Taking advantage of the situation, the emperor issued an imperial edict, ordering the relevant government offices to strictly manage the affairs of all inns and to thoroughly investigate those who led the disturbance at the Charity Hall.
The Empress also sent Ye Zhen a plaque inscribed with the words "Truth and Goodness" and a large amount of fine silk and satin as a reward.
The two of them were essentially giving Ye Zhen a boost. If anyone caused trouble for the Charity Hall again in the future, it would be a disrespect to the Emperor and Empress.
After settling things at the charity hall, Ye Zhen finally had a chance to ask Xie Tingzhou, "You really couldn't find the bearded man?"
When the two learned about the Charity Hall at the palace gate, they split up. She went to Yunlai Inn, and Xie Tingzhou went to Shibapu.
Shibapu is the territory of the black market. Black Market Qi Si was poisoned by Xie Tingzhou and was sent to find the order person.
As a result, Yun Wang delivered himself to their doorstep, the Su family was imprisoned, and it was discovered that Su Yucheng was the one who placed the order.
Xie Tingzhou didn't go to see Qi Si, presumably because Qi Si had been tormented by the poison these past few days and was living a life worse than death.
Xie Tingzhou would not let Qi Si go uninvestigated about the Eighteen Shops, and Ye Zhen felt that Xie Tingzhou would not leave empty-handed.
As expected, Xie Tingzhou's expression turned serious. "We found out that the person is one of Li Heng's men. We also found out about other things, but I don't want to alert him yet."
Furthermore, upon hearing reports from his subordinates that Lu Xiaocao was not the real Lu Xiaocao, Ye Zhen pretended not to have found anything and had his men impersonate the bearded man.
Then, he told me about the secret workshop under Li Heng's name, "Li Heng framed the Charity Hall so easily and skillfully, I suspect that such a thing is going on in his secret workshop."
Even more, but not wanting to offend Ye Zhen's ears, he didn't say much, but he made up his mind to completely destroy Li Heng's secret study.
Ye Zhen didn't press the matter. If Xie Tingzhou could tell her, he wouldn't hide it from her. However, she thought of how Li Heng had been humiliated back then.
She laughed and said, "When you said the bearded man was fake, his face contorted. He was probably cursing that woman to death in his heart."
Xie Tingzhou patted her head and asked, "Do you regret it?"
Ye Zhen knew he was asking if she regretted doing good deeds, so she shook her head and said, "There are still more good people than bad in this world."
This is the first time something like this has happened, and it won't be the last. Although there will always be twists and turns, the charity can help more good people.
"But actually I did it not only for good deeds, but also for myself. I was able to be reborn because you contributed your merits. That dream did not tell me the consequences of contributing merits."
But I think it will definitely cause you more suffering, which makes me feel guilty. I will do more good deeds, and perhaps I can repay you in some way and find peace of mind.
Looking at the present, I'm going to be someone who stands shoulder to shoulder with you in the future, so naturally I need more prestige.
That way, if someone tries to force a woman on you in the future, I can rightfully stop them.
Xie Tingzhou, showing a strong will to survive, said, "There won't be any other women."
Su Yanwan's matter was enough to scare away some people. If there were others, he would stop them in time and never let them cause trouble in front of Ye Zhen.
Ye Zhen pinched his cheek, "Your Highness, you must keep your word."
Xie Tingzhou retorted, "Otherwise, you can smash my dog's head in."
Seeing how cooperative he was, Ye Zhen kissed his cheek as a reward.
The man, taking advantage of the situation, lingered for a while before Ye Zhen pushed him away.
"I've noticed that Li Heng has been keeping a close eye on Prince Ning and Helian Qing for some time now. Could he have figured something out?"
Xie Tingzhou didn't hide the matter of Prince Ning from Ye Zhen, and Ye Zhen had been observing Li Heng's subtle expressions all day.
If Li Heng really notices something, she needs to warn Xie Tingzhou in time so that they can take precautions.
Upon hearing this, Xie Tingzhou indeed suppressed his romantic thoughts, saying, "I'll go to the palace and won't be coming over tonight."
He has to see Vice Minister Su tonight.
After Xie Tingzhou returned to the palace, he told the emperor about Ye Zhen's discovery. "Should we send someone to protect the Prince of Yan's heir?"
The emperor thought for a moment, "He has several palace guards around him. I will also send a letter to Prince Dingyuan. We can't let Li Gou take advantage of this."
When his father finds out, he will definitely send more people to the Prince of Yan's residence. In the emperor's heart, he still trusts his biological father, the Prince of Dingyuan.
The Crown Prince of Yan was intelligent. He knew from a young age that the Prince of Yan was infertile and that he was not the biological son of the Prince and Princess of Yan. He was sent there by the Prince of Dingyuan, and even the Prince and Princess of Yan did not know his true parentage.
Therefore, the Crown Prince of Yan always believed that he was a child of the Helian family, and that those who protected him were all secret guards of the Helian family.
Seeing that he had plans, Xie Tingzhou said no more, "Then I will go and see the Empress Dowager."
Meanwhile, Prince Ning was also in the Empress's palace. The Empress was having a fox fur coat made, and he lay beside her, carefully recounting to her what had happened at the Charity Hall that day.
When Li Heng was mentioned, he said seemingly casually, "Mother, you said that I helped Lady Shen. Does Li Heng hold a grudge against me? He keeps staring at me, as if he wants to see right through me with his eyes."
He paused, scratched his head, and said, "That description doesn't seem quite right either. He looked at me, then at Helian Qing, as if he were comparing something."
He looked up and asked the Empress with a simple and honest expression, "Mother, does he suspect that there's something between me and Helian Qing? Your son doesn't like men, or does he just think we look alike?"
The empress's hand trembled, and she almost pricked herself.
Prince Ning hurriedly stood up. "It's all my fault for talking nonsense. Don't worry, I have no interest in men. I just feel that I get along well with Helian Qing. But why is Li Heng looking at us like that?"
Outside, Xie Tingzhou curled his lips. It seemed that his younger brother was truly clever, having already known about his own background and even using this method to remind the Empress to be wary of Li Heng.
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