Help! The cunning and treacherous minister and I were reborn together!

As the two ate and chatted, Su Zhi recalled his earlier words and couldn't help but feel worried.

Among the princes, only Prince Jin is considered outstanding, but this man intends to harm Xiao Zong. The position of crown prince must not fall into his hands!

Of the princes, only Prince Yong was relatively amiable. To support Prince Yong, it was necessary to remove the obstacles.

The Prince of Jin's homosexuality has already displeased His Majesty; with a little maneuvering, he could easily fall out of favor. In contrast, the eldest grandson of the Emperor is much more difficult to deal with. With a grandmother who is the Empress and a maternal uncle who is a Grand General, if they join forces, the Prince of Yong has absolutely no chance of winning!

"The Empress usually observes a vegetarian diet and chants Buddhist scriptures. I don't have much contact with her, but even though she doesn't fight or compete, she can't protect the eldest grandson of the Emperor. I think she probably won't keep enduring this forever."

Xiao Zong nodded in agreement: "The Empress relies on nothing more than her brother, General Zhao. If she intends to compete for the throne, she will definitely take action when General Zhao returns at the end of the year."

Su Zhi put down her chopsticks. "His Majesty dislikes the Empress, but he dares not depose her because of General Zhao. But isn't he afraid that General Zhao will become dissatisfied and rebel because of his cold treatment of the Empress and the eldest grandson?"

He wanted to, but dared not!

Xiao Zong continued, "General Zhao is over sixty years old. His eldest and second sons have both died on the battlefield, leaving him only with his youngest daughter. If the Zhao family is to prosper for a long time, military power must be handed over to his daughter. However, His Majesty will not allow power to fall into other hands. If General Zhao dares to transfer military power, His Majesty will dare to bestow a marriage upon his daughter. The two have tacitly agreed to this, and the stalemate has lasted for many years, to the point that General Zhao's daughter is twenty-two years old and still unmarried."

Su Zhi rested her chin on one hand, "But the border is far from the emperor's reach. If General Zhao's daughter wants to marry, how could she not hide it from His Majesty?"

Xiao Zong smiled indulgently, "Think about it some more."

Her amber eyes darted around, and Su Zhi suddenly realized, "His Majesty has people in the army!"

"You're so smart." Xiao Zong patted her head, put some food on her plate, and said gently, "Eat some more."

"I'm not eating anymore." Su Zhi patted her belly. "The little one is full too."

Xiao Zong nodded and instructed the maid to remove the food.

Su Zhi was feeling unwell after becoming pregnant. After chatting with him for a few minutes, she was already too sleepy to keep her eyes open. Xiao Zong carried her to the bed, covered her with the quilt, and stared blankly at her rounded belly.

The child is only four months pregnant, but her belly looks quite big.

It would be better to have Chen Qing find a doctor to come to the mansion when it gets light.

Xiao Zong slept soundly through the night. At the sound of the rooster crowing, he rose and dressed, giving Chen Qing instructions as he fastened his belt. Chen Qing nodded repeatedly, indicating he had remembered.

A light drizzle began to fall outside, and Chen Qing inwardly cried out in alarm, "Master, I'll go get the carriage ready for you!"

Xiao Zong spoke up to stop him, "Don't bother, just bring me the raincoat."

"Eh!"

Chen Qing responded and turned to leave.

The maids placed the porridge and dishes on the table. Xiao Zong ate a couple of mouthfuls haphazardly, took the raincoat from Chen Qing, and went out the door.

When Su Zhi woke up, it was pouring rain outside. The maid helped her get dressed and, seeing her furrowed brows, guessed that she was worried about the master, so she offered an explanation.

"Master is wearing a raincoat when he goes out, so he won't get wet."

"That's good."

Even so, listening to the increasingly heavy rain outside the window, Su Zhi felt inexplicably panicked.

With a thunderous roar, a withered leaf fell to the ground, landing perfectly in a puddle.

Eunuch Fu hurried along, ignoring the rain soaking him, rushing towards the main hall. His shoes crunched through fallen leaves, splashing water everywhere.

He passed through the back hall, opened the side door, and rushed down the steps.

Xu Dahai saw the person, slowly walked down, and asked what had happened.

Eunuch Fu whispered in his ear, "Consort Yuan has passed away!"

Xu Dahai's eyes widened, and he quickly turned back to report the news to His Majesty.

The court assembly came to an end, and the officials, suspecting that something serious had happened in the palace, walked slowly with their umbrellas in hand.

Just as Xiao Zong turned the corner, he was suddenly pulled by a hand. He was about to retaliate when he realized that the one who had done it was Consort Yuan's personal maid.

"This is a sacred site of the former dynasty. How dare you trespass on it? Are you out of your mind?"

The palace maid's face was pale from the rain, and her voice was trembling with sobs.

"The matter was urgent, and I couldn't think of anything else. Please forgive me, sir!"

His Majesty just suspended the court session, something big must have happened. Xiao Zong stopped pressing for punishment and inquired about the reason.

"What business does Consort Yuan have with me?"

"This servant has come to deliver news of death. Her Majesty... has died!"

Xiao Zong was stunned. Jiang Rou was in good health, so how could she have suddenly passed away? Could it be that something had happened to Xing'er?

"Tell me exactly what happened."

The palace maid, weeping uncontrollably, said, "Xing'er went out at dawn, and Her Highness sensed something was amiss, so she and I secretly followed her. Halfway there, the lights suddenly went out, and then three palace maids who looked similar to Xing'er appeared. Her Highness suggested we split up to follow her, and I followed her all the way to the vicinity of Bailu Palace, where I lost her. On the way back, I saw Her Highness lying against the wall, and when I checked her breathing, she was already gone."

"What did the doctor say?"

"The imperial physician said that Her Majesty has no external injuries or signs of poisoning, so she is probably possessed by an evil spirit."

Xiao Zong's eyes were icy cold. Possessed by evil spirits? How could he say that!

Did Consort Yuan leave any messages before she passed away?

The palace maid shook her head. "No."

Where is Xing'er now?

"This servant was just about to tell you, sir, that Xing'er has gone missing!"

Xiao Zong was in a state of confusion. Xing'er had disappeared, Yuan Pin had died, and the incident had occurred in Bailu Palace. Could it be that Consort Liang was trying to silence him?

He took a deep breath. "Go back immediately. Whether Consort Yuan is possessed or murdered, you must pin the blame on Xing'er. While His Majesty is present, beg him to thoroughly investigate this matter!"

"Yes!"

The palace maid wiped away her tears, turned around, and ran back into the palace.

Xiao Zong was restless. When he arrived at the Leopard Guard, he sent Dou Zhao back to his residence to check on things.

The doctor had just finished taking her pulse, and Su Zhi was still immersed in the joy of having twins when she saw Dou Zhao running over in the rain. She led him into the house, quickly instructing her maid to prepare towels and ginger soup, and then sat down opposite him.

"You rushed back, but your husband is in danger?"

Dou Zhao shook his head, "No, it's because the master was worried about the madam and asked me to come back and check on her."

"I was so scared! I was on edge all morning, thinking..." She breathed a sigh of relief and put her hands together, saying, "It's a relief that nothing happened. I was just scaring myself."

She initially wanted Dou Zhao to convey the good news, but after careful consideration, she decided to tell Xiao Zong herself.

Dou Zhao frowned. "Something big has indeed happened, but it's not about adults, it's about the palace."

Su Zhi's heart clenched again. "What happened in the palace?"

"Consort Yuan has passed away!"

"what?"

Su Zhi's ears rang, and she almost fell over.

Dou Zhao shouted, "Madam, be careful!"

Su Zhi steadied herself and waved to him, "I'm fine, just a little dizzy."

Dou Zhao was filled with regret. If he had known his wife would react so strongly, he wouldn't have told her. What if something had happened to his wife and child? His mother would have skinned him alive!