Volume 1 Chapter 71: Probe

  "Mother, Ji Kuai auntie, do I look good?" Under the help of Qiu Ju, that simple and unadorned dress had been changed into a new one. Seeing his mother still talking to Ji Kuai without paying attention to him, he cried out loudly in anxiety.

  "It's handsome." Looking at the delicate and jade-like son, Zhen Shi Niang's heart melted. She moved over a copper mirror to let them take a look, "Look, our Wu Ge is indeed a genuine little handsome boy." She lowered her head to help him adjust his clothes, and then put on a white fox fur hat for him, "Walking like this on the street, there will definitely be a group of little beauties surrounding our Wu Ge to take a look."

  Jian Wu smiled with his mouth open.

  "I'm also a young handsome guy!" Jianwen pushed his younger brother aside and stood up straight to show off in front of Zhen Shiniang.

  Wearing new clothes, he felt exceptionally good. Jian Wu made an exception and didn't quarrel with Jian Wen. He jumped back and forth in front of the mirror, "Mother, I want to go visit Uncle Zhang for New Year's greetings, and also Auntie Li, and the dog's family..." He counted off each family on his fingers.

  This little brat knows how to show off!

  Looking at her son's rosy face, Zhen Shiniang couldn't help but smile. "Alright, but Wu Ge must wear the set of hemp clothes made by Jiemei."

  Jian Wu's small face fell immediately, "Then when can I wear this suit?"

  "Miss......" Ji Yu couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy.

  "When our brother is no longer bragging in front of the kids, we can wear this suit."

  "I promise I won't brag about it to them!" Jian Wu raised his small hand high up.

  "I won't either!" Jianwen also raised his small hand.

  "Alright then." Zhen Shining stretched out her little finger and hooked it with theirs.

  Wen Ge Wu Ge suddenly smiled with joy.

  Change into new clothes, Jian Wu pulled Jian Wen and ran towards the west room. "Brother, let's go quickly, we're going to count how many days are left before New Year!"

  Waiting for New Year is children's patent.

  Looking at her son's happy back, Zhen Shiniang had a smile on the corners of her eyes and eyebrows.

  The magpie also looked at Zhen Shiniang with a smile, "Miss just said something casually, and the general bought back the clothes, it seems that he has really changed his mind." Her family's young lady finally had a happy ending after suffering.

  Will you?

  Zhen Shiniang suddenly remembered Shen Fei's miscarriage.

  The imperial harem has three thousand beauties, but the emperor truly likes only a few. Most of them are the result of balancing power. Behind each concubine is a powerful family backing her, and their open and secret struggles represent their families.

  At this time, when the struggle between various major forces in China was so fierce, seeking a powerful political marriage to consolidate power and strike at opponents had become an urgent task for Shen Zhongjie.

  If Concubine Shen's miscarriage wasn't an accident, what would he choose?

  The sunset shines through the window and casts a golden glow on Zhen Shiniang's face, her body radiating a soft, hazy light.

  ……

  Returning to the capital, Shen Zhongjie entered the palace overnight.

  On the way back, it was already the afternoon of the second day. Chu Xinyi had been waiting at the gate with hanging flowers early on. She personally came forward to lift up the curtain of the carriage and said, "The general is back."

  "Has mother returned?" Shen Zhongge pushed away her outstretched hand. He bent down and jumped off the carriage, striding forward with big steps.

  "No." Chu Xinyi quickly caught up, "Didn't General see Old Madam in the palace?"

  "Hasn't your mother come back yet?" Shen Zhong suddenly stopped in his tracks.

  Early in the morning, he specially asked the eunuchs of Guan Yu Palace, and the old lady had already left the palace.

  He turned back and ordered Rong Sheng, "Investigate, where did the old lady go after leaving the palace?"

  Rong Sheng responded with a "yes" and turned around to leave.

  "General..." Seeing Shen Zhong walking towards the study without looking back, Chu Xinyi hastily called out to him. He stopped and she said in a gentle tone, "The general has been working hard all night, why not wash up and rest for a bit first?"

  At her red and swollen face, Shen Zhongge hesitated for a moment, then turned his foot towards Bi Zhu Garden.

  Chu Xinyi smiled brightly and followed behind him with a gentle and obedient manner.

  After washing up, Shen Zhongge changed into a comfortable long shirt and fell onto the bed.

  Too many things happened in one day, he needs to think carefully about them.

  Shen Zhong's face was expressionless, as if he had fallen asleep. Chu Xinyi felt very disappointed.

  She had intended to withdraw, but was worried about what had happened to him and Zhen Shiniang. She thought of the letter her father had sent overnight and restrained herself again. She got up and sat down beside Shen Zhongjie, gently massaging his legs. "I heard that our mistress used the crab roe soup rewarded by the empress dowager at night and miscarried..."

  "Hmm..." Shen Zhongjue closed his eyes, his voice barely audible, making it impossible to tell if he was responding to her or not.

  What an attitude!

  Chu Xinyi suddenly lifted her head, staring straight at Shen Zhongge, "The concubine is talking to you." Seeing Shen Zhongge open his eyes, a flash of anger in the bottom of his eyes changed into a look of resentment like a young daughter-in-law.

  "I know, go ahead..." Shen Zhongge closed his eyes again and patted her back.

  "That bowl of crab roe soup must have been problematic, the Empress is afraid that you will give birth to a dragon son and threaten her!" Father was right, no matter who made the move this time, we must shift the blame to the Empress, at least take the initiative to make Shen Zhongjie suspicious of Anqing Hou and dispel his idea of marrying the tenth miss of Anqing Hou Mansion.

  Shen Zhong's eyebrows furrowed, speechless.

  Chu Xinyi continued, "The general has pacified the Japanese pirates and subdued the Yi and Yue tribes, opening up territory for the Great Zhou dynasty. His merits are unparalleled in the world, and it's only because of his exceptional achievements that our family's lady was exceptionally promoted to a high position, an unprecedented honor since the founding of the Taizu dynasty... Anqing Hou must be blinded by jealousy..."

  Shen Zhongge turned over and turned his back on him.

  Chu Xinyi's face changed, and she raised her fist in mid-air for a long time before putting it down. She moved forward slightly and continued to massage Shen Zhongge's back. "As the emperor's father-in-law, Anqing Hou has his party members all over the place, and he dominates the imperial court. The emperor has been wary of him for a long time. I heard that the emperor is very fond of the fifth prince, but he hasn't made him the crown prince yet because he's afraid Anqing Hou will oppose it." She glanced at Shen Zhongge's expression secretly. "If you use this opportunity to clash with Anqing Hou, the emperor will definitely be overjoyed. Zheng Guifei has been favored in the harem for years, but she hasn't been able to shake the empress's position even a bit. It's because her family's power is too weak, and Zheng Ge Lao is a mediocre person who keeps a low profile and can't surpass Anqing Hou. That's why the emperor has promoted our aunt... it's because he wants to use your and Zheng Ge Lao's combined strength to suppress Anqing Hou..."

  The more she spoke, the more reasonable it seemed. Chu Xinyi pushed Shen Zhongge, who was silent, "General, why not form an alliance with Zheng Ge Lao through marriage? Zheng Ge Lao's young niece is 14 years old, and she's as beautiful as a flower. The general has seen her at Old Lady Zheng's birthday celebration. She's clever and agile, although she's born out of wedlock, she's good enough for Second Brother. After all, Second Brother isn't even a scholar."

  Shen Zhongxian's younger brother, Shen Zhongxin, had failed the imperial examination for several years in a row and was banished by Shen Zhongxian in a fit of anger to Baiquan, three hundred miles away, where he became a disciple of Master Wen.

  Mr. Wen's name is Wen Ji, a well-known hermit of the Great Zhou Dynasty. His family had produced two generations of imperial teachers, and he himself had been the teacher of Prime Minister Cao. The number of his disciples who entered the court to become officials was countless.

  For this, the old lady was extremely dissatisfied with Shen Zhongge, and she racked her brains to let him make a career for her youngest son, not letting him suffer from poverty and the torture of separation from his mother.

  "That's enough!" Shen Zhong suddenly sat up.

  Chu Xinyi was stunned for a moment, and then tears fell down.

  Shen Zhong's expression softened again, "A hen crows at dawn, are these also things a woman like you should be discussing?" Although his voice was still stern, his tone had eased up considerably.

  "The concubine is worried about you, General. If she doesn't speak up, it's not good." The voice was both pitiful and gentle, Chu Xinyi looked at Shen Zhongge with a sorrowful expression.

  It's enough to make your point clear, no need to argue with him insistently.

  Shen Zhong sighed, "You just take care of the inner courtyard's affairs and don't worry about anything else." His voice paused for a moment, "Also, find some time to go back and advise Xinyang to focus on his studies and not follow Xu San around all the time. Those people are notorious playboys in the capital city, and being with them will only lead to trouble."

  Chu Xinyang is the younger brother of Chu Xinyi, idle and relying on his power, often mixing with Xu San and other royal family children. Two months ago, he killed someone at Tianxiang Building for a dispute over a government official, fortunately, the deceased was just a street thug, it's said that Chu Xinyang's brother-in-law is a powerful general, so no one dared to report him, after receiving compensation, they quietly left the capital.

  Shen Zhongke also knew about this, and Chu Xinyi had even begged him to find Xiao Ye to smooth things over. Originally, he thought it was all settled, but who would have known that today, at dawn, the Ministry of Justice's vice minister Ma Yongbo quietly told him that someone had submitted a petition to the capital city's government office.

  Having received compensation, how could a street thug have the audacity to go back on his word and oppose Shen Zhongke?

  And when did the efficiency of handling cases in the capital become so fast?

  As soon as the paper was handed over, the Minister of Justice knew it.

  The Minister of Justice was originally a party member of Anqing Hou, I don't know if this matter has anything to do with Anqing Hou, or if he is the mastermind behind it.

  What does it have to do with his own sister having an abortion at this time? What does he want?

  Is it just about letting him off the hook and not pursuing the matter of his sister's miscarriage?

  Ruan Ruan's temples were throbbing, and Shen Zhongge felt a slight headache.

  "What's wrong with your brother these days? He's been staying at home and behaving himself, what's he done now?"

  Chu Xinyi thought Shen Zhongge was making a fuss, and a flame of anger surged up from the bottom of her heart. Seeing Shen Zhongge stand up to leave, she suppressed it again, put on a gentle expression, reached out to grab him, and smiled softly, "Since General said so, I'll go back tomorrow." The topic changed, "General went to Wutong Town the other day... how was it?"

  The words "do you have a lover" lingered on her tongue for a few moments, but in the end she didn't ask, and instead stroked her reddened cheek with her hand.

  Shen Zhongge was forced by the old lady to go to Wutong Town to find Zhen Shiniang and leave, but he didn't tell her clearly. At this time, she couldn't mention it first, so she sighed silently, "This man is good in every way, just this one point, things that haven't been done are never mentioned beforehand, he's indeed kept his promise, but my heart has been guessing and hanging all day, it's really uncomfortable."

  Shen Zhong'e looked at her cheek and reached out to touch it, "Does it still hurt?"

  "After applying the ointment that General brought back from the palace, it's much better now." Chu Xinyi's expression turned gloomy. "However, I didn't even dare to leave my room for the past two days." She complained sorrowfully, "I called her sister with every breath, but I never expected her to be so ruthless when she hit me."