After the milk ball arrived, the father who had no heirs had a string of good luck.

"What are you saying, Brother Tan? I can't just stay at home forever because of Liu Ji, can I?"

"..." That's true, but...

"Alright, alright, Brother Tan, you should go back now. I need to go back to the Li Prince's Mansion too; I have to tell Father about this."

"I send you!"

"No need, you should go back!"

After declining the offer, Tang Rui returned to the Prince Li's residence with Rong Momo and Erge.

Mingyue returned to the mansion before her.

After searching the study without finding Situ Che, they finally found him in Qin Zhiyan's courtyard.

The Prince's mansion has so many servants and a lot of accounts. After checking the accounts, they still have to calculate the monthly salary of each servant.

Situ Che has difficulty walking and doesn't need to go to the court every day. With nothing else to do, he will continue to help Qin Zhiyan today.

When the moon was bright, Situ Che and Qin Zhiyan sat in the pavilion looking through the accounts, while Xu Mama was making notes beside them.

Ignoring what Granny Xu said, the two of them actually had a peaceful and idyllic feeling about them.

The sudden appearance of the bright moon startled Qin Zhiyan.

"Don't be afraid! Mingyue is my secret guard."

Situ Che offered a word of comfort, and Qin Zhiyan finally breathed a sigh of relief: "I'm not afraid, it's just that it appeared suddenly, and I wasn't prepared at all."

Despite saying that, Qin Zhiyan was thinking that Situ Che had never believed her before.

Otherwise, why would she never have known that there was a secret guard named Mingyue in the manor?

Situ Che looked at Mingyue, his eyes cold and piercing: "Didn't I tell you to stay by Ruirui's side? But what happened to Ruirui?"

Mingyue glanced at Qin Zhiyan secretly.

Situ Che closed the account book and put it aside: "The princess is not an outsider, so please speak frankly."

He said yesterday that as long as Qin Zhiyan doesn't betray him, he will give her the utmost respect and treat her as one of his own.

If you say you'll do it, you'll do it.

Qin Zhiyan, who was about to look away from Mingyue's gaze, smiled and sat down again, her eyes filled with undisguised joy and emotion.

"..." Okay!

Since Situ Che had already said that, Mingyue no longer tried to hide it from Qin Zhiyan.

He briefly recounted how Liu Ji hired someone to kidnap Tang Rui.

Situ Che's face turned cold upon hearing this.

Qin Zhiyan's heart leaped into her throat; she knew without even guessing how dangerous it had been: "What about Rui Rui? Was she injured?"

Mingyue was a little smug: "With me here, there's no way I could get hurt."

"May the Bodhisattva protect us..." Qin Zhiyan looked at Situ Che, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Your Highness, this Consort Liu was originally a lady-in-waiting to the Empress Dowager. Do you think... this was at the Empress Dowager's behest?"

First it was venomous snakes, now they're hiring thugs to kidnap people.

If it was Liu Ji's own idea, that would be fine. But if it was the Empress's doing, wouldn't that mean the Empress had her eye on Rui Rui?

Situ Che pondered for a moment, also somewhat unsure.

After all, his mother couldn't stand to see him doing well, and she might make a big fuss about Tang Rui's unclear origins.

Mingyue's reaction was completely different from the other two; she seemed eager to try: "Shall we kill the Empress?"

Upon hearing this, Qin Zhiyan nearly bit her tongue, staring at him in disbelief.

Situ Che's forehead creased with annoyance: "Mingyue, don't talk nonsense. She is, after all, my birth mother."

With the charge of murdering his mother attached to him, he was completely severed from that position.

Moreover, he was not without feelings for the Empress.

The former empress treated him and the crown prince very well, like a loving mother.

He always remembered the Empress's love and care for him when he was a child.

Perhaps he did something wrong, which is why the Empress disliked him...

A hint of regret flashed in Mingyue's eyes: "Oh!"

Situ Che felt a pang of disappointment when he thought of the Empress, but his expression remained impassive: "Liu Ji is Liu Ji, and the Empress is the Empress. It's a done deal that Liu Ji plotted to murder the Princess. Go to Yingtian Prefecture to report this and have them issue an arrest warrant."

"Yes!" Mingyue cupped her hands in greeting, and her figure vanished from the spot in a flash.

Qin Zhiyan looked at Situ Che. Although the man's expression was normal, she could vaguely sense the sense of loss emanating from him.

Qin Zhiyan felt a pang of sympathy and gently comforted him, "Your Highness, there's no need to be sad. You still have me, all the sisters in the harem, and your daughter Rui Rui. It's better for our family to live a good life together than anything else."

Situ Che gave a bitter smile: "If it were you, wouldn't you be sad?"

Qin Zhiyan smiled gently and said softly, "When my birth mother was alive, she treated me very well, but my father favored Qin Zhirou. I was sad and felt wronged when I was little, but I've grown up and passed the age where I need my father's love. I have you, I have Ruirui, and I have my own family. I'm not sad at all."

"The Princess is right!" Situ Che sighed and nodded.

He's past the age where he needs his mother's love.

Whether the Empress treated him well or not was no longer important.

A little while later, Tang Rui returned, pouting as she ran over and buried her face in Qin Zhiyan's arms, her eyes brimming with tears: "Mother, I'm so pitiful, I was almost snatched away!"

"Don't cry, Rui Rui. Your mother already knows about this. The Prince has also sent Mingyue to Yingtian Prefecture to file a report and issue an arrest warrant for Liu Ji." Qin Zhiyan took out a handkerchief to wipe away the tears from the corners of her eyes, and was also a little scared. "Until Liu Ji is caught, try to stay home as much as possible. If you really want to go out, bring more people with you."

"Mmm!" Tang Rui nodded, then looked at Situ Che and squeezed out two tears: "Father, why don't you give me back my poison? These bad people are hard to guard against. If I am caught one day, I won't even have the power to protect myself."

"Heh..." I'm waiting here!

He said, "This girl is so brave, how could she cry over such a small fright? Impossible!"

Tang Rui sniffed, her chubby little face looking even more pitiful: "Daddy, if I die, you won't have your darling daughter anymore."

"Mingyue is highly skilled in martial arts. When you go to the Imperial Academy, take Da Ge and Er Ge with you. Nothing will happen." Situ Che left no room for discussion.

He recognized some of the poisons, but not others. He even consulted the imperial physician, who couldn't identify several of them.

It is only said to be extremely poisonous.

In particular, that poison powder called "One Pillar Supporting the Sky" is ten times more potent than the herbal remedy "Hehuan San".

How could he possibly give such a poisonous medicine to a child?

What if the little girl uses these poisons on those children while she's at the Imperial Academy?

"Waaah..." Tang Rui turned her head away and buried her face in Qin Zhiyan's arms, sobbing. Her tears and snot were all over Qin Zhiyan's body. "Mother, I'm such a wretched child. My mother is dead, and my father doesn't love me either. If you have your own little baby in the future, will you still love me?"

"No, no, how could Mother not love you..." She had no chance to say she was her little darling.

Even if they did, they wouldn't abandon such a lovely daughter as Tang Rui!

Qin Zhiyan looked at Situ Che and said cautiously, "Your Highness, Rui Rui's words make sense. The child has to go to the Imperial Academy every day. What if she encounters bad people again, and Mingyue and the others can't save her in time? How about... we return some to her?"