Upon hearing that Zong Jiu was coming, Xuan Yuanzhan and Su Xuening's expressions changed instantly.
Su Yun'an frowned and looked at the two of them: "Could it be because of Second Aunt?"
My brother-in-law just killed my second aunt in the market. I guess Su Muyao and Su Feiling have complained to the Emperor.
"Don't worry." Xuan Yuanzhan rubbed Su Yun'an's head and then led Su Xuening and Su Yun'an into the mansion.
The gatekeeper led the three directly to the main hall.
In the main hall, not only was Zong Jiu waiting, but Bai Shi was also sitting in the main seat, clearly waiting for them.
As soon as the three entered the main hall, Zong Jiu hurriedly came over and bowed: "This old servant greets Your Highness and Your Highness."
"Mother Consort." Xuan Yuanzhan and Su Xuening greeted Bai Shi first.
Seeing that they had returned safely, Bai breathed a sigh of relief and then looked at Su Yun'an with a smile, "Yun'an must be tired after walking around for so long. Go back to Linshui Pavilion and rest."
Knowing that the Empress Dowager did not want him to get involved in his second aunt's affairs, Su Yun'an still looked at Su Xuening with concern.
Su Xuening didn't actually want Yun An to get involved in the Zhong family's affairs. Anyway, they were targeting her, and Yun An could stay out of it.
"Yun'an, go and rest. We'll be fine," Su Xuening said reassuringly to Su Yun'an.
Xuanyuan Zhan patted his head and said, "Go."
Su Yun'an knew that her sister was not so easy to bully, especially with the Empress Dowager and her brother-in-law there. They doted on her so much that they would definitely not let Su Feiling and the others bully her.
Su Yun'an had nothing to worry about. He bowed to Bai Shi, Xuan Yuanzhan, and Su Xuening, saying, "Then I'll go back to my room first."
Before leaving, Su Yun'an nodded to Zong Jiu as well before retreating.
As Zong Jiu watched Su Yun'an's retreating figure, he felt that this young master of the Su family was very polite, and seeing this child always reminded him of General Su when he first entered the court.
He was clearly a poor boy from the mountains, yet he exuded an air of nobility that rivaled even the emperor. His nearly nine-foot height and robust physique were also quite impressive.
General Su is loyal and brave in battle. I hope that this young master will also become a loyal general who serves the country in the future!
After Su Yun'an left, Bai Shi got up and pulled Su Xuening aside, asking worriedly, "Were you scared on the street just now?"
"No." Su Xuening immediately shook her head and reassured her, "Mother, don't worry, I'm fine."
Bai was relieved and looked at Zong Jiu, saying, "You dealt with Zhong Shi on the street, and Consort Su complained to the Emperor. Although I know you wouldn't punish someone without reason, since she complained to the Emperor, we still have to go and explain to him."
Bai didn't even ask what had happened between Xuanyuan Zhan and Su Xuening. She simply believed that Zhan'er and Ning'er wouldn't cause trouble for no reason, and that it must have been Zhong who provoked them first.
Upon hearing this, Zong Jiu immediately flattered, "Please don't worry, Your Highness, Your Highness, and Your Highness. The Emperor said that he only asked Your Highness and Your Highness to come to the palace to inquire about the situation. It's nothing serious."
Zong Jiu's words perfectly expressed Xuan Yuanpeng's attitude.
They were only called over to ask questions because Su Fei had made a fuss; it wasn't a real punishment.
Bai Shi understood Xuan Yuanpeng's meaning perfectly well. She naturally believed that Xuan Yuanpeng would not punish Zhan'er and Ning'er arbitrarily, but she was still worried.
"Since Consort Su has made trouble, then I will go with you!"
Although she knew Ning'er wasn't so easy to bully, that woman Su Huiyan was someone she should deal with. She should trample her underfoot and make her furious!
Bai wanted to go with them, and Su Xuening and Xuan Yuanzhan naturally had no objections.
The three of them then boarded the carriage together and headed towards the palace.
Once inside the carriage, Madam Bai inquired about the details: "What exactly happened?"
Su Xuening and Xuan Yuanzhan exchanged a glance. Not wanting to hide anything from Bai Shi, they briefly recounted the events to her.
Upon hearing this, Bai was furious: "Outrageous! This Zhong is utterly ignorant, throwing mud at you like this, does she really think our Holy King's Mansion is dead!"
Over the years, she herself has been deeply poisoned by these rumors. She can endure whatever they say about her, but she cannot let them harm her children like this!
"That damned Zhong woman, she should be killed as an example to warn others!"
Seeing Bai Shi so angry, Su Xuening was worried that she would hurt herself, so she quickly comforted her: "They were in the wrong first, so I'm not afraid of being questioned by Consort Su and Su Feiling. However, Su Feiling probably won't let me off easily this time when I enter the palace."
She wasn't worried about them questioning her about Zhong's affairs; she was just afraid that Su Feiling would keep pressing her about her pregnancy, and that they might have the imperial physician examine her pulse again.
She had silver needles in her meridians before, so she wasn't afraid of them probing her meridians, since they couldn't find out anything anyway.
But now the silver needles in her meridians have been removed, and with the skill of those imperial physicians, they could determine her month of gestation just by taking her pulse.
So she had to explain to her mother that if they were to arrange for the imperial physician to take her pulse later, her mother could help her.
Madam Bai understood Su Xuening's meaning and patted her hand reassuringly: "Don't be afraid, your mother has a way."
As Bai spoke, he called out to the outside, "Stop the car."
Upon hearing this, Ye Yun, who was driving the carriage, immediately stopped the carriage.
"Your Highness." Granny Shang stepped forward automatically, ready to receive instructions.
Bai lifted the carriage curtain and whispered a few words to Granny Shang.
Granny Shang nodded immediately and hurried back to the Holy Prince's Mansion.
Su Xuening didn't know why Madam Bai wanted Granny Shang to go back, but seeing the reassuring look in Madam Bai's eyes, she didn't ask any further questions.
Ye Yun continued driving the carriage, leading them into the palace.
As soon as the carriage arrived at the gate of the Second Palace, Granny Shang caught up with them and secretly gave a small jade bottle to Madam Bai.
Xuanyuan Zhan helped Su Xuening down from the carriage, and then Bai Shi handed the small jade bottle to Su Xuening and whispered a few words in her ear.
Su Xuening looked at Bai Shi in shock, but didn't say anything, and silently put away the small jade bottle.
Xuanyuan Zhan had no idea what the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were talking about.
"His Majesty and Consort Su are both in Chengqian Palace. Please, Your Highness, Your Highness, and Your Highness, come with this old servant to Chengqian Palace."
After bowing to the group, Zong Jiuchao led the way for them.
Soon, the three arrived at Chengqian Palace.
Zong Jiu didn't go in to report, but directly invited the three of them in.
As soon as Su Xuening entered the main hall, she smelled a strong stench of blood. After taking a few more steps, she saw a stretcher placed in the center of the main hall.
The white cloth on the stretcher was stained red with blood, clearly indicating that the stretcher contained Zhong's corpse.
Su Muyao knelt beside the stretcher, her head bowed, as if she were crying.
Su Huiyan, Xuan Yuan Yu, and Su Feiling sat to the side, seemingly waiting for them to come and question them.
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