After giving a handful of copper coins to the waiter in charge of welcoming and seeing off guests in the inn lobby and asking him where Yu Zizhen and the others were going, the family set off in a carriage to chase them.
However, Yu Zizhen walked so fast that the family couldn't catch up with her at all.
In order to find out about her, they could only follow the direction where Yu Zizhen was heading and keep asking people where Yu Zizhen had gone.
Yu Zizhen knew nothing about their movements. After she entered her sphere of influence, she immediately had someone take her to the current residence of the emperor and the eldest prince.
Just as Yu Zizhen had expected, neither the emperor nor the eldest prince were dissatisfied with her because she had ideas about that position.
On the contrary, it was the Prince of Zhenbei who announced the death of Yu Zizhen right at the start, and was often despised by the father and son's outspoken expressions of contempt.
"Uncle Xiao, Yuan Jin." After arriving at the manor where the two of them were staying, Yu Zizhen came to pay his respects to His Majesty the Emperor as soon as possible.
"Stop being polite." The emperor was overjoyed. He personally poured a cup of tea for Yu Zizhen and said, "Hurry up and sit down. Let's talk slowly."
Xiao Yuanjin also smiled rarely. He stood up and moved the two plates of snacks that the servants had just brought to him in front of Yu Zizhen, who had lost a lot of weight.
Although Yu Zizhen's subordinates who were responsible for protecting them had clearly told them that Yu Zizhen was fine and had just secretly gone to the western border to save Duke Weiguo, the emperor and Xiao Yuanjin could not help but worry about her before seeing Yu Zizhen safe and sound with their own eyes.
Yu Zizhen thanked the two of them and started eating snacks with tea without any hesitation.
The emperor also noticed that she had lost a lot of weight, so even though he had many questions in his mind, he still held them back and didn't ask them immediately.
It wasn't until Yu Zizhen had eaten half her fill and stopped reaching for the remaining cakes on the plate that the emperor asked, while refilling her tea, "I heard you went to the Duke of Wei's mansion in the western border?"
They lived here, and were basically surrounded by people left behind by Yu Zizhen. If the news could reach their ears, it meant that it was authorized by Yu Zizhen, so he could naturally find out a thing or two from Yu Zizhen.
Yu Zizhen had no intention of hiding anything from him. She nodded slightly towards the emperor and the eldest prince, "I heard Huaiying talk about the Duke of Wei's illness and thought he might be able to be cured. So, I took advantage of the fact that the world hadn't completely fallen into chaos and went with Huaiying to the Duke of Wei's mansion."
"He is indispensable to the Western Frontier Army. Without him, the Western Frontier Army would immediately fall apart and become vulnerable."
"No matter who takes that position in the future, I don't intend to give foreigners any chance to take advantage of the border."
After a pause, she continued, "Besides, the Duke of Wei is not an ambitious person. Even if I cure him, he will not get involved in the fight for the throne."
The Lu family was unwilling to provide the Western Frontier Army with sufficient military supplies and equipment, but she was willing.
Just like the Prince of Zhenbei and the Duke of Jingguo, even if they were determined to compete for that position, they would not give up their original responsibilities of guarding the border and giving outsiders an opportunity to take advantage.
This is their unspeakable tacit understanding and also their common bottom line. For the sake of this tacit understanding and this bottom line, Yu Zizhen is willing to give certain preferential treatment to the King of Zhenbei and the Duke of Jingguo when they fight in the future and the situation is under control.
"By the way, Uncle Xiao, I secretly took the jade seal out on the day we left the palace." Yu Zizhen put down the teacup and blurted out a big bombshell.
The emperor's eyes opened wide, first in shock, then in joy. He laughed so hard that tears came out, and he didn't try to control his emotions as he did in the past.
Yu Zizhen raised her eyebrows slightly. She had not expected the emperor's reaction.
Xiao Yuanjin looked helpless, "My father is happy that you indirectly vented his anger."
His father is the one who is really pitiful. The late emperor, that devoted and promiscuous guy, only cared about giving birth to the children but not raising them. The late emperor's wife, the Empress Dowager Da Lu, was kind-hearted but cruel. She disliked all the children born to the late emperor and other women. What's more, his father's biological mother was just a beauty from an ordinary family and of a very low status.
The fact that his father was able to survive to adulthood in that cannibalistic palace was largely due to his own efforts and God's care.
He finally benefited from the favor of his favored brother, left the palace to set up his own house, married and had children, and lived his own life. However, the old pious woman Da Lu started to set her sights on their family.
His beloved wife died tragically, and as a puppet emperor, he was forced to have a new wife, Xiao Lu.
The youngest son was poisoned and became unable to walk, but those evil-hearted guys still did not stop their various plots to harm his son.
If Xiao Yuanjin were in his father's position, he would not have any sense of identification with the late emperor, the bastard who was the cause of all the misfortunes for their family.
What about the ancestral heritage and the expectations of the fathers? What do those have to do with him and his father?
The late emperor never had any expectations for his father. As for the ancestral heritage, the late emperor did not give it to his father. What he really wanted to give was Da Lu, his "lifelong love".
If he had not left behind many backup plans and given great power to Da Lu and Lu Tong, they and their son would not have had such a difficult life. The so-called ancestral foundation of the Xiao family would not have been completely destroyed after a few years and would have become a thing of the past.
In Xiao Yuanjin's opinion, his father should not be blamed for the country's demise.
As for sadness, anger and so on, Xiao Yuanjin felt that anyone who would be sad and angry because of "loss" must first have obtained the thing that could make him sad and angry because of losing it.
His father, who has never truly held power, has always endured the pain brought by power and has never tasted the ultimate power of life and death, would probably only feel relieved to be able to get rid of the shackles, right?
He asked Yu Zizhen, "Where have you arranged for my second brother and uncle to go?"
Yu Zizhen scratched his head. "I've also sent people to protect the Second Prince. If you want to see him, I can send him over to your place. As for Xiao Shaoke, I just sent him away. I didn't send anyone to follow him all the time."
Xiao Yuanjin had already heard from his father about Xiao Shaoke's behavior, so he was not surprised that Yu Zizhen treated him differently.
He said to Yu Zizhen, "Then please have someone send my second brother over here. My father and I will keep an eye on him and prevent him from causing any trouble for you."
The emperor nodded in agreement, "That's right. We will keep an eye on him and prevent him from being taken advantage of. And Xiao Shaoke, if you can find him, I can help keep an eye on him."
Yu Zizhen raised the corners of his lips. "I will have someone send the Second Prince here as soon as possible. As for Xiao Shaoke, I don't know if my people can find him."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
