Regent, please maintain your aloof image.

Inside the carriage, Mu Jinchen closed his eyes, resting.

Su Qianrou poured him a cup of tea and said, "Have some tea to sober up."

Mu Jinchen slowly opened his eyes, took the drink, and then took a sip.

Su Qianrou helped him put the teacup down, and then said, "You too, you knew my dad and the others were deliberately making you drink, but you kept drinking without refusing. See, you're feeling bad now."

"It's alright."

“Even if you didn’t drink, they couldn’t do anything to you. But you did it all, accepting every drink offered. Luckily, my dad, my brother, and Xiaoyu are all moderate drinkers, otherwise you would have gotten sick from drinking.”

"They are your family" implies that I respect them because they are my family.

Su Qianrou was stunned for a moment, looking at him with a strange feeling in her heart, but she did not delve into it, and asked with concern, "Are you feeling very uncomfortable?"

"fine".

"Why don't you skip the palace and go back to your residence to rest?"

"It's alright. I still have some memorials to deal with. I'll return after I've finished them."

Seeing that he didn't cherish himself, Su Qianrou said somewhat defiantly, "Whatever, you're the one who's suffering anyway," and then said nothing more.

When she returned to the palace at noon, as soon as she entered Yanxi Palace, Juxia came forward to greet her, "Your Highness, you're back. General Yang has been waiting for you for a long time."

"Uncle, when did he arrive?"

"Half an hour ago."

"Why didn't you send someone to notify me?"

General Yang refused, saying that it would allow you to return home in peace.

"Where is my uncle right now?"

"garden".

Su Qianrou then walked towards the garden.

In the garden, Yang Wenchang sat on the bank, watching the fish in the pond, lost in thought.

Su Qianrou walked over and said, "I'm sorry to have kept Uncle waiting."

Upon hearing this, Yang Wenchang looked at him, then stood up, bowed, and said, "This humble general greets the Princess."

"Why is my uncle treating me like a stranger?"

"Ritual must not be abandoned."

"Uncle, please sit down."

"Please, Your Highness."

After sitting down, Yang Wenchang asked impatiently, "Your Highness, is what you said in your letter true? Is there really another hidden story behind General Liu's death?"

"Ok".

"The princess knows the truth."

"Know".

"How did the princess find out?"

"Does Uncle still remember Li Hongye?"

Yang Wenchang thought for a moment and asked, "Are you talking about Li Feng's son?"

"Yes, he was in the study when General Liu was murdered, so he witnessed everything."

"What? You're saying he's in the study?"

"right".

"Please tell me in detail what exactly happened, Your Highness."

"Back then, he and his friends were playing hide-and-seek and happened to hide in General Liu's study..." Su Qianrou recounted the whole story in detail.

"Therefore, it was Liu Mingye who killed General Liu, not Li Feng."

"That's right."

"I knew it. Given Li Feng's character, how could he possibly kill General Liu on a whim? But Liu Mingye insisted that he was the one who killed General Liu and hastily convicted him. I found that strange at the time. I never expected that he would be the one crying 'stop thief' in the thief's cry."

"Now, if we want to overturn the case, we can only prove General Li's innocence by obtaining General Liu's memorial from back then. However, Xiao Yi has been searching for a long time but has not been able to find the memorial."

"Xiao Yi is...".

"Sister Qianrou," Li Peiyi said as he walked over.

"He is Xiao Yi, also known as Li Hongye, the son of General Li."

"You're Xiao Ye," Yang Wenchang said excitedly, standing up and looking Li Peiyi up and down.

"I have met General Yang."

“So alike, so alike, you’re practically a carbon copy of your father,” she said, then added with a sigh, “Time flies. I remember you were the naughtiest of all the kids back then, and you made your father angry a lot. Every time he beat you, you would run to me or go to General Liu and hide behind us. Now time has flown by, and you’ve grown up so much. You’ve suffered all these years.” As she spoke, she couldn’t help but feel a little sad.

"No matter how hard life is, it's not as hard as my grandfather and my mother's."

"Don't worry, I will definitely help you."

"Thank you, General."

"Why are you being so formal with me?"

"Uncle Yang".

"That's right."

"Uncle, sit down and let's talk."

"Yes, sit down and talk."

Then, the two sat down.

Then, Yang Wenchang asked, "Did Your Highness summon me here today because there is something you need my help with?"

“I heard that General Liu had a follower named Yuan Shan, who is now my uncle’s subordinate.”

Yes, that's right.

"The memorial is currently missing, so I'd like to ask my uncle to inquire with him to see if he has any clues."

"Okay, I'll go back to find him now," she said, then got up and prepared to leave.

Su Qianrou reminded him, "Uncle, this matter should not be publicized, lest we alert the enemy."

"Don't worry, I know. I'll be going now."

"Okay, Uncle, take care."

Yang Wenchang left quickly.

Li Peiyi asked, "What should we do if even Yuan Shan has no leads?"

"Now we can only take it one step at a time."

Li Peiyi lowered his head and remained silent.

"Believe me, I will definitely exonerate General Li."

"Ok".

Royal Palace

In the Imperial Study, Mu Jinchen immediately sat down at the dragon desk to process memorials upon arrival.

Yingfeng was nowhere to be seen. After a while, he came in with a cup of tea in his hand. He walked to Mu Jinchen's side and said, "Your Highness, have some water."

"Leave it for now."

"Your Highness, why don't you take a sip first?"

Mu Jinchen ignored him.

Helpless, Yingfeng had no choice but to walk aside and wait.

After some time, Mu Jinchen felt thirsty, so he picked up his teacup, took a sip, and found something was wrong. "What's going on? Why is this sweet?"

"This is honey water, which the princess specifically instructed me to use, saying it can help with hangovers."

Mu Jinchen didn't say anything then, and stared blankly at the cup. Although he didn't like it, he still took another sip and found it quite good.

Yingfeng, unaware of his unusual behavior, continued, "By the way, Your Highness, the Empress Dowager has bribed a eunuch in the Jade Book Pavilion to find the memorial that General Liu submitted eight years ago."

The memorial submitted by General Liu was from eight years ago, which made Mu Jinchen think twice, so he said, "Have someone investigate."

"Yes".

Barracks

Yang Wenchang rode back to the military camp at full speed, and as soon as he arrived, he ordered someone to summon Yuan Shan to his tent.

A short while later, Yuan Shan arrived at his tent. "General, you were looking for me?"

"Yuan Shanben remembers that you were once General Liu's attendant."

"Yes".

"Then I shall ask you, before General Liu was murdered, did he give you a memorial to send to the capital?"

Yuan Shan became somewhat uneasy and remained silent for a long time.

"This matter is of utmost importance, please answer truthfully."

"Reporting to the General, you have been granted permission."

"What about that memorial? Why didn't you send it to the capital?"

"General Liu told me that the memorial was very important and that I must deliver it to the late emperor. However, just as I was about to set off, my mother suddenly fell ill. I rushed home in a hurry, and not long after, I received news that General Liu had been murdered. So I rushed back to the general's mansion to deal with General Liu's funeral arrangements. Then I forgot about the memorial." The more she spoke, the more guilty she felt, and she couldn't help but lower her head.

"Is that memorial still in your hands?"

"Yes, I've always kept it."

"Do you know the contents of the memorial?"

“I don’t know. I haven’t opened it and read it. Moreover… I’m illiterate. Later, I remembered this matter and wanted to send it to the capital immediately to give to the late emperor. But then General Liu came to ask me about it. I felt that something was wrong, so I kept it a secret. I’ve kept that memorial all this time.”

"Where is that memorial now?"

"Right in my humble home."

"Go and fetch it immediately, and remember, do not disturb anyone."

"Yes," Yuan Shan replied without delay, and immediately returned to his residence to retrieve the memorial.

Subsequently, Yang Wenchang wrote a letter and asked Yang Lin to personally deliver it to Su Qianrou.