But soon, she quickly wiped her face, and without letting anyone notice anything unusual, she turned around and walked back.

Turning around, she saw a young man dressed in black, with a handsome face, staring intently at her. She didn't know how long he had been there or what he had seen.

The mother-in-law's heart skipped a beat.

The man strode over, suddenly smiled at her, and said with an air of unparalleled elegance, "Grandma, where did you come from? Are you lost?"

The mother-in-law shook her head, unwilling to interact further, and walked on alone.

Chu Moyu followed her, and stopped when he saw Meng Yuxiu appear. He asked in a voice that only the two of them could hear, "Returning to this place, Aunt, do you think it's still the same as before?"

The mother-in-law was suddenly startled.

Not long after his mother-in-law fainted, Meng Yuxiu was summoned away by the emperor.

He had brought his mother-in-law to the Imperial Hospital and registered in the palace, so it was not surprising that the emperor knew his whereabouts. Meng Yuxiu was certain that his mother-in-law was just old and had been overthinking lately, which was why she vomited blood. It would be better for her to vomit out the stagnant blood in her chest now.

So he instructed his men to look after the old man, and then followed the emperor's men, striding away towards the emperor's palace.

"This humble general pays his respects to Your Majesty."

The emperor had been unable to eat or sleep well these past few days because of the Three Pages Gate incident, and he looked quite haggard. He raised his hand to Meng Yuxiu and said, "No need for formalities. How is the matter that General Meng asked you to investigate going?"

"Your Majesty, I have increased the number of men patrolling the areas where they might appear. They have become aware of this and are acting much more discreetly. However, I suspect that they must have many secret passages or hidden estates in the capital, otherwise, there would be no way they could have any contact under my surveillance."

The emperor exclaimed in surprise, "What? What are your plans then?"

"This humble general thinks it's best not to make any moves that might alert the enemy. Besides, the Three Pages Sect is not a significant force to begin with, so Your Majesty doesn't need to expend too much effort on it. The Northern Barbarians have been quiet for quite some time now, and that's the matter we must be wary of."

Having dealt with the Northern Barbarians for so many years, he knew something was amiss and offered a word of warning.

However, the emperor's mind was not on this matter. He said, "I will not be at ease until the Three Pages Gate is eliminated. You should investigate this matter with all your might. The Northern Barbarians are nothing to fear."

Meng Yuxiu wanted to say something more, but the emperor raised his hand to stop him and continued, "Not only in the capital, but throughout the whole country, you must investigate. You are the Grand Commander, searching the entire country. If any rebels are found, arrest them all and bring them to justice!"

Seeing that the emperor had made up his mind, Meng Yuxiu knelt down, supporting his knees: "This humble general accepts the decree."

After Meng Yuxiu left, the emperor issued another decree: "Summon Hu Cheng."

Before long, Hu Cheng entered the palace and knelt before the emperor. The emperor sat upright on the dragon throne, his face filled with cold killing intent: "I appoint Meng Yuxiu as the Grand Commander to thoroughly investigate the whole country. During his absence, you shall thoroughly investigate all the shops in the capital. If there are any secret passages or caves, execute them as traitors without mercy."

As soon as Meng Yuxiu stepped out of the Hall of Mental Cultivation, he knew that the emperor was extremely suspicious this time, and that this matter would probably not be resolved so easily.

Now that he's being transferred out of the capital, if it really involves Dao Changli, then it will be too late to help.

I rushed to the Imperial Hospital with a heavy heart, not knowing whether my mother-in-law had woken up yet.

If Chang Lili knew about her mother-in-law's health, she definitely wouldn't feel comfortable going with her.

Meng Yuxiu pinched the bridge of his nose. He had just stepped into the Imperial Hospital when he saw his mother-in-law standing with Chu Moyu. His brow twitched, and he looked at Chu Moyu warily, saying, "Why is Vice Envoy Chu here?"

"A few minor injuries are inevitable, come and get some medicine." Chu Moyu still had that unfathomable smile on his face, waved his hand and turned to leave.

Meng Yuxiu helped the old woman up and asked, "His Majesty summoned me earlier, which caused a slight delay. Are you feeling better, Grandma?"

The mother-in-law nodded and said, "Let's go back and pick up Lili. Don't tell her about my problem; it's just a minor ailment."

Meng Yuxiu helped her out of the Imperial Hospital.

The mother-in-law spoke again: "...What does the Emperor want with you?"

She wasn't Chang Lili. Even though Meng Yuxiu came the same way as before, she could tell that Meng Yuxiu had been very busy lately and had seen Chang Lili much less often.

Meng Yuxiu looked at her aged face, her brows furrowed and still bearing traces of tears she hadn't wiped away, like an old tree shedding tears, weathered and heartbreaking.

He said in a low voice, "It's something that happened in the military camp. It's also because I've been investigating a case recently, involving a gang in the underworld called the Three Pages Gate. Have you heard of it?"

The old woman walked across the stone bricks with a calm expression. Before getting into the carriage, she slowly shook her head and said, "I'm old and don't know these things. I can't help you."

Meng Yuxiu said, "The Emperor is very angry about this matter, and I may have to leave the capital for a while. You and Lili must be careful during my absence. Try not to leave. Given Lili's personality, you must keep an eye on her, Mother."

Listening to Meng Yuxiu's instructions, the mother-in-law felt a mix of emotions and nodded silently.

"Moreover, there may be drastic changes in the capital, so you must be careful." Before helping her into the carriage, Meng Yuxiu gave her another subtle reminder.

The mother-in-law glanced at him, but couldn't understand the emotions in the eyes of this general who held the power of life and death.

It's unclear whether Meng Yuxiu's words had a hidden meaning.

When they went to the Lu residence to pick up Chang Lili, she had already learned to play half a piece under Lu Ming's guidance and was eager to go back and play it for Meng Yuxiu.

"Why did you take so long? Is Grandma alright?"

The mother-in-law said, "It's nothing, I'm just getting old."

Chang Lili was worried and asked Meng Yuxiu, "If Mother-in-law is unwell in the future, will she still be able to get help from the Imperial Hospital?"

"able."

The mother-in-law gently tapped her and said, "In the future, don't let General Meng use his official position for personal purposes, lest you give others cause for gossip."

Chang Lili smiled and leaned against her, making a face at Meng Yuxiu, and said, "Even Grandma knows to consider General Meng's feelings."

The mother-in-law had no choice but to get back into the carriage.

Chang Lili secretly took Meng Yuxiu's hand before getting into the carriage.

Meng Yuxiu had promised to make two dresses for his mother-in-law, and he rarely had the time. He only spent some time at the Imperial Hospital before he had chosen the fabric and taken the measurements. By then, it was already dark.

Chang Lili didn't want new clothes. Every day at the textile shop, she was dressed in drab clothes. The few pretty clothes she had were only for when she saw Meng Yuxiu. She was determined not to let Meng Yuxiu buy her any more, but it was no use. Meng Yuxiu didn't listen to Chang Lili at all. Under the shopkeeper's persuasion, he bought Chang Lili several bolts of high-quality fabric.

Chang Lili had no choice but to look at the options herself to prevent him from making unnecessary purchases.