It was already noon the next day when we returned to the imperial capital.

Qin Ye returned to Prince Chen's Mansion, while Zong Zhengchen took the flower of the dead and went to the palace to report.

Imperial study.

The emperor held the nanmu box in his hands, looking at the small flower bud lying inside. It had been off the branch for a few days, but it was still as fresh as if it had life, and it was glowing with luster.

His eyes lit up with joy. He closed the lid of the box as if it were a treasure and put it in the drawer with great care.

"Seventh Brother, you have not let me down. Over the years, your abilities have always been recognized." He praised directly without hiding anything. "There is only one month left before the Qingming Festival. I am old and can no longer be busy. I will leave this matter to you."

Defu came forward with a tray and a smile:

"Your Highness Prince Chen, please."

On the tray, there was a transparent jade scepter.

When a king issues an important task or attaches importance to something, he always uses something as a token to highlight the importance of the matter.

Ancestor worship is an annual event, during which tomb sweeping on Qingming Festival is an extremely solemn occasion to pay tribute to the ancestors and emperors of the Dongling Kingdom over the past hundreds of years.

Zong Zhengchen took the jade tablet and said, "I obey your orders."

However, he added: "I wonder what effect this undead flower has? How did father know about it?"

Even Qin Ye didn't know the effect of these words, so he was naturally curious.

The emperor smiled slightly, and said, "This is what the Imperial Master told me. The Queen has not been feeling well in recent days and has trouble sleeping. She needs this flower of the dead."

It seemed that he didn't want to continue this topic:

"Okay, go back. I have to review the memorials. You just came back. I will allow you to rest for two days before going to court."

Zong Zhengchen left the imperial study.

At the palace gate, he ran into King Feng coming towards him.

Suddenly, their eyes met.

When their eyes met, King Feng's eyes flickered for a moment, as if he was surprised, astonished, or as if he felt guilty...

After a moment, Zong Zhengchen walked up to him and called out:

"Second brother."

King Feng immediately smiled, "I was wondering why he looked familiar from a distance. It turns out that my seventh brother is back!"

He patted King Chen on the shoulder, like an approachable brother, and said with a smile and concern:

"I heard that the emperor assigned you a task a few days ago. You completed it so quickly. The emperor must be very happy."

Compared with his cheerful words and smiles, Zong Zhengchen's eyes were dull, without any extra emotions on his face, and his eyes fell calmly on him.

He said: "I don't know whether the emperor is happy or not, but someone must be unhappy."

“…”

King Feng's smile froze on his face.

It was obvious that there was something else behind the words, and it was directed at him.

His eyes flickered a little, and he hurriedly avoided the topic: "I have something to do with my father, so I'm leaving first."

After saying that, he ran away.

Zong Zhengchen turned sideways, looked at his back, and said, "Second brother."

He called out again, causing King Feng to stop and the atmosphere between the two of them to become strangely tense.

"You and I are brothers. I have never intended to harm anyone, nor have I intended to harm my brothers."

The smile on King Feng's face slowly froze and he retracted it, a fierce light flashing across his eyes.

He is...

Got it.

But could he admit to sending out assassins? Of course he couldn't admit it, so he just played dumb.

"I know, of course I know," King Feng laughed, "Seventh brother has been a worry-free person for father since he was young, and everyone praises him. Don't people always praise you when they mention you? Even I, your elder brother, admire you!"

He laughed it off.

Zong Zhengchen's face remained emotionless. He looked straight at him, and when he had almost finished his fake smile, he spoke calmly:

"I give you a deadline to leave the imperial capital and stay in your fiefdom permanently before Qingming Festival. If you are still in the imperial capital by then, I don't mind seeing you off in person."

.seven