Chapter 275: The Tear-Mole Consort

It was unsettling to behold.

And her nails had been filed to sharp points, extremely sharp.

Yue Mingxuan lightly touched one of them.

Just that single brush was enough for a bead of blood to well up from his fingertip.

He glanced down at it.

Silence erupted between the two of them.

Beside them, the black coffin lid lay quietly on the ground.

The drop of blood from Yue Mingxuan’s fingertip fell and traced its way down along the carved patterns of the lid.

The conclusion they had reached weighed heavily on them both.

Based on the series of changes in Imperial Noble Consort Wan’s body, Yue Mingxuan could determine with certainty that the martial arts carved into the wall had been practiced by her.

In other words, the one who had suffered reversed internal energy flow and lost control had been her.

Originally, he had intended to open the coffins one by one to see where that person had hidden the clue. Yet the very first coffin had already yielded results.

“Can you find it?” Gongsun Xing asked.

Yue Mingxuan was moving up and down restlessly, searching over Imperial Noble Consort Wan’s body again and again.

Gongsun Xing wanted to help, but Yue Mingxuan feared he might feel uneasy about it, so he told him to simply stand aside and hold the torch.

Perhaps it was because Imperial Noble Consort Wan was too beautiful, too lifelike.

Each time Yue Mingxuan touched her, he found himself glancing at her eyes, half-afraid that she was merely asleep and that too much movement would wake her.

The thought amused him and he let out a quiet laugh at himself.

Gongsun Xing turned his back to him.

The sight of Yue Mingxuan’s actions left him at a loss.

Every part of Imperial Noble Consort Wan’s body had been searched.

Every place where something might be hidden was adorned instead with rare jewelry and precious ornaments of every kind. Yet there was not the slightest clue related to the martial arts manual.

Growing impatient, Yue Mingxuan propped her upright and began removing her outer garments.

Gongsun Xing turned his head away at once, though in that brief instant he still caught sight of a wide expanse of pale skin.

It was not as if he had never seen a woman before.

But a woman long dead this was his first time.

“Found it!” Yue Mingxuan cried out in delight.

Gongsun Xing had intended to turn back, but from the corner of his eye he saw that the woman was still sitting uprightm

Her robes had slipped down and gathered at her waist.

To gaze upon the emperor’s woman like this, they were likely the first in history.

And to examine her so closely at that.

With swift, practiced movements, Yue Mingxuan dressed Imperial Noble Consort Wan properly again.

As he did, he casually slipped a few bracelets from her wrists and tucked them into his robe.

After he smile faintly, he lowered her back into the coffin and replaced the lid.

Before sealing it completely, he gave her one last look.

She was exactly as before… Serene and breathtaking.

The tear mole at the corner of her eye seemed almost alive, as though it were telling the story of a lifetime spent shedding endless tears.

The dust settled.

He knelt and solemnly kowtowed several times before the coffin.

No matter how you died whether it was truly from reversed internal energy flow or something else I will uncover the truth.

If you suffered injustice, I will clear your name.

And if you did not… then in your next life, I hope you will meet the one destined for you.

There was a legend: those born with a tear mole would spend their entire lives in sorrow, unable to find fulfillment.

But in their next life, they would surely meet the one meant for them and remain together for a lifetime, until body and soul were both worn away.

It was said to be compensation for the suffering of the previous life.

On the way back, Yue Mingxuan flicked his sleeves lightly, looking in unusually high spirits.

Seeing that it was still early, Gongsun Xing suggested they stroll through the marketplace.

They had lingered too long in that grim place; it was easy to feel as though some ill omen might cling to them.

Walking among crowds, in lively surroundings, might dispel it.

Yue Mingxuan nodded.

He was in such a good mood that he naturally understood Gongsun Xing’s concern.

And so the two of them wandered through the market streets.

The pattern quickly became obvious: whenever Yue Mingxuan took a fancy to some trinket, he would grab it without hesitation and Gongsun Xing would pay from behind.

While reaching up to choose a candied hawthorn skewer, Yue Mingxuan caught sight of a burly man from the corner of his eye.

He saw only the man’s profile before the figure quickly slipped behind a pillar.

Yue Mingxuan let out a soft chuckle.

So he was being followed already?

“Gongsun Xing, pay.”

They strolled leisurely back toward the palace.

Yue Mingxuan ate his candied hawthorn at an unhurried pace, stopping here and there.

They had spent nearly half an hour wandering and purchased quite a number of things.

Gongsun Xing’s arms were full of items of questionable usefulness, while Yue Mingxuan’s mood only grew brighter.

“Prince Yue, you’ve returned.”

The guards at the gate greeted them.

Yue Mingxuan gave a slight nod and gestured for the attendants to take the items from Gongsun Xing’s arms.

“Send these back for me.” Then he turned to Gongsun Xing. “Let’s go sit in the Royal Garden for a while.”

After only a few steps, he suddenly stopped and turned to the guard at his side.

“Hey. Do you know anything about Imperial Noble Consort Wan?”

The guard looked startled and shook his head, he then explaining that he had only recently arrived and knew nothing about the palace’s past affairs.

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