“Who?” Qiao Mu’s brow furrowed as she asked.

“Consort Dowager Ning.” Feng Jiu’er’s brow tightened ever so slightly. “She is the Ninth Prince’s adoptive mother. Her nature is gentle and soft, and she treats people with grace and courtesy.”

“She is an exceptionally tender and gentle woman of the inner palace, one who seeks no quarrel with the world.”

“Yet as it turns out, she is also a formidable martial artist. Had I not later heard that she was trained in martial arts, I would not have been able to tell at all.”

“She is not even her own child, and yet Consort Dowager Ning raised the Ninth Prince so well — she does not seem like a wicked person at all.”

Qiao Mu pressed her lips together and let out a quiet sigh. “What a pity. Most of the time, you simply cannot see into a person’s heart by looking at their face.”

“Consort Dowager Ning — I know her, and I spent some time in her company. Had it not been for that fragrance, I would certainly never have thought to suspect her.”

Feng Jiu’er crushed the letter in her hand. With a slight application of force, the letter in her palm instantly turned to ash.

“Zhan Liyue even exterminated the entire Long family — so why would she leave one madwoman alive? She is as capable as she is, and if she truly wanted to kill me, I would not have lived until now.”

“Even though my mother told me a great many things, I still feel there are a lot of unresolved mysteries buried within all of this.”

“The way you say it, I would actually hope that whatever happened between General Long and Zhan Liyue was simply a misunderstanding.” Qiao Mu looked at Feng Jiu’er, frowning slightly.

“Otherwise, you and the Ninth Prince would be…”

Feng Jiu’er looked at her and drew a slow, deep breath. “Could it really be that I have been overthinking all of this?”

Was her hope that this was a misunderstanding driven by some lingering fantasy that she and he might still have a chance?

Feng Jiu’er’s feelings were tangled and complicated. She both felt that her wet nurse’s death was not so straightforward, and worried that all her conclusions were nothing more than selfishness given form by her own desires.

Qiao Mu rose and went to bring over a basin of water.

“The bridge will be straight when you get there — do not think so much. You and the Ninth Prince, whatever the two of you are, it is a bond born of fate. Whether it comes to anything — leave it to heaven, not to people.”

Feng Jiu’er set the jade archer’s ring aside and extended her hands into the basin, washing them.

“What sort of muddle is that? The only thing I can think about right now is avenging my mother and the entire Long family.”

Feng Jiu’er dried her hands and stood up.

“Word is that Consort Dowager Ning has gone missing. She may still be inside the palace — a perfectly fine person does not simply vanish.”

“You want to enter the palace again?” Qiao Mu rose to her feet as well.

“The imperial capital is on the verge of falling — how many guards can there still be inside the palace? Given my abilities, would getting in be difficult?” Feng Jiu’er said with a raised eyebrow.

“My mother said to wait until the two sides clash again before we make our move — there is no rush, and we have nothing better to do while we sit idle.”

“Whenever you go, I am going with you.” Qiao Mu stretched lazily, visibly eager.

She had not come here to play around. She had rested enough these past two days; she could not simply sit in this inn eating and drinking and doing nothing all day.

“Now.” Feng Jiu’er dropped the two words, then walked over toward the bed.

“Now?” Qiao Mu followed in her wake. “Do you not think sneaking into the palace is a little too reckless?”

“At night the guards will surely be even more heavily posted. Going in the daytime saves trouble.” Feng Jiu’er replied quietly.

“All right then.” Qiao Mu raised an eyebrow. “How are we getting in?”

“Climb the wall — surely not through the main gate?” Feng Jiu’er turned her head and gave her a sideways look.

Qiao Mu shrugged and smiled lightly. “I thought we were going through the main gate.”

The two of them applied a fresh disguise, left a secret signal for Feng Yandong, and slipped out through the window.

In less than half an hour, they had already appeared inside the palace.

Feng Jiu’er led Qiao Mu through a number of passages before they made their way into Xuanhua Hall.

Xuanhua Hall — the Empress’s domain, the largest residential compound in the inner palace. Its grounds were of a scale so vast the mind could scarcely take it in, its decor extravagant and magnificent, gold gleaming and glittering in every direction.

Yet aside from two guards standing at the main entrance, there was not a single soul to be seen inside.

Feng Jiu’er and Qiao Mu entered from the side perimeter wall, wound around half the compound, and only then walked through the great hall’s door.

“No wonder every woman longs to be empress — the rooms are just so enormous!” Qiao Mu looked around in all directions and sighed in wonder. “This place could house over a hundred of our brothers and still feel spacious.”

Feng Jiu’er glanced sideways at Qiao Mu, raising a brow slightly. “The position of Empress is still vacant at the moment — do you want to give it a try?”

“Absolutely not!” Qiao Mu shook her head. “Even Feng Qingyin could not handle that person — how could I ever manage?”

“What you just said is wrong. The Emperor now is actually quite straightforward and uncomplicated. Feng Qingyin’s death was entirely her own fault.”

She let those words fall, then Feng Jiu’er stepped forward and walked in.

“At least she never brought harm to Feng Manor.”

“In that case, why do you not give it a try? The Emperor would certainly be delighted.” Qiao Mu followed after her.

“Stop this idle talk! We came here, and not to play around.” Feng Jiu’er’s voice rang out.

“Understood!” Qiao Mu gave a nod and began to search in earnest.

After combing through the great hall, the two of them made their way together to the largest inner chamber at the back.

No sooner had they pushed the door open and entered than Feng Jiu’er’s brow creased.

“What is that smell?” At the same moment, Qiao Mu also wrinkled her nose.

“That is exactly what I am talking about — this scent, richer and denser than moonflower.” Feng Jiu’er stepped further inside.

“The smell is really quite thick — I wonder if it could be poisonous?” Qiao Mu covered her nose and followed.

Qiao Mu’s words immediately put Feng Jiu’er on alert. “I smelled this fragrance on Nanmen Rong before — but it was not nearly this dense.”

“Perhaps because no one has entered this place for a long time, the scent has slowly grown more concentrated.”

“Whether it is poisonous or not, I cannot say for certain at the moment. It is best to restrain your inner breath and avoid inhaling too much.”

Feng Jiu’er went inside and opened one of the windows. Qiao Mu nodded and went to open another window on the other side.

The two of them exchanged a glance, and Feng Jiu’er continued, “Have a look around — let us find out exactly where this smell is coming from.”

“All right.” Qiao Mu gave a nod.

Following the scent, Feng Jiu’er’s footsteps came to a stop at the bedside.

She bent down and lifted the jade pillow from the bed, lowering her head to smell it.

“What is it?” Qiao Mu stepped over.

Feng Jiu’er held up the jade pillow and peered in through its side, her brow furrowing slightly.

“Just as I suspected — something is there.”

Feng Jiu’er reached her hand inside and drew out a cloth pouch, bringing it to her nose and inhaling gently.

“The smell is coming from here. But it has been some time, and the scent has already dispersed quite a bit.”

Qiao Mu took the cloth pouch from Feng Jiu’er’s hand and held it to her nose. “Is it? I can barely smell anything now.”

Feng Jiu’er gave her a sideways look and set the jade pillow back in place.

“The smell was never very strong to begin with. The reason it seemed overwhelming when we first entered is because this place has been sealed for so long. When I detected it on Nanmen Rong before, it was not nearly this concentrated.”

“Fair enough — if it were not for that sharp nose of yours, no one would ever catch a whiff of it.” Qiao Mu looked at the cloth pouch and gave a nod.

“Right, so is this thing poisonous or not?”

“I do not know. We will bring it back and study it.” Feng Jiu’er took the cloth pouch back from Qiao Mu’s hand and tucked it into her front garment.

“Come, let us go check the other places.”

The two of them had slipped in without a sound and now slipped out the same way, without stirring the slightest disturbance.

After leaving Xuanhua Hall, Feng Jiu’er brought Qiao Mu to make a stop at Ningxi Hall. Only then did the two of them leave the palace and return to the inn.