The people in the palace who were watching the scene also had tears in their eyes without realizing it.

Shen Xinyan bit her lips lightly and looked at him excitedly, but did not move forward. She just trembled her lips when he looked at her.

"Madam!" Full of longing but unable to utter a word when he saw this familiar face, Wei Junhang looked at her and called softly.

"You, you're back..." Shen Xinyan's throat was a little blocked, and she forced a smile.

"I'm back, thank you for your hard work, ma'am!" Wei Junhang's eyes became softer. Even though he had a lot to say, he couldn't say it.

The eldest princess's gaze fell on her eldest grandson again. She had finally stopped crying but it started flowing again. Wei Chenglin felt sad and took a step forward, knelt down, and called out in a hoarse voice, "Grandmother..."

The eldest princess was in tears and could only hold his hand and nod repeatedly, but she couldn't utter a word.

Shen Xinyan wiped her tears, stepped forward and tried to comfort her softly. It took a while to finally calm her down. Everyone escorted the Grand Princess into the house. Wei Chenglin knelt down again and kowtowed to the Grand Princess and Shen Xinyan.

Shen Xinyan helped him up and looked at him carefully. He had lost a lot of weight, his eyes were bright and his face was firm. He still had a bit of coldness from the battlefield. But the tears in his eyes due to excitement washed away a lot of this coldness.

"Mother..." Wei Chenglin looked back at her, his voice trembling slightly.

"I'm glad you're back..." Shen Xinyan said softly with a tearful smile.

After a while, the young men from the mansion came to see the two men who had returned victoriously. Calls of uncle, aunt, and elder brother mixed with joyful laughter filled the house. The joy of reunion after a long separation lingered in everyone and did not fade away for a long time.

"Is this Xiang'er? I haven't seen him for a long time. You've grown so tall!" Wei Junhang bent over and looked lovingly at his youngest son who was now as tall as his waist.

Xiangger's eyes rolled around, but his little hands tightly grasped his mother's hands. Half of his body was hidden behind his mother, and he looked curiously at the smiling and sexy man in front of him.

"Xiang'er, don't you remember? This is your father!" Shen Xinyan pulled him out from behind and said with a smile.

Xiang Ge'er tilted his head and stared at Wei Junhang for a long time. Seeing that this man had a friendly smile and looked exactly like the person in the painting in his mother's room, he finally became convinced that the man in front of him was really the father his brothers had always been talking about.

"Dad!" he called in a clear and loud voice.

"Hey!" Wei Junhang laughed happily, and suddenly stretched out his hands to pick up the little guy, just like he did back then, and lifted him up high. In an instant, Xiang Ge'er's happy screams echoed in the air.

"Oh, my good boy, you're so heavy now. In a few years, daddy won't be able to hold you." After teasing the kid for a while, Wei Junhang put his son down amid the angry looks of his mother and wife.

"You've been to the battlefield, but you're still so naughty!" The Grand Princess glared at him unhappily, beckoned Xiang'er to come to her side, pointed at Wei Chenglin who was standing beside her with a smile, and asked, "Xiang'er, this is your eldest brother, do you remember him? You used to like him the most."

Xiangger didn't hesitate at all this time and called him "Big Brother" again in a clear and loud voice, which made Wei Chenglin couldn't help but reach out and rub his little head.

Suddenly, a baby's cry was heard, instantly attracting the attention of everyone in the room. Wei Junhang and Wei Chenglin looked at each other with the same puzzled expressions.

Where did the baby come from? Could it be that the third room in the mansion has a new baby?

Just as they were puzzled, they saw Wei Yingzhi appear at the door holding a big red swaddling cloth. The father and son's eyes widened at once, and they watched Shen Xinyan quickly walk over, take the child from Wei Yingzhi's arms, and start coaxing the child skillfully.

After just a moment, the child's crying stopped.

"After all, this child is closest to his grandmother. It's no wonder that his grandmother loves him so much." Yang said with a smile.

"Grandmother? What grandmother?" Wei Junhang was stunned, and then his eyes widened even wider.

"What grandmother? Of course it's your grandson's grandmother!" Yang joked, which was rare for her.

"This, this, this is, this is Ying, Ying, Ying'er's baby?!" Wei Junhang and Wei Chenglin asked in unison.

"Who else could it be if not Ying'er's?" The eldest princess asked with a smile, and waved at Shen Xinyan, "Ms. Shen, quickly bring the child over so that his grandfather and uncle can have a good look at him."

Wei Yingzhi covered her mouth and laughed secretly. It was the first time she saw her father and brother react so funny.

Wei Junhang and his son were leading troops outside, and they were the only ones who had the opportunity to send letters back. It was inconvenient for people in the mansion to write letters. Shen Xinyan was even more afraid that they would miss home while fighting outside, so she didn't even think about writing letters.

Therefore, Wei Junhang and Wei Chenglin only found out today that Wei Yingzhi was pregnant and had successfully given birth to a son.

"No, no, no, don't get too close. I'm cold and it would be bad if you frighten the baby." Wei Junhang shook his head and waved his hands, not daring to get too close to the tiny swaddling clothes.

Wei Chenglin took several steps back with a look of awe on his face, and also did not dare to get closer.

Everyone couldn't help laughing out loud.

“You said they were generals! In my opinion, our little Youan is the most powerful. He scared away two generals in one go.” Wei Chengyue said with a smile.

You'an was the nickname that the Grand Princess gave to her great-grandson. She hoped that the child would live a peaceful life, and that her son and eldest grandson from afar would return safely.

When everyone heard this, they laughed even harder.

Finally, the Grand Princess wiped the tears from her eyes and said, "You two should change your clothes quickly."

Wei Junhang and his son were embarrassed by the laughter. When they heard this, they quickly responded and turned around to go downstairs to change clothes when they heard Wei Yingzhi ask, "Dad, brother, where is Pingfu? Why isn't he with you?"

"Lin Fu has been called away by the Imperial Concubine. I think he will be here soon." Wei Chenglin replied.

Wei Yingzhi was a little disappointed, but she heaved a sigh of relief when she heard what he said, and said with a smile: "Dad and brother go change clothes, and after changing clothes, we will hug Youan properly."

Wei Chenglin pretended not to hear.

Just kidding, he would never dare to hug such a soft and boneless child. What if he fails to control the strength and hurts him? Wouldn't he regret it for the rest of his life?

Wei Junhang had the same idea. He responded perfunctorily and went downstairs in a hurry to change his clothes.

Shen Xinyan knew what the father and son were thinking, and she couldn't help but lower her head with laughter.

When the eldest son and the youngest son were born, that man didn’t dare to hug them. The same was true for the eldest son. When Xiang Ge’er was just born, the children in the mansion were all eager to hug the new little brother, but he didn’t dare to.

When Wei Junhang and his son changed into casual clothes and came in again, Lin Fu had arrived at some point and was stroking his hands, staring excitedly at the child in Wei Yingzhi's arms, as if he wanted to go up and hug the child, but didn't dare.

The father and son immediately felt balanced.

Look, even Pingfu, his biological father, doesn’t dare to hug him!

Lin Fu never dreamed that there would be such a big surprise waiting for him in the mansion. No wonder his aunt had such a mysterious smile on her face when he left just now. It turned out that she was waiting for him!

"Father-in-law, brother, look, I'm a father now!" Upon seeing their figures, Lin Fu rushed towards them, his face flushed with excitement and his eyes shining.

Wei Junhang laughed and patted his shoulder: "Congratulations, Fu boy, for having a baby An!"

Pingfu was laughing, but his smile looked a little silly.

"This silly dad." Shen Xinyan shook her head in amusement.

That night, in order to celebrate the safe return of Wei Junhang and his son and Ling Fu, a grand family banquet was held in the Duke's Mansion. From the eldest princess to the infant Zhao Youan, everyone attended. Even Fang was allowed to attend.

Although the Grand Princess did not rescind Fang's house arrest order, she would not actually impose many restrictions on her. However, perhaps because Fang had been locked up for too long, she had become accustomed to the quietness and rarely went out. She still stayed quietly in her own room, embroidering or drawing patterns. She looked so calm, as if nothing in the world could disturb her.

Furthermore, during the day, Zhou Mao went to the palace to meet Emperor Yuanyou and listened to Emperor Yuanyou telling him slowly about the punishment for the Zhou family - exile.

He knew that His Majesty was going to let his family go, and he finally breathed a sigh of relief. When he heard that Emperor Yuanyou was going to transfer him to the Six Ministries and asked him what he thought, his heart tightened, and he slowly knelt on the ground, lowered his head for a long time, and then slowly said: "I am willing to exchange this quota for the Six Ministries in exchange for the peace of my unworthy daughter for the rest of her life."

Emperor Yuanyou was stunned. He didn't expect him to say such a thing.

As early as after Zhou Wanning was brought back by the third prince, he had decided to kill her. How could the royal family keep such an unfaithful daughter-in-law? If the third prince had not been determined to protect her, Zhou Wanning would have died by now.

"Have you thought it through? If I no longer intend to take your daughter's life, will you still do this?" he asked calmly.

"I have failed your majesty's grace. However, I am brave and I hope your majesty will grant me your blessing!" Zhou Mao answered without any hesitation and with great determination.

What if my daughter doesn't have to worry about her life for now? If someone is willing, it is not difficult to let a person "die of illness" quietly. What if the third prince still protects her now? Will he really be able to defeat His Majesty over time? Will he really dare to anger His Majesty for a woman? If he can't, my daughter's hard days will truly come.

Even if he could protect her for a while, could he really protect her forever?

Seeing that he agreed without hesitation and even without blinking, Emperor Yuanyou knew that he had made up his mind.

"You must know that this is your last chance. I will not give the same person a second chance. If you give up this time, your official position will be over for the rest of your life."

"I understand, Your Majesty, please grant my request." How could Zhou Mao not know this, but he had no choice. How could he bear to watch his daughter lose her life?

"Okay, okay, okay, you really have the heart of a loving father. Since you insist on doing so, I will fulfill your wish. I promise you that as long as she behaves herself from now on, I will not pursue the past, and she will still be the third prince's consort. Are you satisfied with this?" Emperor Yuanyou asked with a sneer.

"Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty!" Zhou Mao lowered his head even more and said respectfully.

Emperor Yuanyou sneered again, but didn't say anything else.

Since returning to Beijing, Zhou Wanning has been under house arrest in the Third Prince's mansion and can no longer go out easily.

Under the suggestion of Emperor Yuanyou and the manipulation of Qiao Liu, rumors gradually spread in the capital that the Third Prince's wife had a flawed appearance due to illness, so she had been hiding in the mansion and dared not see anyone. This also explained why the rumors were so strong earlier, but she did not show up to clarify them.

After all, a woman with such outstanding appearance as her would naturally cherish her appearance more and would not let others see her imperfect side.

Of course, not everyone believed these words, but no matter what, they spread.

Emperor Yuanyou also made a ruling on the Zhou family. Except for the eldest son's family, who had made great contributions in rescuing the emperor and had never participated in the treason, all other members of the family, including Zhou's former chief assistant, were exiled thousands of miles away.

The day before the decree was issued, the former Zhou Prime Minister severely scolded his eldest son who had come to visit him in prison, and ordered him to be expelled from the family. From now on, the Zhou family would have nothing to do with him, Zhou Mao.

Zhou Mao kept his head down and let his father scold him. When he was finally driven out, he kowtowed several times outside the prison door, sobbing and thanking his parents for giving him life. This scene was seen by many passers-by. After he left in great sorrow, they found out the reason after a little inquiry.

As the news spread, the government and the people naturally despised the Zhou family even more. At the same time, they sympathized with Zhou Mao even more.

It would be better to leave such a disloyal, unkind and unjust family. It's a pity for Lord Zhou from the eldest house. He is such a noble person, but he has to get involved with such a family.

"This old man did a good thing before he died." Upon hearing this, Qiao Liu snorted coldly and poured himself a glass of wine.

Wei Junhang, who was tidying up his desk, paused for a moment when he heard this, but soon put the case file back into the cabinet as if nothing had happened, and said slowly: "Rather than saying that this old man Zhou did a good deed, it is better to say that our Lord Zhou reacted quickly and cleared himself in one go, and also won the sympathy of the government and the people. From now on, no one will dare to say that he is unfilial."

"So that's how it is. He is indeed a person who should not be underestimated!" Qiao Liu suddenly realized.

"He has never been a simple person, otherwise how could he stand out from the Zhou Mansion? The Zhou Mansion has been through so much in recent years, but he has always been able to escape unscathed, and has never made His Majesty suspicious of him. If it weren't for the burden of his family, I'm afraid he would not be far from being a high-ranking official now."

Speaking of this, Wei Junhang still felt a little regretful.

On the day when Zhou family was exiled thousands of miles away, many people in the capital went to watch and pointed at them. No one knew who started it, but suddenly a shout rang out from the crowd: "Kill this beast who sells out the country for glory." Before the words were finished, an egg suddenly flew out from the crowd and narrowly hit Fang Birong on the head, causing her to scream.

Immediately afterwards, countless vegetables, eggs and other things were thrown at them, and the officers and soldiers had no intention of stopping them. However, in an instant, the heads and bodies of the people in the Zhou mansion were covered with all kinds of filth such as rotten vegetables and stinky eggs, and they looked very miserable.

Among them, Fang Birong is the most vicious.

I don't know why, but more things always fall on her than on others.

Shen Xinyan was preparing a gift for Shen Huiran when she learned that Fang Birong had killed someone during her exile.

Earlier, because of the incident with the Second Prince, the Crown Prince and the Third Prince were implicated and imprisoned in the Imperial Clan Court, and the imperial army also suffered a series of defeats. The Chen family and the Jing'an Earl's family had to postpone the wedding of their children. After all, the Crown Prince was in trouble, and the Chen family, as relatives of the Crown Princess, had no intention of holding a wedding.

The two governments did not want the marriage to be hastily arranged, so they simply postponed it after considering the economic benefits.

Therefore, Shen Huiran is still waiting to be married at the "advanced age" of 18.

Now that the war has subsided, this marriage naturally can not be delayed any longer. The two governments have rescheduled the wedding date to the 18th of this month, which is three days later.

Shen Xinyan was naturally very happy about her niece's wedding. Taking advantage of the free day, she went to the warehouse to choose the gift herself.

"Madam, something happened to Madam Qi." Chun Liu came in with a serious face and spoke in a low voice beside her.

It took Shen Xinyan a while to react. This Madam Qi was referring to her half-sister, Shen Xinlan, whom she had not seen for many years.

Ever since Shen Xinlan came to ask for help for her husband Qi Liuxiu but to no avail, the two sisters have not had any contact since then. Shen Xinyan had learned from Xu Sumin earlier that Shen Xinlan was close to Fang Birong, and that the two of them had somehow gotten in touch with the Salt Gang and secretly made a sum of ill-gotten gains.

"What happened to her?" She closed the brocade box in her hand and asked with a frown.

"Madam Qi is dead. She was killed by Madam Fang Wu who was in exile!"

What?! Shen Xinyan's eyes widened in shock, she simply couldn't believe what she heard.

"How can someone kill someone during exile? The escorting officers are watching! Besides, why would Shen Xinlan go to Fang Birong for no reason?"

After the palace coup, Emperor Yuanyou cleaned up the court. The new Minister of Personnel Qi Liuxiu was removed from his position before he could even get comfortable in his seat and was thrown directly into prison. Not long ago, he was sentenced to confiscation of property and exile.

Wait, exile? Shen Xinyan suddenly had an idea and asked, "Could it be that Qi Liuxiu was exiled to the same place as Fang Birong, and the two met on the way?"

"Madam is right." Wei Junhang's voice sounded behind him. Shen Xinyan quickly handed the things in her hand to Chunliu and walked forward.

"Let's go back to the room and I'll tell Madam in detail." Wei Junhang took her back to the room and gently pressed her down on the couch.

"This is a very strange thing. The two teams met halfway, and somehow Madam Fang Wu and Qi Liuxiu secretly reunited. And somehow they were bumped into by Madam Qi who came to see her husband off. The two ladies started fighting, and during the fight, Madam Fang Wu accidentally killed Madam Qi."

"Right now, the government is discussing how to deal with Madam Fang Wu because of this matter."

Wei Junhang slowly explained what happened, and Shen Xinyan's face changed several times.

After a moment, she frowned: "This is indeed very strange..."

Wei Junhang reached out his hand and gently smoothed her brows, and said nonchalantly, "Actually, after careful consideration, I can more or less guess who planned this and why."

"Since you know, why don't you tell me quickly." Shen Xinyan pulled his hand down anxiously.

It was rare to see her so anxious. Wei Junhang laughed dumbly and didn't want to tease her anymore. He cleared his throat and said, "It was said in the capital earlier that the third prince's wife was abducted by thieves. Madam, do you still remember it?"

"That's natural."

"The source of these words is Madam Fang Wu."

Shen Xinyan raised her eyebrows slightly, but she was not surprised because she also suspected that it was Fang Birong's doing.

"So...was it Lord Zhou who did this today? Was it to vent his daughter's anger?" she asked tentatively.

Wei Junhang looked at her approvingly, with an expression of pride: "My wife is indeed smart."

Shen Xinyan ignored him and continued to ask: "But, Lord Zhou, you are not afraid of this..."

"What does he have to be afraid of? Except for their family, the other families in the Zhou Mansion have already completely displeased His Majesty. Especially the Fifth Madam, she is really too smart. The Third Prince's wife is not only a girl from their Zhou family, but also a member of the royal family. If she ruins her reputation, will the royal family let her off?"

"Lord Zhou probably understands this, so he acted without hesitation. The Fifth Madam's next days will surely be more miserable than being exiled thousands of miles away." Wei Junhang shook his head.

Madam Fang Wu and Madam Qi, one is the eldest sister-in-law's sister, and the other is the madam's sister. Both of them are not easy to deal with. It is somewhat self-inflicted that they have ended up like this.

Shen Xinyan was filled with emotion. She never expected that Shen Xinlan in this life would die at the hands of Fang Birong. She felt complicated.

She hated Shen Xinlan for colluding with outsiders to frame her in her last life, but failed and ended up causing Qiutang's tragic death. In this life, she just wanted to be a stranger to her, but never thought about what to do to her. She never thought that she would end up like this.

"My uncle sent people to collect the body, and her two children were also brought back to the uncle's house." Wei Junhang said suddenly.

Shen Xinyan was surprised, but after thinking about it, she felt that it was the most normal thing.

Shen Xinlan died, Qi Liuxiu was exiled, and the Qi clan wanted to avoid their family like snakes and scorpions, so how could they collect her body, let alone take in her children. All of this naturally fell on Shen Xinlan's family, the current Earl of Jing'an.

Besides, considering the soft character of Marquis Jing'an, it is not surprising that he would do this.

But...

The wrinkles between Shen Xinyan's brows became more intense.

I am afraid that these two children will be like their mother, two ungrateful wolves who are never tamed, and then the elder brother will be inviting wolves into the house.