Feng Tianlan couldn't help but find it amusing. She reached out and stroked Xiao Man's head, "You, why are you so reckless, even daring to barge into the Divine Capital Camp? That's the Emperor's personal guard. Everyone inside has a title and background. Do you know how many people covet that position? And you dare to rush out and become a target!"
"Master, I was also forced to," Xiao Man added tea for Feng Tianlan, looking innocent as she said, "Father was suddenly attacked. The perpetrator might be after the position of the Divine Capital Camp Commander. I'm going to take that position and see which scoundrel is after it. Maybe I can find clues to the killer."
"I know you're eager to find the killer, but a person like your father could die so tragically. How dangerous would it be if you truly encountered them?" Feng Tianlan put down her teacup, saying with concern, "Perhaps you shouldn't be the Commander of the Divine Capital Camp anymore."
"No!" Xiao Man immediately refused, "I won't give up until the killer is caught."
"I will help you find the killer," Feng Tianlan said gently. "Currently, envoys from Blue Moon and Yusheng are in the Imperial Capital. His Majesty fears a private alliance between these two countries and might reconsider the matter of marriage alliances."
"His Majesty won't consider it for now, otherwise, he wouldn't have appointed me as the Commander of the Divine Capital Camp," Xiao Man stood up and faced the window. "By the way, Master, do you know how His Majesty will deal with the Crown Prince and the Empress?"
"Treason is an unforgivable crime. His Majesty likely won't easily pardon the Crown Prince. However, the Crown Princess and Uncle Xue reported meritorious deeds. His Majesty must consider the legitimate eldest grandson and cannot be too harsh. Therefore, he has been hesitant to make a decision."
Xiao Man nodded in understanding. "Uncle Xue always appeared loyal to the Empress and the Crown Prince. I didn't expect that at the critical moment, he would still choose to be loyal to His Majesty. It was not in vain for His Majesty to trust him!"
Feng Tianlan sighed with some helplessness. "Girl, you think too simply. If the Empress and the Crown Prince hadn't gone too far, how could Uncle Xue betray them? This man is old and cunning; he's good at weighing benefits. He chose to betray the Empress and the Crown Prince because he knew that if they succeeded, their Xue family wouldn't become officials following the dragon, but rather they themselves would be the next to suffer."
"Who does Master support?" Xiao Man asked curiously.
"Your master naturally is loyal to His Majesty," Feng Tianlan said slowly. "Since you have accepted the position of Divine Capital Camp Commander, you must do your best to excel and repay His Majesty's trust. Do not act rashly, understand?"
"Master, rest assured, I will not act rashly."
After Xiao Man saw Feng Tianlan off, the smile on her face gradually disappeared. "I need to go out for something. Guard the courtyard well."
"Yes, Miss."
Lan Qin felt something was amiss when she learned Xiao Man had been appointed as the Commander of the Divine Capital Camp. Even if the current Emperor wanted to balance the court's power, he shouldn't have allowed Xiao Man to hold the position of Divine Capital Camp Commander. The Divine Capital Camp was the Emperor's personal guard, responsible for the security of the imperial palace and the safety of the ruler. No matter how one looked at it, Xiao Man didn't fit, yet she was the one who occupied that position.
Lan Qin pushed open the door, preparing to rest. As soon as she entered the room, she felt something was wrong. She turned to run, but the door instantly closed, and she hit her head on it, letting out a pained cry.
"Princess, are you alright?"
Candlelight flickered in the room. Lan Qin stiffly turned around. When she saw the person sitting by the table, goosebumps rose all over her body. Useless, all useless! They had increased patrols so much, yet Xiao Man still managed to slip in silently!
"Bi... Big sister, why are you here?"
Xiao Man's lips curved into a cold smile, and she revealed a token. "Is this yours?"
Lan Qin pretended to relax and smiled, "How could it be mine..."
"Hm?"
"It's mine, but my people were just going through the motions to placate Prime Minister Yao. When my people left, the General was still alive!"
"Princess, are you alright?" A guard's voice came from outside the door again.
"I'm fine!" Lan Qin constantly watched Xiao Man's expression. If Xiao Man showed any intention of killing her, she would definitely escape!
"Yao Ran wanted to kill my father?"
"It wasn't Yao Ran; it was the Empress's order. Yao Ran was severely injured and passed the Empress's order to me to execute. I didn't intend to kill the General; at the time, I ordered my people to just go through the motions and appease Yao Ran." Lan Qin sat down near the door, ready to flee at the slightest sign of trouble.
"Your people appeared at the scene of my father's death and left this behind. You don't expect me to believe what you're saying, do you?"
"It's true. My people did follow the General outside the city. They saw that the General only brought one guard with him. They intended to go through the motions, but as soon as they entered, they were beaten out by the General. One of them accidentally dropped the token at the scene."
"My father beat them out?"
"Yes, the General had just entered at that time!"
"Bring the person who went to the scene in. I want to ask about the specific situation."
Lan Qin heard this and saw an opportunity. She immediately opened the door and said, "Go call Xiao Liu."
"Yes, Princess."
A moment later, there was a knock at the door. Lan Qin opened it and let the person in. "He was at the scene, and that waist token belongs to him. Sister, feel free to ask him anything."
Xiao Liu's eyes widened when he saw the person sitting at the table, and cold sweat immediately broke out. He quickly knelt and saluted, "Greetings, Princess Yongning."
Xiao Man glanced lightly at the kneeling young man and asked slowly.
"I ask you, is this token yours?"
Xiao Liu quickly took it and examined it carefully. "Reporting to Princess Yongning, it belongs to your subordinate."
"When you went to Nanluo Manor, did you see anyone else besides my father?"
"Anyone else?" Xiao Liu thought carefully. "Yes, there was a person in the room brewing tea, with his back to us. We didn't see his face."
"Was it a man or a woman?"
"A man, probably."
"You can't even distinguish between a man and a woman?" Xiao Man's tone carried displeasure.
"The person was wearing a white robe and had long hair tied with a silk ribbon. It was truly difficult to distinguish between a man and a woman," Xiao Liu said with some difficulty.
"Did that person speak?"
"No, from beginning to end, he had his back to us, brewing tea. The tea smelled very fragrant; we could smell it outside the house," Xiao Liu recalled carefully. "General Xiao seemed to be in a hurry to send us to drink tea."
"Besides that person, did you see anyone else?"
Xiao Liu scratched his head. "No, it seemed like there was only that one person."
Xiao Man frowned slightly. If that was the case, Lan Qin's people were the first to arrive, and her father had just arrived too. Was the person brewing tea in the room the one who lured her father out of the city and poisoned him?