Chapter 27: This guy looks like he deserves a beating~

Shen Yu rested his elbows on the table, rubbing his chin with his thumb. "Based on my experience, organizations like this always have their own jargon. Even if we manage to infiltrate, we'll be easily exposed. We can follow the clues for now, search for clues, and then act accordingly."

"Okay." Qi Xin responded, then seemed to recall something and asked, "But why did you sneak in yourself in the first place? Wouldn't it be better to send someone else? If all else fails, you could just send Sister Shuang. I thought Sister Shuang meant the same to you as Xiao Ba, Sister Bai, and the others. So, you don't even trust her?"

Chen Yu lowered his eyes for a moment and said nothing more.

Seeing this, Qi Xin added stubbornly, "You're being too suspicious, aren't you? From now on, who can you trust?"

After Qi Xinfang asked this question, she felt that she had said something wrong. She kept thinking back to Shuangjiang's words:

No matter what decision he makes, he will support him without hesitation.

Chen Yu, a general who became famous at a young age and has experienced many hardships, is so cautious, but he would trust a royal princess whom he has not known for long?

Why?

It can't be that because I am as notorious as he is, I feel that we are both wanderers in the world.

Chen Yu interrupted her thoughts and said angrily, "Don't you wish that the person who comes to save you is me?"

"No, no, no, this is to prevent you from being exposed." Qi Xin realized that he had said the wrong thing and apologized with a smile. "Oh, thank you for saving me so many times. Tell me, do you want me to call you Marshal Shen or Duke in the future? It's up to you."

Chen Yu was already feeling pent-up anger, and after she stirred it up like that, he felt like he was going to spit out blood. He closed his eyes, secretly regulating his breathing, and said stiffly, "I actually hope you'll call Master back."

When Qi Xin heard this, she felt like she had already dragged out all the stories of his ancestors in her heart. When she couldn't help but want to retort, Chen Yu added:

"Or even if you could just call me by my full name, it would be better than having to keep these two cold code names on your lips every day."

Qi Xin suddenly realized that the reason he rejected these two titles so much was probably because they were both titles attached to the Da Sheng royal family. No matter which one was mentioned, it might bring back some unknown past of his. Even Sister Shuang and the others called him "Seventh Master", probably for the same reason.

"Okay, I understand." Qi Xin didn't dare dwell on this matter any longer, so he turned around and asked, "So, our next step is to check for the castor wood powder, or do you have any other plans?"

"According to the date, it should be Qingming Festival." Chen Yu asked, "Will the palace hold a poetry gathering to commemorate the ancestors like in previous years?"

"The Emperor hasn't issued an edict yet, but judging by convention, I guess it will be the Minister of Rites, Lord Wen, who will do it." Qi Xin pondered.

"I just feel that when Qi Ling volunteered for the return ceremony, he probably thought that even if the truth came out, he could still put the blame on Lord Wen. But the strange thing is, Lord Wen is a minister after all. If I could see the flaw, how could he not avoid the disaster in time?"

"Interesting." Chen Yu tapped his cheekbone with his index finger and chuckled, "Let's wait and see. However, I do have something I'd like you to join me on."

"What?" Qi Xin raised his eyes and asked.

Chen Yu placed his hands back on the table and said, "This is my first Qingming Festival since returning to Shengdu. Would you like to go with me to burn some incense for my father?"

Qi Xin readily replied, "Of course, no problem. The old Duke devoted his entire life to Da Sheng. As a descendant of the Da Sheng royal family, I haven't had the opportunity to pay my respects to him yet, which is truly disrespectful. Once I know the date for the ancestral memorial poetry gathering, I'll let you know, okay?"

"Hmm." Chen Yu slightly bent his five fingers, and tapped the table lightly with his index finger.

Mentioning Qi Ling, he couldn't help but recall that her mother, Concubine Chu, was originally a noblewoman of Western Dan, who later married into the Sheng Kingdom. Western Dan was not a martial nation and had been poor and weak for many years. It was only after Concubine Chu married Emperor Shengde that it began to develop.

Back then, the Western Dan Kingdom and the Sheng Kingdom had no conflict with each other, and they were even old friends. How could they suddenly attack?

Moreover, even if the Imperial Army was leaderless at the time, they could have just promoted a general. Why did he have to leave the Imperial Army for many years and lead the army into battle with his father, with whom he had little interaction?

Furthermore, the battles against the Western Dan Kingdom in the western battlefield initially brought frequent victories, but then, for some unknown reason, the tide suddenly turned, and after a series of defeats, news came that my father had died on the battlefield. All of this was like a whirlwind, too sudden.

A different version of the rumor circulated, claiming that Emperor Shengde's generous burial for the old Duke was a gesture of gratitude for his years of service and their early friendship, a way to cover up a major blunder in his frontline command. Thanks to the emperor's favor, the old Duke passed away with honor; had it been anyone else, they would have suffered a miserable end.

Right and wrong are all fleeting, and people just talk about them as topics of conversation after dinner. As for the truth, not many people care about it.

But his father, who had commanded the National Salvation Army for many years and had led hundreds, nearly a thousand battles, was a towering figure in his mind, as imposing as a mountain. His father's presence had fueled his youthful vigor and ambition, as if everything was thanks to his father's blessing. He was always eager for quick success, wanting to be like his father, a commanding general with the awe-inspiring power and commanding influence.

When all these things he had dreamed of finally fell on his shoulders, he realized that he was a coward who had not only broken his own legs but also nearly destroyed the entire National Salvation Army.

All the young men from noble families have someone to rely on, but he alone is disappointed in Ningbei.

He had pressed the issue in court, but he had been dejected. Furthermore, many years had passed, and now, the most likely way to find clues about his father's affairs was through this person from the Western Dan Kingdom. The hostage sent by the Western Dan King was too young at the time and probably knew very little. It would be better to start with this Concubine Chu. Perhaps he could learn something.

Besides, that Wen Shao——

Not only did Xiaojiu notice something, but she herself had also felt that something was wrong with him over the past few years, but she couldn't figure out what it was.

He was a dozen years older than her, and she had met him a few times before in the imperial court. He seemed quite a decent person. But she wondered if this man, who had held a high position in the Ministry of Rites for many years, was still as incorruptible as before.

Qi Xin had noticed earlier that whenever Chen Yu reached a critical juncture, he would tap something with the tip of his index finger. Seeing this, she felt that the information had been nearly shared, and she had already expressed her gratitude. She still had to comply with the emperor's order to see her mother. Although she was reluctant to face him, she had to pretend and not delay any further.

She stood up, supporting herself on either side of the couch, and said tactfully, "If there's nothing else, I'll leave first. The Imperial Uncle has helped Father find a way down, and it's my turn to visit the Queen Mother and apologize."

Chen Yu hummed indifferently again, and she had no choice but to leave first.

Qi Xinfang left for a moment, and Shen Yu suddenly realized something. He quickly stood up, walked out of the inner room, suddenly opened the door of Shuangjiang's room, and ordered:

"Hurry, go after her. Xiaojiu will be entering the palace soon. Find an excuse to accompany her. When you pass by Zilin Palace, be sure to keep an eye out for Concubine Chu and the Fourth Princess Jinghe."

"Yes, Seventh Master." Shuangjiang buttoned the hidden weapon bag on his sleeve and chased after him at the speed of an arrow.

Qi Xinfang came out of the secret passage and came to the ground. Just as he was trying to figure out how to turn the "turtle"-shaped mechanism to close the secret passage gate, he saw Shuangjiang suddenly jump out. He laughed dryly and said:

"This mechanism is too sophisticated. I don't know how to use it. Thank you for your hard work in restoring it."

Hearing this, Shuangjiang took two steps forward, working swiftly as he spoke, "I heard Xing'er went to see Princess Xiangning off. Master Qi is worried about your safety, so he asked me to accompany you to the palace and then send you back to the Princess's residence safely."

Qi Xin nodded silently, then led her onto the carriage that they had rented to avoid being seen, and drove straight towards the palace.

Qi Xin ordered her to stop the carriage at the side gate of the palace, and then she bent over and lifted the curtain to get out. The eunuch waiting at the palace gate saw her and immediately came forward to steady her feet on the steps at the curtain entrance. He then helped her out of the carriage and bowed to her, saying, "You are my friend!"

"Your Highness, the Princess, His Majesty and the Empress have been waiting for you at Kunhe Palace for a long time. Please come with us now."

As the eunuch said this, he caught a glimpse of an unfamiliar face from the corner of his eye and said in a dying voice, "Excuse me, Your Highness, who is this?"

Qi Xin felt awkward listening to his androgynous voice, but he couldn't bear to offend this popular figure around his father, so he just followed his tone and said perfunctorily:

"This princess returned to the capital not long ago, and the family is sparse, so I bought some new ones. It's understandable that you find them unfamiliar, eunuch."

"Why didn't Miss Xing'er come with us?" The eunuch kept asking relentlessly.

"She escorted Princess Xiangning back to Prince Yuyang's Palace." Qi Xin really didn't want to bother with it any more, so he responded briefly.

The eunuch stretched his neck and looked for a long time, but couldn't see anything unusual. He then ended the interrogation and led her into the palace.

The journey from the side gate of the Imperial Palace to Kunhe Palace inevitably passed through Zilin Palace. Since my father hadn't been able to find me before, I presumably had already been there. And for some reason, Qi Ling was similar to me in one respect: she rarely visited the palace. But if I were to say that she had a bad relationship with Concubine Chu, I couldn't find any reason to support it.

In this case, after seeing off the emperor, the mother and daughter had to say something. There was quite a distance from Zilin Palace to Kunhe Palace, and the two of them must have wanted to confirm that the emperor had arrived at Kunhe Palace before they could say some private words. She was really surprised that the mother and daughter, who usually didn't talk to each other, could say anything at this critical moment.

"Ouch!" Qi Xin stopped immediately, pretended to be in excruciating pain, pressed his abdomen, and bent down.

The eunuch looked at her wrinkled face, quickly stepped back to support her arm, and asked in a panic, "Your Highness, what's wrong with you?"

Qi Xin maintained her hunched posture, one hand still pressing against her abdomen, while with the other hand she unnoticeably shook off the eunuch's support, waving her hand and saying, "Perhaps, perhaps I was a little anxious just now and got a stitch in the side. Please inform the eunuch in advance. I'll come right after I rest."

The eunuch narrowed his eyes, unsure whether her sudden illness was real or fake, so he could only feign concern and say:

"Really? You don't need to call the imperial physician? If anything happens to you, Your Highness, we can't afford it! Even if we have a thousand heads, it won't be enough to chop off."

"You are too kind, eunuch." Qi Xin felt a lump in her throat. She had never realized that this eunuch was so good at manipulating others. On the surface, he was flattering her, but in fact, he was watching over her for her father. This was even more clever than the methods used by the Dali Temple to interrogate prisoners. She hurriedly said:

"You are embarrassing me. I have come to apologize to my father and mother, and I cannot wait any longer. I am afraid that I will be inappropriate in front of the palace. I hope you will be kind enough to tell me that I have entered the palace and please inform me in advance. I will just consider it as a favor for you, okay?"

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The author has something to say: ps——

The originator of palace fighting drama must be "The Legend of Zhen Huan". I was busy with my studies earlier and didn't have the chance to watch it, but I can catch up later. The voice of the eunuch here is really hahahahaha. I was browsing rednote at night and saw a small video. It was a guy who learned the two completely different tones of a new eunuch and a veteran eunuch. It was really super interesting, hahahahaha~

Note:

[1] Scooping quail

"The quail laughed at it and said, 'Where can it go? I leap up, only a few feet down, and soar among the weeds. This is also the limit of my flight. And where can it go?' This is the argument between small and big." - Zhuang Zhou, "Xiao Yao You"