Reborn Young Lady's Peerless Grace

Du Zhijie's expression was solemn. He bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I've been sent to the foundry camp to investigate and have discovered many unusual circumstances. The artisans are indeed working tirelessly to meet deadlines, but this isn't due to a tight deadline. Instead, someone is deliberately pressuring them. Several artisans have already collapsed from exhaustion and even lost their lives."

The emperor frowned and stared at Du Zhijie, motioning him to continue.

"Furthermore, we still need a lot of weapons, but the iron ore in the weapon casting camp has disappeared. I find this matter extremely serious. We must first find out the whereabouts of the iron ore to ensure the casting of subsequent weapons."

"Is there less iron ore?" The emperor raised his voice and his face darkened.

The imperial court has always had strict control over iron ore. The amount of iron ore given to the weapon foundry is calculated precisely based on the demand for weapons. Even if more is given to take into account losses, the amount is extremely limited.

"Your Majesty, the disappearance of the iron ore is no small matter. There must be some hidden story behind it," said Du Zhijie.

The emperor fell into deep thought. After a moment, he said, "Have you found out where the iron ore is?"

Du Zhijie shook his head slightly: "I don't have any definite clues yet, but I'm doing my best to track them down."

"Hmph!" the emperor snorted coldly, "I don't have the patience to wait for you to investigate slowly."

Du Zhijie knelt and pleaded guilty: "Your Majesty, this matter has far-reaching implications. Please give me some time. I will fulfill my mission and find out the truth."

Although the emperor was furious, he also understood that the disappearance of the iron ore was not something to be taken lightly. He paused for a moment, then said, "I'll give you five days. If you can't find the answer, you'll lose your position as General of the Cavalry."

Du Zhijie was startled, but he could only accept the order and express his gratitude.

The news that the Foundry Battalion could not hand over the weapons quickly spread throughout the capital.

Shen Wanqing was shocked when she heard the news.

In her previous life, this incident caused a huge uproar in the imperial court, and many officials suffered as a result. Du Zhijie was also deeply affected and nearly lost his life. In this life, it turned out that Du Zhijie was responsible for this matter, which made her worry.

"What's going on? How is General Du now?" Su Shenwanqing asked anxiously.

"Miss, I heard that General Du knelt in front of the emperor for a long time. I'm not sure what he said exactly, but the emperor finally let him return home." The maid replied.

Shen Wanqing was full of doubts: "Not injured? Not restricted in their freedom?"

"nothing."

This abnormal situation made Shen Wanqing even more uneasy.

She knew the matter of weapons was of great importance and that Du Jie couldn't get away easily. She decided to go to the General's Mansion to find out for herself.

Shen Wanqing came to the general's mansion and asked to see Du Zhijie.

When Du Zhijie heard that Shen Wanqing had come, he was a little surprised, but he still asked someone to invite her in.

"Why are you here?" Du Zhijie asked.

Shen Wanqing got straight to the point and said, "What exactly happened with the Foundry? I heard that you were in the Imperial Court..."

Du Zhijie smiled bitterly and shook his head: "This matter is quite complicated. His Majesty gave me five days to find out the whereabouts of the iron ore."

Shen Wanqing said worriedly, "Five days is too short. What should we do?"

Du Zhijie pondered for a moment and said, "I have sent people to investigate secretly, and there are some clues pointing to a powerful official in the court."

"Powerful and noble?" Shen Wanqing was shocked. "Could it be..."

Du Zhizong made a hushed gesture. "We can't be sure yet, but I have a feeling the conspiracy behind this is far greater than we imagined."

"What can I do to help you?" Shen Wanqing knew in her heart that it was the prince who did this, but she was worried about Du Zhijie being alone.

Du Zhijie looked at her determined eyes and was moved: "This matter is very dangerous. I don't want to implicate you."

"There's no need to discuss this between us."

"Don't worry about these things. The missing weapons will be delivered in a few days."

Du Zhijie smiled and tried to persuade Shen Wanqing.

Seeing that he was full of confidence and didn't seem to be lying, Shen Wanqing felt a lot more at ease.

Seeing that she was no longer nervous, he took her hand and strolled around the mansion, introducing the layout of the mansion to her as they walked.

The task assigned to him by the emperor was time-sensitive, so he was not in a hurry at the moment.

Shen Wanqing also let him hold her hand and walked with him through every corner of the general's mansion.

This was her second time coming to the mansion. She didn't visit it last time. This time, she saw that the general's mansion was still the same as before, but it seemed a little different from her previous life. He had decorated the yard and planted flowers and plants, and General Xu's mansion came alive.

As the weather grew darker, Shen Wanqing returned to the Hou Mansion.

But when she returned to the Hou Mansion, Nanny Zhu was already waiting for her there.

"But mother is not feeling well again?"

"Madam is in good spirits. She asked the fourth young lady to come over."

"Okay, I'll go right away."

Shen Wanqing nodded and followed Nanny Zhu.

As soon as I arrived at Wutong Courtyard, I felt that the atmosphere in the courtyard was tense today. The maids were very cautious, probably because they were afraid of angering their master and being punished.

At this time, I don’t know why my mother is angry. Could it be that my father has returned home?

Shen Wanqing was thinking randomly in her mind and walked into the inner room.

"Madam, the fourth lady has arrived."

Nanny Zhu stepped forward to remind her.

Su was in good spirits today. She snuggled up on the couch and threw the medicine bowl in her hand to the ground when she heard the words.

The medicine bowl was smashed to pieces, and the remaining medicine inside splashed everywhere. Fortunately, she was standing far away and was not hurt.

Shen Wanqing stood aside and did not step forward to comfort her for a while. There was a coldness in her eyes. Her mother's anger was obviously directed at her. She was fine when she came to see her a few days ago. She thought that Su's attitude towards her had changed. It seems that she was overthinking it.

"How dare you come here?" Shen grabbed a medicine bowl, feeling unsatisfied, and started to mock.

Shen Wanqing stepped forward and asked, "I wonder why Mother asked Nanny Zhu to let her come?"

She has had a rare period of free time these days, and if Nanny Zhu hadn't come to invite her today, she wouldn't have come here.

Su was stunned by her question, and her anger rose to the top of her head again, "What an unfilial daughter! How could I give birth to a heartless thing like you?"

"Mom, what's the matter? You'd better tell me." Shen Wanqing didn't want to listen to her nagging here, and she was too lazy to even pretend to be harmonious on the surface.

After her rebirth, she had held onto a glimmer of hope for her mother. Upon hearing she was ill, she had been the first to visit her, calling a doctor and prescribing medicine. But today, she realized that someone she didn't like couldn't possibly please Su Shi, and she was now worthless in her eyes. She also understood that cheap maternal love was dispensable, so she didn't demand it.

She didn't want to stay in this cold and icy mansion for even a single day.

Seeing her expression like that, Su's heart skipped a beat, and her tone softened. "Come, sit here and chat with me. I don't blame you. I was just a little impatient just now."

“What happened?”