Chapter 521 It’s Time to Get Married

Zhou Shuren held Zhulan in his arms and whispered in her ear, "Most of the list of people in the exile area was destroyed in a fire last year. The emperor also investigated the people who died this year. All the dead were in good health, between the ages of 20 and 30. The emperor was furious and asked me to check the suspicious people."

Zhulan thought that the serious criminals of this dynasty would not inherit the stigma of the previous dynasty, and she estimated that this time it would be the case, "This time, no official in the exile area will be spared."

Zhou Shuren hummed. Based on his understanding of the emperor, a purge was inevitable. "But not now. If the timing is not right, it will cause a fuss."

Zhu Lan said quietly, "I think he will be frightened by the snake soon."

No matter how well-hidden the investigation is, there will still be clues left.

Zhou Shuren was silent. It was true. The further he investigated, the harder it became to investigate. He found out about the merchants. Some of them were not related to him at all, but they had private dealings with him. He thought that if he continued to investigate, it would definitely alarm the other party.

Zhou Shuren closed his eyes. The power that had been entangled for more than a decade was too powerful. This time, he had found the right line. If he didn't catch it in one fell swoop, it would be difficult to catch the tail later.

The prince did not go back to the palace, but continued to help his father handle government affairs. Thinking of what happened this morning, the prince's heart ached. It was too horrible. Today's news seemed to have released the beast in his father's heart. He was so brave that he even wanted to slip away!

The emperor lay on his side with his eyes closed, resting. Although the palace was very quiet, his heart was not at peace. He was upset with himself. It took him more than ten years to discover such a big mistake. Many people had been implicated in these years. When he thought about how these people were trained and controlled by a powerful force, the emperor became furious.

Eunuch Liu huddled at the door, trying to reduce his presence as much as possible. He really wanted to retire and enjoy his old age. He was really old and could not bear it any longer.

The emperor opened his eyes and looked at the prince who was looking at the folded paper carefully. He felt a little better. Then he thought of Zhou Shuren, and his mood improved even more. What a lucky general! If Zhou Shuren hadn't been there, he would not have discovered it this time.

The emperor closed his eyes again, "Old Five should be arriving in Jinzhou City tomorrow!"

The prince had been keeping an eye on his father and replied, "Yes, it will arrive the day after tomorrow."

The prince has complicated feelings towards his younger brother. He is not a cold-blooded person. If he recognizes someone under his wing, he will definitely protect him. But what the fifth brother did disappointed him so much. He was too selfish and did not treat him as his own brother.

He has too much on his shoulders: a wife, a mother, and a son. He cannot abandon his other responsibilities for a brother who regards him as an enemy. He is also very hard-hearted. If it exceeds his tolerance, sorry, he will not show mercy.

He knew that the fifth son was the target and that he was seriously injured, but so what? When the fifth son poisoned his son, everything changed. This was his eldest son, the only son of him and the Crown Princess, the son they had high hopes for. Would the fifth son really do it?

The emperor opened his eyes and looked at the prince, "The daughter of the Yao family has also gone."

The prince knew, "Yes."

Poor woman. To be honest, the Crown Princess had a very high opinion of the Yao family's legitimate daughter. What a pity, she was destined to be a useless chess piece.

The emperor said quietly, "Old Five is old enough to get married."

The prince knew clearly in his heart that this girl definitely could not be the legitimate daughter of the Yao family, and he was wondering who it could be.

The next morning, Zhou Shuren went to the government office. Lord Wang had sorted out the information. "Three days is not enough. This is what I sorted out in these three days."

Zhou Shuren picked it up and looked through it. He had only sorted out the last two years in three days. "Thank you for your hard work."

Lord Wang touched his hair, he had lost a lot of hair in recent days, "It's really hard, the recent few years are not so bad, it was too difficult to investigate more than ten years ago."

This is not something that can be found out in a short time.

Zhou Shuren put down his investigation and said, "Got it, Lord Wang, just do your best."

Lord Wang, "Sir, I will go back first."

Zhou Shuren nodded, and after Lord Wang left, Zhou Shuren pressed his forehead, thinking that there were so many things to do.

In the backyard of Zhou's house, Zhulan greeted Qi as she came in. "Why did you suddenly come here today?"

Qi smiled and said, "I haven't talked to you for a long time. I came to your house today."

Zhu Lan curled her lips in her heart. What's the point of chatting with her? She knew that Miss Yao Er came yesterday, so she came here to get information. Qi Shi came here for the Third Prince. "How is Miss Ran San recently?"

The smile on Qi's face became more sincere. The daughter was doing well. She went to see her last time and she seemed to have gained a lot of weight. She was grateful to the prince, but also felt embarrassed. The Qi family supported the third prince. Qi's tone was a little depressed, "Not bad."

Zhulan remained silent and did not respond. She was waiting for Qi to speak.

Qi knew a lot. She came mainly to find out what role the Zhou family played in all this. It was very strange that the second Miss Yao came to the Zhou family.

Qi frowned, thinking of the princes in the capital, feeling annoyed, "I heard that Miss Yao II came yesterday."

Zhu Lan nodded, "Second Miss Yao and An He have met a few times, and Miss Lin met on her birthday, so she came to visit."

Qi smiled and said, "Is that so? Indeed, An He has lived in the capital for several years."

Zhulan smiled but said nothing. If Qi hadn't come to her for information, she would have found something to talk about. But she wasn't interested now.

Qi smiled dryly and picked up the teacup to drink tea. She knew it was not easy to find out. Yang was such a smart person. As soon as she entered the door, Yang knew why. But she had to come. She felt that her life was so tiring. She was like a chess piece in her father's hand. The hot tea stung her eyes. What was the difference between her and the Second Miss Yao.

For a moment, Qi didn't want to talk anymore and just wanted to drink tea quietly.

Zhulan looked at Qi in surprise. It had been a while and she hadn't said a word. At this time, the sound of a piano came. Zhulan moved her ears. It was not Xuehan playing. Xuehan's piano sounded cheerful.

Qi put down her teacup and asked, "Is this what Miss Zhou said?"

This shouldn't be the case. Miss Zhou is a child who has both parents and was brought up with great love. How could she play such sad and depressing piano music?

Zhu Lan said, "It wasn't Xue Han who played it, it was Wu Ning who played it."

Qi was silent. The young lady who was fostered in the Zhou family was already emotionally unstable, and after hearing the piano music, she became even more depressed.

Qi stood up and said, "I won't bother you any more. I'll go back first."

Zhulan stood up and said, "I'll take you there."

Qi smiled and said, "Okay."

Zhulan saw Qi off, and when she came back she followed the sound of the piano to the garden. It was already autumn, and it had rained heavily last night. The weather was very cold today, so Wu Ning sat in the pavilion and played the piano.

The suppressed piano music coupled with the falling autumn leaves sound even more desolate.

A gust of wind blew by, and Zhulan frowned and walked quickly to the pavilion. When she got inside the pavilion, Wu Ning's face turned pale. She had been tapping for a while, and her fingertips were red and swollen.

Wu Ning sensed her aunt's anger and stood up hastily, "Auntie."

Zhulan looked at the stone bench. Wu Ning didn't even use the cushion. Zhulan questioned Mrs. Wei with a sullen face, "How do you take care of the young lady?"

Mrs. Wei bowed her head and admitted her fault, "I am willing to accept the punishment."

(End of this chapter)