Upon hearing this, Sima Jing immediately raised her head.
"The person has been found?"
Sima Jing's voice was urgent.
Ruyan nodded.
"Your Majesty, all the people on the list you gave me, except for those who are dead, are now stationed in Youzhou with General Sima Xiong Ba. The only one left in the capital is An Yuntai, the commander of the West City Camp."
"An Yuntai!"
Sima Jing repeated the name.
Seeing Sima Jing's solemn expression, Ruyan couldn't help but ask curiously, "Your Majesty, who exactly are these people you asked me to investigate?"
Although Ruyan knew that most of the people Sima Jing investigated were military generals, she couldn't understand why Sima Jing was investigating these ordinary soldiers.
In her view, instead of using their spies to investigate such matters, it would be better to find a way to keep the tyrannical emperor by their side.
But Sima Jing only returned her a cold look.
"Don't ask what you shouldn't ask. Also, the thing I asked you to do must not be known to anyone else, otherwise don't blame me for disregarding our years of friendship."
Hearing Sima Jing's cold words, Ruyan was startled and quickly lowered her head.
"Yes, ma'am!"
Seeing her obedient appearance, Sima Jing finally nodded.
"You stay in the palace tonight to handle things; I will go out of the palace for a while."
After speaking, Sima Jing tidied up the files on the table and stood up.
Upon hearing that she was to stay in the palace, Ruyan's expression changed.
"Your Majesty, you mustn't! What if the tyrannical emperor comes while you're not in the palace? Besides, the Prime Minister has already said that we must not leave the palace unless there is a major incident."
Ruyan looked at Sima Jing nervously.
Sima Jing only returned her a calm look.
"The tyrant is coming. You should serve him in bed. Didn't you please him last time? If he asks about me, just say I'm ill. As for the Prime Minister, I'll explain."
After finishing her sentence, Sima Jing returned to her bedroom without looking back.
Looking at the tightly closed palace gates, Ruyan wanted to ask Sima Jing to retract her order, but she was also afraid of angering her.
After returning to his bedroom and locking everything up, Sima Jing went straight to the underground passage of Huaqing Pool.
After confirming that no one was there, Sima Jing opened the mechanism and went down into the tunnel.
She was the only one in the entire Haitang Palace who knew about this tunnel, so she wasn't worried about it being discovered.
But not long after, in the Imperial Study.
"Your Majesty, there's movement in the underground passage of Haitang Palace!"
Xuejian walked straight into the study and then respectfully addressed Qin Yu.
"There's been movement so quickly?"
Qin Yu's lips curled slightly.
After learning that there was a tunnel in the Begonia Palace, Qin Yu had Xuejian tamper with it so that as long as the tunnel switch was opened, the series of traps they had set would react.
Qin Yu thought that Sima Jing would be well-behaved for a while after returning, but she didn't expect her to make a move so quickly.
"Your Majesty, should I lead troops to surround Haitang Palace and capture Consort Jing in the act?"
Seeing that Qin Yu didn't speak, Xuejian quickly spoke up.
She believed that as long as Consort Jing was caught on the spot, the Prime Minister's hypocrisy would be exposed.
Seeing Xuejian's eager expression, Qin Yu shook his head.
This girl is skilled in martial arts, has a great figure, and is extremely beautiful, but unfortunately, her intelligence is lacking.
She naively thought that Qin Yu hadn't taken down Sima Lie yet because there was no evidence that he intended to rebel!
"No need, Xuejian. You just need to give this letter to Abbot Liu. You don't need to worry about the rest."
Qin Yu handed the note he had just written to Xuejian.
Despite feeling somewhat unwilling, Xuejian nodded.
After Xuejian withdrew, Qin Yu looked at Anfu.
"Anfu, give the order: I want to set up the Begonia Palace!"
Hearing this, Anfu, who had just bowed, was stunned for a moment.
Why did Your Majesty still send your carriage to Haitang Palace when you knew that Consort Jing was not in the palace?
However, after following Qin Yu for so long, the most important thing he learned was not to question any of Qin Yu's decisions.
"yes."
After Anfu finished speaking, he immediately ordered someone to make arrangements. Before long, Qin Yu led a large group of people to the Begonia Palace.
At this moment, in the Begonia Palace, Ruyan was pacing back and forth in the hall with a worried expression.
"What's wrong with Consort Jing? I feel like she's a completely different person since she came back. She even dared to disobey the Prime Minister's orders!"
As Ruyan felt worried, she couldn't help but feel doubtful.
She always felt that something was off about Sima Jing.
Even without those torturous threats, Sima Jing was always loyal to the Prime Minister and would never disobey any of his orders.
But ever since she returned from her disappearance, she has felt that Sima Jing is not as obedient to the Prime Minister as before.
She has been back in court for so long, yet she has never once tried to seduce the tyrannical emperor or gather information, which would have been unimaginable in the past.
Today, she dared to defy public opinion and leave the palace without permission. If the Prime Minister finds out, he will probably punish her with the Thousand Insect Pill again.
But Ruyan dared not reveal this situation to anyone.
After all, she was someone who disobeyed the Prime Minister's orders.
Moreover, compared to the meticulously cultivated Sima Jing, she was not as highly regarded by the Prime Minister.
Her fate will be far worse than Sima Jing's.
"I just hope that tyrant doesn't come!"
Ruyan thought for a long time, and in the end could only look up to the sky and sigh.
Now that the Empress is not here, she has to take her place.
But the thought of that passionate night with Qin Yu made her feel a dull ache down there.
That tyrant was no human being!
But as fate would have it, just as Ruyan finished praying, a loud shout came from outside.
"His Majesty has arrived!"
Upon hearing this voice, Ruyan felt her legs go weak and almost collapsed to the ground.
"Why did this tyrant have to come at the exact moment the Empress left the palace?"
Ruyan looked tense as she glanced at Sima Jing's tightly closed bedroom door.
But since things had come to this, she had no choice but to muster her courage and go out.
"This servant, Ruyan, greets Your Majesty!"
When Ruyan saw Qin Yu in his gold-embroidered dragon robe, she quickly bowed.
However, before she could kneel down, Qin Yu quickly stepped forward and helped her up.
"Haha, my beloved concubine, you no longer need to be so polite when you see me."
Qin Yu laughed heartily.
The eunuchs and palace maids kneeling beside her couldn't help but look at Ruyan with curious eyes.
When did Ruyan also become a concubine of the tyrannical emperor?
Ruyan blushed and quickly lowered her head. "Your Majesty, I am merely a maidservant who serves the Empress. I am unworthy of the rank of Consort."
Ruyan said with a sincere expression.
Upon seeing this, Qin Yu burst into laughter.
"Yes, yes, my beloved consort. Even if you wish for a new palace, I will immediately order it to be built for you."
However, these words frightened Ruyan so much that her face turned deathly pale.
If she dared to ask for her own palace, Sima Jing would probably want to kill her immediately.
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