"What? The emperor wants to depose the crown prince?" Shangguan Wanning opened her mouth in surprise. "How... is this possible? Mother, who told you this?"
Madam Shangguan never interfered in state affairs, but this incident caused such a big stir that everyone in the court was talking about it.
"Your uncle came to see me yesterday and told me about this matter. The emperor also sent people to summon your father three times in succession."
Mrs. Shangguan looked very bad and started coughing after she finished speaking.
Shangguan Wanning hurriedly patted her mother's back, took the pipa cream from the maid, and fed her mother a spoonful.
"Mom, don't worry, I will find Dad back as soon as possible."
Shangguan Wanning put her mother to bed. She knew in her heart that her father's disappearance could no longer be concealed.
So Shangguan Wanning came to the eldest princess, explained the situation to her, and begged her to bring the news back to the emperor.
After leaving the Princess's Mansion, Shangguan Wanning did not return to the Prime Minister's Mansion, but went to Deshan Hall.
She went straight to the backyard room and called Li Qiao, who was the manager of Deshan Hall for her, and Zhou Shan, the waiter.
"With such a big thing happening recently, have you received any other news?"
"Miss, I have sent out all the secret guards, but there is still no trace of the master. However, I did find out that some people are forming cliques and want to support the abolition of the crown prince."
Li Qiao took out a booklet from the box beside him and handed it to Shangguan Wanning. "This is the list."
"My lady, these days I have been running errands and delivering gifts to those nobles, and I have also heard some rumors from their servants. I have written it all down for you to review."
Zhou Shan also took out the notebook he carried with him and placed it next to Shangguan Wanning's hand.
"The capital may be in chaos these days, so you should focus on investigating my father's whereabouts."
Shangguan Wanning waved her hand and dismissed Li Qiao and Zhou Shan.
The purpose of her opening Deshan Hall was naturally to do good and accumulate virtue, but more importantly, she wanted to use Deshan Hall as a bridge to keep abreast of the movements of various forces.
Shangguan Wanning returned to the Prime Minister's Mansion, and Sun Jinyao had been waiting in the hall for a long time.
"Ning'er, you're back."
Shangguan Wan Ning saw that Sun Jinyao looked a little anxious, so she dismissed the maids and servants around her and asked, "Brother Yao, is there any news about my father?"
"No, Eunuch Liu from the palace came just now." Sun Jinyao subconsciously lowered his voice and said, "Eunuch Liu said that the emperor really wants to abolish the prince. He has dreamed more than once that a golden dragon flew into the belly of the virtuous concubine..."
"Ever since Concubine Xian became pregnant, good news has been coming from all over the country, and with all the exaggerations from the Imperial Observatory, the Emperor has determined that the child in Concubine Xian's belly is the true prince. It is said that every time the prince enters the palace, Concubine Xian will feel unwell."
"There are rumors in the palace that the child in the belly of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and the Concubine Xian is incompatible with each other. Just this morning, the Emperor has issued an order to ban His Royal Highness the Crown Prince from entering the palace."
Shangguan Wanning felt that this was pure nonsense.
"It seems that the imperial court is really going to be in chaos."
"There is one more thing... I'm afraid it will make things even more chaotic." Sun Jinyao frowned, revealing a helpless look.
"besides?"
"There is a rumor going around that the emperor wants to summon Xiao Zhenting back to the capital."
"What?"
Shangguan Wanning's face changed, somewhat incredulous.
Xiao Zhenting, this name made his heart tremble suddenly.
She had finally managed to send this guy to a remote place to eat dirt, and she thought he would never have the chance to come back.
"The emperor has already demoted him to a commoner, why is he summoning him back?"
"I heard that the Imperial Astronomical Observatory calculated that the child in Concubine Xian's belly would suffer many disasters before birth. If she wants to have a smooth birth, she needs someone with a complementary fate."
"That person is Xiao Zhenting?"
Sun Jinyao nodded silently.
Shangguan Wanning sneered in her heart. She didn't understand why the emperor would have such an idea.
"It seems that we have underestimated Ge Shuyan before. This woman... I'm afraid she is not simple."
Sun Jinyao's words reminded Shangguan Wanning.
She also didn't want to believe that Ge Shuyan would be the one who stayed out of all this.
"I will never let Xiao Zhenting enter Beijing."
Shangguan Wanning's hatred for Xiao Zhenting lasted for two whole lifetimes.
For the first time, Sun Jinyao saw fierce hatred in Shangguan Wanning's eyes.
"Ning'er, what are you going to do?" Sun Jinyao hoped to share Shangguan Wanning's worries.
He really wanted Shangguan Wanning to know that even without Mu Jingrui, he could still protect and take care of her.
"Brother Yao, I will do this. But..." Shangguan Wanning's eyes softened. She looked at Sun Jinyao, thinking for a long time in her heart, but still couldn't say it.
"Do you have something to tell me?" Sun Jinyao reached out and smoothed Shangguan Wanning's long hair.
"Brother Yao, I'm sorry. A lot of things have happened recently, and my father is not at home. Can your wedding... be postponed for a few days?"
Sun Jinyao paused, in fact, he had been mentally prepared for this.
However, when these words came out of Shangguan Wanning's mouth, his heart still sank to the bottom.
Especially when I saw Shangguan Wanning and Mu Jingrui together that night...
"Brother Yao?"
Shangguan Wanning knew that she owed Sun Jinyao a lot, so she gritted her teeth and said, "If you don't want to, then... I'll talk to my mother and let my uncle arrange it for us..."
"No need, let's talk about it after your father comes back." Sun Jinyao held Shangguan Wanning's hand and said affectionately, "Ning'er, for you, I can make any concessions. But, I want you to promise me one thing."
"What?"
"No matter what happens in the future, you must abide by our marriage agreement."
Shangguan Wanning's heart ached inexplicably. She wanted to say something several times but stopped herself. Finally, she smiled with tears in her eyes and nodded.
Shangguan Wanning asked Li Qiao to gather the secret guards he had trained and set out immediately to find Xiao Zhenting, and make sure to kill him before Xiao Zhenting received the emperor's edict and returned to Beijing.
"Miss, then...if you run into Miss, then...how should you deal with it?"
Shangguan Wan Ning pondered for a while. Now that things had come to this, it was of course more important to protect her parents, herself, and the entire Prime Minister's Mansion.
"If you can spare me, spare me. If you can't spare me... kill me."
With Shangguan Wanning's clear instructions, Li Qiao was able to do the job.
"Miss, you are looking for me?"
As soon as Li Qiao left, the housekeeper knocked on the door and came in.
Shangguan Wanning walked to the desk, picked up a piece of paper and handed it to the housekeeper, saying, "Can you help me check where this half of the token came from?"
The housekeeper looked at the paper carefully, took a deep breath and replied, "Miss, there is no need to check this, I know it."
Shangguan Wanning showed joy on her face and asked, "Where are you from?"
"The Divine Machine Camp."
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