Regent, please maintain your aloof image.

Wenhua Hall

Mu Zexuan was having class inside.

Su Qianrou arrived at the door and listened for a while. She noticed that Mu Zexuan was listless, as if he was lost in thought. She wondered what was wrong with him.

After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the teacher came out of the room. When he saw her there, he was stunned for a moment, then reacted and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Regent's Princess."

"Lord Luo, there's no need for such formalities. You've had a long journey."

"Your Highness is too kind. I am honored that His Highness has taken a liking to me. I will certainly teach you everything I know."

“In that case, on behalf of His Majesty and the Prince, I thank Lord Luo,” Su Qianrou said, bowing slightly.

"Your Highness is too kind to me; I dare not accept such praise."

Upon hearing Su Qianrou's voice, Mu Zexuan came out of the house and exclaimed in surprise, "Auntie, what brings you here?"

"I've come to take you to Qingxin Pavilion for a meal."

"You could have sent someone to inform me, and I would have gone myself. Why did you come here in person?"

"Since I had nothing else to do, I just treated it as a walk."

Lord Luo tactfully said, "Your Majesty, Your Highness, I shall take my leave now."

"Please take care, Lord Luo."

Lord Luo bowed to the two of them and then left.

“Let’s go,” Su Qianrou said.

Then the two walked towards Qingxin Pavilion.

On the way, Mu Zexuan remained silent, looking preoccupied.

Su Qianrou patted his head and said softly, "What's wrong? Did something upset you? Tell me about it."

He said "It's nothing," but his voice sounded muffled, and he didn't seem to be alright at all.

Just then, Su Qianrou saw a pavilion ahead and said, "Let's go sit in the front."

The two then sat down in the pavilion.

"Tell me what's wrong. Tell me and maybe I can help you."

Mu Zexuan hesitated, unsure of how to begin.

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone, including your royal uncle."

After a moment, Mu Zexuan finally spoke, "Aunt, I feel so tired."

"Did you not get enough rest?"

"No, it's mental exhaustion."

Su Qianrou was taken aback, not expecting him to say that. "Is the pressure of studying too much?"

"That's just one thing. Sometimes I really feel useless. For example, when the plague broke out in Qingtong County, I had no idea how to deal with it. If it weren't for my aunt, I... and Prince Qing, Prince Yu, and Prince Min. If it weren't for my uncle, I would have been deposed by them long ago. Not only can I not help you with anything, but I always drag you down. In the end, it's because I'm incompetent."

"How can you think like that? You're still young, it's normal that you can't handle it yet. When you grow up, you'll be able to stand on your own."

"Can I really do it?"

"Of course, you know, strength comes from perseverance and trust in yourself. As long as you believe in yourself, you can face any challenge and difficulty."

"Thank you, Auntie, I understand."

“I am your aunt, and I can also be your friend. At the very least, you can treat me as a confidante. If you have any unhappy or troublesome things in the future, just tell me. It’s always better to talk about it than to keep it to yourself.”

"Ok".

"You must be hungry after a long day of classes. I've had the imperial kitchen prepare your favorite dishes. Come on, let's go back and have a meal."

"it is good".

Qingxin Pavilion

In the evening, Su Qianrou read a book to pass the time.

Chunzhu entered with a smile and said, "Your Highness, the Princess's residence has sent good news. Princess Changle has given birth to a baby boy."

"Really, that's wonderful! Chang Le has finally gotten her wish." Then she added, "Tomorrow, have Ju Xia pick out some tonics and send them to the Princess's residence. Chang Le just gave birth and needs to be properly nourished... Also, have Zhenbaoge make a longevity lock and a peace buckle, no, two peace buckles, the best ones."

"Yes".

Su Qianrou was overjoyed; anyone who didn't know better would think she had given birth.

Southwest Military Camp

It was already late at night, and Mu Jinchen was still busy with official duties in his tent, without resting.

Before long, Yingfeng rushed in and said, "Your Highness, something terrible has happened! A plague has broken out in Qingtong County."

"Regarding the plague, have the Duke of Su and others made any arrangements?"

"The day after receiving the news, Vice Minister Song led the imperial physician to Qingtong County. In addition, the Princess also sent Miss Qiulan there, and she should have arrived by now."

Mu Jinchen knew of Qiulan's medical skills. With her there, he thought they should be able to find a cure for the plague as soon as possible. He then said, "The medicinal materials must keep up. Go and arrange for someone to collect the medicinal materials and send them to Qingtong County immediately."

"Your Highness, rest assured, the Ministry of Revenue has already collected a large quantity of medicinal herbs, and Vice Minister Li has been appointed as the grain transport supervisor to personally deliver them to Qingtong County. In addition, the Princess Consort has also sent a large quantity from Yangzhou, so there should be enough medicinal herbs."

Indeed, with Rou'er around, there shouldn't be any mistakes. Everything must have been arranged. Mu Jinchen couldn't help but smile.

"Oh, Your Highness, there's one more thing."

"What's the matter?"

Yingfeng was speechless, unsure how to begin.

"Speak your mind."

Yingfeng said with a troubled expression, "The Empress Dowager... After learning that there was a plague in Qingtong County, the Empress Dowager went to the Imperial Study and made a scene, demanding that His Majesty order the burning of the plague-stricken villages along with the people. The Duke of Su and others disagreed, but the Empress Dowager persisted. Fortunately, the Princess Consort arrived in time and insisted that the imperial physicians go to treat the patients, and only then did the Empress Dowager give up."

Mu Jinchen frowned, his face grim. "The secret guards have found out."

"If Your Highness hadn't mentioned it, I would have forgotten. The Princess Consort had already had the secret guards investigate this matter. The Empress Dowager was bewitched by a eunuch, and that eunuch was a remnant of Prince Yu's faction."

Mu Jinchen sneered inwardly, feeling quite disdainful, and then said, "Let Xinchen follow the clues and uproot the person completely."

Yingfeng smiled and said, "The Princess Consort has already asked Prince Ying to investigate. I must say, the Prince and the Princess Consort are truly in sync. By the way, this is the Princess Consort's reply to the Prince." As she spoke, she took out a letter and handed it to him.

Mu Jinchen took it and quickly opened it.

A few days ago, I met a refined and handsome gentleman at Pinshixuan. I felt it was a pity that I didn't get to talk to him. But we met again today. How could I let such a good opportunity pass by? So I asked him to play chess with me. To my surprise, his chess skills were quite good. Of course, he's still a bit inferior to you and me. But we had a very pleasant conversation. But that's not the point. The point is that he's good-looking. How should I put it? He's pleasing to the eye, you know?

After reading it, Mu Jinchen slammed his hand on the table in anger.

Yingfeng was startled and asked cautiously, "Your Highness, what did the Princess Consort say? Did the Empress Dowager do something excessive?"

"Investigate! I want to see which blind fool dares to approach my queen."

Yingfeng looked bewildered. "Your Highness, I am foolish. Could you please explain more clearly what you are investigating?"

“A man has recently appeared by the Princess’s side. Have your secret guards find out his background as soon as possible.”

"Is he a guard?"

"no".

"That's a eunuch."

"No, we met at Pinshixuan."

Yingfeng felt something was off, but couldn't quite put his finger on it. He replied, "Yes, I'll have someone investigate right away." After taking a couple of steps, he suddenly remembered something and turned back to say, "That's not right. Chunzhu told me that the Princess Consort hasn't left the palace since she moved in. So how did she meet anyone at Pinshixuan?"

Mu Jinchen then realized that Su Qianrou was deliberately teasing him. He smiled helplessly and then picked up his pen to reply to her.

Yingfeng asked, "Your Highness, shall we continue the investigation?"

"no need".

"Yes".