After being sentenced to death, she came to her senses.

After returning from the palace, Fang Xiaoran was filled with mixed emotions and countless thoughts.

In her opinion, Shang Lingzhu was not the jealous type. Of course, the calmer and more composed a person is, the more stubborn they tend to be, and such people are most likely to take extreme measures.

But the others were completely innocent; they had no intention of arguing with her, yet they ended up like this.

Just thinking about it made an unnamed rage rise within me.

However, Fang Xiaoran eventually suppressed the matter, and nothing is certain yet. She doesn't want to believe just one person's words. If the real culprit who killed her mother is indeed Shang Lingzhu, then she will not let anyone off the hook.

The island in the middle of Houfu Lake remains quiet; few people come to this area, as if it has been forgotten.

Looking at the bamboo forest on the island in the middle of the lake, one can vaguely see a corner of a pavilion. Shang Lingzhu has secluded herself here and rarely comes out. She also never asks about the affairs of the mansion. Now that I think about it, perhaps it is because she is heartless towards the Marquis that she is like this.

Jiang Yuke may seem like the winner, but in reality, Shang Lingzhu never competed with her.

Should we try to probe Shang Lingzhu's intentions?

Fang Xiaoran thought to herself, when suddenly she felt a cold glint in her eye, as if she were being stared at by someone.

The moment she noticed, she turned around abruptly, only to see a familiar figure quickly disappear into the woods. Fang Xiaoran lightly touched the ground with her toes and quickly gave chase.

Perhaps sensing her pursuit, the other party sped up, circling her through the woods several times. Despite Fang Xiaoran's speed, she couldn't catch up. A thought struck Fang Xiaoran: Had her master recovered?

Just as they were wondering what was going on, Mo Wen suddenly plunged into the bushes and stopped.

Fang Xiaoran approached suspiciously and saw that Mo Wen was drawing something on the ground with a sharp stone in his hand.

"Master?" Fang Xiaoran leaned closer, tilting her head to ask tentatively.

Mo Wen did not answer, and continued drawing on the ground.

The patterns were peculiar; they were more like runes than patterns, or even scribbles. But upon closer inspection, Fang Xiaoran felt that these runes were familiar, as if she had seen them somewhere before.

She changed her perspective and discovered that when the patterns were viewed upside down, they were actually the secret codes her master had taught her.

“Little, be careful, Gu Er…” Fang Xiaoran tried to explain, but suddenly her heart skipped a beat. Gu Er was Gu Er, Gu Yuqing!

Why did her master warn her to be careful of this person? Could it be that he has regained his memories?

Fang Xiaoran was extremely excited, but she knew that her master was communicating with her in such code, which meant that there were spies around them, and he could not reveal that he had recovered.

Just as she understood, Mo Wen suddenly stood up, wiped the message away with his foot, and ran forward again. Fang Xiaoran continued to follow and discovered that he left behind many such coded messages along the way, some of which were extremely difficult to translate.

This code word is known only to the two of them, and no one else can know it. Using this method to communicate can achieve a high degree of confidentiality.

Along the way, Fang Xiaoran memorized all the coded messages and began to organize them, trying to figure out what her master wanted to tell her.

The coded message reveals that Mo Wen was in the alley because he had tried to kill someone but failed and was imprisoned there.

Fang Xiaoran knew better than anyone how strong her master was. If even he couldn't contend with him, she couldn't imagine how strong the other party was.

Moreover, who is the person he wants to kill? And why is he telling her to be careful of Gu Yuqing?

No further coded messages were left. It seemed that Mo Wen only intended to tell her this much. Fang Xiaoran knew that he had his reasons for not telling her, so she didn't ask any more questions.

"What are you looking for?"

Suddenly, a soft laugh came from behind.

Fang Xiaoran's breath hitched, and she turned around abruptly, only to see Ye Lan standing under the tree, smiling and looking at her.

Even when she saw him in person, she still couldn't sense any presence from him.

It can be said that very few people can appear behind her silently without her noticing; this person's martial arts skills are far more terrifying than she imagined.

I don't know how much he understood about what just happened, nor how long he has been following me.

Fang Xiaoran was on high alert, looking at him warily, and even subconsciously keeping her distance from him.

He is also Shang Lingzhu's son, and has always been raised by her side, so he must be no ordinary person.

"A hairpin is missing. I thought it must have fallen nearby, so I came to check." Fang Xiaoran remained calm, tucking a stray hair behind her ear, showing no sign of anything amiss.

"Oh?" Ye Lan suddenly appeared beside her in a flash, so fast that he almost left a blur. His voice was gentle, but his eyes were as cold as a deep pool. "What kind of hairpin is it? Why don't I help you find it, sister-in-law?"

“It’s just an ordinary hairpin. It’s alright if you can’t find it. I have nothing else to do, so I’ll just look around. I won’t trouble you.” Fang Xiaoran smiled and shifted her feet slightly, keeping a distance from him that she could make a move at any moment.

Seeing Fang Xiaoran's wariness, Ye Lan suddenly chuckled and said, "Is that so? Since my sister-in-law doesn't need my help, then forget it."

After saying that, he moved and disappeared into the depths of the forest.

This person appears and disappears without a trace, possessing remarkable skills; in terms of strength, he is probably superior to her.

With this in mind, Fang Xiaoran left the place with a solemn expression.

After that, she began to test Gu Yuqing intentionally or unintentionally, trying to see how much he knew about Bai Qiqi's murder. However, not only did she fail to find out anything, but she was also constantly disturbed by him, and in the end, she gained nothing.

Even with their proximity to the source, they couldn't find anything about Shang Lingzhu. It was as if she didn't exist; everything about her was shrouded in mystery, proving that Shang Linglan was right.

This made Fang Xiaoran even more convinced that her mother's death might really have been her doing.

In fact, she could use the Gu Spirit Secret Technique to determine whether someone was telling the truth, but Shang Linglan's health was deteriorating and she might not be able to withstand it. If she really used this technique, she might die on the spot.

Consort Hui knew perfectly well that she had gone to Hanlu Palace. If Shang Linglan died, she might be able to use this to threaten her.

Just as Fang Xiaoran was considering how to clarify the matter, a secret edict was suddenly delivered to her from the palace.

It turned out that Emperor Zhao wanted to see her, which surprised Fang Xiaoran. Why was he summoning her in the middle of the night, and why was she the only one being summoned?

Although she was puzzled, she could not refuse. Since Gu Yuqing was not there, she followed the palace servants into the palace.

The gilded eaves of the Hall of Mental Cultivation gleamed coldly in the moonlight, and the imperial guards standing in front of the hall remained motionless, like clay sculptures.

Fang Xiaoran stepped calmly into the Hall of Mental Cultivation. The hall was brightly lit, yet unusually quiet.

Throughout the journey, the palace attendants remained silent. However, upon entering Emperor Zhao's bedchamber, they stopped moving forward and bowed as they retreated.

I wonder what this means?

Filled with doubt, Fang Xiaoran took a step forward.

A faint medicinal fragrance filled the palace. Fang Xiaoran paused, her fingertips unconsciously clenching her sleeve.

The aroma of medicine was mixed with a faint, almost imperceptible, pungent smell of blood. The gilded incense burner in front of the dragon bed emitted wisps of smoke, casting shadowy patterns on the heavy curtains.

"Your Majesty, this humble woman greets you," she said, her voice ringing out clearly in the empty hall.

A soft cough came from behind the curtain, and Emperor Zhao's voice was hoarse and tired: "Get up, no need for formalities."

Then, the curtain was pulled open by a pale hand, and a slight cough was heard again. The palace servants rushed over upon hearing the sound, but at Emperor Zhao's signal, they quickly tied the curtain back up and helped him sit up against the headboard.

After doing all this, the palace servants bowed and withdrew, and soon only the two of them remained in the large bedroom.

A trace of blood remained at the corner of Emperor Zhao's mouth, and his breathing was extremely weak. Based on experience, Fang Xiaoran knew that he was probably not long for this world.

He was perfectly fine when he went to the imperial palace, so why did he suddenly become seriously ill in just a few months?

At this moment, the person on the dragon bed suddenly smiled palely, but his majesty remained unchanged. "Are you surprised to see me like this?"

Fang Xiaoran lowered her eyes and replied softly, "When did His Majesty fall seriously ill?"

She thought that Emperor Zhao's secret summons was probably because the imperial physicians were helpless with his illness, so he wanted her to give it a try.

"Old ailments are hard to cure." Emperor Zhao only said these four words, but Fang Xiaoran was shocked. So, Emperor Zhao was actually seriously ill for a long time, and he was only able to stay alive until now because of the medicine.

At this critical juncture, Emperor Zhao's serious illness is not a good thing; if the news were to spread, it could cause upheaval in the court and among the people.

Thinking of this, Fang Xiaoran slowly stepped forward and asked softly, "May I take your pulse?"