Emperor Mingyang only glanced at her for a moment before looking away, seemingly not someone who was lustful.
"Getting married is a good thing, why is it so serious?" Emperor Mingyang said with a smile.
What seemed like an ordinary sentence was actually a test of Qin Su.
"If you don't marry, won't the Marquis of Zhongyi have no descendants?" Emperor Mingyang said again.
Qin Su hesitated for a moment, then said, "My father adopted a child from a collateral branch of the family. However, this child is quite dull-witted."
Qin Su didn't mean to hide it; she simply couldn't. It wasn't a secret anyway; Emperor Mingyang could find out.
If she doesn't marry, she will indeed have no descendants, which will greatly reduce Emperor Mingyang's fear of the Marquis of Zhongyi's family. However, she has reasons for having to adopt Qin Zhi.
Without Xiaozhi, Nannan wouldn't have lived to be this old.
Thinking of this, Qin Su felt a pang of heartache.
Emperor Mingyang's voice became ambiguous, "It's good to adopt a child, it's good."
Qin Su gripped the hem of her clothes tightly and said, "That child is still in the private school, eager to enter officialdom and repay His Majesty's kindness."
"Gratitude?" Emperor Mingyang's curiosity was clearly piqued upon hearing this.
“Yes. His Majesty granted amnesty to White Tiger Stronghold, allowing Xiao Zhi to have the opportunity to study and avoid being hated by everyone.” A faint smile appeared on her lips, as if she was genuinely happy about it. “Xiao Zhi said that this is an immense favor, and he wants to repay His Majesty with his whole life.”
Emperor Mingyang laughed heartily, feeling much better.
"Good, good, good. He's a good boy. I hope he can truly share my burdens in the future."
Qin Su added, "Actually, there are still many children in White Tiger Village who are grateful to His Majesty. It's just that they are not well-educated and cannot write. Otherwise, they would definitely write to His Majesty to tell him their sincerest gratitude."
What an emperor loves most is being loved by the people, and Qin Su's words struck a chord deep within him.
This slightly eased Emperor Mingyang's wariness of the Marquis of Zhongyi's mansion.
If a subject is wholeheartedly devoted to the emperor and becomes a weapon that the emperor can use, then it is not impossible to keep him.
"I have something to say..." Qin Su stood up, intending to state her purpose.
"Your Majesty, Your Highness, His Highness Prince Chen requests an audience," Eunuch Xi's words interrupted Qin Su.
Qin Su kept quiet, inwardly smiling bitterly.
How come he always arrives at such a coincidence?
"Please come in quickly."
The Empress was pleased that Emperor Mingyang had diverted his attention. She smiled and said, "Why has His Highness Prince Chen come to my palace today? He doesn't usually come."
These words seem to be directed at Emperor Mingyang.
Emperor Mingyang did not notice and said, "Perhaps they have come to see me."
The Empress didn't care, as long as Emperor Mingyang didn't keep staring at Qin Su.
Prince Chen strode in, glancing at Qin Su discreetly before bowing and saying, "Your subject greets Your Majesty and Her Majesty the Empress."
"Ziyu, you've come to see me?" Emperor Mingyang was clearly pleased to see Prince Chen, and he no longer cared about Qin Su standing beside him.
Qin Su could only suppress her thoughts for the time being.
"Yes, let's talk about the disaster relief grain with the Emperor."
Upon hearing that it was a serious matter, Emperor Mingyang nodded and immediately stood up, saying, "Let's talk in the warm pavilion." Finally, he looked at Qin Su and added, "Qin family girl, come along too."
Prince Chen tightened his lips and said, "It is not appropriate for women to know about matters of the court."
Emperor Mingyang shook his head. "The Qin family woman knows that the Marquis of Zhongyi is escorting relief grain."
Seeing this, Prince Chen knew not to say anything more.
Emperor Mingyang walked in front, followed by Prince Chen and Qin Su.
He mouthed to Qin Su: Don't worry.
Qin Su nodded slightly to him.
The two did not communicate much, but they trusted each other completely.
Warm room.
"Speak," Emperor Mingyang said, sitting down and instructing a eunuch to prepare tea.
Prince Chen spoke up: "Your Majesty, I have received news that someone is eyeing the disaster relief grain. We must make plans as soon as possible."
Qin Su immediately looked at Prince Chen, her thoughts unspoken.
She came to Emperor Mingyang for this very matter, but he spoke of it first.
He said it was far more convincing than if he said it himself.
Qin Su sat obediently, her expression unmoved, no matter what she was thinking.
"Who is it? Do you have any accurate information?" Emperor Mingyang pressed, then quickly glanced at Qin Su.
Qin Su pretended to be clueless and unaware of anything.
Prince Chen shook his head. "I have no accurate information, but I have a bold guess. The people who coveted the disaster relief grain may be the same group that killed the royal family."
"How do you know? Even if the Wang family's massacre wasn't a revenge killing, it has nothing to do with disaster relief grain."
Prince Chen shook his head again, "Your Majesty, I have discovered a subtle clue. The wounds on the bodies of the deceased members of the royal family resemble those caused by a three-bladed halberd. And the three-bladed halberd is a weapon commonly used by assassins from the Yuehai Kingdom. This weapon is only a few inches long, making it easy to carry and use for assassination."
Qin Su was also familiar with weapons and knew what a three-bladed halberd looked like. She seemed to have seen someone use a three-bladed halberd somewhere before, but she couldn't remember who it was.
"If that's the case, then we must investigate thoroughly." Emperor Mingyang's face was serious, no longer showing the ease he had just displayed.
"Just tell me how many people you need, and I'll allocate them to you directly."
This is no longer just a simple matter of the Wang family being wiped out.
"Your Majesty, I believe we can distribute the disaster relief grain in this way..."
He explained the situation to Emperor Mingyang in detail. Emperor Mingyang thought his idea was acceptable, nodded, and said, "I will discuss this matter with Marquis Zhongyi. You also need to expedite your investigation and remove the spies from Yuehai Kingdom as soon as possible."
Disaster relief grain is extremely important. If it is lost, it's not just a matter of losing food; the most important thing is the people's hearts and minds.
How malicious are the people in the shadows?
Emperor Mingyang then remembered that there was Qin Su in the warm pavilion. He had no mind to talk to her at the moment, so he waved his hand and said, "It's getting late. Qin family girl, you should go back early. I will send someone to escort you."
Prince Chen said, "Why don't I go and deliver the imperial decree, and escort Miss Qin out of the palace while I'm at it?"
"Go."
Emperor Mingyang's expression remained grim.
Although the events in Jiangzhou weren't a secret, not many people knew about them. The fact that someone was already eyeing the disaster relief grain suggests something. Does it mean that a spy is in the capital?
How could he, as the emperor, feel at ease?
If those spies were to infiltrate the palace… Emperor Mingyang dared not even think about it.
After leaving the palace, Qin Su asked Prince Chen, "What is the story behind the massacre of the Wang family that Your Highness mentioned?"
She had never heard of this in her previous life.
“A month ago, a famous wealthy merchant in Yang County was brutally murdered along with his entire family. Local officials concluded the case as a revenge killing. However, Your Majesty and I both believe there are still some doubts about this matter, so we are investigating it in secret. The reason I returned late on your wedding day was because of this.”
Qin Su leaned closer and whispered, "Isn't this supposed to be a secret investigation? Is it really alright for Your Highness to tell me this?"
Prince Chen looked down at the fluffy head beside him, then awkwardly looked away. "It's alright, you're not an outsider."
"Huh?" Qin Su didn't hear clearly.
"What I mean is, you won't tell anyone."
"That's true, but Your Highness just said that matters of the court are not for women to know." She snorted, with the naturalness of someone interacting with a friend.
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