"I will try to come back early from now on," Long Xuanmo said with a heart full of tenderness, warmth, and a trace of self-reproach.
Yang Mengchen had grown accustomed to having Long Xuanmo by her side; whenever he was absent, she felt uneasy.
Long Xuanmo went to the restroom to wash up, and after finishing, he sat down by the bed, gently pulled his beloved wife into his arms, kissed her forehead as usual, and then reached out to caress her belly, greeting their babies.
"Today, Liao Zhiyan stopped me in the street, wanting to demand an explanation," Yang Mengchen said calmly, nestled in Long Xuanmo’s arms.
In the depths of Long Xuanmo’s deep eyes, a fierce killing intent lurked, "What if we kill her?" The Hidden Guard had sent him a secret report; he already knew what had happened on the streets.
Yang Mengchen was startled.
Wasn’t this too quick? She hadn’t even said anything yet. If Liao Zhiyan heard Wende say this, she would probably go mad with jealousy.
"Hai Tang said her martial arts skills are very strong. The Hidden Guard also said someone is secretly protecting her, and those people call her ’Princess’."
Long Xuanmo’s lips tightened as he remained silent.
"That’s not the main issue. The feeling she gives me is very much like someone I know," Yang Mengchen said as she looked up at Long Xuanmo. Seeing no reaction from him, she felt puzzled but then realized, and said with slight anger, "You knew all along, didn’t you?"
Long Xuanmo’s expression panicked, and he hurriedly tried to nip his wife’s burgeoning anger in the bud, "The Emperor and I have had our suspicions before, so we chose to wait and see. Today we almost got confirmation, but how did you find out?" freewebnøvel_com
"From the beginning, I suspected she came for you and the Empress’s position. After seeing her on the streets today, I found her too much like that person," Yang Mengchen didn’t argue with Long Xuanmo. "But one thing puzzles me, if that person intentionally groomed her to take over, why shape her into such a petty persona? It’s purely the tactics of an innocent white flower. How could such a person be fit for the task?"
Long Xuanmo’s lips twitched as he solemnly replied, "That person can’t stand the light of day, so the people groomed cannot appear in public either."
Yang Mengchen glared at Long Xuanmo.
Long Xuanmo quickly corrected himself, "Liao Zhiyan is likely a spy who was trained from a young age, but was sent to the Liao family when she was just over five years old. Since then, that person could not instruct Liao Zhiyan further, and her character was already set, so even after more than a decade, the Prefect Liao Couple couldn’t correct her ways."
"No!" Yang Mengchen shook her head, "I can tell that there’s a lofty pride in Liao Zhiyan, a sense of superiority that looks down upon all beings. I asked Sister Jin, and she said only a truly highborn lady could exhibit such an attitude. If Liao Zhiyan were merely a spy, she wouldn’t have this mindset. After all, I can still distinguish between pretense and reality."
"You mean to say..." Long Xuanmo’s eyebrows knit tightly; perhaps they had overlooked something.
Yang Mengchen’s eyes darkened, "Have someone thoroughly investigate any involvement between that person and the emperors of the various nations, especially the Emperor Xiliang?"
"I will," Long Xuanmo nodded, placed the book in his wife’s hand on the nightstand, and carefully helped her lie down, "It’s getting late, let’s go to sleep," and considerately covered her with a silk quilt.
The cold moonlight shone gently, and sparse stars twinkled, making the night beautifully serene.
The next day, Yang Mengchen woke up slightly late. Sister Jin and the others, following Long Xuanmo’s orders not to disturb her sweet dreams, allowed her to sleep in, and by the time she woke up, it was already bright outside and Long Xuanmo was no longer by her side, having gone to attend the morning court.
Yang Mengchen summoned Sister Jin and the others. After freshening up and gracefully enjoying her breakfast, she took Hai Tang and Mo Mei’s hands for a stroll in the garden.
Mo Lan hurried over, "Reporting to the Crown Princess Consort, a fire broke out at the inn at midnight last night. Liao Zhiyan and Wet Nurse Zhou both perished in the blaze."
"They died?" Yang Mengchen raised her eyebrows slightly.
"Wet Nurse Zhou is dead," Mo Lan replied, "Liao Zhiyan drugged everyone in the inn. By the time we realized something was wrong, the fire had already engulfed Liao Zhiyan’s room. After the blaze was extinguished, it was confirmed that Liao Zhiyan started the fire; two charred female bodies were found on the floor of the room. Upon identification, one of the bodies was confirmed to be Wet Nurse Zhou, who had died from poisoning first; the other body was not Liao Zhiyan. Mu Zhu led a team to pursue the matter while I came back to report."
Sister Jin was filled with righteous indignation, "After all the years Wet Nurse Zhou took care of her, to ruthlessly poison her to death and then burn the evidence, Liao Zhiyan is worse than a beast!"
Hai Tang and the others also expressed their disdain and anger.
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