Mo Lingxi was not entirely sure about this, but she had a guess: "I suspect the mastermind's immediate target is General Sheng. As for whether they will deal with me, that depends on the subsequent situation."
Tao Lengshuang understood and pondered the matter. "You mean the mastermind wants to see if you will help General Sheng, and then change his plan. He is wary of and fears you?"
Mo Lingxi said uncertainly, "It's possible. Another possibility is that he doesn't want to get involved in the imperial power struggle. His only target is General Sheng."
Tao Lengshuang had a vague thought, but it was too fuzzy for her to grasp. "I think what you said is probably true."
She turned to look at Mo Lingxi, her beautiful, cold eyes flashing with anger. "Think about it, even the current Emperor is wary of you. That person can at most be a subject. How could he not be wary of you?"
She had guessed Mo Lingxi's identity a long time ago, but she wasn't sure which prince he was.
However, from his words and actions, she could tell that the current Emperor was very wary of him.
Mo Lingxi raised an eyebrow and leaned slightly towards her. "You're so smart, how should I reward you?"
Tao Lengshuang was confused by his words. "I've guessed your approximate identity. What does that have to do with a reward?"
Mo Lingxi moved closer to her, so close that anything could happen at any moment. "This is your reward for being smart."
Tao Lengshuang was even more confused and found his words strange. "I still don't understand. Can you be more specific?"
Her intelligence had nothing to do with a reward. Why was Mo Lingxi insisting on rewarding her?
Just as Mo Lingxi was about to say something, he suddenly heard a cry.
"Lengshuang, Lengshuang, save us, please save us."
Tao Lengshuang recognized the voices of her family and immediately became energetic. She ran to the main entrance with a radiant smile, completely forgetting Mo Lingxi.
Mo Lingxi: "..." Was his presence that weak?
He rubbed his temples and followed Tao Lengshuang.
As soon as Tao Lengshuang reached the main entrance, she saw her shivering family members looking at her pleadingly.
"Lengshuang, please save me. Just save me."
"Eldest son, how can you say that? If anyone is to be saved, it should be me."
To get Tao Lengshuang's help, the Tao family members started to argue, each wanting Tao Lengshuang to save them, regardless of the lives of others.
Tao Lengshuang watched with a cold eye. She glanced at Mo Lingxi beside her, and the smile on her lips deepened. Look, look, how lively the Tao family was.
She loved seeing the Tao family so lively.
After arguing for a long time, the Tao family members even started fighting. They pulled each other's hair, grabbed each other's pants, or headbutted each other. No one wanted the other to have a good time, and no one wanted the other to receive treatment.
The snow-covered ground became dirty and messy, with scattered hair and bloodstains. It looked incredibly comical.
Tao Lengshuang estimated that the Tao family would not finish their fight anytime soon, so she returned to the courtyard and asked the hidden guards about the situation from a place where the Tao family could not see her.
"Have you found out anything about the mastermind?"
The hidden guard replied that they had not yet. "Another hidden guard is following that maid. The maid is unfamiliar, and doesn't seem to belong to any particular family. The Sheng family doesn't have anyone like her. It's estimated that the mastermind specifically hired her."
Tao Lengshuang nodded in understanding, her brow furrowed slightly. "This maid might not know much."
"The mastermind has gone undetected for so many years, which shows how meticulous he is. But now, we can only investigate by following this maid."
Mo Lingxi comforted her, "Don't worry, we will eventually find out everything."
He waved his hand, dismissing the hidden guard.
Tao Lengshuang also understood this and muttered, "You know, the mastermind must know that we are watching the Tao family, right? He should have expected us to investigate him through the Tao family. So why wasn't he prepared?"
"It's like he didn't use your identity to his advantage. If he had used your identity, it wouldn't have been difficult to deal with me."
Mo Lingxi said, "Perhaps he is afraid of the truth being exposed, which would lead to his plan getting out of control."
"As for why he allowed us to monitor the Tao family, it might be within his plan."
Tao Lengshuang thought it over and concluded that this was the most likely scenario. "Based on this deduction, if he is an official, his rank wouldn't be too high?"
Mo Lingxi said that it wasn't necessarily so. It was possible that the other party was afraid of losing his official position, or losing face, and therefore did not want to escalate the matter, which led him to act this way.
Tao Lengshuang suddenly patted her forehead, "You're right, it's possible. The mastermind finally achieved his current status, and he doesn't want to lose it easily."
Mo Lingxi gently brushed the snow off her, letting her stand under the eaves. He held her hands to warm them. "We will find out everything about the mastermind sooner or later. Don't rush, rushing can easily lead you into the mastermind's trap."
Tao Lengshuang understood this. She was a little worried. "You understand, it's like a stone hanging in my heart, pressing down, making me uncomfortable and uneasy."
"I understand," Mo Lingxi soothed her softly. "The more this happens, the more we need to stay calm."
"The calmer we are, the more anxious the mastermind will become. Also, you should interact more with General Sheng and his wife, preferably letting Sheng Li know something."
Tao Lengshuang's eyebrows shot up, and a coldness filled her eyes. "We do need to provoke Sheng Li. One of the reasons the mastermind is using Sheng Li is to torment General Sheng and his wife."
"Since that's the case, I will interact more with General Sheng and his wife, constantly provoking Sheng Li, so that the mastermind cannot control her. Only then will we have a chance to find more clues."
Mo Lingxi felt very affectionate and concerned for her, his voice gentle. "There's no need to be angry. The calmer we are, the more furious the mastermind will become."
"Also, you need to take care of your health. Your health is the most important thing."
Tao Lengshuang's heart stirred slightly, but she said, "You talk a big game, but your actions are not much."
Mo Lingxi understood and, with a hint of helplessness, lightly tapped her forehead. There needed to be more action.
"Lengshuang, hurry and save Mother, Mother is being beaten to death."
Hearing Yu Shi's pained cries, Tao Lengshuang indifferently turned her head and saw Yu Shi, covered in wounds, lying at the main entrance, reaching out to her.
"If you want me to save you, it's not impossible."
A strange smile appeared on Tao Lengshuang's lips. "How about this? If you can find out who wants to harm me, I will save you."
"Let me tell you something. If you don't get treated for this illness soon, you will either spit blood and die, or you will die of pain."
When she had taken the pulse of the Tao family members, she discovered that the Tao family had taken a special drug to forcibly counteract her medicine, which had severely damaged their bodies.