Back at Menghuaxuan, Xie Tingzhou was still waiting for Ye Zhen.

"How about it?"

After they deduced Li Xiangguo's conspiracy, they sent Ye Zhen to test Helian Qing.

Ye Zhen nodded, "Almost exactly as we guessed, Luo did indeed get close to Prince Dingyuan through her medical skills and was highly valued by him."

Helian Qing's father was rescued by Lady Luo, who practiced medicine and always had Yu Niang with her. Over time, Helian Qing's father and Yu Niang became acquainted, and the two were childhood sweethearts.

This explains why Yu Niang, a girl from a commoner background, was able to marry into the Dingyuan Prince's Mansion.

"Madam Luo passed away peacefully a few years ago, while Yu Niang died of grief after Helian Qing's father died in battle. Oh, and I also discovered that there's something wrong with the steward of the Dingyuan Prince's Mansion..."

Ye Zhen then recounted the story of the steward of the Prince of Dingyuan's mansion.

"As a steward, it is understandable to dote on the young master, but according to Helian Qing, the Prince of Dingyuan was afraid that something would happen to his grandson, so he listened to the Taoist priest and raised him dressed as a girl, not that he really wanted to raise him as a girl."

The steward is usually a trusted confidant of the head of the household; he wouldn't be unaware of Prince Dingyuan's expectations for his grandson. Therefore, I suspect he did this intentionally.

However, Helian Qing, whether due to the great influence of the teachings of the Prince of Dingyuan or the inherent military blood in his bones, was not guided into becoming a effeminate person, but rather split into two.

“If the steward is also from the Prince of Dingyuan’s mansion, then we cannot let Helian Qing know the truth for the time being. We must also keep the discovery of Li Shiling a secret and prevent him from contacting Prime Minister Li.”

Even if Helian Qing is smart, he is still just a child. If he knows too much, he might accidentally expose himself and be noticed by Prime Minister Li, which would put them in a passive position.

Ye Zhen thought so too, which is why she just used a pre-arranged question to ask what she wanted to know.

Speaking of this, she thought of another person, "We also have to keep it from Madam Shen for now."

If it were just about her daughter, Madam Shen might have sided with them against Prime Minister Li.

However, if it involves the heinous crimes of usurping the country or wiping out one's clan, Lady Shen might make a different choice for the sake of her children and grandchildren.

Xie Tingzhou nodded. "Let's take a look first."

He had taken note of Madam Shen's son, Li Chenghe, who worked in the Ministry of Works and was a very honest person who was devoted to his studies.

His three sons are either calm or unconventional, but they are all law-abiding citizens, and so far no wrongdoing has been found in them.

If they are indeed as they appear, it's not impossible to find a way to distance themselves from Prime Minister Li and save them.

However, whether it's worth his effort depends on their performance.

"By the way, speaking of Prime Minister Li, I guess the other group of people who went to Great Wei to search for someone were his people."

This was something he had thought of while waiting for Ye Zhen.

Knowing Ye Wantang's background, Prime Minister Li would definitely pay attention to her, and he would naturally also know about Ye Wantang's search for someone.

Judging from his elaborate plans, he's unlikely to miss any opportunity to offer assistance.

"Then tell me, does Prime Minister Lee know who the real masked man is?"

Ye Zhen asked Xie Tingzhou.

After learning that the Prince of Liang was not the real masked man, they turned their suspicions to the Prince of Yun and the Prince of Ning.

Perhaps the masked man realized something was amiss, because he took no further action afterward.

However, Ye Zhen felt that the Prince of Yun was more likely, because the Prince of Ning's honesty and simplicity did not seem like an act.

Right after Li Chenghai got into trouble, the way he watched the spectacle made him look like he was a year older than Helian Qing.

Absolutely no more.

After Prime Minister Li spread rumors that Ye Zhen had murdered Ye Zhengqing and his three mistresses, Prince Ning defended Ye Zhen and argued with others until they were red in the face.

Ye Zhen was quite surprised that Prince Ning was so protective of him when she learned about it. Later, Helian Qing told her about it.

"Prince Ning felt guilty for his negligence in his duties, which led to the sacrifice of Prince Xie. He wanted to help Prince Xie protect his sister."

He also said, "You and I helped him annul the engagement with Ye Wantang, and at the time, he promised to repay you in his heart."

So, after arguing with someone in the teahouse, he went to the Dali Temple to stake out the place, hoping that the Dali Temple would find out the real culprit who murdered the three mistresses and clear Ye Zhen's name.

Although the rumors about Ye Zhen have almost subsided due to the porridge distribution and illegal workshop incidents.

But Prince Ning insisted on waiting for the real culprit, urging the Dali Temple every day. It was said that the Dali Temple Minister was so pressured by him that he was almost in tears.

Because the murderer was so discreet, they couldn't find any clues.

If Prince Ning is faking it, then Ye Zhen can only marvel at his superb acting skills.

After returning from the imperial estate, Prince Yun stopped spending much time with Prince Ning, reportedly indulging in geography studies in his residence.

For Ye Zhen, the masked man was like a knife hanging over her head; unless she found him, she would never be reborn.

Xie Tingzhou was uncertain, "Perhaps he knows, or perhaps he doesn't."

Those who can climb to that position are all seasoned foxes, not so easy to see through.

However, the masked man was also his obsession. Not to mention that he was the enemy who killed Ye Zhen in his previous life, he would never dare to openly express his feelings for Ye Zhen until he dug him out.

In fact, Xiao Zuo was not the only one eyeing Ye Zhen; many families in the capital coveted her status and the support she had.

Some people even saw him visiting the Marquis of Gu's residence and wanted to marry Ye Zhen to curry favor with the Crown Prince.

He managed to suppress all of this in time, preventing them from bothering Ye Zhen.

But there are plenty of discerning people in this world who can recognize talent. If he really wanted to marry Ye Zhen and they succeeded, he would be furious.

He was still a little anxious, afraid that Ye Zhen would fall for someone else, especially since Yin Jiu Niang had gone to the martial arts world to get help for Ye Zhen.

He always remembered what Ye Zhen had said back then: the life she wanted most was to roam freely in the martial world, while he was destined to be confined to the palace for the rest of his life, destined to devote half of his energy to the country and its people.

Because of this worry, he even had a ridiculous idea, but he was afraid of angering Ye Zhen, so he dared not carry it out.

Unexpectedly, Ye Zhen said, "I heard from Xing Ze that Su's sister is trying to get close to you?"

The Su family is also a large family. The Su sister that Ye Zhen mentioned is not actually Su's biological sister, but her uncle's daughter, Su Yanwan.

Su Yanwan is Ye Wantang's close friend and doesn't get along with Xie Jinyao.

After Ye Zhen accepted Chao Lu, he was followed by Xie Jinyao in front of Jinluzhai. Ye Zhen used Su Yanwan to make Marquis Zhongyong disappointed in Xie Jinyao.

Because of the affair between Su Shi and Ye Zhengqing, the Su family became a laughing stock in the capital. In order to save face for the family, the Su family decided to marry their daughter into the Crown Prince's palace.

Those who can get along with Ye Wantang are certainly not good people.

Su Yanwan knew that as the daughter of the Vice Minister of War, she was not qualified to be the Crown Princess, but she was ambitious, so she plotted against Xie Tingzhou to get close to him.

Xing Ze told Ye Zhen all of this.

Xie Tingzhou nodded awkwardly.

Ye Zhen noticed this and asked suspiciously, "You wouldn't be thinking of turning the tables and making people think you've taken a liking to Su Yanwan, thus drawing out the masked man, would you?"

After all, the masked man loved to steal his women.

Xie Tingzhou did indeed have this idea.

"No."

But he could never admit it. He was afraid that Ye Zhen would think he was frivolous, and he was also afraid that Ye Zhen would be jealous and thus create a rift between them. "How can I, a dignified eight-foot man, use a honey trap?"

Ye Zhen patted his shoulder, her gaze firm, "You can use it."