"It's a great event for Qingliang Valley..." Before he could finish, Wang Ruo speculated, "Could it be that the Nanyue troops have withdrawn?"
The gentleman took a deep breath and didn't offer any more prelude, not giving Wang Ruo a chance to interrupt him. "Nanyue hasn't withdrawn its troops. The princess of Qingliang Valley is pregnant."
The teacup in Wang Ruo's hand fell to the ground. "...What did you say? Say it again!"
The gentleman nodded and said, "You heard right, you are going to be an aunt."
Wang Ruo, who always held herself to a high standard of dignity and prudence, now acted like a bewildered child. "Oh, this is truly great news! Hurry up, have someone prepare some gifts and send them over. The more expensive the better. I heard that girl likes jewelry, send her a box!"
The master knew her joy, but Tang Chen's pregnancy actually came at a very inopportune time: "The current situation, this matter is kept secret even within Qingliang Valley. Isn't your publicity a cover-up? It's not too late to celebrate properly when the fruit is ripe."
At this point, Wang Ruo quickly calmed down from her joy. "...If our people know about it, there's no guarantee that others won't know. So, transfer some of the people left in Jingji over there, and just guard outside the valley. If we see any disorderly ingress or egress, we can check on them first, which will also reduce their burden."
"clear."
Wang Ruo thought for a moment and added, "Oh, by the way, don't let Chen'er and Xihe know."
"It's natural."
That was about all for the private matters. They were staying in the capital not just to see Emperor Gan Zhao's "joke". "Have you found any results on the matter I asked you to inquire about earlier?"
Emperor Gan Zhao suddenly took the poison, and it was obvious that he had been given a slow-acting poison, and it had been there for quite some time. Although Wang Ruo was not familiar with Emperor Gan Zhao, from Wang Zhen's previous description, he was very suspicious, even towards those close to him. This could be seen from what happened to Yao Chen before.
What happened ten years ago was somewhat strange. If not for anything else, then just for Wang Zhen, she had to get to the bottom of this matter and send all those involved in it to Wang Zhen to atone for their sins.
The gentleman hurried back from the market today. Besides visiting Qingliang Valley, he was mainly investigating something he had been investigating earlier. "The assassin from Nanyue has been found, but he's already dead. As for the accomplice within the palace, while we still don't know who he is, the scope has been narrowed down considerably. We should be able to find out in a little while. Also, while investigating Emperor Gan Zhao's poisoning, we discovered something interesting: Nanyue and Tianshu Tower seem to have some inexplicable connection."
Upon hearing this, Wang Ruo sneered, "Tianshu Tower? Ha, after he ascended to the throne, it really was the beginning of retribution. Even Tianshu Tower is in trouble. Have you found any clues about the owner's identity?"
The gentleman sighed slightly and said, "For now, I don't know where to start."
Wang Ruo said, "I have a feeling we can find some clues in Qingliang Valley and the Princess's Mansion. Didn't the people in Huayue Tower have a close personal relationship with Tang Chen? Huayue Tower was suddenly exposed by Tianshu Pavilion and uprooted. I'm sure they won't be willing to disappear in such an unclear way."
"I'll do it right away!"
On the other side, Shu Yang, who had been ignored by Emperor Gan Zhao for a long time, once again mustered up the courage to go to the gate of the Yangxin Palace, although she knew that Emperor Gan Zhao, her father, might still not see her this time.
Shu Yang and Liu Ying stood outside the palace for a long time before Lin Zirong came out. "Empress Zhaoyi, Father, are you doing well?"
Seeing Shu Yang coming again, Lin Zirong bowed slightly and said coldly, "Princess, don't worry. With my care, His Majesty's health has improved."
Although Shu Yang and Lin Zirong had some issues, he could finally breathe a sigh of relief after hearing her say this herself: "That's good. I'd like to ask Zhaoyi to convey my regards to the Emperor on Shu Yang's behalf. Shu Yang will take his leave."
Just as Shu Yang was about to leave, the gate of the Yangxin Palace slowly opened again, and an eunuch came out and said that Lin Zirong should take her in to see the emperor.
"Greetings, Father."
After coughing a few times, Emperor Gan Zhao took the tea handed to him by Lin Zirong and took a few sips, as if he didn't see Shu Yang. After a long time, if Lin Zirong hadn't reminded him, maybe Shu Yang would continue to be ignored for a while.
Emperor Gan Zhao glanced at Shu Yang, who was kneeling on the ground and sweating, and did not rush her to get up. He just slowly asked:
"Yao Ji, have you been doing well these days?"
Shu Yang replied, "With the assistance of the court officials, everything is fine. Father, rest assured."
Emperor Gan Zhao nodded slightly and waved his hand: "Alright, you guys go down first. I want to talk to the princess alone."
After everyone had left the hall, Emperor Gan Zhao stood up with some difficulty, walked towards Shu Yang, and helped her up with his hand: "Get up."
After Shu Yang stood up, he hurriedly supported the shaky Emperor Gan Zhao. His complexion did look better than before, but why was his pulse so weak? Didn't Lin Zirong and the Imperial Hospital say that he was much better? How could this be? "Father..."
Emperor Gan Zhao gently patted the back of Shu Yang's hand and smiled lovingly: "You are my only daughter. Although you may act impulsively at times, you are kind-hearted and value family ties. You are definitely not someone who would kill your father or your king."
Shu Yang's eyes suddenly turned red when he heard this. It turned out that he had never doubted himself...
Emperor Gan Zhao gestured for Shu Yang to help him to his bedroom. After adjusting his breathing, he whispered, "But I have no choice but to distance myself from you to ensure your well-being. This palace is no longer safe."
Shu Yang was stunned: "You mean, the person who poisoned us is right next to us?"
Emperor Gan Zhao said nothing, only sneered. He then took down the portrait of Shu Yang's mother from the bedroom and, from a hidden compartment on the wall, pulled out a jade token and carefully handed it to her. "You must keep this carefully. Never tell anyone else, not even your brothers."
The black jade plaque in Shu Yang's hand had only intricate patterns on it, but no inscriptions. At first glance, it was hard to guess what other uses it had besides being ornamental. "What is this?"
Emperor Gan Zhao shook his head slightly and said, "Just keep it. Perhaps, before too long, you will know what this thing is used for."
Shu Yang didn't ask any more questions. After hiding the jade token close to his body in front of Emperor Gan Zhao, he said, "...Shu Yang will definitely live up to my father's trust."
Emperor Gan Zhao sat down, feeling somewhat exhausted, and then continued to instruct: "You must take good care of the Crown Prince. Besides him, besides you children, I only have a few left. Alas, why do some things have to reach this point before I figure it out?"
"Father..."
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