When the emperor left the imperial prison and returned to the Hall of Mental Cultivation, he happened to run into the Marquis of Anding requesting an audience.
Coincidentally, Song Xizhi and Pei Yunyi also requested an audience at that moment, and the two groups happened to meet.
When Emperor Guangqi heard that the Marquis of Anding was requesting an audience, he paused slightly, but then calmly told them to come with him into the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
Before the emperor could even sit down on the dragon throne, the Marquis of Anding suddenly knelt on the ground.
He was hunched over, no longer looking as vigorous and spirited as before; instead, he looked very weathered.
Before Emperor Guangqi could speak, Marquis Anding spoke up: "Your Majesty, please forgive my rudeness. I have a question."
Emperor Guangqi's face remained expressionless: "You speak."
Then the Marquis of Anding's voice was heard: "This old minister only wants to know whether the tiger tally in my hand is fake?"
Upon hearing this, Emperor Guangqi paused slightly.
He didn't speak, and Song Xizhi's eyes deepened slightly.
Actually, the emperor's reaction on the altar that day was a bit strange. At that time, Song Xizhi also guessed that the emperor was deliberately testing Marquis Anding.
The emperor may have already possessed a token that enabled him to command the army, but he needed the Marquis of Anding's attitude to demonstrate his loyalty to him.
The reason why Marquis An Ding gritted his teeth and killed "He Jingyan" was not because he completely believed that "He Jingyan" was a fake.
After all, he had the exact same face as He Jingyan, completely indistinguishable from the real thing. Even if his closest relatives knew the truth, they couldn't bear to kill him directly, just like Pei Yunyi back then.
Because there's always a sliver of uncertainty in my heart... what if this person is real?
However, the Marquis of Anding still killed him, putting righteousness before all the soldiers by killing his own family. Besides his genuine loyalty, he was also trying to protect the Marquis of Anding's mansion.
As expected, the emperor remained silent for a long time before finally nodding: "Yes, I had suspicions about He Jingyan, so I secretly switched your tiger tally. The real tiger tally is now with me."
After Emperor Guangqi finished speaking, he stared intently at the Marquis of Anding's face, wanting to see his reaction.
Marquis Anding spoke with a choked voice: "This old minister's health is not what it used to be, and I cannot discern right from wrong. It is truly this old minister's fault. Placing the tiger tally with Your Majesty is the best decision. This old minister only wishes to retire and return to my hometown."
"...Your Majesty, this old minister has come today only to bring back my son's body before retiring to my hometown..."
“Yun Ce has already been reduced to ashes, and his remains cannot be found. But Jing Yan, Jing Yan…”
Before Marquis An Ding could finish speaking, he was already sobbing uncontrollably.
Song Xizhi stood aside listening, feeling extremely bitter. She hurriedly explained to Marquis Anding, "My lord, He Jingyan is definitely not dead. He must still be in the capital."
"Because the fake He Jingyan locked me up in the Marquis of Anding's mansion not only to hide the truth from the light, but also to be able to confuse me at any time and interrogate me about the secrets in my heart in my dreams, so that the puppet could more accurately impersonate me."
"But when the puppet was impersonating He Jingyan, we discovered the problem. It must be because he refused to yield during the interrogation, which disrupted the spy's plans."
Upon hearing this, the Marquis of Anding's previously dim eyes regained hope: "Really? Ayan is really not dead?"
Song Xizhi nodded, but also truthfully expressed his inner concerns: "However, since the fake He Jingyan is dead and the Empress Dowager has been arrested, the real He Jingyan must be in danger!"
A hint of worry rose on the Marquis of Anding's face again. He crawled two steps toward the dragon throne and hurriedly asked, his voice filled with concern:
"Your Majesty, has the Empress Dowager revealed anything about A-Yan's whereabouts? Has she mentioned A-Yan's safety?"
His humble fatherly image made Song Xizhi feel very uncomfortable.
Emperor Guangqi's eyes darkened for a moment, then he shook his head: "I asked, but she refused to say anything."
As the emperor spoke, he seemed extremely distressed and instructed the eunuch beside him to help the Marquis of Anding up: "But don't worry, Minister He, I will send people to search the entire capital to find the whereabouts of General He."
Seeing the Marquis of Anding in such a state, Pei Yunyi felt distressed and thus suggested to the Emperor:
“Father, the Marquis of Anding’s residence has been burned down. Now the Marquis of Anding’s family has nowhere to stay. The remnants of the Western Rong have not been eradicated yet. I am worried that they may still be in danger. Therefore, I suggest that they stay at the Crown Prince’s residence temporarily until the Marquis of Anding’s residence is repaired.”
Upon hearing this, Emperor Guangqi turned to look at Song Xizhi and said, "It is truly inappropriate for the Marquis of Anding's family to be staying in the Crown Prince's residence. I will assign a new residence for the Marquis of Anding to stay temporarily, so you need not worry, Your Highness."
Upon hearing this, Pei Yunyi said again, "What about Song Xizhi? Lord Song is in a very dangerous situation right now. We should let Lord Song stay at the Crown Prince's residence for now, and I will personally protect him!"
Upon hearing this, Emperor Guangqi's face gradually darkened: "Lord Song is still General He's wife and will continue to live with Marquis Anding."
The emperor's attitude made everyone's hearts sink. Even the Marquis of Anding was quite bewildered and did not quite understand the emperor's meaning.
Marquis An Ding hesitated, but Pei Yunyi spoke up directly, saying, "Your subject does not quite understand what Your Majesty means."
“You clearly know that Zhizhi and He Jingyan have no relation whatsoever. Her real husband is your son. Even your son’s life, and even this great empire, was saved by Zhizhi.”
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