A piece of Japanese incense

Zhi Yihe stood up suddenly. She had to find him and ask him about it immediately! Asking him about Sanshengtang might be the key clue to uncovering the motives of Emperor Zhaoding and even the truth behind the fire in Yunfu.

She walked to the door and pushed it open. The hallway was empty, with only the faint sound of Agu pounding medicine in the distance. Relying on her memory and her sense of direction, she walked towards the sealed room.

The footsteps stopped in front of the sealed door.

She raised her hand, and just as she was about to touch the door, she paused.

Can you trust him?

The rainy night three years ago, his words are still fresh in my mind. He said he had been investigating the Yun Mansion fire for three years, and he said it wasn't his father...

But...he is Feng Jinqi!

Feng Jinqi, the man who used her, betrayed her, and slaughtered her entire family in the previous life!

He was cunning and ruthless, willing to do anything to achieve his goals. What if everything he said was true, but the information he was telling her about San Sheng Tang was just another elaborate lie? Was he using her to achieve another, more hidden purpose? Was he trying to drag her into another, deeper trap?

Zhi Yihe's hand was suspended in the air, biting his lower lip tightly.

Going in might reveal crucial clues, but it could also lead to another plunge into the abyss.

If he doesn't go in, the truth may be covered up forever, and Yu Nian's clue to the antidote may be interrupted.

Should she knock?

The cold wall rubbed against Zhi Yihe's back. She huddled in the shadows, the tingling in her fingertips long since numb, only the heavy burden weighing on her heart. Go in? Or leave? The stakes of trust were too high, and she couldn't afford to lose.

Just when she was about to be completely overwhelmed by the tide of hesitation and was about to leave with heavy steps——

"Click."

With a slight sound, the cold door in front of him opened from the inside without any warning.

Zhi Yihe's heart skipped a beat! He subconsciously took a half step back, his body instantly tensed.

At the doorway, Feng Jinqi's tall figure was shrouded in the dim light of the room. He still wore the disguise mask that belonged to "Yu Nian," but the eyes beneath it clearly reflected a complex and difficult-to-decipher emotion—a lingering gloom, a subtle hint of anticipation, and more importantly, a kind of fatigue beneath a feigned indifference.

The corridor was dead silent. He just stood at the door, looking at her silently, without saying a word, as if waiting for her to speak first.

Zhi Yihe could feel the weight of his gaze. She opened her mouth, her throat dry. Thinking of how deeply hurt she had been before, and his silence at that moment, she thought he was still angry, perhaps even ignoring her.

Never mind...after all, I was here first.

She took a deep breath, suppressed her anxiety, and prepared to break the suffocating silence:

"seal up……"

Almost at the same time as she uttered the first syllable, Feng Jinqi seemed to have finally exhausted his patience. With a hint of imperceptible anxiety, he spoke first:

"you……"

The two voices sounded at the same time and stopped at the same time!

After a brief moment of astonishment, an extremely subtle and somewhat absurd atmosphere of awkwardness spread.

Zhi Yihe was stunned.

Feng Jinqi also froze at the door.

moment.

"Puff..." A very light laugh escaped from Zhi Yihe's lips uncontrollably. The laughter was a bit helpless and self-deprecating, which also diluted the heavy atmosphere.

Immediately afterwards, an almost inaudible hum, full of helplessness and self-mockery, was heard from under Feng Jinqi's mask.

"Heh..." He shook his head, his tense jawline softening slightly, the gloom in his eyes replaced by a complex, almost unspoken, feeling of "I really can't do anything about you." He stopped talking, simply stepping aside to allow the door to pass. Then, with a perfectly natural touch, he reached out and grasped Zhi Yihe's slightly chilled wrist.

His palms were warm and strong, with unquestionable strength, but they did not hurt her.

Zhi Yihe's body stiffened slightly, but this time, she didn't struggle. Perhaps the awkwardness of speaking at the same time just now eased the tension, or perhaps the deep desire for the truth in her heart overwhelmed everything. She let him pull her into the room.

The door closed softly behind him, shutting out the cold silence of the corridor. The room was warmer than outside, the air lingering with the faint scent of medicine and his unique scent, a mixture of cold iron and aloes.

Feng Jinqi let go of her hand, walked to the table, turned his back to her, and poured a glass of water. He didn't drink it, but just put the glass on the table and pushed it closer to Zhi Yihe.

Zhi Yihe didn't touch the glass of water. She stood in the middle of the room. The darkness prevented her from seeing his expression, but she could sense his presence, silently waiting. She didn't want to beat around the bush anymore; all those twists and turns had exhausted her.

"Feng Jinqi," she said directly, her voice remarkably clear in the quiet room, "I only want to ask you one thing: Who is in charge of Sansheng Hall now?"

Feng Jinqi paused in pouring the water, as if he hadn't expected her to ask so directly. He turned around and looked at her sharply through the mask, as if examining her true intention in asking this question.

After a moment's silence, he answered in a low and clear voice without evasion or pretense:

"On the surface, I'm in charge."

He paused, and a sarcastic arc appeared at the corner of his mouth under the mask.

"Actually, it's Emperor Zhaoding's private treasury."

Zhi Yihe's heart sank! As expected! It was exactly as Yu Nian had said! Emperor Zhaoding's covetousness for Sanshengtang had never ceased!

Seeing her furrowed brow (although she couldn't see her own expression, Feng Jinqi could clearly see the solemnity in it), Feng Jinqi seemed to understand what she was thinking and took the initiative to explain. His tone was cold and indifferent, with a hint of subtle self-mockery:

"Three years ago, my father and I attacked the imperial city and confiscated the Yun family. Naturally, the fat piece of meat, San Sheng Tang, fell into our hands. At that time, I took over the full authority." His voice was flat, as if he was recounting a past event that had nothing to do with him.

"Later... that old fox, Emperor Zhaoding, successfully restored the throne and came to a showdown with my father and me. He poisoned us both as a threat. My father... oh," Feng Jinqi's tone suddenly became chilling and filled with deep hatred, "to save his life, he begged Emperor Zhaoding for mercy, even asking him not to kill him! At that moment, looking at his cowardly face, I suddenly remembered my mother and brother who died tragically!"

He clenched his fists violently, his knuckles crackling, and a terrifying aura of hostility emanated from his body:

"I confronted him right there and then! My mother's death! My brother's death! What the hell happened?"

Feng Jinqi's voice trembled slightly with excitement, carrying with it the pain and madness that had been suppressed for too long:

"Guess what that old bastard said?! He looked at me with disdain, saying my mother was nothing more than a lowly servant, and that being favored by him was a great blessing! He said my brother, who was as gentle as jade and had been raised by him since childhood... actually... actually had an affair with him?! He said that after my mother found out, she dared to threaten him! So he killed my brother without hesitation! As for my mother... he said that if she hadn't given birth to me and was still of some use, and could be used to keep me working for him, he would have killed her long ago! He even said... if I wasn't still somewhat useful, he would have gotten rid of me without hesitation!"

"Boom!" An uncontrollable rage and murderous intent instantly overwhelmed Feng Jinqi's sanity! He violently broke free from his restraints (although this might have come at a price), grabbed the sword at hand, and rushed towards the man he called father like a madman!

"You beast! I want you to pay with your life—!"

The sword flashed and blood splattered!

A head with an expression of astonishment rolled to the ground!

Feng Jinqi's voice carried a sense of cold numbness and extreme fatigue:

"By the time I realized what was happening... my hands were covered in his filthy blood... I was pinned to the ground, bound and tied up. At that moment, I just wanted to die... I felt like life was meaningless... I'd failed my mother's expectations, and I'd become a monster like that old beast..."

He took a deep breath, his voice lowered, but with a hint of determination to survive:

"But... I can't die. If I die, my mother won't rest in peace. She risked her life to give birth to me, not to let me die like this. So... I told Emperor Zhaoding that he was poisoned and I had the antidote. Moreover, I lied to him because he was old and his body was weak. He needed to get the special antidote from me every month to survive, otherwise he would die immediately from the poison."

Feng Jinqi's tone was filled with cold calculation:

"The old fox was afraid of death. He didn't dare to gamble. So he spared my life, gave me the false title of 'Prince of Feng', and imprisoned me under the nose of the capital. To further gain his trust, and also to... seek a glimmer of hope, I voluntarily handed over control of Sanshengtang and expressed my willingness to be loyal."

The sarcasm on his lips became even stronger:

"That old fellow, while refusing on the surface, saying things like 'let bygones be bygones' and 'as long as Prince Feng is willing,' is actually incredibly greedy! He's laid down a rule: while I'll still be 'managing' Sansheng Hall in name only, 90% of the annual profits must be secretly turned over to his private treasury! So..."

Feng Jinqi looked at Zhi Yihe, his gaze seemed to be able to penetrate her darkness:

"Sanshengtang is now nothing more than a hen that lays golden eggs, which I guard for Emperor Zhaoding. The real wealth has long since flowed into his bottomless private vault. He is the true owner of Sanshengtang."

Zhi Yihe listened quietly. Feng Jinqi's words were filled with hatred, pain, calculation, and a sense of helplessness at the mercy of fate. Every detail—about Emperor Zhaoding's greed for Sanshengtang (which matched Yu Nian's intelligence), about his coercive situation after being poisoned, and about the tragic truth and motives behind his patricide—sounded undeniably real.

In particular, his description of Emperor Zhaoding's behavior - seemingly benevolent and moral, but actually greedy and vicious, with a strong desire for control - is exactly consistent with Yu Nian's previous analysis that Emperor Zhaoding coveted Sanshengtang and might assassinate her grandfather!

This high degree of consistency was like a key that unlocked the last lock of doubt in Zhiyi and his heart.

She nodded slowly, almost imperceptibly. She didn't say a word, but her tense posture and furrowed brow seemed to relax slightly. She didn't say, "I believe you," but this silent gesture clearly conveyed a message: she believed the part about Sansheng Hall and Emperor Zhaoding.

The room fell silent again. Feng Jinqi watched Zhi Yihe's subtle transformation, his eyes complex and difficult to discern beneath his mask. He had revealed his most shameful past and deepest secrets, earning her a hint of silent trust. This trust was so fragile, yet so heavy that it left him with a mixture of emotions.

In Zhi Yihe's heart, the hypocritical mask of Emperor Zhaoding shattered completely in the face of Feng Jinqi's narrative and the ownership of Sanshengtang. The seemingly majestic emperor, seated on the dragon throne, revealed his greedy and sinister features in the darkness. A bloody clue, leading deep into the palace, finally surfaced.