Apart from the royal family, everyone else should have left the palace. However, the Crown Prince intended to keep Xu Yunci, and the Crown Princess kept Li Shiyue as well, so the two of them stayed together in Chengming Palace.

Chengming Hall was the palace where the Crown Prince resided, and its location was the best besides that of the Emperor. The main hall was where the Crown Prince and his wife lived. Li Shiyue was arranged to live in the pavilion behind the main hall, while Xu Yunci was arranged to live in the side hall to the north.

Li Shiyue was kept behind by Xu Lingyu, so she naturally didn't know that Fu Yunning was trying to get information out of her from Xu Lingzi.

Today, when I entered the palace, I was not served by Chunling and the others, but by Shoudong, a second-class palace maid who served Xu Lingyu.

She was a very clever girl. Although she was young, she brought Li Shiyue a cup of warm tea as soon as she was about to make a move while she was sitting in a daze.

The weather after the Awakening of Insects, especially at night, is often muggy, and even without moving, one will feel slightly sweaty. Not to mention, one's mouth is dry. Before she could even give any instructions, Shou Dong's quick wit was truly endearing.

"You look quite young. How long have you been in the palace?"

Shou Dong looked surprised, but smiled and said, "This servant is already seventeen. I entered the palace when I was ten. I worked in the Imperial Household Department because I was young, and I was only assigned to serve in Chonghua Palace two years ago."

To be selected for this position must mean she is very useful. At such a young age, she is already a second-class palace maid, which puts her ahead of many others.

"Shoudong... Your name is very special."

Ordinary maids would know a word from a generation name, and there was often a story behind that word. Li Shiyue looked at Shou Dong with curiosity in her eyes, not hiding anything, but looking directly at her with curiosity.

"My name, like Xin Dong's, was bestowed by Her Majesty herself. Originally, my name was derived from the character '碎' (suì), which means fragmented speech, but Her Majesty felt that the meaning was not good, so she changed my name."

"I'm not afraid of being laughed at by the county princess, but like Xin Dong, I was sold into the palace by my family. We are both young ladies, but we are not as well-regarded as our husbands were at home. Every month, we have to save up our allowances to send them out of the palace."

"Your Majesty is kind. Shoudong's name means that I wish to be well and get through the cold winter without feeling cold." Shoudong looked young, but her words were really not in line with her age.

"Once the cold winter is over, it will no longer be cold." Li Shiyue murmured, then smiled slightly and looked at Shou Dong's busy figure.

As the bright moon sets, a pale dawn breaks over the distant eastern horizon, and the fiery red sun slowly rises along the sky.

Stepping out of the room, I noticed how unusually cool it was this morning. The sky, which was a clear blue yesterday, was now covered by dark clouds. Even the morning sun was obscured by the clouds, leaving only a bright red patch to prove its existence.

The main hall faces the palace gate, with newly green banana trees growing under the eaves, and the golden eaves with upturned corners. This creates a striking contrast with the dark clouds above.

A round table was set up in the main hall, where the Crown Princess instructed the palace maids to set out breakfast. When she saw Li Shiyue enter, she waved and said, "You've come at the right time. Erlang has just arrived as well."

Li Shiyue, wearing yesterday's clothes, smiled and linked arms with Xu Lingyu as she walked up to Qing Suo and looked at her hand: "We're in for a treat again. We haven't had breakfast from the Imperial Kitchen yet."

Xu Lingyu smiled faintly: "What, every time you come, your cousin has never missed a bite to eat?"

"No, no, my cousin always prepares so much for me when I visit, I always complain about it when I get back. Next time my grandmother nags me, I'll mention my cousin, and she'll have to help me out."

Seeing that the Crown Prince and Xu Yunci were looking over, Li Shiyue quickly shook her head and rubbed against Xu Lingyu's shoulder like a child seeking praise.

The rules of the palace naturally also apply to eating and sleeping.

Li Shiyue barely ate any food; she was already seven-tenths full just from drinking the pumpkin porridge. She glanced around and, seeing that no one else had put down their chopsticks, picked up her spoon and slowly sipped her porridge.

When the porridge was almost empty, it was all used up. Li Shiyue took the handkerchief handed to her by Shou Dong, wiped her lips, and followed the Crown Princess to sit inside.

Xu Yunci glanced at the Crown Prince who was about to leave, then walked up to Li Shiyue and said, "You stay with your elder sister and wait for me to come and get you."

Li Shiyue looked up and met his gentle gaze. He was bending slightly to speak to her. If she had gotten any closer, their cheeks would have been touching, and his warm breath would have been on her face.

She lowered her eyes, concealing a hint of panic in them, and softly replied, "Okay."

Xu Yunci didn't notice that his little cousin was already embarrassed by his behavior. She straightened up and followed the Crown Prince out of the main hall.

Xu Lingyu stood to one side, observing everything. Perhaps it's true that those involved are often blinded, while bystanders see things more clearly; she saw things most clearly. Recalling what her younger brother had told her earlier, her gaze involuntarily fell on Li Shiyue, her eyes meaningful and somewhat darting.

Xu Yunci had only followed the Crown Prince to the study and hadn't actually left Chengming Hall. But he just wanted to say a few words, especially seeing his little cousin's well-behaved appearance, and simply wanted to talk to her.

"Fan Tong is dead, and the trail in Huayuan County has been completely cut off."

The Crown Prince was wearing a silver-white robe with light gold thread patterns. He raised his hand and pinched his brow, looking somewhat tired.

Thinking about it, I was unwilling to accept it. I had been so busy and confused during that period. I finally managed to capture Fan Tong in the Huayuan County incident, but he was in the Jingzhao Prefecture and died in my own territory.

Xu Yunci also realized this: "I have investigated the Jingzhao Prefecture and there is no one I suspect for the time being. So I suspect that Fan Tong is not an important link at all, and was just pushed out to take the blame."

"Moreover, I discovered something very interesting."

The crown prince looked up in confusion: "Tell me about it."

“The Marquis of Changping has been getting very close to the Prince of Yan lately. I heard that Consort Shun is interested in finding a wife for the Prince of Yan and plans to choose one from among the daughters born to the Marquis of Changping.”

"Guess who the person from the Pixiang Palace pushed forward, and who the person from the Changping Marquis's residence pushed forward?"

Xu Yunci rubbed his thumb against the ring he was wearing. The cool, smooth jade felt wonderful, and the clear patterns made it even more difficult to rub.

The Pixiang Palace has always protected Fu Yunning, the eldest daughter of the first wife of the Marquis of Changping. If she can become a princess, the Pixiang Palace will probably not let go of this opportunity for her beloved niece.

Similarly, the current Lady of Changping Marquis also has a daughter, her own flesh and blood, and she might not easily relinquish the position of princess.

Xu Yunci rested her chin on her hand: "Our spies have found out that the Prince of Yan privately told Consort Fu that no matter which girl in the Fu family it is, it must be with the Consort's approval."

“The Shun Guifei’s family holds a sinecure in the previous court and has no say at all. But the Fu Guifei’s family is different from the Changping Marquis’s family. The Changping Marquis controls the Capital Guard, which is in charge of the security of the capital.”

"If one has such a father-in-law, considering what has happened recently, one can't help but have many thoughts."