Wind and Rain 3

At night, the curfew was brought forward and the entire city was under martial law.

It happened to be the Qixi Festival and the Lantern Festival, and merchants doing business and people rushing home thought it was just a routine city inspection by the government this year. So when they saw the rarely seen imperial guards on the streets, they didn't think it was strange.

Two groups of men had surrounded the Shen Mansion simultaneously. When the news reached Yan Xiju, Madam Lu raised her eyebrows slightly and snorted, "Prince Zhao and Prince Ning are quite fast."

Just when the four of them had a secret conversation for half an hour, Mrs. Lu personally sent Old Madam Shen back to Rong'an Hall, but unexpectedly, she turned back again.

Only then did Ling Wan realize that Lu had known this noble lady before, and they seemed to be very familiar with each other.

She didn't want to disturb the two people reminiscing about the past, but the nobleman called her and told her to stay if she wasn't sleepy.

When Mrs. Lu saw the similar eyes of Xianniang and Lingwan beside the lantern, a hint of understanding flashed in her eyes.

"How can I not be happy? After all, the Right Prime Minister is still by His Majesty's side. If you want to sit on the throne openly, you have to control the Shen family and you have control of the Right Prime Minister." Lu Xian curled the corners of his lips, with sarcasm in his eyes.

She is actually nearly forty years old, but when she relaxes, her casual demeanor and expression are full of a kind of coquettishness and arrogance.

It can be seen that the old emperor treats her very well, very well.

It was indeed very good, so good that she could allow her own son to become the legitimate son of Empress Yan without anyone knowing, and so good that she did not hesitate to suppress other sons to pave the way for her son to inherit the throne in a legitimate way.

"Don't worry, as long as Prince Zhao and Prince Ning still want to inherit the throne, they will not do anything to Wang Xi." The noble lady seemed to know that she stayed to ask about Chen Cong's situation, and gave her a comforting smile.

Mrs. Lu also smiled and nodded, indicating that she didn't need to worry.

Children from military families are mostly tough-minded.

When Mrs. Lu learned that the eldest son of the Northwest had been framed and imprisoned, and that Chen Duo had escorted the little prince all the way to Sucheng to seek help, his life hanging in the balance, she didn't even frown, and at this moment she could even comfort her.

And that nobleman is even more extraordinary.

Her husband was sick and her son was young. The situation was so unfavorable to her, but she could still remain calm and let the civil officials and nobles headed by the Shen family and the military generals and nobles headed by the Lu family continue to support the little prince at the cost of their entire families' lives.

I'm afraid no one in the palace can match his courage and skill.

Compared with them, Ling Wan's mental quality is really not good enough.

"If you're tired, go and rest. Don't force yourself to stay awake because of my status." Seeing Ling Wan breathe a sigh of relief, Lu Xian thought of the words Chen Cong asked him to bring before leaving the palace, and a smile appeared in his tone. "I suddenly remembered that when I left the palace, the Right Prime Minister asked me to bring a message, saying that you should wait for him at home."

"Hmm? Just that?" Ling Wan's eyes widened slightly. When did Chen Cong become so quiet?

Lu Xian couldn't help but smile even more: "Go to sleep, Ling Wan. There are many people in the Shen Mansion and it's not convenient for me to show myself. I had to borrow your place to reminisce with your eldest sister-in-law."

"We're both old and sleep less. Plus, we haven't seen each other for a long time and have a lot to talk about, so tonight is destined to be a long one." Lu Xian and Lu smiled at each other, their tones becoming softer. "Don't worry, your husband is in the palace, and your eldest sister-in-law is in the Shen family. Nothing serious will happen."

Ling Wan knew that Noblewoman Zhong and Lady Lu were worried, but considering her health, she chose lighthearted words to reassure her.

She knew she was going to be obedient, so after greeting the two of them, she went back to her room obediently.

Lu Xian waited until Ling Wan disappeared from his sight before he quietly withdrew his gaze. She drank her tea with the gusto of alcohol and asked vaguely, "Does it look like her?"

Mrs. Lu glanced at her and said, "The eyes are similar, but the temperaments are different."

Lu Xian chuckled: "Your Majesty also said that they are just a little similar in temperament."

Mrs. Lu thought to herself that if Ling Wanruo had inherited the temperament of a noblewoman, there wouldn't be so many problems in the second house. However, she couldn't say more about these things, so she just took a sip of tea and didn't respond.

Lu Xian was also silent. But the silence lasted only a moment before the two men began to summon the stewards, inventory the supplies, and deploy defenses throughout the Shen residence, one planning and the other executing.

Ling Wan felt much more at ease after hearing what Chen Cong asked the nobleman to bring.

Since he told her to wait at home, then she could wait with peace of mind. Chen Cong, that fellow, had a strong possessiveness towards her. If he hadn't been sure of winning, how could he have left her alone in the Shen Mansion? After all, he had even died wanting her to sacrifice herself for him.

Ling Wan lowered her eyes and touched her slightly bulging belly, unconsciously curling the corners of her lips. When she raised her eyes again, her eyes were clear and calm: Chen Cong, I will go to sleep obediently, please come back soon.

After a good night's sleep, as daylight dawned, faint sounds of fighting could be heard outside. But the Shen residence was a solemn and orderly place, not giving the impression of being surrounded and waiting to be slaughtered.

Her task was easy: to look after three children. Huai Yin seemed to notice something, and glanced at Xu Lingwan anxiously several times; Huai An and Huai Jie, as usual, chattered about how this morning's breakfast wasn't as good as yesterday's.

Noblewoman Zhong and Lady Lu had temporarily moved to the outer courtyard of Yanxi Residence, which had become a temporary command center. When Ling Wan went to bring them breakfast, they were just opening a map of the capital and discussing the affairs of the two Princes of Zhaoning.

"News of Prince Zhao's rebellion has spread. Although Prince Ning quickly assembled the troops in the capital under the pretext of protecting the emperor, Prince Yuyang's army is already attacking the city."

Last night, Prince Zhao launched a palace coup that was unexpected. By the time Prince Ning received the news, Prince Yuyang was already on the road under the pretext of protecting the emperor.

Now that he was attacked from all sides, no matter how wise Prince Ning was, he dared not act rashly. He had to quickly gather the troops in Kyoto under the pretext of "suppressing the rebels", which allowed some neutral or prince-affiliated families to escape.

"The Sucheng army will take at least three days to reach Kyoto." Lu Xian studied the map, his gaze deep and unfathomable. "Princes Yuyang and Ning are both hoping to reap the benefits. I wonder if Prince Zhao and Concubine Pei have realized yet that their alliance with Prince Yuyang has effectively made them the pawns of a regicide plot."

Prince Ning's situation wasn't easy either. Several of his generals had already been controlled by Prince Zhao, leaving him with limited manpower in the capital. Under attack from both sides, even if he risked his life, he would either become a wedding favor for Xiao Yuanxi or a stepping stone for Prince Yuyang.

After Ling Wan returned to her room, she was momentarily dazed. Could this scheme within a scheme be the work of this noble? After all, in the struggle between the three kings, Xiao Yuanxi was the one who ultimately benefited.

Just as I was lost in thought, Mother Yu came forward and told me about a big thing that had just happened in the fifth room.

The fifth room? What was Yao doing? Ling Wan frowned and listened to Mama Yu's detailed explanation.

It turned out that this morning, Yao had heard some rumor and packed up a lot of gold and silver jewelry and was about to take Chen Huaimin out of the house.

Although Yao Shi's status in the mansion was not as high as that of the other sisters-in-law, she was still Shen Jingzhi's legitimate wife. The people in the inner courtyard didn't dare to hurt her, and they dragged her all the way to the middle courtyard. Seeing a few strong servants trying to stop her, Shen Huaimin took advantage of his young age and the others' unpreparedness, grabbed the golden hairpin on Yao Shi's head, and plunged it into the eye socket of one of the servants.

With blood on his hands, he ordered everyone to get out of the way and said he would kill anyone who dared to stop him.

Several maids burst into tears at the sight of this. Lady Yao was also frightened by her own son, staring blankly at Shen Huaimin, almost speechless.

When the noble learned of this, she was furious and had the mother and son tied up and locked up in the woodshed. Mrs. Lu was also shocked and angry, but since Master Shen Wu was not at home, she had no choice but to call a doctor to take good care of the injured maid.

Ling Wan felt a chill when she heard the latter part. Some children are born evil.

She could only feel thankful once again that she had kept Shen Huaiyin by her side.