Chu Hong did not answer Lin Qi's question immediately. He just carefully put the well-fed and asleep baby girl back on the bed and covered her with a small quilt. His gentle movements were completely different from the cold and fierce look when he had just thrown the hidden weapon.

After doing all this, he turned around and looked at Lin Qi calmly.

"The king is fine. This is a long story."

He spoke briefly and to the point, obviously not wanting to waste time on his own experience, and immediately got to the point.

"Tell me everything you know about the current situation at the court."

"yes!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Qi's expression immediately became solemn. "My Lord, since you disappeared, the Crown Princess was found downstream of the Canglan River. She was in a coma for several days before waking up. After waking up, she had forgotten some of her memories. But when she heard that you disappeared to protect her, she was heartbroken for a while."

"After waking up, the princess's temperament changed drastically. When she heard that besides you, there was another brother in the royal family, she went against the will of the people and petitioned the emperor to bring Chu Lang back from the imperial mausoleum and restore his status as a prince. Today, Chu Lang has taken control of the six ministries of the court, and Concubine Xie has also regained control of the harem."

"Chu Lang..."

A fierce look flashed across Chu Hong's eyes.

Sure enough, someone had been planning this for a long time, wanting to get rid of the imperial sister and him at the same time, so that they could reap the benefits.

"Where is Father? Why didn't he stop it?"

When mentioning Emperor Chu, Lin Qi's eyes darkened for a moment.

"His Majesty was deeply shaken upon hearing the news of your and the Princess' disappearance. He vomited blood during the morning court session and is now bedridden. Chu Lang and Noble Concubine Xie have teamed up to manipulate government affairs. Even the imperial physicians are under their tight control. Outsiders are unable to see His Majesty at all."

"What did you say?"

Chu Hong was startled when he heard this, and a terrifying murderous intent flashed in his beautiful peach blossom eyes. His fists clenched and cracked.

He didn't expect that after just a few months away from the capital, the court had become so corrupt.

"Where's Xie Yunqi? Did he just sit there and watch?"

Chu Hong almost roared, his dissatisfaction with Xie Yunqi reaching its peak.

He didn't believe that Xie Yunqi couldn't see that the woman in the capital was a fake.

When mentioning Xie Yunqi, Lin Qi's expression became a little complicated.

"Master, calm down. The situation regarding Prime Minister Xie... is a bit complicated."

"oh?"

"It is rumored that not long after the Crown Princess returned to the court, Madam Xie personally entered the palace to ask His Majesty for a marriage, begging for the Crown Princess and Prime Minister Xie. His Majesty seemed to be in good health at the time and had already agreed."

Chu Hong's pupils suddenly shrank.

Xie Yunqi asked to marry the emperor's sister? This was in line with what he had always thought, but the timing was too coincidental!

Lin Qi continued, "Everyone in the capital knows that Prime Minister Xie will soon become the Emperor's husband, and he is deeply trusted by the Crown Princess. Many matters must be discussed with him, and Xie Xiang almost always obeys the Crown Princess's words, including this time's military campaign against the Qin Empire. Although there were some setbacks, it is said that... Prime Minister Xie finally agreed."

"Everyone outside of the group thinks he got what he wanted and eliminated his love rival at the same time. How could anyone question the authenticity of the princess?"

"I obeyed your orders and got what I wanted? Ha!"

Chu Hong chewed on these words, and the anger on his face was gradually replaced by a cold emotion.

This is absolutely not in line with Xie Yunqi's character!

How meticulous and perceptive is Xie Yunqi? Yet he's willing to follow the orders of a fake. There's only one possibility!

The counterfeit must have some leverage over Xie Yunqi, forcing him to be cautious.

"Good! Very good..."

One by one, two by two, they are all putting on a good show, right?

Chu Hong's voice was filled with chill.

He glanced at the sky outside the window. It was almost noon, and his sister had not returned yet.

Chu Hong's heart suddenly skipped a beat when he thought of something.

"Not good! My sister is in danger."

Chu Hong suddenly stood up and was about to rush outside, but he stopped abruptly when he had half a foot out of the threshold.

He forgot there were two children.

"Lin Qi."

"I'm here!"

"You immediately..." Chu Hong suppressed all his emotions, his eyes became sharp again, and he began to give orders quickly and clearly.

…

At the same time, the prefect was in prison.

At Mo Che's instruction, Chu Qingluan was placed in a relatively quiet cell at the innermost end, avoiding contact with other prisoners, but also meant being more isolated and helpless.

There was only a tattered wooden bed in the cell, some hay piled in the corner, and the air was filled with a damp smell.

Chu Qingluan sat against the wall, closing her eyes to rest, but in her mind she was thinking about how to escape and the 'Crown Princess' that Luo Yuan mentioned.

If someone can impersonate oneself and deceive everyone, then this person must be extremely familiar with oneself, even knowing all of one's preferences clearly, and imitating one's words and actions.

Who could it be?

Chu Qingluan went through every person she had come into contact with in her mind, and finally found that apart from the people who had served her in the princess's mansion before, no one knew her so well.

But the maids in the princess's mansion are all carefully selected to ensure that their family backgrounds are clean, and it should be unlikely that they would impersonate such an important identity.

At this moment, there was a slight sound of footsteps in the corridor.

I saw Master Mo Che coming back with a food box in his hand, and sent away the guard who was peeking around not far away.

"You have nothing to do here. Go down. The master has important matters to discuss with this serious criminal alone."

"Yes, Master Mo." The guard did not doubt Mo Che's words and went down quickly.

For a moment, they were the only two people left here, and the air around them suddenly became quiet.

Mo Che did not open the cell door, but instead stared at Chu Qingluan silently through the bars for a long time. The complex expression in his eyes was difficult to describe.

There is greed, pain, struggle, and an obsession that is almost crazy...

Finally, as if he had made up his mind, he slowly raised his hand, gently lifted something behind his ear, and then carefully peeled off a human skin mask.

The face under the mask was pale and thin, with high cheekbones and deep eye sockets, almost unrecognizable.

But the outline of the facial features made Chu Qingluan's pupils shrink slightly.

"Qi Che?"

She has incredible openings.

Even though this face looked completely different from the original gentle, elegant, and handsome scholar, Chu Qingluan still recognized him at a glance.

This is exactly the Qi Che who was supposed to die.

Qi Che looked at her shocked expression, a bitter smile appeared at the corner of his mouth, his voice was hoarse and he stopped pretending.

"Qingniang...it's been a long time since we last met. I never thought we would meet again in this place and in this way."

He stared at Chu Qingluan's face greedily, as if he wanted to carve her appearance into his bones.

"I never thought that I would see you again in my lifetime, Qingniang. Tell me, is this God's arrangement?"