In the years of famine, I led a comfortable life with my husband

When Xie Chengjin came back and saw Su Zhizhi like this, he didn't know what to feel. Xie Chengjin walked closer, but Su Zhizhi still didn't notice.

Seeing this, Xie Chengjin could only call Su Zhizhi's name softly. Hearing the voice, Su Zhizhi suddenly came back to her senses. Seeing the person coming, Su Zhizhi hurriedly asked, "You are finally back. What happened in the palace?"

Xie Chengjin sat down and then said soothingly, "Don't worry, I'll be fine. It's just that the emperor has passed away. For the next period of time, I may have to stay in the palace and won't have time to take care of the affairs in the mansion."

"The emperor passed away? What is going on?" Su Zhizhi's beautiful eyebrows suddenly frowned.

Xie Chengjin sighed and briefly recounted to Su Zhizhi what he knew about the palace. "...In short, for the next period of time, the capital will probably be in turmoil. The situation in the court is still unclear. During this period... before I return home, I will announce that you have caught a cold and need to rest in the mansion. The entire Xie Mansion will be closed to visitors. At that time, I will send people to surround the entire mansion. Once this period is over, everything will be fine."

This was the best solution Xie Chengjin could think of. This time, he couldn't let Su Zhizhi get hurt again.

Su Zhizhi also expressed her understanding of this. Since ancient times, the change of power has always been the time when accidents are most likely to occur. Even if Xie Chengjin did not mention it, Su Zhizhi had already made plans not to leave the house.

Now that Xie Chengjin had said so, Su Zhizhi naturally nodded and agreed. "That's fine. I'll take Jiaojiao and stay in the mansion. You stay in the palace...be careful about everything."

Su Zhizhi couldn't help but give some instructions. Xie Chengjin held Su Zhizhi in his arms. He had a lot of things to say, but in the end he said nothing.

Seeing this, Su Zhizhi spoke to comfort him, "Don't worry, nothing will happen. Besides, you are still in the capital."

Seeing that it was getting late, Xie Chengjin could not stay in the mansion any longer. After arranging everything, Xie Chengjin entered the palace again.

When the prince saw Xie Chengjin coming back, he asked with concern, "Have all the affairs in the palace been arranged?"

Xie Chengjin nodded. "Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. I have already made all the arrangements. Should we spread the news of His Majesty's passing now?"

The Crown Prince nodded. "It's almost time. The sooner the news gets out, the sooner the problem can be resolved. However, I still don't understand why Father won't allow me to continue investigating who poisoned him."

Xie Chengjin thought for a moment and analyzed, "Your Majesty always has his own considerations. Now that Your Highness is about to ascend the throne, Your Majesty is probably worried that this matter will affect Your Highness."

Hearing this, the prince fell silent. Yes, why wouldn't he think in this direction? But no matter what, the matter of ascending the throne was the most important.

However, the emperor was dead, and the most convenient way for the prince to ascend the throne was to have the imperial edict left by the emperor before his death. However, everything happened too quickly, and the prince didn't know where the emperor had hidden the imperial edict, or perhaps the emperor had never left an imperial edict at all.

"Cheng Jin, I don't have any imperial edicts now. What should I do next?" The prince thought about it and wanted to hear Xie Cheng Jin's opinion.

Xie Chengjin thought for a moment and said, "Your Highness has been diligent and conscientious since he became regent. This is witnessed by everyone in the court. How many people in the court would disobey Your Highness now? Moreover, with the incident with Marquis Xiao before him, Your Highness has nothing to worry about."

"What you said is quite clear, but what comes next..." The prince fell into deep thought.

Before the Crown Prince could think clearly, Xie Chengjin spoke first, "If Your Highness trusts me, I will handle this matter. How about that?"

"That's fine. I'll leave this matter to you. I'm relieved. If you need anything, just ask me." The prince readily agreed.

Xie Chengjin pondered for a moment, then warned, "Your Highness, do not worry about what the outside world thinks. Your Highness's most important goal right now is to find the imperial edict left by His Majesty. If you have it, all these problems can be easily solved."

The prince nodded heavily, and then the two of them split up. Xie Chengjin went directly to find Shen Wenjun to discuss the prince's accession to the throne.

In the princess's mansion, after Shen Wenjun learned the news that the emperor had passed away, she didn't know whether she should tell Xu Miao about it.

After a moment of hesitation, Shen Wenjun finally chose to confess to Xu Miao. When Xu Miao heard the news, he almost fainted. "Father...Father...This is impossible! How could Father just...?"

Xu Miao suddenly burst into tears and looked like he was about to break down.

When Xie Chengjin arrived, he saw Xu Miao like this.

When Shen Wenjun heard the voice, she looked up and saw Xie Chengjin. Shen Wenjun smiled helplessly at Xie Chengjin, but didn't know what to say.

Xie Chengjin looked at Xu Miao, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Your Highness..."

Xu Miao heard the voice, stopped crying, and looked at Xie Chengjin, "Master Xie? Why are you here? Are you from the palace? What happened to my father? Why..."

Xie Chengjin sighed heavily and explained, "Princess Changle should know that His Majesty's health has been weakening in recent years. Despite the Imperial Hospital's full efforts, there is still no sign of improvement. Now he can only be considered to have passed away due to old age. I hope Your Highness will accept my condolences."

Xu Miao stood there in a daze. Yes, the emperor's health had been poor for a long time, and death was only a matter of time. She just couldn't accept it.

Shen Wenjun sent someone to send Xu Miao back to his yard, and Xie Chengjin began to discuss the next steps with Shen Wenjun.

The two have the same goal, so there are not many major disagreements. They have also made preparations for both scenarios in case of emergency.

But fortunately, the prince found the imperial edict hidden by the emperor in a secret chamber in Fengqi Palace. It stated that after the emperor's death, the prince would ascend the throne and no one could disobey.

Everything that happened afterwards was a natural progression. Although some court officials still had doubts about the cause of the late emperor's death, they were quickly suppressed by Xie Chengjin and Shen Wenjun.

The prince's succession ceremony was held very smoothly, but the prince still had not married for so many years. Therefore, the first thing the prince did after ascending the throne was to be forced by his ministers to participate in the selection of concubines.

But this matter has nothing to do with Xie Chengjin.

After everything was settled, Xie Chengjin was able to return home with peace of mind.

Su Zhizhi brought Jiaojiao to the gate of the mansion early in the morning to greet Xie Chengjin. In the carriage, Xie Chengjin, who was still a little tired, looked at his wife and daughter not far away, and his heart was deeply moved.

The days that follow should be very peaceful and warm.

(Finish)