Chapter 29

Two days had passed since Gu Lianzhao had asked if he understood the rites of Duke Zhou, and Liu Yuanxun had spent them restless and uneasy, with no idea where to find such books.

As a child in the palace, the other princes had all received dedicated guidance—whether from palace maids they took a liking to or by visiting the secret chambers to worship the Joyful Buddha. There were several ways to learn about bedroom matters, but he had been sick the whole time and thus missed out entirely.

Later on, when the imperial physicians warned that spilling one’s seed would damage his vital essence, his consort mother had grown even more averse to such things. She had replaced all the palace maids around him with momos and eunuchs.

Yet he was long past the age of innocent ignorance. He simply couldn’t bring himself to seek out someone to teach him about sex, nor did he have any means to obtain those secretive erotic illustrations meant to quench one’s inner fires.

Ling Ting handled all his daily needs, including buying books from reputable shops. To get his hands on something like this, he would inevitably have to go through Ling Ting. But Ling Ting was practically family to him; the mere thought of it mortified him, let alone actually asking.

After much deliberation, he saw only two options: ask Gu Lianzhao for a book, or make a trip to the Joyful Hall in the palace.

The latter would likely get back to his imperial brother’s ears, but otherwise presented no issues. What worried him was that his imperial brother might think he was putting on an act and grow suspicious of him instead.

Asking Gu Lianzhao directly for erotic illustrations felt too forward, though…

This dilemma had plagued him for two full days. It wasn’t until the morning of the third that he finally decided: better to go to the palace. The Joyful Hall there had to be more reliable than some random book from outside.

As someone who had left the palace and become a subject official, he couldn’t enter without a summons. He had to ask someone to submit a request to the emperor and receive permission before he could go in.

It sounded troublesome, but these were tasks for servants. After a quick round trip, and having finished lunch, another of Eunuch Hong’s godchildren came running from Eunuch Hong’s side to deliver the message.

“This slave, Xiao Luzi, kowtows before Your Highness. May Your Highness enjoy boundless fortune and longevity!”

“Rise,” Liu Yuanxun waved him up, then glanced at Ling Ting and cleared his throat. “I’ve suddenly taken a craving for some pastries. Go to the kitchen and see if there’s anything palatable.”

Ling Ting caught the hint that he wanted to be alone and, though puzzled, nodded in assent and left the room.

Liu Yuanxun gauged the time until Ling Ting was well out of earshot, then asked, “What did imperial brother say?”

In his letter, he had only mentioned wanting to visit a side hall in the palace without specifying which one. Liu Yuanze was never one for meddling in trifles, so he should approve it.

Sure enough, Xiao Luzi looked up with an ingratiating smile. “His Majesty has approved, Your Highness. Eunuch Hong specially sent this slave to wait at the residence. Whenever Your Highness wishes to enter the palace or go anywhere within, this slave will attend you.”

The palace gates would lock at nightfall. Liu Yuanxun glanced at the sky. “Then let’s go now. Once we’re inside, take me to the side hall next to Qin’an Hall. Keep it quiet—no drawing attention.”

Qin’an Hall stood at the heart of the Imperial Garden as a Buddhist temple, surrounded by several side halls enshrining various Buddha statues, including the secret chamber for the Joyful Buddha.

Xiao Luzi hadn’t become Eunuch Hong’s godchild for nothing. His eyes darted cleverly, and he immediately grasped Liu Yuanxun’s true intent. “Rest assured, Your Highness. This slave will go ahead to the palace and make arrangements. No one will cross our path.”

Not long after Xiao Luzi left, Ling Ting returned, carrying a plate of glutinous rice balls dusted with glistening golden osmanthus powder. They looked fresh and appetizing.

Noticing Xiao Luzi had already gone, he asked, “Is there news from the palace?”

Liu Yuanxun smiled. “Just a small matter. I need to go in, and Gu Jiu can accompany me.”

Ling Ting froze, forgetting to set down the plate. “Why… why suddenly call Lord Gu? Aren’t you going to the palace? It might not be convenient with Lord Gu along.”

“No matter. Just a little errand.”

If he brought Ling Ting, Ling Ting would figure it out the moment they reached Qin’an Hall. Taking Ling Qing wasn’t ideal either—she’d spill everything if Ling Ting asked. Gu Lianzhao was the best choice; he already knew plenty, so what was one more thing?

Unaware of the reason, Ling Ting only felt that Liu Yuanxun was deliberately distancing himself. He tried to force a smile but failed, lowering his head to hide the disappointment in his eyes.

Gu Lianzhao, upon hearing the news, showed little surprise. His reaction remained mild from start to finish. When Liu Yuanxun summoned him, he came; otherwise, he went about his tasks. It wasn’t overly warm, but neither was it the deliberate aloofness of before.

Ling Ting helped Liu Yuanxun into the carriage and accidentally met Gu Lianzhao’s eyes during the process, exchanging a glance that meant nothing.

Even after the carriage had gone, Ling Ting stood at the gate like a statue, his chest filled with an inexpressible sense of loss.

…

Lin’an Street lay on the direct route from the prince’s residence to the palace, crowded with people and carriages. To avoid bumping into pedestrians, Gu Lianzhao tugged the reins, slowing the horses.

The din of heated discussions from outside flooded into Liu Yuanxun’s ears.

Curious, he lifted the curtain, but the street was too noisy to make out details. A few words caught amid the clamor, however, piqued his interest.

Nameless Residence. Menial servant. Hanging. Capital Prefecture Yamen…

As he listened, Liu Yuanxun frowned.

Ever since retrieving that painting from Nameless Residence a few days ago, he had suspected a connection to the person who sent him the zither score. Hearing it mentioned now, he rapped on the carriage wall and asked softly, “A’Qiao, what are the people outside talking about?”

With his internal force, Gu Lianzhao could hear clearly from several meters away. He replied in detail. “Someone died at Nameless Residence. A kitchen menial hanged himself under their signboard last night. They only found the body this morning.”

An ominous premonition stirred in Liu Yuanxun. After a moment’s thought, he said, “Stop the carriage. I’ll go take a look. Park it in an open spot and come find me.”

“If it’s not urgent, why not wait?” Gu Lianzhao glanced sidelong at the curtain behind him. He always found this man in the carriage clever one moment and foolish the next. How could he wander Lin’an Street alone amid such chaos? For all his inward grumbling, his words remained polite. “The street is crowded and disorderly. You’ll get jostled if you go alone. Let me come with you.”

Liu Yuanxun didn’t refuse. Once the carriage stopped, he alighted with Gu Lianzhao’s support. As he started forward, however, someone tugged his sleeve.

Before he could speak, Gu Lianzhao had lifted the hood and placed it over his head, murmuring, “It’s windy outside. Mind the chill, Your Highness.”

No one could refuse such kindness. Pleased that Gu Lianzhao was warming to him, Liu Yuanxun smiled and said, “Very well.”

The two then headed together toward Nameless Residence.

Under the emperor’s feet, there were no minor incidents. This bizarre suicide had become fodder for the surrounding vendors. Liu Yuanxun didn’t even need to ask; by the time he reached the front of Nameless Residence, he had pieced together most of the story from the onlookers.

That morning, a vendor setting up early had spotted something swaying under the signboard from afar. At first, he paid it no mind, but upon closer inspection, he realized it was a person—and let out a bloodcurdling scream that shattered the street’s morning calm.

The cry drew the runners from the Capital Prefecture Yamen.

They hauled away the body and the shopkeeper of Nameless Residence without a word, but the crowd had already spun a tale from the scraps of information.

According to them, the shopkeeper had withheld the menial servant’s wages, driving the poor kitchen hand to hang himself at the front gate in desperation.

It was a tidy story, sensational enough to spread quickly and win easy belief—but it wouldn’t hold up to scrutiny.

Nameless Residence sat on the capital’s busiest street, Lin’an. The wages of a single kitchen menial probably wouldn’t cover the cost of a single tael of tea inside. Why would the shopkeeper withhold such a pittance?

Liu Yuanxun stood at the edge of the crowd, observing from afar. But the more he watched, the more something felt off.

He had been ill for so long that he had lost all sense of a normal person’s strength. With no gauge of his own, he turned to Gu Lianzhao beside him for clarification.

He asked, “The signboard is about seven feet off the ground, and another four feet below the second-floor window. Could an ordinary menial servant hang himself from there?”

Gu Lianzhao spent his days in the Imperial Prison and had seen every manner of strange case. One look at the signboard’s height told him something was amiss. He shook his head calmly. “Without martial arts or a second person’s help, it’s all but impossible.”

That meant the servant either knew martial arts or had been strangled elsewhere and then strung up under the signboard. But someone who knew martial arts wouldn’t hang himself over a bit of back pay, surely?

A few days earlier, Liu Yuanxun had obtained that painting here, leading him to suspect an accomplice inside Nameless Residence linked to the zither score sender. Coupled with this servant’s suspicious death, he couldn’t help but dwell on it.

Without hesitation, he decided to detour to the Capital Prefecture Yamen. Coincidence or design? The corpse might hold the answer.

He beckoned a passerby and sent him to the residence to inform Ling Ting, settled his palace errand, then boarded the carriage with Gu Lianzhao and headed straight for the yamen.

Flashing his prince’s token, Liu Yuanxun faced no obstacles and went directly to the autopsy room.

When he arrived, the yamen’s coroner was in the midst of the examination.

The victim was a youth of about eighteen, clad in coarse hempen cloth. He was short and round-faced; had his skin not been pallid and his body rigid, he might have seemed a cheerful, likable sort.

Since it was a hanging, the coroner focused on the ligature marks around the neck. Strangulation and hanging left different bruises. Confirming it as suicide by hanging would allow them to close the case.

At Liu Yuanxun’s arrival, the simply dressed coroner hastily knelt, surprise flashing across his face before he could hide it. What status did this lowly menial have, to draw the prince himself here?

Liu Yuanxun bade him rise, then stood solemnly by the body and turned to Gu Lianzhao. “Take a look.”

The coroner started to protest the breach of protocol but thought better of it, given Liu Yuanxun’s rank, and held his tongue.

He had seen enough anyway: definite hanging, hence suicide. What waves could one dead menial stir?

The coroner stepped aside to write up the report.

Meanwhile, Gu Lianzhao on the other side drew a clean brush from nearby, gripped it inverted in his palm, and used the tip to part the servant’s clothes. He prodded the corpse’s arms and legs with varying pressure.

He knew Liu Yuanxun didn’t understand the reasoning behind it, so as he prodded the body, he explained, “If this were truly a menial servant, he’d be nothing more than an ordinary boy toiling away in the kitchens. But look at how solid and even his muscles are, and how sturdy his bones. To build a physique like this, he’d have needed at least two years of martial arts training.”

With that said, the servant’s true identity was plain to see. Whether his infiltration of the Nameless Residence had been coincidence or design remained unclear, but his death was undoubtedly connected to The Painting.

Gu Lianzhao’s examination was far from over. Unwilling to touch the corpse himself, he picked up a writing brush and used its two ends as a pivot, methodically inspecting the body’s surface inch by inch.

The coroner had halted his own work the moment Gu Lianzhao mentioned the dead man’s martial training. He now stood motionless, ears perked, hoping to catch any further revelations.

Gu Lianzhao paid no attention to the wound on the corpse’s neck. He knew full well that since the body had been presented on the street as a hanging, no investigator—regardless of skill—would conclude anything otherwise.

Yet as the Pacification Commissioner of the Northern Pacification Division, he had employed nearly a thousand different forms of torture in his time. He was well aware that there were countless methods to coerce a living person into taking their own life by hanging.

The only reason he delved into these details now was to determine whether this servant had endured torture before his death.

The man had come from the Nameless Residence, which was linked to Liu Yuanxun solely through The Painting—and that painting was one he himself had procured on Liu Yuanxun’s behalf.

Thus, whether the servant had been tortured or not bore directly on his own involvement.

If no torture marks existed, it meant the servant held no value to his killers beyond his life itself. Whether out of revenge or to send a warning, it implied that others now knew of the painting and the purpose of his infiltration.

But if torture had been involved, it suggested they knew little—likely stumbling upon the man’s traces through some side channel and resorting to pain to loosen his tongue. That, in turn, would confirm he had handled the matter flawlessly, stealing the painting without leaving a trail.

He had gone to such lengths, scrutinizing every detail, simply to avoid giving Liu Yuanxun any reason to deem him incompetent.

Seeing what looked like an injury inspection, the coroner couldn’t resist chiming in. “My lord, this humble one has already checked his external wounds. There are a few bruises, but they’re just from manual labor—nothing to do with the case.”

Gu Lianzhao, however, wasn’t searching for such obvious injuries. He said nothing, merely continuing his inch-by-inch examination with lowered head. Only when the brush handle neared the servant’s groin did he pause, speaking slowly. “Might Your Highness step aside? I’m afraid proceeding further might offend your eyes.”

Liu Yuanxun was not one to ignore sound advice. Trusting that Gu Lianzhao had good reason for the request, he turned without hesitation, presenting his back to the rigid slab holding the corpse.

Only then did Gu Lianzhao use the brush handle to lift the servant’s manhood, prodding the scrotum lightly with the other brush…

Even while examining a man’s most intimate parts, he remained as detached as if handling a slab of pork—no trace of embarrassment or discomfort, only boundless cold indifference and calm.

Intrigued by the unusual technique, the coroner leaned in curiously. As Gu Lianzhao crossed and pressed with the two brush handles, a silver needle half a finger long was slowly extruded from the corpse’s scrotum.

Now that he had someone to delegate to, Gu Lianzhao had no intention of doing the work himself. He turned to the coroner and instructed flatly, “Shave the hair around his penis clean. There are likely more needles inside him than just this one.”

His expression and tone were utterly matter-of-fact, but the coroner froze for a moment. Realization dawned, triggering a wave of dry heaving. Unable to hold it back, he bolted from the morgue to retch in the outer room.

Coroners dealt with the dead every day, but a corpse that had suffered such exquisite torment was another matter entirely. It was no wonder even a seasoned professional felt a chill run down his spine.

Curious despite himself, Liu Yuanxun instinctively started to turn for a look. Gu Lianzhao spoke first. “Please wait a moment, Your Highness. The area is quite foul at present.”

Liu Yuanxun blinked, then obediently held still.