Song Chengze took Meng Qi's cloak and gently placed it on the rack. He watched her look around the room carefully without saying a word, and told Zhang Decheng with a smile that other people could wait in the east wing when they arrived.

When Meng Qi turned around, Song Chengze was holding a teacup in front of her and said with a smile, "Would you like to take a look inside?"

Meng Qi blushed and took the teacup, saying, "What's there to see? It's just a place to sleep."

Song Chengze smiled and said, "There's really nothing special about my study. It's just comfortable to live in on weekdays. There's a row of plum trees behind the east wing. It's quite picturesque when the flowers bloom in winter."

Meng Qi took a sip of tea and said, "Isn't there a small plum orchard in the garden? I didn't have the time or mood to enjoy it when I first got married earlier this year. This year, when the flowers bloom, I'm going to go and sweep up some snow and make tea with it."

"The plum trees here are different from those in the garden. The ones in my yard are white plum trees. They are more fragrant than red plum trees and the flowers are larger. The tea brewed with snow water is more flavorful and has a richer plum fragrance."

"Oh? White plum blossoms? That's rare." Meng Qi said happily, "It seems that I really need to sweep some snow when I get the chance."

"Okay, when the flowers bloom, I'll help you sweep them and show you my skills. I'm quite good at making tea." Song Chengze said with a smile.

Meng Qi felt warm in her heart. She looked at the slightly open window and said softly, "It's so cold, why are you still opening the window? Be careful of the cold wind."

Song Chengze walked to the window and said as he closed it, "I heard you were coming, so I had to keep an eye on you so I could greet you at the door."

It was rare for Meng Qi to hear Song Chengze joke like this. She raised her chin and looked very cute with a smile in her eyes.

Song Chengze looked at her chubby little chin and resisted the urge to pinch it. "It seems you really have good news today. What a coincidence, I also have something happy to tell you today."

"What's the good news?"

"You speak first." Song Chengze gestured to Meng Qi to sit down, and the two of them sat on the big kang by the window, separated by a kang table.

"Meng Zhi found out some secrets about Prince Cheng's mansion."

Song Chengze's face, which had just been smiling, suddenly changed into one of surprise. "What do you mean?"

Meng Qi gently repeated what Meng Zhi had told Meng Wan, "Meng Zhi said the secret passage must be very long. She said she still sees people transporting earth."

Song Chengze frowned. Secret passage? Lao Wu's study? Where was he going to dig?

Meng Qi recalled the reason why King Cheng failed in his previous life. It seemed that his people suddenly appeared in Chengtian Palace. No one knew how he got those people to Chengtian Palace, but after the matter was exposed, the emperor showed no mercy.

Therefore, Meng Qi was sure that the secret passage should lead to Chengtian Palace. However, she could not tell Song Chengze this now, but she could remind him.

"Furthermore, Meng Zhi also said that the craftsmen who dug the tunnels would be replaced every once in a while, and the replaced craftsmen would inexplicably disappear."

Song Chengze stood up with a frown, pacing back and forth in the room. Then he stopped, a smile slowly spreading across his face. This was very good and timely news for him. With such a way to obtain information about Prince Cheng's Mansion, the Mansion was no longer an impregnable fortress in his eyes.

Meng Qi was delighted to see his relaxed brows. "I've never heard of that connection she mentioned, and I don't know if it's easy to arrange."

Song Chengze hummed, "It's okay, I'll let Uncle Lu do it. This is really a happy thing. With this relationship, it will be more convenient to attack Prince Cheng's Mansion in the future. Your plan to befriend Meng Zhi is really good, you are really smart."

Listening to Song Chengze's sincere praise, Meng Qi was happy in her heart, but pretended to be modest on the surface. "No, Meng Zhi and I are also mutual, each taking what we need. It's just that when that day comes, we can help her realize her wish."

Song Chengze nodded and said, "Don't worry, I will make her wish come true."

After Meng Qi told Song Chengze about this, she felt much more relaxed. What happened next was no longer within her control. "What was the good news you wanted to tell me?"

"The Emperor has already agreed to let Yue Zhen serve as the Sichuan Provincial Governor. You can tell your third brother to prepare."

"Really? When did it happen?" Meng Qi asked happily.

"Today, my father had a headache during the morning court session..."

After listening to Song Chengze, Meng Qi frowned, "Is the emperor okay? Does he really not need us to attend to him?"

Song Chengze shook his head. "No need. Father explicitly told the Queen not to let you go. He said he didn't want to bother you again."

Meng Qi was somewhat surprised to hear this. It turned out that the emperor actually knew everything. "It seems that the Empress's self-torture tactics did not achieve the desired effect."

Song Chengze nodded. "But no matter what, they have already achieved their goal by preventing Father from continuing the investigation. Therefore, I have told Mother not to touch upon some matters in the palace for the time being. We can discuss it after the New Year."

"After the New Year? Didn't you say last time that you wanted to use the first month of the year..."

Song Chengze hummed, "I'm still brooding over this matter. Let's take a closer look at the specific situation. Father's headaches have been getting more frequent and lasting longer. The difference is that Father hasn't lost his temper as much these times as he did before. For example, today's incident, no one expected him to be so calm and talk about it. He didn't even give Gao Zhan and Xu Yinghong a chance to refute it."

Meng Qi knew that the matter of Yue Zhen had been stuck with Gao Zhan and Xu Yinghong. One of them was the Minister of Revenue and the other was the Minister of Personnel. The transfer of officials could not be separated from these two.

My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!