Su Xuening went out early in the morning with her Buddhist prayer beads to look for people. She had no other clues besides these prayer beads, so she started her investigation from Jing'an Temple, which she was most familiar with.

After offering incense, Su Xuening went directly to find Abbess Mingjing.

Master Mingjing bowed to Su Xuening in Buddhist salutation: "Amitabha, what business does the benefactor have with this humble nun?"

Su Xuening responded with a Buddhist bow: "There is indeed something I need to ask the nun."

"Then please come inside for a cup of tea, benefactor." Abbess Mingjing invited Su Xuening into the house.

"Thank you, Master."

Su Xuening sat down, drank a cup of tea from Abbess Mingjing, and then took out the Buddhist prayer beads: "Please take a look, Abbess, and see if you recognize these prayer beads."

Master Mingjing immediately took the prayer beads and examined them carefully: "This is a prayer bead made of sandalwood. Judging from its quality and size, it should be the largest mother bead in the string of prayer beads."

Su Xuening looked at Master Mingjing nervously: "Does the Master know which temple or monk this Buddhist rosary belongs to, or whether the Master has seen such a Buddhist rosary before?"

Master Mingjing was stumped by Su Xuening's question: "This humble nun has never seen this prayer bead before. However, agarwood is precious, and if a monk can use agarwood prayer beads, then his rank in the temple must be very high."

Su Xuening was stunned for a moment. So that person was a high-ranking monk in the temple, or the abbot of the temple.

No way! If she really is the abbot, wouldn't she have committed a grave sin?

Master Mingjing saw through her thoughts: "Agarwood can calm the mind and soothe the nerves. Many high-ranking officials and nobles also like to make agarwood into prayer beads to wear. Perhaps the person you are looking for is not a monk in a temple."

As she spoke, Abbess Mingjing returned the Buddhist beads in her hand to Su Xuening.

Su Xuening took the prayer beads and was stunned again, meaning that the person might also be a nobleman from the capital.

With just that thought, Su Xuening immediately rejected the idea.

That's impossible. If that person were truly a nobleman from the capital, how could he not seek out women and instead go to the icy pool to suppress the effects of the Love Flower Gu? He's no nobleman from the capital; he must be a Buddhist monk.

But unexpectedly, he was a highly accomplished monk!

Su Xuening immediately felt that she was deeply sinful. The other person was peacefully suppressing the Love Flower Gu in the cold pool, but she went over and defiled the other person's virginity. How could the other person cultivate now?

But how did a high-ranking monk become afflicted by this love potion?

Su Xuening had a bellyful of questions, but Mingjing couldn't answer them either, so she could only get up and say goodbye: "Thank you for your guidance, Master. Farewell."

"Amitabha, please wait a moment, benefactor." Abbess Mingjing bowed to her in Buddhist salutation.

Su Xuening was still thinking about the Buddhist beads after leaving Mingjing's place.

She was really foolish. Since that person had consummated their marriage, he must be a Buddhist. How could she possibly look for him in a nunnery? How could she possibly find him there?

According to Mingjing, that person must be a highly accomplished monk, so he must be quite old.

The image of an elderly high monk immediately came to Su Xuening's mind.

But thinking of the force that person had used in the water, he immediately pulled back a bit.

The man was very robust and did not appear to be very old; perhaps he was a middle-aged high-ranking monk.

Thinking about it this way, she felt even more ashamed.

She became a highly accomplished monk at a young age, which shows how high her level of enlightenment was. Didn't she ruin it all?

However, all she needs is his blood, and to find out the whereabouts of the mother Gu from him. She won't bother him with anything else, and he won't need to take care of the child after it's born. He can continue being a high monk.

Su Xuening glanced in the direction of Longya Mountain.

Since that person went to the cold pool of Longya Mountain to restrain the Love Flower Gu, it means he should not be far from Longya Mountain.

Then she searched all the temples within a hundred miles of Longya Mountain. Now that she had a target, she only needed to find highly accomplished monks, which should make it easier to find them.

As Su Xuening was thinking, she suddenly sensed something and immediately looked in a certain direction: "Come out."

Ye Xue, who was hiding in the shadows, immediately appeared.

Before Su Xuening could speak, Ye Xue knelt down and said, "Your Highness, please rest assured. I am only following you from a distance to ensure your safety. I will not listen to anything I should not hear, nor will I say anything I should not say."

This is a direct declaration of loyalty to Su Xuening.

Su Xuening only told Ye Yu not to follow, but forgot about Ye Xue.

"Get up."

Since she had pledged her loyalty, Su Xuening trusted her.

However, even if she did hear something and went to tell the Empress Dowager or Xuan Yuanzhan, it wouldn't matter. Anyway, she planned to explain things to them sooner or later.

"Thank you, Your Highness." Ye Xue then stood up.

"Su Xuening".

Upon suddenly hearing Su Yuxin's voice, Su Xuening raised her hand towards Ye Xue.

Ye Xue immediately understood and disappeared in a flash.

Su Yuxin stormed up the steps, glaring at Su Xuening, and said, "You're the one who got my father beheaded!"

Su Xuening curled her lips in a mocking smile, her eyes filled with a hint of pity as she looked at her: "I remember when you were forced to leave the Yong'an Marquis's residence, not a single person from the second branch of the Su family came out to see you off! Su Renyi, in order to give me an explanation, simply sent you to this Jing'an Temple. In the past month and a half, has Su Renyi come to see you? Has he written you a single letter? Has he tried to bring you back to the Yong'an Marquis's residence?"

Su Xuening's series of questions made Su Yuxin turn pale. She clenched her fists tightly, her eyes filled with the grievance and resentment of being abandoned.

She had long been abandoned by Su Renyi, so why would Su Renyi still think of her?

But she is clearly Su Renyi's daughter too. Does that mean a concubine's daughter isn't his biological child? Why could Su Renyi just throw her away like a rag?

Su Xuening saw her expression and snorted coldly: "Su Renyi doesn't even treat you like a daughter, so why are you standing up for a dead man?"

Su Xuening then sneered again, "After all, neither of Su Renyi's two legitimate daughters, Su Feiling and Su Muyao, stood up for him after his incident. When he was beheaded, not a single person from the second branch of the Su family was present. Do you think you have the right to question me and to look at me with such disdain?"

The sharpness in Su Xuening's eyes was like a hornet's nest to Su Yuxin.

How could she forget that she was Su Xuening, a woman who single-handedly turned the second branch of the Su family upside down, a woman who could marry into the royal palace unscathed even after being drugged with aphrodisiac, a woman who couldn't even defeat Consort Su, so what right did she have to fight her, especially since she was now the Holy Princess Consort?

Thinking of the completely shattered second branch of the Su family, Su Renyi who was beheaded, Zhong Shi who was beaten with a cane, Su Linyuan who was exiled, Su Muyao whose tongue was cut out, Su Feiling who lost her position as the principal wife, and her who lost her innocence and became a nun.

Considering the fates of the members of the second branch of the Su family, apart from Su Feiling who fared slightly better, she's the only one who's relatively unscathed. Moreover, Su Feiling previously drugged Su Xuening with aphrodisiacs, so Su Xuening certainly won't let her off the hook.

Losing her position as the principal wife is by no means Su Feiling's true fate.