In the evening, Wang Qingyao told Xiao Yun what she had learned from Consort Chen that day.
"Empress Xiaoxian had twins. My guess is that Grand Tutor Wei killed the first one who came out, and the other was secretly transferred out by Consort Chen. Didn't Steward Ji say that Grand Tutor Wei's men discovered a palace maid carrying an infant away from the central palace back then, but they never found out who she was? I think it must have been Consort Chen, which is why she was never found."
"Where did that child go?"
Wang Qingyao shook her head. "Consort Chen didn't get to that part before she was interrupted."
Speaking of Consort Chen being interrupted, it inevitably led to Princess Yinyue coming to challenge Wang Qingyao.
Although Xiao Yun had already heard about it, he still listened to Wang Qingyao recount it.
"To compete with me in guessing sizes, she was practically walking into a trap."
"It sounds like Princess Yinyue is quite a formidable opponent."
Wang Qingyao nodded. "Be careful. He has his sights set on you and won't give up easily just because of two bets."
Xiao Yun hummed. "The envoys from other countries have already bid farewell to the court, except for Xia. Xia only sent two princesses this time, no princes or high officials, so the court didn't pay much attention to them."
He chuckled. "The Emperor even thought they were staying because Princess Jinyang was deeply in love with him..."
Wang Qingyao: "..."
The Emperor was quite narcissistic.
She returned to the topic of the eldest prince.
"I have a feeling Consort Chen knows where that child is."
Xiao Yun asked, "If you were Consort Chen, who would you have entrusted the child to at that time?"
Wang Qingyao rubbed her chin and thought for a moment. "If it were me, I'd put the child in a wooden basin and let it drift downstream..."
That's how it always happened on television.
Xiao Yun pinched her cheek. "That's unlikely. If the child cried, the whole palace would hear it. It was too dangerous. She must have handed it over to a trusted confidant or someone she truly trusted to get it out of the palace."
"Isn't that stating the obvious? The key is, who was that person?"
"Do you think," Xiao Yun said, "it's possible it was Duke Zhongyong, my maternal grandfather?"
Duke Zhongyong?
Wang Qingyao's eyes lit up. He was Empress Xiaoxian's father. Who could be more reliable than him?
"Go and ask him," Wang Qingyao said excitedly.
Xiao Yun shook his head. "Unfortunately, he left to travel the world with National Preceptor Feng Fu right after the New Year."
"Wh-what?!"
National Preceptor Feng Fu? Traveling the world? That sounded so unreliable.
"He became National Preceptor Feng Fu's disciple and became a Taoist priest?" Wang Qingyao asked.
"Not exactly," Xiao Yun said. "The Fang family caused quite a stir last year. Ever since Madam Huang died, my uncle has been in a slump. Although he inherited the title, he handed over all the affairs of the estate to Fang Zheng and spent his days drinking, sighing, weeping in the wind, and composing poetry under the moon. I suspect my grandfather found him tiresome and left with National Preceptor Feng Fu."
Wang Qingyao: "..."
She asked again, "The Emperor valued National Preceptor Feng Fu so highly. How could he let him leave?"
Xiao Yun was silent for a moment, then said, "I heard he went to find the Emperor an elixir of immortality."
Wang Qingyao: "..."
As expected, every emperor's ultimate goal was the elixir of immortality.
"Has your Ministry of Revenue started working yet?" she asked again.
"Not yet. The New Year holiday is eight days long, and we officially resume work on the ninth. Why?"
After hearing Wang Qingyao mention "work" several times, Xiao Yun now understood its meaning and could say it smoothly.
"Aren't you supposed to be investigating the son of that poison-making master from Nanzhou? Why do you never prioritize your own affairs?" Wang Qingyao chided. "What eldest prince, what Xia princess, none of them are as important as your life. You don't want me to become a widow with a fatherless child, do you?"
"Didn't you say before that if I died, you would be strong and self-sufficient?" Xiao Yun chuckled, emphasizing the last four words and giving Wang Qingyao a suggestive wink.
How long ago was that? Xiao Yun remembered it so clearly. Things were so different then from now.
Wang Qingyao playfully poked his chest with her finger and said in a soft,娇软 voice, "It's you who needs to be self-sufficient now, isn't it?"
Xiao Yun's eyes immediately became fiery. He lewdly grabbed her hand and pulled it down. "Why would I need to be self-sufficient when I have you? You help me!"
After they had teased each other for a while, Xiao Yun said, "Don't worry, I've already ordered people to investigate. It's just that the capital has a large population, and we haven't found any suspicious individuals yet."
Wang Qingyao felt relieved, sensing that Xiao Yun's curse would soon be lifted.