She mistakenly got into the bridal sedan chair and married a sickly but powerful minister, becoming

Whether Princess Guangning's words reflected her true thoughts or were merely self-deception, Yun Shu could not know.

Yun Shu suppressed her unease and stayed by Princess Guangning's bedside without leaving her side. Half asleep, she heard a rustling sound from the bed and sat up. She saw Princess Guangning lifting the covers and sitting up.

She quickly asked, "Princess, are you getting up in the middle of the night?"

Princess Guangning asked her softly, "Yunshu, what time is it?"

Hearing the night watchman's drumbeat outside, Yun Shu replied, "It's the hour of Yin."

Princess Guangning slowly lowered her eyelashes and murmured, "It's the hour of Yin."

This sentence was very ordinary, and the tone was not particularly dramatic, but Yun Shu could detect a hint of melancholy and sadness in it, and immediately understood what was going on.

Today was originally Princess Guangning's wedding day. Yesterday at noon, Princess Guangning and the wedding attendant agreed that she would get up at 3:00 AM today to do her makeup.

If Prince Yu hadn't met with misfortune, Princess Guangning should have gotten up to bathe and dress by this time.

Recalling this, Yun Shu felt a pang of sadness and deep sympathy for this princess with such a tragic fate.

As she took out a handkerchief to wipe Princess Guangning's face, she softly reported, "Your Highness, I just heard from the envoy that the Emperor has completely wiped out the rebels. Those who should be punished have been punished, and those who should be rewarded have been rewarded. The Imperial Concubine was given a grand funeral according to the regulations for Imperial Concubine, and Prince Yu was buried next to the Imperial Concubine's tomb."

Yun Shu originally did not intend to tell Princess Guangning this news, but seeing Princess Guangning's appearance, she had a strong premonition that Princess Guangning wanted to know how Prince Yu's affairs were arranged after his death.

Princess Guangning remained silent for a long time before finally speaking: "I understand."

Prince Yu cared deeply for his mother, and in order to save her, he even disregarded his own safety and launched a rebellion.

Today, his mother has not been stripped of her title as a Noble Consort because of his rebellion.

Finally, Emperor Jing'an buried Prince Yu next to his mother, which can be considered as preserving a dignified life for the mother and son.

Yun Shu threw the soiled handkerchief into the copper basin beside her. "I was thinking that a palace coup had occurred in the Great Zhou Dynasty. As for how to handle our marriage alliance, I'm afraid we'll have to wait a while. Who knew that the envoy just told me that the Emperor sent someone to the Huitong Hall to deliver a message."

"His Majesty says that since you and Prince Yu have not yet completed your wedding ceremony, this marriage is invalid. Whether you choose another noble family or return to Northern Qi is up to you."

Without hesitation, Princess Guangning replied in a low voice, "I will obey my father's arrangements."

Yun Shu's hand, which was rubbing the handkerchief, suddenly stopped. She looked at Princess Guangning and saw that the energy in her body seemed to have dissipated.

It's unclear whether Princess Guangning resigned herself to her fate or was unable to recover from the blow of Prince Yu's death.

Yun Shu slowly lowered her head and continued to scrub the handkerchief vigorously. The color on the handkerchief turned the basin of clear water into a murky mess.

Just like the things in this world, red, white, black, who can truly explain them clearly?

-

In a mansion in Yuncheng, Shen Qingtan was examining a map of Northern Qi in her study, analyzing the terrain of Ningcheng, and searching for ways to conquer it.

Now, Zhao Yi and Wang Qiaoxin are leading their troops to attack the capital, and initially, the progress is going very smoothly. With the help of refugees, who are working together with Zhao Yi from within and without, they are advancing like a whirlwind, as if divinely aided.

Moreover, their ranks were constantly joined by refugees who joined them in their fight against the treacherous officials.

Upon hearing the news that Zhao Yi had raised an army to attack him, the Right Pillar General, who was far away in the capital, immediately mobilized his troops to resist.

Currently, Zhao Yi and Wang Qiaoxin's armies are stationed in Ningcheng, and have been fighting for several days without any progress.

"Your Highness, a letter has arrived from the Great Zhou." Liu Yue hurriedly entered the study with a letter in her hand: "I heard that Prince Yu has raised an army in rebellion and even killed the Third Prince."

Shen Qingtan was startled and quickly opened the letter, reading its contents word by word. Her feelings were extremely complicated. From each person's perspective, things in this world seem to be without fault; everyone has their own reasons, their own hardships, and their own helplessness.

Now, overnight, Emperor Jing'an has lost two sons and has no more heirs. The blow was so severe that this usually robust man fell ill.

Liu Yue sighed, "Someone like Prince Yu can't be a second one. This ending seems to have been destined long ago."

"The court had just finished handling the funeral arrangements for Consort Ling, Prince Yu, and the Third Prince when the court officials submitted memorials requesting Emperor Jing'an to select a child from the imperial clan for adoption." Shen Qingtan burned the letter in her hand in a basin. "Although these court officials prioritize the overall situation, Emperor Jing'an has just experienced the pain of losing his son, and they are not even giving him a chance to catch his breath."

Liu Yue also saw the contents of the letter and said with some puzzlement, "Emperor Jing'an is getting old. It seems that he can rule for another ten years without any problem, but who can say what will happen after that?"

"He should have chosen a child over ten years old from the imperial clan to keep by his side and personally teach him. When he could no longer rule, this child would be able to stand on his own and prevent the maternal relatives from seizing power and causing the imperial power to fall into the wrong hands. I don't know what the emperor was thinking, that he actually chose a three-year-old child."

Shen Qingtan vaguely guessed Emperor Jing'an's thoughts. His sons were not raised by his side from childhood; they were all taught by tutors, which led to their tragic end.

Having experienced the pain of losing his son, Emperor Jing'an must have learned a lesson from it, so he chose a three-year-old child to raise and personally educate.

Shen Qingtan sighed, feeling a little worried about Princess Guangning, wondering about her situation in the Great Zhou.

After much deliberation, Shen Qingtan wrote two letters. He sent one to Princess Guangning and the other to Zhao Yi, so that he could stay informed about the situation in the Great Zhou.