After changing their clothes and putting on heavy cotton cloaks, the two left the guest room and headed towards the main courtyard.

The guest room was located in a corner of the palace, and given the vast size of the palace, the two of them had to walk quite a distance to reach the main courtyard in the center.

The snow on the road has been cleared, but the cold wind at night still makes it hard for Shenmian to breathe.

Jiang Yinjin wasn't much better off. She covered her mouth and nose with a handkerchief and asked with concern, "How are you? If you really can't walk anymore, stop for a while. I'll go and talk to the Prince and try to get a sedan chair for you."

"I'm fine."

Illness comes like a landslide, but recovery is like pulling silk from a cocoon. I feel like I'm walking a tightrope right now.

One step deep, one step shallow.

She looked ahead. Although there was a street lamp at intervals around her, the ancient street lamps were incomparable to the bright modern street lamps. The light was dim and could only be used to determine basic directions, and could hardly illuminate anything.

modern……

She had only been there for less than a year, but it felt like a lifetime had passed.

It is unknown whether modern time has progressed in this year, whether she is dead or alive, whether she has become a vegetable, or whether she has simply disappeared.

If she disappears, her family will be worried if they can't find her, right?

...She seems to have disappeared now, but I wonder if Fengchu knows, and if he does, will he be worried?

Almost a year has passed since he transmigrated into the book. Whether it was when Fengchu was initially incited by Jiang Yinjin to fight with the madam, or later when he fought for his voice in the imperial examination for her sake, he has always treated her extremely well.

It's so delicate that you'd be afraid it would melt if you held it in your mouth, and so fragile that you'd be afraid it would break if you held it in your hand.

He never scolded her, especially since she had just recovered from a serious illness, yet he forced her to walk in the cold night.

Thinking about it, Chen Mianmian sighed.

Seeing this, Jiang Yinjin frowned and whispered, "Don't lose heart, we will definitely get out of here! Believe me!"

Shen Mianmian looked at Jiang Yinjin, smiled and nodded, "I believe you."

Jiang Yinjin appeared calm on the surface, but inside she was panicking terribly—in fact, she was very disheartened, but she couldn't bear to see Chen Mianmian sighing.

Finally, the two arrived at the main courtyard.

Enter the dining hall.

Hongye said, "Please rest for a while, ladies. The Prince is still busy with official duties and will be here soon."

Jiang Yinjin pleaded, "Miss Hongye, could you please have the kitchen prepare a bowl of ginger tea?"

Hongye then remembered, "I'm sorry, it was my oversight. I'll arrange for someone to prepare it right away."

After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

The ginger and brown sugar water was brought over, along with the King of Qin.

When the King of Qin saw the ginger soup and the pale-faced, trembling woman, he realized something. Then, he looked at Hongye and Lulu with a sinister gaze, as if blaming the two for failing to fulfill their duty to remind them.

The two were so frightened that their faces turned pale, and they hurriedly knelt down on the spot.

The King of Qin said to Shen Mianmian and Jiang Yinjin, "Take your seats."

"Yes, Your Highness." The two obediently sat down at the table.

A cold wind blew through her, making her feel dizzy and disoriented. She stared at the ginger soup in front of her, her eyes unfocused.

The King of Qin frowned. "Drink the ginger soup."

Chen Mianmian paused for a moment, then said, "...Yes, Your Highness."

The King of Qin did not press further and instead began to eat his meal.

Jiang Yinjin had no appetite, but dared not disobey the King of Qin, so she could only eat a bite here and there while looking at Shen Mianmian with concern.

After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

Dinner is finally over.

Jiang Yinjin barely ate anything, and Chen Mianmian, needless to say, only drank a bowl of vegetable porridge in addition to a bowl of ginger soup.

The King of Qin looked at the sickly and listless Chenmianmian and felt irritable. He had been looking forward to it all day, thinking that he could hear Gu Zi's whispered thoughts when he returned at night, but she fell ill and barely uttered a few words all night.

Women are so delicate and troublesome.

Just as the King of Qin was feeling frustrated and unwilling, he heard Jiang Yinjin say, "Your Highness, do you have time later? I have something important to tell you."

The King of Qin looked at Jiang Yinjin's serious expression and the Gu Zi beside her, who was lost in thought, and said, "Go to the study... we'll talk here."

As he spoke, he said to the maidservant serving him the meal, "Clean it up."

Upon receiving the order, the maids immediately filed in and soon cleared away the leftover dishes from the table, serving fragrant tea and some fruits.

They opened the window a crack to let in some fresh air and dispel the smell of the food. They also lit some incense.

The room was quickly cleaned up again.

The King of Qin then said, "All of you, get out."

"Yes, Your Highness."

The servants left, and soon only Prince Qin, Shen Mianmian, and Jiang Yinjin remained in the dining hall.

What does Jiang Yinjin want to say?

This refers to the matter I discussed with Chenmianmian yesterday.

She hadn't planned to say it right away, but just before leaving the guest room, Shen Mianmian stopped her and demanded that she tell her today.

The reason is that they were not prepared, and neither was the King of Qin.

Everyone started from the same point. Although they were at a disadvantage, the King of Qin did not gain much advantage. After all, the King of Qin was busy with official duties during the day and did not have much time to consider their affairs.

By the time they have thoroughly studied their plan, the King of Qin might have also come up with a countermeasure.

Since that's the case, we might as well catch him off guard.

The more sudden the event, the less prepared the King of Qin would be, and the greater the chance of success.

Jiang Yinjin was persuaded, so she decided to give it a try during dinner today.

The King of Qin raised an eyebrow and looked at Jiang Yinjin. "What is it?"

Jiang Yinjin hesitated and looked at Shen Mianmian, "Your Highness, what I want to say may be... inconvenient for Miss Shen to hear."

The King of Qin picked up his teacup, took a slow sip, and said, "It's alright, speak."

Jiang Yinjin and Shen Mianmian were both shocked. They looked at each other and exchanged glances.

Shen Mianmian thought to herself, [Didn't the King of Qin ask what it was about beforehand? Even if the King of Qin was also reborn, he didn't know I had transmigrated into the book, so why didn't he try to hide it from me? Why did he just let an outsider know that the two of them had been reborn?]

The King of Qin sneered – So, Gu Zi actually thought he had been reborn?

He didn't intend to refute or explain, letting her imagine whatever she wanted. Besides, he was already interested in her wild and unrestrained imagination.

Jiang Yinjin withdrew her gaze, pursed her lips, and then said in a deep voice, "It's like this, Your Highness. A while ago, the Emperor was furious. I heard that the Empress had tried to persuade the Emperor that, if things go as expected, the Emperor would depose the Empress soon."

Since the two believed he had been reborn, the King of Qin simply accepted it without showing any surprise, and said, "Continue."

Jiang Yinjin and Shen Mianmian both thought to themselves – King Qin really knew!

Suddenly, a wave of dizziness washed over Chen Mianmian, disrupting her thoughts. She pursed her lips, trying her best to fight the dizziness with her willpower.

Because Shen Mianmian's complexion had been bad before, the other two did not notice anything amiss when she silently resisted.

Jiang Yinjin said in a low voice, "After the Empress was deposed, her two general brothers, Xue Yongyan and Xue Yingrui, were driven by certain factors to defect to Prince Jin. It was because the two of them brought their troops with them that Prince Jin had the confidence to rebel."

The King of Qin's eyes narrowed, then his gaze swept discreetly toward the direction of the Gu.

If Jiang Yinjin is lying, the Gu Zi's inner voice will make the judgment for her.