The widow becomes a fairy, and the time-traveling girl counterattacks and becomes the queen

"In my opinion, if he and I both try our best, we should be evenly matched." Eunuch Xu thought for a moment and replied, "But the Emperor can't bear to see the Queen Mother sad, so he will never really kill the prince. But the prince will definitely kill me, and if that happens, I won't be his match." Eunuch Xu sighed.

Zhou Guoan continued, "Xu De, you've been by my side since childhood. My affection for you is no less than that of my younger brother, the Emperor. Therefore, I will never let him kill you. Tell me, if the day ever comes that we become enemies, who do you think will have a better chance of success?"

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your kindness." Eunuch Xu quickly stood up and bowed respectfully. He then sat back in his seat, thought for a moment, and said, "Your Majesty, the current situation in the court is extremely turbulent. Support for the Crown Prince is rare. Aside from a few who maintain a neutral stance, only the Prime Minister has the ability to compete with the Prince. However, he is only a civil servant. Looking at the entire court, at least 60% of the officials are loyal to the Prince. Add to that the kindness of Your Majesty, and your chances of success are only 40%."

Zhou Guoan frowned and fell into deep thought.

Eunuch Xu then continued, "The prince has always valued his image the most and has always been known as a virtuous king. Therefore, as long as Your Majesty is on the throne, and as long as you don't push him into a desperate situation, the prince will definitely not rebel!"

Zhou Guoan continued Eunuch Xu's words, "However, the Second Prince is disabled and unable to shoulder such heavy responsibilities; the Third Prince is still young and needs time to grow. My health is declining. If something were to happen to the Crown Prince, who would be able to stand up to him once I'm gone? With his ruthless and heartless character, the Xia Kingdom will surely be destroyed by him sooner or later. How could I possibly face my ancestors then? Therefore, the only viable plan at this moment is to find the Crown Prince as soon as possible and provide him with sufficient resources to help him rise to power quickly. Only in this way can we avoid a bloody storm."

Hearing this, Eunuch Xu asked worriedly, "Your Majesty, is your body all right?"

Zhou Guoan waved his hand and replied, "The imperial physician has already diagnosed it. He said that it was due to long-term overwork, which has damaged the body's vitality. He just needs more rest. Perhaps it's just the passage of time!"

"That's excellent! Your Majesty must prioritize the emperor's health in the future!" Eunuch Xu felt relieved upon hearing this, and then asked, "Your Majesty, now that this matter has been clarified, what about the Empress..."

"Let her stay in the cold palace. Perhaps that's the best way to protect her. However, we must send someone to secretly guard her. We must not let her life be in danger!" Zhou Guoan pondered for a moment and said, "Remove the eldest princess's house arrest and find an opportunity to let her visit her mother occasionally."

"Thank you, Your Majesty. I thank you on behalf of the princess!" Eunuch Xu said hurriedly.

The eldest princess, Zhao Yuwei, was the younger sister of Zhao Haoxuan and Zhao Haoyun. She was now sixteen years old and of marriageable age. Because her brother had disappeared, her mother had been banished to the cold palace. Recently, she had been crying and making a scene before the emperor, demanding his release. The emperor, enraged, had confined her to her place.

"Does Zhou Yunxi know the whereabouts of the prince?" Zhou Guoan asked again.

"Your Majesty, I have already asked him. He said that he only sent the prince to Nanhu County. As for where he went afterwards, he really doesn't know." Eunuch Xu said regretfully.

Nanhu County, Nanhu County again?

"Xu De, pass the order down. Send more people to secretly search Nanhu County for the Crown Prince's whereabouts. Also, find a legitimate reason to demote the Crown Prince's two uncles to Nanhu County. The lower the official position, the better. Let them serve under Luo Qing as salt officials," Zhou Guoan ordered firmly. "Have our people secretly monitor the situation with our brother, but be careful not to alert the enemy. Also, if there are any carrier pigeons flying back from outside, quietly intercept them. We need to get the overall information immediately without anyone noticing."

After receiving the order, Eunuch Xu turned and left. Looking at his departing figure, Zhou Guoan was filled with anxiety and uneasiness, a father's worry for his son.

Soon, the imperial edict arrived at Yang Ruize's residence, and Eunuch Xu personally arrived to read it. "By the providence of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: It has been discovered that Duke Yang's sons, Yang Chende and Yang Chenhui, have, while in office, abused their power to wantonly bully others and frequently suppress their colleagues. Their actions are egregious and unforgivable. Therefore, they are demoted from their former second and third rank positions to Nanhu County. Yang Chende will be appointed ninth-rank salt official, and Yang Chenhui will be appointed chief guard of the salt fields. They are to depart immediately, without delay. This is my order!" After reading the imperial edict, Eunuch Xu said in a sharp voice, "Duke, accept this order!"

When Yang Ruize heard the contents of the imperial edict, he was struck by lightning and a mouthful of blood gushed out like a fountain!

"My Lord, accept the order!" Eunuch Xu roared sternly, "Are you going to disobey the order?"

Yang Ruize endured the pain in his heart and said respectfully with his family members, "Your Majesty, I accept your order!"

"Okay, my two lords, you should prepare well tonight and set off tomorrow morning!" After saying this, Eunuch Xu left Duke Yang's Mansion.

At this time, Yang Chenhui and Yang Chende had already helped Yang Ruize up. They looked aggrieved and choked with sobs, saying, "Dad, I'm afraid my sister's life in the palace will be even more difficult!"

"Forget it, no need to say more, just help me back to the study first!" Yang Ruize suddenly looked much older, and his voice became even weaker, like a candle in the wind!

The three of them came to the study and after closing the door, Yang Chenhui and Yang Chende helped their father sit at the desk.

Yang Ruize handed the imperial edict to Yang Chende and said, "De'er, go put it away!"

Yang Chende responded respectfully and took the imperial edict. In an instant, he noticed that the weight of the imperial edict was a little unusual. So, full of suspicion, he gently opened the imperial edict and said in surprise, "Father, there is something strange about this imperial edict. It is actually wrapped in another layer of imperial edict!"

As expected of someone who had come from the Ministry of Justice, he could tell something was amiss just by looking at it. He pulled out the extra yellow cloth and handed it to his father.

Yang Ruize took the yellow cloth with astonishment. The general message on it read: "After investigation, the Crown Prince is currently confirmed to be in Nanhu County. Two persons are ordered to go to Nanhu County under the guise of employment at the salt works and ensure that he is brought back to the capital safely." Yang Chende was also ordered to maintain tight control over the Salt Works' financial income. Yang Chenhui was ordered to recruit a wide range of guards through his position as Chief of the Guards, but the contents of this imperial decree must be kept confidential."

The three members of the Yang family couldn't help but secretly cry with joy when they saw this scene. They had originally thought it was a disaster, but unexpectedly it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Heaven is truly merciful!