Gan Qiongying knew that Eunuch Li had been in the palace for so many years and was very good at judging the importance of things. If even he dared not speak up easily, then it must be very serious.

The palanquin was moving at a steady pace, but the closer Gan Qiongying got to the Emperor's Bixi Palace, the more anxious she became.

When she finally disembarked from her palanquin in front of the Bixi Palace, it was dusk, and the setting sun was sinking below the horizon.

The palace lanterns were already lit, and Gan Lin stood under the corridor, holding a palace lantern in his hand, and walked quickly toward Gan Qiongying.

She called out joyfully, "Sister!"

It has been less than half a month since Gan Qiongying left the palace, and the two have only been apart for a few days. Yet, when Gan Qiongying saw Gan Lin again, she felt as if three autumns had passed.

Gan Lin, in particular, has changed a lot. He looks to be in very good spirits, and his cheeks seem to have gained some weight.

No longer looking as thin and frail as he had been a while ago, Gan Qiongying felt a sudden sense of relief when she saw him running towards her like this.

Gan Qiongying quickly took two steps toward Gan Lin, and the two siblings held hands. One was covered in damp sweat from the tension of the journey, while the other was dry and cold from waiting in the wind for a while.

"Why aren't you inside? You're the emperor now, why are you still standing at the door waiting for me like when we were kids? Your hands are so cold."

"Even if I become the Jade Emperor, I'll still be my elder sister's younger brother." Gan Lin smiled, and with his spirit restored, he finally seemed to have regained some of his former dashing and handsome appearance.

The two entered the Bixi Palace hand in hand, handed the palace lantern to the maid beside them, and then Ganlin instructed the person who followed them in, "Serve the meal."

The palace servants responded and left quickly. Gan Lin pulled Gan Qiongying to sit at the table and poured her a cup of tea: "Drink some to warm yourself up first."

"You're the one who should be warming up, aren't you?" Gan Qiongying looked at Gan Lin with a probing gaze. "How have you been in the palace these days? Has that old hag caused any trouble?"

Gan Lin shook her head slightly: "She hasn't asked me to go to her place again. She hasn't been feeling well lately, spending her days making soup and taking medicine. Physician Xiao subtly inquired with her personal physician, saying that her long-standing heart ailment had been triggered."

"Serves her right!" Gan Qiongying thought for a moment, then turned her head and spat at the ground. "She'd better just die in a few days!"

Gan Lin was amused by Gan Qiongying's undisguised manner and picked up a cup of tea to warm his hands.

The siblings hadn't seen each other for days, but there was no awkwardness between them. Gan Qiongying was still probing Gan Lin, but Gan Lin spoke first: "I really missed my sister, so I sent someone out of the palace to look for her."

"Unexpectedly, my elder sister and her husband went to the temple to burn incense. I thought my elder sister wouldn't come today either, and I was planning to send someone to pick her up tomorrow."

"There's something else I want to tell you, sister. I have a few people I can use, and I've found a pretext to send two of them out on assignment. These two are absolutely reliable, and I'll personally give them their contact information to you, sister."

Gan Lin immediately cut off the question Gan Qiongying wanted to ask, and Gan Qiongying subconsciously searched for Li Quan's figure in the bedroom.

Li Quan soon led his maids in to set out the meal. Gan Qiongying glanced at Li Quan, who seemed perfectly normal. Then she looked at Gan Lin, whose face was beaming like a rising sun.

Everything looked so peaceful and serene.

But Gan Qiongying just felt something was wrong... If there really was nothing wrong, why would Li Quan put on such a show for her?

It's likely that Gan Lin had already given him a gag order.

Gan Qiongying particularly disliked the way Gan Lin kept everything from her, but at the same time, Gan Qiongying was the one who understood Gan Lin the most.

Because she and Gan Lin are the same; they would never let the other worry about them unless absolutely necessary.

If pressed, Gan Lin might not tell.

Therefore, Gan Qiongying pretended to be nonchalant and said to Gan Lin while eating, "I also missed you. I prayed at the temple that things would go smoothly for us in the future... I also have something to tell you. I have thought of an excellent way to evacuate."

Gan Lin ate his meal with great relish, not at all like he was forcing himself. He ate two large bowls of food. After he finished eating, Gan Qiongying stayed by his side, and Gan Lin did not vomit.

However, a little later, Gan Lin had a brief episode, sitting at the table covered in cold sweat, her face deathly pale.

But it was only for a short while; clearly, his craving for the herbal medicine had been completely suppressed.

Moreover, even during the attack, Gan Lin had time to joke with Gan Qiongying: "Sister, you went to offer incense, but you ended up meeting your old flame. Won't the prince consort be jealous if he finds out?"

Gan Qiongying was talking to him about serious matters when she heard Gan Lin say this, and glared at Gan Lin.

"What old flame? Don't say that about him. He's really a little monk. I think he's quite capable. Before, I just... hoped that he could stand on our side and control the world's discourse for us."

“You have not personally taken power, and you have not yet grasped the auxiliary role that religion can play in empowering people.”

Gan Qiongying shook her head, "But we won't need this in the future. Anyway, you don't want to be the emperor, and I don't want to be a princess. We'll just blend in with the refugees. I've already gotten two bottles of tree sap for disguise from the prince consort's people..."

Gan Qiongying never mentioned anything to Li Hua, but she was completely open with Gan Lin.

After Gan Lin's addiction subsided, the siblings chatted for a while and thoroughly reviewed the feasibility of the plan.

“I think there’s no problem. This is a very good way to hide things. However, my sister promised to investigate the refugee issue, which will likely involve the interests of many clans.”

“I know who did it,” Gan Qiongying said. “During the Mid-Autumn Festival, they said that thanks to the Regent’s careful planning, the frequent floods in Zhangzhou had been brought under control.”

"They haven't gained any real control; they've just controlled these refugees to create achievements for the regent."

"We originally intended to expend some money to resettle these refugees, but who would have thought that the autumn floods would suddenly rise so high that the dams in Zhangzhou would burst. During the time around the Mid-Autumn Festival, these refugees wandered around in search of a way to survive, and a large portion of them ended up in Yindu..."

“There are still many outside the city. The city guards have stopped them all outside Yindu. But even if the regent has all the power and influence, he can’t possibly kill all these refugees overnight and bury them on the spot, can he?”

Gan Qiongying observed Gan Lin and noticed that when she mentioned the Regent, he didn't react at all as he had before.

On the contrary, he always had a smile on his face, but the smile never changed for a moment, not even the curve of it.

He was clearly trying desperately to suppress something.