Chapter 1111: Chapter 1111: Another Meaning—Resilient and Eternal Love

Bai Zhi’er sighed.

She turned her head and saw a particularly beautiful ginkgo tree in the courtyard.

It was deep autumn, and golden ginkgo leaves were falling.

Bai Zhi’er looked at the ginkgo tree: "Wow, it’s so beautiful. Few people plant ginkgo trees in courtyards."

Long Xiyuan glanced outside and said, "This was her favorite tree when she was alive. She said she loved their lush appearance."

"On my birthday one year, she gave a tree, and we planted it together in her courtyard."

When the former Empress was in good health, she liked to lie under the tree and bask in the sun.

Long Xiyuan looked at the lonely ginkgo tree, the gold still scattered on the ground, but the person was gone.

Bai Zhi’er turned her eyes: "I heard that ginkgo trees, besides longevity, have another meaning—resilience and eternal love."

Long Xiyuan was stunned.

He stared intently at the ginkgo tree outside.

Feng Fuce sat nearby, leaning against the chair in a dignified and aloof manner.

Compared to the dazed Long Xiyuan, he seemed more like the master of the imperial palace.

Feng Fuce took a sip of tea and said indifferently, "The former Empress often mentioned Princess Consort Liang to you while she was alive. Where is this concubine now?"

"Dead." Long Xiyuan said, "Last year, she fell into the lake while admiring the snow in winter, and when she was found, she was already gone."

Bai Zhi’er was surprised: "Didn’t her Palace Attendants notice?"

Long Xiyuan shook his head: "The Palace Attendants said they went back to get her clothes, and when they returned, they couldn’t find her. They searched for a long time before finding her in the lake."

Feng Fuce put down his teacup and chuckled softly, with a hint of mockery.

"Silenced, dead without evidence."

Long Xiyuan rubbed his brow: "I don’t understand. If she really wanted to warn me, why couldn’t she just say it?"

Bai Zhi’er blinked her round eyes: "It must be because she had a hold over Prince Li Zheng."

Feng Fuce looked at Bai Zhi’er with a light smile of indulgence.

As if praising her intelligence: "To the former Empress, maybe family is her Achilles’ heel."

Long Xiyuan was silent: "But when she was four, she was taken home by Prince Li Zheng for care and upbringing."

"At that time, she was still young. To her, perhaps Prince Li Zheng and the Princess Consort were like her parents?"

Bai Zhi’er thought for a moment: "Could it be that she was threatened using you? A woman might endure silently for the one she loves."

Long Xiyuan paused.

"Using me? But even if Prince Li Zheng was powerful, he couldn’t threaten my position."

Feng Fuce raised an eyebrow: "What if it threatened your life?"

Long Xiyuan suddenly frowned.

Bai Zhi’er nodded: "It’s very possible. If we can prove that the former Empress’s ledger shows many concubines’ maternal families colluding with Prince Li Zheng."

"Then, Long Xiyuan, living daily among so many treacherous concubines is very dangerous!"

Feng Fuce lowered his indifferent eyelashes: "Perhaps we should thoroughly investigate Princess Consort Liang’s past. She was silenced urgently; did she do something?"

Long Xiyuan felt a shock in his heart.

He recalled that during the time Princess Consort Liang controlled the palace, many people in the palace had stomach issues.

But it wasn’t a serious illness, naturally not raising much attention.

However, they heard a few had red rashes, which were quite frightening.

But they were promptly dealt with.

Long Xiyuan hadn’t thought deeply when his guard returned: "Emperor, we’ve found it!"

He brought people back with a pile of files.

Any concubine marked with extra income or expenses in the former Empress’s ledger.

Their maternal families were more or less connected with Prince Li Zheng.

Some of these connections have already been discovered and dealt with by Long Xiyuan over the past two years.

But there were others hidden in secrecy that even Long Xiyuan was unaware of.

Looking at the comparison between the files and the ledger, he was incredibly surprised.