After Song Yihuan left the Marquis Mansion, she took Feixue and Chunxing and walked all the way towards the Qionglimei Opera Troupe.
To avoid arousing suspicion, she walked out today.
From afar, she could hear the continuous sounds of drums and music coming from the Qionglimei Opera Troupe. It was extremely lively, and pedestrians walked by in a hurry from time to time.
"Quick, quick! The Qionglimei Opera Troupe is starting a show. I heard that the Princess Consort of the Prince of Ningqin came to the troupe early this morning to order plays! Let's go and have a look."
"I wonder what play Cui Ying'er, the leading actress of the troupe, will perform today. Hurry up."
Song Yihuan frowned and exchanged a look with Chunxing and Feixue beside her.
Did her elder sister come to the Qionglimei Opera Troupe so ostentatiously today?
It seemed a bit different from what she had expected.
Song Yihuan frowned tightly, but unexpectedly met an unexpected person outside the Qionglimei Opera Troupe.
Lifting the veil of her hat, Song Yihuan looked at Ji Lingchuan in front of her in surprise. She was about to blurt out "Your Highness", but at the last moment, she changed her words: "Brother Ling, why are you here?"
Ji Lingchuan looked at the face that had haunted his dreams. He resisted the urge to pull her into his arms and said in a somewhat cold tone: "Why are you here?"
When they were outside, they always acted like strangers to each other. But when their eyes met, they could see the understanding that only they could understand in each other's eyes.
They both came for Song Nanxin.
It seemed that Ji Lingchuan also didn't believe what her elder sister had said before. So he had someone keep a close eye on her elder sister's whereabouts and followed as soon as he noticed something strange.
Song Yihuan blinked and raised the corner of her lips slightly: "I came out to buy some silk thread and cloth. I'm going to make a dress. When I passed by here, I heard that my elder sister was here listening to the opera, so I came over to take a look."
A dress? Was it the one he had mentioned in Xingzhou before?
There was a smile in Ji Lingchuan's eyes: "What a coincidence. I'm just passing by too. I heard that the Princess Consort is here listening to the opera, so I came to take a look. Since we've met, let's go in together."
Song Yihuan didn't refuse. She nodded and followed him into the opera house.
The Qionglimei Opera Troupe had developed into the largest opera house in the capital city. Besides the main hall below the stage, there were also private boxes around. The boxes surrounded the stage on all sides, with a broad view and a clear view of the performance on the stage.
Ji Lingchuan asked for the box directly opposite the stage. Song Yihuan followed him into the box, while Fuzhou, Chunxing and Feixue were left outside.
From the moment they met outside the opera house to the moment they walked into the troupe, they seemed very unfamiliar with each other and hardly had any communication.
However, as soon as they entered the box, Ji Lingchuan grabbed Song Yihuan's wrist, pulled her to his side, put his arm around her waist and made her sit on his lap.
"After you returned to the Marquis Mansion last night, did you sleep well?"
Feeling his hand on her waist, Song Yihuan naturally put her arms around his neck and pouted slightly: "Not very well."
"Is it because you're not used to it?" Ji Lingchuan frowned and looked closely at her face. He found that there were indeed dark circles under her eyes.
Song Yihuan shook her head: "Last night I dreamed about the day when my mother had an accident. I searched all over the city, looking for a doctor in every medical clinic, but no one was willing to go to the Marquis Mansion to save my mother."
Ji Lingchuan remembered what Feixue had told him. He felt very distressed and asked actively: "In Xingzhou before, the doctor in Tianxiang City said that your mother's death didn't seem to be an accident. Do you have any clues? I'll help you investigate."
Song Yihuan had revealed this matter to him because she intended to rely on his power.
This matter involved the Northern Di tribe, and it was not something that a concubine daughter of the Marquis Mansion could investigate alone.
"My mother should have been poisoned by a kind of poison called 'Beiman Tuo', which is why she had a difficult childbirth. This poison comes from the Northern Di tribe."
Song Yihuan didn't know that Ji Lingchuan had already learned about what happened in the Marquis Mansion last night from Feixue. She analyzed seriously with Ji Lingchuan:
"The Northern Di tribe has always been eyeing Yu State covetously. They want to occupy the sixteen cities on the border and take Yu State's land for themselves. But before, most of their activities were on the border."
"The fact that the poisonous herb from the Northern Di tribe appeared in the capital means that their people have already sneaked into the capital. This is not a good thing."
Ji Lingchuan nodded in agreement with her words: "Yes, you're right. This matter is really worth paying attention to. There's something I haven't told you. In Xingzhou before, when we were arresting the rebels, we found the silver of your Marquis Mansion on the rebels."
Song Yihuan was shocked: "The silver of the Marquis Mansion? Does the Marquis Mansion have a connection with the rebels?"
Ji Lingchuan said: "The Marquis of Ding'an flatly denied it. He also said that he didn't know how the silver got into the hands of the rebels. Since there was no evidence, we had to let him go for the time being."
Song Yihuan frowned slightly. When the previous emperor was still alive, the Marquis of Ding'an supported another prince. Only after the current emperor ascended the throne did he switch sides and support the Empress Dowager and the current emperor.
"You're living in the Marquis Mansion now, so it's more convenient for you than me. If possible, I'd like you to help me find clues. But you must be careful. Leave the dangerous things to Feixue."
Song Yihuan came back to her senses. She nodded: "Okay, I'll be careful."
Thinking of Feixue who had been sent to her side, she leaned her head on his shoulder and said: "So Feixue's original name was Fumeng. Just by the name, you can tell that she's a trusted subordinate of the Prince."
Afraid that she would misunderstand, Ji Lingchuan explained actively, "She and Fuxing are twins. They usually don't serve in the Prince's Mansion. They live among the common people and collect information for me."
Trying to hold back her laughter, Song Yihuan deliberately said: "The Prince is really cold - hearted. There isn't even a maid to serve you by your side. When I was staying in the Prince of Ningqin's Mansion before, I heard that the Prince stabbed a maid who tried to get close to him. At that time, I thought to myself that I must never let the Prince know that I had consummated the marriage with the Prince in place of my elder sister. Otherwise, the Prince would surely stab me to death with his sword."
This was true. After that incident happened, she was terrified day and night. If it weren't for her own life, she wouldn't have listened to her elder sister so obediently and kept the secret so well.
Ji Lingchuan also remembered the maid who had sneaked into his room at night. He coughed twice and said seriously: "That's because when I was on the border before, the enemy sent someone to assassinate me. That person was dressed as a dancing girl and sneaked into my tent quietly."
"Being vigilant about everything around is a necessary quality for a general."
He looked so serious that Song Yihuan believed him.
There was a loud clang from outside, and the audience burst into thunderous applause. It turned out that Cui Ying'er, the leading actress of the Qionglimei Opera Troupe, had taken the stage. Song Yihuan gently broke free from Ji Lingchuan, walked to the seat opposite him, picked up the teapot on the table and poured two cups of tea for him and herself.
She smiled and said: "Your Highness, let's watch the opera."