Peach Blossom.

Taoye and Cailing came to help Xiaowan, and even many palace servants in the courtyard came over and asked, "What happened to Shuyuan?"

Cai Ling immediately rebuked the palace maids who were watching: "What are you all doing here? You know Shuyuan is weak, how can she breathe if you all surround her?"

When the palace servants heard this, they hurriedly dispersed.

Tao Ye said to Cai Ling, "Let's get her into the house quickly and ask a doctor to come and take a look!"

Cai Ling looked at Tao Ye, had some ideas in mind, and nodded.

The two of them helped Xiaowan into the house, and Xiaowan gradually regained consciousness.

Xiao Wan looked up dizzily and saw Si Yu's body on the bed. Then she looked at Cai Ling and Tao Ye who were supporting her. She couldn't help but feel frightened again! She couldn't understand why Cai Ling allowed Tao Ye to come in.

Tao Ye glanced at the bed and asked sullenly, "Is the emperor really not up yet?"

Seeing that Xiaowan had woken up, Cailing let go of Xiaowan and suddenly stretched out her arm to hit Taoye on the back of the head.

Tao Ye fainted on the ground.

Xiao Wan was shocked: "You...how could you..."

Cai Ling said coldly with a gloomy face: "You have exposed yourself in front of her, I have no choice but to do this!"

Xiaowan recalled what happened before she fainted... Caiwei and Xie Cheng ran away together, and her heart started beating fast again...

Cai Ling said, "Young Master once said that if things change, we must tell him immediately."

Xiaowan remembered the mirror that Chen Ji mentioned. She quickly left Taoye and ran to Taoye's room next door. Following her memory, she opened the drawer where Taoye had previously placed the mirror. Fortunately, the mirror was still there.

Cai Ling also followed.

"How do I use this thing?" Xiaowan took out a mirror. She saw herself in the mirror, but she couldn't figure out the trick.

Cai Ling also leaned over to take a look. Although she had heard of this thing before, this was the first time she saw it, so naturally she didn't understand it.

"Look at the other side!" Chen Ji's voice suddenly came from the mirror.

Xiaowan was startled, her hand shook, and the mirror fell to the ground.

"Alas... why am I always so timid?" Chen Ji's voice was heard in the mirror again.

Cai Ling picked up the mirror, turned it over, saw Chen Ji's face, and handed it to Xiao Wan.

Xiaowan took the mirror with trembling hands. She also saw Chen Ji in the mirror. Chen Ji was smiling at her, which made her feel creepy.

Chen Ji was obviously riding a horse on the road. He looked in the mirror and then looked away. "Do you have something to ask me?"

"Manager Xie ran away..." Xiaowan answered in a low voice.

"Huh?" Chen Ji was stunned, reined in his horse, and stared at Xiao Wan speechlessly: "You two can't even keep an unarmed eunuch under guard?"

Xiao Wan explained weakly: "We went to look for Concubine Zhou, but we didn't expect..."

Just after saying this, Cai Ling pulled Xiao Wan and shook her head slightly.

Xiaowan guessed that Cailing probably didn't want her to mention Caiwei, so as not to bring disaster to Caiwei, so she didn't say anything else.

"I really admire you guys! Do you have to go out in pairs? Can't one go and one stay? Do you have to explain even such small details to me?" Chen Ji's face was burning with anger, and a sense of ruthlessness could be felt even through the mirror.

Cai Ling advised: "Sir, it is useless to blame now. The court officials have probably arrived at the court. Usually, Xie Cheng is the head official of the palace, but today..."

Of course Chen Ji knew that if Xie Cheng did not go to the court to announce that Si Yu was excused from attending court due to illness, all the civil and military officials in the court would become suspicious.

The news that the emperor did not attend court for no reason spread faster than any other news!

Chen Ji closed his eyes and thought for a moment, then said, "Let's go find Concubine Zhou and tell her that Xie Cheng ran away."

Xiao Wan was very surprised, and even Cai Ling was puzzled: "Concubine Zhou can only handle the affairs of the harem, how can she handle the former dynasty?"

Chen Ji smiled faintly: "She has many ways!"

Xiaowan hid the mirror on her body, and she and Cailing returned to Siyu's room, discussing who would go to find Concubine Zhou and who would stay to look after the house. But then they heard a palace servant outside announce, "Concubine Zhou is here!"

Xiaowan and Cailing looked at each other, and Cailing had no choice but to go and open the door.

Concubine Zhou had already walked to the door and saw Xiaowan and Cailing inside: "I came to see the emperor."

"Please come in, Sister Zhou!" Xiaowan knelt slightly again and invited Concubine Zhou to come in.

Concubine Zhou left all the maids outside the door and walked into Xiaowan's room alone.

Cai Ling quickly closed the door again.

When Concubine Zhou saw Taoye fainted on the ground not far from the bed, she was surprised and looked back at Xiaowan.

Xiaowan didn't say a word.

Zhou Jieyu walked to the bedside again, lifted the gauze curtain, and saw Si Yu, whose face was as pale as dust. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and tears flowed from the corners of her eyes.

Xiaowan and Cailing both followed nearby and stood there silently.

Concubine Zhou looked back at Xiao Wan again, her eyes becoming sharper: "How did the emperor die?"

Xiaowan lowered her head. She didn't dare to tell the truth, but in this situation, she could no longer continue with the "nightmare collapse" excuse.

"How did the emperor die?" Concubine Zhou walked in front of Xiaowan with a more solemn expression.

Xiaowan began to tremble again, but still did not dare to answer.

In a rage, Concubine Zhou slapped Xiaowan in the face!

Xiaowan fell to the ground, still not daring to say a word.

"Calm down, Concubine Zhou!" Cai Ling knelt down at Concubine Zhou's knees and answered for Xiao Wan: "Zhang Shuyuan had to lie in order to protect Miss Tao Ye!"

Concubine Zhou frowned, very confused: "What do you mean?"

Xiaowan also looked at Cailing in confusion.

Cai Ling leaned forward and answered, "Yesterday...yesterday the emperor didn't come to see Zhang Shuyuan, but to see Miss Tao Ye..."

Zhou Jieyu would not disbelieve this statement, and she couldn't wait to ask: "Then what?"

Cai Ling said, "In order to please the emperor, Zhang Shuyuan ordered Taoye to wash the emperor's feet last night. Unexpectedly... Unexpectedly, the emperor couldn't hold back and wanted to favor Taoye... Zhang Shuyuan and the servants heard it outside and didn't dare to come in. Unexpectedly, Taoye suffocated the emperor to death out of fear because of resisting the emperor..."

Concubine Zhou was half-believing and half-doubting: "How could it be? The emperor has never been a person who forces others to do things against their will! Besides, Taoye is a woman, how could she have the ability to smother the emperor to death?"

"What happened on the bed... I dare not make any rash comments. Zhang Shuyuan and I only found out about it this morning..." Cai Ling glanced at the unconscious Tao Ye and continued, "Miss Tao Ye may have made an unintentional mistake. She almost committed suicide out of fear of punishment. Zhang Shuyuan and Tao Ye were like sisters, so she had no choice but to let me knock her unconscious and pretend that she had fainted..."

Xiao Wan also knelt on the ground, holding onto Concubine Zhou's skirt, and pleaded, "Sister Zhou, please forgive me. I don't want to lie, but the cause of the emperor's death... would be disgraceful if it were spread out. I believe Tao Ye didn't mean it. Please save her, Sister Zhou!"

"If a person kills the king, all nine generations of his clan should be executed. How can I save her?" Concubine Zhou pushed Xiao Wan away, feeling upset.

"Kill all nine clans?" Xiao Wan repeated it, and then looked at Tao Ye lying on the ground, feeling as uncomfortable as if she had been bitten by a bug.

Cai Ling pushed Xiao Wan and reminded her, "Shuyuan, the most urgent matter now is not Tao Ye, but the fact that the emperor cannot go to the morning court..."

Xiao Wan suddenly remembered Xie Cheng's escape, and suddenly had another idea in her mind. She stood up hurriedly and said to Concubine Zhou, "Sister Zhou, there is one more thing... Xie is missing!"

Zhou Jieyu was even more confused after hearing this: "Why did Manager Xie disappear?"

"I don't know either... The emperor arrived yesterday and only brought Butler Xie with him. Butler Xie was there last night, but not long after he learned of the emperor's death this morning, he suddenly disappeared..." Xiaowan's voice was sometimes high and sometimes low, and she was hinting at something.

Concubine Zhou glanced at Xiao Wan with disdain: "Don't give me any hints! Xie Cheng has served the emperor for five or six years and has always been a good person. There is absolutely no reason for him to have evil intentions at this time. The one who killed the emperor was either Tao Ye or you!"

Xiaowan didn't say anything. She felt that Concubine Zhou was much more powerful than she had imagined.

Cai Ling said softly: "By now, I think the ministers must have arrived at the court..."

Concubine Zhou glanced at Cai Ling and said nothing. She knew what Cai Ling was reminding her of.

In fact, Concubine Zhou was more afraid of the news of Si Yu's death than Xiaowan and her servant, because the eldest prince Si De was still a child, and the accession of the young emperor to the throne could only be successful when the internal and external situations were stable.

"I thank you for being the first person to tell this to you. In return, I can announce to the public that the emperor had a "nightmare collapse", but I can't control whether the empress dowager believes it or not, or whether the court officials believe it or not!"

Concubine Zhou walked out of Xiaowan's bedroom and whispered a few words to the maid Xin'er. Xin'er took the order and left. Concubine Zhou then left with other maids.

Cai Ling followed and took a look. She felt that Xin'er was going in the direction of the imperial court, and Zhou Jieyu was going in the direction of Anshou Palace where the empress dowager lived.

Xiaowan went back to the room and took out the mirror again.

On the other side of the mirror, Chen Ji was still in his original position. He had indeed been paying attention to the movements here.

"I think that Concubine Zhou is willing to help me cover up now only to pave the way for the eldest prince to ascend the throne. She would not really care about my life or death? Asking her... may not be a good idea..." Xiaowan looked at Chen Ji in the mirror with a frown.

Chen Ji did not answer, nor did he look at Xiaowan.

Xiao Wan asked again: "What if... the Queen Mother and the ministers don't believe it and want to investigate the cause of the emperor's death? Or, after the eldest prince ascends the throne, what if Concubine Zhou still wants to investigate the cause of the emperor's death?"

Chen Ji still didn't answer.

Xiao Wan didn't understand Chen Ji's silence and asked, "Why haven't you said anything? Didn't you say you would definitely help me sort it out?"

"Because my idea may not be able to resolve the issue, are you planning to push Tao Ye out to take the blame?"

Xiaowan was very surprised. She didn't expect that after asking for a long time, she would get such a sudden question from Chen Ji.

Chen Ji finally looked at Xiaowan.

Xiao Wan was immediately furious: "What do you mean?"

Chen Ji didn't say anything again.

Xiao Wan couldn't help but ask, "Zhou Jieyu has already determined that one of Tao Ye and I must be the murderer! If the Queen Mother says the same thing next time, do you want me to confess?"

Chen Ji said coldly, "I didn't ask you to confess. But I think you should remember how you entered the palace! You lived in your uncle's house, carrying firewood and water every day, and you were scolded and beaten if you were not careful; you worked hard as a slave in the princess's mansion to get a bite of food! But now, you go out with people following you, and come home with fine clothes and delicious food! Tao Ye treats you as a relative, and she is even more your benefactor. How can you forget your roots just to get rid of the crime?"

Before Chen Ji finished scolding, Xiaowan had already thrown the mirror heavily to the ground!