Regent, please maintain your aloof image.

princess mansion

Princess Anning had two sons and a daughter in her lifetime. Unfortunately, neither of her sons was very successful and they were now just holding a sinecure in the court.

However, given Princess Anning's status, quite a few people still came to pay their respects.

"The Regent's wife has arrived."

Upon hearing this, the crowd in front of the mourning hall was stunned, their crying stopped abruptly, and they all looked towards the entrance.

A moment later, Su Qianrou walked in, went straight to Princess Anning's coffin, lit three incense sticks, and bowed.

Then, the two brothers, Qi Heng and Qi Yu, stepped forward.

Qi Heng said, "The Regent's Consort is very thoughtful."

Qi Yu then said, "Thank you for coming, Princess Regent."

“Princess Anning is my role model and my elder, so it was only natural that I came. In addition, I have something else to tell her today,” he said, turning to look at the coffin. “A month ago, the princess gave me three thousand taels of silver, saying that I would donate it to the children in the orphanage. But now I plan to use the money the princess gave me to build an academy and an orphanage in Dingzhou, named Anning, to commemorate the princess’s contributions to the people of Dingzhou. So I have come here today to inform the princess. I have made this decision on my own initiative, and I ask for your forgiveness.” He then bowed deeply.

When the Qi family heard that the eldest princess had given her three thousand taels of silver, their expressions changed drastically, especially the first and second wives, who couldn't help but start calculating in their minds.

"I have other matters to attend to, so I will take my leave now. My condolences to both of you."

"Princess, please take care."

Just as Su Qianrou was about to reach the door, someone called out to her from behind.

"Please wait, Your Highness."

Upon hearing this, Su Qianrou turned around and saw that the person was the old nanny who had gone to the Regent's Palace with Princess Anning that day.

"This old servant greets the Regent's Consort."

"I wonder what business it is, Granny?"

"The mistress had instructed that she had a favor to ask of the princess."

"I don't know what it is."

"Now that the mistress is no longer here, the royal family will definitely take back the princess's residence. Therefore, the eldest master and the second master will inevitably divide the family property. The mistress knows their character very well. When the mistress was still alive, they quarreled fiercely over the family property. Now that the mistress is gone, they will definitely be even more unscrupulous. Who knows what kind of trouble they will cause. Therefore, the mistress has specially prepared a detailed property division list. Whether it is the land deeds, land deeds, house deeds, or other family property, or even the mistress's dowry, the mistress has already divided it. However, the eldest master and the second master may not follow it. Therefore, she would like to ask the princess to be a witness."

“They don’t listen to the eldest princess, but they listen to me.”

"My master believes that the princess will have a solution."

Su Qianrou did not speak.

"The princess is unwilling to help with this."

"This is a family matter of the Qi family, and it is not appropriate for an outsider like me to interfere."

"My master said that if the princess is unwilling, she should not be forced. As for today's matter, please pretend that this old servant never said it. Princess, please take care."

Su Qianrou didn't say anything and walked away.

Yanxi Palace

Su Qianrou and Mu Jinchen are having a meal.

Su Qianrou, however, seemed distracted and preoccupied.

"Still thinking about Miss Liu?" Mu Jinchen asked.

"No, I was thinking about Princess Anning."

"How come I didn't know you and Princess Anning had such a good relationship?"

"You said that Princess Anning was able to win on the battlefield and gain the approval of the soldiers, so she should have had ruthless methods and a strong presence. But the person I saw was very different from what I imagined. She gave me the feeling of being weak and incompetent, which I couldn't understand at all."

"What's so hard to understand? It's because of love that people indulge each other, or perhaps it's because of a sense of indebtedness. There are all sorts of reasons, so it's not difficult to comprehend."

Su Qianrou thought about it and realized it made sense. "I was just being naive."

"You didn't think of it that way, so you didn't think of it. But why are you suddenly getting hung up on this issue?"

"Today I went to the Princess's residence to pay respects to Princess Anning. When I was leaving, her nanny came to me and said that Princess Anning hoped I could help her resolve the issue of her two sons fighting over the inheritance. You tell me, I'm an outsider, and a woman at that. How could they possibly listen to me?"

"So you're not planning to get involved."

"Although I am the Regent's wife, I have no right to interfere in other people's family affairs."

"Okay, stop thinking about that. Let's eat first, the food's getting cold."

"Ok".

The two then continued their meal.

imperial study room

The ministers were still arguing about Liu Xinyue's capture, but instead of arguing, they were unilaterally blaming Mu Jinchen.

“When the princess wanted her to go to the front line, we disagreed, but the prince insisted on listening to her. Now look what’s happened, he has completely disgraced Yunyue.”

"That's right. We said from the beginning that women should not go to the battlefield. As it turns out, we were right. Look, not only do they hold us back, they also cause a lot of trouble."

"If you ask me, don't waste your energy trying to save her. It would be a huge waste to risk the lives of other soldiers for her sake."

"Lord Li is absolutely right. Saving them would only be a hindrance, so it's better not to save them."

"What Lord Wang said is very true, and I also feel that there is no need to save him."

"I urge Your Highness to make a decision as soon as possible."

"Please make a decision as soon as possible, Your Highness."

Seeing that they had finished speaking, Mu Jinchen raised his head and looked at them. "You've all said your piece. Before, when I needed your advice, you were speechless and silent. Now you're talking eloquently and incessantly."

When the adults met his gaze, they lowered their heads guiltily.

Just then, a voice came from outside the door, "Report, a report from the Northwest."

Mu Jinchen looked at Yingfeng, gesturing for him to go and get it.

Yingfeng then went out and returned shortly afterward with a letter.

Mu Jinchen took it, opened it, and after reading it, his face lit up with joy and he was in a great mood. "Take it and let the gentlemen see it."

After reading it, the officials instantly lost their previous arrogance and fell silent.

"What, you've become mute again? Weren't you just standing by and watching someone die? Why aren't you saying anything now?"

All the adults lowered their heads, acting like cowards.

Then, Mu Jinchen said, "The duty of the Censorate is to supervise all officials, not to keep an eye on a mere soldier. If you still don't understand your responsibilities, I think you should all resign and go back home."

"Please forgive us, Your Highness!" the officials hurriedly knelt down and begged for mercy.

"Go down."

"Yes, Your Excellency takes your leave." The officials quickly rose and then hurriedly withdrew, fearing that Mu Jinchen would punish them at any moment.

After they left, Mu Jinchen said to Yingfeng, "Send someone back to tell the Princess that Miss Liu is alright."

"Yes".