Shen Xinyan went out of the palace worriedly, first to the Zhongyi Hou Mansion, and seeing Wei Yingzhi who had been waiting for the notification early, she immediately put her worries aside for the time being, took her hand and said disapprovingly, "They are all people with bodies. Why are you still standing here? You don't take care of yourself at all, how can Yunfu feel at ease like you?"

"Didn't I hear that my mother is coming over, so I was in a hurry?" Wei Yingzhi hugged her arm and said coquettishly.

Shen Xinyan poked her forehead angrily: "I can't even take care of myself, how will I take care of the children in the future?"

Wei Yingzhi smiled flatteringly at her, and the mother and daughter entered the house hand in hand, and her own smart girl served tea.

"My mother has already told the noble concubine, I will take you back to the imperial mansion for a while, you order someone to clean up, we have to go back before dinner, your grandmother can't be separated from her." Shen Xinyan said that she was here.

Wei Yingzhi had already had this idea. After all, this child was her and Yunfu's first child, so she didn't dare to ignore it, but if anyone could trust her wholeheartedly at this time, only her grandmother and Mother is kissed.

"Madam, this is the list for next month." The mother and daughter were talking when a woman walked in with the list and presented it to Wei Yingzhi.

Wei Yingzhi took it and glanced at it and threw it on the round table aside: "The fifth item of expenses is wrong, go back and recalculate it and then withdraw it!"

The old woman didn't dare to say anything else, she lowered her head and said "yes", took the list and hurriedly backed out.

"It's more and more like a mistress of the house." Shen Xinyan said happily.

"Mother is used to making fun of people. If they weren't too greedy, I wouldn't care about it. Although the water is clear, there will be no fish, but if the water is too turbid, can the fish survive?" Wei Yingzhi Quite a bit unconvinced.

"It's just that you can't handle everything by yourself. You have to train a few people you can trust and share the burden. Otherwise, won't you exhaust yourself to death?" Shen Xinyan said.

"I'm thinking the same way, and I have a candidate in my heart, but I'm still slowly observing it now."

"It's good if you have an idea in mind." Shen Xinyan finally felt relieved.

While the mother and daughter were talking, the maid packed everything Wei Yingzhi needed.

Wei Yingzhi called the housekeeper's maid and the housekeeper of the outer court again, and explained everything in the house properly, and then went out with Shen Xinyan and got on a carriage to the Guogong's house.

The mother and daughter returned to the mansion and went straight to the eldest princess. They saw that the eldest princess was leaning on the soft couch, listening carefully to Brother Xiang's childish words, and reaching out to caress the little guy's head from time to time. Guazi, with a face full of relief: "Grandma's brother Lin is really a smart child."

"Grandmother, I'm not Brother Lin, I'm Brother Xiang." Brother Xiang corrected her in a milky voice.

"Brother Xiang?" The eldest princess was obviously stunned for a moment, squinting her eyes and carefully looking at the little guy with his bulging cheeks. After a long time, she suddenly realized: "It's the grandmother who remembered it wrong, this is Brother Xiang, Grandmother's careful Ganxiang brother."

Hearing "Xiang Xiaoxingan", he immediately smiled so much that his brows and eyes were ecstatic.

"Mother, grandmother?" Wei Yingzhi's heart skipped a beat and looked at Shen Xinyan subconsciously.

Shen Xinyan sighed, shook her head, and lowered her head: "I'll tell you later."

The situation of the eldest princess is good and bad. When it is bad, no one even recognizes it. When it is good, it is still the shrewd and strong princess.

Shen Xinyan became more and more worried, and news had already spread from the palace, only that His Majesty's dragon body was ill, and for the time being, he would hand over the affairs of the state to the prince.

The courtiers are not too surprised. After all, the prince has gradually begun to participate in political affairs in recent years. When Emperor Yuanyou left the palace and went to the summer resort, all the affairs of the court were handed over to the prince.

However, Shen Xinyan always felt uneasy in her heart, as if all this was just a moment of calm before the storm came.

A few days later, Queen Zhou, who was gradually forgotten by the world, suddenly regained her favor, and the Fengkun Palace, which used to be like a cold palace, became lively again.

Shen Xinyan was shocked.

Competing for favor in the harem is one thing and another. If Queen Zhou regains her favor, it means that Concubine Ruigui is about to fall out of favor.

"Madam, Mrs. Fang Wu is here again, saying she wants to visit her sick sister." Ziyan came in to report.

Shen Xinyan pursed her lips, thought for a while, and ordered, "Take her there! Just don't take it lightly."

Ziyan nodded: "I understand."

As a matter of fact, Fang Birong has been coming to the door every now and then, either in the name of visiting the eldest princess or in the name of missing the eldest sister who is sick. Shen Xinyan pondered that there would be one time in five times as she wished.

After all, to the outside world, Mrs. Fang was just recuperating from illness. As her sister-in-law, Fang Birong came to visit her sister.

However, regarding the other party Bi Rong, she always maintained her vigilance. Although she was allowed to go to Fang's place, she kept the servants watching the two sisters closely. At least, she still can't guess Fang Birong's idea.

Wei Junhang and Wei Chenglin were not in the mansion. Although Wei Chengzhao, Wei Chengyue and Wei Chengqi had errands one after another, they had not reached the point where they could get in touch with the affairs of the palace.

She has always been very concerned about Emperor Yuanyou's sudden ailment and Empress Zhou's sudden return to favor, and she can't let it go. For some reason, Concubine Rui Gui had already dismissed her post on entering the palace asking for safety twice in succession.

In the situation of the eldest princess, she did not dare to disturb her with this kind of thing.

For some reason, a face appeared in her mind, and she slapped her forehead in a flash.

Yes, how could forget him!

Qiao Liu came out of the store with a face full of disappointment and looked at the bustling street. There were endless pedestrians on the road. Occasionally, naughty children chased by him, but the person he wanted to see was never found.

He rubbed his forehead with a headache.

He really deserves to be the head of Xu Da, who is decisive and decisive. If he says that he will never meet again, he will never meet again.

"Master Qiao Liu." He suddenly heard someone calling him from behind. He turned around and saw a strange young man dressed as a servant.

"Master Qiao Liu, my wife has a few words to ask you."

He frowned, and was about to refuse, when he suddenly saw a jade plaque on the other side's waist, his mind moved, and he nodded in response: "Please lead the way."

Following the other party's twists and turns to a familiar grocery store, the guess in his heart was a little more certain, until the one who led him into the back hall, he could already be sure who was going to see him. .

"Mrs. Sister-in-law!" Sure enough, when she entered the room, she saw Shen Xinyan sitting inside waiting for her.

"Master Qiao Liu!" Shen Xinyan greeted her politely.

As Wei Junhang's wife, and because of Xu Sumin's relationship, he became a business partner. Qiao Liu was no stranger to Shen Xinyan, but he couldn't think of the other party taking the initiative to find out what he was doing.

But it doesn't matter, it just so happens that he has something to ask her.

"I don't know if Mrs. Sister-in-law has seen the head of Xu recently?" After taking his seat, he asked hastily.

"I saw her once about a month ago, but she said she was going to leave the capital for a while and would not be back in the short term."

"Did she say why she left? When will she be back?" Qiao Liu asked reluctantly.

"I didn't say what was the reason for this, but only said that it was as short as a year, and as long as two years, I will come back." Shen Xinyan thought that he was looking for Xu Sumin in an urgent matter, so she did not hide it from him and answered truthfully.

Qiao Liu's brows furrowed, and after thinking about it, she still refused to give up: "Then where did she say she went?"

"That was never said."

Although the answer was expected, but hearing it again, he still couldn't contain the disappointment on his face.

"I don't know if Mrs. Sister-in-law has asked Qiao Liu to come to inquire about it. Madam, please tell me directly. Qiao Liu knows everything." He sorted out his mood and asked Shen Xinyan's gaze.

"Your Majesty's illness is not as simple as it appears on the surface? Does the Empress's return to favor also have a profound meaning? But it's like this?" Shen Xinyan asked the question that had plagued her for many days.

Qiao Liu's expression changed, and he subconsciously wanted to deny it, but when he thought of the identity of the other party, he hesitated for a while, and finally nodded: "Mrs. Sister-in-law's guess is good."

After a pause, she reminded softly: "Madam, you don't have to worry too much, you can just close the door to thank guests as before. If there is no very important matter in the palace, don't go in easily. Just wait for the second brother Wei to come back. , everything is over the sky.”

Seeing that Shen Xinyan opened her mouth and seemed to want to ask again, he hurriedly interrupted: "There is only so much I can say, and now the situation is not clear, Mrs.-in-law can only stay in the mansion with peace of mind and arrange everything in the mansion, and the rest , even if you are determined, you are still powerless if you are afraid."

Seeing that he refused to say anything, Shen Xinyan also knew that she couldn't ask any more questions, and was a little disappointed for a while, but this trip was not without results. At least she knew, the palace has changed, and the situation is not optimistic.

Concubine Ruigui refused to see herself, fearing that it was also a kind of protection for the government.

Now she only hopes that Concubine Ruigui and the crown prince can stabilize the court situation. As long as they stabilize, they will provide Wei Junhang and Wei Chenglin with the most persistent support.

The unsung generals are leading the troops, and the most feared thing is probably the instability of the rear.

Although Wei Junhang may not be in battle, he is still in the army. If something happens, he will not be able to escape.

A few days later, the news that Emperor Yuanyou's condition had deteriorated to the point of being in a coma finally spread in the courtroom, and all of a sudden, the courtiers' hearts were fluctuating.

don't know when it started, but it was rumored that His Majesty was ill, for fear of being secretly plotted by someone with a heart. And this caring person, openly and secretly, pointed to the 'beneficiary' - the prince.

Empress Zhou in the palace suddenly issued a phoenix edict and banned Concubine Rui Gui from the palace. The prince collided with Queen Zhou in his words because he was defending his biological mother. Suddenly, the prince's disrespectful words came out from the court and the opposition.

Immediately afterwards, there were more and more voices of dissatisfaction with the prince in the court. At the same time, no matter what their intentions were, the number of people who supported the second prince and the third prince gradually increased.

Although Shen Xinyan closed the gate of the palace, she was also paying attention to the affairs in the palace. She soon knew the crisis facing Concubine Ruigui and the prince.

The worry between her brows deepened.

The response was so quick and the rumors spread so quickly, she would never believe it if there was no intention behind it. And what is the purpose of the people behind it? Do you want to take the opportunity to take the position of the prince and replace him, or is there another purpose?

"Mother, the imperial concubine is in a bad situation in the palace now. I want to go to the palace to see her." Naturally, these things could not be hidden from Wei Yingzhi.

Shen Xinyan shook her head: "The imperial concubine will not see you, so you should rest assured to raise the baby!"

Concubine Ruigui didn't even want to see her, so how could she let Wei Yingzhi, who was pregnant, enter the palace!

Wei Yingzhi also understood this, bit her lip lightly, and for a moment, suddenly said, "Empress Zhou is in power again, who are you most proud of?"

"Naturally it is the direct descendant of the Zhou family." Shen Xinyan replied.

After a short pause, she shook her head again: "In those days, the direct descendants of the Zhou family did not save the Queen's concubine, and they did not pay attention to them all these years. I'm afraid that the Queen's concubine's heart has already been chilled, and the Queen's concubine may not be willing to hold them again. They are honored."

On the contrary, Zhou Mao, who came out of the concubine, was implicated and lost a good official position because he interceded for Queen Zhou. Furthermore, Zhou Mao was much more capable than the other doujinshi who could not support the Zhou family.

The mother and daughter were discussing in a low voice, Ziyan stumbled in with a white face: "Husband, madam, something is bad!"

"Speak slowly if you have something, don't worry!" Shen Xinyan choked her breath and said hurriedly.

"Ma'am, it's been spread all over the world that the army against Rong Di has failed and retreated one after another. It is said that the Duke of the country and the Rong Di people colluded both inside and outside, which made General Murong's strategy of retreating the enemy back to nothing!"

"It's ridiculous, it's ridiculous! Wei's man is dedicated to the country, how could he do such a thing of collaborating with the enemy and treason!" The eldest princess walked out on crutches at some point, just when she heard what she said, she immediately Trembling with anger.

Shen Xinyan was worried that her body would not be able to bear it, and hurriedly stepped forward to persuade: "Mother don't need to be angry, the so-called clean people are self-cleaning, and His Majesty and the Crown Prince will not believe such nonsense. Talk about money."

"Mother is right, if grandmother gets angry with such untruthful words, it will not be worth the loss." Wei Yingzhi also advised.

The mother and daughter persuaded from left to right, the eldest princess's face softened a little, but the anger in her heart could not be extinguished for a while.

The news of the defeat of the army gradually came out. Although the Rong and Di people failed to conquer the next city again, they were gradually approaching. The destruction of the city seemed to be only a matter of time.

There was another quarrel in the courtroom. Some said that they would increase troops to help General Murong, some said that it would be better to replace the generals, and some said that General Murong's army would not even be able to beat the mere Rongdi people for a long time. There must be a reason for this.

Since someone raised a question, and it was unknown who started it, the arrow gradually pointed to the rumors that seemed to be true or false in the capital recently—British prince Wei Jun sailed to the enemy and betrayed the country, resulting in successive defeats in the battle ahead.

The prince looked on with a cold eye, and when he saw that they finally pointed the finger at the British Duke, he was immediately furious.

"...cooperating with the enemy and treason, there will definitely be evidence of correspondence. I believe that this black sheep must be found as soon as possible, and it must be released to comfort me. The heroic spirit of the soldiers who died in battle!"

"Sir Wang is very true."

"My minister agrees."

...

Seeing that someone finally proposed the idea of ​​​​searching the mansion, and even there were not a few people who supported it, the prince finally shouted angrily: "Absurd! Just for some nonsense, he has searched the mansion for generations of loyal and good families. Heart!"

Naturally, many people unswervingly supported the prince, and Wen Yan also joined the array to denounce the courtiers who proposed to search the government.

Immediately, everyone in the hall said something to me, and it would be fun if you came to me.

There are those who support Soufu and those who oppose it, but there are no general neutral reservations.

The prince suppressed his anger and watched this chaotic scene. Ever since Empress Zhou suddenly regained favor, whether it was the harem or the former court, he felt a great challenge. Emperor Yuanyou's condition has worsened, and he has fallen into a coma in recent days. Concubine Ruigui has been operating in the palace for many years, but Empress Zhou is famous, and both of them have nothing to do with each other.

A few days later, Shen Xinyan was waiting for the eldest princess to drink medicine. In the past two days, the eldest princess' spirit became worse and worse. When she was awake, she kept asking about the war ahead and whether Wei Junhang would return with a letter.

Shen Xinyan was also worried about Wei Junhang on the front line. The news from the front line became more and more unfavorable, and the rumors about the British collaborating with the enemy became more and more intense. Even Wei Chenglin did not die, but secretly took refuge with the Rong Di people.

She felt that the Duke's Mansion was being watched by someone, and there was a big net in the dark gradually opening up.

But she, a housewife, couldn't think of any effective way. She had to strictly follow Wei Junhang's instructions before leaving, and kept the entire imperial palace under control, and even severely punished the palace with thunder. Spreading false rumors and causing panic among the servants.

This trick of killing chickens and warning monkeys has indeed achieved results, and no one dares to break their mouths to deceive people.

"Madam, officers and soldiers are coming!" At this moment, Chun Liu came in with a pale face and whispered in her ear.

Shen Xinyan shook her hand holding the spoon, and a few drops of the potion dripped onto the thin blanket on the Eldest Princess.

She took a few deep breaths, suppressed the worries in her heart, and handed the medicine bowl to Mingshuang next to her: "Drink the medicine first when you serve His Highness."

Then he said to the eldest princess: "Mother, I will go back when I go. You take a break after taking the medicine. If you feel bored, let Ying'er come to accompany you."

The eldest princess was in low spirits, her eyelids were drooping, and she didn't care what Chunliu said, she just said "um" and the lunch was ready.

Shen Xinyan breathed a sigh of relief, and then instructed the maid in the house to serve her well, and then walked out quickly with Chun Liu.

On the way, Chunliu told her the matter in detail.

"I said that I was ordered to search our mansion, and I didn't say what I wanted to search. How dare the big housekeeper let them in, but those people are vicious. There is no way, the big housekeeper can only delay the time and order someone to invite them. lady."

Shen Xinyan's footsteps stopped, her brows furrowed tightly, and after a while, she whispered a few words in her ear.

Chunliu kept nodding, and finally said, "Don't worry, Madam, I'll do it now."

When Shen Xinyan arrived at the front hall, the atmosphere in the hall was a bit tense. On one side were several men dressed as armed guards, and on the other side were the juniors in the mansion headed by Wei Chengzhao.

"Do you want to search the mansion? It also depends on whether the stick in the hand of the young master will answer!" Wei Chengyue waved the stick in his hand as thick as a child's wrist, and said viciously.

"Xiaguan is also ordered by the emperor. It's better for the third son to not obstruct it. Otherwise, His Majesty will blame it. I am afraid that not only the third son, but also the grandfather of the state will not be able to bear it." The leading man sneered.

"you dare!"

"Brother Yue!" Seeing that Wei Chengyue was blushing with anger and was about to rush forward, Shen Xinyan hurriedly stopped him.

"Second Aunt/Second Aunt." Wei Chengzhao Wei Chengqi saw her coming, and hurriedly greeted her.

"You all go back, just leave it to me here." Shen Xinyan ordered.

"Second aunt, I'll stay here to protect you!" Wei Chengyue held the wooden stick tightly and stood beside her firmly.

"You go first, I have my own arrangements." Shen Xinyan whispered.

Wei Chengyue wanted to say something else, but Wei Chengzhao's eyes flickered on the side, he pulled his brother's cuff, and said first, "In this case, my nephew will go in first. If there is anything wrong with the second aunt, just ask someone to call."

After he finished speaking, he pulled Wei Chengyue with one hand and Wei Chengqi with the other, and dragged them away.

"The lady of the country is reasonable." The man sneered again.

Shen Xinyan also responded with a cold snort: "I want to be rational in everything, I dare to ask this lord, who was ordered by him? What are you doing here?"

"Xiaguan has been ordered by His Majesty to come and search the Duke's Mansion, and he also asks his wife to make it easy, otherwise, Your Majesty will blame it, and Xiaguan will be fine. anger."

"You have to be famous since ancient times. I don't know who in my mansion did something? What happened? Will it bring disaster to the mansion?"

"What is your majesty's intention that I can guess, Madam as long as it is convenient, there is no need to ask more about the rest." The man's tone was quite strong.

"Presumptuous! My Wei family has been loyal and good for generations, pacified internal strife, exorcised foreign enemies, and made great contributions to the court. The emperor of the Holy Ancestor wrote the four characters 'loyal to the king and patriotism', bestowed the title of duke of the country, and passed it on for several generations. How can you be alone? Shameless juniors are easily humiliated!" Shen Xinyan suddenly yelled angrily.

"If you want to search the house, step on the corpse of Wei's clan's wife, and enter Wei's spiritual seat on behalf of Yingshi!" She suddenly grabbed a red plum porcelain cup on the table and slammed it on the ground, only to hear "pop" ' With a crisp sound, the porcelain cup shattered in response, and immediately, Wei Chengzhao and other juniors, who had already left, filed in.

Each person holds a spiritual seat in his arms. In the arms of the youngest brother Xiang, it was his biological grandfather, who took office as the Lord of England.

Wei Chengzhao and the others looked solemn, lined up in a row, their eyes fixed on the man.

The man's face changed.