Chapter 33: The One She Mourns

The lights in the Yangrong Study remained lit throughout the night. Yan Bei sat inside, and Gao An stood guard outside, neither having stirred for the entire duration.

When dawn broke and the attendants brought in hot water for washing, Gao An took it from them and carried it into the room himself.

Yan Bei sat behind his desk with a somber expression. Before him lay a marriage contract and a divorce agreement; both documents were frayed at the edges, having been handled countless times by their owner. Beside them lay several tattered fragments of paper—the very scraps salvaged from the brazier the night before.

Yet, upon seeing Gao An, the once-unbridled youth quickly shed his gloom and returned to his usual composure. Three years as a foster father had smoothed away much of his former volatility. He was now a powerful prince, capable of holding his emotions in check.

"Your Highness, it is time to freshen up," Gao An said, glancing at the stubble on the prince's chin. Although he was only twenty-two, the exhaustion of the sleepless night made him look years older.

Yan Bei slowly lifted his teacup. "Tell me, who do you think she was mourning with those sacrificial writings?"

It was a rhetorical question. Though the paper scraps were no larger than eggs and the text was fragmented, it was impossible to discern the specific recipient. It would only be logical for one to burn such offerings at the He family’s site if they were a close relative. However, the guards had investigated thoroughly throughout the night; the He family had no relatives named Wang, let alone anyone fitting the description of Wang Huan.

Gao An, a steward who had navigated many storms, stood there through the night, his mind clear. He knew the prince was merely asking what he already suspected.

Holding a razor in one hand and a cloth in the other, Gao An stepped forward. "I recall, Your Highness, that when the scandal involving the He family first broke, their daughter-in-law, Lady Liu, was imprisoned. That incident brought to light rumors regarding the suspicious death of Princess Yongjia."

"If there were indeed doubts surrounding the princess's death, then the Du family is highly suspect. And if the Du family was involved in the murder of the princess, then the lady who also perished that night at the hands of bandits could be said to have met her end at the Du family's doing as well."

"She must have been mourning the lost little heir."

In that situation, no one would have believed an infant could survive. If A-Li had died, did that not make the Du family the culprits?

After shaving the stubble from the prince's chin, Gao An paused and said softly, "Few people in the capital ever saw Princess Yongjia, and I believe you are among them, Your Highness."

In other words, no one could confirm that Princess Yongjia did not look exactly like Wang Huan. If Wang Huan were indeed the princess, her presence in the Du family’s trap and her burning of funeral rites would suddenly make perfect sense.

Yan Bei paused, casting a look at him. He then leaned back against his chair and closed his eyes. "I have heard that Princess Yongjia was skilled in both literature and martial arts. If she were alive, she would certainly seek revenge, and she would undoubtedly have the capability to do so."

"After the trouble at the Prince Duan estate, the position of the Imperial City Guard commander fell to Du Minghuan. In that sense, it is plausible that the Du family’s hands are not clean."

"However—if the Du family sought power, they would have targeted Prince Duan. Why kill the princess? Given their position at the time, they lacked the influence to orchestrate the death of Prince Duan. Furthermore, I went to the scene myself that year."

"I have already told you, the place where Princess Yongjia died was more than ten miles away from where Wang Huan met with trouble. Around the site of her incident, there was nothing but that carriage and a pair of servants. No one else was there."

"Ten miles is not a short distance."

It was nearly twice the length of the capital from east to west. If Wang Huan were the princess, should she not have sensed danger the moment her nurse and maid were killed? Princess Yongjia had lived independently since childhood and studied under renowned masters; she should have been astute. Why would she risk her life to flee an additional ten miles only to die?

Moreover, it was said that Princess Yongjia kept her child with her at all times. By all logic, mother and son should have been inseparable. How then did A-Li end up in the hands of the bandits who emerged near the carriage? Even if the Prince Duan estate could easily fabricate a fake identity, if Wang Huan were truly the princess, why was she traveling with only one carriage? Where were her other attendants? And why, when returning to the capital, would she be carrying the plain clothes she wore while living in exile?

Though Yan Bei had envisioned countless possibilities, the facts he had witnessed remained difficult to reconcile.

"Indeed," Gao An breathed, continuing to shave the remaining stubble. "To uncover the truth, one cannot rely on conjecture."

One had to rely on logic and evidence.

"Tell them to put up more posters, both inside and outside the city. If necessary, searching house by house is not out of the question."

Yan Bei wiped his face with a damp cloth and looked into the mirror. He looked decent enough. His skin was not as delicate as it had been three years ago, but he had spent less time in the sun, so he wasn't as dark either. His physique had matured over the past two years, and his chest was broader than it had been when they were first married. He was sure she wouldn't be able to look away if she saw him now.

Once he found her, he would have to make a grand display of himself, making her regret abandoning her husband and child. Now, facing such a mature and imposing man, it would be a pity that she could look but not touch.

He chuckled to himself.

He carefully and steadily tucked the papers back into a scroll, ensuring Gao An could not glimpse even a hint of his inner thoughts.

Gao An wiped the razor and asked with a hint of confusion, "Your Highness, why not simply post a portrait?"

"She is, after all, A-Li’s birth mother. How could I allow her to be exposed to the public?"

Yan Bei changed his robes, flexing his chest and waist muscles in the mirror before fastening his clothes. "Besides, that would only startle the prey, wouldn't it?"

Gao An nodded in agreement and handed him his outer cloak.

That night, after Yan Bei failed to find anyone by the river, his guards brought news of the palace coup: the late Emperor had passed away, and Prince Duan had died within the palace walls. Empress Dowager Shen, who had previously been managing affairs both inside and outside the court alongside Prince Duan, had seized absolute power.

Realizing the gravity of the situation, Yan Bei had decisively left the scene, entered the capital with the imperial decree in hand, and assumed his position as the regent appointed by the late Emperor. He took control of the Privy Council overnight, suppressing the restless factions with lightning speed. He then swiftly dispatched his trusted guards to bring the surviving Second Prince back to the capital.

By taking command of the Privy Council and holding military power, his rapid actions forced Empress Dowager Shen to hold back the three-year-old Fourth Prince, whom she had already intended to push onto the throne.

Had Yan Bei arrived even a moment later, he would have been forced to serve the Fourth Prince, and the Shen family would have become the undisputed power behind the throne. Even if the Second Prince had survived the accident outside the capital, he would surely have been eliminated by the Shen family once they gained control.