Although Chunling was happy to hear what Granny Sun said, she still managed to suppress the smile on her face.

Granny Sun couldn't help but smile: "You usually seem so cheerful, why are you deliberately suppressing it today?"

Chunling said very seriously, "Mother Luo said that in the future, as the wife of the heir of the Rongguo Duke's Mansion, Lian Dong and I will have to follow you, especially in helping you manage the people below. We can't be joking around."

"I need to have some presence, to be able to intimidate people. If it's inconvenient for you to speak up, or do something that's inconvenient for you to do, then Lian Dong and I will naturally do it for you, so that you can establish your authority."

"Just like you, Mama Luo and Granny, you both know what the Duchess means with just a glance, how to deal with the people below, and how to manage the accounts."

“That’s right. You’re still young, so it would be good for you to learn more from Madam Luo.” Granny Sun nodded in agreement. After all, she was getting on in years, and she needed to find someone capable of taking over the Duke’s mansion.

She needs to carefully consider this candidate, who can think of the Rongguo Duke's Mansion, the young master, and obey the young master's wife's orders, so as not to cause unrest in the inner quarters of the Duke's Mansion. She must do her best to ensure that the young master and his wife are on the right track.

Seeing the two return, Luo's mother looked up and shook her head slightly.

Li Shiyue was lost in thought and didn't notice the two of them returning.

"I understand. I felt unwell after lunch. Please summon the imperial physician."

Mrs. Luo nodded, said nothing more, and left.

"Granny Sun, send the account books directly to Tongxintang these days. If anyone asks, just say I'm sick and have these matters placed in front of me. If anyone still asks, find a way to deflect the question."

"Chunling, go to Songyuan and invite the young master. I have something important to discuss with him."

Li Shiyue didn't give the two any time to process their orders; she gave them instructions and then sent someone to carry them out. When they returned to Tongxin Hall, Chunling and Granny Sun arrived one after the other.

"Just as I was about to come back, Chunling said you were looking for me."

Xu Yunci sat on the wooden couch, looking at Li Shiyue's expression, and then looked around the room before realizing that Granny Sun was also there.

Since he became sensible, Granny Sun has been in charge of the household accounts and rarely has such a leisurely time.

After all, she was his wet nurse, so she earned more trust than ordinary old women.

"Just now, Xia Lian, the head maid of Pixiang Palace, came to deliver an invitation on the orders of the Imperial Concubine, saying that the Imperial Concubine will be holding a small banquet in three days and invites the women of the Duke's mansion to attend."

"I wasn't sure, so I used the excuse that my mother wasn't feeling well lately and sent Chunling to the main courtyard to ask her what she thought. It was Mother Luo who came to tell me personally that my mother wasn't feeling well and my grandmother was ill and I needed to take care of her, so she refused."

"After Chunling and Granny Sun saw the people out of the mansion, Mama Luo told me that my mother had told me not to accept the invitation from Pixiang Palace. It sounded very serious, so I wondered if you knew something."

Xu Yunci remained silent, glancing at Granny Sun and Chunling. The two understood and went out to keep watch after closing the door.

His expression was not as relaxed as before: "Do you still remember the rumors these days that Consort Fu intends to register Prince Zhao under her name?"

Li Shiyue nodded, pursed her lips, and hesitated before voicing her doubts: "Previously, the Earl of Changping intended for Consort Fu to register the Prince of Yan... commoner Qin Ying under her name, but Consort Fu has always been unwilling, hasn't she?"

"Some even say that Consort Fu dotes on Princess Zhao, and even though she has no sons of her own, she would not adopt another prince. Moreover, Consort An is still alive, and there were rumors before the new year that the Emperor would confer the title of Consort An on the rank of Consort."

Xu Yunci rubbed his thumb against his fingertip, lost in thought.

"Yes, it's all quite strange. The other day, when the court was appeasing the refugees, Prince Zhao took over the position from the Duke of Cheng'en's mansion in court and went on to take charge of the Ministry of Works. Two people in the Ministry of Personnel were recommended by him."

"There are also censors with their own people. These past two mornings at court, those censors have been keeping a close eye on the Chengen Duke's mansion and won't let up. From Yang Ke in the Jingzhao Prefecture to Yang Hui's betrothed, they've all been impeached."

"Moreover, this morning at court, an imperial censor verbally provoked Father, saying that the Rongguo Duke's Mansion was so actively pacifying the refugees, perhaps they were embezzling the court's money."

"If my father and I were short-tempered, or if someone else had a bad temper, the censor would have been pinned down in front of the palace and given a beating."

“There is also an imperial censor who impeached the prince, saying that the prince favors his elder sister and neglects the other concubines, which is a sign of the crown prince’s misconduct. But the prince is still young, the crown prince is still young, and there is also Liu Zhaoxun who is about to give birth. What does this have to do with the crown prince’s misconduct?”

"In the end, they just want to stuff people into Chonghua Palace and then smear His Highness with a dirty label."

Li Shiyue seemed lost in thought, recalling the Prince of Zhao, whom she didn't want to interact with at first sight.

At first glance, he doesn't seem as frivolous as the Prince of Yan, but he has a somewhat enigmatic quality that subconsciously categorizes him as a dangerous person, making one reluctant to get close to him.

In particular, Xu Yunci had mentioned that it was Prince Zhao who reminded him of Fu Yunning's situation. Despite having only recently returned to the capital, he was surprisingly well-informed about everything happening in the capital.

Thinking about it carefully, it's hard not to feel a chill down my spine.

"Moreover, the King of Zhao has been going to the King of Qi's residence very frequently."

The "Prince Qi" mentioned by Xu Yunci is not the emperor's biological son. The Prince Qi's father, the old prince, was the emperor's close brother. After his death, the title of Prince Qi was passed down to the current prince.

However, Prince Qi was not as capable as the old prince. He was only average in both civil and military affairs, but he enjoyed the prestige of the royal family. After marrying the princess, he also took in a concubine and several beautiful young women. He was hardly concerned about matters of state.

Even when the court provided disaster relief, Prince Qi only took the silver and didn't care about anything else. He directly sent the silver to the Funing Palace, and it was a full thousand more than the Emperor's.

The King of Qi was a capable man; though not skilled in literature or martial arts, he possessed a keen business sense. Despite his infatuation with women, he was adept at making money, owning many shops and restaurants in the capital.

Half of the silver was sent to the Funing Palace by him. I heard that it was the idea of ​​the Princess Consort of Qi. I didn't expect that the Prince of Qi would actually listen to him. No matter how much the income was in a year, half of it went into the Funing Palace and was sent to the national treasury.

The national treasury was full, and the King of Qi possessed a small portion of it. As for his indulgence in pleasure, the emperor turned a blind eye, as long as he didn't go too far.

"What does the King of Zhao want with the King of Qi? I've never heard of the King of Qi having a particularly good relationship with anyone."

She was unaware of this at first, but after taking over the management of the household, she learned about King Qi.

In particular, King Qi disliked associating with members of the royal family, not only because he thought they were mediocre, but also because he looked down on merchants who only lived off their family's wealth.

In particular, most of Qi Wang's friends were merchants from the fourth branch of the family. According to Qi Wang, they were friends who could bring him real money.

"We hope that what King Zhao is plotting is not what we suspect."