Ning Chen narrowed his eyes a little.

The Fifth Prince?

A fine Fifth Prince he is. Buried deep indeed.

It is hard to imagine a man playing the fool for more than ten years.

Not one of the Xuan Emperor's sons is a lamp that burns cheap oil.

Silence said suddenly, "Oh — my lord had me put men on the Sixth Prince's house. Somebody did indeed call on the Sixth Prince today."

Ning Chen looked at him. "The Right Chancellor?"

Silence blinked, then nodded. "Just so."

Ning Chen gave a cold laugh. "Turning the flood aside first and then killing with a borrowed knife. Dirty work."

"If I am not mistaken, a lot of evidence will point at the Sixth Prince after this... It seems he means to use my hand to get rid of the Sixth Prince."

Silence said, "It seems my lord has already guessed who the man behind the Right Chancellor is."

Ning Chen took the painting out of his robe and handed it to Silence. "The girl you sent to my house has woken. This was painted from her description."

Silence took it and opened it, and his eyes narrowed to points. "The Fifth Prince?"

Ning Chen inclined his head slightly.

Silence said heavily, "I never imagined that of all the Great Xuan emperor's sons, the one buried deepest would be this Fifth Prince."

Ning Chen smiled coldly. "So it is. Who could have imagined that a simple, dull-witted, feeble-minded fool, harmless to man and beast, was putting it on — and had been putting it on for more than ten years."

Silence said, "Is my lord going to move against the Fifth Prince?"

Ning Chen shook his head. "I can't."

"If my lord takes men and searches and seizes that house, and then has the woman we saved last night identify him on the spot — is that still not enough to move against the Fifth Prince?"

Ning Chen let out a breath. "To try to move against a prince on one woman's word is a mayfly trying to shake a tree."

"Everybody knows…