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

The blacksmith shop had long since closed, with only an oil lamp still lit in the backyard.

Jiang Bingning's figure landed in the courtyard like a ghost.

She stepped forward and knocked on the door.

"Who?"

A rough and wary voice came from inside the house.

"I am a descendant of an old friend, entrusted by Elder Rong," Jiang Bingning said in a low voice.

There was a moment of silence in the room.

With a creak, the door was pulled open a crack from the inside.

A rugged face covered in stubble appeared behind the door; it was Zhang Meng, the blacksmith shop owner.

When his gaze fell on Jiang Bingning's face, his eyes widened instantly.

Shocking, unbelievable.

She looked exactly the same as when Rongshun first met her.

Jiang Bingning knew that it was her face, which was so similar to her mother's, that had the effect.

Without saying a word, she slipped into the house.

Zhang Meng closed the door, still staring intently at her.

"Who are you?" His voice was hoarse.

"My name is Jiang Bingning, and my mother is Liu Jingyi."

"Mr. Rong has already told me everything."

Zhang Meng's tall body suddenly trembled.

He was a man of few words, but at this moment all his emotions were written on his face.

He didn't ask any more questions, but simply nodded heavily.

He turned around and dragged a heavy iron box out from under the bed.

Open the box and take out something wrapped tightly in oilcloth from a pile of old armor parts.

He handed the items to Jiang Bingning.

Jiang Bingning opened the oilcloth, revealing a military token made of black iron, which felt cold and heavy to the touch.

The military tally was only half complete.

"This is..." Jiang Bingning's pupils contracted slightly.

Zhang Meng's voice was deep and powerful.

"This is the military tally of the Liu family's secret service."

"When the general was killed, my old master risked his life to break the military tally in two, and gave me one piece to keep safe."

He looked at Jiang Bingning, his eyes gleaming with a light of loyalty.

"The other half is hidden in a secret room in the Liu family's ancestral home."

"If both conditions are met, you can then command all of the Liu family's secret forces."

"They have been waiting for this day for sixteen years."

Jiang Bingning held the half of the cold black iron weapon talisman in her hand, her tone calm and steady.

"who are they?"

"Where?"

"What exactly happened sixteen years ago?"

She bombarded him with questions, but Zhang Meng simply stared at her in silence.

He shook his head.

"girl."

"There's no need to say any of this until you find the other half of the military tally."

His voice was rough, like sand and gravel.

"Why?" Jiang Bingning asked, puzzled.

"That's the rule."

Zhang Meng stood up.

"It's also a test for you."

"If you can't even get into the Liu family's ancestral home, and can't even find the things left behind by the old master, then you have no right to command them."

"They waited sixteen years, and they weren't waiting for a weakling with only bloodline."

After saying that, he opened the door.

"Please leave."

This is to see the guests off.

Jiang Bingning gripped the military token tightly in her hand, knowing that further words would be of no use.

She didn't press the matter further, gave Zhang Meng a deep look, and then disappeared into the night.

-----------------

Back at the Prince Xin's residence, Jiang Bingning's steps were somewhat unsteady.

She quietly slipped back into her room, closed the door, and only then dared to breathe heavily.

She took out the half of the military tally from her bosom.

Liu family ANBU.

An existence she had never heard of in either her past or present life.

Was this power left to her by her mother?

She wanted to go and ask her mother right away, to push open that door and lay out all her questions.

But my mother's health had only just begun to improve.

Her current well-being is merely a fragile facade.

If she knew that I had come across the core secrets of that time, and if she were to recall that catastrophic disaster, what if her emotions became agitated...?

Jiang Bingning dared not think any further.

She can't take that risk.

But the palace banquet was just a few days away.

Scenes from that palace banquet in her past life were etched into her memory like a leech.

In this life, she must never repeat the same mistakes!

This half of the military tally is her biggest trump card!

The Liu family ancestral home.

She has to go!

The next morning.

Jiang Bingning personally carried a bowl of warm bird's nest to the Dowager Consort's courtyard.

"Greetings to the Dowager Empress."

The Dowager Consort was having her hair combed by a maid, looking at herself in a bronze mirror.

"Why aren't you serving your mother? You've come so early, is there something you need?"

Jiang Bingning presented the bird's nest with a respectful demeanor.

"Your Majesty, I have a request to make."

"explain."

"My mother is recovering from her illness and often thinks about old things. I'm thinking of going back to the Liu family ancestral home to sort through some of her old clothes and letters. Perhaps seeing these things and remembering her will make her feel better."

Her words were sincere and heartfelt.

The Dowager Empress paused, her hand holding the comb still.

"The Liu family's ancestral home has been abandoned for many years."

"I'm not afraid of hardship," Jiang Bingning said, lowering her eyes. "I just want to do my part for my mother."

The Dowager Empress remained silent for a long time.

"That's enough."

"You are a filial child."

"You may go after the palace banquet."

"Have Changfu send someone to follow you, so you can have someone to look out for you."

Jiang Bingning felt a great weight lifted from her heart and quickly kowtowed.

"Thank you for your kindness, Dowager Princess!"

-----------------

Meanwhile, in Ji Chengyun's study.

Chang Fu stood respectfully to one side.

"Your Highness."

"Found it."

Ji Chengyun raised his head, his eyes bloodshot, clearly having not slept all night.

"explain."

"As you instructed, we followed the clues from those fertilizers and investigated the accounts of all the pharmacies in the capital for nearly six months before the Princess's death."

Chang Fu's voice was kept extremely low.

"We discovered a pharmacy in the west of the city where someone had purchased large quantities of the main ingredients needed for 'Bai Ri Ku' (a traditional Chinese medicine)."

Chang Fu continued, "The person who made the purchase was the nephew of Zhang Mama, who accompanied Consort Lin during her dowry!"

"Where is he?" Ji Chengyun's voice was as cold as ice.

"They're under control. After a little interrogation, they all confessed."

"It was Granny Zhang who instructed him."

"it is good."

Ji Chengyun slowly stood up and walked to the window.

"How dare a mere servant girl who was part of the dowry?"

"The person behind her is the Lin family."

"My mother's death was indeed inextricably linked to her!"

His eyes flashed with murderous intent.

"The Lin family..."

-----------------

Deep within the imperial palace, in the imperial study.

The emperor leaned back on the dragon throne, lost in thought.

Ji Ling, dressed in a black royal robe, stood quietly below.

"King of Yue," the emperor's voice was unreadable, "what do you think of the Jiang sisters?"

Ji Ling bowed.

"Return to Your Majesty."

"Many of the military intelligence reports given by Jiang Yuerong are erroneous and do not match the actual situation that I discovered at the border."

"Oh?"

Ji Ling raised his head, his gaze sharp.

"In my opinion, this woman is either incredibly foolish, or..."

"It was a smokescreen deliberately thrown out by his father, Jiang Chengxuan, to confuse the public."

Upon hearing this, the emperor simply smiled faintly.

"And what about her older sister?"

When Jiang Bingning was mentioned, Ji Ling's brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.

"His sister, Jiang Bingning, is quite different."

"This woman appears delicate, but she is actually resilient and calm in the face of danger. I tested her several times, but she always managed to defuse the situation with ease. Her actions are impeccable."

"That's interesting," the emperor said, a hint of amusement in his voice.

Ji Ling's voice trailed off.

"Your Majesty, this is not the most suspicious thing."

He paused, then continued.

"My spies have confirmed that they secretly contacted former members of the Liu family last night."

As soon as he finished speaking, the emperor slowly raised his eyes.

Ji Ling lowered his head.

"In my opinion, this woman's heart is unfathomable."

"His presence in the Prince's residence suggests he may be plotting something far-reaching."