The alarm blared

Xie Tiao calculated with his fingers and said, "It should be half a month after you left."

A Qiu calculated the itinerary and the date she received Xie Lang's handwritten edict in the mountains, concluding that Xie Lang's illness must have occurred after he wrote the edict ordering Gu Yi to return immediately.

This means that Xie Lang's previous intention was clearly to have Gu Yi return quickly.

He only fell ill suddenly afterward.

The orders to blockade and arrest Gu Yi and A Qiu after that, and even the current decree to keep A Qiu out of the city, were not issued by Xie Lang.

A-Qiu closed his eyes, his mind racing, quickly considering various possibilities.

The hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop; the only sounds were the rustling of the wind through the branches outside the window and the occasional startled bird taking flight.

A-Qiu heard his own voice weakly ask, "Who is in charge of things in the hall right now?"

Xie Tiao replied, "The administration is handled by Zhao Zhaorong, the Director of the Imperial Library, along with the Left and Right Chancellors, who are responsible for its daily operations. As for the Jianzhang Army, it is managed and suppressed by the Grand Commander Sikong Zhao and Lady Pei."

A Qiu thought to himself: That's right, three of the previous Flying Phoenix Guards mentioned by Xie Tiao are among them.

She asked in a hoarse voice, "Has Madam Pei not been punished?"

Before she and Gu Yi left the Martial Saint Shrine, she clearly heard Xie Lang order Consort Chen and Zhao Lingying to capture Madam Pei, Mu Huaying. Mu Huaying also stated on the spot that unless Xie Lang kept her locked in the Imperial Prison, she would never let go of the opportunity to take revenge on Li Chongyu in this lifetime.

It was this statement that enraged Xie Lang. A Qiu couldn't believe that Xie Lang would not punish Mu Huaying afterward, but instead allow her to take control of the Jianzhang Army.

Every question she asked was based on solid evidence, but Xie Tiao, who knew very little about what happened that day, could guess the hidden story from her words, but he couldn't ask too many questions, since it was something that Xie Lang had never intended for him to know.

He could only carefully say, "After you left, Madam Pei stayed at home and was practically under house arrest. However, after the Emperor fell seriously ill, the people in the palace had no choice but to reinstate her because, if it weren't for the remaining power of Lord Pei, no one else would have been able to subdue the Jianzhang Army."

After sorting out the whole story in his mind, A Qiu asked again, "What about Consort Chen? Senior Brother only mentioned the three former Flying Phoenixes just now."

Xie Tiao sighed, "Consort Chen has been attending to the Emperor's sickbed for days, and within a few days she also fell ill. She is currently recuperating in the Vermilion Bird Palace and rarely sees anyone. At this moment, all matters concerning the Emperor are being handled by Consort Zhao."

The boundaries between the previous dynasty and the harem of the Dayan Dynasty were clearly defined, but one person was not subject to this restriction: Zhao Lingying, a former Qingluan Guard. She served as the Inner Palace Steward, in charge of the palace's finances, and also as the Director of the Imperial Library in the Ministry of Personnel, responsible for drafting imperial edicts and decrees. Now that Xie Lang was seriously ill, her importance in connecting the previous dynasty and the harem became apparent.

But what kept A-Qiu on edge was something else entirely.

Bai Shi had said at the time that the person who could paint her and Gu Yi so vividly must have been someone who had seen them in the palace, rather than a painter randomly chosen by the government based on someone else's description. Gongye Fusu further pointed out that there was only one person with such ability and such familiarity with her and Gu Yi: Zhao Lingying, the most talented woman in Dayan.

A Qiu was 70-80% certain that all the blockades imposed on her and Gu Yi were not Emperor Xie Lang's doing, but rather Zhao Lingying's doing.

But the gloom that shrouded my heart did not dissipate; instead, it gave rise to a deeper new problem:

Why did Zhao Lingying refuse to let her and Gu Yi into the room?

To be precise, who are Zhao Lingying and her group, and for what reason, that they want to keep her and Gu Yi out?

If this matter had been decided by Pei Yuanli or even Shangguan You, A Qiu would not be so heavy-hearted. This is because, in the eyes of people like them, the distribution of power and family interests are paramount. Now that the court is stable and there is no longer the external threat of Li Chongyu, they would not hesitate to eliminate Gu Yi's faction if given the opportunity.

However, the former Four Guards of Flying Phoenix were loyal and virtuous generals who demonstrated their public-spiritedness and righteousness to the world. They would never simply drive Gu Yi out of the Central Group just to eliminate one power contender. After all, they had been comrades-in-arms with Gu Yi, serving the monarch, and no one knew better than them that Gu Yi was not one to cling to power.

What changes have occurred in the current central government of the Southern Dynasty?

A Qiu gradually came to her senses and turned her gaze to Xie Tiao again, saying, "Senior Brother Crown Prince, if His Majesty's condition is so bad, then... has anyone on your side indicated that you should make plans as soon as possible?"

When an emperor falls seriously ill, the first consideration is always the succession of the crown prince. If Xie Lang's illness is so severe, the court officials would inevitably put the issue of the crown prince's succession on the agenda. After all, a country cannot be without a ruler for a single day, and no one dares to gamble on the possibility of such a disaster. Even if there is only a one in ten thousand chance, the stability of the power transfer must be ensured.

Unexpectedly, Xie Tiao seemed to be being reminded of this matter for the first time. His previously preoccupied expression now revealed surprise: "No, everything in the court is as usual, even orderly. No one has ever mentioned this to me."

He wasn't stupid, and he realized the oddity of the situation, revealing an understanding expression: "That means that although Father is seriously ill, no one believes that he will... pass away. Or, even if Father is likely to pass away, the people around him have other plans."

When Xie Tiao finished speaking, his expression was one of utter shock.

There was another plan, which was to exclude him, the crown prince, from the list.

The throne of the Southern Dynasty had always passed between several powerful clans, and each family cooperated tacitly in this regard. Although Xie Tiao had grown up in the deep palace and was exposed to politics from a young age, it was impossible for him to have never heard of this tradition. However, when this matter fell on his head, he was still hit hard, leaving him completely stunned.

They wanted to exclude not only Gu Yi, the nominal tutor of the Crown Prince, but also the Crown Prince himself.

A Qiu recovered from the shock earlier than Xie Tiao. She tried her best to remain calm and said, word by word, "His Majesty's current serious illness is clearly the result of deliberate manipulation rather than a natural outcome."

As night fell, the Yunlong Palace, where Xie Lang resided, remained brightly lit, with guards and palace servants coming and going as usual, showing no sign of anything unusual.

Crown Prince Xie Tiao, accompanied by A Qiu, dressed as a palace maid with bowed head, walked calmly with her hands behind her back towards the Yunlong Palace, passing several artificial hills.

From A Qiu's perspective, one could see Xie Tiao's shoulders trembling slightly involuntarily.

Bringing Ah Qiu along and sneaking into the Yunlong Palace without an imperial edict is probably the most daring thing her senior brother, the Crown Prince, has ever done since birth; he would never have dared to even think about it under normal circumstances.

If their suspicions are true, Xie Tiao, without a mother or wife, is truly all alone in the palace. If he doesn't take the initiative to control the situation now, it's tantamount to waiting for his death.

Xie Tiao's sudden boldness was not primarily due to his desire for the throne, but rather because he was worried about his father, the emperor.

If Xie Lang is truly like that, with his life and death controlled by others, and the throne decided by those around him, wouldn't his situation be extremely dangerous?

As they approached the palace, the two hid behind a flowering tree but stopped moving.

A Qiu said softly, "We don't know if there are any important people in the hall right now, so we can't rush in, otherwise my identity will definitely be exposed. I'll go and lie in wait on the hall first, and when His Majesty is alone, I'll come back and inform my senior brother. Then we can go in together to take His Majesty's pulse and examine him to see what his condition is."

With A Qiu by his side, Xie Tiao felt inexplicably emboldened and calmly said, "In the past, when I visited my father, he was mostly asleep. When he was awake, he was usually surrounded by people such as Consort Zhao, the Left and Right Chancellors, and the Grand Commander of the Ministry of Works, who would report on state affairs and military matters. None of these people are easy to fool, so Junior Sister, please be careful."

A Qiu patted his shoulder lightly, said no more, and then leaped up to the top of the Cloud Dragon Palace.

Xie Tiao watched her figure leap like a nimble ape, getting smaller and smaller. He held his breath, not daring to relax, yet he also felt a sense of security and trust.

It felt as if Gu Yi was still by his side.

Since Gu Yi became the Junior Tutor of the Crown Prince, Xie Tiao hadn't actually spent much time with him or received much instruction from him. The only thing that was consistent was his zither lessons, twice a month without fail, always at night. Gu Yi never made excuses due to his busy schedule, never causing Xie Tiao to wait in vain.

He understood perfectly well that with Gu Yi's power and influence, his father's appointment of him as the Crown Prince's tutor was merely leveraging Gu Yi's prestige to pave the way for him as the future heir, not to actually have Gu Yi teach him anything. Therefore, he always served Gu Yi with the utmost respect and deference, always acting as a disciple.

We admire the lofty mountains and follow the virtuous path. Though we may not reach them, our hearts yearn for them.

What A Qiu and Gu Yi have in common is that A Qiu's strength is enough to make people feel safe. The difference is that A Qiu, as his junior sister, makes him feel more at ease and he is not afraid to expose his weaknesses in front of her.

Xie Tiao suddenly thought that if he could have her continue to assist him like this, going through life and death together, even if they failed, it would be far better than the loneliness of being trapped in the deep palace alone.

A-Qiu stepped from the eaves onto the roof ridge tiles, and only after he had stood firmly did he lift a green tile to peek underneath.

This was not the first time she had spied on the palace at night, but what she glimpsed made her immediately stunned.

Arriving now is clearly not the right time.

The hall was brightly lit, incense smoke rose slowly beside the emperor's dragon bed, and tea was boiling on the beast-shaped stove, gurgling away. Apart from the two people, there was not a single other person in the hall.

The vast Yunlong Palace was deserted; even the palace maids and servants had all retreated, leaving no trace of anyone.

Therefore, Xie Lang, sitting upright on the dragon bed, and Zhao Lingying, standing quietly to one side, were particularly eye-catching.

Although Xie Lang's face was slightly pale and he looked weak, he did not appear to be under any cover of being secretly harmed or controlled.

He coughed and said in a slightly hoarse voice, "When will the young master and his disciple return?"

Zhao Lingying's expression was unusually calm as he replied, "I have sent letters urging him many times, but it seems that the Junior Tutor's health has not yet recovered and he is still recuperating, so he cannot set off immediately. However, Your Majesty can rest assured that during the ten years that the Junior Tutor has been in charge of the government, the administration has been on track and everyone is in good order. All the officials have been working diligently and conscientiously. Your Majesty would be better to let him rest for a while longer."

Hearing this, A-Qiu, perched on the uterine ridge, narrowed her eyes, finding it hard to imagine the motives behind her words.

Xie Lang took a breath and said, "Alright. You should also teach the Crown Prince more and familiarize him with government affairs."

Zhao Lingying said respectfully, "Your subject will do his best. However, as you know, Your Highness has not been very interested in this matter in the past and has little interest in politics, so it cannot be rushed."

Her voice was as melodious as a nightingale's song, but at that moment, A Qiu clenched his fists, his heart filled with indignation.