Peach Blossom.

"The brothers who followed the emperor out this time have all narrowly escaped death. If I still want to investigate them and doubt their loyalty, wouldn't it make them feel disheartened?" Zhao Bi advised.

Chen Ji nodded and said, "You're right. They've been with me through thick and thin, sharing life and death. I really shouldn't have easily doubted them. But that guard... he was one of them, and he swung his sword at the Queen after I got out of the carriage. He's truly a spy. Spies are far more dangerous than external enemies. Don't you understand that?"

Zhao Bi couldn't deny it, so he lowered his head and remained silent.

Mada suddenly glanced sideways at Tao Ye.

Tao Ye quickly turned aside, picked up the prescriptions the doctors had written for Chen Ji, and avoided Mada's gaze.

Ma Da then bowed and advised Chen Ji, "Your Majesty, even if you want to investigate, you can only do it secretly. If Madam Bai really had all the preparations in advance, then the spies or accomplices are probably not just one or two, but a whole group. I suggest that Your Majesty return to the capital as soon as possible and leave this place of trouble. After returning to the capital, General Zhao and I will investigate this matter thoroughly to prevent any future trouble."

Chen Ji smiled slightly, looked at Ma Da and said, "I am returning home to worship my ancestors. No matter how anxious you are, you should allow me to worship my ancestors before returning to Beijing, right?"

Mada was silent.

Zhou Nian finally found another opportunity and hurried over to offer his courtesy: "Your Majesty, all the offerings are ready. Once Your Majesty is well, we can proceed to perform the ancestral worship ceremony."

Chen Ji had no choice but to smile and nod.

Chen Ji's wound was too deep. He couldn't wait until it healed before returning to Beijing to worship his ancestors, so he picked an auspicious day and arranged the ancestor worship.

Before preparing to go to the Chen clan ancestral temple in Qiao County, Chen Ji specifically instructed Mada to bring Si De with him.

Chen Ji and Tao Ye took a horse-drawn carriage to the Chen clan ancestral temple, which was built on a medium-high hill. From a distance, it looked like a beautiful place.

Tao Ye had previously visited the Wang Clan Ancestral Temple outside the Dongli Gate of the capital, which was also located on a hill similar to this one. She thought that most official tombs of this era were probably like this.

Zhou Nian had already brought people there, with three layers of guards inside and three layers outside, surrounding the hilltop tightly. The road in front of the ancestral temple was even more heavily guarded on both sides, as if they were on guard against even a fly.

The ceremony and arrangement of the sacrifice were naturally extremely luxurious and grand, and it was obvious that Zhou Nian put a lot of effort into it.

According to the custom, Chen Ji and Tao Ye entered the Chen clan ancestral hall and kowtowed before the tablets of their ancestors.

After the ceremony, Chen Ji took Tao Ye out of the ancestral hall where the tablets were enshrined, walked a few rows to the back, and stopped in front of the door of an independent tomb chamber.

Tao Ye looked at this tomb and found that it was very similar in layout to the main building of the Duke of Qiao County's Mansion, except that it was slightly smaller. He guessed that it must be the joint burial chamber of Chen Ji's parents.

Chen Ji turned around and said to Zhou Nian, "You wait here. The Queen and I need to go in alone for a while."

Zhou Nian took the order and stationed his soldiers outside the door.

Chen Ji took Tao Ye's hand and walked in.

The tomb was built on a hillside, so the interior had to borrow the mountain and dig out caves. Therefore, the deeper you go, the darker it will be.

Chen Ji lit a candle, held the candle in one hand, held Tao Ye in the other, and walked slowly inside.

As they walked, Tao Ye saw the tomb and couldn't help but feel a little scared, "Why... did we come here?"

"Don't be afraid, my parents are the only ones here." Chen Ji smiled gently and placed the candlestick on the stone table beside him.

Tao Ye couldn't help but wonder in her heart: "They are your parents, not my parents, of course you won't feel scared..."

"Father, Mother, you haven't met her yet... This is your daughter-in-law, Tao Ye." Chen Ji walked to the tombstone and introduced Tao Ye's identity affectionately.

Tao Ye could only bow slightly to the tombstone and say, "Greetings, father and mother."

"Tao Ye..." Chen Ji said with a satisfied smile, holding Tao Ye's hand again. "Although this is not my first marriage, you are the first wife I bring to my parents, and the only wife I recognize in my heart."

Tao Ye could only smile in agreement. She glanced at the words engraved on the tombstone and saw that the title displayed on it was just "Tomb of Chen Wen, Duke of Qiao County, and his wife Zhou, the Imperial Noble Consort."

"Why didn't the emperor posthumously honor the two elders as emperor and empress?" Tao Ye looked at the tombstone gloomily. In her impression, the founding monarch of almost every dynasty would posthumously honor at least two generations of emperors and empresses.

Chen Ji smiled and shook his head. "If my father had wanted to be emperor, he would have been fully capable of doing so. Being called a 'Chen thief' is fine by myself, but why should I bother them with disturbing their ears?"

"Why do you say that? If that's the case, then wouldn't the first emperor of every dynasty be considered a thief?" Tao Ye looked up and saw deep sadness in Chen Ji's eyes.

Chen Ji placed his hand on the tombstone and said, "I often think, if my father had been willing to be a thief, maybe he would still be alive now..."

As he spoke, Chen Ji slowly squatted down and leaned his head against the tombstone, just like he was leaning in his father's arms when he was a child.

At this moment, Tao Ye could not help but feel compassion, because she knew that Chen Ji missed his father all the time.

"Do you know what my father and I said to each other the last time we said goodbye?"

Tao Ye shook her head.

"He probably had a premonition that this battle would be ominous, and before leaving, he repeatedly told me not to kill each other in the future and not to let the grudges of the previous generation continue. He said that my eldest brother and I are the closest people to each other in this world besides him, and the relationship between us and our mother is completely different." Chen Ji was still leaning on the tombstone, feeling sad.

Tao Ye listened, not knowing what to say.

"I suspect my father also said the same thing to my eldest brother. For many years after my father's death, my eldest brother and I maintained a superficial harmony. Although I often wanted to kill him to avenge my father, I never did it because of my father's last words.

It wasn't until Chengzong and Si Xiu and his son entered the capital that I was arrested and thrown into the Censorate's prison for kidnapping the Imperial Physician, and I was nearly poisoned to death by the food the jailer sent me. When I heard the jailer confess that it was my eldest brother who had ordered him to poison me, I was furious and filled with hatred.

So, at Empress Dowager Meng's birthday banquet, I watched my elder brother being beheaded without blinking, feeling only joy. Afterwards, I learned... that those two jailers were actually spies planted by Emperor Chengzong in the Imperial Censorate..."

Chen Ji recalled the past, his fingers gradually clenched into fists, not knowing how much hatred was in his heart.

Tao Ye looked confused. She was involved in the kidnapping of the Imperial Physician, but she knew nothing about what happened after she left the Censorate prison.

"Later I thought about it carefully. I have been living in my eldest brother's mansion in the capital since I was eight years old. I was just a child back then. If my eldest brother wanted to kill me, would he not have the opportunity? Would he wait until I grew up to oppose him?" Chen Ji's face was wrinkled, and he was so distressed.

He leaned his back against the tombstone, his body slowly sliding down, and finally sat on the ground, his hands covering his face. Every word he said was filled with regret: "I'm so stupid... I just believed Si Yuan's tricks... I ended up going against my father's will..."

Tao Ye's tears slid down quietly, and she suddenly felt extremely uncomfortable and conflicted.

"Thinking back to my elder brother, how could it be possible that he was bewitched by Emperor Xianzong and committed patricide?" Chen Ji raised his head slowly again, as if he was indulged in endless reverie.

Tao Ye also squatted down, gently hugged Chen Ji, and rested Chen Ji's head in her arms.

No matter what the future holds, at this moment, she really wants to comfort this fragile and once innocent child.

Outside, Ma Da suddenly shouted, "Your Majesty, the person has been brought here."

Chen Ji heard this and quickly stood up. He blinked a few times to let the tears flow back into his eyes and replied loudly, "You bring him in alone. No one else is allowed to come in."

Tao Ye quickly wiped away her tears and straightened her appearance a little.

In a blink of an eye, Mada came over with Sid. Sid was tied up with a rope and kept trying to shake off Mada, shouting, "Let me go! Let me go!"

When he reached Chen Ji, Ma Da loosened his grip and bowed, reporting, "Your Majesty, he refused to come, so I had to tie him up, which delayed us for a while."

Chen Ji nodded slightly, walked up to Si De and asked, "Do you know why I brought you here?"

Si De snorted, turned his face to the other side, and completely ignored Chen Ji.

Chen Ji didn't care. He just curled his lips and smiled, saying solemnly: "If you are willing to kowtow three times in front of this tombstone, I will let you go."

Si De first looked at Chen Ji in surprise, but soon revealed a look of contempt: "Who would believe you? You are a villain who doesn't keep his word. You change your face faster than turning the pages of a book!"

Chen Ji laughed and said, "I am now the ruler of a country. How can I go back on my word?"

"Don't you even look at who's in this room?" Sid glanced at Mada and Tao Ye, his face still full of distrust. "You're not announcing this in public, so who can prove you said it?"

"Then if you don't mind revealing your identity as the monarch of the previous dynasty, I can take you out to announce it." Chen Ji said, and was about to push Si De out with a wicked smile on his face, revealing his previous shameless face again.

"Stop, stop, stop!" Si De was obviously frightened and hurriedly obeyed, but with a slight indignation, "I kowtow! You have to untie the rope for me first, right?"

Chen Ji nodded and gave Ma Da a wink.

Ma Da followed the order and untied Sid's rope, saying sternly, "You'd better not have any other thoughts, or don't blame me for being rude."

Sid ignored Ma Da and looked disdainful.

After the rope was untied, Sid knelt down in front of the tombstone and kowtowed three times as usual. Then he looked up and asked, "Can I go now?"

After glancing at Si De, Chen Ji turned back to the tomb and said softly, "Father, did you see that? You have grandchildren, maybe even great-grandchildren..."

"What nonsense are you talking about? My father is Emperor Xiaozong Si Yu, and he has nothing to do with you!" Si De hurriedly refuted Chen Ji, looking very unconvinced.

Chen Ji smiled faintly and said, "Okay, you can go now."

After hearing this, Si De started to run out.

Ma Da hurriedly grabbed Si De's arm, held his shoulder, and turned to Chen Ji and said, "Your Majesty, we can't let him go! He wants to kill you!"

Chen Ji smiled and shook his head, full of confidence, "If I were so easy to be killed, would I still be alive today?"

Mada gave another reason: "If we keep him, maybe we can lure Madam Bai out of the cave!"

"He couldn't even catch Madam Bai by using Si Xiu as bait. Who does he think he is? If Madam Bai could come out of seclusion for him, would she have abandoned him that day?" Chen Ji was still smiling.

Mada had no choice but to let go of Sid, but his face looked very bad.

"Ma Da, in my life..." Chen Ji looked at Ma Da, his eyes seemed to be begging, and also seemed to be confiding.

His smile gradually turned bitter, and his voice gradually became low. "I don't know if I will have descendants in this life... Let my father's bloodline remain in this world..."

Ma Da was startled, and countless emotions seemed to surge in his eyes.

Tao Ye listened and lowered her head, not daring to guess what kind of mood Chen Ji was in when he said this?

Si De looked at Ma Da, then at Chen Ji, and asked anxiously, "What if I go out and someone stops me again?"

"I'll personally take you out." Chen Ji smiled and pushed Si De forward.

Tao Ye followed Chen Ji and escorted Si De out of the tomb, down the mountain, out of the temple gate, and out of the guard area of ​​all the officers and soldiers. She also asked someone to bring a good horse for Si De.

Si De looked at Chen Ji for the last time with a strange look in his eyes, but he quickly mounted his horse and rode away like the wind.

Chen Ji watched Si De go away and breathed a sigh of relief.

That feeling is like a relief.

He turned around and said to Tao Ye, "I want to go pay my respects to my grandfather again."

Tao Ye nodded.

When Zhou Nian heard this, his brows lit up with joy.

"Ma Da should come too." Chen Ji said, and turned around, but he couldn't see Ma Da anywhere. "Where's Ma Da? Where did Ma Da go?"