Regent, please maintain your aloof image.

Yanxi Palace

Su Qianrou returned to the room and sat on the tatami mat to drink tea.

A moment later, Mu Jinchen walked in.

"I'm back," Su Qianrou said, putting down her teacup.

Mu Jinchen walked over and sat down next to her, then hugged her from behind, putting his arm around her waist, and casually asked, "What did you do today?"

"I took a nap, read a storybook, watered the flowers, and pruned the potted plants."

"I'm quite busy."

“No one is as busy as the Regent, who works from dawn till dusk every day. He must be working so hard. Here, have some tea,” she said, pouring him a cup of tea from the cup she had just drunk from.

Mu Jinchen not only didn't find it offensive, but also went further, saying, "You feed me."

Su Qianrou looked at him, and finally had no choice but to feed him.

After finishing his drink, Mu Jinchen said casually, "This tea is not bad."

"Immature," Su Qianrou thought, not wanting to pay him any attention. So she stood up and said, "Let's set out the meal."

That evening, the two of them, unusually, didn't spend time together, but instead played chess.

“Your father, your older brother, and I have all played chess, and none of them are as good as you. Who taught you?”

“Learned from my maternal grandfather…” Su Qianrou almost blurted out that she learned it from her maternal grandfather, but luckily she reacted quickly and said, “Haven’t you heard the saying that the student surpasses the teacher?”

Mu Jinchen gave her a meaningful look but didn't delve into it. "Then it seems I need to work on it more, lest you surpass me one day."

"It's not impossible."

Mu Jinchen looked at her with a smile on his lips.

At this moment, Yingfeng walked in and said, "Your Highness, good news! Prince Ying has woken up and will be able to return in another month."

"Has it been discovered by Prince Qing's men?"

"No, but Yingyi reported that besides Prince Qing's men, there seems to be another group looking for Prince Ying."

"Do you know who it is?"

"Not found yet."

"Have someone keep a close eye on him, and also send some more people over there to make sure he is brought back safely."

"Yes".

"Now Shanshan can finally rest easy. I've noticed she's lost weight recently."

"Tell her not to tell anyone, lest Prince Qing find out."

"Do you think I'm stupid?"

Mu Jinchen raised an eyebrow, said nothing, and casually placed the chess piece on the chessboard.

Yingfeng then said, "Your Highness, there is one more thing."

"What's the matter?"

He Zhenyan is dead.

"Dead? How did he die?" Su Qianrou asked in surprise.

"It is said that he was drunk and accidentally fell into the river and drowned."

Su Qianrou remained silent, lost in thought.

"What are you thinking about?" Mu Jinchen asked.

“I always felt that things were not so simple. He Zhenyan had just been dismissed from his post and died less than two days later.”

"He finally managed to become a fourth-rank official, but he was dismissed. It's normal that he couldn't accept it and drank too much."

Her intuition told her there was more to the story, so she asked, "Where did he drink, and where was he found?"

"The wine we drank at Yuejinglou was found in the river in the east of the city."

"Both Yuejing Tower and the He Mansion are in the west of the city, what is he going to the east of the city for?"

Mu Jinchen also noticed the problem, so he said, "Have someone investigate."

"Yes".

Su Qianrou suddenly asked, "Is the Prince Yu's residence in the east of the city?"

Mu Jinchen nodded. "You suspect that Prince Yu killed him."

"I don't know either, I just saw them interacting."

"When have you seen it?"

“I met them at the entrance of Pinshixuan a month ago.”

"How come I've never heard you mention this before?"

“I didn’t take it to heart, so I forgot about it until now. However, he and Prince Yu should not have any conflict, after all, Prince Min has not participated in politics for ten years and is now just a leisurely prince.”

"Although Prince Yu is not in the court, he left behind many people for his father before his death, and we still don't know who they are."

"It seems that Emperor Ming Chong really treated his son, Prince Yu, very well."

"It's not just good; for his sake, Father Emperor forced my elder brother to make a vow before his death that if any of us brothers rebelled, he would not be executed."

"That's why you didn't execute Prince Min, but instead sent him to guard the imperial tomb."

"Ok".

"Emperor Mingchong made the late emperor make an oath, not you, and certainly not Xiaoxuan. Therefore, even if you execute him, the late emperor will not be considered to have broken his oath."

Mu Jinchen knew this, but he always felt that he represented not only Mu Zexuan, but also the late emperor, so he should also follow what the late emperor had to follow.

The next day, Su Qianrou had just woken up and was lying in a rocking chair, lost in thought.

Juxia came in and said, "Your Highness, Granny Luo has arrived."

"Haven't the Qi family already moved out of the princess's residence? What else is there to do?"

"She didn't say."

"Please come in."

"Yes".

Su Qianrou got up and sat down on the couch.

A moment later, Granny Luo came in and said, "Greetings, Princess Regent."

"Why is the old woman here?"

"To thank the Princess, and... to say goodbye."

"Farewell, Granny is leaving."

"Now that my master is gone, I have no more worries. So, I plan to go to Dingzhou. Didn't the princess build an orphanage there? I thought I might be able to help there."

"Dingzhou is a long way away, and I'm afraid your body can't handle it."

"It's alright."

"Why not go home?"

"Forty years ago, there was a famine in Minzhou. My whole family starved to death. I was the only one who managed to make it to the capital. I was later saved by my master and that's how I survived until now. I have never married and have no children. Before, when my master was still alive, the Princess's Mansion was my home. But now... my master is gone, and my home is gone too."

"It's too dangerous for you to go to Dingzhou alone. It's better to stay in the capital."

“I understand what Your Highness means, but I’ve been alone these past few days, and all I’ve done is eat and sleep. Not only has the time passed very slowly, but it has also made me feel anxious. I wanted to find something to do to pass the time, but I couldn’t find anything suitable in the capital. That’s why I thought of going to Dingzhou. Your Highness, don’t worry. I have a lot of experience in taking care of people, and I will definitely be able to take good care of the children.”

"I trust you, Granny, but you're getting old and not suited for long journeys. So I think it's better for you to stay in the capital. If you're bored and want to find something to do, why not go to Huixin Orphanage? I'm looking for an experienced nanny to take care of the children. What do you think?"

"What the princess says is true," said Granny Luo with delight.

"Of course, but there are quite a few children, and they are rather mischievous. I don't know if you, nanny, can handle them."

"Yes, Your Highness, rest assured, I will take good care of them."

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Granny."

"I should be thanking the Princess," said Granny Luo with a beaming smile, clearly delighted.