After being exiled for eighteen years, the prince returned to the capital as a veritable immortal.

Royal study room.

The dragon throne, inlaid with gold and jade, faces away from the doorway and towards the bookshelf behind the table.

Dressed in a bright red palace robe, Ji Yu stood bowing before the desk:

"Your Majesty, the Imperial Grandson Si has indeed gone to the Palace of Yao's Mother."

The Empress's voice came from behind the high chair:

"He...found out?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. The mechanism in the pool has been activated."

"..."

silence.

After a long silence, Ji Yu finally couldn't hold back and said:

"Your Majesty, haven't we let the imperial grandson know too much?"

"Sigh... a seventh-grade grandmaster."

The Emperor sighed softly, "Some things simply cannot be hidden."

"Your Majesty is right."

"Do you think his anger can..."

"..." Ji Yu remained silent.

Will the Emperor's wrath be extinguished by the Empress's death?

The Empress was uncertain.

Ji Yu dared not make any further speculations.

Every action taken by the Imperial Grandson exceeded his expectations.

He said truthfully:

"The grandson of the emperor acts in unrestrained and imaginative ways; this servant cannot keep up with his ideas!"

Silence again.

for a long time.

The Emperor's voice rose again leisurely, as if he were talking to himself:

"I never imagined his talent would be so extraordinary."

"The Zhou family bloodline is unparalleled in the world." Ji Yu patted the horse lightly.

"I fear that one day..."

……

The Palace of Yao's Mother.

By the pond.

The damp steps lead directly to the bottom of the pool.

Hu Die looked down, her eyes filled with conflict.

The call from ahead was extremely tempting to him.

however.

A woman's uniquely keen intuition, however, made her wary.

Zhou Yi looked at her with gentle, peaceful eyes.

We neither encourage nor oppose it.

Her life should be decided by her.

"Sister, sister, hehehe..."

suddenly

The Second Prince, Zhou Huai, appeared silently behind Zhou Yi and Hu Die.

In his hand, he held up a small dragon carved from a ginseng fruit.

tonight.

The second prince, who was not very bright, actually attended the family banquet alone.

His mother, Consort Wang, claimed to be unwell and did not accompany him.

at dinner.

Whether it was the ladies-in-waiting or the eunuchs and maids serving him, they all looked at him with disdain.

Unfortunately, he was unaware of it.

When he tries to strike up a conversation with someone, he is repeatedly met with disdainful looks.

The Butterfly Man is kind-hearted and soft-hearted.

I gave him this fruit carving as a way to appease him and make him mind less likely to bother others.

Unexpectedly, he hadn't been able to bear eating it.

Hu Die's eyes showed surprise.

How did the foolish second prince end up here?

It should be noted that Si Xuan had already ordered the eunuchs who had been driven to the door to stop all irrelevant people.

What surprised Zhou Yi and his two companions even more was...

The second prince glanced at the steps leading to the bottom of the pool, his eyes revealing fear.

He grabbed Hu Die's sleeve and walked outside:

"Sister, I'm scared, let's go!"

The second prince has gone completely insane; he has no memory whatsoever, and his IQ is zero.

All actions are based solely on instinct.

It seems that the bottom of this pool left him with a sense of fear.

"Sixth Imperial Uncle".

Zhou Yi sighed inwardly and reached out to pat his shoulder.

A gentle stream of spiritual energy was sent over to examine the other person's body.

The second prince suffered no physical or mental damage, but he lacked intelligence and had no memory.

Zhou Yi smiled calmly, understanding the situation.

simply say.

A person's celestial soul governs spirituality, while their terrestrial soul governs memory and intelligence.

The Heavenly Soul and the Earthly Soul combine to form the Life Soul.

just now.

The Second Prince's earth spirit has disappeared.

Therefore, he can only act on instinct.

Although he couldn't understand the simple words, the second prince could sense the other person's attitude.

Zhou Yi was kind to him, and he took Zhou Yi's arm in return.

"Brother, let's go."

Looking down at the bottom of the pool, Zhou Yi hesitated slightly.

Just now, he violently destroyed the formation, causing the death energy to escape.

Logically, it's best to go down and check as soon as possible, lest things get complicated.

Looking again at the Sixth Imperial Uncle who called him "brother," Zhou Yi felt a pang of sadness.

No matter what, they are his blood relatives.

Under Hu Die's expectant gaze, Zhou Yi turned and left with the Second Prince.

Hu Die glanced back at the bottom of the pool as if by accident, and visibly breathed a sigh of relief.

The temporary respite brought her considerable comfort.

Si Xuan held the dragon-bird in his arms and stood guard by the pond.

……

The second prince was nearly forty years old, yet he was like a child.

Hu Die was worried and escorted him all the way back to Consort Wang's palace—Jiaofang Palace.

Since the Second Prince was already in this state, Empress Wu granted him special permission to enter the palace and live with Consort Wang.

After all, Consort Wang was nearly fifty years old, her beauty fading with age, and Emperor Wu no longer spent the night in the Jiaofang Palace.

If there is anyone in this world who would be good to the Second Prince, it should naturally be his birth mother.

Upon entering the palace gates, the palace maids hurriedly bowed and expressed their gratitude:

"Your Highness, Prince Xie, escort Prince Huai back."

His expression was quite cold towards the Second Prince.

The person had been sent back to the palace, and Zhou Yi and Hu Die were about to leave.

The second prince held onto Hu Die's sleeve tightly.

He grabbed the rope around his neck, took out a close-fitting bronze mirror, and stuffed it into Hu Die's hand.

"I can't accept..."

Hu Die instinctively refused.

How could she accept something from a mentally unstable person?

Moreover, since the other party always wore it close to their body, it must be an important item.

however.

The moment the bronze mirror touched Hu Die's palm, it emitted a faint yellow light.

Hu Die felt a warmth in her heart, and a sense of familiarity arose unexpectedly.

What made her heart skip a beat was...

This mirror seemed to have a consciousness, as if it were a living thing.

How can this be?

Hu Die stood there, stunned.

I don't know whether to accept it or not.

Hu Die looked around.

This bronze mirror is about the size of a palm, with the character "坤" engraved in relief on the back.

It is remarkably similar to Zhou Yi's Qian Yuan Mirror.

“Yes, sister…” The second prince said happily.

Hu Die hesitated for a moment and looked at Zhou Yi.

But he found that the other person was looking around and wasn't even looking at him.

Follow his gaze.

A woman in palace attire walked out from the inner door.

Her face was full of wrinkles, and she looked to be in her fifties.

Age spots on the face indicate that the person doesn't even bother to apply makeup.

"Greetings, Consort Wang." Hu Die was the first to bow.

She had seen portraits of every concubine in the palace, so she recognized them immediately.

Zhou Yi also bowed with his hands clasped in greeting.

Respect for elders should not be neglected.

"Oh, the eldest grandson of the emperor has arrived! The Empress Dowager's Palace is truly honored."

Consort Wang's tone was icy.

Hu Die could even sense a faint sense of disgust.

She glanced at the bronze mirror in Hu Die's hand and said coldly:

"This is an ominous object! Take it away! Take it away!"

Since the other party considers bronze mirrors to be unlucky, there is no psychological burden in accepting them.

Hu Die put away the bronze mirror and was about to express her gratitude.

Consort Wang glanced at Zhou Yi and said resentfully:

“If it weren’t for the Crown Prince, my son wouldn’t have been afflicted by this misfortune.”

?

This bronze mirror is actually related to the crown prince.

Zhou Yi and Hu Die exchanged a glance, a hint of surprise rising in their hearts.

Unfortunately.

The second prince has lost all his memories and cannot be asked about what happened back then.

"Consort Wang, how did the Second Prince obtain this bronze mirror back then?"

Hu Die asked.

"Hmph, I don't know!"

Consort Wang snorted coldly and dismissed the guest, saying, "It's getting late, Prince Yi, please make yourself at home."

Hu Die wanted to ask more questions.

Zhou Yi pulled her up and stepped out of the palace gate.

Behind.

A deep, guttural voice, filled with gritted teeth:

"All the men of the Zhou family deserve to die!"