Do you know the long song of laughter?

"I'd rather not have this reward." Li An muttered.

"Ziqian, what did you say?" Shen Congxing didn't hear clearly and asked.

"Nothing." Li An shook his head and said, "Uncle, I don't want to talk about your family affairs, but the emperor and the queen mother are not on good terms now. If something happens in your family, the queen mother might take advantage of it. It will be troublesome then."

After Zhang Guifen married into the Shen family, Shen Congxing took in Xiao Zou within a few days.

Although Zhang Guifen was comforted by Minglan, she was unwilling to sit and wait for death.

But little Zou was not a pushover. Whenever there were weddings or funerals in other people's homes, Shen Congxing and Zhang Guifen would go to attend, and little Zou would go afterwards.

The wealthy families in Bian Jing were very unhappy about a concubine visiting them, but they couldn't stop her from entering.

Zhang Guifen wanted to take advantage of this to vent her anger, but she couldn't stand Shen Congxing's partiality, and the relationship between the couple, which was not very good to begin with, became even worse.

Shen Congxing's face froze, and he said, "I understand. If there's nothing else, I'll go back first."

Li An saw that Shen Congxing didn't listen at all and didn't want to talk more about this topic. He sighed and sent Shen Congxing out.

In the evening, Li An told Minglan about this matter, and Minglan sighed slightly after listening to it.

"Don't think too much. The Queen Mother is fighting fiercely with the Emperor now. If Xiao Zou continues to make trouble like this, the Queen Mother will not let go of such a good opportunity." Li An said.

Zhao Zongquan asked Shen Congxing to marry Zhang Guifen not only to win over the Duke of Yingguo, but also to show it to the Lord of Bianjing.

In a sense, Shen Congxing's attitude towards Zhang Guifen also represents his attitude towards Lord Bianjing.

It was just that because of Shen Congxing's special status and the Duke of Ying's tolerance, the nobles in Bian Jing were unhappy but could not get angry.

If the Queen Mother dealt with Xiao Zou, she would not only win the favor of the nobles, but would also be a slap in the face of the ministers in Yuzhou and a warning to Zhao Zongquan.

The Queen Mother did not get angry before because Zhao Zongquan had already given in.

If Zhao Zongquan really let Han Zhang steal the imperial seal, the angry empress dowager would definitely deal with Xiao Zou.

…………

After leaving the Li family, Zhao Ceying went to the palace and told his father the method Li An had suggested.

After listening to this, Zhao Zongquan frowned and said, "Is this something you came up with?"

"No, it was Ziqian who proposed it." Zhao Ceying said.

"This method is a bit..." Zhao Zongquan wanted to say that it was a bit rogue, but then he felt that it was not appropriate, so he changed his words and said, "This method is a bit inappropriate. Whether it can be deceived or not is not to mention whether it can be deceived or not. Even if it succeeds, the Queen Mother will definitely be furious. What should we do if there is a commotion at that time?"

"Zi Qian means to talk to the Grand Prime Minister and then see what he thinks." Zhao Ceying said.

Zhao Zongquan pondered for a while after hearing this, and said, "I know about this matter. I asked you to warn your uncle. Did he listen to it?"

"I have already talked to my uncle, and he also said he would talk to Xiao Zou." Zhao Ceying said.

"Tell me about it?" Zhao Zongquan said coldly, "Is it that simple?"

The subtext of what he said was to see if Xiao Zou would listen.

Given Xiao Zou's personality, what's the point of just talking?

"Father, the Zou family is..."

"enough!"

Zhao Zongquan said coldly: "I know that the Zou family saved your mother, but I also rewarded the Zou family. What kind of character are those two brothers of the Zou family? Didn't I give them official titles? If he continues to indulge them like this, don't blame me for being merciless."

Zhao Ceying heard the anger in his father's tone, and did not dare to say more, saying: "I will advise my uncle more."

"Okay, it's getting late, you should go back early." Zhao Zongquan waved his hand.

At this moment, he was in no mood to care about Shen Congxing's affairs.

"Yes, I'll take my leave." Zhao Ceying bowed and walked out.

…………

The next morning, Zhao Zongquan asked someone to find Han Zhang and told him how he wanted him to steal the imperial seal.

However, Zhao Zongquan did not say it explicitly, but only hinted.

Han Zhang naturally understood what Zhao Zongquan meant. He was silent for a while and said, "Your Majesty, I can give it a try, but I need help."

"Why?" Zhao Zongquan frowned.

This is a very shameful matter, and the fewer people who know about it, the better.

"Your Majesty, have you ever thought about how the Queen Mother would react if she knew?" Han Zhang said.

Zhao Zongquan fell silent upon hearing this. He didn't know how the empress dowager would react, but it would definitely be a big one.

"You mean, is there anyone who can solve this problem?"

"No." Han Zhang shook his head and said, "When the Queen Mother finds out, she will definitely be angry, and no one can solve this problem. But the Queen Mother knows the importance of things, and someone must help her vent her anger. Only in this way will the Queen Mother not do anything out of anger."

Zhao Zongquan understood what Han Zhang meant, which was to put it bluntly: finding someone to take the blame.

However, he thought about it carefully and couldn't think of anyone who could take the blame. He could only ask, "Who do you need help with?"

"Gu Tingye!" Han Zhang said.

"Why him?" Zhao Zongquan frowned.

Now that Gu Tingye is at home in mourning, he originally wanted to wait for a year or so, and then re-employ Gu Tingye after the storm has subsided.

If Gu Tingye is made to take the blame, the Queen Mother will be so angry that it is unknown when she will be able to use Gu Tingye again.

"Your Majesty, the Queen Mother might kill someone when she's angry, but the late emperor once said that Gu Tingye must not be treated badly. The Queen Mother and the late emperor had a very good relationship, so it would be most appropriate for him to come forward." Han Zhang said.

What Han Zhang calculated was human nature.

When the Queen Mother learned that the imperial seal had been stolen, she would not quarrel with Zhao Zongquan for the sake of the stability of the court.

However, the Queen Mother had no place to vent her anger, so she would naturally make trouble for the person who stole the seal.

Killing is unlikely, but dismissal from office and exile is still possible.

But Gu Tingye is different. With the late emperor's last words in mind, the empress dowager would at most beat him up, but dismissal and exile would be unlikely.

Zhao Zongquan pondered for a while after hearing this, and said, "I will consider this matter."

…………

After some hesitation, Qi Heng personally led people to the Gu family and arrested Gu Tingwei and two other people who were involved in buying beautiful girls for Prince Yan.

When Xiao Qin found out what Gu Tingwei had done, she couldn't believe it.

She indirectly killed Gu Yankai for the title, and now she is looking forward to Gu Tingyu's death so that her son can inherit the title.

However, Gu Tingwei became a remnant of the rebel party.

Not to mention inheriting the title, he doesn't even know if he can save his life.

Xiao Qin's crying could not stop Qi Heng from arresting people. When Qi Heng left, he comforted Xiao Qin with a few words and then left.

Xiao Qin watched her son being taken away and hurried to the left wing.

This is the courtyard where Gu Tingyu lives. Although Gu Tingyu has inherited the title now, he still lives here.

Gu Tingyu didn’t know whether it was due to physical reasons or other reasons, but when he learned that Gu Tingwei and the others were arrested, he did not go out.

"Da Lang, you have to find a way to save your brother and the others." Xiao Qin said anxiously with red and swollen eyes.

"Mother, don't be anxious. Sit down and listen to me." Gu Tingyu said.

"How can I not be anxious at this time? You should think of a solution quickly." Xiao Qin said anxiously.

"Mother, I...cough cough..."

"Are you okay, sir?"

Shao quickly stroked Gu Tingyu's back and looked at him worriedly.

"I am fine."

Gu Tingyu coughed for a while and felt better. He patted his wife's hand and forced a smile.

However, his sallow face had turned a little paler due to the violent coughing. He looked like a frail old man who would not live long.

"Mother, although I have a title, I don't have a position due to health reasons. Moreover, my third brother and the others were arrested for rebelling. What can I do?" Gu Tingyu said.

"How could your third brother be such an honest man, he rebelled? He must have been wronged." Xiao Qin said anxiously.

"The Qi family is related to our family and we have no grudges against each other. How could they wrongly accuse my third brother and others? There must be something we don't know about. The most urgent thing is to find out the reason. Otherwise, how can we save people?" Gu Tingyu said incisively.

"Yes, yes, yes. I'll go to the Qi family to ask." Xiao Qin nodded repeatedly, stood up and walked out.

"Sir, Third Uncle has always been honest. How could he be involved with the rebels? Could it be related to Second Uncle?" Shao said.

"Cough cough..."

Upon hearing this, Gu Tingyu looked at Shao without saying anything.

"Sir, why are you looking at me like that?" Shao felt a little uncomfortable being looked at by Gu Tingyu.

"Are you still thinking about the adoption?" Gu Tingyu asked.

"I..." Shao opened her mouth, wanting to deny it, but she knew that her husband was very smart and couldn't deceive her at all. She was silent for a while and said, "Husband, I am also considering Sister Xian."

"You're like this... cough cough..."

"Sir, are you all right? Someone, go get the doctor."

"Need not!"

Gu Tingyu pushed his wife's hand away and said, "What's the point of me asking the doctor for help?"

"Sir, don't be discouraged. You will definitely get better." Shao said with tears in her eyes.

"Don't cry." Gu Tingyu held his wife's hand, and with his other hand he gently wiped her tears, smiling and saying, "I know you are doing this for Xian Jie'er, but if she is not your biological child, what's the point of adopting her? Don't worry, I will make arrangements for you and Xian Jie'er."

Although Xiao Qinshi used some means to drive Gu Tingye away, she knew that this was not safe.

After all, the emperor intended to let Gu Tingye inherit the title.

So she thought of letting Gu Tingyu adopt Gu Tingwei's son as his stepson.

Only in this way can we ensure that nothing goes wrong.

But Gu Tingyu was so smart that he could see through Xiao Qinshi's little tricks.

Although Gu Tingyu hated Gu Tingye because of his mother's death, he had long understood that his mother's death had nothing to do with the Bai family.

The hatred in his heart was the hatred for his own body and the unwillingness to accept it.

I was young before and didn’t think too much about it, so I hated Gu Tingye.

Later on, Gu Tingye had become the person who carried all his hatred.

But Gu Tingyu, like Gu Yankai, attaches great importance to his clan.

It cannot be said that the father and son of the Gu family are such people. In fact, most of the ancients attached great importance to their clans.

This kind of emphasis is an emotion that has been formed over a long period of time.

Putting aside the hatred, only if Gu Tingye inherits the title can the Gu family prosper.

Gu Tingwei or his descendants will inherit the title, and the Gu family will be just a marquisate.

If Gu Tingyu had children, he might fight for them.

However, he did not, so in his heart the clan was the most important, and he could let go of hatred for the sake of the clan.

And based on his understanding of Gu Tingye, even if he had targeted Gu Tingye in the past, Gu Tingye would not do anything to his daughter.

"My lord." Shao threw herself into Gu Tingyu's arms and burst into tears.

…………

Xiao Qin came to the Qi family, met Princess Pingning, and asked her why her son was arrested.

However, Princess Pingning has been busy arranging her son's marriage these days and has not paid much attention to what is happening outside.

Faced with Xiao Qin's crying, she could only send someone to find Qi Heng to come back.

However, Qi Heng did not come back at all, and the people who went to find Qi Heng brought back a message.

This matter is still under investigation and cannot be disclosed.

When Princess Pingning found out, she was also helpless.

Compared with her own son, Xiao Qinshi naturally prefers her own son.

Because of the previous experience of forcing her son to marry Princess Jiacheng, Princess Pingning is now unwilling to force her son in any way.

Xiao Qin didn't get any news at the Qi family, so she went back to her parents' home and asked her brother to help her find out.

However, Xiao Qinshi also knew that her mother's family, the Dongchang Marquis Mansion, had long been in decline, otherwise they would not have allowed her to marry Gu Yan as a second wife in order to maintain their relationship with the Gu family even after the Gu family divorced Da Qinshi.

But at this time, Xiao Qinshi couldn't care less and felt like she was desperate and trying every possible means.

After leaving the Qin family, Xiao Qin went to find some ladies she was on good terms with and asked them to help her get information.

It was not until the afternoon that I returned home in a daze.

After returning home, Xiao Qin went to find Gu Tingyu again.

"Da Lang, no matter what, you are the Marquis of Ningyuan now. Now that someone in your family has been arrested, you can write a letter to inquire about the reasons. The emperor will not blame you." Xiao Qin said.

"Mother, although the emperor won't blame us, he will most likely ignore it. In fact, it's best to ask Erlang to handle this matter." Gu Tingyu said.

"I…"

Xiao Qin moved her mouth. She naturally knew that finding Gu Tingye was the best choice.

But asking for help comes at a price, and that price is the title.

She had spent so much effort over the years to drive Gu Tingye out, and she was extremely reluctant to give up on him.

So she never thought about this option.

Moreover, she had used some tricks to not only make Gu Tingye bear the infamy of being the one who angered his father to death, but he even didn't even get to see Gu Yankai for the last time. Would Gu Tingye agree to this?

In fact, Xiao Qin still had a sense of luck in her heart. She thought that her son was honest and unlikely to have any connection with the rebels. There must be some misunderstanding.

To put it simply, although she was anxious, she was not that anxious.

Gu Tingyu seemed to have seen through her thoughts and said calmly, "Given the character of my third brother, he shouldn't have anything to do with the rebels. But mother, don't forget that people from the fourth and fifth houses have also been arrested. Mother knows their personalities. Maybe my third brother was deceived by them and got involved."

Gu Tingyu wanted to give the title to Gu Tingye, but the pride in his heart made him unwilling to bow to Gu Tingye.

It would be great if Xiao Qin could get Gu Tingye to come.

Xiao Qin's face turned pale when she heard this. She naturally knew what kind of people the two people who were arrested from the fourth and fifth rooms were.

Gu Tingye has a reputation as a playboy, and many people blame him for the dirty tricks he has done.