Zheng Yuanyuan's face was covered in tears, like a cat's. She looked up at Xu Rao, pursed her lips, and sobbed, "Uncle, if you don't come soon, I'm going to kill myself. Anyway, I'm not going to be someone else's pawn."
Xu Rao sighed and said, "Dying is easy, but what will happen to those of us who are still alive if you die? What will happen to your brother and sister-in-law? Come, help your uncle to your feet, and your uncle will take you home."
Zhou Ersao was so frightened that she had to hold onto the wall to avoid falling to the ground. Now that she was safe, it felt like a dream. The lingering smell of blood made her feel nauseous, and she managed to hold it in. Xu Rao saw that Zhou Ersao's face was pale, nodded to her, and said, "You are Zhou Erzhu's wife from the bamboo paper shop, right? You should close the shop for now. I'll have someone come and watch the shop for you. You and your family can stay at the Marquis's residence for the next few days."
Zhou Ersao agreed, and someone came from behind Xu Rao to help her walk towards the bamboo paper shop. Zhou Ersao only came to her senses after returning to the shop. Gouwazi had already run over from the backyard. Seeing his mother's pale face, disheveled hair, and dirty clothes, he exclaimed in surprise, "Mother!" Zhou Ersao hugged Gouwazi and held back her sobs, but her tears soaked both of their clothes. After surviving such an ordeal, a good cry was a way to vent.
When Xu Rao led Zheng Yuanyuan out of the alley, they saw that the carriage that had been parked at the alley entrance was gone. Instead, a group of people were standing at the alley entrance. When they saw Xu Rao coming over, a man who looked like a manager quickly came over and said, "Third Master, everything has been arranged."
Xu Rao nodded and said, "Take the Zheng family girl home first. Then take some people to search for Qinglian and Honglian outside the city. Also, inform Miss Shen. It would be best to have the Feng family take them to their residence first."
The steward agreed, and Xu Rao helped Zheng Yuanyuan into the carriage while he continued riding back to the Yongning Marquis's residence.
Chen Zhaoci was already waiting at the second gate. When he saw Zheng Yuanyuan get off the carriage, he quickly came over to help her. When Zheng Yuanyuan saw Chen Zhaoci, she couldn't help but hug him and cry again. Chen Zhaoci stroked Zheng Yuanyuan's hair and said, "Good child, it's alright, it's alright, it's all over. From now on, let's stay at home and not go anywhere, okay?"
Zheng Yuanyuan cried and said, "Auntie, I thought I would never see you again. Auntie, those people are so wicked."
Chen Zhaoci took Zheng Yuanyuan's hand and walked towards their own courtyard in the backyard. As they walked, she said, "Yes, those people are too bad. We'll just stay home and rest well these days. Once you're here with your aunt, you don't have to think about anything. Your uncle will take care of things outside. Just stay home and relax, okay?"
Being protected like this felt so good. Zheng Yuanyuan hugged Chen Zhaoci's neck and cried again.
Chen Zhaoci prescribed a calming soup for Zheng Yuanyuan, and after drinking it, Zheng Yuanyuan fell asleep. Bai Wei said that Zhou Ersao, who had saved Zheng Yuanyuan at the bamboo paper shop, had also arrived. Chen Zhaoci hurried over and, after taking Zhou Ersao's pulse, exclaimed in surprise, "Zhou Erzhu's wife, you're pregnant!"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Ersao was stunned for a long while, and said in disbelief, "Madam, am I pregnant?"
Chen Zhaoci smiled and said, "Yes, you're pregnant, but your pulse isn't very stable. I'll prescribe two doses of medicine to help stabilize the pregnancy. I'll come back to check on you after you've taken them."
After thanking Zhou Ersao and seeing Chen Zhaoci off, she said to Zhou Erzhu, "No wonder I felt tightness in my stomach. It turns out I'm pregnant. Husband, I never thought I could get pregnant again."
As Zhou Ersao spoke, her eyes reddened. Zhou Erzhu was also incredibly excited. When Zhou Ersao gave birth to Gouwazi, she had a difficult labor. The baby was breech, and the midwife had to forcefully turn the baby inside out before the child could be born. Zhou Ersao suffered greatly and had to recuperate for a long time. Only because she was young and healthy was she able to work like a normal person. However, the doctor said that it would be difficult for her to conceive again in the future. Who knew that she would become pregnant after only a few months in the capital?
After his initial excitement, Zhou Erzhu was filled with lingering fear. His wife had been running and jumping around in the street earlier that day, and had been quite frightened. However, he had heard that the master's mother was a highly skilled doctor, and that it was a blessing for Zhou Er's wife and son to receive her treatment.
Xu Rao didn't return until evening. Chen Zhaoci made him a bowl of hot noodle soup, which Xu Rao drank clean, along with the soup. He then soaked his feet in hot water before collapsing onto the warm kang (heated brick bed) to rest.
Chen Zhaoci poured him a bowl of tea to soothe his stomach and said, "Have a bowl of tea. You just ate a lot of food. It's not good for your health to lie down like this."
Xu Rao took two sips, sighed, and said, "Just now I went to the palace and met with the Emperor. I told him what happened today, and the Emperor was very angry."
Chen Zhaoci asked in surprise, "What, is it some prince who's up to some trouble again?"
Xu Rao nodded and said, "Yes, those people have been arrested and interrogated. They are all the Sixth Prince's men. The Sixth Prince is a fool. He takes people's words seriously without thinking. This is something the Third Prince did back then."
Chen Zhaoci sighed and said, "What does His Majesty mean?"
Xu Rao shook his head and said, "His Majesty didn't say anything, he only told me to come back and take good care of Yuanyuan, saying that the little girl has had a hard life and shouldn't have suffered these hardships."
In the following days, Xu Rao learned that not only the Sixth Prince was involved, but also the Seventh Prince and even the Pingxi Marquis's mansion.
Somehow, Madam Chen got involved with the Seventh Prince. Years ago, Zheng Yunyun wanted to become the Third Prince's concubine, but unfortunately, their matriarch interfered, and the plan failed. Zheng Yunyun even injured her leg because of this incident and had to rest for several months before she recovered. Now, her leg hurts terribly in wind and rain. Because of Madam Chen's background, Zheng Yunyun's marriage has been unsettled. She's stuck in a rut, with suitors either looking down on the family background or the children. In the end, Marquis Pingxi simply gave up. The Zheng family matriarch told him not to interfere in Zheng Yunyun's marriage anymore, but to keep Madam Chen in check. As for Zheng Boyun, he hasn't returned for over two years since Marquis Pingxi sent him south to study. Madam Chen has argued with Marquis Pingxi several times in order to get her son back to the capital, but she's always been scolded by him. Because of this, Madam Chen is even more concerned about her daughter's marriage.
There are currently three princes by His Majesty's side. However, the Second Prince has clearly been disliked by Emperor Liang Cheng. Many people believe that the future position will belong to either the Sixth or Seventh Prince. Furthermore, the two princes have been vying for the position since Emperor Liang Cheng fell ill. The discerning families in the capital naturally do not get involved. However, there are some like Lady Chen who are eager to climb the social ladder. No one knows who introduced Lady Chen to the position of the Seventh Prince's concubine, and Lady Chen agreed to help the Seventh Prince with his affairs.
Everyone in the capital knew that Zheng Yuanyuan and the girl from the Shen family in the south were favorites of Emperor Liang Cheng, serving him on his behalf. It wasn't that no one had ever tried to take advantage of them; however, those who dared to challenge them had been rebuffed. The girl from the Shen family had even declared she would never marry. This time, the Sixth Prince wanted to set a trap for Zheng Yuanyuan, staging a scenario where a hero rescued her, forcing her to marry him. It was the Seventh Prince who was behind this. Those around Xiao Chen who knew Zheng Yuanyuan helped identify her. Otherwise, how could Qinglian and Honglian have run out of the city dressed in Zheng Yuanyuan's clothes, while Zheng Yuanyuan herself secretly ran back to the capital? Would she have been able to be chased all over the capital like this?
Emperor Liang Cheng was not unaware of the inside story of the memorial, but these were all his sons. He had already imprisoned one son and beheaded another. He only wanted his bloodline to continue living in this world. Who could have imagined that such a simple wish would be so difficult to fulfill?
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