Prince Rong’s Manor.

After Jingxian learned the news of Jingrong’s illness, he hurried over the very next day.

He also brought many highly nutritious medicinal herbs, though they weren’t particularly precious.

Before the snow on his body had time to be brushed off, he strode quickly to Jingrong’s room. However, before he could enter, he was suddenly pulled back by Muruo.

Muruo said, “It’s best not to go in right now.”

“Why not?”

Muruo extended his finger and pointed inside.

Hmm?

Could there be some wild beast inside?

Jingxian looked inside with confusion, only to see Ji Yunshu keeping watch by the bedside, tightly gripping Jingrong’s hand.

So that was it.

He instantly understood and dismissed the thought of going in.

Immediately after, Muruo pulled him to sit down in a corridor nearby.

They exchanged pleasantries and inquiries about each other’s well-being!

“How have you been these days?”

Jingxian: “Which aspect are you asking about?”

“Outside the palace.”

Outside the palace?

Jingxian thought for a moment and shook his head: “I don’t know!”

“You don’t know?” Muruo was curious and asked tentatively, “Could it be that you don’t like the sky outside the palace? Do you feel the palace is better?”

“Of course not.” He denied it, then looked up at the sky and took a breath. “It’s just that the feeling isn’t right, so I can’t explain it clearly either. After leaving the palace, I’m indeed much freer, my heart isn’t as heavy as before, and even my mood when viewing things is somewhat different. However, I always feel that something is missing. My heart is always unsettled, not knowing what exactly I’m worried about or what I’m afraid of. Perhaps I haven’t adjusted yet. But outside the palace is indeed much better than inside the palace. At least in this bitter winter weather, I can still have several quilts to cover myself with. Moreover, this New Year won’t be as cold and desolate as in previous years—it’s bound to be very lively.”

His eyes carried expectation!

Yet despite this, his tone still revealed a trace of desolation.

This person seemed to carry an innately melancholic temperament. No matter who conversed with him for long, they would be infected by him and also become somewhat heavy-hearted.

Muruo looked at him, reached out and patted him, saying, “Rest assured, this New Year will definitely be livelier than when you were in the palace. At that time, the entire city will be filled with fireworks. Though they can’t compare to the beautiful fireworks in the palace, the fireworks outside the palace are much livelier than what you saw inside the palace. You and I, along with Jingrong—the three of us will drink heartily and not return until drunk.”

“Excellent!” After readily agreeing, he seemed to think of something and said, “By the way, I wasn’t in the capital when you got married, so I still owe you a gift. In a few days, I’ll prepare one for you.”

“What gift or not? It’s just a formality. Between us, there’s no need to be polite about such superficial things.”

“Though that may be so, this gift still cannot be omitted!” Jingxian insisted.

Having no choice, Muruo could only accept.

Inside the room.

Jingrong awoke.

Opening his eyes, Ji Yunshu was right by the bedside.

“You’re awake?” Ji Yunshu held his hand, her eyes moist.

“Is there anywhere that feels uncomfortable?”

He shook his head.

“Do you want water?”

He shook his head again.

He propped himself up to sit on the bed. His head didn’t hurt and feel as heavy as yesterday. His parched lips twitched, and he lifted his weary eyes to look at the woman before him, asking, “After I left the palace, did Father Emperor say anything?”

His voice was low and hoarse.

Ji Yunshu: “He didn’t really say anything. However, someone from the palace came to inquire. After learning that you were fine, they immediately returned to the palace to report.”

“Mm.”

“You just woke up, you must be hungry. I’ll go have the kitchen prepare something for you to eat.”

She rose to leave. Her body had just lifted when her wrist was grasped by Jingrong.

“What is it?”

Jingrong said earnestly, “I have something I want to tell you.”

Like his mind, the moment he spoke these words, she knew what he was planning to say.

“You’re physically weak. First eat something, and when your body has recovered, we’ll talk.” She planned to avoid this topic.

“Yunshu…” He refused to let go, still tightly gripping her slender wrist.

Looking at her captured hand, Ji Yunshu fell into silence.

She quietly sat back down by the bedside.

“Go ahead and speak.”

Waiting for him to begin.

Only then did Jingrong release her. After his Adam’s apple rolled up and down for a long moment, he finally said, “Yesterday Father Emperor asked me whether I wanted the throne or the truth.”

“And then?”

“And then… I chose the truth!”

“So… what do you intend to do?”

“Open the coffin for autopsy.” These four words came from Jingrong’s mouth with exceptional determination.

Ji Yunshu wasn’t surprised. “His Majesty will not agree to it.”

“I don’t need Father Emperor’s agreement.”

There was hidden meaning in his words.

Ji Yunshu perceived his intention and immediately tried to stop him: “Don’t be foolish, this is impossible.”

“This is the only way!”

“Jingrong…”

“Only by privately opening the coffin for autopsy can we know whether the person who died back then was truly Duke Yuguo.”

Hearing this, Ji Yunshu’s brow furrowed tightly, her willow-leaf eyebrows creasing as she emphasized, “But if you do this, it will be defying the imperial decree—you’ll be punished.”

A reminder!

Privately opening a coffin for autopsy?

And opening a coffin in the imperial mausoleum at that—how could this merely be defying a decree? It was fundamentally digging one’s own grave.

She grasped Jingrong’s large, well-defined hand, trying to persuade him not to think in this direction.

But once this man made a decision, not even a dozen oxen could pull him back. He said, “You and I promised those old servants of Duke Yuguo’s manor that we would definitely give them the truth. What we promised cannot be broken. If there is no truth, they will take Wei Yi away, and moreover, they’ll lead a hundred thousand troops to attack the capital. At that time, blood will flow like rivers, countless casualties will result, and the lives of so many people will be sacrificed in vain.”

All of this, Ji Yunshu understood!

However—

“If you do this, you’ll be implicated!”

“Do you think that at this point, I still care about such things?”

“…”

Jingrong gripped her hand in return and patted it gently twice. “My decision to do this isn’t because of momentary impulse. The situation has already reached this point—I can only resort to this desperate measure.”

Ji Yunshu: “Without receiving His Majesty’s decree, you should know the consequences of privately opening a coffin. Moreover, the mausoleum is heavily guarded. Forget opening the coffin—even entering would be difficult.”

“Rest assured, I already have a complete plan!”

Hmm?

Ji Yunshu asked, “What do you mean?”

He said, “New Year is approaching, and it’s time for the annual ancestral rites. Every year during the ancestral rites, Father Emperor has eminent monks go to the mausoleum to chant sutras and recite Buddhist scriptures. In the days before this, the mausoleum guards must be extremely vigilant, and therefore, they will increase personnel, transferring many people from the palace. Right now, Commander Xiao is my man—having him do things for me won’t be difficult. As long as I utilize this point, when the guards change shifts in the deep of night, I need only have Commander Xiao’s people sent in to secretly open the coffin, dig it out in the shortest time possible, then restore everything to its original state. After you’ve examined the skeletal remains in that coffin, we’ll place the coffin back before the ancestral rites, and naturally nothing will go amiss.”

Indeed, he had truly made thorough preparations.