For some reason, when it came to the court officials colluding with the Ying State, the same figure—a venerable yet extremely hale and hearty old man—popped into Yun Xi and Yi Yuan's minds simultaneously.
Shen Zhai.
A veteran official of two dynasties. When the late emperor was alive, Shen Zhai was not highly regarded. However, he was one of the strong advocates for the southern inspection back then and accompanied the emperor on that journey.
Moreover, after the plague fourteen years ago, the Shen family rapidly rose to prominence, and Shen Zhai even became the current prime minister.
It could be said that he was the biggest beneficiary.
He also had the ability to compete with Yi Yuan and provide cover for the Holy Master and the others.
The more one thought about it, the more suspicious he seemed.
As Yun Xi pondered, the half - human - tall portrait in the Jianjia Palace suddenly flashed through her mind.
The woman with bright, captivating eyes bore a striking resemblance to Yi Zhen. Shen Guifei, Yi Zhen's birth mother, also resembled her by about sixty percent.
She was a daughter from the Shen family.
What was the connection here?
Had Concubine Qing, who had been favored for so many years, really had no offspring?
Yun Xi's head ached from thinking.
She knew well that this matter couldn't be delayed any longer and that they had to start the investigation immediately.
"A Yuan..."
"The Gu on your body..."
Yun Xi and Yi Yuan spoke at the same time.
Both of them were startled, then said in unison:
"You go first."
There was an instant of silence, and then everyone couldn't help but smile.
Hun Yuan had taken the medicine and felt much better. Seeing how in sync the two were, he couldn't help but shake his head and click his tongue, saying:
"You two are really in tune with each other."
"Alright, I'll decide. Junior Sister, you go first. Yi Yuan's voice is so cold that it makes it hard for my wounds to heal."
Yi Yuan: …
He gave Hun Yuan a disdainful look. But Yi Yuan also looked at Yun Xi, indicating for her to speak first.
With a faint smile, Yun Xi said:
"Were you going to ask me how to remove the Gu on my body?"
Yi Yuan was momentarily surprised that Yun Xi had guessed what he wanted to ask, then he calmly nodded.
Hun Yuan and Jiang Ning also stared at her intently, eager to know what result she had obtained.
Yun Xi said directly:
"Zongzheng Fengyi said: One must be pushed to the brink of death before being reborn."
"Pushed to the brink of death before being reborn?"
Yi Yuan frowned tightly:
"This is just what Hun Yuan said before."
"But Zongzheng Fengyi doesn't have the Yang Gu on him. How can one be pushed to the brink of death and then reborn?"
Yun Xi naturally didn't know either.
The two of them both turned their heads and looked at Hun Yuan.
Hun Yuan was in pain from his wound. When the two of them looked at him, he felt a tingling sensation on his scalp.
"Looking at me won't help. That mural was designed to deceive us. It was half - true and half - false. Now that we know the Yang Gu is fake, the method of removing the Gu must also be invalid."
"Right now, I can't find another way either."
Ugh...
There was another moment of silence.
Suddenly, Yun Xi said:
"I think... there might be clues from Concubine Qing."
"Hmm?"
Everyone turned to look at Yun Xi.
Yun Xi thought for a moment and said:
"Back then, they went to great lengths to send Concubine Qing into the palace. Wasn't it just to make it convenient for them to create the plague in the palace?"
"Previously, Zhang Huan also said that when Mo Tong was looking for people in the Liu family to be the furnaces for this mind - reading Gu, she was deeply involved with the imperial concubine in the palace, that is, Concubine Qing. So Concubine Qing must have been involved in the Gu on my body."
"We don't have any other methods anyway. Why don't we start with Concubine Qing?"
Everyone thought it was a feasible idea.
Yi Yuan agreed and said:
"This is a good method. We shouldn't delay. Since we're already in the palace, let's go now."
But Yun Xi suddenly grabbed his arm and gently shook her head:
"I'll go."
"We don't know what terrifying arrangements Zongzheng Fengyi and the Holy Master have made. You go and keep an eye on them first, especially the Qiri Manor."
"Moreover, I always feel that the people colluding with them are from the Shen family. In Shuozhou, it was discovered that they were secretly transporting food, grass, and weapons. It's as if the word 'usurp the throne' is written on their faces. If Zongzheng Fengyi wants to cause trouble in the Great Yin, he will surely need the help of the Shen family."
"Although we don't know how they've discussed it behind the scenes, the things in Shuozhou may very well involve Zongzheng Fengyi. You lead people to take a look. Maybe we can find some clues about the Shen family's collusion with the Ying State."
A hint of sternness flashed across her eyes, and Yun Xi continued:
"By then, we'll make proper arrangements and capture them all at once!"
This arrangement was indeed appropriate.
But Yi Yuan was still worried.
After all, there were strict rules in the palace. One wrong move could lead to being criticized. Yun Xi, a woman with no official position, going alone to check the files, even under the pretext of checking the disaster for Hun Yuan, was not very proper.
Yi Zhen already hated Yun Xi to the core. Having been deceived by Yun Xi today, if she decided to cause trouble regardless of the consequences, Yun Xi's life might very well be in danger.
Yi Yuan still wanted to accompany her.
At least with him around, with his status, it would be more than enough to protect Yun Xi.
Yun Xi naturally understood why Yi Yuan was hesitating.
She glanced at Hun Yuan and Jiang Ning, who were silent, and said:
"Yi Zhen tried to harm me but ended up trapping herself. She should be too busy to care about other things for now. You don't need to worry about me."
"As for you, you've hidden Yi Zhen's affection for you from me for so long. Don't think you can get away with it so easily."
These words shocked Jiang Ning so much that her eyes widened instantly.
"What? Yi Zhen has feelings for Prince Yu'an!?"
"But... aren't you her uncle!?"
Yi Yuan's face rarely blushed slightly as he defended himself:
"She has improper thoughts. It has nothing to do with me. Even though we're not that different in age, I've always regarded her as a niece. I don't know why she suddenly... just..."
His words got stuck in his throat. Yi Yuan simply stood up and pretended to be calm as he said:
"Cough... Anyway, I'm innocent."
"We'll talk about this later. There are so many things going on outside. I... I'll go and take a look first. If we're too late and let their schemes succeed, the Great Yin will be in great danger."
Saying so, he hurriedly said goodbye and didn't dare to look into Yun Xi's eyes. He took a step and left.
He thought he was quite calm, but he didn't realize that his steps were already in a mess.
Yun Xi shook her head with a smile. Just as she was about to say goodbye and go to check the files, she heard Hun Yuan say with a grin:
"Junior Sister is really amazing. You've really got Yi Yuan wrapped around your finger."
"You've managed to send him away with just a few words. Are you afraid he'll find out something he shouldn't?"
Yun Xi gave Hun Yuan, who was lying on the bed full of curiosity, a sidelong glance and said calmly:
"Thank you for the compliment. No matter how capable I am, I'm still far inferior to Senior Brother."
"Huh?"
Hun Yuan was confused:
"What do you mean?"
Yun Xi snorted and rolled her eyes at him:
"Senior Brother doesn't seem surprised at all that Yi Zhen has feelings for A Yuan."
"So when did you find out? And how long have you been hiding it from me? Hmm?"
Hun Yuan was speechless.
Knowing he was in the wrong, he simply shrank down and groaned while covering his wound.
He also received a disdainful look from Jiang Ning.
Yun Xi was too lazy to expose Hun Yuan. She said goodbye to Jiang Ning and turned to leave.
When she reached the door, she suddenly stopped and asked Hun Yuan:
"Suddenly remembered, Senior Brother, you often see Shen Guifei and Yi Zhen in the palace. Have you ever thought they looked familiar? Or do they resemble someone?"