Chapter 537 The Pastry is Poisoned
After settling Xiao Feifei in, Du Wanchun, as usual, took Xiao Mianmian to visit various shops of the Zhou family.
Zhou Feng and Han Yan'er didn't attend the birthday banquet that day, but they had received the news and were waiting to discuss with Zhou Ruiyuan what to do.
After Du Wanchun took Xiao Mianmian to Zhou's Rice Shop, they arrived at Zhou's Incense Shop.
Zhou Feng and Han Yan'er were waiting here.
Now both their families have the emperor's spies everywhere, so this shop is the only place that's relatively safe.
"Sister-in-law, you've arrived." Han Yan'er stood up to greet them.
Du Wanchun led Xiao Mianmian into the house, saying, "I went to the rice shop first, which was a good opportunity to avoid being seen."
Little Mianmian stepped forward and sweetly called out to them, "Second Aunt, Second Uncle."
Han Yan'er took Xiao Mianmian from her hands and carried her to the table next to her, giving her a piece of freshly made pastry.
Little Mianmian held the pastry for a long time without eating it.
Du Wanchun sat down and asked Zhou Feng, who was standing beside her, "Second brother, what are your plans, second sister-in-law and I? Do you want to stay in the capital, or go to Xuzhou to find our mother?"
Zhou Feng had been frowning these past few days. After thinking for a moment, he looked at Zhou Ruiyuan, who had just walked in through the door, and asked, "Where is my elder brother? Is he really staying here to be the crown prince, or is he going to Xuzhou?"
Zhou Ruiyuan remained calm, slowly sat down, and said, "It seems that leaving is not a solution."
Zhou Feng was initially hesitant, but after hearing his elder brother's words, he said seriously, "In that case, we won't run away."
The Zhou family has done a lot of business in Beijing over the years.
If they leave, everything will be lost. They initially decided to come to the capital to do business, not to run away just to be discovered.
Zhou Ruiyuan pondered this situation all night; he had imagined it countless times before.
Now that he has actually encountered it, it has indeed caught him somewhat off guard.
He had known for a long time that it was only a matter of time before he and his brothers returned to the palace.
That day at Lord Lu's residence, the emperor was able to allow him to return to the Eastern Palace in front of so many people, so naturally he wouldn't kill them in the short term.
All he needs now is time.
When Aunt Zhou and the Third Prince arrived in Xuzhou, Zhou Zhao must have also learned about what happened in the capital. Zhou Ruiyuan had made an agreement with him a long time ago that if their identities were exposed, he would secretly lead half of the troops to the outskirts of the capital.
They would storm the city as soon as the emperor made any move.
Whether it's rebellion or forcing the emperor to abdicate, they'll do anything to save their lives.
It takes more than ten days to travel from Xuzhou to the capital. As long as he and Zhou Feng can stay put during these ten days, that will be fine.
Running away will only make things more unpredictable.
With Zhou Ruiyuan's words, Han Yan'er breathed a sigh of relief.
Du Wanchun smiled and eased her anger, saying, "Often, the most dangerous place is the safest place. I think what we need to guard against now is not just the emperor, but those who want us dead."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Ruiyuan and Zhou Feng both looked up.
Their gazes froze, and they fell into deep thought.
The Lu family's wrongful conviction has not yet been cleared, and those who started it will naturally not allow them to return to their high positions.
Just as everyone was silent, Xiao Mianmian, who was sitting to the side eating pastries, suddenly picked up a pastry and handed it to Du Wanchun, saying, "Mother, this pastry smells a little different."
Du Wanchun took it in her hand, smelled it, and found nothing unusual.
She then handed it to Han Yan'er, saying, "Second sister-in-law, take a look."
Han Yan'er took it and smelled it carefully, but still couldn't find anything unusual. Just as she was about to take a bite,
Du Wanchun snatched the pastries from her hands again.
"Sister-in-law?" Han Yan'er's face was full of doubt.
Du Wanchun slowly walked to the window with the pastries in her hands, and then placed them outside the windowsill.
Not long after, a black rat crawled over.
This mouse was not only big, but also very bold, as it started eating the pastries.
Everyone held their breath and watched cautiously.
Not long after, the large rat, which had been happily eating pastries, suddenly started bleeding from its mouth and nose and began to struggle and convulse.
Han Yan'er immediately exclaimed in alarm, "It's poisonous!"
Zhou Feng quickly hugged her and gestured for her to speak softly.
Han Yan'er covered her mouth, her voice trembling slightly as she said, "It's...poisonous..."
After she finished speaking, she looked at Xiao Mianmian with a guilty expression.
These pastries were for Xiao Mianmian.
Du Wanchun quickly squatted down, took Xiao Mianmian's hand, and asked, "Mianmian, did you eat that pastry earlier?"
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