Su Xian nodded.
“This is good!”
“The meaning behind it is wonderful!”
“The old lady will definitely love it!”
Duoduo smiled and nodded in agreement.
“I saw how much Madam Li liked it, so I came up with this idea.”
Seeing the mother and daughter chatting animatedly, Xiao Yi could not help but interrupt.
“A return gift is a return gift, and a congratulatory gift is a congratulatory gift!”
Duoduo tilted her little head. “I’m going to give her a big cake too!”
“Besides, my painting is much more precious than this pot of flowers!”
“Once the flowers wither, nothing will remain!”
“But my painting can be passed down for generations!”
Su Xian watched the father and daughter bicker with a smile.
Seeing this side of the prince made him feel much more approachable.
“No amount of money can buy what someone truly loves. How could it possibly be compared to something like that?” Xiao Yi disagreed with Duoduo.
Duoduo puffed up her cheeks and glared at him.
“Then, Father, which one do you like?”
“The ink chrysanthemum or my painting?”
A flicker passed through Xiao Yi’s eyes.
There was clearly a trap in that question!
How was he supposed to answer?
“Hmm… the painting.” Xiao Yi cleared his throat.
Duoduo’s face immediately lit up.
“What do you think? You agree that my painting is worth more, too, right, Father?”
Xiao Yi was utterly helpless.
Still, he had to admit that he did indeed like Duoduo’s paintings more.
Otherwise, he would not have hung one in his study.
At the thought of this, Xiao Yi glanced at the empty wall.
“Father, this place looks a little too bare!”
Duoduo understood at once.
“What kind of painting do you want, Father? I’ll paint one for you!”
For some reason, Xiao Yi suddenly thought of the Scripture Lecture painting that Prince Rui had mentioned.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
“Paint a picture of a black peony.”
Duoduo and Su Xian both froze.
Duoduo blinked her big eyes.
“Father, would that look good hanging in your study?”
Xiao Yi gave Duoduo a look.
“As long as I think it looks good, that’s all that matters.”
Duoduo nodded helplessly.
“All right. As long as you like it, Father, I’ll make you happy.”
Xiao Yi could not help taking another look at her.
Why did he feel as though Duoduo were treating him like a child and humoring him?
Duoduo suddenly thought of something else.
“Father, Mother, Aunt Xu wants to open a private restaurant.”
“She said she still wants to run it with me.”
“I was thinking, since there’s already a shop available here, why don’t we use this one?”
“It’s your decision. Decide for yourself.”
As long as Duoduo was not in danger, Xiao Yi would not interfere too much.
Duoduo blinked.
She understood that her father had matters to attend to.
“Mother, I’ll walk you back!”
Duoduo stood up and offered to escort Su Xian to her room.
Su Xian nodded. She took Duoduo’s hand and stood up to leave.
As the two of them stepped outside, Lüdou and Qingliu, who had been waiting at the door, hurried over.
“Princess, are you all right?”
Duoduo gave them a radiant smile.
“I’m fine!”
Lüdou opened her mouth, but in the end, she did not ask anything.
If anything had really happened to the princess, the consort would have been anxious already.
Since both the consort and the princess looked perfectly normal, everything must be fine.
Yunxiao watched the consort and the princess leave. Only then did he enter the study.
“My lord.” He bowed to Xiao Yi.
Xiao Yi, who had been sitting behind his desk in deep thought, raised his eyes and glanced at Yunxiao.
Yunxiao immediately felt a chill run down his spine.
But in the next moment, that oppressive feeling vanished.
“How did the investigation into those who fell ill in the palace go?” Xiao Yi asked.
Yunxiao’s face was tinged with embarrassment.
“Recently, the Fifth Prince replaced nearly everyone in the palace.”
“Our people were replaced as well.”
“The covert investigation has been put on hold for now.”
Xiao Yi rubbed his thumb, where no trace of the mark remained.
“He replaced everyone?”
“When did this happen?”
“Two days ago, my lord,” Yunxiao replied.
“Apparently, the Fifth Prince developed an unexplained headache and suspected that someone was trying to harm him.”
“So he replaced everyone in the palace.”
“Our informant was transferred to the Cold Palace.”
“I thought I’d wait a couple of days for things to settle down, then find a way to get him transferred out.”
“That’s why I didn’t report it to you, my lord.”
Yunxiao lowered his head as he explained.
Xiao Yi frowned and thought for a moment.
“Since he’s been sent to the Cold Palace, that informant is useless now.”
“Find a way to plant someone else in there.”
Yunxiao looked up in surprise.
“My lord, we spent a great deal of effort finding that man.”
Xiao Yi glanced at him.
“Have someone investigate…”
He paused briefly.
“Bring me a list of every consort who has entered the palace over the past ten years. No—from the day the emperor ascended the throne. Get me the names of all of them as quickly as possible.”
“Whether they received a title or not. Even the palace maidens who entered through the selection process—bring me all their names.”
A look of surprise flashed through Yunxiao’s eyes.
“Yes, my lord.”
“And personally deliver this to Ling Yu.”
Xiao Yi casually tossed the jade pendant on his desk to Yunxiao.
Yunxiao hurriedly reached out and caught it.
After examining it and confirming that it was merely a jade pendant, he looked confused.
“My lord, do I only need to deliver the jade pendant?”
“Is there anything you want me to tell him?”
Xiao Yi shook his head.
“When Ling Yu sees it, he’ll understand.”
“If he asks you about it, tell him it was given to you by someone.”
Someone?
Who was this person?
Yunxiao suddenly remembered what his lord had instructed him to do before they went to the Li residence that day.
He understood instantly.
He knew who that “someone” was!
Yunxiao’s blood began to boil.
Was his lord entrusting him with an important mission?
He had always said that his lord was unparalleled in both literary and military abilities. How could he possibly go unrecognized?
Unless the person above him was blind!
Now it seemed he had simply misunderstood the situation.
Xiao Yi watched Yunxiao stand rooted to the spot, an excited smile spreading across his face, and frowned.
“Why are you still standing there? What are you thinking about?”
Yunxiao came back to his senses, straightened his spine, and replied loudly, “I’ll leave at once!”
After bowing, Yunxiao dashed out of the room.
Xiao Yi was bewildered by his reaction.
What was wrong with this guard?
When told to do something, he acted as though he had been injected with adrenaline.
The phrase Li Jin had used suddenly popped into Xiao Yi’s mind.
Xiao Yi hurriedly shook his head, trying to fling the thought away.
No wonder the ancients said: those who stay near vermilion absorb its color, and those who stay near ink are stained black.
Xiao Yi calmed himself and began recalling what Duoduo had just said.
Yunxiao returned moments later.
“My lord!”
Xiao Yi looked up at him suspiciously.
“Did you finish what I just ordered already?”
Yunxiao lowered his head.
“My lord, one of the empress dowager’s senior palace women is here.”
“She says the empress dowager misses the princess and would like the princess to enter the palace for a visit.”
Xiao Yi could not help glancing at the sky outside.
“Now?”
