Chapter 118: One More Trip? Let's Go!

A few people, hearing that, looked at Tuan Tuan with surprised faces.

"So fragrant!" Tuan Tuan buried their head and ate greedily, not noticing them.

Xiao Ze pondered briefly: "You'd better remember her words."

Chen Hao was somewhat bewildered. Burning incense? Why would he need to burn incense?

Tuan Tuan ordered another portion of the dishes she found delicious to be packed, intending to take them home for her family to try as well.

Xiao Ze suddenly recalled: "When I wasn't in the Palace, you came looking for me?"

"That's right!" Tuan Tuan recalled unhappily: "I only wanted to find you to eat something tasty! Who knew the Empress Dowager would summon me away? Fortunately Imperial Uncle came to rescue me."

"Pfft—" Xiao Ran spewed out a mouthful of tea, and Chen Hao choked as well; the two coughed thunderously.

"Hahaha……"

Xiao Ran: "Damn..."

Xiao Ze glared at them, and the two, understanding, said nothing further, laughing for a long while before stopping.

After scolding his younger brother, Xiao Ze held back for a while, but couldn't restrain himself; he laughed, clutching his belly as his shoulders shook wildly.

Xiao Tuanzi flicked his nose: "You!"

After the meal, Xiao Ran and Chen Hao left first.

Xiao Ze, holding Tuan Tuan, looked at Xiao Er: "Take these food boxes back to Ning Prince's Mansion; I'll bring her into the Palace to play with me for a while, then send her back."

Tuan Tuan was delighted: "Third Elder Brother is really great!"

Xiao Er straightened his back: "I will go too!"

"Hand the young lady over to you? No!"

Xiao Ze gave a cold stare at the towering guard before him, who was more than a head taller than himself.

Xiao Er met his gaze, not flinching at all.

Tuan Tuan looked at Third Elder Brother, then at Uncle Two, and helplessly shook her head: "Alright! Uncle Two, I bought a lot of food for Mother and the others; could you take it back?"

Xiao Er wore a grievance-filled expression as he looked at his own lady.

Tuan Tuan patted his broad chest: "No need to worry! I'll be back soon!"

Xiao Er, helpless, had to take the dozen or so food boxes back to the mansion.

Tuan Tuan followed Xiao Ze into the Palace and arrived at his residence.

Xiao Ze had a servant bring out a table of candied pastries, letting her eat as she pleased.

Tuan Tuan ate with puffed cheeks: "Third Elder Brother, the Empress Dowager is afraid of the copper token I picked up that day!"

"Oh?" Xiao Ze frowned, "Why is that?"

"Speaking of your belly, how can you eat so much and still have room left!"

Tuan Tuan glared at him: "Because I'm small!"

Xiao Ze laughed: "Alright! Got it! Where's that copper token? Let me see it."

"For Imperial Uncle!"

Xiao Ze looked puzzled: "What for the Father Emperor?"

"Because Imperial Uncle is closer to that copper token than the Empress Dowager!"

The tea cup in Xiao Ze's hand trembled, his gaze deep: "Tuan Tuan, shall we go together to the Cold Palace again to find that old lady? Good?"

Tuan Tuan lifted her small face to look at him: "Third Elder Brother, you also want to ask the old lady about the copper token?"

Xiao Ze nodded: "Going?"

Tuan Tuan thought for a moment: "Let's go!"

The two together returned once more to that desolate palace garden.

Autumn wind swirled the dead leaves, spiraling down, making the place look even more barren and desolate.

Tuan Tuan walked while softly calling: "Old lady? Where are you?"

Xiao Ze held her hand, his eyes scanning each corner sharply.

Just as they were about to walk deeper into the hall, a dilapidated hall door was pulled open from inside, and a person stepped out.

It was Eunuch Cheng!

"Grandpa! Why are you also here?" Tuan Tuan released Xiao Ze's hand and walked to his side.

Eunuch Cheng, seeing them, was also surprised: "Seventh Prince, Little Princess! You..."

"That copper token, you found it here?" Xiao Jieyun, dressed in everyday clothes, stepped out, his expression gloomy.

Xiao Ze felt a chill, immediately saluted: "Yes, Father Emperor. That day I escorted the Princess through here and met an old lady who inadvertently dropped the copper token."

Xiao Jieyun gestured aside: "Come in."

The group entered together; Eunuch Cheng examined the surroundings carefully and shut the door tightly.

Inside, it was dim; an old lady curled in the corner, filthy all over, her graying hair covering her face, hugging herself and trembling.

Xiao Jieyun asked: "Is that her?"

Tuan Tuan walked over, gently lifting the hair on her face: "Yes! Old lady, have you found your child?"

The old lady, seeing Tuan Tuan, was visibly stunned; hearing her ask about the child, she seemed to recall something and began frantically crawling on the ground, searching everywhere.

"Yangyang, Yangyang, where did you go? Come out quickly!"

Xiao Jieyun watched the scene, his brows tightly knit.

Eunuch Cheng whispered: "His Majesty, this old woman was sent from the Phoenix Ritual Palace."

"She was already insane when sent, and has been here for nearly thirty years."

Xiao Jieyun murmured: "Thirty years ago? The Empress Dowager's Phoenix Ritual Palace?"

Eunuch Cheng approached the old lady still rummaging in the corner: "Your Majesty has arrived; do you have anything to say?"

The old woman trembled all over, murmuring, "His Majesty? His Majesty?"

She slowly raised her head, saw Xiao Jieyun's face, her complexion changed abruptly, and she immediately knelt and kowtowed, shouting, "His Majesty! The Empress died from a hemorrhage! I, your servant, would not dare to lie! I would not!"

Xiao Jieyun asked further, "The Empress? The late Empress?"

The old woman kept kowtowing, but didn't utter a single word anymore.

Tuan Tuan walked over and supported her, "Grandma, stop kowtowing! Aren't you dizzy?"

Hearing her words, the old woman gradually calmed down and began searching around, "Yangyang, where are you? Answer me!"

Xiao Jieyun took out a bronze plaque, walked over and placed it before her, "Is this yours?"

The old woman, upon seeing the bronze plaque, shakily extended her hand to take it, clutched it to her chest and never let go, her whole body involuntarily trembling, muttering incomprehensible babble.

Xiao Jieyun shook their head, "Let's go; in this state, she can't answer anything."

Tuan Tuan frowned, "The old woman is really pitiful!"

The child is lost, and her mind is still in chaos.

Clearly, she has many things she wants to say!

She grabbed one of Xiao Jieyun's large hands, "Imperial Uncle, she wants to speak. But her mind is muddled and she can't."

Xiao Jieyun furrowed their brows.

Tuan Tuan looked up at them, then lowered their head to glance at the old woman, tilting their little head.

What should we do? How can we make the old woman speak the words she wants to say?

Suddenly, she saw the purple aura swirling around her hand, drawn from the Emperor she was holding.

Got it!

"Imperial Uncle, you have so much purple aura, bright and warm! It can drive away the black evil clinging to the old woman!"

Xiao Jieyun shivered all over, "The purple aura on my body?"

"Exactly!" Tuan Tuan nodded vigorously, "You're a great dragon, the purple aura is the strongest!"

"Come on!"

She took Xiao Jieyun's hand, brought it close to the old woman, then took the old woman's hand, pressing the two palms together.

Everyone stared intently at the old woman, yet she remained as before, swaying her body, murmuring continuously.

Xiao Ze said, "It's useless, Tuan Tuan."

"It has to be like this," Tuan Tuan used their two small hands to tightly clamp the two large hands together in the palm.

Immediately a massive surge of purple aura, like a torrent, burst from Xiao Jieyun's palm, instantly scattering the black foul aura surrounding the old woman without a trace.

Tuan Tuan was delighted, "All right!"

To the others, the previously frantic old woman no longer swayed, her gaze gradually clearing.

She slowly, with great difficulty, lifted her head, her eyes landing on Xiao Jieyun's face.

Tears long held back surged out like a broken dam.

"Prince! You are my little prince! I am An Niang!"

"It's the Murong clan! She poisoned the Empress!"