I slaughtered my way through the border at the start, I am the Great Ming's Night Raider!

Jin Ying took out a few pages of paper from her sleeve: "This is Cao Jixiang's private account, which records the bribes he has received over the years, and the officials who bribed him... they are all listed in it."

The hall fell silent instantly.

Everyone's eyes were fixed on those few pages of paper.

The Grand Princess took the money, glanced at it, and her face grew colder and colder: "Good... really good. So many people, from the Six Ministries, the Censorate, and local governors... have all given money to Cao Cao."

She looked at Yang Rong: "Grand Secretary Yang, would you like to take a look?"

Yang Rong's hand trembled, and the teacup almost fell to the ground: "Your Majesty... Your Majesty..."

"Don't worry, your name isn't on it." The Grand Princess handed the paper to Wang Ji. "Minister Wang, you should take a look too."

Wang Ji took it, glanced at it a few times, and his face turned ashen: "These parasites...they deserve to die!"

The paper was passed around among the seven people.

Everyone was terrified—some of the names were names they never expected; some were names they had already guessed; and some... were names of their own people.

"Your Highness," Liu Mian spoke, "what should be done with the people listed in these ledgers?"

The Grand Princess pondered for a moment: "It is not advisable to carry out a massacre during this period of mourning. Let's keep these people under surveillance for now, and deal with them slowly after the new emperor ascends the throne."

"Yes."

"And another thing," the Grand Princess said, looking at Jin Ying, "has the investigation into Cao Jixiang's death been completed? Was it truly suicide?"

Jin Ying hesitated for a moment: "Judging from the scene... it was suicide. But before he died, someone did go to the imperial prison."

"Who?"

"Li Fu, a eunuch in Empress Sun's palace."

The hall fell silent once more.

Empress Sun.

The Crown Prince's birth mother.

What was she going to do when she met Cao Jixiang?

The Grand Princess's eyes turned cold: "Where is Li Fu now?"

"He's...dead," Jin Ying said. "He was found this morning, hanged in his room. It was also 'suicide.'"

Yet another "suicide".

Chen Yuan heard everything clearly outside the hall, and felt uneasy.

This is so obvious—murder to silence witnesses.

Inside the hall, the expressions of the seven people all changed.

Yang Rong said in a trembling voice, "Your Highness, this...this involves the harem, isn't it...?"

"Is it what?" The Grand Princess stared at him. "Should we pretend we didn't hear? Should we act like nothing happened? Grand Secretary Yang, Cao Jixiang is dead, Li Fu is dead, who will be next? You? Or me?"

Yang Rong was speechless when asked the question.

Wang Ji said in a deep voice, "Your Highness is right. This matter must be thoroughly investigated. Otherwise, if today it is a eunuch who dies, tomorrow it may be a minister."

"How do we investigate?" Hu Ying asked. "It's not appropriate for officials outside the palace to interfere in matters of the inner palace."

The Grand Princess looked at Jin Ying: "Eunuch Jin, you are the Director of the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs. You are in charge of investigating matters within the palace."

"I...I obey your order."

Jin Ying bowed, but sweat was already beading on her forehead.

The meeting continued, but the atmosphere had completely changed.

Everyone was thinking the same thing: Why did Empress Sun kill Cao Jixiang to silence him? What did she know?

Or rather... what was she involved in?

Chen Yuan was also thinking about it.

He recalled Empress Sun's sharp gaze and unyielding attitude at Kunning Palace yesterday.

This woman is no ordinary person.

Just then, a startled cry came from inside the hall.

Chen Yuan immediately pushed open the door and entered, his hand on the hilt of his sword: "Your Highness?"

Inside the hall, Duke Zhang Fu of Yingguo clutched his chest, his face pale and his breathing rapid.

Hu Ying supported him, anxiously asking, "Your Excellency! Your Excellency, what's wrong?"

"Medicine...medicine..." Zhang Fu said with difficulty.

Chen Yuan strode forward, took a small porcelain bottle from Zhang Fu's bosom, poured out some pills, and fed them to him.

Zhang Fu caught his breath for a moment, and his complexion gradually returned to normal.

"It's an old problem," he said with a wry smile. "I'm getting old, I'm no longer useful."

The Grand Princess asked with concern, "Does the Duke of Yingguo want to rest?"

"No need," Zhang Fu waved his hand. "The meeting isn't over yet; I can manage."

But Chen Yuan noticed that Zhang Fu glanced at Yang Rong while speaking.

That look in his eyes was complex; there was warning, and...disappointment?

The meeting continued, but Zhang Fu did not speak again.

Finally, all matters were settled.

The Grand Princess concluded, "What we have discussed today will be resolved and announced tomorrow. All of you are regents; I hope you will prioritize the well-being of the nation and work together to assist the young emperor."

"Your Majesty, we obey." The six men bowed.

The meeting adjourned.

The seven people walked out of Fengtian Hall one after another, each with their own thoughts.

Chen Yuan escorted the Grand Princess back to Yongshou Palace.

On the way, the Grand Princess asked in a low voice, "Mingyuan, what do you think?"

"Empress Sun is suspicious," Chen Yuan said. "The deaths of Cao Jixiang and Li Fu are too coincidental."

"Anything else?"

"And..." Chen Yuan thought for a moment, "It's quite a coincidence that the Duke of Yingguo just had a relapse."

The Grand Princess paused, "You mean..."

"I dare not make a rash judgment," Chen Yuan said. "But before the Duke of Ying fell ill, Grand Secretary Yang said something."

"What did you say?"

"He said, 'It is not appropriate for an outsider to interfere in matters of the inner palace,'" Chen Yuan recalled. "Upon hearing this, the Duke of Yingguo's face changed, and that's when he fell ill."

The Grand Princess pondered, "Zhang Fu and Empress Sun...have a past relationship?"

"The Duke of England's mansion and the Sun family seem to have some connection," Chen Yuan said. "Empress Sun's father, Sun Zhong, was a former subordinate of the Duke of England."

It turned out to be the case.

A cold glint flashed in the Grand Princess's eyes: "It seems the waters here are deeper than I thought."

Back at Yongshou Palace, Qin Xiang was already waiting.

Her expression was grave: "Your Highness, the Azure Dragon Society has sent word."

"explain."

"Wei Qinglong said he found out about the Chengguo Duke's mansion." Qin Xiang lowered her voice, "That night, the Eastern Depot went to arrest people, but the Chengguo Duke and his wife...were not caught."

The Grand Princess was taken aback. "Where could they be going?"

Qin Xiang said in a deep voice, "The Azure Dragon Society discovered their trail outside the city; they headed south. It seems... they're going to Nanjing."

Nanjing, the secondary capital.

There was a complete imperial court structure, an army, and provisions...

The Grand Princess understood: "Zhu Yong... has left himself a way out."

Qin Xiang nodded and said, "Wei Qinglong also said that before the Duke of Cheng left the capital, he met with someone."

"Who?"

"People from the Prince of Han's residence."

The hall was deathly silent.

Zhu Gaoxu, the Prince of Han, rebelled in the first year of the Xuande reign. His rebellion was suppressed and he was executed, but his remaining followers were not eliminated.

Over the years, the imperial court has been hunting down the remnants of the Prince of Han's faction, but there are always some who escape.

Now, Duke Zhu Yong of Cheng met with the remnants of the Prince of Han's faction before leaving the capital...

What does this mean?

This means that Zhu Yong may have been colluding with the remnants of the Prince of Han's faction long ago.

This means that after Cao Jixiang fell from power, he immediately sought out a new patron.

This also means that... this struggle is not over yet.

"What a Zhu Yong!" the Grand Princess sneered. "I underestimated him."

She looked at Chen Yuan: "Mingyuan, what do you think?"

Chen Yuan pondered for a moment: "The Duke of Cheng leaving the capital is not necessarily a bad thing. If he were still in the capital, he might have become a destabilizing factor. Now that he's gone to Nanjing, at least the capital has one less variable."

"But he colluded with the remnants of the Prince of Han's faction..."

"That only proves that he has a guilty conscience," Chen Yuan said. "If he were truly upright, why would he go looking for the remnants of the Prince of Han's faction? His departure only confirms that he colluded with Cao Jixiang and was afraid of being purged."

The Grand Princess nodded: "That makes sense. So... what should we do now?"

"Let's wait and see."

Chen Yuan's voice was calm. "The Duke of Cheng has gone to Nanjing and won't be back for a while. The most urgent task is to stabilize the capital and assist the new emperor in ascending the throne. As for the rest... we can take it one step at a time."