The dead seem to be under a curse, dying one after another. Today a maid dies, tomorrow a concubine dies, the day after a courtesan dies, or a servant dies.

In just two days, the Prince Yong's mansion seemed to be shrouded in an ominous aura of death. Everyone in the mansion lived in fear, not knowing whether they would be the next to die.

"Sister, who could be so skillful?" People whispered behind the artificial hill.

After a while, she asked, "In this mansion, besides the Prince and the Princess, who else has such audacity?" Her voice was somewhat desolate. It was laughable that she had fought so hard and waited so long for this result.

She still vividly remembered the day Eunuch Guo came to Qunfang Courtyard, never expecting that things would turn out so ironically in the blink of an eye.

Could she be next? She couldn't help but wonder.

"Sister, what do you mean? But why? Isn't the princess going to choose a concubine to counter the future stepmother?"

"Heh, the Empress Dowager went to Huguo Temple in the end, not to the Lin family. Besides, can the Princess's favor be replaced by the Concubine? It's laughable that I only see this clearly today." Heartbroken and disillusioned, I suddenly lost all fighting spirit. A concubine? How ridiculous.

"Sister, what should we do?"

"What should we do? I still want to live, and you don't want to die either, right?"

"Look at what my sister is saying, who lives to die?"

Zhao Shu was trying hard to figure out how modern face towels and sponges are made, because it really hurt to wash her face with cloth.

Green Ivy and the others watched her walk back and forth under the wisteria, their hearts aching with worry. Early Spring and Midsummer exchanged a glance, communicating with their eyes.

Could it be that the princess is feeling uneasy?

It's very possible. After all, so many people have died in the past few days. How old is the princess? Children her age should be nestled in their mothers' arms, while the princess has to worry about this huge royal palace.

Zhao Shu thought for a long time and suddenly remembered that there are two kinds of sponges: one is produced by the chemical industry and the other lives in the sea. It is unlikely that she could obtain either of them.

This was a painful discovery.

She deeply understood what it meant to be completely different from someone in a completely different field.

When Prince Yong arrived, she was still pacing back and forth under the wisteria blossoms, looking agitated. "Ah Jun, what's troubling you?"

"Father, don't you think our washcloths are too stiff?"

Prince Yong looked bewildered. "I didn't notice."

Zhao Shu: ...How could someone who has never experienced modern life possibly understand this? She was immediately speechless and asked dryly, "Is there something you need, Father?"

"Oh, it's like this. Your second uncle is going back to the capital in a few days and said he would like to stay at our residence for a few days. The Duan Prince's residence has been uninhabited for a long time, and there's no time to repair it now. What do you think?"

Prince Duan? Zhao Shu immediately thought of the imperial examination cheating case. Her father might not know, but she knew that Prince Duan was dishonest. Getting close to him might lead to some kind of trouble. If she had a decent relationship with Prince Yong's mansion, that would be fine, but the people in Prince Duan's mansion didn't treat the people in Prince Yong's mansion as family.

Would the prestigious Prince Duan's mansion fall into disrepair simply because it has been uninhabited for a long time? Do they think people are fools?

After a moment of silence, he asked, "Father, when will the Second Imperial Uncle arrive in the capital?"

"The day after tomorrow." Prince Yong took out a letter and handed it to Zhao Shu, saying, "Actually, I don't like him staying in our mansion. He can stay at your fourth uncle's house. If you don't want him to come to our house, I will go to your fourth uncle and ask him to take him in."

The letter was opened, and it contained a large part of the content expressing how much the brothers missed each other after being separated for many years. Only at the end did the letter mention that the brother would be coming to the Prince's mansion to stay for a few days.

Hmph, they're probably in for trouble and want to seek refuge in the Prince Yong's mansion, or maybe they want to drag the Prince Yong's mansion down with them. Everyone knows that the current Empress Dowager treats the Prince Yong's mansion like the apple of her eye, and the Emperor also dotes on the Prince Yong's mansion.

However, since this letter was sent, does it mean that Prince Duan was not actually prepared, and on the contrary, had no chance of winning, so he wanted to find another shortcut?

After all, due to her rebirth, the reduction of fiefdoms and titles would be brought forward by many years, which would make things much easier.

After reading the letter, he said, "Father, please bear with it. I'm afraid the Second Imperial Uncle won't be willing to stay at the Prince Rui's residence. I'll have someone prepare a courtyard for him right away."

Just before Prince Duan entered the capital, a major event occurred in the city.

Zhao Shuzheng was discussing with Physician Peng how to make a shampoo ointment when Xiao Zhuzi rushed in to report: "Princess, something terrible has happened."

"Come on, let's go to the study." She tossed aside the herbs, quickly washed her hands, and went to the small study.

In the small study, he said, "Tell me what happened."

"Princess, Lord Liu has kidnapped the eldest son of the Yang family, claiming that he sold recommendation letters and exam questions for the imperial examinations."

Zhao Shu guessed that Wei Tingsi and Wang Jiyang were definitely using a two-pronged approach to restrain each other, but she didn't expect them to dare to kidnap Yang Zhizhang.

Yang Zhizhang is the eldest grandson of the Yang family's eldest branch and the future successor of the Yang family. At first, she wondered which member of Yang Zhongwang Kuanqi's faction she would target.

This is a really big problem.

"Then what?"

"Lord Yang is kneeling in front of the Taihe Hall, saying he is willing to die to prove his innocence." As Xiao Zhuzi said this, he remembered something and added, "Lord Yang has invited Grand Tutor Wang here."

Zhao Shu was taken aback. "Oh, it's truly remarkable that Grand Tutor Wang, at such an advanced age, still cares about current affairs."

Xiao Zhu Zi lowered his head and looked down, not knowing what his master meant by these words. He then said, "There is another small matter. Today, someone pleaded for Yue Louming and was expelled from the Taihe Palace by the Emperor."

Zhao Shuke remembered Yue Louming's remarks very clearly: "Is Yue Louming still in prison?"

"Yes, he's still in the Heavenly Prison," Xiao Zhuzi answered truthfully.

"Find a way to tell Yue Louming's family that Grand Tutor Wang is willing to personally protect Young Master Yang, but is unwilling to lend a hand to his own clansmen."

Xiao Zhu lowered his head even further. This was going to make things even worse for Yang Zhong's faction. "Yes, this servant will take care of it right away."

In the capital, several major political parties began vying for territory and frantically trying to bring down their rivals, while in the south, the former fiefdom of Prince Yong's mansion remained.

The south was prosperous, so Prince Yong's fiefdom was entirely in the south, in Yangzhou, within a large mansion.

A man in gray caught a pigeon, walked through the covered walkway, and came to a waterside pavilion. He took the letter tied to the pigeon's leg and handed it to Wei Tingsi, saying, "Master, a carrier pigeon from the capital."

Wei Tingsi took the letter expressionlessly, opened it, and his furrowed brows relaxed. "Act immediately."

"Yes!" The man in gray clasped his hands in a salute, took a few steps back, and left the waterside pavilion.

Meanwhile, Yang Zhong in the capital finally met Emperor Mingde. "Your Majesty, my good-for-nothing eldest grandson would never disregard the law. Please, Your Majesty, grant him justice and do not let this villain be wronged. Your Majesty," he said, tears streaming down his face, his voice trembling.

Grand Tutor Wang chimed in, "Yes, Your Majesty, do not be deceived by villains."

Emperor Mingde looked at Grand Tutor Wang and asked, "The evidence was provided by your eldest grandson. How could the eldest grandson of the Wang family be a villain?"

Upon hearing Emperor Mingde's words, Grand Tutor Wang felt a lump in his throat, unable to vent his anger, and his eyes rolled back as he fainted.