The princess only wants to survive, and the cold-faced king of hell begs for mercy

He couldn't understand why His Majesty was still so distraught and worried, even though the Empress had been found safe and sound and returned to the palace. Was there some hidden secret?

Just as Zhao Qiyan was lost in thought, he heard the sound of light footsteps approaching from afar. Then, Qi Chuan, Yu Ruyi, Meng Tai, and Zhuo Fang filed in. Zhao Qiyan waved his hand, signaling all the eunuchs to leave the room, and closed the door behind them. Once everyone had settled, a confidential meeting began.

Qi Chuan was the first to break the silence. After a slight bow, he spoke impatiently, "Your Majesty, since we withdrew all our personnel as planned, after many days of painstaking exploration, we finally found an important clue today!" Zhao Qiyan raised his head abruptly upon hearing this, a flash of surprise in his eyes, and eagerly demanded, "What is the clue? Tell me!"

Qi Chuan took a deep breath and continued, "Those with ill intentions orchestrated a meticulous plan, sending a counterfeit Empress into the palace. We feigned a fall for the scheme, not only withdrawing all our publicly deployed troops but also secretly pursuing the matter. In particular, I specifically assigned my most trusted and capable confidants to guard the city gates."

These confidants have all witnessed the real Empress firsthand, so they'll be able to spot the imposter the moment she appears. Qi Chuan paused briefly before adding, "According to reports from the brothers stationed at the South City Gate, a rather mysterious carriage hurriedly exited the city early this morning."

At this moment, a gorgeously decorated carriage was slowly moving along the road, with two women and one man sitting inside. Both women were covered with veils, making it difficult to see their true appearance, but the slender fingertips of one of them were stained with a striking, unique color of nail polish.

At this point, Yun Ruyi took over the conversation and began to analyze the situation in detail. "The guard who noticed this scene simply thought the woman's behavior was a bit suspicious, so he reported it truthfully to his superiors. You know, ever since those time travelers have shown their magical powers in our Yu Country and opened all kinds of shops, the phenomenon of manicures has actually become common. Many women from wealthy families are keen on having elaborate manicures done for themselves!"

Yun Ruyi paused briefly before continuing, "However, the reason the guards were suspicious of this woman was because she wore simple, plain clothing, yet sported such exquisite nail polish. Such a stark contrast inevitably breeds suspicion!"

Then, as if remembering something important, Yun Ruyi hastily added, "I even asked the guard about the exact color and style of the nail polish on the woman's hands. He described it as a vibrant red, sprinkled with dazzling gold powder and embellished with exquisite petal patterns. This unique nail art style is exactly what I personally created for the Empress! In my opinion, this mysterious woman must be Yun Shang!"

Zhao Qiyan's heart surged with emotion upon hearing this. He abruptly rose from his seat, his hands trembling slightly as he pointed at the nail, his voice trembling with excitement. "That's right! That's right! Back on your wedding day, Shang'er was incredibly particular about this. Not only did she meticulously select this unique nail design, she also used it as inspiration to create several gorgeous outfits for me to review. I still remember it vividly; the nails on her delicate hands look exactly like what I see before my eyes!"

Meng Tai nodded slightly in agreement, then continued, "As soon as Qi Chuan received the relevant information, he contacted me without hesitation." He paused, a hint of confidence appearing on his face, and continued, "The special forces that Old Yu and I have been jointly responsible for training have begun to show results. Therefore, I immediately dispatched this elite force to track down and investigate. With the special forces' superb skills and concealment techniques, they will surely complete the mission without detection, and the enemy will not be able to detect any clues."

Zhuo Fang nodded in agreement, "Your Majesty, please rest assured. When the time is right, they will surely be able to successfully bring the real Empress back to the palace unharmed." He then pondered for a moment, his expression solemn, and added, "However, the most urgent matter right now is to find a way to stabilize the enemy. Since they didn't kill the Empress, but instead went to the trouble of finding a replacement to send back, it's clear that the Empress must be of vital importance to them. Therefore, for the time being, the Empress's life should be safe."

"Your Majesty, what you must do now is to maintain the status quo and not reveal even the slightest flaw. First and foremost, you must stabilize the imposter within the palace and not alert the enemy!" Zhao Qiyan nodded slightly in agreement, then slowly stood up and sat back on the dragon throne, symbolizing supreme power. His gaze was deep and solemn, as if he was pondering a response.

After a while, Zhao Qi Yan said, "Okay, I know all this in my mind. I will go in person to meet this person who dares to impersonate the queen and see what tricks she is playing. As for you, continue to do your duties. If any news about Shang'er comes, you must report it to me as soon as possible, without any mistakes!" As soon as the words fell, the people present responded in unison, "Yes, Your Majesty!" and then left the room one after another.

For a moment, Zhao Qiyan was the only one left in the vast study. He sat there quietly, surrounded by silence, only the occasional breeze gently ruffling the curtains. Zhao Qiyan sat alone in this empty study, motionless, like a statue. After a long moment, he seemed to have finally made up his mind. He suddenly stood up, adjusted his dragon robe, and walked out the door.

Meanwhile, inside Qifeng Palace, a palace maid named Qiuye stood anxiously in front of her dressing table. She clutched a comb tightly in her hand, hesitant to comb her hair, her eyes revealing obvious fear and uneasiness.