The wind swept through the treetops, landing between the glazed roof tiles.
A drop of rain struck Zhan Tianhong, who had just stepped out of the hall.
Zhan Tianhong stepped back.
The rain immediately poured down.
"Your Majesty, your servant will fetch an umbrella." A palace attendant hurried to go back in.
"No need, I will wait here for a moment." Zhan Tianhong stood under the eaves.
He gazed at the rain curtain that instantly poured down, lost in thought.
Not far away, a palace attendant who had run over, holding an oil-paper umbrella, was already soaked. The rain had fallen too fast. He rushed to Zhan Tianhong, "Your Majesty, King Ning requests an audience."
"Fourth Brother is here?" Zhan Tianhong withdrew his pensive expression.
He had been hesitant before, but now he felt more certain.
He looked at the still heavy rain and said, "Let King Ning come over."
The palace attendant ran out into the rain again.
Zhan Tianhong said in a deep voice, "Fifth Brother's maternal grandfather was assassinated. He must be overcome with grief these past two days. Send someone to Prince Ye's mansion and convey my condolences for me."
The palace attendant, who was bowing behind Zhan Tianhong, had witnessed the Emperor's transformation over this period.
No one could tell what the Emperor was thinking anymore.
It was impossible to fathom.
However, one thing was clear: the Emperor no longer wished to rely on Prince Ye and had become wary of him. Instead, he was beginning to forge alliances with King Ning and others.
Whether this was a good or bad thing, he didn't know.
Not long ago, the Emperor had not wanted to fill his harem.
Yet last night, he had actually favored a palace maid.
That woman...
How to describe her? In terms of appearance, she bore some resemblance to Miss Yun Er. Of course, she was not even three-tenths as beautiful as Miss Yun Er.
It was just that in some of her mannerisms, she was similar.
She also knew some minor medical skills.
Massage and acupressure.
This morning, she was already bestowed the title of Favored Beauty.
"Has Miss Yun Er not entered the palace for some time?" Zhan Tianhong asked.
The palace attendant thought carefully, "Answering Your Majesty, it has been quite some time."
"I have been feeling unwell these past few days. Summon Miss Yun tomorrow to the palace," Zhan Tianhong commanded in a deep voice.
The palace attendant immediately agreed.
However, the palace attendant muttered to himself. Imperial physicians had entered the palace to examine the Emperor's pulse these past two days, and he, who had been by the Emperor's side all along, had not seen any sign of illness. Since Miss Yun had treated the Emperor, his health had improved immensely.
The Emperor had also grown taller recently.
He was no longer the gaunt, youthful figure he had been a few months ago.
So, why summon Miss Yun to the palace?
Thinking of the Favored Beauty who had just gained favor today, the palace attendant's existing suspicions deepened.
If that were truly the case...
It would be difficult for the Emperor and Prince Ye!
...
Jiang Luoxi looked out the window.
The sound of the rain disturbed her, making her uneasy.
It was almost dark, yet such heavy rain.
A moment later, the rain stopped.
A carrier pigeon flew in.
The trained pigeon landed directly on her palm.
Jiang Luoxi frowned. Why was news being sent at this hour?
Was it news from the capital?
She unfolded the secret letter and her expression darkened as she read its contents.
Such a small matter could not even be handled properly!
How could a mere Yi Zixing not be taken down?
She had secretly investigated Yi Zixing and knew very well what kind of woman could rekindle his affection. She had painstakingly groomed Qian Le'er, yet something had still gone wrong!
Truly useless!
Perhaps it was due to the rain, and because she learned that Zhan Tianye and Yun Shu had not yet developed any discord, her mood became somewhat gloomy, even to the point of wanting to kill Yun Shu herself.
It had been a very long time since she had encountered something that upset her for so long.
...
A carriage was traveling towards the city.
Yun Shu and Zhan Tianye, seated in the carriage, listened quietly to the sound of the rain beating against the carriage.
Yun Shu held a token in her hand.
It was a very small token.
On it was only the pattern of a peony.
Those five assassins had such tokens.
Recalling the information she had obtained from the assassins, Yun Shu's beautiful eyes flickered slightly.
"Peony, the name itself suggests it's just a codename. They don't know their master's real name, or perhaps someone has etched the word 'Peony' into their very bones, making them forget their master's true name? The person who incited Qian Le'er was a woman, and the master of these assassins is a woman. He said his master was by their side, with them. Prince Ye, who do you think this person is?"
These assassins had been thoroughly brainwashed, which astonished even her.
The power of such brainwashing lay in its similarity to hypnosis, causing people to unknowingly imprint these things into their very being, becoming obsessions that could not be remedied by any means.
If she hadn't given the assassins some drugs, she wouldn't have been able to elicit any useful information.
"Could it be the Empress Dowager? I once heard someone say that the Empress Dowager visited the Western Xia Kingdom some years ago," Yun Shu suddenly had a flash of inspiration and guessed.
Zhan Tianye narrowed his eyes, concealing the sharpness within, "The Empress Dowager does not have the capability to stir up such trouble. She and the Regent can engage in petty schemes, but they cannot control these assassins."
Yun Shu twitched the corner of her mouth.
His tongue had become even more venomous.
He had described the relationship between the Regent and the Empress Dowager as petty scheming.
"If not the Empress Dowager, then it could be Jiang Luoxi," Zhan Tianye's gaze suddenly became sharper.
Yun Shu also considered this possibility, "Jiang Luoxi once used the art of bewitchment on Old Master Qin."
The ability to brainwash someone to the extent of deceiving themselves and ignoring all truth could be achieved through the art of bewitchment.
Zhan Tianye nodded, "Jiang Luoxi's return to the capital through the Empress Dowager and her residing in the imperial palace is definitely not for the sake of having a legitimate identity as the Prime Minister's daughter."
Yun Shu also nodded.
The sound of rain outside the carriage stopped.
Zhan Tianye said again, "The spies I sent to investigate Jiang Luoxi will have their replies in the next two days."
Yun Shu was somewhat surprised, "When did you send people to investigate?"
"From the moment she appeared at the mansion," Zhan Tianye replied.
Yun Shu had to give Zhan Tianye a thumbs-up.
Would anyone else have been swayed by the allure of beauty? Yet he not only rejected the beauty but also intended to thoroughly investigate her background.
It indeed needed to be investigated.
Thinking back carefully on the recent events, they all seemed to have some connection to Jiang Luoxi.
A hidden net had been cast over the capital.
Suddenly, she thought of something, "When we reach the capital, we will split up. I need to see someone. Perhaps that will confirm whether Jiang Luoxi is behind these assassins."
She had remembered everything those assassins had said!
They wanted to dig up Old Master Qin and grind him into ashes?
Old Master Qin, not being led by the nose by Jiang Luoxi's bewitchment, had likely angered Jiang Luoxi for this very reason.
Once a seed of doubt was planted, it began to spread throughout her heart.