After coming out of the Qinzheng Hall, Yuan Zhao went to the Eastern Palace.
After talking with Emperor Xuan, she roughly understood what he was thinking and knew that her father would not doubt Yuan Cheng, so she felt relieved.
Yuan Cheng was in the study, and Song Yunci took Yuan Zhao over.
Yuan Musheng was there too.
After Yuan Musheng finished his exams, he would either study on his own or follow Yuan Cheng in the Eastern Palace.
Yuan Zhao looked at the table in front of Yuan Musheng and saw some memorials on it.
Yuan, Cheng and Song rhymes are common.
Seeing Yuan Zhao coming over, Yuan Musheng stood up and saluted, "Mother, you are here."
Yuan Cheng also raised his head from the pile of memorials and asked Yuan Zhao to sit down.
He immediately guessed the purpose of Yuan Zhao's visit.
"Are you here because of the rumors spreading in the capital?" He asked Wang Fu to serve tea to Yuan Zhao and continued to review the memorials in front of him.
Yuan Zhao took a sip and it was her favorite Junshan Yinzhen.
She looked at the uncle and nephew who were writing at their desks and said, "Looking at you like this, I think my worries are unnecessary."
So she asked Yuan Cheng directly, "So the people behind this are Imperial Concubine Shu and the Third Imperial Brother?"
Yuan Cheng wrote without stopping, "Noble Consort Shu has joined forces with some ministers in the court and today submitted a petition impeaching me for interfering in the imperial examinations. Father explicitly stated that it was his intention, and that's how the Censorate was silenced."
"She wanted to use this opportunity to win over Prime Minister Dou, so she arranged for people to create public opinion."
Yuan Zhao understood.
The current court is divided into three factions, one of which supports Yuan Cheng. These ministers are either headed by the Shen family, most of whom are disciples from Qingshan Academy; or they are secretly developed by Yuan Cheng over the years, such as the Huo family.
There is another faction, which is the people of Concubine Shu, who support Yuan Heng.
The rest included those who were wavering because Yuan Cheng had not succeeded to the throne for many years, and those who remained conservative and neutral. This group was mostly headed by Dou Chengzhong, the chief minister.
Dou Chengzhong was promoted by Emperor Xuan. He has always been upright and incorruptible, and is loyal to Your Majesty.
The Dou family is not a noble family, and they have never bothered to associate with them.
Over the years, Dou Chengzhong has promoted many children from poor families, and those who follow him account for a large number in the court.
This time, Concubine Shu's slander of Yuan Cheng and Yuan Musheng's reputations catered to Prime Minister Dou.
Firstly, it would make the prince lose points with Dou Chengzhong, and secondly, it would be best if he could be won over.
You'll make money anyway.
But Yuan Cheng didn't seem to care. He just paused and said, "Third brother, I just made a few sarcastic remarks in the court."
Speaking of Yuan Heng, Yuan Cheng didn't quite understand him either.
Even though he didn't want to fight, he would openly create trouble for Yuan Cheng from time to time, and Yuan Cheng would know at a glance that it was him who did it, not Concubine Shu.
But if he wanted to fight, over the years, apart from the fact that Concubine Shu really put Yuan Cheng in danger several times, Yuan Heng always seemed to be making small moves.
Concubine Shu's family background was not high, and her alliance with court officials was limited.
After Yuan Heng was named King of Jin, he seemed to be just manipulating these court officials, being so distant that people couldn't figure out his true thoughts.
Yuan Cheng thought many times that either his younger brother was really a very good secretive person, or there was another reason.
But he could never find the real reason.
Although the two are brothers, their relationship is not close, and because of Concubine Shu, they have hardly spoken privately in these years.
He told Yuan Zhao about these ideas and wanted to hear what Yuan Zhao thought.
Yuan Zhao was a little closer to Yuan Heng when he was young, so perhaps he might know.
But Yuan Zhao just shook his head. "I haven't seen him in so many years, and I don't know what has happened in the capital in recent years. How can I know his true thoughts?"
"If I had the chance, I would pay more attention to him."
…
Yuan Zhao came out of the study and walked out with Song Yunci.
She told Song Yunci that she would go to the training ground to pick up Yuan Nan'an and Yuan Qiyu.
Song Yunci looked at the sky and said, "Then you can take Xuan'er back with you."
Yuan Zhao paused and looked at her, seeming to want to say something but stopping himself.
Song Yunci noticed her expression and raised an eyebrow, "You wouldn't be unwilling, would you?"
"Is it that brat that's annoying you?"
Yuan Zhao quickly shook her head. When Yuan Xuan was with her, he was mostly bothered by the three children, but she didn't feel anything.
She just glanced back at the study and jokingly said, "Aren't you afraid that my Mu Sheng will take your Xuan'er's place?"
Seeing that Yuan Cheng keeps Yuan Musheng by his side every day, those who don’t know would think that Yuan Musheng is Yuan Cheng’s eldest son.
Now Yuan Musheng has started to help Yuan Cheng read the memorials, so logically this should be Yuan Xuan's job.
Although Yuan Xuan studied and practiced martial arts every day, he ate and lived in the princess's mansion.
Yuan Zhao felt like he had a new son.
Song Yunci waved her hand, unconcerned. "What do you mean by your family and my family? Can you and your brother still distinguish between yourselves?"
"Bringing Mu Sheng with you, your brother, can not only help him relieve his own stress, but also benefit Xuan'er in the future, right?"
"I've been very sleepy these days, so don't let that guy come back to bother me."
Song Yunci said this, it seems that she really doesn't care.
Yuan Zhao didn't say anything else and went to the training ground.
After picking up Yuan Nan'an and Yuan Qiyu, Yuan Xuan also happily got on the carriage.
Several people were chattering along the way, while Yuan Zhao was thinking about what Yuan Cheng had just said.
What is Yuan Heng doing?
Seeing that Yuan Zhao was worried, Yuan Nan'an approached her and asked, "Mother, what are you thinking about?"
Upon hearing this, Yuan Qiyu jumped up, "Are you thinking about daddy?!"
Yuan Zhao laughed and teased him, "I'm thinking about your third uncle."
Yuan Qiyu sat back down and wondered with Yuan Nan'an who the third uncle was.
Yuan Xuan, who was standing beside them, instructed the two, "We met the Third Imperial Uncle at the training ground today."
Yuan Nan'an suddenly realized something and said, "Oh," "Is that the strange man who was staring at me?"
Yuan Zhao raised his eyebrows slightly and sat up straight, "Have you met in the training grounds?"
Yuan Xuan nodded, "The Third Imperial Uncle often goes to the parade grounds. Whenever he passes us, he always stops and watches from a distance without saying anything..."
Yuan Xuan knew that his third uncle and his father were not born of the same mother, and he also knew that the Imperial Concubine Shu in the palace had never liked his father, mother, and himself, so he was not close to his third uncle.
So he asked, "Aunt, why did you suddenly mention the Third Uncle?"
"How is your relationship with the Third Uncle?"
Yuan Zhao thought for a moment, then looked at Yuan Nan'an and Yuan Xuan in front of him. "When your Third Uncle was a child, he also liked to follow his aunt, just like you follow Nan'nan."
At first, Yuan Heng attended the teacher's class with her and Yuan Cheng. Yuan Heng was a little afraid of Yuan Cheng since he was a child, so he was closer to Yuan Zhao.
"But as we grew older, we gradually drifted apart."
Of course, she did not tell her children the inside story. After her mother passed away, she always felt that it was Concubine Shu who took her mother's position and killed her mother, so she got angry at Yuan Heng and said some hurtful words.
This is how the relationship became distant.
When Yuan Xuan heard this, he couldn't help but look at Yuan Nan'an and said nothing more.
Yuan Zhao lifted the carriage curtain and told Biyun, "Change the route and go to Prince Jin's Mansion."
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