The words of Concubine Hua caused the maids to retreat one after another. Zong Zheng Xiaoting observed secretly and saw four people who looked like first-class palace maids walking at the back. They nodded to Mo Lian and then closed the door.

"Just now, I was too talkative and couldn't greet you like a princess. I hope you won't blame me." Concubine Hua was about to stand up, but Zong Zheng Xiaoting waved his hand and pressed her down.

Zong Zheng Xiaoting raised his eyes and smiled, looking at Mo Lian's expression, without too much consideration, "When you are in the deep palace, you should be careful about everything, not to mention that you are a new favorite concubine. I understand this point. If you want to be truly in a safe place, even if you meet the prince, you should still be calm."

"Yes!" Mo Lian was very insightful and naturally accepted Zong Zheng Xiaoting's words.

"I believe that with your ability, you can guarantee the safety of the Empress Painter. However, in this harem, you are the recipient of everyone's love and resentment. Moreover, you are well aware of the various reasons behind it. If you are not careful and are caught by others, you will never be able to recover. Unlike others, you are at the greatest risk. As the saying goes, it is easy to dodge an open attack but difficult to guard against an arrow from the dark. You should understand this." Zong Zheng Xiaoting said earnestly.

Perhaps it was because she had been hiding in the dark for too long, as a secret guard spying on the enemy, she had not felt warmth for a long time. At this moment, Zong Zheng Xiaoting's words made Mo Lian's heart flow with a trace of warmth. She moved her lips and nodded, with a slight touch of emotion on her still cold face, "Princess, I understand your concern."

"By the way, today I have seen that the people in your palace have different thoughts."

"The Queen Mother's spies, Concubine Jing's spies, and Princess Yun Fei's spies are naturally a mixed bag." Mo Lian sneered, "It's just a pity that some people are too complacent and don't even know that it's a counter-espionage plot."

"These people are with you. When the emperor comes at night, you must be careful." Zong Zheng Xiaoting frowned, "I don't want to sacrifice my innocent daughter."

"Thank you, Princess." Zong Zheng Xiaoting's words once again made Mo Lian sigh. Ever since she was saved by the prince, she had forgotten herself and could only live in the dark. As the leader of all the female secret guards, she only had the code name Phantom, nothing else. Originally, she had already put everything aside when she entered the palace as a concubine and a spy. However, she never thought that this princess who had once disliked her would actually design such a drug to secretly protect them. It really made her numb heart feel warm again.

Zong Zheng Xiaoting looked at Mo Lian's expression and smiled, "You and I are both women, and we both have the same interesting and precious things. No matter what happens now, in the end, we both hope to find a true lover and live together forever, right? Taking care of yourself is the most important thing. Although I don't know whether there is any favor between you and the prince, I believe that one day, he will give you freedom."

Looking at the smiling Zong Zheng Xiaoting in front of her, Mo Lian's heart couldn't help but soften. Someone who had only known the prince for a short time could see the softness in the prince's heart. She must not be an ordinary woman. She was so smart and kind, she was indeed worthy of being the one the prince loved.

"Yes, I almost forgot something important." Zong Zheng Xiaoting looked at Mo Lian, "I believe that your martial arts skills are not low. There is something I want to know."

"Princess, please speak."

"As for the people around the emperor, how good are their martial arts?"

"This..." Mo Lian frowned, "The emperor has secret guards around him. Although I have not investigated them in detail to conceal my martial arts skills, their martial arts skills must be quite high."

Zong Zheng Xiaoting nodded and then asked, "If that's the case, if I and the prince were talking in the dark, two meters away, could the spy learn what was said?"

"That's not right." Mo Lian shook his head. "Princess, you don't know that with the prince's martial arts skills, enemies within two meters will definitely be discovered by the prince, and there is no way they can eavesdrop. Even if they conceal their martial arts internal strength, the prince will definitely find out. And the people around the emperor dare not approach the prince easily. Over the years, many spies have been discovered as soon as they approached. No one will get close to spy when the prince is around."

“Is there a kind of martial arts in the martial arts world that can suppress other people with internal strength and prevent them from discovering the content of conversation?” Zong Zheng Xiaoting’s doubts grew deeper.

“Never.”

"Really?" Zong Zheng Xiaoting frowned. "Then, after the palace banquet that day, the emperor stayed overnight in Tianfeng Palace. Did he leave?"

"Princess, you are right. The Emperor did send someone out, but he left in a hurry. After the guards reported back, he left in a low profile. It is said that he went to the Empress Dowager's Peaceful Palace." Mo Lian was puzzled. "Princess, is there anything you need Mo Lian's help with?"

Zong Zheng Xiaoting nodded and handed over the food box. "These are all made of bugs. I just treated the Queen Mother and the two princesses to a good meal and gave them some food. I thought that the night is getting darker and there will be trouble tomorrow morning. Madam Hua Fei can make a big fuss about this and stir up trouble when the emperor is having breakfast. Anyway, these maids will probably report to the master about the grudge between you and me. Madam Hua Fei, please accept this jade pendant."

"Okay, Mo Lian knows what to do, don't worry Princess."

Zong Zheng Xiaoting smiled, stood up and left.

As soon as they returned to Tianxue Palace, Qingqing and Ningshuang hurriedly poured out all the words that they had been holding back on.

"Princess, you are not planning to tell Qingqing why you did this until now, right?" Qingqing looked worried.

Ningshuang nodded in agreement, "Yes, Princess, this move really makes Ningshuang confused."

"What do you understand?" Zong Zheng Xiaoting smiled. "Qingqing, do you remember that I told you to serve an extra cup of tea when you served these foods to the Queen Mother and the others?"

"remember."

"Well, the reason why I chose tonight is not only to cover it up at night, but also to sleep peacefully." Zong Zheng Xiaoting blinked, "The powder of Doctor Chen must be very good. If the Queen Mother and others come back to the palace, they will rush to ask if I can sleep tonight?"

"But Princess, what about tomorrow?" Ningshuang couldn't understand and was really puzzled by her master's risky move.

"I am here to confirm one thing. I want to know whether the Emperor and the Empress Dowager knew about the conversation between my grandfather and me at the palace banquet that day or not!" Zong Zheng Xiaoting sneered. It was not that she did not trust Situ Xunxiao, but she felt that his excuse that night was a bit far-fetched, and she, Zong Zheng Xiaoting, would definitely not allow herself to be ignorant of everything. That was why she had to invest heavily in order to test whether everything she suspected was true or false.

Slightly narrowing his eyes, he said to Ningshuang, "Ningshuang, go tell Nighthawk what I did today. Qingqing, help me go to bed. I'm afraid tomorrow will be tiring."

"Yes!" The two had no choice but to follow the instructions.