"Imperial grandson? Where did this imperial grandson come from?" Zu An didn't react for a moment.

“Of course it’s the son of Consort Bai, the Crown Prince’s concubine back then,” Sang Qian explained. “He was the Crown Prince’s only blood relative, with impeccable lineage. Plus, the Crown Prince later became the Emperor, so he still had a lot of influence within the Zhao family’s royal family.”

Zuan frowned. Bai Fei...

During his trip to Zishan, Zhao Hao seemed to sense the signs of the five signs of decay in the heavens and man, and planned to execute Bai Fei, a spy from the demonic sect, ahead of schedule. He even ordered Zhao Hao to do it himself.

He went to great lengths to save Bai Fei by substituting her son with a substitute. After that, Bai Fei secretly returned to the capital because she was worried about her son, and then disappeared without a trace.

His first thought was that Bai Fei was definitely not the kind of person who would be ungrateful and turn against him, but then he thought that what she valued most was her son. For her son's future, it would not be surprising for a mother to do anything.

"Those princes from the Zhao family still dare to act up. It seems that we were too lenient in showing them mercy before." Zu An's expression turned cold. Back then, he had purged Bi Qi and several princes in the capital, but he had mostly appeased the others. Now it seems that this had left behind a future problem.

Sang Qian told her daughter to go eat candied hawthorns while she discussed with Zu An: "If we had killed those Zhao princes back then, it would have only caused chaos in the world earlier, making it impossible to unite against the extraterrestrial demons. However, once the demon chaos was quelled, those Zhao princes became more ambitious, especially since several years had passed and you had disappeared without a trace. There were rumors that you had died in another world, so those ambitious people naturally couldn't sit still."

Zuan said apologetically, "You must have had a hard time these past few years, I'm sorry to have worried you."

Sang Qian smiled sweetly: "We don't believe those rumors. We believe in you. No matter how dangerous the situation, you will definitely come back safely."

Zuan felt a warmth in his heart and pulled her into his arms, feeling a sense of home.

No matter how dangerous it is outside, there will always be someone waiting for him here.

"By the way, why is Dandan on the battlefield too?" Zu'an asked curiously.

“Actually, it was because you had the wild idea of ​​creating an empress back then,” Sang Qian rolled her eyes. “Back then, with you keeping everyone in check, no one dared to say anything. But after you left, many people secretly became dissatisfied with Linglong.”

“Linglong is indeed very resourceful and capable, but she is a woman, and this inherent problem is difficult for her to solve. Our human race is not like the demon race in terms of structure. Historically, there have been very few empresses, so all the forces are actually dissatisfied. Later, when the opportunity came, they all rebelled.”

"Even within the imperial court, some ministers are restless and act hypocritically. We can't just stand by and watch her be bullied, so we'll help her. Because of you, she absolutely trusts us. These days, Dandan has been leading her old gang to help transport supplies to the front lines. I stayed in the capital to help with some logistical work because I was worried about Sisi."

After listening to her story, Zu'an fell silent. He could only imagine how difficult the situation Bi Linglong had been facing recently. He realized that he had been too irresponsible as a hands-off manager.

"Where is the Empress Dowager?" Zu'an then inquired about the situation.

“The Empress Dowager and Linglong are in charge of the inner and outer affairs respectively. Now, Linglong is personally leading the expedition, while the Empress Dowager is stationed in the capital. If she were not there, the capital would probably be in chaos as soon as Linglong left.” Sang Qian addressed Linglong as such, which shows that they have had a good relationship over the years.

Zu An nodded to himself. After he entered the capital, apart from the stricter checks at the city gates, the people in the city were no different from before. It seemed that Liu Ning was indeed good at government affairs.

"I need to go to the palace," Zu An said in a deep voice. He believed that only the Empress Dowager truly understood the current situation.

Sang Qian's expression darkened; they had just reunited and were about to part again. However, she knew what was important: "Okay, I'll wait for you to come back."

Zuan smiled slightly and took her hand: "Come with me."

Feeling the warmth of the other person's hand and seeing their gentle gaze, Sang Qian's melancholy vanished instantly: "Okay!"

Suddenly, she hesitated, "But Sisi is still here with no one to take care of her..."

Zuan went over and picked her up in his arms: "Why don't you just let her come to the palace with us?"

“I’m afraid…” Sang Qian originally wanted to say that it was a bit inappropriate, but then she thought that Sisi was her daughter, and there was nowhere in the world she couldn’t go. So all her words turned into one: “Okay.”

Next, Zu'an carried his daughter in his right arm and held Sang Qian's hand in his left, and walked all the way to the main gate of the palace. This time, he did not fly in directly past the guards, but walked in openly and honestly, so that more people could see that he had returned.

Sang Qian felt a little uncomfortable being held by his hand in public. After all, their relationship had always been kept secret, and this made her feel uneasy.

Especially when entering a place like the palace, she subconsciously tried to pull her hand back, but the other person held it tightly and wouldn't let go.

She was quick-witted, so how could she not understand that the other party wanted to use this method to allow her and her daughter to stand openly in the public eye?

She lowered her head, biting her lip tightly, trying hard not to let her tears fall. She had already resigned herself to being a secret lover for the rest of her life, but what woman in the world doesn't want to appear openly with her lover in front of the world?

Just then, a commotion arose from the palace gates: "Regent, the Regent has returned!"

Zuan smiled and gestured, then quickly entered the palace.

The news spread throughout the capital at an astonishing speed.

Upon receiving the news, Liu Ning, who was discussing state affairs with court officials, disregarded her work and rushed outside to greet them.

Someone nearby whispered a reminder: "Empress Dowager, this is against the rules..."

Normally, the regent is still a subject, and even the emperor should come to see the empress dowager. It's not like the empress dowager would take the initiative to greet him.

Liu Ning smiled gently: "The Regent is no ordinary person; he deserves it."

The people in the Imperial Study were stunned. The Empress Dowager had been looking worried for a long time, and this was probably the first time she had smiled so happily.

Not only was she happy, but she was also very beautiful.

Then everyone realized that the Empress Dowager wasn't actually that old; although she was called the Empress Dowager, she was at the peak of her womanhood.

Could it be that the Empress Dowager and the Regent...

The idea was barely formed before it was nipped in the bud by the ministers; this topic was too sensitive to discuss.

As long as the regent doesn't publicly marry the empress dowager, it's fine. Historically, it's been too common for empress dowagers to keep male lovers.

Liu Ning lifted her skirt and quickly left the imperial study. At that moment, she had only one thought: to throw herself into the other person's arms without hesitation.

The years of separation had brought her longing to its peak, and the recent rebellions by various regional princes only exacerbated her emotional distress.

Forget about the Empress Dowager, forget about public opinion at court; if it weren't for him, I wouldn't want to be this damn Empress Dowager right now...

When she saw Zu An leading Sang Qian and her daughter in his arms, her surging impulse finally calmed down a little.

Realizing that this was indeed not an appropriate occasion.

However, when she saw the beautiful little girl in Zaun's arms, another thought arose in her mind: I want to have a child for him too!