After the emperor gathered enough people, the group headed towards Jing'an Hall in a grand procession.

Although Ye Qingxue brought the Acacia Seed, it wouldn't be appropriate to bypass the emperor's people and act directly. She decided to observe the situation and wait for the right opportunity.

As the last rays of the setting sun disappeared into the horizon, palace lanterns were lit one by one. Ye Qingxue followed the emperor's procession along the palace road. All around was quiet, with only the sound of their footsteps echoing.

She firmly believed that the Ninth Prince was not killed by Yun Zhuo.

The real killer will definitely leave traces on the body, but what kind of traces to leave and how to find those traces is very difficult.

Despite the deepening autumn heat, sweat poured up layer upon layer, making even breathing difficult.

Dongbai noticed and glanced at her. Qiu Shen immediately pinched her palm hard to calm herself down.

"Do you think the odds of losing are very high?" Dongbai whispered in Qiushen's ear.

Yes, that's what Qiu Shen thinks.

She didn't want Ye Qingxue to die like this. If she had known earlier that Ye Qingxue would fight to the death, she would have stopped her.

But now it's too late.

However, she didn't want to affect Dongbai's mindset, so she said, "We've come this far, so let's not talk about winning or losing anymore. Let's just wait and see the result."

...

A gust of wind suddenly swept over, swirling along the long palace path, causing people's clothes to flutter, dust to rise, and fallen leaves to swirl around. Everyone raised their hands to shield their eyes.

"Protect the Emperor! Protect Consort Cui!" Huaifu shouted, and countless people moved closer to the Emperor and Consort Cui.

Dong Bai, Qiu Shen, and the others quickly moved closer to Ye Qingxue.

However, the gust of wind came and went quickly. It came like a gust of wind, and after it left, the entire palace passage became calm in an instant.

The emperor's procession set off again, but Ye Qingxue stood still, gazing at a certain place with a somewhat dazed expression.

The palace lanterns shone on her face, making her complexion appear extremely pale.

Qiu Shen called out softly, "Miss?"

This "evil wind" seemed like a very bad omen. Qiu Shen originally still had a little bit of wishful thinking in her heart—what if there really was something strange about the Ninth Prince's body?

But now, her heart was sinking, and she even wanted to persuade Ye Qingxue to turn back, thinking that perhaps it was still not too late.

Ye Qingxue suddenly came to her senses. A gust of wind rose, how could it only blow down one leaf? Sure enough, the surrounding bonsai trees were all blown to pieces, and countless petals fell.

Ye Qingxue walked past the deepening autumn and approached Zhuang Xin beside her: "You don't need to come with us to Jing'an Palace. You have more important things to do..."

Ignoring the traditional boundaries between men and women, Ye Qingxue quickly leaned close to Zhuang Xin's ear and whispered to him.

Zhuang Xin's expression changed drastically after hearing this, and he quickly nodded, "Your Highness, rest assured, I will certainly not fail in my mission!"

Ye Qingxue said, "We'll slip away quietly later without anyone noticing."

Although such a long procession could easily slip away unnoticed by the emperor, and even if he did, he probably wouldn't care, this matter still had to be handled discreetly.

Zhuang Xin nodded solemnly.

Ye Qingxue turned around nonchalantly and followed the emperor's entourage, with Qiu Shen immediately catching up.

"I know what you're worried about, there's no need to say anything." Ye Qingxue said softly but firmly, without looking to the side, "I won't turn back."

Qiu Shen followed closely behind Ye Qingxue. Upon hearing Ye Qingxue's words, she pursed her lips and said, "Qiu Shen will always be with you, Miss."

From now on, call her Princess.

"...Autumn will always be with the Princess."

Ye Qingxue turned her head and smiled at her gently.

When the group arrived at Jing'an Hall, Ye Qingxue looked back and saw that Zhuang Xin was no longer there.

The guards of the Palace Guards kept a tight security over the Jing'an Hall. Inside, there were also Taoist priests performing rituals and palace servants responsible for burning incense and paper money.

When the Emperor arrived, they all knelt down and shouted "Long live the Emperor!" three times.

Huaifu helped the emperor down from the palanquin and into the Jing'an Hall.

Ye Qingxue and the others followed.

The Jing'an Palace was filled with white banners, and it was nighttime. Moreover, the Ninth Prince had died tragically, so the atmosphere in the palace was extremely oppressive. It would not be an exaggeration to say that it was eerily ghostly.

Upon arriving at the Ninth Prince's mourning hall, the Emperor raised his hand, signaling Huaifu to clear the area. After everyone withdrew, the coroner stepped forward.

Consort Cui began to cover her face and weep bitterly, having no strength left in her body, and could only lean on her nanny.

Ye Qingxue stepped forward with the acacia seeds.

Consort Cui noticed her and immediately said, "Ye Qingxue, do not forget your promise. If you dare to disturb my son's rest, you must pay with your life."

Ye Qingxue said, "Since I have already spoken, I will naturally not go back on my word. Besides, with the Emperor here, there is no room for me to go back on my word."

She looked at the emperor: "Father, please open the coffin and examine the body."

The emperor gave Ye Qingxue a deep look, then had no choice but to step back a few steps and order someone to open the coffin.