There is also spring for passers-by

Ningyuan Marquis Mansion.

At the end of autumn and the beginning of winter, every autumn rain brings a chill. The autumn leaves of the tall trees in the backyard of the mansion have fallen, and the autumn chrysanthemums are competing with each other for beauty, each showing their gracefulness.

The maid ran all the way to the main courtyard and shouted, "Madam, Madam Crown Prince, the Eighth Wise King has arrived!"

Li thought of Cui Zhen. The new emperor had reached adulthood, and the process of selecting a new consort was underway. The most popular candidates in the capital were Xie Daiyun of the Right Prime Minister's Mansion and Liu Chanjuan of the Minister of Personnel's Mansion, both of whom were noble ladies from prominent families. The Ningyuan Marquis' Mansion, believing the Cui family was no less powerful than these two, also sought a share of the spoils and was actively cultivating connections.

Madam Hou asked, "Where are Lord Hou and the Crown Prince?"

"Madam, the Marquis and the Crown Prince haven't returned yet. I've asked the Second Master to go to the front hall and take care of them."

The virtuous prince is an elegant man in his early forties with a scholarly air. He is the eighth uncle of the current emperor and the eighth among his royal brothers. He does not like power, but is a royal prince who serves the country and the people. He is very fair, upright, and open-minded, and enjoys a high reputation among the people.

When the late emperor was alive, he devoted himself to assisting him. After the late emperor's untimely death, he devoted himself to supporting the young emperor's ascension to the throne. He always knew his limits, not taking charge of the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Personnel, or the Ministry of Revenue, but only of the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Works, and the Ministry of Rites, as well as the Supreme Court and the Censorate. When the young emperor came of age, he decisively handed over power, refusing to argue or compete. Today, he only remains active in the Ministry of Justice, the Supreme Court, and the Censorate, enjoying judging cases and seeking justice for the people.

The empress dowager liked this younger brother-in-law very much, and the current emperor also respected his eighth uncle very much.

The virtuous prince took a quick look and said, "Today in the palace, the Queen Mother mentioned Han Hong's daughter, saying that she hadn't seen this girl in ten years. She asked me to bring her into the palace to reminisce about the past. Tell Han Hong's daughter to come out!"

Mr. Cui thought that there was news about Cui Zhen marrying into the royal family, but the virtuous king came and asked about Han Hong's daughter.

His eyes were panicked, and his mind suddenly changed. He immediately clasped his fists and said, "Report to the wise king, Qingwan has caught a cold and is recuperating in the backyard. I'm afraid she can't see the queen mother."

The virtuous king smiled. He had known the truth for a long time and was still pretending with him. "Aping, take the imperial physician to the backyard to see the patient." This way of dealing with the problem was expected.

Master Cui was startled. If they went to the backyard, everyone would be exposed. He exclaimed, "Please forgive me, Your Majesty! Qingwan...she plotted against the eldest daughter of the Xie family a few days ago and is now under house arrest..."

The virtuous prince sneered again, "Call her out, the Queen Mother wants to see her."

Mr. Cui saw that he could not hide the truth, and the wise king did not believe his words at all.

Anyone with a discerning eye can see that Han Qingwan and the eldest daughter of the Xie family have no previous or recent grudges against each other, so why would she want to harm the eldest daughter of the Xie family?

Mr. Cui paused for a moment and hesitated. When he looked at the virtuous king, there was no smile on the virtuous king's face. Instead, he was filled with anger, as if he was about to explode at any time. Every time the virtuous king was like this, something big would happen.

"Wise...Wise King..."

"I'm here to fetch someone. Quickly get Miss Han out. When I was young, I served as a military supervisor in the Zhenbei Army for several years and was quite close to her father and grandfather. The Great Zhou court has never forgotten the Han family's military achievements, nor their loyalty and bravery. Just because she's lost her father and grandfather and is left alone, she shouldn't be bullied..."

The words of the virtuous king made Mr. Cui break out in a cold sweat: Has the virtuous king investigated everything? The virtuous king is in charge of the Ministry of Justice, the Dali Temple, and the Censorate. All the cases he handles are major and important, and he comes into contact with all kinds of people.

Neither the late emperor nor the current emperor had ever doubted the virtuous king. The reason was very simple. When the virtuous king was young, he once blocked poisoned wine for the late emperor. Although the king was saved, the poison was very insidious and cruel. After being poisoned, the king would never be able to have children for the rest of his life.

The Crown Prince of Xian was the seventh prince of the late emperor. The late emperor took pity on the Crown Prince of Xian for having no descendants, so he adopted the seventh prince, who had lost his mother, as his son.

The virtuous prince has the demeanor of a virtuous king, and his calligraphy and painting are particularly outstanding. His calligraphy and paintings are very popular among literati all over the world.

Master Cui hurriedly urged his attendants, "Hurry up and dress Miss Han. The Queen Mother is still waiting in the palace."

Maids and servants left in waves, and there was no news of them after they left.

The wise king sat in the flower hall, waiting patiently.

That child was also the descendant of a distinguished and loyal official. Because he had no children, he had wanted to take Han Qingwan back to the palace to care for her. However, the Ningyuan Marquisate used the engagement as an excuse to insist on caring for Cui Yan's fiancée. While they claimed to care for her, the General's House had numerous loyal subordinates and retainers, each of whom sent them 1,200 taels of silver annually, along with occasional gifts of food, fruits, and other gifts. The Ningyuan Marquisate reaped all the fame, yet they treated the orphan poorly and were often harsh on her.

This morning before daybreak, Gongsun Dan brought the steward of the General's Mansion to the door to plead for mercy. When the two seven-foot-tall men talked about Han Qingwan, tears welled up in their eyes, filled with guilt for the fallen general and his son, and they knelt down to beg him to save her.

When the wise king heard the reason, he could no longer sit still.

I went to the palace early this morning to see the Queen Mother and told her about this.

The Queen Mother was familiar with the old lady of the Han family, and she couldn't help but sigh. General Han also had three brothers, and he was the only one left. In the generation of his nephews and nieces, there were seven male descendants, but they all died in the battle. By the time of his grandchildren, only Han Qingwan was left.

When Ningyuan Hou and his son heard that the virtuous king had come to visit, they immediately rushed back to the palace like a flash.

The eunuch A Ping looked at the sky outside and said, "Second Master Cui, it's time to finish dressing up. It's already taken more than half an hour."

Ning Yuanhou came in and immediately urged: "Why don't you go and urge them?"

The maids and servants knelt on the ground.

The prince yelled, "Go!"

The virtuous king smiled and asked, "Is it that Miss Han doesn't have the right clothes, hairpins, or jewelry to go out with?"

When Ningyuan Hou's secret was exposed, he kicked the maid and servant twice and said, "Tell the Marquis's wife to pick more and send them over." His face turned red.

The wise king continued to wait. He wanted to see how the Cui family would continue to play out this drama.

Han Qingwan, starved to death, fell seriously ill and nearly died in the Cui family's firewood room. She returned to the General's Mansion, straining her body. Gongsun Dan examined her pulse and said she was severely depleted, having been starving for so long that she had developed a chronic illness. Gongsun Dan and Han, the housekeeper, worried that if she returned to the Ningyuan Marquis's Mansion, the child might die, and they didn't want her to go back.

After waiting for a while, no one came.

The virtuous prince's expression grew increasingly grim. "What are you going to say this time? The Cui family is so powerful that they're trying to stop the Queen Mother from meeting someone she wants to see..."

Ning Yuanhou and his son were shocked and knelt down to apologize.

The prince asked hurriedly: "What's going on?"

"My Lord, My Lord, Miss Han is missing."

The prince asked, "What do you mean by 'missing'? Doesn't she live in the north courtyard of the backyard, served by maids and servants? How could she have disappeared?"

The wise king sneered.

Is this how they take care of Miss Han? She disappeared last night, and they only discovered it now. They even made up several excuses, saying she was sick or that she had made a mistake and was under house arrest.