanged a look. The Emperor mused aloud, "Requesting an audience again... Could there truly be an issue with the Nanjiang Envoys?"