Crown Prince Zhao Yishi was more than just clever.

He had grown up at Emperor Yonghe’s side since childhood. Emperor Yonghe personally taught him martial arts, and the court’s great scholars taught him to read.

More than one great scholar had praised him, saying Crown Prince His Highness was exceptionally intelligent and wise, destined to be a renowned ruler.

It was just that Zhao Yishi, caught between Emperor Yonghe and the new Emperor, couldn’t be too prominent. In everything he had to be mindful of the new Emperor, playing the fool and keeping low.

To deceive such a person was difficult.

It seemed that aside from exposing Yan Sanhe, no other suitable reason could be found.

Just then, the window suddenly clicked open, revealing Lu Da’s face.

“Young Master, the Crown Prince’s carriage and horses have stopped at the corner gate.”

“What?”

Pei Xiao was the first to jump up in alarm. “He, he, he actually couldn’t wait and came to our door?”

Huang Qi was so anxious sweat poured down: “What do we do? What do we do? What do we do now?”

Ding Yi looked bewildered: “We haven’t thought of what to say yet.”

Li Buyan clapped her hands: “If there’s no other way, I’ll use a honey trap. I’ll take him for a walk in the back garden. Sanhe, Third Master—is half an hour enough for you to think of something?”

Sanhe and Third Master hadn’t had time to speak when Pei Xiao stamped his foot: “A honey trap won’t work on him. When it concerns the Late Emperor, he knows best how to distinguish priorities.”

Zhu Qing: “Miss Yan, why don’t you pretend to be ill!”

Pei Xiao glared at Zhu Qing: “If Miss Yan pretends to be ill, are your Third Master and I Young Master Pei not also ill? The three of us are inseparable like scale and weight.”

“How about…”

Lu Da’s face darkened: “I pretend to be an assassin and scare him away?”

Young Master Pei thought: Lu Da, oh Lu Da, I need to call you ancestor—assassinating the current Crown Prince is something that can be faked?

“If we make too big a commotion and bring the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the entire estate might get sealed.”

Li Buyan’s face flushed red with anxiety for the first time. “This won’t work, that won’t work. If we delay any longer, he’ll reach the second gate.”

Young Master Pei shot a blade-like glare at Xie Zhifei and roared: “Xie Wushi, say something!”

Xie Zhifei’s gaze shifted to Yan Sanhe. He said lightly: “Do you trust me?”

“I trust you.”

A smile spread through Xie Zhifei’s eyes.

Everyone’s faces collectively fell—what riddle were these two speaking?

“Mingting, you go to the second gate to greet him. Hero, you boil water for tea. Lu-ye, return to your own courtyard—don’t come out until he leaves.”

Xie Zhifei spoke very rapidly: “Zhu Qing, Ding Yi, Huang Qi—you stay in the courtyard and chat with Shen Chong.”

Yan Sanhe stepped forward: “What about me?”

“Zhu Qing was right—Miss Yan, pretend to be ill.”

Xie Zhifei reached out to pull Yan Sanhe behind him, then turned to look out the window, his gaze slowly growing cold.

“I’ll handle everything.”

…

The tea was Da Hong Pao, its aroma rich and fragrant.

Li Buyan served the tea, then took a medicine cup from Tang Yuan’s hands and placed it in Yan Sanhe’s.

Fine—Xie Zhifei’s medicine couldn’t kill anyone anyway.

Yan Sanhe closed her eyes and drank it all in one gulp.

Li Buyan’s gaze took the opportunity to glance at Xie Zhifei. Third Master, you forgot to say whether I should stay or get lost.

Xie Zhifei gave her an “as you wish” expression.

Then I’ll get lost.

Li Buyan quickly closed the door and left.

Silence fell in the study.

“What’s wrong with Miss Yan?” Zhao Yishi asked.

Yan Sanhe pointed at her throat.

Xie Zhifei looked distressed. “After Yan Xi left, she got caught in some rain. She had a high fever all night—her throat is so hoarse she’s lost her voice.”

Pei Xiao, ever clever, immediately followed: “Xie Wushi was worried and stayed up all night watching over her. Look, his eyes are all red from lack of sleep.”

“Enough of this idle talk.”

Xie Zhifei coughed dully: “Huairen, the matter has basically been investigated. Even if you hadn’t come now, we would have come to find you later.”

“Yan Xi came back and reported several things to me. After hearing them, I couldn’t sleep all night. I’ve been waiting for you to come since early morning.”

Zhao Yishi’s words carried a trace of imperceptible bitterness.

“I waited left and right but no one came. I had no choice but to come myself. Chengyu, Mingting—I couldn’t wait even a moment longer.”

He should be unable to wait.

Huairen was surnamed Zhao. From his position, the person who killed Old General Zheng was his grandfather, the person who treated him best in this world.

A strange feeling welled up in Xie Zhifei and Pei Xiao’s hearts—hard to say whether it was more guilt or more helplessness.

They had grown up together as close brothers, always open and transparent with each other.

Now they had to hide things, cover things up, even deceive him.

How had it come to this?

Whose fault was it?

For a moment, Pei Xiao felt an impulse to lay everything bare, but seeing Yan Sanhe, he forcefully suppressed it.

Just then, Xie Zhifei spoke: “Yan Xi must have told you the real cause of Old General Zheng’s death.”

“Yes.”

Zhao Yishi’s expression was very ugly: “He said it was the Late Emperor’s doing.”

“Actually…”

Xie Zhifei fell silent for a moment. “All one hundred and eighty members of the Zheng family—he was behind that too.”

“I guessed as much!”

Zhao Yishi’s tone mixed with helplessness. He said slowly: “I only want to ask one thing—why?”

“Everything relates to those twins in Haitang Courtyard. We suspect one of the twins might very likely be the orphan of the deposed Crown Prince.”

“The deposed Crown Prince’s orphan?”

The shock was too great. Zhao Yishi couldn’t control his voice—it suddenly shot up high.

Xie Zhifei nodded. “This is just our speculation. We can’t find concrete evidence. Everyone connected to Haitang Courtyard is dead.”

Zhao Yishi’s tone turned sinister: “Since you can’t find concrete evidence, how did you come to speculate it was the deposed Crown Prince’s orphan?”

This question made Pei Xiao’s heart leap.

That’s right—if not for Yan Sanhe’s existence, even if they racked their brains and had all the courage in the world, they couldn’t possibly make this connection to the deposed Crown Prince.

Xie Zhifei rubbed his fingers, speaking with extreme calm.

“The twins were born on the fourteenth of the seventh month, and the deposed Crown Prince raised his rebellion on the fifteenth of the seventh month. There are popular rumors that in the early hours of the fifteenth of the seventh month, baby cries were heard from the Crown Prince’s residence.”

As the last word fell, the other three in the room wore identical expressions of shock.

The difference was that Zhao Yishi was shocked the deposed Crown Prince had an heir.

While Yan Sanhe and Pei Xiao were shocked by Xie Zhifei’s explanation.

Popular rumors?

What an excellent phrase.

In the vast sea of humanity, among all living beings, everyone could be called “the people”—but specifically who said it, where it originated, that would require searching for a needle in the ocean.

How clever!

“Huairen, it’s not that I’m so bold as to disrespect the Late Emperor.”

Xie Zhifei: “Back then, if not for the witchcraft case, the deposed Crown Prince wouldn’t have raised a rebellion. If the deposed Crown Prince hadn’t rebelled, the Late Emperor wouldn’t have ascended the throne. Dong Xiao… Dong Xiao said with his own mouth…”

Zhao Yishi’s voice suddenly turned severe: “Said what?”

Xie Zhifei squeezed the cold sweat in his palms.

“The Late Emperor’s throne didn’t come through honorable means. He was the mastermind behind the witchcraft case.”