Xie Zhaozhao cried for a long time against Gu Shaoyu's chest.

Coming back to reason, he realized this was the palace. How did he get in?

No matter how much Emperor Hui valued him, or how much he was favored, it was impossible for him to enter the Emperor's harem.

She immediately reached out and pushed him away from her chest, whispering, "You should leave now!"

Gu Shaoyu picked the person up again, sat them on the edge of the bed, and whispered, "It's alright. I've already seen His Majesty. The Empress is in the Imperial Study reviewing memorials and resting there. She won't be coming over before dawn. The people here have been poisoned by Lu Feiyan."

He speaks in a condensed way, each sentence containing a great deal of information.

"child……"

"I saw it! It's chubby and cute, doesn't make a fuss, and looks just like you!"

Xie Zhaozhao cried again!

She only glanced at the baby after it was born before Aunt Chai took it away. A month has passed, and she still doesn't know what the baby looks like.

When did you get back?

"I returned at noon today. More than a month ago, Bei Chen sent me a message saying that you were trapped in the palace, so I handed over the affairs there to my brothers and rushed back day and night."

Xie Zhaozhao became anxious upon hearing this: "You returned to the capital without an imperial edict, won't you be punished?"

“I am not a general stationed on the frontier. I could have returned to the capital after defeating the enemy, but I did not inform the court and did not lead the other generals back to the capital together.”

It's wrong, but it's also self-consistent.

Xie Zhaozhao asked, "Are my brothers all alright?"

"My elder brother was merely a military supervisor and was unharmed. My second brother (Xie Jue) fought bravely but sustained minor injuries; he will recover with rest. Yin Er and Li Er are both unharmed."

However, Duke Xun captured Wei Anyuan alive. Wei Anyuan had initially raised his hands to surrender, but taking advantage of Duke Xun's carelessness, he went back on his word, killed Duke Xun, and escaped..."

When he arrived, Yin Jin'an and Li Yunmu led troops to pursue Wei Anyuan all the way to the northern grasslands.

On the way back to the capital, I received news that Wei Anyuan had been captured by Yin Jin'an and had hundreds of holes punched in his body.

Gu Shaoyu said, "I saw His Majesty. He was in poor spirits and his health was deteriorating... He said that Long Liu has been following you all along, and you should have no problem leaving the palace. Why don't you leave?"

“My husband is a general with a large army under his command. His Majesty is wary of him and wants to take me and the child hostage. I have no choice but to comply.”

If you would offer me as a hostage to ensure the safety of the Gu and Xie families, I am willing to be a hostage.

At night, her dark eyes were deep and calm.

“My lord, I have some doubts, but I’m trapped here and can’t confirm them.”

What suspicions?

"I suspect His Majesty or Her Majesty the Empress are plotting something, but I'm not sure..."

She had long suspected that her aunt was plotting something, but her aunt didn't even have children, so why was she making all this trouble?

Gu Shaoyu sighed softly: "Zhaozhao, the Empress has already intervened in the court and is ruling from behind the curtain..."

Xie Zhaozhao's heart sank suddenly; it was just as she had imagined.

Ever since she moved into Wenhui Palace, she has had the same recurring dream: the imperial army surrounds the Xie residence, and men, women, and children are killed on the spot, with the entire Xie residence becoming a river of blood.

She woke up from her nightmares repeatedly, completely baffled.

It wasn't until her aunt told her that she would tell her about court affairs, bring over memorials, and discuss governance.

She then had a guess.

Before the child was born, she asked Lu Feiyan to cure His Majesty of the poison.

To save His Majesty's life, I only ask to preserve the Xie family.

Through Lu Feiyan, she conveyed her loyalty and pleaded with His Majesty for the opportunity to have Aunt Chai enter the palace to deliver her baby.

When she gave birth, His Majesty, panting heavily, held the Empress back in Xingning Palace.

Xie Zhaozhao decided to go all the way and let Aunt Chai take the child away while she was at it.

Gu Shaoyu had told her that Uncle Chai and Aunt Chai were doctors, and they also had another identity: Gu Shaoyu's martial arts instructors.

Gu Shaoyu's light-footed skills were taught by Aunt Chai.

Aunt Chai was allowed to come in, and Xie Zhaozhao made her take the child out.

She didn't trust the Empress, nor did she trust His Majesty.

She couldn't allow her and Gu Shaoyu's child to become a pawn in the hands of either the Emperor or the Empress.

She could only relax and focus on her postpartum recovery after the baby was sent away.

As expected, the Empress tricked her into giving the child to the Fifth Bureau, so she pretended to believe her and cooperated, diligently taking care of herself during her postpartum period.

Every day in the palace, Empress Xie and she were putting on an act.

The aunt has gathered a considerable force, and there's no turning back now.

“His Majesty trusts me greatly and would never detain my wife and children,” Gu Shaoyu said confidently. “His Majesty told me that he never intended to harm you and your children.”

"So the Empress detained me and the child to pressure Father and you," Xie Zhaozhao said incisively. "She wants to use the Emperor to command the nobles and drag the entire Xie clan down with her?"

Gu Shaoyu remained silent.

They could not understand the Empress's thoughts.

"When I met His Majesty, he only said that you had done a good job in sending Lu Feiyan to detoxify him, and he was very happy."

"How is His Majesty now?"

"This is very bad! The deaths of several princes have dealt him a huge blow," Gu Shaoyu sighed. "There are many voices in the court hoping that His Majesty will establish an heir as soon as possible."

"Establish the Seventh Prince?"

"It's still undecided. Every time the court officials raise this issue, His Majesty remains silent."

Emperor Hui was over fifty years old and had reigned for thirty-three years. From the time he humbled himself and submitted to the Wei family, he endured a lifetime of hardship and protected the people with peace and stability for more than thirty years.

Now that the country's strength has gradually increased, it has finally made up its mind to fight the Wei clan and remove obstacles for the new emperor.

I never imagined that in my old age, my children would all die before me.

The poison may be cured, but the mental illness remains.

His Majesty is enduring this agonizing wait, hoping for news of the Wei clan's annihilation.

This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!