Chu Yun and Prince Xiao had been in a cold war for several days. After she was taken away, Prince Xiao never came to see her.

Gradually, she realized how ridiculous it was for her to be angry and make a scene in front of Prince Xiao in her current ugly state.

Therefore, she stopped being angry with King Xiao and instead decided to find someone who could heal her face and arms.

She can't stay ugly like this forever, or she'll end up with nothing.

Meanwhile, Xiao Churen had already spent money to spread rumors among the people that Su Liluo's mother was a spy from the Northern Desert.

Soon, the rumor spread like wildfire, becoming widely known.

*

"Oh no, Your Highness! Something's happened!"

The Crown Prince's Residence.

Ranmei rushed from the corridor into the courtyard in a panic. Su Liluo was leisurely sitting in a rocking chair in the courtyard, reading a medical book.

"What's wrong? Why are you in such a panic?"

Su Liluo asked casually.

Ranmei took a breath, suppressing her shock, and slowly said, "Your Highness, when I went to the backyard to get something just now, I heard the servants talking. Someone outside said that General Su's deceased wife was a spy from the Northern Desert."

"What did you say?"

Upon hearing this, the usually nonchalant Su Liluo immediately stood up from the rattan chair in surprise.

"Say what you just said again?"

She looked at Ranmei and said.

"When I went to the backyard, I heard the servants talking. They said that people outside were saying that General Su's deceased wife was a spy from the Northern Desert. They said that it was because of her that General Su lost to the Northern Desert back then."

Ranmei repeated it again seriously.

Isn't General Su's wife the mother of their Crown Princess?

If she is a spy, then the Crown Princess's identity becomes very sensitive.

Ranmei naturally understood the reasoning behind it, which is why she immediately rushed over to tell Su Liluo.

"Luo'er!"

Just then, not long after Ranmei finished speaking, Xiao Ye also appeared at the entrance of the courtyard.

Seeing Su Liluo's shocked expression and then looking at Ranmei's panicked look, he roughly guessed what had happened.

"You've heard about those rumors circulating outside, haven't you? Don't worry, I'll definitely find out who's spreading these rumors."

Xiao Ye stepped forward to comfort him.

He had just heard the rumor today and immediately thought of coming back to tell Su Liluo.

This rumor didn't circulate more than a decade ago, but it's only now starting to spread, which is enough to show that it was a premeditated scheme, and the target of this scheme was none other than his crown princess.

"How many days has this rumor been circulating? Where did it start?"

Su Liluo inquired.

"It started spreading in the capital city in the last two days, but we don't know exactly where it originated. It spread so fast that it was almost everywhere overnight."

Xiao Ye said with a frown.

"With such a rapid spread, it must not have originated from one place, but rather spread simultaneously throughout the capital. The person behind this must have gone to great lengths."

Su Liluo frowned and pondered after hearing Xiao Ye's words.

Rumors that spread extremely quickly, originating from multiple sources simultaneously, are very difficult to trace back to their source because they amplify in the shortest possible time.

"Luo'er, is your mother really from the Northern Desert? Who knows about this?"

Suddenly, Xiao Ye remembered something and asked.

His question made Su Liluo's eyes light up.

“My mother did meet my father in the Northern Desert. This is something that only the Su family knows, and they haven’t told anyone else. So the Su family must be involved in this matter, but it seems that the Su family doesn’t have the ability to do so now; they’re out of money.”

As she spoke, Su Liluo lowered her eyes again.

The second branch of the Su family is indeed the most suspicious, but they don't have any money. The fact that this rumor could spread so quickly must have required a lot of money and manpower.

“They have no money, but they can tell others about it.”

Xiao Ye continued, following Su Liluo's words, and a dangerous aura began to emanate from his entire body.

The second branch of the Su family has fallen to such a state that they still dare to cause trouble. It seems we really can't let them continue to exist.

Once this matter is investigated and clarified, he must not allow the second branch of the Su family to exist in this world anymore.

"We have quite a few enemies now, including King Xiao and King Chu. None of them want the best for us."

"You're right, as is the Regent of the Northern Desert, who also has a grudge against me. All these people have motives. It's just hard to say which one it is."

All things considered, she had quite a few enemies in the capital of Daliang.

"Let's keep a low profile for now and investigate secretly. Since they're spreading this rumor, it's bound to reach Father Emperor eventually. Let's see who steps forward first, and then we'll retaliate."

Xiao Ye analyzed.

Since there are too many enemies, the only way to win is to see who can remain calm. The more critical the moment, the less likely we are to lose our composure.

*

"Father, is what people outside are saying true?"

The Regent's temporary residence.

Gao Yufei excitedly ran in from outside the door.

Gao Changhong was listening to his subordinates' report inside the room when he saw Gao Yufei suddenly burst in from outside. He waved his hand to let his subordinates leave first.

During this time, he had been working hard to find the whereabouts of the Snow Lotus.

What are people outside saying?

Gao Changhong asked.

Gao Yufei sat down next to Gao Changhong affectionately, looking at him with a questioning gaze.

"People outside say that General Su's dead wife was a spy from our Northern Desert. He lost to our Northern Desert back then because of this spy."

Is it true that his legal wife is the mother of the Crown Princess?

Who spread this message?

Upon hearing this, Gao Changhong's expression immediately turned serious.

If Jiang Ruan is a spy, that would be good!

Unfortunately, she wasn't.

"That's what everyone outside is saying, but we can't find out who said it."

Gao Yufei was curious and puzzled when she saw her father suddenly get angry.

"Father, is she really a spy for our Northern Desert? If so, then wouldn't the Crown Princess be...?"

Gao Yufei looked at Gao Changhong seriously again.

If this is true, then the Crown Princess will definitely not be able to stay in Daliang. If we can take this opportunity to bring her back to Beimo, she can take revenge.

Gao Changhong frowned deeply. He remained silent for a moment before saying, "Of course it's fake. If there were a spy, why would I let her give birth to a child of the Liang people!"

Despite the complex love-hate relationship between him and Jiang Ruan, he could not tolerate anyone insulting her.

Although Jiang Ruan was indeed from the Northern Desert and has now passed away, she had lived in the Great Liang for so many years. Given the nature of those in power, if her identity as a spy were confirmed, they would probably dig up her grave to vent their hatred!

He certainly couldn't let her suffer such humiliation!