good season

Wan Ruyi was simple-minded and didn't think much of it. Since the old man wouldn't let her call Zhao Shiqing "Second Miss" anymore, she would just change how she addressed her.

"Mmm, Qingqing, Qingqing, it sounds beautiful!"

Looking into those pure and flawless eyes, Zhen Wuduo breathed a long sigh of relief.

This person has already been formally recognized by the Emperor Emeritus; she is the eldest princess. Moreover, his own eldest granddaughter has recognized her as her godmother.

Thinking of this, the old man became sad again.

He thought of his daughter whom he had never met. His daughter was so pitiful. Her biological father had never met her, and even her only daughter had never met her. Now, his daughter had to call someone else "mother."
However, upon further reflection, the old man chuckled. His eldest granddaughter had lost her mother at a young age, and even her adoptive mother didn't treat her well. Although her master and sister doted on her, they were only a few years older than her, acting as her teacher, sister, and friend, but not her mother.

Wan Ruyi is simple and kind. With her as her godmother, her eldest granddaughter should be able to make up for the lack of maternal love.

The old man was happy for his eldest granddaughter, but he wasn't idle either.

He called over Lao Fan: "Go and deliver a message to the grandson of the Prince of Fu, and tell him and his friends to come over. I'll treat them to big crabs!"

That afternoon, a group of older children arrived with younger ones. They were very cautious, neither riding horses nor taking their own carriages, but simply stopping a sedan chair on the street. With their slightly worn clothes, no one who didn't know them would have guessed that they were princes and nobles.

As soon as the Broken Stone Brothers entered, they called out, "Brother Bao, Sister Bao, is that you back?"

In their hearts, Zhao Shiqing will always be that little Abao who can be both male and female. What Miss Zhao? She's just that little Abao who fights with them for chicken legs.

Zhao Tinglu shushed them, "Don't make a fuss. Since the old man sent us, Sister Bao must not be back yet."

Upon hearing this, the group of unruly boys instantly transformed into polite young masters from aristocratic families, and together they went to pay their respects to Zhen Wu.

Zhen Wuduo had already prepared more than a dozen baskets of large crabs, as well as fine osmanthus wine. After they had eaten and drunk their fill, they divided up the remaining crabs, eating and taking some with them. Everyone was very happy.

The next morning, all the beggars in the capital city set out, going from house to house.

At midday, the talk of the town was no longer about the Fourth Prince's embezzlement, but about the Emperor Emeritus and Xiao Zhen!

Xiao Zhen, who had been dead for two years, has been resurrected!
"Young Master Xiao suffered from amnesia for two years, not knowing who he was, let alone that he was the son of the Eldest Princess, until he met the Emperor Emeritus, who recognized him at a glance as his own grandson. So touching."

“Huh, what I heard is a little different from what you heard. The Emperor Emeritus divined in the Longevity Palace that there were still bloodlines of his family scattered outside, so he left the Longevity Palace and searched all the way, which is how he found Young Master Xiao.”

"Nonsense. What I heard was that the patriarch appeared in the Emperor Emeritus's dream and told him that Tongzhou was in trouble. The Emperor Emeritus loved the people like his own children, so after waking up, he went to Tongzhou and met Xiao Zhen on the way."

In short, Xiao Zhen did not die; he survived and was even found by the Emperor Emeritus!
The news spread like wildfire throughout the capital.

At this moment, Emperor Yongjia was sitting in his study, his face ashen.

The Fourth Prince was escorted back to the capital by Li Qing the day before yesterday. Li Qing came to see the Emperor yesterday. Li Qing did not hide anything and told him all about how the Emperor Emeritus brought Xiao Zhen, his goddaughter Zhao Shiqing, and his godson Shen Guanyue to Tongzhou, ordered the Tongzhou prefect to relocate the people, shelter the disaster victims, distribute porridge in Gaoping, and uncovered the Fourth Prince's conspiracy, catching him red-handed.

Everything was true; Li Qing neither concealed nor exaggerated anything. The only difference was that he linked all of these things to the retired emperor.

The fourth prince was imprisoned in the imperial prison, and Emperor Yongjia did not see him. He needed to sort out his thoughts, and the sudden appearance of the retired emperor caught him off guard.

Besides, there's Xiao Zhen too!
No one knew better than Emperor Yongjia what had happened to Xiao Zhen.

This was ordered by me to be done by the Fourth Prince.

At that time, in my heart, Princess Jiayi and Consort Xiao were already dead, and Xiao Su, the next head of the Xiao family, was also on his way to death. Therefore, Xiao Zhen, who was still in the capital, had to die. Only when Xiao Zhen died would the Xiao family be utterly despondent and fight the Liang Prince's Mansion to the death!

When the Liang Prince's Mansion and the Xiao family went to war, the imperial court could then use the pretext of assisting the Liang Prince's Mansion in quelling the rebellion to openly send troops to Liang territory.

In the end, Princess Jiayi and Prince Consort Xiao did not die, and Xiao Su also lived. Only the old Prince Liang and Xiao Zhen died!

The Xiao family did not rebel, and Liang did not descend into chaos; on the contrary, I almost lost one of my sons.

But now, they're telling me that Xiao Zhen isn't dead, he's still alive!

Moreover, from Li Qing's words, we can know that Xiao Zhen is not only not dead, but also obviously not crippled. He is alive and kicking and can still help the Emperor Emeritus.

If Xiao Zhen is alive, then what about the corpse that was found back then?

Emperor Yongjia frowned deeply. How did he determine that the corpse was Xiao Zhen back then?
He immediately sent people to find the case file from that year. The case file clearly stated that the body had been dead for several days and had been gnawed by wild animals, with its head, face, and limbs severely damaged. Ten feet away from the body, they found a waist tag from the Princess's residence. Based on the remaining fragments of clothing on the body, Xiao Zhen's guards finally identified it as Xiao Zhen.

"Where is the guard who identified the body? Is he still at the Princess's residence?" Emperor Yongjia asked.

The visitor shook his head: "At that time, neither the eldest princess nor her husband were in the mansion. The chief secretary, citing the failure to protect his master, temporarily imprisoned the four personal guards of the eldest son of the Xiao family, awaiting the eldest princess's return to the mansion for further punishment."

One night, however, a fire broke out at the Princess's residence. Although the fire was extinguished, the four guards disappeared without a trace.

"Fire?" Emperor Yongjia vaguely remembered that such a thing had indeed happened. At that time, he paid close attention to the Princess's residence, and the fire at the Princess's residence was reported the next day.

"Yes, it was caused by Xiao Yue, the illegitimate son of Prince Consort Xiao, who was playing around. This wasn't the first time he had played with fire; he had burned down a house before."

Emperor Yongjia narrowed his eyes slightly. Yes, Consort Xiao did indeed have a son born out of wedlock, and he was from a concubine's family.

"Where is Xiao Yue now?" Emperor Yongjia asked.

"Xiao Yue was too unruly, and with Xiao Zhen's death, the eldest princess disliked Xiao Yue even more. In order to appease the eldest princess, Xiao the Consort decided to separate the family and send Xiao Yue out of the mansion."

Xiao Yue was only a concubine's son and could not inherit any of the Princess's property. He could only receive five thousand taels of silver from Xiao Fuma's private property.

When Zhu Yu found out about this, he dragged Xiao Yue to the Jinbao gambling den. Xiao Yue was only twelve years old and still a child. In just one night, he lost all five thousand taels of silver.

When Prince Consort Xiao heard of this, he sent people to look for him, but they couldn't find him. Later, rumors spread that Zhu Yu had taken a liking to him and hidden him away. The Xiao family probably heard this rumor as well, and they never looked for him again.

Emperor Yongjia's expression grew increasingly dark and unfathomable; this matter was even connected to Zhu Yu.

The man continued, “Although Xiao Yue is young, he has a handsome appearance and has also learned to sing opera, specializing in female roles. He is androgynous, and some playboys have tried to take advantage of him, but with Xiao Zhen protecting him, they dared not. Later, after Xiao Zhen died, he was separated from the manor and that's when Zhu Yu set her sights on him.”

Emperor Yongjia closed his eyes. Zhu Yu was bisexual; this was indeed something he would do. He waved his hand, dismissing the others, and sat alone in the imperial study for a long time.

He did not announce that Xiao Zhen was alive for the time being, but unexpectedly, the news of Xiao Zhen's resurrection spread throughout the streets and alleys of the capital the next day.

Moreover, this matter has been given a mythical color and is closely related to the retired emperor. Whether it was the ancestral master appearing in a dream or the retired emperor making a divination, in short, neither Xiao Zhen's fake death nor his resurrection was a conspiracy, but a blessing from heaven!

This favor extends not only to the Princess's residence and the Xiao family, but also to the common people of Tongzhou and its surrounding areas.

Because the retired emperor found Xiao Zhen first, he sent Xiao Zhen to Tongzhou. First, he assisted the government in relocating the people, then he assisted the Ministry of Works in flood control, and even the capture of the fourth prince involved Xiao Zhen's efforts.

It was precisely for this reason that Emperor Yongjia could not put Xiao Zhen to death again.

Although Xiao Zhen has not yet returned to the capital, his legend has already spread throughout the city. He is a noble young man who is favored by the heavens, recognized by the Supreme Emperor, and who saves the people from suffering. He must not die, at least not for the next few years. He must, and can only, live well in front of others.

Emperor Yongjia smashed a jade horse that he often played with to pieces.

This feeling of being controlled was unpleasant; he hadn't felt this way for many years. It suffocated him and made him deeply uneasy.

Emperor Yongjia was a strong and stable man, but now, the hands he hid under the imperial desk were clenched into fists.

This time, he was in a very passive position!

The journey was long and the transportation was disrupted by the floods, preventing him from keeping abreast of the situation in Tongzhou. More importantly, half of the Imperial Guards were lost, and the Fourth Prince's men were also put under guard, including some of the Emperor's men.

Therefore, Emperor Yongjia, far away in the capital, was as if his eyes were blindfolded and his ears were plugged. For the first time in more than ten years on the throne, he experienced the feeling of being out of control.

Through the half-open window, Emperor Yongjia looked out. It was autumn, and the sky was high and the clouds were light.

"This time, my opponent is my father!"

"Father, what exactly do you want to do?"

"If Xiao Zhen was found by you two years later, then Xiao Zhen's fake death two years ago was your doing."

"You've been planning this game for two years now, Father. What is your intention?"

Emperor Yongjia recalled the 150,000 taels of silver that the Ministry of Revenue had squeezed out of its teeth during the New Year. Yes, I should have realized it sooner. My father's exorbitant demands were already suspicious.

"Issue an imperial decree ordering the Seventh Prince to leave the capital to welcome the Emperor Emeritus to the capital. The heir of the Prince of Lu and the grandson of the Prince of Fu are to accompany him, along with the Ministry of Rites, the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, the Imperial Clan Court, the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the Golden Guard, and the Flag Guard."

"Someone, summon Lu Qian!"

Lu Qian arrived quickly. After Li Qing returned yesterday, Lu Qian, following Emperor Yongjia's instructions, assigned Li Qing a bunch of tasks to do, keeping him confined to the yamen and unable to leave. Of course, Lu Qian also had to stay with him; he hadn't been home for a day and two nights.

Now that Emperor Yongjia has summoned him to the palace, Lu Qian arrived very quickly, assuming that Emperor Yongjia wanted to inquire about Li Qing's affairs.

"Has this current Lord Shan been in office for two years now?" Emperor Yongjia asked.

Lu Qian was taken aback. It turned out that His Majesty had not sought him out for Li Qing, but for the sect.

"Yes, the current Shan Ye is from the third branch of the family. He took office two years and three months ago."

"Bring him into the palace; I want to see him."

"I accept your order!"

Just as Lu Qian was about to leave, he suddenly remembered something and said, "Yesterday, I learned something from Li Qing: the disappearance of Yang Shengqiu, the top scholar, is somewhat suspicious."

The Ministry of Works personnel have not yet returned to the capital. They are returning with the Emperor Emeritus. Today, an imperial edict was issued ordering the Seventh Prince to come out of the capital to welcome them. Yang Shengqiu is a member of the Ministry of Works. Emperor Yongjia only knows that there is such a thing, but does not know the specific details.

"Tell me in detail," Emperor Yongjia said.

Lu Qian recounted everything from Li Qing to the investigation he had sent.

"I suspect that the raid was not carried out by bandits, and their target was not the Fourth Prince, but Yang Shengqiu!"

"Yang Shengqiu appears to be an orphan, but his origins are questionable. I have also heard that Yan Xia investigated him and there is a case involving him, but there is no conclusive evidence, so it has not been made public."

"What case?" Ever since Yang Shengqiu stopped going to the palace to study, Emperor Yongjia had gradually forgotten about him. Now, when he thought of this former top scholar, the first thing Emperor Yongjia thought of was Yang Shengqiu's marriage to Feng Yalan.

After all, the perfect marriage between a handsome man and a beautiful woman was ruined by the Fifth Prince, and the father had a deep memory of his son's outrageous behavior.

"It is a case involving two cousins, both of whom were students at the academy. On the first day of the Lunar New Year, the younger cousin went out to visit a friend. On his way back, he was attacked and thrown into an ice cave by the villains. Fortunately, he was rescued and his life was saved. The friend he visited that day was Yang Shengqiu."

His cousin, seeing that his younger cousin hadn't returned, went out to look for him, but never came back; neither he was seen alive nor dead.

"If Yang Shengqiu is the murderer, why would he do it?" Emperor Yongjia was puzzled. He had a good impression of Yang Shengqiu, a young man of both talent and good looks.

"That cousin and Yang Shengqiu were classmates when they were young, and he knows some things about Yang Shengqiu."

"This case was investigated by Yan Xia from the beginning, and the witness was protected by Yan Xia. All the evidence was sealed by the Ministry of Justice. It wasn't until recently, when I was sorting through the case files reported from various places, that I happened to come across another case and connected the dots."

"Speak!" Whether it was Yang Shengqiu, the two cousins, or the local cases, these were all minor figures and trivial matters that would not be reported to Emperor Yongjia. However, for some reason, Emperor Yongjia felt something was amiss today, and he needed to understand these matters in detail.

"In Qinglu County of Wu, there is a small village called Zhuxitang. Two years ago, an orphan girl returned to the village to look for her relatives. On a hillside not far from the village, four corpses were dug up. They were the orphan girl's parents and grandmother. The fourth corpse was a doctor who had stayed at the house years ago."

The air around him seemed to freeze. Lu Qian suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. He subconsciously looked up and met Emperor Yongjia's eyes. Lu Qian's heart skipped a beat. He had been in charge of the Embroidered Uniform Guard for nine years, and this was the first time he had seen murderous intent in Emperor Yongjia's eyes.

He talked too much today.

"Are Yang Shengqiu and that scholar both from that village?" Emperor Yongjia asked leisurely.

Lu Qian swallowed hard and forced a smile, saying, "The deceased doctor's surname was Yang, and Yang Shengqiu's surname was also Yang. The scholar was from a nearby village. He should have known about Yang Shengqiu's relationship with that family, and Yang Shengqiu clearly didn't want anyone to know about this. I suspect that if he really was the murderer, this is his motive." (End of Chapter)