Situ Yao stared at her with his deep eyes for a long time before he called the only personal eunuch who was still in the East Palace and asked him to investigate the matter.
About half an incense stick of time later, the young eunuch came back in a hurry and whispered a few words in his ear.
Situ Yao was slightly surprised, glanced at Su Mengyan, and waved the eunuch away.
After the people left, Su Mengyan looked at him nervously.
He walked over to the couch and asked calmly, "What do you want?"
Su Mengyan finally breathed a sigh of relief. Her memory was correct and she won the bet!
"This servant wants to follow His Highness to the Imperial Mausoleum."
The hand pouring the tea paused slightly, Situ Yao raised his eyelids, and finally looked at her directly: "You want to go to the imperial mausoleum with me?"
The imperial mausoleum was a poor place, and only members of the royal family who had committed crimes would be punished to guard the body in the mausoleum.
Su Mengyan was afraid he wouldn't believe her, so she pleaded with him, "Your Highness, if I stayed in the palace, I don't know when I would be murdered by Concubine Bai for betrayal. I surrendered today to save my life. If I could be blessed enough to stay by your side, I would swear to be loyal to you until death."
Su Mengyan knew that if she said any profound truths, Situ Yao would definitely not believe her, so it was better for her to tell the truth and say that she did it to save her life.
"Oh? Swear to be loyal to me until death? If you betray the Bai family today, how can I be sure that one day I won't be the same person I am today?"
Su Mengyan immediately gave an awkward laugh: "Noble Concubine Bai is too vicious. Following her will only make me do things that are against the will of heaven and earth. I believe that your destiny is pure and kind, and you will definitely not let me do anything bad."
Although Situ Yao's eyes still revealed a sense of alienation, his tone had softened considerably. "You are quite honest. Well, tell me first, what method do you have to save the princess?"
Su Mengyan put away her playful expression and said, "Remove the firewood from under the cauldron."
Situ Yao's eyes flickered with surprise, but Su Mengyan didn't notice. She continued, "Noble Concubine Bai has secretly prepared a portrait of the Fifth Princess. As soon as the envoy arrives, we'll find a way to show it to them. Why not use their trick and replace it with the Third Princess's portrait?"
He considered it for a moment, then asked, "Are you so sure that the envoy will be satisfied with the Third Princess?"
Su Mengyan would still have some concerns if other innocent people were involved.
But she was happy to see the plot against the third princess succeed.
Because the third princess was not only as selfish and narrow-minded as her mother, and did things to any end, but it was also because of her advice that Su Mengyan became Situ Yao's chosen concubine.
This person threatened Situ Yao in the later period and helped the second prince to seize the throne. He did all kinds of bad things and used all kinds of underhanded methods.
Thinking of this, Su Mengyan said, "Your Highness, the envoy may not be satisfied with the Third Princess's appearance. But rather than marrying the frail Fifth Princess who is likely to die on the journey, the strong and healthy Third Princess will certainly be more reassuring."
Situ Yao suddenly curled his lips and smiled: "You curse the Fifth Princess like this, aren't you afraid of my punishment?"
Su Mengyan replied calmly: "Your Highness is broad-minded and will certainly not take my little joke to heart."
He unconsciously reached out, lifted her chin, and looked at her face carefully.
Su Mengyan's fingers were tangled nervously in her sleeves, and she tried to remain calm to face Situ Yao's scrutiny.
After a long while, Situ Yao said, "I understand. Go down and prepare. Follow me to the imperial mausoleum tomorrow."
Su Mengyan felt relieved, kowtowed to express her gratitude, and left in a hurry.
As soon as she walked out of the room, a dark shadow flashed out from behind the screen.
The man knelt in front of Situ Yao with an expressionless face: "Your Highness, would you like me to check this person's background?"
He played with the teacup in his hand and asked the man, "Do you feel that she is different from before?"
The man was slightly startled. "Your Highness, please forgive me. I don't quite understand what you mean."
Situ Yao said calmly, "I remember she was born into a commoner family and had barely read a book. How could she come up with such a strategy as cutting off the source of the firewood today?"
"Your Highness, do you suspect someone is behind this?"
Situ Yao nodded and said, "Go check if there really is someone belonging to Concubine Bai in the embassy. If what she said is true, then secretly replace the portrait."
"Princess Yunfu?" the man asked again.
"Start with her wet nurse and don't let her know about this. Her condition should appear serious, and it would be best if she could leave the palace to recuperate, away from Concubine Bai's eyes."
The man was ordered to leave.
Situ Yao calmly finished writing, looked out the window, and silently thought in his heart: Su Mengyan...
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