Don't provoke mentally ill people in the infinite flow genre!

On the third day of the session, Yi Zanglan claimed to be ill and did not attend the morning court session.

She is currently lying in Hongde Hall, drinking the Five-Red Porridge, a blood-nourishing and qi-tonifying congee sent by the Imperial Kitchen, while Yan Zhao changes her dressing.

"It's not sweet enough, I'd like to add some sugar."

Tang Yunxi, who was standing nearby, quickly added a spoonful of sugar to her bowl: "Is that enough, Your Majesty?"

"That's enough." After saying that, Yi Zanglan looked at himself in the nearby bronze mirror, then looked at Yan Zhao. "Isn't this a little unsightly? Even if I went to a modern hospital and got a cast, it wouldn't look this bad."

Yan Zhao was about to argue with her when he accidentally used too much force. Seeing her frown and close her eyes, his expression changed, and he quickly tried to comfort her.

"Does it hurt? Should I start over? The main problem is that Songzi went to brew the medicine. I saw how well he wrapped it for you last night. My skills are only suitable for wrapping corpses..."

Yi Zanglan sighed: "You're quite the smooth talker, aren't you?"

"Oh, is it my fault, Your Majesty?" Yan Zhao wisely changed the subject. "But thankfully, the wound isn't deep, and the wound medicine in the palace is top-notch, so it won't affect your condition too much."

"It's just that I get hungry easily after losing a little blood."

Shen Yubai keenly caught the key words and stood up to ask, "Should I go to the Imperial Kitchen again? What would you like to eat? If the chefs there don't know how to make it, I can make it myself."

"No, thank you." Yi Canglan casually picked up another piece of osmanthus sugar cake and stuffed it into her mouth. "Let's all rest for a while. When Mingyue and Susu come back, we should talk about the important matters of tonight."

The fourth painting on the scroll from last night has been completed.

On the surface of the Qionghua Imperial River, a theatrical folding screen titled "Autumn in the Past" floats, while in the distance, on the bow of a painted boat blurred by the mist, a pair of red figures are leaning against each other, their clothes dancing in the wind.

That was Emperor Jingsheng and her lover.

Then just now, the fifth and sixth paintings finally showed signs of life, revealing the remaining parts.

The fifth painting vaguely shows two official hats placed below the steps of the dragon throne. The one on the left is inlaid with pigeon bloodstone and decorated with carved gold wings on both sides; the one on the right is inlaid with emeralds, with a white jade hairpin running across the hat and pearl tassels hanging down.

They look familiar; they are the official hats of the Prime Minister and the Imperial Preceptor, respectively.

The sixth painting depicted the abandoned Cold Palace west of the Imperial City. Su Su recognized it; she and Wang Mingyue had just gone there to gather information and see if they could find any clues about the mission.

"Your Majesty! I have fulfilled my mission and returned!"

About an hour later, Su Su, the cosplay expert, grabbed Wang Mingyue's hand and hurriedly ran into Hongde Hall.

As soon as the two entered, they unrolled the scroll and busied themselves explaining to everyone.

"We found a knowledgeable female official, gave her some silver, and consulted her about the reasons for the abandonment of the Cold Palace."

Yi Zanglan poured them a cup of tea and gestured for them to sit down so she could explain slowly: "What's the reason?"

"This involves a royal secret. It is said that Emperor Wende of Feng Kingdom became entangled with a fox spirit when he was young. With the help of the fox spirit, he repeatedly performed great feats, won the hearts of the people in the court and among the common people, and eventually inherited the throne." Su Su recalled seriously, "She once made a vow that after ascending the throne, she would give that fox spirit a title. However, later, rumors spread and the fox spirit's identity was exposed. Fearing that it would affect her reputation and prestige, she invited a master to cripple the fox spirit's cultivation and trapped it in the cold palace with a special formation. After forty-nine days, it would be destroyed."

Wang Mingyue added: "That fox demon seemed to really love Emperor Wende. She begged every night in the cold palace, hoping to see the emperor one last time, but Emperor Wende only had the country and power in his heart, and never appeared again until his death."

The past is regrettable, but emperors who are not ruthless enough cannot control the court. This has always been the case. How much was genuine affection and how much was exploitation? Only they themselves know, and all of it has long since vanished with the wind.

"So, if we're going to open both paintings at the same time, we'll have to split up tonight," Yan Zhao said in a low voice, pointing to the fifth painting. "It's quite obvious here that the Prime Minister and the Imperial Preceptor are in the Fengtian Hall. Only Yunxi and I can go there together."

"Sure," Tang Yunxi readily gave a thumbs up. "Zhao Zhao and I are old partners!"

"This painting points to two people, so there might be a targeted mechanism," Yi Zanglan calmly advised. "Be very careful then."

Yan Zhao replied, "Don't worry."

"What about the sixth picture?" Wu Ying suggested. "I think this is different from the wedding. It doesn't necessarily have to be the current emperor who goes. You can rest tonight, and I'll go and scout it out—after all, according to the rules, each team member has to calculate their contribution points."

Yi Zanglan pondered for a moment, then nodded in agreement: "Okay."

"I'll go with Xiaoying," Shen Yubai said. "My skills are suitable for supporting her, and if there are any unexpected situations, it will be more reliable for us to work together."

Jiang Ling suggested, "Although there might be a limit to the number of people at the mission location, my brother and I will still try it tonight. It would be best if we could go in together. If not, we'll stick to your original plan."

"no problem."

＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊

That night, the dark moon hung high in the sky.

Yan Zhao and Tang Yunxi changed into their full official robes and put on their official hats, and stood side by side in the center of the Fengtian Hall.

The palace doors slowly closed behind them, blocking the view of their teammates outside and completely trapping the two of them in the enclosed space.

Inside the hall, two ever-burning lamps were lit, and the dragon throne in front still stood high up, with the five-clawed golden dragon carved on it having wide-open, angry eyes, exuding a sense of majesty yet also a hint of indescribable eeriness.

"...That's strange." Tang Yunxi muttered softly, "When Lanlan was sitting in court that morning, I thought the dragon looked quite pleasing to the eye, but now it feels eerie."

"You stay here and don't move, I'll go take a look."

Yan Zhao gave a word of advice and cautiously took two steps forward. She had a vague feeling that there was something strange about this dragon throne, and that the key to tonight's mission probably lay in it.

Before she could even get close to the steps, she suddenly saw black mist rise up above, then slowly spread out until it enveloped the entire dragon throne.

The elderly emperor's silhouette was shrouded in black mist, making his appearance indistinguishable, but his voice was as loud as a bell, each word seeming to strike the hearts of his subjects.

"My two beloved ministers, you have served in the same court for over thirty years, engaging in factional strife, betrayal, and mutual destruction throughout your lives. Now that your days are numbered, have you still not forgiven each other?"

"If resentment and hatred persist for so long, when they go to the underworld, they will probably be trapped in suffering and karmic obstacles, fall into the evil realms of reincarnation, and never be able to escape."

These words seemed like a warning, yet also like a curse.

...In that instant, countless memories, some belonging to me and some not, flooded my mind.

Yan Zhao felt a sudden darkness in his vision, followed by excruciating pain that spread rapidly throughout his body.

She staggered and fell to the ground, cold sweat pouring down her face. Just as she was about to struggle to her feet, she suddenly heard Tang Yunxi's scream behind her.