Ye Luosha’s heart was in complete turmoil right now. The Tongxin Key had appeared — could it be… could it be that her Wu Ya was still alive? Could it be… could it really be… him?

“What?” The Tongxin Key!

Elder Shi was struck by those three words as well, his heart shaking wildly with shock!

“Palace Mistress, you… did you truly see clearly — it is the Tongxin Key?”

The Tongxin Key — that was the token the late Empress had left for the Crown Prince back in those years. Their Young Palace Mistress also carried a token of her own: the Tongxin Lock!

The Tongxin Key and the Tongxin Lock were a matched pair. They were exquisitely crafted, made by the most outstanding artisan of that era, and there existed only one such pair in this world!

In this entire world, only the Tongxin Key could open the Tongxin Lock!

If it could be opened, that would mean the two brothers had truly found their way back to each other!

“Feng Jiu’er treasures it so dearly and keeps it close to her person. My conjecture is that the one who gave her the Tongxin Key is, in all likelihood, the Ninth Prince.”

The moment Ye Luosha thought of this, her heart felt as though it were being sliced by a blade — the pain nearly stole her breath.

What had she done? What exactly had she done?

If the Ninth Prince truly was Wu Ya, then… then she had single-handedly orchestrated a scheme to put Wu Ya to death!

If the Tongxin Key was gifted to Feng Jiu’er by the Ninth Prince, then…

Elder Shi felt a sudden oppression clench at his chest, the blood and energy within him surging and churning — he nearly could not hold back a mouthful of fresh blood.

What had they… what had they done?

“No wonder… no wonder they looked so alike — they looked so alike!”

“Yes, they looked so alike! They truly looked so alike!” Ye Luosha pressed her hand over her chest, her breathing heavy.

So when she had been at the cliff’s edge and first laid eyes on the Ninth Prince, the reason her heart had been so profoundly shaken was precisely because she had felt the resemblance!

The Ninth Prince and Mu’er — they looked so alike! But why had she not been able to make the connection at the time?

If she had only figured it out sooner, could this entire calamity have been prevented?

Now, Mu’er was gravely injured, and the Ninth Prince had to channel his inner energy into him every single day to sustain his life — yet Mu’er could still, at any moment, possibly…

“Elder Shi, what should I do? What am I supposed to do? I… have I committed a terrible wrong?”

Ye Luosha collapsed onto the ground. Even though the Ninth Prince’s identity still could not be confirmed, in her heart, she had already accepted it as truth.

She murmured to herself, consumed by sorrow: “I have failed the Di Family. I have failed the entire Di Dynasty. I have failed every single person!”

“Palace Mistress, you must be strong. This is not the time to let your thoughts run wild.”

Elder Shi hastily helped her to her feet. Though his own heart was in chaos — panicked and anxious — they could not lose their composure.

What they had to face now was not merely the Young Palace Mistress’s injuries. There were many other matters to contend with: the confrontation between Yemingong and the imperial court, the Ninth Prince’s current identity, the safety of every single person in Yemingong… so many matters were awaiting the Palace Mistress to handle one by one. How could she afford to collapse now?

“The Ninth Prince mobilized so many guards to search for Feng Jiu’er — this incident has likely already alarmed people from the court. This hideout of ours is not safe. Court forces could come searching for us at any moment.”

Elder Shi gripped Ye Luosha’s arm firmly, his expression grave: “Palace Mistress, at this moment, you absolutely must remain calm!”

Ye Luosha ultimately steadied herself. She pushed Elder Shi’s hand away, and her gaze fell in the direction Feng Jiu’er had gone. The expression on her face returned to composure.

Yet deep within her eyes, a flash of cold light swept past.

“The Ninth Prince is the son of the current Empress Dowager. If he is Wu Ya, then he cannot possibly be the Empress Dowager’s biological son. No — I must make a trip into the palace.”

“Palace Mistress, right now the Young Palace Mistress…”

“I will wait until Mu’er’s condition stabilizes before I consider the matter of entering the palace.”

Mu’er’s injuries were the most pressing concern at this moment — but the Ninth Prince’s identity was also a matter of great importance.

Once Mu’er’s condition improved, she would have to personally enter the palace!

There were some things that, perhaps, only the Empress Dowager Ning could know.

……

That night, Ye Luosha and Elder Shi took turns channeling their inner energy into Mu, and Zhan Qingcheng was finally able to rest for a brief while.

However, both Ye Luosha and Elder Shi had sustained injuries during the day. Even while channeling their inner energy, they could only sustain it for a little over an hour.

After that span of time had passed, Zhan Qingcheng — her complexion slightly pale — returned to Mu Mu’s bedside and continued channeling her inner energy to shield his heart meridians.

Though the Ninth Prince maintained an utterly expressionless demeanor from beginning to end — not even a single ripple crossing his gaze — the others could at least see his earnestness.

The Ninth Prince sincerely wished for Mu Mu to recover, even though Mu Mu was his adversary.

Of course, in all likelihood, this was entirely because of Feng Jiu’er.

Seeing the exhaustion etched between Zhan Qingcheng’s brows, Ye Luosha — who had only just barely caught her breath — felt a pang of sorrow rise in her heart.

Outside, however, there seemed to be a faint stirring of unrest.

“Palace Mistress, you should… you should rest here for a moment. I’ll go take a look.” Elder Shi had only just finished channeling inner energy into Mu Mu, and now, as soon as he opened his mouth to speak, he nearly lost his breath and spat up blood.

“Your condition isn’t good either. I’ll go.” Ye Luosha’s inner cultivation was, after all, somewhat stronger than Elder Shi’s.

“Let me go take a look.” Among everyone present, the one in the best condition was none other than Feng Jiu’er.

She packed away her silver needles and pulled the blanket over Mu Mu, then stepped away from the bedside and walked out of the room.

Outside the door, a spy from Yemingong had come to report. Upon seeing that the one who had come out was Feng Jiu’er, the spy hesitated and stammered, not quite daring to speak.

A moment later, Ye Luosha also made her way out with considerable effort: “What is it?”

The spy glanced at Feng Jiu’er and at Yu Jingfeng standing watch not far away. Ye Luosha said: “It’s all right. Go ahead and speak.”

Things were already at this point — was there anything left that could not be said in their presence?

More importantly, Ye Luosha had accepted the Ninth Prince in her heart. And toward the Ninth Prince’s people, she harbored little animosity.

Only then did the spy speak in a low voice: “The Eighth Prince has brought a contingent of forces and is searching the vicinity. They will likely find their way here very soon.”

The Eighth Prince had come?

Feng Jiu’er’s heart gave a small start. Though Ye Luosha had long anticipated this move would come, she had not expected it to come so quickly.

“How many forces does he have with him?”

“By rough estimate, at least a hundred men or more — all of them seasoned fighters.” The spy had rushed back, and at this moment, it was still unclear what the situation was on that end. It was entirely possible that the Eighth Prince’s forces were nearly upon them already.

A hundred men or more… Ye Luosha mulled it over. She had fewer than a dozen people on her side, and this hideout was merely used for storing minor supplies, with only a few brothers standing guard.

If they were surrounded and attacked by the Eighth Prince’s hundred-plus men, they would likely be unable to hold out.

The most difficult part at present was that Mu’er, in his current condition, absolutely could not withstand any attack. Even the slightest, most minor mishap could cost her her life.

Feng Jiu’er was also troubled by this. If Ninth Imperial Uncle could go out, things might become more manageable.

But right now, Ninth Imperial Uncle was still channeling his inner energy into Mu Mu, while Ye Luosha and Elder Shi had only just been relieved of the task. How could Ninth Imperial Uncle possibly leave?

Even if she and Yu Jingfeng were to step in as replacements, with the level of their cultivation trying to suppress that formidable true energy within Mu Mu — she feared they could not hold it for even a moment.