Ten days slipped by almost unnoticed after Xiao Mo returned to Qin Kingdom's Imperial Capital.
During that time, quite a few court officials and powerful noble families sought to visit Xiao Manor and the Frost King's Manor.
But both Xiao Mo and Xiao Shi kept their doors closed to visitors, refusing to see anyone.
Xiao Mo also often took his jade token to the palace to visit Qin Siyao and Empress Shi.
Empress Shi's health worsened by the day.
Qin Siyao brewed medicine and fed it to Empress Shi every day, and Empress Shi took all manner of medicinal pills.
But when one's allotted time was nearly up, even an immortal's medicine was useless.
Still, Empress Shi dutifully drank her medicine every day and often walked around the courtyard with Qin Siyao.
It was not that Xiao Mo failed to understand what Empress Shi was thinking.
Empress Shi knew the medicine was useless, but she knew even better that the harder Si Yao tried to cure her now, the less guilt Si Yao would feel after she was gone.
Aside from visiting the palace, Xiao Mo spent his time keeping his mother company or discussing the war with Xiao Shi.
The fighting on the frontier had yet to end.
Every day, messenger flying swords arrived from the frontier, delivering their reports to the Xiao Royal Mansion.
The two of them often worked through how the war might develop, preparing their responses.
And during this stretch of time after Xiao Mo's return, unrest began to stir throughout the Imperial Capital.
"Who will take the position of Crown Prince?" became a question on everyone's mind.
As things stood, the First Prince and the Second Prince were both dead, and His Majesty had no other sons.
The solution now might be to select