Zhou Lin took a deep breath, instantly becoming imposing, and strode into the house.

Inside the room, Su Jinxia was brewing hot tea. She was not good at tea ceremony and seemed clumsy.

The warmth somewhat dispelled Zhou Lin's chill, and he looked at the scene before him with some surprise.

The stunningly beautiful young girl wore a warm yellow padded jacket. The misty steam brushed against her face, making her appear somewhat hazy. She looked like a wealthy family's innocent daughter, unaware of the ways of the world.

Su Jin poured a cup of tea for the person opposite her, lifted her eyelids, glanced at Zhou Lin, and said softly, "General, please sit down."

At a glance, Zhou Lin sensed something different; there was a calm and wise look in his eyes.

This little girl is quite remarkable.

Zhou Lin glanced at Zhou Chen, who had followed him in, and noticed that the faint look in his eyes was quite similar to the look in the woman's eyes.

Zhou Lin took his seat.

"No wonder they're brothers, they look so alike." Su Jin said with a smile, but there was no warmth in his smile.

Zhou Lin remained highly vigilant and said bluntly, "Who are you, young lady? Please state your purpose directly."

Su Jinxia's smile remained unchanged as she truthfully replied, "I am the Lord of Liuli, the Lord of Zhuangjun, the Young Master of Guying Society, and also the benefactor who rescued Zhou Chen from the Southern Kingdom's palace. Which identity does the General prefer?"

Zhou Lin's expression went from shock to even greater shock, and then it cracked!

He was just about to send troops to fight Zhuang Jun when King Zhuang appeared before him.

It's like he's standing behind someone, ready to play a trick on her, but she turns around and startles him instead.

Zhou Lin's mind was in turmoil, and he couldn't calm down for a long time, especially after Su Jin emphasized the word "rescue".

That means Zhou Chen is living a miserable life in the Nangong Palace!

Indeed, how well can a hostage in another country live?

Zhou Lin took a deep breath, maintaining his composure. "I've long heard that Princess Zhuang is an exceptionally beautiful woman, and seeing her today, I can confirm that she lives up to her reputation. You saved A-Chen because you were planning to use him to control me, weren't you?"

"No." Before Su Jin could speak, Zhou Chen denied it first. "My sister never forced me. I helped her voluntarily. And I forgot to tell you, I've already been registered under the Su family genealogy of Liuli Mountain. I have a new father, mother, and sister. We're family, so it's only right that I help my sister!"

Zhou Lin was shocked, his eyes almost popping out of their sockets. "You are of royal blood, how can you casually recognize someone else as your father? Where do you put the dignity of the royal family?"

Zhou Chen completely disregarded such anger and accusations. "Do you think I care about royal blood? What has he done for me besides bringing me countless pains and filth!"

"Besides, on the day my sister ascends the throne, I will still be of royal blood!"

Zhou Lin was so angry at these words of betraying his ancestors that he felt a sharp pain in his heart and couldn't help but bend over.

As Zhou Chen watched, he felt both a sense of satisfaction and a touch of inexplicable sadness. He looked away, no longer meeting the gaze.

Su Jin looked at Zhou Chen, feeling inexplicably guilty.

Su Jin deserves much credit for how an innocent child inexplicably transformed into this resolute and cold-blooded person.

Su Jinxia originally just wanted Zhou Chen to grow up quickly, but unexpectedly, this guy's growth rate was like a wild horse that had broken free of its reins, and it was out of control.

In Yue Ziqi's words: The young master is becoming more and more like the young master!

Seeing Zhou Lin clutching his chest, unable to recover, Su Jinxia felt a little unkind and wanted to laugh.

"General, don't be anxious. It's normal that you can't accept what A-Chen said. After all, the Empress must be really good to you. But have you ever thought about it? If she really is good to you, why has she made you guard the frontier day after day for ten years and never summoned you back to the capital?"

Zhou Lin said, "Guarding the frontier is my duty, and it is my own choice!"

Zhou Lin continued to defend the Empress. The kindness and guidance he received from her when he was young, and the image of her loving demeanor, were deeply ingrained in his heart. He was unwilling to believe what Zhou Chen said, not because he didn't trust Zhou Chen, but because he trusted the Empress too much, or perhaps because he didn't want to admit that he was wrong about everything.

Su Jin smiled faintly; he really wouldn't give up until he was completely convinced.

Yue Ziqi handed Su Jinxia some letters at the opportune moment, and Su Jinxia raised her chin, indicating that he should present them to Zhou Lin.

Su Jin's confident demeanor made Zhou Lin feel a little uneasy. He reached out and took the paper, glanced at it briefly, and then became completely absorbed in it.

His pupils dilated, his hands trembled with shock, and he looked at everything in disbelief before angrily throwing it to the ground and roaring, "Impossible! You're trying to sow discord between me and the court? I won't fall for it!"

Su Jin didn't take Zhou Lin's anger to heart. She took a sip of tea and said, "General, do you not have any trusted confidants in the court? You can find out the truth by investigating!"

Zhou Chen, unaware of what had happened, picked up the paper from the ground with some confusion.

This is the news reported by Su Jin's spies who went deep into the court. Zhou Chen's mother, Consort Qi, did not have a difficult childbirth and was in good health. However, she suddenly suffered a postpartum hemorrhage after the child was born and could not be saved.

Childbirth is like walking through the gates of hell, and many women die because of it, so no one finds it inappropriate.

Moreover, she was just a maidservant by the Empress's side, and she had always lived in the Empress's palace. Since the Empress didn't say anything, no one else would pursue the matter.

However, upon further investigation, things became even stranger.

The servants who served Consort Qi back then, as well as the physicians who delivered her, could not be found. Upon closer investigation, it was discovered that some had died mysteriously, while others had been sent out of the palace.

The spies searched for a long time before finally finding one of the midwives. Under duress and coercion, they managed to extract some information from her.

Consort Qi's delivery went very smoothly that year, without any signs of postpartum hemorrhage. After the midwife finished taking care of the baby, she brought the child to show the mother. She heard the Empress say, "This is stewed with the finest ginseng and deer antler. Drink it quickly to replenish your qi and blood."

The midwife thought to herself, "The Empress and Consort Qi are truly devoted to each other, as they personally prepared ginseng soup to visit each other."

Afterwards, while everyone was talking to the child, Consort Qi suddenly suffered a severe hemorrhage.

When the physician arrived, he asked if anyone had eaten anything. Everyone shook their heads because only the Empress and her maid were present at that time. The Empress denied having eaten any ginseng soup, and the soup bowl had been quietly removed without anyone noticing.

The midwife was terrified and didn't dare utter a word. She left the palace early in the morning.

As Zhou Chen looked on, tears welled up in his eyes. So, it turned out that his mother was actually killed by the Empress!

"Why, why would the Queen do this?"

Zhou Chen might be able to let go of the harm the Empress had done to him, but he could never forgive the person who had hurt his mother.

Su Jin sighed, "In her early years, the Empress had no children, and the Emperor was indifferent to her. So she supported the beautiful Consort Qi to rise to power. Consort Qi was very capable and soon gave birth to the Third Prince. The Third Prince was carefully raised under the Empress's care. With a prince, the Emperor naturally could no longer ignore the Empress, and soon after, the Sixth Prince, born of the Empress, was born. The Empress made a brilliant move in this game."