For several seconds after the guard delivered his report, nobody spoke.
The prince stood motionless beside the pond. The night breeze stirred the water, scattering the moon's reflection into fragments, but his attention remained fixed on the messenger kneeling before him.
"Who confirmed the body?" he asked.
"The city garrison."
"Are they certain?"
"Yes, Your Highness."
The prince dismissed the guard with a wave, the man left immediately, only after he disappeared did Wei Feng speak.
"I don't believe it."
"Neither do I," said the prince.
X'ian looked between them.
"Who was he?"
The prince remained silent, it was Wei Feng who answered.
"Twelve years ago, a military officer vanished from the northern frontier."
"What happened to him?"
"No one knows."
Wei Feng folded his arms.
"Official records claimed he deserted. Unofficially, he discovered something he wasn't supposed to discover."
"The private army."
"Exactly."
The prince began pacing slowly around the pavilion.
"He disappeared before anyone could question him. Every investigation failed. Every witness either vanished or died."
"And now he's suddenly dead?" Wei Feng asked.
"That's what concerns me."
X'ian frowned.
"You think someone killed him."
"I think someone found him first."
The prince stopped walking.
"The timing is too convenient."
A distant burst of laughter drifted from the banquet, the sound felt strangely out of place.
The empire's elite continued drinking and celebrating while unseen forces moved beneath the surface of the capital.
X'ian thought of her father, he had uncovered part of the conspiracy, the officer from Black Ridge had apparently uncovered another, both had paid dearly for their discoveries, the realization deepened her resolve.
"If the officer is dead, then we find whoever killed him."
Wei Feng nodded.
"Reasonable."
The prince looked less convinced.
"Assuming we're not already too late."
A servant approached the pavilion, unlike the guard, this man carried himself with practiced confidence.
He bowed.
"Your Highness."
The prince recognized him immediately.
"What is it?"
"A package arrived."
The servant presented a wooden box, it wasn't large, perhaps the length of a forearm, yet the prince's expression darkened the moment he saw it.
"Who delivered this?"
"No one knows."
The servant swallowed.
"It was left at the eastern gate."
The prince took the box, his eyes lingered on a symbol carved into the lid, a black dragon coiled around a circle.
X'ian felt her pulse quicken, she had seen that symbol before, on her father's notes, the same symbol that had appeared repeatedly before his arrest.
The prince noticed her reaction.
"So you recognize it."
"What does it mean?"
"No one knows."
Wei Feng snorted.
"That's a lie."
The prince ignored him, the box was locked, a thin metal clasp sealed the lid, attached to it was a folded note, the prince opened it, his expression immediately changed.
"What?"
The prince handed the note to Wei Feng, Wei Feng read it, then read it again, for once, he had nothing sarcastic to say, X'ian grew impatient.
"What does it say?"
Wei Feng slowly passed her the note, the message contained only a single sentence, the daughter should read this alone, the handwriting was unfamiliar, yet something about it felt oddly familiar, the prince watched her carefully.
"Your decision."
The sensible choice would have been caution, instead, curiosity won, X'ian accepted the box, the lock opened easily, too easily, as though whoever had sealed it intended for her to gain access.
Inside rested three items, a small bronze key, a folded map, and a letter.
The moment she saw the handwriting, her breath caught, her father's, there was no mistaking it, every stroke of the brush was familiar, her hands trembled slightly as she unfolded the letter.
The others remained silent, the message was short, far shorter than she expected.
It read, "X'ian, if you are reading this, then events have unfolded as I feared, trust no minister, trust no general, trust no prince, the ledger is not the truth, it is only the path", She frowned.
What did that mean?
She continued reading, "everything begins beneath the city", a cold sensation crawled down her spine, the final line was written more hurriedly than the rest, as though time had been running out.
"Do not let them reach the tomb first".
The letter ended there, nothing more, no explanation, no instructions, just a warning, Wei Feng noticed her expression.
"What is it?"
She handed him the letter, the prince read it next, neither man looked pleased.
"Tomb?" Wei Feng asked.
The prince's eyes narrowed.
"There are dozens beneath Tianzhou."
"No."
Wei Feng shook his head.
"Not one important enough for Lord Xian Ren to mention."
Silence followed, then the prince suddenly looked up, his expression had become deadly serious.
"What day is tomorrow?"
Wei Feng frowned.
"The seventeenth."
The prince swore, it was the first time X'ian had heard him do so.
"What?"
The prince looked at her.
"The Imperial Mausoleum opens tomorrow."
X'ian blinked, the mausoleum housed generations of emperors, most sections remained sealed year-round, only a handful of officials were granted access during ceremonial inspections, Wei Feng's eyes widened.
"You think that's the tomb?"
"I think someone else does too."
The prince grabbed the map from the box and unfolded it across the table, all three leaned closer, the map depicted Tianzhou.
At first glance, it seemed ordinary, then X'ian noticed a mark, a single red circle, directly beneath the Imperial Mausoleum, the prince's expression darkened.
"Someone is already moving."
"How do you know?"
He pointed toward the bottom corner of the map, there, almost hidden among the lines, was a tiny note.
Three words, three terrifying words, they found it, nobody spoke, the lantern beside them flickered in the wind, then another realization struck X'ian, a realization that made her blood run cold.
She slowly looked back at the letter, then at the prince, then at Wei Feng.
"There's something wrong."
"What?" Wei Feng asked.
She swallowed.
"My father wrote this letter after he knew he was going to die."
"Yes."
"He warned me not to trust any prince."
The prince's face hardened.
"Go on."
X'ian stared at him.
"If that's true..."
A terrible possibility formed in her mind.
"...then why did he give the ledger to you?"
For the first time that night, the Seventh Prince had no answer.