Peach Blossom.

"Shen Hui..." When Chen Ji mentioned this person, hatred appeared in his eyes.

He remembered the two scars on the corners of his eyebrows that would never heal, which made him never dare to lift his bangs in front of others.

He remembered that Tao Ye rushed to see Wang Jing for the last time after Xie Cheng informed her, which ruined his plan to almost deceive Tao Ye.

He recalled that Shen Hui secretly assisted Madam Bai, not only preventing him from finding any trace of the Thirteenth Army, but also rescuing Si Xiu.

He looked up and asked Secretary Chen: "Did you find out what happened before Shen Hui got married?"

Secretary Chen smiled and said, "Your Majesty, what happened to Boss Shen before she got married is all just the usual domestic affairs of a girl. There's really nothing much to say."

"Then what is the strange thing you are talking about?" Chen Ji was puzzled.

Secretary Chen said, "I am referring to Madam Shen. You should know that Master Shen's current wife is his second wife, the younger sister of his first wife, Yuan, and the aunt of Mr. Shen."

Chen Ji nodded and asked again: "Is there anything wrong with this little Yuan?"

Secretary Chen whispered, "I discovered that this little Yuan goes to worship her sister every year. This is not surprising. What is surprising is that... Boss Shen never goes to worship his biological mother."

"Are you sure?" As far as Chen Ji knew, Shen Meng's original wife, Yuan, doted on her biological daughter Shen Hui since she was a child. After Yuan's death, Shen Hui did not go to pay tribute, which was really against common sense.

Secretary Chen bowed again and said, "Your Majesty, this is correct. Because the past two days were the anniversary of the Yuan family's death, my spies sneaked into the Shen family's ancestral hall and saw with their own eyes that Little Yuan was worshipping Yuan, but Boss Shen was not there."

"Could it be that Shen Hui had something to do that day and couldn't go?" Chen Ji was still suspicious.

Secretary Chen added, "I have thought so too, so I went to Meixiangxie on purpose that day and saw Boss Shen chatting and laughing with a few regular customers, looking quite relaxed."

Chen Ji lowered his head, lost in deep thought. He once again remembered how Tao Ye had asked many questions about the Shen family after eavesdropping on the conversation between Si Yuan and Shen Hui. He remembered that Si Yuan posthumously conferred the title of queen on his first wife Shen Yan but no one knew where Shen Yan was buried. He remembered the look in Shen Hui's eyes when she looked at Si Rong.

In fact, he was almost certain that Si Yuan’s first wife Shen Yan might not have died at all, and the current Shen Hui might not be Shen Hui at all... but Shen Yan.

He asked Secretary Chen to find out about Shen Hui's life before she got married, originally to confirm his own guess.

If the current Shen Hui is actually Shen Yan, then many things that were previously inexplicable can be explained. The only thing that Chen Ji can't figure out is how Shen Meng, as the father of Shen Yan and Shen Hui, can accept such a replacement? And where did the real Shen Hui go?

Secretary Chen added: "Also, my spies noticed that there are actually two tablets for worship in Yuan's tomb."

Chen Ji suddenly felt that he had grasped some kind of evidence, and hurriedly asked: "Two tablets? Whose tablets are they?"

Seeing that Chen Ji was so concerned about this clue, Secretary Chen was very proud and replied with a smile: "The first one is naturally Yuan's tablet, and the other one... is empty, with no words on it!"

Chen Ji asked again: "How many coffins are buried in that tomb?"

Secretary Chen smiled and replied, "There must be only one! In the future, only Master Shen will be qualified to be buried in this tomb. At most, there will be a place for Xiao Yuan. Now that these two are still alive, how can there be a second coffin?"

Chen Ji nodded, already having an idea in his mind.

"Your Majesty also thinks there is something fishy here, right?" Secretary Chen agreed with a smile, and then gave Chen Ji some advice: "Think about it, who else can be enshrined in an unnamed tablet? It must be that Little Yuan did something wrong in her early years... As long as the emperor follows this line of investigation, he will not worry about not finding a murder case.

Shen Hui thought she was smart, and she had moved her name back to the Shen family before Chengzong died, so when the Si family was convicted, she was not implicated. But if something happened to the Shen family again, how could she get away with it? Taking this opportunity to seal up Meixiangxie is just a small matter! And she can also confiscate their property into the national treasury, isn't that killing two birds with one stone?"

Chen Ji couldn't help but curl his lips and smile. Back then, Shen Hui had laughed at him for not being able to demolish Meixiang Pavilion. He was angry and must have complained to Secretary Chen. It was rare that Secretary Chen even remembered this carefully.

He looked up at Secretary Chen and said with a smile, "Get up."

Secretary Chen kowtowed again before lifting his knees off the ground and standing up.

"Your idea is very good... However, what I want to do now is not only to eliminate the rumors, but also to push Tao Ye to the position of queen..." Chen Ji smiled meaningfully and squinted at Chen Mi.

Secretary Chen realized that Chen Ji had another plan, but he couldn't guess it for the time being, so he bowed and asked: "Your Majesty, please tell me clearly."

"If we want to push Tao Ye up, we must pull Rong Er down first..." Chen Ji smiled comfortably, as if he had already sketched out a certain frozen scene in his mind.

Secretary Chen was a little surprised. A few days ago at Chen Chong's residence, he heard Chen Liang say to Chen Chong, "The Emperor is going insane." He didn't quite believe it, but now it seems that he has to believe it.

"It's a bit difficult for the Shen family to get involved with Princess Si Rong, right?" Secretary Chen still had a smile on his face, but he was clearly embarrassed: "Besides...hasn't the emperor always been concerned about the princess's illness?"

This sentence hit the nail on the head for Chen Ji. He couldn't help but look worried. "If I wasn't afraid that she would be angry and that would be detrimental to my treatment, I would have announced the matter of establishing a queen to the world long ago. Why would I beat around the bush?"

After hearing this, Secretary Chen felt even more confused.

Chen Ji lowered his head and thought slowly: "Since she has lost something, of course she must gain something. The comfort of family affection may make her feel better..."

After hearing this, Secretary Chen was already confused: "I am stupid, I don't know what the emperor wants me to do?"

Chen Ji smiled, but was not in a hurry to explain. He asked something else first: "Besides Shen Hui, does Yuan have any other children?"

Chen Mi said: "Yuan had another son, who has been dead for many years, leaving only a granddaughter to the Shen family, named Shen Yuan, who was raised by her step-grandmother, Xiao Yuan."

"Oh... so Yuan Shi also has direct descendants." Chen Ji nodded with a smile and continued to think, "When Yuan Shi was alive, she should have had trusted maids around her, right?"

Secretary Chen thought for a moment and analyzed, "For a family like theirs, a girl must marry with at least four wives, right? I guess that after so many years, most of Yuan's personal maids have married. But it's not difficult to find someone else."

"It's not difficult to find them, but what if we let them tell the truth?" Chen Ji looked at Secretary Chen and smiled suggestively.

Secretary Chen regained his confidence at this time, and he smiled and showed off: "Since I have been assisting the Ministry of Justice, I have gained a lot of experience in finding evidence and interrogating testimonies. I have even summarized it into two sentences."

Chen Ji asked curiously: "Which two sentences?"

Secretary Chen smiled and said, "The first sentence is borrowed from the words of the predecessors, which is "Under heavy rewards, there will be brave men." The second sentence is added by me, which is "Under heavy punishment, there will be cowards." "

"It's really insightful." Chen Ji nodded in praise and asked again: "If all these are not difficult, there is only one thing left. Do you dare to do it?"

Secretary Chen bowed and saluted, saying, "As long as the emperor orders, is there anything I dare not do?"

"Aren't you afraid of disobeying your mentor?"

"The emperor's grace is greater than the teacher's grace."

"Of all the tribesmen, you are my favorite." Chen Ji approached Chen Mi and patted Chen Mi's shoulder with satisfaction.

"I am so lucky." Secretary Chen smiled and asked respectfully, "What is this matter that the emperor is talking about?"

Chen Ji's eyebrows twitched, and he smiled calmly and replied, "It's not a big deal. I just asked you to dig a grave in the middle of the night."

Secretary Chen was stunned for a moment, then quickly agreed: "Whatever the emperor commands, I will do my best."

In the following days, Secretary Chen, following Chen Ji's instructions, began to secretly search for Yuan's personal maids and imprisoned these maids and their families.

Near Si Rong's birthday, there was a heavy storm one night with lightning and thunder, and the rumbling sound kept people awake for almost the entire night.

The wind and rain subsided slightly in the early morning, but the sky was still gloomy.

Chen Ji came to Ziji Palace to visit Si Rong and smelled the scent of medicine from afar.

"Princess, the emperor is here!" Several maids saw Chen Ji and rushed to report inside.

Si Rong put down the medicine bowl and sat quietly beside the coffee table. After a while, she saw Chen Ji come in.

Chen Ji had a smile on his face and greeted her warmly as soon as he entered the door: "The thunder was really loud last night, did you sleep well?"

Si Rong didn't look at Chen Ji, and still had that cold attitude: "As long as the emperor is not here, I will sleep well."

"Look at what you said..." Chen Ji still smiled and sat opposite Si Rong, "I came here to ask what kind of birthday gift you want, so that I can ask someone to prepare it for you in advance."

"The emperor was so busy trying to please Tao Ye and find ways to change the queen that he even remembered my birthday?" Si Rong finally looked at Chen Ji, but gave a contemptuous smile.

Chen Ji smiled awkwardly, remained silent for a moment, and whispered: "You already know..."

"It has spread all over the palace and outside. Am I deaf or blind?" Although Si Rong's voice was not loud, her tone was stiff.

Chen Ji nodded and smiled at Si Rong: "In this case, I will ask you clearly today, are you willing to be the queen?"

Si Rong couldn't help but reveal a hint of resentment on her face, "If I say I don't want to, are you going to give this position to Tao Ye?"

Chen Ji smiled, as if he was willing to discuss everything, and said softly: "Look... it's like there is only one thing, and you don't want it, but she wants it. If I continue to force it on you, wouldn't it be weird..."

Before she finished her words, Si Rong slammed the coffee table.

Chen Ji was startled, and when he looked at Si Rong again, she had her hands covering her chest, and her physical discomfort overshadowed her anger.

Xiaoying beside her asked in fear: "Is the princess in pain again?"

Chen Ji stood up quickly, came over and held Si Rong's hand: "Rong'er... don't misunderstand..."

As soon as he said this, Chen Ji was pushed away by Si Rong again.

Si Rong calmed herself down a little and took her hand away from her chest.

Chen Ji didn't dare to approach Si Rong, nor did he dare to leave. He stood at a distance and explained: "I have been thinking about what you really want recently, such as... your mother..."

Si Rong ignored Chen Ji, but did not object either.

Chen Ji continued, "Before, I said that I wanted to find your mother's tomb and bury her with Chengzong. I really wanted to fulfill my filial piety for you, but you didn't believe me. I kept looking for it later, and finally got some news recently..."

Si Rong was suddenly startled and subconsciously glanced at Chen Ji.

Chen Ji smiled and moved closer to Si Rong, "I don't know whether this rumor is reliable or not, but it is very likely that your mother may still be alive."

"What did you say?" Si Rong was a little confused. To her, this news was too shocking.

Chen Ji held Si Rong's hand and analyzed gently: "Think about it... no one can find her tomb. Chengzong loved her so much that he didn't take you to worship her during his lifetime, and he didn't mention relocating or burying her together before his death. So... of course she might still be alive."

Si Rong listened and instantly remembered a lot of things. Chengzong had never clearly told her how her mother died. Even when she asked, he always answered perfunctorily and glossed over the question.

She was lost in thought when a maid ran in: "Princess...Princess..."

Si Rong looked up and saw that it was Miao Hong who ran in.

"Princess, there are rumors outside the palace that a tomb in the Shen family ancestral hall was struck open by lightning last night!"