Chapter 465

As these words left her lips, it was as if a thunderclap exploded in Xiao Jingheng's mind.

His ears rang with a violent hum, and his entire being felt as though it had been doused with freezing snow, his breath nearly stopping.

After a while, when he regained his composure, Xiao Jingheng's brow furrowed tightly, his mind constantly pondering:

Princess Dowager Jinggui conceived Xiao Jingyan during her southern tour, and Song Shicheng happened to be there during that tour as well.

Now that both Zhao Hua and Xiao Jingyan suffer from Peach Blossom Intolerance Syndrome, the person who had an illicit affair with Princess Dowager Jinggui is highly likely to be Song Shicheng!

Recalling how Zhao Hua once advocated for him to execute Prince An and his son,

Zhao Hua's decisive and ruthless demeanor was vastly different from her usual gentle and kind manner, strongly suggesting her desire to distance herself from the matter.

Could it be... that they had already known each other's identities long ago, and this entire charade was just a performance for his benefit?

No wonder!

No wonder the usually obedient Xiao Jingyan defied his decree to bury Cheng Yu alive that day,

and secretly rescued Cheng Yu instead.

Previously, Xiao Jingyan had only said that it was all done for his sake,

but now that Xiao Jingheng carefully examined the situation, it seemed more likely that Xiao Jingyan did it to save his own nephew!

He connected all the events, forming a perfect closed loop,

a perfect closed loop that filled him with dread upon further contemplation.

At this moment, his surging anger reddened Xiao Jingheng's cheeks,

and he trembled with rage as he furiously told the agents of the Secret Agency:

"Investigate! Dig up the burial sites of Prince An and Princess Dowager Jinggui, and see if you can still unearth their corpses!"

The agents were terrified by his ferocious expression, and it took them a while to stammer:

"We will obey your command, Your Majesty!" Afterwards, Xiao Jingheng summoned a messenger and decreed:

"Go and surround the Feng Luan Palace. Under the pretext of an inauspicious celestial omen, confine the Empress within the Feng Luan Palace. No one is permitted to see her without my decree!"

The messenger, frightened and perplexed, said: "Your Majesty, you wish to confine the Empress? But the Crown Prince still needs to attend court, this..."

"Inform the ministers, court will be suspended for three days!"

Xiao Jingheng roared, cutting off the messenger's query.

Seeing the messenger still standing there dazed, he even grabbed the inkstone and hurled it at him in a rage,

"What are you waiting for? Go!"

Only then did the messenger stammer his acknowledgment and scramble away in panic.

In the following days, Ning Wanshuang was deeply affected by Jin Yue's death and preoccupied with handling Jin Yue's affairs, leaving her no time to attend to Xiao Jingheng.

Thus, the person attending to Xiao Jingheng in the Yang Palace each day changed from Zhao Hua to Consort Yin.

Previously in the harem, both Consort Yin and Ning Wanshuang were renowned for their unyielding demeanors,

but during these two days attending to Xiao Jingheng, Consort Yin was as gentle as flowing water, meticulous in every task and attentive to every detail.

On this day, as she served Xiao Jingheng his medicinal soup, Xiao Jingheng could not help but remark:

"You are surprisingly docile. Throughout these few days attending to me, you have never questioned why I have confined the Empress."

Consort Yin stirred the murky soup slowly with a spoon, offering a thin smile, "Your Majesty must have his reasons for doing what he does. It is not my place to inquire."

With that, she scooped up another spoonful of soup and fed it to Xiao Jingheng.

After he had swallowed the medicine, she added, "Ever since your father defected to the Qi Dynasty, Your Majesty has treated the North Tribe well, and your temperament has become much gentler."

He took Consort Yin's hand, feeling a sense of wonder,

"You have attended to me for nearly a decade. I plan to soon elevate you to the rank of Noble Consort."

Upon hearing this, Consort Yin did not show excessive delight, merely responding with a forced smile:

"I am deeply honored, Your Majesty."

Xiao Jingheng let out a long, weary sigh, offering a helpless, bitter smile,

"I have so many consorts, yet lately I increasingly struggle to understand what they are thinking, or what secret schemes they are hiding from me."

—"Is my husband referring to me?" Suddenly, a laughing voice came from outside the door.

Xiao Jingheng's gaze shot up in shock,

only to see Zhao Hua gracefully enter, her ruby lips curved in a smile, adorned in a phoenix robe and glowing with radiance.

Meeting Xiao Jingheng's astonished gaze, she said in a gentle voice:

"I have been away for just a few days, yet my husband already misses me so. Truly, our marital bond is deep."

"What are you doing here?"

Unfazed by Xiao Jingheng's harsh questioning tone, Zhao Hua stepped up to his bedside, nodding with a smile at Consort Yin.

She then naturally took the medicinal soup from Consort Yin's hands and said to her:

"You may leave now."

Xiao Jingheng loudly told Consort Yin, "Stay!"

Then he shouted towards the door, "Guards, take the Empress away!"

As the words left his lips,

Xiao Jingheng, whose slightest command was once obeyed without question, heard only the hoarse echo of his own furious order resounding in the Chaoyang Palace.

Outside, an eerie silence reigned, so quiet that it was unsettling, with no one responding to him, of course.

Before Xiao Jingheng could regain his senses, he saw Consort Yin bow respectfully to Zhao Hua, wearing a faint smile,

"My apologies for the trouble, Your Majesty." Then she took her leave.

After Consort Yin's departure, Zhao Hua settled herself at Xiao Jingheng's side, as natural as countless times before when attending to him.

She moved to help him drink the medicinal soup, but as soon as she lifted the bowl, Xiao Jingheng knocked it from her hands, spilling its contents onto the ground.

"What are you doing here?"

"My husband should not dwell on troubling thoughts during his illness. Thus, I have come to clarify the confusion for you."

The smile frozen on Zhao Hua's face grew increasingly enigmatic.

She idly played with the corner of her phoenix robe, her words drifting like smoke as she said:

"The agents from the Secret Agency have already been killed by me. I know what you instructed them to investigate. Why did you not simply ask me directly?"

She raised an eyebrow at Xiao Jingheng, leaning closer as she lowered her voice,

"We have been husband and wife for many years. I should be able to tell you everything, leaving nothing unsaid."