Chapter 12: She Really Is a Ghost!

Only after Hua Lin had applied his life-saving medical skills tirelessly for several days did Yue Tang finally wake from her coma.

It was then she learned that at the time of her accident, the late Emperor had already passed away, and her father had also died within the palace. Subsequently, while she was hiding in the mountains of Luoyang to recover, she heard news of the new Emperor's ascension and the turnover of court officials.

Her widowed sister-in-law had been supporting the Prince Duan Mansion alone; having married Yue Tang's brother only six months before becoming a widow, she had no children. A year later, after receiving permission from the palace, she adopted an infant from their clan to continue the lineage of the Prince Duan branch.

The fact that everything happened so coincidentally naturally implied a conspiracy.

However, this conspiracy was not something the Marquis of Guangling could have achieved single-handedly.

She wanted revenge, but she also needed to know exactly what had happened in the Prince's mansion that night, what had transpired in the palace, and how her father had truly died.

For three years, Wei Zhang had traveled back and forth between the capital and Luoyang with young Huo, finally allowing her to lift He Xu's veil at the time, providing the crucial clue of his facial features. This allowed them to lock onto the He and Zhang families as suspects, and by following the trail, they had traced it back to the Marquis of Guangling behind them.

On the surface, the Marquis of Guangling had set a trap to seize power and subsequently achieved his goal by successfully securing the position of Imperial City Commissioner—a motive that seemed logical and a plan that appeared seamless. However, the Du family's influence had already waned. Among the Shen, Chu, and Mu families in the capital—one being the maternal family of the late Emperor's successor Empress, one being the maternal family of the Prince Duan Heir's consort, and another being the family of the former Imperial Father-in-law who had raised the Emperor for over a decade—which one was not stronger than the Du family?

He actually had the audacity to strike at the Prince Duan Mansion.

And where did the money he used to reward the He and Zhang families come from?

Yue Tang's first step in her revenge was to unearth the person standing behind the Marquis of Guangling.

But three years had passed, and the world had changed; clues that were once within easy reach had been severed.

Initially, she had only harbored suspicions toward the Prince of Jingyang and had not concluded he was a major player, but his sudden appearance and interference forced Yue Tang to take serious precautions against him.

"Commandery Princess," Huo Yun, who had been mimicking Hua Lin by stroking his chin for a while, spoke up, "actually, using Lady Liu's influence to expose the Du family's masterminds would be quite cathartic. I don't believe the Prince of Jingyang would dare to defy the heavens and openly oppose the Imperial Court just to help the Du family!"

"I have already discussed what you said with your master," Yue Tang said with a faint smile. "He wouldn't dare, but I do not possess the Commandery Princess Seal, nor do I have the standing to reach the stage of entering the Clan Registry to compare palm prints. If I expose it, who would believe me? With their power, they could dismiss us as imposters pretending to be imperial kin with a single word. Tell me, in this entire capital, how many people would rush out to defend them against 'frauds' who are supposedly ruining the dignity of the royal house?"

For children born into the imperial clan, the Clan Registry and the Ministry of Rites kept records of their hand and footprints, updated every year until they reached the age of fifteen. Should any doubt regarding bloodline ever arise, these top-secret archives would become the most powerful means of identification.

Furthermore, every Prince, Princess, Commandery Prince, and Commandery Princess would receive a seal upon their investiture. From the moment it was received, the seal was never to leave one's person; if the seal were ever involved in any illegal or disorderly conduct, it would be deemed evidence of a crime. Naturally, having it in hand was also the most ironclad proof of identity.

After Yue Tang had jumped off the cliff to survive following the signal Wei Zhang gave her amidst the chaos, Wei Zhang had later used the corpse of her maid, Lin Xiuying, to impersonate her. To make it convincing, they not only left her Lingquan Sword—bestowed by the late Emperor when she was ten—under the corpse, but also hung the seal, along with her pouch, from Ah Xiu's waist.

The Prince of Jingyang held great power, and the Marquis's mansion was currently quite influential. Yue Tang was currently without official status; if she were to recklessly jump out and make accusations, the Du family would have more than enough reason to strike at them under the guise of eliminating an impostor, even without the Prince of Jingyang's intervention.

"I don't understand. If the Marquis of Guangling could do such a thing, why did he fly into a rage upon hearing Lady Liu's petition?" The youth's face was filled with confusion.

Yue Tang sighed. "Because they do not want to cause unnecessary trouble. If a problem can be dealt with in advance, there is no need to drag it out. Besides, the Marquis's mansion is not so powerful that they can act without restraint."

Huo Yun crossed his arms and fell silent.

A knock sounded at the door. After a few rhythmic yet slightly hurried knocks, a woman in her late twenties, dressed in green and carrying a vegetable basket, entered.

"The Du family is taking action. Do you know?"

Huo Yun gaped. "Auntie Lan, what news have you heard?"

Lan Qin walked up to Yue Tang. "After He Jianzhong returned from the Marquis's mansion, he immediately sent someone to the prison to withdraw the lawsuit. I also heard he is sending people into the streets to search for He Hui, instructing him to go to the prison to bring Lady Liu back as soon as the withdrawal procedures are complete. In this short amount of time, I estimate the person withdrawing the lawsuit has already reached the yamen."

"That was quite fast," Yue Tang paused. "This only proves that the Du family is even more afraid of exposure than I imagined."

She motioned to Huo Yun. "Follow me back to the He residence immediately. We will proceed according to plan and go to the He family to wrap things up!"

***

Upon returning from the Marquis's mansion, He Jianzhong vented his frustration on He Hui and the stewards. He first arranged for the withdrawal of the lawsuit, and once that was done, he would go to fetch the person. Lady Liu must not survive the night!

Just as he had sent people out, Madam He began making a scene upon hearing that Lady Liu was to be brought back. Several groups of servants were sent to urge him to go to the main hall.

He Jianzhong went there in a rage. As soon as he entered, he kicked a stool over. "Can you just be quiet for once!"

Madam He froze, then dismissed the servants and walked barefoot toward him. "You're taking your anger out on me? That female physician is suspicious; she isn't normal! She keeps scaring me. She must be the one who killed Xu'er; she must be behind all of this! How many times have I told you? Why won't you listen?"

He Jianzhong said impatiently, "Problems are piling up one after another at home, and I have no time to listen to your nagging! Besides, wasn't she the one you praised time and time again? Changing your tune like this—have you truly gone mad?"

"I have not!" Madam He's voice grew urgent. "Do you know? Yesterday she told me that if I drank the medicine, I wouldn't see ghosts anymore. Listen to that! Is that something she should be saying to me? And she's been instigating me to deal with Lady Zhang, even provoking me to accuse Lady Zhang of being the killer. Did you not notice? She is suspicious; she truly is!"

He Jianzhong shook her off and turned his back.

Madam He circled around to face him, teeth clenched. "She was recommended by Lady Liu!"

He Jianzhong had been unwilling to pay attention to her previous words, but at this, his body stiffened. He finally turned around to face her directly.

If the person was recommended by Lady Liu, and Lady Liu had poison in her room, then wouldn't this female physician also be problematic?

With so many incidents occurring over the past two days, he hadn't even had a moment to close his eyes, let alone think to lock the doors and investigate the household!

Lady Liu even dared to use his secrets to blackmail him, and this physician she recommended had caused trouble the very day she entered the house... why did this sound more and more suspicious?