"Xiao Shisan".

"Your subordinate is here. What brings you here, sir?"

Xiao Lingchen sat on his horse, his expression inscrutable.

The early winter morning was frosty and misty. The subordinates followed behind, making their way to the palace gate. The sun had not yet risen, and the sky was still dark.

This was during court sessions. The morning court sessions in the Great Kang Dynasty started very early, often before dawn in winter. This was a rule set by the founding emperor to remind future generations to be diligent in their duties.

For several generations of emperors, they had reluctantly followed the rules set by their ancestors. However, during the reign of the late emperor, who was fond of pleasure, he insisted on changing the time of the morning court to close to noon, which aroused the dissatisfaction of many loyal ministers.

After the late emperor passed away, Xiao Lingchen became the Grand Tutor and Regent, and he specially changed the morning court time back to 5:00 AM.

Emperor Xuanyi was young and often refused to get out of bed. He cursed and refused on several occasions, but the ministers all listened to Xiao Lingchen and no one cared about him.

Xiao Lingchen slowly said, "Do you think it's possible for one person to be two people?"

"What?" Xiao Shisan was taken aback by the sudden question. "Sir, what do you mean by one person or two people?"

Xiao Lingchen asked, "Is it possible for a person to exhibit the personalities of two people at the same time?"

"How could that be! You must be joking, sir. One person is one person. If someone has two personalities, then they are two completely different people..."

Xiao Shisan was both amused and exasperated. As he spoke, his expression suddenly froze, and he looked at Xiao Lingchen in astonishment: "My lord, you mean—"

"—Xiao Qingwan."

Following his pause, Xiao Lingchen answered without hesitation.

He was too busy with court affairs during this period and rarely returned to his residence, but every time he saw Xiao Qingwan, he felt a layer of suspicion in his heart.

Her behavior was very strange; sometimes she was greedy, sometimes carefree, sometimes perfunctory, sometimes sincere, sometimes sneaky, and sometimes proper.

It's really not like a human being!

But inside the manor, there's someone who looks exactly like her...

Xiao Shisan's forehead was covered in a layer of sweat, and the more he thought about it, the more alarmed he became.

At this moment, they arrived at the Meridian Gate. The Jingyang Bell rang loudly, signaling the time for the officials to gather and enter the palace. Xiao Shisan could not follow Xiao Lingchen into the palace, so he stood outside the gate, keeping his spirits up and pondering to himself.

Xiao Lingchen stood at the head of the civil officials on the left. The ministers greeted him respectfully in hushed tones. He nodded slightly and led the ranks of civil and military officials into the Golden Palace.

Xiao Lingchen actually had his own place to rest in the palace. He could have easily stayed at the Grand Tutor's residence and summoned his ministers to discuss state affairs.

But now it's a grand court assembly held once every ten days. At this time, he still has to give the emperor some face, adopt the posture of a subject, and attend court according to etiquette.

Three hours later, the court session ended, and Xiao Lingchen stepped out of the Golden Hall. Prince Helian waved to him from afar and walked over with a grin.

"Lord Xiao, His Majesty has just ordered you to go on a winter hunt. It will take more than half a month. Lord Xiao, please be prepared and don't forget to bring your usual cook."

The surrounding officials glanced at him, their expressions varied.

It was common knowledge that Grand Tutor Xiao suffered from anorexia and had always been in poor health.

In the past month or so, I heard that he found a chef who was extremely good at cooking. After eating more, his face gradually regained color, and his thin figure gradually became strong and healthy.

Everyone was very curious about what kind of excellent cooking skills could cure Grand Tutor Xiao's anorexia.

"The young master is indeed well-informed."

Xiao Lingchen gave a cold laugh, shook off the crowd, and walked out of the Meridian Gate, where Xiao Shisan came to greet him.

"...According to custom, one should bring their family along on a winter hunt, but there's not much people in the manor. Sir, would you like the two young ladies to go with us?"

Xiao Shisan hesitated for a moment, then said, "Sir, should we have a few of our guards keep an eye on you? Just in case they want to harm you..."

"No need, it's not necessary to use the secret guards yet." Xiao Lingchen shook his head slightly, his deep eyes filled with unfathomable thoughts. "When the time comes, I will find her myself."