When Shen Cong returned home, he bumped into Qu Jingyun who was walking towards him. He hurriedly went up to her and asked, "Mother, did you do what happened to the Qian family?"

Qu Jingyun nodded, acknowledging the matter.

"Why?" Shen Cong asked, puzzled.

But then Qu Jingyun retorted, "Shouldn't he be punished for what he did?"

She looked up at Shen Cong and then continued, "After I learned about Zhao Xiangxue's situation, I investigated it. Now that I know what the Qian family has done, I naturally won't let them go."

“However…” Qu Jingyun paused, her expression turning serious.

He continued, "That's why we received very important information."

"What news?" Shen Cong asked impatiently.

Judging from Qu Jingyun's expression, he realized that this matter must be very important.

Sure enough, the next moment, Qu Jingyun sighed silently.

He then said, "Do you remember when news of your father's death reached the capital?"

Shen Cong nodded: "Of course I remember."

"At that time, the Xiongnu launched a surprise attack, catching our army off guard. Your father was also injured as a result. Fortunately, the reaction was timely, and the enemy's sneak attack was not successful. Your father also used this opportunity to fake his death and investigate the rebellion of the princess of the previous dynasty."

"He always thought it was just the result of a surprise attack by the Xiongnu, but only today did he discover that there was actually a traitor among them."

As she said this, Qu Jingyun's lips curled into a cold smile, which sent chills down one's spine.

As Shen Cong listened, his eyes widened in shock, and he looked at Qu Jingyun with disbelief.

"Mother, do you mean that someone in the court harmed Father back then?"

Qu Jingyun nodded, and tried to force a smile, but found that she couldn't manage it.

He continued, "This may be related to the Zhao and Qian families, but there is no conclusive evidence yet. We can only deal with the Qian family first, and we'll talk about the Zhao family later."

These words left Shen Cong completely bewildered.

Puzzled, he asked, "How does this have to do with the Zhao family again? I don't quite understand."

Qu Jingyun sighed, gave Shen Cong a deep look, and then said, "Zhao Xiangxue just arrived."

Upon hearing the name, Shen Cong's face immediately contorted with intense disgust.

He said impatiently, "Why is she here again?"

"She didn't come because of you; she has another reason," Qu Jingyun explained. "She came to thank our family for dealing with the Qian family."

"I was initially curious how she knew it was me who dealt with the Qian family. Later, I learned that it was because she overheard her parents talking after the Qian family was captured. The Zhao family's parents learned through their secret guards that it was me who reported the Qian family, and they thought I knew about what they had done in alliance with the Xiongnu."

"Only then did Zhao Xiangxue realize that the Zhao family had actually conspired with the Qian family to deal with the General's Mansion."

"But can we trust her? After all, she's a member of the Zhao family," Shen Cong said, somewhat warily.

He didn't quite trust Zhao Xiangxue.

But then Qu Jingyun continued, "She was originally supposed to be married off to the Qian family by the Zhao family at the end of the month. You know what kind of person the Qian family head is. Now that the Qian family is in jail, she has escaped her misery and has come to thank me in person."

"Even so, it doesn't necessarily prove that what she said is credible." Shen Cong was still somewhat incredulous.

Qu Jingyun sighed and then said, "At first I didn't believe it either, until she proved it to me."

Her expression turned somewhat embarrassed, and she lowered her voice to say, "Although she has not yet married into the Qian family, she has already been given to the head of the Qian family by her parents."

Qu Jingyun's words were not very clear, but they had already made Shen Cong understand a bit, which made him look astonished.

Shen Cong heard from Yun Xiujin how the former head of the family had tormented his wife.

Zhao's parents knew perfectly well what the outcome would be if their daughter married the head of the Qian family, but they still did it anyway.

They were even so eager to hand the person over to the Qian family head.

It's no wonder that Zhao Xiangxue told Qu Jingyun about it after learning about it.

This is a complete heartbreak.

"Zhao Xiangxue originally wanted to use this matter to threaten me into making you take her as a concubine, but I refused. My son doesn't do things like having two women on the left and one on the right."

Qu Jingyun quickly said, "However, I have already promised her that once things are settled, I will give her a way out, send her out of the capital, and let her live the life she wants."

Shen Cong nodded knowingly, and after a moment's thought, continued, "In that case, there's a high probability that this matter is true."

"Not only that," Qu Jingyun said again, turning her head to meet Shen Cong's gaze.

Then he said, "Your eldest brother has sent a message back."

"But what happened?" Shen Cong asked impatiently.

"I'm going to the General's Mansion to talk to your father about this. You'll come with me." Qu Jingyun didn't talk to Shen Cong directly, but instead took his wrist and left the Qu Mansion.

Inside the carriage, Shen Cong was filled with questions.

Seeing Qu Jingyun's solemn expression, he didn't dare to disturb her for the time being.

With unanswered questions in mind, he got off the carriage and hurried into the general's mansion.

The two rushed to the study as quickly as possible.

Shen Yunting was somewhat surprised to see them arrive.

He hurriedly stood up and asked, "Why are you here? What happened?"

"Take a look at this letter first." Qu Jingyun didn't say much, and directly took out the letter from her bosom and handed it to Shen Yunting.

Shen Yunting read through the text quickly, his expression turning serious.

When he looked up again, there was a clear hint of hostility in his eyes.

"Is this a letter from Song'er?"

Qu Jingyun nodded: "Exactly."

"If the contents of the letter are true, it seems that the country, which has finally calmed down, is about to be thrown into turmoil again."

Shen Yunting's lips slowly curled into a cold smile, exuding an aura that made him unapproachable to ordinary people.

Seeing him like this, Shen Cong became even more anxious.

He hurriedly asked, "But what happened? What's wrong with the letter my elder brother sent back?"

Shen Yunting did not answer directly, but handed the letter over: "Take a look for yourself."

Shen Cong read the letter with a puzzled look on his face, then his expression changed drastically, and his hands trembled.

"Is the content of your letter, elder brother, true? Is there really someone in the court colluding with the Xiongnu? Could it be the Zhao family?"

Shen Yunting caught the key words in his words and quickly asked, "The Zhao family? What does this have to do with the Zhao family?"

Upon hearing this, Qu Jingyun quickly asked, "Do you know the Qian family, who were just imprisoned?"

"Of course I know," Shen Yunting nodded hurriedly.

"Didn't you secretly gather evidence and then have it presented to the Emperor?"

Qu Jingyun nodded and told her about Zhao Xiangxue's situation in detail.

"I think you can believe what she said. I'm telling you this so you can investigate it secretly. You should know more about things in the military camp."