Therefore, there is nothing suspicious about it.

Emperor Mingyang responded.

"There is another matter. The woman's father was beaten to death in the street by the son of the prefect of Xishan City, and her mother was also beaten to death in the street for seeking justice."

Emperor Mingyang frowned immediately upon hearing this. He looked at the Imperial Guard who had spoken and asked, "Is this true?"

Jinwuwei naturally confirmed that it was true.

But Emperor Mingyang found it strange. He looked at Yu Shuo and said, "I remember that the prefect of Xishan City was a good official who was diligent and loved the people. Could there be something fishy about this?"

Yu Shuo had also heard of this prefect of Xishan City, and the news that had reached the capital in recent years was generally good.

But why is his son so arrogant?

Yu Shuo felt that Qin Su might know something, and he could go back and ask her.

However, he could not reveal Qin Su to Emperor Mingyang, so he said, "I remember there are still six months left before the officials can be tested. Why don't you bring this up in advance, Your Majesty? You might be able to get some good results."

Verifying officials is a big deal, and this sudden move forward... will cause a lot of trouble.

But catching those people off guard is indeed a good thing.

"Is this matter entrusted to you?" Emperor Mingyang asked him.

Yu Shuo: "..."

"Your Majesty, please don't leave everything to me. There are special examiners." He couldn't do everything himself, but he could assist from the sidelines.

He shared this idea with Emperor Mingyang, who readily agreed.

Many people will probably try to guess Emperor Mingyang's intentions after he did this.

"Brother, do you really have no feelings for that woman?" Yu Shuo asked again, still somewhat uneasy.

He always felt that what Qin Su said would come true, which made him even more uneasy.

Emperor Mingyang was both amused and exasperated. "What? In your eyes, I am just a lecherous man?"

He admitted that the woman was indeed beautiful, but that didn't mean she would gather just anyone into her harem.

Most of his concubines were used to balance the power of his officials; he didn't really like any of them.

Seeing that even his elder brother had said so, Yu Shuo knew he couldn't continue.

"Alright, even if I have a woman I like, I won't lose my mind for her. I don't know where you heard these rumors."

He knew his younger brother wouldn't speak without basis, but no matter how he thought about it, it seemed unlikely.

"Since you're assisting, then let's resolve this matter in Xishan City."

"It's getting late, I need to rest. You should also go back and keep your queen company."

He started kicking people out, and the game wasn't even finished.

Yu Shuo had no choice but to leave and return to his palace, where Chongyang rushed over to deliver the message to him.

The information he received was more detailed than that of Emperor Mingyang, but still not much, and it also mentioned Tao Rong's tragic fate.

"Your Highness, is there anything strange about this person? Did you investigate her, Princess Consort?" Chongyang asked worriedly.

You absolutely must not keep this from the princess. What if she finds out and gets jealous?

Yu Shuo glanced at him and went straight into the inner room.

Chongyang scratched the back of his head; he didn't think he had said anything wrong.

Yu Shuo told Qin Su about this, and Qin Su said that she would go see Tao Rong tomorrow.

On the other side—

"Deng Quan." Emperor Mingyang, wearing a soft outer robe, stared calmly at the unfinished chess game.

"His Majesty?"

Emperor Mingyang didn't look at him, but simply said, "Send someone to keep a close eye on Prince Chen tomorrow."

Deng Quan: ? ?

Why were people suddenly sent to keep an eye on Prince Chen? What happened?

"Didn't you hear me?" Emperor Mingyang looked over, his cold, deep eyes sending a chill down Deng Quan's spine.

"Yes, I understand."

What happened this time? Does the Empress Dowager know?

A troublesome person.

...

The next day, Qin Su descended West Mountain. She still felt refreshed and relaxed after leaving those powerful and influential people.

Yu Shuo doesn't count.

“If you like it here, you can come and stay for a while in the future,” Yu Shuo said to Qin Su from the side.

It seemed like this wasn't the first time he'd brought up something like this.

Qin Su shook her head. "Let's talk about it later. It's too far in the future."

Why would she bring a prince to live in some remote mountain village? The Empress Dowager and Emperor Mingyang would surely hunt her down and kill her.

Chongyang led the two to the outside of a house. The house didn't look bad, after all, people who could afford to buy a house in Xishan City were considered wealthy.

Chongyang knocked on the somewhat old wooden door, and soon someone opened it. The person in the door was dressed in a patched white robe, and it was none other than Tao Rong, who had mistakenly wandered into the hunting grounds yesterday.

Tao Rong was startled when she saw them and instinctively tried to close the door.

Chongyang propped the door open with one hand, preventing Tao Rong from closing it.

"What's the rush, Miss Tao? We have friends coming from afar, why don't you invite us in for a cup of tea?" Qin Su said with a smile.

Tao Rong sensed that these people had ill intentions, but she couldn't guess what they were thinking. Moreover, their status was too high, so she couldn't ignore them.

"Your Highness Prince Chen, Princess Chen, please come in. It's just that my home is really messy, and I'm a little embarrassed." As she spoke, she was mentally planning how to handle the situation.

Chongyang and Liantao pushed the door open completely, and the group went inside.

There were only four of them, but the weight of those four was enough to make Tao Rong feel worried and afraid.

After entering, Tao Rong poured tea and said hesitantly, "My family really doesn't have any good tea to offer you, Your Highness and Princess, please don't be offended."

She put the kettle aside and looked very reserved.

Qin Su said with a smile, "Why are you standing? There's no such thing as the host standing and the guests sitting. We just came to see you, it's nothing important."

Tao Rong didn't believe her at all.

Who would believe that a princess would come to visit a commoner's home just to see her?

But Qin Su didn't expose her, and dared not speak up.

Tao Rong sat down stiffly.

Qin Su remained gentle. "I heard that Miss Tao has a nephew who was injured. Has a doctor been called?"

Tao Rong's heart skipped a beat, and she said nervously, "Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. I have already called a doctor, and His Majesty rewarded me with silver when he sent me back."

Qin Su nodded. "That's good. How old is your nephew? Why did he ask you to take care of him? Where are his parents?"

Tao Rong: Why is this Princess Consort of Chen so concerned about her nephew? Is she trying to use him to blackmail me for something?

“He originally came here for fun, he’s not from Xishan City. Once he recovers, I will send him back to his parents,” she answered honestly.

Qin Su didn't believe this. She guessed that he had brought his nephew along specifically to give him an excuse to gather herbs.

However, she had no intention of exposing it.

"I suppose yesterday's events frightened Miss Tao. It was His Majesty's will that His Highness and I came to see you today."

Upon hearing this, Yu Shuo turned to look at Qin Su, his lips tightening.

But he still didn't say anything.

Qin Su, however, carefully observed Tao Rong's expression.

Tao Rong was beautiful, but at this moment she wasn't the arrogant and domineering concubine she would become later. Right now, she was just an ordinary person, reserved and afraid.