"Yes, when the Ninth Prince had his accident, my family was not spared either. We all left under assumed names."
I sighed inwardly, wondering how many people were involved in the Ninth Prince's incident.
"Fortunately, you met later."
Lin Chao smiled, revealing his tiger teeth, and looked very honest: "Yes, Anshi can't leave now, the situation at the front is critical. Originally, I was going to go directly from Yecheng, stay for a short while, and then return to the Marquis's mansion, but after receiving a secret report, I came back."
"What happened?"
Lin Chao didn't reply. He wrote two words on the table with his finger: Empress.
"She's really persistent."
“You are in danger now. I’ve kept this from him for now, in case he’s distracted on the front lines.”
I am especially grateful to Lin Chao, who wholeheartedly taught me swordsmanship at Heqing Hall and is now thinking of Xie Yuancheng.
"However, I'm a little worried that the person the Empress sent this time is Li Zhaole. She has practiced martial arts since she was a child, and her swordsmanship is unfathomable."
I clutched the thin brocade quilt covering me: "She's the Empress's daughter, she shouldn't have been sent out, right?"
"You underestimate the Empress. The power behind her is complex and intertwined. She even uses her daughter as a stepping stone for her son's struggle for the throne. Otherwise, she wouldn't have secretly taught her martial arts. However, Li Zhaole is relatively lucky because she is deeply favored by the Emperor. I remember once when the Empress was attacked, she actually used Li Zhaole as a shield."
The sachet in my hand fell to the ground. She was Li Zhaole's biological mother. How could she be so heartless?
Bizhu hurriedly came over and placed the sachet in my hand: "Madam, just listen to it, don't disturb the pregnancy."
This pregnancy was very difficult because I had a persistent smell of musk in the early stages, and I was really afraid I wouldn't be able to keep it.
Lin Chao also chimed in, "Madam, don't overthink it. I wish I hadn't told you all this. But if Li Zhaole comes in person, we'd better prepare in advance."
I nodded, clutching the sachet tightly in my hand: "I'll start changing back into men's clothes tomorrow; my belly isn't showing yet."
“No, last time Brother Xie secretly had someone impersonate you and head towards the Northern Desert. No one knows you are at the Marquis’s residence. Currently, all we know is that Marquis Anle is not here, only the Marquis’s wife, who cannot speak, is here.”
"What should we do? Li Zhaole will definitely recognize me."
I spent so much time with her in Heqing Palace. Even though she's not the sharpest of them all, she would definitely have some suspicions.
“Madam, I’ve prepared some face masks that won’t have any adverse effects. If it really is her, I’ll put them on for you and say that you’re having an allergic reaction recently and need to cover your face with a thin veil at all times. Even if she takes them off, we can still fool her.”
"How about I just wear a mask? That would be safer." Xie Yuancheng knows how to disguise himself, so I'll just wear a mask.
Lin Chao laughed again: "That won't do. You're pregnant now. Although it's good for you to carry things, it's harmful to pregnant women."
When I heard that it was bad for the child, I immediately gave up the idea and had no choice but to follow Bizhu's suggestion for the time being.
"But why would she suddenly send someone over?"
Lin Chao moved to a different stool, closer to the seat: "I don't know who in the manor leaked the news, but the news of the Marquis of Anle's wife's pregnancy has spread, and now all sides are secretly vying for power."
The undercurrent of competition that Lin Chao mentioned definitely included the two highest-ranking officials in the imperial court, as well as some others hiding in the shadows.
I touched my belly. This child was just something I wanted to leave for Xie Yuancheng, but I never expected it to become a thorn in the side of so many people: "Even if I die, I will protect this child."
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