"Oh, I mean why did His Majesty..." Yang Zijin felt abashed at Shuo Ling's stare.

"Sounds like you are unsatisfied with His Majesty's Edict?" Shuo Ling put the letter into one of his sleeves, fixing his eyes on Yang Zijin.

Yang Zijin bit her words back. Marquis Shuo was indeed a cheeky man, but she thought she'd better not to provoke him, so she immediately answered, "Of course not!"

"Then why are you behaving like this?" Yang Zijin's answer satisfied Shuo Ling, his anger was gone, and he looked at Yang Zijin with a warmer complexion.

Yang Zijin was lost for words. Shuo Ling was...

But she still asked, "Why did His Majesty grant us marriage so suddenly?"

"So that's what you are after. Perhaps His Majesty did this in order to make good things come in a pair." Shuo Ling answered casually and showed Yang Zijin the seat.

Yang Zijin was puzzled, "What's another good thing?"

"His Majesty also issued another Imperial Edict." Shuo Ling explained.

Yang Zijin asked, "Another Edict?"

"Yes! Two days later, the Third Prince will also hold his wedding." Shuo Ling looked at Yang Zijin.

Yang Zijin opened her eyes wide, "What? Chushi Weiming's wedding is on the same day as ours?"

"Do you have any objections?"

“No... I don't... It's just that everything came so suddenly that I'm a bit overwhelmed."

"Then I'll take my leave. According to tradition, the bride shouldn't meet the groom before the wedding. It will bring bad luck to the groom." Yang Zijin said and was going to leave.

Shuo Ling dragged Yang Zijin over, "Why should I believe in this tradition?"

"Ah..." Yang Zijin fell into Shuo Ling's arms, unprepared.

She tried to get up. It was daytime now, so she'd better keep distance with Shuo Ling.

But Shuo Ling wasn't willing to let her go. When Yang Zijin was struggling, Shuo Ling touched the card that Yang Zijin tied on her waist. He frowned slightly but pretended to be the same as before.

Then he let go of Yang Zijin.

Yang Zijin quickly got up from Shuo Ling's arms and tidied her clothes.

"Where did this card come from?" Shuo Ling asked.

As Shuo Ling mentioned the card, Yang Zijin queried instantly, "This card? Have you seen it before?"

"No. I just consider it something of a novelty." Shuo Ling lifted the corner of his mouth into a smile.

It seemed that Yang Zijin hadn't known how to use the card. However, she put it in such a prominent position that those who had been longing for this card for years would take action to obtain it at all cost.

Yang Zijin was disappointed at Shuo Ling's reply. She thought Shuo Ling would know something about it, "This card was together with me when Madam Yang picked me up. It was only in recent days that I have got it back."

"It's ugly. Take it down." Shuo Ling said coldly.

This card had brought fatal disaster upon Princess Royal, and now it appeared with Yang Zijin, so those people would hurt her to get it.

Yang Zijin looked at Shuo Ling with a frown, "You know how to use it, don't you? And Princess Royal died from it, right?"

"You'd better store it away." Shuo Ling thought it wasn't the best time yet. Yang Zijin's action was not wise.

Yang Zijin got anxious at Shuo Ling's words. Every time she found a clue, it went cold. Now she had got this card as bait, waiting for the fish to come. She faced Shuo Ling with determination, "Since Your Lordship won't tell me, I'll continue my original plan to draw out the wire-puller with this card!"

"I only know part of it," Shuo Ling decided to tell Yang Zijin about this after he had thought it over. Yang Zijin's plan was bound to get into trouble. Although he would protect her, he didn't want her to be in danger.

He told Yang Zijin the clues went cold because he didn't want her to be consumed by hatred and got herself killed.

Thinking of this, Shuo Ling said, "Princess Royal did die from this card, but I don't know the exact reason behind."

"So, this card is as dangerous as I've expected." Yang Zijin nodded.

Something came to her and she said, "I have some other fish to fry. I'm leaving."

Shuo Ling didn't stop her this time.

Watching Yang Zijin leave, Shuo Ling felt a tinge of worry. The long-lost card had resurfaced, and it would lead to another fierce and bloody battle of bitter power grab.

Shuo Ling called Zhou Ji here, "Protect Infanta Qingcheng the whole day from today. If there's anything unusual, you must report to me at any time."

"Yes, My Lord." Zhou Ji answered.

"Go ahead!"

Yan Zijin returned to the mansion of Duke Mu. At this moment, the mansion had been decorated with red lanterns, and even the lintel was covered with red cloth, but Yang Zijin paid no attention to these changes.

She walked directly to the residence that used to belong to Princess Royal.

Yang Zijin pushed open the door. Inside, the room was bright and clean as new, which reflected the Duke of Mu's deep love for Princess Royal.

Since Princess Royal's death, Duke Mu had refused to let anyone into her residence. He kept the room the same as before, and he would come in and clean it himself from time to time.

Yang Zijin walked in and searched around, hoping to find a trace.

But she didn't find anything. Sitting down by the bed in disappointment, Yang Zijin felt something was wrong with the place her left hand was touching.

Then she crouched down to examine it.

Yang Zijin knocked that place and from the sound of the knock she knew that there was a secret compartment!

The Master Carpenter Lian Sheng had told her that where there was a hidden compartment, the knock would sound crisp, and the mechanism to open it must be set nearby.

As Lian Sheng had told her, Yang Zijin found the opening contraption at the right side.

She gently pressed on the button. As she had expected, the secret compartment gradually opened.

There was a parchment scroll without any character on it in the compartment.

Yang Zijin took the parchment scroll out and walked to the window to have a careful look at it, but the scroll was still blank.

Why was it blank?

Yang Zijin took off the card from her waist and put it together with the scroll. She pondered the connection between them.

Princess Royal won't hide a useless parchment scroll in the secret compartment.

Li Mingzi, who was passing by the Princess Royal's courtyard, noticed that the door was ajar and was about to close it.

Hearing the noise inside, she slipped into the yard to have a look.

She didn't expect to see Yang Zijin in the room, who was standing at the window and scrutinizing something in her hand.

Then she saw Yang Zijin took out a card and held it out to have a closer look, frowning slightly as if thinking of something.

So Li Mingzi moved closer.

Yang Zijin didn't notice that there were a pair of eyes staring at her in the dark.

After Li Mingzi got closer, she was shocked by what she had seen. Could this card be the one that imperial concubine Xiao was searching for?

Ling Mingzi left the courtyard hurriedly.

As Ling Mingzi had just left, Yang Zijin put the parchment scroll and dispatch card away. She left after restoring the room to its original state.

Li Mingzi went back to her residence. She picked up a brush pen to write a note and called Mammy Chen.

"Madam, what's making you so flustered?" Mammy Chen was confused about Li Mingzi's anxiety.

Li Mingzi handed the note to Mammy Chen, "Mammy Chen, go to the Third Prince's mansion now, quickly. You will hand this to the Third Prince in person."

"Yes, Madam." Mammy Chen took the note and hurried to the Third Prince's mansion following Li Mingzi's order.

After Mammy Chen left, Li Mingzi could not calm down for a long time. If the card was the dispatch card, she had fulfilled her promise with imperial concubine Xiao.

Although she didn't know what to do with that card, she could sleep well from now on.

She and imperial concubine Xiao reached an agreement that, she would help imperial concubine Xiao to find a card, and imperial concubine Xiao would help her to become the Duchess of Mu.

Therefore, when she read the letter, written by Princess Royal, to the Duke Mu, she told imperial concubine Xiao where Princess Royal would go through.

This is how imperial concubine Xiao's people was able to set up an ambush in advance.

However, she became the Duchess of Mu as her wished, but imperial concubine Xiao never found that card.

That was why she devised plans against Yang Zijin again and again after Yang Zijin returned to the mansion of the Duke Mu, but the plots all failed.

Now that the Emperor had granted marriage to Yang Zijin and Shuo Ling, it won't be easy to plot against Yang Zijin later.

However, she didn't expect that she could find that card.

In the mansion of the Third Prince.

This mansion was also decorated with red lanterns and red silk.

No sooner had Mammy Chen reached the gate of the mansion of the Third Prince than the guard yelled at her, "Scram! Don't you know this is the mansion of the Third Prince?"

"Is His Highness in the mansion? I have something important to tell him." Mammy Chen asked with a smiling face.

A servant replied to her, "What can you tell His Highness, you old biddy? His Highness is very busy. Tell us and we will pass on your message."

"My Madam asked me to tell it directly to His Highness." Mammy Chen answered.

The servant lost his patience, "His Highness is busy with his wedding and has no time to meet you. Go away."

"I really have something to tell His Highness. If you hold his things up, you may lose your lives." Mammy Chen had to threaten them.

Another servant pulled the servant before aside and whispered in his ears, "I think that biddy does have some important message to pass on. His Highness like torment us. if he knows that we blocked this message, I'm afraid we will be..."

They both trembled with fear.

The servant before came to Mammy Chen, "Alright then. You stay here. I'll tell His Highness that you want to see him."

Then he walked into the yard.

The Third Prince's guard Li He was standing at the doorway. The servant came up and told him about Mammy Chen.

Li He listened and nodded, then he went to the backyard after a moment of consideration.

Chushi Weiming was sitting in the backyard, drinking with his concubines.

"Your Highness, have a taste! This grape is delicious!" Meier fed Chushi Weiming with a skinned grape.

Chushi Weiming could not help nodding his head after eating the grape, "Umm, yummy! Have a taste, Meier!"

At this time, Li He went over and bent down to whisper in Chushi Weiming's ear.

Chushi Weiming frowned slightly. He wondered who was going to see him, so he asked Li He, "Go and call her here!"

"Yes." Li He answered and went to the gate.

Chushi Weiming filled the cup in front of him, "Come on, Meier, have another drink!"

"Your Highness, don't make fun of me. One more drink and I'll be drunk. How about letting Sister Lan drink it?" Meier smiled.

"I can't hold the liquor. It was Sister Mei that His Highness asked to drink." Laner also shirked with a smile.

At this point, Mammy Chen came in, "Your Highness!"