Peach Blossom.

Following Wang Jing's instructions, Si Xiu first asked someone to find the entry and exit records of the palace gates in the past few days. Sure enough, he found that Shang Yun had entered the palace that night and had indeed gone to the Shiqian Palace. Soon after, he added more guards to the Shiqian Palace.

Another record also proves that Si Yao left Anshou Hall at that time, left the palace again shortly afterwards, and returned to the palace again at night.

Si Yuan had been bedridden, and after Si Rong visited him, he had not summoned anyone else except Madam Han. Occasionally, when ministers came to ask for a meeting, they were all sent back by Madam Han.

All the clues that could be found were consistent with the content of Si Yao's late-night report.

Tao Ye clearly remembered the last time she saw Si Yuan fainted at Meixiangxie, and she believed Si Yao's words even more.

She told Wang Jing, Si Xiu, and Wang Yu: "When General Shang and I broke into Boss Shen's room, we saw a huge pool of blood on the floor. The official couldn't even stand steadily at the time. After he ordered me to be punished, he fainted and was carried to the car by General Shang."

Wang Yu listened carefully and analyzed: "You mean, the emperor is more seriously ill this time than ever before, and it is possible that he has really passed away?"

"Very likely." Tao Ye nodded.

Si Xiu recalled the past and shook his head gently: "But I think... Madam Han would never do such a thing... She and my mother are cousins, and it was because of their good relationship that my mother recommended her to my father. They have been serving the same husband in Yongchang for so many years, and they have always gotten along well. My mother is stubborn and often makes my father angry, and Madam Han has often mediated between them."

"What you said was just superficial. Do you know what she was thinking?" Wang Yu pouted, her face full of suspicion: "On the day of the wedding, wasn't it her maid who caused me to lose my veil and make a fool of myself in front of everyone?"

Si Xiu lowered his head and did not refute.

Wang Yu suggested to Si Xiu, "How about you go and ask to see the emperor in person? Does Madam Han dare to blatantly stop you as the regent?"

Si Xiu shook his head repeatedly: "No. Everyone knows that I am "recovering from my injuries" and have not been able to get up for days. But I have to go to see my father at this time. Isn't it obvious that I already know about this matter to Madam Han? Let them be on guard?"

Wang Yu thought about it and suggested, "Then ask your sister to visit the emperor again? They have such a good relationship between father and daughter. If the emperor is still alive, he will definitely not miss her, right?"

Si Xiu still shook his head: "Not good, my sister is pregnant, she should rest more, how can she run back and forth again? Besides, my sister trusts Chen Ji very much now, if my father is really dead, and Chen Ji hears about it, I am afraid my position will be even more precarious."

"This doesn't work, and that doesn't work. How can we confirm whether this matter is true or not?" Wang Yu paced back and forth in the room, feeling anxious.

Wang Jing sat quietly on one side, remaining silent for a long while.

Tao Ye walked over to Wang Jing and nudged him: "Why don't you speak? What are you thinking about?"

"I'm thinking, the weirdest thing is not whether the emperor has passed away, but how did Si Yao know about this?" Wang Jing rested his hands on his cane, his eyes still dull. "Since the emperor is in the palace, Shiqian Hall should be the most heavily guarded palace in Jiankang Palace. How could an outsider enter without permission? If Madam Han wanted to conceal the emperor's death, she should have been more cautious. She talked about these things with Shang Yun in secret. I'm afraid she even had to be on guard against her trusted maids. How could Si Yao, a fool, easily overhear it?"

Tao Ye thought it made sense, and was even more puzzled: "But didn't you say that Si Yao is not good at lying?"

Wang Jing smiled and said, “I don’t mean that Si Yao lied, but that Madam Han deliberately wanted her to hear it.”

"Mrs. Han deliberately let Si Yao hear it? Why?" Tao Ye was a little confused. She stared at the smile on Wang Jing's face and suddenly understood: "Just to let her come and tell the prince?"

Wang Jing nodded.

"Oh... I remember... During the Tang Dynasty, Concubine Wu Huifei once deliberately let the prince mistakenly believe that Emperor Xuanzong of Tang was in danger, and then asked the prince to rescue him. When the prince entered the palace in armor, she falsely accused the prince of treason in front of Emperor Xuanzong. Emperor Xuanzong believed it, and sure enough, the prince was killed..." Tao Ye was complacent because she felt that she and Wang Jing had a tacit understanding, so she talked about the TV series she had watched with relish.

"Tang Dynasty?" Wang Yu was confused and asked as if he was talking to himself: "Which history book is this recorded in? How come I didn't know about this?"

Tao Ye realized in an instant that they might be before the Tang Dynasty.

Wang Jing stood up, walked to Tao Ye, and explained on her behalf: "She was just talking about a play she had seen before."

"Is that so?" Wang Yu nodded, thinking he understood: "Father means that the emperor did not die. It was Madam Han and Shang Yun who conspired to make Si Yao mistakenly believe that the emperor died, and sent a message to us, and then induced the prince to lead his troops to force his way in, and then falsely accuse the prince of forcing the emperor to abdicate."

Wang Jing replied: "This is just one possibility."

Si Xiu hurriedly asked: "What are the other possibilities?"

“There are so many possibilities that you can’t identify them all.”

Si Xiu's brows suddenly furrowed, and he fell into a deeper dilemma: "What should we do? If we force our way in, it might become a "forcing the emperor to abdicate", but if we don't force our way in, we won't be able to see the emperor. What if the emperor really has... How can we just sit there and wait for death?"

"You can't get a tiger cub without risking it." Wang Jing smiled slightly and patted Si Xiu on the shoulder: "We still have to go to Shiqian Palace. The key lies in who goes and how they go."

Si Xiu asked gloomily: "How do we go?"

Wang Jing did not answer Si Xiu's question, but asked about something that happened a long time ago: "Prince, do you still remember that year before we left Yongchang, we gathered together to discuss what banner we planned to raise when we entered the capital?"

Si Xiu replied, "Of course I remember. The plan at that time was to "investigate the murder of Emperor Xiaozong" and then "avenge Emperor Xiaozong" so that we could have a legitimate reason. But Chen Ji suddenly started a rumor. The whole city was talking about Si De not being Emperor Xiaozong's bloodline and Zhou's collusion with Chen Xi. I don't know how he persuaded Queen Mother Meng to come to us on her own initiative. I had no choice but to go to the birthday banquet. It was a life-or-death experience..."

Wang Jing smiled and said, "If the emperor avenges my brother and then ascends the throne, it should be legitimate and he does not need to owe anyone a favor. It is precisely because you fell into Chen Ji's trap, but Chen Ji tried his best to keep you safe and pushed you to the position of regent that forced the emperor to change his original plan.

You may not know, but your mother's Bai family should know very well how miserable the emperor's family was when they were in trouble in Yongchang. He hated the Meng family so much that he certainly didn't want to form an alliance with them. Honoring Queen Mother Meng... should be the most aggrieved thing the emperor has ever done in his life."

Si Xiu suddenly recalled what happened that day, and was filled with emotion: "So... Father would rather I die at the birthday banquet than to form an alliance with the Meng family."

Wang Jing nodded: "It's a legitimate way to avenge you, but you didn't give him the chance."

Si Xiu lowered his head silently. He was still young, how could he be willing to die easily?

Wang Jing continued, "The emperor cherishes his reputation. No matter how aggrieved he is, he does not want to be seen as a person who burns bridges after crossing the river. But Queen Mother Meng is dead. Now her clansmen are destroying the emperor's reputation like crazy. How much do you think the emperor hates those people?"

"Then...they are coming to me now and want to be on the same side with me. Wouldn't my father hate me too?" Si Xiu muttered to himself, feeling even more frightened.

Wang Jing laughed and said calmly: "The common people regard the emperor as a murderer and you as the most loyal, filial and righteous person. You are already hated by the emperor, so what else do you need?"

Unconsciously, tears welled up in Si Xiu's eyes: "I am also his biological son... Why is my sister still his treasure even though she yells at him? Why do I have to walk on thin ice and serve him at his side, but I still may not have a place in his heart?"

Seeing this, Wang Yu hurriedly hugged Si Xiu and asked in a low voice: "I...I will treat you as my treasure, okay?"

Tao Ye watched from the side and thought they were just like the prince and princess in fairy tales, very interesting.

Wang Jing came over, holding Wang Yu with one hand and Si Xiu with the other: "Don't count on his fatherly love, you have to win back his favor yourself. There is a ready-made opportunity right in front of you. Didn't Si Yao say that the Meng clan members are at your disposal? Then ask them to break into the Shiqian Palace for you."

Si Xiu was startled and looked up at Wang Jing.

"If they really want to surrender to you, they will definitely have a bloody fight with Shang Yun's men when they arrive at Shiqian Palace. Think about it, if the emperor is really dead, will Madam Han be able to hide it by then? If the emperor is faking his death..." At this point, Wang Jing paused and didn't continue.

Si Xiu couldn't help but shudder, and asked tremblingly: "Do you want to... go upstairs... and pull out the ladder?"

Tao Ye asked curiously, "What does it mean to pull out the ladder after going up to the roof?"

Wang Jing ignored Tao Ye and just nodded to Si Xiu.

Si Xiu was stunned and murmured, "My aunt promised that, but will the Meng family really do it? Can't they guess..."

"Most of the Meng family members were born in the military. Although they are good at fighting, they are brave but not wise. Few of them have read books. It was because of a concubine who happened to appear that one person became famous and the whole family rose to prominence. If they were as smart as you think, they would not have gone to the court to make trouble and easily lost their jobs.

However, Lord Xu relied on you to order the dismissal, and they must understand this, so they naturally don’t trust you completely. Wang Jing thought about it and said, “So, if they go alone, it will definitely not work. You need someone to accompany them on the adventure, preferably someone close to you.”

Si Xiu said: "My grandfather and second uncle are the most suitable candidates."

Si Xiu's grandfather, Bai Shuo, the father of Mrs. Bai, is now the Minister of the Interior. His second son, Bai Yang, was appointed as the Minister of Defense after entering the capital. Both of them have practiced martial arts since childhood.

Wang Jing continued to plan: "But the Meng clan must be convinced by you as their leader, not their colleagues. Therefore, you have to give your token to Si Yao under the pretext of "resting in bed and unable to go out", and let her take your place and lead the Meng clan and your confidants. With your token, they will be able to enter the Shiqian Palace more smoothly."

After hearing this plan, Si Xiu hesitated: "The token... With my token, I can order anyone to do anything. This risk is too great. There are so many people in the Meng family. What if they use my token for other purposes?"

"No matter how useful the token is, can it be more useful than you?" Wang Jing smiled slightly, looking confident: "Don't worry, they won't have the chance to do anything wrong with the token. Just call Si Yao."