Before they entered the city, they had already agreed to meet Princess Duanshu and Prince Taikang in person. If they could persuade them both to come forward together and identify Concubine Xian and Prince Liang, that would be the best. If not, then one of them must come forward.

In short, Chu Xuan must return to the capital openly and stand in front of the people of the world.

Prince Taikang was the eldest brother of the late emperor and the second son of Emperor Wen. When he was young, he liked antiques, calligraphy and paintings, and traveling around the mountains and rivers. When he was older, he finally settled down in the capital. Therefore, among Emperor Wen’s seven sons, only Prince Taikang survived.

Lu Yanluo stood in the Taikang Palace, looking at the vermilion gate, and couldn't help but think of a saying: "Great wisdom appears foolish."

Who can say that Prince Taikang really had no interest in the throne and was devoted to the mountains and rivers? All we can say is that he was a smart man who knew how to hide his shortcomings and avoid them appropriately.

The servant outside opened the door, welcomed Lu Yanluo and Shen He in, and led them all the way to the main hall of the palace.

The old Prince Taikang had a white beard and was concentrating on fiddling with a tank of koi in the main hall. Hearing the noise, he looked in the direction of Lu Yanluo and smiled.

"You're back? Did you have a smooth journey? Where is Chu Xuan? Why didn't he come to find me in person?"

Lu Yanluo raised her hand, slowly knelt on the ground, and respectfully performed the junior salute to Prince Taikang, and replied one by one: "The various prefectures along the way did not embarrass Prince, so it was relatively smooth. Now Prince is waiting outside the city gate and has not entered the city yet."

"Oh?" Prince Taikang asked in confusion, "Why didn't you go directly into the city?"

Lu Yanluo lowered her eyes and said, "The new emperor has sealed all four gates of the capital. The prince wants to enter the city, but there is no way to ask for help, so Yanluo can only risk entering the city. I beg you to make the decision for my prince and welcome him into the city to attend the funeral of the late emperor."

Old Prince Taikang couldn't help but sigh, put down the stick in his hand, and instantly lost the desire to appreciate it.

"What a sin! There is no father and son in the royal family. It has always been like this. Alas!" Old Prince Taikang sighed deeply, stood up and walked to Lu Yanluo: "This prince knows why you are here today. I believe that the edict of the late emperor has been safely delivered to the hands of the Night King."

"Your Highness is wise." Lu Yanluo nodded slightly, agreeing with what the old Prince Taikang said.

Old Prince Taikang turned around and took out a brocade box from under the desk in the inner room. He opened it personally in front of Lu Yanluo and found that the lacquer seal was intact.

"Here are the things. If I give them to you, I will not be ashamed of the trust that the late emperor placed in me."

Lu Yanluo bowed and thanked the old Prince Taikang: "Thank you for your help."

But getting back the will was only the first step for Lu Yanluo. The main purpose of her trip was to have the old prince Taikang personally go out and identify Chu Han, but it depended on whether the old prince could agree.

"Old Prince, Yanluo came here this time to ask you for one more thing."

The old prince Taikang waved his hand and smiled: "Little kid, just say whatever you want to say. Don't be so polite. I have watched Chu Xuan grow up. He has been beaten by me since he was a child. There is no need for these politeness between us."

When Lu Yanluo heard this, her heart moved. Chu Xuan was really right. The old Prince Taikang indeed had a different attitude from Princess Duanshu.

Before leaving, after talking about Princess Duanshu, Chu Xuan mentioned Prince Taikang, and his words were full of admiration.

"Prince Taikang is a smart man. His ability to survive two generations of emperors is closely related to his indifference to fame and fortune. In the end, he knows his limits. If Princess Duanshu can't get you to agree, you can go directly to Prince Taikang. He will definitely agree."

But the facts were exactly as Chu Xuan had expected.

Lu Yanluo felt relieved and repeated to Prince Taikang what she had said to Princess Duanshu before.

The old prince fell silent after hearing this, then shook his head: "I am old, and I don't want to get involved in the disputes of you youngsters, but the late emperor entrusted me with something before he died, and I can't fail him no matter what. So don't worry, little kid, I have agreed to this matter. Tomorrow morning, I will personally go up to the city wall, read out the late emperor's will, reveal the truth to the world, and personally welcome the new emperor to the capital!"

Lu Yanluo cupped her hands, knelt respectfully in front of the old prince, and bowed deeply: "Yanluo thanks the old prince for his understanding of justice!"

Seeing this, the old prince quickly helped Lu Yanluo up and smiled indifferently: "No need to do this, this prince has lived a carefree life without any hardship. Now this time, you can be regarded as fulfilling my little wish."

This was settled, and it was already late. Lu Yanluo stood up and prepared to leave, but Prince Taikang refused and kept her in the mansion.

"Why are you in such a hurry to leave? You must have suffered a lot following that little kid Chu Xuan outside. Stay in the mansion tonight. I will have someone make you some delicious food to replenish your body. When the dust settles, I will have a good talk with that little kid about how to let his wife show up in public."

Lu Yanluo smiled, did not refuse, and stayed.

There was no conversation that night. Early the next morning, Lu Yanluo got up, packed her things, and waited for the old prince in the main hall.

The old prince was dressed very neatly today, and there was an indescribable aura in his princely attire.

"Old Prince." Lu Yanluo leaned forward slightly and saluted. The two of them didn't say much and went straight out of the house, preparing to go to the city wall.

Unexpectedly, just as the two of them stepped out of the palace, a woman got off a carriage outside the door, turned around and helped the owner of the carriage down.

"Grand Princess." Lu Yanluo bowed slightly and lowered her head to greet her.

Duan Shu glanced at Lu Yanluo without saying anything. Instead, she said to the old Prince Taikang: "You promised to help Chu Xuan identify Chu Han? Taikang, you are beyond my expectation."

Gan Kang seemed to know Princess Duan Shu's intention and smiled easily, "Sister, to be honest, we are all old. Even the late emperor has passed away. It is only a matter of time for you and me. If we don't accumulate merits for our children and grandchildren now, when will we wait?"

"Besides, how can you and I ignore the late emperor's last words? Seeing such a huge Tianji being destroyed by that little bastard Chu Han, I know what you are worried about, but Chu Xuan is not the late emperor, and you and I are no longer the same as we were before. The scene back then will never appear again, so what else do you have to worry about?"

Duan Shu heard this, as if she suddenly recalled some bad memories. Her face instantly turned ugly, and she snorted coldly, "Are you so sure that Chu Xuan won't be the second emperor? Now you are working hard for him, how can you know whether he will find an excuse to get rid of you and me in the future?"

Lu Yanluo was confused as she listened, but she could also feel Princess Duanshu's resistance.