"Alright, thank you for the reminder, Marquis Ningyuan. I understand." Pei Xuan said through gritted teeth, then turned and left.

"Lord Pei, take care." Marquis Ningyuan watched Pei Xuan's departing steps, a cold smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

Pei Xuan knew that there was no one in the palace to help him now, and he couldn't even see Qi Guze. He could only go to Tianxiang Tower to ask Xu Yuehuai for advice.

However, he had already heard that Xu Yuehuai was currently in the palace. As an outsider, he could not enter the palace and could only seek help from the women of Tianxiang Tower.

With that thought in mind, he hurried to Tianxiang Tower.

Third Sister was busy in the shop. Business was booming today, and almost every seat was occupied.

She spotted Pei Xuan from afar and hurriedly instructed her men to greet the guest. She went up to him and said, "Lord Pei, what brings you here today? Is it the usual, or would you like something else to eat?"

Pei Xuan was thinking about Qi Guze at the time and ignored San Niang's words, continuing to walk forward on his own.

San Niang's heart skipped a beat, knowing that something must have happened, otherwise Pei Xuan wouldn't be in this state. She quickly cleared her throat and repeated herself heavily in Pei Xuan's ear, finally bringing him out of his thoughts.

"Huh? Third Sister, what happened to me just now?" Pei Xuan shook his head and said with a blank look.

Third Sister said in a low voice, "My lord, you seemed to have lost your soul just now. What happened?"

"Let's talk somewhere else," Pei Xuan said in a low voice, his face grave.

Upon hearing this, San Niang knew that something serious must have happened. She hurriedly led Pei Xuan to a quiet room upstairs, and then he recounted everything that had just happened in the court.

"How could this be?" After hearing this, Third Sister sat down in a chair, not knowing what to do for a moment.

"I need to discuss this with Manager Xu. I'm all alone and weak; I can't possibly compete with anyone," Pei Xuan said, waving his hand.

Third Sister answered truthfully, "A-Yue has gone to the palace."

"I know that too." Pei Xuan was in a dilemma upon hearing this. Going to the palace was absolutely out of the question now, at least he couldn't go. "Third Sister, do you have any way to get into the palace?"

Just as he was in a dilemma, San Niang suddenly remembered that Zhou Wan had been to the palace before and had met Xu Yuehuai. She could ask Zhou Wan for help.

She quickly smiled and said, "Zhou Wan!"

“Zhou Wan only entered the palace a few days ago, perhaps we can go and ask her.” She said, waiting for Pei Xuan’s reply to see if they should go and find Zhou Wan.

...

Meanwhile, Zhou Wan downstairs was so busy that her feet were practically pointing to the sky. She looked around but didn't see San Niang, which made her very puzzled.

"Zhao Ping, have you seen Third Sister?" Just then, Zhao Ping walked over, and Zhou Wan casually asked.

At first, she didn't pay much attention, thinking that Third Sister had gone to find some peace and quiet behind her back.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ping truthfully replied, "Someone came looking for Third Sister just now. They looked like Lord Pei from the palace. The two of them hurried upstairs."

"How long have you been up there? Haven't you come down yet?" Zhou Wan's heart skipped a beat when she heard this. Pei Xuan was the kind of person who wouldn't come to the temple without a reason, so his arrival must mean something had happened.

Moreover, they had been wanting to invite Pei Xuan over for dinner, but Pei Xuan didn't want to feel indebted to them and had been reluctant to come. Now that he had suddenly come to their door, it was clear that something big had happened.

Zhao Ping thought for a moment and then replied, "It's been about fifteen minutes, and he still hasn't come down. However, I can tell that Lord Pei doesn't look too good."

Zhou Wan's heart skipped a beat, and a look of anxiety appeared on her face.

"I'll leave the rest to you. I'll go check on things." She said goodbye to Zhao Ping and then started walking up the stairs.

The third sister inside the house realized this and was about to tell Pei Xuan when she saw him make a shushing gesture, then point to the door, indicating that there were ears on the other side of the wall.

Seeing this, Third Sister shut her mouth tightly and listened patiently for a while before letting out a sigh of relief and laughing, "It's alright, speak of the devil and he appears."

Then she opened the door and let Zhou Wan, who had just come up the stairs, in.

“Zhou Wan, Lord Pei wants to see A-Yue. Tell him quickly what connections you have.” Then, San Niang closed the door and explained to the two who were staring at each other.

At first, Zhou Wan didn't know what had happened, but upon hearing this, she understood. It seemed that Pei Xuan had come to see Xu Yuehuai. She hurriedly explained, "Lord Pei, I can't help you with this. I don't have any connections. It was the Duchess of Zhenguo who brought me in. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to see her."

Pei Xuan nodded upon hearing this. He naturally couldn't go to the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion at this critical juncture. Regardless of whether they would help him or not, many people were watching him closely. If he rashly went to the Duke of Zhenguo, it might give others something to talk about.

While Pei Xuan was thinking, San Niang told Zhou Wan the whole story, and Zhou Wan was shocked when she heard it.

After thinking for a while, Zhou Wan said, "Lord Pei, please don't be anxious. I think the Duke and Duchess of Zhenguo must have heard about this matter, and they must also be thinking about how to handle it. It's better to stay put than to take any action now."

Upon hearing this, Pei Xuan sighed and said, "There's no better way now. We can only wait and see how things develop."

This was a last resort for him, since all the roads were blocked.

...

On the other side, after Xu Yuehuai had placed all the food on the table, she couldn't help but probe the relationship between Aqi and Consort Min.

"Ah Qi, try these first." She raised an eyebrow slightly, speaking as if it were a casual conversation, "Are you quite familiar with that Consort Min?"

"I wouldn't call us close acquaintances, though we'd met a few times since we were both in the palace," Ah Qi said casually after thinking for a moment. "Why do you ask, Grandma?"

Xu Yuehuai naturally sensed that Aqi was being vague. She took a deep breath, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "As you know, I've been taking good care of Consort Jia these days. I heard that you and Consort Min are getting along well, so I couldn't help but ask a question."

Upon hearing this, a hint of coldness flashed in Ah Qi's eyes.

"Indeed, we've been in closer contact." He could only answer truthfully, "Grandma, you know how much I want to find my biological parents, but Her Majesty the Empress..."

"She's always been suspicious, doubting this and that, and even I, her son, can't escape it," he said with a self-deprecating laugh, then lowered his head, his shoulders trembling slightly.

Xu Yuehuai patted his shoulder and comforted him, "You can't blame her. After something like that happened, it's inevitable that any mother would be terrified."