The Grand Commander said again, "I have questioned those two Hidden Guards. At the time, it was a slash that cut the throat!"

Dong Huiying and the Liang Family Brothers were also present, and upon hearing this, couldn’t help but look towards Her Majesty the Empress.

The Empress pondered.

"By saying so, it should be dead. But this... the corpse?"

Haoming showed a wooden face, having been criticized by his brothers earlier, perhaps leaving a psychological shadow; he was now expressionless and a bit hesitant to speak.

It was Big Brother Liang Zhichen, who thought out loud, "Not long ago, Haoming discovered something flying in the sky from high above."

The Empress contemplated, then suddenly was startled.

"In the sky?"

Dong Huiying was a little confused about the Empress’s reaction.

"Have you remembered something?"

The Empress furrowed her brow, her expression overwhelmingly grave.

"If it is truly so... I might have miscalculated previously."

Upon the Empress’s words, everyone turned to look at her, including Grand Commander Liu Chunfeng who was kneeling on one knee.

"I, a long time ago, heard of a secret rumor..."

...

Far away in another place.

"Young master, this is a secret report."

The man was dressed in white, standing tall and elegant, yet his waist bore a jade pendant with a dreadful shape, incredibly black in color.

His eyes were deep and unfathomable; though he resembled a refined and handsome figure like polished jade, those eyes had a dark hue.

Ah Lian respectfully presented a homing pigeon letter.

Qinghe accepted it, read it word by word, and suddenly lightly furrowed his brow. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"How could it be like this?"

It’s rare to see an astonished expression appear.

Ah Lian glanced at Qinghe, yet dared not ask much.

Since...

Since discovering Marshal Baowei was still alive, since guessing that the woman in purple of old was actually the former Marshal Baowei, the young master had become increasingly unpredictable.

Not to say capricious in mood, but he had a profoundly inscrutable aura, calm as a virgin when alone, yet recent methods grew increasingly ruthless, stranger than before.

Qinghe crushed the pigeon letter into a ball, stood leaning against the railing, gazing into the distance. This bright blue sky could not dispel the deep black in his eyes.

"Thought it was foolish to ignore, a discarded pawn, who could have known there was such a profound background?"

Ah Lian gasped.

Discarded pawn?

Lately referred to as a discarded pawn by the young master, other than those already deceased, there’s only... the Eighth Princess.

Could this homing pigeon letter be concerning the Eighth Princess?

Qinghe furrowed his brow even more.

"Ah Lian, go and investigate, I want a complete record of the Eighth Princess’s life, nothing omitted! She may be related to the Bai Clan..."

Bai Clan?

Ah Lian was stunned once again.

"Young master, do you mean?"

Qinghe gradually cast his eyes down.

"Thought that the person behind her was Yuwen, from Dajin, but now this... an eagle rescuing people, or rescuing a corpse? That white eagle can only be from the Bai Clan."

There are too many mysteries in this world, and what he sees now is just the tip of the iceberg.

Yet, that Bai Clan, akin to Immortals in the worldly realm, with a supremely elevated status, why would they get involved in these matters?

Especially...

If the person behind the Eighth Princess is truly not Yuwen, but that hidden, mysterious Bai Clan, then... why would the Bai Clan support the Eighth Princess?

That clan always disdained these affairs. All about this clan is shrouded in secrets, even Qinghe has only heard a snippet.

He harbors too many unthinkable suspicions.

"Additionally, go and send another letter to ’that side’, seek verification. If the Bai Clan indeed participates in these changing tides, the situation is bound to shift greatly."