During the seven-day vigil, almost all the officials and noblewomen were nearly killed.

It can be said that the Empress almost single-handedly took down half of the court.

But no one dared to utter a single word of dissent, nor did they dare to show even the slightest hint of disrespect.

Finally, the day they had been waiting for arrived, and even the Third Princess breathed a long sigh of relief.

The emperor also made an appearance to see his beloved wife off on her final journey.

The enormous coffin was carried out of the palace gates and transported to a royal temple a hundred miles away, where it would be temporarily placed until the emperor passed away, at which point it would be buried with him.

Everyone felt a sense of relief on their backs; the arduous task was over.

Of course, all banquets and weddings are still prohibited in Xinduli.

Jiayin originally wanted to go home with her grandmother, but seeing that the third princess looked unwell, she decided to stay and keep her company for a while.

Grandma Li wasn't worried at all.

Previously, she would have worried that the Third Princess would bully her granddaughter, but in recent days, she has seen it clearly.

The Third Princess is of noble birth, but she lacked love since childhood. Now that she gets along well with Jiayin, she treats Jiayin like a sister and takes good care of her.

Even she, as the grandmother, benefited greatly from the love and care shown to her family...

Jiayin and the Third Princess returned to Zhilan Palace. They didn't do much, just chatted, ate snacks, and drank tea.

But it was this calm and relaxed atmosphere that allowed the Third Princess to catch the last bit of her pent-up frustration.

As for my mother, whether I feel resentment, heartache, or injustice, she is gone now, and all traces will disappear...

The little fox, having found its way from somewhere, jumped onto the table and wagged its big tail.

Jiayin was delighted and held and played with him for a while before the Third Princess snatched him away.

Furry little animals have always been a wonderful way to comfort the soul and alleviate loneliness.

Even the Third Princess, when she was holding a fish cake and making the little fox jump around, was laughing heartily.

As the sun began to set, the two prepared to leave the palace.

The Third Princess went to Kunning Palace, wanting to take a few of the Empress's old belongings as souvenirs.

With nothing to do, Jiayin stood in the shade of a tree outside the door to cool off.

Coincidentally, Steward Yi came over to deliver something to the Third Princess, and upon seeing Jiayin, he quickly stepped forward to pay his respects.

"Greetings, Princess. You haven't left the palace yet? The sun is still quite strong. Why didn't you go inside?"

Jiayin smiled, her eyes crinkling, and replied, "Thank you for your concern, Steward. The princess is tidying up, so I couldn't help and just came out to stand for a while. It was Steward who came to deliver something? Why didn't you send a eunuch to run errands?"

Chief Eunuch Yi did not respond. He handed the items to the young eunuch to take inside, then stood beside Jiayin and said, "His Majesty remembers the princess and has bestowed some jewels upon her to make her happy! This old servant was afraid that those young boys would break the good things by handling them carelessly, so I made this trip in person."

Jiayin nodded, stepped aside, and let Steward Yi stand in the shade of the tree.

A glint flashed in Steward Yi's eyes. He glanced around discreetly and said, "The Empress has passed away, and the Emperor is particularly worried about the Princess. Fortunately, the Princess is with her."

"Last night, the Emperor even sent the Marquis of Xinting to visit his daughter who had entered the palace. He must have been trying to put himself in her shoes."

The last sentence was rather abrupt, and Jiayin was taken aback for a moment before laughing and replying, "Yes, what parents in the world don't love their children?"

Manager Yi felt relieved and changed the subject, talking about the refugees outside the city.

After the young eunuch came out with his reward, he left.

As Jiayin felt the warm breeze, her expression gradually turned cold.

The little fox had already told her about the Marquis of Dingbei's visit to the palace last night.

But the little fox couldn't find out the specific reason.

The Imperial Study is not like the Crown Prince's Xilong Pavilion, where the little fox can come and go as it pleases.

Although she was puzzled, she did not feel any urgency, after all, the border had been recaptured and the northern expedition was about to end.

The emperor wanted to stop it, but it was too late.

The only thing to worry about is that when my godfather comes back, he will settle accounts with me.

But if the time comes, it won't be too difficult for the adoptive father to hand over military power in time, sail south and retire.

But Chief Steward Yi also reminded her that the fact that Marquis Dingbei had entered the palace meant that the reason was not simple...

When the Third Princess came out of the door with her entourage, she saw that Jiayin looked unwell and asked, "What's wrong? Is it too hot?"

Jiayin quickly composed herself and replied, "Yes, it's so hot I'm dizzy."

"Come on, let's go home quickly." The third princess took her arm and they walked out together.

As a result, when they arrived at the palace gate and were about to get into the carriage, someone suddenly stepped forward.

"Your Highness, please wait a moment. I am very polite."

The Third Princess and Jiayin turned their heads at the same time and saw a middle-aged scholar bowing. He was dressed in a blue robe, his hair was tied up with a jade hairpin, and his expression was respectful yet not humble, gentle and polite.

The third princess frowned and asked, "Who are you?"

The middle-aged scholar replied, "I am Wen Yunhai, the steward of the Lu family in the southwest border region."

Wen Yunhai?

Jiayin's mind went blank for a moment; she had no recollection of the name.

But the Third Princess had an idea and replied, "So it's the Prince's right-hand man, Military Advisor Wen!"

People from the Lu family?!

Jia Yin raised an eyebrow, not surprised at all.

With their son having committed a grave offense and being effectively confined, how could the Lu family stand idly by?

Sending someone so late takes real patience.

Given the Third Princess's mindset, it's likely that in another two months, Lu Zong will be able to "complete his mission" and go see the King of Hell!

Military Advisor Wen bowed again and said in a low voice, "Your Highness, I have come here on the orders of the old general. Please forgive me and allow me to say a few more words."

The Third Princess frowned, thinking about her plans, and realized that she couldn't really sever ties with the Lu family.

So she nodded, "Okay, let's talk in the car."

Jiayin immediately said, "Princess, I'll go back to the Earl's mansion first. I won't interrupt your conversation. Just have someone send me a message if you need anything."

The Third Princess felt a mix of emotions when she saw that she wanted to avoid suspicion, but she still gave her instructions.

"It's good that you go back first. If anything happens, please remember to have someone let me know."

Jiayin smiled and nodded, then gave a slight bow to Wen Junshi before getting into her own carriage.

The carriage clattered away into the distance before Wen Junshi subtly withdrew his gaze.

He could now somewhat understand why the Crown Prince was so reckless and extreme.

Such a beautiful and intelligent girl seemed to embody all the beauty in the world; he liked her at first sight, let alone a young man in the prime of his youth.

It's hard not to be moved when you spend a lot of time together.

But when he looked at the elegant and beautiful princess beside him, he couldn't help but sigh.

The young master is truly blessed, but perhaps a little too blessed!

The princess's carriage was spacious enough to accommodate her guests.

The coachman carefully drove the carriage to the foot of the palace wall, with the maids and servants keeping watch at a distance, leaving only Caiyun in the carriage to serve him.

The Third Princess took a sip of tea and went straight to the point, asking, "Strategist, you've traveled a long way to come here. What brings you here? You didn't even have time to visit the Princess's residence, so you came here instead?"

Wen Junshi quickly apologized, adopting a very humble attitude.

Just when the Third Princess thought he would plead for Lu Zong, he pulled out a flat little wooden box.

Today's update is here!