Zhou Zhenrong was the Empress's niece, and even closer to her than Shen Youying, so she didn't leave and stayed in Ciyuan Palace to talk to the Empress.
"I asked all the questions my aunt asked me to ask." Only then did Zhou Zhenrong have the opportunity to relay the previous conversation to Zhou Jihou.
Her eyes darted around, and she asked curiously, "Why did Auntie ask me to ask this?"
Empress Zhou glanced at her and said, "Don't ask questions you shouldn't."
Seeing Zhou Zhenrong pout, seemingly unhappy, she softened her tone and said, "It's not that your aunt doesn't trust you, but this matter is of great importance, and it's better if you don't know." She smiled and stroked Zhou Zhenrong's face, "If you really want to share your aunt's burdens, then take good care of your health. Once Yang Shi enters the family, you can get pregnant sooner."
"Although when I made the marriage agreement with Lady Yang, I promised that I would not allow Prince Chen to have any illegitimate children before she entered the family, if she is not capable after entering the family, then I cannot be blamed."
Empress Zhou looked at her mischievously: "Marrying Yang's daughter is merely a temporary measure for the sake of Prince Chen's important affairs. But in the future... she will still have to be a daughter of our Zhou family. Do you understand?"
Zhou Zhenrong blushed and whispered, "I know."
.
After Zhou Zhenrong left, Empress Zhou's personal maidservant relayed the message to Emperor Cheng'an.
After listening, Emperor Cheng'an dismissed the man and muttered to himself, "The Prince of Qin didn't reveal any flaws, and the Princess of Qin didn't find anything out either... Could it really not be him?"
Ever since the fire broke out in Funing Palace last night, his eyelids had been twitching incessantly, and he felt a strange sense of panic.
Although Emperor Cheng'an was not as brave as his elder brother, he had been on the battlefield when he was young, and he was no stranger to this kind of intuition that danger was imminent.
Emperor Cheng'an rose and paced around the hall, recalling once again what his nephew had done.
He was obsessed with Buddhist, Taoist, and supernatural beliefs, and also had a penchant for elixirs. He had done countless absurd things, and no matter how you look at it, it was unlikely that he or his son would pose any further threat.
As people get older, their hearts soften.
Emperor Cheng'an had genuinely considered that if Prince Qin continued to behave himself, he would be willing to tolerate him and allow him to live a more comfortable life in his short later years.
But this is on the premise that the King of Qin is indeed as decadent as he appears.
Instead of putting on a show for him.
Emperor Cheng'an paced back and forth, thinking it over and over, but still felt that he could not let his guard down.
He summoned Zhou Qing, the commander of the Palace Guard, and instructed him: "Dispatch two hundred elite Imperial Guards and send one hundred each to the residences of Prince Chen and Prince Qin. Protect the two princes well. The whereabouts of the thieves are currently unknown, so do not let them take advantage of any loopholes."
Zhou Qing accepted the order and immediately went to the Palace Guard to mobilize elite troops.
Emperor Cheng'an sat for a while, but still felt it wasn't enough. He then summoned the leader of the Hidden Dragon Guard and coldly ordered, "Send someone to keep a close eye on Prince Qin. Report back immediately if anything goes wrong."
*
Xue Shen left the palace before Shen Youying. After seeing her board the carriage, he instructed the driver to return to the mansion.
Shen Youying sat down beside Xue Shen and told him about what happened at Ciyuan Palace. Then she hesitated and said, "I always feel that Her Majesty the Empress was testing something in her words."
However, she couldn't figure out what the other party wanted to test her about along the way.
Xue Shen, on the other hand, seemed quite open-minded: "Let her test me however she wants. You have a clear conscience, so what's there to be afraid of?"
Shen Youying thought about it and realized it made sense, so she stopped thinking about the strange thing.
The carriage slowly drove out of the palace gate. Xue Shen watched as she quietly lifted the curtain to look at the street scene outside. He stared at her profile and revealed an ambiguous smile.
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