The sickly son died young? After the marriage exchange, I will bring prosperity to his entire clan f

"Who would be so foolish as to try to assassinate my uncle? I'm afraid they'd get hurt before they even managed to hurt him."

Wen Yibin chuckled, sheathed his sword, and led the man directly to the study in the side room. "Why are you here so late?"

"Come over and ask your uncle if he's made any new discoveries today."

Wen Yibin looked Du Mingxian up and down before slowly speaking, "I only know that the higher-ups are looking for someone. As for who it is, they only said it's suspicious. They didn't give any specifics, but it must be a man."

“When we searched the residences of officials, we found that any place with signs of corruption had been emptied by the people behind it.”

"What if it were a powerful family? Would they be willing to accept that?"

Wen Yibin shook his head. "The foundation of aristocratic families is incomparable to that of ordinary families. They will also have their own considerations. Besides, those things of aristocratic families must have been hidden away long ago, and they would not let us search them. The officials who have taken money now are all from families without a foundation, and it can be determined that they are corrupt."

They still have some principles; they don't search for just any kind of money.

"Does Uncle know where these things ended up?"

"I don't know. We've been searching outside all day. If you want to know, I'll have someone keep an eye out tomorrow."

Du Mingxian stared at Wen Yibin, "Uncle was searching in front, while those people were just moving things around behind. Uncle did all the troublesome work."

"Yes, but they were corrupt officials to begin with. After this incident, once order is restored, they will all be imprisoned anyway, so the impact won't be significant."

Lord Wen told Wen Yibin about what was happening in the palace. There was nothing Wen Yibin could do now but follow orders. When he saw Du Mingxian, he still kindly reminded her.

"Don't go out too much lately, just stay home. The capital isn't safe."

"I understand, Uncle. Don't worry."

"Alright, go back now. If there's any news tomorrow, I'll have someone secretly send it to you."

"it is good."

Du Mingxian didn't stay long; she still had something to take care of. She didn't know how Guo Miaomiao was doing. Among the search party were Taposhri, who must know their prince.

At night, there are patrols, but it's dark, so she sneaks over and manages to get to her destination by hiding here and there.

However... the small courtyard where Guo Miaomiao used to live is now empty.

She walked around twice but found nothing, so she went home first.

She wandered around outside all night, and it would be dawn an hour before she got home. When she entered her room, she tiptoed around, afraid of waking Ling Silang.

But Ling Shilang still woke up. "I'm back."

She stepped forward and asked, "Aren't you asleep?"

“I’m always worried when you go out; things aren’t safe outside right now.”

"Don't worry, I'm back. Go to sleep."

Du Mingxian originally wanted to go into the space, but she didn't plan to go in now. She and Ling Silang slept on the bed in the room.

She was exhausted after running all night, so she lay down and fell asleep.

For the next four days, Ling Silang continued to go on duty during the day and went into his spatial dimension to rescue the Emperor when he returned at night. Du Mingxian did not go out again, and the capital was still under martial law, with no one allowed to go out.

Some families were not allowed to go out to buy rice or flour when they ran out; they had to find their own way. If they were found out, they would be executed immediately. The methods were harsh.

This is what Ling Silang saw with his own eyes when he went out to work. Moreover, these days, regardless of rank, officials are not allowed to bring any attendants when they go out; they can only walk to their duty station by themselves.

There have been complaints these past few days; everyone is dissatisfied.

After Ling Silang returned, he continued to administer acupuncture and medicine to the Emperor. Only after finishing these tasks did he quietly breathe a sigh of relief. "The Emperor's condition has finally stabilized. The poison in his body has been neutralized. However, the strong medicine they used on him earlier has prevented him from waking up yet. He needs further treatment."

"Then let's take it slow. The Crown Prince should have a solution." Du Mingxian's mindset has calmed down these past two days.

"I'll keep watch tonight, if..."

Before Ling Silang could finish speaking, Du Mingxian heard a commotion outside. She gave Ling Silang a look, and the two of them left the space together. They heard a bell ringing outside, and Chunfeng and the others had already arrived at the door of the room.

"My lord, my lady."

Du Mingxian stepped forward and opened the door. "I'm a little confused. This is..."

"The Lady is a death knell; the Emperor has passed away."

Du Mingxian gaped in shock. These people were too daring. They couldn't keep it a secret any longer, so they simply killed someone.

Du Mingxian had never experienced a national mourning before, and her heart tightened upon hearing about it. Fortunately, she was in her own space and didn't know what the situation was like in the palace.

“Madam, according to the rules, you are all required to attend the funeral. Since the master’s rank is not high, you will be placed at the back.”

"Oh, okay." Du Mingxian was still in a daze. This was her third life, and this was the first time she had experienced a national mourning, even though it was fake.

Chunfeng and Xiayu had been living in the capital and knew more about this, so the family wasn't in a complete mess. They quickly arranged for everyone to make mourning clothes, and all the brightly colored ones had to be put away.

Ling Silang and Du Mingxian's mourning clothes were the first to be made. After they were finished, the two hurriedly went out and encountered other people on the way.

As they walked to the palace gate, it was almost dawn. Ling Silang, being an official, was invited into the palace, while Du Mingxian, because of Ling Silang's lower rank, was directly stopped outside the palace gate.

Moreover, a large area outside the palace gates was left open for the female relatives of officials of the third rank and below to use for mourning.

Du Mingxian looked over and saw that quite a few people had arrived, and these were all officials below the third rank, showing how many officials there were. She found a spot at the back and knelt down. After a while, another person came and knelt beside her. Turning her head, she found that it was Liu Ya.

After kneeling down, Liu Ya lowered her head and cried, her voice not quiet at all.

Du Mingxian couldn't cry, but she didn't say anything either. She would make a show of crying from time to time. With so many people around, even if each person made a little noise, it would still make quite a commotion.

Not knowing what a normal state mourning is like, Du Mingxian and the others knelt until noon. No one brought them water or food, and there were guards surrounding them.

Although they were women of the third rank or below, many of them were pampered young ladies who had always lived a life of luxury and had never suffered such hardship, not even being allowed to bring maids.

After kneeling for so long, some people couldn't take it anymore and fainted in the afternoon.

If anyone fainted, a burly old woman would immediately step forward and carry them away. Du Mingxian didn't know where they went.

They hadn't eaten or drunk anything all day, and by nightfall, several had already been carried out, but many more were still holding on. Du Mingxian, being watched closely, didn't dare to eat or drink either, and was feeling extremely unwell.

Finally, when it got dark, she first hid it with her sleeve and drank some water, then slipped half a piece of chocolate to Liu Ya.

Liu Ya knew that Du Mingxian was beside her. When she was given something, her heart was pounding in her chest, but she pretended to be calm and quickly put the thing away.