The heart of Prince Rong, which had been lodged in his throat, finally settled!
"Your subject thanks Your Majesty for your grace!"
He heavily kowtowed three tis in the direction of the Imperial Palace, then tearfully accepted the imperial edict and stood up.
Then, excitedly, he invited, "Please, General, co inside! Prepare the tea!..."
Mrs. Zhang followed behind, witnessing the entire change in deanor of Prince Rong and his son during this visit.
When she returned to her usual place of managent, she couldn’t help but keep her nanny by her side and expressed her doubts, "It’s strange, the emperor has always valued our Prince Rong’s Mansion over the years. If such a significant event occurred in the mansion, it’s normal to send so people to defend it properly.
"Moreover, this is obviously a good thing!
"Who knows how many guests will visit starting today? With people coming and going, aren’t they worried about potential chaos? Not to ntion those restless ones in the backyard!
"With Pei Zhan being appointed here, he should at least suppress a large portion of the trouble. So why did they react as if an enormous calamity had arrived when they first heard about it?"
The nanny said, "Could it be because of the previous incident when General Pei and his wife caused a ruckus in the mansion? The Pei family went too far, the Prince must still hold a grudge in his heart."
"Do you think everyone is as short-sighted as you?" Mrs. Zhang glanced at her, "How long ago was that matter? Yongping nearly ruined the entire Fu Zhen family; it’s already gracious of them not to bring it up—how could the Prince still hold a grudge?"
At this point, she pondered, "Since the incident started last night, everyone has been acting strangely. Including the Princess—no, ever since an assassin appeared from the Zhe Family, everyone has been acting strange!
"It was clearly Xu Yin who attempted to assassinate, but the Princess let him go. Then Zhe Yu was brought back! And then, the incident of last night happened.
"The Princess’s death is definitely related to Xu Yin. But why do the Prince and the Princely Heir remain silent about it?
"The deceased was their wife and biological mother! Yet they both firmly insist that it was an external assassin who killed the Princess... This is too abnormal! Do you believe it?"
The nanny shook her head, "Of course I don’t believe it! But the Princely Heir’s wife must not speak of it outside; I heard that this morning General Zhang was summoned by the Prince, and now he too insists that the Princess was killed by a villain."
"I certainly won’t speak of it." Mrs. Zhang took a deep breath, her brows furrowing more deeply, "I just find it increasingly strange that the Princess has died just like this... I’m really a bit scared. Will there be a day when I too et such an inexplicable death here?"
"Princely Heir’s wife!" the nanny cried out in a lowered voice.
Mrs. Zhang took a deep breath, "It seems like those two are afraid of sothing—no, they must be afraid of sothing! Moreover, it appears that everyone knows about it: Father, Brother, Xu Yin... What secrets lie among them?
"Why did the incident last night occur in the usually deserted ancestral temple? What was the Princess doing there at such a late hour?
"Why did Xu Yin also suddenly appear? The Prince rushed to the Xu family at all costs, so why was he released in the end?"
Mrs. Zhang took a deep breath and stood up.
She walked briskly a few steps along the screen, then turned back under the curtain, "I must find out these secrets! I still have Shen Er to protect; I must not die inexplicably like the Princess!"
"Princely Heir’s wife..."
The nanny, groundlessly afraid, clenched her hands tightly.
Mrs. Zhang walked to her side and whispered, "Arrange a few people to keep an eye on Pei Zhan, just to see if he truly is only here to reinforce the defense, or if he harbors other purposes."
The nanny nodded.
Mrs. Zhang continued to advise, "Pei Zhan is not an ordinary person; he was the one who flattened Dayue Country in one fell swoop, so be smart about your work!"
"I will absolutely not make a mistake!"
Mrs. Zhang saw her out before sitting back in her chair.
She sat for a mont in silent contemplation before standing up again and walking towards the morial hall.
In a single day, the morial hall had been fully arranged, and the concubines, Commandery Prince, and others in the mansion were already dressed in mourning clothes, kneeling on the mats.
Xu Yin and the long-unseen Yongping were kneeling on the other side, the two appearing the most sorrowful.
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