Chapter 248 Another Insider

"Not really," Xiao Yu replied, "but we are also investigating a case related to this one."

Xiao Yu's words were vague, but Xu Chuchu said bluntly, "We are looking for Chen Zhaozhi's mother. She is a fox demon. You should know that, right?"

Xiao Yu only knew that Chen Zhaozhi had taken Xia Wanqing's body, and was not aware of the emotional entanglement between them, but Xu Chuchu knew it.

At that time, she overheard Xia Wanqing and Shen Zhaozhi talking, and the two mentioned "charm technique", so Xia Wanqing should have known about Shen Zhaozhi's half-demon identity.

As expected, Xia Wanqing's expression turned even worse: "Where are they? Why don't you come to save them?"

"Well... the young master is reuniting with his grandfather." Hu Da'er spoke, trying to save face for Shen Zhaozhi.

Xia Wanqing was startled when she heard the fox speak human language, but she still patted her chest to calm down.

"Chen Zhaozhi is now in Fox Mountain. His mother is a princess of the fox clan and is imprisoned in the palace. We have a deal with the fox fairy to help him rescue his daughter." Xu Chuchu explained.

"What a coward." Xia Wanqing cursed.

Hu Da'er: "..." Unable to refute.

"Do you have any clues?" Xu Chuchu keenly observed Xia Wanqing's expression. "You came to investigate the cause of the late queen's death. Do you know anything?"

Xia Wanqing pondered, "This is a long story. Let's put it this way. We shouldn't stay here for long. You should go back first and come to my Xia Mansion tomorrow morning. Then we can discuss countermeasures."

Xu Chuchu looked around: "Okay."

The two sides reached a consensus. Xia Wanqing returned to the Empress Dowager's Palace to rest, while Xu Chuchu and his party returned the same way.

Xiao Yu looked back at Xia Wanqing as she walked, and asked in confusion, "Didn't Chen Zhaozhi... do that to her? Why is she still willing to help him find his mother?"

"Maybe you have something to hide." Xu Chuchu gave him a displeased look. "Am I not investigating the case with you?"

Xiao Yu shot himself in the foot and was speechless for a moment, not daring to respond.

He wanted to say that the two things were different, but he couldn't pinpoint the specific differences. If he said it was lust, then there was also love. But if he said it was love, then he shouldn't do such a thing.

"Apologize." Hu Da'er transformed into a human form and kept poking Xiao Yu's back with his fingers, urging her, "Apologize quickly, the girl is angry."

Xiao Yu definitely didn't want to apologize. He had apologized countless times, and every time the more he apologized, the worse the consequences became.

He was annoyed by being poked and asked Hu Da'er to stop poking him, but Hu Da'er didn't listen. As long as he didn't apologize, Hu Da'er would keep poking him and was even more anxious than him.

The two men and the fox returned to the Xiao Mansion safely, rested for two hours, and then went to the Xia Mansion together after dawn.

Xia Wanqing returned home early in the morning, took them into the guest room, and talked behind closed doors.

"You came really early in the morning. My father just left, otherwise you would have bumped into me and I wouldn't be able to explain it." Xia Wanqing said as she poured a cup of tea for each of them.

Hu Da'er held the teacup in both hands and drank with relish.

"Everyone knows that Minister Xia is diligent. He is always one of the first to arrive at the morning court. He should have arrived at the palace by now." Xiao Yu said politely.

Speaking of her father, Xia Wanqing sighed: "Actually, I'm investigating these things for my father."

"Why do you say that?" Xu Chuchu asked.

"The Crown Prince's power is growing, and he's secretly gathering troops. It looks like he's planning to force his father to abdicate. He's even visited my house several times to try to win over my father. But my Xia family has been loyal for generations. How could we possibly rebel?" Xia Wanqing said sternly. "My father went to the palace to have a secret meeting with the Emperor, asking him to warn the Crown Prince and keep an eye on the court. But the Emperor didn't believe him at all, and he scolded my father and expelled him from the palace."

"I thought the matter was over, but after a while, the Crown Prince also knew about my father's admonition to the Emperor. As a result, my father is now in a very difficult situation and is in a difficult position."

Xu Chuchu became more and more puzzled as she listened, and asked Xiao Yu, "Didn't you say before that the Crown Prince was a down-to-earth man who cared about the people and was a loyal and good man?"

Xiao Yu also frowned: "This prince... I believe you said he would take some crooked paths to consolidate his power, but forcing the emperor to abdicate and rebel, I think it is impossible."

"Maybe people can change." Xia Wanqing obviously believed in her father's judgment very much.

"Then what does this matter have to do with the queen's death?" Xu Chuchu asked.

Xia Wanqing said, "My father said that the emperor has been in a bad state recently. He is completely absent-minded when talking about serious matters, and sometimes he gets distracted. He hasn't been taking care of the court lately. It seems..."

"What does it look like?" Xu Chuchu asked hurriedly.

"It seems like she was bewitched by a fox demon." Xia Wanqing glanced at Hu Da'er. "Of course, this is just my guess. I heard that the late queen was also in a trance before her death. I feel that they are very similar."

Hu Da'er said nothing and continued to sip his tea.

Xiao Yu quickly analyzed, "So according to your speculation, the Crown Prince controlled Chen Zhaozhi's mother, allowing her to use her charm to control the Empress and then the Emperor, so that he could consolidate his position and even force the Emperor to abdicate?"

"That's right." Xia Wanqing responded, "This makes everything make sense."

Xiao Yu fell into deep thought and said nothing more. If the matter were to be brought to the court, the interests of all parties involved would become much more complicated.

"Do you have any clues?" Xia Wanqing asked.

Xu Chuchu told her the clue provided by Chen Zhaozhi, which was that his mother was imprisoned in a place with water.

Xia Wanqing was furious when she heard this and scolded him again, saying that he was a coward and afraid of death and didn't dare to come.

After venting her anger, she suddenly said, “Actually, there’s another person who might know where Chen Zhaozhi’s mother is being held.”

"Who?" Xiao Yu came back to his senses from deep thought.

"Shao Zhi, the youngest daughter of the Shao family." Xia Wanqing looked at Xiao Yu. "She came to me a while ago to try to get close to me and mentioned this matter. She said that she and I were both wanderers in this world. I was abandoned by Chen Zhaozhi, and she was abandoned by you, Xiao Yu."

"Abandoned?" Xiao Yu immediately denied, "I didn't abandon her."

Everyone looked at him for a moment.

"No, what I mean is, I have never had anything to do with her, so there is no question of abandoning her..." Xiao Yu wanted to distance himself from the matter, but ended up making things worse and felt his tongue was tied.

Xia Wanqing laughed heartily: "Xiao Yu, Xiao Yu, you have such a glorious reputation. Everyone says you are a shrewd person, but when it comes to love, you are like a fool."

Xu Chuchu held her forehead and brought the topic back on track: "What did Shao Zhi say to you?"

"She asked me if I knew Chen Zhaozhi's mother was still alive. She must have been trying to get closer to me by using some information," Xia Wanqing said. "I already hated Shao Zhi, and I was really angry at the time, so I just replied, 'It's none of my business.'"

"Could it be that Shao Zhi also knows Chen Zhaozhi's life experience? Does she know that he is a half-demon?" Xu Chuchu recalled her previous dealings with Shao Zhi. She was very afraid of ghosts and monsters. If she knew that Chen Zhaozhi was born of a fox demon, it would be impossible for her to not mention it at all.

"I don't know if she knows, but I believe she has some information," Xia Wanqing said. "I plan to invite her to my house for tea this afternoon and ask her more. You guys just listen behind the screen, how about that?"