In late winter and early spring, the weather is still chilly despite the change in temperatures.

As the year draws to a close, and the new year begins after New Year's Eve, the palace is gradually becoming lively and festive.

Only Yelan Pavilion remained deserted and quiet, with hardly anyone even seen cleaning the courtyard.

Everyone says that Xiao Heye has always preferred quiet, but this is too quiet.

Su Tiyue hadn't seen him for two or three days and assumed that Xiao Heye had gone out of the palace on business, so she didn't think much of it.

As dusk fell, the sky and earth turned a hazy yellow, and everything became indistinct.

Su Tiyue was having dinner when a young eunuch she didn't recognize suddenly came to Tingyu Tower, saying he had come to deliver a message.

He didn't say who wrote the letter, handed it to Qingwu, and then left.

Qingwu lowered her head, looked the envelope over with suspicion, and then handed it to Su Tiyue: "Your Majesty, this letter is of unknown origin, and we don't even know who wrote it. Could you please take a look at what's written inside?"

Liu Wan also found it strange: "Apart from the letters from our manor, Her Highness has not corresponded with anyone else... Could there be a mistake?"

Su Tiyue put down her chopsticks and took the letter, saying indifferently, "Who cares who wrote it? Just open it and see."

She opened the pale yellow envelope. Inside was a piece of white paper with writing on it. Before Su Tiyue could even open the paper, her gaze was drawn to a dark red stain on it…

It's blood.

She frowned, her expression turning serious.

A vague unease began to creep into my heart.

Liu Wan and Qing Wu also noticed the unusual thing on the paper, and they both fell silent.

The atmosphere inside the room suddenly became quiet and eerie.

Su Tiyue opened it with a suspicious look, but was almost startled. This... this is not a letter at all.

This is clearly a letter written in blood!

These words were written in human blood!

Moreover, only six words were written on the white paper: "Su Lang is in my hands."

Clearly, the Su Lang he was referring to was Su Tiyue's cynical and unrestrained second brother.

“Someone arrested my second brother. This is clearly a threatening letter... The sender is up to no good.”

Su Tiyue stood up, looked at the letter in her hand again, and said, "But this is not Second Brother's handwriting either."

Seeing her tense expression, Qingwu comforted her, "Your Highness, could it be that someone is deliberately playing a trick on you? Let's write a letter home tonight and ask your husband and wife to find out if it's true or not."

Liu Wan nodded and said, "Yes, please don't rush. Let's figure things out first."

Su Tiyue thought for a moment, folded the letter and held it in her hand. She instructed, "Liu Wan, write a letter back to the manor now to ask about the situation. I will go to Yelan Pavilion to find Master Xiao. Perhaps he can find the little eunuch who delivered the letter and ask him about it."

Liu Wan replied "Yes," and then quickly walked towards the study.

Actually, going to Yelan Pavilion was just a matter of trying one's luck.

Su Tiyue knew that Xiao Heye hadn't been around for the past few days.

But when she entered the inner courtyard, she found that the light in Xiao Heye's room was on. She was overjoyed and unconsciously quickened her pace.

She pushed open the door and, in the dim light, saw him sitting in a round-backed chair with his back to the long table; Su Tiyue could only see his back.

She stepped inside, pulling a letter from her sleeve as she went: "Chief Secretary, I received a very strange letter. Your return is just in time... Help me take a look..."

Before she could finish saying the word "look," the person behind the long table slowly stood up, then turned around and looked at Su Tiyue with a sinister smile.

That smiling face was creepy, and... Su Tiyue realized that this person was not Xiao Heye at all, and she didn't know him.

I have never seen this person in the palace.

Taking two steps back, Su Tiyue asked warily, "Who are you? Why are you here...?"

He walked around the long table, took a few steps toward her, and nodded slightly: "This servant, Hanzhou, greets Your Highness, Consort Shu."

"Han Zhou?" Su Tiyue whispered his name, confirming again that she really didn't know this person.

"Your Majesty, this servant is the Deputy Director of the Eastern Depot." Han Zhou raised his eyes and smiled at her with ill intent.

Su Tiyue looked the man up and down, crumpling the piece of paper in her hand and holding it tightly in her palm: "Are you his person?"

Clearly, the "he" Su Tiyue was referring to was Xiao Heye.

Han Zhou said, "I suppose so, I am his younger brother."

This is the first time I've heard of this. Xiao Heye actually has a younger brother?

The person Su Tiyue was looking for wasn't there, and judging from the person in front of her, he wasn't a good person.

No, what good people are there in the Eastern Depot?

She didn't want to linger, so she said, "I see... Since Master Xiao isn't here, then I won't disturb you any longer."

After saying that, she turned and walked out.

"Su Lang is in my hands."

The man behind her said those words to her back, followed by his dull, obsessive, and morbid laughter.

"Heh... Your Majesty, I didn't expect that I would guess right... When something happened to your own family, the first person you thought of was my brother. Is he almost becoming your savior?"

Su Tiyue turned around and stared intently at him, unfolding the letter in her hand for him to see, and asked, "Did you write this letter?"

Han Zhou didn't deny it. He approached her with a wicked smile, then handed her a wooden box, saying with a forced smile, "This servant wrote the letter, and this servant also arrested the person... Your Majesty, take a look, is this Su Lang's finger?"

finger?

She slowly opened the box. Although Han Zhou had warned her what was inside and Su Tiyue was prepared, she was still terrified when she saw the bloodstained finger.

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