After the morning court session, Leng Yue was preparing to return to her palace when Ye Rufeng stopped her. "Your Majesty, may I accompany you?"

Leng Yue looked up at Ye Rufeng and saw a smile in his eyes, as if he were implying something. Seeing his expression, Leng Yue nodded, "It is rare for Lord Ye to have such an elegant interest, how could I refuse? In that case, please come with me to the study."

Leng Yue doesn't have an imperial study; her study is the one inside her palace. Saying this is just to shut some people up, since saying she goes to the study sounds better than saying she goes to the palace.

Ye Rufeng nodded with a smile, and the two arrived at Leng Yue's palace in silence.

Leng Yue glanced at He'er, who tactfully led everyone away, leaving only Leng Yue and Ye Rufeng behind.

"Come out." Ye Rufeng glanced into the inner room, and although he didn't see anyone, he spoke these words with unusual certainty.

Leng Yue sighed, "So you did know? Come out, stop hiding." Seeing this, Leng Yue called out to Yang Jin to come out.

Yang Jin leaped down from the roof beam, dusted himself off, and looked at Ye Rufeng, "How did the Regent know I was here?"

Ye Rufeng laughed heartily, but made no attempt to hide anything. "Upon entering the palace today, I discovered that not only have the guards been replaced, but their numbers have also noticeably increased. There haven't been any foreign dignitaries visiting the palace recently, yet the number of assassins has increased. However, Empress Dowager Feng wasn't acting this way before. Therefore, it must be someone who has threatened her that has caused her such a commotion, right? Thinking it over, at this critical juncture, the only one who could threaten Empress Dowager Feng is probably you, young master!"

Yang Jin looked at Ye Rufeng and said, "Lord Ye, you have indeed lived up to your reputation as regent at such a young age. You are absolutely right. However, there is one thing I do not understand."

"Please speak, young master." Ye Rufeng smiled and nodded.

"What are Lord Ye's considerations in doing this? Are you helping me or my sister? Or do you want something from my sister and me?" Yang Jin had been a江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the martial arts world) man for many years, and he didn't believe that anyone would be kind to him for no reason. Not to mention others, hadn't he almost killed his own sister?

Yang Jin always felt that he took pity on Leng Yue, who was foolish and posed no threat to him, and was also naturally unlucky, and that's why he recognized her as his adopted sister. Otherwise, he would have let her fend for herself.

However, all of this was just Yang Jin's feigned indifference. He couldn't bear to harm his sister, who was born unlucky and raised by the enemy since childhood. How could he be a truly heartless person?

These were things Yang Jin hadn't seen through, but Ye Rufeng had already. Having roamed the martial world for years, he still adhered to his principles. Even while serving in the Demonic Sect, he never indiscriminately killed innocent people. It's said that one is influenced by one's surroundings, but Yang Jin remained untainted by the mire, demonstrating his exceptional character.

Looking at Yang Jin, who was standing protectively in front of Leng Yue, revealing his immature fangs, Ye Rufeng smiled. "Young master, you don't need to doubt me. Even if I were to use you, it would only benefit you."

"What do you mean?" Leng Yue, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly spoke up. She wondered if she was overthinking things, but she felt that Ye Rufeng, like Zhan Wudi, seemed to treat Yang Jin better. Not only that, Ye Rufeng's words were also loaded with meaning, as if Yang Jin could really help him achieve some goal.

"Hehe, does Your Majesty want to know?" Ye Rufeng's eyes sparkled, carrying a different kind of brilliance than usual.

Leng Yue couldn't help but shrink back. For some reason, Ye Rufeng seemed like a fox spirit. His eyes could not only see through people's hearts, but also devour their very essence.

"Lord Ye, please show some self-respect!" Yang Jin, like a protective mother hen, couldn't help but hide Leng Yue behind his back when he saw Ye Rufeng acting like this.

"Hehe, what a deep brother-sister bond." Ye Rufeng's eyes narrowed slightly, and a smile played on his lips, revealing a complex mix of calculation and charm.

"You...please, Lord Ye...tell me." Leng Yue gritted her teeth and emerged from behind Yang Jin, "Do you have ulterior motives towards Yang Jin?"

"Hey...you little girl, this is a man's business, why are you interrupting?" Yang Jin tried to stop Leng Yue, but she had already run up to Ye Rufeng. At this moment, the two were locked in a staring contest, a classic case of staring at each other.

Left with no other option, Yang Jin nervously stood beside Leng Yue, assuming a fighting stance. His eyes were fixed on Ye Rufeng, ready to attack at any moment.

"You're not bad," Ye Rufeng said, praising Leng Yue out of the blue.

Although Leng Yue didn't quite understand, she didn't refute it, "Hmm."

When Yang Jin heard Leng Yue's reply, he almost lost his composure. What's the point of just saying "hmm" when someone praises you?

"Please inform me, Lord Ye!" Leng Yue insisted with unusual insistence.

For Leng Yue, Ye Rufeng was not only her savior, but also a mission participant. Leng Yue was extremely curious about Ye Rufeng's mission, and even more so, she wanted to know when this mission would end and when she could return to the space.

Ye Rufeng smiled again, "Your Majesty still owes me a promise."

“Hmm,” Leng Yue nodded, puzzled, “Are these two things related?”

Ye Rufeng shook his head. "No, since Your Majesty wants to know, then I will not hide it."

Seeing that Ye Rufeng was willing to speak, Leng Yue relaxed and beckoned to the two of them, "Come on, come on, sit down." With that, she sat down first.

Ye Rufeng and Yang Jin exchanged a glance and readily agreed. Ye Rufeng sat down across the table to Leng Yue's left, while Yang Jin sat down right next to Leng Yue.

Ye Rufeng cleared his throat. "According to my investigation, the Great Qi royal family has had a successor crown prince since Emperor Xiaozong. In the past forty or fifty years, there have been many successor crown princes. As for a successor emperor, that is rare. Your Majesty should be the first."

"Why?" Leng Yue asked curiously, "How could there be such a rule?"

"Your Majesty, please be patient, I will explain slowly." Ye Rufeng took a sip of tea to moisten his throat and continued, "I have only learned a little bit about this matter after these past few months of meticulous investigation. This matter goes back to the time of Emperor Taizu. The old ministers who fought alongside Emperor Taizu to establish the empire did not have a good ending because their merits overshadowed the emperor."

"Among them, Liu Fei, seeing that things were not going well, sent some of his clansmen to hide in a neighboring country. Later, Liu Fei's clan was wiped out, and the remaining clansmen recuperated and waited for an opportunity to take revenge. At first, Liu Fei's descendants only tried to assassinate him alone. Later, when they saw that this method was not feasible, they scattered to the neighboring countries of Qi and began to persuade the neighboring countries to besiege Qi."

"In the early years, things were alright. The Qi royal family was quite wise and controlled both the internal and external affairs very strictly. But things changed when Emperor Xiaozong came to power. Liu Fei's descendants re-entered Qi, which was impoverished and weak. For a time, they couldn't even protect the imperial heirs. So, someone suggested to Emperor Xiaozong to 'substitute one thing for another.' That's how the imperial line was able to continue."

"This method is a double-edged sword, with both advantages and disadvantages. Later, some people took advantage of the loophole. The late emperor was switched with someone when he was still an infant. The original plan was that they would switch back after he became an adult. However, the crown prince disappeared that year, and the late emperor never switched back. In other words, the late emperor was not a descendant of the royal family."

"Later, after a long investigation, I discovered that the real late emperor was General Yang Jianye, and that you all possess true royal blood!"

After Ye Rufeng finished speaking, he looked at Leng Yue and Yang Jin. Leng Yue and Yang Jin exchanged a glance, both unsure how to react.