Reborn, the daughter of the Marquisate went crazy

The gentle smile on Zou Ping's face suddenly froze, and a cold light flashed in his eyes: "Those unworthy descendants of the Zou family have long forgotten the ancestral precept of 'staying in seclusion and not serving in the government'."

His fingers clenched the teacup, his knuckles turning white. "They moved their entire family to the capital, where they had rich families and servants galore. That idiot Zou Xiangming actually became Feng Qian's Right Prime Minister..."

With a crisp "crack" sound, a fine crack appeared on the teacup. Zou Ping let out a sarcastic sneer, "The Zou family has become the most sought-after 'upstarts' in Feng Qian's court."

Xie Qingli quickly replaced the shattered teacup in his hand, frowning and asking, "Could it be that Zou Xiangming was able to be appointed Right Prime Minister solely because of the secret mask technique he presented? Is this skill... so important to the Fengqian Imperial Family?"

Her eyes flashed, "The Zou family's involvement in Dongling and Nanjing's affairs, could it be... that they received instructions from the Fengqian royal family?"

Zou Ping's expression eased slightly, but a frost still lingered in his eyes. "Master also wanted to know the reason, so he disguised himself as a palace maid and hid in the Fengqian Palace for over a month."

Xie Qingli's pupils suddenly shrank, and he exclaimed, "Master, this... this is too dangerous! If someone finds out..."

Zou Ping smiled calmly, "That old eunuch kept a mistress outside the palace. I secretly observed him for several days and understood his habits before I dared to disguise myself and enter the palace."

His eyes darkened, and his voice deepened, "Although we haven't uncovered any key clues, we have glimpsed something unusual. Emperor Feng Qian, though over forty, is diligent in his duties and doesn't appear to be someone obsessed with beauty. Yet, he possesses hundreds of beauties in his harem, holding selections year after year and summoning them night after night."

He tapped his knuckles lightly on the table, making a dull sound. "I, your teacher, feel something is amiss. I have been secretly investigating for many days and have finally discovered something strange. This Majesty never favors any of his concubines. Instead, he selects women who are most fertile according to the calendar. When a concubine becomes pregnant, he assigns his trusted palace maids to keep her under strict supervision, while he himself never sets foot in her palace again."

Zouping suddenly sneered, "This behavior is more like...breeding."

Everyone was shocked when they heard this. Xie Tingyu couldn't help but ask, "Could it be that he wants to have more princes and choose the best one to succeed him?"

The cold light in Zou Ping's eyes grew even colder. "It's ridiculous to say, although many princes have been born in recent years, eight out of ten have died young. Roughly speaking, at least dozens of princes have died young. Now, only seven are alive... and the one who is most favored by the emperor is the fifth prince..."

At this point, Zou Ping's eyes suddenly showed pain: "My Jiaojiao... was also pregnant back then..."

He took a deep breath, his voice trembling slightly. "I went through great pains to find the maid who served her back then, only to learn... Jiaojiao risked her life to give birth to a baby boy, but the child was forcibly taken away by Feng Qianhuang's men shortly after birth. Within three days, news arrived that the child had died of a sudden illness."

A tear fell silently, but Zou Ping seemed oblivious: "Jiaojiao was weak after giving birth, and was shocked by the bad news... so... she followed..."

He suddenly looked up, his eyes blazing with terrifying hatred. "What's funny is, when the news of Jiaojiao's death spread through the palace, she was actually still alive, only three months pregnant! The palace maid said that from then on, Jiaojiao was imprisoned in the most remote corner of the cold palace, and was not even allowed to set foot outside the palace gate!"

Zou Ping slammed his fist down on the table, causing the teacup to shatter and porcelain shards to fly everywhere. "Jiaojiao is still alive, and they've already held a funeral for her! I guess the royal family never intended to let her live from the beginning. They were just waiting...waiting for the child to be born..."

He slumped down on the armchair, his eyes filled with regret. "If I had known the truth earlier, I would have broken into the palace even at the cost of my life... to rescue my Jiaojiao..."

Xie Qingli gently lifted Zou Ping's bloody hand, wiping away the blood with trembling fingertips: "Master, Sister Jiaojiao's spirit in heaven would definitely not want to see you torturing yourself like this..."

Zou Ping grabbed Xie Qingli's wrist, his eyes still bloodshot, but he had regained his composure: "Master, I understand that killing one or two enemies to vent your anger is only the act of a reckless man."

He released her hand, brushed her sleeves, and stood up, his voice so soft it was barely audible: "For the rest of my life, Master will meticulously plan and plot, step by step, to make the entire Fengqian Imperial Family... buried with Jiaojiao."

As the night deepened, the crowd filed out of the elegant room and reached the backyard of Tingyu Tower. Suddenly, they saw Lei Ting, leaning against a vermilion lacquer pillar and sleeping. Lanterns swayed beneath the eaves, casting a warm glow on the young man's handsome face.

Xie Tingyu's heart softened, secretly annoyed at himself for forgetting this kid. He stepped forward and patted Lei Ting's shoulder, whispering, "Lei Ting, wake up, it's time to go back."

Lei Ting suddenly woke up, his long eyelashes trembling, still a bit confused. When he saw the person in front of him clearly, he hurriedly stood up straight, and the tips of his ears instantly turned crimson. "General, please forgive me! I... I fell asleep..."

A trace of pity flashed across Xie Tingyu's eyes, and he said softly, "It's okay."

Zou Ping paused slightly the moment he saw Lei Ting's face clearly, a strange sense of familiarity washing over him. He took two steps closer, his gaze scanning the young man's face. "Who is this young man..."

Xie Tingyu quickly bowed and said, "Senior, this is my personal soldier, named Lei Ting."

"Your last name is Lei?" Zou Ping frowned slightly.

Xie Tingyu explained, "Lei Ting was originally an orphan, wandering around Jiazhou begging. Fortunately, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince took pity on him and sent him to train under me. He chose this name himself."

"Jiazhou?" Zouping's eyes flickered slightly, a hint of unpredictable emotion flashing through them, but his expression remained calm. "Indeed... we are destined to be together."

He smiled kindly at Lei Ting, took out a smooth jade pendant from his sleeve and handed it to him. "I have lived in Jiazhou for over ten years, so we are considered fellow townsmen. If you have time in the future, you can come here and talk to me."

Lei Ting was stunned for a moment, looking at Xie Tingyu in bewilderment. Xie Tingyu was also puzzled, wondering why this senior was so fond of Lei Ting.

He pondered for a moment, then nodded slightly to Lei Ting: "Since this is a generous gift from you, Senior, you should just respectfully obey your command."

Lei Ting then took the jade pendant with both hands and bowed respectfully: "Junior thanks you for your kindness!"

Zou Ping's smile deepened, and he extended his hand to support him: "Good boy, no need to be so polite."

Xie Qingli stood aside, observing her master's actions. She assumed that he had just returned from Fengqian, and seeing a young man like Lei Ting, he couldn't help but think of Jiaojiao, and sympathized with his difficult life, so he showed extra care. She pursed her lips and quickly put the trivial matter aside...

……

Jinxiu Street, Yingxue Residence.

The morning light filtered through, a few streaks of golden light filtering through the carved window lattices. The delicate aroma of green glutinous rice porridge wafted through the flower hall. Xie Qingli was chatting with Jiang Muxue while spooning in hand when he suddenly heard the rustling of a beaded curtain.

The maid Zhenzhu hurried in, bowed hastily, and her voice was clearly panicked: "Miss, the Second Prince... he's here again. He is waiting outside the mansion with his guards, and he threatened that if he doesn't see you today, he will wait forever..."