My father ordered me to kill the emperor, but His Majesty bestowed a princess upon me instead.

I did not return to the palace immediately.

This is dangerous.

Since the emperor ordered me to investigate the case, I should have sent any new clues to the palace immediately.

But as I sat in the carriage, clutching the half-embroidered handkerchief and the note in my hand, only one sentence remained in my mind.

The shroud is bare of orchids, but orchids remain in the world.

If this statement is true, Xiao Lingyi has the right to be the first to know.

At least, that's how I convinced myself.

Of course, another, more realistic reason is that I no longer fully believe how much the emperor actually knew.

The moment this thought popped into my head, I felt a chill run down my spine.

I am here on my father's orders to kill the emperor.

Now, however, because of the investigation, they have begun to suspect that the emperor had concealed the past affairs of the late empress.

This game is becoming more and more of a joke.

He was just laughing when he realized that he was surrounded by dead people.

The carriage did not go to the palace gate, but instead went around to the back alley of the princess's residence.

Qiu Tang was already waiting there.

As soon as she saw me, her brows furrowed.

"Lord Shen, you look very unwell."

I held onto the side of the car as I got out.

"That's what everyone's been saying lately."

"How long has it been since you slept?"

"This problem is even more difficult to investigate than the Yongning case."

Qiu Tang glanced at Yan Xiaoyi.

Yan Xiaoyi said lazily, "He's still alive."

Qiu Tang said expressionlessly, "I can tell, but not much."

I feel that the people in the Princess's residence are speaking more and more like knives.

She led me in through the back door.

Xiao Lingyi was waiting for me in the study.

There was no tea on her table, only a cup of cold water.

It seems she knows that I tend to overthink things when I see tea.

She didn't stand on ceremony when she saw me come in.

"Have you found Grandma Han?"

I placed half of the embroidered handkerchief on the table.

"Grandma Han is dead."

Xiao Lingyi stopped pointing.

She didn't ask how he died, only whispered, "Too late again?"

"Um."

She looked at the half of the embroidered handkerchief.

The handkerchief was old, with yellowed edges, and three hidden holes at the corners, resembling three tiny orchid leaves.

Xiao Lingyi reached out and touched it, her fingertips moving so lightly it was as if she were afraid of waking a dead person.

"These are Aunt Lan's pinholes."

"Is the princess sure?"

"Sure."

She looked up at me.

What did Grandma Han leave behind?

"The corpse is without orchid."

There was a moment of silence in the study.

Xiao Lingyi's face gradually turned pale.

These four words are more useful than a hundred explanations from me.

She knew what "three holes forming an orchid" meant, and she also knew what "corpse clothes without orchids" meant.

The body listed in the death record is very likely not Aunt Lan.

Xiao Lingyi's voice was very soft.

"She's not dead?"

"Someone told Grandma Han before she died that Aunt Lan was still alive."

She closed her eyes.

When he opened his eyes again, the coldness in them was even deeper.

"Who said that?"

"I don't know. The person outside the window only left one sentence."

"The man in the gray robe?"

"The man in the gray robe went to Granny Han's house earlier and asked her to give me the embroidered handkerchief. But the one who said 'Aunt Lan is still alive' was someone else later."

Xiao Lingyi listened very quickly.

She's not the kind of person who listens to stories.

She is having her stitches removed.

"In other words, at least two groups of people know about Grandma Han."

"right."

"One group wants you to get the embroidered handkerchief."

"right."

"Another group wants to make Grandma Han close her eyes."

"right."

She looked at the handkerchief.

"This is no coincidence."

of course not.

In the capital, there are no coincidences, only arrangements.

The more I hear Gu Xingzhi's words, the more they sound like a curse.

Xiao Lingyi suddenly asked, "Why did you come to see me first?"

This question is even harder to answer than Qian Rong's.

I paused for a moment.

"Because this matter concerns the late Empress."

"Just because of this?"

She looked at me.

His gaze was calm, but it didn't seem like he would let me fool him.

I sighed.

"Also, because I do not know how much Your Majesty knew back then."

The study became even quieter.

Qiu Tang stood by the door, her breathing becoming softer.

If such words were to get out, calling me a traitor would be too lenient.

Xiao Lingyi did not speak immediately.

After a while, she said, "You've finally started to doubt Father Emperor too."

I said, "I only have doubts about the accounts."

"There are people standing behind the tent."

"That's why we need to investigate even more."

She looked at me for a long time.

"Shen An, I need to know every clue you've uncovered in the Empress Dowager's old case."

"Princess, His Majesty forbids you from investigating without permission."

"That's what my father told me, not what I told you."

That's very princess-like.

It's also very dangerous.

I said, "If I were to conceal this from Your Majesty..."

"I didn't tell you to keep it a secret," Xiao Lingyi interrupted me. "I told you not to keep it from me."

There's not much difference.

But it does sound better.

I rubbed my temples.

"Princess, this connection now leads to the old accounts in the southwest, the Imperial Treasury, the late Empress, Aunt Lan, and may even involve me..."

I stopped.

I almost let it slip.

Xiao Lingyi, however, was looking at me.

"What do you mean by 'holding hands'?"

I calmly said, "You'll be dragging my head down."

She gave me a cold look.

Obviously, they don't believe it.

But she didn't ask any further questions.

This is where Xiao Lingyi is smarter than many others.

She knew when pressing for answers would be effective and when it would only shut the door shut.

She picked up the embroidered handkerchief and examined the stitches carefully.

"This wasn't embroidered by Aunt Lan herself."

I was taken aback.

Why?

"Aunt Lan's stitches are even finer; she can finish a stitch without leaving any loose threads." She pointed to the corner of the handkerchief. "This handkerchief was left by Granny Han, imitating Aunt Lan's secret mark."

"Can that serve as testimony?"

"able."

Xiao Lingyi said, "Only those who have actually seen Aunt Lan's secret mark can imitate the location of the three holes. Outsiders can only make three holes at most, not in the shape of an orchid leaf."

She returned the embroidered handkerchief to me.

"This needs to be sealed properly."

"The deputy secretary has been dismissed."

"Are you going to give it to Father?"

I looked at her.

"want."

Her eyes darkened.

I added, "But I've already shown it to the princess."

Xiao Lingyi looked up.

This was the first time she didn't immediately give me the cold shoulder.

After a moment, she said, "Shen An."

"Your subject is here."

"If you find out that Aunt Lan is still alive, save her life first, then question her."

That was said very softly.

But there was a fear that had been suppressed for more than a decade.

She was afraid that she wouldn't find a living person.

Or, when a living person is found, that person immediately becomes dead.

I nodded.

"Your subject understands."

Xiao Lingyi took out a small token from under the table.

Not from the Princess's residence.

It's more like a secret weapon hidden within the inner quarters.

"It's inconvenient for a foreign official like you to investigate Jingyi Lane, the old laundry bureau, and the retired female officials from the palace. With this token, you can ask a former servant of the princess's residence to lead the way."

I didn't answer immediately.

"Princess, this is dragging you down with us."

She said calmly, "I was already in the water."

I took the token.

The token was small, yet very heavy.

"I will use it carefully."

"besides."

Xiao Lingyi looked towards the door.

"Qiutang, fetch that old register."

Qiu Tang quickly brought over a thin booklet.

Xiao Lingyi turned to one of the pages.

"Aunt Lan has a niece named Lan Wu. After leaving the palace, she was placed near Jingyi Lane, but later disappeared. If Granny Han leaves any clues, Lan Wu may be the next one."

"Lanwu".

I'll write it down.

Xiao Lingyi said, "If she were still alive, she would be in her early thirties."

"What are its characteristics?"

There is a mole at the end of my left eyebrow.

I looked at the roster.

This line is very thin.

But it's better than nothing.

Just then, hurried footsteps came from outside.

Qiu Tang went out for a while, and when she returned, her expression changed slightly.

"Your Highness, someone from the palace has arrived."

Xiao Lingyi frowned.

"Who?"

"The eunuch beside Eunuch Wei said that His Majesty asked Lord Shen why he has not yet entered the palace to report."

My heart sank.

They came so quickly.

The ears in the palace are even more sensitive than I thought.

Xiao Lingyi looked at me.

She didn't say "Go away quickly," nor did she say "Don't mention you were here."

She simply said, "Tell the truth."

I was taken aback.

She said calmly, "If you lie, Father will find out immediately. If you tell the truth, it would only be impolite."

Being rude is much less serious than deceiving the emperor.

I cupped my hands in greeting.

"The princess is wise."

Stop flattering me.

"I am sincere."

"That's even less of a question."

well.

She is still Princess Zhaoning.

As I turned to leave, she suddenly called me back.

"Shen An".

"Your subject is here."

She looked at me and spoke in a low voice.

"You just said that injustices should be redressed and blood debts should be settled. I've remembered that."

My heart tightened.

She heard it too.

Or did the emperor relay it?

unimportant.

The important thing is that she remembered those words.

I bowed and withdrew.

As I walked out of the princess's villa, Yan Xiaoyi looked at me.

"You have two masters now."

I corrected him.

"Your Majesty is my only sovereign."

Yan Xiaoyi said lazily, "I meant troublesome."

I paused for a moment.

That's true.

An emperor.

A princess.

A father who was a rebel in the southwest.

Pull a rope in each of the three directions.

I feel like I'll be torn into three pieces sooner or later.