Phi-Fic Chapter 936 Doing Things Seriously
Chapter 936 Doing Things Seriously
The Shuang'er siblings were left in the palace, which ironically allowed them to subdue Princess Zhaoyang.
She had originally intended to take action, but now that her two children were in the palace, she was naturally hesitant and dared not make any further moves.
To her surprise, when the wounds on her face had almost healed, she discovered that the handsome young man she had been keeping was not in the manor.
Princess Zhaoyang was furious, but she soon understood.
One early morning, Princess Zhaoyang hurriedly left the city. The carriage she rode in was not the one she usually used in the princess's residence; it was an ordinary-looking carriage that looked like it belonged to a wealthy family.
After leaving the city and heading west, they soon arrived at an ordinary-looking village.
Such estates were naturally very common around the capital.
Princess Zhaoyang covered her face with a veil, and her clothes were very ordinary and simple. She also wore far fewer hairpins and ornaments than usual.
"Greetings to the master."
"Get up, where is Young Master Yuan?"
"Your Highness, Young Master Yuan is in the backyard. Please follow me." After saying this, the steward immediately got up and led the way, taking Princess Zhaoyang all the way to the back.
Princess Zhaoyang glanced around, slightly displeased. "Young Master Zheng hasn't come here?"
"Your Highness, Young Master Zheng came by a few days ago, but then left. Before he left, he specifically instructed me to take good care of Young Master Yuan. He said he would be back by the end of this month at the latest."
Princess Zhaoyang was relieved, realizing that Young Master Zheng must have something important to do.
"How has Young Master Yuan been these days? I've been preoccupied with many matters and haven't left the manor for some time. Has he been crying or making a fuss?"
"Your Highness, Young Master Yuan was initially somewhat displeased, saying that Your Highness hadn't visited him in a long time and must not like him anymore. But since Young Master Zheng's visit, Young Master Yuan has stopped causing trouble."
"That's good."
"Princess, look, Young Master Yuan is in the pavilion ahead."
Princess Zhaoyang looked up and saw a little child holding a book, engrossed in reading.
"You may leave now. There's no need for anyone to come forward and report. I'll stay here for a while to avoid disturbing his studies."
"Yes, princess."
Princess Zhaoyang slowly approached the small pavilion, and the image of the little figure inside became clearer and clearer.
Those somewhat familiar facial features seemed to bear a resemblance to the current emperor.
Princess Zhaoyang stood outside the pavilion until the young master inside got tired of reading, put down his book, took a sip of water, and realized that someone was watching him.
When he turned around, he was first startled, then delighted, and then ran down the street.
As night fell, a man dressed in black appeared at Chengqian Palace.
"Your Majesty, Princess Zhaoyang went to a farm outside the city early this morning and did not return until it was almost time for dinner. I noticed that Princess Zhaoyang's complexion was completely different, and she was in a much better mood."
"Do you know who lives in that village? And what happened there?"
"Your Majesty, there is nothing unusual about the front yard of the estate. However, once you enter the gate leading to the back yard, it is quite different. In addition to some visible guards, there are also a large number of hidden guards."
"A large number of secret guards?" Mu Xin Nuan, who was standing to the side, was quite surprised when she heard this. "What exactly does Zhao Yang want to do?"
"Your Majesty, I do not know either. However, I vaguely heard someone on the estate mention a young master, who seemed to be called Young Master Yuan."
"Young Master Yuan? What kind of address is that? It doesn't sound like a surname at all. Is it a courtesy name?"
Duanmu Chuze frowned slightly. "Have someone keep a close eye on that place. However, we must not alert them. We've already lost track of that mysterious Young Master Zheng, which has already prevented me from taking action against the Princess's residence. If we lose Young Master Yuan as well, we'll be in a much more passive position."
"Yes, Your Majesty. I have already sent men to keep watch. Also, I came specifically to ask Your Majesty whether it is necessary to take action against that estate?"
"No need for now. Just keep an eye on things. As for the steward of that manor, find a suitable opportunity to make your move outside the manor and see what you can get out of him."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Mu Xin Nuan sighed softly and helped Duanmu Chu Ze undress. "Judging from your expression, have you already guessed something?"
Duanmu Chuze paused for a moment, then smiled helplessly, "As expected, nothing can be hidden from you. I did guess a bit, but we can't draw any conclusions yet. Let's wait and see."
"What about Shuang'er and the others?"
"Let's keep her in Fushou Palace for now. By now, I'm afraid Father and Mother have probably guessed what's going on. Otherwise, they wouldn't have stopped issuing decrees to summon Zhaoyang."
"It must be extremely painful for the Empress Dowager to see her own flesh and blood treated like this."
"Yes, if you have time, spend more time talking with Mother. Also, not that I'm being paranoid, but it would be best to keep Zonghua and Zongyao away from the Luo siblings. Mother likes Shuang'er, but that girl is not young anymore, and she may not be unaware of everything."
Mu Xin Nuan's eyes flickered. "Okay, I understand."
The next morning at court, news of a great victory arrived from the border. Duanmu Xing and Mu Qingxuan joined forces, rode dozens of miles, and wiped out nearby bandits and a elusive rebel army.
They annihilated over a thousand enemies in total, while the two of them only had five hundred cavalrymen with them at the time, which shows how formidable their fighting power was.
When the news came, some people were happy, while others were filled with lingering fear.
Mu Xin Nuan kept clasping her hands together, comforting herself, "Thank goodness, everything's alright, everything's alright."
Meanwhile, Madam Li and Duanmu Qing of the Mu family also thanked the gods for protecting their Mu Qingxuan from harm.
Duanmu Chuze was overjoyed. The two of them had only been at the border for less than half a year, yet they had already made numerous outstanding contributions. This also showed that Li Feng had not held back in terms of strategy and tactics, and had taught the two of them very well.
Since he had rendered meritorious service, he would naturally receive the appropriate rewards.
Sun Ruomei is also pregnant, and her pregnancy is similar to Duanmu Qing's, so the two of them can finally sit down and have a proper chat.
Mu Chang'an is now a marquis, and most people in the capital are speculating that after Mu Qingxuan returns to the capital, the title of Marquis Mu will be raised to a higher level.
There's nothing we can do about it. While he certainly enjoys imperial favor, the problem is that he has repeatedly performed meritorious deeds, a fact known to everyone.
At the same time, Sun Ruoxiang's brother, Sun Zhengyang, was also officially transferred to the Ministry of Personnel.
Moreover, his first task was to be in charge of the performance evaluation of officials every three years.
This can be described as unprecedented.
The fact that Sun Zhengyang was given such an important position was not surprising to the major families. With his talent, he should have been doing something serious long ago.