Shen Xinyan left the palace worriedly and went to the Loyalty Marquis' Mansion first. Seeing Wei Yingzhi waiting for her early after receiving the notice, she immediately put her worries aside and took her hand, saying disapprovingly: "You are pregnant, why are you still standing in such a bleak situation? You don't even know how to take care of yourself. How can Pingfu feel at ease with you like this?"

"I just heard that mother was coming, so I was anxious for a moment," Wei Yingzhi said coquettishly, hugging her arms.

Shen Xinyan poked her forehead unhappily and said, "If you can't even take care of yourself, how are you going to take care of your children in the future?"

Wei Yingzhi smiled at her ingratiatingly, and the mother and daughter walked into the house together, where a smart maid served them fragrant tea.

"Mother has already talked to the Royal Concubine and will bring you back to the Duke's Mansion to live for a while. Please tell people to pack up. We have to go back before dinner. Your grandmother can't leave her alone." Shen Xinyan stated her purpose.

Wei Yingzhi had already had this idea. After all, this child was her and Lingfu's first child, so she dared not neglect him in the slightest. But if she were to ask who she could trust wholeheartedly at this moment, it would only be her grandmother and mother.

"Madam, this is the list for next month." As the mother and daughter were talking, a maid came in with a list and presented it to Wei Yingzhi.

Wei Yingzhi took it, glanced at it, and threw it on the round table beside her: "The fifth expense is wrong, go back and recalculate it before withdrawing it!"

The old woman didn't dare to say anything, she just lowered her head and said "yes", then took the list and left in a hurry.

"She's becoming more and more like the mistress of the house." Shen Xinyan said with satisfaction.

"Mother is used to making fun of people. If they weren't so greedy, I wouldn't care so much. Although it is said that there will be no fish in clear water, but if the water is too turbid, can the fish survive?" Wei Yingzhi disagreed.

"But you can't take care of everything by yourself. You have to cultivate a few trustworthy people to share the work with. Otherwise, you will tire yourself to death, won't you?" Shen Xinyan said.

"I was thinking the same thing, and I have a candidate in mind, but I am still observing slowly."

"As long as you have an idea in your mind." Shen Xinyan was finally relieved.

While the mother and daughter were talking, the maid packed everything Wei Yingzhi needed.

Wei Yingzhi then called the housekeeper in the mansion and the steward of the outer courtyard and told them everything in the mansion should be settled. Then she and Shen Xinyan went out and got on a carriage to the Duke's Mansion.

The mother and daughter returned to the mansion and went straight to the eldest princess. They saw that the eldest princess was leaning on the soft couch, listening carefully to Xiang'er's childish talk. From time to time, she reached out her hand to stroke the little boy's head, with a face full of satisfaction: "Grandmother's Lin'er is really a smart child."

"Grandma, I'm not Lin'er, I'm Xiang'er." Xiang'er corrected her in a baby voice.

"Xiang Ge'er?" The eldest princess was obviously stunned for a moment. She squinted her eyes and carefully looked at the boy with puffy cheeks. After a long time, she looked as if she had suddenly realized something: "Grandmother, I remembered it wrong. This is Xiang Ge'er, grandma's little darling Xiang Ge'er."

When 'Xiang Xiao's sweetheart' heard this, he immediately smiled with his eyebrows curved, looking very happy.

"Mom, my grandmother?" Wei Yingzhi's heart skipped a beat and she looked at Shen Xinyan subconsciously.

Shen Xinyan sighed and shook her head, then lowered her head and said, "I'll tell you later."

The Grand Princess's condition is sometimes good and sometimes bad. When she is bad, she is unrecognizable. When she is good, she is still the shrewd and strong Grand Princess.

Shen Xinyan became more and more worried. News had already spread from the palace that the emperor was ill and the government affairs would be temporarily handed over to the crown prince.

The court officials were not too surprised. After all, the prince had gradually begun to participate in state affairs in recent years. When Emperor Yuanyou left the palace for his summer resort, all state affairs were handed over to the prince.

However, Shen Xinyan always felt uneasy, as if everything now was just a moment of calm before the storm.

A few days later, Queen Zhou, who had been gradually forgotten by the world, suddenly regained favor, and the Fengkun Palace, which had been like a cold palace in the past, became lively again.

Shen Xinyan was shocked.

The competition for favor in the imperial harem has always been a process of gain and loss. If Empress Zhou regains favor, it means that Concubine Ruigui will lose favor.

"Madam, Mrs. Fang Wu is here again. She said she wanted to visit her sick sister." Zi Yan came in to report.

Shen Xinyan pursed her lips, thought for a moment, and ordered, "Take her there! But don't take it lightly."

Zi Yan nodded: "I understand."

In fact, Fang Birong came every now and then recently, either under the pretext of visiting the Grand Princess or missing her sick elder sister. Shen Xinyan thought that once in five times, she would get what she wanted.

After all, to the outside world, Fang was just recuperating from illness, and it was normal for Fang Birong, as her biological sister, to visit her, and it was inconvenient for her to turn her away.

However, she always kept her guard against Fang Birong. Although she allowed her to go to Fang's place, she also had the servants keep a close eye on the two sisters. At least, she couldn't guess what Fang Birong was up to at the moment.

Wei Junhang and Wei Chenglin were not at home. Although Wei Chengzhao, Wei Chengyue and Wei Chengqi had been assigned tasks one after another, they had not yet reached the point where they could get in touch with the affairs of the palace.

She was always very concerned about Emperor Yuanyou's sudden illness and Empress Zhou's sudden return to favor, and could not let it go. For some unknown reason, Concubine Rui Gui had rejected her invitations to the palace twice.

And seeing the eldest princess in such a situation, she didn't dare to disturb her with such matters again.

Somehow, a face popped up in her mind, and she suddenly had an idea and slapped her forehead.

Yes, how could I forget about him!

***

Qiao Liu walked out of the store with a disappointed look on his face. He looked at the busy street. There were endless pedestrians on the road and occasional naughty children chasing past him, but the person he wanted to see was nowhere to be found.

He rubbed his forehead with a headache.

He really is worthy of being the decisive and ruthless boss Xu. If he says we won’t see each other again, he really won’t see each other again. He has finally hit a wall in this life and has to admit defeat!

"Master Qiao Liu." He suddenly heard someone calling him from behind. He turned around and saw a strange young man dressed as a servant.

"Master Qiao Liu, my wife has a few questions for you."

He frowned and was about to refuse, but suddenly he saw a jade token on the other person's waist. He was inspired and nodded in response: "Please lead the way."

Following the other person through twists and turns to a familiar grocery store, his guess became more certain. Until the person led him into the back hall, he was already sure who wanted to see him.

"Sister-in-law!" As expected, when he entered the house, he saw Shen Xinyan sitting inside waiting for him.

"Master Qiao Liu!" Shen Xinyan came forward politely.

As Wei Junhang's wife and his business partner through Xu Sumin, Qiao Liu was no stranger to Shen Xinyan, but he could not imagine why she would take the initiative to look for him.

But it doesn’t matter, he just happened to have something to ask her.

"I wonder if my sister-in-law has met Mr. Xu recently?" He asked hurriedly after sitting down.

"I met her once about a month ago, but she said she had to leave the capital for a while and would not be back in the short term."

"Did she tell me why she left? When will she come back?" Qiao Liu kept asking.

"He didn't tell me the reason. He just said that he would be back in a year at the shortest and two years at the longest." Shen Xinyan thought that he had something urgent to do and went to find Xu Sumin, so she did not lie to him and answered truthfully.

Qiao Liunong frowned, and after thinking for a while, he still refused to give up: "Then where did she go?"

"That was not said."

Although this answer was expected, he couldn't suppress the disappointment on his face when he heard it again.

"I wonder what matter my sister-in-law asked Qiao Liu to come here to ask you. Madam, please tell me directly. Qiao Liu will tell me everything he knows." He calmed himself down a little and asked, meeting Shen Xinyan's gaze.

"Your Majesty's illness is not as simple as it seems? Is there some other meaning behind the Empress's restoration of favor? But is it like this?" Shen Xinyan asked the doubts that had troubled her for many days.

Qiao Liu's face changed, and he subconsciously wanted to deny it, but when he thought of the other party's identity, he hesitated for a while, and finally nodded: "Sister-in-law's guess is right."

After a pause, he gently reminded, "Madam, don't worry too much. Just close the door and thank the guests as before. If it's not something very urgent, don't go into the palace easily. Just wait for Second Brother Wei to come back, and everything will be fine."

Seeing Shen Xinyan opening her mouth as if to ask more questions, he quickly interrupted: "That's all I can say. The situation is still unclear, so just stay in the mansion and take care of everything. As for the rest, even if you are willing, I'm afraid you won't be able to do anything."

Shen Xinyan saw that he refused to talk anymore, and knew that she couldn't get any more information out of him. She was a little disappointed, but this trip was not without gain. At least she knew that something had changed in the palace, and the situation was not optimistic.

Concubine Rui Guifei's refusal to see me may be a form of protection for the Duke's Mansion.

Now she only hopes that Concubine Rui and the Crown Prince can stabilize the political situation. As long as they stabilize it, it will be equivalent to providing the most persistent support to Wei Junhang and Wei Chenglin.

Generally speaking, when generals lead troops outside, what they fear most is probably instability in the rear, the lord drags his feet and delays the opportunity to fight!

Although Wei Junhang might not necessarily go into battle, he is still in the army. If anything happens, he will not be able to escape.

A few days later, the news that Emperor Yuanyou's condition had worsened and he was almost unconscious finally spread to the court, and for a while, the hearts of the court officials were unsettled.

I don't know when it started, but there was a rumor that His Majesty was ill in a strange way. I'm afraid it was because someone was plotting against him. And this person, openly or secretly, pointed to the "beneficiary" - the prince.

Queen Zhou in the palace suddenly issued an imperial decree to confine Concubine Ruigui to the palace. The prince offended Queen Zhou in his words in order to protect his biological mother, and immediately, rumors spread throughout the court and the public that the prince was disrespectful to his stepmother.

Soon after, more and more voices of dissatisfaction with the crown prince were heard in the court. At the same time, regardless of their motives, more and more people began to support the second and third princes.

Although Shen Xinyan closed the door of her house tightly, she also asked people to pay attention to the affairs in the palace. She soon learned about the crisis faced by Concubine Rui and the Prince.

A look of worry darkened her brow.

The reaction was so quick, and the rumors spread so quickly. She would never believe that there was no one behind the scenes pushing it. What was the purpose of the person behind it? Did he want to take the opportunity to replace the crown prince, or did he have other purposes?

"Mother, the situation in the palace of the Royal Concubine is not good right now. I want to go into the palace to see her." Naturally, Wei Yingzhi could not hide these things.

Shen Xinyan shook her head: "The Royal Concubine will not see you, you should just focus on your pregnancy!"

Since Concubine Rui Gui refused to see her, how could she allow the pregnant Wei Yingzhi to enter the palace!

Wei Yingzhi also understood this. She bit her lips for a moment and suddenly said, "Empress Zhou is back in power. Who do you think is the most proud?"

"Of course it's the Zhou family's direct lineage." Shen Xinyan replied.

After a pause, she shook her head again: "Back then, the Zhou family did not help the Empress, and they have not paid any attention to her over the years. I am afraid that the Empress's heart has been chilled. She may not be willing to praise them and give them honors anymore."

On the contrary, Zhou Mao, a son born out of wedlock, was implicated and lost his good official position because he pleaded for Empress Zhou. Moreover, Zhou Mao was much more capable than the useless brothers in other branches of the Zhou family.

The mother and daughter were discussing in low voices when Zi Yan stumbled in with a pale face: "Husband, Madam, something terrible has happened!"

"If you have something to say, just take your time. There's no need to rush!" Shen Xinyan said hurriedly, breathing hard.

"Madam, it's all spread out there. The army that's resisting the Rongdi people has been defeated and retreated one after another. They all say that the Duke is colluding with the Rongdi people, which is why General Murong's strategy of repelling the enemy has failed every time!"

"Ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous! The men of the Wei family are dedicated to the country, how could they do such a thing of treason!" The eldest princess came out on crutches at some point and happened to hear what she said. She was so angry that she trembled all over.

Shen Xinyan was worried that her body could not bear it, so she stepped forward and advised: "Don't be angry, mother. As the saying goes, the innocent are innocent. Your Majesty and the Crown Prince will not believe such nonsense. Let's not mess up and give others more bargaining chips for nothing."

"Mom is right. If grandma gets sick from such untrue words, it would be a loss instead of gain." Wei Yingzhi also advised.

The mother and daughter tried to persuade her from both sides, and the eldest princess' expression eased a little, but the anger in her heart could not be extinguished for a while.

The news of the army's defeat gradually spread. Although the Rongdi people failed to capture another city, they were getting closer and closer. It seemed that it was only a matter of time before the city was captured.

There was another quarrel in the court. Some suggested sending more troops to aid General Murong, some said it would be better to replace the general, and some said that General Murong had been fighting for half his life, so how could he not be able to defeat a mere Rongdi people? There must be a reason behind this.

Since someone has raised the question, and no one knows who started it, the arrows gradually point to the rumors that have been circulating in the capital recently, which seem true and false - that Duke of England Wei Junhang has colluded with the enemy and committed treason, leading to successive defeats in the wars on the front line.

The prince watched coldly, and when he saw that they finally pointed their spearhead at the Duke of England, he became extremely angry.

"…Treason will surely leave evidence in the form of correspondence. I believe that we must find this bad apple as soon as possible and punish him to comfort the souls of our soldiers who died on the battlefield!"

"Master Wang is right."

"I second the motion."

…

Seeing that someone finally proposed the idea of ​​searching the house, and that quite a few people seconded the idea, the prince finally shouted angrily: "Ridiculous! Searching the house of a family that has been loyal for generations just for some nonsense, aren't you afraid that this move will chill the hearts of the people of the world!"

Naturally, there were also many people who firmly supported the prince, and upon hearing the news, they joined the ranks to denounce the court officials who proposed to search the palace.

Suddenly, everyone in the hall started talking to each other, and it was very lively.

Some support the search of the government, some oppose it, but there are also many who remain neutral and reserve their opinions.

The prince suppressed his anger and watched the chaotic scene. Since Empress Zhou suddenly regained favor, he felt that both the harem and the former dynasty had been greatly challenged. Emperor Yuanyou's condition worsened and he had fallen into a coma in recent days. Concubine Rui had been running the palace for many years, while Empress Zhou was the nominal wife. For a while, neither of them could do anything to the other.

A few days later, Shen Xinyan was serving the Grand Princess medicine. The Grand Princess had been in increasingly poor spirits over the past two days. When she was awake, she kept asking about the war at the front and whether Wei Junhang had any letters back.

Shen Xinyan was also worried about Wei Junhang at the front. The news coming back from the front was getting more and more unfavorable. The rumors about the British Duke colluding with the enemy were getting more and more intense. There were even rumors that Wei Chenglin was not dead, but had secretly defected to the Rongdi people.

She felt that the Duke's Mansion seemed to be being watched by someone, and a huge net was gradually being spread out in the dark.

Unfortunately, as a woman in the inner house, she could not think of any effective method. She could only follow Wei Junhang's instructions before his departure and keep a tight control on the entire Duke's Mansion. She even used thundering means to severely punish a few servants who spread false rumors in the mansion, causing panic among the people.

This tactic of killing the chicken to scare the monkey has indeed achieved the effect, and no one dares to gossip and mislead people anymore.

"Madam, soldiers are coming!" At this moment, Chunliu came in with a pale face and whispered in her ear.

Shen Xinyan's hand holding the spoon trembled, and a few drops of medicine fell onto the thin blanket covering the Grand Princess.

She took a few deep breaths, suppressed her worries, and calmly handed the medicine bowl to Mingshuang beside her: "You wait for His Highness to drink the medicine first."

Then he said to the eldest princess, "Mother, I will be back soon. You should take the medicine and rest for a while. If you feel bored, let Ying'er come to accompany you."

The eldest princess was in low spirits, with her eyelids drooping. She didn't care what Chunliu said, but just said "hmm" and agreed.

Shen Xinyan breathed a sigh of relief, and told the maid in the house to serve her well, then she walked out quickly with Chunliu.

On the way, Chunliu told her everything in detail.

"They said they were ordered to search our house, but they didn't specify what they wanted to search for. How could the butler dare to let them in? But those people were ferocious. There was no other way. The butler could only delay time for the time being and send someone to call the lady."

Shen Xinyan paused, frowned, and after a long while, he whispered a few words in her ear.

Chunliu nodded repeatedly, and finally said, "Don't worry, Madam. I'll do it right away."

When Shen Xinyan arrived at the front hall, the atmosphere in the hall was a bit tense. On one side were several men dressed as armed guards, and on the other side were the young men in the mansion headed by Wei Chengzhao.

"You want to search the house? That also depends on whether the stick in my hand agrees!" Wei Chengyue waved the stick in his hand, which was as thick as a child's wrist, and said viciously.

"I am also following the emperor's order. Third Young Master, please don't obstruct it. Otherwise, if His Majesty blames you, I'm afraid not only Third Young Master, but even the Duke in the mansion will not be able to bear the consequences." The leading man sneered.

“You dare!”

"Brother Yue!" Seeing Wei Chengyue's face flushed with anger and he was about to rush forward, Shen Xinyan quickly stopped him.

"Second aunt." When Wei Chengzhao and Wei Chengqi saw her coming, they hurriedly greeted her.

"You all go back and leave this to me." Shen Xinyan ordered.

"Second aunt, I'd better stay to protect you!" Wei Chengyue held the wooden stick tightly and stood beside her with a firm face.

"You go in first, I have my own arrangements." Shen Xinyan said in a low voice.

Wei Chengyue wanted to say something, but Wei Chengzhao beside him had his eyes flickering. He pulled his brother's sleeve and said first, "In that case, I will go in first. If Second Aunt has anything to do, just send someone to call her."

After saying that, he pulled Wei Chengyue with one hand and Wei Chengqi with the other and dragged them away.

"The Duke's wife is a reasonable person." The man sneered again.

Shen Xinyan snorted in response: "I want to be reasonable in everything. May I ask, sir, who ordered you to come here? What are you doing here?"

"I have been ordered by His Majesty to search the Duke's Mansion. Madam, please give me some leeway. Otherwise, if His Majesty blames me, I will not do anything. But if I implicate your mansion... I am afraid that Madam will not be able to face His Majesty's wrath."

"Since ancient times, one must have a good name when launching a campaign. I wonder who in my house has committed a crime? What crime did they commit that led to a search of the house?"

"Your Majesty's intention is beyond our ability to guess. Madam, please just give me some convenience and there is no need to ask me any other questions." The man's tone was quite firm.

"How dare you! My Wei family has been loyal for generations. We have quelled internal turmoil, driven away foreign enemies, and made great contributions to the court. The Emperor Shengzu personally wrote the four words 'loyalty to the emperor and love the country' on us and bestowed the title of Duke on us. The title has been passed down for generations. How can I allow a shameless kid like you to defile it so easily!" Shen Xinyan suddenly shouted angrily.

"If you want to search the house, then go in by stepping on the corpses of Wei clan wives and the spirit tablets of the great men of the Wei clan!" She suddenly grabbed a white porcelain cup with a red plum blossom on the table and smashed it heavily on the ground. There was a crisp sound of "pop", and the porcelain cup shattered. Then, Wei Chengzhao and other young people who had already left rushed in.

Each of them held a tablet in their arms. The one held by the youngest, Xiang Ge'er, was the tablet of his grandfather, the previous Duke of England.

Wei Chengzhao and the others stood in a row with solemn expressions, staring at the man intently.

The man's face changed.