The man paused, seemingly surprised that Song Xizhi had asked about this matter.

However, he still answered, his voice seemingly calm and rational: "His Majesty misses the Crown Prince. He thinks of the late Empress and feels guilty towards the Crown Prince."

Mentioning the late Empress, Song Xizhi's weariness gradually disappeared, and she said, word by word:

“Consort Zhen told me that His Majesty often goes to a forbidden area in the imperial palace to remember the late Empress. He probably went to that forbidden area today, which is why he was attacked.”

She stared intently at him, and the unspoken words seemed to be conveyed in her eyes.

He Jingyan naturally knew what she was going to say next.

He stretched out his long arm, bent down and wrapped his arms around Song Xizhi's waist, then lifted her up in his arms.

The man's breath was close at hand, and suddenly her chest was pressed against his hard and hot chest.

Song Xizhi was startled by his sudden movement, his heart skipped a beat, and he suddenly leaned on his chest.

"I haven't changed my clothes or put on my shoes yet!"

The man simply grabbed a cloak and draped it over Song Xizhi, then used his light-footed skill to leap out of the side hall window.

"They weren't wearing shoes or socks, and they stepped on my hands."

At this moment, Song Xizhi was completely shrouded in his heavy cloak, and he was so angry that his teeth were itching.

He was just investigating the truth in a forbidden area, but now he's making it sound like they're having an affair.

He Jingyan's lightness skill was unparalleled; he had already evaded all the palace soldiers and arrived at the forbidden area mentioned by Consort Zhen.

The sound of the hot spring flowing in your ears, and you can even feel the dampness and heat.

The two felt as if they had returned to that night at Heyan Mountain.

However, He Jingyan did not search for long tonight before discovering the location of the fight between Emperor Guangqi and the assassin.

Not far from the forbidden area lay the corpses of two assassins, their blood gushing out and their weapons scattered.

He Jingyan landed slowly here, and once again smiled at Song Xizhi with his eyes lowered:

"It's inconvenient not having shoes and socks here, so why don't you step on my feet to avoid getting blood on the ground?"

If you were to step on his shoes, you would have to hold onto his waist with both hands to make sure you didn't fall.

Song Xizhi was unwilling to do such a thing. She stared at the two assassins' corpses and, without hesitation, decided to rush over and perform an autopsy on them.

The man sighed, reached out and put his arm around her waist, stopping her from moving.

He first spread his cloak on the fallen leaves, then pulled out shoes and socks he had prepared from somewhere, knelt down on one knee, and took Song Xizhi's feet in his hands.

Then he carefully and attentively put on her shoes and socks.

Song Xizhi was stunned by the man's sudden movement, then felt the man's burning heat on the soles of her feet.

His fingertips were a little rough, and his movements were a little clumsy, but when he lowered his head, he was incredibly serious and so handsome.

Song Xizhi closed his eyes.

After he put on his shoes, Song Xizhi turned around to check the two assassins' corpses behind him.

The bodies had obvious external injuries, and it was clear at a glance that the two men were killed by Emperor Guangqi during a fight.

However, Song Xizhi also found some red powder in some of their wounds, and the amount of red powder was even more than that in His Majesty's wound.

She was slightly taken aback when she heard a man's voice in her ear: "Their weapons are the same as His Majesty's wounds, but the blades are not poisoned."

Upon hearing this, Song Xizhi frowned slightly, then recalled the emperor's reaction when he was on the verge of death.

"It wasn't the assassin who smeared poison on his weapon, but everyone's wounds were contaminated with poison."

"That could only be because poison was sprinkled on the emperor's wound after he was injured."

"The emperor knew what the poison was, but was unwilling to say. He also knew what the antidote was, but was somewhat unsure. Therefore, the emperor was aware of the poison, and it had nothing to do with the assassin. It was probably brought by the emperor himself."

As Song Xizhi was speaking, she heard a man's low voice whisper in her ear: "It could also be somewhere around this forbidden area."

"As the two sides fought, the sword whistled through the air and landed on everyone's wounds."

As He Jingyan spoke, he suddenly grabbed Song Xizhi's slender waist again, and then used his lightness skill to fly to a tree near the corpse.

This tree is very tall, with a lush and dense canopy. If you don't look up, you really won't notice it.

Once the two reached the treetops, Song Xizhi sniffed and indeed smelled that faint fragrance.

It's the fragrance emanating from the emperor!

Song Xizhi's eyes lit up, and the two of them held their breath at the same time to avoid inhaling the powder.

Immediately afterwards, she looked around hurriedly, not noticing that when the man smelled the fragrance, his breath hitched slightly, and his eyes became deep and unfathomable.

The flowers on this tree are purple, and they bloom exceptionally beautifully in the cold winter, densely hidden among the green leaves.

The petals of the flower are long and narrow, somewhat resembling the shape of a datura flower.

The powder probably came from the pistils of fresh flowers. Song Xizhi dared not get close to smell the powder, so he could only pick a few leaves to examine it carefully.

“I can’t identify what kind of plant this big tree is, but it must be the one that caused His Majesty’s pulse to stop and his breath to cease. Moreover, the scent is the same as that of the late Empress.”

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