This time, she brought Liu Qingqing with her, as well as Jiao Tangtang, the little sister who had been studying with her since childhood and now also learned martial arts with her. Biyu, Bilan and the other five happened to be riding in a carriage. Zhou Zhaonuan felt so happy when she saw the carriage pass through the palace gate smoothly.
It seems that it’s a good thing that her father didn’t send anyone to stop her.
Zhou Zhaonuan smiled mysteriously, "Well, you'll know later."
"Nuannuan, we really need to go south and close down the brothels. Brothels everywhere must have powerful forces behind them. Are you really not afraid of becoming a target of public criticism if you go there blindly? Also, I forgot, you left the palace so rashly without even telling Daddy."
Even though she learned martial arts, Jiaotangtang was still a good girl. Seeing the worry in Jiaotangtang's eyes, Zhou Zhao smiled warmly and grabbed Jiaotangtang's cold little hand.
"Well, don't worry. I've already sent someone to tell the Minister of Works. Don't worry, I'll protect you along the way."
After saying that, he patted Caramel on the back.
"Nuannuan, you're so thoughtful for me, I..."
I really don’t know what to say.
Touched eyes flashed in Jiaotangtang's eyes. Zhou Zhaonuan immediately interrupted her and turned her head outside, "Tangtang, look, we're out now. It's so nice to be outside. We don't have to be scolded by our father every day. You don't even know how dark his face was just now, like the bottom of a pot. It was so ugly."
Caramel's face darkened. Many times, she said that if the emperor scolded her like that, then what about scolding the ministers?
Liu Qingqing sat next to Zhou Zhaonuan, watching Zhou Zhaonuan and Jiao Tangtang chatting with each other, and how close they were. She suddenly felt a sense of loss in her heart.
When will she have such a good sister?
Pepper Room Palace.
Shen Nian'an thought that Zhou Zhaonuan would come back for dinner, so she asked the kitchen to prepare a few side dishes that her daughter liked, as well as dumplings. She even ran to the kitchen in person to give instructions. Her daughter was going to leave the palace tomorrow, so she had to make sure she had a good meal.
As the saying goes, dumplings are for getting on a horse and noodles are for getting off a horse. If she wasn't pregnant, she would have to make the dumplings herself.
"By the way, you guys should wrap them now. I'm going to Yingyue Pavilion to see if that girl Nuannuan has returned from Xuanzheng Palace."
Shen Nian'an came out of the small kitchen, thought about it, and decided to go to Xuanzheng Hall first. This time, it was different from the past, and Zhou Beichen would probably detain her there.
The sedan chair was summoned, and Shen Nian'an only took one step. Nanny Xu walked in with an embarrassed look on her face, bowed to Shen Nian'an, and her tone was a little insufficient.
"Your Majesty, someone from Yingyue Pavilion just reported that the princess suddenly decided to leave the palace and head south today. She might have already left the palace."
Shen Nian'an was stunned for a moment, and after coming to his senses, he didn't know whether to be angry or laugh.
"My lady, the princess may have something urgent to do. Please don't be sad."
Aunt Xu persuaded with an embarrassed look on her face, but Shen Nian'an accepted it quickly, got off the sedan chair, and walked back.
"Why should I be so sad? She just left the palace anyway, it's not like she won't come back. Since she left the palace, the emperor must know about it, and she must have a lot of people around her. This girl is the same, I don't know who she took after, she can't sit still for a moment, forget it, then, I will eat the meal by myself."
Although she said she didn't care, Shen Nian'an was actually dissatisfied in her heart, thinking that she would give the girl a good scolding when she came back.
After traveling for a long time, they finally arrived at a small town in the evening and found an inn to stay in. Zhou Zhaonuan went to a brothel on a whim and gained a lot.
When he came back, not only the national treasury, but even his own small private treasury was much fuller.
This was a hard time for the local officials, as the Zuihonglou branch was investigated and they lost a large sum of money, and they became inexplicably dissatisfied with Zhou Zhaonuan.
Of course, Zhou Zhaonuan had another reason for wanting to close down all the brothels. Zuihonglou had been thriving for so many years, so there must be someone behind it. She wanted to see whether the forces behind Zuihonglou in various places were corrupt or not.
However, looking at the girls in their teens who came with him voluntarily, Zhou Zhaonuan was in a dilemma. In the end, he had to leave them in the inn and planned to bring them back to the palace on his way back.
In a few days, because of the presence of Liu Qingqing, a living person, and the princess's seal, Zhou Zhaonuan's work was not only enjoyable but also smooth.
Imperial Palace.
After more than half a month of recuperation, Zhou Zeyu was barely able to move freely. In the past few days, seeing Concubine Shu caring for him and serving him tea and water, Zhou Zeyu's cold and hard heart melted little by little.
"Yu'er, does your body still hurt? Come, drink the medicine."
Concubine Shu came over with a bowl of medicine, walked to Zhou Zeyu's bedside, and sat down on the open space.
Zhou Zeyu felt a little embarrassed to be taken care of like this. With the help of the palace maid, he sat up a little and said embarrassedly.
"Mother, I will drink it myself. No need to feed me."
Concubine Shu didn't force him too much. Some things cannot be solved overnight. She nodded and watched Zhou Zeyu drink it all in one gulp.
The expression on her face also improved a lot. Zhou Zeyu never thought that she framed her and didn't like her. During this period, Shufei was still so caring to him. Thinking of what Zhou Zhaonuan said to him that day, Zhou Zeyu struggled to get up and was about to kneel on the bed.
Concubine Shu was stunned for a moment and hurried to help the man, but Zhou Zeyu refused to help. He spoke with full gratitude and sincerity.
"Mother, some time ago, it was my fault. I misinterpreted your meaning and wasted your kindness to me. During this time, I have thought it through. Since I have come back to you after such a long journey, doesn't this also prove that there is a mother-son relationship between us? In the past, I rescued Mother from the cold palace, and you always felt bad for me. You even planned to frame you for her. It was my fault. Today, I understand everything. I apologize to Mother. Please forgive me."
Zhou Zeyu bowed his head and kowtowed. On the other side, Concubine Shu's eyes were already filled with tears. She patted Zhou Zeyu's head while sobbing slightly, and helped him up.
"Good...good boy, as long as you look back, everything will be smooth sailing. Look at you, you are talking nonsense. There is no overnight hatred between us mother and son. Hurry, get up."
When he saw Zhou Zeen nestling in Concubine Shu's arms that day, he was so moved by the affection that he suddenly had an idea to try to change his mother to see if he could transfer this feeling.
He suddenly fell into Concubine Shu's arms, feeling soft and warm, very Concubine Shu, "Mother, I'm sorry. I was wrong during this period."
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