Chapter 180 There is a conspiracy behind the scenes
She really had no strength.
The Empress Dowager took very good care of her body when she was in the palace. Her menstruation was always on time and she rarely had stomach pain.
She hadn't felt anything the previous few times, but this time, not only did it come early, but she also had back pain and abdominal pain.
Seeing that she was in real pain, Zhao Shen asked, "Do you want to see a doctor? How could your period come early when it's perfectly normal?"
Ji Yunshu shook his head: "It's possible for menstruation to be early or late. It's too late now. Let's talk about it tomorrow."
Zhao Shen nodded and left. After a while, he returned with a bowl of small rice dumplings cooked in fermented glutinous rice wine and said, "Lu Ru made this especially for you. She said it's good for your health. Try some."
He scooped a spoonful of small dumplings and handed it to her mouth.
Ji Yunshu originally had no appetite, but seeing this, he had no choice but to open his mouth and eat half a bowl of glutinous rice balls after Zhao Shen fed him.
Zhao Shen was relieved then. He went out to have a quick dinner and then came back to accompany her.
Maybe it was a psychological effect, but after drinking half a bowl of fermented rice wine, Ji Yunshu felt warmer and his stomach didn't hurt as much.
She had just woken up and couldn't fall asleep again, so she pulled Zhao Shen aside and started talking.
"Do you know what's going on with Second Aunt? She knew this marriage was inappropriate, but she was still so impatient to arrange it?"
Zhao Shen shook his head and said, "What happened today was too sudden. I didn't expect Second Aunt to arrange the marriage so suddenly. Even Father and Yao Shi didn't seem to know about it."
Ji Yunshu frowned upon hearing this. This was even more strange. The Marquis' Mansion had not been divided. Even if the eldest wife did not interfere in Zhao Fu's marriage, she should have the right to know.
Zhao Shen reached out and stroked her brow and said, "You don't have to worry too much. The marriage has already been arranged. It's not our place to get involved in the affairs of the Second House."
Ji Yunshu leaned into his arms and sighed, "I feel sorry for my elder sister. She's such a good girl. I wonder what Second Aunt thinks."
Zhao Shen placed one hand on her lower abdomen and gently massaged it, saying, "Don't think too much. Everyone has their own destiny. Second Aunt is determined to do this, and no one can do anything about it."
His palms were warm, and as he massaged her, the pain in her abdomen eased a lot. She was a little puzzled and said, "After all, she is a girl from the Zhao family. If possible, you should investigate it carefully. I always feel that this matter is full of weirdness."
Zhao Shen said, "I know that the Cheng'an Marquis's Mansion is still investigating. Now it seems that there are problems with Second Aunt as well. I'm afraid there won't be any results for a while. However, although the marriage has been arranged, it doesn't mean that she has to get married right away. There is still time."
Ji Yunshu nodded. This was the only way for now.
Zhao Shen didn't want to talk about it, so he changed the subject and said, "The emperor has sent an imperial edict to the north. Neither my father-in-law nor my elder brother will be back this New Year's Day."
Zhao Shen had mentioned this matter before, and Ji Yunshu was mentally prepared, but when he heard the confirmed news, he still felt a little disappointed.
"Is there any movement in Mobei?"
Zhao Shen said, "According to the information sent back by our spies in Mobei, this winter has been exceptionally cold, with several heavy snowfalls. Many people, cattle, and sheep have frozen to death. In such circumstances, they generally do not rest in peace. Leaving my father-in-law and eldest brother behind at the border is a precautionary measure."
Ji Yunshu was silent for a moment before asking, "Has there been any news from Taoist Master Yichen? Is there any new progress?"
She couldn't help her father and brother much, she just hoped there was a way to improve their weapons so that they would have a better chance of winning the battle.
Zhao Shen smiled and said, "There's been no news from Taoist Master Yichen, but Meng Tianshu has called a few like-minded friends to Quanzhou. They've worked together to improve his crossbow design and have created a finished product. They've already presented it to the emperor, and the emperor has secretly ordered a batch to be crafted, which will be sent to the north soon."
After hearing what Zhao Shen said, Ji Yunshu knew that the crossbow must be extremely powerful.
Finally hearing some good news, her mood improved: "The emperor is thoughtful."
Zhao Shen said, "You are well aware of the current situation in the court. The emperor has truly done his best."
Ji Yunshu looked up at him and said, "You don't think I'm blaming the Emperor, do you? Actually, I know that he has a lot of things that he can't control in his position. He's already living such a miserable life, so how can he care about others?"
She could also see that it was really not easy for the emperor in the past six months.
He faces assassinations, poisonings and various conspiracies at any time. Everyone around him wears a mask, making it difficult to tell who can be trusted and who cannot.
Zhao Shen truly sympathized with the emperor: "You are wrong. The emperor must consider others no matter how aggrieved he is."
Ji Yunshu thought about it carefully and found that it was indeed the case, and the depression in his heart dissipated.
She then asked, "Isn't it a little too quiet lately? Have those people stopped making any moves?"
It seems that the capital has become much more stable since Lu Ningshuang left.
There has been no movement in the palace recently.
Zhao Shen didn't know what he was thinking, and he hummed lightly: "I followed Lu Ningshuang to eliminate a group of spies. The emperor and the queen in the palace are very cautious, and the concubine Shu was also sent out of the palace. Those people are hiding in a hurry, so how dare they show their heads."
Ji Yunshu smiled and said, "I'm not used to the sudden silence."
Zhao Shen said: "Who knows what big things he might be planning behind the scenes. Isn't my eldest sister's marriage just one thing?"
Ji Yunshu looked at him in surprise. "Didn't you say before that you didn't know what was going on? Are you now convinced there's a conspiracy behind this?"
Zhao Shen saw her lazily leaning against his chest, looking like she didn't like to use her brain, but she was still very sharp. He pinched her nose and said, "You really can't hide anything from you. There's obviously something strange about this matter. In the final analysis, the problem lies only with Second Aunt."
"The reason she's willing to disregard her daughter's lifelong fate and marry someone off to the Chen family is most likely because the Chen family has some leverage over her."
Ji Yunshu recalled what Zhao Fu said: a few days ago, someone from the Chen family came to meet Qin alone.
In this case, Zhao Shen's guess is very reasonable.
Zhao Shen said, "There are two issues here. First, why did the Chen family use coercion to marry the eldest sister? Second, this handle on Second Aunt. I think no matter what it is, it's likely a huge scandal."
After Zhao Shen said this, Ji Yunshu's thoughts suddenly became clear.
She had actually had some vague guesses before. After all, the Second Madam was really strange. She recited scriptures and chanted Buddha's name all day long, but she didn't care about her daughter's wishes at all. She insisted on arranging the marriage even though she knew there was something wrong with the man.
Zhao Fu said that what was unusual about her these days was that she spent more time in front of the Buddha.
This is most likely an expression of guilt or even remorse.
Thinking that she had been guarding the ancient Buddha in the mansion for many years, Ji Yunshu couldn't help but ask: "There is no old lady in the mansion. Why didn't Second Uncle take Second Aunt with him when he went to work in another place?"
Generally, this situation occurs when there are elderly people in the family who need care or who need a housekeeper.
But Qin Shi doesn't need to take care of the elderly, nor does she need to manage the household affairs.
It is very strange that she did not follow her husband to his post but instead stayed at home to eat vegetarian food and chant Buddhist scriptures.
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