With her deceased husband as her dowry, would Your Highness dare to marry her?

"What's wrong? Is there something amiss?"

Consort Chang stared at her intently, as if trying to coax the words out of her mouth.

Lin Ci hesitated, then removed her fingertips from Consort Chang's wrist.

Consort Chang smiled and said, "Speak frankly, it's fine."

Lin Ci considered for a moment and said, "May I ask, Your Majesty, have you experienced night sweats or insomnia since giving birth?"

Consort Chang was slightly taken aback, then laughed, "Truly, your medical skills are superb. I didn't say anything, yet you already knew."

"Your Majesty flatters me. Judging from your pulse, you have excessive internal heat. Perhaps the postpartum care formula is not quite right, leaving residual heat that is stagnant in your heart."

Consort Chang nodded slightly.

Lin Ci then asked, "I wonder if Your Majesty gave birth to a prince or a princess? How old are they?"

"It's a son." The melancholy in Consort Chang's eyes vanished instantly upon mentioning the child, and her face brightened. "He just turned one year old, and he's very lively and active. It's taken a lot of my time to raise him."

"Then Your Highness must be even more careful. Internal heat and stagnation easily damage the spirit and heart, naturally leaving little energy to accompany His Highness the Prince. I will prescribe a few remedies to clear heat and calm the mind for Your Highness, what do you think?"

"That would be perfect. You can give this to Pearl later."

Consort Chang smiled gently, her eyebrows curving upwards.

She deliberately emphasized the word "pearl," presumably because she didn't want others to see Lin Ci's prescription.

Lin Ci nodded, understanding without saying a word.

The imperial concubine's pulse clearly indicated a long-standing stagnation of yin fire and a lack of yang energy. But what woman would dare to speak of such a thing? Moreover, the Emperor of Yan was already struggling to maintain his health; how could he possibly have the strength for sexual intercourse?

Lin Ci naturally understood the principle of yin and yang harmony, and also understood the unspeakable suffering of Consort Chang, so she didn't ask a single question when she took her pulse.

Consort Chang looked at her with a smile and said, "Your understanding is truly rare."

She meant it sincerely.

Just as Lin Ci was about to say something, a strange sound came from the forest, hissing... coming closer and closer, close to the ground.

Consort Chang froze. "What is that?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a snake as thick as a wrist suddenly sprang out of the grass by the pond. It was emerald green all over with blood-red eyes.

Consort Chang was startled and took two steps back. Lin Ci, quick as a flash, kicked the snake into the release pond. The snake fell into the water, half-submerged and half-floating, winding its way into the water plants, leaving only a few ripples on the surface.

Consort Chang, still shaken, patted her chest repeatedly, "How could there be a snake in the dead of winter?"

"Yes, that's strange." Lin Ci became wary, her eyes scanning the surroundings.

Deep in the bamboo forest, a figure appears and disappears.

It turned out to be a tall, slender monk, dressed in a brown robe and wearing a bamboo hat with a layer of black gauze hanging from the brim. He stood upright with his hands clasped together, like a Buddha statue hidden in the bamboo shadows.

"What are you doing hiding there? Come out now!" Lin Ci shouted sternly.

Upon hearing the commotion, Pearl and several palace maids surrounded Consort Chang, as if facing a formidable enemy, and shielded her behind them.

The monk remained completely still.

A cold wind swept by, lifting the veil beneath his hat brim, revealing a delicate, feminine face with a touch of cinnabar between his brows.

The monk's eyes were closed, and his lips moved slightly, as if he were chanting some scripture.

When Consort Chang saw his face clearly, her expression immediately relaxed. She raised her hand to signal the palace servants to leave, saying, "I didn't know my master was here. I misunderstood."

"Does Your Highness recognize him?" Lin Ci's gaze remained fixed on the monk's robes. His robes were different from those of the other monks in the temple; although they were old, the material was not like ordinary coarse cloth.

"But he doesn't look like the people in this temple."

"His eyes..." Pearl blurted out, then stopped mid-sentence.

The monk still heard it.

He slowly raised his eyes, revealing a pair of jet-black pupils. Those eyes were extremely beautiful, clear as water, untouched by the world, but upon closer inspection, the water seemed lifeless, empty and dull, sending chills down one's spine.

The monk's lips moved slightly again. From the grass at his feet, two emerald green snakes emerged, exactly like the one from before, their heads slightly raised, their scarlet tongues flicking out.

Screams erupted from the crowd.

"Xuanjing, so you're here." A deep, slightly hoarse voice came from behind. "I've been looking for you for ages."

It turned out to be the Prince of Liang, with Pei Jinxuan following behind him.

Pei Jinxuan's gaze swept over the blind monk, then turned to Lin Ci and Consort Chang, a slight, ambiguous smile playing on his lips.

"It's quite lively here."

When Consort Chang saw Prince Liang and Pei Jinxuan, she first bowed, then covered her mouth with her sleeve and said softly, "Since Prince Jing'an and Prince Liang have both come, I am worried about Your Majesty staying alone in the meditation room. I will take my leave now."

After saying this, she entered the phoenix carriage, glancing at Lin Ci with a knowing look in her eyes.

Lin Ci already understood that Consort Chang intended to help her escape. She lowered her head and glanced at Pei Jinxuan out of the corner of her eye. Pei Jinxuan nodded, signaling her to leave quickly.

King Liang observed coldly, having already taken in the subtle exchanges between the two.

He smiled, his tone casual, but his voice was extremely low, "This is the successor of the Ghost Hand."

Lin Ci's heartstrings trembled slightly, and her steps involuntarily slowed down.

She looked at King Liang, thinking she had been recognized, but King Liang's gaze passed over her and landed on the brown figure in the bamboo forest.

Xuanjing stepped forward, clasped his hands together, and bowed deeply to everyone. He couldn't see, yet he was facing each person precisely, as if he could hear the sounds emanating from the very bones of their bodies.

While scrutinizing Xuan Jing, Pei Jinxuan silently pondered. Based on the clues he and A Mo had found, there were only two disciples of Ghost Hand. If this bald man was Ghost Hand's disciple, then Lin Ci must be up to something. If not... then where did he come from?

He weighed both possibilities, then smiled and bowed to Xuan Jing, saying, "I've heard so much about you. It's truly an honor to witness the brilliance of the Ghost Hand's successor."

He spoke sincerely, but his tone was not entirely serious; he was mixing truth and falsehood, making it difficult for people to figure him out.

"You flatter me."

Xuanjing clasped his hands together, his voice melodious and gentle.

As soon as he finished speaking, his empty eyes turned towards Lin Ci and froze.

"There is another master here."

Lin Ci's heart skipped a beat. Those lifeless eyes were like a stagnant pool that swallowed her whole.

She didn't recognize him, and her master had never mentioned having a monk disciple.

Who is this person?

She remained silent, standing quietly among the palace servants, like an inconspicuous little eunuch.

But King Liang ignored everyone else, walked straight through the wall of people, and stood right in front of her. Suddenly, he reached out and grabbed her black gauze hat.

Lin Ci's shoulders trembled, and she couldn't help but close her eyes.

Suddenly, a hand gripped Liang Wang's wrist, its strength no less than that of this seasoned general.

"Uncle," Pei Jinxuan said softly, a faint smile hidden beneath his words, "this is my man."

King Liang glanced at him sideways, then loosened the grip on his wrist.

"One of Prince Jing'an's people?" Prince Liang's gaze swept across Lin Ci's face. "Why is she disguised as a man and infiltrating here?"

Pei Jinxuan adjusted his cuffs, his peach blossom eyes curving into two crescent moons. "Personal preference. Please forgive me, Imperial Uncle."

After he finished speaking, the surroundings fell silent.

Those who understood blushed, and those who didn't also blushed.