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

"Dou Zhao, go and investigate..."

"Don't rush the investigation. Go check on Jiang Xin at the other residence first. If she's still there, strengthen the defenses. If she's not..."

Su Zhi interrupted Xiao Zong, but only said half of what she wanted to say, because she had a strong feeling that Jiang Xin had most likely been kidnapped.

"You suspect that the person behind this has abandoned Pu Hong and plans to use Jiang Xin to find the location of Wuyou Valley?"

Xiao Zong immediately understood her meaning and asked with concern.

Su Zhi nodded. "There's no time. We have to go. If the person is really missing, we need to go to the palace immediately to report to His Majesty!"

This matter involves foreign tribes and is also related to the national system of Daqi. We must not make a single wrong move.

The two arrived at the villa by carriage, only to find the gate wide open. Upon entering, they discovered the bodies of the guards in the courtyard and under the eaves.

"Dou Zhao, first send Madam back to her residence, then clean up this place."

Su Zhi grasped his hand, "Going back will only make me more restless. It's better to stay here and see if we can find any clues. You go to the palace first, don't worry about me."

Xiao Zong sighed, knowing that so many things would happen after she became pregnant, he should have restrained himself back then.

"I'm leaving, Dou Zhao. Protect the young mistress."

Dou Zhao nodded, "Don't worry, Master!"

As the sound of horses' hooves faded into the distance, Su Zhi closed the gate and followed Dou Zhao as they walked around the courtyard inside and out.

The murderer did it very cleanly, leaving no clues.

She sat by the railing, sorting out the details of the case.

They were initially misled into believing that Consort Liang, in order to help Prince Jin ascend the throne, colluded with the Eastern Depot and intended to use Xing'er against the favored concubine Zheng Xiangxiang. Unexpectedly, Wei Xueyao intervened and helped resolve this major problem.

Afterwards, Pu Hong used the army and wealth of the Southern Frontier to lure Consort Liang into cooperation. Jiang Rou, as the adopted daughter of the High Priest of the Southern Frontier, intercepted Xing'er and showed goodwill to Xiao Zong, both to protect herself and to protect Prince Qu Jian.

After doing all this, Jiang Rou was still uneasy, so she chose to share this secret with her. Upon learning of this, Consort Liang immediately eliminated Jiang Rou and set her sights on her.

Pu Hong was familiar with the southern border, so he wasn't interested in Jiang Xin; he only wanted the map she possessed. While Jiang Xin was entangled with Pu Hong, Consort Liang made two preparations: one was to have the Eastern Depot send the Leopard Guard to rescue her, and the other was to kidnap Jiang Xin from the villa.

This move can be seen as a desperate measure to save one's life. The execution of the Ninth Prince means that the Eastern Depot can no longer provide him with assistance. Jiang Xin is also a woman of strong character; she might not necessarily betray Jiang Rou and Prince Qu to save her own life.

Su Zhi looked up at the gray sky.

Xing'er and the Ninth Prince explicitly declared their loyalty to Consort Liang, which was one thing, but even the subordinates of the Eastern Depot readily admitted it. Keep in mind, this was a struggle for the throne; Consort Liang, by nature cautious, would never openly discuss such a matter.

She breathed a sigh of relief; something was definitely amiss.

Everything must be overturned and started anew!

The Crown Prince is frail and sickly, and being a child, he has almost no supporters, so we'll leave that aside for now. Now, only the eldest grandson of the Emperor and the Prince of Yong remain, and they still have the strength to compete.

Although the Empress rarely goes out, her status is undeniable, and it's not impossible for her to bring the Eastern Depot under her control. If a prince capable of shouldering great responsibilities is eliminated, even if His Majesty dislikes the eldest grandson, he will have no choice but to appoint him as the crown prince.

Prince Yong's birth mother, Consort Zhou, came from a prestigious family, but was of average appearance. It was said that the late emperor forced His Majesty to take her in, so she had never been promoted in rank for many years. However, her younger brother was the Left Chancellor, so it was reasonable that others would flock to him because of this.

Furthermore, His Majesty's brothers cannot be guaranteed to be completely innocent.

Two dogs fight, play off.

With fewer and fewer candidates for crown prince, this presents an excellent opportunity for those who also possess royal blood.

Su Zhi irritably rubbed the back of her head against a pillar and said sullenly, "This is really a headache!"

Dou Zhao was so frightened by the loud "thump" that he almost jumped out of his skin.

"Young Madam, that's wood, not tofu. Please don't try to break it!"

If he gets mentally impaired from the accident, his master will surely kill him!

After giving instructions to the guards, Dou Zhao came over and said, "Young Madam, if you really can't figure it out, you might as well ask Marquis Changping. He is senior and knowledgeable, and he might be able to give you some advice."

Su Zhi slapped her forehead, "Oh right, how could I forget about my grandfather!"

She jogged all the way to the carriage and asked the driver to take her to the Marquis of Changping's residence.

Chu Xia had not yet left the yamen, but Chu Lanyin was there. Upon seeing her, she crossed her arms and began to recount Chu Xia's crimes.

"Since you got married, how long has it been since you came back to see me? Don't you love Lanyin anymore? I want to see you, but Grandfather and Father and Mother said it's inconvenient for you to visit because you're pregnant. Do you know how much I miss you?"

Su Zhi rubbed her little head, "Back then, the pregnancy wasn't stable, and the doctor wouldn't let me move around too much. I missed you all very much."

Chu Lanyin tensed up immediately, staring at her bulging belly, and asked, "Now? Don't stand there, let's go inside and sit down!"

"It's alright, everything's fine now. I'm eating and sleeping all day, I'm so bored."

"Haha, that's perfect! Sister, come with me!"

Chu Lan spoke urgently, but when she grabbed Su Zhishi, she walked very slowly.

When the two arrived at the backyard, Chu Fengchen heard laughter but was busy with his work and didn't look up.

"Little girl, you've been carrying this vegetable for so long, there won't be any for you to eat later."

When Liang Que saw Su Zhi, she was about to remind her husband when Chu Lanyin gestured for her to shush. Chu Lanyin smiled and nodded to Su Zhi, who returned the gesture with a smile.

"No way! I'm going to eat twenty skewers today!"

"Twenty skewers? Not a single one!"

"Hmph, let's make a bet if you dare."

"What are you gambling?"

Chu Lan said confidently, "If I can get you to willingly hand over twenty meat skewers, yours will be mine too. If I lose, I... won't eat meat for a month!"

"You said it yourself, so don't come crying and begging later..."

Chu Fengchen flipped the meat skewer over, slowly raised his head, and froze for a moment.

After a long pause, he blinked. "Sister?"

"Ah."

Su Zhi smiled and agreed, then took her sister's arm and walked over. "I need twenty meat skewers to apologize to Lan Yin. Will Feng Chen give them to me?"

"Of course I'll give you what you want, sister! But the meat isn't cooked yet, and it's smoky here. Please come inside and sit for a while, and I'll have Que'er take it in later."

Chu Lanyin said smugly, "Brother, please bake mine too."

Chu Fengchen stretched out his oily fingers and poked her forehead, "Go, go, go, go inside."

"Ugh! He's so dirty, sister-in-law, look at him!"

Liang Que covered her mouth and chuckled, "I'll take you to wash up."

After the two left, Chu Fengchen saw that Su Zhi was still standing to the side and guessed that she had something to say, so he asked, "Did you come to see Uncle Chu?"

Su Zhi shook her head, "Look at Grandfather."

Lan Yin was naive and inexperienced; it was better that she didn't know about the intrigues and backstabbing in the imperial court.

Chu Fengchen nodded, "I'll talk to Lan Yin. Grandfather is fishing in the garden. Go quickly."

"it is good."