Taking her into his tent, he incurred the wrath of a powerful and mad minister, from which he could

The next day, the carriage entered the capital in the morning light and only stopped in front of the Zongfu Gate.

Mingyi got off the carriage and looked up at the two gilded characters "Zongfu" on the vermilion gate, feeling an indescribable sense of frustration.

After all that effort, I finally made it back.

Seeing that her face was still a little pale, Zong Xian reached out his hand to her and said, "I will go with you to pay our respects to the old lady."

Mingyi hesitated for a moment, but still obediently put her hand on it. However, as soon as she stepped into the door, she fainted from weakness.

Zong Xian reacted quickly, scooping her up in his arms and carrying her straight towards his residence, Songhe Garden, without pausing for a moment.

Without turning his head, he ordered his attendants, "Go and fetch a doctor."

Before long, the news that Zong Xian had carried a young lady into the garden spread like wildfire throughout the entire Zong family mansion.

Inside the Wutong Pavilion.

Upon hearing Cuizhu's report, Aunt Yu, who had been slumped on the soft couch, suddenly sat up straight, her eyes filled with a mixture of shock and anger: "What did you just say? That little hussy is back?!"

"It's absolutely true, they came back with Second Master."

Cui Zhu looked disdainful, her tone somewhat sour: "She even made the Second Master carry her all the way back to Songhe Garden. The entire household saw it. She really has a big face."

Cuizhu stepped forward and whispered provocatively, "Madam, now that the Second Master values ​​her so much, if he were to make her a concubine in the future, given his favoritism, she would definitely surpass you. Perhaps even the Old Madam would like her..."

Upon hearing this, Madam Yu slammed her hand heavily on the pear wood table, causing the cups and saucers to rattle slightly. "She dares to challenge me?! Doesn't she even know her background?!"

She was born into the Xie family, a branch of the maternal family of the matriarch.

The Xie family was originally a prominent family in Jiangnan, with relatives all over the north and south. Even the Dowager Consort in the palace came from the Xie family. By all accounts, the Xie family was a legitimate member of the imperial family.

Based on her family background, she has always looked down on Ji Mingyi, who comes from a humble background.

She would never allow Ji Mingyi to step on her head.

"I need to go find the old lady!"

While Madam Zong was enjoying the cool air in the garden, Madam Yu rushed over to offer her criticism.

It's simply saying that Ji Mingyi has impure thoughts and is a vixen.

Despite being engaged to Xie Huaiyu, she shamelessly seduces the Second Master. With such a restless nature, once she becomes a concubine in the manor, won't she become incredibly arrogant? She will definitely cause chaos in the Second Master's harem.

Madam Zong readily accepted the idea of ​​Ji Mingyi becoming Zong Xian's concubine, but now, listening to Madam Yu's seemingly reasonable explanation, she couldn't help but feel somewhat worried.

Madam Yu glanced at the sky and added fuel to the fire, saying, "Last time she left without a word. Now that she's back, relying on the Second Master's favor, look at how late it is, she hasn't even come to pay her respects to you, Madam. What does she think the Zong family mansion is?"

"No wonder he comes from a humble background; he has absolutely no manners!"

As expected, Madam Zong's face darkened. She took a sip of tea and said slowly, "Second Master is not yet married. Even if we want to elevate her to the position of concubine, we must wait until the principal wife enters the household. No one can break the rules."

Yu smiled slightly, feeling much more relieved.

With the old lady's words in mind, even if Zong Xian liked her very much, she could only stay in the mansion without any official status, and be treated as inferior!

Little did they know, this was precisely what Mingyi sought.

Becoming Zong Xian's concubine is like being branded with his mark; it will be difficult to escape from him in the future.

No one knew that she had deliberately fainted, intending to make the old lady think that she was favored and spoiled, and to make her resentful towards her.

Zong Xian still had to deal with Li Dan's matter, so he left after the doctor left.

Mingyi woke up just in time and immediately tried to get out of bed.

Upon seeing this, the head maid of Songhe Garden hurriedly asked, "Where are you going, Miss?"

Mingyi put on her shoes and socks without looking up and said, "It is improper for me to stay in Songhe Garden. When Second Master returns, you can tell him that I have returned to Shuangxu Garden."

She absolutely did not want to sleep in the same bed as Zong Xian; she couldn't sleep well at all with him.

Ah Qing couldn't stop her, and unsure of the Second Master's intentions, so she could only see her to the door.

-

Inside the Xuanzheng Hall of the Imperial Palace.

Zong Xian presented all the confiscated property from the Li family to the emperor.

The young emperor wore a bright yellow dragon robe, and his face was young and handsome; he was only sixteen years old at the time.

He bent down to look at the mountain of gold, silver and jade artifacts piled up in the box, grabbed a heavy ingot, and looked at it with deep disgust.

"A mere prefect of Qingzhou has embezzled so much! The national treasury is empty every year, and the imperial court still allocates money for disaster relief and to help the people, but it all ends up in the pockets of these corrupt officials!"

"Where is that traitor? Bring him here, I want to chop off his head... cough cough!"

The emperor was born weak and had deficient heart and lungs. He would cough and wheeze uncontrollably when he was excited.

Zong Xian immediately stepped forward, firmly supporting the emperor's arm, his brows furrowed with genuine concern: "Your Majesty, please calm your anger and take good care of your health."

The emperor paused for a moment, then raised his hand and gently patted the back of his hand. "I'm fine."

The next moment, Zong Xian suddenly lifted his robe and knelt down, "Your Majesty, I am guilty, I beg Your Majesty to punish me!"

The emperor was puzzled: "What crime have you committed, my dear minister?"

Zong Xian said with a guilty look, "The criminal Li Dan was ambushed and killed by assassins on his way back to the capital. It was my fault for dereliction of duty."

Upon learning that Li Dan had died, the emperor was not angry; he personally helped Zong Xian up.

"My dear minister, your pacification of Qingzhou and the seizure of stolen goods are merits that outweigh your demerits, and I will not blame you. But have you uncovered the origins of the assassin?"

Zong Xian remained unperturbed by the honor or disgrace, shaking his head: "I spared one life and subjected the assassin to severe torture, but he refused to reveal who was behind it, even under death. However, I found this jade seal on him, and it seems somewhat familiar..."

When the emperor saw the jade seal, his expression changed slightly, clearly indicating that he recognized it.

He grasped the jade seal from Zong Xian's palm, his gaze hardening. "In the twelfth year of the Jiading era, on the Emperor's birthday, I hosted a banquet for my court officials in the palace and bestowed this jade seal upon the Duke of Rong! It bears my inscription; I would never mistake it!"

Since the Duke of Rongguo was a henchman of Prime Minister Wei Zhao, the emperor naturally suspected Prime Minister Wei Zhao.

A dark glint flashed in Zong Xian's eyes: "It seems His Majesty is aware of the situation."

Anger flashed across the emperor's face: "That old bastard Wei Zhao is far too arrogant!"

However, Wei Zhao cannot be touched for the time being. The more this is the case, the stronger the emperor's killing intent becomes, waiting for the day it will completely erupt.

The emperor suppressed his murderous intent, his face grim as he sat back on the dragon throne. "Summon the Duke of Rong!"

...

When the Duke of Rong saw the long-lost jade seal appear in the emperor's hands, he was utterly shocked.

Even though he explained that the jade seal had long been lost and that he had not killed the court's wanted criminal, the emperor saw it all as a sophistry.

The Duke of Rongguo was unable to defend himself and was stripped of his title on the spot, feeling utterly unjustly wronged.

He never imagined that he would be betrayed by his own filial son.

That jade seal was stolen by Lin Han and given to Zong Xian as a pledge of loyalty.

In this way, Zong Xian not only escaped unscathed, but also shifted the blame eastward, dealing another heavy blow to Wei Zhao's faction.

...

By the time Zong Xian came out of the palace, it was already completely dark.

He strode into Songhe Garden.

When the servants along the way saw him, they all lowered their heads and respectfully stepped aside.

Zong Xian went straight back to his bedroom and looked toward the bed, only to find that there was no one there.