The nanny propped herself up and sat up, and took the book in her trembling, skinny hands. The mere touch of the paper made her eyes red.

The Xuan paper used by the Xuan family is different from Xuan paper from any other country.

They have a unique production process. It is difficult to distinguish Xuan paper from normal Xuan paper when placed together with the naked eye, but people from the Xuan family can tell the difference just by touching it.

She opened the book tremblingly, and on it was a clear seal: Xuanshi Changji.

Fingers stroked over and over again.

"Okay, okay... The Xuan family is still alive, all of them are still alive..." The nanny shed tears.

Ye Qianning listened indifferently. The news about the Xuan family was extremely mysterious. After so long of investigation, there was still no news. From what she said, could it be that something unexpected happened to the Xuan family and the family was wiped out?

Mammy looked up with tears streaming down her face, staring at Ye Qianning: "Are you a descendant of the Xuan family?"

"no."

Hearing that it wasn't her, Nanny paused, holding the Sea Seal in her arms with a wary look in her eyes: "Then who are you, how do you know about the Xuan family, and where did you get this book from?"

"My ancestors received kindness from the Xuan family many years ago. Before Xuan Changji died, he wrote a letter to my ancestors, asking our clan to find the descendants of the Xuan family." If Ye Qianning wanted to get information from the nanny, he had to win her full trust first.

The wariness in Mammy's eyes remained unchanged: "What favor? What letter?"

"My ancestors have never forgotten the grace of saving my life. It was not convenient to keep the letter for long at that time, but I have this thing." Ye Qianning took out a purple orchid from his sleeve.

Mammy had never seen this before: "What is this?"

"This is the purple orchid that Xuan Changji gifted to our clan back then. This purple orchid is the one he cultivated after he came out of the Immortal Mountain and searched through thousands of mountains. It is the closest to the flowers on the Immortal Mountain."

The nanny lowered her eyes and stared at the purple orchid for a long time without saying a word.

"If you don't believe me, Madam, you can take a look at the Haishang Xiaozhuan, which has descriptions and drawings of Zi Youlan." Ye Qianning said again.

Upon hearing this, the nanny hesitated for a moment before taking out the Haishang Xiaozhuan and flipping through it night after night until she came across a pattern similar to Zi Youlan's. Only then did she stop.

The eyes are dark and unclear.

"I have been to Dongwei and read the history books of Dongwei that recorded the concubines. I looked into the death of Concubine Ru and found that it was related to the Empress Dowager Wanwang Mansion." Ye Qianning said softly again.

When the nanny heard this, her whole body trembled slightly without leaving a trace.

Ye Qianning did not miss any of her subtle emotions: "My people are still investigating. A few months ago, the Wanwang Mansion went to Bermuda to auction it, and this Sea Seal Script was snatched from the Wanwang Mansion."

The nanny was silent for a long time before she looked up and said in an old voice: "I am just a servant. My duty is to serve the master well. I never ask about other things."

"The Xuan family has done my clan a favor. Madam, you are from the Xuan family. No matter what your status is, I promise you that as long as you want to leave, my family will take you away." Ye Qianning knew that she did not trust her, so she was not in a hurry.

"I'm old and I don't plan to leave."

"Okay, if Mammy needs to find me for anything, just hang a piece of cloth or something on the tree outside the courtyard gate. My people will notify me when they see it."

Mammy didn't respond.

"It's getting late. It's not safe to leave this book of maritime seal script with you," Ye Qianning reminded.

The nanny subconsciously hugged her tighter, but soon let go and handed over the Haishang Xiaozhuan.

Ye Qianning took it and put it into his sleeve.

At the same time, the old woman who had just gone out to fetch water came in carrying a kettle. Seeing Ye Qianning in the room, she was slightly startled: "I didn't see anyone when I entered the dean's office. I thought the young lady had left."

"It's hot outside, so I asked this young lady to come in and rest for a while." The nanny spoke first.

The old woman just glanced at the two of them, raised her hand to pick up the teapot and poured a glass of water: "Miss, have a drink of water."

Ye Qianning stretched out her hand to take it, but just as her fingers were about to get close, she stopped, forced a smile, and retracted her hand: "Madam, to go to Fengyi Palace, you go east, right?"

Seeing that she didn't answer, the old woman didn't mind and smiled and replied, "Yes."

"Thank you very much."

Ye Qianning thanked him and walked out the door.

The old woman followed him to the door and watched Ye Qianning leave the yard before turning back to the bedside: "I don't know which family's young lady is, to come to this place."

"The palace is very big, and it's common to get lost." The nanny closed her eyes slightly, looking tired.

"I don't think so. Most young ladies from official families are not so bold. Mammy, you should be more cautious to avoid being deceived." The old woman handed the cup of tea that was poured for Ye Qianning to the mammy: "Mammy, please get up and have some tea."

The nanny shook her head: "I am a servant who is about to be buried. I have nothing. Why should I be deceived?"

"Mammy is the Empress's wet nurse, and is considered the Eighth Prince's elder. Anyone who wants to curry favor with the Eighth Prince naturally wants to curry favor with Mammy." The old woman put down the water cup. "I heard that the Eighth Prince has recently been fascinated by the young lady of the Xiang family. To welcome her into the city, he has repeatedly opposed the Emperor. The whole city is filled with red and beautiful women. If you didn't know better, you would think the Eighth Prince wanted to marry the young lady of the Xiang family."

Mammy's eyes suddenly opened: "What did you say?"

The old woman's face changed slightly, and she immediately covered her mouth in panic: "No...nothing, I'll go prepare food for Madam."

After she finished speaking, she tried to stand up but was grabbed by the nanny's wrist: "What did you just say, Miss Xiang?"

The old woman was embarrassed and annoyed.

"Hurry up and tell me."

"Madam, just pretend that I said nothing. I... I... if the Eighth Prince knew about this, my life would be in danger." The old woman was so anxious that she almost cried.

The nanny gripped her wrist tightly, her cloudy eyes now unusually gloomy. "If you don't tell me, I'll go ask the Eighth Prince myself."

"No, no." The old woman held her down, looking embarrassed: "Mammy, do you still remember Miss Xiang from ten years ago?"

Mammy didn't look well.

"The child who had been dead for a few days is alive again. The Eighth Prince decorated the city with red silk to welcome people into the city. Everyone in the city knows that Miss Xiang is the Eighth Prince's savior. The Eighth Prince even took action against the Earl's Mansion and Princess Sang Shu for Miss Xiang. Now the life and death of the prince consort and the princess is still unknown, and the Emperor is furious about this." The old woman kept her eyelids raised and carefully observed the nanny's expression as she spoke.

As expected, Madam's face grew darker and darker, and her breathing became more rapid: "When did it happen?"

"It's been a few days now, and the whole city is buzzing with rumors. I heard that some people are privately spreading the rumor that Miss Xiang is a fake. I don't know if it's true." The old woman paused and said, "The Eighth Prince has always been concerned about Miss Xiang. It's just a name, but the Eighth Prince is particularly concerned about it. I'm really worried that someone with ulterior motives will use this to deceive Your Highness."

Mammy's grip tightened little by little.

"Madam, not many people have come to our courtyard for so many years. That young lady just now didn't look like she was lost. Madam, you must have tricked someone into saying it," the old woman reminded.

"Um."

"Did Mammy say anything to her?"

"Nothing."

The old woman's eyes flickered slightly. "That's good. Speaking of which, the Eighth Prince hasn't come to see Nanny for half a year."

"I'm old, so it's better not to see." The nanny took a few deep breaths and leaned back on the pillow again: "Please help me find out about the situation of Miss Xiang."

"Okay, today the Queen is inviting young ladies from all families to the palace to enjoy the flowers. Miss Xiang is among them. I'll go ask her later."

The nanny raised her eyes and said, "Mrs. Song, although we are in the imperial palace, the affairs of the imperial palace never reach here. How did you know that the queen is hosting a banquet for the young ladies today?"

A hint of panic flashed in the old woman's eyes, and she smiled and said, "This morning, I went to collect last month's salary and ran into a few young palace maids on the way. I heard them talk about this."

The nanny looked at her deeply, then looked away after a while.

The old woman seemed a little uneasy, and tentatively said, "Madam, wait until the flower viewing banquet is over, and then I will go and ask about Miss Xiang's condition."

"Um."

"Mammy, please sleep a little longer. I'll go water the vegetables in the yard."

The old woman put the fan beside the bed, watched the nanny lie down, then stood up and walked out from behind the screen.

The moment she walked out, the nanny turned her head and a trace of gloom flashed across her eyes. After ten years, someone could no longer bear it.

Dong Yi knew the Xuan family's secret ten years ago. After seeing Sifang Mountain, she concluded that Emperor Beili also knew it. What the Xuan family had been hiding in the past ten years was probably no longer a secret.

The Xuan family is not an ordinary clan. If they want to hide from the world, no one can find them.

She had been unable to hold back for ten years because nothing had been found. No matter how many people tried to test her, she didn't trust anyone except the Eighth Prince.

The nanny clenched her fingers, which were as thin as bones. If the flood had not separated her and the young lady, the young lady would not have fallen into the hands of thieves and become a concubine in the Dongyi Palace.

The young lady died suddenly that year, and it was not easy for her to keep the little lady alive at that time. She had always suspected the cause of the young lady's death, but unfortunately she had no ability to investigate.

Why did Empress Dowager Dongyi and Prince Wan’s Mansion join forces to kill the young lady?

According to the time when the young lady died, Dongyi should not have known about Xuan's affairs. If it weren't for Xuan, a little concubine who was not favored, how could she have deserved the Queen Mother and Prince Wan's Mansion to join forces to murder her?

The nanny couldn't figure it out. There were too many doubts about what Ye Qianning said, but she seemed to know a lot. As for the purpose, she was not in a hurry. Since she could find her, she would definitely come again.

Ye Qianning had just walked a short distance out of the yard when she sensed a familiar breath approaching. The person did not show up. At first she ignored him, but later she became a little impatient.

"come out."

Standing at a corner, he spoke coldly.

The person next to him still didn't move. Ye Qianning frowned and said, "If you don't come out, don't come to see me in the future."

As soon as she finished speaking, a dark figure appeared under the sycamore tree not far away. He seemed a little timid and only half of his body was exposed.

Seeing this, Ye Qianning frowned even deeper and walked over.

Sang Zhi just stood there and saw Ye Qianning feel awkward and uneasy for a moment. His red eyes no longer had the previous hostility, and there was only helplessness as if he had done something wrong and was afraid of being scolded.

"I've asked Yingge to take care of the people you placed at the Xiang family. Don't let your people appear in front of me unless necessary in the future."

She hadn't seen Sang Zhi since he left the Xiang family a few days ago, but the secret guards around him had always been hiding nearby.

Ye Qianning asked Yingge to drive them away, but those people seemed very stubborn, so Yingge and Luo Xuan had to take action.

"Um."

Sang Zhi responded softly, then asked tentatively, "Are you not angry anymore?"

Ye Qianning didn't understand.

"There won't be a next time." Sang Zhi lowered his head.

Ye Qianning then remembered that she had hit him last time. She was not angry, but she did not like others to act on their own, even if it was Sang Zhi.

After he left that day, she didn't take it too seriously, but unexpectedly, he still kept it in mind.

Looking at the tall and handsome man in front of her, who lowered his head cautiously, she felt helpless, angry and wanting to laugh.

She couldn't see through Sang Zhi at all now, it was like he had multiple personalities.

"You can ask me anything you want to know. I know everything you know." Sang Zhi said in a low voice.

Ye Qianning didn't expect her to ask this: "When did you start following me?"

"When I entered the palace."

Ye Qianning was slightly surprised.

She hadn't sensed his presence before, until she left the nanny's yard. The emotion in her eyes became stronger, and she looked at the person in front of her with deep scrutiny.

Sang Zhi met her scrutiny with a flicker in his eyes.

"I accidentally found a small seal script book at the auction. It was written by a member of the Xuan family about his experience in the Immortal Mountain." Ye Qianning took out the book again: "Take a look, you should be interested."

Sang Zhi took it and opened the book with his slender fingers.

"Take it back and take a look at it slowly." Ye Qianning said and raised his foot to leave.

Upon hearing this, Sang Zhi put the open book into his sleeve and followed her: "I'll go with you."

"There are many women at the flower viewing banquet, so I'm afraid it's not appropriate for you to go."

If he went, some plays might not be able to go on. Although no one dared to move after learning from the previous experience, there were always a few brave ones.

Seeing that she was a little distant, Sang Zhi's eyes flashed with hurt: "There are quite a few unfamiliar guards in the Imperial Garden today."

"Nothing will happen with Yingge around, so you don't have to do anything."

Sang Zhi raised his eyes, his red eyes were like a deep pool, the water was scarlet. For some reason, Ye Qianning saw a whirlpool in his eyes, which seemed to suck people in and make them sink to the bottom of the pool.

Ye Qianning was shocked all over, not knowing what emotions he saw in those eyes. He suddenly came back to his senses, and his eyes became a little complicated.

"you……"

She wanted to say something, but mixed emotions stopped her.

Sang Zhi was no longer the Sang Zhi he knew. Even though he pretended to be gentle and obedient in front of her, she had thoroughly felt something since the incident at Hyuga's house the day before.

Nan Xiang was very drunk at the time, so she didn't care. Now that she saw him again and saw the darkness beneath his scarlet blood, she suddenly realized.

Sang Zhi seemed to be waiting for her to say something, but unexpectedly she just walked away. The dark expression on her face was a coldness he had never seen before.

This time Sang Zhi did not chase after her, but just stood there, staring at her figure without blinking.

"Master, all our people are seriously injured."

A dark shadow landed behind and knelt down to salute.

"The rest of you can only watch from afar in the future and never expose yourself in front of her." A cold voice rose in a low voice.

"Yes." The hidden guard responded, and after a moment's hesitation, he added, "It was Yingge who did it."

Sang Zhi was not surprised.