Although Zheng Zhongming spoke vaguely, Qin Wei still understood.

Qin Wei suppressed his excitement and asked cautiously: "Are you telling the truth? Is he really..."

Is Xiao Shuo really a member of the Xue family?

Didn’t all the Xue family members die back then?

Qin Wei's heart was pounding. He was the Prince Zhao, the emperor's biological brother. He could act like an arrogant person in the capital. Even the former supervisor of the East Factory had to be humble when he saw him.

Ever since Xiao Shuo took over Dongchang and came to power, he, Prince Zhao, has been suppressed by a eunuch and cannot raise his head.

Especially since the emperor trusted Xiao Shuo more than his brother, Qin Wei had been wishing Xiao Shuo dead for a long time. So long that he couldn't wait any longer!

Qin Wei swallowed his saliva, and with agitation in his heart, he sneered, "No wonder, no wonder! No wonder Xiao Shuo openly acknowledged Chu Yuanchen's unmarried princess as his sister. These two must have colluded with each other a long time ago!"

The news of Xiao Shuo's adopted sister had long been spread throughout the capital. Since he lived outside the palace, he must have heard about it.

However, Zheng Zhongming had just returned to Beijing not long ago and didn't know about this matter. He raised his eyebrows when he heard this.

Qin Wei was just looking for someone to complain to, so he told the story in a few words, and said unhappily: "...My royal brother just doesn't believe me!"

Qin Wei originally thought that he could use this opportunity to prevent Xiao Shuo from making a comeback, but the emperor didn't believe him and insisted that he was deliberately instigating.

The more Qin Wei thought about it, the more upset he became.

The emperor even summoned the commander of the Imperial Guard to question him, but Lu Lianxiu swore that there was no such thing. Qin Wei still remembered that the emperor looked at him as if he were a pile of mud.

Xiao Shuo is really good at this.

First, he controlled the inner palace strictly and concealed the emperor's ears. Next, shouldn't he make the emperor a puppet in his hands and drive him around?

"Master Zheng. You..."

Qin Wei had calmed down from his excitement by now. He wanted to ask Zheng Zhongming how he knew about this, but Zheng Zhongming had already walked past him and walked forward.

Qin Wei: “…”

He finally remembered that this was not the place to talk, so he said pointedly, "Master Zheng just returned to the capital. I have always wanted to host a welcoming party for him. I wonder when Master Zheng will be free?"

Zheng Zhongming smiled and said, "It's better to do it today than to choose a day. How about today?"

Qin Wei readily agreed.

While the two were talking, they had already reached the front hall.

A group of ministers were still waiting there. When they saw Qin Wei coming out, some of them inevitably had some concerns.

Qin Wei looked polite and courteous, and said with a smile: "My brother is fine now. You have been here for a whole day. Go back and rest. We still need you to help us in the court."

The ministers looked at each other and said nothing.

Xiao Shuo had just come and only asked someone to prepare breakfast for them. It was obvious that he had no intention of asking them to leave. How could they dare to leave!?

Moreover, they had all heard that the Anping Marquis's mansion had been ransacked.

Just hearing this is enough to make people shudder. If they go against Xiao Shuo's wishes and just walk away, what if the Dongchang doesn't copy enough and takes advantage of it to target them?

Since we have already stayed for one night, it would be fine to stay for another day or two.

Seeing that these people were just perfunctorily nodding, Qin Wei was secretly annoyed, but he didn't show anything on his face. His face froze for a moment before he said, "My Lords..."

"My Lord!"

Qin Wei's personal eunuch ran in excitedly and reported, "We've found the person."

Qin Wei was stunned at first, and then a look of ecstasy appeared on his face.

Finally found it!

He didn't bother to get angry with these ministers and rushed out without thinking, feeling both happy and nervous. He was happy that he finally found Rou'er, but he was nervous because he was afraid that Rou'er would not want to come back with him.

He clenched his fists and told himself that it would not happen. Rou'er was abducted by Zhou Jingxun! Rou'er had already agreed to marry him, and she would not lie to him.

Qin Wei disappeared in an instant, leaving behind all the ministers.

Although the emperor had suppressed the rumor that Qin Wei's future princess had eloped with someone, and it had not spread, they were in the court and could not be completely ignorant of it. They had heard some rumors, but they were skeptical. However, now, one by one, they all heard it with their own ears. What "someone has been found" made Qin Wei so excited. The person who was found was most likely his princess who had not yet married him, which meant that the elopement was most likely true.

And he left them all behind without even saying a word for a princess who eloped?

Qin Wei left behind not only these ministers, but also Zheng Zhongming, with whom he had just made an appointment to "welcome" him.

Zheng Zhongming had never been treated so coldly before, so he walked away in anger.

Prince Cheng noticed the obvious unhappiness on Zheng Zhongming's face, and his heart skipped a beat.

He was originally quite relieved to see Qin Wei and Zheng Zhongming coming out together, thinking that at least Qin Wei was not too willful this time and knew to make his feelings clear to Zheng Zhongming.

People like Zheng Zhongming and Lin Shoufu will not take sides easily. If they can look up to Prince Zhao, it will be enough to say a few good words for him in the court in the future.

But now, when Qin Wei heard that Zhao Yuanrou had been found, he just left without caring about anything else?!

Prince Cheng once again wondered if he had chosen the wrong person.

Sheng Xingan took a sip of tea silently, his heart as calm as water.

A bystander sees things more clearly than the Prime Minister and the others. What happened in Huangjue Temple was the result of someone's long-term planning, and Chu Yuanchen would surely take advantage of the situation.

As the saying goes, wealth and honor are sought through risk, the Sheng family may still have a chance to take a chance!

Sheng Xingan put down the teacup and pretended to sigh, "Your Highness Prince Zhao really only loves beauties and not the country."

As soon as these words were spoken, they attracted countless responses, especially from those who were originally ready to make a move on King Zhao. Now they had to calmly consider whether King Zhao was worth sacrificing their careers and the lives of their families.

Having said that, apart from King Zhao, who else in the Great Rong Dynasty could sit on that position? Just thinking about it makes people panic. Even if people don't say it, deep down in their hearts, they still feel confused and at a loss as they are facing the end of the dynasty.

The hall became even quieter.

Sheng Xingan was thankful that he listened to Sister Yan and did not let Zhao Yuanrou inherit the family. Otherwise, with her stubbornness, the Sheng family would have lost all their reputation.

It would be embarrassing, but what if the Sheng family had a stain? What if someone said that Sister Yan's family was of poor moral character and did not allow Sister Yan to become the empress?

Before he could even think of the answer, Sheng Xingan's thoughts drifted away.

Sheng Xing'an was not able to return home until the palace gates were locked.

Sheng Xiyan was waiting for him. As soon as he arrived at the main courtyard, Amber came over quietly to report, so Sheng Xiyan went straight over.

Sheng Xingan thought she was worried because she had been waiting for him for a long time, so he comforted her with a few words. Sheng Xiyan followed his lead and asked about what happened in Huangjue Temple, and she couldn't help but feel her blood boiling.

Chu Yuanchen had roughly told her the plan before. Sheng Xiyan knew that he would start with the students, but she didn't expect that he would actually plan such a big drama.

She felt a little regretful that she didn't see it with her own eyes.

If only she could go to Huangjue Temple today. Sheng Xiyan planned to ask Chu Yuanchen to tell her what happened next time she went to Zhenbei Palace.

Thinking of this, her eyebrows curved and a happy light flashed in her eyes.

"Fortunately, we didn't bring the Sheng family back home." Sheng Xing'an was still excited. He glared at Liu angrily and said, "Otherwise, they would have been tortured to death like the Zhao family."

After Zhao Yuanrou eloped, the Empress Dowager was furious and asked the Emperor to dismiss all the old and young men of the Zhao family. Even though the Zhao family had been through a hard time in the past few years, they still had official positions. Now that they were dismissed, they were afraid that they would never be able to recover from this.

Liu touched her nose and asked awkwardly, "Have you found Zhao Yuanrou?"

"He should have been found. Prince Zhao went there in person." Sheng Xing'an sighed, "It's fine if he can't be found, but if he is found and brought back, the Yongning Marquisate will probably be stripped of its title."

Sheng Xiyan: “…”

She was silent for a moment. Sometimes, she had to admit that Sheng Xingan was quite sharp on some issues.

Indeed, if they could not be found, the two families might report a sudden death, and the emperor would let the matter go for the sake of face. At most, the two families would have no hope of a career in politics in the future.

If it could be found, it would be like exposing this ugly incident to so many people. How could the emperor not be indifferent?

"Master." Liu was afraid that Sheng Xing'an would be angry with her for wanting Zhao Yuanrou to inherit the throne just for a little money, so she quickly changed the subject, "The other day I asked someone to go to the Zhenbei Palace to measure the dimensions of the new house and bring it back."

"Princess Jingle really values ​​our sister Yan very much. The courtyard has been renovated. When we went to measure the dimensions, the people in the palace were also very polite and considerate."

Sheng Xingan was delighted, and stroked his beard and said, "Zhenbei Palace has always attached great importance to Sister Yan. Let me see the drawings you ordered for Sister Yan..."

Sheng Xiyan listened nonchalantly to them talking about the new house and furniture. She heard that Liu wanted to save some money and only made furniture for the new house, leaving the main room and the side room alone. As a result, she was scolded by Sheng Xingan.

"Then why not, beat all of these..." Liu said cautiously, "Just don't beat the study."

Sheng Xingan: “…”

He started shouting in anger.

Mrs. Liu muttered, "It's almost Chinese New Year, it's too late..."

The Chinese New Year is coming soon.

Sheng Xiyan looked at the tea leaves floating in the tea soup and asked, "Father, has the emperor resigned?"

Sheng Xingan nodded when he heard this: "I will stop the court until after the New Year."

This is what Xiao Shuo said before they left the palace.

Sheng Xingan added: "The emperor asked the eunuch to supervise the country."

Letting the Si Li Jian, or Xiao Shuo, be the regent, was not surprising to everyone in the court. After all, it was not the first time and everyone was used to it.

Sheng Xingan even said in a good mood: "I don't have to go to court starting tomorrow." He could finally sleep until dawn.

In fact, even if the court was not suspended, most of the memorials nowadays were directly approved by the Imperial Household Department. The emperor had not read the memorials for a while, and the only response they received for the memorials they submitted was often the approval of the Imperial Household Department.

If one day, Xiao Shuo took sole control of government affairs and sidelined the emperor, nothing should go wrong, right?

As soon as Sheng Xingan had this thought, he felt a chill on his back and didn't dare to think any further.

He took a sip of tea to calm his nerves, and said casually: "The Anping Marquisate is about to be finished."

When the Anping Marquisate came to Beijing, they probably never imagined that they would never be able to go back.

indeed.

The emperor had suffered such a great loss, how could he let the Anping Marquisate off so easily? He had been waiting since he woke up.

When Xiao Shuo placed the "evidence" found by Dongchang in front of him, the emperor's face became even gloomier, and he wished he could execute Anping Hou Ling Chi to relieve his hatred.

"The late emperor was very kind to Xue Bei, promoting him from a poor boy to a marquis, and this is how he repays the late emperor!"

"He deliberately colluded with Chu Yuanchen to put the late emperor in an unjust position."

"Those students are really stupid because of reading too much. They don't even think about it. If the late emperor hadn't come up with this bad plan, how could he have killed three birds with one stone and eliminated the three worries of the Great Rong Dynasty. They only care about the present and look at the world from a narrow perspective. How can they understand how the late emperor was thinking deeply and far-sightedly!"

"Noisy, noisy, noisy!"

The emperor looked much more haggard. He covered his chest and tried hard to vent his anger.

Xiao Shuo remained calm and waited until he had finished scolding her before saying, "Your Majesty, how should we deal with the Anping Marquisate?"

The emperor had already missed the best opportunity and could no longer take action against those students. He could only pour all his anger on Anping Hou and said with gritted teeth, "I will take away the title, and I will cut Xue Bei into pieces, and make everyone in the palace slaves!"

Xiao Shuo lowered his eyelids slightly and said in a calm voice: "Your Majesty, there have been rumors about the late emperor colluding with Nan Huai to frame King Lingnan. And now, with the incident at Huangjue Temple, unless all the students in Beijing can be purged, the rumors will spread everywhere."

"It's not a pity for everyone in Anping Marquis's mansion to die, but if we kill them hastily, it will only arouse more suspicion among the people."

He said meaningfully: "It was the late emperor's intention to make Marquis Anping the heir of King Lingnan, and it was also the late emperor's intention to let Marquis Anping take care of the mother of Princess Lingnan."

emperor:"……"

Xiao Shuo had reported these rumors before, all of which came from the northern border. The previous edict of repentance had already indirectly confirmed the rumors.

The Marquis of Anping had been plotting against him, so the emperor naturally didn't want to let him go, but those nosy people would think that he was trying to kill everyone in the Lingnan Palace. Could he still say that it was because the Marquis of Anping had plotted against him first and handed the letter to Chu Yuanchen? !

One person has to be left behind to act as if nothing happened.

Xue Bei must not be let go, so...

"Leave the Madam here." The emperor's face was clouded with gloom. "Since Chu Yuanchen likes to meddle in other people's business so much, then let Chu Yuanchen take care of the Madam. He should be satisfied."

The emperor said, "A Shuo, the rest is up to you. All the property of the Anping Marquis's mansion should be turned over to the national treasury."

The emperor was extremely tired. He rubbed his brows and felt as if his body was hollowed out.

"Your Majesty, please take good care of yourself. Let's talk about the private letter after the New Year." Xiao Shuo was talking about how to explain to the world that the late emperor colluded with Nan Huai to murder Xue Chongzhi.

"Okay."

The emperor really didn't want to deal with this matter at all now. It would be best to just pretend that nothing had happened and not look or listen.

Anyway, he is in the palace and won’t go out, so whatever!

"A Shuo, go ahead and capture Marquis Anping for me first!"

"yes……"

Xiao Shuo said gently.

He immediately left the palace and went to the Anping Marquis's Mansion.

At this time, the vermilion lacquered gate of Anping Marquis's Mansion had been completely closed, and two Dongchang guards were guarding outside the gate.

With Dongchang here, other people also retreated and did not dare to approach, and would rather take a detour than pass by.

It was lighting time, and the Anping Marquis Mansion was the only place in the whole street that was completely dark. It was quiet all around, like an abandoned house with no one living in it. But if you listened carefully, you could still hear sobbing coming from the side hall.

The guards from the Dudong Factory were patrolling the entire mansion. They enforced orders strictly and there was no extra sound except the sound of footsteps.

Only in Rongfu Hall was the lights brightly lit.

Mammy Ma and Mammy Xu served the Madam to dinner, and Mammy Ma asked softly, "Madam, do you want to rest or sit for a while?"

Seeing that she didn't respond, Ma Ma understood that she wanted to sit for a while longer. Ma Ma Xu went to pour water for her to wash up, while Ma Ma went to clean up the empty food boxes.

All the servants in the mansion were detained, so the cleaning and waiting chores had to be done by the two of them. Because the old lady was old and had stomach discomfort and needed to eat food that was easily digested, Dongchang sent another daughter-in-law who had previously served in this yard to come over and make soup for her.

The lady must be the first one who can live so comfortably under the supervision of the East Factory.

"Madam Ma, I have prepared the tonic soup for Madam Dowager." Li Fangjia said with a humble smile, "Can I take it to Madam Dowager?"

Mammy Ma lifted the lid of the cup, examined it carefully, and let her pass.

Li Fangjia placed the stew pot on the tea table beside the Madam, and said with a smile: "Madam, today we have the ginseng and black chicken soup, which is very delicious. I will serve you some..."

She turned her back to Mammy Ma, and after she finished speaking, she lowered her voice and asked, "Madam, do you want to see Yao'er?"

The lady's pupils shrank slightly, and she murmured, "Brother Yao..."

Li Fangjia said in a gentle voice: "Can I take you to find Yao'er?"

She has served the lady for several years and understands her temperament best.

The lady dowager was silent most of the time, and would only react when she heard the name "Yao'er". Even the marquis' wife didn't know this.

Li Fangjia said softly, "Give me a token of trust, and I will take you to find Yao'er, okay?"

The lady stood up suddenly and walked into the house.

Li Fangjia was delighted and hurried to help.

"Madam." Mammy, who was about to take out the food box, immediately looked over with a vigilant look on her face, "What are you going to do?"

"It was because the Madam wanted to go back to her room to rest that I sent her in." Li Fangjia looked innocent, as if it was really just the Madam who called her. "Madam Ma, I have served the Madam for so many years, the Madam knows me."

She smiled bitterly and said, "I know that the current situation in the Marquis' Mansion is not very good. I also want to find a way out for myself and my family." She sighed, "If I serve well, the Madam will pity me and maybe she will bring my whole family over."

She said it so frankly that it relieved Ma's suspicion.

"Wait a moment..."

Nanny Ma wanted to pack up and go in with the lady.

Before he could finish his words, he saw the lady grabbing Li Fangjia's wrist.

Li Fangjia couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, but she didn't show it on her face. She just said, "Madam Ma, don't worry. I know what the Madam likes. Just come back after you've packed up."

The Madam usually didn't talk, at least Madam Ma and the others had never seen her talk. But sometimes, she was still a little stubborn. Madam Ma hesitated for a moment and said, "Then you should serve her well."

Li Fang's family nodded in agreement.

The lady let go of her wrist and slowly walked towards the inner room, with Li Fangjia following closely behind her.

When they got to the inner room, Li Fangjia helped the lady to sit down at the table and coaxed her softly, "I have a piece of paper here. You just need to put your handprint on it and give me a token. I will come and take you to see Yao'er tomorrow."

The lady's face was blank as she murmured, "Brother Yao?"

"Yes." Li Fangjia said patiently, "Without your letter and the token, Yao Ge'er would not believe me..."

As she spoke, she took out a crumpled piece of silk paper, spread it out on the table, pointed to the blank space below and said, "Bite your finger and press your fingerprint here..."

The lady stared at the silk paper for a long time without moving.

Li Fang's wife was a little anxious, fearing that Ma and the others would come in and ruin everything, so she simply made up her mind and grabbed the lady's hand, trying to force it.

In the next moment, the silk paper was snatched away by the lady and stuffed directly into her mouth.

Li Fang’s family: “…”

She was simply stunned and looked at the scene in disbelief.

Before she could react, the lady suddenly stood up and pushed her shoulder with all her strength.

Li Fangjia was caught off guard and was pushed back several steps, bumping heavily into the antique display shelf behind him. Two vases on the shelf fell down one after another in the collision.

"Bang! Bang!" Two loud sounds left the ground in a mess.

"Don't bully... Yao Ge'er."

"protect……"

The lady's mind was in chaos, and in the chaos, there was only a faint light.

Her remaining sanity told her to protect Yao'er.

"Don't bully him..."

The lady picked up a piece of debris from the ground expressionlessly and stabbed it towards Li Fangjia's neck as she looked at him in disbelief.

Li Fangjia was so shocked that he pushed her towards him in fear.

The loud noise immediately attracted the attention outside. Not only did Ma Ma and Ma Xu rush over, but two Dongchang guards also came in.

Upon seeing this, the guards immediately rushed forward and held down Li Fang's family. They looked at the broken porcelain pieces in the old lady's hand and hesitated as to whether they should take them away as well.

"What happened?!"

"Who told you to be disrespectful to the Madam?"

The guards turned their heads and saw Wu Ning standing beside the governor.

Wu Ning is here, is the Governor here too? !

They quickly bowed and said, "Eunuch Wu, it was this servant who was rude and offended the Madam."

"No." Li Fangjia ignored the broken porcelain pieces on the ground, knelt down directly, and said in a panic, "I, I did not offend the Madam, it was the Madam who suddenly lost her temper..."

The old lady was still holding the broken piece of vase in her hand. The sharp fragments cut her palm and blood dripped down.

Wu Ning's expression changed slightly: "Call the doctor!"