There was a strange look in Lou Wanyue's eyes, and Dongfang Run hurriedly said, "Father, why are you so emotional today? I think it's almost winter, and everything is dead."

Prince Shou was stunned for a moment: "Oh... yes, maybe it's because I'm old that I have so many feelings."

"Father is in his prime, how come he has aged so quickly?" Dongfang Ruoxue said with a smile, "Is it because your brother is getting married and will soon meet the next generation that you feel this way?"

When they heard about the next generation, Dongfang Run and Lou Wanyue looked at each other with embarrassment on their faces. Lou Wanyue started to eat in silence, while Dongfang Run smiled lightly: "Sister, why did you suddenly bring up this matter? I think you also..."

Dongfang Run was a gentle person, not mean, so he stopped talking here. Dongfang Ruoxue obviously understood what he meant and blushed. She wanted to refuse, but she couldn't really lose her temper in front of her parents, so she had to pick up some dishes and started eating.

The father and son looked at each other. Some things really cannot be said on the table. The more people know, the more dangerous it is.

They all understand this principle.

Princess Shou smiled and said, "Your Highness, I feel that the life I have now is better than heaven. My children are by my side, my home is safe and quiet, there are no disputes, and I have enough food and clothing. Such a life cannot be achieved even if I cultivate for several lifetimes."

She made her position clear.

Dongfang Ruoxue nodded when she heard this: "Yes, our Shouwang Mansion lives in harmony with the world and lives like a god. How wonderful it is."

Prince Shou looked at his children and wife at the table and couldn't help but sigh, but then he smiled: "Okay, I think so too. Come, let's eat. We will always be like this as a family, living happily and staying away from trouble."

Seeing that he suddenly became interested, everyone was puzzled, but such a happy face was definitely a good thing, like seeing a sunny day after the clouds had parted.

Prince Shou was open-minded, but he couldn't tell the Queen Mother directly. Seeing that the Queen Mother was becoming more and more irritated, he didn't know how furious she would be if he told her the truth. Therefore, he kept delaying it for a day and would never take the initiative to go to the palace and show up. However, the Queen Mother had made an announcement.

The Queen Mother looked at the smiling Prince Shou on the ground and sighed helplessly: "What's the matter? You have been having a good time these days, right? Look at you, you have gained weight. But how have you done with the things I asked you to do?"

"This... it's not a good idea to make a big move right now, because the Emperor is investigating the Crown Prince's assassination, and I'm afraid that any small move will be reported to the Emperor's ears by someone with ulterior motives. So, put the action plan on hold for now, mother, don't worry. I haven't been to the palace for this reason, and I don't dare to walk around the harem."

When the Queen Mother heard what he said, she nodded slightly and said, "You are right. I didn't think it through. You should wait for a while. Of course, I have something else for you to do. It's easy to do... Forget it, I'll just find a way myself."

Prince Shou was puzzled, but he knew that anything she asked him to do would be destructive. She didn't let him do it, so he felt relieved, but worried at the same time.

But in the end, nothing was said.

The Queen Mother pointed to the hardwood chair next to her and said, "Please sit down. I have something to ask you."

Prince Shou sat down as he was told.

"Are Run'er and Wanyue on good terms now?"

"Ah?" Prince Shou was surprised. "Did they have a bad relationship before?"

The Queen Mother was stunned for a moment and then smiled: "Look at the question I asked. I don't dare to express my feelings in front of my father-in-law. I just asked because I am a little anxious to have a great-grandson. I don't have any other questions..."

Prince Shou heaved a sigh of relief and smiled, "It's not bad. We eat together every day and there's no sign of discord. As for the matter of the great-grandchildren, there's no rush. They're still young."

"How do you know how anxious I am? You are not in a hurry for anything. With your temper... Well, it's not your fault. You are especially like the late emperor. Now that I think about it, you are more like the late emperor than the emperor." When the empress dowager mentioned the late emperor, her face was half sad and half emotional, with a hint of happiness.

Prince Shou did not say anything either. He knew that the Queen Mother missed his father, and he couldn't help feeling conflicted. He wondered how his father would feel if he knew that his mother had been trying to seize the throne after his death and wanted him to take the throne.

In fact, the emperor is doing a very good job now. When he first took over the throne, there were rebellions on the border and natural disasters in the country. The people were in trouble both internally and externally, and they were very resentful. It was because of his iron-fisted external policy and his gentle policy at home that the country recovered in just two years. If it were me, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to do this. Since I was a child, my mother taught me to be loyal and assist my brother, and I'm used to it. Now if I ask him to rebel, how could he change his mindset?

Dongfang Run didn't express anything explicitly, but he had always been indifferent. If he really agreed to him, he would have to think carefully about it. Now he was also puzzled. He didn't know what Dongfang Run was thinking all day. He just felt that his son was very unpredictable.

When Prince Shou returned to the palace, Princess Shou came up to him worriedly, "Did the Queen Mother force you to do something again?"

Prince Shou felt sorry for his beloved concubine and respected her very much, so he never hid anything from her. He shook his head and said, "No, the Queen Mother was just concerned about the speed of our preparations, and I was just perfunctory."

Princess Shou's face was as calm as water, with a slight smile on her lips. She stepped forward and brushed the dust off the collar of Prince Shou's clothes: "Prince Shou, you said yesterday that days like ours are like days of gods, right?"

Her eyes were as calm as autumn water, but she looked at him stubbornly until Prince Shou nodded gently. Then the smile on her face slowly faded, like an ink painting, with the mist of the Jiangnan water town, beautiful and hazy and poetic...

******

Imperial study.

Emperor Yunqi looked at the secret guard standing on the ground and slammed the table: "You really found it, why don't you bring it here?"

The secret guard hesitated for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, I was incompetent, but I let that man commit suicide...but the evidence he tried to destroy before committing suicide is in our hands."

"Bring it up." Emperor Yunqi was very unhappy with the secret guard who stopped talking halfway, but he still cared about the result.

The guard took out the things, and the serving eunuch took them on a tray and brought them to Emperor Yunqi. In the middle of the tray was a piece of broken iron-like thing. Upon closer inspection, it was a token that had been smashed or twisted. The pattern was exactly the same as that in the palace. It was the token awarded to the two princes!

The material of the black iron cannot be imitated casually, not to mention that the cloud dragon pattern was chosen by him for them, and there are only two pieces in this palace!

One has the word Ning on top, and the other has the word Kang on top.

But it was so damaged that the words below could no longer be seen clearly. He could only see the dot and horizontal line at the top. He couldn't even figure out what it was!

Yun Qidi raised his eyes and asked: "Did the killer reveal any other information?"

"Your Majesty, that was a desperate warrior. He didn't commit suicide by taking poison immediately. He just wanted to destroy this token. Fortunately, this is a black iron token. His internal strength is very deep, so only a part of it was worn away..."

This secret guard was sent by Emperor Yunqi to investigate the assassination of the crown prince. This time he was determined to get to the bottom of it no matter what. His health was not as good as before. If he could not eliminate the dissidents for the crown prince during his lifetime, he didn't know what kind of chaos would happen after he died. If it was really unavoidable, he might as well do it himself.

"Okay, you guys continue to investigate and see where the two princes have been these days..."

****

harem.

Jiaoxiang Palace.

Emperor Yunqi walked in, and Concubine Xian was there too. The two of them hurriedly stood up and greeted the emperor. Emperor Yunqi looked at them and nodded, "Get up, everyone. I'm tired after walking here. You can talk to me for a while. Also, let's put today's lunch here. Concubine Xian should stay and have lunch with us."

The two concubines were naturally very happy.

Emperor Yunqi sat at the top, his expression was calm and nothing could be seen. However, his actions today were different from the past. He even had dinner with the two of them, which was unprecedented.

Xian Fei didn't dare to sit down, and stood there waiting to be served. Emperor Yunqi glanced at her and said, "You sit down too."

The virtuous concubine then sat down and thanked him.

The dishes were served, and the maids beside them began to spread the dishes after tasting them. Emperor Yunqi sat there, and Murong Shu straightened his plate and bowl, then smiled and said, "Your Majesty, the dragon's body has recovered recently, which is really a happy thing."

"What is there to be happy about? The palace is so unstable right now. The prince was attacked. This is definitely not a trivial matter." As soon as Emperor Yunqi opened his mouth, he spoke for the prince. The two concubines were stunned and looked a little embarrassed.

But he couldn't let the conversation remain silent, so Murong Shu immediately spoke up, "Yes, it's really annoying to mention this matter. I wonder how the emperor is investigating it. We must not tolerate it. If it happens the first time, there will be a second time. There are only two reasons for wanting to harm the prince. One is to seek revenge, and the other is to gain benefits. If you think about it this way, the people involved are probably just those few."

She knew it wasn't her son who did it, so she spoke openly about some of the things she said.

Xianfei heard something was wrong and also spoke: "Your Majesty, what did you find out?"

"How has Prince Ning behaved recently? Does he have any complaints about not being allowed to handle government affairs?" Emperor Yunqi said, staring into Concubine Xian's eyes.

When Concubine Xian heard this, her hands trembled. They were not stupid people. Such words had very different meanings, especially at such a moment. She hurriedly said, "How could Prince Ning have any complaints? Now that the prince is healthy again, I did all that to relieve the worries of the emperor and the prince. He is happy and at ease now. He came to the palace to pay his respects two days ago and said that he was just reading some books at home to broaden his horizons. He did not say or do anything unpleasant."

"Hmm." Emperor Yunqi did not make any comments, which made Concubine Xian even more uncertain. She looked at Emperor Yunqi weakly.

"Your Majesty, did Yan'er do something bad?"

"No, how is Prince Kang doing recently? Has he come to the palace?" Emperor Yunqi suddenly asked about Concubine Shu. Concubine Shu, who was watching the fun, was startled and she hurriedly asked.