“Aunt, that wild girl is very fierce. You should send more people over, otherwise you may not be able to deal with her.”

"How could she possibly rebel against her? A-Miao, you go with the little princess yourself. If His Highness dares to say anything more, just say it was my idea."

The maidservant beside her, called Amiao, nodded and left Laiyin Palace with Shen Jiadai.

Meanwhile, on the other side, the obedient Song He'er was grinding ink for Jiang Huaifu, filling the room with the intoxicating aroma of paper.

After a while, a woman who looked like a maid walked in from outside.

She looked unfamiliar; Song He'er had never seen her before.

"Your Highness, Aunt Miao from the Queen's side has arrived, and she has brought Princess Jia Dai with her."

Song He'er couldn't help but roll her eyes. What did she mean? It turned out that this little girl couldn't beat her on her own, so she went to ask the Queen for help.

Jiang Huaifu's face showed no change in expression; in fact, he was much calmer than before. His slender fingers held the brush, and he practiced calligraphy on the paper with ease.

The maid, left standing there feeling embarrassed and unable to go out to explain herself, could only ask again, "Your Highness, it's not often that the Queen's people come over. It wouldn't be right to have someone waiting outside, would it?"

After a long silence, the man in front of the desk finally spoke: "I know what the Empress Dowager means, but my mind is made up about today's matter. No one can change it. Go and inform her."

The maid remained standing in the same spot, refusing to move.

After all, Ah Miao was a favorite of the Queen, and everyone had to give her face. Although the young prince was not seeing her now, if someone else spread the word, she would inevitably be scolded.

Seeing that the maid was reluctant to leave, Jiang Huaifu had no choice but to send Song He'er to personally escort the maid out.

"Your Highness? I... I'll go deliver it?"

"You've left, and this task is finished. But all you need to do is report back and then return to my side."

Song He'er was completely confused, but she had no choice but to listen to him and leave the room with her maid.

Pushing open the two heavy doors inlaid with jewels, two stunning figures came into view, one a bright red, the other a dazzling yellow.

"Our prince summoned me to report that he is unwell today and will not be receiving guests."

The maid named Amiao looked older, about five or six years older than the arrogant Shen Jiadai, and her demeanor was naturally more dignified.

From this, Song He'er could deduce that this was Aunt Miao, who served the Queen.

The man was indeed surprised when he first saw Song He'er, but after a short while, he regained his composure.

"So you're the one His Highness recently found to serve him?"

Following proper etiquette, Song He'er bowed to them and said, "Yes."

"Our lady wants to see you. Please come with me immediately!"

"His Highness said that after I finish my reply, I must immediately return inside to serve him. This servant dares not disobey the imperial decree."

Shen Jiadai snorted coldly and stepped forward to reprimand him: "You dare not disobey the imperial decree? You have contradicted me time and time again. Isn't that insubordination? My aunt summoned you. Did you dare not go?"

“This servant has only one master, and that is Your Highness. I will not listen to anyone else’s words or obey anyone else’s orders. Isn’t this the loyalty that a servant should show?”

Shen Jiadai was once again speechless. A Miao had witnessed Song He'er's silver tongue today, so she didn't dare waste time on this little hedgehog and only wanted to hurry back to report so that the Queen could come up with a new solution.

Seeing them leave, Song He'er breathed a sigh of relief and returned to her room.

Upon entering, I found that Jiang Huaifu had already left his desk and gone to rest in the innermost cubicle.

"Your Highness, now that you've rested, I'll take my leave."

She has to go! She needs to go to the post station to see her mother!

As for what happens next, let others handle it. Since the Queen won't be able to see her soon and will have to send someone else to look for her, it's better to find an excuse to leave and avoid the situation for a while!

Jiang Huaifu didn't speak, and Song He'er assumed he had agreed, so she quietly closed the door and left.

As she walked down the corridor, she happened to encounter some unfamiliar soldiers, who stared at her from head to toe as if they had seen something rare and unusual.

Song He'er held her breath and tiptoed out of the palace.

The dark path left her momentarily disoriented, unsure of which way to go. Suddenly, a grayish-blue wooden plank appeared on the cobblestone path, and it was slowly moving...

Did she go the wrong way? Did she end up next to the cellar where the small kitchen stores vegetables?

Song He'er found a dimly lit spot, squatted down, and quietly watched this side.

In a short while, two or three soldiers came out, carrying some unidentifiable items behind them. One after another, more than a dozen more people came out...

Song He'er was filled with surprise. This was not a cellar at all; it was a secret passage!

This place must also lead to the outside of the city.

She remembered reading in historical records that some monarchs would build secret passages for the convenience of warfare and for transporting soldiers and provisions outside the city.

But this secret passage is too strange; it's not inside the royal palace, but rather in this secluded little garden...

"I hear someone coming this way?" a patrolling soldier whispered.

"You must have misheard! This is forbidden territory! Who would come here? I think it's just our footsteps. Don't be paranoid, hurry up, we still have things to deliver!"

"It's the middle of the night, can't people even get a good night's sleep!"

Song He'er held her breath and waited until those people left before standing up from the corner and hurriedly walking back.

Given the current situation, it's not advisable to go to Qin Xiaoniang's place. After all, there are so many patrolling soldiers, and if we were to be convicted of something, it would be a huge loss. We've finally discovered a major secret, so it's more important to take good care of ourselves.

At this very moment, A Miao and Shen Jiadai have just returned to Laiyin Palace and are reporting the situation in detail.

"Your Highness, I've seen it, and it does look very much like her. She's also quite stubborn. I think it's because His Highness is backing her up; otherwise, how would she dare not come to see you?"

Queen Shen closed her eyes tightly, as if countless sorrows were devouring her, and she was in so much pain that she did not want to return to reality.

"Over the years, the knot between me and Afu has never been untied, all because of a woman, a woman! Is he going to abandon his mother?"

Shen Jiadai stepped forward, comforting her while tears streamed down her face.

"Aunt, my cousin is a man of great loyalty and affection. Perhaps he has forgotten about it, but who knows where this vixen will come from? Don't worry, Aunt, I will definitely help you get rid of this major threat!"