[To be honest, Huo Huo was quite cute when she was little, but now that she's grown up, she looks more and more like Sun Ren. What a pity.]

Such a promising young man, yet he inherited his father's looks. If only he resembled his mother more!

[Last time, Mother said Jinzhi was quite good. Where is Jinzhi now?]

Yun Beiye searched for Jin Jinzhi's figure among the ministers.

After watching for a while, he suddenly remembered that he had sent Jin Jinzhi to Jiangning. Recently, the Jiangning area had been quite unstable, so he sent Jin Jinzhi with troops to investigate the situation.

The ministers argued amongst themselves, each wanting Yun Duoduo to marry one of their relatives or friends.

The key figure in this matter, Yun Beiye, slipped away quietly amidst a flurry of spittle flying everywhere.

...

Inside Fu Shuang Palace, Yun Duoduo changed her clothes and prepared to go to Lin Hua Palace after having breakfast.

"Princess, Consort Wan has arrived," a palace maid announced as she entered the room.

Consort Wan...

She had indeed not been in contact with the concubines in the harem for some time.

Ah Xiang once told her that when her mother was alive, Consort Wan and her mother got along very well.

However, Fu Shuang Palace and Lin Hua Palace rarely interact on a daily basis, so what is she here for?

"Please come in." Yun Duoduo sat down at the table, waiting for Consort Wan to enter.

"Duoduo, are you going out?" Consort Wan saw Yun Duoduo dressed neatly, with A Xiang holding a fox fur cloak and waiting to the side.

"It's my bad timing that I've come."

"Consort Wan, please sit down. We're having breakfast now. Would you like to join us?"

Yun Duoduo gestured for A Xiang to serve tea and snacks, and only then did she notice that Yun Yidong was following behind Consort Wan.

"Seventh Brother, let's have breakfast together!"

After everyone sat down, Consort Wan said, "I was thinking that Duoduo will soon be of marriageable age and be able to establish her own household. In the future, I'm afraid we won't see each other much. I'm just coming to see you. I hope I won't disturb you?"

Consort Wan spoke very politely. Although she sat down, she did not take off her outer garment, but waited for Yun Duoduo to speak.

If she has something urgent to do, she can come another day.

"Your Majesty... Your Highness, it's time for you to move out."

"Your Majesty... Your Highness, will I ever see you again?" Eighth Prince Yun Yidong still spoke with some difficulty.

"Of course you can! Your Highness, the Princess's Residence is always open to Eighth Prince!"

"That's...that's wonderful..."

As she spoke, Yun Duoduo placed her hand on Yun Yidong's wrist. After pondering for a moment, she looked at Consort Wan and said, "I'll be right back."

She took out bottles of clomipramine and dexamethasone from her medicine cabinet; these two medications can provide a small, short-term improvement to her stuttering symptoms.

"Consort Wan, take this medicine back to your Eighth Prince."

"In normal times, you can have your eighth brother practice speaking in open spaces, trying to speak a complete sentence fluently. Then, gradually start practicing in places where there are people, so as to gradually overcome his nervousness about speaking."

Consort Wan looked at Yun Duoduo in surprise: "I didn't expect that this illness could be cured!"

Consort Wan clutched the two bottles of medicine tightly, tears of joy streaming down her face as she cried out, "Dong'er, if Dong'er's stutter is cured, she will never be laughed at again!"

"Dong'er, quickly thank your royal sister."

"Thank you... Your Majesty... Your Highness."

Previously, Yun Yidong was too young, and Yun Duoduo dared not give him this medicine, as it would have some side effects. Now that he is this age, based on her judgment, it is appropriate to use this medicine.

"Consort Wan, there are some things that Duoduo would like to ask you."

Yun Duoduo looked at Consort Wan sincerely. Although Consort Wan lived in Linhua Palace and was one of the suspects in the murder of her mother, she had a feeling that Consort Wan was not the kind of person who would harm others.

[Will it be Consort Li, or Noble Lady Meng?]

Seeing Yun Duoduo's serious expression, Consort Wan turned and handed the two bottles of medicine to Juan'er, the head palace maid beside her, "Juan'er, why don't you take Dong'er for a walk around the courtyard of Fu Shuang Palace?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

After Juan'er took Yun out, Consort Wan sorted out her thoughts and prepared to answer Yun Duoduo's question.

She slowly began to speak, "Go ahead and ask."

"What kind of person was my mother?"

Yun Duoduo became a little nervous when her mother was mentioned.

"Your mother was an extremely gentle woman. Of all the women I've seen in the harem, your mother was the most serene one." Consort Wan looked into the distance, a smile playing on her lips as she recalled the past.

“Your mother, although her family is in business and has a lot of money, is never arrogant or domineering.”

“She is quite different from the rich young ladies I am used to seeing.”

“In those years, I often went to the Hibiscus Palace with Consort Li, and your mother would also come to the Linhua Palace to sit when she had free time.”

Yun Duoduo listened quietly to Consort Wan's description, imagining her mother's voice and smile.

"What a wonderful person she was, but alas, beauty is often short-lived." Consort Wan sighed and shook her head.

It turns out that my mother frequently visited Linhua Palace before her death.

[So, it seems that Mother Consort is quite familiar with Consort Wan, Consort Li, and Consort Meng.]

"And what about Consort Meng? When did Consort Meng go mad?" Yun Duoduo asked.

She remembered that when she was a child, she went to Linhua Palace and found that Consort Meng's bedroom doors and windows were tightly closed.

Juan'er also said that this Consort Meng would tell everyone she met that someone wanted to harm her child.

They say the palace is haunted, that the oleander tree has become a spirit and comes specifically to harm pregnant concubines.

"Consort Meng went mad long before your mother entered the palace."

Before her mother even entered the palace, Consort Meng had already gone mad!

[Could it be Consort Li?!]

It was as if the fog had been lifted, and the truth had surfaced.

With so many people ruled out, that leaves only Consort Li.

"What kind of person is Consort Li?" Yun Duoduo continued to ask.

Consort Wan was silent for a moment before speaking: "Originally, Consort Li was a very cheerful person. However, her daughter unfortunately did not survive, and Consort Li changed after that."

"Although we both live in Linhua Palace, I haven't visited her much since then." Consort Wan's face turned cold, and she sighed.

Looking back on the past now, it's a bit unpleasant.

Yun Duoduo pondered for a while, and after chatting with Consort Wan for a while, she saw Consort Wan off from Fushuang Palace.

"I'm taking Dong'er to pay our respects to the Empress Dowager. It's cold outside, Duoduo, please go inside quickly."

After saying that, Consort Wan led Yun Yidong and Juan'er forward through the snow.

Yun Duoduo looked at the snowflakes drifting outside the window, reached out and caught a few. Soon, the snowflakes melted in her palm.

"Ah Xiang, let's go to Linhua Palace."