65: Chapter 65 Clash Between Emperors and Profound Realms: Hidden Clues

When Chen Xuan stepped into the palace gates, the sun had just passed its zenith. The guards recognized his waist token and did not stop him, only bowing their heads in salute.

He walked through corridors and past halls, his boot soles stepping on the bluestone slabs; the sound was not loud, yet every step was steady.

Outside the Imperial Study, a eunuch lifted the curtain, glanced at the document in his hand, and announced in a low voice, "Your Majesty, Chen Xuan has arrived."

"Enter."

The Empress's voice came from inside, neither hurried nor slow, as if she were reviewing memorials or had been waiting for him for a long time.

Chen Xuan straightened his collar and stepped inside. There was a faint scent of sandalwood in the room, and piles of memorials were stacked on the desk. Empress Murong Wan sat behind the Dragon desk, her bright yellow robe making her expression seem somewhat cold.

She did not look up, her vermilion brush still moving across the paper. Only after finishing did she set it down and raise her eyes to look at him.

"You have arrived quite punctually."

"When Your Majesty summons, how would I dare be late?" Chen Xuan presented the document with both hands. "To compile the 'Martial Forest Records,' I need to consult the martial records of the previous dynasty and some peripheral archives. I am here to request permission."

Empress Murong Wan took it and flipped it open, looking through it page by page. Her movements were slow, but her eyes did not miss a single word.

Chen Xuan stood below, hands hanging at his sides. His knuckles moved slightly, but he didn't touch his nose or rub his chin; he just waited quietly.

After a long while, she closed the document and placed it back on the desk.

"You have been frequently entering and leaving the Forbidden Ground lately, first checking the Marriage Records, and now wanting to flip through the old archives of the Historical Records Office. Chen Xuan, what exactly are you trying to investigate?"

Here it comes. Chen Xuan's heart tightened, but he smiled. "What I seek is nothing more than a few volumes of old books. If Your Majesty doubts my intentions, you can certainly dispatch an Overseer to accompany and inspect my readings. I am clean and upright; I am not afraid of being watched."

Empress Murong Wan stared at him, her fingertips lightly tapping the tabletop. Once, twice—not fast, but also not stopping.

"You are quite open about it."

"It's not being open, it's being practical." Chen Xuan shrugged. "If I truly had a scheme, I wouldn't be coming here so formally with a document to apply. It would be much easier to just climb over the wall at midnight."

As these words were spoken, the atmosphere in the room relaxed for a moment. The corners of Empress Murong Wan's mouth twitched imperceptibly, as if she were smiling yet not smiling.

"You have quite the nerve."

"I only have one life; I wouldn't dare waste it recklessly." He paused. "But things that need to be investigated cannot be left undone simply out of fear."

The two looked at each other for a moment; neither backed down.

Empress Murong Wan suddenly reached out, pulled a memorial from the corner of the desk, and pushed it gently in front of him. "The Ministry of Internal Affairs reported yesterday that a batch of forbidden books was seized in the West Market. Among them were 'Compendium of the Previous Dynasty's Clan Genealogy' and 'Supplement to the Royal Marriage Records'..."

"They are all ancient things. Tell me, who would go and investigate these?"

Chen Xuan's brow twitched. He calmly opened the memorial, scanned a few lines, and closed it.

"Interesting."

His tone was casual. "Ordinary people can't even read the full titles, let alone go looking for them. Those who can specifically ask for these are either madmen or people who know something."

"Which kind do you think you are?" she asked.

"Me? At most, I'm just a curious idle person."

He smiled. "However, since someone has touched things they shouldn't have, someone must eventually clean up the mess behind those things."

Empress Murong Wan's fingertips paused, then she lightly tapped her vermilion brush against the edge of the desk.

"You are indeed sharp." Her voice lowered slightly. "In those archives, some things that shouldn't have been touched were indeed unearthed."

Chen Xuan's heart jolted. Here it comes.

He feigned confusion. "By those words, Your Majesty means...?"

"For example," she said slowly, "twenty years ago, a certain Music Workshop in Jiangnan recorded a woman entering the palace for a singing audition, only to be sent back later due to 'discordant melody.' But this record should not have existed in folk registers. And even more so, it should not have been specifically unearthed and destroyed."

Chen Xuan did not respond, but his ears perked up.

"Furthermore," she continued, "the branch genealogies of three deceased members of the imperial clan have been consulted one after another in the past half-month. The identity of the person who consulted them is unknown, yet the procedures were authentic. Tell me, is this a coincidence?"

Chen Xuan took a deep breath, suppressing his heartbeat.

She was investigating. She was also investigating. And her investigation was no shallower than his.

But he could not reveal his hand.

"It sounds," he said leisurely, "like someone is clearing their tracks. Afraid of something being exposed, they hurry to bury it. But the deeper it's buried, the more conspicuous the pit becomes."

"So, what do you plan to do?" she asked suddenly.

"Me?"

Chen Xuan spread his hands. "What can I do? I'm just a book writer; at most, I'll see if there are any useful Materials along the way. If one day I find a page torn from a book, I'll at most make a note: 'This book is incomplete, suspected of being intentionally damaged by someone.'"

He spoke lightly, but the meaning in his words was crystal clear.

I know you are investigating.

You also know I am investigating.

But neither of us will speak it out.

Empress Murong Wan looked at him quietly for a long time, then suddenly gave a small smile. "That mouth of yours truly refuses to suffer any loss."

"Life isn't easy; one must always leave a way out for oneself." He cupped his hands. "If Your Majesty has no other commands, this official will go and handle the procedures to take a look around the Historical Records Office?"

"Go then." She nodded but didn't let him go immediately. "However, Chen Xuan..."

He stopped in his tracks.

"You run around outside and see more than I do. If you discover anything, there's no need to hide it. It's not as if I cannot listen to a few words of truth."

These words were light, yet heavy.

Chen Xuan turned back and looked at her seriously. "If Your Majesty has any doubts, I am willing to serve you with my utmost effort. After all, some things are seen more clearly by those outside than those within the palace halls."

Having said that, he turned and stepped out the door.

The curtain fell, leaving Empress Murong Wan alone in the room. She didn't move, her finger still resting on the vermilion brush, her gaze fixed on the empty doorway, silent for a long time.

A moment later, she spoke in a low voice, "Someone, come."

A dark shadow darted out from the shadows and knelt silently.

"Keep an eye on him, but do not alert him," she said calmly. "If he truly goes to investigate, let him. But if there is any unusual movement, report to me immediately."

"Yes."

The dark shadow withdrew.

She picked up the vermilion brush again, drew a circle on a blank memorial, and slowly filled it in black.

On the other side, Chen Xuan walked out of the palace gates. The sunlight shone on his face, warm. He squinted slightly, raising a hand to shield his eyes, then walked along the Imperial Way toward the palace exit.

His pace was neither fast nor slow.

He didn't look back, but he knew that in the conversation just now, no one had won, and no one had lost.

But she knew he was investigating.

And he knew she was also investigating.

In this game of chess, it turned out someone had already placed their pieces long ago.

He touched his sleeve, where a slip of paper was hidden. It was a secret message received this morning from Leng Shuang: "Abnormal cash flow at the West Street Inn shopkeeper, source: Ministry of Internal Affairs bailiffs."

The other was a summary of Dugu Xue's deduction: "Three paths lead to the same conclusion: someone is using the System to clear records related to the royal Bloodline."

Now, adding the Empress's words, she has also noticed.

Everyone is moving.

And he must be one step slower than everyone else, yet one step faster.

Reaching the outside of the palace gates, he stopped and looked back at the towering palace walls.

The wind blew from behind, ruffling the corners of his clothes.

He straightened his belt and stepped forward.

He would not return to his residence today, but go first to the South City Old Bookstore. There was an old shopkeeper there who had been a Scribe in the Imperial Court History Records Room thirty years ago.

He knows some things.

As long as he is willing to speak.