"Then why are you mentioning it now?" asked State Duke Tong.
But the Seventh Prince no longer replied, his head lowered in silence.
State Duke Tongâs face became even more intimidating.
Seeing this, Baili Yan spoke up, "State Duke Tong, itâs not him who disclosed it, but rather he was caught by the Eldest Imperial Prince while tampering with the coffin again tonight, and then it was reported to me. The Eldest Imperial Prince noticed something odd with the coffin lid a couple days ago, as if someone had moved it, but he wasnât sure if it had always been that way. Tonight, he secretly brought people over to check and caught the Seventh Prince in the act."
State Duke Tong sighed, "I didnât expect the Eldest Imperial Prince to be so meticulous and courageous."
After all, it involves a deceased person; daring to come over alone with others in the dead of night, he is indeed bold.
Ye Ziâan and Mu Shaoling also deeply agreed.
"I suggest that this matter be thoroughly examined," Ye Ziâan said thoughtfully, "Letâs see if the person inside has any red birthmarks. With Mu Shaolingâs expertise, itâs more accurate than those imperial physicians, and letâs determine if itâs the Grand Emperor."
The Grand Emperor was poisoned in the imperial temple. Even if the poison was neutralized, his body suffered severe damage unlike others. After a long time dead, anomalies are hard to detect, but right after death, they can be. Yet, the imperial physicians found nothing when he just passed away, which has long been suspicious to me."
"But what if itâs merely a mistaken memory by the Seventh Prince?" State Duke Tong asked, "Wouldnât it then be disturbing the Grand Emperor?"
"And what if the person inside is an impostor? Should we let him disrupt the imperial familyâs feng shui?"
Mu Shaoling also added, "Emperor, we should go and have a look. If thereâs nothing unusual, weâll apologize to the Grand Emperor. But if there is, this matter requires deeper contemplation. Presently, relations between Great Zhou and Great Qi are delicate and itâs not impossible for Great Qiâs people to sneak into Great Zhou to commit some immoral acts. Furthermore, although Prince Le is dead, his hidden forces are deeper than we imagined. Thereâs a possibility his followers might emerge to avenge him."
For the past few months, several hidden forces associated with Prince Le have already been dismantled, so Mu Shaolingâs concerns arenât unfounded.
"Letâs go and check," Baili Yan wasnât overly worried about people from Great Qi; he was more concerned with those forces associated with Prince Le.
Previously, he insisted on burying Prince Le with the rites of a Prince, not solely for shared lineage, but also to placate the remaining undiscovered forces loyal to Prince Le.
Having already been exceedingly merciful and just towards Prince Le, if these people still emerge to create trouble even during national mourning, itâs indeed possible.
Seeing the Emperor approve, State Duke Tong ceased his opposition.
Under the cover of night, the group reached Yunqian Hall.
Tonight, the Eighth Prince along with two younger princes were supposed to be on vigil, but at this moment, they were all slumped over.
Even the arrival of outsiders elicited no reaction.
Mu Shaoling immediately noted that these children were likely rendered unconscious by the Seventh Prince.
At this moment, no one paid them any mind; Baili Yan directly ordered the coffin to be opened.
The odor of a corpse preserved for a long time isnât pleasant. The body could still maintain a human shape, not decomposed, thanks to the support of herbs and ice.
If the ice and herbs were absent, what appears to be a sleeping person would quickly turn into a pool of corpse fluids.
"Light the lamps!"
Mu Shaoling covered his mouth with a handkerchief and pulled out a pair of leather gloves from somewhere.