Dethroned the Crown Princess? Then she became your mother

"Oh, you're back? Then I'll ask him myself." Zhang Tianai said softly.

The attendant responded and bowed before leaving. Nanny Li, Chunmei, and the others were also present, and upon seeing this, they all retreated to the door.

Murong Shuo strode quickly to Zhang Tianai's side, sat down naturally, picked up the tea on the table, and looked at her with deep eyes.

"Why is Your Majesty staring at me like this? My grandmother has already gone to bed, but you came back on time?" Zhang Tianai said with a smile, a hint of teasing in her tone.

"On time? You haven't finished what you were saying? When I came here, I heard that the old lady had gone to bed. It's time for you to rest too." Murong Shuo's voice was low and powerful, with a hint of blame.

Zhang Tianai hesitated to speak, then finally smiled and said, "That's all. I just feel that time flies by, and it's already here before I knew it. I'm reluctant to leave. We'll meet tomorrow morning, and it will be a hasty farewell again."

"What else do you want?" Murong Shuo stared at her, a hint of confusion and doubt in his eyes.

Zhang Tianai shook his head slightly and turned his gaze to the window: "Your Majesty, now that the person has returned, I wonder how the investigation is going?"

Murong Shuo remained silent and also glanced out the window.

At this moment, a guard strode forward, saluted, and then looked up. Zhang Tianai recognized him immediately; he was one of the guards who had taken the woman to see the doctor. Beside him stood a palace maid, both of them looking respectful.

"Your Majesty." Zhang Tianai saluted Murong Shuo first, then turned to the guards. "How is she doing after you took her to see the doctor? Is she injured? How serious are her injuries? And—why did you return only now?"

Murong Shuo listened quietly, his eyes sharp as a torch.

The guard replied respectfully, "In reply to Her Majesty, the woman is fine. She only had minor injuries. The doctor has examined her and prescribed some medicine. She is now fine after applying it. As for what happened next, we have also conducted an interrogation."

The palace maids also nodded in agreement.

Zhang Tianai and Murong Shuo continued to listen and signaled the guard to continue.

The guard continued, "Empress Liang, Your Majesty, after interrogation, we learned that the woman was actually a prostitute who was bought and disguised as a decent woman. Her buyer told her to wait at a certain time and place, and then rush forward when the opportunity was right."

"Is the time right?" Zhang Tianai frowned slightly, and an ominous premonition arose in his heart.

The guard nodded. "That's right. The carriage and the group they described match the Emperor and Empress's travel procession. They clearly know the Empress and Emperor's whereabouts."

Zhang Tianai's heart trembled. How did the other party know their whereabouts? She didn't know, but the other party's purpose was obvious.

"The reason why that woman bumped into you by such a coincidence and cried and made a fuss for help was simply to soften the Empress' heart and create a drama of 'selling herself to the Emperor' so that he would take pity on her and keep her." The guard continued.

"The person who bought her also promised that, with her beauty, if she could stay with the emperor, she would enjoy wealth and glory in the future and would never have to return to that filthy place."

The more Zhang Tianai listened, the more suspicious she felt. Countless questions surged in her mind. She wanted to ask, but she didn't want to interrupt the guard's narration.

The guard continued, "After much investigation and inquiry, we finally found out the identity of the person who bought that woman. It was the eldest daughter of the He family."

"The eldest daughter of the He family?" Zhang Tianai was stunned when she heard this, and then a look of surprise appeared on her face. Although she had never expected it to be this person, after thinking about it carefully, she felt that it made sense.

Murong Shuo was also surprised, and then he said in a deep voice: "The eldest daughter of the He family?"

"Yes, Your Majesty, Concubine Liang, it is Miss He. We have been investigating for a long time and it should be correct." The guards and palace maids answered in unison.

Zhang Tianai felt a mixture of emotions. She hadn't expected the eldest daughter of the He family to be so scheming and calculating. However, on second thought, since this person could dream the same dream as her, perhaps they weren't a time traveler, but someone from the future. But how did she know their whereabouts and plans?

"This woman..." Murong Shuo pondered for a moment, his mind filled with doubts. Why would he do this? What was she thinking? What was she testing?

Murong Shuo's heart sank when he thought about how Concubine Liang had sent people to inquire about the young lady from the He Mansion. Could it be that this young lady from the He Mansion really had some kind of inexplicable connection with him?

Seeing Murong Shuo's silence, Zhang Tianai began to formulate a countermeasure. Gently tugging at his sleeve, she coquettishly said, "Your Majesty, let's not discuss this woman's true intentions for now. But it's clear she's testing us. Perhaps she already knows something. Why don't we wait and see what tricks she pulls next? That way, we'll know her true intentions."

Murong Shuo's brows relaxed slightly upon hearing this, and he nodded: "Alright. As long as someone is keeping an eye on her, there's no need to worry about her playing any tricks."

Zhang Tianai felt relieved when she saw Murong Shuo agreed with her idea. She turned to look at the guards and palace maids and asked, "Where is that woman now?"

The guard replied respectfully, "Your Majesty, the woman has been properly taken care of by us. Rest assured, Your Majesty, we will keep a close eye on her and report any signs of trouble immediately."

Zhang Tianai nodded gently, "Very good. You continue to keep an eye on her. If you see anything unusual, report it to me immediately. As for the eldest daughter of the He family..." A hint of coldness flashed in her eyes, "I want to see what she has in store!"

She secretly instructed them to keep a close watch on the young woman from the He Mansion, ensuring that her every move was under control. The guards and palace maids took their orders and left, fully aware of the arduous task.

Zhang Tianai turned to look at the Emperor, her gaze gentle yet resolute. Murong Shuo naturally saw through her intentions and asked, "Are you really not going to take action now?" There was a subtle hint of nervousness in his tone.

Zhang Tianai stood up, her body swaying, her voice soft but firm: "Your Majesty, it is only a matter of time before we deal with her. How much trouble can a mere woman cause?" Her words revealed an unquestionable determination, as if everything was under her control.

After saying this, she slowly walked towards the emperor, each step appearing to be so calm and unhurried. Seeing this, Murong Shuo waved his hand to signal the guards and palace maids to withdraw. They respectfully left the room, not daring to be negligent in the slightest.

Nanny Li and Chunmei stood outside the door, feeling uneasy. They wanted to go in and find out what was going on, but were afraid of disturbing the world of two people inside.

"Your Majesty, did you enjoy dinner tonight? I feel guilty for not being able to be with you." Zhang Tianai spoke softly, her tone full of concern and self-blame.

Murong Shuo pulled her into his arms and let her sit on his lap. Zhang Tianai was startled, and then she felt the hardness and warmth of his thighs, and looked at him tenderly.

"Your Majesty..." There was a hint of shyness and sweetness in her voice.

"Dinner wasn't very good." Murong Shuo said honestly, with a hint of helplessness in his tone, "How can I have an appetite when I eat alone?"

Zhang Tianai's heart softened, and she wanted to say that she felt the same way, but she was afraid of ruining this rare warm atmosphere.

"Is your chest still stuffy?" Murong Shuo asked with concern, gently stroking her hair.

Zhang Tianai shook her head, a happy smile on her face.

The two smiled at each other, and without saying a word, they could feel the deep affection and tacit understanding in each other's hearts. Zhang Tianai whispered to ask the emperor if he needed a midnight snack, but Murong Shuo smiled and shook his head, indicating that he did not need it.

-

Meanwhile, in the room of the Weiyuan Marquis's mansion, Old Madam Yuan quietly admired the sweet-scented osmanthus flowers in her hand, her eyes revealing an indescribable sadness and longing. Nanny Yu stood nearby, also gazing at the flowers, secretly trying to guess what the old madam was thinking.

"Your Majesty..." Yuan whispered softly, as if listening to the movement in the main room, but it seemed that she was just talking to herself, "I really can't sleep after resting outside." She turned her head to look at Nanny Yu with a questioning look in her eyes.

Nanny Yu understood what the old lady meant, but she felt helpless: "Old lady, I can't sleep either."

Yuan sighed, still worried about Ai Yatou sharing a room with the Emperor. Ai Yatou was pregnant now, so nothing could go wrong! After much hesitation, she decided to ask Yu Ma to find out what was going on.

Nanny Yu took the order and left. Not long after, she returned to report that the emperor and his beloved maid had always been like this and there was nothing wrong with it. After hearing this, Yuan felt a little relieved, but she couldn't help but feel a little worried.

Meanwhile, back at Minister He's residence, the eldest daughter of the He family was also tossing and turning in bed. She recalled everything that had happened that day, filled with confusion and unease. She took out a pen and paper, intending to record her thoughts. Afterward, she decided to send someone to find the woman tomorrow and get to the bottom of it.

Elsewhere, in the Imperial Courtyard, Concubine Xian and Concubine Wan had been back for a long time. As soon as they arrived, many people came to inquire about the whereabouts of the Emperor and Concubine Liang. Although Concubine Xian didn't say much, those people were reluctant to leave.

Xianfei knew that what had happened in the garden had caused quite a stir. She secretly thanked herself and Wanwan for returning in time, otherwise who knows how much more trouble would have been caused. As night fell, Xianfei and Wanwan were still unable to sleep, and only fell into a deep sleep at dawn.

In a private residence in the capital, Zhang Tianai and the Emperor had already gotten up. They had gone to bed early last night, so they woke up early today as well.

Zhang Tianai missed her grandmother and wanted to spend more time with her. After briefly speaking with the emperor, she sent someone to invite her grandmother and went there herself.