Jinling—

The Eastern Palace.

The Crown Princess suffered a miscarriage, and the fully formed Imperial Grandson was gone just like that.

Cao Xinrou fainted immediately and died!

The crown prince, however, only hurriedly gave instructions to give a proper burial before returning to his official duties.

In the end, it was actually Consort Shangguan Xian'er who helped arrange the Crown Princess's funeral...

It's a pity. The Cao family was just a little bit away from enjoying wealth and honor. But now, the Crown Prince is too busy taking care of himself to have the leisure to appease the Cao family.

Everything was going as Shangguan Xian'er had predicted. For the time being, the Cao family could only swallow their anger and offer their condolences to Cao Xinrou.

"Your Majesty, Madam Cao wishes to see you."

Shan'er entered the hall with a furrowed brow and reported, her expression clearly showing her extreme reluctance.

"Shan'er, carry the little princess to the bedchamber. I'll go and meet this Madam Cao."

Shangguan Xian'er felt no fear whatsoever; what was bound to happen was bound to happen eventually.

Now she is Niohuru Xian'er!

She loves no one but her daughter, Shan'er and Caixia!

"This servant obeys."

Shan'er's brows relaxed. As long as Her Majesty doesn't suffer any loss, that's all that matters!

Caixia had been sent out to buy cloud cakes, so the person standing next to Shangguan Xian'er at this time was Liu Mama, the head nanny sent by the Crown Prince.

These days, she could sense the Crown Prince's probing and distrust, but she pretended not to see it and accepted the Liu nanny sent by the Crown Prince.

Ostensibly it's about taking care of someone, but in reality it's just surveillance.

"Summon Lady Cao to an audience."

Now that the Crown Princess is gone, the Consort is the only mistress of the Eastern Palace!

Moreover, the Crown Prince favors her, and once he successfully inherits the throne, the concubine is very likely to become the mother of the nation!

Given that her mother's status is elevated by her daughter's, and considering His Highness the Crown Prince's obvious favoritism towards the young princess, it's practically a foregone conclusion...

While sorting through her daughter's old belongings, Madam Cao overheard the palace maids gossiping and couldn't help but feel resentful.

My daughter's mysterious death and miscarriage must have been caused by Shangguan Xian'er!

It's infuriating that at this critical juncture, the Cao family's first thought wasn't to seek justice for their daughter, but rather to hastily register their illegitimate daughter under her name, hoping to restore the Cao family's glory...

Heh~

Did her daughter die with her eyes wide open in disbelief?

Just wait, she'll make those damned people pay for her daughter's death!

One hour later—

The crown prince, looking weary, left the palace for court, but his trusted eunuch rushed in to report—

"It's terrible, Your Highness! The concubine has been assassinated and is now hanging by a thread!"

What!

The Crown Prince frowned. What's wrong?

As luck would have it, Qingyun tried to slip away after court, but the Crown Prince stopped him and dragged him to the Xu residence.

Just then, as if a pillow had been delivered to someone who was about to fall, he saw the prince swaying precariously and quickly supported him, saying gently:

"Explain clearly, why was the concubine attacked? Was a royal physician summoned?"

"Reporting to Lord Wu, it was the late Crown Princess's mother, Madam Cao, who did it. When we found out, the Consort had already been stabbed in a vital spot. The imperial physician has been summoned, but the injury is too serious for him to remove the knife easily. Therefore, after learning of the situation, I request that Your Highness return to the Eastern Palace as soon as possible to make a decision!"

The eunuch was drenched in cold sweat. He ran so fast he was out of breath, and with all his might, he gave a complete report of what had happened.

"Your Highness, it's not a good day. I'll accompany you to see your teacher another day. You should hurry back to the Eastern Palace to take charge of the overall situation."

Listen to how understanding Qingyun is.

If his mother knew, she would definitely praise him!

"Alright, I'll visit the Xu residence again next time."

The Crown Prince gave Wu Qingyun a deep look, at this minister whom he had never been able to see through.

After thinking about it, the Grand Tutor was his man and also the other party's future father-in-law, so rounding up, he could be considered his man as well.

When my father was alive, he said that this person was a pillar of the country and that I should cultivate him well and recruit him for my own use.

"Your humble servant takes his leave."

Qingyun bowed respectfully, slowly took a few steps back, stared into the burning gaze, and then turned and left.

Guess away, no matter how much you suspect, you'll never guess his true purpose!

By now, judging by the days, the secret letter should have reached Mother's hands by now.

He should also send more people to support his mother's people...

......

Xu Mansion —

Qingyun was welcomed by everyone in the Xu household upon his arrival.

The originally set wedding date was postponed due to the death of the late emperor and the chaos in Jinling.

Only Liu knew how many handkerchiefs her daughter had shredded and how furious she was.

However, marriage is indeed impossible during a period of national mourning. Good things often come with difficulties, and perhaps with a little more time to prepare, the young couple will have an even happier life together in the future.

study--

"The Crown Prince had intended to come with his son-in-law after court today, but the Eastern Palace's concubine was assassinated and seems to be in imminent danger, so he had to give up the idea."

Qingyun sat opposite the chessboard, holding a black piece, multitasking.

"Oh? It was made by Madam Cao?"

Xu Shunsui was not present, but he came to the answer after a little thought.

"Nothing can escape the discerning eyes of my father-in-law."

Qingyun nodded. He had also learned about it on the way to the Xu residence after he got into the carriage.

"The Cao family is too hasty."

"I'm afraid that when the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman benefits, and the Shangguan family will have to find an empress."

"It's a pity that he came from a merchant family and was short-sighted. What good is it if he can't hold onto what he has? In the end, he'll just be doing the work for someone else."

Xu Shunsui placed his white piece, and the game instantly turned into a killing situation.

After observing the entire game, Qingyun frowned with difficulty. Instead of making a move, he advised:

"Father-in-law, a bloody storm is about to break out in Jinling. I would be grateful if you could bring your family and come with me to make arrangements."

"If you can break this deadlock, I will grant your wish."

Xu Shunsui's words had a double meaning; he was calm, composed, and smug.

This chess game was a deadly trap that he had fought countless times with the late emperor, a trap he could never break.

He didn't believe that this kid could break it so easily.

It's a deal.

After Qingyun finished speaking, the black pieces fell, making a crisp sound, and then all was quiet.

Haha~

Xu Shunsui laughed heartily, "The student has surpassed the master; he has truly aged."

"You have to accept the consequences of your bet."

"Thank you for your kindness, Father-in-law."

The father-in-law and son-in-law exchanged a glance and laughed simultaneously.

Outside the study, the guards blocked the young lady from entering, but they couldn't stop her from secretly peeking through the crack in the door to eavesdrop.

Ugh, they're so worried!

"Squeak~"

Suddenly, the study door was opened, and Xu Miaoyun, caught off guard, lunged inside.

"Cough cough~"

"We're not married yet, so don't do anything reckless!"

Upon hearing her father cough, Xu Miaoyun's ears immediately turned red.

She didn't collapse; instead, she threw herself into the man's arms. The refreshing scent of ink made her feel a little dizzy.

Qingyun, using his position for personal gain, officially recognized his fiancée's status while his thin lips brushed against her earlobe, offering a subtle reminder:

"Did you hear that? My father-in-law said, 'Don't do anything reckless!'"

Who's messing around?

It's definitely not her!

Waaaaah~

Xu Miaoyun ran off, her simple white dress disappearing into the archway...

Qingyun licked his back teeth. Hmm, he was starting to think about messing around.