"Do you know if it's only our house that's under siege?" Shen Xinyan asked.

"It's not just our mansion. All the mansions on this street have been surrounded. I think they just want to trap the people in each mansion and not allow them to enter or leave at will."

Shen Xinyan forced herself to breathe a sigh of relief. As long as no one was hurt, it was not her turn to worry about the rest.

Fortunately, Wei Chengzhao and other young people returned home early in the morning, which made people feel relieved.

Something has changed in the palace, and this night is destined to be an unfair night.

"Second sister-in-law, what happened? I heard that soldiers have surrounded our house." Yang came over in a hurry, with sweat stains on her forehead.

"I don't know either. Now the soldiers are just surrounding the mansion and haven't taken any other actions. There shouldn't be any problem for now." Shen Xinyan replied.

Yang frowned, "These are truly troubled times. There has not been a moment of ease in the past year. The soldiers are surrounding the mansion. Could it be that the person in charge of the palace is going to be replaced?"

She said the last sentence in a low voice.

"Be careful, there are ears on the other side of the wall." Shen Xinyan made a gesture to keep quiet and shook her head in disapproval. Seeing Yang pat her mouth and smile apologetically, she slowly said, "It is not our turn to take care of the affairs in the palace. Just wait patiently."

"I've been feeling very nervous lately. Finally a happy event happened today, but before I could even catch my breath, trouble broke out outside again!" Yang sighed.

"When the Duke and his son come back, we'll hold a grand wedding for Zhao'er to wash away all the bad luck." Shen Xinyan said with a smile.

Seeing her relaxed expression, as if she was not worried at all about what was happening outside, Yang unconsciously relaxed a lot as well. Upon hearing her words, she smiled and said, "In that case, let Zhao Ge'er come and kowtow to his second aunt some other day."

"But you are the smartest one. Since you accepted his gift, I will go all out to host a grand ceremony for him!" Shen Xinyan joked.

Yang was so happy that she laughed: "It's more than just a big celebration, the gift for your second aunt can't be too small!"

"Oh, so you're here to ask for a gift on behalf of Zhao Ge'er!" Shen Xinyan said jokingly.

The two chatted and laughed for a while, and then Yang felt reassured and left.

Shen Xinyan thought about it and was afraid that the Grand Princess would worry, so she changed direction and went to the Grand Princess.

When she entered, she didn't see the Grand Princess. After asking the maid, she found out that the Grand Princess had gone to the small Buddhist temple. She simply went back to the small Buddhist temple and waited until the Grand Princess finished reciting the sutra before she went forward to help her up.

"You've been tired all day, so you should go back and rest. I'm old, and I've seen all kinds of storms. When the previous emperor ascended the throne, the capital was also in turmoil. It doesn't matter that the soldiers just surrounded our house tonight."

"It's better if they surround us! Surrounding us means they have no intention of harming us, and they don't want us to be involved in the incident. I think all the mansions of the famous princes and ministers in the court have been surrounded." The Grand Duke sat down and said calmly.

"After all, my mother is well-informed, unlike my daughter-in-law. I was almost scared to death when I heard Zi Yan say that just now." Shen Xinyan said with a sigh.

The eldest princess smiled and patted the back of her hand, saying kindly, "Go back! Even if the sky falls, there will be tall people to hold it up. We are just women. Even if we are willing, we are powerless to deal with things outside. Why bother worrying about making yourself uneasy?"

Shen Xinyan agreed, helped her back to her room, and helped her wash up with the maid before saying goodbye.

But she did not go back to her room, but turned around to check on her little grandson. Seeing the little baby sleeping soundly, she could not help but poke the red little face with her fingertips.

Grandma Rongsheng, this feeling is so new, as if not long ago her daughter was still a little girl who loved to act coquettishly, was impulsive and extremely protective. She still remembers that the little girl was like a little tiger in anger, protecting Lin Fu tightly and not letting anyone drive him away.

In the blink of an eye, the little girl has grown up, got married and had children.

Her mind was focused on the baby in the cradle, so she naturally paid less attention to the bloody storm outside, and her heart gradually calmed down.

When Chunliu came over, she was shocked to realize that she had been sitting like this for almost the entire night.

"Madam is really easy to find. Fourth aunt has woken up and wants to see the child!" Chunliu said helplessly.

Shen Xinyan stood up and rubbed her sore shoulders. Seeing this, Chunliu hurried forward to massage her shoulders.

Naturally, the wet nurse who came in took the child out.

"Has Ying'er had her meal yet?" Shen Xinyan asked.

"I used it, and I woke up crying hungry."

"What's going on outside? Is there any news?" Shen Xinyan asked again.

"All doors in the mansion are locked tightly, and people are arranged to keep an eye on the movements outside the door. At the moment, there is no unusual sound. I think those officers and soldiers are still surrounding the palace tightly, nothing else."

However, when the sky turned pale, the soldiers outside the mansion withdrew quietly. Shen Xinyan's tense nerves suddenly relaxed, and he ordered people to go outside to find out what happened.

"It is said that some traitors broke into the palace and tried to force the emperor to abdicate. Unexpectedly, His Majesty had already made sufficient preparations and arrested all the thieves and put them in jail." The guard who went to get the news came back soon and told the story in simple terms.

"Are the people who surrounded the mansion yesterday really from the government?" Shen Xinyan asked.

"He is indeed a government official." the guard replied.

Shen Xinyan let him go without asking any more questions.

Inside the palace, Emperor Yuanyou sat on the throne with a rather grim look on his face, until Qiao Liu came in and reported that all the remnants of Prince Cheng had been arrested, and then his expression softened a little.

"Have there been any fish that slipped through the net?" he asked worriedly.

"Leave no one behind."

Emperor Yuanyou nodded, then sneered: "As a member of the royal family, he colluded with foreign enemies for his own selfish interests, causing the court and the people to lose everything. For such a person, even if he dies a hundred times, it is not enough!"

No wonder Rongdi was able to quickly capture two cities in the beginning. King Cheng was a general in his time and had a certain understanding of the court's border defense arrangements. When the prince of Cheng defected to the foreign enemy, he naturally leaked these things.

Fortunately, he didn't know much, so after Rongdi attacked two cities in a row, the offensive slowed down when they reached the third city.

"I will not let any of them go this time, and I will make sure they all lose their heads!"

These are all hidden dangers left over from cutting the weeds without removing the roots. This time he must dig out all the cancer!

He took a deep breath and asked Heizi on the other side: "How is Zhou Mao's injury?"

"The wounds are very serious, but they are not life-threatening."

"This time, thanks to him for protecting me in time, otherwise I would be dead!" Emperor Yuanyou was somewhat relieved.

Qiao Liu raised his eyebrows, thinking that Zhou Mao was indeed a smart and decisive man. No wonder that old wily Wei Junhang never dared to underestimate him.

Queen Zhou colluded with Prince Cheng and attempted to force the emperor to abdicate, a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of the clan. However, Zhou Mao stood firm from the beginning and drew a clear line between himself and them. Now, when the Zhou family was about to be liquidated, he made the contribution of saving them.

With this great achievement, at least his family was saved.

Such a shrewd man, with a clear mind, decisive in his actions, and loyal to Your Majesty. Even though Your Majesty now hates Zhou to the extreme, he still shows mercy to him.

It's a pity that such a smart man has too many people around him who hold him back, including his biological father, stepmother, brothers, and even his wife and daughter.

Otherwise, with his talent, why would he be limited to the position of Minister of the Temple of the Goddess of Mercy, and sit in the position for so many years without moving an inch?

In the days that followed, Shen Xinyan received daily reports of which officials had been thrown into prison and which had their homes confiscated. Among them was the former Prime Minister Zhou and his two legitimate sons and two illegitimate sons.

It can be said that except for the eldest son Zhou Mao, who was born out of wedlock, no one in the Zhou family was spared, even including Queen Zhou in the palace.

Also implicated was Fang and Fang Birong's maiden family, the Pingliang Marquis Mansion.

Looking at Fang, who was kowtowing desperately to the Grand Princess and asking her to plead for her family, Shen Xinyan had a complicated look in her eyes.

Fang soon saw her and rushed over crying. She grabbed her skirt and said, "Second sister-in-law, all the mistakes in the past were my fault. I am too embarrassed to ask for your forgiveness. I only ask you to say a few good words to the Royal Concubine and at least save my father's life. I beg you..."

As he spoke, he kowtowed to Shen Xinyan.

Shen Xinyan quickly held her back and stopped her from knocking: "Sister-in-law, please don't do this. The noble concubine is a woman in the deep palace. How can she interfere in the affairs of the previous dynasty?"

"I just ask her to say a few good words to His Majesty on behalf of my father and spare his life." Fang said hurriedly.

"If it's something else, I would have no problem going to the Imperial Concubine for help. But now it's involved in treason, and His Majesty looks like he intends to punish me severely, so it's hard to say anything." Shen Xinyan said with embarrassment.

The eldest princess sighed and said, "Ms. Shen is right. Your Majesty is furious. To ask for mercy now would be like walking into a gun. Don't worry too much. Your father was only imprisoned, unlike the others who were beheaded, exiled, or had their property confiscated. This shows that his crime is not serious. Your Majesty will not take his life."

"Really?" Fang asked with trembling lips and tearful eyes.

"Why would your mother lie to you? Get up quickly. It would be bad if the children saw you." Shen Xinyan helped her up.

Fang stood up with her own strength, and kept muttering things like "It's okay, it's okay" and so on. It was unclear whether she was trying to convince others or herself.

Shen Xinyan felt a little sympathetic. It was not a blessing at all to have such relatives with limited talents and knowledge who were unwilling to submit to others.

She thought that the only truly intelligent person in the Pingliang Marquis's Mansion was Fang.

A great purge began in the former dynasty and the harem, and countless people were dealt with every day. For a time, people in the court and the country were in panic, especially those officials who survived. They were grateful to have saved themselves, but they could not help feeling sad.

After this incident, only one or two out of five ministers in the court left. Seeing those ministers with whom they had some friendship or who always loved to confront each other disappear in the Golden Palace, the rest of them were filled with mixed emotions and felt sad.

Emperor Yuanyou looked down at Empress Zhou, who was now sitting on the ground with no trace of her former elegance, and said calmly, "For the sake of our past friendship, I will leave you with an intact body today."

"Really? In that case, I really have to thank Your Majesty for your grace." After experiencing the fear that night, when the moment of death came, Queen Zhou actually breathed a sigh of relief.

Life or death was already a foregone conclusion, and it was useless for her to worry.

However, when she saw the undisguised disgust on Emperor Yuanyou's face, her heart trembled.

If she had married into Prince Cheng's mansion honestly and stopped coveting those who did not belong to her, would the outcome today be different?

"I forgot to tell you that the man you served, I have already ordered his body to be torn into pieces, and his crimes of colluding with foreign enemies and bringing the Rongdi people into the pass have been made public to the world. Now, the line of King Cheng has been despised by all the people, and they will not be able to rest in peace even after death."

"No, I was wrong. They are no longer members of the royal family. The emperor's uncle has officially expelled them from the family! Now they are nothing but lonely ghosts without any foundation. If you had left faster, you could still be a pair of lovers with that person."

Queen Zhou was pale as she tried to keep her eyes open as she looked at him. Was this man in front of her, who was full of murderous intent and extremely disgusted with her, really the one she had wanted to marry even after abandoning Prince Cheng?

Even though she did have a desire for power when she married him, she also had feelings of love for him.

"Someone, give Zhou a three-foot piece of white silk!" Emperor Yuanyou didn't want to see her again, so he turned around and gave the order loudly.

As soon as he finished speaking, the eunuch who had been waiting outside the hall came in with his hands holding neatly folded white silk.

Queen Zhou looked as pale as death, but she asked unwillingly, "After all these years, is it possible that you have no feelings for me at all?"

"No! If it weren't for your plan, I would never have accepted you as my wife." Emperor Yuanyou answered coldly, and then he strode out of the hall.

"Please come to the funeral of Her Majesty!" The eunuch's shrill voice echoed in the hall. Queen Zhou looked at the figure that was getting farther and farther away from her with despair in her eyes. When the white silk was entangled around her neck, she did not struggle, but still stared at the direction where the person disappeared outside the hall.

Breathing became more and more difficult, and she finally struggled violently, grabbing the white silk around her neck with both hands, as if she wanted to tear it off, but she gradually lost all her strength.

Her consciousness became more and more blurred. In a trance, she saw again the beautiful couple in the Bi Bo Pavilion, accompanied by the zither and flute. The tenderness and love lingering around them, even though she was far away, she could still feel it deeply.

She thought enviously, if only that person could treat her like this.

But the next moment, the scene of Prince Cheng lying in a pool of blood appeared before her eyes again. She murmured again: Wrong, everything is wrong. She should not have been greedy for things that did not belong to her, but should have worked hard to manage her own happiness...

After a long time, her hand holding the white silk finally dropped down powerlessly.

"The Empress has passed away!" Less than a moment later, the eunuch's voice was heard.

Concubine Rui Gui stood by the window, staring blankly into the distance. When the news of the Queen's death came, she just said lightly, "I know." The palace maid couldn't guess what she was thinking, and didn't dare to say anything. She bowed and retreated.

Dead? Well, living is nothing but torture, it would be better to die and put an end to it all.

She knew she should be happy, because from then on this harem truly became her world. The imperial edict appointing her as empress was placed in Yu's study and had been there for so many years.

She thought, perhaps she should have opened the edict long ago.

Her fight with Zhou ended with her complete victory.

But did she really win? What did she get? The throne of queen? Countless wealth and glory? She curled her lips bitterly and raised her hand to gently cover her eyes.

These eyes, which were said to be as clear as a child's, had long since become cloudy after so many killings. She also used those shady methods with great skill.

"My Lady, there's a letter from the Marquis!"

She was stunned for a moment, and the indifference on her body disappeared immediately: "Bring it here for me to have a look."

She thought that no matter how bumpy the road ahead would be, she could keep going without hesitation, for the people she cared about.

When the gate of the Duke of England's Mansion opened again, it was time for the army to return home.

The mansion was no longer dull as before and became filled with joy. From the Grand Princess to the ordinary housemaids, everyone stretched their necks, waiting for the return of the male owner of the mansion.

"Where are they? Why haven't they come back yet?" The eldest princess waited and waited, but her son and grandson did not return, and she became anxious.

"It's still early, still early. We have just entered the city gate and now we have to go into the palace. I'm afraid it will take some time before we can return home." Wei Chengyue, who had gone out to get information a long time ago, ran back in a flash. When he heard her ask this, he quickly answered.

The eldest princess had no choice but to suppress her inner anxiety and let Shen Xinyan help her into the house and sit down.

"The last time I looked forward to their victorious return was many years ago." The eldest princess's face was full of nostalgia, but she heard Shen Xinyan and Yang and others present have slightly changed expressions.

Because they all knew that this father and son could not refer to Wei Junhang and Wei Chenglin, because it was the first time that Wei Chenglin led troops to fight, and it was impossible that he had done so many years ago.

Shen Xinyan and Yang looked at each other and saw worry in each other's eyes.

The eldest princess had obviously gotten much better during this period of time and had not had any stupid episodes again, but she unexpectedly had one again today.

"Brother Lin has achieved such success in his first battle to kill the enemy. He is no worse than his great uncle back then. He truly deserves to be raised by his grandfather." Yang paused and said with a smile.

"Not bad, not bad. This child is very ambitious and has lived up to his grandfather's years of hard work." The eldest princess nodded repeatedly with a smile.

Shen Xinyan and Yang looked at each other again.

Is this...recovery?

The eldest princess had no idea what these two people were thinking. She had already turned around happily to tease the great-grandson that Wei Yingzhi had just brought in.

Wei Junhang was also eager to return home at this time, and he didn't pay much attention to Emperor Yuanyou's question. Wei Chenglin beside him was the same. Emperor Yuanyou was angry and amused. Finally, he waved his hand helplessly and said, "Forget it, you and your son should go back to the mansion. I think your aunt is waiting anxiously."

The two of them bowed hastily and left. After leaving the hall, they saw Zhou Mao walking towards them led by a eunuch.

Zhou Mao also saw them, paused, and said lightly: "Congratulations to the Duke and the Crown Prince for their victorious return."

"Thank you very much!" Wei Junhang seemed not to notice his indifference and replied politely.

Wei Chenglin, on the other hand, had a look of hesitation and a bit of guilt that he could not conceal. He bowed respectfully and said, "Master Zhou."

Zhou Mao just glanced at him, said nothing more, and strode into the hall.

It was extremely difficult for him to treat the Wei father and son with a normal attitude, especially when he thought of his daughter who was under house arrest. His heart was bleeding.

Everything that happened today was caused by Wei Chenglin. If it weren’t for him, my daughter wouldn’t have ended up like this!

He took a deep breath, suppressed his anger, and knelt down in front of Emperor Yuanyou on the throne: "Your Majesty, I, Zhou Mao, pay my respects to you!"

On the way out of the palace, Wei Junhang glanced at his son beside him, as if he could understand his thoughts. After a moment, he reached out and patted his shoulder, but did not say a word.

Wei Chenglin felt his father's silent comfort, and the inexplicable feelings in his heart suddenly dissipated a lot. He called out softly, "Father."

"Go back, your grandmother and mother are still waiting for us!"

"Um."

It was already unclear who was right and who was wrong in the matter between the eldest son and the girl from the Zhou family. The girl from the Zhou family was wrong, but was the eldest son not wrong? In the final analysis, it was just a matter of whose child was loved more.

And he is just a selfish father after all.

"The Duke is back, the Crown Prince is back! The Duke is back, the Crown Prince is back!" The servants' joyful shouts spread from one floor to another, causing Shen Xinyan in the house to suddenly stand up. She didn't even care about the Grand Princess and rushed out at a rapid pace.

Instead, Yang smiled and helped the eldest princess up, then supported her and followed closely behind Shen Xinyan.

Shen Xinyan stood in the corridor, looking out the door excitedly, until a pair of men in armor gradually appeared in the distance. Her eyes finally turned red, and she stared closely at the man walking in front of her.

The man walked steadily but a little impatiently, as if he had also seen her. He actually staggered, and the person next to him had to support him. But the next moment, he pushed away the arm that was supporting him, walked even faster, and walked over eagerly.

Wei Chenglin looked at his father who was walking faster and faster, then looked at his grandmother and mother who were waiting eagerly in the corridor, pursed his lips tightly, and then quickly followed his father's figure.

"Mother, the unfilial son Junhang is back!" Wei Junhang walked in front of the Grand Princess, knelt down with a "thump", and said in a choked voice.

The eldest princess, with tears in her eyes and trembling hands, went to help him up: "Okay, it's good that you're back, it's good that you're back!"