Chapter 292: Visiting the East Palace Again
In front of the East Palace gate, Di Renjie got off the carriage, followed closely by Zhao Ji. However, Huan Bin had other official business and left early.

The eunuch respectfully led Di Renjie and Zhao Ji to the main hall. At this time, the "Crown Prince" Li Xian came out quickly and greeted them with a smile on his face: "Lord, General Zhao, long time no see!"

Di Renjie and Zhao Ji hurried forward and saluted.
The "prince" was very respectful and grabbed Di Renjie's hand: "Lord, you and General Zhao have been traveling so hard, why don't you take a rest and come to the East Palace!"

Di Renjie looked the "Prince" up and down and said with a smile, "Your Majesty summoned you. I heard that your highness has not recovered from his previous ailment, so I came to visit you on the way."

Zhao Jize smiled and said, "Your Highness is walking briskly and looks rosy. I guess you have recovered?"

The "Prince" smiled calmly and responded, "Thank you for your concern, Lord and General. I just recovered a few days ago and am still recovering."

Di Renjie smiled and nodded: "The Crown Prince's health is a blessing for the country. This old minister is very pleased."

As they spoke, the two of them walked towards the palace hand in hand.

Zhao Ji walked and observed his surroundings, trying to find any clues about the snake spirit.

Suddenly, he slowed down his pace and asked, "Your Highness, I remember that a lotus pond was being built in the palace before I left. I wonder if the construction is complete now?"

Di Renjie also paused for a moment, his eyes flickering with scrutiny, waiting for the "Prince's" answer.

The Crown Prince looked as if he had expected this, and said calmly, "You two came at an untimely time. It is true that the lotus pond was roughly completed a few days ago, but the water has not yet been drawn in. It is just a mud pond without any flowers or trees planted. It will take some time to complete it completely..."

"Otherwise, since it's a rare nice day today, I could take the elder and General Zhao to enjoy the scenery, which would be a nice thing to do!" After saying this, he seemed to have a hint of regret.

Di Renjie took a deep look at the "prince" and said with a smile: "That's a pity."

Seeing that Di Renjie had nothing to say, the "Prince" was pleased and said, "Why don't you and General Zhao follow me to another part of the East Palace to take a look around, and maybe you can get rid of some of the trouble?"

Di Renjie nodded and continued walking forward, followed by the "Prince" and Zhao Ji.

He pondered quietly, and suddenly stopped and said to the "Prince": "Your Highness, do you still remember the bee case that happened in Huzhou a few years ago?"

The "crown prince" suddenly raised his head and smiled: "Of course I remember. The elder and General Zhao saved Li Xian from danger. How could I forget their kindness?"

Di Renjie frowned and observed his expression as if nothing had happened. He asked casually, "Do you remember what happened after we rushed into the small courtyard in Huzhou City?"

The "Prince" pondered for a moment, and said with emotion: "Of course I remember. At that time, Xu Shide set up a trap and hid Liu Chali's body in the house. If it weren't for Li Gui's loyalty and bravery, who saved him with his life, the elder and Li Xian would have been wrongly killed by the emperor!"

When Zhao heard this, his expression changed slightly and he was a little surprised. He looked at Di Renjie.

This "prince" must be from a prominent family, he actually knows such details!

Di Renjie gave Zhao Ji a look, and Zhao Ji understood what he meant and thought about how to start the conversation.

He suddenly had an idea and asked, "What a coincidence. When I was a general in the Eastern Palace, there was a large flower garden in the back garden of the Eastern Palace in Chang'an. When the flowers bloomed, they were extremely fragrant. Your Highness, do you remember it?"

Seeing that Zhao Ji was so cunning, the "Prince" couldn't help but look at him more with a strange look on his face.

The Crown Prince frowned slightly, then relaxed and responded confidently: "General Zhao must have remembered it wrong. It's not the flower garden, but in the greenhouse. There is a large clump of Nalan flowers in it!" "This flower has an extremely strange fragrance. When it blooms, the fragrance fills the East Palace. But it is very delicate and difficult to serve. It was my maid Xiaohong who brought some Nalan flowers that General Zhao recognized her identity."

"Come to think of it, General Zhao traveled thousands of miles to Huzhou, and the first thing he did was to visit a brothel. He must have had quite the hobby! Ahahahaha!"

The "Prince" actually burst into laughter, which was almost a provocation to Zhao Ji. It was clear that he could not be defeated by his question, as he could apply it to other cases with just one example!
Zhao Ji's heart trembled, but he also put on a fake smile and explained, "Your Highness, you are kidding me. I smelled the fragrance of the flowers first, and I was curious, so I tried every means to find it, but I didn't do it to seek pleasure."

"Speaking of which, do you still know where Miss Yingyu is now? I really neglected her after we parted in Huzhou and haven't contacted her since." Zhao Ji stared at the "Prince" with a smile.

"Yingyu?" The fake prince was slightly stunned, then coughed, "This... I'm ashamed to say that I was also negligent and haven't contacted you for a long time."

Zhao Ji smiled maliciously: "Come to think of it, it was me who begged His Highness to give up and agree to her marriage with Liu Chuanlin. His Highness was still a little reluctant!"

"Oh...oh! The Xiaohong you are talking about is Yingyu!" The fake prince pretended to suddenly realize, "This is her alias. Look at my memory!"

"Your Highness!" A loud shout came from behind, and a guard came running over and whispered a few words to him.

The "Prince" put on a smiling face and said, "Sir, there is something going on in the back. I need to go take a look. I will excuse myself for now."

Di Renjie smiled and said, "Ah, Your Highness, please go and do your work. I, Chengyuan, and I will just look around the garden!"

The Crown Prince nodded and said, "Elder Lord and General Zhao, please do as you please."

Leaving two eunuchs to accompany Di Renjie and Zhao Ji, the "Prince" hurried away, his back looking rather embarrassed.

Di Renjie looked at his back with an unfathomable expression on his face.

Zhao Ji Ze simply sneered. Fake is fake. No matter how well you act, there will still be flaws.
-
Xiaohui was wandering anxiously in the bamboo forest in the back garden when the "Prince" walked in quickly.

She hurried over and asked anxiously, "How is it?"

The Crown Prince heaved a long sigh of relief: "Thanks to you, I have managed to deal with it. If they continue to ask questions, they will reveal their flaws!"

Xiao Hui frowned and said worriedly, "I guess they must have discovered something, so they are asking about it!"

The fake prince shook his head: "No matter what, we can delay it for a while! As long as these few days pass and the plan is implemented, everything will be fine!"

Xiaohui nodded slightly and was about to agree.

The fake prince paused for a moment, then continued, "Oh, right! We need to send more people to the backyard. Di Renjie wanted to investigate the lotus pond, but I said the backyard had not been completed yet and evaded him."

"But given their personalities, they will definitely sneak in and find out the situation. Tell the brothers to be careful and try not to reveal their tracks!"

Xiao Hui nodded heavily: "I'll go right away!"

(End of this chapter)