A piece of Japanese incense

The morning mist in the mountains was like a veil, gently wrapping the green mountains. The sunlight shone through the treetops, like dots of golden light, sprinkling on the winding path.

Zhi Yihe walked alone among the mountains and forests. There were gurgling streams, blooming mountain flowers, and lush green wild grass. The air was filled with the fresh scent of soil and flowers. She took a deep breath of the fresh air and felt refreshed.

"H-Sneeze!"

Zhi Yihe covered her nose. Ever since the weather turned warmer, she had been tortured by all kinds of mosquitoes, insects, and flowers. She felt like she was in an allergy incubator. She was the only test subject. Her body was covered with swollen red spots, and no part of her skin was spared.

She put on her veil silently and walked leisurely down the mountain.

She hadn't heard from her uncle for a long time, and she was always worried about the situation at home. Zhi Yihe thought that instead of waiting for death, she might as well take the initiative and investigate in person. Besides, her face was swollen like a pig's head at this time, and even acquaintances might find it difficult to recognize her.

Originally, she planned to bring Yu Tuan with her, but her birthday was coming up, and Zhi Yihe thought about how lonely she would be on her birthday, so she decided to make some money! Prepare a special birthday surprise for Yu Tuan~

After making up his mind, Zhi Yihe set out alone before dawn.

The imperial city was more prosperous than ever before. The new emperor ascended the throne, showed his benevolence, issued a general amnesty, exempted taxes, and allowed people from all over the country to freely enter the imperial city to do business, work, or settle down.

Zhi Yihe casually followed an acrobatic troupe into the imperial city. The people praised the new "Tianqi" emperor one after another, as if they had forgotten their past admiration and respect for Emperor Zhaoding.

Zhi Yihe went straight to Zhichunli, which was the house where A-ban once lived. The house was originally rented by Yu Nian through a friend. After A-ban moved in, they often came here to treat A-ban's back injury.

Zhi Yihe thought that since A-ban had a special status, he would inevitably have to deal with the landlord when renting a house, so he stole a lot of jewelry and antiques from his home and sold them, and purchased this house in the name of Yu Nian.

Zhi Yihe walked around to the backyard with ease and picked up a dark-colored stone from the cobblestone path. There was a key hidden on the back of the stone. She turned it gently and opened the back door. She walked into the house calmly.

She was contentedly thankful that she had spent money extravagantly in the past, and she would put everything she liked into her pocket. Now, every item in the house, whether it was cups, plates, bowls, or calligraphy and paintings, or even tables, chairs, flowers and trees, could be exchanged for silver.

Zhi Yihe happily took out a bed sheet from the inner room and spread it on the floor of the outer hall:

"This pen is from 'Xingyun Shuzhai'. It should be very valuable. Take it!"

"These clothes are made of high-quality material. Take them away!"

"This tea set looks quite nice, maybe I can sell it for a horse~"

Just as Zhi Yihe was stuffing a fan into his waist, intending to fish out the dead fish in the fish tank and then put the fish tank on the bed sheet, he suddenly heard the sound of the lock falling.

(Who’s here! A-ban? No, he should be trapped in the palace. Could it be Yu Nian?)

Thinking of this, she felt an inexplicable ecstasy in her heart. She hurried to the door, but unexpectedly heard a male voice saying in a low voice: "Wait here."

"Yes, sir!" everyone responded in unison.

(Oh my god! So many people! Are they government officials? They have found this yard and are now searching it? Help!)

Zhi Yihe thought about it, quickly closed the door, hurriedly picked up the four corners of the bed sheet on the ground, stuffed them into the closet, and hid behind the door quietly.

The footsteps, some light, some heavy, gradually approached the study. The door hinge made a "creaky" sound, and the person stepped into the room and searched around, as if looking for something.

Zhi Yihe took advantage of the man's inattention and quickly ran out of the room.

"Who are you?" the man shouted.

(Oh my god! I got discovered after all! It’s over, they’re going to arrest me and put me in jail!)

Zhi Yihe didn't dare to look back and ran all the way to the backyard. At the same time, he reached to his waist, took out the fan and held it tightly just in case.

But... she was still caught...

"Sir, please spare me! Sir, please spare me! I didn't take anything! I didn't steal anything!" The man grabbed Zhi Yihe by the collar and dragged her into the house like a kitten. Zhi Yihe held the collar tightly with both hands to prevent herself from being strangled, and her feet walked uncontrollably along the man.

"Ouch~" Zhi Yihe was thrown to the ground suddenly. While stroking her sore buttocks, she looked up at the man sitting upright in the main hall.

The man sat on a rosewood chair, wearing a light blue robe, his long hair tied in a jade crown, with a few strands of hair hanging down, adding a bit of casualness.

The waiter handed him a cup of fragrant tea. The lingering aroma of tea complemented his temperament.

"Why are you looking at me? What are you doing here?" The man took a sip of tea and looked down at Zhi Yihe.

"Sir, you misunderstood! The back door was open, and I just came in to take a look! I heard the noise and thought it was the owner of the yard coming back. I was afraid of misunderstanding, so I ran away!" Zhi Yihe argued cunningly.

"Humph! This is the private residence of the traitor Yu Nian. What do you intend to do by sneaking in here?"

"No! No! I don't know whose house this is! I just wandered in by mistake!"

"However, I think you look somewhat familiar~" The man took the fan from Zhi Yihe's hand meaningfully, looked at it carefully, unfolded it, and then closed it. He lightly touched Zhi Yihe's left cheek with the fan, then moved to the right side, looking at him repeatedly.

Zhi Yihe used his fingers to push aside the fan, and smiled softly, "I am of humble origin, and you are handsome and suave..."

"Zhi-Yi-He." The man uttered her name word by word.

Zhi Yihe was stunned. He stared at the man in front of him. His mind went blank for a moment and his whole body froze.

"Why did you come here alone?" the man asked calmly.

"Haha, I don't know what you are talking about, little one..." Zhi Yihe wanted to play dumb and get away with it, but the man spoke again:

"It was His Highness Zhiyu, no, it was Ah-Ban himself who told me where this courtyard is located."

Zhi Yihe's expression was a little stiff, and he said awkwardly: "Who are you? How do you know who I am?"

"I came here today to search for useful clues and to find the whereabouts of the girl at the request of His Highness."

Zhi Yihe was still a little skeptical: "Where is A-Ban now? Who are you? I have never met you before, why did he entrust you?!"

"I am..." The man paused for a moment and continued, "I am Hefeng, the guard of the Eastern Palace. I am here to investigate on the orders of the Crown Prince."

"Prince..." Zhi Yihe hesitated.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince is the only child of the current emperor. When the emperor ascended the throne, he originally intended to wipe out the remnants of the previous dynasty. It was thanks to the crown prince's efforts that the descendants of the previous dynasty were saved. The crown prince placed them in the former women's school and visited them from time to time to take care of them."

"Girls' School..." Zhi Yihe murmured in a low voice.

"Yes, Your Highness, I heard that there is a secluded side hall in the Women's Academy. A former female student companion has opened up a vegetable garden in the courtyard. They are self-sufficient and do not consume the palace's property. Your Majesty has just allowed them to live there."

Zhi Yihe smiled in relief and asked in a gentle and calm tone: "Ah Ban has a good relationship with your prince? What did you send to investigate?"

"The former Crown Princess Yan Xunhua, in order to save her life, once revealed a secret about Dongli. However, she was evasive and spoke half-truths. This concerns the safety of the country and the people. The emperor has ordered the crown prince to conduct a thorough investigation."

"What secret? What does this have to do with Apan?"

"Well, I'm sorry that I can't reveal it, but the prince often goes in and out of the girls' school. Because Princess Tingzhu was weak, the prince once treated her. By chance, the prince met His Highness Zhiyu. He revealed many clues about Yan Xunhua to the prince, but Yan Xunhua found out. Now she threatens Princess Tingzhu's life. The prince has no choice but to find the truth from the fragments of His Highness Zhiyu's past."

"What about Tingzhu! How is she? How can someone ignore his own flesh and blood? What about Aban? What's his situation now?" Zhi Yihe was anxious and wished he could cross the palace wall immediately to save them from the dire straits.