As soon as the King of Qin and his entourage left, the Queen of Qin breathed a sigh of relief and a smile appeared on her face.

Thank you.

She looked very grateful.

Song Xibai sat down next to him.

"The East Palace is a bit far from here, so I can't come every day, but I do have my maid check on it daily. There are many people in the palace who fawn over those below them. You are a princess, so you need to be fierce when necessary. Don't be fooled by my gentle demeanor now; I can be quite fierce when I want to be!"

Upon hearing this, the Princess of Qin couldn't help but burst out laughing.

“I’ve got it. Don’t call me Princess anymore, it sounds too formal. My given name is Wei, and everyone at home calls me Weiwei.”

Song Xibai then called out, "Sister Weiwei."

Their identities are difficult to ascertain, so this form of address can only be left ambiguous.

Logically, the Crown Prince is older than the Prince of Qin, but Song Xibai is only a concubine, not the Crown Princess, so it would be inappropriate to call her "sister-in-law" or "brother's wife".

Song Xibai felt that she probably had the temperament of a caring older sister, which made it easy for her to win the favor of girls, especially those with a gentle personality, such as Du Chenghui and Princess Qin.

Even though they hadn't known each other for very long, these two people trusted her immensely.

Thinking of this, Song Xibai couldn't help but touch his chin.

You've misallocated those skill points!

Others who time-travel attract the favor of princes, generals, marquises, and sons of noble families, but she attracts only men.

The thought flashed through my mind.

After Princess Qin relaxed, she started chatting with Song Xibai.

"Although I've been a princess for several years, I haven't been to the palace many times. This is my first time here! This must be what outsiders call the Cold Palace?"

Song Xibai was amused.

"There is no such thing as a cold palace in this palace. It's just a rumor spread outside. Every palace has a name, and so do the smaller pavilions and towers. It's just that if many people go there, it's a popular place, and if few people go there, it becomes a cold palace."

Princess Qin smiled sheepishly.

"Oh, is that so? I've made a fool of myself."

"Sister Weiwei, you don't need to worry. When I first entered the East Palace, I didn't understand many things either. It was only after the palace maids around me reminded me that I learned them."

Song Xibai comforted her.

Wei Hong, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but glance at her master.

Master, you lie without even blinking.

The two chatted and laughed for a long time until Wei Hong urged them twice before Song Xibai got up to say goodbye.

After leaving the West Third Courtyard, Song Xibai looked at the row of several identical courtyards and couldn't help but sigh.

"You say that people outside are desperately trying to squeeze into the palace, but how many of them can actually rise to the top in their old age? Of all the concubines of the late emperor, apart from the Empress Dowager, all the others died of old age and illness here."

Even the mothers of Prince An and others were not entitled to occupy a palace alone, let alone leave the palace to reunite with their sons. In the end, they died here.

Wei Hong shook her arm.

"Master, please stop talking, it's creepy."

"What's there to be afraid of? We haven't harmed anyone, we have a clear conscience, and we don't even need to be afraid of walking at night."

Just as Song Xibai finished speaking, a gust of wind suddenly swept through the narrow alley, making a whooshing sound.

Wei Hong's face turned pale.

Just as Song Xibai was about to make a few teasing remarks to her, suddenly, with a creak, the gate of a courtyard in front opened.

Wei Hong moved a little behind her.

"Master, are all the courtyards in the West Third Palace locked?"

Song Xibai nodded: "Previously, Consort Shu sent someone to the Imperial Household Department to ask the chief eunuch for the key, which opened the courtyard next door."

The West Third Palace served as the residence of the Dowager Consorts, and few people usually came here. Since the Dowager Consorts passed away one after another, the palace has been locked up, and people only come to clean it during festivals.

Why is the gate to that courtyard open?

Curious, Song Xibai couldn't help but walk forward.

Wei Hong tugged at her sleeve.

"Master, shall we go back first? This place feels a bit strange."

"It's alright. If something had happened, the news would have spread throughout the palace by now." Song Xibai patted the back of her hand. "I guess someone was having a secret rendezvous here and forgot to close the door. But with so many people coming over earlier, moving things and cleaning, even if someone was there, they would have run away long ago."

As she spoke, Song Xibai did not slow down her pace and soon arrived at the door that had been blown open by the wind.

She didn't rush in, but looked around, picked up a piece of broken brick, and threw it in.

Tap tap tap...

After listening carefully for a while and finding nothing unusual, Song Xibai pushed open the courtyard gate.

The three western courtyards all have the same layout: a main house plus side rooms on the left and right, and a row of covered rooms at the back. They appear desolate because they have been uninhabited for a long time.

The weeds in the yard grew exceptionally lush.

Song Xibai was very puzzled.

"The Princess Qin's courtyard doesn't have this many weeds!"

The West Third Courtyard was neglected; the courtyard wasn't paved with stone slabs, but rather with yellow mud. It's normal for weeds to grow there, but it's not normal for them to grow to this extent.

Song Xibai took a few steps forward, then suddenly stopped.

Wei Hong hurriedly followed.

"Master, what's wrong?"

Song Xibai looked at her feet: "Wei Hong, come and take a look. Isn't this ground a bit darker than the surrounding area?"

Wei Hong looked at it carefully for a few moments and nodded.

Song Xibai then crushed the mud with her toe, feeling that it was much looser than the mud outside.

It's like... it's been rummaged through.

Song Xibai's pupils suddenly contracted, and she subconsciously took a few steps back, retreating to the courtyard gate.

She leaned against the wooden door, clutching her chest, her face looking rather pale.

"Wei Hong, let's go back first and close the door properly so that no one notices anything unusual."

Without thinking much, Wei Hong closed the door and even used broken bricks to prop it shut.

Song Xibai took a few deep breaths, and his complexion returned to normal. Without saying a word, he left the West Third Institute with Wei Hong.

Without even taking a breather, she went straight to the Wenhua Hall to find the Crown Prince.

The Crown Prince had already been informed of what happened at Renshou Palace. When he saw Song Xibai enter, he assumed it was about the Prince of Qin's residence.

"Is Princess Qin settled in? Actually, this kind of thing can be left to the Crown Princess. Qingqing, you can't afford to overwork yourself."

The Crown Prince came over and helped Song Xibai up.

Song Xibai suddenly grabbed the Crown Prince's hand.

"Your Highness, after dark, have the guards go to the West Third Courtyard. There might be something buried underground in the third courtyard from the east."

She was breathing rapidly, and after holding back her words the whole way, she finally let it all out.

"Wei Hong and I accidentally discovered that the gate to the courtyard was unlocked. We went in to take a look and felt that something was very wrong."

"Something was buried?" The crown prince paused for a moment, then blurted out, "Who would bury something there?"

But then I thought about it again and realized it was very likely.

No one usually goes to the West Third Palace. After the old concubine passed away, those courtyards were all empty. It is only when the next emperor ascends the throne that people may move into the West Third Palace.

Sparsely populated and overlooked, isn't that the perfect place to hide things?