Facing the emotionally charged Yuli envoy, Emperor Taian could only soothe him in a gentle tone: "Envoy, do not be anxious. Let me first clarify the matter before we speak further."
"Your Majesty must give Yuli an explanation!" The Yuli envoy flicked his sleeve, his tone cold and hard.
Emperor Taian felt irritation in his heart, but he could not let it show on his face.
The Great Zhou had been established for less than thirty years, and had subsequently undergone a change in imperial power, consuming vast amounts of manpower and financial resources. This had given Yuli the opportunity to develop. Now, with Northern Qi stirring, Yuli's stance had become crucial.
The Yuli envoy clearly understood this, which was why his attitude was so forceful.
"Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager and Princess Yi'an have arrived."
Upon hearing that the Empress Dowager had also come, Emperor Taian subconsciously frowned.
His mother doted on Yi'an; it would inevitably be difficult to question her without reservations.
"The envoy might as well move to the side hall to rest first."
The Yuli envoy remained standing, motionless: "The Princess has been murdered. As a subject, I am restless. I request Your Majesty's permission for us to remain here and hear how the Princess met her end."
Accompanying the Yuli envoy were the maids and guards who had gone out with Princess Lingque today.
Emperor Taian signaled the eunuch to invite the Empress Dowager in.
A moment later, the Empress Dowager appeared before everyone, with a pale-faced young girl following behind her—it was Princess Yi'an.
"Mother, why are you not resting properly in your palace?" Emperor Taian rose to greet her.
The Empress Dowager scanned the people in the hall and said indifferently, "Such a great matter has occurred; how could this old woman rest?"
"I have caused Mother to worry."
"Your Majesty should clarify the matter. Yi'an grew up under my watch; I know her. No matter what, she could not have committed a murder."
The Empress Dowager's words were directed more toward Princess Yi'an.
Along the way, the Empress Dowager had already weighed the pros and cons. The crime of murdering Princess Lingque could not be easily pinned on Princess Yi'an; this was not merely a grudge between two young girls, but concerned the relationship between two nations.
Emperor Taian helped the Empress Dowager sit down and looked at Princess Yi'an: "Yi'an, tell us."
As multiple gazes converged on her, Princess Yi'an opened her bloodless, trembling lips: "I don't know... I didn't kill her, I didn't kill her..."
"Yi'an!" The Empress Dowager called her name with a heavy tone, "If you only say this, then your Imperial Grandmother cannot help you."
Princess Yi'an shuddered, and her confused mind finally cleared slightly: "At the time, Princess Lingque and I got into an argument—not exactly an argument, just her saying something and me responding. When things got heated, I stood up—"
"And then?" Seeing Princess Yi'an stop again, Emperor Taian pressed.
Princess Yi'an's eyelids trembled, and a bewildered look appeared in her eyes: "I suddenly felt a wave of dizziness. By the time I saw clearly, Princess Lingque had fallen back into her chair, blood streaming from her chest—"
"She is lying!" The Yuli maid interrupted Princess Yi'an, "This servant saw Princess Yi'an holding the blood-stained dagger with her own eyes. Seeing us rush in, she threw the dagger away and ran out."
As she spoke, she took an object wrapped in a handkerchief from her sleeve: "It is this dagger. Many people saw it at the time. The guards feared this important piece of evidence would be lost in the chaos, so they picked it up and handed it to this servant."
The eunuch took the dagger wrapped in the white cloth and presented it to Emperor Taian.
It was a dagger inlaid with gemstones, exquisite and luxurious. The Empress Dowager recognized it as Princess Yi'an's at a glance.
For a period of time, such daggers had been popular among the noble ladies of the capital; she had bestowed one upon Yi'an after hearing her mention them.
"Yi'an, is this your dagger?"
Princess Yi'an bit her lip and nodded: "Yes."
A flash of disappointment crossed Emperor Taian's eyes.
"Your Majesty, there were only the two princesses in the private room at the time. With both witness and physical evidence present, we cannot possibly say our princess committed suicide, can we?" The Yuli envoy spoke aggressively.
"It wasn't me!" Princess Yi'an's expression changed, "I remember now! There was someone, someone was beside me!"
"Who?" Emperor Taian asked immediately.
"My head was dizzy then so I didn't see, but I could feel him stuffing something into my hand—" Knowing her words sounded absurd, Princess Yi'an burst into tears of desperation, "Father, you must believe me! There really was a third person there; I even smelled the scent of osmanthus on him!"
The Yuli maid immediately retorted: "Impossible. We saw no third person after we entered."
The Yuli envoy sneered: "Your Majesty surely wouldn't believe such words?"
Emperor Taian coughed lightly and said solemnly: "Such a grave matter cannot be handled rashly. Since there are points of doubt, it must be investigated thoroughly."
"Your Majesty!" The Yuli envoy was shocked.
How could the Emperor of Great Zhou say something so shameless?
"I believe the envoy would not wish for your country and Great Zhou to fall out over a misunderstanding, correct?" Emperor Taian asked gently.
The Yuli envoy's lips trembled, but he endured it for the time being.
After all, they were on Great Zhou's turf; it was not wise to make things too tense at this point. The priority was to quietly send news of the Princess's murder back to Yuli as soon as possible for the King to decide.
"Princess Lingque has unfortunately met her end; I fully understand the grief of the envoy and his party. I need some time to investigate the matter clearly, and I will certainly give you all an explanation then."
After dismissing the Yuli envoy and his party, Emperor Taian immediately gave orders: "Arrange men to quietly surround the guest house. Not a single scrap of paper must reach Yuli."
Yuli was thousands of miles away. By keeping these people watched, it was possible to temporarily conceal the news of Princess Lingque's death.
Emperor Taian had never underestimated the wolfish ambitions of the Qi people. While the situation in the North was tense, his own cavalry was also intensifying their training. However, compared to the Qi people who were born in the saddle, Great Zhou was at a natural disadvantage in cavalry; cultivating them was not a task that could be achieved overnight.
What they lacked was time.
Emperor Taian looked toward the North and sighed, then called Princess Yi'an to his side: "Yi'an, tell the truth. Was there really a third person?"
"Really, Yi'an dares not deceive you."
Emperor Taian nodded. He did not say he believed her, nor did he say he didn't; he left the investigation of the case to the Ministry of Justice.
As Lin Hao expected, officials soon arrived at the flower-water shop to inquire.
The leading official from the Ministry of Justice was in his thirties. Seeing Qi Shuo sitting opposite Lin Hao, he paused: "The Heir is also here?"
Qi Shuo happened to know this man: "Lord Jia, you've come regarding the matter of Princess Lingque, I presume?"
"Indeed."
"Then Lord Jia should know that this shop is a property of the General's Manor, right?"
"This is a property of the General's Manor?" Official Jia subconsciously looked at Lin Hao.
He had only heard that the two princesses visited this flower-water shop before entering the teahouse; he hadn't known such a detail.
Qi Shuo smiled politely: "Yes, which is why I am here. Lord Jia, please ask whatever you wish."
Official Jia rubbed his nose upon hearing this.
So, he had come to provide backing for his future wife.
Official Jia had also heard of Lin Hao: "Second Miss Lin was present when the two princesses arrived, correct?"
Lin Hao nodded.
"Could you describe the words and actions of the two princesses in detail?"
Lin Hao recounted everything exactly as it happened.
"So, the conversation between the two princesses was not particularly pleasant." Official Jia glanced at Qi Shuo and shifted the topic, "It is said that after Princess Yi'an ran out of the teahouse, she ran straight into the flower-water shop. Could Second Miss Lin explain the reason?"