Caught unprepared, the Princess was shocked but did not show it on her face.
She stood up gravely, sweeping her gaze through the crowd before finally settling on the Dragon King. She knew what he wanted to hear as well as the true motive behind his move.
This was a test for her. Though she found it to be a little too early, she knew she must act decisively to demonstrate her loyalty and stance to the Dragon King.
Being a princess, no one would suspect her words and she was much more convincing than the former three witnesses. “Last night,” she said calmly, “I saw two people sneaking out of the palace.”
That was all that she said but it was enough to prompt speculations and discussions among the crowd. They did not know why the Princess said only these words.
Gu Shenwei nodded at her to show his respect and support. Then, he turned toward the elderly woman.
The elderly woman was almost squatting down on the ground because she had no confidence in what she was going to say.
“Are you done thinking about it? Tell us why you left that court maid pregnant with the king’s child behind and run outside for help?” the Dragon King asked.
“I, I was terrified. I was so terrified. I was at a loss…”
“What did you fear?”
“I feared… the Dragon King.” The elderly woman’s voice was barely audible when she mentioned his name.
“Speak louder,” the Dragon King ordered, unconcerned.
“I feared you,” the elderly woman said. She grabbed the clothes of the maid near her as if she would collapse to the ground at any time.
“Me? You didn’t see the murderer’s face. Why would you fear me?”
The elderly woman had reached the limits of her endurance. In her preparation for this interrogation, no one told her that she would be subject to such detailed questioning. Those smart people ought to have thought of this! Finally, she said, “Ask him. It’s his fault. He’s the one who always said that the Dragon King would come and kill the pregnant woman. He influenced me…”
Upon hearing this, Gu Shenwei became more curious than angry. Meanwhile, the crowd outside fixed their eyes on the imperial guard, Ju Chi, who had his head lowered. He sat on the chair in low spirits, looking as if he had not heard the elderly woman’s words.
During the interrogation, Gu Shenwei had spent most of his time observing Ju Chi. Yet, at this moment, he looked away and did not even continue questioning the elderly woman. Instead, he turned to the trembling maid and softened his tone when he said, “I will now ask you some questions. Think properly about what you saw last night.”
“Ah?” The maid felt her body turn soft and she nearly flung the elderly woman who was holding onto her clothes to the ground. “Yes, I will…”
“Are you sure that the dead woman beside you is the same pregnant woman you have been serving in the past few months?”
Gu Shenwei made his question in a loud voice, enunciating every word so that even the crowd outside could hear him. This caused the crowd to flood toward the exit. The guards had to spare a lot of effort before they could stop the crowd.
Evidently, the panic-stricken maid failed to grasp the hidden meaning behind Dragon King’s question. She thought for a long while in a daze before replying, “It was Hai Tang… There was so much blood… It was everywhere, even on her face. Oh, I… I didn’t see her face… But the baby… How could it possible…”
The maid was completely lost in her thoughts. It was her expression, not her words, that ignited the crowd’s endless imagination.
Once again, Gu Shenwei nodded at the Princess. He felt apologetic for keeping his own Queen standing for so long but his questions for her were almost over. “When you saw two figures sneaking out of the palace, did you send your servant to follow them to figure out the truth?”
It was the first time the Princess learned the way the Dragon King dealt with matters and, like many people around him, she did not like his way of ambushing her. She would much prefer it if he had guided her beforehand or even just leave her a hint or two; at least, she would not be at a loss.
But she must now guess the Dragon King’s true thoughts. That was part of the test, a very important part of the test.
“Yes.” Though she was nervous, her reply was solemn. “I won’t allow conspiracies to take place in the palace, so I must investigate it.”
“Did you figure it out?”
“Yes, I did.” The Princess was increasingly confident that she had correctly guessed what the Dragon King was thinking. However, she was still clueless about the outcome that he wanted.
“Did you find them?”
“Yes.”
“Can you bring them here?”
“Yes.”
The Princess thought it was a hint from the Dragon King, so she raised her head to look at the door on the left. Witnesses usually enter from that door.
“Bring them here,” the Princess commanded, though she was not sure whether two witnesses would come.
Dragon King nodded at her for the third time, this time with amiableness and friendliness. There was even a hint of satisfaction too. This meant that the Princess could take a seat for her mission was complete.
The Princess had claimed that she had seen two people sneaking out of the palace, but now only one entered from the door. She was a pregnant woman who was so flustered that she could not even stand firmly on her feet.
The elderly woman shrieked with fear when she saw the pregnant woman and subsequently fell to the ground unconscious. The maid also screamed, nearly fainting as well. She recognized the pregnant woman. “Hai Tang!”
Though Hai Tang was carrying the King’s child, she was still a court maid. Thus, all the maids were accustomed to calling her real name.
Few people knew the pregnant maid, but everyone present stretched their necks to see her, including the ministers, military officers inside, and the crowd outside.
This outcome was beyond their expectations. The assassinated court maid was now standing in front of them. Then, who was the one who died? Who was the one who escaped the palace with the pregnant woman? What was the motive behind this all?
Perhaps the Dragon King was the only one who can explain this. After all, he was omniscient and omnipotent. No conspiracy could fool him.
Their response was what Gu Shenwei had hoped for. He waited for the shock to settle in before waving his hand. Two maids entered, held Hai Tang by the arm, and left with her.
“Take her to the King and have him identify her in person.” Gu Shenwei’s words were meant for the audience. He could not publicly interrogate Hai Tang due to her unique status after having the King’s child. Moreover, it was unsuitable for the King to come here personally to identify her.
He still had not found out the purpose behind this murder.
Ju Chi could no longer sit on the chair without a word anymore. He coughed and intended to talk.
The Dragon King stood beside Ju Chi and placed his hand on his shoulder as if he did not realize that he was touching a living being. Ju Chi knew why, so he held his tongue in confusion.
The Dragon King ignored the curiosity of the audience and walked back to his seat slowly, sitting on it as if he had found out the truth.
All of a sudden, things calmed down. Even the guards were curious about the Dragon King’s next move. They frequently turned around while stopping the crowd.
Long Fanyun spoke on behalf of the Dragon King again. This time, he was very confident and called loudly, “Shangguan Fei.”
Shangguan Fei walked out of the door and then respectfully bowed to the Dragon King and his Queen.
There were those who knew him and immediately alerted the people around them that he was the Supreme King’s son who now served the Dragon King. This was a strange thing that was worthy of a discussion.
“Shangguan Fei, tell us your duty,” Long Fanyun said. He was clear how the interrogation should go from here. Out of everyone here, he was the only one who had received instructions from the Dragon King beforehand. While the King did not say much, it was enough to help him grasp the general development of this matter.
“I protect the Queen under the orders of the Dragon King.”
The Princess trembled a little. She knew that the Dragon King transferred the three female guards, but not him sending someone else to protect her.
“Tell us what happened last night.”
Shangguan Fei bowed to the Dragon King and Queen again before saying loudly, “Around 11.00pm last night, the Queen sent her maid to tell me that she spotted two people sneaking out of the palace and commanded me to investigate this. Those two disappeared, but I didn’t give up the investigation and spent the whole day seeking clues. I discovered their identities and whereabouts four hours ago. One is a man, the other a woman. The man kidnapped the pregnant woman while disguised as an imperial guard, so I saved the woman with my subordinates and killed him.”
“Who is the woman that you saved?”
“She said she’s a court maid called Hai Tang. It has been eight months since she got pregnant. Besides, she said that she had been kidnapped last night. Later, we sent her to the palace and told the Queen what we knew. She then commanded us to wait outside the hall.”
The Princess felt terribly uncomfortable to be the target of so much attention. Furthermore, she was the only who knew that Shangguan Fei’s description of her involvement was all lies. However, she maintained her impeccable manner and expression. In terms of grace, she would not lose out to any other queens in the Western Region.
More and more people were beginning to realize what had happened. As countless guesses kept entering their minds, the crowd began to share their guesses. Their voices covered one another’s, making their discussions essentially inaudible to anyone but themselves.
Long Fanyun raised his voice and asked, “The palace is well guarded. How could he kidnap a court maid who was under protection on his own?”
“Hai Tang said that he had help in the palace.”
“Who is it?”
Once again, the imperial guard Ju Chi twitched with unease. However, Shangguan Fei’s finger was not pointed at him. He then heard Shangguan Fei saying, “It’s her, the midwife. She colluded with the Golden Roc Fort to kidnap Hai Tang and discreetly replace her with another pregnant woman. She then ruthlessly killed the woman in order to frame the Dragon King.”
The ensuing discussion was so loud that the roof nearly fell. The ministers and generals could not help discussing this development and exchanging their opinions. The crowd outside the palace became even more boisterous, causing conflicts when they tried to inch closer.
Out of everyone present, the midwife’s response was the most violent. She was supposed to be unconsciousness on the ground but she immediately jumped up after hearing this. “Nonsense! Nonsense… I’m not colluding… I’m not… He was the one who asked me to do this. He gave me silver and told me…”
The elderly woman pleaded for herself in a panic but unwittingly exposed her doings. Not many heard her amid the noise. Then, two guards entered from the door, picked her up, and dragged her out of the Council Chamber.
To complete his task, Shangguan Fei continued in a loud voice, “The Golden Roc Fort intends to use this assassination to turn the Stone Kingdom and the Dragon King against each other. Then, they will lead their army to attack this place and have the pregnant court maid make a sudden appearance. That way, they can make her child the puppet king…”
To them, the accusation was all that more convincing coming from Shangguan Fei than other people. After all, he was still the Supreme King’s son despite having betrayed his father. Besides, he presented a series of evidence to prove his words. Most importantly, Hai Tang was alive. This proved that the Dragon King was not the murderer.
Later, the King proved that Shangguan Fei’s words. He sent a trusted eunuch to publicly announce that the court maid brought to the palace was Hai Tang who was pregnant with his child. The eunuch expressed the King’s deep gratitude to the Dragon King and Queen, who fell on their knees. Many followed suit, no longer suspecting the Dragon King.
The crowd left and most of them would not be getting any sleep tonight. They would tell their relatives and friends what had happened in the Council Chamber and repeat this anecdote.
The ministers and generals left without doubts. Even so, they were anxious and humbly kneeled down in front of Dragon King before taking their leave. They hoped to use all means possible to prove that they were ignorant of the Golden Roc Fort’s conspiracy.
Thus, there were only two people who walked out of the Council Chamber with all sorts of questions unanswered.
The imperial guard Ju Chi and the Princess knew that the Dragon King would soon summon them.