Lianhua County, with a gentle breeze blowing, brings a touch of tranquility.
Yu Yao and Xuan Ji sat on the stone bench in the courtyard, each holding a child in their hands. The scene was warm and harmonious, as if a peaceful and beautiful painting.
She listened attentively as Xuan Ji narrated, until he finished, before slowly speaking up: "So that means Yun Yan also doesn't know how Min Consort died?"
Xuan Ji nodded slightly, with a serious expression full of melancholy, "As a son, I cannot avenge my mother's death and clear her name, which is truly my fault."
She looked at Xuan Ji's full of guilt and melancholy, softened her heart, and comforted softly: "Xuan Ji, this is not your fault. The event was too complicated, and it had been many years. It was already very difficult to find the truth."
Xuan Ji sighed lightly: "Yao'er, you're right. It's just that now there are so few clues, I really don't know where to start."
Yu Yao looked at the melancholic expression on his face, and her heart was in a mess.
She wanted to remind Xuan Ji that the person who killed Min Consort was the Empress, but thinking that the Empress was Mo Jue's mother in this life, her heart was full of hesitation.
She wanted to help Xuan Ji on one hand, but was also afraid of hurting Mo Jue, leaving her inner turmoil and unable to make up her mind.
She looked at Xuan Ji, wanting to say something but stopping several times before the words died on her tongue.
Xuan Ji noticed her abnormality and asked softly: "Yao'er, do you have something to say?"
Yu Yao hesitated and struggled with her gaze, pondering for a moment before saying, "Xuan Ji, it's only natural that someone would want to kill the Concubine Min back then, who was so favored. After her death, she was buried as the former empress. But even if I don't say it, you can probably guess who did it. However, years have passed and all the clues have been lost. Even if we know who did it, there is no evidence."
"Are you referring to the Empress?"
Xuan Ji looked at her, actually he had guessed the Empress early on, but there was no evidence and nothing to start with.
She softly nodded, "Although I don't know what kind of person the Empress is, anyone who can ascend to and maintain such a position cannot be a philanthropist. The Concubine Min's favoritism would naturally be a threat to the Empress first, so her suspicion is indeed the greatest."
Xuan Ji nodded slightly, "I also feel the same way, but many years have passed and even if we suspect someone, there is no evidence."
At this moment, the Aunt Zhou hurried over, interrupting their conversation.
"Master, Madam, the meal is ready. Please come and have dinner."
"Okay."
Yu Yao nodded slightly and handed An An and Yoyo to Aunt Zhou before pulling Xuan Ji to the dining hall.
Aunt Zhou held Yu Yu and An An, watching the two as they walked away, then sighed and shook her head.
Aunt Zhou has been watching the situation involving the Duke of Duxiu these days.
She thought that the Madam liked Master Xuan Ji very much, and Master Xuan Ji also liked her. They even had children. She was thinking that Master Xuan Ji might return to the secular world someday.
But now, there's suddenly a Marquis Dugu, and the two of them seem to have a very good relationship as well.
Compared to when she was with Master Xuan Ji, it's even more entangled and affectionate. Is it like a couple who have been together for a lifetime or just living together? They are also in perfect harmony.
"Madam, with a flick of her bottom, Marquis Dugu knows what fart the Madam wants to let out."
Aunt Zhou has lived a life, but she has never seen such harmony before.
With such a situation, it's really hard to say who the Madam will be with in the future.
But from Aunt Zhou's perspective, though the two men are good, they are not good choices.
Master Xuan Ji, although the biological father of two children, is a monk and is inevitably not accepted by the secular world.
Even if he returns to the secular world in the future, it is inevitable that some people will talk behind his back.
As for the Marquis Dugu, although she doesn't know his specific identity, she can tell that he is a very prestigious person.
Such a person's family background must be very good. Will they really want to marry a widow with children?
Even if Marquis Dugu is willing, his family would never agree to it.
According to Aunt Zhou's words, it means that both men should not be chosen, and the two children should be raised well.
The Madam has a business mind and has Yaohua Workshop, so she doesn't have to worry about her daily life in terms of clothing, food, and other necessities.
She can live a carefree and comfortable life for the rest of her life, and perhaps she can even win a Virtue Tablet by the time she gets old.
Why get involved in these messed up things.
In the end, if she ruins her reputation and becomes a widowed woman with a reputation for promiscuity, it's not a good sound.
Of course, Aunt Zhou also understands the Madam. The Madam is young and beautiful, and it's normal to feel lonely during the long nights and want a man.
But if this matter is spread out, it's still not a good sound.
Fortunately, the things that happened in the yard were kept secret and nobody knew about it.
The night was as dark as ink, the moonlight sparse, and on the streets of Lianhua County, only a few lanterns flickered, casting a solitary silhouette of the Crown Prince Dugu Yewan's loneliness.
He stood outside the tavern, with a hollow gaze towards the distance, as if all his emotions had disappeared along with Yu Yao's departure.
Yun Yi followed closely behind, filled with confusion and concern.
Your Highness left the capital in a hurry one night, running to death eight swift horses in a single night, and arrived in Lianhua County before dawn.
One thought that the Crown Prince had some urgent matters to attend to, but it turned out that he just wanted to see Yu Girl.
There wasn't anything major, so the two of them hid in the room and confessed their hearts to each other, and then they did the pleasurable things between a man and a woman day and night without distinction.
One would have thought that the Crown Prince would be overjoyed, extremely happy, and finally have the beauty he had desired.
But little did they know that the Crown Prince suddenly left Yu Girl's house, and he looked so unhappy.
He seemed like a walking corpse with his soul sucked out, exuding coldness and deathly silence.
To be honest, Yun Yi had never seen the Crown Prince look like this before.
He was curious what Yu Girl had said, that she had shocked the Crown Prince so much?
"Your Highness, it's late. We should head back to the palace first."
Yun Yi quietly reminded him, trying to break the oppressive silence.
Dugu Yewan did not respond, but only slowly turned around, taking heavy steps into the tavern.
The tavern was empty, only the scent of alcohol and loneliness as companions.
He walked straight to the window, gazing out at the night, his heart filled with sorrow.
"Yun Yi, you say, why is it that people always find it difficult to let go of the past?"
Dugu Yewan's voice was low and hoarse, carrying a hint of unspoken fragility.
Yun Yi's heart tensed, knowing that the Crown Prince was currently feeling unspeakable pain and needed to be comforted.
"The Crown Prince, perhaps because the past was too deep and too beautiful, or because there are still unfulfilled yearnings in the heart."
He chose his words carefully, striving to offer comfort.
Dugu Yewan lowered his eyes, remaining silent for a long time. The night outside was as thick as ink, as if it was about to swallow his thoughts.
"Past... indeed too deep and beautiful, beautiful to the Crown Prince unforgettable for eternity."
He held the wine glass, draining it in one go, and then poured another without stopping.
Yun Yi furrowed his brow, unable to help but remind him, "Your Highness, strong alcohol can damage the throat. Drinking like this will hurt your body."
Dugu Yewan did not respond, only mechanically lifting the wine glass, letting the burning liquor slide into his throat, searing every inch of his heart.
"It's all right. Today, let the Crown Prince get drunk."
His voice was low and hoarse, every word sounding like it was extracted from the depths of his heart in pain.
Yun Yi, seeing this, could only sigh in silence and move aside without speaking.
Within the Phoenix Palatial Hall, the candlelight flickered, casting a changing expression on the Empress' face.
She sat on the carved chair, holding a delicate tea cup tightly in her hand, and her knuckles were slightly white from the effort.
The old maid lowered her head and stood cautiously to the side, fearing that she might anger Her Majesty.
"Ma'am, are you sure the Emperor is investigating that matter?"
The Empress's voice was low and cold, like the winter wind, making people shiver uncontrollably.
The old maid trembled and immediately replied, "It's absolutely true, Madam. The Emperor has been frequently summoning the doctors and maids on duty in the delivery room recently, seeming to suspect something about the cause of death of Concubine Min."
Upon hearing this, the Empress's tightly held tea cup shook abruptly, and the tea splashed out, spilling onto her exquisite palace attire, but she was indifferent to it.
"That whore, dead for so many years, still haunts me!"
She bit her teeth together, her beautiful face twisted with anger, "Twenty years, and the Emperor still thinks of that slut. How sentimental of him!"
The old maid quickly handed over a handkerchief, softly counseling, "Madam, please calm down. The Emperor is just thinking of old feelings. Moreover, that matter has been long past, and there is no evidence. Who can do anything to the Madam?"
The Empress took the handkerchief and wiped her hands ferociously, as if she wanted to erase the anger and unease in her heart, "And that bastard? Does he have any news?"
She asked coldly, a glint of malice flashing in her eyes.
The old maid shook her head and said, "Madam, over the years, our people have been secretly searching for her, but without any results. As for that child, if she is still alive, she might have long been lost or..."
She paused for a moment, too afraid to continue.
The Empress snorted coldly, her heart still unsatisfied but also knowing that it would be difficult to pursue.
"Never mind. Since they are all dead, let them rot in the ground."
She waved her hand, indicating for the old maid to leave, but the unease in her heart grew like wild grass.
To completely eliminate the potential danger, the Empress secretly ordered to dispatch more personnel and must find that bastard.
Concubine Min was like a thorn in her heart, causing her immense pain while she was alive, keeping her up at night with sleepless nights.
Even after death, she was not content. She took away her Empress's status, making her a secondary concubine.
If there is one person the Empress most hated in her life, it would undoubtedly be Concubine Min.
Even if it were the child of the other party, they were not worthy to live in the world.
