You're the one who wants to marry a mistress, and I'm marrying someone else, yet you still

"Thank you, Father!"

Xiao Lin understood that he could marry Miss Liu as his wife, and as her principal wife, so he immediately knelt down.

"You kid."

Emperor Qinyong patted him on the shoulder, feeling very pleased.

Fortunately, the fourth son chose the daughter of the Minister of Rites. If it had been a military officer or the eldest daughter of a powerful family, he would have had a headache.

That old scoundrel Liu Chuanzong is his confidant. He has no selfish motives and is unlikely to form cliques or engage in any corrupt practices. He is trustworthy. With such a father-in-law, the fourth brother wouldn't think about such messy things.

The main reason is that the fourth son's personality is quite suitable for the Liu family's daughter.

Xiao Lin then asked Consort Shu, "Mother, do you agree to this matter?"

He felt uneasy, yet he wanted his mother's approval. If his father agreed but his mother disagreed, it would be a troublesome situation.

Consort Shu laughed and scolded, "You rascal, the girl hasn't even said she wants to marry you yet, and you're already asking us these questions. Isn't that a bit too early?"

"Haha, I think Lin'er has considered things very thoroughly, knowing that marriage is arranged by parents and matchmakers."

Emperor Qinyong laughed heartily, and the whole family discussed the matter in harmony. As long as Miss Liu nodded, the marriage was basically settled.

It is said that Xie Yanting left the palace after dark, but instead of returning to the Xie family, he went to the Princess's residence to find Xie Wanru.

When he arrived, Xie Wanru sent a message to invite Shen Cong'an and His Highness the Crown Prince over as well. The group then sat down in her designated study.

However, a rumor inexplicably surfaced in Xuancheng that Xie Wanru divorced Shen Nian'an because Xie Wanru was infertile.

Because she couldn't have children, Shen Nian'an wasn't at fault for having a mistress.

Xie Wanru had no interest in paying attention to this absurd rumor; her mind was entirely focused on the upcoming arrival of the Simons.

Xie Yanting was unaware of the rumors. He had just entered the city and then the palace, so he had no chance to find out. He also didn't know that Xie Wanru and His Highness the Crown Prince were so familiar with each other.

If the Xie family gets too close to any of the princes, the emperor might become wary of them.

Therefore, it is best to distribute favors evenly and remain loyal to the emperor.

Xie Wanru saw Xie Yanting's dilemma. "Third brother, I know that Father advocates neutrality, but even if our Xie family remains neutral, we will still be misunderstood. No one will turn a blind eye to us. It would be better to follow the Emperor's wishes and wholeheartedly assist His Highness the Crown Prince."

Xiao Long bowed respectfully. He understood that most court officials could not take sides, and having the Xie family's support was extremely important to him.

"Commander Xie, although I hold the position of Crown Prince, I always remember to fulfill my duties and would never dare to act recklessly or oppress the people. Xiao Yan, in order to bring me down, has even targeted the court's disaster relief supplies. He will stop at nothing to achieve his goal. I have no choice but to stand up and fight against him. Now he has colluded with the Ximen people. I hope that General Xie can support me! Let us thwart his evil scheme and protect the people of Great Zhou."

After Xiao Long finished speaking, he was about to bow again when Xie Yanting quickly grabbed his arm and pulled him up.

"Your Highness is too kind. You are doing this for the sake of the people, and as the Crown Prince, how can I accept such a grand gesture from you?"

Xie Yanting's hands moved quickly. Supporting His Highness the Crown Prince and being loyal to the Emperor seemed to be the same thing, not contradictory. Once he understood this, he stopped worrying about it.

However, when he saw Shen Cong'an, he couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable. Even though he knew that Shen Cong'an had severed ties with the Shen family, he still couldn't help but think that Shen Cong'an was a member of the Shen family.

To avoid overthinking, Xie Yanting got down to business, "The Simons will be entering the palace tomorrow. The Emperor will host a banquet for them. They brought many Simon handicrafts as gifts for the Emperor, and the Emperor will reciprocate. However, this time they also brought a princess, saying that she wants to stay in Great Zhou and form a marriage alliance with us."

"The Simons would bring a kind of leaf, claiming that it could cure all diseases and restore the health of terminally ill people. However, this thing only temporarily relieves pain and has no therapeutic effect. It can even be addictive and hard to quit. First-time users may even feel euphoric and refreshed."

Xie Wanru recounted what she had learned in her past life, leaving the others present somewhat puzzled. Their first reaction was that such a thing could not possibly exist.

In the past, Shen Cong'an would have questioned things a bit, but now that he has had more contact with Xie Wanru, he believes her statements.

However, whether Shen Cong'an, the Vice Minister of War, can do anything about this depends on his abilities.

“I will have someone investigate, but how can I convince people that this thing is ineffective? People suffering from illness might worship it as a god!”

Shen Cong'an expressed his concerns. "For the sake of Xiao Zhuang, I have already promised them that I will not openly stop the Simons, which just proves that the Simons are problematic."

Xie Yanting was still pondering with some doubts. He was still wondering if such a thing really existed in the world.

Xiao Long also believed that Xie Wanru would not lie, but what she proposed was rather far-fetched.

Xiao Long also knew that this thing was extremely harmful and could even drain the entire Great Zhou, but he could not allow it to appear on the land of Great Zhou. "No matter what, this thing must not be allowed to prevail in Great Zhou."

Xie Wanru naturally thought the same way, but persuading others was indeed a problem.

"I will do my best to persuade my father to send someone to conduct a thorough investigation. Moreover, even if the Simons present the goods, they must go through the hands of the imperial physician before they can officially enter the Great Zhou."

Previously, Xie Wanru and Shen Cong'an had handled the matter. This time, Xiao Long also wanted to openly contribute and confront Xiao Yan directly.

So the matter was handed over to Shen Cong'an and Xiao Long. Xie Wanru had to admit that such matters still needed to be handled by officials and people with power, and she could only offer advice from behind the scenes.

She also hoped that Xiao Zhuang would be safe and sound, and that she would ask her third senior brother to keep an eye on things when he returned.

After discussing for a while, everyone left. Xie Yanting was the last to leave. He couldn't help but stop and turn back, "Wanwan."

"Hmm? What's wrong, Third Brother?"

Xie Wanru responded, looking at Xie Yanting who had pulled his foot back.

Seeing that Xie Yanting hadn't left, Shen Cong'an also wanted to stay a little longer. However, he suddenly remembered the look Xie Yanting had given him earlier and realized that it wasn't appropriate for him to stay, so he could only get into his car and leave.

"How do you know all this? Not only this, but also back in the North, Father said you deliberately reminded Second Brother that you seem to... know a lot about many things. But why? How do you know all this?"

Xie Yanting's gaze held a hint of unease.