Concubine Yan just didn't expect that the emperor valued Zhao Xiang so much that he even thought of such a small matter.

"It was my fault for not thinking it through. Fortunately, the Emperor explained it to me, and now I understand! Otherwise, I would have been laughed at!"

The emperor laughed heartily, "Whoever dares to laugh at the imperial concubine will be the first one to be killed by me!"

Concubine Yan chuckled, "That's true. I have the Emperor's support. Who dares to say I'm wrong?"

The emperor laughed with joy.

Imperial Concubine Yan easily appeased the Emperor, but her son was already accustomed to being reckless and willful. She could make amends once or twice, but how could she make up for it if it happened too many times? You know, something like this would definitely work once or twice, but if it happened too many times, how much affection could she afford to waste?

The second prince returned to the palace and immediately ordered people to check for the two missing palace guards.

The guard commander was about to report that two men were indeed missing. These two men were supposed to be on duty yesterday, but they didn't show up. No one knew where they went, and they were probably not going to return.

The second prince was furious!

Could it be that they really did this? How dare they act on their own?

The Second Prince's intelligence didn't allow him to overthink things. He simply assumed the two men had acted on their own initiative, intent on currying favor with him and gaining merit in his presence. They hadn't expected failure, and fear had driven them to flee.

The Second Prince has many things to worry about right now, and he doesn't care about this little thing at all. He had a quarrel with his father today, and the outcome of this matter has been decided. There is no point in saying more, and it doesn't matter where those two people go.

The matter was left unresolved.

So much so that Zhou Hansheng, who had planted these two people in the Second Prince's Mansion and ordered them to do something when necessary, was stunned.

Although the second prince has a bad temper, he seems to be easy to fool.

Well, that saves him the trouble. He doesn’t even have to worry about the aftermath.

Manage the government.

Duke Liguo did come forward to talk to Earl Pengyang.

The Duke's Mansion has not yet been divided. Even if it is divided, he and the second and third houses are still family members. If this matter is not handled properly, it will damage the reputation of the Duke's Mansion.

The Mansion of Marquis Pengyang and the Mansion of Duke Liguo have never had any dealings with each other. When Duke Liguo asked, Marquis Pengyang naturally knew what it was about.

As the saying goes, those who are barefoot are not afraid of those who wear shoes. Moreover, in this matter, the third son of the Pengyang Earl's Mansion did nothing wrong.

He is a bit of a playboy, but he is not an official in the court, so he doesn't need a good reputation. What's wrong with going to a brothel to have a drink and find a beautiful woman to accompany him on weekdays?

Who could have known that the daughter of the Duke of Liguo could be sold to such a place?

Miss Zhou Er was forced to entertain customers right after being sold there. This is indeed a bit strange. It is impossible to say that no one was involved.

But this is not the fault of the Pengyang Marquis' Mansion.

Duke Liguo took the initiative to ask for a meeting, and instead of being afraid, Earl Pengyang was a little excited.

The one who suffers in this kind of thing is the woman. The second daughter of the Zhou family will definitely marry her youngest son, but her youngest son already has a wife and the eldest son has been born. If the second daughter of the Zhou family does not have a large dowry, this matter will have to be carefully considered.

Peng Yangbo originally intended to put on airs and take the initiative, but he didn't want to talk to the Duke of Li. He had no intention of asking him for help or discussing anything with him. He just unilaterally announced to him that the Peng Yangbo Mansion must properly handle the aftermath of this matter and accept Zhou Rui as his concubine, otherwise...

It is not difficult for the Duke of Liguo to deal with them.

As for the dowry, it's essential, but it might not be as much as they think. So don't worry about it, it's useless.

Peng Yangbo was almost angry to death, but being angry could not solve any problem. He really did not dare to anger Duke Liguo, so he had to swallow his anger and agree.

But secretly thinking, when Miss Zhou Er gets married, she will be in trouble! Then we will see whether the Duke of Liguo's Mansion will intervene or not.

The Pengyang Marquis's Mansion had long since fallen into disrepair, and their family's name was not even mentioned in the core circle of the upper class and powerful people in the capital.

They also know very little about what goes on in the core circle of power and influence.

At least, they knew nothing about the grudges between the various families within the Duke of Liguo's Mansion.

He wanted to control Zhou Rui and then threaten the Duke of Liguo's Mansion, but that was a wrong idea.

The one who makes the decision in Duke Liguo’s Mansion is not Zhou Rui’s parents.

The reason why Duke Liguo showed up today was not for the sake of the second house, but for the dignity of the Duke's Mansion.

No one can guarantee whether Zhou Rui's belly will grow bigger. If it does, the situation will become even more embarrassing.

So once the decision was made, they quickly looked for an auspicious date, and Zhou Rui got married in less than ten days.

Marry a playboy who has a fierce wife as his concubine.

On the day Zhou Rui got married, Mrs. Zhou Er cried like a tearful person. Because she was a concubine, although she also held a wedding, she must not skip the first wife's wedding. Besides, it was not glorious, so she did not invite too many guests.

The whole thing looks shabby.

As the prospective in-laws of the Zhou family, and Zhao Xiang being a big shot in front of the emperor, the Zhao family naturally received the invitation.

Zhao Xiang ordered someone to bring the gift, but he could not leave because of official business. It happened that he left Beijing for business two days before the wedding, so he did not go.

Deng's body had not fully recovered yet. She was powerless and afraid that the disease would harm others, so she did not go.

Zhao Liya needed to stay at home to serve her mother and take care of her younger siblings, so she didn't go either.

No one from the Zhao family was present.

Although the reasons are all legitimate, those who should know the truth already know it.

Mrs. Zhou and her husband became even angrier!

Originally, Mrs. Zhou Er was planning to cause trouble for Zhao Liya and her daughter, and deliberately make things difficult for them, but no one showed up!

This shows that they are not taken seriously at all.

After Zhou Rui got married, it goes without saying that there was a lot of chaos in the Pengyang Earl's mansion.

But all this was her family's own fault and they couldn't blame anyone else.

About half a month later, the wedding of Zhao Liya and Zhou Hansheng was officially put on the agenda by both families.

The wedding date is set for February 16th of the following year.

As soon as the wedding date was set, both families became busy.

Widow Qu and Hu Ling also helped with various preparations or looked after the house for Deng.

Whenever Zhou Hansheng came to visit again, Mrs. Deng would not allow him to meet Zhao Liya again.

At most, they would say a few words in the garden, and she was not allowed to dismiss the maids who were serving her. After a few words, Deng would send someone to call Zhao Liya away.

Zhao Liya was quite happy that Zhou Hansheng came to visit from time to time, otherwise she would be forced to close the door and embroider the dowry, which was really hard work.