"Zuo Xingyu, you're in charge of the family temple!"

"Your subject obeys the decree!" Zuo Xingyu accepted his mission and was about to leave when he heard Ji Yingying ask: "What's the matter at the ancestral temple?"

Before she could even enjoy the melon, the Emperor adjourned the court. Ji Yingying had an appointment with the Crown Princess that day, and as she left the palace to go to the East Palace, she bumped into the Crown Prince.

"Where is Young Master Ji planning to go?"

"Alas, Your Highness, I need to go to your palace to speak with the Crown Princess. Are you going back?"

"Let's go back, I'll take you there!"

"Okay," she replied verbally, but in her heart she was thinking: [Is His Highness the Crown Prince interested in me? Why is he taking such good care of me? But this won't do. I'm only ten years old. By the time I'm twenty-five and old enough to get married, he'll be almost thirty-five. I can't stand old men...]

His Highness the Crown Prince: ...Don't worry, he doesn't fancy her.

"What are your thoughts on the Second Prince's actions today, Lord Ji?"

"Second Prince?"

[Xiangxiang reports: This second prince is definitely in trouble.]

【OK】

Good heavens, the Emperor has actually taken control of him, and even brought back the Empress Dowager and the monk. No wonder the Emperor just ordered Zuo Xingyu to raid the family temple; he's not even sparing his own ancestors!

No, that's wrong. The family temple is not the clan temple. The clan temple is where the ancestors of the Ning family are worshipped. The family temple is just a place to worship a Buddha and punish some of the concubines.

Later, for some unknown reason, it became a very efficacious family temple, and many concubines wanted to go and worship there.

[No way, no way, the ancestral temple isn't the Ning family's temple. But judging from the Crown Prince's melon, it seems he won't die—no, he won't die, but he'll be crippled. What's going on? Xiangxiang, bring on the melon!]

[The gossip about the Crown Prince is still being updated, but ever since you became an official, you've been consuming so much of this gossip that Xiangxiang actually has more energy now, so maybe we'll be able to update soon.]

"Oh, okay, then I'll eat more melon!"

Upon entering the East Palace, Ji Yingying went directly to find the Crown Princess, while the Crown Prince took his things and went to the Imperial Study.

The Empress Dowager, the Empress, the Imperial Noble Consort, a group of monks, and the Second Prince were all present.

At first, the Empress Dowager even clamored that the Emperor was unfilial, saying that although she was not his biological mother, she was still the Empress Dowager, and that she was being slandered.

In short, they threatened the emperor with their filial impiety, so the emperor stopped questioning the empress dowager and went straight to interrogate the monks. The monks couldn't withstand the pressure and confessed.

These were all due to the Empress Dowager's inability to suppress her loneliness when she was Empress, and her illicit affairs that resulted in her pregnancy. Unfortunately, the Emperor died not long after they started having sex.

Then she could only secretly give birth in the family temple, which is why the Empress Dowager stayed in the family temple for a year and a half.

"Then where is my son?" The Imperial Noble Consort cried her heart out. The child she had raised for more than ten years was not her own. The Empress supported her, which was a way of comforting her.

"Haha, they've already been thrown out, they're probably all dead by now!"

"You... Pfft..." The Imperial Noble Consort had already been given a slow-acting poison, and now, overwhelmed with anger, she vomited blood.

"Imperial Physician, someone summon the Imperial Physician."

The Imperial Noble Consort was still breathing. She waved to the Empress, then struggled to her feet and knelt before the Emperor: "Your Majesty, I beg you to help me find my daughter. As for the Second Prince... kill him!"

"No, Mother, I don't know anything, really." Upon hearing that he was to be killed, the Second Prince panicked, truly fearing that the Emperor would kill him.

"good!"

The Emperor agreed: "Guards, take the Second Prince away and imprison him in the Imperial Clan Court. Give him a white silk noose and a cup of poisoned wine. As for the Empress Dowager, she is ill. From today onwards, she will never leave Cining Palace. These monks will be executed on a chosen day."

"Your Majesty, please have mercy! It's all thanks to the Empress Dowager..." Before the leading monk could finish speaking, his mouth was covered and he was dragged away.

As for the Empress Dowager, she was also asked to return home.

When the music ended and the audience dispersed, the Imperial Noble Consort also collapsed. The imperial physician examined her pulse but ultimately shook his head.

"Your Majesty, I know I made a mistake, I'm sorry, but I really can't continue looking for my daughter. Please help me, Your Majesty, this is the reward..." A very beautiful jade pendant was handed to the Empress.

The Empress recognized it as the jade pendant belonging to her family's merchant caravan. With this jade pendant, she could make one request of the caravan: murder or arson!

This is her last trump card!

"Okay, I'll help you, but you need to take good care of yourself and wait for your daughter to come back."

"I can't wait any longer, Your Majesty. When you find her, remember to give her this box for me, and tell her that it's my mother who is sorry to her."

Ultimately, the person could not be saved.

...

When Ji Yingying came out of the East Palace, she learned that the Imperial Noble Consort had passed away. In the blink of an eye, Ji Yingying felt that there was more gossip to be had.

She was about to go eat some melon seeds when she was dragged away. She was so scared that she was about to turn into a machine gun and start shooting when she realized it was her own father.

"Oh dear, Dad, you scared me to death! What happened?"

“Naturally, we should leave the palace and return home. It’s already time to leave the office. If we don’t leave now, we won’t be able to get out.”

"Huh? Okay then!"

When she returned home from the palace, her eldest brother actually came. Having not seen him for a long time, Ji Yingying happily rushed up and gave him a bear hug, only to be pulled down by her father.

"My child, you are a young lady now. You should keep your distance from men. Don't be so impulsive as you were today!"

“Yes, girl, you’re a young lady, don’t be so frivolous…” Fang Yulan also tried to persuade her, but her words were weak and powerless. After all, she knew her own daughter very well. She wouldn’t listen to reason, and even if she did, she wouldn’t change her ways. She was very stubborn!

"What are you afraid of? This is my brother, my own brother. What's wrong with me hugging him?"

"Ha, your brother is a man, so it's not always possible."

Ji Jiaming said with a smile, "Dad, don't talk about my sister. Sister, look what your brother brought you."

He carefully opened the box, and inside was a bright pearl, a particularly beautiful one at that.

"Ah... Brother, where did you come from?" His greedy eyes fell on Mingzhu, then he reached out his wicked hand: [So beautiful! I've struck gold! I'm rich!]

"This was found by my brother during his travels, and he brought it back for you."

[Huh? No, something's not right with my brother. He was chased and fell off a cliff, and after recovering from his injuries for so long, some gold digger in that village actually tried to seduce him, and almost succeeded.]

[Luckily, my brother was smart and ran away, otherwise that woman would have succeeded in sleeping with him and cheating on him. My brother, you've worked so hard. I'll give you half a chicken wing tonight!]

Goodness, she's really his sister. She knew he was suffering, but she only gave him half a chicken wing.

Ji Cailiang and his wife also glanced at him worriedly, and only breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that he was alright.

At night, Ji Yingying was lying in bed reading a storybook when she suddenly heard a sound outside that sounded like wind and rain.

"Apple, Granny Xia, what's going on outside?"

The noise continued, but no one answered her...