Sheng Xiyan picked up a broken jade bracelet and examined it carefully.

It is not easy to dig out a hollow part from a complete piece of jade, and it also needs to be able to hide things. The workmanship alone can be called ingenious. The jade bracelet is decorated with delicate golden patterns of auspicious clouds, which just cover up the tiny cracks of the jade bracelet without any trace. No wonder even Chu Yuanchen couldn't see anything strange and could only smash it open.

Looking at Chu Yuanchen again, he had already unfolded the silk paper.

Silk paper is as thin as a cicada's wing. It can be rolled up very small, but when unfolded it can be as big as the palm of your hand.

Chu Yuanchen first quickly scanned it, then read it carefully word by word, and then he handed the silk paper to Sheng Xiyan.

Sheng Xiyan was stunned for a moment, raised her hand to take it, and saw the stamp at the bottom at a glance:

Qin Xiao.

"This is..." Sheng Xiyan pondered, "The late emperor's seal?"

Chu Yuanchen nodded and added: "The handwriting on it is from the late emperor. This letter was written by the late emperor Qin Xiao himself."

"The Madam did everything she could to hide it."

"Evidence of collusion between the late emperor and Nan Huai."

Chu Yuanchen had experienced mountains of corpses and seas of blood, and even experienced betrayal by his loved ones, so he would not be easily moved by anything. But now, when he held the silk paper, his hands still couldn't help but tremble slightly. This thin silk paper felt as heavy as a thousand pounds in his hands.

The lady has been hiding such a huge secret all these years.

He pretended to be crazy and stupid, sometimes lucid and sometimes confused, endured all kinds of torture, and hid the silk paper for twenty years.

A full twenty years.

After Sheng Xiyan read it carefully, she returned the silk paper to him and asked, "What should we do next?"

Chu Yuanchen fell silent. The appearance of this silk paper was beyond their expectations, and their subsequent plans had to be adjusted accordingly.

Chu Yuanchen did not hide anything from her. He shook the silk paper and showed a little sarcasm at the corner of his mouth, "I have to think about it carefully... I don't know where the lady got it from. She suffered so much to keep it. I don't want her hard work to go to waste."

That's true. Sheng Xiyan nodded silently and asked, "What about the Madam?"

"Ayan." Chu Yuanchen said solemnly, "About this matter you..."

There was a commotion outside the carriage, with many people shouting, "Spread the money!"

The small betrothal gift from the Imperial Clan Court was extremely heavy, and people from Prince Zhao's Palace followed behind, carrying several large baskets of copper coins in their hands, sprinkling them as they walked.

The streets were as busy as if it were Chinese New Year.

They had all heard of the phoenix that day. Even if they had not seen it with their own eyes, word of it had spread far and wide throughout the capital. Now, hearing that King Zhao was throwing away copper coins along the way in order to marry the daughter of the Phoenix, many people flocked to the place.

For ordinary people who could barely make a living, they didn't care whether this person was a talented woman or a plagiarist. The money was enough for the whole family to have a full meal for a day. Naturally, they said a lot of good things about her. They had never met the person, and they kept praising the couple for their talent and beauty, and for being a perfect match.

Of course, one cannot say the word "Dragon and Phoenix" casually. Anyway, no one knew who in the crowd shouted it first. Immediately, a silver ingot was thrown over. When others saw it, they also started shouting.

Then, handfuls of copper coins were thrown into the crowd.

The streets were filled with cheers. More and more people came upon hearing the news, blocking the roads completely.

The crowd gradually dispersed only after the clan government's team had passed by. Some people even ran after the team, hoping to get more copper coins.

The carriage was finally able to move. It stopped and started along the way, and Chu Yuanchen sent her back to the gate of Sheng Mansion.

Sheng Xiyan opened the car curtain, said goodbye to him, and said "don't worry".

There was a smile on her lips, and her bright almond eyes seemed to be able to easily calm Chu Yuanchen's heart.

His expression relaxed a little, his brows softened naturally, and he replied softly, "Okay."

In this life, he was so lucky to meet her.

After Sheng Xiyan got off the carriage, she went straight to the main courtyard. Sheng Xingan was on leave today, and seeing her wearing a cloak and dressed for going out, he asked in a gentle voice, "Sister Yan, did you go out today? It's cold recently, you should dress warmly when you go out."

"I went to the Anping Marquis's Mansion." Sheng Xiyan took off the cloak and handed it to Xigui, and answered casually, "The prince asked me to go with him to see the Madam."

"Anping Marquis's Mansion...Yes, Anping Marquis's Mansion has already arrived in the capital."

Sheng Xingan had forgotten about this matter long ago. After all, Marquis Anping was just a nominal title. In this huge capital city, no one would even look at a nobleman without real power, no matter how rich he was or how glorious his ancestors were.

However...

Sheng Xingan said happily: "Our eldest aunt is really a thoughtful person."

Sheng Xiyan: “…”

Anyway, in Sheng Xingan's eyes, Chu Yuanchen is good in every way now.

Fortunately, Zhou Jingxun has no vision, otherwise, how could the Sheng family have gotten such a strong support!

Thinking of Zhou Jingxun, Sheng Xingan remembered something and said, "Zhou Jingxun was released."

Sheng Xiyan still remembered that day in the girls' school, when Qin Wei pleaded for Zhou Jingxun, and she was a little silent. No wonder the Zhao Palace went to the Zhao family to perform the small engagement ceremony so ostentatiously today. It seemed that after Zhou Jingxun was released, Zhao Yuanrou loosened up.

Sheng Xiyan was not surprised by this. Qin Wei was now a chess piece on the chessboard of Chu Yuanchen and Xiao Shuo. To use this chess piece well, the water would naturally have to be made more muddy.

"He's been released." Liu interrupted, "Master, are you going to change the heir of the Zhou family?"

A while ago, the news that the Yongning Marquisate was going to change the Crown Prince caused a stir in the whole city and almost got involved in the incident with Yu Qian. But there seems to be no news in the past few days.

"Marquis Yongning gave his two younger brothers some benefits, so they stopped making trouble for the time being." Sheng Xingan added, "He divided the money in the mansion between his two younger brothers. This is really a big deal."

The Yongning Marquisate had been gradually declining in the court. It was only when they saw that the father and son of the Sheng family were rising rapidly in their official careers and were in a good position that they took the initiative to propose to find the eldest daughter of the Sheng family as a wife for Zhou Jing.

However, even so, the wealth of the Yongning Marquis's Mansion was not reduced at all. The Yongning Marquis's Mansion had rules for dividing the family property. The branch that inherited the title could get 80% of the family property, which ensured that the wealth of the ancestors was concentrated in the hands of the inheritor of the title.

"The Qian Manor is the most valuable property of the Yongning Marquis's mansion. I heard that it has never been divided among the generations." Sheng Xingan said sarcastically, "In order to keep the title for the eldest son, the Yongning Marquis really spent a lot of money."

Sheng Xiyan nodded silently.

There is only one prince, and the second and third wives all have legitimate sons. Even if the prince is to be replaced, only one wife can benefit in the end. This money house is different, as it can be taken into the hands of one's own family. In this way, it is no wonder that the Marquis of Yongning was able to appease them.

"If Zhou Jingxun causes any more trouble, the money of Marquis Yongning will be thrown into the water for nothing." Sheng Xingan stroked his beard and waited with great interest. "In my opinion, Zhou Jingxun will never be able to stay quiet."

"If I were the Marquis of Yongning, I would simply break his legs and lock him up until after King Zhao's wedding. Then he would stop causing trouble after a while."

Too.

After finally getting out of the Dongchang Prison, the man he loves wants to marry someone else. Sheng Xiyan thought silently, if there is a script written like this, Cheng Chuyu will definitely like it! She likes stories of nonsense.

Just as everyone could have expected, Zhou Jingxun's time in Dongchang Prison was like a year in a day. He finally made it out, but he found out that Zhao Yuanrou was going to marry someone else.

He was dumbfounded and refused to believe this fact, especially when he knew that his Rou'er had agreed to this marriage just to save him. He was heartbroken and secretly hated Qin Wei for taking advantage of her misfortune.

The wife of the Marquis of Yongning felt sorry for her son and said, "You and Zhao Yuanrou were never meant to be together. This is fine."

Her mind is actually quite complicated.

Originally, she looked down on Zhao Yuanrou, but that day at the girls' school, she saw with her own eyes how Zhao Yuanrou tried her best to save her son, even going so far as to ask King Zhao for help. Her heart softened.

Based on this kindness alone, Zhao Yuanrou is much better than the heartless Sheng Xiyan who takes advantage of others’ misfortunes.

If time could go back, she would definitely prepare for her son's marriage happily and would no longer complain about Zhao Yuanrou's poor family background. What a pity.

All I can say is, it's fate.

"Mom will go pick out a good one for you, one that will bring good luck to your husband and family."

"From now on, you have to do your job well and don't make any mistakes again, okay?"

"In order to protect your position as the crown prince, your father gave away all the money in the mansion. We, the eldest branch, have no way out."

Lady Yongning Marquis advised him earnestly, but Zhou Jingxun's mind was still buzzing and he didn't listen to a word she said.

Even though he suffered in jail this time, Zhou Jingxun still firmly believed that it was worth it.

At least let him know that Zhao Yuanrou has always had him in her heart, and they are in tune with each other. Now that he has finally gotten out, Zhao Yuanrou wants to marry someone else? How can he bear this?

Lady Yongning wanted to say a few more words of advice, but Zhou Jingxun had already rushed out without caring about anything. Lady Yongning had someone to stop him with great difficulty, but after only one day in custody, he escaped again and rushed directly to the Zhao family.

He knocked on the Zhao family's door desperately, but the Zhao family simply closed the door and ignored him.

The Zhao family has figured it out and must marry Zhao Yuanrou off as soon as possible, otherwise they will definitely be implicated by her.

Zhao Yuanrou was really good at stirring up trouble, and even Zhou Jingxun was almost implicated and lost his title. They were just an ordinary family and could not withstand the disaster.

Zhou Jingxun was unwilling to give up without seeing Zhao Yuanrou, so he rushed to Prince Zhao's mansion and punched the complacent Qin Wei. Zhou Jingxun was like a madman, biting whoever he caught.

The Yongning Marquis's Mansion soon received the news, and the Yongning Marquis personally stepped forward and captured him back, causing a great excitement throughout the capital.

These things were also reported to the emperor by the Jinyiwei. In the study, the inner cabinet and several important officials of the court were all there. The emperor was discussing the military performance of the imperial guards with them. Hearing this, he sneered and said, "Let them make trouble."

The emperor naturally heard about Qin Wei's fuss about the small engagement ceremony, and he also heard about the words "the dragon and the phoenix are in harmony".

"Dragon and Phoenix?" The emperor sneered, "Qin Wei is hoping that others don't know that he wants this position."

Because they don't have a prince, do they assume that they will never be able to give birth to a son in this lifetime! ?

"Your Majesty." An eunuch came in and said, "Marquis Anping wishes to see you."

The emperor calmed himself down and said, "Announce."

The arrival of Marquis Anping was silent and did not attract much attention from the nobles in the capital. The court was also not familiar with Marquis Anping. They only knew that he was the heir chosen by the previous emperor for Xue Chongzhi.

Only a few old ministers from the previous emperor's period, such as the Prime Minister, still had some vague impression of this incident.

At that time, all the members of the Xue family died. The late emperor lamented that Xue Zhongzhi had no one to inherit the incense, so he personally selected an adoptive son for him and entrusted all the property of the Lingnan Palace to the adoptive son. The Anping Marquis and his family have lived in Lingnan for many years. They only came to the capital once to express their gratitude after they succeeded to the title. This is the second time.

At that time, they were all grateful for the late emperor's kindness. Now, after the late emperor's confession of guilt, they could not help but wonder whether there was any other meaning behind his action.

While thinking, Anping Hou entered the study, greeted the emperor, and thanked him, saying, "On behalf of my father, I would like to thank the emperor for his great grace."

He raised his sleeves and wiped his face, tears of gratitude.

After Anping Hou and his family arrived in the capital, the emperor often rewarded them. He should have gone to the palace to express his gratitude a long time ago, but it was the emperor who set the date now.

The emperor sighed and said, "The previous emperor also failed to investigate the matter of King Lingnan in detail."

"The late emperor was very busy, so it was inevitable that he would fail to check things. The late emperor was very kind to my father, and my father's spirit in heaven will surely be grateful for the late emperor's kindness."

The king and his ministers sang in unison, and the relationship was harmonious.

The emperor smiled faintly and said, "I heard that you have two sons. The eldest son is already twelve years old. Bring him to me next time. The Xue family is a military family. The children should not be wasted. If they can have some potential, I will definitely use them."

Marquis Anping was overjoyed and thanked him again.

Although their family was a marquisate, it was just a nominal title and had nothing but wealth and nobility.

The emperor obviously gave his son a future.

No matter whether they are practicing martial arts or writing, they still have to have a job, otherwise no one will look up to them.

With the emperor's words, their Anping Marquis Mansion will surely prosper.

Marquis Anping was extremely excited, his face was full of smiles, and he was grateful for the emperor's grace once again.

The emperor rubbed the jade ring on his thumb thoughtfully.

When the late emperor was choosing his successor, he deliberately picked someone who was honest and obedient. Looking back now, it seems that this person has good vision, not bad.

He nodded slightly with satisfaction, then changed the subject and said, "My dear Xue, your parents' bodies are still in Huangjue Temple. I have always wanted to bury them. You are Xue Zhongzhi's adopted son, so you should also be present for the event."

Anping Hou hurriedly said, "Yes."

The emperor saw that he was obedient and said, "The previous emperor had chosen a cenotaph for your parents. It is a good place for feng shui. I want to bury your parents there. Xue Aiqing, what do you think?"

As the emperor spoke, he glanced at Chu Yuanchen in Chu's study.

The emperor had long wanted to bury Xue Chongzhi in the same cenotaph to avoid further trouble, but Chu Yuanchen insisted that the feng shui was bad and insisted on having him buried there.

Chu Yuanchen didn't even think about it. Xue Chongzhi already had an adopted son, so there was no right for an outsider like him to make the decision.

The emperor raised his eyebrows provocatively, feeling that he had finally been able to defeat Chu Yuanchen since he returned to the capital. The feeling of frustration that had been weighing on his chest for a long time seemed to have eased a little.

The Marquis of Anping was indeed obedient. When the emperor mentioned it, he quickly said, "Your Majesty, I am deeply grateful on behalf of my father. I have also been to this cenotaph to pay homage. It is indeed a Feng Shui treasured site. Your Majesty, you have put in a lot of effort."

The emperor smiled even more deeply, and thought to himself: Perhaps I should have called Marquis Anping to the capital a long time ago.

In some matters, his words as the adopted son are more influential than those of Chu Yuanchen, an outsider.

Moreover, the emperor also knew that there were still a few old Lingnan Army members in the court, and some of the imperial army generals had returned after accumulating merit in Lingnan. They still miss Xue Zhongzhi till now.

Now that Xue Chongzhi is dead, the descendants of Lingnan Palace should be able to get these people to treat them differently.

The eldest son of Marquis Anping is the nominal eldest grandson of Xue Chongzhi. By letting him join the army and let him take the lead, these old subordinates of Lingnan Palace can be made more loyal to the court. After another ten years or so, they can be completely divided.

Thinking of this, the emperor felt confident.

When looking at Chu Yuanchen again, the emperor couldn't help but smile and asked, "King Zhenbei, what do you think?" There was a hint of provocation in his voice.

Chu Yuanchen remained silent. After a few breaths, he chuckled with an ambiguous meaning, clasped his fists and said, "Your Majesty, I feel a little unwell, so I'll take my leave first." Without waiting for the emperor to answer, he turned around and left.

Everyone in the study was silent. It seemed that they had never expected that Chu Yuanchen would be so bold as to leave in front of the emperor without even saying a word. This really didn't take the emperor seriously, did it?

However, thinking about it again, Chu Yuanchen now does have the confidence.

Unless he openly commits treason, no one can touch him.

emperor:"……"

He was a little annoyed at first, but when he saw that Chu Yuanchen was unable to utter a word because of him, he felt a sense of joy rising from the bottom of his heart.

Just as he picked up the teacup and was about to take a sip, he saw Chu Yuanchen looking at him deeply as he passed by Anping Hou.

The emperor was slightly startled.

I always feel that Chu Yuanchen's gaze is somewhat meaningful.

Marquis Anping shuddered when he looked at him, and soon after, Chu Yuanchen left Yu's study.

The emperor couldn't help but ask suspiciously, "Are you very familiar with the King of Zhenbei?"

"Your Highness just came to my house a few days ago to visit my Grand Madam." Anping Hou was afraid that the Emperor would forget, so he quickly added, "My Grand Madam is my grandmother."

The emperor nodded. Xiao Shuo had already told him that Chu Yuanchen had been to Anping Marquis' Mansion.

This huge capital city is now entirely under the control of Dongchang, and nothing can be hidden from him.

only……

The emperor thought for a moment and asked, "How is the Madam?"

Anping Hou was startled for a moment, and quickly said, "Madam Tai is fine. The imperial physician just came to see her. It's just some old illnesses, nothing serious."

"That's good. Please take good care of him." The emperor turned the jade ring and said, "I have thought about it. Ten days later, you will go with me to pay tribute to Xue Zhongzhi."

It's already mid-December. If it's any later, I should put down my pen and prepare for the New Year. It's better to go before the New Year and save myself a lot of trouble.

"What do you think, my dear ministers?"

Since the emperor had said so, naturally no one objected, and worshiping Xue Chongzhi was not a bad thing.

The chief eunuch Song Yuan even said with amusement: "The emperor is really very kind to Prince Xue."

The emperor agreed with this.

Song Yuan lowered his head and filled the emperor's cup of tea, saying, "I heard that the scholars in the capital have written a lot of articles in recent days. Alas, these students are too extreme in their actions."

The emperor also knew about this.

Since he issued the edict of apology on behalf of the late emperor, those scholars and students have had nothing to do after dinner, and have written many articles full of innuendos, every word and sentence is simply unbearable to read. The emperor originally wanted to let the Jinyiwei to arrest those bold and arrogant people, but Xiao Shuo persuaded him, saying that it is better to ease than to block. Especially since this matter has just happened, if they arrest people in a big way, it will be a cause of gossip, and it will give the Zhenbei Palace an opportunity to take advantage of it. The emperor thought about it and reluctantly endured it.

When he thinks about this now, he still looks unhappy.

Song Yuan observed the emperor's expression and said, "These students only saw that Your Majesty issued an edict of apology for the late emperor, but they didn't know that the late emperor regarded Prince Xue as a close friend. If they knew that they had misunderstood the late emperor, they would surely regret it."

The emperor nodded repeatedly.

These scholars and literati only know one side of the story, yet they dare to discuss state affairs and interfere in other matters. They simply deserve to die!

That's right.

"It is better to drain than to block..." the emperor muttered to himself, and suddenly realized the real meaning of Xiao Shuo's words. He thought and said, "My dear Zheng, let's ask some students to go with us on the day of the sacrifice. Just say, just say..." He thought for a while and found an excuse, "Just say that we are writing an epitaph for Xue Zhongzhi. I want to write a book about him. You and my dear Sun should work hard to pick out some suitable ones."

He put emphasis on the word "suitable", and all the ministers understood that the emperor wanted to choose the person who had written the most articles in the past few days and who had a little prestige among scholars.

The emperor's thoughts were almost clearly shown on his face. He wanted to let these people see how much love and loyalty the royal family had for Xue Zhongzhi. When the time came, they should also write a few articles to praise the late emperor and themselves, which would at least make up for their mistakes that day.

The more the emperor thought about it, the more he thought this was feasible, and Zheng Yi quickly bowed his head to obey the order.

On the same day, an announcement was made in the name of the imperial court, stating that except for a few famous candidates in the capital, anyone who was interested could apply for the Imperial College and be selected by it.

This is undoubtedly a great opportunity for students.

As the saying goes "goods in the emperor's house", the next year will be the Spring Examination, and most of them will arrive in the capital in advance to prepare for the examination.

If he could show his talent in literature in front of the emperor, it would be beneficial to his future.

For a time, people flocked to the Imperial College.

When Xi returned from Baicaotang to pay the bill, she jokingly told Sheng Xiyan about it, and added: "...When I was on Huashang Street, I heard that many young men had signed up."

Sheng Xiyan asked with interest: "Have you ever heard that the emperor has set a date for the worship?"

Xigui smiled and said, "December 23. Those students are afraid that they will be too late."

Ten days left.

Sheng Xiyan lowered her eyes slightly, thought for a moment, then changed the subject and asked, "How's the application of the medicine going?"

"Doctor Gu said your prescription is simply amazing. Except for those who are very seriously ill, it will be effective after taking three doses. For some mild cases, one dose will be enough."

Sheng Xiyan's lips curled up.

Xigui said, "In order to thank you for the prescription, Doctor Gu decided to hold a free clinic in the capital. When I went there, the Baicao Hall was full of people."

Sheng Xiyan was slightly surprised, then his face showed obvious joy, and he clapped his hands and said, "That's good."

This way more people will surely be saved.

"Xigui, go and ask someone to prepare a carriage for me," Sheng Xiyan said, "and ask Mammy Ma and Mammy Xu who is willing to go out with me."

Xigui went to do it immediately.

These two maids were assigned by the Queen Mother. They lived in fear every day in Caicen Courtyard. Now when they heard that Miss Shengda wanted to use them for something, they almost got into a fight. In the end, Maid Ma won and got the opportunity.

So when Sheng Xiyan went out, she waited respectfully in the yard.

Sheng Xiyan smiled slightly and said bluntly: "Come with me to the Anping Marquis's Mansion."

Mammy Ma quickly agreed.

Sheng Xiyan said meaningfully: "Let me also see the methods you use in the palace."