In a short while, Ke Shou stood in front of Meng Yuxiu. His injuries had healed considerably, and he could move normally.

"General," he said respectfully, bowing deeply.

A chill ran through Meng Yuxiu's eyes as he asked in a cold voice, "Who has been to the study?"

Ke Shou immediately sensed something was wrong. He glanced at the wooden box in Meng Yuxiu's hand, frowned, and said uneasily, "The people who entered this study are all from the General's Mansion. There are no outsiders."

Meng Yuxiu's voice grew even colder. Could there be a spy in his general's mansion? He wanted to see who dared to infiltrate the general's mansion and cause trouble.

“General,” Ke Shou frowned, pondering, “besides me, you, and the guards, there is another person who entered the study who had no reason to come in. I find him very suspicious.”

"Who?" Meng Yuxiu's gaze was icy.

Ke Shoudao said, "Grandma Chang."

Meng Yuxiu frowned in confusion: "Mother-in-law? What's she doing in the study?"

“Back then, before you and Miss Chang had even gotten past the traps, she went into the study and said she had seen Miss Chang. What’s even stranger is that the two servants I sent to guard the gate of her courtyard also fainted. When they woke up, they said they didn’t know who had knocked them unconscious.”

Ke Shou had wanted to report this matter for a long time. He felt that one should always be wary of others and was very suspicious of his mother-in-law.

The nine-section whip was made by Chang Lili. Why does Meng Yuxiu not let this exquisite weapon see the light of day?

Because the nine-section whip was a weapon that was popular in other countries, he clearly remembered that when they annexed that small country called Da Shun, a female general in fine clothes and riding a spirited horse used this weapon.

The nine-section whip seemed to have become one with her, greatly diminishing the morale of their army.

If the nine-section whip had been taken by her mother-in-law, Meng Yuxiu wouldn't be worried. Her mother-in-law, who raised Chang Lili, naturally knew her identity. She did this to protect Chang Lili.

But if it's someone else, once that person gets hold of something, the consequences will be dire.

"Are you sure there were no other suspicious people besides your mother-in-law who came in?" Meng Yuxiu asked, frowning.

Ke Shou lowered his head and said, "I don't think so."

Meng Yuxiu was clearly displeased: "Don't say there shouldn't be any. Go check and make sure there isn't any."

Ke Shou said nothing more, accepted the order, and withdrew.

Inside the underground palace, Guo Yan handed the nine-section whip to Aunt Xin, who stared at it in a daze for a long time.

"Where did you come from?" she asked, her brows furrowed, a mixture of nervousness and anticipation in her voice.

Guo Yan bowed slightly: "It was found in Meng Yuxiu's study, the one where I led Granny Chang there before."

"Meng Yuxiu?" Aunt Xin examined the nine-section whip for a while, a worried look on her face. "Could it be that he arrested someone? Gathered them from among the people?"

Guo Yan immediately explained, "No, Aunt Xin, this thing was made by Chang Lili."

"What?" Aunt Xin was surprised, then her face lit up with joy, but after that joy, her eyes welled up with tears, her emotions complicated. "Chang Lili, Chang Lili... Lili, maybe she is my sister's child, otherwise why would she have made this nine-section whip? Are you sure it was made by her?"

Guo Yan confirmed, "I've heard that someone was instructed to steal the weapon that Chang Lili made, which is this nine-section whip."

"Good, good," Aunt Xin's face showed a relieved expression, "It seems we need to speed things up. Our Great Shun Dynasty has hope of restoration!"

Her voice echoed throughout the underground palace, a voice full of immense power that ignited hope in the hearts of those who had long lived there.

In the cold palace, Consort Lan forced down the unpalatable food. She hadn't eaten properly for many days, and if she didn't eat soon, she feared she would starve to death.

In her current state, even if she starved to death, it wouldn't cause any ripples in this deep palace.

No matter how high she once stood, after she died, she was just like any other palace maid, carried out horizontally, and didn't even have the right to be buried in the imperial mausoleum.

She can't do it! She has to turn things around, she has to make a comeback, she has to take revenge!

Even though the food was hard to swallow, her pale complexion improved a bit after she managed to stuff some into her stomach.

Xiangyu served tea. When Consort Lan saw this maid who had followed her for so long, she felt nauseous and hated her to the bone. However, she had no one else to rely on at the moment, so she could only endure her for a few more days.

An unfamiliar palace maid suddenly trotted in, whispered a few words, and then hurriedly left.

After listening, Consort Lan pondered for a long time, then a gentle smile appeared on her lips: "Xiangyu, haven't I treated you well all these years?"

Upon hearing this, Xiangyu immediately nodded and obediently replied, "Your Majesty's kindness to this servant is as heavy as a mountain."

Consort Lan couldn't help but roll her eyes, and continued with a smile, "Look, I'm in trouble now, and you're in trouble too. You're my confidante, but you can't be trusted by anyone else. Why don't you take a gamble with me?"

"This servant is willing to follow Your Highness even in times of trouble, but what do you mean by that?" Xiangyu asked.

Consort Lan beckoned with her finger, and Xiangyu leaned closer. The two whispered a few words to each other, and Xiangyu nodded with bright eyes, then turned and walked quickly out.

Xiangyu naturally didn't want to live such a miserable life forever. She was also an ambitious person. She and Consort Lan were already in the same boat, sharing both glory and fortune. Naturally, she wanted to take a gamble.

Now that she and Consort Lan have such low social status, no one wants to associate with them. However, money can make the devil turn the millstone. Consort Lan has a lot of clothes and jewelry from the past, as well as gifts from the emperor. Taking out some of them can make some people do whatever they want.

Seizing the opportunity, Xiangyu, accompanied by a group of maids, hurriedly arrived at the Imperial Garden. There, she saw many high-quality orchids planted in exquisite glazed flowerpots. Although it was not yet the season for them to bloom, their long, narrow leaves were already quite beautiful.

Xiangyu took the lead, picked up a pot of orchids and walked out of the Imperial Garden. The palace maids following behind her did the same. The group of people kept their heads down and hurried along.

At this moment, the Emperor, supported by Eunuch Guangde, entered the Imperial Garden and immediately saw a group of palace maids carrying orchids as they walked out.

"What are you doing?" the Emperor asked, frowning.

Eunuch Guangde immediately sent someone to inquire. When the eunuch went over and asked, Xiangyu turned her head and saw the Emperor. Before she could answer the eunuch, she knelt down on the ground with a thud and placed the orchid on the ground.

The maids behind her were naturally the same.

As the Emperor drew closer, Xiangyu said in a tearful voice, "Your Majesty, please forgive me, this lowly servant... this lowly servant didn't mean to, I didn't want to steal the orchid..."

"Are you someone from Consort Lan's side?" the Emperor asked, his eyes narrowing slightly, before a look of impatience crossed his face.

Xiangyu immediately said, "Your Majesty! It's the Empress. She said that these orchids were planted to please her when you favored her. But now that she has made such a big mistake, she has no face to see you. Leaving these orchids here will only annoy you."

The Emperor snorted coldly: "She even knows she's made a grave mistake!"