The war god prince climbs the wall every night, and the princess is angry

Although the farce at the Yongning Marquis' Mansion had been circulating among the people for some time, the noble families had to give the Yongning Marquis' Mansion some face for the sake of Prince An, so they only laughed at it in private.

Shen Qionghua wasn't sure what the emperor's purpose was in asking her this. Was he really too busy with state affairs to hear those rumors, or was it...

When Xie Nanyuan heard the emperor's question, his fingers rubbed twice unconsciously, and his brows knitted slightly. He was about to speak when he heard Shen Qionghua speak first:

"I dare not deceive the emperor, nor should I discuss the right and wrong of my elders behind their backs. It's just...sigh..." Shen Qionghua bowed, looking very depressed. "Perhaps the Yongning Marquis's Mansion is having a hard time. The Shen family is a merchant family, and living in the Yongning Marquis' Mansion is bound to cause some conflicts."

"Fortunately, the Shen family has moved out now. The Shen family and the Yongning Marquis Mansion don't get along well, so it would be better for both parties if they reduce their interactions in the future."

"If the money emptied from the Shen family can be spent on the people, it can be considered a return to the people. If it ends up in the hands of... I'm afraid that I will be upset and restless when I find out."

"Besides, I have a good relationship with Princess Pingning, so I contacted His Royal Highness Prince Rui through Princess Pingning. His Royal Highness Prince Rui has a noble character and will definitely not do such a thing, so I feel at ease to hand this matter over to His Royal Highness Prince Rui." Shen Qionghua said without blushing or beating her heart.

It would be a shame for her to not show some respect to Prince An and his gang in such a rare opportunity.

But she still had some concerns. Xie Qian'an was the emperor's son, and she was not crazy enough to run to her father and say bad things about someone else's son.

Even if the emperor was dissatisfied with Xie Qian'an, would he punish his own son for the sake of Jialin County Princess, who had just risen from a merchant's daughter?

Give me a break.

In this case, it would be better to put all the blame on the Yongning Marquisate. After all, the Yongning Marquisate is Xie Qian'an's in-laws and the knife in Xie Qian'an's hand. He can do whatever he wants.

It's not unfair to him.

She didn't believe that Marquis Yongning held some military power and wanted to cheat the Shen family of a large amount of money. When the emperor heard this, he didn't feel the slightest bit of emotion.

This son is his own, but the emperor has more than one woman, so it doesn’t matter if there is a concubine in the Yongning Marquis’ Mansion.

If the imperial power was threatened, not to mention the Yongning Marquisate, perhaps even Concubine Zhou would be abandoned.

Xie Rong listened to Shen Qionghua's words and twirled the ring on his thumb. After a long pause, he smiled and said, "The Jialin County Lady is indeed intelligent, and her words are one in a million. No wonder Pingning considers you a good friend. Even Prince Yuan... Rui spoke well of you."

Shen Qionghua smiled, looking embarrassed.

"Alright, everyone, go back." Xie Rong waved his hand. "I'll give you three days to gather the money. After three days, someone from the Ministry of Revenue will come to collect it."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Shen Qionghua said respectfully, and then retreated with Xie Nanyuan.

Li Shunquan took the teacup from the young eunuch and handed it to Xie Rong with a smile on his face.

The emperor's worries were resolved, and he could finally have a good sleep. He hadn't slept well in the past two days, tossing and turning all night, and even his old bones couldn't get a good nap.

Seeing that the emperor took the teacup without a smile on his face, Li Shunquan's heart skipped a beat and he swallowed back the auspicious words that were on the tip of his tongue.

He stood obediently by the side, serving the pen and ink, but he was having doubts in his heart.

It was fine just now, how come it changed in a moment?

-

Shen Qionghua and Xie Nanyuan left the Taiji Hall together.

Lin Wanru came forward immediately upon seeing this, "Sister Hua, what's wrong?"

Shen Qionghua glanced behind her, pulled Lin Wanru a little further away, and walked to a less traveled path before saying, "Don't worry, mother, everything is fine."

Lin Wanru clasped her hands together and said, "Amitabha, you scared me to death today. I thought you were summoned to the palace by Concubine Zhou and you were afraid you would never come back."

As she spoke, Lin Wanru's eyes turned red again.

Shen Qionghua smiled helplessly, "Mother, look, I'm fine, aren't I?"

As she spoke, Shen Qionghua seemed to suddenly remember something, and her tone suddenly became serious. "By the way, Mother, didn't you say you would no longer associate with Lin? Why did you come to the palace with her today?"

Lin Wanru pursed her lips and said, "Mother was terrified when she heard that you were summoned to the palace by Concubine Zhou, but she didn't know how to save you. Coincidentally, your aunt... Lin came to the mansion and said she could take me to the palace."

"I thought that if the Imperial Concubine gets angry and wants to punish you, I will take the punishment for you. Even if I can't take the punishment for you, I will share the responsibility with you. Even if it's just to accompany you, it would be fine."

"I can't let you shoulder the Shen family's affairs alone. Your brother is still young and can't support the Shen family. I should shoulder the responsibility with you, but... I seem to..."

Lin Wanru couldn't continue talking. The scene in the Imperial Garden just now seemed to have caused her to do something bad with good intentions.

Shen Qionghua stroked her forehead and said, "Mother, how can you still trust Lin? Everything she does has a purpose."

"Do you know that the trip you made today was intentional by Concubine Zhou's maid? I was watching that scene from the attic of Yanxi Palace at that time."

"Lin deliberately brought you into the palace and then framed you, causing you to make a mistake. Then Prince An threatened me with your life and made me serve him."

After hearing this, Lin Wanru looked devastated, tears welling up in her eyes. "Is that really the case? Hua Jie'er, I'm sorry, mother... mother didn't know..."

Lin Wanru was very sad. She clearly wanted to share the responsibility of the Shen family with her daughter, but she once again held her daughter back.

Shen Qionghua looked at Lin Wanru's expression and sighed inwardly.

A'niang has been weak and naive for more than 30 years. Even if she changes now, it will be difficult for her to change her previous thinking in a short time.

But she couldn't blame her mother either. Although her mother was naive and a little confused, her love for her was no less than any other mother in the world.

A Niang was obviously a very timid person. She even went to the palace for her and wanted to be punished for her. How could she blame A Niang?

Shen Qionghua held Lin Wanru's hand and said, "Mother, I know you are worried and confused, but the Yongning Marquis's Mansion has ulterior motives and malicious intentions. You must remember not to trust anyone in the Yongning Marquis' Mansion again."

Seeing that Shen Qionghua didn't blame her, Lin Wanru nodded repeatedly.

After talking about the mother and daughter, Shen Qionghua looked at Xie Nanyuan beside her.

Xie Nanyuan quickly retracted his gaze and turned his head, pretending to be calm.