He remarried after his mother's death, seized power over the world, and slept on the emperor�

Ji Chengyun's breathing suddenly became rapid.

"What nonsense are you spouting!"

His voice was no longer a question, but trembled slightly.

How could he not have had doubts!

My mother passed away so suddenly, leaving this world after only three months.

He did look for clues.

But whenever he found even the slightest clue, he would be interrupted by all sorts of bizarre accidents.

Time and again, that unseen hand always managed to precisely seize the throat of his probing.

He dared not investigate any further.

He fears.

He feared that the sinister hand would reach out to his younger siblings.

In this royal palace, who can he trust?

So he could only endure it until this year, when he finally sent his younger siblings to Changtian Academy. It was an absolutely forbidden place, a place that even His Majesty could not interfere with at will, and no one dared to harm the royal family there.

He finally breathed a sigh of relief and prepared to reopen the investigation into his mother's death.

But he never expected that this secret would be revealed by a woman who had only been at the palace for a few days!

Jiang Bingning noticed the shock and pain in his eyes.

Meeting Ji Chengyun's murderous gaze, she calmly said, "I might have some clues about the Princess's death."

"presumptuous!"

Ji Chengyun flew into a rage, took a step forward, and grabbed Jiang Bingning's shoulder.

"You've only been at the Prince's residence for a few days, and you've already found clues?"

His eyes were bloodshot as he stared intently at Jiang Bingning.

"If you have indeed found a clue, then you must be a spy sent by the Zhou Kingdom, deliberately sent to disrupt my Northern Di!"

Jiang Bingning's shoulders were being squeezed so hard they hurt, but she didn't even flinch.

Far from being intimidated, she astutely seized upon the flaw in his words:

"It seems that the Crown Prince did indeed suspect the cause of the Queen's death."

"..."

Ji Chengyun was rendered speechless by her retort.

A surge of frustration and shame welled up inside him, and his face turned pale and then flushed.

Fortunately, the darkness of night concealed his loss of composure.

He slowly released his grip, forcing himself to calm down, but his voice was still hoarse: "What...evidence did you find?"

Jiang Bingning turned around and picked up the Book of Songs.

"The evidence is right here."

Ji Chengyun was taken aback, then let out a cold laugh.

"I have read this book countless times since my mother passed away. I can recite every word and every annotation from memory."

"I haven't found any evidence, so what makes you think you can?"

"Your Highness," Jiang Bingning ignored his sarcasm and simply pulled out the few pages of the princess's manuscript that were tucked inside the Book of Songs and handed them to him.

"When you used to look at it, you were reminiscing about the princess and feeling the warmth she left behind."

"You're not looking for evidence, so naturally you won't see the message left by the princess."

Ji Chengyun took the few slightly yellowed pages, but after looking at them carefully for a long time, he found nothing wrong with them except for his mother's neat handwriting and the records of some daily trivial matters.

He looked up in confusion: "What information is there?"

Jiang Bingning stretched out her slender finger and gently touched a spot on the manuscript.

"A subtle fragrance and sparse shadows."

Ji Chengyun followed her fingertips and saw a line of small characters: "Today, Sister Lin sent 'Hidden Fragrance and Sparse Shadows' again. The pastries are exquisite, and the plum blossom fragrance is elegant. I like them very much."

Jiang Bingning's voice rang in his ears.

"I went through all of the princess's journals and found that in the month before she started to feel unwell, this plum blossom cake called 'Hidden Fragrance and Sparse Shadows' appeared very frequently."

"Consort Lin would send it over almost every three to five days."

"And in the princess's records, the initial 'I like it very much' changed to the later 'The fragrance of plum blossoms is still there, but lately I often feel dizzy and somewhat weak'."

"Doesn't that prove anything?"

Ji Chengyun scoffed and slammed the manuscript on the table.

"Just because of this?"

He shook his head, his face full of disappointment.

"This 'Hidden Fragrance and Sparse Shadows' plum blossom cake was indeed delicious. Not only my mother, but my younger siblings and I would also often go to my mother to ask for a few pieces when we were craving them."

"I also had my suspicions about this plum blossom cake, but if there was something wrong with it, why did only my mother have an accident?"

"That just doesn't make sense."

He seemed to have exhausted all his strength, and said dejectedly, "After my mother passed away, I loathed Lin Shi and never let her deliver anything again. I investigated this matter long ago and found nothing wrong with it."

"Some poisons are not effective for everyone," Jiang Bingning pressed on.

"Perhaps it was just a trigger. It triggered some kind of hidden illness that already existed in the princess's body, or perhaps it was a conflict with some kind of herbal soup that the princess usually took."

"Your Highness, since you also have doubts and have investigated, it means you have never let go of this matter in your heart."

"Why don't we join forces?"

Her gaze was intense.

"I need to get my hands on the recipe for this plum blossom cake and verify it. Also, if I could find out anything from one of the princess's personal servants from back then."

Ji Chengyun fell into a long silence.

After a long while, he slowly spoke.

"The servants who served my mother back then... were almost all dismissed after her death."

"I also sent people to bring them back one by one for interrogation, but everyone's story was flawless and I couldn't find any problems."

He raised his eyes and gave Jiang Bingning a deep look.

"But you, an outsider who's only been here a few days, have managed to spot something amiss..."

His fist clenched silently inside his sleeve.

"Then... check it again!"

"Tomorrow," Ji Chengyun stood up, regaining the decisiveness of the Prince of Xin.

"I'll go find the recipe for plum blossom cake. I'll also make a copy of the household servants' register for you, especially those who served in the Consort's courtyard back then; I'll mark them separately."

"You are responsible for reviewing these people's records to see if you can find any oversights."

It's a deal.

After the two had made their agreement, Ji Chengyun didn't say another word. He turned around, pushed open the door, and left, his figure quickly disappearing into the night.

Silence returned to the study.

Jiang Bingning blew out the candles and went back to her bedroom to lie down.

It was very late at night, but she couldn't sleep at all and tossed and turned in bed.

Tonight, we finally took the first step.

Breaking the deadlock in the Prince Xin's mansion will not be easy.

That Consort Lin has deep-rooted influence in the household and is definitely not a kind person. As for the Dowager Consort... although she is kind, after returning to the household, she seems to be somewhat immersed in the old family network, and may not be able to protect me at all times.

She can only rely on herself.

Joining forces with Ji Chengyun is a risky move, but it is also the only way to survive.

As she was pondering, she suddenly caught a faint smell of burning.

She didn't pay attention at first, but the smell grew stronger and stronger, mixed with the crackling sound of burning firewood.

Jiang Bingning felt a sudden chill and sat up in bed!

She walked quickly to the window, opened it, and looked outside.

Outside Jinse Courtyard, flames soared into the sky!

The cacophony of shouts and screams grew louder as they approached, surging towards the courtyard where she was!

Fire!