Chapter 0262: If Your Spirit Watches From Above, Please Guide Your Daughter!

Taiji Hall served as the imperial family’s sacrificial ground. The deceased emperor’s body would be laid in state within Taiji Hall, where the Ministry of Rites would arrange the mourning hall and conduct funeral ceremonies before the final procession to the imperial mausoleum.

Emperor Jian had long left instructions that should he pass away, his body would be interred in the imperial mausoleum, but his dragon robe must be buried beside Consort Hua’s resting place, establishing an empty tomb containing his garments.

After Consort Hua’s death, her remains were not buried in the imperial mausoleum. Following her final wishes, she was interred beside the burial mound of the Junior Minister of Ceremonies.

Thus, two coffins rested within Taiji Hall.

Tonight, Consort Xi had been keeping vigil. Perhaps exhausted from staying awake, she had departed at some unknown hour. Cold drafts swept through the hall, making the white funeral banners flutter and rustle. The guards stationed outside rubbed their arms, muttering about the bitter cold.

Seeing the two princesses approach, the vigil-keeping guards promptly bowed. “Your Highnesses.”

Xie Ping An raised a hand in acknowledgment before entering the main hall with Xie Shu.

“Mother Consort must have retired to the side chamber to rest.” Xie Ping An glanced around, then stepped forward to tidy the incense burner before the coffins, replacing it with fresh incense.

Then she began her appeal.

“Father, shortly after your passing, Crown Prince hid Second Brother away.”

“Now none of us know where Second Brother is. If Your Spirit watches from above, please guide your daughter.”

Having spoken, Xie Ping An knelt upon the prayer cushion and bowed.

Xie Shu, who had gone hungry all evening, was polishing a sacrificial fruit she’d taken from the altar. Taking a bite, she chewed noisily and said, “Elder Sister, seeking help from others surpasses relying on oneself; appealing to the living outweighs begging spirits. Praying to Father is less useful than begging me!”

Xie Ping An shot her a reproving look. “Do not jest before Father’s spirit.”

Xie Shu shrugged, returning the fruit to the offering plate while carefully hiding the bitten side.

After completing the full ceremonial three kneelings and nine prostrations, Xie Ping An finally rose. “Let’s go.”

Xie Shu obediently followed, but they had taken only a few steps when a dull thud sounded behind them, followed by rolling noises. Turning, she saw the fruit she’d bitten into had fallen from the altar.

Xie Ping An lifted her chin toward the stunned Xie Shu. “Quickly tidy it up before anyone notices.”

Xie Shu hurried over, wiped the fruit, and repositioned it on the offering plate.

Then she turned back toward Xie Ping An.

“Thump—roll roll…”

Just as she reached Xie Ping An’s side, the fruit fell again behind them, tracing the same path before stopping in the identical spot.

Outside, the drifting funeral banners seemed knocked over by a strong gust, eliciting flustered exclamations from guards rushing to stabilize the banner bases.

Xie Ping An and Xie Shu exchanged glances, feeling chills down their spines for the first time.

“F-Father couldn’t have truly manifested, could he?!” Xie Shu stammered, trembling.

Xie Ping An pondered briefly before walking toward the fallen fruit. She picked it up, her steady gaze sweeping the surroundings before settling on the direction the fruit had rolled.

“That way—I recall there are resting chambers.”

Both sacrificial ceremonies and vigil-keeping required extended periods. Since the palace was vast and traveling back and forth proved exhausting, Taiji Hall contained bedchambers where those overcome by fatigue could retire briefly.

Xie Shu remembered too. “Yes, there’s a small chamber. I even went inside as a child.”

The small inner chamber was adjacent to the main hall of Taiji Hall. While Taiji Hall had its own luxurious and clean sleeping quarters, this small inner chamber was merely a temporary resting spot. Even during grand sacrificial ceremonies, no one would choose to rest in such a humble little room.

Let alone during ordinary times.

Thinking of this, Xie Ping An and Xie Shu exchanged another glance.

Could Second Brother be hidden there?

Truth be told, that small inner chamber was indeed inconspicuous. If not for the dropped fruit, Xie Ping An and Xie Shu wouldn’t even have remembered the existence of such a small room.

Most crucially, this was Taiji Hall—the very place where the late emperor’s coffin was currently placed. Who would have imagined that the Crown Prince would imprison the Prince Regent right beside the late emperor’s remains!

“Let’s check it out,” Xie Ping An said calmly. “Better safe than sorry.”

Xie Shu nodded.

The two moved silently toward the small inner chamber, passing through an extremely long corridor at the back. Just as they were about to turn the corner, Xie Shu swiftly pulled Xie Ping An back.

“Someone’s there,” Xie Shu gestured. “There are guards outside the door.”

“Could they be Mother Consort’s people?” Xie Ping An whispered. Her mother, Xi Fei, had been keeping vigil last night and was now nowhere to be seen, perhaps having gone to rest.

Xie Shu cautiously peeked out before quickly pulling back, confirming, “Not palace attendants. Imperial guards.”

The person inside the inner chamber was most likely Second Brother.

“What’s the plan?” Xie Shu mouthed silently.

Xie Ping An lowered her eyelids, thinking carefully.

Barging in openly was clearly not an option. Shen Shilang had already drawn the Crown Prince’s attention and was at a disadvantage in the open. If they exposed this hard-won hiding place, not only would they—the hidden players—be revealed, but Second Brother would also be moved elsewhere.

Finding him again would then become even more difficult.

“Wait for an opportunity,” she murmured after a long pause. “Shen Shilang only asked us to deliver a letter to Second Brother. We need to find a way to get the letter in first, then return to discuss with Shen Shilang.”

Xie Shu nodded.

To be safe, the two first withdrew from the mourning hall and hid under the eaves not far from Taiji Hall, secretly observing any suspicious passersby.

People eat grains and have natural needs.

If Second Brother was imprisoned here, he would certainly need to be fed. Since there were no secret passages in Taiji Hall, food would have to be delivered from outside.

And chamber pots would need to be emptied.

They could either send the letter through a food box or through a chamber pot.

Xie Ping An and Xie Shu immediately agreed to prioritize the food box.

Soon, they spotted a suspicious figure.

The offerings on the mourning altar were replaced daily. Several eunuchs filed into Taihe Hall carrying food boxes. Xie Shu, with her sharp eyesight and martial arts training, noticed one eunuch walking with unusually vigorous, masculine strides—unlike the soft, languid steps of the other eunuchs.

He knows qinggong, Xie Shu concluded.

She nudged Xie Ping An with her elbow, and Xie Ping An immediately understood. “Go.”

One would act while the other kept watch.

Having secretly slipped out of the palace countless times to gather information through back alleys, they had long perfected their coordination.

Xie Shu folded the letter from the envelope several times, concealed it in her palm, then vigorously rubbed her eyes before silently flipping down from the eaves and heading into Taiji Hall.

The guards at the entrance were surprised by her return, but upon seeing Xie Shu’s reddened eyes, they simply assumed the Third Princess was grieving and didn’t suspect anything else.

Xie Shu’s gaze swept over the eunuch with brisk steps who was pretentiously arranging the sacrificial fruits. She walked over and “accidentally” knocked over the old offerings on the vigil platform.

The spirit plate holding the sacrificial fruits shattered on the ground. Xie Shu frowned slightly, then said with natural composure, “Go fetch a new one.”

The eunuch paused, glancing sideways at Xie Shu’s unchanged expression before replying in a hushed, strained voice, “Yes.”

Presumably, the Third Princess would never imagine that the Prince Regent, who should have perished in the fire, was actually in the inner hall, nor would she suspect that the food container held the Prince Regent’s breakfast. To avoid raising suspicion by delaying too long, the eunuch turned to find a new plate.

Seizing the moment when no one was watching, Xie Shu quickly opened the food container and slipped a folded letter into the rice.

After securely closing the container, she performed another ceremonial bow before the coffin for appearances before quietly slipping away.

She couldn’t remain here either—otherwise, the fake eunuch would have no chance to enter the inner chamber.