The courtyard was eerily quiet.
Granny Fangqi was unable to recover for a long time, as was Wei Hong, who was in a state of extreme shock.
After gathering his thoughts, Song Xibai turned his gaze and suddenly spoke.
"This matter is only for your ears. If a fourth person finds out, don't blame me for being ruthless."
Her tone carried a sharp warning.
Wei Hong immediately knelt down and raised her hand as if to swear an oath.
"This servant will never divulge a single word to any outsider. If I disobey, may I be condemned to the Avici Hell after death, never to be reborn!"
Most people in this world believe in the vows of gods and Buddhas, which can be considered extremely important.
Granny Fangqi was a step behind and also knelt down to solemnly swear and kowtow.
Song Xibai waited until she finished speaking before reaching out to help the two of them up.
Granny Fangqi let out a breath, feeling as if a heavy stone was pressing on her chest, making it hard to breathe.
But the thought that the Empress might have been killed by the current Emperor ignited a nameless rage within her.
She pinched her thigh hard, using the pain to calm herself down, and then asked.
"Master, what should we do next? That dog emperor has been plotting for so long, who knows what other tricks he has up his sleeve."
She even changed how she addressed people.
"The most important thing now is to find a way to contact His Highness, pass on the message, and let him prepare himself mentally in advance. At the same time, we need to find evidence that the emperor is impersonating someone else."
As for forming alliances with court officials to eliminate the emperor's henchmen and right-hand men, Song Xibai doesn't need to do that.
She offered a suggestion, but just guiding the conversation would be enough. Doing too much would easily give herself away.
Now that Eunuch Feng's return has finally diverted everyone's attention, allowing Song Xibai to remain out of sight, she cannot afford to take any more risks.
Granny Fangqi pondered for a moment, then said, "It happened more than ten years ago, and I'm afraid not many people remember it now. This old servant does recognize a few old acquaintances, but they've all been banished to the Cold Palace or to the outside world. Why don't I go and try to contact them and see?"
To everyone's surprise, Song Xibai waved his hand.
"No need. Most of the people who served the former emperor are probably dead. What would the rest know? It's useless to look for them, and it might just alert the enemy."
"How can we prove he's a fraud? Without evidence, we can't bring him down at all!"
"Who says there's no evidence? Isn't there crystal-clear evidence right here?"
Song Xibai smiled slightly, revealing a determined look on her face.
Granny Fangqi was stunned for a moment, and subconsciously exchanged a glance with Wei Hong, both of them seeing doubt in each other's eyes.
Song Xibai didn't say anything more; she knew her own plans.
After waving for Granny Fangqi to leave, Song Xibai took Wei Hong back to their residence and began writing letters.
This letter is addressed to Mr. Jin.
Among the advisors left behind by the Crown Prince, Song Xibai learned a general outline from Commander Yue. This Mr. Jin was quite bold in his actions and could be put to use.
In addition, since her older brother also followed Mr. Jin, Song Xibai would contact him first whenever she needed anything.
This time, she intends to meet him in person.
The letter was sent out through secret channels.
After that, Song Xibai acted as usual, without showing any unusual behavior.
In the afternoon, she went out of the yard to clear her head.
Her pregnant belly was so obvious that the spies lurking outside the manor immediately noticed her.
All eyes were fixed on her.
Song Xibai took a walk around the neighborhood, sat for a while near the lotus pond, chatted with the old farmer for a few minutes, and even asked someone to pick a few lotus flowers to take back and put in a vase.
Everything is as usual.
It wasn't until nightfall.
In the dead of night, all was quiet, and the entire village was fast asleep, broken only by the occasional croaking of frogs.
Song Xibai, who should have been asleep long ago, was dressed in black and quietly left the main courtyard with Wei Hong, heading towards the backyard.
After the courtyard was renovated, the backyard was expanded outwards, and a row of warehouses was added near the back mountain.
This row of warehouses looks exactly the same; from the outside, there is no difference at all.
Song Xibai groped his way into the third room, bypassed the clutter, and arrived at the thick stone wall.
"Wei Hong".
She called softly, and Wei Hong immediately understood, quickly stepping forward to light the tinderbox.
In the dim light of the fire, Wei Hong counted the stones.
"Third row from the top, fourteenth from the left... Got it!"
Her eyes lit up, and she pressed down hard.
Immediately afterwards, the mechanism was activated, and with a rattling sound, the partition on the left moved inward, revealing a gap just wide enough for one person to pass through.
Song Xibai let out a breath and led Wei Hong into the secret passage.
This secret passage originally existed in the manor.
Commander Yue couldn't possibly train all his secret guards within the manor, so he dug a secret passage leading to the mountains behind the manor.
The previous renovations by Zhuangzi were actually a cover-up; the real purpose was to conceal the passage and add a hidden lock.
Inside the secret passage, fluorescent stones were embedded in the walls, emitting a faint glow.
After walking for about five or six minutes, we arrived at a secret room.
Meanwhile, someone was already inside the secret room.
As soon as Song Xibai entered, Mr. Jin, who had been waiting for a long time, hurriedly stood up, stretched out his hands, and bowed deeply.
"Your subordinate greets Consort Liangdi."
Mr. Jin had passed the imperial examination at the county level, so he was not required to kneel when meeting officials.
Song Xibai looked up, gave a kind smile, and offered a slight helping hand.
"Mr. Jin, there's no need for such formalities."
Then, turning her gaze, she saw Song Xinian behind Mr. Jin, and Song Xibai's smile became more genuine.
"Big brother is here too?"
Looking at his younger sister, Song Xinian felt a sense of unfamiliarity. The mischievous little sister in his memory was gradually fading, and the Song Xibai before him reminded him of the first time he met the Crown Prince.
Song Xinian sighed inwardly and bowed to Mr. Jin.
"This humble subject greets Your Majesty."
Song Xibai originally wanted to pull him, but when she met his eyes, she was startled and then withdrew her hand, raising her hand towards the two of them.
"Please sit down!"
Mr. Jin didn't stand on ceremony and sat down directly.
Song Xinian sat next to him in the second seat, clearly showing his subordinate attitude.
Song Xibai pursed her lips.
She hadn't expected her older brother to be so unfamiliar with her.
But now is not the time to talk about private matters; there are too many things to discuss.
"Today I finally get to meet Mr. Jin. His Highness has entrusted everything in the capital to you, which shows his great trust in you."
She composed herself and got down to business.
"Now, there is a very confidential and important matter that requires your help, sir. I wonder if you would be willing?"
Song Xibai spoke with a superior air that she herself was unaware of, but her tone was gentle, polite, and respectful, so that Mr. Jin could not feel any aversion to her.
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