ă€ŠRebirth of a Poisonous Womană€‹


 1 Death of the Wicked Woman

    At the end of July, outside the northern city of Kyoto.

    After a light rain, the fields of Partridge Village were awash with rain, and the roads paved with fine sand and stone were slightly muddy. Under the pavilion at the village entrance, there were five or six hooligans gathered together, doing nothing but idle in the countryside. In the middle of them was a woman who was wearing only a blouse, but not an inch of her lower body.

    One of the hoodlums randomly rolled a few times and then pressed down on the woman''s body. The entrance that was slippery to the point where it couldn''t resist at all made the lackey''s object go all the way to the bottom. The woman humphed twice, as if she wanted to struggle, but after receiving a slap from the lackey, she stopped moving.

    ** The smell once again filled the air after the rain.

    The gangsters'' wanton pleasure did not stop until the evening of the same day. After being satisfied, the gangsters agreed to come back another day to play. After they left, there was a piece of bread with mildew growing by the woman''s side. After a long time, the woman picked up the biscuit on the ground and impatiently put it into her mouth, not caring in the slightest that her lower part was still bare and that there were still streams of white mist flowing out from between her legs.

    After nightfall, a young man riding a horse came to the village entrance. After riding his horse into the village, he was escorted by the village chief to the outside of the pavilion.

    The wild grass outside the pavilion was very dense and long, covering more than half of the woman''s naked body. After eating the piece of bread, the woman laid there without moving.

    The young master stood outside the underbrush for a long time, wanting to enter a few times, but gave up.

    The old village head sighed and went back to the village.

    "Yu Er is going to be wedded to become the Imperial Consort soon, so I''ll send her to the capital. Father wants me to come see you, "the young man said to the woman in the underbrush after the Village Head had left." Father says that you are Yue Er''s mother after all"

    The woman lay in the grass without a sound.

    "An Jinxiu," the young man suddenly became angry again and said fiercely to the woman, "Why would a woman like you be the one to give birth to us siblings?!" Why have you not died today?! "

    The young man quickly turned around and left as if he was fleeing. He didn''t even turn his head back. If possible, he would rather not have come here.

    The rain began to fall again after the youth left. The woman he called An Jinxiu crawled out from the underbrush, her long hair falling down to her face so that people couldn''t see it clearly. The only sound that came from her mouth was that of a wild dog crying.

    Why isn''t she dead?

    The blood that dripped from her body mixed with the rain water flowed all over the ground. How many people in the world would care about the death of a crazy woman?

    Therefore, An Jinxiu had been discovered late after her death. She had died in a abandoned house near the village entrance, and her body had been eaten by maggots and turned into white bones before being discovered by a few children who had run into the abandoned house.

    The frightened children fled screaming, and soon the villagers came in and saw the bones in a pile of dead grass, and believed that the children were not lying.

    After a moment of shock, a woman spat at the white bone and cursed, "This wicked woman is finally dead!"

    By the time the old Village Chief arrived, the bones of An Jinxiu had already been scattered among a pile of withered grass. It looked somewhat desolate. Stop! " The old village chief repeatedly shouted to the villagers who wanted to set fire to An Jinxiu''s corpse.

    "Uncle, do we need to bury the corpse of such a person?" A young youngster stared at the old elder and asked.

    "Ai!" The old Village Chief sighed, "A debt of death, buried."

    "I don''t want to bury this wicked woman!" The peasants shouted one after another.

    The old elder''s voice was suppressed by the villagers'' curses. Looking at the bones in the grass and thinking of the woman, An Jinxiu, the old elder had a look of contempt on his face. Even though she was dead, the old Village Head didn''t know whether this woman, An Jin, would be able to pay back the debt she owed after her death.

    An Jin was the daughter of Grand Preceptor An, married to the current General Shangguan at the age of sixteen. However, she had delusions of fawning over the Fifth Prince and now His Majesty Bai Chengze. No one knew how many lovers An Jinxiu had had, nor did anyone know how many princes of the royal family she had taken part in, how many people she had harmed, and how many people her hands were stained with their blood. A dirty woman with red apricots; an abandoned woman with a husband and no children; a wicked woman who wanted to climb the ranks of dragons and bring down the phoenixes; and a woman who had caused the Xunyang clan to lose all face. These were all crimes committed for Bai Chengze after he ascended the throne. Since the founding of the dynasty, there had never been a woman who had suffered as much infamy as An Jin.

    "She has been begging for food here for three years and has also gone insane for three years." The old elder waited for everyone to finish cursing before he suppressed the disgust in his heart and advised the villagers, "Is this considered a punishment?"

    The peasants did not speak for a while. An Jin had been begging for food for three years, and they would often curse and beat this wicked woman up. It was not the first or second time they were having fun with this crazy woman, and there were even some lackey''s who liked to play around in the wild.

    "Are you all pitying her?" cried one of the peasants not long afterwards, "as the old saying goes, the poor man must have something to hate! This woman should have been struck by lightning when she was being loyal in the capital! "

    A torch was thrown onto the white bones.

    On the walls of the broken house hung a painting of a spider, in which the Grand Scholar, Guan Yin, looked at the flames with a smile that was not a smile.

    An''s wicked woman had died.

    The news quickly spread through the streets and alleys of the Dynasty.

    Within the imperial palace, the emperor was momentarily absent-minded. Ink dripped down from the tip of his brush, staining a piece of paper with the imperial edict.

    The great general of the Wei Kingdom stood dumbstruck in his courtyard. The fragrant autumn was still reminiscent of the time when An Jin had married him. It was just that An Jin had died.

    Over and over again, An Jinxiu watched her bones turn into ashes, and she even had the mood to watch the sunlight slip from the wooden window into the room. Under the mottled light and shadow, it seemed as if her entire life was being played out one by one in this flickering flame.

    She fell in love with the Fifth Prince Bai Chengze, but married off to the illiterate Shangguan Yong. All of her sins started because she was unwilling, while her eldest sister could marry into the crown prince. Yet, she could only marry a despicable, unrecognizable soldier who had saved her father.

    "I am unable to repay you for saving my life. Knowing that it is not easy for a benefactor to request a wife, I have used my daughter to repay this great kindness."

    With a single sentence from Grand Preceptor An, her entire life was decided. It was laughable to think about it at the time, but now it was lamentable to think about it.

    Fifth Prince Bai Chengze was unparalleled handsome, so what if he was both civil and martial? How many sweet words did he said come true? She had given him her heart, given him advice, plotted against him, stolen the military talisman from her husband''s hands, helped him turn into a soldier and massacred the entire capital. So what if she helped him become the master of this world? Where was the position of the three thousand beauties of the imperial harem? Bai Chengze was the monarch that descended upon the world, and An Jinxiu was a wicked woman that disobeyed the laws of women.

    Her husband, Shangguan Yong, did not know poetry, so what if he did not understand romance? Now that she thought about it, this man was the only one who had truly treated her with sincerity. As for that pair of children, forget it. An Jinxiu shook her head, praying that they would forget about her. Her life had been a huge mistake, and she couldn''t blame anyone else.

    After taking one last look at the human world, An Jinxiu turned around. The Yellow Springs Underworld was deathly silent. Who knew how many years a sinful girl like her would have to spend here? A few pieces of white paper money suddenly appeared at the foot of An Jin''s feet. An Jinxiu turned around to look at the world again and saw Shangguan Yong.

    Shangguan Yong lowered his head to burn the paper money. This woman, An Jinxiu, had left him with no peace when she was still alive, but when she was dead, he was still unable to find peace. He would never forget the beauty this woman had given him when he had married her, the look of impatience in her eyes when she looked at him, and the madness in her eyes when she was abandoned by the new emperor.

    "If we hadn''t been married, if you had been married to His Majesty in the first place, perhaps you wouldn''t have ended up like this," Shangguan Yong told the burning fire. "I grew up poor and didn''t have the money to study. "Ah Jin, in the next life, you will be a good person. Don''t trust the wrong person anymore, and don''t ever meet a husband like me that doesn''t suit you."

    The paper money was burnt to ashes and scattered in the wind.

    In the end, Shangguan Yong threw a red bracelet into the fire as well, as if this was the only way he could truly destroy the marriage between him and An Jin, a woman whose appearance was like a flower but whose heart was like a scorpion''s.

    On the lookout platform, An Jin covered her face and cried.

    "Why are you crying?" A woman''s voice sounded as she asked.

    "I did something wrong while I was still alive," cried An Jin.

    "Then you regret it now?"

    "I only just found one person''s good after making a big mistake," An Jin''s tears stained the front of her clothes. "Why do you think I''m so stupid? "

    "Ai!" In the midst of all this, the woman who had spoken let out a long sigh.

    An Jinxiu walked down the terrace as she muttered to herself, "I can''t go back. ˇ­"

    "You can go to the Bridge of Helplessness." The woman suddenly said to An Jin, "Just remember not to drink Grandma Meng''s Elixir."

    At the end of the bridge, the white-haired Grandma Meng let out a long sigh as she looked at An Jin. "Do you really not want to forget what happened in the past?"

    An Jinxiu nodded.

    "Let''s go," Grandma Meng pointed to a path for Ah Jin.

    An Jin''s figure disappeared at the end of the bridge.

    "Why did Bodhisattva make her suffer again?" Grandma Meng asked the person hidden in the midst of her lies.

    No one answered Grandma Meng''s words.

    She didn''t want to forget. Was it because she was worried, or because she was unwilling? Grandma Meng handed the bowl of soup to the ghost in front of her and said, "This trip will be a lifetime. Take care of yourself."

    This was a lifetime, so what if this was the beginning of a new life?

    However, when a Resurrection Lily floated over the bridge, blooming for a thousand years, and giving birth to a thousand years, Grandma Meng suddenly remembered that today was the day the Resurrection Lily had bloomed and fallen.

 2 Rebirth

    When she opened her eyes, the candlelight in the room was very weak. An Jin looked at the embroidery rack in front of her blankly. Didn''t she just reincarnate to pay back the debt from her previous life? Why was ehe not in the woman''s delivery room, but sitting in front of the embroidery stand? The embroidery rack, the room, and the clothes all flew towards the copper mirror.

    The 28 year old woman in the mirror had a face full of fear. However, her face was like a hibiscus, having a superior appearance.

    An Jin stroked her face again and again. The embroidery needle in her hand pierced her hand to pieces. Fresh blood dripped down, dyeing her face red. In the end, the embroidery needle stabbed deeply into the gaps between An Jin''s fingers. Only after the heart-wrenching pain had engulfed her entire body, did she finally confirm that she was not daydreaming on the Road to River Styx. She had truly come back, and before she had even married Shangguan Yong.

    An Jin didn''t know how long she cried in front of the bronze mirror. The candles on the candlestick were extinguished, and the sky lit up. After the night passed, her eyes turned red from crying, as if she was about to start over again.

    "Second Miss, what happened to you?!" A surprised voice sounded from behind her, causing her to stop crying. She slowly turned around and saw that it was her personal servant, Zi Yuan.

    She had never seen the usually proud and arrogant second young mistress of the An clan shed tears before. The personal servantwas two years younger than An Jinxiu, and when she saw An Jinxiu''s red eyes and tear-stained face, she was dumbfounded. She stood there, not daring to move.

    "It''s fine." An Jinxiu wiped her face with the back of her hand. "Don''t be afraid."

    Zi Yuan carefully walked in front of An Jin and asked, "Miss An Jin, what happened to you?"

    "I wanted to cry all of a sudden, so I cried for a bit." As An Jinxiu spoke, she looked at the bronze mirror before her and suddenly smiled. Wouldn''t this be better than paying her debts in the next life? She would be An Jinxiu for her whole life, no longer making mistakes, no longer letting greed enchant her heart, and would only be Shangguan Yong''s wife.

    "Miss," Zi Yuan said in a low voice, "Are you not satisfied that the Master has arranged your marriage?"

    "What day is it today?" An Jin asked.

    "Huh?" Zi Yuan thought for a moment and said, "Today isn''t a big day."

    "I''m talking about the year," An Jinxiu said, her nails pinching the palm of her hand, but she didn''t feel any pain. It turned out that her marriage with Shangguan Yong had already been decided.

    "What happened to you, Miss?"

    The wedding was on the ninth day of the seventh month of the seventh year. An Jinxiu thought back to her previous life. There was still a month before she would be married to Shangguan Yong. Her feelings of guilt towards this man made her want to see Shangguan Yong right away, but she had no choice but to wait for this month.

    "Miss, your hand?!" At this time, Zi Yuan noticed An Jin''s injured hand and cried out in alarm.

    "It''s alright." An Jinxiu lowered her head to look at her bloody right hand and covered it with her sleeve. "I was stitching last night."

    "I''ll go find the head steward and have him call the doctor." Zi Yuan turned around to run out.

    "No need," An Jinxiu called out to Zi Yuan, "I''ll just wrap myself up."

    "Miss, you''re willing to marry that Shangguan fool?"

    "What Shangguan fool?" An Jinxiu''s face sank. "He''s also a general. Don''t spout nonsense."

    "That''s what the Eldest Young Master and the rest call him." Zi Yuan walked in front of An Jin. "Yesterday, Miss was also like that," Zi Yuan looked at An Jin and said, "Miss, don''t you think you should call her that as well?"

    An Jin stood up and said in a forked tone, "Go and pay respects to Madam. Help me change my clothes."

    "Is Miss''s hand really okay?" Zi Yuan followed behind An Jin and asked. Second Miss An whom she had been serving since she was young seemed to be different in some way. However, Zi Yuan couldn''t tell what exactly it was.

    When she had heard in his previous life that his father was going to marry her to Shangguan Yong, that year, An Jinxiu had knelt in the main courtyard and begged him for half a day, saying all sorts of things about not wanting to marry her. An Jinxiu smiled bitterly. It looked like she had done the same thing in her life. When these words entered Shangguan Yong''s ears, he would be hurt by her again.

    Zi Yuan waited on An Jinxiu to wash her face, put on makeup and clothes, but she didn''t dare to talk to An Jinxiu about the marriage that was set for a month from now.

    "I''ve already thought about this marriage." Just as they were about to leave, An Jinxiu looked at Zi Yuan with a cautious gaze and said, "There''s nothing bad about marrying an upright general."

    After hearing An Jinxiu''s words, the servant face was filled with disbelief. She mumbled, "It''s great that Miss can think like that."

    Zi Yuan was a good person. In her previous life, she had followed her to the Shangguan Mansion and advised her many times that Zi Yuan had taken care of her and her daughter when she was young. Zi Yuan was her benefactor. When she thought of this, An Jin turned around. For the first time in her life, she held onto Zi Yuan''s hand and softly said, "Little girl Zi Li, in the future, I will find you a good man that you can rely on for your entire life."

    Zi Yuan''s face turned red. Growing up with An Jinxiu, she was no different from any other common servant girl in the house. Immediately, the little girl stomped her feet and said, "Miss, don''t joke with Zi Yuan. Zi Yuan will serve you for the rest of his life. What man is he?"

    An Jin smiled and turned her head to look at the autumn laurel in the yard. It was the middle of summer in July, and the leaves of the osmanthus tree were green and dense. Another month later, the osmanthus flower bloomed.

    "When the osmanthus blossoms, the young miss will be married off," the Zi Yuan said by An Jin''s side.

    "En," An Jinxiu responded. It was the golden autumn season, and her wedding day just so happened to be a good time to leave the family.

    "Miss," Zi Yuan said, looking at An Jinxiu''s face, "you can still tell that Miss has been crying even with makeup on."

    "Who forbade me to cry?" As An Jinxiu spoke, she walked towards the entrance of the small courtyard.

    Along the way, the servants and maidservants of the mansion would occasionally see An Jin. As they all avoided her, they would secretly glance at her with expressions of sympathy. An Jin didn''t pay attention to any of these gazes. She simply straightened her back and walked on her own path.

    In the main room, all the masters of the An clan were present, with the exception of An Jin.

    "Master, Madam, Second Miss has come to pay her respects." When the main butler saw An Jinxiu enter the courtyard through the side door, he rushed inside to report to her.

    "Let her in," Grand Preceptor''s wife, Nee Qin, ordered.

    "Second Miss." The Chief Steward rushed to his side and greeted her with a bow.

    An Jinxiu gave the head steward a polite smile and walked into the main room.

    "Second sister, you cried?" The third young miss of the estate, An Jinge, said a few words when she saw An Jin''s face.

    "I''ve cried," An Jinxiu admitted generously.

    "Your marriage has already been set," Grand Preceptor An said after waiting for An Jin to pay his respects to his wife. "Your crying is useless."

    An Jinxiu lowered her head and said, "I was the one who made a mistake that day. Father, your daughter is willing to marry."

    As soon as the words came out of An Jin''s mouth, all the Masters of the Residence were stunned.

    "Are you willing to marry?" N¨¦e Qin asked An Jinxiu, "Ah Jin, you don''t have to feel wronged in front of your family."

    "That''s right, second sister." Third miss An Jinge also said, "If you had thought it through, why would you cry until your eyes were red? That Shangguan Yong guy, I heard he ˇ­ "

    "Shut up!" At this moment, Grand Preceptor An spoke up to his third daughter. "Where are your manners?!"

 3 This daugther is willing to marry

    When N¨¦e Qin saw that her youngest daughter had been scolded, she spoke up to persuade Grand Preceptor An. "Jinge did this for her elder sister."

    "A loving mother has many failed children!" Grand Preceptor An said to N¨¦e Qin.

    Lady Qin just sighed and said, "Master, don''t resent Jinge. Even I can''t bear to part with the beautiful Ah Jin. "We can afford to repay favors like ours, whatever General Shangguan wants."

    "Can the marriage that this old man promised change again?" Grand Preceptor An''s face changed as he spoke with anger, " Parents always make decisions in matters of marriage. How can the sisters decide for themselves?" Is it possible for a daughter of my Xunyang An clan to not know shame?! "

    Nee Qin wiped away her tears. "I''m a woman, so what if I can''t bear to part with my daughter? "Ah Jin was not born in my stomach, but I raised it myself. I just can''t bear to part with it!"

    Seeing his wife cry in grief, Grand Preceptor An slapped the table next to him before finally falling silent.

    An Jinge ran up and held Madam Qin''s hand, comforting her in a low voice.

    An Jinxiu only watched the scene play out in front of her coldly. That''s right, it was just a play, but the previous life''s An Jin was unable to see through it. This Madam, the Qin who had raised her as her daughter by her side, was known as a good wife and mother.

    In her previous life, An Jinxiu had also thought that this mother was a good one, and had thought wholeheartedly about her and helped her marry Shangguan Yong. She had always complained about the injustice, and had even secretly approved of the relationship between her and Bai Chengze. And the result? An Jinxiu lowered her head and gave a self-deprecating smile. Thinking about her previous life, it seemed like she had never done anything right before.

    "Ah Jin," Madam Qin called out to her from above. "Your father''s words will make you suffer for the rest of your life!"

    "Mother," An Jinxiu took a few steps forward, knelt on the ground and said, "General Shangguan saved my father''s life, and I am deeply grateful to him. This daughter''s marriage to him is also for repaying his kindness, so she will definitely serve General Shangguan well."

    Madam Qin''s sorrowful cries stopped as she looked doubtfully at An Jin. This bastard had always had a heart higher than the heavens. Was she really going to accept her fate this time?

    "It''s for the best that you can think like this," Grand Preceptor An was very satisfied with the words spoken by An Jin and heaved a sigh of relief. The Grand Preceptor calmed his heart and thought that Shangguan Yong, this future son-in-law, really wasn''t worthy of his daughter from the An Clan. Shangguan Yong had been poor since he was young, and had never read a poem before. Just his age of nearly thirty caused Grand Preceptor An to frown. An Jin was still sixteen years old, and coupled with such an old man, Grand Preceptor An had already sighed many times when he was by himself.

    At this time, Madam Qin suddenly said, "When you get married, I''ll let your brother send you out. No matter who you marry, my daughter will marry and leave home."

    An Jinxiu looked at her big brother. When she saw the great Young Master An, an unhappy expression instantly appeared on An Yuwen''s face. The eldest son sent a young lady, born from a concubine, out the door. He had gained face for An Jinwen, but this made An Yuwen, the assistant minister of the Ministry of Industry, lose his status. In her previous life, An Jinxiu had been deeply grateful to the Qin family''s mother for this, but she hadn''t realized that her elder brother hadn''t been willing.

    "Alright, Ah Jin can stay. Everyone else can leave," Grand Preceptor An didn''t say much about Madam Qin''s decision. He had treated his daughter unfairly and made his eldest son give her the marriage, even if it was a form of compensation from a father.

    His family had already left, but Madam Qin didn''t leave. "She''s already willing to marry into the General. Old master, please don''t force her any further."

    "You may leave as well," Grand Preceptor An said to Madam Qin.

    "If you don''t love this daughter of yours, I''ll love her!" Lady Qin sat unmoving as she spoke to Grand Preceptor An, "There are some things you shouldn''t say to Ah Jin anymore. Old master, do you really have the heart to make her sad?"

    An Jinxiu lowered her head without saying a word. Those who were reborn knew clearly in their hearts that the Fifth Prince, Bai Chengze, had already hinted to her father that he wanted to marry her, a concubine of the An clan, to give birth to a second young miss. When her father had first discussed the matter with the Qin family, he had wanted to marry the Third Miss of the Residence, An Jinge, to Shangguan Yong. In the end, the Qin had cried and begged for a night to ''save'' her daughter. Right now, Madam Qin didn''t want Grand Preceptor An to speak. It was simply that she didn''t want him to explain everything to her.

    "You can leave too," Grand Preceptor An finally said no more and waved his hand for her to leave.

    An Jinxiu withdrew from the main house.

    "Are you satisfied now?" Grand Preceptor An asked Madam Qin after he left.

    "The back of her hand is covered in meat," n¨¦e Qin still wiped away her tears, "I know I have let down Ah Jinxiu."

    "Nonsense!" Grand Preceptor An grew angry again at n¨¦e Qin''s words. "You raised her, so you shouldn''t treat her too well. Don''t talk about it again in the future!"

    Watching her husband leave, Madam Qin revealed a cold smile. Her daughter would naturally become a phoenix on a branch. As for a concubine''s daughter, what was there to treasure? A daughter born of a concubine wants to marry into the royal family. Thinking of the concubines in the residence, Madam Qin felt depressed again.

    An Jinxiu brought Zi Yuan along in walking along the winding corridors of the Residence of Tranquil East. It was when the summer flowers were beautiful and the Residence of Tranquil East Tribe was filled with flowers and clusters of flowers. An Jin ignored the fresh flowers around her. When she thought that she and Shangguan Yong would meet again soon, she couldn''t help but smile.

    "Miss," Zi Yuan said softly, looking left and right. "What should we do with the Fifth Prince?"

    An Jinxiu was stunned. Ever since she was reborn, she had never once thought about this man.

    Zi Yuan''s face was full of concern. "Miss, are you still sad?"

    "No shame!" An Jinxiu gave the purple fairy''s nose a hard scratch.

    Zi Yuan cried out in pain and covered his nose.

    "Let''s see if you dare to spout nonsense in the future!" An Jinxiu pretended to be fierce, "What happened between me and the Fifth Prince? "At most, you have sent me a few letters. Little girl Zi Yuan, your young miss''s innocence lies with your mouth!"

    The purple-haired girl''s face turned pale with fright. She hurriedly wanted to kneel down in front of An Xiuxiu, but she stopped herself. "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

    An Jinxiu reached out her hand to support the mandarin man and said seriously, "There''s really nothing going on between the Fifth Prince and me. From now on, this person has nothing to do with us."

    "Mn." Zi Yuan nodded and said seriously to An Jin, "I will remember, Miss."

    She and Bai Chengze met by chance in the garden of the crown prince''s residence, and she went to please him as the crown prince''s brother, they were all born from concubines, he was born in the royal family, she was born in a noble family, in this situation, she was more or less the same. After she was abandoned in her previous life, An Jin had thought of many things regarding her and Bai Chengze. She gave her heart to this man and thought that her heart was a priceless treasure, but what about Bai Chengze? She was just a pawn that had formed a connection with the Grand Preceptor''s estate, a pawn that he''d been bewitched by.

    "Miss, where are we going?" Seeing that An Jinxing wasn''t heading towards the pavilion, Zi Yuan asked behind her.

    "Let''s go see my mother," said An Jinxiu.

    "To see Madam, this is the opposite way, Miss." Zi Jin pointed in a direction.

    "I''ll go see my mother," she said to Zi Yuan.

    Zi Yuan was stunned for a moment before he caught up with An Jin. "To see the concubine birth mother?"

    "Mm," An Jinxiu responded.

    "Why?" The young lady of her house had always disliked her birth mother, and didn''t even want to hear the words'' embroidery aunt ''.

 4 Mother and Daughter

    An Jin forced a smile and didn''t say anything. She lowered her head and continued walking. Should she tell Zi Yuan that she was an unfilial daughter? She wholeheartedly fawning over the first wife, looking down on her own mother. This was the previous life''s An Jinxiu. She had no face to say these words out loud.

    "Second Miss is here?" When the servant saw An Jinxiu appear at the side courtyard entrance, she cried out in surprise.

    As soon as the servant called out, the three concubines who lived in the courtyard all went out of their rooms. One of them was An Jin''s mother, who was also a concubine.

    An Jinxiu politely greeted the other two concubines.

    "Why is Second Miss here today?" The two concubines, Concubine Song andConcubine Feng, both asked An Jin this question.

    "I have come to see my mother," An Jinxiu said generously.

    After hearing An Jinxiu''s words, Concubine Xiu almost cried. The daughter who was born with hard work during the month of October had finally called her mother. This kind of heartache was something people who had never experienced before wouldn''t understand.

    "Mother," An Jin had already walked to the front of the concubine and called out to her in a clear voice.

    "Sigh." After staring blankly for a long while, Concubine Xiu finally remembered to agree with An Jin''s words.

    An Jinxiu stood in front of her mother with a sincere smile, but she was also embarrassed. She was obviously a mother and daughter, but she didn''t know what to say to her mother.

    "Hurry up and enter the house, let''s go inside to talk." The beautiful woman lost her usual composure and let An Jin enter the house, "Your little brother is here as well."

    An Jin''s footsteps paused. Little brother?

    An Yuanzhi stood under the eaves. A thirteen year old youngster, he already had a taciturn personality.

    "Yuan Zhi." An Jinxiu looked at An Yuanzhi and smiled, "I didn''t expect that you would also come to see mother."

    "Second sister." An Yuanzhi called out to her, his voice cold.

    "Mother, let''s talk inside," An Jinxiu said as she held onto the hand of her mother.

    "Alright," An Jin''s actions made the Concubine Xiu feel rather flattered. She hurriedly said, "Second Miss, Fifth Young Master, all of you enter the house. Let''s talk inside."

    An Jinxiu felt sad at being addressed as'' Second Miss ''. She was clearly her own daughter, but this mother of hers could not even call out their names. After entering the house, An Jinxiu said to the embroidery aunt, "Mother, when there are no outsiders in the future, you should call your daughter Jinxiu. Who can say anything about you?"

    "You can''t break the rules," the woman said softly. "If you want to come see me, I''m already satisfied."

    An Jin had a sour look in her eyes as she lowered her head to drink her tea, concealing her current appearance.

    "Second sister is getting married. Congratulations," An Yuanzhi said.

    An Jinxiu looked at her brother. As a concubine-born of the Residence of An, this brother of hers had been ignored by her in her previous life. She even thought that her brother was a burden to her because her mother, the Qin family, didn''t like her brother. However, who would have thought that when he was fourteen, he would go against the An clan''s teachings and teachings and secretly leave the army.

    He had to put his life on the line for himself, and after returning home in glory, he used all his military merits to exchange the Emperor for a favor to bring their mother out of the Residence of An. What was worse about this brother of hers? If he were to live this life once more, would he be able to make his younger brother suffer less, and allow him to act as he should in this youth''s free and easy manner?

    "Fifth Young Master!" Concubine Xiu quickly waved her hand at An Yuanzhi, telling him to stop talking.

    "There''s nothing bad about this marriage. I''m very satisfied." An Jinxiu said, "Yuan Zhi, thank you for your congratulations."

    Concubine Xiu carefully examined An Jin. There wasn''t the slightest hint of dissatisfaction on her face." I''ve also asked about it, "the woman sighed." General Shangguan is a bit old, but he has a pair of stepmother siblings at home. They are about the same age as Fifth Young Master, but his sister is only six years old. Second Miss, after you go, you still need to raise his siblings. "

    "It''s nothing more than living," An Jin smiled again. Shangguan Yong''s siblings were actually good. It was just that in his previous life, she had not taken care of them. Now that she thought about it, she owed him a lot.

    "Ai!" As a mother, she wasn''t thinking about Shangguan Yong''s welfare at the moment. She was just worried that her daughter, who was only sixteen years old, would serve a man who was close to thirty years old. No matter how she thought about it, the Grand Preceptor had set down a marriage for her.

    "Mother, don''t worry. I will live a peaceful life." An Jin smiled. "Mother, your daughter is going to be a general''s wife. She is a general''s wife."

    When An Jin said ''Madam General'', it made Concubine Xiu and An Yuanzhi smile bitterly. When had Shangguan Yong, a fifth rank Wandering General, and a family like the An family, ever had a fifth rank official son-in-law?

    "Are you guys talking?" At this moment, Concubine Feng, who was in the same courtyard as Concubine Xiu, entered the room with a plate of dessert.

    "Thank you, Sister Feng," Concubine Xiu quickly stood up to thank her.

    An Jinxiu stood up as well. The snacks that Concubine Feng had sent over seemed to have been put away for several days. Seeing her mother repeatedly thanking her, An Jinxiu felt a bit sad. In the An clan, outsiders would never have imagined that even a concubine would have to be rewarded by the official wife.

    "Second Miss," Concubine Feng smiled at An Jin, "I heard that Madam wants Eldest Young Master to send you out. This is a good prize."

    The smile on An Jinxiu''s face did not change. She said, "Madam, you''re just joking. How can you take it seriously? When I go out, I still have to rely on Yuan Zhi to send me off. "

    Concubine Feng''s face was full of surprise. Who didn''t know that An Jin was a person who cared about face? Had this person changed her personality this time? Do you know that you have another blood brother?

    "You really want the Fifth Young Master to send you off?" Concubine Xiu did not dare to believe her words and asked.

    "If Yuan Zhi doesn''t give it to me, who will?" An Jinxiu smiled as she looked at An Yuanzhi.

    An Yuanzhi''s handsome face reddened, and he raised an eyebrow at her. "Can''t wait to go out, second sister?"

    "Fifth Young Master!" It was rare for the siblings to have a few nice words to say to each other, so there was no need to continue quarreling with each other.

    An Yuanzhi regretted his words to himself. He had told this sister everything he had done in his life. He could even count them with one hand. How did he suddenly start joking with her? An Yuanzhi thought that he wasn''t familiar with her at all.

    Who was An Jin? Apart from being vain, he was also a man with a mind of his own. She immediately stomped her foot towards An Yuanzhi, pretending to be shy. She said to Concubine Xiu, "Mother, look at Yuan Zhi. He bullied me!"

    Both Concubine Xiu and Concubine Feng were stunned on the spot.

    An Yuanzhi was also dumbfounded. He stared at An Jin in silence for a long time.

    Second Miss An had always been a superior person. She had always liked to put on airs in front of others. When had she ever acted like a spoiled child with a blushing face like this?

    Concubine Feng didn''t have any children, so she had always been the closest to Lady Xiu. Now that she had a closer look at An Jin, she couldn''t help but inwardly click her tongue. There was almost no difference between the appearance of An Jin and Lady Xiu. They were both beautiful colors, or else how could the little girl who had by the Madam''s side turn into the concubine of the estate and raise a son and a daughter of the Grand Preceptor? However, after Concubine Feng clicked her tongue, she sighed to herself, "So what if she is so beautiful to the point that it could topple cities and topple empires?" A concubine born in a servant, a concubine who wanted to marry a boorish bloke, they were probably just people with a bad life.

 5 Shangguan Yongs Distress

    "Second Miss went to the Concubine Xiu place?" In the main room, after Madam Qin had heard her report, her expression didn''t change, but she waved her hand for her servant to withdraw.

    "Why would she go there?" Third Miss An Jinge had a look of disdain on her face as she sat there and said, "At this moment, An Jinxiu remembered that she wasn''t born from a mother, but from concubine?"

    "Shut up!" Madam Qin''s face sank. "Who taught you to be so sarcastic?"

    An Jinge lowered her head. She actually wasn''t too afraid of her father, Grand Preceptor An, but of Madam Qin, her biological mother.

    "Do your needlework well!" Madam Qin slapped the table. "You must be dignified and magnanimous, so that your future husband will love you and respect you!"

    "How old am I?" An Jinge said shyly.

    "You are only one year younger than Ah Jin," Lady Qin''s tone sounded cold as she said to An Jinge, "If she has already left the house, your father will definitely let you marry into the Shangguan family! Do you think you''re still young? "

    "Then he might as well kill me!" An Jinge cried out, "I heard that Shangguan Yong is a lousy person, he can scare people to death!"

    "Pah!" Her youngest daughter was simply incomparable to the eldest daughter of the Crown Prince''s consort. The Crown Prince''s wife, An Jinyan, was truly dignified and generous. She didn''t show any emotions on her face, but the younger daughter was always reckless.

    Under the pressure of Madam Qin, An Jinge lowered her head to embroider her needlework. An Jinxiu''s fate had already made An Jinge laugh out loud several times in her room. This girl who thought herself to be the direct descendant of the Residence of An, was finally sent out by her father as a form of thanks. No matter how beautiful she looks, so what if she reads more poems? This little one is this little one''s little one. No matter what, it couldn''t pass through the sky! An Jinge was embroidering the Winter Plum Blossom in her hands. Thinking about An Jinxiu marriage, she was too happy that she almost hummed a little tune.

    When Madam Qin saw her daughter like this, she shook her head and didn''t speak another word to lecture An Jinge. An Jinxiu actually went to see the Concubine Xiu, which surprised n¨¦e Qin. After she was born, she had raised this humble girl by her side. An Jinxiu had always been taught to look down on her own mother, so why did she suddenly run over to pay her respects this time? Could it be that this girl had found out about the plot of the marriage?

    "Mother, what do you think about the embroidery of this flower?" An Jinge finished her embroidery of a cold plum blossom and showed it to Lady Qin.

    "That''s right," Lady Qin lightly said. Just a single plum blossom was embroidered to the point of collapsing. Thinking of the flowers, birds, fish and bugs that were embroidered on An Jin''s embroidery, as well as looking at her biological daughter''s embroidery, n¨¦e Qin was filled with displeasure. When Madam Qin thought back to the fact that An Jin had been born under a concubine, she once again confirmed that this lowly servant had been born to obstruct her view and obstruct her heart.

    "Mom, are you unhappy again?" Seeing her mother like this, An Jinge asked, "Who dares to provoke you?"

    "It''s fine," Lady Qin said. "You embroidered it." It was hard for her to tell her daughter, but she thought of the woman from the side courtyard. The eldest daughter of the Qin Clan, Madam Qin, came out of the pavilion together with Madam Qin''s wife, who followed the bridal sedan into the Residence of An. At that time, she was ten years old. N¨¦e Qin saw that this little girl was honest and was also a servant girl that was raised by her mother, so she let her accompany her. Who would have thought that when a ten-year-old girl grew up, she would actually be as beautiful as a flower. A little girl who served tea and passed water had actually lured her master onto the bed, and even secretly created a pearl.

    In the An clan of a hundred years, they had never had a concubine who was born into a servant. Lady Qin was once a joke in the imperial court, how could she possibly be a blind housewife like her who kept a seductive fox by her side for five years. She was a bastard who was about to give birth to a concubine.

    The more Madame Qin thought about it, the angrier she became. Every time she recalled the past, she felt stifled and suffocated. She originally wanted to ask An Jin about this visit, but n¨¦e Qin changed her mind. An Jin was going to marry a military man in a month, and this bastard''s entire life would be doomed to be ruined. What was she going to do about it? This concubine was her tool in retaliating against that lowly servant. Now that her goal had been achieved, An Jinxiu would become a member of the Shangguan family. This had nothing to do with her anymore.

    It was time to think of a way to get rid of An Yuanzhi. Madam Qin looked at An Jinge, which was focused on embroidery, and her mind drifted off into the distance. Now that she had settled an An Jinxiu, there were still many things in the mansion that she needed to worry about.

    An Jin had been sitting in her mother''s room for a long time that day, so she didn''t have much time left to make up for her family love. An Jin just wanted to do her best, and didn''t want to leave any regrets in this life.

    At the same time, in General Shangguan''s residence, Shangguan Yong didn''t have An Xianxiu''s kind of wholehearted expectation for the wedding. General Shangguan sat in the main hall with a frown on his face. He hadn''t thought that Grand Preceptor An would actually marry his daughter off to him. The marriage was set for a month later. Right now, the matchmaker was waiting right in front of him, but Shangguan Yong was too embarrassed to tell the matchmaker that he couldn''t take out much of the betrothal gift.

    Madame Wang patiently waited for Shangguan Yong for half a day, even drank three cups of tea, but still couldn''t get Shangguan Yong''s reply. Thus, Madame Wang habitually smiled and said, "General, it''s better if you give me a reply."

    Only then did Shangguan Yong say: "Can you cut the betrothal gift a bit less? A thousand taels of silver, even if I sell this house, I won''t be able to exchange it for a thousand taels of silver."

    Madame Wang''s fake smile froze. Shangguan Yong was an honest man, if he didn''t have money, then it meant he didn''t have money. But Madame Wang said to Shangguan Yong, "My general, the one you''re marrying is a young lady from the Grand Preceptor''s estate!"

    Shangguan Yong nodded and said: "I know." Then he just stared blankly at Madame Wang.

    Madame Wang waited for Shangguan Yong for a long time, but seeing that the bridegroom did not speak again, she could only say: "General, please give me a word of permission, how much do you plan to pay for this betrothal gift?"

    Shangguan Yong gritted his teeth and said: "Three hundred taels."

    "Three, three hundred taels?" Madame Wang almost bit her tongue. Three hundred taels was a large sum of money in a commoner''s house, but the other side was the young miss of the Grand Preceptor''s estate. Even though she''d been born out of a concubine, she was still the Grand Preceptor''s daughter. How could there be such a good thing in this world?

    Shangguan Yong''s forehead was covered in cold sweat. He was a fifth grade Wandering General, his salary was already limited, he still had a pair of siblings to support, three hundred silver was all he had left, he couldn''t marry and starve them to death right?

    "Three hundred liang."

    "I, I only have this many left."

    "There can''t be more? "The one you''re going to marry is the Grand Preceptor''s daughter, ah."

    Shangguan Yong paused, but still shook his head, "Mother Wang, if I had more, I would have sold the house."

    Madame Wang looked at the hall she was in. Even the tables and chairs were old, not half old yet. It was the kind of old furniture that had lost all their paint. Madame Wang had also heard of General Shangguan. Amongst the generals of the Zhaosheng Dynasty, the poorest was this General Shangguan. He seemed to be treating his stepmother''s illness, so the family''s wealth was gone.

    "How about ˇ­" Shangguan Yong clenched his teeth again, "I''ll add another fifty silver taels, and then there won''t be more."

    Madame Wang''s eyes twitched. She really wanted to follow up with Shangguan Yong and tell him the truth. If he added another fifty taels, it would only be three hundred and fifty taels.

 6 Betrothal gif

    At this time, An Jinxiu did not know that Madam Qin had asked for a thousand taels of silver from the General Shangguan. In her previous life, she had caused a ruckus in the mansion, so how could she care about what happened before the marriage?

    That day, when she returned to her pavilion from her mother''s side courtyard, An Jin had thrown aside the ball of flowers and clothes she had embroidered specifically for Madam Qin. Before her rebirth, An Jin had been full of filial piety, and now that she thought about it, her filial piety had been etched in her heart. The matriarch of the An clan, how could she not have her share of filial piety? Thinking about it carefully, when had the Qin family ever worn a dress she made?

    In the side courtyard, she could see that the clothes worn by the Concubine Xiu and An Yuanzhi were already half worn. When An Jinxiu saw this, she felt sad and guilty at the same time. She had made so many clothes for the Qin''s family all these years, but she had forgotten that these two people were supposed to be her closest family. There was still a month before her wedding. She was working day and night to get her mother and brother out of bed.

    Zi Yuan sat at the side and adjusted the thread. Looking at An Jin''s bright red eyes, Zi Yuan said in annoyance, "Miss, it''s all my fault that my hand was so stupid. Otherwise, Zi Yuan would have been able to help you."

    An Jin smiled when she heard this. Zi Yuan was very spirited, but her hands were so stupid that even the stitches were crooked.

    Recently, there were many people in the house who were laughing at their young miss. They all said that the future husband was not a good person, and Zi Yuan would not be able to sleep even if she could not eat. If not for the strict security in the Residence of An and the fact that she could not pass through, Zi Yuan would really want to see for himself what her mistress husband looked like.

    "If you keep sighing, wrinkles will grow on your face." An Jinxiu glanced at Zi Yuan and laughed, "What are you worrying about now?"

    "I''ve heard that Young Master broke his face during the war and didn''t even have a nose on it," Ziya said worriedly. "Miss, how scary do you think a face without a nose must be?"

    An Jinxiu giggled happily.

    "Miss, you''re still laughing?" "I heard that he had proposed to marry a few girls, but they didn''t agree. You say he is a military general, will he beat someone up if he were to rush in? Miss, we can''t beat him, what should we do? Should I inform the Grand Preceptor and bring some other skilled bodyguards over? "

    "It''s been hard on you," An Jinxiu said as she sighed.

    "Of course, Miss is my master," Zi Yuan said. "How can you not plan for Miss?"

    "You''re just worrying about your life." An Jinxiu poked Zi Yuan on the forehead with her index finger, "How could a general like you make a move against a woman? What does a man want with his looks? Do you think it''s a play? "

    Zi Yuan sighed again. There was nothing wrong with the script. The generals in the script were all handsome young generals in white robes, unlike the young miss who wanted to marry her. It was a martial husband who had yet to marry his wife even when he was thirty years old.

    It was inconvenient for An Jin to defend Shangguan Yong at this time. How could Shangguan Yong be as terrifying as the rumors in the capital? At most, there was a knife scar at the corner of his left eye, running from the corner of his eye to the top of his nose. As for beating him, this man might have been a monster if he had been on the battlefield, but at home, even in her previous life, she had treated this man coldly, and this man hadn''t said a single harsh word to her. Shangguan Yong actually had a good temper, at least he kept his doors shut. This man had no temper, he was just a soft dough, someone who could be squashed easily.

    That night, the candles in the An Jinxiu Pavilion burned the entire night. The master and the servant duo were in a hurry to finish the work, and soon, another night passed.

    The next day, An Jin went to pay respects to the Grand Preceptor and n¨¦e Qin. On the veranda leading to the main residence, she met An Yuanzhi.

    "Second sister." An Yuanzhi called out to her.

    "Let''s go together." An Jinxiu took a step back and let An Yuanzhi take the lead.

    "You don''t look good," An Yuanzhi said in a low voice after taking a few glances at An Jinxiu.

    "Is that so?" "It might be because I didn''t sleep well last night," replied An Jinxiu.

    "I," An Yuanzhi hesitated for a moment before he stood up and said to An Jinxiu, "I''ve asked around too. General Shangguan is not as terrible as the rumors say. Second Sister, you don''t need to think so much."

    Only now did An Jinxiu understand why this little brother said that she didn''t look too good. It was because he thought that she said that she was willing to marry, but he was still unwilling, so he stayed up all night, unable to sleep. I want to help Mother and you get dressed in winter clothes, "An Jin smiled." The time is a bit tight, so we slept late at night. Yuan Zhi, you don''t have to worry about me.

    Make winter clothes? An Yuanzhi looked at An Jin in surprise. Had this person really changed his personality before she marries? She no longer had to fawn on his direct descendant parents.

    "Let''s go. It''s not good to keep the people in the main house waiting for a long time. I''m fine. I''m afraid father will tell you that."

    It was only then that the siblings, An Yuanzhi and An Jin, walked into the courtyard.

    "Second Miss, congratulations to you" As soon as An Jinxiu entered the courtyard, Madame Wang welcomed her with a smile.

    "You are?" An Jinxiu knew this matchmaker from her previous life, but she still pretended not to know him.

    "Second Miss, this is the matchmaker for you, Wang Ma," the woman who walked over from behind Madame Wang told An Jin.

    An Jinxiu smiled and lowered her head. She did not say anything, but stood closer to An Yuanzhi.

    An Yuanzhi felt like he was the younger brother. He said, "Thank you, Wang Ma." Although his voice was soft, he still thanked her.

    Madame Wang smiled as she left. Although she didn''t bring much good news to the Residence of An today, she had a smile on her face. No matter what, she looked like she could make anyone happy.

    An Jinxiu followed An Yuanzhi into the main hall. Before she had even greeted them, she heard n¨¦e Qin wipe away her tears and say, "Why is my Ah Jin life so bitter!"

    Grand Preceptor An''s face darkened as he asked, "What nonsense are you spouting in front of the children?"

    An Jinxiu cleverly didn''t ask. She just stood there and waited for n¨¦e Qin to finish crying.

    Seeing that An Jinxiu didn''t say anything, An Yuanzhi shut up and stood a bit in front of her.

    He hadn''t seen An Jinxiu and An Yuanzhi standing together, but now he realized that these two siblings weren''t just brothers and sisters, they really were the same mother. Their faces were quite similar, but An Jinxiu didn''t look masculine, An Yuanzhi didn''t look feminine.

    Grand Preceptor An looked at the siblings with pleasure, but n¨¦e Qin felt the sight was too eye-catching. She wiped away her tears and stopped crying.

    Only then did An Jinxiu and An Yuanzhi pay their respects to the two elders.

    "Ah Jin, your mother will let you down." n¨¦e Qin spoke, "If you want to blame someone, then blame your mother for not being able to do so."

    "How can mother not have the ability?" An Jinxiu said, "Who was the one who spoke nonsense and made Mother sad?"

    "Second sister," An Jing3 opened her mouth and said, "Before you came, mother had already cried once. That Shangguan Wufu was only willing to pay three hundred and fifty silver as a betrothal gift! Three hundred and fifty silver, does he not take you, second sister, seriously? "

 7 Rejection

    After hearing her words, An Jinxiu didn''t say anything. Instead, she looked towards Grand Preceptor An. Others might not know, but her father should know that Shangguan Yong''s family background was not good, and these three hundred and fifty-two yuan were probably all that this man had.

    "Jin Ge, shut up!" Grand Preceptor An reprimanded. "How could you interrupt your sister''s marriage?" Get out for this old man! "

    An Jinge was being lectured again as she looked at n¨¦e Qin with a bitter face. She just wanted to embarrass her future husband, but she didn''t do anything wrong. It wasn''t her fault that her husband''s family was poor, so how could she not let others talk about it?

    "What should we do about the marriage?" n¨¦e Qin still looked as if she was thinking for An Jinxiu as she asked, "If the matter of the dowry were to be spread out, what would the people in the capital say about it?"

    Grand Preceptor An shot a quick glance at the woman, only to see her standing there quietly with her head lowered. He sighed and looked back at his wife. As an experienced official, how could Grand Preceptor An not see through n¨¦e Qin''s tricks? On the surface, she was trying to cover up her injustice, but in reality, she was trying to slap An Jin''s face in front of her family.

    "Old master!" When n¨¦e Qin saw that the Grand Preceptor wasn''t answering her, she called out to him again.

    "Why do you say that in front of the children?" Grand Preceptor An said to n¨¦e Qin, "Shangguan Yong used up all his wealth to treat his stepmother''s illness. Do you still want me to tell you about this?"

    Madam Qin''s face turned ugly, "Master, are you blaming me for being nosy? "I was the one who brought up Ah Jin. She had no face, so how could I feel good about it?"

    "Alright!" "That''s it," Grand Preceptor An said, "None of us need to say anything more!"

    "What should I do?" Lady Qin didn''t want to let it go like this and said, "How can there be a young lady from the Marquis'' Mansion who only wants three hundred and fifty silver taels to go out of the pavilion? Even if Old Master wanted to repay this gratitude, he should think about it for the Ah Jin! "

    An Jinxiu laughed coldly in her heart. In her previous life, she had heard many of the Qin family''s words. Now that she thought about it, those words from the Qin family had actually put her at ease and allowed her to live with Shangguan Yong. She loved to act vain. She had other intentions. Thinking about it, Lady Qin saw a good big play with An from her previous life.

    "How about you lend some silver to second sister?" An Jinge spoke up again, "It''s to give face to second sister, since our family is not short on money, when will second sister live a rough life? "No, dad, it''s better if you take care of second sister."

    An Yuanzhi coldly harrumphed at this point. He knew that none of the people in the main house had good intentions. Did they think of An Jin as a beggar? These people thought that Shangguan Yong was a trash that even his wife couldn''t support?

    At this time, An Jinxiu heard An Yuanzhi''s cold snort. She didn''t want her little brother to have any sort of conflict with the main house because of her, so she had no choice but to open her mouth and say, "Ah Jinge is right. The main house is not short on money. Why should we care about the betrohal gift?" Father also said that General Shangguan had spent all his family''s wealth to treat his mother''s illness, so General Shangguan was actually a filial son. "

    Hearing this, Grand Preceptor An''s gloomy face turned back to normal. He hadn''t thought that this daughter of his, who had a heart higher than the heavens, would actually be so sensible.

    The Qin family''s expression changed as they blocked n¨¦e Qin''s heart in one breath. They couldn''t go down there even if they wanted to. Who knew that there would be a day when An Jin would block her heart?

    "Father," An Jin continued, "Your daughter doesn''t care about giving face to outsiders. Since the marriage was supposed to repay the favor, we might as well not take the money."

    "Are these your heartfelt words?" Grand Preceptor An asked.

    An Jin smiled and said, "Yes, your daughter doesn''t ask for any expensive dowry. As long as General Shangguan serves the court well, your daughter doesn''t have to worry."

    Grand Preceptor An nodded. This was his daughter.

    N¨¦e Qin was furious, but she could not say anything else. When only she and An Jinju were left in the room, n¨¦e Qin muttered to herself, "It''s better if you don''t regret it in the future!"

    An Jinge humphed and said, "Mother, she is indeed pretentious. An Jinxiu is the best at this. She thinks she is a young miss of a rich family."

    Grand Preceptor An had been a bit preoccupied with his own matters all day and it was rare to see that he hadn''t done it for the sake of the country. He had always ignored the matters of the inner court. It was just that Grand Preceptor An had no choice but to think over the matters of the inner court. Even though An Jin was a Shu''s daughter, she was still her own daughter. Grand Preceptor An wasn''t the type to disregard having children born out of a concubine.

    Shangguan Yong had also gone to the morning assembly that day. The three hundred and fifty taels of silver dowry had made him unable to sleep well for the past few days. When Madame Wang left that day, her face had turned green and red, which made Shangguan Yong start to reevaluate his marriage as if it had come from the heavens.

    After thinking about it for a few days, Shangguan Yong felt that he had gained the noble family''s support. He came from a military background, and had only learned a few words in the military. He also thought about how he had a pair of younger siblings at home. Since Second Miss An had married into the family, would he wanted to marry a wife that would act as a mother to his siblings. Could this young miss Jin, who was used to living a life of wealth at Gao Men''s Mansion, really do this?

    "Grand Preceptor," Shangguan Yong stopped in front of Grand Preceptor An''s palanquin after the assembly. He had already made up his mind that he wasn''t going to have an easy time with a young lady from the Residence of Peace, lest he waste her entire life.

    Grand Preceptor An was already in the palanquin. When he heard Shangguan Yong''s voice, he hurriedly got out of the palanquin again. He called out to Shangguan Yong''s watch, "Wei Chao, what''s the matter?"

    Shangguan Yong said, "Please lend me a hand, Grand Preceptor."

    Grand Preceptor An thought that Shangguan Yong wanted to explain the matter of the salary to him, so he and Shangguan Yong stood behind each other. After hearing Shangguan Yong''s words, Grand Preceptor An was so angered that a scholar almost started fighting with a military husband like Shangguan Yong. So this fellow was trying to end the engagement!

    "Grand Preceptor," Shangguan Yong still stood there, looking at him honestly.

    Grand Preceptor An was silent for a long time before saying, "Shangguan Wei Chao, my daughter and you are already engaged to be married next month. If you break off the engagement now, what will my daughter do in the future?" Have you ever thought about her? "

    Shangguan Yong was stunned for a long time. He had not expected that he would not want to miss An Jin''s life, but it would also ruin her reputation.

    "Why aren''t you saying anything?" Grand Preceptor An thought back to what An Jin had said to him that morning, then looked at Shangguan Yong. He felt more and more that this daughter of his had been married off, and this Shangguan Yong was a martial arts man who didn''t understand any grand principles!

    "I ˇ­" Shangguan Yong was at a loss for words, he said: "I just feel that I''m too incompatible with Miss, I''ve never thought of anything else, it''s not that Miss is bad, it''s because I''m unsuitable, my family, my family is poor."

    Grand Preceptor An''s face drained of all color. "Then you''re saying my daughter thinks she''s poor and loves to be rich?"

    "No, I definitely did not mean it that way." Shangguan Yong panicked, waving his hands as he said, "I was just afraid that I might have wronged Miss."

    Grand Preceptor An held in his anger. "Then my daughter personally said today that she didn''t want the dowry."

    "You don''t want it?" Shangguan Yong was still dumbfounded, he said: "Miss, why don''t you want it? Don''t all the girls in the capital still need the bethrotal money when they leave the house?"

    This wasn''t just a matter of the capital. Which family in Shun Dynasty would marry a girl without paying for the job? My silly daughter! By now, Grand Preceptor An had started to worry whether this Shangguan Yong could actually support An Jin. How could he know nothing about mundane affairs other than riding horses and fighting?

    "My daughter said that General Shangguan used up all his family fortune to help his stepmother treat her illness. He''s a filial son, and as long as she follows you well and lives with you, she won''t have to worry about not having a good life," Grand Preceptor An passed on An''s words to Shangguan Yong. According to his daughter''s words, he shouldn''t have let any other man know, but at this time, Grand Preceptor An was scheming to let Shangguan Yong think about An Jin''s life.

 8 Emotion

    Indeed, when Shangguan Yong heard Grand Preceptor An''s words, he immediately said, "Miss is a scholar." Shangguan Yong remembered the first two words, but he couldn''t recall the last two words.

    "A written reply," Grand Preceptor An''s eyebrows furrowed into a knot.

    "Yes," Shangguan Yong was even more embarrassed, he said: "This general has never read a book before."

    I still accept your three hundred and fifty silver taels. Ah Jin only thinks of you, but never thought of you for the sake of her own reputation, "Grand Preceptor An restrained his anger and said to Shangguan Yong," You have to treat her well in the future.

    "Yes." No matter how much Shangguan Yong wanted to say, he couldn''t say it out loud.

    Grand Preceptor An gave a long sigh and walked past Shangguan Yong. In front of the two armies, the Grand Preceptor looked at Shangguan Yong and lamented the fact that he had the courage of a general. He sighed at Shangguan Yong and lamented that he had the courage of a general in the army of ten thousand horses. Now that the smoke had cleared and the general had returned to the field, the Shangguan Yong that Grand Preceptor An had seen was just a boorish Wu Han, with no suitable match at all for his daughter.

    Shangguan Yong didn''t know what Grand Preceptor An''s words meant, but he could only stare blankly as he walked past him and mounted a black, lacquered sedan chair. Only after the people from the Residence of Peace left did Shangguan Yong walk in front of his horse. He thought about the thoughts he had for the past few days and finally made a decision. He didn''t expect that in the end, he was completely wrong. Shangguan Yong mounted his horse, his mind full of thoughts. A man who was a general, he did not even have a follower, only walking home alone.

    Passing by a stall selling female handkerchiefs, Shangguan Yong got off his horse and bought two plain handkerchiefs for his little sister. Yesterday, when he saw his little sister''s handkerchief being torn apart, but it was still washed clean and left hanging in the courtyard, Shangguan Yong''s heart was in a mess. In the end, it was still his big brother who didn''t have the ability, nor did he have the ability to let his brothers and sisters live the life of a genuine son of the Shangguan family.

    "I heard that the second young miss of the Residence of An is getting married."

    "I just don''t know which family I''ve decided on."

    "You don''t even know that, it''s the general Shangguan Yong!"

    As the two women spoke, they walked past Shangguan Yong''s horse. Although a woman in the residence should be hidden in a deep room, Xunyang An was a member of the current dynasty''s great clan. The three young mistresses of the An clan were like the young masters of the An clan; from the moment they were born, they had already been known to the entire world as the An clan''s noble daughters. An Jin was as beautiful as a flower. There was no one in the Shun Dynasty who did not know of this. The marriage of such a beauty had long become the talk of the capital.

    Shangguan Yong looked at the two women who were walking briskly away. Listening to these two women talk about Second Miss An made his heart feel sweet. Shangguan Yong didn''t know exactly how beautiful An Jin was, but at this moment, Shangguan Yong felt that Second Miss An must be a very good woman. He and this woman, Shangguan Yong thought of how he and An Jin were going to become husband and wife, and his dark face couldn''t help but redden.

    Within the pavilion in the Residence of Tranquil East Tribe, An Jin was sitting in front of an embroidery rack, concentrating on embroidering auspicious clouds shaped like tigers. An Jin didn''t need to be like the other young masters in the mansion: luxurious and refined, An Yuanzhi practiced martial arts wholeheartedly. An Jin had to make An Yuanzhi''s clothes wider so that he would be able to move his hands and feet while practicing martial arts. Then she could make the patterns on his clothes look more heroic, which was exactly what An Yuanzhi wanted.

    Zi Yuan sat at the side, concentrating on making the buckles. From time to time, she would raise his head to look at An Jin. She looked like he wanted to say something, but was unable to.

    An Jinxiu knew what this girl was going to say to her. There must be a lot of people in the Heavenly Abode who would bite the tongue of this girl. There probably weren''t many people who would say anything good about her. If you''re tired, then take a rest, "An Jinxiu said to Zi Yuan." What are you always looking at me for? Can I not let you rest? "

    Zi Yuan pursed his lips, shook his head, and went back to work.

    While both master and servant were busy, a wife from the Qin house came to find them.

    "Why is Wang Ma here?" When An Jinxiu saw this old woman, she politely smiled and said, "Did mother find me for something?"

    A smile was plastered on Old Lady Wang''s face as she said to An Jin, "Second Miss, Madam has a new embroidery design that she would like Second Miss to send to the Qin Residence tomorrow for Matriarch He to see."

    An Jin smiled and said, "What kind of embroidery is it? Mother wants to show it to Matriarch Qin?"

    Old Lady Wang laughed. "This old servant hasn''t seen the embroidery. However, I heard from Madam that it''s a flowery painting." Second Miss, Madam Gu also wanted to see Second Miss for the last time before heading out of the pavilion to the Qin Residence to pay her respects to Matriarch Qin. "

    An Jinxiu was looking at the smiling face of Lady Wang. She still vaguely remembered the words she said when she was married and went to the residence of Great Scholar Qin. Then, what happened? An Jinxiu thought back carefully. In her previous life, there were two men who were deeply engraved in her memory. As for other matters, she didn''t have a deep memory of them.

    "Second Miss?" Seeing that An Jin only smiled and did not answer, Lady Wang smiled and said, "Are you going to Qin Manor tomorrow?"

    Before heading out of the pavilion, An Jinxiu suddenly recalled that her younger sister was the one who had gone to the Qin Manor and enjoyed the cold treatment of Matriarch Qin. She had arranged a marriage with the son of the prime minister. Thinking up to here, An Jin nodded her head and said, "I understand. I''ll go to Qin Manor tomorrow."

    After receiving An Jin''s word, Old Lady Wang immediately left. She turned around, and the smile on her face disappeared without a trace.

    "I never thought that Madam would take the initiative to let Miss go to Qin Manor!" After Old Lady Wang left, Zi Yuan looked at An Jin in surprise and asked, "Madam, what do you want to do?"

    In her previous life, she had thought that n¨¦e Qin was giving her face. It was a common gift for children born out of a big house to get married, and it was also for children born out of a big family to visit their ancestors'' family. At that time, An Jinxiu thought that her mother was treating her as her own daughter. Right now, An Jinxiu thought to herself that her mother must have done it for her.

    "Miss, what are you laughing at?" Seeing the smile on An Jin''s face, she asked, "You''re already so happy after making a trip to the Qin Manor?"

    "It''s nothing." An Jinxiu put away the sneer on her face and said, "We''re going out tomorrow. We should finish the work earlier today."

    Seeing that An Jin''s expression was flat again, the woman didn''t say anything else and buried her head in her work.

    An Jin didn''t know what the Qin had wanted from her. She was already engaged and was leaving the pavilion next month. She was at home, so how could it hinder her own daughter''s future prospects? Could it be that she could snatch the title of Eldest Young Madam from her? An Jin sighed in her heart. In this life, she only needed to be at ease and be a daughter-in-law of the Shangguan family, neither fighting nor stealing. As long as she didn''t have any delusions, the Qin family would not harm her.

    Late into the night, Grand Preceptor An emerged from concubine Xiu room and headed for the main rooms.

    She stood in front of the gate for a long time. Madam Qin''s rule was that he couldn''t stay or sleepin her room. Therefore, even though she had already given birth to a daughter and a son for the man who had left in a hurry, she still hadn''t experienced the feeling of spending a long night with someone by her side. The moonlight was clear and cold. There was no sadness on Concubine Xiu''s face, only loneliness.

 9 Mother Illness

    Zi Yuan had a good night''s sleep. Early the next morning, she went to find her young miss in her room and found that she had not slept for the entire night. She had already finished most of the clothes on the embroidery rack.

    "You''re here?" An Jinxiu only stopped when she heard Zi Yuan''s footsteps. She turned around and smiled at Zi Yuan.

    Zi Yuan really didn''t know why her young mistress didn''t pay attention to the Fifth Young Master before, and why she was so concerned about him now.

    " Miss, you haven''t slept the entire night? " "Miss, what do we do if we break our bodies like this?" she asked with a worried expression.

    "That won''t happen," An Jin replied as she rose to her feet. "I''ll go wash up. We still need to see the Matriarch of the Qin family today."

    "Oh." Zi Yuan went to take out the dress that she wanted to wear at the door.

    An Jin sat in front of the dressing table. The person in the mirror had a haggard expression. Even though she was young, she hadn''t slept for the entire night. No matter how beautiful she was, it was a discount.

    "Miss, do you wear this dress?" Zi Yuan took out her dress and showed it to An Jin.

    An Jin turned her head to look. In Zi Yuan''s hand was a light red dress given to her by Madam Qin, which was embroidered with golden flowers. This was the most precious dress she had ever worn. "Let''s change it to another set," An Jin said as she opened her eyes.

    "Miss?" Zi Yuan was stupefied. This dress now entered the eyes of his Young Miss?

    Seeing the dumbstruck look on Zi Yuan''s face, An Jinxiu shook her head and walked towards the wardrobe. She said to Zi Yuan, "Go call the people below to get me some water to wash my face."

    "Yes, miss." Zi Yuan ran out again.

    There were many people in the pavilion waiting on An Jin''s embroidery. It was just that An Jin had lived a new life. The people who were the eyes of the Qin had long been wary of her. The red dress looked at the gorgeous dress that Zi Yuan had carefully placed on a small piece of cloth. Even the most favored concubines in the palace would never wear a red dress.

    When n¨¦e Qin gave her this red dress, besides giving her a good reputation of treating all the children in the family as equals, she also gave her the name of being ignorant and disrespectful. How important was a woman''s reputation? It was a pity that she had been so ignorant in his previous life.

    Zi Yuan brought some warm water for washing up.

    "Young mistress, please wear this dress." Old Mistress Yang, who had brought water with her from the Qin''s Family, smiled at An Jin when she saw the red dress. "Matriarch Qin will definitely like it."

    "Are you trying to harm me?" An Jinxiu''s face darkened as she spoke coldly.

    The smile on Old Woman Yang''s face froze as she was stunned by An Jin''s words.

    "I was born in a red dress?" An Jinxiu said coldly, "Mother gave it to me so that I could have a feast for my eyes. Do you think I don''t know what I''m worth?"

    Old Mrs. Yang quickly beat her own mouth. They all knew that An Jinxiu was not someone that the Qin family liked. However, the young miss she gave birth to was also a young miss. If An Jinxiu wanted to cause trouble in front of Madam Qin, then the unlucky ones would still be her servants.

    "Get out." An Jin turned around.

    Old Mistress Yang did not dare to say anything else and hurriedly left. She had to inform n¨¦e Qin of this matter as soon as possible.

    "Miss." Zi Yuan stood on the spot and said helplessly, "I, I, Zi Yuan did not think of this."

    An Jinxiu waved her hand for Zi Yuan to come close to her. "I don''t blame you. You''ve always been with me, so I didn''t teach you these things."

    Zi Jin shook his head. If she did something wrong, she did it the wrong way. An Jinxiu could not blame her. She felt apologetic in her heart.

    An Jin smiled and said, "Come and help me wash up. I shouldn''t be so ugly if I don''t wear a red dress."

    Zi Yuan hurriedly said, "Miss will look good in anything you wear."

    An Jinxiu smiled again and began to paint a faint makeup on her face. For a woman with an old heart, the prime of her youth was the best makeup.

    From the luggage case, the mandarin girl took a light blue plain dress according to An Jin''s will.

    "This is the one." An Jin didn''t bother looking at the clothes. She only felt that their color suited her, so she stopped picking.

    Zi Yuan was waiting for An Jin to finish changing. He didn''t have the time to take a good look at his young miss, so he didn''t pay much attention to her dressing up. At that moment, the voice of a old servant came from outside the door.

    "Is Second Miss up?"

    When Zi Yuan heard her voice, he said to An Jin, "Miss, this seems to be Granny Qian, who is serving in the courtyard of the embroidery concubine."

    "Come in." An Jinxiu didn''t need to reply to this; she immediately shouted towards the door.

    Old woman Qian pushed open the door and entered with an anxious expression on her face.

    "What happened?" An Jinxiu hurriedly asked.

    "Second Miss, Lady Xiu is sick," Mrs. Qian reported to An Jinxiu.

    "Why is she suddenly sick?" An Jinxiu asked urgently.

    It wasn''t easy for old woman Qian to tell An Jin that the Lady Xiu had seen the Grand Preceptor off last night and stood outside the courtyard for too long, causing her to catch a cold. "It looks like she caught it," she replied.

    "I''ll go see her." An Jinxiu walked out of the room. At this moment, Matriarch Qin and the rest had been tossed out of her mind.

    Zi Yuan and Mrs. Qian followed behind her.

    "Have you called a doctor?" An Jin walked hurriedly as she asked Mrs. Qian.

    "I''ve already notified the head steward, so I don''t know if we should call a doctor yet," Mrs. Qian replied.

    "Zi Yuan, you go find the head housekeeper again." An Jinxiu turned around and said to Zi Yuan, "Tell him that I''ve told him. I''ll have to trouble him to ask the doctor to see my mother as soon as possible." If the doctor doesn''t show up soon, I''ll go speak to Father myself. "

    Zi Yuan ran off in agreement.

    Old woman Qian heaved a sigh of relief. She had noticed that the woman had gotten hot during the latter half of the night. When the sun rose, she could feel that her hands were burning. It was clear that she was sick. The head steward would see Madame Qin''s expression and refuse to hire a doctor.

    As for the Grand Preceptor, it was impossible for Madame Qian to see him, so she had the intention of looking for the fifth young master, An Yuanzhi, but after all, his mother was sick, so it was better to find his daughter. When she thought about how An Jin had been intimate with her and how Mrs. Qian had come to try her luck with her, now that she saw how nervous she was, she knew she had made the right choice.

    An Jinxiu couldn''t wait to rush all the way to the embroidery lady''s courtyard with the wind blowing from her feet.

    In a small suite, Lady Xiu was lying on the bed by herself, completely unconscious.

    Seeing that An Jinxiu looked like she was about to cry, she hurriedly said, "Second Miss, don''t worry. When the doctor arrives and prescribes the antipyretic medicine, just give it to the concubine."

    "Grandma Qian," An Jin sat by the side of her bed and said, "Go and get a basin of cold water for me. I''ll soak my mother in it and she''ll feel better."

    Mrs. Qian quickly agreed.

    An Jinxiu held Aunt Xiu''s hand and called out, "Mother?"

    Her mother''s face was completely red. Perhaps because she had heard someone talk to her, she let out a soft snort. Then, no matter how hard An Jinxiu called her, mother did not respond.

    Old Mrs. Qian came in with some cold water. She said to An Jinxiu, "Second Miss, this old servant still need to serve the other two concubines. Here ˇ­"

    "You can go." An Jinxiu rolled up her sleeves and soaked a towel for Aunt Xiu to cover her forehead. She said to Mrs. Qian, "I''ll guard this place."

    Old Lady Qian sighed. "Please take more care of Lady Xiu. I had wanted to invite Fifth Young Master, but in the end, it was more convenient for Second Miss. That''s why I took the initiative to invite Second Miss."

 10 Siblings

    An Jin had been guarding the bed for almost an hour. However, no doctor had come. Instead, she had asked An Yuanzhi to come.

    "Sis, how is Mother?" An Yuanzhi asked urgently as he stood by the bed and looked at the unconscious and feverish woman.

    "The doctor hasn''t arrived yet." An Jin''s face couldn''t hide the anxiousness in her heart. "I''ve asked Zi Yuan to go find the head housekeeper!"

    An Yuanzhi was still a thirteen year old teenager. After hearing An Jinxiu''s tearful words, he clenched his hands into a fist, stomped his foot hard, turned around, and walked out.

    An Jinxiu was shocked and hurriedly got up. She chased after An Yuanzhi and asked, "What are you going to do?"

    An Yuanzhi said, "If the head steward can''t get a doctor, I''ll go and get one."

    An Jinxiu wanted to say, wasn''t this breaking the mansion''s rules? How could a concubine invite a doctor from outside to see a doctor in private? However, when she thought of her mother lying on the bed, she gritted her teeth and asked An Yuanzhi, "Do you have silver taels with you?"

    An Yuanzhi''s gaze darkened, then he shook his head. He was a born young master that no one asked for, and he had never received the monthly allowance on time before. He hadn''t received the monthly payment yet, so An Jinxiu asked for the doctor''s money. Only then did An Yuanzhi remember that he didn''t even have the money to send a doctor.

    An Jin took out some silver pieces from her sleeve and handed them over to An Yuanzhi. "You have to go faster. I''ll stay here with mother."

    An Yuanzhi nodded his head, turned around, and quickly walked out.

    An Jinxiu watched An Yuanzhi walk away before she sat back down on the bed beside the empress dowager. When she heard the empress''s weak voice, she quickly shouted, "Mother, Mother, I''m Jin Xiu. Wake up, Mother?"

    Lady Xiu opened her eyes in a daze. She saw a person sitting in front of her bed, but did not recognize that it was An Jin.

    An Jinxiu ran over to the tea table and poured a glass of water. She passed it over for Aunt Xiu to drink and said, "Mother, Yuan Zhi invited the doctor over. Wait a moment, the doctor will arrive soon."

    Lady Xiu couldn''t clearly hear what the girl was saying to her, so after a few sounds, she fell back into a deep slumber.

    She didn''t know the concubine would be sick this time. Her mother wanted to enjoy the blessings of An Yuan for decades, but now, An Jin couldn''t bear to see the concubine suffer in front of her face just like that.

    Zi Yuan ran in with a wronged expression. She looked at An Jinxiu and was about to cry.

    An Jinxiu shook her head and said, "It''s not your fault. Don''t cry."

    With reddened eyes, Zi Yuan accompanied An Jin to wait by the bed. She whispered to An Jin, "Miss, are we not going to Qin Manor today?"

    "There are plenty of people trying to curry favor with Matriarch Qin," An Jin replied coldly. "I''m not lacking."

    Zi Yuan said worriedly, "I''m afraid Madame has to blame the young mistress."

    An Jinxiu laughed coldly in her heart and didn''t say anything. At this time, she suddenly thought of something she had forgotten for a long time. In her previous life, when she had married out to the Qin Residence, An Yuanzhi had stood in front of her palanquin. An Jinxiu remembered that she had ignored An Yuanzhi. When she returned to her residence, she heard that An Yuanzhi had been beaten up and sent to the ancestral hall.

    "So that''s how it is," An Jinxiu murmured to herself. Her eyes turned sour, and she could no longer speak. It turned out that the reason An Yuanzhi had stood in front of his palanquin that time was because their mother was sick. The reason why he was being beaten was because, after being ignored by her, An Yuanzhi had gone to look for his father. With An Yuanzhi''s temper, there would definitely be conflicts between father and son. In the end, the only one who could suffer would be An Yuanzhi.

    "Miss?" "Ah!" Zi Yuan could feel An Jinxiu''s sadness and softly called out to her.

    "Did the head steward show you the face?" An Jin asked.

    "It seems like guests are coming to the manor today. The main butler is busy preparing it and has no time to pay attention to me."

    A guest? An Jinyi frowned again and casually asked, "Do you know who is coming?"

    "I don''t know," Zi Yuan shook her head. "No one in the front yard is willing to pay attention to me."

    "Forget it," An Jinxiu changed the cold towel for Aunt Xiu, "Yuan Zhi has already gone to call the doctor. He should be here soon."

    Zi Yuan helped An Jinxiu feed the water to Lady Xiu. The scoldings she had received in the front yard, and the weird words she had heard, all made Zi Yuan decide to rot them in her stomach.

    The master and servant duo busied themselves nonstop in the room, only wanting to make the Ah Jin''s mother feel better.

    A short while later, An Yuanzhi called for a doctor.

    An Jin and Zi Yuan moved their hands and moved a screen in front of the bed, so that the doctor could take a look at Lady Xiu pulse through the screen and hold the rope.

    After the doctor had finished checking her pulse, he told An Yuanzhi that mother had a cold that had entered her body. She would need some time to recover after taking the medicine.

    An Yuanzhi thanked the doctor in front of him.

    "It''s fine." After An Yuanzhi led the doctor out to write a prescription, An Jinxiu sat next to the embroidery aunt and said in a small voice, "Mother, you''ll be fine after taking the medicine."

    An Yuanzhi saw the doctor off, then took the prescription to the pharmacy to get some medicine. When he returned, he asked Granny Qian to set up a small stove under the eaves outside the house.

    An Jinxiu saw that An Yuanzhi''s face was covered in wood ash, and he was sweating profusely. In his hand was a palm-leaf fan, which he kept on fanning the flames with. An Jinxiu called out, "Yuan Zhi."

    An Yuanzhi turned around to look at An Jinxiu and said, "Sis, please go inside. There''s a lot of smoke here, so you''ll choke."

    An Jinxiu walked up and squatted down as well. She used her handkerchief to wipe An Yuanzhi''s face.

    An Yuanzhi was startled by the sight of An Jinxiu''s face.

    "What''s there to be afraid of if you''re my little brother?" An Jinxiu asked, "You often have a stove yourself?"

    An Yuanzhi nodded.

    "How can the mansion be short of your food?" An Jin asked again.

    An Yuanzhi grinned and said indifferently, "It''s easy for me to get hungry if I practice martial arts. It''s always late when dinner starts."

    An Jinxiu was frozen in place. She was not feeling well, and it took a long time for her to recover.

    An Yuanzhi seemed to have realized something at this moment. She looked towards An Jin and said, "I don''t like read or be like scholar as big brother no matter how hard I read."

    "There''s nothing bad about practicing martial arts," An Jinxiu said, "If you like it, then go with the martial arts."

    An Yuanzhi was stunned again. "Sis, you don''t object?"

    "It''s useless if you''re a girl," An Jinxiu said with a wry smile. "You''re my only hope. Joining the army is a way out, so why would I stop you?" "It''s just that this road is difficult and dangerous. Elder sister doesn''t feel good." An Jinxiu said. When she said this, she felt sad. An Yuanzhi had left the army at the age of 14 and suffered so much, yet she didn''t know that she was the elder sister.

    "No matter how hard it is to leave, it''s still better than staying in this mansion." An Yuanzhi saw that An Jinxing didn''t despise him at all, and felt closer to him. "In the future, even if you marry into the Shangguan family, I''ll be able to take care of you."

    An Jin wiped her eyes. She was just a silly little brother. She had treated him well in the past few days, and this little brother had forgotten about the past ten years. She was the same as the people in this house.

 11 An Yuanzhi

    Once the medicine was ready, An Jinxiu personally fed the bowl of medicine to Lady Xiu. After about an hour, Lady Xiu began to sweat, and she also began to wake up a little.

    "Mother," An Jinxiu called out to her several times.

    "Ah Jin?" After waking up from her illness, when Lady Xiu saw the person in front of her, she no longer called her second miss. Instead, she called her name ''An Jin'' after her heart.

    "Sigh." An Jinxiu responded and said to Aunt Xiu, "Mother, Yuan Zhi is here as well."

    "Yuan Zhi?"

    "Mother," An Yuanzhi hurriedly responded when he heard Lady Xiu call out his name.

    "What, what''s wrong with me?" Lady Xiu still didn''t know what had happened to her.

    As An Jinxiu asked Zi Yuan to fetch more hot water to wash her, she smiled at her, "Mother, did you remove a quilt last night? How did you get a cold? "But it scared me and Yuan Zhi to death."

    An Yuanzhi also asked, "Mother, how did you get the chill? Is it too cold in this room? "

    "I''m sick?" At this moment, Lady Xiu had completely woken up. Seeing that it was An Jin who was sitting on her bed, she stared at her for a long time before believing that this girl was really An Jin. "Second Miss, how can I let you watch over me?"

    An Jinxiu quickly pressed down her mother and said, "My mother is sick. How can I not come?"

    At this moment, Zi Yuan had gotten some hot water. Seeing that Lady Xiu had woken up, she also said happily, "It''s good that Lady Xiu has woken up. Young Miss and the Fifth Young Master have been keeping watch over Aunt for the whole morning."

    An Jinxiu didn''t want to allow Lady Xiu to speak any further, so she didn''t say anything else. Together with Zi Yuan, she helped her to get up.

    An Yuanzhi couldn''t help, so he said, "I''ll go check out the porridge on the stove," and walked out.

    "What kind of porridge is the Fifth Young Master looking at?" Lady Xiu asked in a low voice.

    An Jinxiu said, "Mom hasn''t eaten since the morning. Yuan Zhi has built a stove in the corridor and is making congee for mom."

    "How can that be?" When Aunt Xiu heard that, she almost burst into tears. "How can you let a young master like him do such a thing? If the people in the manor knew about this, they would all be laughing at him! "

    An Jinxiu said, "Then I''ll go out and take a look."

    Aunt Xiu became even more anxious. "No," she grabbed An Jin''s hand and said, "You are a young lady, you can''t do something like that! This won''t do! "

    Seeing that the mother and daughter were about to start a fight, Zi Yuan quickly ran outside and said, "Then this servant will go take a look. Today, I must let this concubine have a taste of Zi Yuan''s craftsmanship."

    "I can''t afford it," Aunt Xiu suddenly thought of something and wailed at An Jin, "How come you guys came to serve me? It''s all because of the young miss and the young master of this house, and I''ve harmed all of you! "

    "What did Mother say?" An Jinxiu laid Aunt Xiu down on her bed and smiled, "There''s no mother. Yuan Zhi and I still can''t bear to be human. My daughter needs to kowtow and say thank you to my mother."

    Lady Xiu sighed.

    "Mother!" An Jinxiu took out the skills she used to have when she was pestering people, and coquettishly called her mom.

    Lady Xiu forced a smile. What could she do if she didn''t? Tears in front of her daughter?

    "Mother, please be at ease." An Jin comforted her. "Yuan Zhi will definitely have great prospects in the future. Mother''s good days are yet to come."

    Aunt Xiu sighed. "As long as you and Yuan Zhi are good enough, Aunt won''t ask for anything else. Second Miss, did you not say anything when you came to the aunt''s place? "

    "No," An Jinxiu knew what Lady Xiu was afraid of. She was afraid that if n¨¦e Qin angered her, she would do something about her marriage so that she, a concubine, wouldn''t have the face to marry. An Jinxiu did not care about her reputation anymore. In her previous life, she was a wicked woman that everyone knew about. So what? "She''s just going to take a walk on the path to the Yellow Springs. It''s better if the people she cares about are good." Mother, "An Jinxiu said to the embroidery aunt," How much you can put your heart at ease with me.

    The Lady Xiu held An Jin''s hand and was about to say something when the woman ran in. She ran to An Jin''s side and said: "Miss, someone''s servant is looking for you outside."

    An Jinxiu wanted to ask who was the servant owner looking for her, but when she saw Zi Yuan squinting at her, her heart tightened. Could it be that something had happened outside? An Jin hurriedly stood up and said to the embroidery aunt, "Mother, you''re sick. You won''t let anyone else in. I''ll go out to take a look."

    "Alright," Aunt Xiu naturally wouldn''t stop Ah Jin.

    An Jin was in front while Zi Yuan followed behind. The two of them walked out of the room.

    "Where''s Yuan Zhi?" Looking at the porridge still cooking on the stove in the hallway, An Jinxiu''s gaze swept across the small courtyard. The man who cooked the porridge was no longer there.

    "The head steward brought someone with him and brought the Fifth Young Master away," Zi Yuan hurriedly whispered to An Jin. "He said that the Fifth Young Master had secretly invited a doctor to come here. Madam Qin knows and shw wants to talk to the Fifth Young Master!"

    An Jinxiu suddenly found it hard to suppress her anger and asked, "Did they capture Yuan Zhi?"

    "Fifth Young Master followed them. He said not to alarm the concubine."

    "Second Miss." At this moment, old woman Qian, who had heard of the news, ran into the courtyard. When she saw An Jinxiu standing in the courtyard, she hurriedly shouted, "How can this be!"

    "It''s fine," An Jinxiu smiled at Mrs. Qian, "I''ll go take a look. Take care of my mother for me." As she spoke, she took off a bracelet from her wrist and stuffed it into Mrs. Qian''s hands, "Take it. Thank you so much for today. It''s a token of my appreciation to you."

    Old Mrs. Qian quickly expressed her gratitude. This silver bracelet was a good item. Second Miss An''s intentions were indeed a bit too big.

    "Don''t tell this concubine about Fifth Young Master," An Jinxiu originally wanted to leave, but stopped after thinking for a moment and warned Lady Qian.

    "Yes," Mrs. Qian hurriedly agreed.

    Only then did An Jinxiu hurriedly walk out of the small courtyard with Zi Yuan. "Where did the main butler take the Fifth Young Master?" The main house? "

    "Mm," Zi Yuan said, "I heard the head steward say that the Grand Preceptor''s waiting for Fifth Young Master in the main hall."

    An Jinxiu was afraid that An Yuanzhi would lose his temper again like he had in his previous life, causing a huge ruckus with the Grand Preceptor. The only ones who would suffer such a loss would be themselves. There were many servants and women in the mansion, and even if she wanted to run, she wouldn''t be able to do so. The woman smiled without showing her teeth or showing her feet, and this kind of thing ˇ­ An Jinxiu wanted to curse out loud, but she really couldn''t say it out loud, nor could she break the rules of being a woman.

    He walked slowly along the way. When An Jin arrived at the main house, he asked the servants about it and found out that An Yuanzhi was not brought to the main hall. Instead, he was taken to the back garden of the mansion.

    "The Grand Preceptor is in the estate today?" Before heading to the back garden, An Jin had asked this question with an extra sense of foresight.

    "To reply Second Miss, the Grand Preceptor left early this morning," someone reported.

    An Jin turned and hurried back to the garden. If Grand Preceptor An wasn''t here, then n¨¦e Qin would be looking for trouble. If this woman hated them to the bone, then things would be difficult for her today.

    "Miss!" Zi Yuan called out from behind An Jinxiu.

    "What''s wrong?" An Jin asked.

    "The back garden is so big, you have to ask the exact location," said Zi Yuan.

    Where had An Yuanzhi been taken?

    An Jinxiu found out after she asked the servant that An Yuanzhi had been brought to the west side of the garden by order of the Qin family.

 12 Family Punishmen

    When An Jinxiu rushed to the small parlour, the servants outside the parlour still did not let her in. They said that it was Madam''s orders and that no one in the mansion was allowed to see An Yuanzhi.

    "Scram!" An Jinxiu shouted angrily and walked inside. She didn''t think that the servants would dare to touch her.

    The servants guarding the door truly did not dare to touch An Jin. They retreated one step at a time. Finally, they were forced into the small parlour by An Jin.

    "Sis?" An Yuanzhi was in the parlour. He had already heard the argument between An Jin and her servants. When he entered the hall, he hurriedly called for An Jin. His voice was urgent. If word were to spread that a young miss of a great clan was quarreling with a male servant in the manor, would his older sister still have a good reputation?

    When An Jinxiu saw An Yuanzhi, she felt her vision darken. Luckily, Zi Yuan was behind her and helped her up.

    "Sis!" An Yuanzhi was still shouting at her. "Hurry up and go back. Don''t worry about me."

    An Yuanzhi had his hands tied behind his back, and he was kneeling on a pile of rubble. His knees were also tied, and he couldn''t even stand up.

    An Jinxiu was so angry that her entire body was trembling. She looked at the sharp edges of the stones. What was the difference between kneeling on these stones and kneeling on them? One saw blood, one did not have to see blood?

    "Second Miss." Seeing that Qin''s Family two mama had walked up to her, they pretended to bow towards her and asked, "Why have you come? Madam has ordered that no one is allowed in here. "

    (T/N: Mama) ¨C a form of address for an elderly female servant.)

    "No one can enter?" An Jinxiu said coldly, "Then are you humans or ghosts?"

    The two of them were the Qin family''s trusted aides, and they had always looked down on the shu-born, An Jin, who was fawning on the Qin family. Hearing An Jinxiu''s words, they sneered and said, "Second Miss is angry, so you don''t need to send any orders to the servants. This is Madam''s order."

    "Get out of the way," An Jin said as she let the two women pass.

    In her previous life, she had helped the create a Fifth Prince to take over the world. She wasn''t even afraid of killing people, so how could An Jinxiu be afraid of hitting them? These two slaps were so loud that everyone in the hall could hear them.

    The two servants each received a slap to the face. They were stupefied and stood there motionlessly for a long time.

    An Jin pushed the two old ladies away and ran to An Yuanzhi. "How are you?" An Jinxiu asked An Yuanzhi while squatting down and pulling at the rope that tied him. The rope was very tight, and even his clothes were stuffed into An Yuanzhi''s flesh. She pulled at it a few times, but was still unable to untie it.

    "How can we live on like this!" The two matriarchs in charge recovered their wits and began crying as they lay on the ground. They were afraid of the Qin family and weren''t afraid of An Jin.

    "Sis!" An Yuanzhi was extremely anxious. It looked like things were about to get out of hand. "Just go back and look after mother. I''ll be fine after kneeling down for a while."

    "I won''t let you suffer any grievances with me around." An Jinxiu ignored the two wailing servants. She only cared about An Yuanzhi, "Does your leg hurt?"

    "I''m fine," An Yuanzhi said.

    An Jinyi didn''t care about the distance of men and women anymore. She lifted An Yuanzhi''s robe and saw that both of his knees were soaked with blood. The two red lumps of blood almost made An Jin heart bleed. She suddenly turned around and looked at the servants standing in the parlour. Apart from Zi Yuan, she looked at them one by one, as if she wanted to memorize their appearances.

    Although the servants were all men, they were all shocked by the venomous glare from An Jinxiu. Unknowingly, they retreated a few steps back.

    Zi Yuan ran up and helped An Jinxiu to help An Yuanzhi sit on a chair to the side.

    "I''ll call a doctor for you." An Jinxiu dared to kill someone, but she didn''t dare to touch the wound on An Yuanzhi''s knee. She said softly to An Yuanzhi, "Let Zi Yuan help you return to your room first."

    "Second Miss." The two women cried out. Seeing that An Jinxiu didn''t care at all, they got up from the ground. One of the women said to An Jinxiu, "It''s against the family''s rules to request a doctor as a private doctor."

    "So what?" An Jinxiu said, "Why aren''t you crying? Even if I break the rules, it''s not up to you two to bother about me! "

    The two servants were momentarily at a loss for words.

    "Let''s go!" An Jinxiu supported An Yuanzhias she prepared to leave.

    "Do you want to be beaten to death by Madam?" When the two wives saw that An Xianxiu and An Yuanzhi were about to leave, they hurriedly called out to the servants, "Please wait a moment, Second Miss and Fifth Young Master!"

    An Jinxiu looked at the door that was tightly shut by the servants. She was so angry that her hands, which were supporting An Yuanzhi, were trembling. Even if they were the children of a concubine, could her mother be sick and unable to get a doctor to treat her injuries?

    An Yuanzhi saw that An Jinxiu was so angry that his hands were trembling. He could no longer suppress the anger in his heart as he scolded, "You dog slave!" He wanted to go up and do it.

    "Yuan Zhi." An Jinyi held An Yuanzhi back.

    The two women were afraid that An Yuanzhi would rush over and beat them. Seeing that An Yuanzhi had been stopped by An Jinxiu, they even thought that An Jinxiu was afraid of the Qin family. Their faces immediately became arrogant as they said, "Second Miss is sensible. You can''t go against any rules in this house."

    An Jinxiu soothingly patted An Yuanzhi''s hand and sneered, "You''re a young master from the Residence of Peace. It would be a joke if word of this got out if you made a move against two wives. I''ll go find their master. Yuan Zhi, wait for me here. "

    An Yuanzhi didn''t even have time to say anything before he saw An Jinxiu walk out. He hurriedly called out to her, "Sis, it''s useless for you to find Madam!"

    "Whether it''s useful or not, we''ll find out when we go there," An Jinxiu said as she walked out of the door that the servants spontaneously opened, "Yuan Zhi, you shouldn''t fight with these people. They''re not worth it. Listen to Big Sis."

    An Yuanzhi also wanted to walk out, but when he saw the servants blocking the door, he turned around and said to the dumbstruck Zi Yuan, "Quickly go look for my elder sister and tell her not to cause trouble!" As expected of his biological sistee, they had been a strangerfor more than ten years. But now, An Yuanzhi felt that this sister of his was going to find trouble with the Madam Qin.

    Zi Yuan hurriedly ran out to chase after An Jin.

    This was a good opportunity to drag Second Miss An. The slap they received just now couldn''t be for nothing. Having served in the mansion for so many years, no one really dared to slap their face.

    An Yuanzhi paced around the parlour anxiously, but he also knew that if he were to make a move, he''d have to poke his head into Grand Preceptor An''s hands. It didn''t matter if he suffered himself, but he couldn''t let An Jin suffer with him. An Yuanzhi would be an awe-inspiring general in the future. He would be able to make great contributions to the court, but he was only a teenage young master at the moment. He didn''t know what to do now, nor did he have the determination or decisiveness to make such a decision in the future.

    When An Jinxiu had asked where An Yuanzhi was kept, she also asked for n¨¦e Qin''s whereabouts. She knew that n¨¦e Qin was at the back garden, receiving guests in the Fragrant Garden.

    After Zi Yuan caught up to An Jinxiu, she asked in fear, "Miss, are we really going to go see Madam?"

    "There''s nothing to be afraid of," An Jinxiu said. The Qin family''sreputation was the face of a good wife and mother. She wanted to see them in front of their guests. How would the Qin family resolve this matter?

 13 Under the Moons Incense

    "Ah Jin? " n¨¦e Qin also didn''t expect An Jinxiu to barge into the garden without being informed. After being frightened, she hated the servants outside the garden and couldn''t even stop a young miss of the mansion. The Qin family had forgotten that the servants outside were bold and capable, so how could they dare to fight with the young miss?

    At the same time as An Jinxiu looked at the Qin family, she also saw the current wife of the Minister Zhou, Madam He. Madam Xiang, An Jinxiu''s eyes widened. This would really let Madam Xiang have a look at the matchmaking scene of her future daughter-in-law.

    In her previous life, the Prime Minister Zhou Xiaozhong followed the crown prince and died in her hands. This He clan''s image appeared in An Jinxiu''s mind. She quickly lowered her head and became absent-minded.

    "This is the manor''s second young miss?" Madam He was also from a large clan, and held the control of the inner courtyard of the Prime Minister''s Estate. Her bearing was naturally extraordinary, and after being stunned for a moment, she smiled and said to Madam Qin: "It''s all because Second Miss An is a beauty. Today, I''ve seen a real person. Sis, you sure are blessed."

    "This is the lady of the Prime Minister''s Estate. Why haven''t you come to meet her yet?" N¨¦e Qin''s heart was filled with anger, but there was still a smile on her face. She said to An Jinxiu, "How come you came here just like that? What a joke! "

    An Jinxiu came back to her senses and approached Madam He. Even though she was a little anxious, she still squatted down to pay her respects to Madam He.

    Madam He sat down and helped her up. Smiling, she said, "Get up quickly. This looks really good. If she wasn''t engaged, I really would have been greedy this time."

    An Jinge face immediately darkened. There were four young masters in the Prime Minister''s Estate, and based on Madam Xiang''s words, if An Jinxiu was not engaged to be married off, would she want her to be her daughter-in-law?

    As a veteran of the Qin family, naturally, Madam Qin could tell that Madam He was speaking politely. However, An Jinge didn''t recognize the words, so she immediately said: "Sister Ah Jin has cried a few times over our marriage. If only Auntie had come earlier, my sister wouldn''t have cried so many times."

    When Madam He heard An Jinge''s words, the smile on her face deepened, but she quickly turned back and smiled faintly.

    However, n¨¦e Qin really wanted to go up and tear An Jinge lips. She was asking for the position of the Prime Minister''s Wife, to mock her sister in front of the guests. Someone who could not bear to concede her sister, what position could she ask for?

    "This girl''s heart is straightforward, but she doesn''t have any bad intentions. "Madam Qin barely helped smooth things over for herdaughter as she said to the He family," In the future, I still have to teach her!

    An Jinxiu laughed coldly in her heart, but her face was pale. She also laughed, "I''ve cried so many times. Third Miss saw it all. I know that Third Miss has good intentions."

    n¨¦e Qin looked at An Jin and asked, "What happened to you today? "Why are you calling your Third Sister as Third Miss?"

    "She should have called me Third Young Miss," An Jinge being called Third Young Miss by An Jinxiu, giving her a feeling of victory. The Third Young Miss that was born in this house was different as the Second Young Miss was born in a concubine, so many people had said these words to her.

    Madam Qin closed her eyes. This marriage that she had such an easy time taking a fancy to was about to be ruined.

    Madam He thought "The matchmaker had told her that the Third Miss of the Residence of An was a magnanimous person who treated her sister and brother sincerely. But now, it seemed that this concubine of hers, the Second Miss, had been greatly angered by this direct descendant of the Third Miss. It seemed that the matchmaker had received the benefits of the Qin family beforehand and was talking nonsense with her.

    "What business do you have with me?" n¨¦e Qin just wanted to get rid of An Jin as soon as possible. She tried to pull back Mrs He''s thoughts, "If it''s a matter of the mansion, don''t tell mama. With the esteemed guest here, mama doesn''t have the mood to think about matters of the mansion."

    He Clan smiled.

    An Jinxiu hesitated for a moment. Was she really going to make a scene in front of Madam Qin? Would this incident bring her trouble?

    In the moment when An Jin was hesitating, Zi Yuan pulled on An Jin''s sleeves from behind her. An Jin followed Zi Yuan''s gaze and saw a picture of her embroidery on a small shelf. This time, An Jin finally understood why n¨¦e Qin had arranged for her to visit the Qin Manor today. It wasn''t to give her, a concubine, some face, but to use her embroidery as the embroidered by Ah Jinge. She wanted to let the wife of the prime minister know how clever and ingenious her future daughter-in-law was.

    So that was the reason. An Jinxiu lowered her head with a sneer. The Qin were cautious in their ways, and they begged for everything. What could be more perfect than letting the mother and daughter pair of Qin and An Jinge finish their act without a doubt? The so-called madame of a large clan, a daughter that was born directly into a large clan, was only so-so.

    "If there''s nothing else, then you can leave." When n¨¦e Qin saw An Jin looking at the embroidery, she felt embarrassed. If it wasn''t for An Jinge poor craftsmanship, why would she do such a thing?

    "Mother, can you spare Yuan Zhi?" An Jinxiu asked.

    "You can handle it," said n¨¦e Qin.

    An Jinxiu quickly agreed and turned to leave. However, she saw An Jinge looking at her with a gloomy face, and she suddenly said to An Jinge, "Third Miss, you did a good job. I wonder if you have anything to say about this embroidery?"

    An Jinge wasn''t as embarrassed as n¨¦e Qin. If it wasn''t for n¨¦e Qin forcing her, she wouldn''t want to be exposed to the light of her embroidery, "It''s just a lotus flower," she said. "What else do you want to ask?"

    An Jinxiu said, "This embroidery doesn''t have a name?"

    An Jinge wanted to say something about lotus flowers, but she suddenly stopped herself. This embroidery wasn''t just called lotus flowers. Her mother had told her about it once, but she couldn''t recall it at this moment.

    An Jinxiu was just testing the waters. She didn''t expect that the little lady An Jinge couldn''t even name the embroidery. How could such a brainless person be born from the stomach of the Qin?

    "Ah Jin, if there''s nothing else, you can leave." n¨¦e Qin, sitting in the seat of honor, resisted the urge to show off her skills. She cursed An Jin''s music in her heart while loathing her.

    Madam He then opened her mouth, "Second Miss An, do you know the name of this embroidery item?"

    An Jin turned around and smiled. This embroidery did not look like it was made by embroidery. The name could only be hers. "This embroidery is called Under the Moon''s Incense."

    An Jinge said at this moment, "You also have such an embroidery design?"

    "Brilliant!" The Qin family was almost angered to death by this foolish daughter, "Ah Jin, quickly retreat!"

    An Jin walked out of the garden with her back facing Lady Qin and Madam He.

    An Jin Ge couldn''t stand An Jin''s sneer the most. Would a bastard still look down on her? Just at this moment, An Jinge followed An Jinxiu and walked past her, getting a bit closer to Zi Yuan. "Bold girl!" An Jinge didn''t wait for Zi Yuan to react before she slapped her in the face.

    No matter how scheming An Jinxiu was, she would never think that An JinGe would dare to hit someone at this moment. She hurriedly turned around to protect Zi Yuan and asked, "Third Miss, what do you want to do?"

    How could An Jinge vent her anger if she only hit the Zi Yuan for a while? She raised her hand and slapped her again just in time to see her An Jin put Zi Yuan behind her. This slap solidly landed on Ah Jin face instead.

    An Jinxiu took a few steps back. She wasn''t very strong, but her strength wasn''t weak. When she received that slap, half of her face was burning with pain.

    "Miss!" Zi Yuan cried out in alarm, with a voice that sounded like An Jinge had killed someone.

 14 The King is in the Fragrant garden

    Sis!" An Yuanzhi was in the small parlour, and after some consideration, he still couldn''t be at ease with An Jin. He flipped over the window of the parlour, and was chased all the way to the back garden by the guards'' servants. An Yuanzhi never thought that when he rushed into the garden, he would see An Jinge give Ah Jin a fierce slap.

    "Yuan Zhi?" An Jin turned her head to look at An Yuanzhi, whose face was twisted in anger. She was also stunned.

    An Yuanzhi felt like his lungs were about to explode. At most, he would be disregarded by others in the mansion, and even though he was slightly inferior in terms of food and clothing, he had never been slapped by anyone before.

    Seeing An Yuanzhi coming towards her in a rage, An Jinge still held her head up, not taking a step back. She asked him with an imposing manner, "What are you trying to do? To avenge your sister? "

    An Jinxiu rushed in front of An Yuanzhi, who was in a rage, and stopped him with her life, "Yuanzhi, listen to me, Yuanzhi." An Jinxiu coaxed An Yuanzhi as she pushed him back, "You have nothing to do with this. Third Miss didn''t mean to do it."

    "Sis, you think I''m blind?!" An Yuanzhi and An Jinxiu were not feeling wronged at all. An Yuanzhi was already itching to leave with her concubine mother and An Jinxiu. Where were the three of them? Why did they have to stay in this mansion and be humiliated?

    An Yuanzhi shouted " An Jinge, what makes you think you can take action?! "

    At this time, An Jinge already couldn''t remember anyone else present. As a Third Miss, who was used to being arrogant in the mansion. Listening to An Yuanzhi yell at her, An Jinge sneered and actually walked in front of Zi Yuan. She raised her hand and slapped Zi Yuan again, "What kind of girl do you have? A servant who doesn''t even know how to walk! Why would the clan raise such a person? "

    Seeing that Zi Yuan had been beaten up again, An Jinxiu could only hold on to An Yuanzhi tightly, afraid that her little brother would rush up and beat him up.

    "You two siblings are quite intimate," An Jinge said to An Jinxiu after she finished with Zi Yuan. "A servant''s seed cannot be displayed on the stage. A male and female have different seats at the age of seven. Do you want to hug the two of you?"

    "An Jinge!" n¨¦e Qin''s profound cultivation couldn''t hold on any longer. She knew that it was over, that the marriage she had arranged for this girl was over.

    An Jinxiu kneeled down towards n¨¦e Qin and cried, "Mother, Lady Xiu is sick. I sent Zi Yuan to find the head steward to treat a doctor. We waited for two whole hours, but the doctor still hasn''t come. Lady Xiu had been getting hot since the latter half of the night yesterday. Seeing that her illness was getting worse, Yuan Zhi had no choice but to run out to find a doctor. Mother, no matter what happened, Yuan Zhi and I were both born of Lady Xiu. How do you want us to see her suffer? "Yuan Zhi violated the mansion''s rules. Privately asking a doctor for help also punished him. I just hope that mother can forgive him for being filial out of the parlour on account of his filial piety."

    "Sis!" An Yuanzhi was so anxious that he reached out his hand to pull An Jin''s hand. "Why do you plead her?" Wasn''t it just kneeling? I am not afraid to kneel! "

    How could An Jin be willing to get up? She kowtowed to n¨¦e Qin and said, "Mother, Yuan Zhi''s knees are already bleeding from kneeling. If you''re still angry, then I will kneel down and beg for mercy!"

    n¨¦e Qin was so angry that she couldn''t speak. There was a message in An Jin''s words that pulled her face in front of the matriarch. Did she think that she didn''t know this bastard''s thoughts?

    An Jinge didn''t know that An Jinxiu was scheming against her. She said, "An Jinxiu, what are you acting so pitiful for? "A servant''s daughter."

    "An Jinge!" Grand Preceptor An''s angry shout came from the back door of the incense garden.

    Everyone in the garden turned to look, only to see Grand Preceptor An and quite a few unfamiliar men by the back door.

    Madam He hastily led the court ladies away. She''d seen enough of the Residence of An today anyway. It was said that the Grand Preceptor''s wife was magnanimous, and her family was well-governed. It looked like all this was a lie.

    Grand Preceptor An strode in front of An Jin Ge, his face ashen. Without a word, he gave her a fierce kick, knocking her to the ground.

    When An Yuanzhi saw his father''s group, he was stunned for a moment. Then, he looked at An Jinxiu. Could it be that his sister was acting out this play because she saw these people?

    An Jin remained kneeling on the ground. She raised her head to look at the Grand Preceptor''s entourage with a face full of shock.

    Impossible! An Yuanzhi thought to himself as he watched An Jinxiu talk to him. His sister was usually a bit arrogant and haughty, but she was definitely not that scheming.

    "What are all of you doing?!" Grand Preceptor An''s angry voice echoed throughout the entire incense garden.

    "Master." No matter how mature and dignified n¨¦e Qin was, she was at a loss of what to do.

    Grand Preceptor An''s shout frightened her even more. Ah Jinxiu used the handkerchief in her hands to cover her face.

    "Daddy, you hit me?!" An Jinge fell to the ground with a look of disbelief on her face.

    "Is that what you usually teach her?" Grand Preceptor An didn''t pay any attention to An Jinge and directly asked n¨¦e Qin a question.

    "Master, I ˇ­" n¨¦e Qin stammered, not knowing what to say.

    Grand Preceptor An pointed at n¨¦e Qin with an angry glare.

    An Jinxiu wasn''t interested in the conversation between the couple at all. She raised the handkerchief in her hand a little higher. Covering her face, she quickly swept over the people standing behind the small back door. The leader of the group, An Jinxiu, recognized him. He was dressed in a deep purple robe and had a handsome yet cold face.

    In her previous life, An JinGe''s marriage was decided by the Emperor himself. So it turned out that on this day, not only the Lady Minister came to the Residence of An, but the Emperor also came to the Residence of An. If it weren''t for her, An Jinxiu, and the others, the third lady of the An clan would have been praised to their hearts'' content, and would have been personally bestowed by the Emperor to set a marriage with a rich family.

    The Emperor didn''t enter the garden to leave some face for the Grand Preceptor. However, his gaze never left An Jin''s body. Even the current Emperor of the world had heard of An Jin''s pretty appearance. Today, when he saw a young girl in the flower season wearing a simple dress, her looks could be said to be peerless, surpassing many of the beauties of the imperial harem. She was delicate, helpless, and helpless, and she protected her compatriots'' younger brother.

    "It''s all your fault!" An Jinge had already stood up by herself and was pointing at An Jinxiu. This shu born must have purposely made her a fool.

    "Grand Preceptor!" Shangguan Yong, who had been standing at the very back of the group, could no longer hold it in.

    "General," Shizong, the Emperor called after Shangguan Yong. "What do you want to do?"

    Shangguan Yong''s face turned blue. "Your Majesty, they ˇ­"

    "Shut up!" The Shizong said softly, "You rushed in like this, are you going to provoke a beauty?"

    "This official ˇ­"

    "I know that you and the second lady of the An clan will be married soon," Shizong said. "How are you going to meet her now?"

    A man and woman who were engaged to be married were not allowed to meet before they were married. This was a rule passed down since ancient times. As Shangguan Yong was being spoken, he remembered this rule and froze in place, his hands clenched into fists, but he could not move forward a single step.

 15 The Beautiful Lady

    Shangguan Yong only knew about the An clan, they were all blessed by the clan, An Jin should have grown up in a group of flowers, Shangguan Yong never thought that his future wife would actually be scolded as a servant in the Residence of An, the position of a young miss could easily be beaten with a raise of her hand.

    "Bastard!" Shangguan Yong forced himself to hold it in and cursed in a low voice.

    The Shizong heard Shangguan Yong''s curses, sighed and said: "You are his future husband, you should treat her better in the future."

    "Your subject obeys the decree." Shangguan Yong said in a muffled voice.

    The Shizong shook his head, the girl in the garden wiping away her tears still gave off a sorrowful feeling. It was a pity that she was a lonely and helpless girl with Shangguan Yong. "Let''s go," Shizong said. "We''ve seen enough of this show."

    Grand Preceptor An was so angry that he''d lost all face. When he saw that Shizong was about to turn and leave, he hurried over. He clasped his hands and called out in a low voice, "Your Majesty."

    "You have ruined my mood today," the Emperor said coldly.

    Grand Preceptor An bent his waist even deeper. He had even called his future son-in-law, Shangguan Yong, in hopes of giving this future son-in-law a chance to approach the heavens.

    Who would have thought that today, his inner chamber would cause such a ruckus, allowing His Majesty to personally witness his inner chamber being in disarray, allowing his future son-in-law to watch as his future wife, who had yet to marry, was humiliated?

    "This subject knows his crimes," Grand Preceptor An hastened to admit his mistakes.

    The Emperor looked once more at An Jinxiu''s embroidery in the garden. She was a beautiful lady, and this Miss An did deserve her name.

    Grand Preceptor An''s eyes peeped at the Emperor and he turned to look at Ah Jin. His heart stirred. Shi Zong was the emperor of the horse, before the emperor''s time, stationed at the border, the nature of cold, but also like beautiful.

    Grand Preceptor An lowered his head even more. Ah Jin had already been arranged for marriage, so it was too late to speak of it now. No matter how beautiful the lady was, Emperor couldn''t do something like snatching an official''s wife.

    "Under the moon, the lotus fragrance. I like it a lot. It''s lucky, reward." After looking away from An Jin, the Emperor casually spoke this sentence.

    The head eunuch who was serving the sect hurriedly replied, "Your servant obeys the decree."

    The Shizong turned, saw the ashen-faced Shangguan Yong standing at the side, and shook his head before walking away.

    "Sis, they''ve left." Seeing that the passerby at the back door was about to leave, An Yuanzhi hurriedly whispered to her.

    It was not that she did not hear Shangguan Yong''s voice. At that moment, even though she had already been reborn, she was still blushing like all the young girls in this world who were still in love with spring. If she did not still care about worldly pleasures, she would have immediately taken a good look at this person whom she had always placed in her heart.

    Originally, she had thought she could take a look at Shangguan Yong, but when she lifted her head, she met his gaze. After that, she froze, and even breathing became difficult.

    The Fifth Prince, Bai Chengze, also frowned. He had met An Jinxiu at the crown prince''s Eastern Palace before, and had written a few letters about love with her before. He had also investigated secretly that An Jinxiu should have been someone who had endured his anger and lived in the Residence of Tranquil East, but was it his subordinates who had investigated wrongly? Seeing An Jin''s expression today, Bai Chengze felt a bit of heartache. After their gazes met, Bai Chengze was still scheming in his heart. He wanted to use his expression to comfort her, but he didn''t expect her to lower her head and quickly turn away.

    "Cheng Ze, are you still not leaving?" Shizong stopped in his tracks and asked the fifth prince who were supposed to follow closely behind him.

    Bai Chengze quickly turned around, but his heart was completely empty because of An Jinxiu actions.

    The Emperor had already heard the rumours from Bai Chengze''s mufei, Shen Fei. This fifth son of his had met An Jin in the crown prince''s Eastern Palace by chance and was rather interested in this girl. "The Shen family didn''t say anything more to Bai Chengze. An Jin''s marriage was already set. Besides, the Shen family didn''t think it was a good thing for Bai Chengze to be related to the An family."

    "Back to the palace," Shizong said.

    The encounter between the Fifth Prince and An Jin in the Eastern Palace was not a secret. The so-called secret of the imperial family could not be stopped just by that palace wall. All the civil and military officials present were well aware of the dispute between the royal father and son, Grand Preceptor An and Shangguan Yong. It was just that these civil and military officials thought they were blind and deaf.

    As the monarch and officials walked further away, the atmosphere in the Fragrant Garden was still tense. No one dared to move, nor did anyone dare to speak.

    A steward''s wife ran over and whispered into n¨¦e Qin''s ear, "Madam, the Madam He has returned home. She said that there is an important guest at our residence today, so she will leave first. She will invite Madam over another day."

    These dignified words were like a slap in the face to n¨¦e Qin. She believed that everything that had happened in the Residence of Peace today would spread throughout the streets and alleys of the capital tomorrow. The scheming n¨¦e Qin''s mind was blank. If she wanted to eat An Jin alive, how was she going to settle this matter? The Qin had called themselves kings for many years, and now they had no more ideas.

    An Jinge looked at her own mother, then at An Jinxiu and her brother and then at the servants standing in the garden.

    An Yuanzhi stood ramrod straight in front of An Jin. The youngster hadn''t grown up yet, so he was still thin, but he already knew he had to protect his sister.

    An Yuanzhi was even scheming in his heart. If Madam Qin ordered someone to beat up these siblings, how would he protect An Jinxiu? Would he run away or would he just fight with these servants? Since things had already developed to this point, what could they do?

    An Jinxiu sighed inwardly. She had only taken a little care of her little brother for a few days and he had already treated her like this. In her previous life, she had been blind and had been unable to see the good or bad side of him in her life.

    Just as Grand Preceptor An was about to send Emperor Shizong out of the estate and see him off again, he heard him say, "You should go back and take care of your family matters. Xunyang An''s family has always been a model for the clan. How did the clan end up like this in your hands?"

    The Emperor words were very loud. He was scolding Grand Preceptor An for being unorthodox in public and for being unable to control his wife. Even if he couldn''t cure his family, how could you still help him rule the world?

    Grand Preceptor An''s face turned red from being scolded by the sect master. He knelt on the ground and condemned his subjects.

    "Your Majesty," Shangguan Yong said as he walked up from behind, kneeling in front of the sect.

    "What else do you have to say?" The Shizong asked Shangguan Yong.

    "This subject asks Your Majesty to pass an order. This subject wishes to marry the second young miss of the Residence of An as soon as possible," Shangguan Yong said to the Emperor.

    Grand Preceptor An almost fainted. This future son-in-law was publicly slapping his old face! This was clearly saying that he was worried that his wife, who had yet to pass through the gates, would suffer in her parents'' home. He had to get married as soon as possible so that the young mistress of the Residence of An would be able to escape from this suffering!

    The civil and military officials present were still silent. They had not expected to see Grand Preceptor An in such a sorry state one day. The minister who had a good relationship with Grand Preceptor An was secretly worried for him, while the official who was usually at loggerheads with him was gloating.

 16 Please fix the date of marriage

    After hearing Shangguan Yong''s request, the Emperor once again thought of An Jin''s figure. The Emperor''s harem did not lack beautiful beauties like the flowers. However, there were not many beauties as beautiful as An Jin.

    The Emperor looked at Shangguan Yong, the valiant general in front of them. Originally, a beauty was a beauty when paired with a hero, but it was a pity that such a beauty like An Jin. Shizong sighed in his heart.

    Shangguan Yong did not have the courage to speak for a long time, and only dared to look up at the Emperor.

    He shook his head and said to Shangguan Yong: "I''ve given you my permission, you don''t need to wait for another month. You can marry the second young miss of the An clan on the day you choose."

    Shangguan Yong was satisfied with Emperor Shi Zong''s words, he quickly kowtowed to thank the Emperor and said: "Thank you for your grace Your Majesty."

    "Let''s go." After the Emperor had allowed Shangguan Yong to leave, his mood seemed to have worsened. He watched as the imperial guards brought his horse over, then mounted his horse and said to the officials beside him, "Today''s matter has really displeased me and the rest of the officials. However, it concerns the reputation of a woman.

    The civil and military officials who were following beside the Shizong hurriedly cupped their hands and bowed, "This official obeys the decree."

    Grand Preceptor Xie rode his horse away, not even sparing a glance at Grand Preceptor An as he kneeled on the ground.

    Grand Preceptor An knelt on the ground. He couldn''t even stand up after a few moments, but he was eventually helped up by two servants in the estate. After being led into the estate by a servant, Grand Preceptor An took a deep breath, his voice trembling as he instructed the servants, "Close the gates!"

    The Residence of An had been closed all day, causing a flurry of discussion among the passersby as they walked past the entrance. Since the Residence of An had always been crowded, when had it ever closed so early?

    By the time Grand Preceptor An walked back to the garden, the fury in his heart had already been suppressed. Now that the incident had occurred, he could only let the servants in the estate watch the show, which would do no good.

    "S-old master," n¨¦e Qin stood up when she saw Grand Preceptor An walk into the garden.

    "Hmph," Grand Preceptor An gave a cold snort.

    With Grand Preceptor An''s snort, An Jinge didn''t dare to cry anymore. She half sat on the ground, the makeup on her face dyed black by her tears.

    "Father!" An Yuanzhi wasn''t afraid of Grand Preceptor An, as he had been neglected in this mansion since he was young. Aside from his own mother and now An Jinxiu, the rest of the people here weren''t his family. "This isn''t my sister''s fault!" An Yuanzhi saidGrand Preceptor An.

    "Yuan Zhi, shut up." An Jinxiu pulled An Yuanzhi along as she stood in front of An Yuanzhi. Before she could plan for An Yuanzhi''s future, she couldn''t let this little brother of hers recruit her father''s loathing. "It was this daughter''s fault, "An Jinxiu apologized to Grand Preceptor An." This daughter didn''t know that important guests would come to our home today. If daughter knew ˇ­ "

    "You can go with Yuan Zhi," Grand Preceptor An waved his hand at her. "Go see your Lady Xiu."

    "Yes, father." An Jin bowed towards Grand Preceptor An before glancing timidly at n¨¦e Qin.

    "Go on," Grand Preceptor An waved his hands towards the brother and sister. "You don''t need to worry about the matters here."

    "She doesn''t need to care?" An Jinge''s current flustered mood had already died down. She didn''t even need to wait for the maidservants to help her up before she climbed to her feet. She shouted at Grand Preceptor An, "If it wasn''t for her and An Yuanzhi barging in, how could this have happened?!"

    "Shut up!" Grand Preceptor An hadn''t yet lost his temper when n¨¦e Qin gave an order to her in a low voice.

    "Father, Mother, Yuan Zhi and I will be leaving first." An Jinxiu took advantage of the silence of An Yuanzhi and left the censer together with An Yuanzhi. The scene between the family of three must have been really good to watch, but An Jin also knew that there were some scenes that her own father definitely wouldn''t want her and An Yuanzhi to see. There was a difference between the two. Although her father was quite amiable towards the two of them, if it was necessary to abandon them, he wouldn''t even bat an eye.

    "Sis!" An Yuanzhi wanted to talk to her as soon as he came out of the Fragrant Garden.

    "This is not a good place to talk." An Jinxiu quickly whispered, "Let''s go back to Mother and tell her. Can you still walk on your legs? "

    An Yuanzhi looked around cautiously. Other than Zi Yuan, he didn''t see any tails following him and An Jin.

    "Don''t look anymore." An Jinxiu laughed, "If you look at them like that, do you think they''re still following you? I''m asking you, can you still walk on your legs? "

    An Yuanzhi shook his head and said indifferently, "This small injury is nothing."

    An Yuanzhi limped as he walked. It was obvious that his leg was in extreme pain. If it weren''t for the fact that they had to pay attention to the difference between a male and a female when they were seven years old, An Jinxiu really wanted to help him walk this way.

    "I''m really fine." An Yuanzhi actually jumped two times in front of An Jinxiu when he saw her frowning. This was to prove that he wasn''t trying to be brave. However, the pain from his jump caused An Yuanzhi to suck in a breath of cold air and grimace.

    "You!" An Jinxiu held on to An Yuanzhi, who was about to fall, "You don''t want this leg?!" For the first time since her rebirth, An Jinxiu''s face sank.

    This time, An Yuanzhi didn''t feel like An Jinxing was putting on airs with him. He could feel that his sister was feeling sorry for him. This feeling was very strange to An Yuanzhi. Although she cared about him, because of the An clan''s rules,she was rarely able to be of any concern to him.

    This was the first time An Yuanzhi experienced the feeling of being cared for by his own sister. For a moment, a young boy looked at An JinXiu and his face actually turned red.

    "It hurts?" Seeing An Yuanzhi like this, An Jinxiu couldn''t think of anything else. She was wondering if her little brother''s injuries had worsened.

    An Yuanzhi took a step back, gently wiping away An Jinxiu''s hand, and said, "Let''s go see how Mother is doing." With these words, An Yuanzhi walked in front of An Jinxiu with quick steps. The strange feeling made An Yuanzhi uncomfortable.

    An Jinxiu followed behind An Yuanzhi with Zi Yuan as she kept mumbling to herself, "Your leg is injured. Slow down a bit!"

    This pair of brother and sister had deep feelings for each other, but here in the Fragrant Garden, it was as if they were in winter.

    After sitting there for a long time without speaking, Grand Preceptor An beckoned for An Jinge to come closer. He said to the servants on his left and right, "All of you can withdraw."

    The servants hurriedly left the Fragrant Garden. They were servants of the master''s household, and it would be best if they didn''t know anything about it.

    "Old master," n¨¦e Qin saw An Jinju walk to Grand Preceptor An''s side, afraid that he would personally hit her in his rage. She gave a sorrowful cry.

    Grand Preceptor An raised his eyes to look at n¨¦e Qin, his eyes filled with disappointment.

    "It''s this woman who taught a girl to be incompetent," N¨¦e Qin grew even more flustered by Grand Preceptor An''s glance.

    There were no men of the An clan attacking women, not to mention that this was only his daughter. Grand Preceptor An only said to her, "You are the direct descendent of my An clan. Your father and mother have always pampered you, but your father never thought that you would have such a temper, just like a shrew in the countryside!"

    An Jinge opened her mouth to shout at him, but Madam Qin was one step faster than him. Before he could say anything, she slapped her in the face and scolded, "You still have the face to speak?!" All these years of effort have gone to waste! "

    An Jinge was stunned by n¨¦e Qin''s slap. Although Third Miss An was a strong person, she had never received a single slap from n¨¦e Qin ever since she was young. Shocked, An Jinge didn''t know how to cry and didn''t know what to do. She could only cover her painful face and glare at n¨¦e Qin.

    "Go back to your pavilion," Grand Preceptor An said after sighing. "Without my permission, you won''t be able to take a step out of the pavilion in the future."

    Was he trying to imprison her? An Jinge stomped her feet, "Why?" She asked Grand Preceptor An if he was going to be punished. Shouldn''t An Jinxiu and An Yuanzhi be punished together? Why would they be punishing her alone? Could it be that what happened today was her fault alone? Speaking of which, wasn''t it her mother who faked An Jin''s embroidery?

    "Hurry up!" Grand Preceptor An''s voice suddenly grew stern. The Grand Preceptor had his own authority in court, but never like this before when he was facing his own daughter. This time, he couldn''t be a kind father to her.

 17 Yousre not virtuous

    An Jinge wiped away her tears and obediently returned to her pavilion.

    Grand Preceptor Xie and his wife were the only ones left in the garden. Grand Preceptor An glanced at the moon lily still hanging on the table and said, "If you want to find a good marriage for Jinge, I don''t think it''s necessary to use some tricks. But how could you deceive them?"

    "Old master!" n¨¦e Qin kneeled down before Grand Preceptor An. "I had no choice but to come up with this plan. Ah Jinge has always been a delicate and unruly girl. I can''t calm my heart down. I really can''t handle her embroidery." "I just thought that the Ah Jin had already been decided for marriage so it would be better for me to let the Ah Jinge have a touch of her elder sister''s glory."

    "Your words are really laughable," Grand Preceptor An snorted and made n¨¦e Qin kneel on the ground. "So you''re saying that the Ah Jin heart is narrow-minded?"

    "Old master!" n¨¦e Qin hurriedly called out her grievances: "Ah Jin was raised by me, old master!"

    "This servant is called Yangzi," Grand Preceptor An said, "Who taught Jinge these words? are they the servants of the estate? "

    "S-Old Master." n¨¦e Qin still wanted to explain herself.

    "Enough!" "There''s no need for you to say anything. Your Majesty has already seen the difficulty of today''s matter, so it''s unclear if this will implicate Jinyanin this matter. It''ll be difficult for Crown Princess to find a suitable family for Jinge in the future."

    Upon hearing that she would also implicate An Jinyan, her eldest daughter and crown prince''s first wife, n¨¦e Qin had no more ideas. No matter how scheming the Qin family was, they were still just a woman from the inner chamber. The situation was outside of her world, so this noblewoman had no choice but to exhaust her scheming.

    "Today, I''ll personally go to the monastery in the south of the city and invite mother back." Grand Preceptor An had already made up his mind after sitting down and saying these few words. "You''re not virtuous," he said to n¨¦e Qin.

    Grand Preceptor An''s old mother, Madame An, had gone to the southern part of the capital to recuperate for the year more. When she heard that Grand Preceptor An was going to bring the Matriarch back home, she began to cry even harder. Years of daughter-in-law, all these years she was dedicated and dedicated to An clan, what was she after? What difference was there between Grand Preceptor An''s unkind words and abandoning her?

    Grand Preceptor An watched on helplessly as n¨¦e Qin wept to death on the ground. They havebeen husband and wife for so many years, and he''d always respected her as his legal wife. Naturally, their relationship would continue. Grand Preceptor An extended a hand in an attempt to help n¨¦e Qin up. Suddenly, he realized that he hadn''t seen this pillow person in so many years. As he thought of this, he withdrew his hand, his face turning icy cold once more.

    The two masters of the Residence of Tranquil East sat with one of them kneeling on the ground. Just like that, half an hour passed.

    "Father!" An hour later, An Yuanwen''s voice came from outside the garden, "Your son Yuanwen requests to see father!"

    Such a great incident had occurred in the Residence of Tranquil East. With such a great loss of face, the young masters of the Residence of Tranquil East had all rushed back to stand at the gate of the Fragrant Storey and ask for an audience.

    Grand Preceptor An sighed at n¨¦e Qin. "It looks like the affairs of my estate have already been spread outside. His Majesty has already said not to spread the news, but who can stop Yunyun from speaking?"

    She covered her face with a handkerchief and shook her head.

    "Father!" An Yuanwen couldn''t wait for Grand Preceptor An''s reply, so he called out again.

    "This has nothing to do with you". Grand Preceptor An said.

    "Father, mother is getting old, you guys ˇ­"

    An Yuwen still wanted to persuade him. "Shut up!" Grand Preceptor An burst out from within the garden. This is not a matter for you juniors to meddle in! This old one has yet to be buried! "

    All four young masters kneeled on the ground due to Grand Preceptor An''s fury.

    An Yuanwen''s wife, the eldest wife of the An clan, did not dare to come. When she heard the servant report that An Yuanwen had returned home, she rushed over with her serving maid. Seeing the An Yuwen brothers kneeling outside the Fragrant Sky Garden, the Ning family also knelt down as well.

    In the garden, Grand Preceptor An thought of his four sons and said to n¨¦e Qin, "Marquis Wu Yang and I had only decided on the marriage between her eldest daughter and Yuanli not too long ago. If you do such a thing, I''m afraid even Marquis Wu Yang would have to reevaluate Yuanli!"

    The Qin family''s eyes were swollen from crying, and their throats were rendered speechless.

    "Ai!" Grand Preceptor An sighed and rose to his feet. "His Majesty has already agreed to Shangguan Yong''s decree. His wedding date with Ah Jin will be advanced, so you don''t need to interfere. I''ll ask mother to take charge."

    Her eldest daughter and second son would probably be implicated by today''s matter. Currently, n¨¦e Qin wished she could take An Jin''s life.

    Grand Preceptor An walked to the gate and looked at his sons and first wife kneeling on the ground. "No one is allowed to discuss what happened today. Those who went against orders must all be sold."

    An Yuanwen said, "Father, Mother is now ˇ­"

    "She''s not in good health and needs to rest. Which one of you can''t disturb her?" Grand Preceptor An didn''t let his eldest son finish his words before he spoke. "What are you all kneeling here for? The sky has collapsed? "

    It was only then that the four young masters of the An clan stood up. They were all young masters raised from rich and prosperous villages, and they knelt for a long time.

    An Yuanzhi paced back and forth in the corridor outside his house.

    An Jinxiu came out from her mother''s room. When she saw An Yuanzhi''s appearance, she laughed softly and said, "Your leg doesn''t hurt anymore? What did the doctor tell you? "

    An Yuanzhi walked up to An Jinxiu and said, "My legs are fine. I still have to fight in the future. How can I kneel down and break my legs? Sis, do we really not need to worry about the Qin family? I heard that Big Brother and the others went. "

    "Don''t worry about it," An Jinxiu said, "At this time, we might even get beaten up if we go over there."

    An Yuanzhi''s eyebrows immediately sharpened. "Who dares to hit us?" Do you really think I won''t retaliate? "

    An Jinxiu giggled and said, "I know that the people in this mansion can''t match up to you. As for the matter with the main house, we shouldn''t ask about it. Father has his own ideas."

    "Then will he divorce the Qin family?" An Yuanzhi asked immediately.

    An Jin was still smiling, but he was choked by An Yuanzhi''s words. Just how much did this little brother hate n¨¦e Qin?

    "Will it?" An Yuanzhi asked, full of anticipation.

    "Don''t think about things that are impossible!" An Jinxiu looked around to see if there were any outsiders around. She poked An Yuanzhi''s forehead with her finger, "A dignified first rank Marquis'' wife. Do you think he want to give it up?"

    "That woman is not good, why can''t she rest?" An Yuanzhi refused to admit defeat.

    The Qin family was also the face of the An clan. After losing such a big person this time, their father''s first thought was how to save the An clan''s face. Their father probably didn''t have time to think about other things. Great clan, An Jinxiu felt like laughing just because of these four words. It was just a face at all. Wasn''t it pitiful to say that?

    "Sis, why is your face so swollen?" An Yuanzhi took advantage of the candlelight in the courtyard to look at his elder sister. He said, "Should we have a doctor take a look?"

    "It''s just a slap on the face." An Jinxiu said meaninglessly, "It''ll be fine in a day." In her previous life, she had received countless slaps on the face, so An Jinge slap couldn''t do much to her.

 18 The Matriarch returns home

    Grand Preceptor An brought along An Yuwen to the southern suburbs of the capital, where he invited the matriarch back to her estate.

    After hearing her eldest son''s words, Matriarch Zhou sat on the chair in anger, unable to speak for a long time.

    "It was this son''s fault," Grand Preceptor An said. "I always thought that the inner chamber was safe, but never expected that such an ugly matter would occur in front of His Majesty andfellow civil and military officials."

    "There is a difference in descendants," Matriarch Zhou said after taking a sip of tea. "But the children born of a concubine are also descendants of the An clan! "In your generation, the An clan only has you as their first son. For you to be able to sit in the position of Grand Tutor today, your concubine brothers all put in a lot of effort. When have I ever neglected them at home?"

    Grand Preceptor An was so embarrassed by the words of the matriarch that he couldn''t even lift his head. All four of his brothers were born pregnant, but they had a good relationship with each other.

    "It was also my fault," Matriarch Zhou patted the table beside her. "I thought n¨¦e Qin was a good person!"

    "Please return home," Grand Preceptor An said. "If you let Madam Qin head of the family again, your son will probably have something to say to His Majesty."

    "Your Majesty spoke so of you for the sake of the inner chamber," Matriarch Zhou now revealed her astute shrewdness. "Does Your Majesty have any dissatisfaction with you now?"

    "All the princes and princes are grown up by now," Grand Preceptor An shook his head. "They''re all staring at a chair, so His Majesty can''t help but feel anxious."

    Matriarch Zhou gave a cold snort. "Tell me honestly, did you and His Majesty personally visit to your estate today?"

    Grand Preceptor An''s face reddened slightly. "It wasn''t a special purpose ˇ­"

    "It''s probably because the Qin family blew your pillow, right?" Matriarch Zhou smiled coldly. "When Matriarch He came to see me, His Majesty just so happened to be here to pay a visit. His Majesty just so happened to come to visit and see the beautiful Third Miss of the An clan. What a good plan! That''s a good plan! " At this point, Matriarch Zhou couldn''t suppress her rage any longer in front of her only son. She flung the teacup on the table to the floor.

    "Mother!" Seeing how the matriarch was angered, Grand Preceptor An hastened to kneel down. "Your son is unfilial."

    "Get up," Matriarch Zhou couldn''t bear to see Grand Preceptor An kneel. She slowed down her voice and said, "This matter isn''t a big deal. Which mansion doesn''t have a direct descendant battle?" After being laughed at for a while, it was over. The marriage that you decided upon for Ah Jin is not bad. "

    Grand Preceptor An rose to his feet and sighed. "I was too rash on this matter."

    "I don''t think there''s anything wrong with that," Matriarch Zhou said. "It''s not a good thing to have too much of everything, but the pretty girl''s looks are just too much. It''s not that I''m cursing her, but that a beauty like her has been in trouble since the ancient times. "You gave her an order to go to the Shangguan family. Did she make trouble at home?"

    When Matriarch Zhou spoke of An Jin, Grand Preceptor An didn''t agree with her from the bottom of his heart, but he still said, "Mother, the marriage of a child is ordered by the parents. What can a daughter say? "She can just peacefully wait to leave the pavilion."

    On the other hand, Matriarch Zhou didn''t quite believe Grand Preceptor An''s words. How could she not cause trouble with such a marriage?

    "Mother," Grand Preceptor An could only smile wryly at Matriarch Zhou''s suspicions. "Please follow your son back to the estate. When you return, you''ll see for yourself that your son''s words aren''t false."

    Matriarch Zhou had instructed her personal servant to pack her luggage. Matriarch Zhou was nearly eighty years old, and although her body was sturdy and strong, she didn''t have any major illnesses, she had long since disliked being involved in the calculations of the mansion.

    If not, Matriarch Zhou wouldn''t have given the Qin family the authority to rule the estate and come to the Main Hall to seek peace and quiet. Now that something like this had happened in the estate, the matriarch wouldn''t be able to enjoy this peace and quiet anymore.

    "Mother''s been hurt," Grand Preceptor An muttered as he helped his old mother onto the palanquin.

    An Yuwen stood to the side. After receiving his bow, Matriarch Zhou had asked him to wait outside. Now that he was out, she didn''t even spare him a glance. An Yuwen''s expression turned awkward. He knew that Matriarch Zhou had vented her anger on him because of his mother. This grandmother had always doted on him, but this was the first time she spoke coldly to him in such a manner.

    The An father and son duo returned to the Grand Preceptor''s estate from the southern suburbs of the capital, under the protection of Matriarch Zhou''s palanquin.

    An Yuanzhi, An Yuexin, An Yueli, and her first wife, Madam Ning, were standing at the foot of the steps leading to the Residence of An.

    When the people of the capital saw the formation of the Residence of Tranquil East Tribe, they immediately knew that the matriarch of the Residence of Tranquil East Tribe was about to return.

    Matriarch Zhou alighted from her sedan chair and walked into the Residence of An with her children and grandchildren in tow. An Yuanzhi and An Jinxiu were standing one after the other on the steps behind the door.

    "Matriarch Zhou." Seeing Matriarch Zhou walk in, the two siblings hurriedly knelt down to pay their respects. This was not because the siblings were late. It was because the descendants of the An family did not have the qualifications to stand outside the gate to welcome the elders and guests.

    "Get up." When Matriarch Zhou saw An Jinxiu standing behind An Yuanzhi, she was truly surprised. Her granddaughter, who had always been kept by the Qin family and didn''t know her identity, understood the etiquette today.

    Only then did An Yuanzhi and her sister get up from the ground.

    "Let''s go in and talk," the matriarch said to her children. "Shut the door. This old woman is coming home, not a guest. What are doing making such a ruckus?"

    In the crowd, Lady Ning lowered her head. Grand Preceptor An had confined n¨¦e Qin in a large courtyard, so she was the one in charge of everything. She''d wanted to make Matriarch Zhou happy, but she didn''t expect her to say something like that.

    "Mother, please," Grand Preceptor An gestured for the matriarch to enter the main hall of the estate.

    "Go and help Matriarch Zhou clean up the courtyard," An Yuanwen said to Ning Xuemo.

    She immediately agreed to go.

    Old Matriarch Zhou shook her head inwardly as she watched Madam Ning lead her family away. Madam Ning was the Qin family''s chosen daughter-in-law, and was also from a large family. Although her looks weren''t bad, she was stiff, like a wooden beauty. How would such a daughter-in-law manage the An clan''s inner palace in the future?

    On the way to the main hall, the matriarch explained to her that her children were blessed by the world, so what if she worried her heart out for them? Could he live forever, without the day of his death?

    As Grand Preceptor An walked along as a filial son, the younger generation followed behind him. When they heard his and Grand Preceptor An''s words, they walked into the main hall at the back of the estate.

    When the matriarch reached the main hall, she took her seat at the head of the table and said to An Yuwen, "Your mother isn''t feeling well. She needs to rest well for a period of time. Don''t disturb her if you have nothing to do."

    An Yuwen and the other three knew that the matriarch had enforced their mother''s punishment, but all they could say was, "Grandson understands."

    The matriarch then asked about some family matters before turning to An Yuanzhi and An Jinxiu. "I heard from your father that as long as the best medicine in the estate is effective against her, we''ll just have to go get it. How can we not treat an aunt''s illness?"

    Matriarch He''s words were sharp. If it wasn''t for that beauty in the backyard, things like this wouldn''t have happened.

 19 Repair of new house

    An Jinxiu secretly pulled An Yuanzhi from the back, telling him not to be angry. Before her younger brother became famous, their mother could only be a dwarf in this house. " Yes, thank you, Matriarch An, "An Jin smiled as she bowed towards the matriarch and said," Aunt Xiu''s illness was very dangerous during the day. After taking the medicine prescribed by the doctor, the fever has subsided.

    "That''s the two of you for being filial children," the matriarch said. "I didn''t know that the Lady Xiuhad such good fortune in giving birth to a son and a daughter like you."

    The unwillingness and anger on An Yuanzhi''s face could no longer be concealed. Still, An Jinxiu smiled and said, "Now that Lady Xiu''s illness has improved, we can feel at ease."

    The matriarch looked at An Jinxiu. She was no longer the same as she used to be.How could this bastard''s granddaughter not make a sound? There was even a smile on her face.

    "Mother," Grand Preceptor An spoke up from the side. "What happened today has nothing to do with Fifth Son and An Jinxiu."

    "A slap in the face won''t work," Matriarch Zhou said as she looked at An Jin. "Ah Jin, don''t you think?"

    An Jinxiu lowered her head and said, "Ah Jin knows her wrongs and will allow the Old Lord to penalize her as he pleases."

    Reduced punishment for An Jin? Even though the matriarch was scolding Madam Qin in the main hall, she suspected that it was An Jin who had done the wrong thing.

    Now that An Jinxiu had admitted her wrongs so openly, the matriarch had no choice but to say anything else. Grand Preceptor An had made it clear that Shangguan Yong had requested for the wedding date to be announced earlier. Forget it, "the matriarch glanced at An Jinxiu and said," You''re about to leave the pavilion. Just wait patiently to be abride.

    An Jinxiu knelt down to thank her. She looked obedient and gentle.

    The matriarch chuckled twice before turning to An Jinxiu and An Yuanzhi. "I still have some words to say to the Grand Preceptor. You two can withdraw for now."

    "Mother," Grand Preceptor An hastened to say, "If there''s anything to say, there''s no harm in letting Ah Jin and Yuanzhi hear it."

    "There''s a difference in concubines." When Matriarch He saw Grand Preceptor An speak up for the two siblings, her face immediately darkened. "There are some things that they can''t listen to!"

    An Jinxiu pulled An Yuanzhi along with her and bowed to Matriarch He before turning to leave. In her previous life, she still cared about this, but now, as she stood outside the main hall, she looked back at the main hall of the Residence of An. She didn''t even care about this house anymore, so why would she care about this?

    "Sis." An Yuanzhi called out to her in a low voice.

    An Jinxiu followed An Yuanzhi to the side courtyard where Lady Xiu lived. She whispered to her younger brother, "Yuanzhi, don''t take the matriarch''s words to heart."

    An Yuanzhi coldly snorted. "I''ve never cared about that."

    "So you want to leave?"

    An Jinxiu''s question caused An Yuanzhi to stop in his tracks. She turned around and looked at An Jinxiu with a twinkling gaze.

    "It''s good that you will leave." An Jin smiled. "The world is so big. Where is there not a place to build a career?"

    An Yuanzhi silently turned around and continued walking forward. After walking for a while, An Jinxiu heard her little brother whisper to her, "Sis, there will be a day when I have to make them beg me to come in!"

    An Jin replied with a "En". "There will be such a day."

    A gust of wind blew away the thick clouds that had covered the crescent moon. The moonlight shone down like flowing water, illuminating the figures of the An Jinxiu and her brother. An Yuanzhi looked down at the shadow that he and An Jinxiu had cast on the ground, and suddenly felt as if he and his sister were mutually dependent on each other.

    "We will be fine in the future, Yuan Zhi," An Jinxiu said in a low voice, her tone sounding like she was sighing.

    "That''s right." An Yuanzhi was not a sad person after all. After a moment of sadness, he turned back and smiled to An Jinxing, "When Yuanzhi is strong in the future, he''ll definitely make mother and elder sister the masters!"

    "What nonsense again!" An Jin smiled and pointed at An Yuanzhi. "Can you still take care of me for the rest of my life?"

    An Yuanzhi said seriously, "When I become outstanding in the future, doesn''t that mean that Brother-in-law Shangguan doesn''t dare to look down on me anymore?"

    Brother-in-law Shangguan? An Yuanzhi''s title made her feel a sweet taste in her heart.

    "Sis." An Yuanzhi changed his face at this moment, smiling as he said to An Jin. "I saw brother-in-law today and said that his face had a scar on it, but if I didn''t look carefully today, I wouldn''t be able to see the scar on his face." An Yuanzhi extended his hand and gestured at his own face, "This is the place where we are. A red mark, Sis, did you see it?"

    An Jinxiu acted as if she was angry, "Why would I go and take a look?"

    An Yuanzhi laughed and said, "I said the wrong thing. Why would my sister peek at my future brother-in-law? But don''t worry, Sis Shangguan is indeed a bit dark, there''s nothing else that''s not good. "

    An Jin blushed and smiled. The only regret she had today was that she did not see Shangguan Yong. She really missed him.

    An Yuanzhi suddenly thought of something and said, "I just wonder what he will think of our family after seeing what happened today."

    An Jinxiu shook her head. "None of us wanted to think about what happened today."

    An Yuanzhi looked at An Jin''s expression and said, "Sis, after you marry into the Shangguan family, you''ll be a member of the Shangguan family. You won''t have anything to do with the An family anymore, you just need to be good to your brother-in-law."

    An Jinxiu lowered her head and walked away. Shangguan Yong would treat her very well. She hadn''t cherished him in her previous life, but now that she had experienced it again, she would definitely cherish him.

    Raising her head to look at the night sky, she saw a crescent moon and a few stars. Suddenly, An Jin was wondering if Shangguan Yong was already asleep, and if this person would come to the Residence of Tranquil East Tribe to pick her up.

    While An Jin was looking at the night sky and missing Shangguan Yong, he was busy working with several craftsmen to repair his bedroom.

    "Big Bro." Hearing someone call out from behind him, Shangguan Yong turned around to see his Second Bro Shangguan Rui leading seven or eight of his comrades in the army into the small courtyard.

    "Why are you guys here?" Shangguan Yong quickly put down the sabre in his hand and stepped forward.

    "Elder Brother Shangguan." The men who had entered the courtyard were all low ranking military officials, and they had joined the army together with Shangguan Yong, and they all addressed each other as brothers.

    "It''s so late, why are you here?" Shangguan Yong asked.

    "Come and help big brother build a house."

    "That''s right, no one in the capital doesn''t know that Eldest Brother requested for an edict in front of the Grand Preceptor''s estate."

    "We just want big brother to marry sister-in-law back as soon as possible."

    "Shangguan elder brother should have gotten married a long time ago!"

    ˇ­ ˇ­.

    The brothers talked all at once, not giving Shangguan Yong a chance to speak again. Shangguan Yong scratched his head. Luckily, his skin was dark, otherwise people in the yard could see that General Shangguan''s face was flushed red.

    "Big brother, I''ll help too." Shangguan Rui also followed up.

    "You should go read," Shangguan Yong wanted to pat Shangguan Rui''s head, but suddenly remembered that his hands were covered in mud, his outstretched hand stopped midway, "After reading the book, you can go to sleep early after eating some snacks."

    Shangguan Rui shook his head and said: "I want to do something for Big Brother."

    Someone from the Martial Officer Department laughed and jokingly said to Shangguan Rui, "Little Rui is doing some work for sister-in-law in advance, you can''t help but to hope that she will care for you more after entering the room." "Brat, you''re quite narrow-minded!"

    When martial artists made jokes, it was not to be avoided by the use of meat. However, Shangguan Rui had never been in the military camp before, so when he was told, his face immediately turned red, and he didn''t know where to put his hands and feet.

    The warriors saw Shangguan Rui laughing even harder, and in the end, they were all people with conscience. They said: "Alright, stop talking nonsense, we are here to help Shangguan Rui build the house, all of us are here to help him!"

 20 Monarchs Mind

    The Shangguan family was brightly lit the whole night. Other than the six-year-old third young miss, Shangguan Ning, who slept soundly, the rest of them worked all night.

    By the time the sun rose on the second day, a new room had already been prepared by the crowd. Apart from the fact that the beams had not been moved, the walls had been painted snow-white, the windows had been replaced with new paper, and the door had been painted with fresh paint, making it seem as bright as new.

    Shangguan Yong looked at the brand-new room and nodded, then said to his brothers in the army: "This will do, many thanks brothers!"

    The military officials laughed and waved their hands.

    "We also came to invite Big Brother for a goblet of wedding wine!" Someone said, "Big brother, when do you plan to set up the wine?"

    Shangguan Yong''s face immediately turned bitter. If his brothers hadn''t said so, he would have forgotten, he would have had to set up a few tables for the wedding, but he wasn''t prepared for that at all.

    "That won''t be difficult." The military officer looked at Shangguan Yong''s face and immediately said: "Since there''s no chef at home, just go to the restaurant and wrap up a few tables of food and wine."

    "That''s right, big brother. The wine and food at the tavern outside won''t cost much," said one of the brothers, who seemed to have been through a lot in the past.

    Shangguan Yong hesitated before saying, "If someone from the Grand Preceptor''s estate arrived, would the wine and food from the tavern work?"

    Everyone fell silent. Marrying the Grand Preceptor''s daughter might have been a blessing, but things really wouldn''t be easy.

    "If things really don''t work out, can''t our brothers gather together and go to the big restaurant to order a few tables? Can''t they just keep the Grand Preceptor''s estate from looking down on them?" After everyone thought for a while, someone came up with an idea.

    Everyone agreed, and only Shangguan Yong shook his head, "I can''t ask you for more money. I''m not some rich man, even if you want to pretend you don''t want to. Miss An Er should be a good woman, I think she won''t mind. "

    "If Second Miss An cares about these things," someone among the military officials said, "she is not Big Brother''s good companion."

    This sentence caused the people in the courtyard to remain silent for a long time.

    Shangguan Rui said: "Big brother, you should go to the court now, you should leave quickly."

    Shangguan Yong shook his head and mocked himself: "Even if I was standing here and listening to His Highness, how can this be called going to court?"

    "What did Big Brother say?" Immediately, a military official said, "As long as we are willing to work hard in the military, are we still afraid that we won''t be able to achieve anything?"

    Shangguan Yong only smiled when he heard this and let his brothers rest at home. He left the house with an empty stomach and rode his horse to the palace alone.

    Meanwhile, in an inner room of the imperial study, Eunuch Xie was personally carrying a brocade box that Grand Preceptor An had brought to the palace. He reported to the sect master, "Your Majesty, the Grand Preceptor presented this box."

    "What is it?" The Shizong lowered his head as he asked without even raising his head. He was writing something down on the table.

    "This servant has checked," replied Eunuch Xie. "This brocade box contains the embroidery from yesterday''s Grand Preceptor''s estate. The Grand Preceptor said to call for the moon to burn a lotus fragrance."

    Shi Zong raised his head. The embroidery in front of him was like a painting. The moonlight was bright and the pool was clear. The two green lotuses were slender and elegant, as if there was a faint fragrance wafting in the air despite the lack of wind. After looking at the embroidery for a long time, Shi Zong could even imagine An Jin sitting in front of the embroidery rack, focused on embroidery.

    Eunuch Xie stood off to one side, watching the Emperornloolimg at the embroidery for a long time. He asked tentatively, "Your Majesty, where should we put this embroidery?"

    "Hang it there," Shizong pointed casually.

    "This servant obeys the decree." Eunuch Xie did not say much, but quickly bowed and received the decree. "Even if he was ableto guess, he would pretend to not know anything." Your Majesty, "Eunuch Xie took the decree, then said to the Emperor," The Grand Preceptor''s still outside the hall.

    "I won''t see him." Shizong looked at the embroidery before him and said this word in a cold voice.

    "Your Majesty said he won''t invite you " Eunuch Xie said quietly to Grand Preceptor An as he waited outside the imperial study.

    Grand Preceptor An could only clasp his hands at her before turning to leave.

    "Your Majesty really likes the embroidery offered by the Grand Preceptor."

    Grand Preceptor An gave a slight nod to Eunuch Xie before turning to leave. In a while, he would order someone to give Eunuch a proper gift. The eunuch next to this Emperor had already given him some pointers. His Majesty liked the embroidery, so His Majesty also liked the person who embroidered it.

    No one brought up the matters of the Grand Preceptor''s estate in the morning assembly that day. Many events occurred in such a large empire every day, enough for the monarchs in the imperial court to discuss and make a decision.

    Shangguan Yong stood obediently outside the throne room, and the sound of the debate on the politics of the court could clearly be heard outside the hall.

    The banquet had to be set up and the bridal sedan chair had yet to be decided. He hadn''t even made his wedding dress, and on the day of the wedding, he had to invite some Shangguan family elder to preside over it. The more Shangguan Yong thought about his marriage, the more he realized that he should do a lot of things, but he himself have''t done anything.

    Grand Preceptor An didn''t say anything in the imperial audience hall, nor did the Emperor look for him to speak. After leaving the imperial court, the clan sent several officials to discuss matters in the imperial study, but similarly didn''t point out Grand Preceptor An''s name.

    Grand Preceptor An walked out of the throne room with eyes full of curiosity, worry, and schadenfreude.

    "Father," An Yuanwen, a minister in charge of the imperial court, walked up to Grand Preceptor An and pointed at the two men''s left hand side for him to see.

    Grand Preceptor An followed his eldest son''s hand and saw Shangguan Yong standing there like a pillar.

    "What else does he want?" An Yuanwen asked Grand Preceptor An in a low voice.

    "Ai!" Grand Preceptor An sighed. "Father will go speak with him. You can go back to the Ministry of Works and the yamen," he said before walking over to Shangguan Yong.

    "Grand Preceptor," Shangguan Yong watched as Grand Preceptor An approached him, then cupped his hands and saluted.

    Grand Preceptor An cast a sidelong glance at the ministers who had stuck their heads out for him. The ones who wanted to watch the show all hastened to leave. "This isn''t a good place to talk, come with me," Grand Preceptor An said in a low voice.

    Shangguan Yong followed behind Grand Preceptor An, but still couldn''t help asking after a few steps, "Grand Preceptor, how was Second Miss yesterday?"

    Grand Preceptor An said, "With this old man here, who would dare slow her down?"

    "She was slapped yesterday," said Shangguan Yong.

    At first, he was angry, but then he thought of how his daughter had already been protected by Shangguan Yong before she could even enter the Shangguan household. Presumably, her days after marrying into the family would not be bad, so a smile appeared on his face.

    "The Grand Preceptor?" Even though Shangguan Yong was a bit behind Grand Preceptor An, he still felt uncomfortable when he saw him smile. Why did he say that the Grand Preceptor''s father was still laughing when he said that An Jin had been beaten up?

    "Follow me," the Grand Preceptor only kept up with him as he strode forward.

    Fifth Prince Bai Chengze stood on the high platform outside the throne room, watching Grand Preceptor An and Shangguan Yong leave.

    "Fifth brother," Crown Prince Xiao Bai promised as he walked to Bai Chengze''s side and whispered to him, "I didn''t expect that a lowly fifth-grade military official would have such good fortune and be able to have a woman like Second Miss An as a wife. It''s just a pity for that beauty."

    Bai Chengze lowered his head and smiled, then whispered to the crown prince, "No matter how beautiful the second young miss of the Residence of An, she is just a concubine."

    The Crown Prince patted Bai Chengze on the shoulder, "There''s a difference between the descendants. "Fifth brother, if Second Miss An hears your words, she will be hurt."

 21 Preparation

    After the crown prince left the high platform in front of the throne room, he was escorted by numerous palace guards to the East Palace.

    Only then did Bai Chengze step down to the hundreds of levels. "The direct descendant has a difference" Bai Chengze knew this very well.

    Bai Chengze muttered these words in his heart, then suddenly turned his head to look at the tall and lofty Hall of Golden Chimes, so what if the empress had given birth to a direct descendant? As long as it was a dragon, they had the right to sit on that chair in the palace. Their royal father was also not the empress of the Middle Palace.

    "Master." After Bai Chengze stepped down from the steps, the eunuch who served him came up to welcome him.

    "Return to the manor." Bai Chengze didn''t stop and walked straight out of the palace with a calm expression.

    Gao Deng followed Bai Chengze and left the palace. Only then did he speak to Bai Chengze in a low voice, "Master, this servant sent the Guan Yin image that this servant sought for the Empress into Qi Fang Palace. The Empress really likes it."

    "Is my mufei doing well?" Bai Chengze asked.

    Gao Deng did not dare to lie to Bai Chengze, and quickly said in a low voice: "Master, the newly chosen beautiful girl entered the palace a few days ago."

    Bai Chengze did not say anything else. When a pretty girl entered the palace, no one would be in a good mood like the woman in the palace. Concubines was chosen once every three years. Bai Chengze felt that the last talent show had just ended, but he didn''t expect it to happen again so soon.

    Gao Deng continued, "The Empress also sent a servant to deliver a message to Master. The Second Miss of the Residence of An is not blessed."

    Bai Chengze urged his horse to a distance away from Bai Deng. Was it An Jin''sthat was unlucky, or was it that he had no fate with her? He had met An Jin twice. Back at the Eastern Palace, the girl had put on beautiful makeup. Back at the An clan''s incense garden, the girl had put on clean makeup. As he read the name ''An Jin'', Bai Chengze could not bear to part with it. The Crown Prince had spoken the truth, it was a pity that he matched Shangguan Yong''s name to that beauty.

    "Master," Gao Deng caught up again. "The Grand Preceptor."

    Bai Chengze didn''t need Gao Deng to remind him. He had seen Grand Preceptor An and Shangguan Yong enter a restaurant. "Were they going there to discuss the marriage?" Thinking of this, Bai Chengze felt that it was absurd, but at the same time, he felt annoyed. He suddenly whipped his horse and galloped forward.

    Grand Preceptor An didn''t notice that the Fifth Prince had passed in front of him on horseback. He brought Shangguan Yong into the capital''s finest restaurant, and sat down opposite of Shangguan Yong in the small room. He asked, "When do you want to marry this old man''s second daughter?"

    Shangguan Yong wanted to say tomorrow, but after some hesitation, he said: "I want to wait for three days."

    "Three days later?" Grand Preceptor An asked.

    Shangguan Yong nodded and said seriously: "This general hopes the sooner the better."

    Grand Preceptor An knew that if he continued to talk to Shangguan Yong now, he would only be an exception. If that was the case, Shangguan Yong wouldn''t have believed that An Jinxiu was living a good life at home. Add to that the words that Eunuch Xie had mentioned this morning, Grand Preceptor An nodded towards Shangguan Yong, saying, "You can arrange the marriage in three days?" If you have something difficult to deal with, you might as well tell me. "

    Shangguan Yong didn''t look at Grand Preceptor An, but shook his head. "No."

    His future son-in-law''s ignorance had angered Grand Preceptor An. How was he going to arrange a wedding ceremony in three days? The imperial court, "Grand Preceptor An said kindly," Yesterday, His Majesty bestowed upon us a large amount of gold, silver, and jade artifacts. His edict said that they were to be used as dowry for Ah Jin.

    Shangguan Yong said, "Your Majesty is merciful."

    "You don''t understand what I''m saying!" Grand Preceptor An sighed, finding such a son-in-law for himself was asking for trouble.

    Shangguan Yong looked at Grand Preceptor An with a puzzled expression. What did the dowry that the Emperor had bestowed upon her have to do with him? He wasn''t the type to covet his wife''s dowry.

    "His Majesty bestowed a treasure to add dowry to Ah Jin," Grand Preceptor An had no choice but to explain, "General, how simple was your wedding with my daughter? This is a marriage bestowed by the Emperor.

    On the day of marriage, you and my daughter even got the chance to kowtow in front of the palace door to express your gratitude to the e

    Emperor. Do you really know the severity of this marriage? "

    Shangguan Yong sat there in a daze for a long time. How could he have thought of so much?

    "Just listen to everything I say," Grand Preceptor An didn''t want to waste any more words with Shangguan Yong. "We''ll be family in the future, so there''s no need for family members to talk about two things at once.

    "Grand, Grand Preceptor," Shangguan Yong vaguely felt that there was something wrong with his future father-in-law''s words, but he couldn''t pinpoint exactly what was wrong.

    "You can go," Grand Preceptor An caught up to Shangguan Yong and left. "I''ll send someone to your estate to help you. In three days, this old man will be waiting for you to come invite me to your wedding."

    "Then ˇ­"

    "Do you think I will harm you?" Grand Preceptor An waved a hand at Shangguan Yong. "Hurry up and go."

    Shangguan Yong muddled out of the tavern, unable to even drink a single mouthful of water.

    Grand Preceptor An sat alone in a small room, staring at the table full of fine wine and delicious dishes without the slightest bit of appetite. The Emperor had actually set their sights on An Jin. When Grand Preceptor An thought about it carefully, his clothes were drenched in sweat.

    In this world, there were many people who wanted to send their daughters to the palace, hoping that their daughters would be favored by the imperial court, and that the entire clan would follow them to heaven. But for a clan like the An clan, the most disdainful thing would be sending their women to the palace for favors.

    After drinking a cup of wine at the wine shop, Grand Preceptor An returned home and told her mother about Shangguan Yong''s visit three days later to escort and marry Ah Jin. "There''s still a big marriage to be arranged, otherwise His Majesty ˇ­"

    "I know what you mean," Matriarch He didn''t even let Grand Preceptor An finish his words before she spoke again. "His Majesty bestowed upon us the fortune of our estate to weave a concubine born and arrange a wedding ceremony. Otherwise, what will we do when the young masters and mistresses marry each other?"

    "Mother," Grand Preceptor An couldn''t tell his mother the truth, so he could only say, "Even a son has his own intentions when it comes to the grand scheme of things. I have my own guilt towards this child, Ah Jin."

    "This is even more absurd," the matriarch said immediately. "Why do you feel ashamed raising her? Shangguan Yong is also a court official, after she marries, she will still be the principal wife, I don''t see how you treated her badly. Did Aunt Xiu tell you something? " Seeing Grand Preceptor An speaking up for her, the matriarch couldn''t help but suspect that the concubine had been bragging in his ear.

    "How can she intervene in Ah Jin''s marriage?" Grand Preceptor An asked. "Mother, His Majesty is already dissatisfied with us waiting forAh Jin ceremony. If the Ah Jin wedding doesn''t go well, it''d be bad if His Majesty gets angry."

    Why would the Emperor be angry when he was married to a daughter? When Matriarch Zhou saw Grand Preceptor An''s hesitant expression, she suddenly understood something. She only felt her vision darken. "You really have a good daughter!" Matriarch Zhou slapped the table as she spoke to Grand Preceptor An.

    Grand Preceptor An was speechless.

    "What can this servant''s stomach grow?" The Grand Preceptor''s mother and son were the only two in the room, so he wasn''t polite at all when he spoke.

    Grand Preceptor An lowered his head to listen to the lecture. He had spent the rest of his life in the imperial court, and had truly never done much in the inner chamber. Today, when he heard Matriarch Zhou speak of servants and saints, he thought to himself, No wonder n¨¦e Qin and An Jinge are saying this too.

    "We can''t start a big wedding," Matriarch He scolded before speaking to Grand Preceptor An.

    "Why is that?" Grand Preceptor An hastened to ask.

    Matriarch He said softly, "This world belongs to His Majesty. Who would dare not to offer something that he has his eyes on?" Were the things bestowed by His Majesty really dowry for the Ah Jin? "It''s better if we pretend that we don''t know anything. It''s better for everyone to just safely send that little girl into the Shangguan family."

    The matriarch and her son spent the night discussing the matters in the Residence of Peace, while the group of brothers busied themselves for the rest of the night. After the new house was tidied up, Shangguan Yong and his brothers busily tidied up the yard and temporarily got some greenery so that the small yard in the mansion would look as good as it did.

    As they worked, Shangguan Yong''s brothers all complained to Shangguan Yong. Judging from Grand Preceptor An''s words, marriage arrangements will be made by the Residence of Tranquil East, so was their eldest brother going to marry or marry into the family?

    Shangguan Yong only understood after hearing his brothers'' complaints. In the restaurant, he felt that something was wrong.

    It was only after the military officials followed Shangguan Yong and complained to him that some of the military officials remembered that they didn''t think too well of Shangguan Yong''s father-in-law''s family. They hastened to add, "Big brother, we had no other intentions, but we felt that the Grand Preceptor was underestimating us too much." For you to be able to get married, your brothers are all happy for you. "

    Shangguan Yong smiled innocently, wiped away the sweat on his face, and buried his head in his work again. Originally, Shangguan Yong only felt that he could marry his daughter from the An clan and take care of this important matter in his life. It was only when he saw his fianc¨¦e in the incense garden of the An clan that Shangguan Yong truly felt the need to marry and start a family.

    Shangguan Yong didn''t know what was going on. He only remembered that his father had once said that the woman he took a fancy to at first glance was a woman who could live with him for a lifetime.

    Shangguan Yong thought back to the An Jin he had seen in the incense garden yesterday, the light blue dress alone had almost disturbed his heart. With just that one glance, Shangguan Yong knew that this girl called An Jin would be someone he would spend the rest of his life with.

    "Brother, drink some water," Shangguan Rui handed a bowl of water to Shangguan Yong, but unexpectedly saw the silly smile on his elder brother''s face. Shangguan Rui''s hand trembled, and he almost threw the water bowl on the ground.

    Shangguan Rui''s face twisted slightly, but Shangguan Yong didn''t notice it at all. He drank the water in one gulp, then raised his head to look at the sky.

    As for An Jin? She knew nothing about what happened outside the pavilion. Sitting in front of her embroidery rack, An Jinxiu was completely focused on her work. Zi Yuan was also silent as she sat by the side. The master and the servant were busy with their tasks, and the candles in the pavilion had once again burned for the entire night.

    The next morning, when the young generation of the Residence of An paid their respects to the matriarch, she found out that her wedding was in two days'' time.

    Matriarch gave a cold snort and said to her, "We have arranged this marriage in a hurry, but this is not our intention. It is because that General Shangguan is anxious to marry you, afraid that you will be bullied in our Residence of Peace."

 22 Married

    "Mother!" Seeing that Matriarch had spoken a few words before beginning to act up again, Grand Preceptor An hastened to say, "It won''t be long before the Ah Jin leavrs home. You don''t have to teach her a lesson."

    An Jin smiled and said, "The Matriarch is joking with Ah Jon. When has Ah Jin ever been bullied before?"

    The matriarch''s tone was still unfriendly. "It''s good that you can think like that."

    An Yuanzhi stood at the side and was about to speak up for An Jinxiu. Shangguan Yong had asked for the decree, two days later, what was the problem? Just as An Yuanzhi opened his mouth to speak, he heard An Jin cough. When he looked at her, she was shaking her head and glaring at him. An Yuanzhi lowered his head in annoyance, swallowing back the words he was about to say.

    The matriarch had seen An Jin''s and An Yuanzhi''s movements. When the matriarch thought of these concubine brother and sister, she couldn''t bring herself to be happy with them. "All of you may leave," the matriarch ordered after feeling a wave of annoyance.

    "Mother," the grandchildren all retreated, but Grand Preceptor An remained standing.

    "Don''t worry," Matriarch said, "Even if I don''t like Ah Jin, I''ll definitely arrange her marriage properly and won''t make her look bad."

    Only after hearing Matriarch words did Grand Preceptor An feel at ease to leave.

    At this moment, the eldest daughter in law came in from outside and said to the matriarch, "Matriarch, Madam and Third Young Miss have sent someone over to pay their respects."

    The matriarch said, "I can''t accept their greetings. Let them take good care of their illnesses."

    The servant girl didn''t dare to say anything else, she just lowered her head and left.

    After An Jinxiu and An Yuanzhi left the Matriarch''s room, they arrived at their mother concubine''s room. When she heard that An Jin was going to get married in two days, the Aunt Xiu was first reluctant to part with it, but then she was overjoyed. The Residence of Peace was not a place where her children could live in peace, so it was a good thing to leave the house as soon as possible.

    "Mother," An Jinxiu wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes.

    After Aunt Xiu had An Yuanzhi leave first, she asked, "Was it the Emperor who arranged your marriage?"

    "Yes," An Jin replied. "Don''t worry, Mother. The General said he wouldn''t mistreat me."

    "The situation is actually not that important," the Mother Xiu said in a low voice. "What I care about is your future. I just hope that General Shangguan can treat you with care."

    "Mother," An Jin said as she sat down beside her mother. "That person is extremely filial towards his stepmother and meticulously raising his stepsister. Such a person wouldn''t be a bad person. To be honest, as long as Ah Jin treats him sincerely, the General will treat me sincerely. "

    After giving birth to her daughter, she was taken away by n¨¦e Qin before she could even glance at her. Who would have thought that today, her daughter, whom she had spent so much effort to conceive in October, would marry into a woman in the blink of an eye. It turned out that after so many years, "I can''t send you off on the day you leave the pavilion." Everyone in this world said that a daughter who was born into a family was good, but they didn''t know that a daughter born out of a concubine would have one that was even better. "Second Miss, you have to stay together with General Shangguan until the end of your life, so that I can feel at ease."

    An Jinxiu didn''t say anything and only rested her head on Aunt Fu''s shoulder. She had made a mistake in her life, so she definitely wouldn''t do it again.

    An Yuanzhi came back. When he entered the house, he saw that his mother and sister were both staring at him with red eyes. After a moment of surprise, he smiled and asked, "What''s going on?" It''s obviously a happy thing, why are all of you crying? "

    "This child," Aunt Xiu could only smile. "People cry even when they''re happy. Why did you come back?"

    An Yuanzhi took out a few silver notes and said to An Jin, "Father gave me these and told me to send them to General Shangguan. Let me ask Big Sis if she wants them."

    "Silver notes?" An Jinxiu sat up straight.

    "A full eight hundred taels," An Yuanzhi said as he placed the notes in front of her. "Father said that he wanted General Shangguan to arrange the marriage."

    Aunt Xiu was startled. "The General doesn''t even have the money to arrange a marriage?"

    An Yuanzhi looked at An Jin and said seriously, "I don''t think it''s good like this. Father, aren''t you scolding people? Sis, do you want the money? "

    An Jinxiu looked at the folded eight hundred taels of silver notes. She said to An Yuanzhi, "I''ll leave it with you for now. Is General Shangguan really that poor?" "Father is used to being rich. Can it be that families with small families in the countryside won''t be getting married?" As An Jinxiu spoke, she placed the silver notes into An Yuanzhi''s hands. "Consider it as your sister''s. You can keep it for me."

    How could An Yuanzhi accept the dowry money from An Jinxiu? He wanted to push her away, but she told him, "You''re my little brother, and only you''re willing to help me. Yuan Zhi, please help me this time." With An Jinxiu''s words, An Yuanzhi didn''t know what to say.

    Two days passed quickly. An Jin had made a set of winter clothes for An Yuanzhi. An Yuanzhi tried this new clothes, An-jin also welcomed her own wedding time.

    The wedding lady combed her hair for An Jin. She read it over and over again in her mouth, from comb to comb.

    Shangguan Yong rode his warhorse and brought his bright red palanquin to the gate of the Residence of Tranquil East early in the morning.

    An Yuwen, who was initially set to carry An Jin out, did not appear that day. She only told Madam Ning that his body was suddenly feeling unwell.

    An Yuanzhi carried his sister out of the pavilion. It was different from the happy sounds of the firecrackers in the front yard. The path from the pavilion to the front yard was quiet and long. In the middle of July, it was already near the end of summer. The path was almost paved with flowers, and a faint fragrance wafted through the air.

    An Yuanzhi laughed as he stepped on the fallen flowers. "I wonder what kind of people are talking about this house. The servants have not cleaned this road since yesterday." However, Sis, it''s good that this road is not cleaned. The road is full of flowers, do you smell the fragrance? "

    "Mm." An Jinxiu also smiled and said, "Yuan Zhi, thank you for sending me out of the pavilion."

    "I''m your younger brother," An Yuanzhi said after a moment of silence. "What''s there to thank me for sending you out of the pavilion? "Sis, you have to live a good life in the future. It''s better than this."

    "Alright," An Jinxiu said, "You too. You have to be fine."

    An Yuanzhi walked very slowly. After walking this path, his sister will be the daughter-in-law of the Shangguan family, regardless of whether she lived or died, it had nothing to do with the An family.

    Shangguan Yong stood in front of the main gate of the Residence of Tranquil East. The commotion around him didn''t seem to have anything to do with him. Living until today, only then did Shangguan Yong realize how difficult it was to wait for a person to appear.

    Grand Preceptor An stood inside the door. It was as if the wives and young masters of the estate had all agreed on this. Their bodies were all in a bad mood today, not a single one of them appearing. Grand Preceptor An forced a smile on his face. He was unhappy, but he couldn''t do anything to the young masters or young ladies of the estate either. He had never been the first to see them, so who knew what he might have to say? There was no trace of displeasure on Grand Preceptor An''s face as he sized up Shangguan Yong, and he couldn''t help but rejoice that this Martial Disciple didn''t care too much about etiquette. Otherwise, things would have been much harder for him.

    "The bride is out!" Someone from the crowd shouted.

    Shangguan Yong''s eyes suddenly widened. From the side door of the main yard, An Yuanzhi slowly walked out with An Jinxiu on his back.

    "Hurry, play the music!" The nanny urged the musicians.

    "Sister," An Yuanzhi whispered to An Jinxiu, "We''re in the front courtyard. Shangguan is standing outside the door."

    The joyous music next to her ears shook the heavens. However, An Jinxiu suddenly wrapped her arms around An Yuanzhi''s neck and said, "Yuan Zhi, you promised me that even if I married Shangguan Yong, you''d still come and tell me about your future!"

    "Sis?"

    "Promise me!" I''m your sister! All these years, I have not been good to you, but I want to change it, I have already changed it! "

    "Alright," An Yuanzhi replied in a low voice. "I only have this sister of yours." The summer shirt was thin and breathable. An Yuanzhi felt a drop of liquid on his collar, causing him to cry.

    Grand Preceptor An watched as the fifth son carried his second daughter and stood in front of him, reminiscing the glory of his eldest daughter, An Jinyan. He inwardly sighed and told her, "Daughter, after marrying into the Shangguan Family, you have to abide by the laws of the woman and help the Shangguan Family grow up as soon as possible."

    An Jinxiu replied softly, "Your daughter will always remember Father''s teachings."

    An Yuanzhi turned around to leave, but he heard their father say softly from behind, "Jinxiu, Shangguan Yong is your good man. Be at ease and let his hair be white. Father wishes for you to live a peaceful life."

    "Thank you, father." An Jin thanked her father. In the heart of An Shu''s father, his family of three was far from being as good as one family, so it was very important for them to have their own children. However, his father truly hoped that she and An Yuanzhi could be together, and had raised them into adults.

    Shangguan Yong looked at An Yuanzhi carrying his bride, walking towards him step by step. General Shangguan, who was on the battlefield killing the enemy without any fear, suddenly tensed up.

    An Yuanzhi did not slow down this time. He walked quickly to Shangguan Yong, grinned, and said: "Brother-in-law, I''ll leave my sister to you!"

    "Ah?" "Ah, yes!" Shangguan Yong was startled, but answered quickly.

    An Jin smiled and gently patted An Yuanzhi''s back, telling him not to make things difficult for Shangguan Yong. This man of hers was not to be trifled with.

    An Yuanzhi and Shangguan Yong looked at each other quietly for a while. Some things the women did not understand, but there was a tacit understanding between the men. Shangguan Yong nodded solemnly to An Yuanzhi. He would do as he said, and he would definitely do as Shangguan Yong said.

    "Sis, I''ll send you to the palanquin!" An Yuanzhi said to Ah Jim on his back as he shifted his gaze away.

    Upon hearing An Yuanzhi''s words, the nanny at the side hurriedly shouted, "New bride, get on the palanquin!"

    Shangguan Yong watched as An Yuanzhi carried An Jin to the front of the palanquin and stood there. A gust of wind blew over from who knows where, not only did it blow the blooming Phoenix Flowers out of the wall, but it also lifted a corner of the red cover of the mandarin duck that An Jin had covered her head, just enough for Shangguan Yong to see the face under the big red veil.

    Emperor Shizong, who was dressed in micro clothing, also saw this scene. He saw it even more clearly than Shangguan Yong because at this moment, the Shizong was standing in the crowd next to the bridal sedan. The Phoenix Flowers fell like a red rain, the face of a beautiful lady had the color of a hibiscus. However, the corners of her mouth slightly raised, in the eyes of the Emperor, she was a rare beauty.

 23 Seeing you again after another lifetime

    "Get up the palanquin!" When the nanny saw the new bride get on the bridal sedan, she shouted again.

    Grand Preceptor An stood inside the gates of the Residence of Tranquil East Tribe and watched as Ah Jin sedan chair gradually disappeared into the distance.

    Within the inner chamber of the Residence of Peace, the Aunt Xiu knelt in front of a wooden statue of Guan Yin as she recited a scripture, praying for the Buddha to be merciful and to protect her daughter for the rest of her life.

    To the other masters in the Residence of Yu An, An Jin''s marriage didn''t seem to have anything to do with them. Today, it was no different from before.

    In the crowd, the Shizong turned to leave in the opposite direction from the bridal sedan chair. He thought back to that smile he had seen just now from An Jinxiu and lamented the fact that it was rare to find a beauty he had taken a fancy to, but he had never imagined that she would be someone''s wife.

    Eunuch Xie brought along the guards in disguise to stay by the side of the Emperor. They didn''t dare to make a sound and just pretended that they didn''t know anything. Today, they were just accompanying the Emperor out of the palace to relax.

    Shangguan Yong brought the bridal sedan chair over to the palace gates. Grand Preceptor An ordered a pair of newlyweds to kneel before the gates to kowtow in gratitude.

    A eunuch came out of the palace gate and passed on the benevolence of the world.

    Shangguan Yong and An Jin naturally kowtowed to show their gratitude before they took the gold and silver brocade that the Master of the World and Empress Xiang had bestowed upon them and left for the Shangguan Mansion.

    When he saw his own home from afar, Shangguan Yong let out a breath of relief. When he arrived at the door, he saw his sister and brothers from the military standing outside, looking at him with a smile, and his face heated up.

    "Boss Shangguan, don''t just stand there!" There was a military official who accompanied Shangguan Yong to the Residence of An to escort the bride. He followed up with Shangguan Yong and laughed loudly, "Why aren''t you picking up sister-in-law up and entering the door?"

    Amidst the laughter, Shangguan Yong''s face flushed.

    An Jin was sitting in the sedan chair, holding a phoenix flower that grew in the courtyard in front of her house. As the wind blew, the flower fell in front of her. When she married in her previous life, the autumn laurel was fragrant. In this life, she married the same man with different moods and seasons. The autumn laurel was still full of green leaves, but the phoenix flower was still blooming like fire.

    A large hand stretched out from the palanquin and extended all the way to her face, waiting there without moving.

    This life was different from her previous one. An Jinxiu told herself to forget the memories of her previous life and spend this life with this man who held her hand and helped her out of the palanquin. She thought the previous life was just a nightmare she need to forget.

    Shangguan Yong used the bright red silk cloth to carefully lead the An Jin to cross the threshold of Shangguan''s front door, stepping on the ground of his own house. Only then did Shangguan Yong feel at ease.

    "We want to see the bride!" Seeing the bride enter the house, the martial artists who couldn''t wait any longer started to stir up a ruckus.

    An Jinxiu heard Shangguan Yong, who was walking in front of her, say: "You''re all not allowed to cause trouble!"

    "Big Bro, this is Big Sis coming in, so you don''t need us brothers?" Someone shouted right after Shangguan Yong''s words.

    They were all loafers in the military camp, and one of them immediately joined in to cause a ruckus. Fortunately, these people still remembered that An Jin was a young lady from the Grand Preceptor''s estate, so they didn''t dare to say anything vulgar like they usually did.

    Shangguan Yong''s forehead was covered in sweat, for the first time he realized that having more brothers in the army was not a good thing.

    Just as the crowd was having a good time and Shangguan Yong was about to lose his cool, An Jin pulled on the red silk cloth in his hand.

    His bride had red hat and wore bright red wedding dress. Only then did Shangguan Yong realize that it was summer, and his bride was standing right next to him in the yard. Wouldn''t it be too hot if he stayed here for too long? Thinking up to here, Shangguan Yong''s face fell, he looked around at all the fellows around him who were eager to stir up trouble, "You all have a day of marriage, remember today''s events for me."

    Everyone was stunned, other than Shangguan Yong who had been ferocious and emotionless during the war on horseback, he was usually an honest man. It was harder than ascending to heaven to hear his words, was he showing off his power in front of the bride today?

    The nanny was an experienced person. While the group of martial artists were still in a daze, she shouted, "General is bringing the bride to the wedding hall!"

    The wedding hall''s layout could not be seen by the veiled An Jinxiu. She was only supported by the nanny, bowing to Shangguan Yong amidst the crowd of joyous cries.

    "Send them to the bridal room!" After the couple bowed to each other, the host, the joyous Duke, said loudly.

    Shangguan Yong protected her tightly, preventing the crowd from meeting his bride. This man''s consideration was something that the previous life''s An Jinxiu had never experienced. However, at this time, An Jinxiu was fully aware of it. She smiled and was escorted by Shangguan Yong to a new room in the backyard.

    The new room was a set of wedding etiquette again. This time, An Jinxiu seriously responded to the wedding ladies'' questions.

    ˇ­ ˇ­.

    Shangguan Yong grinned, but just as he was about to say something, he heard his brothers outside the bridal room fighting again. Some wanted to have a drink with the bridegroom, while others were anxious to have a bridal ceremony before they even had a drink.

    An Jin lowered her head and sat on the edge of the bed. Shangguan Yong had a lot of brothers in the army. In her previous life, she had looked down on these lower ranking military officials, but Bai Chengze had taken them seriously. In the end, the result proved that Bai Chengze, the man who became the emperor, had a sharp eye, and was a loyal person who slaughtered dogs ever since the ancient times.

    Although the brothers in the army were not high officials, and did not have any illustrious families supporting them, but when it came to their lives, the soldiers in the army were the real weapons that could be used to kill people. Shangguan Yong''s brothers were this man''s connections in the military. If the future General Shangguan did not have these old brothers, how could he have become famous after so many battles?

    "I''ll be right back," Shangguan Yong whispered into her ear.

    "Alright," An Jin answered.

    Shangguan Yong didn''t want to leave, but he could only stride out of the room. How could the little girl in the room worry him so much when he was drinking? Looking at his brothers who were crowded in front of the door, Shangguan Yong shook his head helplessly.

    "Shangguan elder brother, today we are not going to talk about respect and inferiority," someone from the crowd shouted. "If we don''t enjoy this wine, then elder brother can''t enter the bridal chamber!"

    Shangguan Yong pointed at the group of jeering men and led them to the courtyard. When he turned around, he saw his brother-in-law standing there, talking with a few martial artists and gesturing with his hands and feet. "Fifth Young Master." Shangguan Yong stopped and called out to An Yuanzhi.

    An Yuanzhi walked up to Shangguan Yong and said with a smile: "Brother-in-law, just call me Yuanzhi."

    "Yuan Zhi." Shangguan Yong didn''t bother being polite with An Yuanzhi, immediately changing his words. This was the brother of An Jin''s mother, and Shangguan Yong had instinctively treated his brother-in-law as his own brother. "Let''s go ahead and drink. How''s your alcohol tolerance?" Shangguan Yong asked An Yuanzhi: "How much alcohol can you cover for me?"

    "Me?" An Yuanzhi smiled. "I won''t get drunk even if it''s a thousand cups. Brother-in-law, don''t worry. For my sister''s sake, I will do my best."

    The surrounding military officials looked at An Yuanzhi''s handsome face and found it hard to believe that this pretty boy had the ability to do so.

    Shangguan Yong, however, did not suspect him. He patted An Yuanzhi on the shoulder and said: "Alright, then Yuanzhi will stay with me until he''s drunk."

    This was the first time that An Yuanzhi had come into contact with a military man. It was a novelty, but at the same time, he felt that joining the army was the only way for him in the future. When he was with these martial artists, he felt at ease as never before. "Brother-in-law, please!" An Yuanzhi waved his hand at Shangguan Yong, gesturing him to go.

    A banquet was set up in both the front hall and the front yard. The wine was a strong alcohol used in the military, and the dishes were all big fish and big meat. It was not delicate, but it was enough to show the sincerity of the host. Shangguan Yong''s alcohol tolerance had always been good, but after drinking a few cups today, he felt a little drunk. Not only were his steps weak, but he also felt dizzy.

    An Yuanzhi was accompanying Shangguan Yong, and he truly did have the ability to keep himself sober. Even after a few rounds of drinking, the fifth young master of the Residence of An was still calm and composed. Everyone in the army recognized him. An Yuanzhi was a young master who could not see the looks of a noble family''s young master; he was neither hypocritical nor pretentious. In a single round of drinking, he had already been treated as one of Shangguan Yong''s brothers.

    The day''s worth of time passed by passionately and noisily. Shangguan Yong smelled the alcohol on the room and couldn''t see the person in front of him clearly because of the drunkenness. Seeing the sky darken, two old military officials from the military dragged Shangguan Yong out of the lobby. The Shangguan family didn''t have many rooms, the two directly brought Shangguan Yong to Shangguan Rui''s room and gave him a big bowl of hard liquor and soup.

    After an hour of drinking, Shangguan Yong regained his senses and asked: "Where am I?"

    The two old military officials laughed. "Have you forgotten about the beautiful lady in the new room?"

    Shangguan Yong tilted his head to the side as he listened to the noise coming from the front yard, he suddenly jumped up from his chair and was about to walk out of the room.

    "Where are you going?" An old military official pulled Shangguan Yong back and asked.

    "I''ll go," Shangguan Yong stammered. "I ˇ­ I''ll go back to the bridal chamber, back to the bridal chamber."

    Looking at General Shangguan''s flustered look, the two old military officials sighed in their hearts. How could he have gotten out of the military camp? How old are you? Why are you so shy when it comes to women?

    An Jinxiu heard the door ring, and then she heard the nanny who had accompanied her for the day calling for the general. She knew that Shangguan Yong had returned.

    Zi Yuan, who was standing beside An Jinxiu, said to her in a soft voice, "Miss, Young Master seems to have drank quite a bit. Erm, it''s time for me to leave. Miss, are you all right here by yourself?"

    "Silly girl!" An Jinxiu said a few words to Zi Yuan.

    "Miss, we''re going out!" Seeing that everyone was walking out, the wedding nanny laughed and said, "You can''t stay with your young lady on this day."

    Zi Yuan looked at Shangguan Yong, and quickly looked away in fear. Young Master Shangguan was not as ugly as the rumors claimed, but he looked tall and mighty, and his temper looks like wasn''t very good.

    Shangguan Yong looked at Zi Yuan and smiled. This was the person who came to Shangguan family with An Jinxiu. They would have to meet every day in the future.

    Zi Yuan lowered her head and ran past Shangguan Yong, not even daring to look up.

    The nanny then followed Shangguan Yong and said some auspicious words. After receiving Shangguan Yong''s reward, she happily walked out.

    Shangguan Yong closed the door and walked to the bedside. Without delay, he picked up the scale and removed the red cap on An Jin''s head, before staring blankly at her.

    An Jinxiu also raised her head to look at Shangguan Yong. She had not expected to be able to remain so calm after seeing this man for so many years. It was as if she had finally gotten what she wanted, but it was no longer as impetuous as before. His eyebrows were dark, his eyes were deep, and he had a high nose bridge. His hair was always dry, and his lips were light in color. Upon closer inspection, her man was actually very handsome.

 24 Wedding Nigh

    This chapter contains mature and explicit scenes. Reader discretion is advised.

    "I ˇ­" This was the first time Shangguan Yong had looked at his wife so closely. Was a this person really his wife? All of a sudden, Shangguan Yong started to suspect that he was in a dream again. "You look even better than an immortal fairy." For some reason, Shangguan Yong suddenly said this to An Jin.

    Memories on the wedding night of the past life came in, "You look even better than a fairy, the man had told her, but she had only thought him rude at the time. Tears welled up into her eyes.

    She had already decided not to think about the past, but her heart wasn''t in control. If she only knew how to take care of him in her previous life, this man would definitely put her in his hands and protect her for the rest of his life. For Bai Chengze, even she threatened him with his children and forced him and she was a despicable woman that everyone despised, this man would still try his best to take care of her at the border.

    "Why are you crying?" He extended his hand out to wipe her tears, but he felt that he had been rude, and did not dare to put his hand on her face. He could only anxiously ask her: "Did I say something wrong? Or are you not feeling well? Should I get you a doctor? Why are you crying? "

    An Jinxiu raised her hand to wipe away the tears on her face. She raised her head and smiled at Shangguan Yong: "Hubby, aren''t you going to drink a glass of wine with me?"

    She called me Hubby, Hubby! Shangguan Yong''s body stiffened as he turned around to grab the alcohol from the table, but he did not expect to knock the two round stools to the ground.

    An Jinxiu wanted to stand up, but she had been sitting on the bed for the entire day. Her hands and feet were already numb. When she stood up, she couldn''t stop. Her body tilted and she looked like she was about to fall.

    "Be careful!" Shangguan Yong wanted to help her up, but when he saw her fall to the ground, he hurriedly moved to hold the chair and pulled her into his arms.

    It was a warm and wide embrace filled with a strong smell of alcohol. An JinXiu raised her head and looked at Shangguan Yong, her cheeks flushing red. She then called out softly to Shangguan Yong: "Hubby."

    A faint and indistinct incense filled the air that Shangguan Yong was breathing, it was strange that made him feel the throbbing of his heart.

    The man casually tossed the wine cup under the bed, and the lamp and candle were extinguished by the wind of his palm. After the bed curtain was put down, one could still clearly see the person on the bed by the moonlight in front of the window.

    "This room is too small," Shangguan Yong''s side was already as hard as steel, but he still told An Jin. "In the future, I''ll let you live in a big house, just like at the Grand Preceptor''s estate."

    An Jin smiled. "I like it here. The Grand Preceptor''s pavilion has nothing to do with me from now on."

    Shangguan Yong''s heart warmed. After silently looking at the An Jin for a while, he took out a red string from under his pillow and gave it to her, and said: "This is for you, I don''t have the money to give it to you right now. This is the marriage string I asked from the Yue Lao Temple.

    When An Jinxiu saw the red rope, her heart ached. He had given this red string to her in her last life, but she threw it under the bed. However, she saw him burning it down with his own hands on the Yellow Springs dugout. A grown man ran into Yue Lao''s temple to ask for marriage strings, who knew how many people would laugh at him along the way. "Thank you," An Jinxiu grasped the red strings in her hands and said seriously to Shangguan Yong, "I really like it."

    On the night of the wedding, Shangguan Yong had used up all his silver taels to buy the jade bracelets and gold and silver ornaments that the women liked. Although the marriage string was not worth silver, he did have his own heart in his heart as he went to Yue Lao Temple to ask for it. Listening to An Xiuxiu say she liked him, Shangguan Yong''s face curved into a smile, showing his white teeth, "My wife, I like you, too."

    An Jinxing replied with an inaudible "En". She liked him too, but she didn''t have the face to say those words.

    Shangguan Yong''s fingers touched An Jin''s face. He had never felt such smooth skin before. Shangguan Yong felt that someone had set a fire on his body, making him feel uncomfortable.

    An Jinxiu lifted her hand to touch Shangguan Yong''s forehead. At this moment, her husband was already sweating profusely, which made his heart ache a little for her.

    His ice-cold hand lightly brushed the top of his head, and a "pa" sound rang out in Shangguan Yong''s head, as if something had broken. His large hand stopped in front of her chest, Shangguan Yong said hoarsely to her, "Ah Jin, I want you."

    "Un." Another barely audible sound rang out, but it was as if the cage that imprisoned Shangguan Yong was opened.

    This was the first time he had taken off a woman''s clothes, and Shangguan Yong was at a loss as to what to do. He had only taken off the belt on her corset and hadn''t taken it off for a long time. In a moment of desperation, Shangguan Yong used some strength in his hand, and with a "hiss", the thin corset was cut in half along with the belt.

    "Ya!" An Jinxiu exclaimed as she reached out her hand to cover her chest.

    "Don''t!" After Shangguan Yong shouted, he held down An Jin''s hands and lowered his head to take the two white and tender "buns" in front of him. After sucking them vigorously, the two red "cherries" turned into a bright red color.

    An Jin twisted her body a few times on the bed in an attempt to avoid Shangguan Yong''s suckling. Unexpectedly, her clothes were also ripped off by the man.

    "Ah Jin" Shangguan Yong''s eyes were bloodshot, but he did not forget to tell her: "Don''t be afraid."

    An Jinxiu dodged Shangguan Yong''s burning gaze and asked in a low voice, "Are you not going to take off your clothes?"

    Shangguan Yong''s clothes were taken off in a blink of an eye, his muscular body was half kneeling on the bed, like a small mountain. An Jinxiu stole a glance before looking away. She thought it would be a good idea to smile when they were married for two lifetimes. It should be normal for them to have sex, but for some reason, she didn''t dare to look at the body in front of her.

    Both legs spread apart and held by Shangguan Yong''s waist, An Jin turned her head to the side, not looking at Shangguan Yong''s face. She was a bit shy, a bit expectant, and even a bit glad that her body was clean in this life. Even her heart was clean.

    Shangguan Yong looked at the blossoming flower in front of him, and his throat felt a few quick chokes, before he stretched out his hand.

    An Jinxiu let out a light humph. Her body twisted a few times as if she wanted to escape, but she didn''t expect that not only was she unable to escape, she was even unable to escape.

    Shangguan Yong gave a muffled grunt, a small box appeared in his hands, and said to An Jin: "Don''t be afraid, I won''t hurt you."

    An Jinxiu could smell the fragrance of a flower, but it was too faint and she could not identify which flower it was.

    "Wiping this doesn''t hurt anymore." Shangguan Yong used his fingers to dig out some ointment and said to An Jin, "Don''t be afraid."

    So it was an ointment. Only now did An Jin remember that Shangguan Yong had used this on the wedding night in his previous life. However, An Jinxiu slightly frowned and asked Shangguan Yong: "Is it from the military?"

    Shangguan Yong nodded, this was what his two brothers in the army had given him before he entered the new room. According to the two brothers, Shangguan Yong was a tough guy in the military, while An Jinxiu was a petite and delicate young noble lady. Without some ointment, his'' spear ''might not even make it into the'' flower cave ''. He carelessly smeared some on the object beneath his feet, and then carefully applied it onto An Jin. He held his breath and stuck a finger in, and soon after, Shangguan Yong discovered that something was tightly twisting around his finger, and it even made him feel pain.

    An Jinxiu''s face turned completely red. She could feel the finger in her body slowly probing deeper and deeper. She shouted, "Stop!"

    It was as if he was once again on the battlefield, and below him was a piece of land that he wanted to fight for. After he struggled to enter, Shangguan Yong felt that he had entered a warm and compact place.

    An Jinxiu screamed. She had tried her best to relax her body, but she still couldn''t bear the pain.

    An Jinxiu''s scream made Shangguan Yong not dare to move, he buried himself in warmth, but he could not move. It was not a pleasant feeling, but Shangguan Yong still asked her in a hoarse voice: "Did it hurt too much?"

    After taking a deep breath, An Jinxiu did not speak, she only rubbed her legs against Shangguan Yong''s waist.

    At this moment, Shangguan Yong did not need anyone to teach him what to do. Following the original instincts of his body, he started moving within An Jin''s body. As Shangguan Yong''s movements became more violent, the occasional moans and moans came out from the corners of her lips. This sound was very low, but it was as if a gale had passed through Shangguan Yong''s heart, causing him to lose his consciousness.

    After the peak of her happiness had swept across her entire body, An Jinxiu screamed out once again. Her entire body twitched as it went limp under Shangguan Yong''s feet, and she was unable to recover for a long time.

    Shangguan Yong''s'' silver spear ''could not move at all after being twisted by An Jin''s spasms. With a muffled groan, Shangguan Yong leaned against An Jin''s body, his face was leaning against his face, sweat was mixing together, and their ragged breathing was close by their ears, they could not distinguish clearly and did not have the heart to distinguish any more. Shangguan Yong awkwardly put his lips on An Jin''s lips. It was unknown how long it took until she opened her lips. Only then did General Shangguan know to pester An Jin''s lips.

    Her lower body was covered in water, but the things that were buried in her body were still hard. An Jinxiu pushed Shangguan Yong who was hiding in front of her. Even if she was short and bitter, a moment''s worth of gold, she still wanted to rest. Shangguan Yong, on the other hand, misunderstood her intentions, treating this push as a silent urging, and immediately began to work hard on An Jin''s body again.

    The initial pain had long since passed. An Jin was trembling as she experienced the joy of being in love. As a woman, she was reserved. Shangguan Yong sent her away like the wind and rain, but An Jin had forgotten all about it. "General, please spare me, I can''t take it anymore, general ˇ­" The broken cries for mercy sounded like an unbearable moan from An Jinxiu as they echoed around Shangguan Yong''s soul.

    "That''s great!" Shangguan Yong growled. He lowered his body and finally the soft object slipped out of his body.

    An Jinxiu choked with sobs. Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked pitifully at her husband, who was lying beside her.

 25 The War at the 25th Frontier

    Shangguan Yong stretched out his hand under An Jin''s body. His hands were wet and slippery, and he had just tasted a woman. He touched the flowers one by one, as if he was drawing a picture, afraid that he would miss something if he wasn''t careful enough. Two fingers with calluses on them swept across the flower core as if it was fun to enjoy. Soon after, they fell in love with the flower core and started kneading the two pieces of tender flesh whose color couldn''t be discerned.

    "I don''t want it anymore!" An Jinxiu struggled but was unable to open her mouth. Suddenly, she screamed. She raised her body as if she was going to sit up, but in the end, her entire body trembled as she slumped against the bed.

    The wet and slippery liquid sprayed onto Shangguan Yong''s hands, and he was momentarily stunned. When he recovered from his shock, he laughed out loud with a pleased expression.

    An Jinxiu used her hands to cover her face. This man used two fingers to make her lose face, causing her to feel embarrassed. After hearing Shangguan Yong''s laughter, An Jinxiu took her hand away, and looked at Shangguan Yong reproachfully. Unexpectedly, her body was still trembling from the lingering scent, and the ''silver spear'' of General Shangguan once again stabbed deeply into her chest.

    For Shangguan Yong, the only things left in the world were the bed and the woman beneath him, fiercely seizing and conquering her. This was the only thought in his mind.

    The soft, broken moan, the hurried breathing, and the sound of water splashing on the bed made everyone blush. This was the first time they had heard such a beautiful scene in the middle of summer.

    In the living room, even though the man was busy with his own matters, the feast continued. Even An Yuanzhi stayed behind and did not leave.

    At dawn, with the sound of muffled thunder, it began to rain. As the drops of rain grew heavier, it turned into a heavy rain, washing away all the heat in the capital.

    "Timely Rain!" During the banquet, Shangguan Yong''s military brothers said happily: "If it keeps getting hotter, I''m going to have a fever!"

    An Yuanzhi said with a smile, "Then, it looks like today is a good day?"

    "Yesterday was a good day!" The military officer affectionately patted An Yuanzhi''s shoulder and said, "How can the day of Shangguan''s big brother''s wedding not be a good one?"

    In the pouring rain, a tamed horse of a relay station outside the capital rushed towards the north gate of the capital. The messenger stopped his horse and shouted towards the city gate, "White Jade Mountain Pass, open the gate!"

    The general on duty at the top of the city gate tower heard the urgent news and ordered his men, "Open the gate!"

    The messenger whipped his horse and rushed into the capital, madly rushing in the direction of the Imperial Palace.

    The generals and soldiers standing on the city gate tower were anxious. The White Jade Mountain Pass was the gateway to the north. Was there a war at the border?

    Emperor Shizong did not summon his concubine to sleep today, but stayed alone in the imperial study. In his dreamy dreams, he saw the married women of the An clan from yesterday. This little girl had caused the Shizong to sleep very uncomfortably tonight.

    "Your Majesty, there''s an urgent report from the borders."

    "Announce him to the palace," Shizong''s gloomy voice rang out from the dragon bed.

    The messenger followed Eunuch Xie into the royal study and knelt with his head bowed. The army newspaper was raised above his head. Eunuch Xie hurriedly took it from the messenger and presented it to Shizong.

    The Shizong read through the imperial army newspaper in ten lines. The one hundred thousand soldiers of the Northern Government had arrived at the White Jade Mountain Pass. The White Jade Mountain Pass general, the great general Yang Rui, had sent an urgent letter requesting the imperial government to increase the number of troops at the White Jade Mountain Pass.

    "When you left, how was the battle at White Jade Mountain Pass?" After putting down the military newspaper, the Shizong asked the messenger from the White Jade Mountain Pass Army.

    "Reporting to Your Majesty, General Yang won''t be able to hold on until the imperial government''s reinforcements arrive at White Jade Mountain Pass. Then he''ll come out to meet the enemy."

    "Yes," the leader responded. "Return to White Jade Mountain Pass immediately and inform Yang Rui that reinforcements from the imperial government will arrive soon. Let him endure for a few more days."

    The messenger took his orders and left.

    Shizong then ordered, "Go to Chuanan University. Zhou Xiaorong, the Military Department, the Department of Revenue, as well as a few generals in the capital."

    After receiving the decree, Eunuch Xie left the royal study, trotting all the way out of the palace to deliver the decree.

    The Shizong took out the list of the generals in the capital from the documents stacked on top of each other and sent troops to the White Jade Mountain Pass. The troops in the capital''s vicinity could not be mobilized, and could only be dispatched from the various prefectures. The Shizong weighed the gains and losses of the general he had sent, making a line on the list from time to time. After flipping through a few pages, he saw Shangguan Yong''s name.

    Shangguan Yong was newly married, and should not have been sent out to fight, but after some hesitation, the Emperor drew a mark on the back of Shangguan Yong''s name when he thought of the An Family''s daughter who had disturbed his sleep for the night.

    An hour later, Grand Preceptor An, Zhou Xiang, and the Military Department''s Minister of Imperial Household, along with several generals from the capital, arrived at the palace overnight and stood behind the royal desk of the sect. After the urgent letter of Yang Rui''s personal letter was passed around, all the ministers turned to look at Shizong.

    "The Ministry of War and the Department of Revenue need to transfer troops and money and rations." The Great General Zhou Yi took over the general''s register and said, "I order you to be the marshal of this army. I also want to draw up the generals assigned to you, Zhou Qing, don''t disappoint me."

    Holding the register in his hand, Zhou Yi kneeled down and kowtowed to the World Sect: "This general will not disgrace the Holy Spirit. I will kill all the barbarians of Northern Turks without any chance of returning!"

    "Go," said the world''s patriarch, "You will leave the capital tomorrow and go to Zhongzhou. The troops that will be sent from each prefecture will all gather there."

    The Great Zong was a military arrangement made by the emperor on horseback. The generals in the imperial study had no ill intentions.

    Zhou Yi took the register and left the imperial study. He could no longer participate in the following negotiations on the army redeployed by the monarchs and ministers, or in the matters of military conscription. If the current generation wanted him to leave the capital tomorrow, then he would have to prepare his luggage for the night and notify the sect in the register that he had personally arranged to follow him in preparing to leave the capital.

    After returning home, Zhou Yi wanted his personal guards to go to the register to find someone.

    "General," a trusted aide of Zhou Yi who was looking at the list suddenly pointed at it and said to Zhou Yi, "Is Shangguan Yong going to fight this time? Didn''t he just get married yesterday? "

    Zhou Yi was stunned. He took over the register and saw that Shangguan Yong''s name had indeed been marked by the Emperor.

    "Could it be that His Majesty made a mistake?" Or did His Majesty forget about Shangguan Yong''s marriage? " Another trusted aide guessed.

    Zhou Yi shook his head. "How could His Majesty make a mistake when sending out generals?"

    "Shangguan Yong married the Grand Preceptor''s daughter," one of his aides said. "Yesterday, the couple even kowtowed in front of the palace to thank the emperor for his kindness. His Majesty won''t forget about Shangguan Yong''s wedding."

    Zhou Yi closed the register and smiled. "The correct way to do battle is to join the army on the battlefield. Your Majesty is giving this son-in-law a chance." He lowered his voice when he thought about how Grand Preceptor An had come to the imperial study before, and said to his trusted aides and aides, "The Grand Preceptor must have put in a lot of effort this time."

    The aides did not say anything else.

    Zhou Yi added as he looked at the roster, "The only thing to ask for money on the battlefield is whether Shangguan Weizhong has the ability to do so."

    Everyone in the study had their own guesses, guessing what General Zhou was thinking about Shangguan Yong.

    Zhou Yi gave the list to his janissary commander and specifically said, "Tonight is General Shangguan''s wedding night. When the sun rises, we can report to the government."

    The leader of the janissaries accepted the order and left with the register.

    At this moment, a clap of thunder rang out in the sky. It was unknown just how many people of the capital were disturbed from their beautiful dreams.

    On the other hand, An Jin fell into a deep sleep under Shangguan Yong, and Shangguan Yong was completely unaware of the thunder in the horizon, and his beautiful wife had already passed out, but he was still sweating profusely on his soft and delicate body, like a farmer who had worked hard to cultivate in the fields. Shangguan Yong wanted to plant his own blood essence inside her body, and also wanted to knead his body into his own blood and bones, and never be separated again.

    After a quick and violent rhythmic movement, Shangguan Yong growled as his seed flowed out from his body. Only then did he stop to take a closer look at the sleeping An Jin. The sweat-dripping face was not even the size of his palm, the jet-black hair was disheveled, quite a number of it was stuck to his cheek, the makeup on his face had been melted away by the sweat, and the pure face was still beautiful enough to make Shangguan Yong''s heart palpitate.

    Shangguan Yong had always thought that perhaps he was the life of a lonely widow, but now looking at the An Jin embroidery beneath his feet, Shangguan Yong thought that perhaps he was waiting for this little girl to grow up, which was why he couldn''t find the fate of husband and wife.

    "I will treat you well," Shangguan Yong whispered into An Jin''s ear.

    The comatose An Jin''s lips curled up into a smile, as if she had heard Shangguan Yong''s promise.

    Seeing that the sky had already turned white, Shangguan Yong didn''t continue having sex. He simply embraced An Jinxiu, closed his eyes, and refused to move away from her body. Just like that, An Jinxiu fell asleep with his'' silver spear ''in her cave.

    Zhou Yi''s janissaries walked into the main hall at dawn, where the Shangguan household was still bustling with noise and excitement.

    Shangguan Yong and An Jin were awakened by the knock on the door, and they heard the person who knocked on the door say loudly: "Shangguan Big Bro, wake up, there''s a war happening at White Jade Mountain Pass, we''re going with General Zhou to fight at White Jade Castle, we''ll leave today!"

    Shangguan Yong''s sleepiness was scared away by the four words of war, and he almost jumped out of his new bed.

    After the object under her left, An Jinxiu felt a large puddle of mucus gushing out from under her body as if a dam had collapsed. However, she was too shy to care about that now. Her mind was full of Shangguan Yong''s departure? On their first day of marriage?

    Shangguan Yong hurriedly put on his clothes and left the room, but after a while he walked back in again. With a guilty look on his face, he stood beside the bed and said to An Jin, "Ah Jin, it''s His Majesty''s personal order for me to set off. I ˇ­ I''m going to leave now, to the White Jade Mountain Pass."

    "The North Turk is calling again?" An Jin asked.

    Shangguan Yong nodded and said: "The Northern Turks are coming again."

    An Jin sat on the bed and wiped herself with the red bedsheet. After she wore her clothes, she got off the bed and said to Shangguan Yong: "I''ll prepare the luggage for you."

    "Go wash yourself," Shangguan Yong said as he blocked her path, "I''ll clean up myself."

    An Jinxiu had already walked to the door, opened it and shouted towards the side room in the courtyard, "Has Zi Yuan woken up? Bring me some hot water for the general to scrub. "

    "Yes!" Zi Yuan responded loudly in the side room. Soon, the entire Shangguan Family busied themselves.

 26 Separation

    After the hot water was sent to his room, Shangguan Yong was urged by An Jinxiu to quickly wash his face behind the screen.

    When he came out, he saw his little wife sitting on the bed folding clothes for him to take away, while the small clothes were already placed on the side of the bed along with the steaming hot porridge and steamed buns.

    "Eat some before you go out," An Jinxiu heard Shangguan Yong''s footsteps and called out to him, "Zi Yuan just went to the kitchen and got here. It''s still warm."

    Shangguan Yong sat down next to An Jin, drinking hot porridge. Seeing An Jin''s nimble hands and feet meticulously packing his luggage, Shangguan Yong suddenly had the illusion that he wasn''t newly married, but an old married couple who had been married for many years.

    "I''ve wrapped some winter clothes for you," An Jin softly said to Shangguan Yong. "I''m afraid that after you go, the Winter will still be outside."

    Shangguan Yong said: "The army will issue winter clothes."

    "How could Dong Yi be better than our family''s?" An Jinxiu lowered her head and said, "I originally wanted to make a set of Dong Yi for you, but it''s too late."

    Shangguan Yong put down the empty bowl of porridge, and pulled An Jin''s hand away. He said, "There''s still hot water behind the screen, I haven''t used it before. You go wash up too, I''ll do it here."

    An Jinxiu acknowledged and got up to walk behind the screen. Without washing herself, her lower body was still wet, and it did not feel good to move as if something was still flowing out of her body.

    Shangguan Yong prepared to pack his own luggage, but only then did he realise that An Jin had already packed his luggage, even the Golden Sore Medicine. All he had to do was tie a knot for his luggage. Shangguan Yong picked up another steamed bun and started eating, looking at his luggage before looking at his new room, he grinned foolishly, he finally have a wife that will take care him.

    An Jin stood behind the screen, her hand pressed against her slightly bulging stomach. Her lower body seemed to be unable to control itself as more and more white Qi flowed out of it. Although no one had seen it, An Jin''s face was still red. Just how many children did Shangguan Yong plant in her stomach last night? Could it be that even after she fell asleep, this man still hadn''t stopped?

    "Big brother!" Shangguan Rui''s voice came from outside the door, "Can sister and I come in?"

    When he thought of the fact that the Ah Jin was still washing up, Shangguan Yong hurriedly got up and walked out of the house, saying: "You guys wait here, big brother will come out to see you guys."

    Outside the new room, Shangguan Rui stood in front of the door with Shangguan Ning who was still sleepy. Seeing Shangguan Yong come out, Shangguan Rui hurriedly said: "Big brother, you''re going to war?"

    "Mm," Shangguan Yong said: "I don''t know when I''ll be back, but you guys have to listen to my wife at home."

    "Brother, can you not go?" When Shangguan Ning heard that his big brother was really going on a long journey, she immediately bit her lips and looked as if she was about to cry.

    An Jinxiu changed into her usual clothes and walked out of the room. Her lower body was sore, and her steps were unsteady. Shangguan Yong quickly reached out his hand to help her.

    "Eldest Sister-in-Law." When Shangguan Rui saw An Jinxiu, he immediately greeted her in a formal manner.

    "Ning''er," Shangguan Yong said to Shangguan Ning, "Have you seen your sister-in-law yet?"

    Shangguan Ning, on the other hand, only looked at An Jinxiu. Anyone who saw her, even if it was her sister-in-law, was still a stranger to a six-year-old girl.

    When Shangguan Yong saw that Shangguan Ning was only staring at An Jinxiu and not calling out to her, he became a bit anxious. He was just about to call out to Shangguan Ning when he heard An Jinxiu gently say: "Little Uncle, Little Aunt Ning, I''m the An family, your eldest sister-in-law. We''ll be family from now on."

    "Eldest Sister-in-law is so beautiful." Shangguan Ning stared at the woman for a long time before suddenly opening his mouth to reply.

    "Little girl," Shangguan Yong smiled. Seeing that his younger brother and sister were getting along well with An Jin, he left with a peace of mind.

    "Big Brother, can you not leave?" Hearing Shangguan Yong''s words, Shangguan Ning remembered that his elder brother was about to go on a long journey, and he rushed over to hug Shangguan Yong''s knees and said coquettishly.

    Shangguan Rui pulled Shangguan Ning and said: "We can''t disobey the imperial orders, don''t cause trouble with Big Bro."

    Shangguan Ning turned around and frowned at his second brother, "Little old man!"

    Shangguan Rui was a teenager, so he didn''t argue with his little sister, he just patted Shangguan Ning''s head.

    He wanted to help Shangguan Yong take his luggage out of the house, but how could Shangguan Yong let him carry anything heavy? He brought his sister-in-law into the room, and immediately put the luggage on his bed, then followed Shangguan Rui and Ning. "Big brother, I''ll say it again, when Big brother is not at home, you guys have to listen to Eldest Sister-in-Law!"

    Shangguan Rui immediately nodded. Seeing Shangguan Rui nod, Shangguan Ning also nodded.

    Shangguan Yong turned to look at An Jin. It was the day of their wedding, and he was reluctant to leave.

    "I ˇ­"

    "You don''t need to call yourself that," Shangguan Yong interrupted An Jin''s words. "Our family doesn''t have these rules, you''re my wife, not some concubine."

    "Alright, I''ll send the general out," An Jinxiu corrected herself obediently.

    Outside the door, the military officials who wanted to follow Shangguan Yong to the White Jade Pass were waiting there. When they saw Shangguan Yong and An Jin coming out one after the other, they all smiled and said, "This is Sister-in-law?"

    Shangguan Yong looked at his brothers who were staring at An Jin with displeasure. If it was possible, Shangguan Yong didn''t want anyone to see this little wife of his.

    On the other hand, An Jin bowed towards the brothers of Shangguan Yong and said gracefully: "Everyone here are my general''s brothers, I am Shangguan Anshi. Thank you very much."

    At first, they had been worried about the Grand Preceptor''s daughter, but the woman from the house of the Marquis was not someone their eldest brother could bear. No one had expected An Jin to salute them. When he finally reacted, one of the military officials cupped his fist and bowed to her, while the others followed suit.

    "I hope that everyone will take good care of this expedition," An Jinxiu said as she sidestepped everyone''s salute.

    "Sister-in-law, how can we be considered masters?" the thick-skinned military official joked. "They all call me Qing Nan. You can just call me that too."

    "Qing Nan, in my previous life, this young man who helped Bai Chengze become Emperor through his services of a dragon and obtained the title of Marquis Yuan. Out of Shangguan Yong''s brothers, he was the most vicious and merciless when it came to fighting." Brother Qing, "An Jinxiu called out to Qing Nan," It''s better if we don''t die together and get hurt.

    Shangguan Yong heard something from An Jinxiu''s words, he turned to her and said, "Don''t worry, I will come back, just wait for me at home." As he said this, Shangguan Yong remembered something and whispered to her in a low voice, "I will fold the sheets, you don''t need to wash."

    An Jinxiu knew what Shangguan Yong was talking about and blushed when she thought of the red bedsheets on the first night, so she couldn''t help but blush.

    "That''s right, sister-in-law. We will all return. We brothers don''t even care about a mere North Turk!" After Qing Nan had spoken to An Jin, her mood had improved. Qing Nan said loudly, "With Big Brother Shangguan leading us around, we''ll definitely be fine!"

    "Are you flirting with your sister-in-law? Elder Brother Shangguan owes you? " Some military officials started to mock Qing Nan.

    An Jinxiu looked at the group of martial artists in front of her. Although this group of people spoke without restraint, they felt at ease inside her heart. At the very least, this group of people deserved to be trusted.

    Shangguan Yong was no longer willing to part with his new wife, he looked at the sky and had no choice but to leave. "I''ll leave the family to you, wait for me to come back," he warned her one last time before mounting the horse and leaving with his brothers.

    "Yuan Zhi." An JinXiu stood in front of the door and watched Shangguan Yong and his men leave. She then said to An Yuanzhi who was accompanying her, "Let''s drive them out of the city in a carriage."

    How could An Yuanzhi not know? He turned around and went out to hire a carriage.

    After the troops that had gone far to the White Jade Mountain Pass had assembled at the military arena in the east of the capital, they passed through the capital and arrived at the north gate of the capital.

    At this time, the North Gate was already in full swing, with crowds of people. Not only did the Emperor bring the princes and civil and military officials of the imperial court out of the North City to send off their departure, but the commoners of the capital had also come with their elders and children to send off these soldiers who were on their way to the border.

    Shangguan Yong was the first to arrive at the north gate with the vanguard camp. When he saw Shizong''s imperial carriage from afar, he quickly dismounted and waited at the same place. When General Zhou Yi arrived in the middle of the army, the military officials followed him. They led their war horses and walked to the front of the sect to kneel before him.

    The Shizong personally helped Zhou Yi up and ordered the servants to bring the generals three cups of strong wine from the palace.

    "Imperial Father," Crown Prince Xiao Bai promised as he placed a cup of wine in front of the Shizong.

    The Emperor held up a jade bowl filled with wine and said to the generals, "Everyone, go to the thousand mile borders. Today, I shall send you off as many brave men as possible. "I pray that men will follow the will of men and be born steely and unyielding. I will not let down my hopes!"

    After the officials drank three bowls of strong wine, they threw the bowls of wine in their hands on the ground, indicating that they would rather break them into pieces than leave White Jade Mountain Pass.

    Outside the north gate was the largest flower market in the capital. At this moment, the rich fragrance of the flowers in the air was replaced by the pungent smell of alcohol. The flag fluttered in the wind, and the sounds of fighting rang out.

    Zhou Yi jumped onto his horse, pointed his sword towards the north, and shouted, "The three armies, listen to my command, move out!"

    After Shangguan Yong got on the horse, he heard his Second Brother Shangguan Rui calling out to him big brother from the crowd of people who were sending him off. Shangguan Yong looked towards the source of the sound and immediately saw An Jin who was standing in the crowd.

    She was a married woman and couldn''t shout in the crowd like the men and children. She could only tell Shangguan Yong that she was waiting for him at home.

    When Shangguan Yong saw the red string, his heart warmed, and he nodded vigorously at the An Jin. He would return, for the sake of his wife, who was even more petite in the crowd, and for the sake of his siblings, he would definitely return safely. In the past, Shangguan Yong thought that with his background, it would be good enough to raise his siblings well. But today, Shangguan Yong had more hopes for the future. The word ''wife'' floated into Shangguan Yong''s mind. Riding on the horse, Shangguan Yong turned to look at the little wife. He would never forget her, but General Shangguan just wanted to see her a few more times.

    As the army of the expedition moved further and further away, Shizong sat in his imperial carriage and felt the wind brush against his face. He followed the wind''s direction and saw An Jin standing quietly in the crowd. The Emperor was stunned. When they first met, this young woman was still a young girl. It was just that they hadn''t seen her for a night, but she was already dressed like a married woman.

 27 Bai Chengze Gentleness

    "Your Majesty?" Under the imperial carriage, Eunuch Xie whispered, "Your Majesty, are you going to take the carriage back to the palace?"

    The Emperor didn''t care about the auspicious circumstances, he just looked at An Jin. That''s right, the Emperor recalled that An Jin had married Shangguan Yong yesterday and was now the Shangguan Family''s daughter-in-law.

    The current An Jin was dressed in old clothes. Her face was plain to the eye, and there was a hint of worry on her face. She didn''t look like a newlyweds at all. The Shizong felt a sudden sense of regret. He had overdone it by telling Shangguan Yong to set off on his wedding day.

    "Eldest Sister-in-Law, Big Brother has left." At this time, Shangguan Ning pulled on An Jin''s dress and said with a pout, "Eldest Sister-in-Law, when will Big Brother return?"

    An Jinxiu bent down and picked up Shangguan Ning, patting her little face lovingly, smiling as she said, "After Big Bro finishes his fight, he''ll be back. Ning''er and Big Sis will be together at home waiting for Big Bro to come back, okay?"

    Shangguan Ning looked towards Shangguan Yong''s direction unwillingly. At this time, the expedition team was already nowhere to be seen, so Shangguan Ning buried her face in An Jin''s bosom.

    "I want to go too!" An Yuanzhi said, "Sis, when do you think I''ll be joining the army?"

    "Wait until you''ve refined your martial arts a bit more," An Jinxiu said to An Yuanzhi as she turned around and walked into the city with Shangguan Ning in her arms.

    An Yuanzhi and Shangguan Rui followed behind her. Ah Yuanzhi wasunconvinced. "My martial arts are already very good. Sis, have you seen me practice martial arts?"

    She turned around and smiled apologetically to An Yuanzhi. "Yes, yes, yes. I haven''t seen you practice martial arts before, but you just have to wait for your brother-in-law to come back. Along with him in the army, I can rest easy."

    "Join the army with brother-in-law?"

    "He''s a general after all, isn''t it better for him to mention you on the side than joining the army in the dark?" As An Jinxiu spoke, she saw that An Yuanzhi''s face was covered in sweat. She quickly wiped it off with the invitation in her hand, "It''s too hot today. When we get home, I''ll make some heatwave soup for you."

    An Yuanzhi was already used to An Jinxiu''s company. He did not avoid her movements, but instead slightly bent over so that she could reach his forehead.

    "Heatwave Soup." When Shangguan Ning heard that there was food to eat, her mood improved a bit. She immediately asked An Jin, "Eldest Sister-in-law, is it sweet?"

    An Jinxiu wiped the sweat off An Yuanzhi''s forehead and wiped the sweat off Shangguan Rui, who was also sweating. She even answered Shangguan Ning''s question with a smile: "Ning''er likes to eat sweet soup? That sister-in-law will make the sweet summer soup. What about Brother-in-law? Do you like sweet food too? "

    Shangguan Rui felt a bit awkward standing and asked An Jinxiu to wipe his sweat. Hearing An Jinxiu''s question, he hurriedly said, "Sis, I''m a man, I don''t like to eat sweet food."

    "Nonsense, Second Brother," Shangguan Ning immediately shouted, "Even Big Brother knows that you love eating sugar the most!"

    Even boys didn''t like to admit their fondness for sweetness when they were older. An Jinxiu looked at Shangguan Rui, pursed her lips and smiled, then raised her eyebrows, "We won''t let others know that little uncle likes sweetness, we''ll know as long as only we know."

    An Yuanzhi hurriedly nodded. "That''s right, we won''t tell anyone else, Wei Jun." An Yuanzhi called out to Shangguan Rui''s calligraphy, "Just relax and eat the candy at home."

    Shangguan Rui was thin-skinned. After hearing what the two siblings said, he lowered his head and walked quickly into the city in embarrassment.

    "Still shy?" An Yuanzhi chased after him with a smile.

    "Second brother is embarrassed." Shangguan Ning was also in An Jin''s embrace, shaving her little face from Shangguan Rui.

    "You little rascal!" An Jin brushed against Shangguan Ning''s nose. She took a step forward and chased after An Yuanzhi and Shangguan Rui, who had already run far away in the blink of an eye.

    The Emperor had seen An Jin''s smile. She had seen An Jin''s pitiful appearance, her gentle smile, and her calm demeanor, but she had seen it all in the eyes of the Emperor.

    Born in a marquis residence, did this woman really willingly become the wife of a general? Even if she was only a concubine, this girl should still marry a better husband.

    "Return to the palace." The Emperor watched as An Jin blended into the crowd and walked far away. They then told the princes and officials standing beside the emperor''s carriage, "You don''t have to follow."

    The Crown Prince took the lead and knelt on the ground, respectfully escorting the Emperor back to the palace.

    The Emperor didn''t pay attention to the kneeling crowd. They only thought to themselves, "If I had such a woman, I would definitely love her as if she were a treasure. It''s a pity that the An clan has such a woman, but she stays in their room and no one knows her."

    "Get back to the palace!" Eunuch Xie shouted from beside the chariot.

    After the royal family entered the city, the Crown Prince entered the city again. After that, the princes and officials dispersed at the North gate.

    An Jinxiu carried Shangguan Ning to where they kept the carriage. An Yuanzhi was already sitting next to the driver, while Shangguan Rui leaned out of the carriage to wait for the carriage.

    Bai Chengze brought his men and walked in front of the carriage. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw that the person carrying the child was An Jinxiu, so he stopped.

    "Sis," An Yuanzhi saw Bai Chengze before An Jinxiu. When he saw Bai Chengze stop his horse and dismount, he quickly asked An Jinxiu to turn around.

    When An Jinxiu turned around, Bai Chengze had already walked up to her. She subconsciously wanted to dodge, but there was nowhere for her to go.

    Bai Chengze stopped when he saw An Jin turn her head and called her softly, "Second Miss."

    An Jinxiu had no choice but to bow towards Bai Chengze and say, "Shangguan Bing greets the Fifth Prince."

    When Shangguan An''s self-proclaimed name entered his ears, Bai Chengze then asked himself, what was he doing in front of this newly married woman? For the letters between them? After pausing for a moment, Bai Chengze said to An Jin, "Yesterday was your wedding day. Although this congratulation came too late, I still want to say it to you."

    An Jinxiu lowered her head and said, "Thank you, Fifth Prince."

    "The border war is urgent, so General Shangguan had no choice but to accompany the troops on the expedition," Bai Chengze added. "Don''t be too sad."

    "This humble one is not sad that the general has served the country."

    "In the future, if you have any difficulties, you can send someone to find me. I will help you."

    An Jinxiu bowed towards Bai Chengze again, "I dare not trouble Fifth Prince."

    Bai Chengze gave An Jin a hand and softly said, "You and I are not strangers, there is no need to be so courteous."

    When An Jinxiu heard Bai Chengze''s words, she only lowered her head and smiled, not saying a word.

    Bai Chengze did not mind the distance between him and An Jin, but smiled and said, "I have other things to do, so I''ll be leaving first. If you need anything in the future, send someone to look for me." With that said, Bai Chengze didn''t wait for An Jinxiu''s reply and returned to his horse, leaving with his men.

    An Yuanzhi wanted to come over, but was stopped by An Jinxiu''s gaze. Now that Bai Chengze had left with his men, he hurriedly said, "Why does Your Highness seem to already know elder sister?"

    An Yuanzhi''s tone was a bit aggressive. An Jinxiu thought that her brother must have heard about her and Bai Chengze when they were at home. She sighed and said to An Yuanzhi, "I met him at the crown prince''s Eastern Palace."

    An Yuanzhi turned his head to look at the Shangguan siblings who were watching them from the carriage. He lowered his voice and asked, "It can''t be that what the family has told me is true, right?"

    "What did my family pass on to me?" asked An Jinxiu.

    An Yuanzhi said, "I heard people discussing it the day before yesterday and said that the Fifth Prince had asked to marry her."

    An Jin''s expression changed. "The servants are spouting nonsense. Are you spouting nonsense too?"

    Seeing that An Jinxing''s expression had changed, An Yuanzhi quickly said, "I don''t believe you. It seems like it''s not bad. The Fifth Prince or anything like that has nothing to do with us."

    Only today would she be able to take a good look at the appearance of the capital city. When she looked back at the people on the streets after another lifetime, she only felt that it was strange and at a loss.

    She had not thought of this battle in July, but Shangguan Yong definitely had not gone along with the army in her previous life. Otherwise, how would he marry her in August? She used to think that it was a good thing that things were different from her previous life, which meant that she would not follow her old path. But now, when she thought of Shangguan Yong, who was on his way to White Jade Mountain Pass, would her husband also fight a hundred battles on the battlefield, just like in her previous life, not letting his enemies hurt him at all?

    When An Yuanzhi saw An Jinxiu''s pale face, he hurriedly apologized to her, "Sis, I''ve said the wrong thing. Don''t be angry, I won''t say such things again, alright?"

    An Jinxiu forced a smile and said, "As long as you trust my mother, it''s fine. As for the other people in the Residence of An, you can say whatever they want. As a married off daughter, are you afraid of their backstory?"

    An Yuanzhi sized up An Jin''s expression and said, "Then are you really not angry?"

    An Jinxiu said, "I was just worried about your brother-in-law all of a sudden."

    An Yuanzhi was just about to say, "How can war not kill people?" The words had almost left his mouth when he suddenly remembered that the person was his brother-in-law, "Brother-in-law will be fine. Brother-in-law, just wait patiently at home for him to come back."

    An Jinxiu looked at him and said, "Are you that sure?"

    An Yuanzhi said matter-of-factly, "Brother-in-law, you can tell from a glance that he isn''t short term. Besides, I haven''t even joined the army yet. How could anything happen to brother-in-law?"

    What does it have to do with you joining the army and keeping up with the army? An Jinxiu shook her head. She had originally thought An Yuanzhi was a mature person, but when they got along, she realized that he was only pretending to be mature. Not only was he a talkative person, but his personality was also extroverted.

    An Yuanzhi led An Jinxing to the carriage and said, "Your Highness looks like a nice person."

    "I didn''t ask you to come forward just now because I didn''t want you to get too close to the Fifth Prince," An Jinxiu had just taken a few steps when she heard An Yuanzhi''s words. She stopped and whispered, "If you want to join the army, focus on practicing martial arts and learning military strategies."

    "That''s exactly what I said," An Yuanzhi laughed without a care. He didn''t understand the profound meaning behind her words. How could a bastard like him, who stayed in a peaceful house and didn''t work in it, speak to the princes and princesses? In An Yuanzhi''s opinion, his older sister had been unable to avoid the Fifth Prince.

    An Jin mounted the carriage and fanned Shangguan Ning while she thought about her own matters. Bai Chengze treated others with gentleness, so he could let go of his position as a prince whenever he interacted with anyone. Such seemingly friendly treatment, in his previous life, had attracted countless helpers to help him become an emperor. In her previous life, An Jinxiu closed her eyes for a moment. Didn''t Bai Chengze, before he became the emperor, still treat a married woman like her with gentleness? What happened in the end?

 28 Bullied again

    "Eldest Sis, look." At this time, Shangguan Ning called for An Jin to look out the window.

    An Jinxiu looked out the window. What attracted Shangguan Ning''s attention was a stall selling masks. "Ning wants it?" An Jinxiu asked Shangguan Ning, but in her heart she was thinking, "In my previous life, why couldn''t I see through the mask on Bai Chengze''s face?"

    Shangguan Ning looked eagerly at the multicolored mask hanging on the stall, but shook his head at An Jinxiu.

    An Jinxiu took out a few copper coins and told An Yuanzhi, who was sitting outside the carriage, "Yuanzhi, Ning''er likes masks. Take her and choose one."

    Shangguan Ning wanted to shake his head and say no, but was carried out by An Yuezhi.

    "Money," An Jinxiu said as she handed the money over to An Yuezhi.

    An Yuanzhi shook his hand and said, "Sis, I still have the money to buy a mask."

    "What does Uncle want?" An Jinxiu turned to ask Shangguan Rui, who had been quietly sitting on the side.

    Shangguan Rui smiled and said, "Sister-in-law, I''m not a child anymore."

    An Jin looked at Shangguan Rui. "Uncle, you should get some clothes too. I''ll do it when I get back."

    "No need," Shangguan Rui hurriedly told An Jinxiu, but she saw An Jinxiu already looking out of the window, muttering what kind of fabric she was going to buy for her family. Shangguan Rui became quiet again. Their family had never been complete, now that their eldest brother was like a father and their eldest sister-in-law was like a mother, following this little sister-in-law into the house, their Shangguan family seemed to finally be complete.

    When the four of them returned home, An Jinxiu hadn''t even gotten out of the carriage when An Yuanzhi said from outside, "What are you guys doing here?"

    Hearing An Yuanzhi''s unkind tone, An Jinxiu hurried to get off the car. She saw the two servants of the Residence of An, standing opposite to her. Their expressions were disrespectful, and their eyes were filled with impatience.

    Shangguan Ning was about to follow An Jin out of the car, but she was stopped by Shangguan Rui. The brother and sister sat in the car and listened to what was happening outside.

    "Second Miss," the woman in charge saw An Jinxiu get off the carriage and bowed to her. "We came to escort Second Miss back to the house."

    An Yuanzhi said, "My brother-in-law went to White Jade Mountain Pass. You didn''t know?"

    The matriarch in charge said, "The matriarch also knows that Second Miss has set off for the war, but the rules passed down by the older generation cannot be abandoned. Second Miss should return to the residence."

    There was no rule for returning home after getting married to a concubine. After An Jinxiu had married out of the Residence of An, she had never thought of returning home again. Now that these two servants had said that it was from the matriarch, An Jinxiu didn''t think that the matriarch had given her face. She didn''t know what was waiting for her in the Residence of An today.

    "You want my sister to come back alone?" An Yuanzhi said, "You''ll have to wait for my brother-in-law to come back if you want to go back, right?"

    The matriarch''s servants looked at each other and was really impatient for the fifth young master. It was already a blessing for the matriarch to ask them to come and fetch the second young miss back. Not only were they not grateful, but one of them even shouted at them in a loud voice with a face full of unwillingness.

    An Jinxiu looked at her neighbors, who were sticking their heads out of the window, and said to Zi Yuan, who was standing in front of the door, "Zi Yuan, carry the young lady to her house."

    Only after hearing An Jinxiu''s words did the woman run in front of the carriage to help Shangguan Ning off the carriage.

    Shangguan Rui had clearly heard the conversation between the An siblings and the matriarchs of the Residence of An. Shangguan Yong hadn''t told Shangguan Rui about An Jin''s family, but Shangguan Rui had relied on these words to confirm that his sister-in-law and her brother didn''t have a high position in the Residence of An. After Shangguan Rui got off the carriage, he asked An Jin, "Eldest Sister-in-law, do you want to go back to the door?"

    "I need to listen to what the elders have to say," An Jinxiu smiled apologetically at Shangguan Rui, saying, "I''ll boil the summer heat soup for you guys when I come back."

    "If you don''t go back, how can those people at home force you?" An Yuanzhi said in dissatisfaction.

    "Don''t say anymore." An JinXiu told An Yuanzhi to stop talking while she told Shangguan Rui to go home first.

    Shangguan Rui wanted to accompany her back to the Residence of An. However, in this world, his brother hadn''t come back yet, so he had to do it with her brother. Shangguan Rui could only tell her: "Then I''ll wait for eldest sister-in-law at home with me."

    "En," An Jinxiu promised Shangguan Rui as she was about to leave.

    Seeing that An Jinxiu was about to leave, Zi Yuan quickly asked, "Miss, do you want me to accompany you back?"

    Zi Yuan''s worry was written on his face. An Jinxiu comfortingly patted his hand and said, "Take care of the door and take care of Miss."

    An Yuanzhi then turned to the old woman in charge. "You came to pick up my sister and bring her over here?" Shall we walk back to the house? "

    The matron in charge said, "It was all the servants'' fault. They thought that there was a car at Second Young Master''s house, so they didn''t bring a sedan chair."

    An Jinxiu stopped An Yuanzhi, who was burning with anger, and said in a voice that did not sound happy or angry, "It''s fine. I''m just taking this carriage back to my house."

    The coachman had business, of course, he would not refuse.

    An Yuanzhi suppressed his anger and got on his horse.

    After An Jin and her group had walked far away, Zi Yuan, who was standing inside the door, said to Shangguan Rui, who was still standing there, "Second Young Master, go back to your room. It''s too late outside."

    Shangguan Rui glanced at Zi Yuan, then turned around and walked into the living room.

    Zi Yuan was scared by Shangguan Rui''s gaze. A thirteen year old teenager like Fifth Young Master and a scholar. His eyes were fierce, as if he could see through everything.

    When they arrived at the Residence of An, they found that there were already many carriages parked in front of the entrance. There were also quite a few servants standing outside the entrance, dressed in palace attire. An Yuanzhi thought to himself, "What''s going on?"

    The gatekeeper replied to An Yuanzhi''s words in a low voice, "Fifth Young Master, the imperial concubine has come back to visit her family."

    F * ck! An Yuanzhi cursed in his heart. This woman was here, why did she need An Jin to come back?

    An Jinxiu got off the carriage and calmly looked at the servants in front of the door. She then paid the coachman to leave first.

    When the steward wife saw that An Jinxiu had paid the bill, she walked up to her and said, "Second Miss, enter the mansion."

    An Jin walked into the Residence of An and told An Yuanzhi to go see their mother. She followed the steward to tea room in the Matriarch''s courtyard and waited.

    After the steward''s wife brought An Jinxiu into the room, she left. An Jin sat by the window in her room. She waited for six hours, but no one came in to talk to her.

    In Matriarch Zhou''s room, the crown prince''s consort, An Jinyan, explained the entire situation in front of the matriarch and Madam Qin. No matter how delicate and barbaric An Jinge was, she did not dare to retort in front of her elder sister, An Jin. She could only lower her head as she received her punishment.

    n¨¦e Qin sat obediently under the matriarch. If it hadn''t been for An Jinyan''s return today, she wouldn''t have been able to leave her own courtyard. The matriarch''s blade-like gaze towards her made her feel apprehensive.

    An Jinyan did not speak any good words for her mother. After she finished lecturing her mother, she used a cup of tea and asked, "How long has Jinxiu been waiting for?"

    The matriarch replied, "It''s been six hours."

    An Jinyan called in the matron in charge and asked, "What is Second Miss doing?"

    The head steward''s wife reported, "To reply esteemed imperial concubine, Second Miss is sitting in her tea room dozing off."

    It seemed that this An Jinxiu was different. If she knew that he was here in the past, this little sister of hers wouldn''t have rushed over to ask for an audience. Now, she was just waiting by the side and taking a nap?

    "Why is she back?" An Jinge still didn''t know about An Jin return. She rolled her eyes and said, "She''s really thick-skinned. Big Sis didn''t want to see her and she even came running over sloppily."

    An Jinyan first told the matron in charge, "Go invite Second Miss in," and then said to Matriarch Zhou, "I taught An Jinge for nothing. Matriarch, in my opinion, it''s a good thing that she can''t be the first wife of the Prime Minister''s estate.

    "Big sister." Seeing that An Jinyan wanted to scold her again, An Jinge immediately begged for mercy and called out to her.

    "You''ve always been so stupid, what should we do in the future?" An Jinyan said, "In the future, no matter what family you marry into, a man will always have three wives and four concubines. You must have children born from a concubine. You can''t tolerate your second elder sister. Who can you tolerate in the future?"

    When it came to An Jinxiu, she would not lower her head to admit her mistake. She replied to An Jinyan without raising her eyes, "I just can''t stand to watch that concubine-born act like that."

    An Jinyan was about to teach this good-for-nothing girl a few more words, but when she looked up, she saw An Jinxiu standing in front of the door. She quickly put on a smile and waved at her.

    When An Jinge saw An Jinxiu enter the room, she was not afraid that she would hear what she had just said. She gave a loud harrumph to An Jinxiu and sat down next to n¨¦e Qin.

    An Jin acted as if she didn''t see An Jinge. She gave a proper bow to An Jinyan with proper etiquette.

    An Jinyan smiled and said, "Get up. We are sisters from the same family, so how can we be so polite?"

    After she stood up, she looked at An Jinyan and smiled. The consort had been a beauty since she was young, and now she exuded a noble air, as if she was already a matriarch.

    In her previous life, the Crown Prince failed to ascend the throne. An Jinyan was killed by Bai Chengze''s cup of poison wine. In this life, was this young mistress'' life as a queen? Even if Bai Chengze did not have An Jin by his side, the Fifth Prince would still try to seize the dragon throne. Would the Crown Prince be a match for the Fifth Prince, Bai Chengze?

    An Jinyan looked at the smile on An Jinxiu''s face, but it didn''t feel good. This kind of smile shouldn''t appear on her face.

    In An Jinyan''s heart, An Jinxiu had always been an idiot who couldn''t see her own identity clearly. She had always strived for power, and a fool should have struggled until she died without hope.

    An Jinxiu waited for An Jinyan. Seeing that she didn''t say anything, she bowed to Matriarch Zhou and Madam Qin as well.

    The matriarch spoke up. "Your husband is off on a campaign. You have to live a good life at home. Grandmother doesn''t care what you think, but since ancient times, women have always been like chickens or dogs. You have to follow the path of a woman." "You are a concubine-born, but now you''ve become principal wife when you go to the Shangguan Family. You must behave properly!"

    An Jinxiu acknowledged with a ''yea''.

    n¨¦e Qin sighed, "Ah Jin is in a lowly marriage. I''m still sad thinking about it now."

    Matriarch Zhou was about to tell n¨¦e Qin to shut up when she heard An Jinyan say, "I''ll tell the crown prince about General Shangguan when I get back. Sister in the family, why am I watching the brocade suffer?"

 29 Grand Preceptors True Meaning

    Hearing An Jinyan''s words, n¨¦e Qin was both surprised and happy. "If Your Highness is willing to help promote Shangguan Yong, that would be for the best. Ah Jin, you''re blessed with such great fortune."

    The Crown Prince''s influence within the army had always been weak. Could it be that An Jinyan was trying to win over the forces within the army for the Crown Prince? When she thought about it again, An Jinyan felt that Shangguan Yong was only a Grade 5 Martial Officer and had no value in winning him over, so she was afraid that her older sister was just casually saying those words out of kindness.

    "Big sister, I''m having a good life now," An Jinxiu said to An Jinyan. "Thank you, big sister."

    An Jinge said from the side, "Second Sis, you should think about what the matriarch said. Remember to be a woman."

    An Jinxiu pursed her lips and smiled, but didn''t say anything. The words of the matriarch sounded unpleasant, but it was for her own good. She didn''t want her to do something that would let Shangguan Yong down, so she didn''t need to hold a grudge and return to being her power in the Residence of An grandma.

    "It''s getting late." An Jinyan suddenly felt bored. She stood up and said, "Matriarch, Mother, I''m going back."

    Matriarch, Madam Qin, and An Jinge all stood up to send her off.

    "Rest well, Grandmother. Jinge will go back to her room to learn the etiquette from the tutor mama I brought today. Mother can just send me off," An Jinyan said.

    Since the Crown Princess had spoken, of course, everyone in the room would do as she said.

    After they left, only the matriarch and Ah Jin were the only ones left in the room, the matriarch said to her, "You must remember my words. You must accept your fate!"

    An Jin replied, "Grandmother, the Ah Jin lives peacefully with the general"

    "You didn''t rush to send off the crown prince''s consort, meaning that you''re already somewhat familiar with etiquette. Go take a look at your concubine mother. If there''s nothing else in the future, you don''t have to come back to the estate."

    An Jin didn''t say another word. She walked out of the matriarch''s room and headed straight for the courtyard where her mother lived.

    On the way out, An Jinyan whispered to n¨¦e Qin, "Mother is right. Ah Jin is different from before."

    "If it wasn''t for this little b * tch''s bad deeds, the An Jinge''s marriage would have been set in stone."

    An Jinyan turned around and glanced at the servants. The servants behind An Jinyan and n¨¦e Qin hurriedly retreated, leaving some distance between them to allow the mother and daughter to speak in private.

    "Mother didn''t tell her daughter about the young master of the Prime Minister''s estate," An Jinyan said to Madam Qin, "Does father also think highly of this marriage?"

    n¨¦e Qin said, "Isn''t it better to be married to the prime minister?"

    "Zhou Xiao Zhong is the Crown Prince''s man. It''s not that much of a loss to the Crown Prince whether or not this marriage is over."

    n¨¦e Qin hastily said: "This, this mother never expected this. Your father said that forming a family with Zhou Xiang''s family was not bad. Mother arranged it like this."

    An Jinyan laughed, "My father dotes on her two little daughters. I know that."

    "Crown Princess," n¨¦e Qin was a little flustered. From An Jinyan''s words, was it that they had treated her daughter badly? Was the An clan not loyal enough to the crown prince?

    An Jinyan looked at the beautiful scenery of summer in the Residence of An, but her heart was ice-cold. The Crown Princess listened with respect, who could know the bitterness she was experiencing? "I want to meet my father," An Jinyan decided when they were almost to the gates of the estate.

    "Is that okay?" Grand Preceptor''s daughter is part of the imperial family, so it was impossible for them to meet without an order. If news of their meeting at home were to spread, it would be a small matter to create gossip, so what would happen if there were to be any more disturbances?

    "Today is the day that I am going to return home. It is only natural for me to accompany my sister to see my father," An Jinyan had already come up with an excuse, "Is father in the study?"

    When n¨¦e Qin saw that An Jinyan had already left for Grand Preceptor An''s study, she couldn''t persuade her otherwise. She could only speak up to An Jinyan, "Crown Princess, are you still worried about your second sister? "Even if she doesn''t know how to talk, the Grand Preceptor won''t say anything serious about her either."

    The court ladies who came with An Jinyan did not raise their heads, but lowered their heads and followed her.

    Grand Preceptor An was currently reading official documents in his study. When he heard the servant outside call out ''esteemed imperial concubine,'' he was taken aback. Then he heard An Jinyan''s voice, asking if his father was in the room. Grand Preceptor An hastily rose from behind his desk and left his study to welcome his eldest daughter.

    After the father and daughter duo greeted each other, they sat down in the study. Grand Preceptor An then asked An Jinyan, "Did the imperial concubine bring the imperial concubine''s decree?"

    An Jinyan smiled and said, "Jinxiu return home today. I''ll accompany her to visit Father."

    Grand Preceptor An didn''t even know that An Jinxiu had returned today. When he heard her words, he only made an ''oh'' before lowering his voice and saying, "What''s the matter, esteemed crown princess?"

    An Jinyan opened her mouth and asked directly: "Father, why did you marry Shangguan Yong for Ah Jin?"

    "Shangguan Yong saved this subject''s life," Grand Preceptor An said. "Let''s consider the rich and beautiful marriage a form of repaying gratitude."

    "Repayment of gratitude?" An Jinyan said, "It''s that simple? The Crown Prince has also mentioned this to his daughter. Father, even the Crown Prince does not understand why you have accepted a son-in-law like Shangguan Yong. "

    "Did His Highness ask you to come here to ask?" Grand Preceptor An asked.

    An Jinyan did not say yes or no. She just replied, "Father, just treat it as your daughter asking you."

    Grand Preceptor An muttered to himself for a long time before saying to An Jinyan, "Shangguan Yong''s kung fu skills are not bad, and he has gained the favor of many generals in the army. This subject sees that his future is definitely not just of the fifth rank."

    "You mean, Shangguan Yong will become the Crown Prince''s assistant in the military in the future?" An Jinyan asked.

    "The person who plans the most is the person, and the matter is in the sky."

    "Since father has such thoughts, then why can''t she marry a general of the imperial court based on Ah Jin appearance?"

    "The great general of the court," Grand Preceptor An laughed bitterly, "Our An clan was chosen as the crown prince''s consort because we didn''t have any military power. Otherwise, why would so many women from that year be chosen by the imperial concubine?"

    Grand Preceptor An was at a loss for words for words. It wasn''t as if she didn''t know about this.

    "Think of the Ah Jin as a pawn, that this subject will cripple this pawn," Grand Preceptor An continued, "Crown Princess, Shangguan Yong has a high chance of becoming a great general in the future. You and the crown prince should be more patient."

    "Father!"

    Grand Preceptor An waved a hand at her. "This subject needs to say some more disrespectful words. Back then, His Majesty immediately took the throne down, and the military might of His Majesty is even greater than the heavens. Right now, His Majesty is still in his prime, but the crown prince and the other princes have already grown up.

    An Jinyan said, "What if Shangguan Yong is unable to support himself up the wall?"

    Grand Preceptor An said, "As long as he''s with Ah Jin, there''s no mistaking this marriage official."

    "Father is really good at embroidery., We are all children, this subject will not be merciful."

    An Jinyan stood up and repressed the anger that had suddenly rose in her heart. She smiled at Grand Preceptor An and said, "Your daughter is back. Your father must pay attention to his health and not work too hard."

    Grand Preceptor An saw An Jinyan out of the study and saw n¨¦e Qin standing at the door, guarding it for them.

    "Is the Crown Princess going back?" When the Madam Qin saw the father and daughter coming out, she quickly asked.

    "Send esteemed imperial concubine out of the estate," Grand Preceptor An said. "It''s getting late, so there''s no need to drag Esteemed down with you any more trifling matters."

    The Madam Qin didn''t know what the father and daughter talked about. Seeing that their expressions were normal, she couldn''t find any clues. She could only agree to send An Jinyan out of the manor.

    "You have to teach her well," An Jinyan said to n¨¦e Qin after she had left the Residence of An. "If the mama I brought here wishes to punish her, mother, don''t stop her. I will arrange a good marriage for An Jinge, so you don''t have to worry about her. "

    Madam Qin was overjoyed. She thought that since An Jinyan was here to see the marriage, the marriage shouldn''t be that bad. She thanked An Jinyan profusely, and didn''t seem like a mother and daughter anymore.

    Grand Preceptor An sat back in his study, unable to continue watching over the spread of documents on the table.

    Today, he''d told An Jinyan about An Jin''s wedding and finally told her the truth. For such a large clan like the An clan, which marriage had been arranged without a plan? Shangguan Yong wasn''t a good man, but he had the conditions to accomplish something in the army. This was the only reason Grand Preceptor An had set his eyes on Shangguan Yong, and repaying him for his kindness was just an excuse.

    Grand Preceptor An had thought that marrying his own daughter would make Shangguan Yong deeply grateful to him. When Shangguan Yong reached great heights in the future, he would still be in his hands.

    As for Bai Chengze''s request to marry An Jin as his secondary concubine, Grand Preceptor An had wanted to fulfill his wish as well. Eggs couldn''t be placed in the same basket, so if the crown prince eventually couldn''t become emperor, then Bai Chengze would be placed as Grand Preceptor An''s second bet. But now that Grand Preceptor An thought about the current situation, he could only sigh at how the affairs of the world were unsatisfactory. He could only take things one step at a time.

    "Someone, come," Grand Preceptor An shouted towards the door.

    A personal attendant walked in and stood before the Grand Preceptor, bowing as he listened to his orders.

    "Go to the tent and hand a hundred taels of silver to Second Miss," Grand Preceptor An ordered the attendant. "Tell Second Young Miss to set off. If there''s anything wrong with her family, come back to the estate. Her family will help her." "Also, in the future, my family will still send her a monthly gift for her to use. Just treat it asfather''s wish."

    The attendant took his orders and went out.

    It was only then that Grand Preceptor An buried his head back in the official documents. Whether it was to compensate his concubine for his daughter''s sake or to win over Shangguan Yong through the Ah Jin, he could feel more at ease.

    Ah Jin was very happy to receive the one hundred taels of silver from Grand Preceptor An in her room, but she felt like her hands were scalding hot with the money. She wasn''t sure if she could bear her father''s feelings.

    "Take it," the Aunt Xiu said considerately. "You''ll need silver taels for your daily life, so after Young Master leaves, your entire family will be dependent on you. Although you''ll need quite a bit of silver taels, you still have to calculate the cost, after all, who knows when Young Master will come back for this battle?"

    An Jinxiu nodded.

    "Hurry up and go back," Aunt Xiu said as she took out a small box filled with needle and thread and gave it to An Jinxiu. "You can use this. Take it with you as well."

    "Mother."

    "You don''t need to worry about mother''s life in the mansion. Fifth Young Master is still here, so you can rest assured," the embroidery aunt kept on comforting An Jin.

    An Jinxiu walked out of the courtyard. She turned her head to look at her mother who was standing at the entrance to the courtyard to send her off, but she couldn''t take even a single step out of the courtyard.

    Just endure for a few more years, An Jin thought to herself. She also told Aunt Xiu that their peaceful days would come. As long as she endured for a few more years, everything would be fine.

 30 Days when Shangguan Yong was away

    An Yuanzhi was practicing his spear in his courtyard. The bright silver spear danced vigorously, sweeping across the flower trees in the courtyard. Before long, the ground in the courtyard was covered with falling flowers.

    An Jin had been waiting in the tea room for six hours. She already knew that the matriarch had taught her a lesson, that she had to follow the path of a woman. She thought about her mother, who could not leave the yard, and she thought about her brother. His brother, who could not leave the yard.

    After leaving the Residence of An, she did not hire a horse carriage. She slowly walked from the Residence of An to her home with Shangguan Yong. Halfway through, she even turned into a fabric shop and bought some clothes for the Shangguan siblings.

    When she got home, her tired body had already reached its limit, but An Jinxiu still forced herself to boil some heatwave soups for Shangguan Rui and Shangguan Ning. She watched them drink it and then returned to her room, falling head first onto her bed and never getting up again.

    Zi Yuan prepared dinner before entering the room to call An Jinxiu to get up. An Jinxiu only turned over in her bed and slept for an entire day. She didn''t wake up until the third day.

    On the morning of the third day, after An Jinxiu had showered properly, she stood in her small yard and looked at the white sky. Last night, after a night of rain, the leaves of the wutong tree in the courtyard fell quite a bit. An Jinxiu walked up to the tree and quietly stood there for a long time.

    After the sun rose, An Jinxiu cooked breakfast. After the family finished eating breakfast, Shangguan Rui went to study at the College. An Jinxiu and Zi Yuan took Shangguan Ning to do needlework at home.

    For the time being, Shangguan Yong''s house seemed a little quiet, but the days passed peacefully in the company of four people.

    Two months later, An Jinxiu noticed that her monthly affairs had stopped. She invited a doctor to come and have a look, only then did she realize that she was pregnant. The pregnancy was a pleasant surprise for An Jinxiu. When she thought about how her son, whom she owed so much in her previous life, had come here so quickly.

    On the night that she was confirmed to be pregnant, she lay in bed alone and cried all night.

    When the news of An Jinxiu''s pregnancy reached the Residence of An, An Yuanzhi came the next day with a doctor to take another pulse for her. After hearing from the doctor that An Jinxiu''s pulse was very good, An Yuanzhi was overjoyed and went back to tell their concubine mother the good news.

    A few days later, An Yuanzhi came to see her again. However, he gave her land deeds. An Jin had made up her mind to leave it to An Yuanzhi to use the eight hundred taels of silver that she gave to An Yuanzhi before the wedding. An Yuanzhi decided to buy a dozen acres of good land for An Jinxiu on the western outskirts of the city after giving it to her several times.

    "I want to build a manor there for elder sister," An Yuanzhi added as he handed the land deed over to An Jinxiu. "That''s why I didn''t spend all the money. With that farm, your elder sister''s life will be even better."

    An Yuanzhi acted on her own initiative, but An Jin couldn''t get angry. With a little brother who was wholeheartedly making plans for her, what could she possibly be angry about? Don''t you think about yourself?" An Jinxiu asked An Yuanzhi.

    "No matter what, I still can''t use elder sister''s money," An Yuanzhi said as he looked towards the kitchen. He even said that he was hungry and urged An Jin to eat as well.

    An Jinxiu knew that An Yuanzhi wasn''t really hungry, but she didn''t want to talk about this topic anymore. She could only poke An Yuanzhi in the forehead and take Zi Yuan to the kitchen to busy herself with cooking.

    An Yuanzhi followed her to the kitchen door and told her, "Sis, don''t worry. I''ve already visited that place several times. I wouldn''t buy any good land if it wasn''t for that."

    It was a fertile farmland in the western suburbs of the capital. An Jinxiu thought about it for a while, then asked An Yuanzhi, "Are you buying the land belonging to the Military Department''s King Garden''s Master Wang?"

    An Yuanzhi nodded. "How did you guess that?"

    "I guessed so," An Jin smiled. The daughter of the Wang family had been taken in by the crown prince as a secondary concubine. She would know about this even if she didn''t leave the main gate. Wang Yuanyuan was a general leading the army.

    If this person became one of the crown prince''s father-in-law, would the Emperor still let Wang Yuan stay in the military? It was only a matter of time before that Master Wang would be returned to Capital. If An Yuanzhi wanted to buy land, he could only buy land for the Wang family.

    An Yuanzhi didn''t think deeply about whether or not An Jinxiu had guessed it to be the truth. He told her, "The Crown Princess has come back to the Palace. Sis, Father said he wants to arrange for me to enter the Guards Camp."

    An Jinxiu put down the spatula in her hand and brought An Yuanzhi to the courtyard. She whispered, "You want to enter the Guards Camp?"

    The Guards Camp was the personal guard battalion under the Emperor. They were basically all the young masters of the large clans who practiced martial arts, or the veterans who died fighting for their country. Entering the Guards camp meant one would be able to get close to the monarch. If one could get lucky in the near future, then it would be easier for them to become famous in the future than it was for ordinary people.

    An Yuanzhi shook his head. "I didn''t agree. I won''t rely on them even if I have to make a name for myself."

    An Jinxiu lowered her head and thought for a moment. After thinking quickly, she said to An Yuanzhi, "I heard that the daughter of Wang Yuan looks average. The Crown Prince chose this woman to contact the military connections of Wang Yuan.

    An Yuanzhi said, "That''s why His Majesty can''t tolerate the crown prince recruiting military forces. Our family''s young masters study books, so they''ve set their sights on me. They want me to be of use to them after I join the army?"

    "Maybe."

    An Yuanzhi sneered. "I told you, how could this family have such a good heart?"

    "Then what is your plan?" An Jin asked.

    "Sis," An Yuanzhi helped An Jin to sit on a stone bench in the courtyard. "No matter how rich or powerful An clan is, it has nothing to do with us. I just hope that they don''t commit the crime of exterminating our entire family. "If I want to join the army, I''ll have to rely on my own ability. Even if I don''t have a rich life, if I die on the battlefield, I''ll still recognize it. One day, I''ll break off all ties with the Xunyang An clan."

    Seeing the resolute look on An Yuanzhi''s face as he said this, An Jinxiu let out a sigh. Didn''t the An Yuanzhi of her past life succeed and become famous, then take over their birth mother and sever the relationship with Xunyang An? " Did the family give you a hard time after you disagreed to enter the Guard Camp? "

    An Yuanzhi had been punished to kneel in the ancestral hall for three whole days, and now all the masters in the mansion were scolding him for not knowing what was good for him.

    An Jinxiu was currently pregnant, so An Yuanzhi would not tell her about this. As for the doctor who checked her pulse, he was afraid that the child''s month was wrong, so he suspected that when Shangguan Yong was away, An Yuanzhi would not mention it. "No," An Yuanzhi replied, "Sis, can I take you to see the place I bought for you tomorrow?"

    An Jinxiu knew who the masters of the Residence of An were, and she knew exactly what An Yuanzhi''s situation was. Since An Yuanzhi didn''t say anything, she stopped asking. A smile appeared on her face as she said to An Yuanzhi, "When Shangguan Rui uncle is on leave, we''ll go together and take a look. By the way, let''s see if there are any honest farmers there and ask them if they''re willing to rent our territory."

    An Yuanzhi said with a smile, "Our land?"

    "Are you still sharing property with me?" An Jinxiu glared at him. "It seems that if I''m poor in the future, I won''t be able to borrow silver from you."

    An Yuanzhi quickly said, "How could I do such a thing?"

    At this time, Shangguan Rui came back from school. An Jinxiu went to the kitchen to help with the cooking, while An Yuanzhi followed Shangguan Rui outside to talk. After the sun went down, the family sat around a table of Eight chairs, merrily eating dinner.

    After An Yuanzhi left, An Jin showed the land deed to Shangguan Rui. Shangguan Rui saw his elder brother Shangguan Yong''s name on the deed, and quickly said: "Sister-in-law, this was bought with your dowry money, you should keep it."

    "This is the Shangguan Family''s land," An Jinxiu said very calmly, "This is your share, little uncle will be fourteen next year, your wedding can''t be any later. A man getting married and setting up his own business, he has to have some family property."

    Shangguan Rui wanted to thank An Jin, but he felt that the word ''thank'' meant nothing to An Jin, so he pushed deed back in front of her and said, "We''ll talk about this when Big Brother comes back. "Sister-in-law, I need to write to elder brother about our family''s matters. You should also write a letter to elder brother and ask someone to send the two letters to him together."

    Hearing that she could write a letter to Shangguan Yong, An Jin was inspired, "Can you deliver this letter to your big brother?"

    Shangguan Rui smiled and nodded, "Today, Big Brother''s brother from the military came to find me. He is also going to the White Jade Mountain Pass, he can help us deliver the message and the things we need. "Sister-in-law, big brother still doesn''t know that you are pregnant."

    An Jinxiu stood up and went back to her room. She had a lot of things she wanted to say to Shangguan Yong, so she was afraid that she wouldn''t be able to finish writing them all tonight.

    Shangguan Rui smiled as he watched An Jin leave in a hurry.

    When An Jin returned to her room, she wrapped Shangguan Yong''s winter clothes with a bundle. After thinking about it, she also packed a few robes worn by Spring and Autumn, and sat down at the table to write a letter. When she was really ready to write a letter, An Jin realized that she had thousands of things to say, but she didn''t know which line to write first.

    Shangguan Rui didn''t have the worry of An Jin. He knew that his elder brother couldn''t read much, so with a few simple sentences, he explained the family matters to him and wrote about An Jin having a child. On the last line, Shangguan Rui wrote, ''Sister-in-law treats us very well and is a good woman.''

    After An Jinxiu had written down a whole piece of paper, she remembered that Shangguan Yong would definitely let the person beside her read the letter to her. Theletter was written, torn apart, and then written again. It had been a busy night. The final letter was also a few simple sentences.

    She''s pregnant, and we''ve been well for two months now.

    Send me a few pieces of Han Yi, please take care of it.

    Everything at home is fine, don''t worry.

    Waiting for you at home.

    Early the next morning, Shangguan Rui took the letter and package written by An Jinxiu and went to find his brother''s brother who was in the army. An Jinxiu sent Shangguan Rui out the door, thinking about how happy Shangguan Yong would be if he knew they have children. The smile on the corner of her mouth could not be concealed.

    Zi Yuan bought some food and saw her young miss standing in front of the door. She smiled and said, "Young miss, what''s the matter? Why are you laughing like a fool? "

 31 Bloodbath

    By the time Shangguan Yong received his letters and clothes, it was already four months later. Those who had left the capital in the middle of summer were now outside in the snow. Shangguan Yong, who had followed the military officials and learned many words, did not need anyone to read the letters for him anymore. He could understand the two short letters perfectly.

    Shangguan Yong finished reading Rui''s letter very quickly, he smiled and read An Jin''s letter again, then Shangguan Yong read the letter again and again. I have a son? Shangguan Yong looked at An Jin''s letter and wondered if he was dreaming.

    A brother rushed forward and snatched the letter from Shangguan Yong, saying, "What kind of letter is it, to make Big Bro smile like a fool?"

    When Shangguan Yong reacted as if he had woken up from a dream and wanted to snatch the letter, a group of martial artists had already surrounded the person who had stolen the letter. Shangguan Yong couldn''t even squeeze in.

    "Who can read it? What''s written on it?" Some of them shouted loudly as they could not read the words.

    "I''m pregnant. I''ve been pregnant for two months now ˇ­" The person who was reading the letter immediately appeared, reading the letter to everyone one word at a time.

    "Shangguan Big Brother is going to have an heir!" After everyone quietly listened, they all turned around to congratulate Shangguan Yong. Those who were bigger than Shangguan Yong and younger than him were all overjoyed.

    "Is she really pregnant?" Shangguan Yong was dumbfounded, muttering to himself.

    "Are you still in a daze?" One of Shangguan Yong''s elder brother who was standing beside him patted his shoulder and laughed, "How can it be fake when written in black and white? "At the time your sister-in-law wrote this letter, she was pregnant for two months, and this letter took four months to reach you. By now, your son has already been in your sister-in-law''s womb for six months!"

    One of the martial artists who knew what was going on said. "In four months, Shangguan Yi''s son will be born!"

    Shangguan Yong''s lips curled into a smile. His wife and son, his little family was complete.

    Some said that Shangguan Yong was powerful, that he could plant pearls in a bride''s stomach on the wedding night, that An Jinxiu was very fertile, and that he had to finish the battle as soon as possible so he could return to the capital to see her little son, and some even guessed whether this little baby of hers was like a father or mother, and there were many people who looked at the words on the letter, praising him for writing.

    Shangguan Yong was speechless as he listened to these discussions. Was this because his wife was pregnant, or was this group of people''s wife pregnant? However, when he heard that his brothers wanted to finish this battle as soon as possible, Shangguan Yong fell silent again. This battle would not end within a year, his little wife in the capital could only give birth without his company.

    At this moment, the battle drums in the camp suddenly sounded again, breaking the joyous atmosphere in the camp.

    Shangguan Yong hurriedly stuffed the letter back into his pocket, then rushed out of the military camp with General Zhou Yi.

    Outside the White Jade Mountain Pass, two armies were engaged in a fierce battle. Their shouts shook the skies, and soon, the snow-covered ground was dyed red with blood. Far away, the capital fell into a deep sleep in the silence. Some people walked through the deserted streets and alleys, repeatedly beating down on the sounds of the third fragment.

    An Jinxiu woke up from her sleep and abruptly sat up from the bed. She remembered the dream very clearly when she woke up. Shangguan Yong was facing the million strong northern army alone in her dream. In the midst of tens of thousands of arrows, an arrow pierced through Shangguan Yong''s chest. An Jin cried out in her dreams, but no matter how she ran, she could not reach Shangguan Yong''s side. She could only watch helplessly as Shangguan Yong fell to the ground and was trampled by thousands of Northern Turks.

    An Jinxiu sat on the bed for a while. The cold sweat that broke out from her nightmare had gradually dried up. She felt a sharp pain in her stomach. The pain reminded her of Shangguan Yong''s child. She quickly tried to calm herself down, afraid that she would hurt them in her excitement.

    Taking out the red string Shangguan Yong gave her from under the pillow, An Jinxiu told herself that Shangguan Yong was someone who wanted to become a general. He wouldn''t be in trouble at this time, her dreams would always come from the opposite direction, perhaps this nightmare of hers foretold that the battle would end soon? The red string was tightly tied to her hand, almost breaking her palm, but she was oblivious to it. She looked at the empty pillow beside her and just sat there like that for the entire night.

    Shangguan Yong pulled out the arrow that had been shot at his shoulder, and threw it on the ground. He then brandished his blade and chopped down one of the enemies that had rushed in front of him.

    "Don''t panic!" Zhou Yi''s shout came from behind the crowd.

    "If we don''t keep fighting, we''re all going to die!" It was unknown who shouted from the middle of the chaotic army formation.

    "Those who retreat will die!" Shangguan Yong roared, it was right when both sides were biting each other hard. At this time, the morale of the troops was in chaos, and the brothers who died before them had truly died in vain.

    Seeing Shangguan Yong leading his men and rushing into the depths of the enemy forces, Zhou Yi said to the left and right, "Shangguan Yong is not bad."

    The generals riding on the horses were all shocked. These were generals who had followed Zhou Yi for many years. When had Zhou Yi ever praised anyone? Shangguan Yong was the first.

    Shangguan Yong rushed into the depths of the enemy army, the person and the weapon in his hands were already stained with blood, the one who killed was an Asura, but he did not use a suicidal tactic like before. At this time, Shangguan Yong''s heart was full of worry, not only was there a sister-in-law in the capital, there was also a little girl waiting for him, no matter what, he had to return alive.

    "Charge!" Zhou Yi saw that the enemy''s formation was in chaos. He waved the spear in his hand and took the lead to rush out of the formation.

    The wind swept the snow and sand onto his face, and fresh blood splattered everywhere. Shangguan Yong''s vision blurred, and the deafening cries of battle on the battlefield seemed to be very far away from him. It was clearly a bloody battlefield, but the little girl waving her red rope at him in the crowd had clearly appeared in front of Shangguan Yong.

    "What are you doing?!" The military officer who was fighting alongside Shangguan Yong shouted to Shangguan Yong: "Are you splitting your attention right now? Do you not want to live anymore?! "

    Shangguan Yong looked on with some hesitation.

    The Martial Officer sat on the horse and struck Shangguan Yong on the back, "You want to die here? "You don''t want the wife and children of your family?!"

    At this time, they were all tired. Those who had been in the army for many years knew that as long as someone with high martial arts skills was tired, their reaction would be slow. The serious problem was like Shangguan Yong was now, standing on the battlefield in a daze, it didn''t seem like he was fighting.

    At this time, a few soldiers not far from Shangguan Yong had already surrounded him. With them blocking his way, they gave Shangguan Yong time to catch his breath.

    At this time, Zhou Yi rushed to the enemy center of the formation. When the horse passed by Shangguan Yong, Zhou Yi didn''t say anything. He raised his hand and slapped Shangguan Yong hard. Then, General Zhou''s war horse galloped away without even pausing for a second.

    Shangguan Yong''s entire body trembled, after the An Jin disappeared, what appeared in front of him was once again the Shura''s battlefield that was filled with blood and gore.

    "How are you?" The military officials all asked Shangguan Yong.

    Shangguan Yong shook his head. Blood gushed out from his chest and he spat out a mouthful of blood. Only then did he feel a bit more comfortable.

    The military officials who had followed Shangguan Yong and called him brother all saw Shangguan Yong spitting blood on the ground and felt anxious. At this time, all of them were covered in blood, but Shangguan Yong looked even worse. He sat on the horse and swayed, looking like he would fall at any moment.

    "I''m fine." Shangguan Yong took a deep breath and said to his brothers, "If you have anything to say, talk after this fight!"

    The battle in the snowy night lasted from late at night until the sun shined. Then, the forces of the Prayer and the Northern Tribes Army called for the withdrawal of their troops.

    When Zhou Yi led the troops back to the camp, he turned around and looked at the corpses behind him. Although there were quite a few of them, there was still a happy expression on Zhou Yi''s face.

    "General." The aide from the military camp arrived next to Zhou Yi and looked at the corpses littering the ground. This scholar had long since been able to keep a straight face.

    "I don''t know how much longer they''ll have to fight against me in this kind of weather!" Zhou Yi said to his advisor, "I don''t think the day of our class reunion is far away."

    The one with the surname Qiaosaid, "Seeing how the Northern Turks are fighting so recklessly, I''m afraid they are running out of food. That''s why they are anxious to compete with us for victory."

    Zhou Yi dismounted. The land under his feet was now covered in snow. In the spring of next year, it would become a natural grassland, and it was not a day or two for the people of the North to covet this place. However, this place was only half a day''s ride away from White Jade Mountain Pass. How could they possibly allow the people of the Northern Tribes to graze here?

    At this time, Shangguan Yong walked behind Zhou Yi, cupped his hands, and said: "Great General, you want to see this subordinate?"

    Zhou Yi turned around and looked at Shangguan Yong. The blood stains on his face had already been wiped away. His face was pale and did not have any medical skills. Zhou Yi also knew that Shangguan Yong''s injuries were not light this time.

    Qiao Lin who was at the side asked with concern, "Is General Shangguan''s injury an obstacle?"

    Shangguan Yong gave a meaningless smile and said: "No problem, it''s just a superficial wound."

    Zhou Yi waved for Shangguan Yong to follow him. Those who wanted to take care of him slowed down and asked Shangguan Yong, who had followed him, "We''ve been fighting for several months, what do you think about this war?"

    Shangguan Yong was surprised, he didn''t expect Zhou Yi to ask him this question.

    Seeing Shangguan Yong in a daze, Zhou Yi said, "What, you haven''t thought of anything and are just waiting in the camp to listen to my orders?"

    Shangguan Yong didn''t understand Zhou Yi''s intention behind his words, but he still said honestly to Zhou Yi, "It''s too cold outside in the winter, so it''s inconvenient to march and fight. Are the Northern Turks trying to fight us to the last breath?"

    "Qiao Lin, tell him," Zhou Yi called out Qiao Lin''s name again.

    Qiao Lin said, "The winter is long outside and the weather is cold. It is indeed not suitable for us to march and fight. The Northern Turks only have two choices, the first is to fight us to the death, win, advance, defeat and retreat. The second is to confront our army and wait until spring to fight."

    Master Qiao''s story was something that Zhou Yi could understand, but Shangguan Yong could not understand it. He looked at Qiao Lin with a puzzled expression.

    Seeing Shangguan Yong''s behavior, Zhou Yi suddenly felt a sense of relief. Regardless of what thoughts Grand Preceptor An had towards Shangguan Yong as his son-in-law, Zhou Yi felt that Shangguan Yong wasn''t someone who hid secrets from others. The meaning of his words was the same as yours. "Zhou Yi said to Shangguan Yong," Today you will be the first to rush into the enemy ranks.

    Shangguan Yong hastily said: "Thank you, General."

    "Go find a doctor and have a look at your injuries." Zhou Yi waved Shangguan Yong away.

    "Great General," after Shangguan Yong left, Qiao Lin asked Zhou Yi, "What are you doing?"

    At this moment, the sounds of people killing on the battlefield came from behind him, but Zhou Yi didn''t turn around to look. He only whispered to Qiao Lin, "He''s the Grand Preceptor''s son-in-law after all. If he can be promoted by me, then I''ll have to do it. Moreover, this person isn''t bad."

 32 First Son Ping

    Zhou Yi was going to promote Shangguan Yong for the sake of Grand Preceptor An or the crown prince behind him. Qiao Lin didn''t ask directly. The current Grand Preceptor sounded renowned, but how could he compare to a dynasty''s crown prince? Although General Zhou''s words were inflamed, with a person in the imperial court, how could he not scheme for himself and his family?

    The Northerners lived in the bitter cold of the land, and their thirst for it was far beyond the imagination of the people of Yeshi. The generals of Yeshi thought that the war would soon be over, but the war outside White Jade Mountain Pass lasted for more than a year, and there was still no hope of ending it.

    An Jin in the spring of next year''s May, after a hard night, gave birth to their Shangguan Yong''s first child. When she held her clean son in her arms, all sorts of feelings welled up in her heart. Even if she wanted to cry, she couldn''t.

    At the side, Zi Yuan said happily, "Miss, the young master is like you."

    Shangguan Ning also nodded and said: "Eldest Sister-in-law, nephew looks like you."

    An Jinxiu lowered her head to look at her son. Her little face was still wrinkled, and her facial features had yet to grow. Where could one tell that she looked like her? However, thinking about it, her son in her previous life was indeed like her. After he grew up, with his good looks, he won the hearts of countless girls. When she held her newborn son, she couldn''t help but think of her previous life. Finally, she began to weep again.

    "In this life, mother will definitely view you as a treasure. In this life, mother will only live for you, your father and your future sister," An Jinxiu said to herself as she kissed her son''s cheek.

    "Eldest Sis don''t cry." Shangguan Ning laid on the edge of the bed, her heart still throbbing with fear as she asked An Jin, "Is it still painful?" Last night, An Jin had already been enduring the pain, but Shangguan Ning was still frightened.

    "It''s fine now," An Jinxiu wiped her tears away and smiled at Shangguan Ning. "Women have to cry when giving birth to children."

    Shangguan Ning suddenly said: "Then I won''t have a baby anymore."

    At this point, both Zi Yuan and An Jin laughed out loud. "Does Aunt like your nephew?" An Jinxiu asked Shangguan Ning.

    Shangguan Ning immediately nodded and said: "I like it."

    "Then if Miss Ning isn''t born with a baby like Second Miss, how could Second Miss have a nephew?" Zi Yuan asked Shangguan Ning with a smile.

    Shangguan Ning, who had already passed her seventh birthday, was distressed. The little kid was very cute, but she was afraid of pain.

    "It''s just a little bit of pain, isn''t sister-in-law fine now?" An Jinxiu hugged her son down so Shangguan Ning could see. She said, "Aunt, don''t be afraid."

    Seeing her nephew, Shangguan Ning didn''t care about whether the baby was in pain or not. The little girl only had this baby that heard her scream but didn''t even open her eyes.

    At this moment, Shangguan Rui''s voice came from outside the door, "Eldest sister-in-law, are you alright?"

    "I''m fine now." An Jinxiu quickly said, "Brother-in-law, you didn''t go to the academy today?"

    Shangguan Rui said: "I asked my classmates to asked for a leave of absence. Eldest Sister-in-law, I went to the Residence of Tranquil East Tribe to register our blessings."

    "Thank you, Little Brother-in-law."

    "Sister-in-law, can I see my nephew?" After Shangguan Rui heard An Jin''s thanks, he just coughed and asked. Zi Yuan and Shangguan Ning had been dominating their little nephew, and he had been busy with the matter of the midwives and the festivities at the Residence of An. Even now, Shangguan Rui still hadn''t been able to see his little nephew.

    An Jinxiu handed her son to Zi Yuan and said, "Quickly take him to his uncle and let him take a look."

    Zi Yuan replied, then carried the little gongzi and walked out.

    Shangguan Ning also ran out, and before long, An Jinxiu heard her shout after following Shangguan Rui: "Second Brother is very clumsy, don''t throw my little nephew away!"

    "He''s my nephew too, okay?" Shangguan Rui sounded helpless. It was his first time carrying such a small child, how could he not be nervous?

    Shangguan Ning said: "I want to hug him too!"

    Shangguan Rui quickly shook his head and said: "You''re still too young, you can''t carry him."

    "No, just let me hug you." Shangguan Ning pulled Shangguan Rui''s robe, looking like she was about to act like a rascal.

    "Sis!" Just as the two siblings were arguing over their nephew, An Jinxiu heard An Yuanzhi''s voice come from outside the door, "Sis, are you alright?" An Yuanzhi had yet to enter the courtyard, but his voice had already reached them.

    "Yuan Zhi?" An Jinyi hurriedly replied.

    An Yuanzhi rushed into the small courtyard of Shangguan family. When he saw the little doll in Shangguan Rui''s arms, he couldn''t move a step. He reached out to hug it, but didn''t dare to. Elder sister, are you alright? " An Yuanzhi couldn''t enter the room, so he could only stand outside the door and shout at her.

    "I''m fine, where''s Mom?" An Jin asked from within the room.

    "Mother is overjoyed that you have given birth to a son," An Yuanzhi said. "She has made a lot of small clothes and wants me to bring them to you."

    An Jin looked at her bedside. Ever since she found out that she was pregnant, her Mother had never stopped making clothes for her little grandson. At this moment, the small clothes on the bed were already piled up like a small mountain.

    "Sis, my nephew looks just like you," An Yuanzhi said loudly from outside. "He''s looking at me and smiling!"

    An Jinxiu laughed, "He was just born. How can he look like anyone?"

    An Yuanzhi didn''t care about that. He laughed loudly and said, "That''s great! I''m already an uncle now!"

    "Yes," Shangguan Ning said, "I''m an aunt and Second Brother is an uncle!"

    Only then did An Yuanzhi keep up with Shangguan Rui and Shangguan Ning, and asked An Jin: "Sis, what''s the name of my little nephew?"

    In her previous life, the eldest son of the Shangguan family had called Shangguan Ziping over. In this life, An Jinxiu said, "His uncle has read a lot. Why don''t we just give him a name?"

    Shangguan Rui said: "Let''s wait for Big Bro to come back and take your big name."

    An Yuanzhi said, "Then why don''t you choose a nickname?"

    Shangguan Rui shook his head and said to the room: "Sister-in-law should do the name selection."

    An Jin was speechless for a long time. In her previous life, she had never cared about this son, nor did she know his nickname. Now that she had asked her to name him, her mind was completely blank. She could not remember any good name.

    "Sis," An Yuanzhi said from the outside, "you''ve read quite a few books, can''t you come up with a name?"

    "I ˇ­" An Jin took the quilt with her fingers and paled. Even after her rebirth, she still felt that she wasn''t worthy to be that child''s mother.

    "If you won''t take it from me," An Yuanzhi said, "Just call it Ping which means peace. It''s better for you that this little thing grew up safe and sound than anything else!"

    Shangguan Rui smiled, "Ping? This little name is not bad. "

    "Ping, Ping!" Shangguan Ning shouted as she hugged the little kid in Shangguan Rui''s arms.

    Xiao Ping suddenly opened his toothless mouth and laughed.

    An Yuanzhi was even happier now. "Did you see that?" he asked. Ping An''s smile must be because he likes the name "

    Shangguan Ning complimented Yuan Zhi, "Brother Yuan Zhi, you''re awesome. You''re much stronger than Second Brother."

    Laughter filled the courtyard once again.

    As An Jin sat in her room listening to the laughter outside, her mood gradually recovered from her self-loathing. In this life, it was good that her relatives were fine. She didn''t ask for anything else, but what did her past life have to do with her?

    An Yuanzhi laughed in the yard for a while before bravely accepting his nephew from Shangguan Rui. The newborn baby was as light as a kitten, and An Yuanzhi didn''t even dare to breathe.

    This was the first time that Zi Yuan had seen the fearless appearance of the Fifth Young Master. It was quite funny, as she dutifully taught An Yuanzhi how to carry a child.

    An Yuanzhi held onto his safety as he stood in front of An Jin''s bedroom door. "Sis, when I go back, I''ll tell mother that this little nephew of mine is like you. She''ll be happy as well. In fact, "An Yuanzhi said in a low voice as he reached this point," I want Mother to see Xiao Ping. "

    As a concubine, how could she leave the residence? Matriarch An also didn''t allow An Jin to return to the manor to see her grandson. She didn''t know if she would have the chance to do so in her entire life.

    An Jin smiled from within the room. "As long as you, Yuan Zhi, can work hard, there will be a good day for us to wait for mother."

    "Mm," An Yuanzhi replied in a low voice. He didn''t mention anything about the others in the Residence of An. Besides him and his mother, no one else cared about them.

    At this time, a shadow flashed outside the courtyard of Shangguan''s residence.

    Half an incense stick of time later, Eunuch Xie walked into the imperial study and reported, "Your Majesty, Lady An gave birth to a son last night."

    Shizong looked up at Eunuch Xie.

    The eunuch wore his usual respectful expression as he said, "Because this is the first child, it was somewhat dangerous for Madam An to give birth. Fortunately, mother and son were safe and sound. "Your Majesty, the fifth young master of the Residence of An has given the young master a nickname called ''Ping''."

    "What''s his name?" Shizong asked.

    "They haven''t created the official name yet, but from what the An clan girl and the Shangguan family''s second young master are saying, they are going to wait until General Shangguan returns."

    Emperor Shizong''s expression turned cold.

    "The scout said that this little gongzi looks like An Jin girl."

    "Did someone from the Residence of An visited?" Shizong asked again.

    Eunuch Xie knew that the crown prince wouldn''t be asking about An Yuanzhi, so he replied, "The Residence of An hadn''t sent anyone yet. The Grand Preceptor still hadn''t returned when the second young master of the Shangguan family went to celebrate with the Residence of An."

    Shi Zong coldly snorted.

    "When the Shangguan Family has set up a full moon wine for our child, you can arrange for a gift to be sent over," Shizong ordered. "Tell them that it is my favor to Little Ping An."

    "Your servant accepts the decree," Eunuch Xie said after receiving the decree. He then probingly asked the Shizong, "Your Majesty, Madam An has just finished producing, shouldn''t we send some tonics to the imperial government?"

    "Are you trying to ruin her reputation?"

    Eunuch Xie was so scared that she lowered her head. "This servant is stupid, I deserve to die!"

    "Go!" Shizong icily replied.

    Gilly did not dare to say anything else. She held her breath and quickly retreated.

    The Shizong pushed the imperial report in front of him and raised his head to look at the moon fragrance painting embroidered by An Jinxiu. He had been stunned for half his life and had countless beauties around him. He had never thought that he would have a day where he could not be alone. He had arranged for people to spy onAh Jin, which even the Emperor himself found laughable. However, he just wanted to know more about An Jin. If he didn''t hear about it in a few days, the Emperor would feel that there was something missing.

    "An Jinxiu'' Emperor called out her name as he looked at the lotus under the moon. Perhaps he had gone crazy. How could a little married woman, who had given birth to a son, possibly be worthy of such thoughts?

 32 Ping An

    Zhou Yi was going to promote Shangguan Yong for the sake of Grand Preceptor An or the crown prince behind him. Qiao Lin didn''t ask directly. The current Grand Preceptor sounded renowned, but how could he compare to a dynasty''s crown prince? Although General Zhou''s words were inflamed, with a person in the imperial court, how could he not scheme for himself and his family?

    The Northerners lived in the bitter cold of the land, and their thirst for it was far beyond the imagination of the people of Yeshi. The generals of Yeshi thought that the war would soon be over, but the war outside White Jade Mountain Pass lasted for more than a year, and there was still no hope of ending it.

    An Jin in the spring of next year''s May, after a hard night, gave birth to their Shangguan Yong''s first child. When she held her clean son in her arms, all sorts of feelings welled up in her heart. Even if she wanted to cry, she couldn''t.

    At the side, Zi Yuan said happily, "Miss, the young master is like you."

    Shangguan Ning also nodded and said: "Eldest Sister-in-law, nephew looks like you."

    An Jinxiu lowered her head to look at her son. Her little face was still wrinkled, and her facial features had yet to grow. Where could one tell that she looked like her? However, thinking about it, her son in her previous life was indeed like her. After he grew up, with his good looks, he won the hearts of countless girls. When she held her newborn son, she couldn''t help but think of her previous life. Finally, she began to weep again.

    "In this life, mother will definitely view you as a treasure. In this life, mother will only live for you, your father and your future sister," An Jinxiu said to herself as she kissed her son''s cheek.

    "Eldest Sis don''t cry." Shangguan Ning laid on the edge of the bed, her heart still throbbing with fear as she asked An Jin, "Is it still painful?" Last night, An Jin had already been enduring the pain, but Shangguan Ning was still frightened.

    "It''s fine now," An Jinxiu wiped her tears away and smiled at Shangguan Ning. "Women have to cry when giving birth to children."

    Shangguan Ning suddenly said: "Then I won''t have a baby anymore."

    At this point, both Zi Yuan and An Jin laughed out loud. "Does Aunt like your nephew?" An Jinxiu asked Shangguan Ning.

    Shangguan Ning immediately nodded and said: "I like it."

    "Then if Miss Ning isn''t born with a baby like Second Miss, how could Second Miss have a nephew?" Zi Yuan asked Shangguan Ning with a smile.

    Shangguan Ning, who had already passed her seventh birthday, was distressed. The little kid was very cute, but she was afraid of pain.

    "It''s just a little bit of pain, isn''t sister-in-law fine now?" An Jinxiu hugged her son down so Shangguan Ning could see. She said, "Aunt, don''t be afraid."

    Seeing her nephew, Shangguan Ning didn''t care about whether the baby was in pain or not. The little girl only had this baby that heard her scream but didn''t even open her eyes.

    At this moment, Shangguan Rui''s voice came from outside the door, "Eldest sister-in-law, are you alright?"

    "I''m fine now." An Jinxiu quickly said, "Brother-in-law, you didn''t go to the academy today?"

    Shangguan Rui said: "I asked my classmates to asked for a leave of absence. Eldest Sister-in-law, I went to the Residence of Tranquil East Tribe to register our blessings."

    "Thank you, Little Brother-in-law."

    "Sister-in-law, can I see my nephew?" After Shangguan Rui heard An Jin''s thanks, he just coughed and asked. Zi Yuan and Shangguan Ning had been dominating their little nephew, and he had been busy with the matter of the midwives and the festivities at the Residence of An. Even now, Shangguan Rui still hadn''t been able to see his little nephew.

    An Jinxiu handed her son to Zi Yuan and said, "Quickly take him to his uncle and let him take a look."

    Zi Yuan replied, then carried the little gongzi and walked out.

    Shangguan Ning also ran out, and before long, An Jinxiu heard her shout after following Shangguan Rui: "Second Brother is very clumsy, don''t throw my little nephew away!"

    "He''s my nephew too, okay?" Shangguan Rui sounded helpless. It was his first time carrying such a small child, how could he not be nervous?

    Shangguan Ning said: "I want to hug him too!"

    Shangguan Rui quickly shook his head and said: "You''re still too young, you can''t carry him."

    "No, just let me hug you." Shangguan Ning pulled Shangguan Rui''s robe, looking like she was about to act like a rascal.

    "Sis!" Just as the two siblings were arguing over their nephew, An Jinxiu heard An Yuanzhi''s voice come from outside the door, "Sis, are you alright?" An Yuanzhi had yet to enter the courtyard, but his voice had already reached them.

    "Yuan Zhi?" An Jinyi hurriedly replied.

    An Yuanzhi rushed into the small courtyard of Shangguan family. When he saw the little doll in Shangguan Rui''s arms, he couldn''t move a step. He reached out to hug it, but didn''t dare to. Elder sister, are you alright? " An Yuanzhi couldn''t enter the room, so he could only stand outside the door and shout at her.

    "I''m fine, where''s Mom?" An Jin asked from within the room.

    "Mother is overjoyed that you have given birth to a son," An Yuanzhi said. "She has made a lot of small clothes and wants me to bring them to you."

    An Jin looked at her bedside. Ever since she found out that she was pregnant, her Mother had never stopped making clothes for her little grandson. At this moment, the small clothes on the bed were already piled up like a small mountain.

    "Sis, my nephew looks just like you," An Yuanzhi said loudly from outside. "He''s looking at me and smiling!"

    An Jinxiu laughed, "He was just born. How can he look like anyone?"

    An Yuanzhi didn''t care about that. He laughed loudly and said, "That''s great! I''m already an uncle now!"

    "Yes," Shangguan Ning said, "I''m an aunt and Second Brother is an uncle!"

    Only then did An Yuanzhi keep up with Shangguan Rui and Shangguan Ning, and asked An Jin: "Sis, what''s the name of my little nephew?"

    In her previous life, the eldest son of the Shangguan family had called Shangguan Ziping over. In this life, An Jinxiu said, "His uncle has read a lot. Why don''t we just give him a name?"

    Shangguan Rui said: "Let''s wait for Big Bro to come back and take your big name."

    An Yuanzhi said, "Then why don''t you choose a nickname?"

    Shangguan Rui shook his head and said to the room: "Sister-in-law should do the name selection."

    An Jin was speechless for a long time. In her previous life, she had never cared about this son, nor did she know his nickname. Now that she had asked her to name him, her mind was completely blank. She could not remember any good name.

    "Sis," An Yuanzhi said from the outside, "you''ve read quite a few books, can''t you come up with a name?"

    "I ˇ­" An Jin took the quilt with her fingers and paled. Even after her rebirth, she still felt that she wasn''t worthy to be that child''s mother.

    "If you won''t take it from me," An Yuanzhi said, "Just call it Ping which means peace. It''s better for you that this little thing grew up safe and sound than anything else!"

    Shangguan Rui smiled, "Ping? This little name is not bad. "

    "Ping, Ping!" Shangguan Ning shouted as she hugged the little kid in Shangguan Rui''s arms.

    Xiao Ping suddenly opened his toothless mouth and laughed.

    An Yuanzhi was even happier now. "Did you see that?" he asked. Ping An''s smile must be because he likes the name "

    Shangguan Ning complimented Yuan Zhi, "Brother Yuan Zhi, you''re awesome. You''re much stronger than Second Brother."

    Laughter filled the courtyard once again.

    As An Jin sat in her room listening to the laughter outside, her mood gradually recovered from her self-loathing. In this life, it was good that her relatives were fine. She didn''t ask for anything else, but what did her past life have to do with her?

    An Yuanzhi laughed in the yard for a while before bravely accepting his nephew from Shangguan Rui. The newborn baby was as light as a kitten, and An Yuanzhi didn''t even dare to breathe.

    This was the first time that Zi Yuan had seen the fearless appearance of the Fifth Young Master. It was quite funny, as she dutifully taught An Yuanzhi how to carry a child.

    An Yuanzhi held onto his safety as he stood in front of An Jin''s bedroom door. "Sis, when I go back, I''ll tell mother that this little nephew of mine is like you. She''ll be happy as well. In fact, "An Yuanzhi said in a low voice as he reached this point," I want Mother to see Xiao Ping. "

    As a concubine, how could she leave the residence? Matriarch An also didn''t allow An Jin to return to the manor to see her grandson. She didn''t know if she would have the chance to do so in her entire life.

    An Jin smiled from within the room. "As long as you, Yuan Zhi, can work hard, there will be a good day for us to be together for mother."

    "Mm," An Yuanzhi replied in a low voice. He didn''t mention anything about the others in the Residence of An. Besides him and his mother, no one else cared about them.

    At this time, a shadow flashed outside the courtyard of Shangguan''s residence.

    Half an incense stick of time later, Eunuch Xie walked into the imperial study and reported, "Your Majesty, Lady An gave birth to a son last night."

    Shizong looked up at Eunuch Xie.

    The eunuch wore his usual respectful expression as he said, "Because this is the first child, it was somewhat dangerous for Madam An to give birth. Fortunately, mother and son were safe and sound. "Your Majesty, the fifth young master of the Residence of An has given the young master a nickname called ''Ping''."

    "What''s his name?" Shizong asked.

    "They haven''t created the official name yet, but from what the An clan girl and the Shangguan family''s second young master are saying, they are going to wait until General Shangguan returns."

    Emperor Shizong''s expression turned cold.

    "The scout said that this little gongzi looks like An Jin girl."

    "Did someone from the Residence of An visited?" Shizong asked again.

    Eunuch Xie knew that the crown prince wouldn''t be asking about An Yuanzhi, so he replied, "The Residence of An hadn''t sent anyone yet. The Grand Preceptor still hadn''t returned when the second young master of the Shangguan family went to celebrate with the Residence of An."

    Shi Zong coldly snorted.

    "When the Shangguan Family has set up a full moon wine for their child, you can arrange for a gift to be sent over," Shizong ordered. "Tell them that it is my favor to Little Ping An."

    "Your servant accepts the decree," Eunuch Xie said after receiving the decree. He then probingly asked the Shizong, "Your Majesty, Madam An has just finished producing, shouldn''t we send some tonics to the imperial government?"

    "Are you trying to ruin her reputation?"

    Eunuch Xie was so scared that she lowered her head. "This servant is stupid, I deserve to die!"

    "Go!" Shizong icily replied.

    Eunuch Xie did not dare to say anything else. He held his breath and quickly retreated.

    The Shizong pushed the imperial report in front of him and raised his head to look at the moon fragrance painting embroidered by An Jinxiu. He had been stunned for half his life and had countless beauties around him. He had never thought that he would have a day where he would feel alone. He had arranged for people to spy onAh Jin, which even the Emperor himself found laughable. However, he just wanted to know more about An Jin. If he didn''t hear about it in a few days, the Emperor would feel that there was something missing.

    "An Jinxiu'' Emperor called out her name as he looked at the lotus under the moon. Perhaps he had gone crazy. How could a little married woman, who had given birth to a son, possibly be worthy of his thoughts?

 33 Full Moon

    Two days later, Grand Preceptor An ordered someone to bring over a high-quality jade pendant to his grandson. An Jin did not put the jade pendant on Ping An, but instead carried him to the capital''s Pilu Monastery early in the morning on a full moon. She asked someone to carve the word ''peace'' on the long lock for peace''s sake.

    In her previous life, when Ping grew up, he followed his father and left the army. Compared to the jade pendant that Grand Preceptor An had given him, which represented wealth and fortune, she was more concerned about whether his son was safe or not.

    The palace also sent a congratulatory gift on the day of the full moon. An Jinxiu did not think too much about it, her marriage with Shangguan Yong could also be considered to have been bestowed by the Emperor.

    After the safe and peaceful full moon feast that night ended, Zi Yuan showed An Jin a gift slip.

    When An Jin saw the list, she realized that Bai Chengze had also ordered someone to send her a valuable gift.

    "Miss," Zi Yuan said worriedly to An Jinxiu, "what is the Fifth Prince planning to do?"

    An Jinxiu put down the gift list. What was Bai Chengze planning to do with a gift worth close to a thousand taels of silver? Now that she was living a peaceful life and didn''t have any contact with this person, why did this person still have to appear in front of her? To win over Shangguan Yong? At this time, Bai Chengze could already see Shangguan Yong''s future achievements?

    "Miss, please say something." Zi Yuan looked at An Jinxiu and did not say anything for a long time. She became anxious, "Can you accept this gift? If Young Master finds out about this, will he be unhappy? "

    Before An Jin could speak, Shangguan Rui''s voice came from outside the door, "Eldest sister-in-law, did you rest?"

    "No, Brother-in-law can come in," An Jinxiu said to Shangguan Rui outside the door after she hide the gift slip from Bai Chengze.

    Shangguan Rui walked in with a gift slip in his hand. "Eldest sister-in-law, this is a gift from the imperial concubine. Take a look at it."

    An Jinxiu did not expect An Jinyan to give her a present as well. Looking at the gift list, she knew that her older sister''s gift was not light either.

    "Eldest Sister-in-Law," Shangguan Rui said, "Can you accept this gift?"

    An Jinxiu glanced at Shangguan Rui, but she knew that her brother-in-law was an exceptionally shrewd person. In her previous life, Shangguan Rui was by Shangguan Yong''s side, and the matter of Shangguan Yong''s military plan was almost taken care of by Shangguan Rui.

    After she stole Shangguan Yong''s military talisman to help Bai Chengze massacre the capital city, Shangguan Rui saw the situation clearly and strongly advised Shangguan Yong to join Bai Chengze, which allowed the Shangguan family''s wealth to rise to a whole new level. "Sigh!" An Jinxiu let out a sigh. She said that she didn''t want to go back to her previous life, but she couldn''t control herself to remember.

    "I just don''t understand why the Crown Prince''s consort who had never had any great relationship with eldest sister-in-law. Why did she send such a great gift this time?" Shangguan Rui said bluntly. He didn''t have the slightest intention of scheming anything.

    At this moment, Zi Yuan said, "Miss, Second Young Master, I''m still boiling water in the kitchen. Zi Yuan will be leaving first."

    An Jinxiu nodded and let Zi Yuan off, then followed behind Shangguan Rui, saying, "To tell you the truth, perhaps the crown prince knew in advance that His Majesty would send a congratulatory gift over, which was why the Eastern Palace sent a gift in the name of the crown prince''s consort."

    Shangguan Rui said, "You''re saying they''re just trying to please His Majesty?"

    An Jinxiu smiled bitterly, "Who can say for sure about the matters in the imperial court?" Brother-in-law, your big brother isn''t home, so you should be the one to come up with an idea. "

    Shangguan Rui said: "This is a gift for my sister-in-law''s sake."

    "If I really had that much of a reputation, your big brother wouldn''t have to risk his life to fight on the battlefield," An Jinxiu said in a low voice with a lonely expression. "Your big brother supported this family. At most, I would just be guarding the inner chamber."

    When Shangguan Rui heard her words, he hurriedly stood up and bowed to her as a form of apology.

    An Jinxiu quickly stood up from her chair and asked, "Brother-in-law, what are you doing?"

    Shangguan Rui said seriously to An Jinxiu: "Sister-in-law, I said the wrong thing, don''t take it to heart. I respect my elder brother and also respect my elder sister-in-law."

    A smart person against a smart person, many things didn''t need to be said very clearly. Shangguan Rui didn''t want his elder brother to have the reputation of relying on his wife to accomplish everything, while An Jinxiu followed Shangguan Rui to emphasize that everything in the Shangguan Family was Shangguan Yong''s doing.

    She was also making a promise with Shangguan Rui that she wouldn''t use her identity as the Grand Preceptor''s daughter to forcefully suppress Shangguan Yong.

    An Jinxiu returned An Jinyan''s gift slip to Shangguan Rui and smiled, "Why are you saying all these things to your own family? Brother-in-law, what should we do about this matter? "

    Shangguan Rui shook his head and said, "I''m not a butler, so let''s just leave this to sister-in-law."

    "Then," An Jinxiu said, "Put this gift to one side and don''t touch it. When we get the chance, we''ll return it." An Jinxiu had made up her mind. Not only was An Jinyan''s courtesy dealt with like this, Bai Chengze''s gift also had to be dealt with.

    In short, she couldn''t let Shangguan Yong accept the kindness of these two, otherwise, the matter would be difficult to resolve.

    Shangguan Rui had the same idea, but after hearing An Jinxiu say so, he nodded and agreed.

    At this point, Ping An woke up from his sleep in the bed and started to groan and cry.

    An Jinxiu turned around and walked to the bed. She picked up Ping and started to coax in a low voice.

    Shangguan Rui didn''t know when his elder brother would return, since Ping had already handled the full moon wine and still the son had not met his father.

 34 Wang Family

    After his eldest sister-in-law had married into the Shangguan family, she had only spent one night with his elder brother, who had no problems defending the country, but still owed her a companion. Shangguan Rui walked out quietly and closed the door behind her.

    "Be good, Ping," An Jinxiu said softly as she carried him back and forth in front of the window. "Your father will be back soon. When you grows up, your father will teach you martial arts, and your mother will teach you calligraphy. How about that?"

    The baby''s emotions were always changing. Ping An, who was crying sorrowfully just now, was soon coaxed into laughing again. The gentle sounds of An Jin''s courtyard and the quiet, inexperienced laughter reached the small courtyard through the window, adding some warmth to the small courtyard of the Shangguan family.

    Just like that, another peaceful night passed, and the next day, Shangguan''s family life went on as usual. The peaceful full moon wine, although also sent by the Emperor as a congratulatory gift, still did not attract the attention of the people of the capital.

    On the other hand, Shangguan Rui, who had returned from the academy today, brought An Jin a shocking news to the capital. The military department head, Wang Yuan, was convicted of bullying the monarch by the Emperor and his entire family was sent to prison.

    "Our family bought the land from the Wang family," Shangguan Rui said worriedly to An Jin. "Eldest sister-in-law, we won''t be affected by the purchase of the land, will we?"

    An Jinxiu said, "Is Wang Yuan''s crime related to the nine families?"

    Shangguan Rui said, "That''s right, everyone''s guessing what Wang Yuan was trying to hide from His Majesty."

    "We are buying land through official transactions," An Jinxiu said. "So we won''t be implicated."

    Shangguan Rui breathed a sigh of relief, saying, "That''s good, one of the scholars in our school is Wang Yuan''s nephew, he was taken away from the school by the justice courts today."

    "What a pity." An Jinxiu sighed and lowered her head to busy herself with the embroidery work on the embroidery rack.

    Shangguan Rui had nothing to worry about, so he went to see Ping An brought by his wet nurse.

    After Shangguan Rui had left, An Jin stopped the work she was doing. Having lived for two lifetimes, it wasn''t surprising that Wang Yuan, who was originally the trusted general of the current dynasty, had his nine clans executed.

    In her previous life, this was the fate of Wang Yuan as well, and the so-called deceitful monarch was only a vague crime. The real reason was that Wang Yuan had helped the crown prince extend his hand into the army and offended the current emperor.

    An Jinxiu was thinking about the King when she suddenly thought of something. She went into the kitchen to find the Zi Yuan who was busy cooking and said, "Little girl Zi, help me call Yuanzhi over to my house. I have something to tell him."

    "I''ll go after I''ve cooked the rice," Zi Yuan said.

    An Jinxiu took the spatula from Zi Yuan. "Let me do it here. Tell Yuanzhi to eat dinner here."

    After she wiped her hands, she was about to run out to the Residence of An to find An Yuanzhi.

    "Wait a minute." An Jin placed some silver pieces into the hand of the Zi Yuwn. "Give the servants some money and have a nice chat with those people."

    Zi Yuan put the silver pieces away helplessly. If she didn''t give money to the servants, they wouldn''t go and inform Fifth Young Master An for her.

    "Be careful on the road. I''ll wait for you guys to come back and eat," An Jinxiu warned Zi Yuan again.

    "Sigh." Zi Yuan ran away.

    An Yuanzhi arrived on a horse as Ah Jinxiu had finished cooking dinner and waited for a while.

    "Zi Yuan said you were looking for me in a hurry," An Yuanzhi said as he stood in the kitchen. "Did something happen at home?"

    "Did you know that Wang Yuan is going to be executed into the nine clans?" An Jinxiu handed a bowl of water to An Yuanzhi to drink.

    An Yuanzhi drank some water and said, "I know. Father has already brought Big Brother and Second Brother to the Eastern Palace."

    An Jinxiu frowned slightly. At this moment, the Emperor was infuriated by crown prince. Was Grand Preceptor An and his sons not afraid of the taboo of recruiting new followers when they went to the Eastern Palace?

    "Sis, why are you looking for me? You wouldn''t do it for Wang Yuan, right? " An Yuanzhi finished the bowl of water in a few gulps and asked, "What happened?"

    "Eat first. After you finish eating, come with me to a place." An Jinxiu placed food on a small table in the kitchen for An Yuanzhi.

    An Yuanzhi said, "If you don''t make it clear, can I have a peaceful meal?"

    An Jinxiu sat across An Yuanzhi and whispered, "The two sons of Wang Yuan in the capital must have been captured as well."

    An Yuanzhi said, "Are you really doing this for Wang Yuan?"

    "I don''t know him. Have you seen him?"

    "When I bought the land, it''s from the steward of the Wang family, but I have never met the master of the Wang family."

    "Wang Yuan has been a general for many years. I heard that he has many Death Soldiers in his house, and this time, the Wang Family has collapsed. If no one bought any of the Wang Family''s servants, they would definitely be executed. If these Death Soldiers were bought and used as slaves, or killed, wouldn''t that be too much of a pity?" An Jinxiu said.

    An Yuanzhi was tongue-tied then said. "You want to buy a Death Soldier? Since these people are the deathsworn of the Wang clan, how can they be loyal to others? "

 35 Prison

    After a hasty meal with An Yuanzhi, An Yuanzhi left Shangguan Rui and Zi Yuan to watch over the house. An Yuanzhi himself drove the Shangguan family''s newly purchased carriage to the east of the capital with An Jinxiu to prison cells in the Supreme Court.

    An Yuanzhi was still on the way back, "Sis, are you really going to buy people?" All the money you save is hard money, do you have to do this?"

    "You have to join the army in the future. Isn''t it good to have loyal helpers by your side?" An Jinxiu told An Yuanzhi, "If you don''t like them, just give them to brother-in-law."

    An Yuanzhi said, "If we go like this, will the justice courts release those people?"

    "As long as you''re Qi Shun''s subject, you can buy any of the slaves. As long as we spend money, how can the justice courts not release them?" An Jinxiu put down the carriage curtain and said, "You don''t have to worry. Even if we can''t buy these people, it would be good if we could buy some servants to go home."

    It was much cheaper to buy a sin slave than to buy a slave at the market. The only difference was that it was not a good fortune to have a guilty slave, so no matter how cheap the guilty slave was, most people wouldn''t buy one.

    An Yuanzhi did not believe in destiny, so he naturally did not believe. After lashing out at the horse for a bit, he told An Jinxiu, who was sitting in the carriage, "I''ll drive the horse faster. Sis, you sit steadily."

    It was already dusk and there were still many pedestrians on the street. Many of them were hurrying home. An Yuanzhi wanted to gallop faster, but the streets were bustling with pedestrians. He had no choice but to slow down.

    An Jinxku sat in the carriage as she carefully calculated. In her previous life, the Death Soldiers that Wang Yuan raised were things that Bai Chengze wholeheartedly wanted to get his hands on. However, that time when Bai Chengze made his move too late, he ordered his men to save the Wang family''s Death Soldiers after the beheading of Bai Yuan and his son.

    In the end, it was said that the nine Death Soldiers with the highest martial arts skills had already been killed. Bai Chengze had treated these Death Soldiers as treasures in the future, and An Jinxiu had also personally witnessed the power of these Death Soldiers. Killing people, arson, poison people, anything that these people could do.

    If Bai Chengze''s most powerful killing tools could be used by Shangguan Yong and An Yuanzhi, then their military careers would undoubtedly be smoother. For the two people he cared about, An JinXiu decided to fight it out and see if she could save those Death soldiers when she heard Wang Yuan went to jail.

    When the carriage was still two streets away from the prison, An Yuanzhi said to An Jinxiu, "Sis, there''s something wrong with the street."

    An Jinxiu, who was sitting in the car, asked, "What happened outside?"

    An Yuanzhi said, "There are quite a few yamen runners. There shouldn''t be so many yamen runners on the streets."

    "Could it be because of the Wang family case?" An Jinxiu guessed.

    An Yuanzhi said, "Sis, take a seat. I''ll drive into the alley."

    "There are still paths to drive on?" An Jinxiu lifted the curtain and asked.

    An Yuanzhi said, "Sis, since you''ve never been to the capital, of course you don''t know. Sit down. I''m going to speed up the horse."

    As the horse carriage speed up, it started to shake violently. An Jinxiu almost fell out of the carriage. Fortunately, she had grabbed the door frame with both of her hands to stabilize herself.

    An Yuanzhi galloped into an alley. There were residences on both sides of the alley. An Yuanzhi brought An Jinyi along to these intertwined roots. They drive around familiarly in the residential alleys.

    In the end, An Jinxiu was completely confused by these alleyways that didn''t seem too different from her usual ones. However, An Yuanzhi told her that they had almost reached the eastern part of the justice courts.

    An Jinyi sat on the horse carriage and looked towards the direction they were heading. What she saw, however, was still a large area of residents. She didn''t even see the top of the half inch cell wall.

    "Just three more alleys and it''ll be fine," An Yuanzhi told An Jin with a smile. "Don''t worry, Sis. I won''t get lost in the capital."

    "You run around the city all day?" An Jinxiu asked snappily, "You''re not going to practice martial arts anymore?"

    An Yuanzhi said, "There are many experts in the martial arts world hidden in the capital city. I''m just looking for them to compete in martial arts. Is this not also a type of martial arts practice?"

    An Jinxiu patted An Yuanzhi''s back, but didn''t say anything. She didn''t ask An Yuanzhi to teach him martial arts, nor did he allow him to go outside to study martial arts.

    An Jinxiu knew that An Yuanzhi''s martial arts was quite good, but she now somewhat clear on how he had learned those martial arts.

    "We''ll arrive in a hundred li." An Yuanzhi said to An Jinxiu, "Sis, my martial arts aren''t any worse than brother-in-law''s."

    An Jinxiu smiled and nodded. Looking at the dark sky, she asked An Yuanzhi, "Do you want me to light up the lamp and hang it on the front of the carriage?"

    An Yuanzhi said, "No need. I can see the road."

    The deeper they drove into the alley, the less people there seemed to be. An Jin didn''t know what kind of people lived on either side of the alley and why they didn''t light up even when it was dark.

    "There''s a gust of wind outside. Sis, you can go back to the carriage." An Yuanzhi urged An Jin to return to the carriage after the night breeze blew.

    An Jinxiu sat back in the carriage and they drove along the quiet road. This caused her to become nervous for some unknown reason.

    An Yuanzhi drove the carriage through two alleys before suddenly stopping the carriage.

    After the car came to a halt, An Jin stuck her head out of the carriage and asked anxiously, "What''s wrong?" Then, before An Yuanzhi could say anything, An Jinxiu saw the flame shooting up into the sky from the high wall not far away.

    An Yuanzhi exclaimed, "The prison is on fire!"

 36 Deathsworn fugitives

    How could this be? An Jinxiu was also surprised. The prison of the justice courts had always been heavily guarded, so how could there be a fire?

    "Things are not right." An Yuanzhi said to An Jinxiu while she was still in a daze. He had already turned his horse around. "Let''s go back."

    Just as An Jinxiu was about to nod her head, she heard someone knock on the left side of the carriage.

    "Who?!" An Yuanzhi shouted.

    No one answered. Only An Jinxiu and An Yuanzhi could hear the heavy breathing. Someone was standing on the left side of their car.

    Almost at the same time, An Yuanzhi pulled out his sword from his waist and returned to the carriage. He quickly lit the lantern and jumped off the carriage.

    At this point, An Yuzhi had already pointed her sword at a person''s throat as she shouted in a low voice, "You''re fugitives?!"

    Outside the carriage stood two men dressed in the prison uniform of the Supreme Court. They looked to be no more than twenty years old, and their prison uniform was tattered, unable to hide their bodies. Their bodies were covered in blood, wounds, and even exposed bones.

    "Sis, get back to the car!" When An Yuanzhi saw An Jinxiu get off the carriage, he quickly called out to her.

    "We don''t want to kill people," the man who hadn''t been held by An Yuanzhi''s sword to his throat said. "We just want a way out."

    "There has never been a fugitive from the justice courts who managed to leave the capital alive," An Yuanzhi told the man. "You''d better give up on this idea!"

    The sound of messy footsteps came from a place not far from the back of the carriage. It was obvious that the justice courts were chasing after them.

    The man who had spoken wanted to move, but An Yuanzhi turned his sword. "If you dare to move, I''ll kill him!"

    An Jin''s gaze swept across the man An Yuanzhi was holding to his throat with his sword. On his shoulder, a tiger''s head roared with its mouth wide open. Are you people from Wang Yuan''s residence? " An Jinxiu asked.

    After hearing An Jinxiu''s question, the two men burst with killing intent.

    "Get in the car. The people chasing you are coming." An Jinxiu said as she turned around and lifted the curtain.

    "Sis?" An Yuanzhi thought he had misheard and heard wrongly. Were they going to bring these two fugitives away?

    "Get in!" At this time, An Jinxiu didn''t have enough time to explain and could only urge the two of them to get on the car.

    The two men heard the footsteps getting closer and closer behind them. At this time, they no longer had any choice. Their stamina was already exhausted, so even if they ran, they wouldn''t be able to run far.

    Seeing that An Yuanzhi was still holding the sword to the fugitive''s throat, An Jinxiu, who had gotten on the train first, whispered to An Yuanzhi, "Listen to me. If there''s anything we need to say, we''ll save them first!"

    There was no time for An Yuanzhi to ponder over this further. In the end, the fifth young master listened to his sister''s commands. He unsheathed his treasured sword and sat on the carriage in front of the carriage.

    The two fugitives staggered onto the carriage and sat together with An Jinxiu in the small carriage.

    "Hurry and go," An Jinxiu urged An Yuanzhi. "Don''t let anyone catch up to us."

    An Yuanzhi didn''t dare to be careless at this moment. If it was discovered that he and his sister had saved the fugitives, then they would be punished for the same crime. An Yuanzhi whipped his horse and urged the horse carriage into a gallop.

    The tiger head was branded on the shoulders. This was the standard practice for the Wang family''s highest ranking death soldier. An Jinxiu clenched her hands tightly, her heart was covered in sweat.

    The two people in front of her were two of the nine Death Soldiers she had been looking for. She said, how could these death warriors of Wang Yuan just sit there and wait for death in the prison? There was no need to ask much about what happened today, as they could come up with an answer.

    The Death Soldiers knew that their masters could not live, and they themselves could not be bought, or they were unwilling to be ordered around for their whole life as ordinary servants.

    If they set a fire in the prison, it was very possible that they even killed someone and escaped. An Jinxiu couldn''t remember that in her previous life, there had been some mishaps in the eastern prison of the justice courts, but none of these death soldiers had survived. This meant that if she hadn''t met An Yuanzhi and An Yuanzhi, these two Death Soldiers would not have been able to escape this day.

    "Thank you." Listening to the footsteps behind him which were getting further and further away, a Death Soldier''s voice expressed his thanks to An Jin.

    "I recognize this symbol," An Jin pointed at the mark on the man''s shoulder.

    In an instant, killing intent appeared in the eyes of the two deathsworn once again. Those who knew their identities couldn''t be left behind.

    An Jinxiu sighed and said, "I know your Lord Wang. When he left the capital, I bought the Prince''s Mansion''s fertile lands in the western suburbs from him. Although I said I bought them, it was basically a free gift."

    The two men looked at each other. They had never cared about the real estate business.

    I went to the Supreme Court in the dark today because I wanted to buy some servants from the Wang''s mansion, "An Jinxiu continued," My husband is not a rich man, but I thought I could save him one by one.

    "You want to buy sinners?" The Death Soldier did not believe her.

    "I come from the An clan," An Jinxiu said. "My family can be considered rich in the capital city."

    The eyes of the two deathsworn twitched as one of them asked, "Did Grand Preceptor An want to buy us?"

    An Jinxiu shook her head and said to the two deathsworn word by word, "It was us siblings who wanted to save you. It had nothing to do with the Grand Preceptor."

 37 Meeting the Shizong on the road

    An Yuanzhi''s hearing was much better than most people''s because of his martial arts training. An Yuanzhi heard every word that was said in the car.riage.

    An Jin''s words were half true and half false, but she only had one goal, and that was to win over the hearts and minds of these people. After getting into a relationship with Wang Yuan, she made the two Death Soldiers put down their guard against the two siblings.

    After saying that they wanted to save them, she made the two Death Soldiers have gratitude feelings. An Yuanzhi had always felt that people''s hearts were hard to grasp. Tonight, watching his sister make things seem simple.

    "Sister," An Yuanzhi said from the carriage behind her. Once no one spoke, he asked, "Are we going back directly?"

    An Jinxiu nodded and said, "It''s too late to leave the city now. I''ll send them to the manor outside the city tomorrow morning."

    An Yuanzhi said, "I''m afraid the city gates will close tomorrow, right?"

    "But the justice courts have already sent out to catch fugitives," An Jinxiu said confidently. "The city gates will be sealed to the detriment of the people. His Majesty won''t do such a thing. We''ll send them out of the city tomorrow."

    "Madame," said the Death Soldier in the carriage.

    An Jinxiu waved her hand at the two Death Soldiers, "I have some medicine at home, but I think you should see a doctor for the injuries on your body." The doctor in the city definitely cannot be invited. It would be safer to call a doctor in the countryside when we are out of the city. "

    An Yuanzhi was surprised at first when he heard An Jinxiu had already arranged this. He was surprised that his elder sister, who was tutoring her son at home, was actually someone who knew how to scheme.

    He then felt happy that it wasn''t a bad thing to have a smart elder sister. An Yuanzhi had already run two streets away from the eastern prison of the justice courts. Having made up his mind, he wanted to chat with An Jinxiu and give her some peace of mind. However, he didn''t expect his carriage to arrive at the intersection, and from the right side of the street came an army.

    "Who is it?" A voice came from outside the carriage. It was half male, half female. An Jinxiu instantly realized that the person who spoke was a eunuch who had come out from the palace.

    In the carriage, the two Death Soldiers once again went into a pose of fighting to the death with their lives on the line.

    An Jinxiu quickly put her index finger to her lips and signaled the two Death Soldiers to be quiet.

    Outside the car, An Yuanzhi was kneeling on the ground and giving his name. The person riding on the horse was none other than the Emperor of Shi, Bai Xueyao or known as Shizong.

    The ShiZong looked at the young man kneeling in front of his horse and said, "Your name is An Yuanzhi? How are you related from the An Shu family? "

    An Yuanzhi hurriedly said, "He''s my father."

    "Your Majesty, this should be the son of the Grand Preceptor''s concubine, the same mother as Second Miss An."

    After the Shizong heard what Eunuch Xie said, he said to An Yuanzhi, "Lift your head up."

    An Yuanzhi was scared, but he could only remain calm. He raised his head and faced the Emperor, though he did not meet the Emperor gaze.

    After looking at An Yuanzhi appearance, the Emperor thought to himself, as expected of a brother and sister of the same mother. "It''s already so late, why are you rushing away?" the Shizong asked An Yuanzhi.

    A few excuses flashed across An Yuanzhi''s mind. What kind of excuses would he have to come up with in order to save himself and his sister in the car?

    An Jinxiu spoke up from the car, "Yuan Zhi, who did you meet?"

    Her tone was light and indifferent, but her voice was soft and gentle. The Emperor hand holding the reins trembled. The person in the carriage was actually An Jin? This was a pleasant surprise.

    As An Jinxiu spoke, she lifted the carriage''s curtain and stuck her head out of the carriage.

    The Emperor looked at An Jinxiu and saw the panicked expression on her face. She must have been scared by the sheer number of soldiers and horses outside the carriage.

    Looking at An Jin''s appearance, the person who had given birth to a son seemed to be different from the young girl. She seemed to have a new charm to her. Emperor said, "So it''s you and your sister."

    An Jinxiu had already known from the carriave sound that they had met His Majesty. Now that she had heard Shizong speak to her, she hurriedly got out of the car.

    "Forget it," the Shizong wanted to address An-Jin as'' Shangguan '', but this title annoyed him. It didn''t make sense to call her'' Jinxiu '', so he simply stopped shouting and said to An-Jin, "Just speak from the carriage."

    An Jinxiu complied, then went back into the carriage to thank Shizong.

    The Emperl watched as An Jinxiu face disappeared behind the carriage''s curtain, sighing with regret. However, the Emperor was still willing to be considerate towards this little girl." "Please rise," Shizong said, then allowed An Yuanzhi to stand up and speak.

    An Yuan-zhi stood up, bowed his head and stood in front of the Shizong horse.

    "It''s so late. Where did you two go?" The Emperor seemed to be asking An Yuanzhi, but in reality, he was hoping that Ah Jinxiu would answer his questions. "What''s the urgent matter of driving the carriage so fast?"

    "In reply to Your Majesty, us siblings originally wanted to go to the eastern prison of the justice courts, but ˇ­ it was just that there was a fire that broke out there that caused us to rush home."

    "What are you guys doing in the justice courts?" Shizong asked immediately.

    An Jinxiu remained silent in the car.

    Shizong said, "What is it? There are still things that you can''t tell me? "

    "Your subject is thinking of buying some slaves," An Jinxiu''s tone was filled with an unconcealable awkwardness.

    "You bought a sinner?" The Emperor found it hard to believe. He had bestowed quite a few items to An Jinxiu. Was this little girl''s family still short of silver?

    "Yes ˇ­" An Jinxiu voice dragged a bit too long, as if she was hesitating to say yes.

 38 Safe and sound

    "Your Majesty, who would dare to use the emperor''s gift?" Eunuch Xie reminded the Emperor in a low voice.

    Only then did Shizong realize that all of his people had to offer him things as tribute, who would actually dare to use them? In other words, if he wanted to help this little girl, he would have to rely on someone else? Thinking of this, the Emperor told An Jinxiu, "If your household doesn''t have enough servants. You can go find your father. How can he not care about you?"

    These words from the Shi Zongshi were not limited to An Jinxiu and An Yuanzhi. Everyone present was shocked. Was the monarch going to take care of the family matters of a fifth-grade Martial Officer? What was this? A considerate subject?

    Did she need to be separated from the king of a country by a curtain to be able to stay at home?

    A fast horse came running from the direction of the eastern prison of the justice courts. When the imperial bodyguard came close to the Emperor, he jumped off the horse and whispered a few words in a low voice to Eunuch Xie, who was quickly approaching him.

    "Your Majesty, thirty-six people died in the prison. Of those, seven of Wang''s nine Death Soldiers died, and two others whose whereabouts are unknown."

    "To the justice courts," Shizong said.

    Eunuch Xie said, "Your Majesty, they came from the prison cell. Do you want to take a look at this carriage?"

    "Take a look," Shizong said.

    After Eunuch Xie received the order, he walked towards the carriage on which An Jin was sitting.

    At this moment, An Yuanzhi''s clothes were drenched in sweat. He only had one thought left in his mind, and that was that they were finished.

    Through the gap in the curtain of the carriage, she could also see that Eunuch Xie was walking towards her. Her breathing slowed down as she realized that this carriage was just an ordinary carriage. There was no hidden compartment or small space. She had no place to hide these two Death Soldiers.

    The two Death Soldiers also saw that Eunuch Xie was walking towards them. Their hearts felt like dying, but they felt guilty for implicating their benefactor.

    An Jinxiu gritted her teeth and suddenly lifted the curtain. She got off the carriage and gracefully stood up. She raised her head to look at Shizong before kneeling on the ground.

    An Yuanzhi saw An Jinxiu kneel down. Although he didn''t understand her intention, he also knelt down.

    Shizong hurriedly asked, "What are you doing?"

    "When this subject''s wife heard that His Majesty was about to go, how could An Jinxiu sit in the carriage and not kneel down to send him off?"

    Just now, he had said that he would go to the justice courts in a loud voice, causing the Emperor to laugh. Seeing how An Jinxiu treated him with respect, and looking at him with a smile just now, this little girl did not put on makeup, but still looked like she had a hibiscus on her face, making the Emperor feel much better.

    It was quite a coincidence that An Jinxiu was kneeling in front of the carriage. If he wanted to look at the carriage, then he would have to make An Jinxiu kneel somewhere else. Otherwise, he would have to walk around behind her. Others might not know, but she knew what her master was thinking. She didn''t dare to do either of these things.

    "Eunich Xie, come back," Shizong ordered. Then, he said to An Jin, "You two and your brother should go home. There''s something going on in the city tonight, so don''t go out."

    "Your servant obeys the decree," An Jinxiu said as she kowtowed to the Emperor.

    "Get on the carriage." Shizong refused to leave as he told An Jin.

    An Jinxiu stood up and heard the Emperor tell An Yuanzhi, "Help your sister get on the carriage."

    An Yuanzhi stood up from the ground and ran to the front of the car.

    An Jinxiu gave An Yuanzhi a comforting smile and patted the back of his hand.

    The Shizong watched as An Jin got into the carriage before riding past the carriage. When he thought of how she called herself An Jin, the Emperor decided that if this little girl called herself a concubine, then it would suit his wishes.

    An Yuanzhi waited until the line had gone far before jumping into the driver''s seat, whipping his horse and running in the direction of the Shangguan family.

    An Jinxiu waited until the carriage started to move before letting out a sigh of relief. When she relaxed, she discovered that her clothes were soaked through with sweat.

    The two Death Soldiers were also shocked. Just now, when An Jin got off the carriage, the two of them instructed An Jin to open the secret door at the bottom of the carriage and get off. The carriages were parked in the backlit area, and their white prison uniforms were covered in blood, so no one noticed.

    "It''s fine now." An Jinxiu''s heart was still thumping as she comforted the two deathsworn, whose faces had lost all color. "Just now, we were safe and sound. If we don''t die from great danger, we will have good fortune."

    It wasn''t just the two Death Soldiers, but even An Yuanzhi, who was driving the car outside, admired An Xiuxiu. The three of them combined didn''t seem as bold as this little girl.

    "When we get home, I''ll go in through the front door. Yuan Zhi, you take them and lead the horses in through the back door," said An Jinxiu as she leaned out of the window and looked behind the car.

    "Alright," An Yuanzhi agreed.

    There were no more pedestrians on the street behind the car. The houses on both sides of the street were shrouded in darkness, making it difficult to see clearly. An Jinxiu did not see a single person, but she did not dare to be careless. If the Emperor could let the eunuchs by her side see her carriage, they might be able to order them to follow her.

    An Yuanzhi was also paying attention to what was going on behind the carriage. He was also afraid that they would be followed by the Emperor. If another team rushed out to check on the car, he and An Jinxiu''s lives would be forfeited today.

 39 Royal father and son

    On the way to the eastern prison of the Supreme Court, Eunuch Xie spoke to the former in a low voice, "Your Majesty, why did Madam An choose to go in the evening when she bought a sin slave?"

    "She, the Grand Preceptor''s daughter, actually wants to save a few dollars to buy a sinful slave," Shizong said. "If I put it on you, do you have the nerve to go in broad daylight?"

    "Your Majesty is wise," Eunuch Xie hastened to say.

    "Do you have any objections to the An siblings?" Shizong suddenly asked Eunuch Xie.

    With just a single question, he had scared the emperor witless. Did he not like An Jin''s, a married woman or a woman born into a concubine''s family? Why was the emperor worried about her? As the most loyal servant of the sect, Eunuch Xie didn''t think that the Emperor was wrong. He only thought that An-Jin had done something wrong. Just thinking of An Jin''s, Eunuch Xie knew that there was a way to make the Emperor forget about her.

    Just now, Eunuch Xie was really thinking that if he could find those two fugitives in An Jin''s carriage, the Emperor would definitely kill her. Once she died, everyone would be safe. Eunuch Xie stole a glance at the Shizong, smiled obsequiously, and said, "How dare I be disrespectful to Second Miss An? "Your servant wouldn''t dare."

    "One last time," Shizong said coldly.

    If she hadn''t been walking on the road, Eunuch Xie would have knelt down to apologize. When Shizong told him the last time, Eunuch Xie knew that he meant that if he dared to plot against An Jin again, his life would be over.

    Soon after, the eastern prison cell of the justice courts appeared in front of the people of the sect. The justice court''s official, Wei Xi Sheng, welcomed the people of the sect before them.

    At this moment, the flames in the cell had already been extinguished, but black smoke was still coming out from all over the place. A pungent smell of burnt flesh permeated the air, making it hard for people to breathe smoothly.

    "After dismounting from his horse, the Shizong walked towards the gate, ignoring the terrible scene that followed the burning prison cell." Where''s Wang Yuan''s second son? " The Shi Zong asked the official behind him as he walked quickly.

    "It is this official who has failed in his duty," the justice court''s official said with a bitter face, "Wang Yuan''s second son committed suicide in his cell."

    Shizong stopped abruptly, "Dead?"

    Even today, he did not know what the purpose of the Wang Yuan. After Wang Yuan and his son went to prison, the imperial guards came to interrogate the second son of the Wang family. Today, the prison had been set on fire. The second son of the Wang family had committed suicide, and nine of the Wang family''s deathsworn had managed to escape.

    Shizong kicked this important official of the Board of Justice to the ground and asked, "Where is his corpse?"

    Immediately, a bailiff came forward, his legs trembling as he led a group of people to look at the corpses that they had collected.

    Two rows of thirty-six corpses lay neatly on the ground in a small courtyard within the prison.

    The bailiff took the two corpses and stammered, "Your Majesty, this ˇ­ this is the corpse of the second son of the Wang clan. A corpse."

    The body in front of him had not been burned down completely. The wounds on his body showed that he had been tortured while he was alive. His tongue was stuck out, and his eyes were wide open.

    "Your Majesty," one of the imperial guards looked at the two corpses and told the grand master, "These are the bodies of Wang Yuan and his son."

    The Shizong looked at the two corpses in front of him without uttering a word, with a cold expression on his face. It was unknown what he was thinking.

    Eunuch Xie and his imperial bodyguards looked over all the corpses in the courtyard before returning to report to the Emperor. "Your Majesty, this servant has counted them all. There are only seven corpses of the Wang clan''s Imprinted Death Soldiers."

    "Sage Wei Xi," the grand master called out to the justice court.

    "Your subject is here," said Sage Wei Xi Sheng, standing behind Shizong.

    "Take your men and capture them," the Emperor said. "They won''t be able to escape the city at this time.

    Wei Xi Sheng hurriedly brought a group of bailiffs from the justice courts to leave.

    Just as Wei Xi Sheng left with his men, a young eunuch ran into the courtyard and whispered a few words to Eunuch Xie.

    "Your Majesty, His Highness Crown Prince and His Highness the other princes have arrived. They''re right outside the prison cell."

    "Let them in."

    Eunuch Xie turned around and shouted at the eunuchs, "His Majesty has announced the arrival of His Highness."

    After a while, the crown prince led the way. Other than the Sixth Prince, who had always been in poor health, he had already reached adulthood. The five princes, who had been assigned various tasks in the imperial court, walked into the courtyard together.

    The Shizong looked back at his sons and said, "You guys are here to look at the corpse as well?"

    As soon as the princes heard the tone of the Shizong, they all kneeled down.

    Eunuch Xie motioned to the rest of the yard to go out.

    In the blink of an eye, only the royal family of six were left in the courtyard, along with the thirty-six corpses that littered the ground.

    "Crown Prince," Shizong didn''t let his sons get up and asked, "Why do you think Wang Yuan deserves to die?"

    The Crown Prince could not dare to speak. The three girls of Wang Yuan were his concubines. If he was not the Crown Prince, then he would be one of the nine clans that Wang Yuan that will be killed.

    Bai Chengze opened his mouth and said, "Imperial Father, this son has heard that Wang Yuan has been secretly forming an army for the past few years, and now that Imperial Father has decreed that Wang Yuan will execute the nine clansmen, this son believes that the matter regarding Wang Yuan''s private army must be true."

    The Crown Prince kowtowed and said, "Imperial Father is enlightened. This son is unaware of Wang Yuan''s crimes. If I were to know that he is so audacious, I would definitely kill him!"

    The Emperor didn''t pay attention to the Crown Prince. He looked at Bai Chengze and asked, "Where did you hear that?"

    Bai Chengze said in a very magnanimous manner, "This son heard from the officials of the Ministry of Justice that Wang Yuan''s family has hundreds of death soldiers. This son thinks that even if the Wang family needs them to protect their homes, the hundreds of death soldiers are not meant to protect their homes.

    The First Prince, Bai Chengzhou, who was standing behind the crown prince, continued, "Hundreds of Death Soldiers! These are figures that the Ministry of Justice can find out publicly. In private, we still don''t know how many martial artists this sinner, Wang Yuan, has raised."

    The Shizong looked at the crown prince and asked, "Crown Prince, what do you think?"

    "Wang Yuan deserves to die!" The Crown Prince raised his head and looked at the Shi Zong, his forehead was already green from the kowtow, "Father, your son is willing to watch over and execute the whole Wang Yuan family."

    "I thought you liked Wang Yuan''s daughter a lot."

    The Crown Prince kowtowed again, "That is just a woman. I do not lack women, and how can a woman be more important than my Bai Clan''s Jiang Shan? royal father, this son really does not know about Wang Yuan''s crimes, I beg for royal father''s forgiveness! "

    The Second Prince, Bai Chenglu, who shared the same parents as Bai Chengze opened his mouth and said, "Imperial Father, regarding the fire in the prison and the suicide of Wang Yuan, this son believes that we have to thoroughly investigate it. "The Heavenly Prison of the justice courts is the most heavily guarded prison by me. Is Wang''s Death Soldier really that capable of causing chaos in the Heavenly Prison of the justice courts?"

    After crossing the courtyard for a long time, no one spoke. Bai Chenglu''s words were actually referring to the fact that the Wang clan''s Death Soldiers had reinforcements within the prison. Although he did not say it explicitly, the Second Prince''s words were directed at the crown prince.

    After a long silence, the Emperor asked, "Are you going to take over?"

    The Crown Prince''s voice was choked with sobs as he said, "Father, I will naturally leave the matter of Wang Yuan."

    The First Prince immediately said, "Just now, His Highness the Crown Prince requested that the entire clan of Wang Yuan be beheaded."

    At this time, Bai Chengze became a good person again and said, "Big brother, I think the reason why His Highness asked for an imperial edict to be executed was also because he hated the sinner, Wang Yuan, to the bone."

    "Fifth brother," The First Prince turned around and looked at Bai Chengze, who was kneeling behind him, "You are really thinking for the Crown Prince."

    Bai Chengze lowered his head, avoiding the disdainful gaze of the First Prince.

    "You''re all my good sons, ah. I''ll tell you again, this Jiang Shan is mine, and I''m not dead yet, what are you all doing?"

    When the five princes saw that the crown prince was infuriated, they hurriedly pressed their foreheads to the ground and said, "This son dares not."

    "We will definitely investigate this matter tonight! Fourth Bro, you go do it, "said the Emperor as he called upon the only person who hadn''t spoken a single word, the fourth prince Bai Chengye," Let the Sage Wei Xi help you look into the matter of Wang Yuan, even if he dies, it won''t be over! Having said so, the Emperor hastily flicked their sleeves in anger and left the courtyard.

    The five princes waited for the passing of the previous generation before they finally stood up. Kneeling in front of the First Courtyard''s corpse until now, the princes didn''t feel comfortable in their hearts.

    The First Prince snorted coldly at the crown prince, "I really don''t know if the lives of Wang Yuan and his clansmen are worth it."

    The crown prince did not have the heart to argue with his big brother. He merely glanced at the First Prince.

    The fourth prince, Bai Chengsheng, gave Bai Chengze a glance and bowed to the crown prince before leaving.

    Bai Chengze asked the crown prince softly, "Your Highness, do you want to leave with your underlings?"

    The Crown Prince shook his head.

    "Hmph." The First Prince coldly snorted, then turned and left.

    Bai Chenglu and Bai Chengze, the twin brothers, bowed to the crown prince and left side by side.

    The crown prince seemed to have lost his soul as he stood alone in the courtyard filled with corpses. The weather in May was not cold. The cell had just been set ablaze, and the air was scorching hot. The crown prince felt cold, bone-chilling cold.

    The Emperor rushed back to the palace in a fit of anger. At the entrance of the imperial study, he saw Empress Xiang waiting there.

    "Your Majesty," the empress hastened to greet him when she saw him walk over.

    "You came to speak on behalf of your son?" Shizong asked coldly.

    The empress laughed, "It''s not like the crown prince made any mistakes. Why would chenqie speak up for him?"

    Seeing the calm face of her empress, the Emperor anger grew even stronger. "It''s getting late, the empress should go rest," he said as he walked into the imperial study, not even sparing the empress a glance.

    Empress Xiang was unable to enter the imperial study either, so she could only stand quietly in front of the door for a while before bringing the palace maid back to the Middle Palace.

    Shi Zong sat in the inner room of the imperial study. Annoyed, he threw all the memorials on the imperial desk onto the floor. In the court, it was not Wang Yuan alone who was in the private army, but a bunch of people who were in the process of exterminating the Nine Clan. Except for Wang Yuan, no other sect had found out yet.

    At this time, Eunuch Xie brought tea to the Shizong, not daring to ask about the memorial.

    "I want the inner court to investigate the whereabouts of the two death warriors," Shizong said to Geely. "I want them alive."

    "This servant obeys the decree," Jilly hurriedly said.

    Wang Yuan''s family was completely unaware of what Wang Yuan had done. The two men who had escaped were Wang Yuan''s personal guards, and they were usually the ones who trained the other members of the Wang Clan. The Wang Clan could only hope that the answer would come from these two men.

    Under the moonlight, the fragrance painting hung squarely on the wall. After a busy day, the exhausted Emperor looked at Ah Jin embroidery and asked himself, "Who is his Flower of Anxiety?"

 40 Out of town

    It was impossible for the commoners of the capital city not to know about the matter of the Emperor and the princes arriving at the justice courts at night.

    In a moment, the streets of the capital were filled with Board of Justice runaways searching for fugitives. The common folk of the capital had unknowingly grown nervous over the past few days, and rumors about the two fugitives from the Wang clan had quickly spread through the city. There were all sorts of them.

    On the surface, the Shangguan Family that was located in the south of the capital continued to live their lives as usual, causing people to be unable to tell that something was amiss.

    An Yuanzhi went to the west gate early in the morning to have a look. After he returned, he told An Jinxiu, who was in her room, "Sis, the gate isn''t closed, but there are hundreds of soldiers guarding the gate. How are we going to send them out of the city?"

    The two Death Soldiers in his room were lying on two wooden beds. Their wounds were covered with medicine and had been carefully bandaged. An Jinxiu had boiled them some ginseng soup to replenish their energy. At this moment, these two Death Soldiers looked much better than last night.

    After hearing An Yuanzhi''s words, one of the Death Soldiers, Yuan Yi, said, "Let''s think of a way to get out of the city."

    An Yuanzhi pointed at Yuan Yi''s left shoulder and said, "All the men who leave the city today must check their shoulders. With this brand on your body, how can you think of ways to leave the city?"

    Yuan Yi and the Death Soldier called Yuan Wei looked at each other and suddenly reached out their hands towards their left shoulder.

    Within the room, An Jinxiu and An Yuanzhi didn''t even have time to react before they watched the two of them rip the piece of meat off their shoulders.

    Yuan Yi sucked in a few breaths of cold air and asked An Yuanzhi, "Is this enough?"

    An Yuanzhi had never seen anyone treat him so viciously before, and the fifth young master was stunned on the spot. For a moment, he didn''t know what to say.

    In her previous life, she had seen a lot of situations where blood and flesh flew everywhere. Seeing that their bodies were covered in blood, An Jinxiu sighed, stood up and said to An Yuanzhi, "Treat their wounds with medicine."

    "Let me do it." An Yuanzhi didn''t want An Jinxiu to do it. He didn''t know anything about it last night, so he could only watch as An Jinxiu took care of their wounds. After watching for an entire night, An Yuanzhi learned quite a lot.

    At this time, Shangguan Rui ran in and said as soon as he entered, "Why is there the smell of blood again, their wounds split open again?"

    An Yuanzhi quickly turned around and called out to Shangguan Rui, "They''re injured again, come over and help me quickly."

    Last night, when Shangguan Rui saw the two who had been rescued from the sky prison by their eldest sister-in-law, he was scared half to death and couldn''t recover for a long time.

    He could only listen to An Jin''s orders and help from the side. It wasn''t until An Jinxiu finished her work with the two Death Soldiers and told Shangguan Rui about her plan, that Shangguan Rui finally understood after staring blankly for a long time.

    After helping An Yuanzhi apply the medicine for the two Death Soldiers, Shangguan Rui asked An Jinxiu, "Sister-in-law, what should we do next?

    Shangguan Rui didn''t know if these two people could be of use to his family, nor did he know how powerful these two Death Soldiers were. He only knew that since his sister-in-law had done what she did, they wouldn''t be able to turn back. Seeing that his sister-in-law and An Yuanzhi were determined to keep them alive, Shangguan Rui could only do his best to keep them alive.

    Only then did An Jinxiu say, "Without the brand, there''s no way for you to hide your identity. This injury is a new injury, and you''ll still be suspected."

    Shangguan Rui said, "Then let them hide in our homes?"

    An Jin shook her head. "Let''s go to the manor together in the afternoon. We can just bring them along."

    An Yuanzhi shouted, "But there''s someone checking at the city gate."

    The two Death Soldiers weren''t very tall, they were only a little taller than the average girl. They also looked pretty, but when An Jinxiu treated the two of them last night, she had already thought of a way, "You two can go out of the city disguised as a woman, but the soldiers in front of the city, they won''t let women take off our clothes to inspect them."

    The four men in the room froze, and the faces of the two men who had been fighting for their lives suddenly showed signs of resistance.

    An Jinxiu placed a bowl of cold medicine onto Yuan Yi and Yuan Wei''s hands and said, "A manly man has to be able to easily escape the prison. He has to think of a way to survive."

    At this time, Shangguan Rui also nodded and said: "Looks like this is the only way now. Otherwise, if the justice courts can''t find you, it''s hard to guarantee that we won''t search house to house for a few days."

    An Yuanzhi giggled. "You''re pretending to be a girl?" "Sis, only you can think of such a way!"

    An Jinxiu only smiled and urged the two Death Soldiers to drink the medicine.

    Only now did he realize that his sister-in-law was not a simple inner chamber girl. She dared to do something like saving a fugitive from the justice courts, while all the yamen runners were arresting people, and his sister-in-law was still calmly arranging matters of sending him out of the city. If it wasn''t for the fact that An Jinxiu had always treated him very well, Shangguan Rui would have suspected that his brother marrying such a daughter-in-law was not a good thing.

    An Yuanzhi didn''t care about Shangguan Rui''s expression.

    An Jinxiu turned around and walked out of the room. "I''ll go find some clothes for you guys to wear. After lunch, we''ll set off."

    After that, the remaining four men in the room, look at each other, who doesn''t know what to say.

    In the end, it was An Yuanzhi who spoke first. "How high are your martial arts skills?"

    Yuan Wei, said coldly, "Madam said that you''ve heard of us in the Residence of An."

    An Yuanzhi let out a hollow laugh. An Jinxiu was just spouting nonsense. The generals of both the Residence of An and the Wang Military Department had never had much interaction with each other. How could they possibly know about Wang Yuan raising his deathsworn? Hearing is believing, An Yuanzhi said. "I just heard that you guys are experts in martial arts."

    Yuan Yi forced a smile and said, "We know how to kill people."

    "What?" An Yuanzhi didn''t understand.

    "There are a lot of martial arts factions," Yuan Yi explained to An Yuanzhi. "We don''t have any specific martial arts techniques. We only know how to kill him more conveniently."

    An Yuanzhi''s interest was piqued. He thought that practicing martial arts was to build a career on the battlefield. Killing people on the battlefield would be easier, but there were martial arts techniques that were more convenient.

    As a scholar, Shangguan Rui was not interested in this topic at all. After coming out of the room, he found An Jinxiy, who was rummaging through the women''s clothing in Zi Yuan and Shangguan Ning''s room.

    An Jinxiu was not surprised to see Shangguan Rui enter. She immediately said, "Little brother in law, these two people are worth our risk."

    Shangguan Rui said: "I can see that they aren''t afraid of death. Maybe they can really help my big brother and Brother Yuan Zhi. But sister-in-law, they are only two people after all."

    "If your big brother and Yuan Zhi can command thousands of troops in the future, wouldn''t it be good to have a loyal person by your side?"

    "What if they are not loyal?"

    An Jinxiu turned around and smiled at Shangguan Rui. "Even if they''re not loyal, I think it''s good to have two friends like them."

    Shangguan Rui paced around the room a few times and said: "These two people are not simple. Otherwise, why would the imperial government make such a big commotion to capture them? "Sister-in-law, will the secret they know cause us to die?"

    An Jinxiu said, "Wang Yuan was sentenced to nine familial extermination. This person was also someone who had done great deeds from the dragon. Little brother in law, do you think that such a person would be stupid enough to commit the crime of cheating the monarch?"

    Shangguan Rui didn''t say anything for a long time after hearing An Jin''s words. The people in the Academy had also been guessing what Wang Yuan had lied to the Emperor Shizong for the past two days. They had speculated on many things, but none of them could make up their minds.

    An JinXiu had found all the women''s clothes that Yuan Yi and Yuan Wei would wear. She looked back and saw that Shangguan Rui was still deep in thought, so she said, "I thought that a meritorious general like Wang Yuan might have something to hide from His Majesty, but it shouldn''t be on the same level as exterminating nine families. Unless his deceit is related to His Majesty''s throne."

    "The throne?" Shangguan Rui said, "How can Wang Yuan harm His Majesty''s world without a weapon?"

    "The throne should be as important to His Majesty," An Jinxiu held the clothes in her arms and followed Shangguan Rui, "If I was Wang Yuan, I would have instructed my men to do something like this, but for what purpose, I won''t follow anyone."

    Shangguan Rui''s body trembled. When he still wanted to talk to An Jinxiu, his sister-in-law had already left the room with clothes in her arms.

    By the time Zi Yuan was done with his food, Shangguan Rui, who was sitting at the table eating lunch, had calmed down. Baby Ping is in An Jinxiu arms, and she was taking care of Shangguan Ning at the same time.

    The two of them did not talk about Wang Yuan and the death warrior. An Jinxiu was not worried that Shangguan Rui would not be on her side. Shangguan Rui was an ambitious person, if he could help Shangguan Yong and help the Shangguan Family further, this young man would definitely help them.

    After the family ate lunch, An Jinxiu left the wet nurse to look after the house. She carried Yuan Yi and Yuan Wei, who were both dressed in women''s clothes, and sat in the family carriage with Shangguan Ning. An Yuanzhi and Shangguan Rui sat outside the carriage and drove the carriage towards the north gate.

    "Nothing will happen." When the carriage arrived at the north gate, An Jinxiu stopped and let the city guards inspect it. She then whispered to Yuan Yi and Yuan Wei.

    An Yuanzhi lifted the curtain of the carriage from the outside, causing the people inside to cover their faces with their handkerchiefs.

    "The carriage is filled with women," Shangguan Rui asked the soldier from outside, "How much longer do you want to see?"

    The soldier looked at the people in the carriage, but didn''t pay any attention to them. He pulled his head back and said to An Yuezhi and Shangguan Rui, "You guys can leave!"

 41 Could not turn back

    The horse carriage left the capital in peace. Yuan Yi and Yuan Wei sat within the carriage, looking at the capital that was getting further and further away from them. Their expressions were as if they were relieved of a burden but also a little lost.

    An Jinxiu coaxed her safety as she smiled at the two Death Soldiers and said, "In the future, you two can lead your lives as you wish. Once you''re free, you can do whatever you want with it."

    Yuan Yi said, "Madam, you''re willing to let us go?"

    "I can''t keep you guys here either. You can decide on your own in the future."

    "He''s smiling," Yuan Wei pointed at Ping An, who was happily laughing in Ah Jinxiu arms.

    "Do you want to hug him?" An Jinxiu smiled as she asked Yuan Wei.

    Yuan Wei hurriedly shook his head. He didn''t dare to hug such a small child.

    However, An Jinxiu put Ping safely in his arms and said, "You all want to learn how to carry children. Shaking your head, you all say no. In the future, when you have your own children, won''t you hug them?"

    Yuan Wei stiffened his body. He held Ping An''s hands but didn''t dare to move. The saliva in Ping An''s mouth was all over his body.

    "You have to carry a child like this," An Jinxiu began to teach Yuan Wei how to carry a child.

    Shangguan Ning was helping An Jin on the side, saying: "Big Brother Wei is so stupid, even I know how to carry Ping!"

    Yuan Wei''s face turned red. He didn''t even blink when he killed someone. At this moment, a little furry kid and a couple of girls made him at a loss for what to do.

    Yuan Yi, who was sitting at the side, quietly watched Yuan Wei, who was learning to carry the child. Suddenly, his nose turned sour, and he wanted to cry but held himself back. Death Soldiers didn''t have their own lives. Looking at Yuan Wei''s clumsy appearance, it was as if he had never met this person before.

    An Jinxiu noticed Yuan Yi''s expression, but didn''t point it out. She only patiently taught Yuan Wei how to carry the baby. She still had thoughts of bribing Yuan Yi and Yuan Wei, but she also hoped that the two of them could live the same life that she had once lived. Wasn''t Yuan Yi and Yuan Wei the same as her?

    Three days later, over five hundred of Wang Yuan''s clansmen were beheaded. The clan of Wang Clan, which had been famous for a while, was exterminated. In the history book, there was a final comment about the deceit of the Wang Clan.

    The crown prince''s days did not improve after the annihilation of the Wang family. On the contrary, it became even more difficult.

    The fourth prince, Bai Chengyi, who was in charge of the investigation, and the inner palace guard commander, Su Yang Zhi, who was secretly pursuing the Wang Clan''s deathsworn were both protected by someone or had their secrets silenced by someone.

    The First Prince, Bai Chengzhou''s subordinate, an official, had even said bluntly that this matter must have something to do with the crown prince.

    On the other hand, Bai Chengze tried his best to protect the Crown Prince, but the news of the Crown Prince and the Wang Clan fleeing for their lives was stirred up even more in the wild.

    However, when this should have been the Emperor greatest fury, the Emperor is unusually silent.

    The abnormal father, the aggressive brothers, and the capriciousness of the court official all caused the crown prince to be unable to breathe. It was as if a great sword was hanging above his head, and he didn''t know when it would land on his head.

    After waking up from his nightmare late at night, the Crown Prince finally broke down in front of An Jinyan. He would rather the Emperor give him a quick death than wait for his unknown fate to descend upon him in fear and trepidation.

    An Jinyan held her husband in her arms. She knew that even though he was the crown prince, he had a weak personality. He had only shown weakness in front of her today, and that had exceeded her expectations.

    "Imperial Father doesn''t believe me!" The Crown Prince mumbled to himself in An Jinyan''s arms.

    "If Imperial Father didn''t believe in Your Highness, he would have punished Your Highness long ago. He wouldn''t have waited until today to make a move," An Jinyan consoled the crown prince, "Your Highness, Imperial Mother will not ignore Your Highness. You are her only son."

    "I can''t see Imperial Mother," the Crown Prince said sadly. The Emperor did not allow him to see Empress Xiang. This was the last straw that broke the crown prince''s back.

    "Mother must have her own plans," An Jinyan placed her face against the crown prince''s back. "Mother knows how to help His Highness, so His Highness should wait patiently."

    "How long do I have to wait?"

    "Chenqie will enter the palace tomorrow to pay respects to Imperial Mother," An Jinyan said softly. "Imperial Father won''t stop chenqie from being filial."

    The Crown Prince held An Jinyan''s hand and said in a low voice, "Jinyan."

    "Your Highness, don''t worry. No matter what happens, chenqie will always accompany you," An Jinyan told the crown prince. "Chenqie will also go see father. In short, I will do anything for you."

    The crown prince raised his head and looked at his princess consort. At this moment, An Jinyan was smiling gently. She was still calm like usual, like a pool of calm water. "Sigh!" The Crown Prince leaned forward and kissed her on the lips.

    An Jinyan moaned as she looked at the crown prince''s eyes with a layer of mist.

    Right now, the crown prince needed a woman. He needed to temporarily forget about the royal family that was bothering him. The father and son duo were still part of the Bai Clan. "Jin Yan," the crown prince called her name and buried himself deep within her.

    Just like that, a scene took place in the middle of the night in the main hall of the Eastern Palace.

    An Jinyan let go of her body. Compared to the Crown Prince''s favor, she needed a child more. An Jinyan did not believe that there was any love between men and women in this world that could deceive ignorant women.

    She only knew that only with the dragon placed in the throne room by the crown prince could she become the empress of the Dynasty of Qi Shun. Her rise and fall were all attributed to the crown prince. "You can''t fail," An Jinyan thought to herself as the crown prince vented his desires into her body.

    On the morning of the second day, An Jinyan met Empress Xiang at the Middle Palace.

    The empress looked at her daughter-in-law, and nodded in satisfaction at the steadiness of An Jinyan. "Has the crown prince been well?"

    An Jinyan smiled and said, "His Highness the Crown Prince is very kind. He is just missing you, mother."

    "He has to stop worrying about me," the empress lowered her head to look at the fingernails the palace maid was helping with. "He''s the crown prince, so you have to remember to share some of His Majesty''s worries."

    An Jinyan hurriedly stood up and said, "My daughter-in-law knows about it. She will definitely tell the Crown Prince about it."

    The empress said, "You''re a filial child. If you can give me a grandson as soon as possible, then I''ll be happier, and His Majesty will be happier too."

    An Jinyan lowered her head shyly.

    "You and the Crown Prince are husband and wife, what''s there to be shy about?" The empress laughed. "Alright, alright, I won''t tease you anymore. The Eastern Palace has a lot of things to do as well.

    An Jinyan and the Queen looked at each other, bowed politely, and left the palace. The empress had quite a few court eunuchs by her side, so she would not say some things openly. On the way back to the Eastern Palace, An Jinyan thought about what the empress had told her.

    If the crown prince doesn''t have to worry about me, that means the empress has already helped him out.

    Making the crown prince remember to share His Majesty''s worries was telling him that no matter what attitude the Emperor had, he still had to be a respectful and filial son in front of them.

    An Jinyan sneered. Any woman who gave birth to a son for the crown prince would make the empress happy. The empress''s words probably meant that the Eastern Palace would do something to make the Emperor happy.

    What could make the sect head happy?

    An Jinyan walked in the imperial palace''s Wenjian Lane. Wang Yuan''s death must have had something to do with the crown prince, but since the crown prince didn''t say anything, she couldn''t ask. Private army. An Jinyan suddenly turned her head to look at the palace. Even if the crown prince were to secretly raise an army for the throne, it couldn''t possibly be done by the crown prince alone. If the crown prince really felt sad about it in the end, the only one who could take on the blame for the crown prince would be the empress.

    "Esteemed wangfei," Eunuch Xie, leading a group of palace eunuchs, saw An Jinyan from afar and stood down to pay his respects.

    "Eunuch Xie," An Jinyan raised her hand towards him, and said with a smile, "You came to see Empress mother?"

    With a face full of smiles, he bowed towards An Jinyan without replying.

    An Jinyan only asked politely. Seeing the brocade boxes in the hands of the eunuchs behind Eunuch Xiw, she knew that the Emperor had brought something for the Empress.

    Eunuch led the others to the side, allowing An Jinyan to take the lead. The Crown Princess, An Jinyan, was also born into the An clan and was also a beauty. However, in the eyes of good fortune, An Jinyan''s appearance was more graceful in terms of appearance, while An Jinxiu was more exquisite and attractive.

    As An Jinyan walked past, she thought to herself, ''This eunuch has been by the side of the Emperor all year round. The person who understands the Emperor'' spreferences the most should be this eunuch. It was true that asking the Crown Prince to rope in this eunuch meant that he was condescending in order to bring him down, but was there a need to care about all this at this time?

    When An Jinyan returned to the Eastern Palace, she ordered someone to invite Grand Preceptor An into the Eastern Palace.

    The eunuch who sent the message returned two hours later, but didn''t bring Grand Preceptor An with him. He only brought with him Grand Preceptor An''s words, saying that he wasn''t feeling well today and would enter the Eastern Palace another day.

    Only after An Jinyan had all the people from the palace withdraw from the palace did her face darken. Her father, at this time, was looking at the crown prince''s unstable position and wanted to distance himself from her.

    "Your Highness," the eunuch next to the crown prince said to An Jinyan while she was sitting alone in her study, "His Highness the crown prince drank a lot of wine by himself."

    What was the use of hiding at this time and drinking wine? An Jinyan let out a sneer without a sound. She straightened her body and walked out of the Crown Princess''s bedroom. She looked virtuous and elegant once again. The road ahead was not easy. However, since the moment she entered the Eastern Palace by the bridal sedan, there was no turning back.

    Eunuch Xie returned to the royal study after giving something to the empress of the palace. When he stood outside the door of the imperial study, he heard the Emperor angry voice from inside saying, "He dares to rebel against me! Bastard! Does he think I don''t dare to kill him?! "

    As Eunuch xie listened to the Emperor string of angry curses, the messenger king of the Phoenix Province, Bai Yongxin, rebelled.

    "I must kill him," said Shizong, slapping the table in the royal study.

    The ministers in the imperial study were all frowning as they received urgent reports from Wang Shen, who was from Fengzhou.

    The messenger king was the youngest uncle of the Emperor. Although he was young, he was only the same age as the fourth prince, Bai Chengyi. He had always been a quiet person in the Phoenix Province, so why was he suddenly rebelled?

    After a moment of scolding, the Emperor asked the officials below, "How do we deal with the Phoenix-Province''s traitors?"

 42 The King of Conviction Betrayed the Monarch

    After some deliberation, Emperor Shizong decided that the White State City Guard General Duan would inherit the troops and go to Fengzhou to put down the rebellion.

    The subjects had no objection to the Master''s decision. After the ministers left, the Empeor wrote a secret letter, ordering Zhou Yi to bring a thousand elite troops from the White Jade Pass to rush to the Phoenix Province. This secret letter was sent out from the palace on the same day, and was sent by a large number of imperial guards to the White Jade Mountain Pass.

    When the Crown Prince heard the news that the Messenger King had rebelled, he dropped his wine cup on the table.

    An Jinyan, who was standing beside the crown prince, asked with concern, "Your Highness, what''s wrong?"

    The Crown Prince muttered to himself, "Bai Yongxin rebelled?"

    An Jinyan dismissed the eunuch who came to report the news. She then pushed the crown prince away and said, "Your Highness, the messenger king''s treason is a huge matter. You should quickly go see royal father."

    The Crown Prince acted as if he hadn''t heard An Jinyan''s words and asked, "How can Uncle Yongxin be so rebellious?"

    "Your Highness!" An Jinyan raised her voice and called for the crown prince, "What''s wrong with you?" You don''t believe in the Messenger King''s rebellion? "

    The Crown Prince stood up and walked out of the room, ignoring An Jinyan who was beside him.

    "Where is His Highness going?" An Jinyan quickly pulled at the crown prince. Seeing that the crown prince was still distracted, how could she dare let the crown prince walk out the door like that?

    "I have something that I need to go out for a while." The crown prince seemed to have recovered his wits after being dragged around by An Jinyan. He pushed away her hand and said, "It''s fine, you can go back to your room."

    An Jinyan watched the crown prince walk out of the study in a hurry, and her heart was filled with doubt. The messenger king had rebelled, so how could the crown prince have such a reaction? Could it be that there was some sort of secret relationship between the crown prince and the messenger king?

    "Niangniang," a palace maid who worked closely with An Jinyan came up to help her return to her room.

    "Who in our Eastern Palace can talk to Eunuch Xie?" An Jinyan asked the court lady, "It would be best if they had a good relationship with each other."

    The court lady thought for a moment and said, "Empress, the enlightened side of His Highness the Crown Prince is the disciple of Eunuch Xie. The person who has the best relationship with the general director in the Eastern Palace is him."

    An Jinyan thought back to the eunuchs by the crown prince''s side. She could recall the look of this eunuch called Wu Shun.

    "Wu Shun is usually a man of few words," the court lady added to An Jinyan. "He seems to be loyal to the crown prince as well."

    "Have him come over to my place," An Jinyan said, "I have something to ask him."

    "This servant follows your orders," the servant supported An Jinyan and took a few steps forward. Then, she seemed to recall something as she reported to An Jinyan, "Crown Princess, the gift you instructed me to reward General Shangguan''s wife has already been sent over, but ˇ­"

    "But what?" An Jinyan knew what the palace lady was talking about. When An Jinxiu eldest son reached the full moon, she ordered someone to send her a gift. "Didn''t she already accept it?"

    "It''s just that yesterday, Madam Shangguan ordered someone to present a gift for the Crown Princess birthday. "This servant saw that Lady Shangguan''s gift was indeed generous."

    An Jinyan had already forgotten that her birthday was coming up. The court lady had said that the gift that An Jinyan was a gifted, so it seemed that this little sister had returned the gift that she had sent. Unable to tell what was good for her, An Jinyan recited a line in her mind, "If she sends it over, then so be it. My family''s sister, she has been kind to me."

    The court lady sized up An Jinyan''s expression without any trace of displeasure and hurriedly said, "The Crown Princess and Madam Shangguan have a deep relationship, this servant is truly envious."

    Sisterhood? An Jinyan had a usual smile on her face. She couldn''t even count on her own father. How deep could a concubine''s sister be with her?

    At this time, An Jinxiu looked at the green rice seedlings in her fine farmland and imagined the harvesting of rice in the fields after autumn, her mood would become very good. An Jinxiu even thought that when Shangguan Yong returned, it would be a good choice for their family to stay in the manor.

    "Madam Shangguan." Just as An Jinxiu was planning for her and Shangguan Yong''s future, a voice rang out from behind her, causing her to be unable to avoid it in this life. "Have you decided to become Tian Shun?"

    An Jinxiu turned around and saw Bai Chengze walking towards her step by step. He was dressed in an ordinary spring shirt, and on his clothes, there was an indescribable sense of nobility. He was an extremely handsome prince.

    Bai Chengze walked over to An Jin and sized her up without any hesitation. The Second Miss of the Residence of An was dressed like a peasant woman today, but her beauty was not diminished in the slightest. Seeing An Jin give him a bow, Bai Chengze reached out to support himself and smiled, "There''s no one else here, so why are you giving me this false courtesy?"

    Only after finishing this ceremony did An Jinxiu say to Bai Chengze, "Fifth Prince, are you going out of the city to enjoy the spring sunshine today?"

    Bai Chengze stood on the ridge of the field and looked at the green farmland below him, "May is already the late spring, where is the spring color to reward? But seeing Madame Shangguan here, I have not made this trip in vain. "Is this Madam Shangguan''s field?" Bai Chengze pointed at the fertile land beneath his feet and asked An Jinxiu.

    "Yes," An Jinxiu readily admitted.

    "General Shangguan is not in the capital, you''ve worked hard," Bai Chengze said. "Actually, you shouldn''t be here."

    An Jinxiu asked, "Where should that little lady appear at?"

    Bai Chengze looked deeply at An Jinxiu, "I still remember those poems you wrote. Miss''s days should have been filled with beautiful scenery, and the hands that played the zither strings should not have been stained with the soil in the fields."

    An Jinxiu looked at Bai Chengze''s gentle and harmless face and became a bit absent-minded. Time seemed to have returned to her initial days with Bai Chengze. This man''s tenderness and affection was like a spider, binding her for life.

    " Your Highness has said that now, this little woman cares even more about the food and salt, so what are we going to talk about in the future? "

    Bai Chengze smiled and picked up a small ball of unknown plant seed from An Jin''s hair, "Why did you buy the Wang family''s land?"

    So this is the purpose of the prince''s palace coming to the western suburbs. "An Jin Xiu''s eyes sparkled as she lowered her head and said," At that time, Wang Yuan was about to leave the capital. I heard that their family was going to sell their land here. "After hearing the price, I thought it was reasonable, so I bought it."

    "Did you use the farmer that the Wang family used to hire?" Bai Chengze asked again.

    An Jin looked a bit uneasy as she said, "The farmers here used to farm for the Wang family. Since I bought these fields, I naturally hired them to farm. Fifth Prince, is it inappropriate for me to buy these lands?"

    "It''s nothing," Bai Chengze smiled at An Jin and said, "I''m just casually asking. If I have the intention to go into seclusion in the future, I would like to find a few acres of fertile land to cultivate.

    An Jinxiu laughed coldly in her heart. Would a person who wholeheartedly wanted to become an emperor give in to love?

    "Oh right, what are you standing here for?" Bai Chengze suddenly asked An Jin.

    "Looking at the growth of the crops in the fields," An-jin said.

    Bai Chengze said, "Why didn''t you ask me why I came alone?"

    An Jinxiu glanced at Bai Chengze, and in her previous life, Bai Chengze extended his hands towards her and she offered up her heart to him. In this life, she will do nothing, but why is this person saying these ambiguous words to her? " This little woman does not dare to ask anything about His Highness, "An Jinxiu bowed to Bai Chengze," If Your Highness does not continue asking, then little woman will take her leave. "

    "Let me see you out," said Bai Chengze. "Where is your manor?"

    "I don''t dare to trouble Your Highness," An Jinxiu felt a burst of annoyance. How long was this man going to continue acting with her?

    He could be considered to be pestering a married woman just like that. However, when he thought back to when they first met in the Eastern Palace, this little girl was half surprised, half shy, half calculating, so Bai Chengze was more interested in this little married woman who seemed to only want to bea good wife and mother. How could a person who pursued wealth and riches and was unwilling to accept her fate become someone who had no desires and could just peacefully marry a military man for the rest of his life?

    "Your Highness, this little woman will take her leave now," An Jin did not bother to guess Bai Chengze''s thoughts as she held his probing gaze. This man was too scheming, and guessing his thoughts would only make her tired.

    Bai Chengze stood on the edge of the field and watched as An Jin walked into the distance until she disappeared from his sight. He heard the sound of footsteps behind him, and without turning his head back, he asked, "Second Brother, why have you come?"

    The Second Prince, Bai Chenglu, was a little anxious as he panted and said, "The Duke of Xin is rebelling in Fengzhou."

    "How could the messenger king betray us?" Bai Chengze turned to look at his second brother, "Is this news confirmed?"

    "Father has already sent the Duan Clan of the White Region to put out the rebellion. How can this news be false?" Bai Chenglu said, "Why are you standing here and looking at it alone?"

    "I don''t believe that the messenger king will rebel. There must be a misunderstanding."

    "Misunderstanding?" Bai Chenglu said in amusement, "What kind of misunderstanding could cause royal father to think that he had rebelled?"

    Bai Chengze walked a few steps toward the entrance of the field, then suddenly stopped and said to Bai Chenglu, "We should send someone to the Phoenix Province. If the messenger king had no one forcing him, how could he have rebelled?"

    Bai Chenglu said, "Someone forced him to rebel? Who would have such great ability? "

    Bai Chengze pointed at Bai Chenglu and said, "Wang Yuan just died, and the messenger king rebelled. Is there such a coincidence in the world? Second Brother, we can''t let the Xin King die. "

    "If royal father wants to kill him, how can you let him not die?" Bai Chenglu asked Bai Chengze, "Since this matter involves the conviction of a great sin, can we interfere?"

    Bai Chengze released the ball of wool in his hand and watched it float away in the wind. He suddenly smiled and said to Bai Chenglu in a low voice, "That''s right, we just need to see who wants the Xin King to die the most and we will know who Wang Yuan died for."

 43 City Broken

    When Zhou Yi, who was standing outside the White Jade Mountain Pass, received the secret edict from the Emperor, the Guard General Duan Zong had already led his troops into Fengzhou to pacify the traitors for more than half a month.

    Zhou Yi had no way of understanding the war in Fengzhou. He could only obey the orders of the Emperor, hand over the army outside to the Great marshal, Yang Rui.

    Among the eight thousand elites that Zhou Yi had brought along, Shangguan Yong was one of them. He received Zhou Yi''s command to lead the vanguard battalion.

    "Fengzhou and the capital are adjacent to each other." Before entering, Zhou Yi specifically talked to Shangguan Yong to explain, "After the chaos with the messenger king is over, you can return to the capital to take a look. By this time, your son should be almost a year old. It''s time to go back and take a look."

    Ever since he received the letters from An Jinxiu and Shangguan Rui, Shangguan Yong had not received any more letters from his family in the capital. This made Shangguan Yong experience what it was like to have your family letters be worth 10,000 gold every day. It had been over a year since Shangguan Yong left the capital on the second day of his wedding.

    Sometimes, he missed An Jinxiu, but he felt that the image of his little wife in his mind was a little blurry. And their child, Shangguan Yong did not know if it was his son or his daughter. Shangguan Yong had never thought of being a deserter, but the taste of that longing was not pleasant. No matter what purpose Zhou Yi had brought him to defuse the rebellion, Shangguan Yong was grateful to Zhou Yi for these words that had been considerate of him.

    It had been half a month since the long journey from the northern border to Fengzhou was completed. At this time, Duan''s army had already swept through all of Phoenix Prefecture.

    Besides the outside of the Xiang An city where the Residence of messenger King, Xin, resided, there were no longer any rebel army in Phoenix Prefecture causing trouble. Because of this, Duan didn''t welcome the arrival of Zhou Yi at all. The reason why he came at this time was undoubtedly to compete with Zhou Yi for his achievements.

    Just when Duan wanted to argue with Zhou Yi about who would take over the city first, an imperial edict from the Emperor was brought over by the Duke of Le An, Xiang Hou. Zhou Yi was ordered to attack the city, while Duan was ordered to retreat 300 miles away from the border.

    The imperial edict was placed there. No matter how much grievances there were within Duan''s heart, he didn''t dare to voice it out. On the day of receiving the imperial edict, he retreated with his army.

    As Zhou Yi ordered his men to set up camp outside the city, he asked the Duke of Le An, "Marquis Le An, how does His Majesty want to deal with the king?"

    The duke of Le An''s expression was wooden. "As long as the great general can take down Xiang An city, it''s fine. I will personally deal with the messenger King, Xin.."

    Zhou Yi said, "But Marquis Le''an, if my soldiers attack the city, what will they do?"

    "I don''t think the Almighty himself will take the field," the duke of Le An said. "General, you should think carefully about how to take down the city."

    "What the hell?" When the generals under Zhou Yi heard Marquis Le An''s indifferent words, their hearts were filled with rage. How could this person be big enough in front of their general?

    "Does he think this is his military camp?"

    "Will this kid fight?" Do you know what war is? "

    "If you don''t see what kind of lord he is, I''ll kill him right now!"

    ˇ­ ˇ­.

    "Cut the crap," an old man in the military immediately whispered to a group of military men when he saw that they were about to start a fight. "Who do you think the Marquis of Le An is?"

    Shangguan Yong then asked: "Who is he?"

    "His surname is Xiang. How many dukes with the surname of Xiang can there be in the court?" Marquis of Le An is the empress'' brother, "the old military official said softly." Why else would our general be so polite to him? Say less, all of you, don''t cause trouble for the general. "

    Only then did the group of martial artists stop. No matter how high their martial arts skills were, they could not afford to offend the royal family.

    After Zhou Yi exchanged a few more pleasantries with the Marquis of Le An, he no longer wanted to bother with this man, who always relied on the Empress and the Crown Prince for his authority in the imperial court. He ordered some people to call Shangguan Yong over to the tent.

    "Will he attack the city?" Marquis Le Ansaw that Zhou Yi had ordered Shangguan Yong to lead the attack, so he worriedly asked, "You all must not let Bai Yongxin escape."

    "Go gather the army." Zhou Yi gave Shangguan Yong an arrow and told him to step down.

    "Why did you let him go?" Seeing that Zhou Yi didn''t give him a chance to speak with Shangguan Yong, the Marquis of Le An immediately said in dissatisfaction.

    "He''s the Grand Preceptor''s second son-in-law," Zhou Yi said. "I think that even if the marquis doesn''t believe in others, you can still believe in Shangguan Yong."

    Duke Le An''s expression stiffened before he replied, "So he was the Grand Preceptor''s son-in-law that the Grand Preceptor recruited to repay his debt of gratitude."

    Zhou Yi didn''t continue to respond to Marquis Le An''s words. He concealed the loathing he had towards this Imperial ofificial in his heart.

    After nightfall, Shangguan Yong brought the vanguard battalion to attack the north gate of Xiang An city. He originally thought that it would be a fierce battle, but he didn''t expect that after they had rushed for a while, they didn''t spend the slightest bit of effort to climb up the ladder and attack the city walls.

    The soldiers who had attacked the city walls first opened the city gates, and after putting down the drawbridge, Shangguan Yong was even a little hesitant, afraid that this was the messenger king''s plan to lure the enemies in.

    At this time, Shangguan Yong showed his caution and sent out a team of troops to probe the city. After confirming that there weren''t many soldiers and horses in the city and that he had no intention of resisting, Shangguan Yong brought the remaining soldiers and horses from the vanguard camp and rushed into the Xiang An city.

    The city had been built nearly a thousand years ago, and it was also a place where all the states in the north had to pass through to get to the capital city. Since ancient times, it had been a place filled with wealthy merchants, and most of the city''s buildings were magnificent, not inferior to the capital city of the Qishun Empire.

    After Shangguan Yong entered the city, he was not in the mood to take another look at the scenery of the Xiang An city, bringing his cavalry to the Residence of Duke Xin.

    By the time Shangguan Yong had arrived at the Residence of Xin, the soldiers he had sent into the city earlier had surrounded the Residence of Xin tightly.

    "The King of Messnger is within the estate?" Shangguan Yong sat on his horse and asked the general who had arrived first.

    "Yes," the officer said, "Shangguan Big Brother, should we start fighting?"

    "This ˇ­" Shangguan Yong looked at the Royal Mansion, its tall walls and deep courtyard, its black, lacquered gates. The two stone lions in front of the gates had their mouths wide open, their eyes wide and filled with anger, giving off the grandeur of royalty.

    " Persuade them to surrender, "Shangguan Yong ordered his men. Although the Xin King Manor was huge, the surrounding streets were very narrow and did not allow the army to charge in. Shangguan Yong did not want to waste his brother''s life here.

    "Listen up, people inside, you guys ˇ­"

    The soldiers who were shouting in the front row had only said a few words when the door of the mansion creaked open from the inside.

    "Don''t shoot," Shangguan Yong shouted.

    A man who looked like a steward of the manor walked out from the door, glanced at the generals present, and walked straight to Shangguan Yong''s horse. He cupped his hands and greeted, "General, are you the main official here?"

    "Yes," Shangguan Yong said, "Is the messenger king about to surrender?"

    The steward, who was in his sixties, turned to the side and said, "My prince is in the manor. General, please lead your troops into the manor."

    Shangguan Yong rushed to his brother who was standing in the front row and said: "Take your men and go in first."

    With a bloodstained saber in hand, Qing Nan was the first to rush into the Residence of Duke Xin. The surrounding soldiers quickly rushed into the mansion like a tide.

    When Shangguan Yong dismounted and walked into the Residence of Duke Xin, he saw Qing Nan walk out from the front courtyard hall of the mansion, running to him and saying: "Big brother, everyone from the House of Duke Xin is in the hall, what should we do?"

    At this time, the steward of the Duke Xin Palace said, "Aren''t the military men going to search the mansion? "If they were to escape and commit a crime, I am afraid the military men will not be able to take on this crime."

    Qing Nan looked at the butler and said in an evil tone: "What business do you have here?!"

    "Bring some people to search him." Shangguan Yong waved his hand towards Qing Nan. What was there to argue about with an old man who looked to be in his sixties?

    "General, please follow me," the butler whispered to Shangguan Yong after Qing Nan and her men had left.

    Shangguan Yong said: "Where are you taking me?"

    "General, all of us are prisoners now, so how can the general be afraid that this old man will harm the general?" The butler said to Shangguan Yong: "Someone wants to see the general, I hope the general can help."

    Shangguan Yong wasn''t afraid that this steward could injure him, "Lead the way." He wanted to see what tricks this steward of the House of Xin was up to.

    The butler brought Shangguan Yong to the inner courtyard of the Xin Wang Manor. After passing through a few courtyards and a long corridor, the last two people entered a courtyard that was near the water.

    "General, please." The butler pushed open the door to one of the rooms in the courtyard.

    Shangguan Yong placed his hand on the sword hilt on his waist and walked into the room.

    In an empty room, a haggard young man was sitting on an armchair with a baby in his arms.

    "You are?" Shangguan Yong stood not far from the young man.

    The young man looked at Shangguan Yong and said: "This King is Bai Yongxin."

    Shangguan Yong''s brow furrowed, "You are the King of Messenger?"

    The young man said in amusement, "There is no longer such a title as'' Messenger King ''in this world, is there?"

    Shangguan Yong did not know much about the Imperial Court, so he asked the king: "Do you have something to tell me?"

    "Do you believe me when I say that I did not rebel?" King Xin asked.

    "What?" Shangguan Yong was shocked. "You didn''t revolt, so how could His Majesty be mistaken about rebelling?"

    "Duan''s army has stormed into the Phoenix Province. Only then did I find out that I had rebelled. Isn''t that ridiculous?"

    Shangguan Yong saw that the messenger didn''t look crazy, so he hesitated before saying, "I''ll take you to the capital and you can tell His Majesty yourself."

    "I won''t be able to live in the capital."

    "What?"

    "Some people want me dead," the messenger king said. "My whole family won''t be able to leave the manor alive."

    Shangguan Yong asked unconsciously, "Who wanted you to die?"

    The messenger took out an account-like book from his sleeve and handed it to Shangguan Yong: "Take a look at this."

    Shangguan Yong opened the book, inside were a few names, and some red seals. Beneath the names, there were also some unknown numbers of names.

    "Do you understand?" The king asked Shangguan Yong.

    Shangguan Yong shook his head.

    "It seems that your rank in the imperial court is not high, and you are not from an aristocratic family."

    Shangguan Yong said: "What exactly do you want to tell me?"

    At this time, the baby in the messenger''s arms hummed a few times. The messenger king patted the baby''s back and said tiredly to Shangguan Yong: "If I tell you next, I''ll definitely hurt you. But I can''t find a second person to send a message now, so I''m sorry."

    "Tell me, I''m listening," Shangguan Yong said, "I''m loyal to the country, what''s so scary about that?"

    King Xin then said, "We are all loyal people. Take a look at what has happened to me. Alright, we don''t have much time, let''s cut to the chase. What you have is a register, and the people on it are all the people the empress and crown prince have bought and sold in the military, as well as the number of people in their private army.

    Shangguan Yong''s hand trembled, and he dropped the register on the ground.

 44 Human Hearts Unfathomable

    There were some things in this world that he had better not know.

    Shangguan Yong looked at the register that had fallen at his feet, and started to regret that he had come to this room. How could he interfere with the matter of seizing the throne?

    "I''m sorry," the Duke Xin looked at Shangguan Yong''s face and said rather reluctantly, "I had no intention of harming you."

    Shangguan Yong took a deep breath and bent down to pick up the register. After all, he was from the battlefield, so it was only a matter of time before he panicked. "You said the empress framed you for conspiring against her. How are you going to explain this war in Fengzhou?" Shangguan Yong asked the king.

    "I want to go to the capital personally," the Duke Xin said. "But I can''t leave the Phoenix Province."

    "There''s no one in Phoenix Province that can send you a message?"

    "If I don''t hand over this list, who will believe me? Since General Shangguan is from the border, and is not part of the court, I can trust the general for once. "

    "You don''t have any trusted aides?"

    "I only found out that the person I trust the most by my side is the empress''s person after Duan led his soldiers into the Phoenix Province. What kind of person would I dare to trust?" I believe in the old housekeeper outside the door, but he is already old and everyone in the Phoenix Prefecture knows that he is the housekeeper of the Prince''s Mansion. He is also cannot step out of the Phoenix Prefecture. "General, the words of a man who is about to die are good. Remember my words."

    Shangguan Yong''s heart was thrown into disarray, he asked the messenger king: "You''re giving this to me, what do you want me to do?"

    "Find a chance and give it to His Majesty," the Duke of Xin said.

    Shangguan Yong said, "You know that my official rank isn''t high. I usually don''t even see His Majesty."

    "Then find someone you can trust and have him submit this list."

    "Can Your Majesty believe that?" Shangguan Yong thought of the two people the Duke Xin was going to sue, one was the empress and the other was the crown prince. No matter how he thought about it, Shangguan Yong felt that no matter who it was, they would not be able to sue.

    "His Majesty knew that there were people in the private army. It was for this that Wang Yuan died," the messenger king said.

    Shangguan Yong was startled again, "Wang Yuan is dead?!"

    Qing Nan''s voice came from outside the door, "Big brother, who are you talking to here? Marquis Le An has arrived and wishes to see you. "

    "Remember my words," the messenger king warned Shangguan Yong in a low voice. "It''s hard to fathom the human heart."

    Shangguan Yong hesitated for a moment, then fiercely said to the messenger king: "Come with me, I''ll take you out."

    Duke Xin was surprised for a moment, then he smiled at Shangguan Yong and said: "You won''t be able to save my life, I didn''t want to live anymore, thank you, General, for your kindness."

    "Then." Shangguan Yong thought about how the messenger king had told him that no one in his household could keep their lives. He pointed at the infant in his arms and asked the messenger king, "This child is your son, your highness?"

    "He is my youngest son. There are still seven days before the full moon."

    "Then," Shangguan Yong took a step forward and said, "I''ll take him with me."

    The messenger king raised his head and looked at Shangguan Yong, as if he wanted to read his mind, "You want to save him?"

    "Your highness doesn''t want to stay behind?" Shangguan Yong asked the king, "Marquis Le''an is already here. He is the empress''s younger brother. If we don''t leave now, it will be too late."

    The messenger king stroked his younger son, who was once again fast asleep in his arms.

    "Your Highness!" Shangguan Yong urged: "We don''t have time."

    The messenger king handed the baby to Shangguan Yong, "General, take him away, I won''t force anything, let life and death be decided by fate."

    "What about you?"

    "I''m going to see Marquis Le An," Duke Xin stood up, "But it''s just death."

    Shangguan Yong wanted to persuade the messenger king to follow him, but as he watched the messenger king walk out of the room, he couldn''t say anything.

    Qing Nan saw the messenger king walking out from the door, but did not see Shangguan Yong. He immediately became anxious, and asked the messenger king: "Who are you? Where''s my big brother?! "

    The messenger king glanced at Qing Nan. "I''m from the Mansion of the Conviction King and I''m on my way to the front hall."

    "Scram!" Qing Nan pushed the messenger king aside and rushed into the house.

    "Your Highness," the butler supported the king, "the young prince, he ˇ­"

    Duke Xin shook his head and told the butler not to ask any further questions. "It''s up to him to decide whether he lives or dies. Let''s go."

    "Then what is the name of this general?" Is he trustworthy? " the butler asked.

    "This Messenger King did not ask for his name. There is no need to know. Why do you need to ask?"

    The old steward''s face was filled with melancholy, but he resisted the urge to burst into tears as he supported the messenger king into the hall.

    In the room, Qing Nan saw the baby in Shangguan Yong''s arms, his mouth was wide open, "Big brother, who is he?"

    Shangguan Yong wanted to say that this was the young son of the Prince Xin, but then he remembered that the Prince Xin''s words were hard to predict. The words almost came out of his mouth as he said: "This is the grandson of that housekeeper."

    "The housekeeper''s grandson?" Qing Nan said, "Then who is that man?"

    "He is the King of Conviction." Shangguan Yong suddenly felt that there was no point in lying to his brother, not to mention that his brother was someone who was not easily fooled.

    "The Messenger King?" Qing Nan looked at the baby in Shangguan Yong''s arms again and narrowed his eyes, "Is this really the housekeeper''s son?"

    "Just take him as he is." Shangguan Yong pushed the child into Qing Nan''s arms. "Take him to the back door, I''ll go see Marquis Le''an."

    Qing Nan said, "Where can I take him? Even the barracks cannot hide such a small child. "

    Shangguan Yong couldn''t think of where he could hide the child, but there were some camp prostitutes in the barracks, which camp did they come from?

    The person who had come to urge Shangguan Yong to go to the front hall stood outside the room again and called out. This time, it was Marquis Le An''s man, and he said impolitely: "General Shangguan, even if you believe there''s a lot of gold and silver in the mansion, you don''t need to be in such a hurry to make a move, do you?"

    "I''ll think of a way," Qing Nan whispered to Shangguan Yong, "Big brother, you go first, it''s best if you beat up that bastard."

    "You must protect this child." Shangguan Yong said softly.

    "Don''t worry," Qing Nan nodded before hugging the baby tightly. They were all men, so they wouldn''t carry their children. However, it was too late for them to not be able to. Qing Nan carried the child and nimbly jumped out of the back window.

    Shangguan Yong placed the register on the table and walked out of the house. Looking at the young man who was just a field officer, he said: "This general will take a short rest, what do you have to say?"

    The little field officer was truly facing Shangguan Yong, he did not dare to be too arrogant, this bunch of people were martial artists who would kill without blinking an eye. If he got angry, it would not be impossible to stab him.

    As Shangguan Yong walked towards the front hall, he saw the soldiers belonging to the Marquis of Le An, Xiang Hou, searching the rooms one by one. They were so meticulous that they wished they could dig three feet into the ground and tear down the houses.

    "Collect all the books, don''t leave a single one out!" A general shouted at the soldiers under him.

    Shangguan Yong assumed that these people were looking for the register, and in his heart, he somewhat believed what the King of Letters had said, and felt that the hidden register was getting more and more dangerous.

    At this moment, only the Duke Xin Palace''s and the Marquis of Le An stood face to face in the front courtyard hall.

    "If you don''t want to die too unsightly, hand it over," the Marquis of Le An said to the messenger king in a low voice. "If you don''t make things difficult for me, I can make you keep it for yourself."

    "Since things have come to this point, will I still be able to trust you?"

    "Do you really want everyone in the Palace to die with you?" He had originally thought that Shangguan Yong would need to expend a lot of effort to lead troops to attack Xiang An city, and that once they had conquered Xiang An city, they would still need to expend a lot of effort to attack the Duke of Xin''s mansion. He hadn''t expected that at this time, the Duke of Xin would actually wholeheartedly seek death and not put up any resistance. By the time Marquis Le An received the news and rushed over with his men, Zhou Yi''s army had already captured the Mansion of the messenger and had searched through the mansion. This gave him a bad premonition.

    It had been very easy for him to find out what these people had done in private by agreeing to the Empress''s request. After making a list, they were just one step away from making it into Emperor.

    He had not expected that the Empress would act a step earlier than him and force Wang Yuan to rebel against him by risking his life to break his life. However, the messenger king thought of the general who had obtained the register. As long as the register was there, Empress Xiang would not be able to live peacefully in the future. Thinking of this, the messenger king said to Le Ang, "Tell the empress on behalf of this king.

    "You!" Marquis Le An raised his hand to hit the messenger king.

    "I''m also from the royal family, how can you beat me?" Duke Xin blocked Marquis Le An''s hand and said loudly, "This duke is watching your Xiang Family fall from the sky!"

    Just as Marquis Le An was about to retort, he saw a large amount of black blood gushing out of the Duke of Xin''s mouth. He still hadn''t gotten his hands on the register, so how could he possibly die? Marquis Le An held onto the messenger king and shouted, "Go find a doctor! Quickly find a doctor!"

    The door was knocked open by a woman. When he saw the appearance of the messenger, she was stunned.

    "Who is she?" Marquis Le An shouted at the soldiers guarding outside the hall.

    "Your Highness!" This woman''s hair was in disarray. After shouting "Your Highness", she suddenly slammed her head against the hall pillar in front of her.

    When the people from the Residence of Duke Xin saw this woman commit suicide by knocking against a pillar, they called''prince'' and ''wangfei'' and started a ruckus.

    "Kill him!" He was prepared to let these people live a little longer, but it seemed that there was no need now.

    When Shangguan Yong walked into this huge courtyard, he saw the corpses and the blood that had merged into a stream on the ground. The two hundred or so people from the Residence of Duke Xin had all been slaughtered by Marquis Le An.

    Big Bro. "Some of the brothers saw Shangguan Yong walk in and quickly walked over to him, saying in a low voice," These people said they would make a move, but we have no way of stopping them. The messenger king and the wangfei were in the hall, both of them committed suicide, "the brother said, pointing at the children''s corpses in the yard and said to Shangguan Yong:" They even killed young children"

    Shangguan Yong looked at the corpses of these children. When Shangguan Yong saw the corpses of these children after over ten years of his military career, his emotions had already calmed down.

    After standing in the courtyard for a short while, Shangguan Yong saw a man who looked like a doctor coming out of the hall. It seemed like the messenger king was helpless against this situation.

    "What should we do?" A few more brothers from the army walked up to Shangguan Yong and asked.

    "I''m going to see Marquis Le An. Form up your team, we''re preparing to leave." Shangguan Yong said this as he stepped over the corpses in the yard and entered the front hall.

    At this moment, Marquis Le An threw the body of the messenger king to the ground. As for the wangfei, her body was still lying under the hall pillar, blood mixed with brain matter flowing all over the floor.

    "Where did General Shangguan go?" Marquis Le An asked when he saw Shangguan Yong walking into the hall.

    Shangguan Yong said: "Duke Xin is dead?"

    Marquis Le An said, "This marquis was acting according to the imperial edict as well. His Majesty wants to execute all of the messenger king''s family members. Does General Shangguan want to take a look at His Majesty''s decree?"

 45 Crisis

    Shangguan Yong had never seen an imperial edict in his life, but he was not interested either. He only told the Marquis of Le An that he was going back to report to Zhou Yi.

    At this time, Marquis Le An didn''t want any outsiders to stay at the Xin King Manor. He didn''t think twice before ordering Shangguan Yong and his men to leave.

    Shangguan Yong led the soldiers and horses of the vanguard camp out of the Residence of Duke Xin, afraid that Marquis Le''an would suspect him. Shangguan Yong didn''t dare to ask what Marquis Le''an wanted to do with the corpses of the Duke of Qin, the royal concubines, and the princesses.

    "Find it." After Shangguan Yong left, Marquis Le An ordered his men: "Pay attention to the secret chamber and secret compartment in this mansion. Not a single piece of paper can be left behind!"

    The scene that followed that played out at the Residence of Duke Xin was like a search for his family.

    When Shangguan Yong returned to the camp, he saw Qing Nan standing in front of the main entrance, stamping her feet.

    "Big Bro." When Qing Nan saw Shangguan Yong, he hurriedly walked up and held the reins for him.

    "How is it?" Shangguan Yong asked.

    "It''s nothing," Qing Nan said. "I just came back to report to the Great General."

    Shangguan Yong dismounted and said softly to Qing Nan: "If you have something to say, say it after I''ve seen the general."

    Qing Nan nodded her head. Marquis Le''an''s men were still standing at the Yuan Gate.

    When Shangguan Yong stepped into the tent and saw Zhou Yi, Zhou Yi opened his mouth and asked, "Where is Xin Wang?"

    Shangguan Yong said: "Prince Xin committed suicide. The people from his Mansion were all executed by Marquis Le An."

    Zhou Yi stared at Shangguan Yong and said, "Did the King Xin say anything to you?"

    Shangguan Yong really wanted to hand over the register to Zhou Yi, but could Zhou Yi believe it? What if General Zhou was also the person of the empress and the crown prince?

    Shangguan Yong shook his head and said: "The Duke of Xin only spoke to the Marquis of Le An alone. At that time, I was searchingthe Mansion of the Duke of Xin."

    "That''s good then," Zhou Yi said with a sigh. "I''ll write down the war in Xiang An city. You can return to the capital and also take a look at your family."

    "I will obey." Shangguan Yong wished he could fly back to the capital immediately.

    After Shangguan Yong left the tent, he went back to the tent with Qing Nan. The two of them acted like thieves and only gathered together to discuss things after confirming that there was no one around.

    "I gave the child to a brothel girl in the city," Qing Nan said, following up with Shangguan Yong.

    Shangguan Yong immediately glared at her, "A brothel girl?"

    Qing Nan said, "At this time, how would I know which family in the city can help me raise a baby? This brothel girl is already old and doesn''t have much business to do. I''ll take the money and buy her off.

    "Is this woman reliable?"

    "I said that she is my illegitimate child, in the army, only people who want to kill their children are allowed to have them, so I asked her to help me raise them first, and when I have the time, I will go pick them up later and arrange everything for her for the rest of her life," Qing Nan said, "Don''t worry, Big Brother, my instinct with people are quite accurate, that brothel girl doesn''t look like someone who isn''t honest. Besides, even if Duke Le An found out that the Mansion of the Duke Xin Palace was missing a child, who would have thought that they''d go to the Flower Street to search? I did it for the good of the baby. "

    He was also a child of the Imperial Bai Clan, and was about to be raised by a brothel girl. Shangguan Yong thought that this was not a good thing, but Qing Nan was right, the brothel girl''s child didn''t need to be registered, it was the safest way to hide a child on the street.

    "I''ll think of a way to get the baby out after Marquis Le An''s group has left," Qing Nan said. "Big brother, do you want to raise him? Would Sister-in-law agree? Just say we picked them up on the road? "

    "We''ll talk about it later," Shangguan Yong said, hiding a life-threatening register in his bosom. Perhaps if the little kid didn''t need his support, and if the grievances of the Messenger King could be reversed, then the little kid would still be a descendant of the Royal family.

    "Big brother ˇ­"

    "You don''t need to ask about this," Shangguan Yong waved his hand at Qing Nan. "I''ll go back to the capital to send a letter. After Marquis Le An left, remember to arrange that child well."

    "Sure," Qing Nan agreed straightforwardly.

    In this study, Zhou Yi wrote to Emperor Shizong that the king of the letter seemed to be deliberately seeking his death. According to Zhou Yi, the war in Fengzhou did not seem like a war of atavism, and he hoped that Shi Zong would look into the matter of the rebellion.

    That evening, when Marquis Le''an had brought his men to search through the Residence of Duke Xin''s quarters for ''evidence'', Shangguan Yong had already left for the capital with Zhou Yi''s secret letter.

    The Marquis of Le An had no results in his search, so he was furious and ordered for the bodies of the Xin Wang couple and the crown prince to be carried to the busy city of Xiang An, where they were turned into corpses. Thinking of how he had failed to fulfill the empress''s orders this time, Marquis Le An wrote a letter to Lady Xiang at the suggestion of his aides.

    He only said that the messenger king had met the Grand Preceptor''s second son-in-law before dying, Shangguan Yong, and they had a private conversation, the contents of which were unknown. This letter was sent to the capital by the Xiang clan''s servants.

    As for the capital, An Jin had no way of knowing that Shangguan Yong was now on his way from Xiang An city to the capital.

    At this time, An Jinxiu was busy with An Yuanzhi''s joining the army. As always, Grand Preceptor An reprimanded An Yuanzhi for his decision to join the army, but he spoke harshly about it.

    As long as An Yuanzhi dared to join the army, he would never have a son like An Yuanzhi again. How could An Yuanzhi care about the Grand Preceptor''s harsh words? After a complete falling out with him, An Yuanzhi settled in the Shangguan household, waiting for An Jinxiu to clean up his luggage and leave the capital.

    Seeing that she could not persuade An Yuanzhi to wait any longer, she wrote to Shangguan Yong, asking him to look after him.

    Grand Preceptor An ignored An Yuanzhi''s departure. To the Grand Preceptor, An Yuanzhi was just a concubine son. Without his care, how could he have made a name for himself by joining the army?

    He will wait for the time that this son to come home and beg after he had been badly battered outside. Currently, Grand Preceptor An was more concerned with the crown prince than with An Yuanzhi. His attitude towards the crown prince was getting worse and worse, and he was scolding him whenever the latter was mentioned. This made Grand Preceptor An extremely anxious, wanting to help the crown prince, but he didn''t know why the Emperor was so suspicious of the crown prince.

    After the night fell, Grand Preceptor An sat in his study. Outside the window, it had rained for several days in the capital city, but the rain still hadn''t stopped. As he listened to the sound of the rain, he grew more and more confused. While he was helpless, Grand Preceptor An wasn''t sure if his eldest daughter, An Jinyan, would still be sleeping peacefully in the Eastern Palace.

    At this moment, An Jinyan was sitting in a small parlour in the East Palace. She looked down at Eunuch Xie who was sitting below her and said with a smile, "It''s really not easy to talk to Eunuch Xie."

    With a face full of smiles, he said, "What identity does this servant have? How can this servant meet the Crown Prince''s consort?" If there''s anything the Crown Princess needs, feel free to instruct your servant. "

    In order to let Eunuch Xie come to the Eastern Palace for a visit, she had even sent out the White Jade Buddha that the crown prince kept in his private storage in the Eastern Palace. Only then did she invite this famous person from the Emperor over, "I know that there are a lot of official affairs and you can''t be absent for a long timehere." An Jinyan said to Eunuch, "Eunuch knows what I want to know, so it''s better if we just don''t waste time.

    Eunuch Xie retracted the smile on his face and said somewhat awkwardly, "Esteemed imperial concubine, His Majesty is the only one in this world who doesn''t lacks anything." "This servant is also a fool. I only know how to serve His Majesty. The other servants know nothing at all."

    "Eunuch, His Highness won''t forget you," An Jinyan said, "People should sometimes look further ahead, only after a long period of time can one enjoy wealth. To you, Eunuch, a period of wealth is meaningless."

    With a smile that wasn''t a smile, Eunuch Xie replied, "Esteemed wangfei is too serious. His Majesty really did like one thing recently, but from servant''s point of view, even if the crown prince was filial and filial, he still wouldn''t be able to give it to His Majesty."

    An Jinyan said, "If Eunuch doesn''t tell us, how would we know that His Majest want that the Crown Prince can''t do it?"

    "His Majesty has taken a fancy to a woman," Jilly said.

    "Women?" This answer was out of An Jinyan''s expectations. The world knew that Emperor loves beauties, so it wasn''t strange that they would fall for a woman. What kind of beauties were not available to the emperor?

    At this moment, Eunuch Xie rose from his seat and walked over to An Jinyan. He spoke almost in a whisper, "The second lady of the Residence of An is a heavenly beauty. Your Majesty has always been thinking about her, but unfortunately, she''s already married. Can this official take her away?"

    An Jinyan sat blankly on her seat.

    "Esteemed wangfei, Thus servant still has matters to attend to in His Majesty''s imperial study. This servant will be leaving now," Eunuch Xie knelt before An Jinyan and left the small parlour.

    "Master," the eunuch, Wu Shun, who had been waiting at the foot of the hall, hurriedly greeted him with an umbrella as he saw that Eunuch Xie was coming out.

    Eunuch Xie looked at his disciple and asked, "Why don''t you serve His Highness the Crown Prince?"

    Wu Shun raised more than half of the umbrella above his head and whispered, "The crown prince''s palace is over there. He doesn''t need the servants to follow him."

    "new concubine?"

    "Yes, she is the newly selected beautiful lady," Enlightened Shun said. "This servant has also seen a beautiful lady."

    The Crown Prince was going to favor a pretty girl, but the Crown Princess was still planning his future. The couple from the Eastern Palace were rather interesting.

    "Ha," Eunuch Xie laughed.

    "What''s wrong, Master?" he hurriedly asked.

    "It''s fine," It seemed that the Crown Prince''s consort, An Jinyan, was not a kind woman. To send a married woman into the palace, could An Jinyan really do such a thing?

    "The Crown Princess ˇ­ she ˇ­" Wu Shun wanted to continue asking.

    "Shut up!" Eunuch Xie understood and said, "How did I teach you? The talkative servant always dies early, do you think you have lived too long? "

    He quickly shut his mouth.

    "Serve His Highness the Crown Prince well. If there''s anything you need to know, let me know who it is." E7nuch Xie patted Wu Shun''s face as he reminded him.

    "This servant understands," Wu Shun hurriedly replied.

    On the way out of the Eastern Palace, Eunuch Xie turned around and glanced in the direction of the Eastern Hall. He was waiting to see how far An Jinyan could go for the crown prince.

    An Jinyan, who was sitting in the parlour, had already regained her senses. The Emperor was interested in An Jinxiu? An Jinyan''s first thought was, could it be that the eunuch named Xie had been bribed by a prince to say such crazy things to harm her and the crown prince? But when An Jinyan thought about it, from giving a marriage gift to the full moon banquet for her son, the Emperor actions towards a fifth-grade military official was actually a bit too benevolent.

    An Jin. This was the first time in her life that the Crown Prince''s consort, An Jinyan, had lost sleep because of this little concubine.

 46 Mother and Daughter East Palace

    The heavy rain continued to fall for another three days before gradually coming to a stop. The sun, which had not shown itself for a long time, appeared in the sky, and the capital was finally bathed in the warm sunlight.

    Since the matriarch had returned to her home, her days had been rather uncomfortable. After a long time, another steward suddenly appeared on her head. No one would get used to it. Madam Qin, who was standing under the eaves and basking in the sunlight, thought that she would have to pay respects to the matriarch soon, so she felt a wave of annoyance. An Jinxiu son had already been born, but this old lady still refused to return to retire.

    At this moment, a matron led a mama from the palace one after the other into the courtyard of Madam Qin.

    Madam Qin recognized this mama. She was an old man serving beside An Jinyan. Without waiting for the mama to pay her respects, she asked, "Why is Su mama here?"

    "Madam, the Crown Princess misses you. She summoned you to the Eastern Palace," Su mama said respectfully. "Please come with this servant."

    An Jinyan wanted to see her early in the morning? Madam Qin wouldn''t believe that An Jinyan was thinking of her as a mother. Could it be that something had happened to her daughter? Thinking that An Jinyan might have met with trouble at the palace, Madam Qin became a little flustered.

    "Grand Preceptor''s wife," Su mama seemed to notice Madam Qin''s panic and added, "Esteemed wangfei misses you."

    "Alright." Madam Qin tidied up her own hair and said, "I''ll follow you to the palace."

    After Madam Qin returned to her room and changed into a set of clothes, she hurriedly left with her servants and servants, following Su mama. Grand Preceptor An and Matriarch hadn''t woken up yet, so by the time they got up, Grand Preceptor An had come to pay respects to the matriarch. It was only then that the mother and son knew An Jinyan had summoned Madam Qin into the Eastern Palace.

    After Matriarch dismissed everyone in the room, she said, "I heard you say that the crown prince''s situation isn''t looking too good right now. You should keep an eye on Madam Qin, who doesn''t have much brains, so she won''t cause any more trouble!"

    It had been so long since the incident at the Fragrant Garden had angered her, but Matriarch still couldn''t get over it. "Your son knows now," Grand Preceptor An said helplessly. Her mother was an inner chamber woman of the Qin family. How could she interfere in the matters of the imperial court? Rest assured. "

    The matriarch gave a cold snort. "Our princess consort is asking for trouble. What can her mother say to comfort her by inviting her into the palace?"

    "Mother ˇ­"

    "Where''s An Jin?" Matriarch didn''t even listen to what Grand Preceptor An had to say. After recounting it, she asked An Jinxiu, "Do you know what she''s doing now?" Shangguan Yong has been gone for so long, is she still being honest? "

    Grand Preceptor An patiently said to his old mother, "Ah Jinxiu is the kind of life in which one lives peacefully at home. She is very peaceful. Don''t worry, mother."

    "Don''t worry, I won''t worry about anything!" "What''s going on in the estate now that makes me feel relieved?" Matriarch asked. Say one for me to hear! "

    Grand Preceptor An didn''t speak. The situation in the imperial court was disadvantageous for their family. Not long ago, his first daughter in law, the Ning Family, had given birth to another daughter, causing the entire estate to be filled with sadness. The matriarch was holding back her anger and wanting to vent it on him.

    Madam Qin sat in a carriage and hurried to the Eastern Palace. As Su mama led the way to An Jinyan''s bedroom, they heard some music coming from the western side of the eastern palace side hall. Who''s playing and dancing so early in the morning? " Madam Qin asked Su mama.

    Senior Servant Su didn''t even glance as she walked forward. She told Madam Qin, "That''s when a geisha from the Eastern Palace is practicing." As for the crown prince''s words, Su mama wouldn''t tell Madam Qin about them no matter what.

    Madam Qin wanted to ask something else, but Su mama told her, "Madam, it''s better to be cautious around the palace."

    Madam Qin shut her mouth and followed the old nanny into An Jinyan''s bedroom. When she saw An Jinyan''s face, she was shocked. Although there was a layer of makeup covering it, An Jinyan''s eyes turned blue. It was obvious that she hadn''t slept well for a few nights.

    After Su mama led Madam Qin into the bedroom, she left with the other palace maids.

    "What happened to the Crown Princess?" After An Jinyan and her were alone in the bedroom, Madam Qin quickly asked: "Did something happen in the palace?"

    An Jinyan let Madam Qin sit beside her. "Something has happened, that''s why I called my mother to come to the palace to discuss it."

    After Madam Qin sat next to An Jinyan, she whispered, "I don''t know what''s going on outside when I''m at home, but I heard your brother talk at home. Right now, the crown prince''s life isn''t too good. Is this what the esteemed wangfei was worried about?"

    An Jinyan smiled. "So Big Bro knows how to care about me."

    "He, your brothers, and your father all care about the Crown Princess?" Madam Qin hastened to say, "Everyone is worrying at home, but I don''t know how to help you. How can we, as subjects, meddle in the affairs of the imperial family?"

    An Jinyan said, "The crown prince isn''t having a good time right now, so we''re planning to give His Majesty something as a token of our filial piety. It''s just that this gift isn''t easy to give."

    Madam Qin said, "What kind of gift? If it''s something His Majesty likes, the crown prince can just hand it over. "

    "Mother," An Jinyan patted Madam Qin''s hand. "His Majesty fell for something."

    "What is it?" asked n¨¦e Qin.

    "He''s fallen in love with An Jinxiu."

    An Jinyan''s words caused Madam Qin to jump up in fright. She stared at An Jinyan with her eyes wide open, unable to say anything for a long time.

    An Jinyan sat on the luxurious bed with a composed expression, waiting for Madam Qin to come back to her senses.

    "Esteemed wangfei." After a long time, Madam Qin finally said to An Jinyan, "Y-you''re joking with this official''s wife, right?"

    An Jinyan said, "Your Majesty''s chief eunuch has sent word that we can go to His Majesty''s imperial study and take a look inside." As a daughter-in-law, how could I enter His Majesty''s royal study? Therefore, the Crown Prince entered once for the sake of offering a new cup of tea. When the Crown Prince returned, he told me that there was an embroidery hanging on the wall next to the desk in the royal study. The Crown Prince drew this embroidery item. Mother, take a look at it, "An Jinyan said as she handed a rolled up painting to the Qin family.

    When Madam Qin opened the painting to take a look, her vision turned black. She had forgotten about all the other embroidery items, but she would never forget this one either. How, how could it be? " Unable to stand, Madam Qin fell and sat next to An Jinyan.

    "This is indeed embroidered by An Jin?" An Jinyan asked the Madam Qin.

    "Yes, it was in the Fragrant Garden that day ˇ­" Madam Qin suddenly gritted her teeth and said, "Your Majesty was that little hoof you saw in the incense garden that day. Did Your Majesty take a fancy to her at that time?"

    "I don''t care when Your Majesty took a fancy to An Jin," An Jinyan rearranged the painting and placed it back on the table. "The eunuch by Your Majesty''s side said that His Majesty would often look at the embroidery and sigh. He seemed to have fallen in love with it."

    "An Jin is already married!" Madam Qin didn''t believe. "How can a married woman be a treasure no matter how beautiful she is?"

    "What you can''t get is always the best," An Jinyan said. "Besides, my little sister is really beautiful."

    "You," said Madam Qin, "what do you want to do?"

    An Jinyan gave a faint sigh. "I don''t know what His Majesty plans for the crown prince, but it''s the same whether we''re talking to the empress or sending people. We have to make His Majesty happy."

    "That''s a married woman!" Madam Qin''s voice trembled, barely able to utter words clearly to An Jinyan: "Can you do such a thing? If this gets out, you will be scolded to death! "

    An Jinyan smiled. "Mother, do you think that so many beauties in the palace have a clean background?"

    "What?"

    "His Majesty doesn''t have many hobbies, doesn''t love gold or silver, doesn''t love songs or dances, and likes only beauties," An Jinyan said. "The princes have sent many women to the palace over the years. Who knows how many of them were wives?"

    "Jin, Jin Yan, ah, Jin Yan." In her panic, Madam Qin forgot to call out the crown prince''s consort''s name. She called out An Jinyan''s maiden name. "You can''t say such crazy things!"

    "You are my mother. If I don''t tell you, can I tell others?" However, An Jinyan said, "Mother, even my Eastern Palace is very dirty!"

    Madam Qin stared blankly for a long time before shaking her head, "An Jinxiu will not agree."

    "It''s not up to her," An Jinyan coldly replied. "She was originally useless, but now that I''m able to use her, she should be happy."

    Madam Qin still shook her head. "Your father will not agree."

    "Mother," An Jinyan looked at Madam Qin and said, "Only when the crown prince is good position, our An clan can be good. Once the crown prince loses his power, our An clan''s wealth will be like the moon in a mirror. This matter couldn''t be settled by her, nor could it be done by father. "I didn''t want to harm her either, but who told her to be lucky and get chosen by His Majesty?"

    The handkerchief in Madam Qin''s hands was about to break. "Even His Majesty wouldn''t do something like snatching away this subject''s wife."

    "Stealing wife?" An Jinyan giggled. "What ''Stealing wife''? You can just call her a ''slut wife''."

    Madam Qin was rendered speechless by An Jinyan. In her opinion, An Jinyan had gone mad.

    "Actually, I really do hope that Your Majesty will be able to see a An Jinge in the Fragrant Garden," An Jinyan continued. "Based on our An clan''s influence, she''ll at least be a imperial concubine once she enters the palace. It''s a pity that Your Majesty has taken a fancy to An Jin. This is fate."

    "I won''t allow Jinge to enter the palace," Madam Qin immediately said. "The Matriarch and your father won''t agree."

    An Jinyan said, "Yes, An Jinge is a treasure of the family, and I''m the daughter that was given away."

    Madam Qin almost kneeled down to An Jinyan. What An Jinyan said today had already exceeded the scope of her understanding. What do you want? Even if you want to send An Jinxiu up, can you let a mere official''s wife enter the palace? " Madam Qin asked An Jinyan, "There are so many people in the palace. How could Your Majesty accept An Jin in front of so many people? "Jinyan, aren''t you afraid that His Majesty will kill you?"

    "That''s why I invited mother to come to the palace to discuss things," An Jinyan spoke this way, but Madam Qin could tell from the princess consort''s calm expression that her daughter had already planned everything out.

    "An Jinxiu will definitely hate you. If she gets pampered in the future, won''t this little hoof go against you?" Madam Qin asked An Jinyan.

    "Can a woman be a treasure again after she succeeds?" An Jinyan pursed her lips and said, "I don''t plan on giving this opportunity to her either."

    Madam Qin no longer tried to persuade An Jinyan. A feeling of despair rose in her heart. How could her daughter turn into such a state?

 47 Yuanzhi is going to join the army

    Five days later, it began to rain again in the capital city. In the early hours of the morning, Empress Xiang received a private letter from Marquis Le An in the Middle Palace. After reading her younger brother''s private letter, the empress had not slept for the entire night. If she could not find the register, what was the use of a king dying?

    At daybreak, the Empress thought of the three words, Shangguan Yong, for a long time. Finally, as if she had made up her mind, she placed the letter on the burning lamp and looked at the letter burnt to ashes. After which, the Empress ordered the court ladies behind her, "Go and invite Commander Lin over."

    Half an incense stick of time later, the inner palace guard''s deputy commander Lin Zhang sneaked into the palace.

    "You take care of this person for me," the empress showed Lin Zhang a piece of writing paper on the table.

    There were only three words on the xuan paper: Shangguan Yong.

    Lin Zhang said, "Empress, from what this official knows, Shangguan Yong is out on an expedition, and only his family is in the capital."

    "He''ll be back in the capital very soon. Don''t let him enter the city. As for his family," the empress stopped talking.

    "Niangniang," Lin Zhang reminded the empress, "Shangguan Yong''s wife is the crown princess second sister, An Jinxiu. They were even given a marriage by His Majesty."

    "This Dowager knows that he is An Shu''s son-in-law," the Empress said. "But this Dowager cannot gamble my life and the crown prince''s life, so we can deal with him together. It''s just a mere concubine. How could An Shu possibly fall out with me for an unfavoured daughter? The sooner the matter is settled the better, and it must be done. "

    Listening to the empress''s meaning, if Shangguan Yong doesn''t die, her life and the crown prince''s life will be in danger. After saying this, Lin Zhang didn''t try to persuade the empress to think twice, and he accepted the order immediately: "This subject obeys."

    The heavy rain continued for the entire night. When dawn of the next day arrived, the rain began to lessen, but it still continued to fall incessantly.

    An Jinxiu was with An Yuanzhi, Yuan Yi, and Yuan Wei as she followed Shangguan Rui and Shangguan Ning out of the city. After the carriage left the northern part of the capital, it continued on its way to the pavilion five miles away from the official road.

    "The outside of the city is covered with mud and the carriage is not easy to get on. Sis, please go back." An Yuanzhi stood beside the carriage and told An Jinxiu, "I''ll write to you once I get to White Jade Mountain Pass."

    An Jinxiu got off the carriage and walked towards the pavilion.

    "When I see brother-in-law, I will tell him that you missed him," An Yuanzhi jokingly said to An Jinxiu. "Didn''t you write a letter to bring him to me? Why are you still worried? "

    An Jinxiu stood in the pavilion and lightly pat at An Yuanzhi. An Yuanzhi was no longer an innocent person in front of her, so it was hard for her to assume that her little brother was an experienced one.

    "Yuan Yi and Yuan Wei are also with me," An Yuanzhi said. "With them accompanying you, what are you worried about?"

    Yuan Yi, who was standing behind her, said, "Madam, please rest assured that we will take good care of Young Master Yuan Zhi."

    An Jinxiu said apologetically to Yuan Yi, "I''ll have to trouble you to make this trip."

    "Sis, what are you saying?" An Yuanzhi unhappily said, "I''m bringing Yuan Yi and Yuan Wei to earn a living. Do you think their martial arts will help you watch the crops every day?"

    He had seen the competition between Yuan Yi and Yuan Wei and An Yuanzhi. An Yuanzhi''s martial arts were very high, and the two of them were not weak either. It would be a waste for them to stay on the farm outside the city all day.

    An Jinxiu poked An Yuanzhi''s head, "They are wounded, that is recuperating. When did I say that Yuan Yi and Yuan Wei are going to farm?" I was afraid that you would implicate them! "

    At this time, Yuan Yi and Yuan Wei also laughed. Their injuries were not light, and they had been taken care of and nurtured by An Jin, who was not stingy with money. It took them almost a year to recover. If Yuan Yi and Yuan Wei were to say that they were leaving now, they wouldn''t be able to do so.

    An Yuanzhi had said that he was going to join the army at the border, and Yuan Yi and Yuan Wei had offered to go with him. Having seen Yuan Yi''s martial arts, An Yuanzhi naturally raised his hands in praise, while An Jinxiu repeatedly apologized, as if An Yuanzhi had dragged them down. This caused Yuan Yi and Yuan Wei to feel embarrassed, and they even paid more attention to An Yuanzhi.

    "You have to be careful on the road." After joking for a while, An Jinxiu warned An Yuanzhi, "When you''re in the army, you have to listen to your brother-in-law. Military discipline is not a joke. On the battlefield, swords and spears have no eyes, so you have to be careful. Don''t ˇ­"

    When he saw that An Jinxiu was about to repeat these words again, he clasped his hands together and begged her, "I''ll definitely listen to brother-in-law''s words. Sis, don''t worry. I''ll be going now. Wait for me at home."

    "Go well," Shangguan Rui said to An Yuanzhi, "Eldest Sis is right. What happened on the battlefield is not child''s play. Yuan Zhi, you must be careful."

    An Yuanzhi touched Ping An little face again and lightly punched Shangguan Rui. He smiled and said, "You''ll be the only man in the family from now on. Little Rui Zi, take good care of the three of them."

    Shangguan Rui nodded. Little sister, sister-in-law, and Ping An''s nephew. These three were his life, he couldn''t afford to lose them.

    Shangguan Ning stood beside An Jinxiu and shouted to An Yuanzhi, "Big brother Yuan Zhi, you have to come back with my big brother soon. Ning''er will be waiting for you at home."

    "Alright," An Yuanzhi smiled as he caught up with Shangguan Ning. "When we return, I''ll show you a good family!"

    "Scram!" An Jinxiu finally laughed at An Yuanzhi, "How old are you?" "I think that when you come back, you want to get a wife!"

    An Yuanzhi laughed heartily as he left the pavilion with Yuan Yi and Yuan Wei. After he mounted the horse, he told An Jinxiu, "I''m leaving, Sis." Then he whipped his horse and galloped off towards the north.

    "Madam, we''ll also leaving." Yuan Yi and Yuan Wei, who were sitting on horseback, also clasped their hands and bowed towards An Jin.

    "Be careful along the way." An Jinxiu waved her hands at Yuan Yi and Yuan Wei, "Yuan Zhi is still young. If he''s in the wrong, you guys must keep an eye on him."

    Yuan Yi promised, "Madam, don''t worry. We''ll take care of Young Master Yuan Zhi."

    An Jinxiu stood in the pavilion and watched the three of them run away. She made up her mind and let An Yuanzhi run away towards her future. But seeing her little brother leave, she still felt bad. It was hard to walk on the road to enlist in the army. From then on, she could not help her little brother much. She could only rely on An Yuanzhi to take responsibility for everything.

    After the three people from north disappeared, Shangguan Rui suddenly said, "Sis, the rain stopped, this is a good sign."

    The drizzling rain had really stopped. The sky that had just been washed by the rain was a dark blue color after being washed. The thick clouds that had accumulated in the sky after the rain slowly dissipated, allowing the sunlight to show itself.

    Shangguan Rui smiled and said: "The world is vast, elder sister-in-law. Yuan Zhi went to challenge his own heaven and earth, so you should let go, no need to worry too much."

    An Jinxiu sighed and nodded, "They will all be back." She kept up with him, "All four of them will be fine."

    "That''s what I thought too," Shangguan Rui said. "Let''s go back, Zi Yuan is still waiting for us at home."

    An Jinxiu took the bottle from Shangguan Rui''s hands and said, "Little brother in law also need to go to the academy. We should go back earlier. Little sister in law, let''s go."

    Shangguan Ning obediently pulled An Jin''sdress down the pavilion.

    After they got on the car, An Jinxiu asked Shangguan Ning, "What would you like to eat? I''ll buy it for you when we enter the city later. "

    Before Shangguan Ning could say anything, Shangguan Rui said while driving the car: "Sister-in-law, don''t spoil her anymore. Once she becomes a little fat pig, will she be able to find a husband in the future?"

    "I want to eat candy!" Shangguan Ning sat beside An Jinxiu and said loudly, "I''m not fat, I don''t need to find a husband, I want to spend the rest of my life with my eldest sister-in-law!"

    An Jin smiled. Shangguan Ning had indeed gained weight these days, but it was better for the girl who had grown up. "Who said our Ning''er is fat? We won''t listen to second brother. "

    When Shangguan Ning saw An Jin standing by her side, she immediately grinned and said, "Eldest Sister-in-law, can we buy some candy later?"

    Seeing Shangguan Ning smile so much that her teeth could no longer be seen, she was lost in thought. Shangguan Rui and Shangguan Yong, the three Shangguan siblings, were kind of like Shangguan Ning.

    They had a straight temper, and when they smiled, they would pout their lips, looking extremely silly and innocent. An Jinxiu pinched Shangguan Ning''s little face, nodded and said ''yes'', she started to miss Shangguan Yong again, she didn''t know when he would come back.

    When the three of them returned to the city, An Jin bought a candy for Shangguan Ning. Shangguan Rui drove the carriage home.

    An Jinxiu had just entered the door with Ping An in her arms. Before she could even say a word, a steward of the Qin family came knocking on the door.

    "What is it?" Since the last time she came back, Madam Qin had not come to find her even once.

    "Madam has ordered me to pass a message to Second Miss," the woman in charge said, "This afternoon, Madam will bring Aunt Xiu to the monastery and inviting Second Miss as well."

    "Monastery?" An Jinxiu said, "Why did Mother suddenly remember to go to the monastery to pay respects to Buddha today?"

    The matron said, "Madam came to take a walk and have some fun. She thought that Second Miss has not seen Aunt Xiu for a long time, so she asked this servant to pass on a message to Second Miss."

    Of course, An Jinxiu was looking forward to meeting her mother. She nodded and said, "Alright, I''ll make the arrangements at home. We''ll go to the monastery in the afternoon."

    The woman in charge looked at Ping An again and said, "Second Miss, Madam said that the matriarch will probably come along as well. I''m afraid of being too noisy, so Young Master Ping doesn''t need to bring him along."

    "Got it. You can go back to the mansion." An Jinxiu said as she carried Ping An into the living room.

    The woman in charge turned around and left. She didn''t expect An Jinxiu to give her some money either.

    "Sister-in-law really has a lot of rules." Shangguan Rui said after they entered the living room, "It''s so hard for grandmother to see her grandson."

    An Jinxiu said helplessly, "I can''t even call my birth mother, my mother. My Ping grandmother can only be the Grand Preceptor''s wife in the Residence of An."

    "I''m sorry, sister-in-law," Shangguan Rui said. "I shouldn''t have said these things, you should have gone to the main hall, leave Ping to the wet nurse."

    At this moment, Nanny Wang walked in from the inner door and said, "Lady, don''t worry. Nothing will happen to young master Ping An."

    Shangguan Rui continued, "First sister-in-law, take Zi Yuan with you. I don''t know what will happen when you go to the monastery. After all, eldest sister-in-law is the matriarch of Shangguan family, there is no reason for you to go alone."

    An Jinxiu nodded and agreed. She would go to the monastery for at most half a day, and the wet nurse would be able to take care both Shangguan Ning and Ping An safely.

 48 Future

    The Shangguan family lived in the old streets south of the city, while the An family''s home was in the northern part of the capital. The two places were very far apart.

    After Shangguan Rui went to the academy, An Jinxiu made lunch with Zi Yuan, and ate together with Shangguan Ning and the wet nurse.

    After the wet nurse brought Shangguan Ning away from the door, she went back home and closed the door. Seeing that Shangguan Ning''s lips were pursed up because she didn''t bring Ah Jin, she laughed and coaxed, "Third Miss, what do you want to eat? I''ll do it for you. "

    It hadn''t been long since they finished lunch, but Shangguan Ning was still hungry. She tilted her head and thought for a moment, then said, "I want to eat fried rice balls!"

    Seeing Shangguan Ning''s reaction, the nurse laughed and said with a smile, "Third Miss, if the madam sees you like this, then you would be a greedy cat again."

    Shangguan Ning thought about the fried rice balls she would get later, and she accepted the food too. The little girl skipped over to the wet nurse''s side, making a face at Ping An in her arms.

    Ping An looked at his little aunt, not at all interested in Shangguan Ning''s face. He yawned, closed his eyes and fell asleep in the nurse''s arms.

    The nanny looked at the two kids and shook her head. Shangguan family was not a wealthy family, but it was not bad to continue living like this. There were so many people who couldn''t even ask for a nice and peaceful life.

    When An Jinxiu and Zi Yuan arrived at the An clan''s home in the North City, the Qin clan had already arrived.

    Zi Yuan got off the carriage and looked at the carriage parked in front of the entrance to the shrine. She then whispered to An Jinxiu, "Miss, the Crown Prince''s consort has arrived as well."

    An Jinxiu looked at the carriages and horses. Most of them were in the palace. An Jin frowned and was puzzled. It was not the day of the 15th day of the first month when you would worship Buddha, so why would An Jinyan come as well? Did she come with the Qin family to relax?

    As An Jinxiu was contemplating, the two women from the Residence of Tranquil East walked up to her with the words'' Second Miss ''in their mouths.

    "The imperial concubine has called second Miss quite a few times already," one of the palace maid smiled at her. "The mistress was afraid that you wouldn''t come anymore. Now that''s good. Second Miss is here."

    An Jinxiu felt that today''s matter was abnormal, so how could An Jinyan still remember her? Since when did she have such a good relationship with An Jinyan?

    The two women went to the main hall to have An Jin as they said, "Second Miss, quickly go in"

    An Jinxiu asked, "Has Aunt Xiu come?"

    A granny hurriedly said, "Aunt came along with Madam and is currently waiting for Second Miss inside."

    "Miss," the Zi Yuan called her from behind. The two women smiled too warmly at her, causing Zi Yuan to feel a little scared.

    "Let''s go in," An Jinxiu said. No matter what would happen today, Madam Qin and An Jinyan would not take her life.

    At this time, Madam Qin and An Jinyan were sitting in a quiet room in the Enchantment Hall. When she saw An Jinxiu come in, Madam Qin smiled and said, " We''ve been waiting for you here for a long time. "

    An Jin glanced at the servants standing behind Madam Qin and greeted them respectfully. "Imperial Consort, please forgive us. I didn''t know that you would be here today."

    An Jinyan smiled and let An Jinxiu sit down. "Don''t listen to mother. We agreed to come in the afternoon. It''s afternoon now, so it''s not too late for you."

    When Madam Qin heard this, she also laughed and said: "Ah Jin, look. Our Crown Princess is speaking up for you now."

    An Jin smiled but didn''t say anything. She didn''t understand the attitudes of An Jinyan and Madam Qin today, so it was better to say less.

    "I also want to see your precious son, Ping An," An Jinyan said, "Next time you have a chance, make sure you let the Ah Jin bring Ping An. "Ah Jin, is Ping the child''s great name?"

    An Jinxiu replied, "To reply you, Your Highness, Ping is a nickname. We''ll wait for General Shangguan to bestow the official name when he returns."

    An Jinyan looked at An Jinxiu and said with a sigh, "If the war hadn''t been so urgent, General Shangguan wouldn''t have gone to war on the second day of the wedding. I''ve heard that General Shangguan has a younger brother and sister?"

    "His brother is the same age as Yuan Zhi, so he''s studying at the Southern Abyss Academy. His sister is seven years old this year," An Jinxiu said.

    Madam Qin said: "I didn''t agree to this Ah Jin marriage at the time, it''s just that there''s no other way. How can I persuade you guys regarding the matter set by your father?"

    Before An Jinxiu could say anything, An Jinyan said, "Mom, don''t talk about this anymore. Jinxiu and General Shangguan are already married and have children, can we go back? Besides, although General Shangguan''s rank today is not that high, how would Mother know that he won''t be able to be a wife and child in the future? "

    "Yes, I said the wrong thing," Madam Qin smiled bitterly. "Ah Jin, please forgive me this time."

    An Jinxiu quickly said, "Daughter doesn''t dare." An Jinyan could sit and accept Madam Qin''s apology. She, An Jinxiu, did not have the life to do so. It would be fine if this news was not spread out, but if it was spread out, then she, as a concubine, would be disrespectful to her mother.

    "Ah Jin, it''s been a long time since Aunt Xiu seen you." How could An Jinyan not see through her caution? She immediately smiled and said, "You two can go to the guest room to talk."

    An Jinxiu stood up and thanked her.

    Even though An Jinyan had spoken, Aunt Xiu still stood behind Madam Qin and didn''t dare to leave. She raised her eyes to look at her.

    Madam Qin turned her head to look at the Ah Jin biological mother and said in a considerate tone, "You can go. Don''t worry about my place. Talk to Ah Jin."

    Only then did Aunt Xiu thank An Jinyan and Madam Qin. She lowered her head and followed An Jinxiu out of the quiet room, her hands and feet tied together.

    A nun in the main hall led the way, leading the two towards the guest room.

    Madam Qin saw An Jin left and turned to An Jinyan, "Esteemed wangfei, have you really made up your plans? I still have no idea. "

    "It''s already decided. What else do you want to think about?" The smile on An Jinyan''s face didn''t waver as she whispered, "If mother is worried, then don''t think about it."

    MadamQin sat on the high-backed chair in the quiet room. She picked up the teacup beside her, put it by her mouth and put it back on the tea table. At this moment, she could not sit still.

    An Jinyan had a bunch of buddhist beads in her hand. The sandalwood buddhist beads were already bronze in color, giving off a lustre that could only be found in jade.

    "Does the Crown princess also worship Buddha?" Madam Qin had nothing to say.

    As soon as the buddhist beads in An Jinyan''s hand stopped spinning, she never believed in buddhas. In her eyes, there were no buddhas in this world. She was only using these buddhist beads to calm her heart. "I have always believed in the Buddha. Mother must remember this."

    Madam Qin looked embarrassed and stopped talking. She was actually a powerful woman. However, when she faced An Jinyan, her aura was always a lot weaker.

    After An Jinyan turned the bead around for a long time, she suddenly said to Madam Qin, "There is no woman in the palace who doesn''t believe in buddhas."

    At this time, Madam Qin finally understood An Jinyan''s meaning. The ones who believed in Buddha were all kind people. No matter what the women in the palace truly thought in their hearts, no matter what position they were in, they had to let people know that they were kind people. Believing in Buddha was the easiest way for the women in the palace to prove their kindness.

    "I copy Buddhist scriptures when I have nothing else to do," An Jinyan said to Madam Qin. "I will order someone to send some books to mother someday."

    "Alright," Madam Qin was also at a loss for words. She already had no more energy left in her heart to find a topic to talk to this precious daughter of hers.

    The mother and daughter pair sat across from each other in silence. In a small guest room in the main hall, An Jinxiu and Aunt Xiu sat side by side. After looking up and down An Jin for a long time, Aunt Xiu finally said, "You''re not thin and your complexion looks good. It seems like Second Miss has had a good time these days. I''m relieved."

    An Jinxiu held Aunt Yu''s hand and said, "Mother, why do you call me Second Miss when no one else is around? I''m very good, Yuan Zhi should have already told you, right? I have a farm in my hands now, and I''m not short on money. "

    Aunt Xiu nodded. "Yuan Zhi told me, he even said that Ping An looked very good, just like you. He look like her mother, and the old saying said that his son was like a mother. "When General Shangguan returns, your lives will definitely be better."

    An Jinxiu said, "Mm. When he returns, our lives will definitely be better. I really want to brinf mother out of the mansion."

    Aunt Xiu was shocked by An Jinxiu''s words and quickly replied, "You can''t say such words. You must not let Madam Qin know." Second Miss, did the Fifth Young Master leave today? "

    An Jinxiu secretly shook her head. She thought that it would be difficult for her mother to address her as Jinxiu.

    "Is the fifth young master alright?" It had been some time since Aunt Xiu had seen An Yuanzhi, and she was anxious to know more about him.

    "He''s fine," An Jinxiu said. "Two friends with very high martial arts skills followed him out. When they arrive at White Jade Mountain Pass, my family''s general will take care of him. "Mother, don''t worry. Yuan Zhi will definitely have a bright future. This daughter can''t do anything for you. Once Yuan Zhi has a good future, we will definitely let you live a good life."

    "My life is very good now, you have to send me money quite a few times," the woman said in a low voice. "In the future, don''t give me any more money, I know that you have to give a lot of money to the servants in charge of my pavilion. Don''t do stupid things like making other people rich, I''m not hungry and don''t feel good, so I have no place to use money."

    As someone who was a concubinein the inner chamber and had the money to reward her servants, she could always lead a better life. Listening to her rambling, but in truth, she didn''t want to implicate herself. An Jinxiu forced a smile and said: "Mother, if you can''t use that money, then save it for Yuan Zhi to get married."

    When she talked about An Yuanzhi''s marriage, Aunt Xiu smile disappeared. She then added, "We can''t decide on his marriage."

    "If you can''t make the decision, you can still give the money. How can Madame still control the fact that you are giving Yuan Zhi money?" An Jinxiu said nonchalantly, "Mother, just believe my words. Yuan Zhi will definitely have great prospects in the future. You just need to enjoy his blessings."

    The only thought she had was that her son and daughter were living a good life. "Go ahead and live your own life," the Aunt Xiu said softly to An Jin. "Don''t worry about me."

 49 Welcome to His Holiness in front of the abbey

    The mother and daughter pair spoke a lot this afternoon, talking about the days after An Jinxiu marries, how An Yuanzhi would be once he joined the army, Shangguan Yong, how he would be when he raise their son and a lot of things about the future. At this moment, when things were no longer possible to be recalled, An Jin and the Aunt Xiehad a tacit understanding to only think about their future.

    At dusk, rain began to fall again from the clear sky. The guest room, which was not bright to begin with, became dark all of a sudden.

    "You also have a family to take care of. After you go to the Buddhist hall and worship Buddha, you can go back. Don''t let your family wait for you for too long."

    An Jinxiu held onto Aunt Xiu hand and said, "I don''t know when I''ll be able to see you again after I leave."

    "There will be another chance." Aunt Xiu pulled up An Jinxiu to her feet. "Quickly go to the buddhist hall and remember to be sincere."

    An Jinxiu walked out of the guest room. The old woman who had greeted her before came out of the hall and called out to her from afar, "Second Madam, His Majesty has arrived. The Crown Princess wants you to meet him at the gate."

    An Jinxiu was stunned. Shouldn''t she, as a concubine, avoid him? Why did he want her to pick up the car? And why would the Emperor come to the Anshi temple?

    "The Esteemed wangfei told you to go, so you won''t leave any idle rumors. You can go, and see His Majesty. That''ll be good too."

    It was indeed a good thing to see the Emperor Shizong in person, to be able to impress him for Shangguan Yong. An Jinxiu just couldn''t understand, what day was it today, even the Emperor had come to the main hall, it was as if they had agreed, someone had already arranged it like this?

    The old woman who had come to pass on the message walked up to An Jin. When she saw that she was still standing there without moving, she hurriedly urged her, "Second Madam, hurry up and leave. That''s a saint''s carriage, you can''t neglect it."

    Under the repeated urging of this old woman, An Jin didn''t have much time to think. After glancing at the woman, she brought her to the entrance of the Main Hall.

    At this time, the Shizong had already arrived at the gate of the An family monastery. Initially, the Emperor didn''t want to bother with the crown prince at all, but the crown prince had invited him in front of all the other princes, thinking that the princes had caused a lot of trouble behind his back for the sake of Wang Yuan, and had even criticized the crown prince in many ways.

    The Emperor had never thought of crippling the crown prince to look at the princes, and other than the fifth prince, Bai Chengze, who had a normal expression, the rest of them all revealed expressions of watching a good show, as if they were waiting for him to scold the crown prince. This was the brother of the royal family. At that time, the Emperor felt a wave of helplessness and finally agreed to the crown prince''s request in front of all the princes.

    The Emepror didn''t care about the princes'' moods after that. He only knew that the Crown Prince was relieved of a great burden.

    As he went out of the palace to hunt, even the Shizong was only slightly dressed. In the eyes of the Shizong, there was a large group of people following him, and even the wild animals were scared off. What kind of prey could he possibly hunt?

    Usually when hunting, the Crown Prince would put the safety of the dragons as the top priority and urge the Emperor to bring the imperial guards and the imperial guards. However, this time, the Crown Prince did not try to persuade him.

    The Emperor was happy. He felt that the Crown Prince was afraid of being scolded by him.

    It was a sunny day after the rain, and the air was fresh. As the horse galloped through the forest in the mountains of the northern city, the raindrops that accumulated on the branches began to fall.

    When he was deep in the mountains, he saw many animals that he could easily meet. He nocked an arrow and shot it through the neck of a sika deer. He asked the crown prince, "Have you prepared this place in advance?"

    The crown prince followed behind him and said, "I can''t hide anything from royal father. This son wants royal father to have a better time today, so I had the guards take care of the mountain beforehand."

    Shizong turned to look at the crown prince and said, "You''d better not hide anything from me."

    He dismounted from his horse and knelt in front of the horse. "Imperial Father, this subject is truly not aware of the matter with Wang Yuan. I also want Fourth Brother to quickly capture those two deathsworn from Wang Yuan to prove my innocence."

    Shizong only looked at the guard who had placed the blood of the deer not far away and said to the crown prince, "Don''t bring up the matter about Wang Yuan for now. You are the crown prince, you don''t have to lower yourself like this in front of me."

    The Crown Prince smiled bitterly to himself. He was just an official after all. How could he dare not be humble? Wang Yuan was practically beyond his means. "This son thanks Imperial Father," The crown prince kowtowed to the Emperor.

    "Rise," Shizong said, as he ran past the crown prince, his legs clamping on the horse''s side.

    By the time the Crown Prince stood up, the Shizong had already led the guards to the west side of the forest.

    "Your Highness," the guard said as he walked over with two wooden gourds that were carved with fine patterns and filled with the blood of the deer.

    The crown prince looked at the two gourds and said to the guards, "Be careful with them. My royal father and I may need to consume them in a while."

    "This servant obeys," the guard said as he hung the two wooden gourds by his waist.

    The Crown Prince then mounted his horse and started to chase after Shizong.

    Half a day passed unknowingly as Shizong led his guards to hunt in the forest north of the city. As the sky darkened, Shizong realized that he had stayed in the forest from the afternoon until dusk.

    "Father," The Crown Prince looked up at the sky and stepped forward, "It seems that the rain is coming again. This son knows that the An clan''s home is here, so why don''t you go there and rest?"

    "An clan ?" Shizong said, "What did you do now?"

    The Crown Prince shook his head, "This son doesn''t dare. It''s just that I don''t dare. It''s just that today, An Jinyam has accompanied her mother to offer incense."

    The Shizong said, "Is today the day of incense?"

    The Crown Prince smiled and said, "An Jinyan said that she missed her mother and sister, so I allowed her to leave the palace."

    "Sister?" The first person that came to the mind of the Emperor was An Jinge, whose etiquette was unknown. With a darkened face, he said, " Zhen knows her little sister. It''s better for the Crown Princess not to meet spoiled girls."

    The crown prince hurriedly asked, "Father, are you talking about Miss An Jinge? The Crown Prince''s wife was having a headache for her little sister, but this time, the one she wanted to see was her little sister who was married off, what was her name? "The Crown Prince pretended to think about it, then said," I can''t remember her name.

    Shizong''s face turned back to him. "An Jinxiu," he said to the crown prince.

    The Crown Prince laughed, "Yes, it''s that name. I was too stupid to recall it."

    "Let''s go to An''s monastery," said the Shizong.

    The crown prince hurriedly said, "This son will lead the way for royal father."

    At this time, the raindrops had already started to drip from the sky. As the rain began to fall, Eunuch Xie was about to put on the raincoat, but was rejected by the crown prince. He then said, "Spring rain is as precious as oil, what is there to hide from?"

    As the Crown Prince listened to the auspicious words of Eunuch Xie, his heart sank to the bottom. Talking about An Jin to the Emperor was actually the final attempt of the crown prince. If the latter had no impression of this little concubine born, Ah Jin, then no matter how many plans the crown prince had made beforehand, the Emperor would persuade him to return to the palace because of the slippery roads in the rain.

    However, from the looks of it now, what Eunuch Xie and An Jinyan said was not wrong. His Imperial Father truly cared about An Jinxiu. There was no way for him to turn back now. He could only go on to the end.

    In his heart, the Crown Prince apologized to An Jinxiu. A little girl''s life was insignificant compared to the Crown Prince''s position and the lives of the people behind him.

    When the Shizong arrived at the gate of the An clan''s monastery, he was disappointed that he didn''t see An Jinxiu in the crowd. Just as the Shizong was about to say "go back to the palace", he saw An Jinxiu hurrying out from the gate. Perhaps it was because he had walked a little faster, but when An Jin appeared before the Emperor, she was slightly out of breath.

    "Father," The Crown Prince saw that An Jin and took a look at the Shizong''s appearance. Although he knew what was going on, he remained calm and said to the Shizong, "Would you like to rest in the main hall?"

    The Shi Zong acknowledged and dismounted himself without the help of the guards.

    An Jin did not raise her head to look at the Emperor and instead knelt down behind the Qin family to receive the emperor''s carriage.

    "You may rise now." At this point, the Emperor stopped looking at An Jin and raised his hand towards the kneeling figure in front of the entrance.

    After An Jinyan stood up, she smiled at the Emperor, "Why is father here?"

    Shizong went to the main hall and said, "Why, can''t I come to the main hall?"

    An Jinyan hurriedly said, "Imperial Father, this temple is only a domestic temple, and has always been treated as a place for my grandma to rest in her retirement. This time, it will be extraordinary."

    "What a mouth you have," Shizong laughed at An Jinyan''s coaxing. The Shizong had heard of this monastery in the An clan, but it was his first time here and had seen it with his own eyes. It was only then that he believed the words of the ministers. An''s home nunnery was not at all inferior to those burning temples. At the north and south of the hall, there was a central line going from south to north through the gate. There was a buddhist temple surrounded by galleries and pavilions, and as one raised one''s head to look at the corner of the eaves, it covered up the entire sky. Because it was a hall, it was less grand and more refined.

    "Father is tired," the crown prince said to An Jinyan from behind. "Lead the way."

    The Emepror walked under the eaves of the buddhist hall. At this time, his clothes were already half wet, but the Emepror didn''t care.

    An Jinyan smiled and said, "This was built after a few generations of the An family. Father, your daughter-in-law''s family all believes in the Buddha."

    The Shizong turned around and entered the buddhist hall behind him, saying, "Believing in Buddha is a good thing."

    The Crown Prince followed behind him and asked, "Does royal father want an incense stick to burn?"

    The Shizong looked at the Buddha statue in the buddhist hall and said, "Does I still need to pray to God?"

    The Crown Prince hurriedly apologized to the Shi Zong.

    An Jinxiu and Madam Qin stood outside the buddhist hall, listening to the conversation between the Emperor and Crown prince. Just by listening to the words of the crown prince praising the Emperor, An Jinxiu was not comparable to Bai Chengze in terms of words, and it would not be wrong for him to lose to him in this life.

    An Jinyan said to the Shizong, "Father, are you going to rest in the quiet room?" Listening to the rain in the buddhist hall is still a very elegant thing to do. "

    When Madam Qin heard the people in the buddhist hall walk to the back of the hall, she turned back to An Jin and said, "If you can talk to His Majesty in a while, say something nice. It''s also for the good of your general."

 50 Retention

    After hearing what Madam Qin said, An Jinxiu did not have the grateful expression that Madam Qin had in mind. Instead, she said to Madam Qin, "Mother, it''s getting late. Your daughter still has some matters to attend to at home, so I will take my leave first."

    After following the Qin family for a while, An Jinxiu finally understood one thing: why did she want me to see the Emperor? To please Emperor Shizong and to fight for Shangguan Yong''s future? Shangguan Yong did not need her to do so, her husband did not need his position as an official to rely on his woman.

    When Madam Qin heard An Jinxiu say she was going to leave, she jumped in fright and said, "If Your Majesty already seen you, then how are you going to leave? "Even if you want to leave, you have to kneel before His Majesty before you can leave, how can you not understand that?"

    "Your Majesty can remember me here?" An Jin asked curiously.

    Madam Qin said, "What if His Majesty remembers?" "Come with me. It won''t be too late for you to leave after kneeling down and making peace with His Majesty."

    An Jin looked around again. Zi Yuan, who had been following her a moment ago, had disappeared. "Where''s Zi Yuan?" An Jinxiu asked Madam Qin.

    Madam Qin said, "I told her to go see your concubine mother. She''s worried about you, so she has a question to ask Zi Yuan."

    An Jin felt that something wasn''t right. Why was there a problem with her mothet?

    "Second Madam," a court lady by An Jinyan''s side came out of the buddhist hall and stood in front of Madam Qin and An Jinxiu. "The imperial concubine wants you two to go to the tea room. His Majesty wishes to see you."

    "Let''s go," said Madam Qin as she pulled An Jin''s hand. "You don''t need me to teach you what to say later, do you?"

    An Jinxiu was unwilling, but she couldn''t leave even if she wanted to. She could only nod at Madam Qin.

    Shizong sat in the largest private room in the temple, listening to An Jinyan introducing the hall to him with a face of indifference. When he saw An Jinxiu enter with Madam Qin, a smile appeared on his face.

    An Jinxiu helped Madam Qin up from the ground with her head lowered. She was thinking about how she should quickly kneel to the Emperor so that she could return home earlier.

    Now that the woman he was worried about was right in front of him, the Emperor finally had the chance to take a good look at An Jinxiu. The woman wore a light green spring dress with a light pink silk flower on her hair. Other than that, there was not a single ornament on her body. It was too plain, and the Emperor sighed in his heart. He felt that she was not having a good life in the general''s family.

    At this time, Madam Qin began to flatter the Emperor. But Madam Qin, who was preoccupied with their own matters, began to speak with a trembling voice and was incoherent with her words.

    However, the Emperor didn''t care about what Madam Qin said. He only looked at An Jin. An Jin''s face was covered in a thin layer of powder today. The blush from before had already disappeared, but her face was still white and rosy under the contrast of her good looks. She had already given birth but she still have an elegant figure, so An Jin''s appearance did not disappoint the sect.

    Actually, no one would be able to tell that the Emperor was looking at An Jin. The Emperor was only looking in front of them, while Madam Qin and An Jin were standing in front of him. There were still servants behind them and the courtyard behind the door.

    An Jinyan watched from the side with a fire burning in her heart. The face of this concubine born sister had such a troublesome appearance. Even she didn''t dare to imagine what she would do if the crown prince was captivated by this calamity. After being angered for a while, An Jinyan thought about her plans for An Jinxiu and her anger immediately subsided. Why would she want to be angry with An Jinxiu? It was just a chess piece, something that she had to discard after using it. There was no need to worry about it at all.

    "Are you An Shu''s second daughter?" After Madam Qin can no longer opened her mouth, the Emperor asked An Jinxiy as if he don''t already knew the answer.

    An Jinxiu hastened to say, "Yes, Your Majesty."

    The Emperor laughed, "Your marriage was bestowed byme."

    An Jinxiu hurriedly squatted down to give a blessing to the Emperor and said with a smile, "This subject thanks Your Majesty for bestowing me the marriage, allowing this subject to marry my husband."

    "Mmm," the Emperor said, "Shangguan Yong is currently in Fengzhou. By now, the war in Fengzhou should have ended, and he will be back soon."

    This piece of news was enough to make An Jin both surprised and happy. Shangguan Yong had already returned from the border pass, and it wouldn''t be long before she would see him again.

    When the Emperor saw the happiness on An Jinxiu''s face, he was actually unhappy. He hoped that An-Jin could live well, but seeing how An-Jin treated Shangguan Yong so well, the Emperor felt uncomfortable. This contradictory thought made the Emperor suddenly ask An-Jin, "When Shangguan Yong, went to the border, did you still live well after "

    An Jinxiu didn''t think too much into it and said, "This subject thanks Your Majesty for your inquiry. This subject has been living a good life."

    The Emperor wanted to ask more, but did not know what else he could ask this little girl. This was not his official, if he could not ask her about official business, he could not ask her if it was bad that she served Shangguan Yong well. After taking a good look at An Jin, the Emperor said to her, "You live a good life. Kneel in peace."

    An Jinxiu hurriedly kneeled down and left the room. After just a few words with Shizong, the sky had already turned dark. As she thought of the three people at home, An Jin became a bit anxious. However, when she wanted to leave, she couldn''t see Zi Yuan. She could only ask the woman behind her, "Where is the girl who came with me, Zi Yuan?"

    The old woman said, "Zi Yuan might still be at the place. Second Madam, wait here. This servant will go and urge her to come over."

    An Jin wanted to say her goodbyes to her biological mother, but she thought that if she went, without informing Madam Qin, she would be punished by the Qin, so she had no choice but to give up on this idea and go find Zi Yuan, waiting for her at the side courtyard.

    She waited for the time it took for an incense stick to burn for An Jin to finish embroidering. However, the old woman and Zi Yuan didn''t come.

    She wanted to find another servant to take a look, but An Jinxiu looked around for a long time and didn''t see anyone walk past the side courtyard she was standing in. It was getting late, and An Jin couldn''t wait any longer. She had no choice but to walk to the guest room where she had talked with the Madam Qin earlier.

    An Jinxiu had never been to this An clan''s main hall before. She had never expected that the main hall would be stingy with candles at night. Not only were there no lights in the rooms, there were only a few faint candles on the way. The light of the stars and moon had never shone on a rainy day. These candles flickered in the darkness. Although they were all buddhist images, they looked solemn and dignified. The places where buddhist magic should be boundless were now filled with a ghostly aura.

    An Jin had already died once. As she walked in this strange hall, she felt somewhat uneasy. She had a nagging feeling that something bad was going to happen. The crown prince, the crown princess consort, and Madam Qin were all here, so how could there not be a single person in the backyard?

    A night crow flew over An Jin''s head. The sound of the crow was strange and hoarse. After hearing it in the empty backyard of the main hall, it gave people goosebumps.

    At this time, An Jinxiu had almost reached the guest room, but she suddenly stopped. Something was wrong, it seemed like Madam Qin was deliberately keeping her. No matter what her purpose was, she would not think this kindness towards her from Madam Qin is genuine. .

    "Zi Yuan?" An Jinxiu shouted towards the guest room.

    There was a faint candle light in the guest room, but no one answered.

    An Jinxiu turned around and walked out. She knew that she couldn''t stay here any longer.

    "An Jin?"

    A voice suddenly rang out from behind her. She instinctively turned her head to look, but before she could clearly see who it was, someone had punched her in the neck. An Jinxiu''s vision turned black. She didn''t struggle at all and fell into the arms of the person who just arrived.

    At this moment, a few people walked out from the guest rooms with lanterns in their hands. The one in the lead was Su mama, who served An Jinyan closely.

    "Carry her away," Senior Servant Su walked forward and glanced at An Jin, who had been knocked unconscious in the guard''s arms. She ordered the court ladies behind her, "Be careful to touch her."

    The two palace maids stepped forward and received the Ah Jin from the guards.

    "Hurry," said Su mama as she led the way to the guest room where An Jinxiy and Madam Qin had been chatting earlier.

    After the guard who had knocked out An Jin finished his mission, he turned around and hid his body in the darkness.

    The small guest room had already been cleaned and decorated with a palace lamp covered with a red veil. The bed had also been replaced with a large one, with a soft cushion. The newly hung bed curtain was also of a bright red color. A guest room in the main hall was forcibly made into a new room.

    Su mama ordered someone to place An Jin on a brand-new bed. She looked at her makeup and carefully smelled her body, but it didn''t smell anything unusual. She then said to the court ladies behind her, "All of you, go out and wait for me."

    The palace maids immediately left.

    Su mama stroked An Jin face and said to herself, "Your skin is really slippery. This little appearance is indeed alluring. No wonder the esteemed imperial concubine wants to plot against you."

    The unconscious An Jinxiu let out a light groan, as if she was about to wake up.

    Su mama swiftly took out a small porcelain bottle from her sleeve, opened An Jin''s mouth, and poured the seemingly transparent liquid into her mouth. Afraid that An Jinxiu would spit out the potion, she used her hand to cover her mouth and forced her to swallow the potion.

    An Jinxiu''s body twitched a few times after she was drunk, and then she passed out again.

    "This medicine can give you a good night''s sleep," Su mama said to An Jinxiu after seeing that she had completely stopped moving. "This way, you won''t suffer too much, and this can be considered a bit of a good deed I''ve done for you." As she spoke, Su mama untied or loosened the belt and buttons on An Jinxing''s clothes one by one. Then she pulled up the blanket on the bed and covered her entire bed.

    "Go and tell the Crown Princess," Senior Servant Su said to the palace maid waiting outside the guest room. "Things have already been settled."

    An elderly court lady quickly turned around and ran to the front yard to report the news.

    "All of you can leave. I''ll keep watch here," Su mama said to the rest of the palace maids after she saw them run off into the distance.

    A few court servants hurriedly walked out of the courtyard. Before they could take a few steps forward, they heard Su mama''s stern voice speak up behind them. "I brought all of you here with me. Ever since you entered the palace, I''ve already told you all that you''re innately mute if you don''t want to speak inside the palace."

 51 Return of the General

    When Shangguan Rui returned home from the academy, he heard from the wet nurse that An Jinxiu and Zi Yuan had not come back yet, so Shangguan Rui didn''t think too much about it.

    After saying a few words to Shangguan Ning, who ran out of the room to greet him, Shangguan Rui brought Shangguan Ning inside to see if she was awake or not.

    Seeing that Shangguan Rui had returned, the wet nurse went to the kitchen to prepare dinner for the family.

    By dusk, the nanny had already busied herself with dinner. More than a dozen farmers, who had rented land and cultivated in the villages outside the city, came to deliver the rent to their families.

    Shangguan Rui let these farmers in. It was Shangguan Rui''s idea to rent out the land to the ethnic group. Now that the peasants had sent money over, Shangguan Rui let out a small sigh of relief. He was afraid that he wouldn''t be able to collect the money while renting the house, so he didn''t have to worry about this business anymore.

    While calling the farmers to sit in the front hall, Shangguan Rui told the nanny to cook some more food so Shangguan Ning could go to his room and watch over his Ping An. It was already time for dinner. Since the farmers had come, Shangguan Rui couldn''t let them go hungry.

    The oldest farmer named Wang followed behind Shangguan Rui and refused, "Second Master need not be polite, the juniors can go back and eat."

    Shangguan Rui said, "Elder Wang, don''t be modest and stay here for dinner before leaving."

    Old man Wang thought for a while and then explained to Shangguan Rui," Second master, the youngsters didn''t choose this spot.

    Shangguan Rui smiled and waved at old man Wang first, then said: "You''re only thinking highly of me. You should eat your fill today before leaving."

    Old man Wang didn''t say anything else about leaving. After chatting for a while, An Jinxiu still hadn''t come out. He asked, "Is the Madam Shangguan here today?"

    Shangguan Rui said: "She went to burn incense today. Elder Wang, you said that the city gate is being searched".

    Elder Wang and the villagers shook their heads. "We don''t know either. We only know that there are more soldiers at the city gate today."

    A thought flashed through Shangguan Rui''s mind. Yuan Yi and Yuan Wei just left today, could it be that the government is going to arrest them again at this time? However, Shangguan Rui did not think too much about it. Yuan Yi and Yuan Wei had already left the capital. Even if the imperial government sent another search through the entire city, he had nothing to be afraid of.

    The nanny thought of preparing food for a dozen people at a time, and she could not manage it alone. Therefore, the wet nurse called Shangguan Rui out of the front hall and said, "Second Master, can I get a few neighbors to help with the cooking?"

    Shangguan Rui took some money from his clothes and gave it to the nurse, saying, "When you go to hire someone, bring back some food and wine."

    The nurse agreed to go.

    Shangguan Rui looked up and saw the raindrops falling from the sky. Shangguan Rui was too annoyed by the recent rainy weather. When could the heavens let him enjoy the sun for a while?

    When Shangguan Rui returned to the front hall and sat down to talk and wait for food, it started to rain harder and harder outside. Some farmers took the initiative to talk about the recent weather. The constant downpour was not a good thing for their farming. Although Shangguan Rui was a reader of the Book of Virtue, he was also interested in farming. He could talk with the dozen or so people who faced the sky while facing the earth all day long.

    The nurse went to the street to buy a lot of food and wine, and then went to a neighboring house to get help. Shangguan home was in an old alley south of the city. Although she wasn''t the old neighbor here, she had a good relationship with their neighbors. When the nanny asked for help, the women next door all agreed and came.

    For a moment, the Shangguan Family was bustling with noise. It was completely different from the quiet that could only be heard when Shangguan Rui was reading.

    "Big brother!" At this time, Shangguan Ning who also woke up from her dream. In the dream, when her brother came back, he brought her a bag full of pastries, which made her drool in her dreams. She looked around, then ran to the door and looked outside, she confirmed that she was just dreaming, after realizing that his big brother Shangguan Yong didn''t come back, Shangguan Ning suddenly felt like crying, she really wanted to be with her big brother.

    At this time, Shangguan Yong, who was being missed by his little sister, walked through the rain to the south gate of the capital. Seeing that there were a lot more soldiers in front of the city gates than usual, Shangguan Yong stopped walking and did not move forward.

    On the way from Xiang An city to the capital, Shangguan Yong had encountered six groups of people who wanted to kill him. The sixth group of people he had met yesterday had killed all of his war horses. Shangguan Yong did not need to think about who wanted to kill him. He had never offended anyone, and the only thing he had was the account book that the messenger king had given him. Besides Marquis Le An, no one else would be so anxious to take his life at this time.

    Shangguan Yong turned around and walked towards the back. He found a tea shop not far from the capital and sat down, ordering a bowl of hot tea and a plate of white noodle soup. The way the soldiers in front of the city gate were carefully searching everyone who entered the city made Shangguan Yong suspicious. Who knew if these people were looking for him? The register was the evidence against the empress and crown prince. Besides the Emperor, who else in the capital could surpass these two? Shangguan Yong was forcing himself to eat his fill first. Even if he had to fight with his life on the line later, he still had the strength to fight with someone else.

    After Shangguan Yong had finished eating a plate of six big steamed buns, a team of patrolling city guards walked past the tea shop.

    As usual, the tea shop owner stood outside the tea shop and greeted, "Would the military officials like some tea and snacks?"

    The leader of the military officers glared at the boss. These businessmen clearly knew that they, who were on duty, couldn''t stop eating and drinking, but they still had to shout every time.

    The boss wasn''t afraid of being stared at by the field officer, but he still stood outside the tea shop with a smile.

    After glaring at the boss, the field officer glanced at the boss'' teahouse. Because it was raining, there were a lot of people eating in the boss'' teahouse to avoid the rain. Among these people, the field officer saw Shangguan Yong immediately.

    "Elder Brother Shangguan?" The commanding officer quickly called Shangguan Yong.

    Shangguan Yong turned around and saw that the person who entered the tea shop was the Zhang family''s third son, who was separated from his family by a wall. This young man was recommended by him to the City Defense Army. Seeing this little brother, Shangguan Yong felt that there was hope for him to sneak into the capital without anyone noticing." "Little Hua," Shangguan Yong also called out to the field officer.

    "Big Brother, you''re back?" Zhang Hua sat on the stool next to Shangguan Yong and said: "Is the war at White Jade Pass over?"

    Shangguan Yong shook his head and said: "I came from Fengzhou and was about to enter the city."

    Zhang Hua hurriedly said, "Ah, I heard that it was General Zhou who took down Xiang An city. So Big Brother went to Fengzhou with General Zhou to smooth out the rebellion."

    "Mm," Shangguan Yong said, "Is everything alright in the city recently?"

    "I''m fine." Zhang Hua took a sip of the tea Shangguan Yong had pushed to him, saying, "It''s just that there''s an additional team of soldiers guarding the gates today, why haven''t you told us which team they are on?"

    "That''s weird," Shangguan Yong said. "You guys ran outside of the city''s defense wall"

    Zhang Hua walked up to Shangguan Yong and said in a low voice: "We really haven''t seen this group of people before, they''re all guessing that it''s the army from the imperial palace, and even saying that something was lost in the palace."

    Shangguan Yong drank a mouthful of tea, just now he didn''t enter the city. Seems like he had escaped calamity, "Don''t spout nonsense." After swallowing the tea, Shangguan Yong even taught Zhang Hua, "Are we allowed to talk about matters related to the palace? "Don''t say anymore, you don''t want this head anymore?" Shangguan Yong pointed at Zhang Hua''s head.

    Zhang Hua scratched his head. The officer smiled and said, "Didn''t I just tell you?"

    "Let me follow you into the city," Shangguan Yong said at this time, "Do those soldiers still want to search me?"

    Zhang Hua patted his chest and said, "Just follow me, big brother. Those people can''t care less about my head!"

    Shangguan Yong threw some more money on the table and said: "Buy some food for your brothers."

    "No need," Zhang Hua pushed the money into Shangguan Yong''s glass, "I''ll ask big brother."

    "Boss." Shangguan Yong turned around and called the boss over. He didn''t care what Zhang Hua was saying, he told the boss to wrap a crate of steamed bread and a pound of dried beef.

    Zhang Hua refused, taking the food that Shangguan Yong had bought. Seeing that Shangguan Yong wasn''t wearing a raincoat, he asked his men to bring a spare set of raincoat over for him to wear.

    Shangguan Yong put on his raincoat and walked with Zhang Hua in the team. When they arrived at the south city gate, Shangguan Yong pulled down the hat on his raincoat, trying his best to not let others see his face.

    Some of the soldiers guarding the city gate greeted Zhang Hua when they saw his return.

    Zhang Hua clasped his hands at them.

    As for the soldiers who might have come from the inner palace, they were still standing in the rain with cold expressions on their faces. The leader asked Zhang Hua, "Commander Zhang, is everything alright outside the city?"

    Zhang Hua wanted to say that this was under the watch of the Emperor, who would come here to cause trouble if they were tired of living? However, after thinking that this person might have come from the royal family, he retracted his teasing words and honestly replied, "Everything is as it should be."

    "How many of you are out?" the man asked again.

    Shangguan Yong''s heart skipped a beat, his hand tightened on the sabre hanging at his waist.

    Just as Zhang Hua was about to speak, a caravan came from behind them. Hearing his voice, they could still hear his voice. The person who was interrogating Zhang Hua was immediately distracted by the accent. He brought his subordinates to welcome the caravan.

    Zhang Hua still wanted to watch the show, but Shangguan Yong urged him: "Let''s go into the city."

    Zhang Hua didn''t know if Shangguan Yong was a public servant or a visitor, but thinking that his big brother could spend a few days with this beautiful sister-in-law, he smiled and said: "Big brother is in a hurry to meet sister-in-law?"

    When Shangguan Yong heard Zhang Hua mention An Jinxiu, his heart ached. He was afraid that he would implicate her.

    "Let''s enter the city." Zhang Hua didn''t know what Shangguan Yong was thinking at the moment, so he waved his hand and called out to his men.

    A group of people entered the capital. Behind them, a group of soldiers and officials were investigating the people within the caravan. They were not concerned about the movements of Zhang Hua''s group at all.

    After Shangguan Yong walked into the capital city, he parted ways with Zhang Hua, who led his men to patrol the streets and alleys of the Southern Capital City. Shangguan Yong stood in the street blankly for a while, then entered the city safely.

 52 Deers Blood

    After An-jin left, EmperornShizong was no longer in the mood to stay in the temple. However, after sitting and talking for a while, it started to rain heavily. The Crown Prince suggested that they return to the palace after having a vegetarian meal here. Ever since Shi Zong became the Emperor, he hadn''t eaten this type of food anymore, so he nodded and occasionally changed his taste.

    The head of the Hall of Enchantments cooked himself and cooked a meal for Shizong.

    After Eunuch Xie presented the foodto the Shizong, the Shizong curled his lips as he looked at the food in front of him. A radish carved into a peony is a radish. Green vegetables with tofu and bamboo shoots and mushrooms. No matter how good the dishes looked, the Shizong couldn''t be interested. After eating a few chopsticks, Shizong shook his head and said that he wouldn''t eat anymore.

    The Crown Prince wanted to advise the Emperor, so he looked at An Jinyan and gave her a look, "Father, the sika deer you hunted in the forest have already been bloodied. Since you were in the rain today, would you like some deer blood to warm your body?"

    Emperor Shizong listened to the sound of the rain and nodded. He waved his hand at An Jinyan and said, "You may leave."

    An Jinyan did not dare to say more. She bowed to Shizong and left.

    The Crown Prince took the blood of the deer and poured two small bowls of it from the wooden gourd in front of the Emperor.

    The Emperor asked, "This place belongs to the Buddhist Sangha. Shall we drink deer blood there?"

    The Crown Prince laughed, "Father is the master of the entire world, the Buddha must follow Father''s wishes."

    "I like what you said," Shizong said with a smile at the crown prince. "Any of the three Buddhist Sangha''s would have to live in my hands."

    The Crown Prince drank a bowl of deer blood first, then said to the Shizong, "This deer blood is a little bit fishy."

    The Emperor waited for a while to see that nothing had happened before saying, "You have been living in peace for too long. Back then when I was fighting for the world, I drank a lot of human blood, not to mention deer blood."

    The Crown Prince hurriedly said, "Your sons and daughters are all enjoying the blessings of our royal father."

    The Emperor drank all the deer blood in the bowl in one gulp, and the smell of blood instantly filled his throat. He then closed his eyes in enjoyment.

    After the crown prince had finished drinking the blood, he said, "Father, please rest here for a while. Your son shall go outside and have the guards prepare to return to the palace."

    Shizong nodded.

    Before the crown prince left, he placed a few sticks of incense in the incense burner in the quiet room and watched as cigarettes drifted out from holes in the lid. Only then did the crown prince leave.

    "Your Majesty, the deer blood is fresh. Would you like a little more?"

    Shizong tasted the blood on his throat but did not open his eyes. He merely made a sound of acknowledgement.

    Eunuch Xie quickly ordered someone to bring a bowl of deer blood for a guard to drink. After that, the bowl was brought to the Emperor''s mouth.

    "This time, I can feel the sweetness under the scent of the deer''s blood." "It''s better to make things with your own hands," Shizong said to Eunuch Xie.

    Eunuch Xiw wiped Shizong''s face with a hot towel and said, "It is the luck of this deer that His Majesty is able to enjoy it."

    "Are you a deer?" The Emperor laughed. "You know what Deer is thinking?"

    Gilly slapped herself on the mouth and said, "This servant is sick and talking nonsense again."

    "Well, there''s no need to fight," Shizong said. "It''s not the first time you''ve talked such nonsense."

    "Your Majesty, your servant went out just now and saw that Second Lady An has not left."

    The Emperor opened his eyes abruptly, "An Family''s daughter?"

    "She''s the second young mistress of the An clan," Eunich Xie said. "The rain outside is getting heavier, so the Grand Preceptor''s wife''s afraid that she won''t be able to walk easily, so he told her to wait until the rain stopped before returning. "Seeing how rain is falling like this, this servant will probably not be able to stop for the entire night."

    An Jinxiu is still in the main hall? When the Emperor thought of this, their body began to heat up.

    "Your Majesty, drink some deer blood and a cup of tea to rinse your mouth," Eunuch Xie offered a cup of slightly hot tea to the Shizong.

    Even after the Shizong drank this cup of tea, the heat from his body did not dissipate. In the heat, the Emperor opened his collar.

    By the side, Eunuch Xie said in surprise, "Did His Majesty get hit by the blood from the deer?" Why is the face so hot? "

    The Emperor rubbed his swollen forehead and said, "Help me blow the wind."

    "Your Majesty, you''re still warm right now. If you go out for a while, you''ll catch a cold."

    "You want to control me too?" The Emperor voice suddenly turned stern.

    Eunuch Xie did not dare to say another word as he supported the Emperor out of the room.

    As they passed the incense burner, Emperor stopped and asked, "What incense is burning inside?"

    "In reply to Your Majesty, it''s sandalwood," Eunuch Xiesaid.

    Emperor sniffed a few times, then his head grew even more dizzy, but he still felt that this was not sandalwood.

    Eunuch Xie sniffed the air around them and said, "It''s a little stronger than the sandalwood you get in a buddhist hall, but the sandalwood is good.

    The Emperor didn''t care about the smell anymore. Right now, the Qi and blood in his body were surging, and even his dragon root had a reaction. "Help me out!" Shizong said to Eunuch Xie, "Am I old? Now I can''t even handle a bowl of deer blood? "

    "His Majesty is in the prime of his life. Whoever is old in this world, His Majesty will never be old." "It''s probably because the two bowls of deer blood were drunk a bit too quickly. If His Majesty feels too uncomfortable, then Imperial Physician Xuan should do it."

    "Doctor Xuan?" The master of the world standing outside the door to the quiet room cleared his head a little when the wind blew. He said to Eunuch Xie, "Let the imperial physician know that Zhen can''t take two bowls of deer blood now?"

    "Then?"

    "Help This Emperor walk."

    Eunuch Xie turned around and called out to the guard holding the umbrella. "Hurry over and help His Majesty set up the umbrella."

    "No need," Shizong shook off Eunuch Xie hand and walked into the courtyard beyond the eaves.

    "Aiyo, Your Majesty," Eunuch Xie said, hastily taking the umbrella from the guard and rushing into the rain. After catching up to Emperor Shizong in a few steps, he said, "You can''t stay out of the rain like this. Your Majesty, it''s better if you hurry back to the palace."

    "The rain has completely soaked Shizong, but the fire around his body is burning hotter and hotter. He even raised his head high, wanting to find a girl." An Jinxiu still hasn''t left? " After losing his self-control, the Shizong asked Eunuch Xie, "Where is she?"

    Eunuch Xie said, "Your Majesty, you''re going to find Lady An like this?"

    "If I want to find her, who can meddle in my affairs?" At this point, the Emperor seemed to have spotted An Jinxiu and asked her, "Is she right in front of me?"

    Seeing the Emperor lose his composure, Eunuch Xie thought to himselfb that the aphrodisiac incense that An Jinyan used was truly amazing. The Emperor couldn''t stand it any longer, even with two bowls of deer blood.

    "Ah Jin?" At this point, Shizong stretched out his hand and called out the name of ''An Jin'' in a low voice.

    "Your servant will help you to walk," said Eunuch Xie, helping Shizong with great effort as he led him to the guest room where An-jin was sleeping.

    At the same time, the Ah Jin biological mother, Aunt Xie and Zi Yuan, who had been sent by the Qin family to gather spring water in the mountainside behind the temple, were each carrying a bucket of spring water as they walked towards the temple.

    The road in the mountain under the rain was muddy and difficult to walk on. As Zi Yuan walked, hee feet slipped and she fell along with the water on the mountain path.

    "Zi Yuan!" Aunt Xiu took a few steps forward to help Zi Yuan up.

    However, Zi Yuan was unable to get up from the ground. As soon as she moved, she felt a sharp pain from her left ankle. Zi Yuan cried out, "Aunt, I injured my foot."

    There was no way for Aunt Xiu to bring two buckets of spring water down the mountain with her, plus Zi Yuan who had injured her foot and couldn''t walk, so she had to find a mountain rock for Zi Yuan to shelter her from the rain on the protruding part of the mountain rock.

    Zi Yuan stayed together with the two buckets of spring water. In the dark of the night, the sounds of beasts could be heard from time to time. This made Zi Yuan tremble beneath the mountain rocks with her arms crossed. She only hoped that Aunt Xiu could quickly find someone to save her.

    She stumbled all the way down the hill, and when she was almost there, she saw a light on the left side of the road not far from her. Aunt Xiu was overjoyed. This was the boundary of the An clan''s palace, so no one else could enter. This must be the result of the people from the Residence of An seeing that Zi Yuan and her stay here for half a day, before coming up the mountain with lanterns to look for her and Zi Yuan.

    "Crown Princess!" Just as the Aunt Xiu was about to call for help, she heard Madam Qin''s voice calling for An Jinyan. The voice sounded very strange, as if Madam Qin was begging for An Jinyan''s help. Aunt Xiu saw the lanterns coming towards her, and as if by a miracle, she hid in the thicket next to her.

    An Jinyan quickly walked over from the mountain path. She was dragged here by Madam Qin. She thought her mother had something to say to her, but it turned out to be nothing but words of regret. An Jinyan persuaded Madam Qin for a moment, but when she saw that Madam Qin still acted as if she had caused a great calamity, she could not bear the annoyance any longer and turned to leave.

    "Jinyan!" Madam Qin didn''t care about taking out her umbrella and caught up with An Jinyan and said, "Is it okay if we do this? The more I thought about it, the more scared I became. What if His Majesty wants to blame us after he wakes up? It would be good if An Jinxiu wasn''t married, but she''s still the wife of a subject! "

    An Jinyan looked at the few palace maids that followed her and thought that she couldn''t keep them after they returned. It was a pity that she had raised them all these years.

    "Jinyan, let''s stop." Madam Qin was drenched in the rain, and the contrast was too clear compared to An Jinyan, who had an umbrella over her skirt.

    "Withdraw?" An Jinxiu looked at Madam Qin, who was begging her, and said in a low voice, "The deer blood has been delivered, the incense has been lit, and An Jinxiu is also lying on the bed. How do you want me to stop?"

    Madam Qin couldn''t hold it in any longer and started crying. "Mother is just scared."

    An Jinyan no longer had the gentleness in her voice as she said coldly, "I am only a woman from the Eastern Palace. I can''t even help the crown prince out militarily, and I can''t even speak up for him when he is framed by the princes. I know that His Majesty has taken a fancy to An Jin, so I''ll send her to His Majesty to curry favor using her. She''s just a woman, but after His Majesty uses her, at most she''ll have a messy nature after taking deer blood. As long as His Majesty kills An Jin afterwards, he still be an enlightened ruler, right?"

    Madam Qin trembled in the rain. "If we do this, what''s so good about His Majesty reciting the crown prince''s name?"

    "The Emperor won''t think that we used An Jin, but Your Majesty will remember that the person who allowed him to obtain it was the crown prince. That''ll be enough."

    "I still don''t understand."

    "Mom, what do you think I''m seeking by doing this?" An Jinyan asked Madam Qin.

    Madam Qin said, "We hope that the Crown Prince''s position can be more stable?"

 53 Doom of doom

    An Jinyan looked at her mother, who was still in a state of panic, and suddenly found it funny. In the end, it was just a woman.

    "Jinyan." Madam Qin was flustered by An Jinyan''s gaze.

    "I''m just like you," An Jinyan said to Madam Qin in a very low voice. Mother, do you know how hard it is to please His Majesty? Even if the crown prince works hard for a year, he still might not be able to win His Majesty''s heart. "

    At this time, a sound came from the bushes not far away. It wasn''t loud, but An Jinyan and Madam Qin heard it clearly.

    "Who?!" the mother and daughter asked loudly as they looked at the bushes.

    The court ladies at the back heard An Jinyan''s loud voice and hurried over.

    An Jinyan looked at the bushes swaying in the rain. Her face turned pale in an instant. Did anyone hear what she said? " "Let''s go take a look," An Jinyan ordered her own court ladies.

    Just as the palace maids were about to approach, a large nocturnal bird flew out from the shrubbery, spreading its wings and flying directly into the sky.

    Madam Qin legs became weak as she said to An Jinyan, "So it was a bird."

    However, An Jinyan still said to the court ladies, "Let''s go take a look."

    "A maid bravely walked in front of a bush and plucked at the short, wooden vines. Then, she walked in." "Crown Princess, there''s nothing here." The court lady heaved a sigh of relief when she saw no one in the shrubbery. At the same time, she stood in the shrubbery and reported to An Jinyan, "Niangniang, your servant has seen it. There''s nothing here."

    Only then did An Jinyan feel relieved. She couldn''t keep the palace maids by her side, but she really didn''t want to kill any more if it was absolutely necessary.

    A gust of mountain wind blew, causing all the branches and shrubs in the forest to sway. The clashing sounds of the leaves and branches resounded through the entire mountain forest, causing mountains and seas to topple. It was like the angry roars of a divine being.

    In order to seek peace of mind, Madam Qin put her hands together and began chanting the Buddhist scriptures.

    An Jinyan, on the other hand, just stood in the rain with an oil umbrella. Those who didn''t believe in gods and buddhas were the calmest, "Mother, you should stand under the umbrella." She pulled Madam Qin and said, "If it rains too much, what happens if you get sick?"

    Aunt Xiu was running through the mountains when a sudden gust of wind covered up the sound she made when she stumbled. After hearing what Madam Qin and An Jinyan had said, there was only one thought on the mind of the angered Aunt Xiu. She was going to save her daughter. It was clearly a muddy, slippery mountain road, but it was not easy to walk on. However, she ran very fast.

    In the old alleyway south of the capital, most of the people who went out to work for their livelihoods had already returned home. Every household had closed their doors, and the families that ate early had already finished their dinner and were preparing to rest. Shangguan Rui and more than a dozen farmers were still chatting and drinking at the table, the food and wine on the table had also been reduced by half.

    Shangguan Ning, who had eaten in her room, had planned to wait for An Jinxiu and Zi Yuan to come back before sleeping. However, the little girl couldn''t stay up all night.

    The nanny carried Ping An and ate together with the ladies who came to help in the kitchen. The women chatted about family matters for a short time, and the meal was very enjoyable.

    There was a knock on the door. Shangguan Rui put down the wine cup in his hand and smiled to the farmers. "My sister-in-law is back. Please wait here, I''ll open the door."

    The nanny also heard the knock on the kitchen door and thought that An Jin had come back. She came out of the kitchen with Ping An and with an umbrella in her hand, she went to greet An Jin.

    At this time, Shangguan Rui had already reached the gate. He said to the person outside while opening the door, "It''s raining so heavily, it''s not easy to walk in the rain, is it?"

    The person outside stopped knocking after hearing Shangguan Rui''s voice.

    Shangguan Rui opened the door a crack and was about to call her sister-in-law when a bolt of lightning struck down from above. Shangguan Rui saw that the person behind the door wasn''t his sister-in-law at all, but a masked man with only a pair of eyes.

    Shangguan Rui instinctively wanted to close the door, but the person outside acted much faster than him. After kicking the door open with a kick, the person knocking on the door sent Shangguan Rui flying along with the heavy wooden door of Shangguan family.

    Shangguan Rui was pressed to the ground by the wooden door. He tried to struggle to get up, but the tip of a blade came through the door and stabbed into his shoulder blade. Shangguan Rui was still in a daze, and the sabre stabbed into his abdomen again. Shangguan Rui didn''t even have time to scream before fainting under the wooden door.

    The peasants who were drinking in the front hall saw a group of men wearing night clothes rushing in. When they saw that there were more than ten people in the front hall, they were stunned.

    "You, who are you people?" Old man Wang stood up and asked loudly.

    "What are you still standing there for?" One of the men shouted in a low voice, "Kill!"

    Sometimes, killing people is really a simple matter, especially when a group of trained killers is facing a group of unarmed peasants. The farmers didn''t understand what happened and didn''t have the time to resist before they were chopped down by the black-clothed men one by one onto the ground. Their swords cut into their throats, and the people who killed them didn''t give them a chance to live.

    The wet nurse carried Ping An to the front yard. The first thing she saw was Shangguan Rui being pressed down by the wooden door, while a man in black clothing stabbed Shangguan Rui three times through the wooden door. The wet nurse swallowed the scream that almost escaped her mouth. She carried Ping An and ran to Shangguan Ning''s yard, wanting to escape through the back door with Shangguan Ning.

    After the men in black rushed into Shangguan''s house, they split into two groups. One group started a massacre in the front hall, while the other one went straight to the backyard of Shangguan''s house. The order they received was that this family would not leave any survivors, so the women in the backyard were not to be let off.

    The wet nurse heard screams behind her in the front hall, and voices behind her calling to go to the backyard. The wet nurse rushed to the door of the kitchen, wanting to make the women inside run away, but the black clothed people who entered the backyard had already rushed in a step ahead of her. In the dark courtyard, the nanny could not see the black-clothed people standing there. With nowhere to run, the nanny covered Ping An mouth and hid in the firewood fire outside the kitchen.

    After the door of the room that Shangguan Ning lived in was kicked open, the black clothed man that rushed in didn''t show mercy because the person who was still rubbing her eyes was only a little girl after being woken up by the blanket. With a cut of the knife, Shangguan Ning''s neck was almost cut off.

    The nurse hid in the firewood, listening to the screams die away in the kitchen. Blood gushed out of the gap in the kitchen door and mixed with the rain on the ground. The wet nurse could smell human blood on the floor, but she couldn''t see that the floor of the yard was covered with it.

    "Finished?" After the leader of the black clothed men confirmed that all the people in the lobby were dead, he came to the backyard. He looked at the corpses in the kitchen and asked his men, "Have you checked all the rooms?"

    "Yes, I have checked. There is a little girl on the left. I have dealt with her."

    The leader of the men in black walked in front of the firewood. He took a glance at it and suddenly stabbed the firewood a few times with a knife that was already stained with blood.

    The wet nurse protected Ping An of her bosom with all her might. She was glad that An Jinxiu had bought two months'' worth of firewood from the street yesterday. The pile of firewood was high enough and wide enough for her to hide in.

    "Fire them, burn them all." The leader of the men in black poked the fire a few times. After hearing no sound coming from inside, he kept his knife and continued on his left and right.

    It was not an easy thing to set a fire that could burn a house on a rainy day. The black-clothed people poured oil all over the Shangguan Family inside and out. After pouring the oil all over, a black-clothed person brought a torch to their leader.

    The leader was currently standing in the yard in the front hall. He looked at the numerous corpses in the front hall and said, "Their last meal was pretty good. If they die like this, they''ll be full and won''t be starving corpses. These people are pretty lucky."

    The fire engulfed the small Shangguan household.

    The man in black standing in front of the door said, "Let''s go."

    The nine black clothed men disappeared at the mouth of the alleyway in the southern part of the city, soon disappearing without a trace.

    The fainted Shangguan Rui was woken up by the pungent smell of smoke. He moved his body slightly, the pain from his wound almost made Shangguan Rui faint again. The instinct to survive made Shangguan Rui use all of his strength to push open the wooden door that was pressed against his body. What appeared in front of him was a patch of crimson red from the heavy rain.

    "Ning!" "Ping An!" The crazy Shangguan Rui rushed to the backyard, but the wall fell and blocked his way. Just as Shangguan Rui was trying to climb over the burning ruins on his hands and knees, the antechamber behind him collapsed with a loud bang.

    "Dead people, this place is full of dead people!"

    Shangguan Rui heard the frightened screams of the neighbors who came to save the fire.

    When Shangguan Rui rushed into the backyard, in the thick smoke that made him almost unable to breathe, Shangguan Rui saw the corpse on the ground in the front yard. His little sister was already wrapped in a ball of fire. The person who killed Shangguan Ning took the girl''s body out of the house and threw it into the blood in the yard.

    "All dead! The Shangguan Family is dead!"

    "Hurry up and report this to the officials!"

    "Put out the fire first!"

    ˇ­ ˇ­.

    Under the shouting of the neighbors, Shangguan Rui found an iron plate, their family didn''t have this kind of thing. Shangguan Rui, whose hands and feet were all burned, did not feel any pain, he only knew that his little sister and nephew were gone.

    "Who are you people?" Shangguan Rui, who had lost his soul, heard the shouts of his neighbors, followed by miserable howls before he died.

    The nine men in black came back and started killing the neighbors who had come to save the fire. Before the corpses in the fire were burned to ashes, they would not allow anyone to save the fire, even if the fire had already engulfed half of the southern part of the city.

    Shangguan Rui didn''t turn around to look at the murder scene behind them. He wasn''t interested in who was the culprit, all Shangguan Rui could think of was that someone was going to kill their entire family while An Jinxiu was still outside. He had to find An Jinxiu and escape with her. Shangguan Rui stumbled out of the collapsed wall in the backyard.

    The firelight illuminated the southern part of the capital. To the people of the southern part of the capital, this night was destined to be a sleepless night.

    The leader of the men in black, seeing that the Shangguan Family compound no longer existed, said to his men, "Retreat."

 54 Ism a lucky woman

    The Crown Prince and Eunuch Xiebrought the guards and the people from the Shrine out at the same time. All they had to do was ensure that no one entered the Shrine at this time. There was a small door open in the wall of the courtyard near the mountain, and when Aunt Xiu burst through it, she was not stopped.

    This place should be under the watch of the crown prince''s guards, but at this time, the guards who should be guarding this place were hiding in a place where they could shelter from the rain, drinking the remaining deer blood one gulp at a time. After a day of blood, the masters would no longer use it, but it was still a great tonic for the guards. Rather than throwing it away, they might as well drink it themselves.

    The guards'' thoughts had unwittingly helped her greatly.

    There weren''t many rooms with candlelight burning in the hall, so the empress didn''t go to see the buddhist hall where the Bodhisattvas lived, but instead rushed to the guest room. No one would commit adultery in the temple. Her daughter must be in a guest room somewhere.

    At this time, the Emperor Shizong could not see whose the woman sleeping in front of him looked like. He only knew that she was very smooth to the touch. Her hair was wrapped around his fingers, as if she was tying threads to his soul. Ah Jin? " The Emperor Shizong called this woman whose face he could not see, ''Is this woman An Jinxiu?'' The Emperor almost pressed his face to the face of the woman beneath him, wanting to see her features clearly. However, no matter how hard the Emperor Shizong tried, he couldn''t. Under the multiple shadows, the woman''s face was distorted.

    He pulled at the woman''s dress. The Emperor was extremely familiar with the woman''s body, and once the dress was half pulled down, the Emperor used his legs to prop up the woman''s legs.

    When Aunt Xiu rushed into the guest room, she saw that there was someone lying on the bed with the bed curtain down. One person was half-kneeling on the bed, and it seemed that the intercourse had already begun.

    "Who are you?" Shizong was about to raise his gun and fight when he heard footsteps coming from the side of his bed. Although the current Emperor was burning with desire, he still turned his head to look at the bed in alarm.

    She didn''t know where she got her courage from, but Aunt Xie quickly opened the bed curtain and pushed the half-kneeling Shizong away. After Shizong fell back into the bed, she picked up her daughter and ran out of the house.

    The Shizong''s head hit the wall behind the bed, making his already dazed head even more confused. The blow caused him to feel extremely uncomfortable, and he wanted to vent his anger. With this strike, it rushed towards his head.

    "Bastard!" Shizong get up from the floor

    When Aunt Xiu was dragged to the bed by the Shizong, she saw a pair of bloody eyes. This person whose face was distorted no longer looked like a person. Aunt Xie screamed and struggled, but her scream only made Shizong more impetuous. He impatiently tore off the woman''s clothes and pants, and the Shizong plunged into the spot where he could have been.

    Aunt Xiu under the strenuous manipulation of the Shizong, was soon silenced. Under the effect of the deer blood and medicine, the Emperor Shizong didn''t treat the woman below him as a person, but as a tool for him to vent his anger. He clutched at the tool''s throat, causing her to convulse from suffocation. He tightened the secret cave that he had made water out of, and tightened the dragon''s root that he needed desperately to vent.

    Even though she was only a concubine, she still valued her innocence. She still had feelings for Grand Preceptor An, but never once had she thought that one day, she would be crushed by a man from outside the An Shu manor. The place where An Jinxiu and An Yuanzhi were born was soon occupied by the elite disciples of the Emperor. She accepted the fact that she had no other way out, but her daughter was still alive and well. From the looks of it, she seemed to still be a lucky woman.

    My luck has always been good, being in a kneeling position on the bed, letting the Shizong ruthlessly enter from behind. The Aunt Xiu''s body swayed weakly back and forth asShizong sent her away, but her mind was thinking, "I gave birth to a son and a daughter under the eyes of the Matron, Ah Jin and Yuanzhi have grown up, Ah Jin already have husband and son, I did not come late, I did not come late, I came between the Ah Jin, and His Majesty did not notice that there was another woman in the room. It turns out that I''m a lucky woman, said Aunt Xiu finally. Her smile was crazed, but no one saw it.

    It was only in the latter half of the night that this affair ended, with the Shi Zong lying by the side of Ah Jin''s mother, falling into a deep sleep. Aunt Xiu bit the tip of her tongue. The pain roused her from her stupor. She crawled out of the messy bed and onto the ground. Aunt Xiu was not injured, but her body seem immobilized. As Aunt Xiu tried her best to get up, the white turbid water, mixed with the pale yellow, dripped down her legs and onto the ground.

    "Second Miss, Jinxiu." After putting on her undergarments, Aunt Xiu dragged her feet to An Jinxiu''s side, kneeling on the ground and shaking her body.

    An Jinxiu heard someone calling her name and woke up. An Jinxiu wanted to open her eyes, but her eyelids felt like they weighed over a thousand pounds. She tried for a long time, but was unable to do so.

    "Ah!" Aunt Xiu couldn''t wake An Jin. She had no choice but to find a pot of cold tea on the table and pour it all over her face.

    The cool water made An Jin shudder.

    "Ah J8n," said Aunt Xiu as she played with her eyes. "Mother is begging you, please wake up, Ah Jin."

    "Ning''er, you''re being mischievous again," An Jinxiu didn''t know where she was, thinking it was the mischievous Shangguan Ning messing with her. She waved her hands, trying to pry her eyes open.

    "Ah Jin", Aunt Xiu dry eyes were once again filled with tears. This foolish daughter of hers had thought that she was at home right now.

    An Jinxiu finally realized that something was wrong with the voice next to her ear. She opened her eyes and saw her mother, whose hair was disheveled and whose face was covered in tears. "Mother?" An Jinxiu sat up from the ground.

    "Ah Jin, do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?" Aunt Xiu eagerly asked An Jin.

    "There isn''t anything uncomfortable with me. It''s just that when Ah Jin look down, she realize that her clothes are untidy. When she look up, she sees a man sleeping on the bed." This ˇ­ "An Jin''s face immediately lost all color. She opened her mouth for a long time before asking Aunt Xiu," Mother, what happened here?

    Aunt Xiu did not concealed it from An Jinxiu about Ah Jinyan and Madam Qin. She could not allow her daughter to lose her life without her knowing anything.

    An Jinxiu looked at her mother''s mouth as she spoke, her mind completely blank.

    "Ah Jin, let''s go quickly!" Aunt Xiu pulled An Jin to her feet. "Take your husband''s family and leave the capital to find Young Master. Didn''t Yuan Zhi already go?" From now on, all of you must never return to the capital again! "

    This dream was truly absurd and laughable. An Jinxiu was momentarily unable to accept the words that the Aunt Xiu had said to her. An Jinyan sent her to the dragon bed in order to win the favor of the Emperor? This dream was not only absurd, but also terrible. How could I have such a nightmare? An Jinxiu asked herself.

    Seeing that she had talked for so long but An Jinxiu was still in a daze. She ruthlessly slapped her on the face, "Wake up!" Aunt Xiu shouted in a low voice.

    An Jinxiu covered her painful face with her hands.

    "You don''t want your Ping An? And Shangguan Yong? " Aunt Xiu asked An Jinxiu.

    Ping An, Shangguan Yong. These two names flashed through An Jinxiu''s mind. She seemed to wake up from a dream and crawled up from the ground, rushing to the bedside. The sleeping man was indeed Emperor Shizong.

    "Let''s go!" Aunt Xiu ran over to help Ah Jin to leave the place.

    An Jinxiu suddenly held onto the Aunt Xiu''s hand and asked, "What did he do to you?" She asked her mother.

    The Emperor did not take off the clothes on Aunt Xiu upper body, so even though Aunt Xiu''s hair was disheveled and she was in a very sorry state, she could not tell what had happened between her and the Emperor ShiZong. However, An Jinxiu had done a lot of things in her previous life to get along with others. The dirty bed sheets and the stench of beasts in the bed all told her what had just happened.

    "Nothing happened." Aunt Xiu smiled at An Jin. "I know more about men''s affairs than you do. Even if there weren''t any women, they would still have their own ways of resolving it."

    An Jin didn''t believe her, but she hoped that what Aunt Xiu said was true. "Really? Mother, you didn''t lie to me? "

    "Why should I lie to you about this?" "If there''s anything you want to say, we can talk about it in the future. Now, we have to think of a way to survive."

    An Jin was dragged out of the guest room by Aunt Xiu in a daze. They rushed into the rain. She didn''t want her daughter to see what was wrong with her, so she could only hope that the rain had washed away everything on her body.

    The Shizong was sleeping soundly in his bed, and Eunuch Xie, who had always served him closely, was standing under the same umbrella as the Crown Prince.

    "I''ll take my men and leave first," the crown prince said to Eunuch Xie. "I don''t think that after my royal father wakes up, he will wish to see me."

    When Eunuch Xie was about to speak, she saw An Jinyan, who was surrounded by a few court ladies, walking over to the Crown Prince, so he shut his mouth.

    An Jinyan walked to the crown prince''s side and smiled at Eunuch Xie. "Eunuch has always been loyal to Your Majesty."

    "Yes, Your Majesty. For the sake of Your Majesty, this servant will allow the crown prince and the imperial concubine to return to the palace first."

    An Jinyan turned her head and said to Madam Qin''s servants, "Take Madam back home. If anything happens on the way, I''ll ask you."

    Madam Qin still wanted to say something to An Jinyan, but An Jinyan looked at her coldly and didn''t dare to say anything.

    "Let''s go," the Crown Prince said to An Jinyan before leading the way for the horse.

    "Sorry for troubling you, Eunuch," An Jinyan remembered to say a few more courteous words to Eunuch Xie.

    Eunuch Xie bowed towards An Jinyan. This woman was not to be trifled with. Before he had made up his mind which prince he would side with, he had already made up his mind to stay far away from this crown princess.

    The Crown Prince and An Jinyan led their men away, allowing Aunt Xiu to run out of the side door with An Jinxiu in tow.

    "Eldest Sister-in-Law?" The mother and daughter pair had barely taken a few steps out of the side door when Shangguan Rui''s voice came from the darkness.

    An Jinxiu stopped. She couldn''t see where Shangguan Rui was either.

    "Eldest Sister-in-Law!" Shangguan Rui''s tearful voice was almost within ten steps of An Jin''s voice this time.

 55 Makes one stronger

    "Little brother-in-law?" An Jinxiu walked in front of Shangguan Rui. Shangguan Rui''s tearful voice chilled her entire body. At this time, she even begged Shangguan Rui in her heart to tell her that her family was well and that he was just here to pick her up.

    A clap of thunder could be heard from the horizon, followed by a clap of thunder. The lightning bolt, aimed from the sky, only lasted for a split-second. However, it was enough for the three people facing each other to see each other''s appearances.

    Shangguan Rui saw An Jin''s messy hair, and she saw the wounds on Shangguan Rui''s body.

    While the two juniors were stunned, Aunt Xiu seemed very calm. She said, "Let''s find a place to talk, this is not a place to talk."

    An Jin looked around her blankly. Where could she go to find a safe place in the mountain forest and the temple behind her?

    "All of you, follow me," Aunt Xiu said as she pulled An Jin to the back.

    "We can''t go back." An Jinxiu shook her head at Aunt Xiu. "Let''s leave this place first."

    "I can''t do anything about his wounds," Aunt Xiy said as she forcefully pulled An Jin into the main hall.

    Shangguan Rui followed behind An Jinxiu. He still didn''t know who the old lady was, but when he saw that Ah Jin was still alive, and that Shangguan Rui''s heart had been beating wildly all the way, he finally calmed down a little.

    Aunt Xiu took An Jinxiu and Shangguan Rui to a small room by the side door where the gatekeeper was staying. She asked Shangguan Rui, "Master Shangguan, what injuries have you suffered?"

    "Who are you?" Shangguan Rui asked.

    An Jinxiu quickly said, "Little brother-in-law, she''s my birth mother."

    Only then did Shangguan Rui calm down and call her Aunt Xiu.

    Aunt Xiu asked again: "Young Master Shangguan, what injuries have you suffered?"

    "Knife wounds and burns," said Shangguan Rui.

    "I''ll go find some medicine for the wound, you guys talk." After saying this, before An Jinxiu could say anything, Aunt Xiu ran out. She knew that something must have happened to the Shangguan Family, but she didn''t want to know what had happened. She couldn''t take it anymore. Today, she couldn''t accept another piece of grievous news.

    In the small room, the candles on the wooden table were lit. An Jinxiu looked at Shangguan Rui, trying to speak up but unable to.

    Shangguan Rui saw that although An Jinxiu was in a sorry state, she was not injured, so he called her again, "Eldest Sister-in-law."

    "Wh-what happened at home?" An Jinxiu stammered as she asked Shangguan Rui.

    Shangguan Rui had always felt that as a man, when Shangguan Yong wasn''t home, he should look after their family. In just a moment, facing An Jin, Shangguan Rui was like a child who had been frightened and wronged. He choked with sobs and began to cry.

    An Jin walked in front of Shangguan Rui, grabbed his shoulders and said: "Little brother-in-law, tell me what happened at home! Where is my Ping An? Where''s Ning''er? Where are they? "

    Shangguan Rui thought of Shangguan Ning''s corpse that had been burned in the fire, thought of how he hadn''t even seen her body, and how he had been a strong man on the way here. At this moment, he finally broke down, men and women were on guard, Shangguan Rui had completely forgotten about it, and cried as he put his head on An Jin''s shoulder, "They''re all gone!"

    An Jinxiu said in a daze, "Gone? Where can they go without us? "

    Shangguan Rui cried, "Dead, someone broke into our house tonight ˇ­" Shangguan Rui cried until he couldn''t speak.

    "What?" However, An Jinxiu still asked, "Little brother-in-law, tell me clearly, what happened to Ping An and little Ning''er?"

    "Dead, killed by someone," Shangguan Rui said. "A bunch of people rushed into the house and killed everyone."

    The sky spun and the earth spun. An Jin''s vision turned black. Suddenly, tears started streaming down her face. However, she felt that this was a dream that she was having. She had clearly been raising her son at home, looking after her little brother-in-law and sister-in-law, waiting for her husband, Shangguan Yong, to return home from the expedition.

    But all of a sudden, her elder sister had wanted to take care of her, and a group of people had rushed into the house and killed her son and little sister-in-law? "How could this happen?" "Why isn''t I''m awake yet?" An Jinxiu said to Shangguan Rui, who was crying bitterly, "Why is my dream for so long that I still haven''t woken up?"

    Shangguan Rui looked at An Jin''s empty eyes and ashen face. He was so scared that he quickly put his hands on An Jin''s shoulders and shook them. "Eldest sister-in-law, don''t scare me!"

    "Why would I dream about you, little brother-in-law?" An Jinxiu reached out her hand to touch Shangguan Rui''s face. Her face was wet, it was unknown whether it was tears or rain. "Are you crying?" An Jinxiu asked Shangguan Rui, "Why are you crying?"

    "Dead. Ping An and Ning are both dead!" Shangguan Rui didn''t dare to shout out loud in the main hall. He could only whisper to An Jinxiu, "It''s not a dream, it''s real. They''re dead."

    "I don''t believe it!" An Jinxiu listened to Shangguan Rui''s words, and after listening for a long time, she suddenly pushed Shangguan Rui away and said: "Their corpses? If you want to see them alive, you want to see their bodies. If you have to say that they are dead, but where are their corpses?! "

    "Those people set fire to our homes after killing them. Sister-in-law, our home is gone. I wonder how many houses we''ll have left in that alley."

    Fire after killing someone? An Jinxiu sat on a wooden chair behind her.

    "Look at my wounds," Shangguan Rui forced An Jinxiu to look up at him, "Look at me, sister-in-law. Is this a dream?"

    "They''re dead." An Jinxiu muttered these two words, before covering her face and crying bitterly.

    Shangguan Rui looked at An Jin''s crying face in a daze. She didn''t cry too loudly, but it sounded like she was crying blood. "What should we do?" Shangguan Rui seemed to be murmuring to himself, but at the same time, she seemed to be asking about the Aunt Xiu.

    An Jinxiu put her hands down to cover her face. When she raised her head to look at Shangguan Rui, her eyes were cold.

    Shangguan Rui took a step back, thinking, "His sister-in-law might be crazy."

    An Jin''s brain, after crying for a while, started spinning as if it knew how to move, whether it''s master was willing or not. The Emperor had taken a fancy to her, so in order to please the Emperor, An Jinyan arranged this play in the monastery. She said that she would meet her own mother, but the truth was that she only wanted to be sent to the Emperor''s bed. And then? If I were An Jinyan, what would I do? The emperor wouldn''t **** his official''s wife , so once the Emperor was satisfied, An Jinxiu no longer had to live, so she could just die with her family. An Jinyan? Was this woman really that ruthless?

    "Eldest Sister-in-Law." Shangguan Rui took a few more steps forward, enduring the pain as she squatted in front of An Jin.

    "Who is it?" An Jinxiu asked, "Who killed Ping An and Ning''er?"

    Shangguan Rui showed the iron medallion he had picked up to An Jin to her. His clothes were burnt to the point that they couldn''t cover his body, but Shangguan Rui didn''t throw the iron medallion away when they came looking for An Jin.

    An Jinxiu rubbed her eyes vigorously and looked at the metal plate by using the candlelight. There was only one word ''Xiang'' on the plate.

    "Which person with the surname ''Xiang'' would want to kill us?" Shangguan Rui asked An Jin.

    There were not many people in the court who held power and influence. In the capital, there was only one Empress Xiang. It wasn''t that An Jinyan wanted to kill her entire family, it was the empress who wanted to kill her? Because the Emperor had taken a fancy to her, the Empress could no longer let her live? Or was today''s matter something that the empress and An Jinyan had discussed and done together?

    At this time, Aunt Xiu came in with some medicine and a large monastic robe. Seeing that her brother-in-law didn''t say anything, she said, "Young Master Shangguan, I''ll apply some medicine for you first."

    Shangguan Rui wanted to stand up, but his legs went soft and he almost fell into An Jin''s arms.

    An Jin stood up and helped Shangguan Rui to sit on the wooden chair she was sitting on just now. Then she asked, "Mother, where did you find the medicine?"

    Aunt Xiu looked at the wounds on Shangguan Rui''s body as she said to An Jin, "I come here once a year. Besides the small courtyard in the Residence of An, I''m familiar with this place."

    Shangguan Rui''s wound was touched by the aunt''s hand, causing him to gasp in pain.

    "No," An Jinxiu looked at the wound on Shangguan Rui''s abdomen. If the wound was any deeper, Shangguan Rui''s internal organs would have fallen out of his body from the wound. "He can''t use medicine for his wounds," An Jinxiu said. "He needs to see a doctor."

    "Now is not the time to find a doctor," Shangguan Rui gasped, "I don''t feel much pain here either."

    "Young Master Shangguan ran here in the rain. The cold water could actually stop the bleeding," Aunt Xiu said as she applied medicine on Shangguan Rui. "No matter how severe the injury is, as long as the blood is stopped, his life can be saved."

    It was as if this was the first time An Jinxiu had met her. She looked at her birth mother, while shw who was flustered and at a loss. How could her mother still be so calm?

    "Did something happen between Ping An and Miss Shangguan?" At this time, the Aunt Xiu asked An Jinxiu and Shangguan Rui.

    An Jin was at a loss for words, but Shangguan Rui nodded.

    Aunt Xiu hand trembled, but she quickly said, "Now is not the time for you to be sad. First, think about what you should do next."

    "What should we do?" An Jinxiu said in a daze.

    "Second Miss. "AuntXiu turned around to look at An Jinxiu, but her eyes were still calm and emotionless," We have to look after the living first. Young Master Shangguan is still alive, this is the luckiest thing that could happen to us. "If you panic at this time, none of you will survive. All of you are trying to kill our enemy!"

    The sound of thunder could be heard from outside the house, causing the doors and windows of the room to shake.

    None of them could survive. As An Jin read the words of the Aunt Xiu, she slowly sat down on another empty chair. The tears in her eyes still flowed out uncontrollably. An Jinxiu was thinking, Ping An died, Shangguan Ning died, she couldn''t let Shangguan Rui die again. She had to protect Shangguan Yong from the Shangguan family.

    At this time, Shangguan Rui told An Jinxiu about how not only had his family died today, but also the dozens of farmers who came to deliver the rent, the women who came to help with the cooking, and the people who came to put out the fire and got killed when their family was burnt. At least thirty people had died today for the Shangguan Family.

    An Jinxiu looked at the iron plate she put under the candle, and suddenly interrupted Shangguan Rui''s words, "Brother-in-law, you''ll leave in the middle of the night to find the general and tell him about the matters at home."

    Shangguan Rui said: "We can''t stay in the capital anymore. Eldest Sister-in-law, I''ll take you to see Eldest Brother!"

 56 Despair

    "I can''t leave." An Jinxiu shook her head at Shangguan Rui.

    "Are you going to stay here and wait for death?" If Shangguan Rui still had the strength to move, he would have jumped up from the wooden chair.

    An Jinxiu hesitated for a moment and then told Shangguan Rui about what had happened in the Main Hall today. This made her feel ashamed, but she need to say it. If she died, would Shangguan Yong and Shangguan Rui be confused for the rest of their lives? He had no idea what was going on, but how were they going to escape from the empress and An Jinyan''s deadly attacks? Thinking about this, An Jinxiu kept up with Shangguan Rui and said, "Little brother-in-law, you must remember what I''m about to say. When you see your big brother in the future, you must tell him what I''ve said to you today.

    Shangguan Rui said: "If you have something to say, tell my brother in front of him. I won''t pass on the message for you."

    Towards Shangguan Rui''s current rage, An Jinxiu could only sigh and say, "I was tricked today."

    Shangguan Rui listened to An Jin''s narration in a daze, from shock to anger, to the end, Shangguan Rui found himself just sitting there stiffly with no feeling at all, as if he like his little sister, Ping An, were already dead and had lost all sense of the world.

    An Jinxiu actually didn''t need to describe what had happened today with much words. Her words were simple, and didn''t carry any emotion. In the end, Shangguan Rui and Aunt Xiu felt that she was talking about someone else. I''m the one who let down the Shangguan Family, "An Jinxiu finally said to Shangguan Rui," After meeting your brother, help me apologize to him. "

    Shangguan Rui was stunned for a long time before slapping the table, "This isn''t something that can be done with just a word of apology!"

    An Jinxiu wiped the tears from her face and her expression darkened.

    "I don''t blame you." Shangguan Rui thought An Jinxiu misunderstood him and scolded her. He hurriedly explained, "You''re not the one in the wrong, and my big brother wouldn''t blame you. I don''t think you''re the one who let us down. "

    At this time, if Shangguan Rui knew that she betrayed Shangguan Yong and scolded her like how he did in her previous life, An Jin would feel better. She tore off a piece of cloth from the corner of her skirt. Seeing that there was no pen and ink in the room, she bit down on her right index finger and wrote a letter to Shangguan Yong on the wet cloth. The last time she wrote, her heart was filled with anticipation and joy. She didn''t expect that this time, it was filled with despair.

    An Jin did not describe what had happened. She only reminded Shangguan Yong that if news of her death came from the capital, he must not return to the capital. The empress and An Jinyan''s hands would not reach inside the barracks, so Shangguan Yong and Shangguan Rui should be able to live a peaceful life in the barracks. Within the Blood letter, An Jin had told Shangguan Yong that even if he wanted revenge, he would have to wait until he had the ability to do so.

    "Bring it to your big brother," An Jinxiu passed the blood letter to Shangguan Rui, "You can leave the city tomorrow morning."

    "What about you?" Shangguan Rui asked.

    "I can''t leave, I''m leaving, then our path to survival will truly be severed," An Jinxiu said this and searched her body. She wanted to find some silver taels for Shangguan Rui, but discovered that she was penniless.

    "Why can''t you go?" At this time, Aunt Xiu asked her anxiously.

    "I can only stay here and make sure that His Majesty won''t get angry," An Jinxiu said as she used her fingers to move the candle wick. The burning pain reminded her once again that she really wasn''t having a nightmare at the moment.

    "Why will His Majesty won''t get get angry if you stay?"

    "His Majesty might be angry," An Jinxiu said coldly. "But perhaps he won''t be angry." "There has to be a reason for what happened today. Perhaps if I take the initiative to seduce, it will be a reason, I ˇ­"

    Shangguan Rui slammed the table again, fiercely, almost breaking his own hand.

    An Jinxiu couldn''t calm Shangguan Rui''s anger, she could only ask Shangguan Rui one more time: "You need to see a doctor for your injuries, can you still walk?"

    Shangguan Rui didn''t know how much damage he had sustained, and he couldn''t care less about himself. All he knew was that this time he couldn''t even protect his eldest sister-in-law.

    Shangguan Rui had always been calm and meticulous, so even though he was in pain and wanted to seek revenge on his enemies right now, Shangguan Rui could still understand that what Aunt Xiu said was not wrong. They had to prioritize the living.

    "I''m fine, "Shangguan Rui rubbed his face," It''s fine as long as I don''t die. Eldest sister-in-law, did you really think about it? "

    "You and the general can''t get into any more trouble. The Shangguan Yong is in Xiang An city now, so go find him there." An Jinxiu got up and draped the monastic robe she was wearing over to Shangguan Rui''s body. It was very loose, and even Shangguan Rui''s clothes didn''t show any male or female patterns.

    "Xiang An city?"

    "The emperor told me personally, so it shouldn''t be fake," An Jinxiu tied the belt of Shangguan Rui''s monastic robe.

    "You take this money as well," Aunt Xiu stuffed a small bag of money into Shangguan Rui''s hands.

    "Let''s go," Shangguan Rui wanted to say a few more words of thanks to the Aunt Xiu, but was urged to leave by An Jinxiu. "We have to persuade the general that things won''t go well forever."

    Shangguan Rui took one last look at An Jin and dashed into the heavy rain, leaving without looking back.

    "Mother," After Shangguan Rui had left, An Jinxiu said to Aunt Xiu, "You said that Zi Yuan is waiting for you on the mountain. Go find Zi Yuan."

    "What about you?"

    "I will stay," An Jinxiu said. "An Jinyan wants me to die. I can''t let her have her wish so easily."

    "What are you going to do?" Aunt Xiu held on tightly to An Jin''s hand and asked.

    "Mother, did His Majesty really do nothing to you?" An Jinxiu asked again, "Did nothing happen?"

    "No," said Aunt Xiu, "Mother still wants that face. Nothing really happened."

    "Go look for Zi Yuan," An Jinxiu said to Aunt Xiu in a low voice. She took off the headband on her head and stood in the rain to tie up a bun for her. "Mother, you have to think for Yuan Zhi, your daughter is useless." She continued, "Just pretend that you don''t have a daughter like me from now on."

    "Ah Jin!" At this time, Aunt Xiu could not hold on any longer. She wailed her name before reaching out her hand to grab it.

    "Let''s go," An Jinxiu turned around and left, "Mother, I won''t die so easily, so you can rest assured." As for tonight''s matter, just pretend that nothing happened and no one knows you''ve been here. You''ve always been halfway up the mountain, sheltering with Zi Yuan from the rain, and you''ll say that no matter who asks you in the future. "As she went through the side door of the hall, An Jinxiu closed it behind her and said," Mother, no matter what happens to me, you''ll have to wait for Yuan Zhi to come back from the Residence of An. "

    "Ah Jin." Aunt Xiu took a step forward, but could only watch as An Jin closed the side door.

    An Jinxiu did not know if her mother was still outside the door, still in the rain. She did not open the door to take another look. On the way to the guest room where the Emperor slept, An Jinxiu lost track of how many times she fell. It was as if she had forgotten how to walk, and just as she stood up, she fell back into the rain. Once she fell, she stood up and walked away. When she finally reached the door of the guest room, she once again fell down and sat in the courtyard outside the eaves.

    This time, An Jinxiu did not manage to stand up again. The water in the courtyard completely covered her body, from her knees down. She could only raise her head and let the rain wash her face. Ping An 8s dead, Shangguan Ning is also dead, she would never see Shangguan Yong again. In this life, she had still harmed this man. Just what was the purpose of her coming back in this life?

    Humans were mysterious creatures. When their grief reached its peak, they would become silent and indifferent. An Jinxiu touched her chest. There was no heat here, but her heart was still beating fast. Aren''t you sad? Because she had died once, even if Ping An and Shangguan Ning had died, how could she remain indifferent?

    Tears had actually been streaming down her face the entire time, but An Jin had not noticed it. Perhaps it was because the tears had been washed away by the rain, so she couldn''t feel them. Maybe I shouldn''t have turned back from the Nai River Bridge then, An-jin thought to herself.

    The person who could keep up with Shangguan Yong until the end of his life was destined not to be me. Thinking of this, An Jin''s face revealed a gloomy smile. This life was not as good as the previous one. In the previous one, he could at least raise up Ping An, still have a wife and children, and continue the Shangguan family''s joss stick. In this life, they died. "I shouldn''t have turned back," An Jin muttered to herself as she sat in the torrential rain.

    While Shangguan Yong was still wandering around the city, he saw the red sky above the south side of the city. Although he did not know which family had caught on fire, but his own home was also in the south side of the city. Shangguan Yong no longer thought that his own return home would be a burden to his family, so he ran all the way to the south side of the city.

    "The Shangguan Family is all dead!"

    By the time Shangguan Yong reached the old alley to the south of the city, the one he used to be familiar with had already disappeared. Just as Shangguan Yong was still in shock, two yamen runners walked past him and said something that made him lose both his mind and heart.

    The thick smoke and the heavy rain mixed together into a fog. Not only was the light not able to illuminate the fog, it even made the fog turn yellow and hazy, making people unable to clearly see the road under their feet. Shangguan Yong''s ears were filled with the sound of weeping and shouting.

    Those who lived here were not rich families, and this fire had burnt countless people''s belongings, as well as those who had lost their loved ones. Their wails were even more mournful. Shangguan Yong turned a deaf ear to the cries of pain, he could not see the road under his feet, he could also find his own home based on his memory, Shangguan Yong ran home thinking, I must have heard wrongly just now.

    The Shangguan Family''s residence was no longer there. Even though it had been continuously washed away by the heavy rain, the strong stench still lingered on the ruins of the Shangguan Family residence. Those who had been exhuming corpses from the ruins covered their mouths and noses with thick cloths. Even so, many people still felt nauseous from the smell.

    "What is this smell?" The Supreme Court official, Wei Xi Sheng, who had already rushed to this place, covered his mouth and nose with his hand and asked the Nine Gate Supreme Commander, Jiang Xiao Ting, standing beside him.

    As a general, Jiang Xiao Ting''s expression was ugly. Even though the civil officials didn''t know about it, they knew very well that this oil was used to burn corpses in the military. It was refined from whale fat, and after igniting it, the water would not extinguish and the soil would not extinguish. There was a murder here, not an accident.

 57 A general with a broken family

    Jiang Xiao Ting knew that this was the smell of burnt corpse oil, and Shangguan Yong also knew it. Rushing to the front of his house, Shangguan Yong looked at the ruins of his house and the corpses that were being carried out. He felt a sweet taste in his throat and spat out a mouthful of blood.

    Everyone in the family is dead? Shangguan Yong, who could not accept this, stepped forward. If he did not see An Jinxiu, Shangguan Rui, and Shangguan Ning corpses, he would not believe that his family had been destroyed.

    A burnt black hand was revealed outside the pile of rubble. Shangguan Yong walked in front of the hand. Although he could no longer see the original appearance of the hand, but Shangguan Yong could see that it was a woman''s hand. Thinking back to the appearance of An Jin''s hands, Shangguan Yong found that he could not recall what they looked like. Was this his little wife? Shangguan Yong did not dare to continue thinking about it.

    "Big brother!" Just as Shangguan Yong knelt down in front of the pile of rubble and wanted to use his hands to pull the owner of this hand out from under the rubble, a few people ran up from behind. One of them called out to Shangguan Yong softly and hugged him from behind.

    Shangguan Yong was completely unaware that someone was hugging him, and he used all his strength to pull himself up from the ground. He just wanted to know if this person was actually An Jin.

    "Big brother!" The person holding Shangguan Yong became anxious, he raised his hand wanting to hit the back of Shangguan Yong''s neck, he wanted to knock Shangguan Yong unconscious before taking him away.

    Shangguan Yong fiercely turned his head, his big fist instantly arrived in front of this person''s face.

    "It''s me, brother!" The man didn''t let go, he just kept up with Shangguan Yong and shouted in a low voice.

    "Who are you?" Shangguan Yong asked, seeing the man''s face clearly, but he could not remember who it was.

    "I''m Qing Nan, I''m Qing Nan!"Qing Nan caught up with Shangguan Yong and shouted, "Don''t you recognize me?"

    Qing Nan? Shangguan Yong''s brain paused as he thought, shouldn''t Qing Nan be in the army outside the Xiang An city, why would he appear in front of him?

    Seeing Shangguan Yong''s dazed look, Qing Nan forced back his tears and smiled, saying: "Eldest Sister-in-Law, Little Rui and the rest are fine. Big Bro, we got here a step earlier than you, you follow me, I''ll take you to see them."

    "Are you serious?"

    Looking at Shangguan Yong''s ecstatic expression, the people standing behind Qing Nan all turned their faces away, unable to bear to look anymore.

    However, Qing Nan could still laugh, and said, "Can I talk nonsense about this? "Big brother, let''s go. Don''t let sister-in-law wait for us too long."

    "Who are those people over there?" Some bailiffs of the justice courts noticed Shangguan Yong presence and asked loudly before walking over with the other bailiffs.

    One of the people standing behind Qing Nan hurriedly went up to stop the constables and said, "Honored officials, we are here to visit relatives, and arrived in the capital just an hour ago. I didn''t expect that this place would be burnt like this, Master Guan, our relatives and families have all been burnt down and we haven''t even found them. Where are we going to find them?"

    The bailiff looked at him and saw the sadness on his face. It did not seem like he was pretending, so he said gently: "There are a lot of dead people here today. We have yet to figure out a number. The injured have all been sent to several infirmary in the south of the city. You can go there to look for someone first. "

    "Ai," the man bowed to the bailiff and said, "Thank you, sir."

    The bailiff looked at Shangguan Yong who was still kneeling on the ground and sighed, saying: "You don''t need to care about the corpse, our government will take it." It''s not safe here, you guys should hurry up and leave. "

    Qing Nan forcefully pulled Shangguan Yong up from the ground and whispered: "Big brother, this is not a place for us to stay. Let''s go quickly!"

    After Shangguan Yong stood up, he suddenly grabbed Qing Nan''s lapel tightly and said: "Take me to see your eldest sister-in-law and them."

    "Alright," Qing Nan did not let go of Shangguan Yong''s hand and said: "Come with me, I''ll bring you to see your wife and little Rui Zi."

    "My lord," a head of the justice courts brought two yamen runners with corpses to the front of Wei Xi Sheng.

    Wei Xi Sheng took a look at the corpse''s charred face. Two rows of teeth were not burned black, and once the lips were gone, the two rows of teeth bared themselves, looking like ghouls." What happened to the body? " Wei Xi Sheng asked.

    "My lord, look." The yamen showed the throat of the corpse to Wei Xi Sheng and Jiang Xiao Ting.

    The corpse''s face was charred, but its body was only covered in burning oil, a dark yellow color. Both Wei Xi Sheng and Jiang Xiao Ting saw that the corpse had a knife cut in the throat.

    "What kind of person would dare to do this in the capital?" Jiang Xiao Ting asked Lord Wei Xi, "Killing people in the capital without batting an eye, is there still any law?"

    Wei Xi Sheng had the yamen take the body away. He had thought more deeply than Jiang Xiao ting. The Shangguan family had been exterminated. In order to conceal the evidence, the murderer didn''t hesitate to burn down the entire street. If it was just for money, the murderer wouldn''t have done such a thing. Shangguan Yong was under General Zhou Yi, and Zhou Yi was currently in Xiang An city. If Shangguan Yong followed Zhou Yi, then today''s matter would have nothing to do with the messenger King Xin''s conspiracy.

    Jiang Xiao Ting looked at the bitter expression on Wei Xi Sheng''s face and said, "Say something!"

    "This isn''t a place to talk," said the man as he waved his hand at Jiang Xiao Ting. "This matter is too deep, so we should report it to His Majesty first and wait for the imperial edict."

    Jiang Xiao Ting fell silent as he heard this. They were all loafers of the capital, so there was no need to be too direct with some of their words. They could understand what he was saying.

    Wei Xi Sheng looked around him, it was a complete mess. There were people everywhere, but he didn''t know if the culprit was still in the crowd." Ming Huo has already been extinguished, "Wei Xi Sheng told Jiang Xiao Ting," Let''s enter the palace during the night.

    "This is the Shangguan family," Jiang Xiao Ting said. "Should we send someone to the An Mansion branch?"

    "I''m afraid that His Majesty already knew about this fire. If the Residence of An truly cared about this daughter of theirs, they would have sent people to watch long ago," said Wei Xi with a sneer. "We don''t need to fawn over here. Let''s go."

    Jiang Xiao Ting shouted loudly as he followed Wei Xi Sheng out.

    Qing Nan dragged Shangguan Yong from the south of the city to the north, finally entering a small tavern.

    There were several wind lamps hanging from the eaves of the backyard of the inn, they were swaying in the wind, the candles flickered left and right, causing Shangguan Yong to be confused. "Where are your sister-in-law and the rest of them?" he asked Qing Nan.

    Qing Nan and a few of her brothers stood side by side in front of Shangguan Yong. At this time, Qing Nan could finally stop pretending to smile.

    Looking at the faces of his brothers that were filled with sadness, Shangguan Yong already knew the answer, but he still deceived himself and asked Qing Nan: "Where are they?"

    "Big Brother, I''m sorry," Qing Nan said. "Eldest Sister-in-Law, Little Nephew, Little Rui, and Ning''er are all gone."

    Shangguan Yong raised his hand to hit Qing Nan. Since his family was not here, why did this man pull him here?

    Qing Nan said, "Big Brother, give me a good beating."

    Shangguan Yong raised his hand, looking at Qing Nan for a long time, "Hit you, will they come back to life?" Shangguan Yong suddenly asked Qing Nan.

    Qing Nan shook his head.

    Shangguan Yong turned around and walked out of the courtyard.

    "Big brother!" This time, a few people rushed forward and hugged Shangguan Yong.

    "Big brother, we''ve already asked around, the fire was started at home," Qing Nan followed up and shouted. "No one came out alive at home. By the time it started, sister-in-law and the others were already dead!"

    "This is impossible!" Shangguan Yong used brute force, shaking off a few of their tugs and dashes as he dashed out of the yard.

    Qing Nan was thrown to the ground by Shangguan Yong, he could not catch up with him anymore, so he sat on the ground and followed up to Shangguan Yong by shouting: "This time, shouldn''t you be thinking about revenge?!" If you''re dead too, who''s going to avenge them? "If you don''t take revenge, how will you meet with your wife in the future?!"

    Shangguan Yong halted his steps for a moment, then ran out.

    "Are we going to chase him or not?" The few people in the courtyard didn''t know what to do.

    Qing Nan jumped up from the ground, touched his face and said, "It''s good that he''s not crazy. Let''s follow him and don''t let him be targeted. "Let''s go!" Seeing them still standing there in a daze, Qing Nan shouted at them, "Who can be more sad than him at this time?!"

    A few people chased after him out of the inn, and Shangguan Yong''s figure was nowhere to be seen on the street.

    "He must have gone back," Qing Nan urged the people behind him as he ran towards the south of the city. "All of you, hurry up!"

    By the time Qing Nan and the rest had caught up to the old alleyway on the south side of the city, the two alleyways'' entrances had already been sealed by the bailiffs of the justice courts.

    "Our home is inside," Qing Nan said to the bailiff, who had stopped him from entering the alley.

    "This alley has been sealed," the bailiff said as he pushed Qing Nan backwards.

    "I can''t even go home?"

    "Where is your home?"

    In the ruins of an alley, there was not a single intact house.

    Qing Nan was at a loss for words. He immediately shouted at the bailiff, "Aren''t there so many people in here?"

    "I don''t care about the people inside," Although the bailiff kept pushing Qing Nan around, his attitude wasn''t bad. He said to Qing Nan, "This is the order from the superior, I have no choice, let one person in and it will be our dereliction of duty, don''t make things difficult for us."

    "It''s not over yet," Qing Nan still hadn''t given up. When he wanted to argue with the bailiff again, a brother pulled his clothes and said, "Look at our left side."

    Qing Nan looked to their left, separated by five or six people. A tall man stood there. His clothes were ordinary, but his eyes were very bright. It was obvious that he was an expert in internal energy.

    "There are a few more behind us," the brother said to Qing Nan. "Could they be the culprits?"

    "Damn," Qing Nan whispered, "If you ask me, how would I know?"

    "Keep your fucking voice down," the brother said. "The boy''s looking at us."

    Qing Nan said, "Let''s go first."

    "Then Big Brother is still inside!"

    "Aren''t these people unable to enter as well? "What are we afraid of?" Qing Nan turned and squeezed through the crowd. "Let''s go first."

    "What if these people follow me?"

    "Follow?" A fierce look flashed across Qing Nan''s eyes. "Then we will avenge our eldest sister-in-law!"

    The people running around in the old alley didn''t notice a man kneeling in front of the ruins of Shangguan''s house.

    Shangguan Yong had looked at the place where the corpses were kept, the corpses after they were burned were incomplete, it was hard to tell if they were alive or not, he did not know if there were his family members there or not, but looking at these corpses, Shangguan Yong''s heart died and all the blood in his body seemed to be frozen. He even doubted if he was still alive in this world.

 58 In the arms of an emperor

    When Emperor Shizong woke up, he looked at the red tent above his head and listened to the rain outside. He did not get up for a long time. It was only when Shizong''s hand touched the sheet beneath him that he suddenly sat up in bed. It was so sticky that it was slippery. He put his sticky hands in front of his eyes and rubbed them with his fingers for a while. Under his body, he kneaded the white skin. With his legs wide open, he asked, "Ah Jin?" Shizong called from the bed.

    The candles in the room exploded, and no one answered the shouts of the world.

    Emperor Shizong got off his bed, but didn''t have time to think about what had happened. He pushed open the door and saw a person sitting in the rain outside the eaves of the courtyard. The Emperor looked around but there was no one around. The woman who was sitting in the rain remained motionless even after hearing the door open. The Shizong walked into the rain and arrived before the woman in a few steps. "Ah Jin?"

    The woman''s clothes were tightly wrapped around her body, but she wasn''t wearing any shoes or socks, revealing her bare feet and half of her calves. In the starless darkness of the rainy night, the legs were arched and the calves round and white like jade.

    The Emperor pushed aside the woman''s long, loose hair. The face under the hair was the face that the Emperor longed for. "Ah Jin," the sect master called out to the woman. His voice was very soft and careful, as if he was afraid of scaring her.

    An Jinxiu only raised her eyes to look atEmperor Shizong, but nothing happened after that.

    "Let''s go in and talk!" The Emperor Shizong picked up An Jin and quickly headed into the room. As he held her in his hands, the Emperor thought to himself that such a light and nimble person like her did not hold much weight in his hands.

    Even after she had been placed on the bed by the Emperor, An Jinxiu still wore a wooden expression. She didn''t even look at the Emperor. Like a puppet, she allowed the Emperor to wrap her in a blanket.

    "What happened?" the Emperor asked as he sat down next to her. "What happened?"

    There was still no reaction from An Jinxiu.

    "Ah Jin!" The Shizong raised his voice as he called out to her by name.

    An Jinxiu''s body trembled, and then she turned to look at Emperor Shizong.

    Looking at his eyes, she cried bitterly. They were glowing red, but they were still black and white. The eyes of most people were dark brown, but they were as black as ink. Being stared at by such a pair of eyes, the Emperor couldn''t help but soften its heart as it softly asked, "Why are there only the two of us here?"

    An Jinxiu shook her head, and then she started crying again. She didn''t make a sound, but a large tear drop fell to the ground.

    "This Emperor did the deed with you?" Seeing An Jinxiu''s expression, the Emperorbelieved that the person who had had such a hearty and joyful relationship last night was this little girl beneath him.

    An Jinxiu suddenly covered her mouth and cried bitterly.

    Emperor Shizong had never pitied any woman in his life, but this little girl had already in his mind he met her in the An Mansion''s Fragrant Garden. Hearing the weeping sound so close to him, his heart ached again. "What, what''s going on?" He softly said to An Jin, "Don''t cry. With me here, you don''t have to be afraid of anything."

    An Jinxiu cried, "This concubine doesn''t know what happened. When His Majesty came in, you wereˇ­" As she said this, An Jin seemed to not dare to continue speaking. She covered her face with her hands and started crying again.

    Since they were already so close to each other, the Emperor no longer cared about the difference between males and females. He reached out and took An Jin into his arms. The Emperor was trying his best to comfort her.

    If the women in the palace were able to be held in his arms like this, they would definitely be smiling and extremely happy, but to the Emperor''s surprise, the moment An Jinxiu was touched by him, she jumped out of his arms like a frightened bird, but her legs were powerless to stand, and she instantly collapsed onto the ground.

    "Ah Jin!" Emperor Shizong bent down to help her up.

    "Your Majesty, this concubine deserve to die," An Jinxiu avoided the hands of the Emperor and cried, "You don''t need to mind me."

    "What are you guilty of?" The Emperor forcefully pulled An Jin up from the ground. He formed a circle with his hands and hugged her, trapping her in his arms. "When I wanted you, were you not in your right mind?"

    "His Majesty being enlightened is all this concubine''s fault."

    An Jin''s tears fell on the back of her hand, drop by drop they fell on the heart of the Emperor.

    "This concubine ruined His Majesty''s brilliance, so she''s too ashamed to see the general again," An Jinxiu said mournfully. "After this concubine died, no one will know about what happened tonight. "I beg Your Majesty not to implore this concubine''s family because of my fault."

    He had clearly taken this little girl in his infatuation, yet this little girl said that she had seduced him and taken all the mistakes with a smile on her face. Holding the person in his embrace tighter, the Emperor whispered into An Jinxiu''s ear, "Are you willing to accept this?"

    An Jin''s face was bloodless to begin with, and even her lips turned gray at these words. "This concubine is this subject''s wife. How can I ruin Your Majesty''s reputation?"

    "My reputation?" Emperor Shizong said, "Then what about your own reputation?"

    An Jinxiu shook her head. "My life is cheap."

    "So you only care about my reputation?"

    "Your Majesty, this humble one is a dying woman. It''s better for you to leave quickly," An Jin struggled in the arms of the Emperor with tears in her eyes, wanting to leave.

    "This Emperor only asked you one question. Are you willing to accept it?" The Emperordidn''t care about An Jinxiu''s struggle. He whispered into her ear, "I want the truth. Do you know that cheating is a death sentence?"

    An Jinxiu was silent for a while, and then she said to the Emperor, "When I was with my parents, my first mother always said that the seeds of a servant are not well-bred, and because they are born with low standards, they are shameless and cannot be shown. "I am indeed shameless, and this time, I will not regret it."

    "Because I''m the Emperor?"

    "If it wasn''t for Your Majesty, how many days would this concubine have to spend in her family? I don''t know how I would have been arranged to marry," An Jinxiu said faintly. "Your Majesty is a good person. This concubine has a debt of gratitude. Although I don''t have the face to see my family''s general again, this concubine will not regret it."

    "So you actually like me?" The Emperor couldn''t help but feel overjoyed upon hearing An Jinxiu''s words. The smile on his face was as clear as day.

    On the other hand, An JinXiu had a face full of shame as she said, "I shouldn''t have lived any longer."

    Seeing An Jin''s painful expression, the Emperor didn''t care about the struggling of the little girl and slowly wiped away the tears on her face. Her face was still beautiful even in such a pathetic state, just like when he first met her in An Mansion''s Fragrant Garden. "I said that you won''t die, so you won''t die. I am the Son of Heaven, so how can I not protect a little girl like you?"

    An Jinxiu looked at the Emperor with tears in astonishment, but her heart was filled with coldness. She wanted this man to feel pity for her so that she could continue living on. Fate with Shangguan Yong was definitely hopeless. The Emperor would not allow a woman he had used to lie under another man, even if they were husband and wife in the first place. Then what was the meaning of this life to her?

    She originally abandoned her husband, a slut who could marry anyone in her previous life. She no longer had any fate with Shangguan Yong in this life, so why should she care about her body''s innocence anymore?

    If she stayed by Shangguan Yong''s side, she could guarantee that after the Emperor thought occupying her body, the Emperor will be killing Shangguan Yong in order to protect his reputation, she would not have the chance to take revenge.

    As she sat in the rain in the rain, she had already thought things through. Ping An, Shangguan Ning, those people who died in her family can''t die in vain. If she could avenge them, she didn''t want Shangguan Yong''s hands to be stained with dirt like this.

    He only felt that this little girl, who was silently crying in his arms, made his heart soften. He could give this little girl a lot of good things, and make this little girl''s life change because of him. Therefore, as he wiped away the tears on An Jin''s face, he softly said to her, "With me here, you don''t have to think about anything."

    "I deserve to die."

    "I won''t allow you to die, so you can''t die!"

    "Your Majesty."

    "Do you not believe me?"

    "What should I do?"

    "I will protect you. Nothing will happen to me."

    At this time, she was thinking about Ping An and Shangguan Ning, and thinking about Shangguan Yong. This pain could not be expressed through tears, but it was the only way she could express this despair.

    "Your Majesty," Eunuch Xie voice called from outside the guest room.

    An Jinxiu was so shocked that her whole body began to tremble.

    "It''s fine, don''t be afraid," Emperor Shizong comforted her, as he opened his mouth to let her in.

    "Don''t, don''t let anyone see me," An Jinxiu panicked at this moment and shook her head pleadingly at the Emperor.

    The Emperor knew that this little girl was afraid of being seen by others. He put down the bed curtain and said to An Jinxiu, "You sit inside. He can''t see your face. It''s okay, I''m here."

    An Jinxiu covered her face with her hands and buried her head in her knees.

    The Emperortouched An Jinxiu''s wet hair before rushing into the room, "Get in here."

    Eunuch Xie had calculated the time it would take to arrive. He wanted the Emperor to settle An Jin and ask to wipe her out when there was no one around. This way, when they drove back to the palace, they would pretend nothing had happened. However, as soon as he entered the room, he saw a woman sitting on the bed. His face could not be seen, but this must be An Jin.

    "What are you looking at?" Emperor Shizong asked, sitting on a stool beside the bed.

    "I deserve to die," said Eunuch Xie, lowering his head and kneeling on the ground.

    "You deserve to die," the Emperor coldly replied.

    "This servant deserves to die," Eunuch Xie said these four words as he knelt on the ground and kowtowed. Soon, there was blood on the ground.

    Emperor Shizong looked at the servant who had been following him around. He believed that this servant would not harm him. Thinking of what had happened today, this servant must have realized that his lust for Ah Jin could no longer be suppressed, and knew that he had been thinking of the An Jin all these days.

    Thus, he decided to send himself to the An Jin''s room to rest. There were no outsiders here. Even if he, the emperor, had molested this official''s wife, no one would know of such things after a little treatment. This servant of his really knew how to arrange things for him. "Where is the Crown Prince and his wife? " The EmperorShizong asked after letting him knocking his head against the ground for several tens of times.

    "In reply to Your Majesty." Even if Eunuch Xie answered to the Emperor, he wouldn''t dare stop and kowtow, saying to the Emperor as he did so. "This servant advised His Highness the crown prince and esteemed wangfei to return to the Eastern Palace first."

    With these auspicious words, An Jinxiu, who was sitting on her bed, knew that this eunuch was one of the masterminds behind today''s events.

 59 Calculated Favorite

    "Get out!" After the Emperor Shizong asked who else was at the Temple, he said to Eunuch Xie, "Go and order someone to heat up hot water."

    Eunuch Xie did not dare to stand up. He crawled on all fours and retreated from the ground.

    After Eunuch Xie climbed out, Emperor Shizong got up and hung up the bed curtain himself. He saw that An Jinxiu was still hugging her knees, crying sorrowfully, her tears rolling down her face like beads with broken strings. EmperorShizong had always hated women crying. He knew that none of the harem girls would dare to cry in front of him. However, when he saw the tears on An Jin''s face, he couldn''t bring himself to get angry. How many tears could this little girl shed? And these tears, how can they be like big transparent beads? Can tears be like this?

    When An Jinxiu saw the Emperor looking at her, she lowered her head and rubbed her tear-filled face against her knees. When she raised her head again, it was only a moment before her face was once again soaked in tears.

    "You really have a lot of tears," Emperor Shizong helplessly sat down next to her and wiped her tears off with his hand, "Do you want to ruin your eyes by crying? I''ve said that I will protect you, do you not believe me like this? "

    As if she was shocked by the Emperor''s words, An JinXiu''s body trembled and shrank even more.

    Emperor Shizong didn''t think that a single sentence from him would be able to shock this little girl. He hurriedly patted her back and said in a softer voice, "If I didn''t allow your marriage before you, you would be my woman from now on. Can''t I even protect my own woman?"

    "His Majesty''s woman?" After she repeated the words of the new dynasty, she suddenly shook her head. "A woman like this concubine dirtied His Majesty''s heroic name." Your Majesty, this concubine doesn''t dare to think too highly of herself. "

    The Emperor was stunned. This little girl was crying like this, yet she was still thinking for him? The EmperorShizong suddenly thought of that time in the Fragrant Garden when this little girl was protecting her little brother, "Jinxiu, tell me, what do you think of Shangguan Yong?"

    An Jinxiu shook her head and said, "He is my benefactor. If it weren''t for him, who would let a woman like me wear red clothes and leave the pavilion? It was he who had brought this concubine out of the Residence of An. "The general is a good person, and I don''t have a good background. The general doesn''t mind me being a concubine born, but he is a good person."

    Benefactor? So the only way to protect each other was to repay the debt of gratitude? "The Emperor looked at An Jinxiu and then thought of Shangguan Yong. The two of them didn''t match, so why would An Jinxiu fall in love with a military man like Shangguan Yong?

    Forgetting Shangguan Yong, Shizong lifted An Jin''s chin, which was sharp to the point that he didn''t know if it was even half a tael of flesh," From now on, you will be my woman, and I will arrange everything well, so don''t think about anything else. "

    The two streams of tears from An Jin fell onto the hands of the Emperor. In fact, in her previous life, in the imperial harem, in the latter half of this Emperor''s life, the most beloved woman of the imperial clan was a woman from the Qiao family clanthat came from Jiangnan. She was delicate and exquisite, and when she cried, she would always cry silently, like a candle that could be extinguished at any time in the wind.

    An Jinxiu deliberately touched his hand with her own face. Her face was ice-cold, and even her hand, which was soaked through by the rain, could not feel the heat. If this was Shangguan Yong''s hand, then it would be warm. An Jinxiu thought sadly that her husband had a pair of hands that were warm even when they returned late on winter nights. She would never be able to touch those hands again.

    The Emperor Shizong wiped away the tears of An Jin. "A little girl like you is also very beautiful when you cry."

    These are your favorite tears, which is why I''m crying like this. An Jinxiu covered her heart with her sad face. Bai Chengze had let many women learn the crying technique of the woman who had spoiled the entire Six Palaces. In the end, the girls could at most learn 90% of the crying technique, but she had learnt it by watching by the side. In the end, no matter how much she cried, whether she cried or faked it, it did not make Bai Chengze soften his heart.

    "Your Majesty," Eunuch Xie''s voice came from outside the door.

    "Come in."

    Eunuch Xie breathed a sigh of relief. This time there was no more rolling in.

    Four young eunuchs carried a bath barrel filled with warm water and followed behind Eunuch Xie.

    "Wash yourself well," Emperor Shizong said to An Jinxiu, who was hiding behind him again. "Jinxiu, did I hurt you?"

    An Jinxiu''s pale face flushed red as she shook her head in panic.

    "Your Majesty, the justice court''s Official Wei and the Minister of the Nine Gates, Lord Jiang, are outside the main hall seeking an audience. They said they have important matters to attend to."

    "Wait until I return to the palace," Emperor Shizong said.

    "Your Majesty, Sir Wei said that something happened in the capital tonight. He and Mister Jiang were forced to come here to seek an audience with Your Majesty."

    Something had happened in the capital? Emperor Shizong stood up and asked, "What happened in the capital?"

    Eunuch Xie stole a glance at the bed and looked at Emperor Shizong with a troubled expression.

    "Let''s talk outside," Emperor Shizong said as he strode outside.

    Eunuch Xie quickly followed out the Emperor Shizong.

    After standing under the eaves, Emperor Shizong asked, "What is it?"

    "Sir Wei and Sir Jiang have come to report that Old Lane in the south of the city was set on fire tonight. The entire Shangguan family is dead."

    "What did you say?"

    At this time, Eunuch Xie shed tears as well and said, "Your Majesty, Sir Wei and Sir Jiang came to report that there was a fire in the old alleyway in the south of the city. More than half of the streets were burned, and quite a few people died.

    Emperor Shizong turned his head to look outside the eaves. "That child called Ping An is also gone?"

    Eunuch Xie said, "Sir Wei said that no one from the Shangguan Family could be saved, and that Young Master Shangguan Rui must be gone too. How could this happen to Miss An, aiya! " As Eunuch Xie said this, he wiped his tears away again.

    The Emperor was relieved, but unfortunately Shangguan Yong was still alive, otherwise the matter regarding An Jin would have been easy to handle.

    "Your Majesty, what do you think?" "Would you like to meet the two lords, Wei and Jiang?"

    "Announce them to enter the private room in the front yard," Emperor Shizong said, turning to return to the guest room.

    Eunuch Xie hurried back to the front yard. At this time, Eunuch Xie still didn''t know about the empress''s matters. He only thought of An Jinyan. This princess was too cruel. Not only did she want to kill An Jinxiu, but she also wanted to kill her entire husband''s family.

    It was just that as Eunuch Xie walked gracefully in the rain, his heart was filled with the joy of watching An Jinyan in action. From the looks of the Emperor, An Jinxiu was definitely not going to die. Eunuch Xie didn''t know what methods this little girl had used to coax the Emperor into taking care of her.

    "Chief Eunuch," a young eunuch caught up to Lucky.

    "Go back to the palace and call for the two imperial physicians from the Imperial Physician Courtyard," Eunuch Xie instructed as they walked. "Remember not to alarm the empress."

    "Yes," the eunuch replied before running off.

    Eunuch Xie called out to the young eunuch, "Did I let you go? Do you know which two imperial physicians you want to call? "

    The young eunuch hurriedly lowered his head and followed behind Eunuch Xie.

    "Go to the Imperial Physician and Imperial Physician Rong," Eunuch Xie said. "Tell them to hurry over."

    Imperial Physician Rong Shuang was an Imperial Physician who specialized in diagnosing and treating the world''s ancestors in Imperial Hospital. After hearing the names of these two Imperial Physicians, the eunuch was shocked.

    "Why are you following me?" "Do you want me to teach you how to run?"

    "This servant will go right away." The young eunuch quivered at the sight and hurriedly ran away.

    "Useless thing," Eunuch Xie scolded the little eunuch, and then walked out into the front yard.

    In the guest room, Emperor Shizong waved his hand to dismiss the four eunuchs who had brought the water over. He then turned to An Jinxiu and softly asked, "Why are you still sitting here?"

    An Jinxiu was about to get down from the bed, but the moment her legs touched the floor, she let out a "Ya" and fell to the ground.

    "What happened to you?" The Emperor Shizong hurried forward to take a look.

    An Jinxiu only shook her head, but didn''t seem to be able to stand up.

    The Emperor became anxious. There had never been a woman who could make him worry this much. "What happened to you? Speak!"

    "I don''t have any energy on me," An Jinxiu timidly said to the Emperor, "I can''t stand up."

    "Does it hurt here?" The Emperor Shizong pointed at the secret acupoints beneath An Jinxiu. He had so many women. Even if An Jinxiu said something vague, he would still know what was going on with her.

    An Jin''s face turned from pale to red. She looked at the Emperor as if she wanted to find a hole to hide in.

    When faced with An Jinxiu and thinking of her son''s death, the Emperor no longer felt as relaxed as before. He thought about how this little girl would cry after knowing that her young son had died, and felt even more pity for her. He wanted to tell An Jinxiu about Ping An, but he swallowed his words back. He didn''t want to see her tears again.

    "Is His Majesty going to see the guests?" An Jinxiu asked the Emperor at this time.

    "Yes," the Emperor said, "I''ll go to the front yard first. Take a bath and wait here for me to come back."

    "You''re wet."

    The Emperor Shizong suddenly picked up An Jinxiu and placed her on the bed, saying, "Wipe my hair."

    She took off the Shizong''s bun and used a handkerchief to wipe his hair bit by bit. The Emperor Shizong''s neck was exposed in front of her, and she was completely unprepared. If she had a blade or sword on her right now, this Emperor would definitely not be able to escape death.

    When the Emperor was young, he had already commanded his troops to guard the borders. She had never seen this person''s martial arts, but she knows this person slaughter his way to the throne. She was not this person''s match.

    "Ah Jin." The Emperor was enjoying the treatment provided by An Jin. Suddenly, he said to An Jin, "It would be great if I could see you before and betrothed to me instead."

    "I''ve never been a lucky person," An Jinxiu said softly.

    "I will give you your blessings in the future." The Emperor turned around and looked at An Jinxiu seriously. "Do you remember my words?"

    An Jinxiu stared blankly at Shizong. She didn''t show any gratitude. Instead, her entire body froze in place.

    "No wonder you''re being bullied," the woman he had longed for, looking completely harmless. This pleased the Emperor, and after pinching An Ying''s cheek, he laughed, "Do you not understand what I''m saying?"

    An Jinxiu shook her head and said in a low voice, "I don''t deserve it."

    "It is up to me whether you''re worthy or not." Shizong moved forward to kiss the little girl''s face, but An Jin dodged him.

 60 Suspicion Growing

    "Dirty," said An Jinxiu without waiting for the Emperor to react, after she dodged the kiss.

    "There''s no need to be so careful in front of me," the Emperor said as he used his finger to wipe away the tears on An Jin''s face. "You can''t cry anymore. How many tears can a person shed?"

    An Jinxiu brushed up the half dried hair of Emperor Shizong. How many tears could a person shed? Many people could shed tears, but some were real and some were fake. An Jinxiu believed that her acting skills would not allow the Emperor to differentiate between real and fake.

    Unlike the other cities, the capital was a place where no one was allowed to cause any trouble. If the Emperor did not see them after a long time, how were they supposed to deal with the fire in the old alleyway in the south of the city?

    "Eunuch Xie," Lord Wei asked. "When will His Majesty be able to find time to come over?"

    Eunuch Xie replied, "Lord Wei, please wait a moment. His Majesty will arrive soon."

    Jiang Xiao Ting snorted from the side. "How could His Majesty spend the night in a place like this?"

    "Do I need permission from Jiang Xiao Ting to stay the entire night?" The Emperor Shizong walked in as he spoke.

    "My apologies, Your Majesty."

    "This subject is called Wei Xi Sheng."

    "Jiang Xiao Ting."

    When the other officials including the Crown Prince saw the Emperor enter, they announced their names one after the other and said in unison, "Greetings, Your Majesty. Long live our emperor."

    "Tell me about the fire in the south of the city."

    Wei Xi Sheng told the Emperor about the fire in Old Lane, in the south of the city. A total of seventy-nine mansions were burned, and the number of people who died was still being counted in the justice courts.

    The crown prince said, "The Shangguan family is dead? "Who was there when the Shangguan family was on fire?"

    "According to this official''s knowledge, the Shangguan Family consists of Madam Shangguan, the little gongzi and General Shangguan sister and brother. Oh, right, there is also a wet nurse."

    "Are you sure all five of them are dead?" Emperor Shizong asked.

    "No one from Shangguan''s family escaped, so this official guessed that General Shangguan''s family members were all dead."

    "Have you found the bodies of these five people?"

    Wei Xi Sheng shook his head. "To reply Your Majesty, this fire is too big. The corpses this subject found are no longer recognizable."

    Emperor Shizong looked at Jiang Xiao Ting, "How did this fire start?"

    Jiang Xiao Ting said blankly, "Your Majesty, this subject believes that someone set the fire on purpose."

    "Oh?" The Emperor frowned, "This is a murder case?"

    Jiang Xiao Ting said, "The corpses that this subject and Lord Wei found were not burned to death. They were killed by sharp weapons and the throats of most of the dead were cut off. "Your Majesty, there must be more than one culprit tonight, and the fire started from Shangguan Yong''s house. It''s obvious that the culprit is targeting Shangguan Yong. Your Majesty, this subject believes ˇ­"

    "Ahem." At this point, Wei Xi Sheng coughed.

    Jiang Xiao Ting shut his mouth after the words left his mouth.

    Emperor Shizong said, "What do you think? Go on. "

    Jiang Xiao Ting had no choice but to say, "This subject doesn''t know who Shangguan Yong offended to invite the annihilation of his family."

    The Emperor Shizong glanced at Eunuch Xie who was standing beside him before turning to Sir Wei Xi. "How about Sir Wei?" What do you have to say? "

    The Emperor looked at him in a gloomy and thoughtful manner. Eunuch Xie immediately thought that this time, An Jinyan had overdone it. The Crown Prince and his wife might not only be unable to please the Emperor, they might even bring them big trouble. Eunuch Xie felt he had to think about how to keep himself out of this.

    Wei Xi Sheng was much more tactful and careful than a general like Jiang Xiao Ting. After hearing this question, he only said, "This subject believes that this matter still needs to be investigated."

    "If you want to reply to this in such a manner, you might as well scram!" "If you have something to say, just say it. You don''t need hide anything to me!"

    Even though the Emperor had said so, Wei Xi Sheng still refused to speak.

    At the side, Jiang Xiao Ting couldn''t help but speak up, "Your Majesty, we should first investigate who Shangguan Yong has offended. "Murder is nothing more than three types: for money, for revenge, for love."

    The last word "love killing" made Emperor Shizong''s eyelids jump, he said, "Shangguan Yong still get into trouble?"

    Wei Xi Sheng quickly said: "This subject believes that the probability of revenge is the highest."

    "Go investigate," the Emperor Shizong said. "Inform the Ministry of Revenue that the people who live in the old alleyway in the south of the city must be properly arranged. We do not wish to see a person living in the old alleyway in the south of the city being left behind."

    "This subject obeys the decree," both the court and the Vessie Saint hurriedly replied.

    After the two officials had left, the Emperor Shizong turned to look at Eunuch Xie and hit his head.

    "Your Majesty, this servant doesn''t understand."

    "Don''t you understand," Emperor Shizong said. "Do you think I''m a fool? How much did the crown prince give you? "

    The wound on Eunuch Xie forehead had yet to be treated, and now, he was desperately kowtowing to Shizong. Soon, his face was covered in blood. "Your Majesty. This servant already knew that His Majesty was feeling terrible discomfort. This servant only thought that His Majesty had always been worried about that An girl, so this servant helped His Majesty over. Besides that, this servant hasn''t done anything, Your Majesty. "

    "Why does this Emperor feel uncomfortable that night?" The Emperor Shizong had the time to think through the whole situation. With his wisdom, he quickly came to the conclusion that both he and An Jinxiu had been designed by someone, and that the person who had designed him was actually his chosen successor!

    "Your Majesty, perhaps that bowl of deer blood?"

    "Do you think this is my first time drinking deer blood?"

    "Your Majesty, this servant really doesn''t know. Even if Your Majesty killed this servant, this servant still won''t be able to explain himself," Eunuch Xie kneeled at the foot of the Emperor. "This servant is also feel very strange, His Highness the Crown Prince used deer blood like His Majesty did, but His Highness the Crown Prince is completely fine. Your Majesty" Eunuch Xie slapped himself," This servant doesn''t dare to guess the affairs of His Highness, the crown prince.

    Emperor Shizong drummed his fingers on the arm of his chair and didn''t say anything for a long time.

    Eunuch Xie had no choice but to kowtow and beg for mercy. At this time, he had to get himself out of this, or else his little life would be over." "This servant is the dog that His Majesty keeps. Other than His Majesty, this servant never says a single extra word to anyone else. This servant asks that Your Majesty be enlightened."

    He knew very well that this was not the only person who knew he was interested in An Jin. But this servant, seeing how he was kowtowing and bleeding right in front of him, could it be that this servant was the same as the ministers in the imperial court, noticing that the princes had grown up and was trying to find a way out for him?

    Shizong has been silent for a long time, making Eunuch Xie even more flustered. He was able to stay by Emperor Shizong''s side for so long because of his loyalty. If Shizong doubts his loyalty, then he will immediately lose everything that he has now. "Your Majesty, this servant has really never come into contact with His Highness the crown prince in private. "

    "Why should I believe you?" the Emperor Shizong asked Eunuch Xie.

    Eunuch Xie didn''t dare to speak anymore. His head was kowtowing too hard, and now his head was spinning. If the Emperor Shizong didn''t call for him, he would die here.

    "Take two people to the Residence of An," Shizong said, kicking Eunuch Xie away with a kick. "Report to the Grand Perceptor manor about the death of An Jin and told them not to be sad."

    Eunuch Xie hurriedly said, "This servant understands. This servant obeys the decree, and this servant will go to the Residence of An right now."

    After Eunuch Xie left, Emperor Shizong looked at the chamber in which he had sat in the afternoon. On the wall of the meditation room hung a picture of the Buddha, the furniture was of a mahogany texture, there were a few pots of scenery, artificial mountains and flowers, but none of them were interested in these things, so his gaze finally landed on the incense burner of the bronze censer.

    Emperor Shizong walked up to the incense burner. After he drank the blood of the deer, who had exchanged incense in this incense burner? The Emperor Shizong recalled what happened in this quiet room in the afternoon. In the end, he was sure that the person changing the incense in the burner was the crown prince. Emperor Shizong opened the lid of the incense burner, looked at the ashes inside, and said to the outside, "Come in."

    A young eunuch trotted in.

    "Pack the ashes and take them away," Emperor Shizong said. "You''re the only one who knows."

    "This servant obeys the decree," the young eunuch said hurriedly.

    When the Emperor Shizong walked out of the quiet room, the guards outside saw him coming out and immediately knelt down to pay their respects. These were the guards he had brought with him and had followed him for at least ten years. The Emperor had never doubted the loyalty of these guards, but after today''s incident, the Emperor looked at its own bodyguards. How could he still trust them?

    The guards were terrified by the Emperor''s actions. Eunuch Xie walked out of the quiet room with a face full of blood. They had all seen it. This was the first time they had seen Eunuch Xie in such a sorry state, like a stray dog. Although they didn''t know if they had done anything wrong, everyone who saw the Emperor lowered their heads without exception.

    Emperor Shizong snorted coldly, things had to be done one by one. There was still a little girl in the guest room who did not know that she had lost her son, waiting for him to comfort her. Thinking of this, he turned around and walked towards the backyard.

    A guard at the back door of the mortuary hurried in.

    "What''s the matter?" The Emperor Shizong asked as he saw the guard kneeling in the rain.

    "Reporting to Your Majesty," the guard reported, "A concubine and a servant of the Residence of An came down from the mountains. They were ordered by the Grand Preceptor''s wife to fetch spring water from the mountainside.

    "Aunt?" "Does she have a name?"

    "She claims to be the Aunt Xiu of the Residence of An. That servant said she was called Zi Yuan."

    "Take that Aunt Xiu back to the Residence of An after she rested and keep the servant here," ordered the guard.

    No one knew what the Emperor wanted a servant of the Residence of An to do, but no one dared to ask. After receiving the order, the guard that came to report the news turned around and ran away.

    When Emperor Shizong returned to the waterfalls outside the guest room, four eunuchs were standing guard on either side of the door like wooden stakes.

    "How is she?" Emperor Shizong asked in a low voice, not even looking at the four young eunuchs kneeling at his feet.

    A young eunuch replied, "To reply Your Majesty, there''s been no movement from inside the guest room at all."

    No movement? Emperor Shizong knew things were not going well, so he pushed the closed door with all his might and quickly entered the guest room.

 61 Even in the same city, wesre far away

    An Jinxiu did not hang her arm or cut it, as expected. Emperor Shizong rushed into the guest room and saw An Jinxiu sitting on the bed wrapped in a blanket.

    After the Emperor felt reassured, he turned around and said "Who let you in?" and ordered the eunuchs that came with him, "Scram!"

    The four young eunuchs did not want to receive the Emperor''s retribution, so after being scolded, they immediately retreated, trembling with fear.

    "Your Majesty," When the young eunuchs was dismissed by the Emperor, he heard An Jinxiu call out to him from behind. When he turned around, she was already kneeling on the ground.

    "Stand up." Emperor Shizong took a few steps forward and picked up An Jin.

    An Jin seemed to have no bones as she sat in the Emperor Shizong''s embrace. She didn''t know where to put her hands and feet.

    Seeing the embarrassed look on the young girl''s face, Emperor Shizong couldn''t help but laugh. "How many times have I picked up you today?"

    An Jin shook her head. She stared at the wall in front of her, not even sparing a glance at the Emperor.

    The Emperor placed An Jinxiu on the bed and asked, "Are you ashamed?"

    An Jinxiu hung her head even lower and held her clothes in her hands, not speaking a word.

    The Emperor Shizong used his hands to adjust An Jin''s loose hair. The little girl had already been washed, but she didn''t wear any new clothes. She was still wearing a light green dress that was soaked wet. "Did I really not injure you?" "Tell me the truth," EmperorShizong asked An Jin.

    An Jinxiu quickly shook her head.

    "Then you should eat something first." Emperor Shizong still hadn''t thought of how to tell An Jinxiu about her son, Ping An. He had expected this little girl to cry so much that he felt it would be better to let her eat something first.

    An Jinxiu still shook her head. She raised her head and asked, "His Majesty said he would protect concubine?"

    Emperor Shizong said, "I''m not joking."

    An Jinxiu mumbled, "The general is a good man, but what about my son?"

    After sighing, he said, "There''s been a fire in the old alleyway south of the city." Sensing that her body had stiffened, the Emperor held on tighter, "Your Ping An is no longer with us."

    "No, he''s not?"

    "He is just a child, how can he escape the sea of fire?" With the idea that she would suffer more if he didn''t reveal everything in one breath, Shizong told An Jinxiu, "Other than Shangguan Yong who was away, all the Shangguan family members are dead."

    As she listened to the Emperor report their grievous news, An Jin''s heart was sliced open by the blunt blade again. However, facing the Emperor, how could she reveal her true sorrow? She bit the tip of her tongue. At this moment, what she wanted was not sadness, but the pity of the Emperor .

    However, after waiting for a while, the person in his arms didn''t make a sound. When Emperor Shizong looked down, he saw blood trickling down from the corner of An Jin''s mouth. This little girl''s face was already pale and unconscious. Ah Jin? " The Emperor Shizong used his hands to pry open An Jinxiu''s mouth, but the blood that flowed out from it instantly which dyed his hand red.

    "Someone, call a doctor!" Emperor Shizong shouted at the door of the guest room.

    A young eunuch outside the guest room replied and quickly ran away.

    The Emperor Shizong placed his hand into An Jin''s mouth and used his fingers to block the wound on her tongue." "You actually dared to bite your tongue in my embrace?" Emperor Shizong roared at the unconscious An Jinxiu, "If a son dies, I can give you a son. Do you really not believe that I will protect you?!"

    "Son?" An Jin''s heart skipped a beat as a thought appeared in her mind. The corner of her blood-soaked mouth curled up slightly. After which, there was only dead silence on her pale face.

    Imperial Physician Xiang and Rong dismounted from their horses in front of the An Mansion. Seeing the messenger who came to deliver them, the eunuchs under Eunuch Xie''s command didn''t dare delay any longer. They rode their horses all the way here.

    As the two eunuchs who had been sent to the doctor on orders from the Emperor ran out of the hall, they happened to see the two imperial physicians who had just dismounted from their horses.

    The two eunuchs rushed to the two imperial physicians, Xiang and Rong, and urgently said, "Milords, quickly follow this servant to see His Majesty."

    The two imperial physicians didn''t know what was going on in the main hall. As they followed the eunuch to the guest room, they asked, "Who was it that met with mishap?"

    "Your Majesty is in the room. This servant doesn''t know what happened," the eunuch who was personally trained by Eunuch Xie spoke carefully and meticulously.

    "Hurry over here," the Emperor didn''t expect the two to arrive at this moment. He didn''t have much time to ask, so he didn''t wait for the two imperial physicians to bow to him before saying, "She hurt her tongue. You guys come over to see her!"

    The emperor was holding a woman in an ordinary woman''s dress in the imperial hall. This matter was enough for the two imperial physicians to thoroughly consider. When they saw that the woman''s wounds were caused by a forceful bite, the two imperial physicians didn''t dare think of anything else.

    "How is she?" When the two imperial physicians were treating An Jinxiu''s wounds, the Emperor didn''t let go of her and asked the two imperial physicians this question.

    "In reply to Your Majesty," Among the two imperial physicians, one of them, Xiang Yuan Qing, "The wound on her tongue isn''t deep, so it''s possible that she doesn''t have much strength," he replied. It could also be that this woman had hurt herself, but he didn''t dare to say it out loud.

    This little girl was not only happy that she was under his protection, but also panicked and had suffered the pain of losing her son. A man couldn''t even bear the pain, let alone a weak girl like An Jinxiu.

    "Your Majesty," Xiang Yuanqing asked, "Should we start the treatment for her?"

    "What does this Emperor want you to do if not treat her?" Emperor Shizong asked.

    Xiang Yuanqing quickly opened his own medicine chest and took out a set of medical instruments and medicine. With the help of Rong Shuang, he focused on treating An Jinxiu''s wounds.

    It was only when blood stopped flowing out of An Jin''s mouth that Emperor Shizong finally had the mood to ask the two of them, "Who asked you to come?"

    Rongshuang quickly said, "Isn''t it His Majesty?"

    "I did not announce you."

    "Then," A hint of hesitation flashed across Rong Shuang''s beadless face. "Your Majesty, the eunuch who called this subject here is one of the eunuchs by Eunuch Xie''s side."

    This servant really thinks for me. Should I keep such a useful servant or not? The Emperor Shizong caressed An Jin''s hair as he weighed the pros and cons in his heart.

    When a strand of silk wrapped itself around his pulse, An Jinxiu knew that she had to wake up. To the imperial physicians, feigning unconsciousness was just a childish trick. She opened her eyes slightly and let out an unbearably painful moan.

    "I am here." Seeing that An Jinxiu had woken up, the Emperor quickly hugged her and whispered, "It''s fine. Nothing happened. Don''t think about anything. I will take care of everything."

    An Jinxiu opened and closed her eyes, as if she was powerless to open them. However, her tears flowed out from the corners of her eyes like beads with broken strings.

    "Don''t cry, if you cry anymore ˇ­ your eyes will tear apart," the Emperor gentle tone unconsciously frightened the two imperial physicians quite a bit, and their movements became even more cautious.

    After hearing what the Emperor said, An Jinxiu cried even harder. What was the point of using a gentle tone? Shizong was not Shangguan Yong. At this time, she missed Shangguan Yong and wanted to catch a glimpse of this man beside her. She wanted Shangguan Yong to tell her that they still had a way to go in the future, so she wouldn''t despair so much and lose sight of her future path.

    Shangguan Yong, who was being remembered by An Jinxiu, was not far from her at this time. They were both in the same city, one believing that their family was gone, the other alone, that they would never meet again.

    When Shangguan Yong returned to the inn, Qing Nan and the rest of them were standing at the entrance, staring at the two ends of the street, waiting for him to return.

    "Eldest brother." Qing Nan looked at Shangguan Yong who was surrounded by them and sitting down in the room, his eyes red. It was obvious that he had cried bitterly, and his face was ugly as well, but his expression was calm, so calm that it frightened Qing Nan and the others.

    "Why did you come?" Shangguan Yong asked his brothers.

    "Sister-in-law," Qing Nan wanted to comfort her elder brother, but how could men like them who joined the army speak words of comfort? He had a huge scar on his head. 18 years later, he would be a good man again. If anyone could say that out loud now, they would truly be bastards.

    "Tell me how you came here," Shangguan Yong didn''t need anyone to comfort him. His family was gone, and he wouldn''t die with them. If he didn''t take revenge, then even if he went to the underworld, what face would he have to see his own wife and siblings?

    "General Zhou told us to come," after they sat down around Shangguan Yong, Qing Nan said, "We were too late. When we returned, the city gate was already closed, we had to look for a brother of ours at the city gate before we managed to sneak in."

    After saying this, Qing Nan stomped his feet and said, "I didn''t expect that when we came in, we heard that there was a fire in the old alleyway in the south of the city. By the time we got there, it was already too late."

    Shangguan Yong said: "The Great General knows that something will happen to me?"

    "It was Big Brother who led us to attack the Mansion of the Duke of messenger king," a brother sitting beside Qing Nan said, "After Big Brother followed orders to return to the capital, that Marquis Xiang Xi went crazy! Putting aside finding trouble with the great general Zhou every day, he had brought along his men to tear down the entire Residence of Duke Xin!

    "The great general said that Marquis Xiang Xi must have been looking for something important. He was afraid that the bastard might suspect you, big brother, so he ordered us to chase after you."

    "Big brother, what are you going to do next?" Qing Nan asked, "What are you planning to do? We brothers will help you."

    "I want to see His Majesty." Shangguan Yong only thought at this time of giving the Emperor the King of Letters'' registrar list. Without his family, the empress and Crown Prince would not remain unscathed. At this time, Shangguan Yong no longer had his reverence towards the Imperial Family, the person who had killed his family was his mortal enemy.

    "Then we''ll go with big brother!"

    "That''s right. If you dare to drag the emperor down with you, we''ll go together!"

    ˇ­ ˇ­.

    "Shut up!" Qing Nan silenced all the brothers who wanted to go with Shangguan Yong. "Do you think this is the pass where we run horses to fight? If you can''t help, then don''t cause trouble! "

    "What do you mean, don''t celebrate or not die?" After being scolded by Qing Nan, some of the brothers immediately became angry, "If you have the ability, then tell us what we should do next!"

    From the moment Shangguan Yong asked him to carry away the son of the messenger king from the House of Xin, Qing Nan knew that the messenger king must have said something to his Shangguan brother. It was just that at that time, Qing Nan didn''t expect that the matter regarding the messenger king would destroy Shangguan Yong''s family and cause their deaths. Eldest brother, why don''t we go find the Grand Preceptor, "Qing Nan said to Shangguan Yong. "Eldest sister-in-law is his daughter"

    See An Shu? Shangguan Yong thought in his heart, can I trust this person?

 62 To deliver the coffin to the Residence of An

    Grand Preceptor An slept alone in his study that night, his heart troubled by the crown prince''s matters. The sound of the rain disturbing his clear dreams outside the room made it difficult for him to sleep, even while tossing and turning on his bed.

    When it was almost the fourth fragment of the night, Grand Preceptor An heard the steward outside calling for him, saying that Eunuch Xie had arrived. In the middle of the night, the senior eunuch of the Emperor came to find his home. Grand Preceptor An broke out in a cold sweat, thinking that something had happened to the emperor.

    Seeing Grand Preceptor An rush out to meet him, a smile still plastered on his face. He bowed and said, "Your servant greets the Grand Preceptor."

    Grand Preceptor An could see the wound on Eunuch Xie''s forehead with a single glance. Who could have injured such a favored eunuch like that? Grand Preceptor An was panicking inwardly, but no change could be seen on his face. "Did Eunuch Xie come to deliver the decree?"

    "Grand Preceptor, you still don''t know?"

    "What does this old man need to know?" Grand Preceptor An asked.

    "Tonight, there was a big fire in the old alley in the south of the city, and your Second Miss couldn''t escape this calamity," said Eunuch Xie. "Not a single person from General Shangguan''s family escaped, it really makes one''s heart hurt!"

    Grand Preceptor An was still unable to react when he heard the news of her death. "Who didn''t escape?"

    Eunuch Xie shed two drops of tears and said, "The An manor''s Second Miss is gone!"

    Grand Preceptor An''s heart ached as his body swayed a couple of times. Then he asked Eunuch Xie, "Then what does Eunuch Xie want from this old man?"

    "His Majesty ordered the servants to bring the Second Miss'' corpse to you," Eunuch Xie said. "His Majesty''s orders are currently General Shangguan was set off for battle, and for the Grand Preceptor to bury the bodies of his family."

    "This subject accepts the decree," Grand Preceptor An hastened to kneel down and receive the decree.

    "General Shangguan''s son is still too young. We can''t find his corpse after it''s burned to ashes. The Grand Preceptor should set up a memorial grave for him."

    Grand Preceptor An nodded.

    Eunuch Xie ordered the eunuchs behind her to hurry up and bring in the second miss'' corpse.

    The eunuchs brought the three fine black coffins over and placed them in front of Grand Preceptor An.

    "Grand Preceptor, do you want to see second miss one last time?" Eunuch Xie asked.

    Grand Preceptor An walked up to the coffin. He knew that the corpses of those who were burnt to death were terrifying, but when he saw them, he couldn''t help but take a few steps back.

    Eunuch Xie looked coldly at Grand Preceptor An. The so-called kinship of the various families was nothing more than this. After this Grand Preceptor learned of the ''death'' of An Jin, he hadn''t shed a single tear, so he might as well pretend to be sad. "Grand Preceptor, don''t mourn. You can''t revive a dead person." Eunuch Xie shook his head.

    Grand Preceptor An turned his back to her and felt nauseous. Only then did he turn back to Eunuch Xie and say, "For my daughter to receive such care from His Majesty, this subject is terrified."

    At this point, Eunuch Xie looked to the left and right of Grand Preceptor An and asked, "Why hasn''t Madam Qin come out?"

    "Eunuch still wants to see her?" Grand Preceptor An asked.

    "Did Madam Qin not tell the Grand Preceptor?" "She saw His Majesty today in one of the monastery of the An estate," Eunuch Xie said in a low voice as he walked up to Grand Preceptor An.

    "This old man dd not know about this," Grand Preceptor An said.

    "Did Madam Qin not tell the Grand Preceptor that she had called Second Miss An into the main hall?" "What a coincidence today. Your servant went to hunt with His Majesty in the North City. The Crown Princess and the Madam Qin were in the An clan''s main hall. Second Miss An was also there. At dusk, it started to rain. The road in the rain was difficult to traverse, so Madam Qin pitied the Second Miss and kept her here. "

    Grand Preceptor An''s heart originally ached at the news of her death, but Eunuch Xie words were like a bolt out of the blue. If An Jinxiu had stayed in the temple, how could this person have died in the fire in the old alleyway in the south of the city? If An Jinxiu was not dead, so how could the Emperor possibly send over three coffins?

    "Grand Preceptor," Eunuch Xie said in a considerate tone, "There are quite a few servants who followed Madam Qin to the main hall today. For the sake of the estate, this servant thinks it''s better if you take care of them as soon as possible."

    "Eunuch Xie, where do you think my second daughter can go?" Grand Preceptor An sat down slowly on a chair behind him and asked, "This old man has to know where to send her."

    "Your Majesty has always pitied Second Miss. The Underworld isn''t a place a woman like Second Miss should go."

    Grand Preceptor An felt a humiliation he''d never felt before. It was a feeling that almost made him want to cry out in anger when faced with bad fortune. An Jin was Shangguan Yong''s wife, and also his subject official''s wife. The Emperor was snatching away a married woman, isn''t he afraid of the world''s mockery?! What sort of place did the Emperor place his An clan in?!

    "Grand Preceptor," Eunuch Xie bowed towards Grand Preceptor An, "The corpse servant of the second young miss has already been delivered. You can report to His Majesty after the funeral. This servant still has to return to the main hall to serve His Majesty. This servant will take his leave now."

    "His Majesty is still in the main hall?"

    "Grand Preceptor, it''s rare to see a beauty," replied Eunuch Xie.

    Grand Preceptor An didn''t rise to send him off. He was already powerless to stand up again. Lightning flashed and thunder rumbled outside. The shadows of the flowers and trees reflected on the windows flickered like the claws of ghosts or chains that could captivate souls. Grand Preceptor An clutched at his heart. He couldn''t catch his breath, but his mind was filled with questions. What should he do?

    The news of An Jinxiu''s "death" soon spread throughout the entire Residence of An.

    Madam Qin laid on the bed, not daring to get up. At this time, she couldn''t wait to find a place only she knew to hide.

    Grand Preceptor An pushed open the door and entered his bedroom. He heard Madam Qin chanting on the bed. "Do you think chanting at a time like this is useful?" Grand Preceptor An asked his wife as he stood by the head of the bed.

    Amidst her panic, Madam Qin didn''t hear Grand Preceptor An''s footsteps as he entered the room. Suddenly, she heard a voice cry out and subconsciously wanted to hide.

    "You actually know how to be afraid by now," Grand Preceptor An stood unmoving, his gaze filled with loathing as he looked at n¨¦e Qin.

    "Husband?" At this moment, Madam Qin recognized Grand Preceptor An and half sat up in the bed. She wanted to smile at him, but the corners of her lips curled up, but no smile came out.

    "I never thought you could be such a person, you know? "Ah Jin is dead."

    "This concubine, this concubine just heard about it," Madam Qin hurriedly said. "This concubine doesn''t believe it."

    "Just now, Eunuch Xie from the palace delivered a burnt corpse of Ah Jin. An old alley on the south side of the city was on fire, burning all the people from the Shangguan family to death."

    Madam Qin looked at Grand Preceptor An, her lips trembling. "H-how could this be?"

    At this moment, the servants'' wails and pleas for mercy could be heard. They were all calling for Madam Qin to save them.

    "H-usband?" Madame Qin wanted to jump to the ground, but she didn''t dare move under Grand Preceptor An''s gaze.

    "Do you think anyone who goes with you to the monastery will be alive after you do something like this?" Grand Preceptor An asked Madam Qin.

    "What, what have I done?" Even now, Madam Qin still harbored a trace of fantasy. If she did not say what she had done today, or An Jinyan did not say it, and even the Emperor of the world would not say it, then who would know?

    "Old master," a steward reported from outside the room.

    "Arrest everyone." Grand Preceptor An ordered. Then said "Pour the medicine."

    These two words from Grand Preceptor An made Madam Qin kneel on the bed before him. She wailed andcalled out Master, but couldn''t utter any other words.

    "You still want to kill Ah Jin husband''s family," Grand Preceptor An pointed at Madam Qin. "I never knew you had such a heart!"

    "No, no," Madam Qin hurriedly said, "How dare I kill someone? I don''t know anything! "Old master!"

    "You," Grand Preceptor An raised his hand to hit her.

    "What are you doing?"

    Grand Preceptor An raised his hand to turn around, only to see Matriarch Zhou leaning on a walking stick by the door. The candlelight couldn''t be seen inside the room, while Grand Preceptor An couldn''t make out the expression on his mother''s face.

    "No matter what, she''s still the matriarch of our An clan." At the moment, Matriarch Zhou still didn''t know what had happened, but seeing how Grand Preceptor An had ordered her servants killed, the matriarch knew that the estate wasn''t at peace. She must be the main culprit behind all of this.

    "Mother."

    "Put your hand down. When did my An family ever fight with a woman?" "If Madam Qin did something wrong, An clan would have a rule of law against her. Why are you so angry?"

    The matriarch''s cold words caused Madam Qin to feel sorrowful. She had done so many things for the An clan, but wasn''t it still worthless in the eyes of this old woman?

    "Old master" Madam Qin raised her head towards Grand Preceptor An," You should ask our Crown Princess about this. It''s a pity that Ah Jin is so beautiful "

    Matriarch Zhou walked to the bedside and slapped Madam Qin twice. "Men of the An clan won''t hit women, but I didn''t say I won''t!"

    The matriarch Zhou knocked Madam Qin onto the bed, causing her to burst into tears.

    "Someone, come!" Matriarch Zhou called out to the half-opened door.

    The two servants by the matriarch''s side entered the room. They were both muscular women. When they stood by the bed, more than half of the bed was instantly covered up.

    "Watch her," the matriarch ordered. "Without my order, no one is allowed to come see her. If she cries out, seal her mouth for me!"

    "Yes, Grand Monarch." The two women bowed as they accepted the order.

    "You want to lock me up?" Madam Qin asked the matriarch, "Who do you think I am, Matriarch?"

    The matriarch glanced at the two women by the bed.

    The two wives stuck their bodies into the bed and covered Madam Qin''s mouth.

    She was a young miss of the Qin family, and later on, the madam of the An family, had never been through with this kind of experience. Madam Qin immediately fainted from shock and anger.

    "Follow me," Matriarch Zhou didn''t ask if Madam Qin was still alive. She only said to Grand Preceptor An, "Is it possible for Madam Qin to fly to the heavens in her estate?" You still have the time to chat with this woman at this time? "

    Grand Preceptor An stepped forward to support the matriarch, while the mother and son sat in the outer room.

    "Tell me the truth," Matriarch sat down before asking, "Is that pretty girl really dead?"

    Even in his shame and anger, Grand Preceptor An didn''t know how to tell this to his old mother.

    Matriarch Zhou looked at Grand Preceptor An. "So that means that girl isn''t dead. Where is she now?"

    Grand Preceptor An gritted his teeth. "She and His Majesty are in our An clan''s monastery hall."

 63 Putting in Well

    The matriarch didn''t need to ask her son any further. She could think of the things that the Qin family had done in the main hall today.

    "Mother," Grand Preceptor An said, "It looks like the An clan will be destroyed by my hands."

    "Destroyed?" The matriarch replied, "If our An clan is destroyed, what will happen to Yuanwen and the others? "The An clan has hundreds of lives, yet they want to die just because of one of your words?"

    "I," Grand Preceptor An was rendered speechless by his words.

    "Bring me a bogus corpse," Matriarch said. "It looks like His Majesty''s going to keep that girl by his side."

    "This must not happen!"

    "So?" The matriarch looked at her only son and suddenly felt disappointed. "You''ve also been an official for many years. I thought you''d know a lot being in the Grand Preceptor''s position."

    "She''s his subject''s wife, this isn''t something an emperor should do!" Grand Preceptor An said angrily.

    "Why didn''t you say it was your girl''s fault? "Will the people of the world say that His Majesty stole the wives of ministers, or will they say that An Jinxiu did not follow the ways of a woman and recommended her own Dragon Couch?"

    Grand Preceptor An''s face turned red. "You know this is not Ah Jin''s fault"

    "If the Son of Heaven gets angry, he''ll take the corpse for ten thousand miles," Matriarch said. "If it''s not her fault, then whose fault is it? Didn''t you hear what Madam Qin said? "The crown prince''s consort also participated in this matter. From my point of view,Madam Qin doesn''t have the ability to do so. I''m afraid our crown princess is the real mastermind."

    "She ˇ­" Grand Preceptor An didn''t know what to say about An Jinyan.

    "It''s our family''s misfortune that the eldest daughter of the An clan would do such a thing," Matriarch said, but there was no anger on her face. "However, she is our family''s future hope. No matter how much you''re angry, you can only help her at this time."

    "What about Ah Jin?"

    "Ah Jin? Do you think she can still come out and meet people? How much do you think a married woman can gain from favors? "

    "That''s not what your son meant," Grand Preceptor An said anxiously. "I meant ˇ­"

    "An Jin''s corpse is lying in that coffin," Matriarch interrupted. "There won''t be another person like her left alive in this world. Your daughter is dead!"

    Since things had already happened and they were powerless to change even the slightest bit, they might as well accept it all. They didn''t want to do anything else, nor did they want to think about it any longer.

    "We''ll bury those three corpses in glory," Matriarch added, "This is our An clan''s explanation to General Shangguan." Natural disasters are not something that us mortals can avoid, so he can''t blame us. "

    "Ah Jinyan''s heart is too cruel!" Grand Preceptor An sighed. "Ah Jinis her younger sister."

    "They don''t come from the same stomach, what love can they possibly have?" The matriarch shook her head. "In the future, you have to be nicer to Aunt Xiu. An Jinxiu is at the side of the emperor after all. I think she still have some feelings for her own biological mother." "Even if she were to be blessed in the future, as long as Aunt Xiu lives in our house, this girl will not be able to do anything to us."

    At this time, in the back yard of the Residence of An, Grand Preceptor second concubine wife, Lady Feng and Grandma Qian were holding umbrellas. They had searched the entire courtyard but had not found Aunt Xiu.

    "Where can she run to under such heavy rain?" Lady Feng anxiously asked Grandma Qian. After hearing the news of An Jin''s'' death '', she was almost scared to death. When she came back to her senses and ran to find Aunt Xiu in the room, she didn''t know that this person would be nowhere to be found.

    "When she came back, she even took a bath. I was just going to pour a bath. Where can this person run to?"

    "I can''t get out of this courtyard," Lady Feng said as she pulled Grandma Qian to the courtyard door. "Go out and find her."

    "If you don''t go out, won''t it be the same for the Aunt Xiu?"

    "You should just go and secretly search for her. If Matriarch and the Madam Qin find out, she''ll be in big trouble!" As Lady Feng spoke, she took off a silver ring from her finger and stuffed it into the hands of Grandma Qian.

    After receiving Lady Feng''s gift, she didn''t say anything else and left the courtyard with an umbrella.

    Lady Zhou sat in her own room, listening to Lady Feng close to her. "It looks like Aunt Xiu really did run away."

    Lady Zhou was busy sewing in her hands, not even raising her head. "Her daughter is dead, so how could madwoman beat her to death after a while? How could she be the same as us? At least we still have a son and a daughter. "

    Seeing how unmoved Lady Zhou was, lady Feng could only shut her mouth.

    At this time, Aunt Xiu had already been sitting by the well in the washroom for a long time. This well had been dug out when the House of An was first built here, and several hundred years had passed since then. Aunt Xiu reached out her hand to touch the abrasive marks on the edge of the well, then turned around to look at the tall wall behind her.

    When Madam Qin was still young miss, Aunt Xiu had already served by Madam Qin''s side for decades. Seeing Madam Qin''s wealth with her own eyes, it would be a lie to say that there wasn''t the slightest bit of jealousy in her heart. Seeing the Qin family grow up to be the most beloved daughter of the Qin family, and then grow up gracefully in the midst of wealth and prosperity year after year after marrying into a woman, Aunt Xiu sometimes thought, if only she could live her life with the Qin family.

    The cold rain poured on her body, but Aunt Xiu did not feel cold either. Thinking about her life and sleeping with Grand Preceptor An, if she hadn''t had the intention to cling on to him, how could the Grand Preceptor have noticed her when serving the tea back then?

    The Qin family was not wrong in scolding her. She was a bitch who knew how to seduce people. She was destined to die a horrible death. Her children were born into the An family and will always be part of this family for all of their lives.

    "Jinxiu, Yuanzhi." Aunt Xiu read the names of her children. She had done her best for them, so there was nothing she could do for them anymore. In the end, the Aunt Xiu also thought of Grand Preceptor An. She couldn''t afford to love this man, nor was she qualified to love him, but she was grateful to him for giving her two children so her life could continue. Besides that, Aunt Xiu raised her head and let the rain wash her face for a while.

    She couldn''t bear to part with her son and daughter, but she had no choice but to rearrange her hair. She couldn''t let herself be a burden to them. An Jinxiu wanted revenge, but this foolish child never thought that as a mother, she was still living in the Residence of An. How was she going to take revenge? She didn''t want to be the one blocking her revenge. An Yuanzhi wanted to have his own world and fly, but as long as she was alive, how much did his son have to pay to move out and get rid of the An clan that he hated so much?

    When she jumped into the well, Aunt Xiu was very happy. After thinking about it for a while, this was the last thing she could do for her children. When she thought of how her children would be free and unrestricted after her death, she felt at peace.

    Since the Residence of An was so large, Grandma Qian took half a day to walk around. She was only able to look around for a small part of the Residence of An. The old woman had no choice but to run back to the courtyard. When she asked if the woman was still missing, the servants in the courtyard all panicked. Even Lady Feng didn''t dare to stop her or keep the news any longer.

    Grand Preceptor An was in Matriarch Zhou''s room. When he was listening to Matriarch instruct the steward to arrange the funeral, he heard the news of Lady Xiu''s disappearance.

    "Then why aren''t you looking for it!" When Matriarch heard about the disappearance of Ah Jin''s concubine mother, she grew even more anxious. "Could she have run off to the southern end of the city by herself after hearing about the Ah Jin''s death?"

    The mansion''s steward found it impossible, because closing and locking the doors are always done when the sun set. Without the master and matriarch, even the eldest young master, An Yuanwen, would not be allowed to leave the mansion.

    As a concubine of the Grand Preceptor, how could she run out in the middle of the night? However, no one dared to say these words to Matriarch. No one was a person without a clear eye. Matriarch was currently in a foul mood. If they spoke out boldly, she would definitely vent her anger on this old man.

    Grand Preceptor An also knew that it wasn''t likely that the concubine would leave the estate, but he still followed her orders and ordered people to search the old alleyway south of the city. He also ordered the head steward to bring people to the estate to search as well.

    When everyone had left to search, Matriarch muttered to Grand Preceptor An, "We can''t let anything happen to this woman, or we''ll get into big trouble!"

    "Mother, your son has already sent someone to look for her," Grand Preceptor An comforted her. "This woman has always been timid. She must have found out about Ah Jin incident and hid somewhere to grieve."

    "If she''s timid, then she wouldn''t dare to leave her courtyard!" When Matriarch saw that Grand Preceptor An still didn''t seem to understand, she stamped her cane on the ground. "Why can''t you understand?" If something happened to Ah Jin''s mother, what would anything matter with your daughter? "She wants to bite the Crown Princess back, do you have a way to treat or stop her?"

    Grand Preceptor An''s mind was in a mess. Why couldn''t he understand the words of the matriarch? If An Jinxiu had insisted that An Jinyan was the one who schemed against her, would the Emperor have let the crown prince and An Jinyan off?

    To plot against An Jinxiu was equivalent to plotting against a Emperor. How could any emperor accept being plotted against? The crown prince''s position was not stable to begin with. This would only make things worse. The Crown Prince was his son, and the Emperor would not kill him. However, as someone as Ah Jinyan who had never given birth to a son for the royal family, how could the Emperor let her off?

    "Sin!" Matriarch scolded, "What crime did we, the An clan, commit?!"

    At this moment, a maidservant came to report that An Yuwen had brought his siblings to pay their respects to Matriarch.

    Grand Preceptor An said, "Let them in."

    When the juniors had all entered the room, Matriarch glanced at her grand daughter-in-law, Ning and said angrily, "Your second sister-in-law just died yesterday. Who are you wearing these flowery robes for? "Do you think this old woman isn''t sad enough? Are you still going to let me down?!"

    Ning was so frightened by Matriarch scolding that she fell to her knees.

    "She is just a woman, so she doesn''t know anything. How can you, who is already a court official, not know anything?" The matriarch''s face fell as she scolded An Yuanwen, "Your second sister is dead, and all the people in the family except for Shangguan Yong are dead! You even made your wife dress like this?! Are you blind?! "

    An Yuanwen had never known that An Jinxiu had such a place in the heart of the matriarch. He was completely stunned by the scolding.

    "This is the son you raised!" When Matriarch saw this, she grew even angrier. She pointed at Grand Preceptor An and scolded, "You deserve to be laughed at in our family!"

    Grand Preceptor An had also knelt down before the matriarch. As soon as he did, all of the masters of the Residence of An followed suit.

 64 How to feed coal in snow

    The body of the Aunt Xiu had been salvaged from the well by two servants from the Residence of An. A long bamboo pole was tied with a metal hook. Just like that, the hook was pulled onto the surface of the well.

    The maids present did not dare to look at the corpse. As for the male servants, they were all looking at the body of the beautiful lady with some surprise.

    Aunt Xiu body had been soaking in the well for several hours, but there was still no swelling. This beauty who was gradually growing older now had a calm expression, and a smile that was not a smile at the same time on her lips, as if she was in a dream.

    Grand Preceptor An looked at his woman. He''d never seen her asleep before. The An family''s man followed his family training and didn''t stay overnight in his concubine''s room. Therefore, every time he finished making love, he would leave in satisfaction. He never thought about how this woman would look like when she was alone sleeping.

    This woman was beautiful and gentle, but she had been by his side all these years. She didn''t speak much, neither did she fight nor snatch anything away from him. He had thought that he and this woman would be able to live a peaceful life together like this. Now that this woman had actually committed suicide, he couldn''t help but think that she would never be by his side again. Grand Preceptor An''s eyes suddenly reddened. How could this be?

    Matriarch sat on the sedan chair for a servant to carry over. When she arrived at the laundry yard, she saw Grand Preceptor An standing before the body of the Aunt Xiu, his head bowed in grief. What Matriarch hated the most was the way her son looked. If he hadn''t taken in this woman, how could all of this have happened? What did this woman give to the An clan? What could a woman like her, a wicked, and his unfilial, unfilial son, be sad for?

    "Grand Preceptor," The matriarch didn''t get supported after she was helped off the sedan. She used her walking stick to walk to his side.

    "Mother," Grand Preceptor An hastily put away his sorrowful expression when he saw Matriarch.

    In front of the servants, Matriarch looked at the body of the Aunt Xiu. Although there were no tears, she wiped them away and said, "It seems like the Aunt Xiu is dead. She can''t bear to leave Ah Jin alone." This mother and daughter pair are both unlucky.

    Those who committed suicide wouldn''t be able to enter An clan''s ancestral tomb. The servants present had no idea how to handle this funeral.

    Thinking of An Jinxiu, who had been left by the clan leader, and An Yuanzhi, who would return after leaving the capital city, Matriarch said, "Not far from the An clan''s mausoleum. Let''s find a good burial ground for her."

    The head steward, who was accompanying them, immediately agreed.

    "Put the concubine in her coffin," Matriarch added, "This matter can''t be blamed on her. It would be better for her to be disheartened. This can be considered a benevolent mother." Right now, we don''t know where Yuanzhi is. Let Yuanwen guard his spirit for half a day. "

    Asking An Yuanwen, the eldest son of the house, to guard a wake for a concubine? Grand Preceptor An hastened to say, "Mother, just let Lady Zhou, Lady Feng, and the rest guard their spirits."

    "She gave birth to two children for you, "the matriarch replied." Let Yuanwen go.

    When An Yuanwenheard Matriarch decision in his room, he nearly vomited blood. What right did he have to stand guard over the spirit of his father''s concubine? He had knelt in front of the matriarch for half a day already, yet this old lady still refused to let him off? What in the world had he done wrong? Why was this grandmother who had always doted on him tormenting him like this?

    "Then, hubby, do you want to go over?" Even after the matriarch had scolded her, Madam Ning still hadn''t recovered from their shock.

    An Yuanwen endured his anger and said, "What can I do if I don''t go?"

    Madam Ning didn''t dare to speak. Today, it wasn''t just An Jin who died, but the matter of the Aunt Xiu committing suicide caused everyone to feel restless. In the room where the matriarch had confined Madam Qin once again, Grand Preceptor An caught the servants who had gone with her to the hall yesterday. They tied up the servants with ropes and tied them up.

    Madam Ning wanted to ask An Yuanwen what had happened in the manor, but seeing An Yuwen''s gloomy expression, she didn''t dare to ask.

    Matriarch also knew that An Yuanwen would feel been wronged, but the reason she did so was to make a plan for the Residence of An''s future so that those two ingrate Ah Jinxiu and Yuanzhi wouldn''t bite them for the sake of their mother''s death.

    If it wasn''t for the fact that the death of Aunt Xiu had already spread throughout the estate, and that it was too late to stop people from talking, Matriarch really wanted to hide this woman''s death.

    When Shangguan Yong and Qing Nan arrived at the gate of the Residence of An, they saw a white banner hanging in front of the entrance. When Qing Nan went to inquire, the two found out that the Residence of An had been ordered to carry out a funeral for the Shangguan family.

    Qing Nan followed up and said, "I heard that His Majesty ordered the eunuchs in the palace to deliver the bodies of eldest sister-in-law, little Rui Zi, and Ning''er last night. Brother, are you going to meet them? "

    How could Shangguan Yong not meet them? Just as he was about to head up the stairs to the main entrance of the Residence of An, he heard the sound of gold jingling from the west end of the street.

    With her sharp eyes, Qing Nan looked to the west and then quickly said to Shangguan Yong in a low voice, "It''s the crown prince and the crown prince''s consort."

    When Shangguan Yong heard it was the Crown Prince, he immediately turned around and left.

    Qing Nan felt a burst of violence in his heart. It seemed that the matter with the messenger king was related to the crown prince. What bad luck did his big brother have for eight lifetimes to have gotten himself into such a rotten situation?

    Only after seeing the crown prince at the Grand Preceptor''s estate with his own eyes did Shangguan Yong remember that the Grand Preceptor had a son-in-law like the crown prince. There was no way to get Grand Preceptor An''s help on this path. Could it be that his only choice was to barge into the palace?

    On a teahouse by the side of the road, Guard Bai Deng turned around and called out to Bai Chengze: "Master look, that seems to be Shangguan Yong."

    Bai Chengze saw Shangguan Yong first before Bai Deng, the two men walking side by side had their collars pulled up to cover most of their faces, but the one following behind them was his subordinate, so Bai Chengze didn''t need to clearly see their faces to know that one of them was Shangguan Yong.

    "Master," asked Bai Deng, "would you like this servant to call him up to see you?"

    Bai Chengze shook his head slightly. He already knew that the person who wanted Shangguan Yong''s life was the Xiang clan. Shangguan Yong definitely had something that could put the Xiang clan to death and drag the crown prince down from his position as Crown Prince. When he saw the crown prince and his wife arrive at the Grand Preceptor''s estate, this military man finally realized that his father-in-law was also the crown prince''s father-in-law.

 65 Surprise or bargaining chips

    Saving Shangguan Yong and An Jin''s son was an accident for Bai Chengze. The superfluous actions of his hands gave him a surprise for Shangguan Yong, and also gave him a bargaining chip to deal with the couple. As for whether this was a surprise or a bargaining chip, it all depended on the relationship between him and Shangguan Yong in the future.

    "I don''t know where Madame Shangguan is," Bai Chengze said to the wet nurse. "I only know that the people outside are here to kill you, and that after you leave my residence, you will definitely die."

    The wet nurse was just an ordinary peasant woman. After being frightened by Bai Chengze''s words, she tremblingly asked Bai Chengze, "I wonder what your name is, is the master a friend of my master?" After receiving such a great favor from this benefactor, the wet nurse would always ask about the name of this benefactor.

    "The reason why I saved Ping An is because I have a friendship with Shangguan Yong," Bai Chengze said. "This time, Shangguan Family''s troubles are not small, so you don''t have to ask for my name to protect yourself. Just stay in this courtyard and take care of my good friends'' son. Once the matters outside are settled, I will send all of you out of the manor. "

    After saying this, Bai Chengze left.

    Bai Chengze didn''t even ask about her pregnancy during this trip, which made Mistress Yang a little disappointed. However, she quickly calmed down and got someone to help the wet nurse who was still kneeling on the ground.

    Bai Chengze told her to take charge of the backyard, whatever it was, it was up to her to do, what was there to be unhappy about? Even if the main wife were to enter the mansion in the future, she would be the most intimate person to Bai Chengze, so having this rule was enough.

    "Husband, madam." The wet nurse looked pitifully at Mistress Yang. She didn''t understand that telling her a name had anything to do with this mistress wanting to protect herself.

    "You ah," Mistress Yang looked at the wet nurse and sighed, "Even my master may not be able to protect your lives. If one day, you still fall into the hands of those killers, if you can''t survive the torture and reveal our master''s name, won''t our family end up the same?"

    The wet nurse looked at the little Ping An who was sleeping soundly in the arms of the unfamiliar woman and cried. It had only been a single night, yet she saw someone killed and set fire to the house. The wet nurse felt as if the sky above her had changed.

    Her husband had died in an accident when she was pregnant, and the baby had born prematurely and also died, so she had become the famous unlucky widower in their village. If it weren''t for An Jinxiu inviting her to be a wet nurse at home, the wet nurse might have been driven out of the village by the Wang family''s farmers. Now that such a thing had happened to the Shangguan family, the wet nurse was thinking in her heart. Was it her, this ominous person, that had taken over the Shangguan family after dealing with her husband?

    Mistress Yang saw her wet nurse tears, and wasn''t in the mood to advise this woman not to be sad. She really liked Ping An. A person who was about to become a mother wouldn''t even have the ability to resist children, let alone a cute and fat little kid. He would smile whenever he saw anyone, making the Yang family extremely happy. Mistress Yang, who was hugging Ping An in her arms, didn''t wake up from sleeping. She just watched on, thinking about her baby, her heart felt like it was melting, it was so sweet that she felt sick, and she just wanted her son to be as cute as this.

    Just as Bai Chengze returned to his study and sat down, he heard a report that the Ah Jin''s mother from the Residence of An had also died last night.

    Bai Chengze waved his hand and dismissed the people who came to report. Last night, quite a few people had died in the capital. Lady Xiu was An Jin''s mother. She was sent back to the Residence of An by the palace eunuchs last night. How could this woman also die? Had she seen something in the hall that forced her to die, or did Grand Preceptor An no longer want to keep her? Bai Chengze was thinking, should he go to the Residence of An to join in the fun?

    Bai Deng hurried in again and reported to Bai Chengze, "Master, the Imperial Concubine sent a message from the palace. His Majesty didn''t return to the palace last night.

    Was it the Emperor Shizong''s body that had summoned the imperial physician to the monastery hall, or was it the body of An Jin that had been unwell? A few guesses flashed across Bai Chengze''s mind.

    After asking Bai Deng to leave, the Fifth Prince took out his brush and wrote a note. On a rainy day like yesterday, the Crown Prince had invited their royal father to hunt in the palace. Bai Chengze waved this paper away. He would not say that the Crown Prince was in the wrong. He only tactfully suggested that when the Emperor leaves the palace in the future, it would be better to choose a sunny day.

    Up until now, it was impossible for their royal father to not realize that the crown prince had intentionally arranged for him to leave the palace yesterday. Firstly, Bai Chengze''s words were to show his filial piety, and secondly, to agitate the anger of his royal father, reminding the Emperor not to forget about the scheme the crown prince had set up against him in front of all the other princes.

    While Bai Chengze was writing his reports, the crown prince and his wife were in the Grand Preceptor''s estate, talking to Grand Preceptor An.

    When the crown prince saw Grand Preceptor An, he immediately felt embarrassed. On the other hand, when An Jinyan faced him, she had a calm expression, as if nothing had happened.

    Grand Preceptor An''s heart sank when he saw this eldest daughter. Her manners weren''t bad at all, but her tone of voice was cold.

    An Jinyan looked at the crown prince and smiled, "Your highness, you were anxious the whole night, you must be tired now, right? "Let''s take a rest in the Residence of An.

    The crown prince knew that An Jinyan and Grand Preceptor An had something to say, so he nodded to say he wanted to take a rest.

    Grand Preceptor An couldn''t chase the crown prince out, so he could only arrange for him to temporarily rest inside the estate.

    When the father and daughter faced each other alone, An Jinyan spoke to Grand Preceptor An, "I didn''t order my men to set the Shangguan family''s fire."

    Grand Preceptor An asked, "What did Crown Princess want to say?" "Why would you commit murder and arson?"

    "Father!" An Jinyan called out to Grand Preceptor An. "Even if I wanted her life, I wouldn''t want to take the lives of her entire family. Your daughter isn''t that ruthless."

    Grand Preceptor An didn''t say anything for a long time. Finally, he said, "You wanted the life of Ah Jin? She''s your sister! "

    "Father still doesn''t understand what I''m saying?" Seeing that Grand Preceptor An still wanted to talk about her second sister even at a time like this, An Jinyan grew a little anxious. "I didn''t want the lives of her entire family!"

    Grand Preceptor An said, "Do you want to or not? The Shangguan family is gone too."

    "If I didn''t kill them, then who killed the Shangguan Family?" An Jinyan said, "When the Shangguan family dies, His Majesty will think the same way as when you think I did it."

    "Originally, His Majesty would only suspect that the crown prince plotted against him. With the death of the Shangguan Family, His Majesty should''ve been certain that the crown prince plotted against him. All our previous attempts to curry favor with him have gone down the drain."

    It was rare to see An Jinyan at a loss for words. When Grand Preceptor An saw her like this, he felt a little puzzled again. "You really didn''t do it?"

    "How could I do such a stupid thing that would only harm myself?" "For the sake of the crown prince, I can only let down Ah Jin, but will I harm the crown prince as well?"

    "What do you want me to do?" Grand Preceptor An asked, "Since things are already like this, what else can I do for you?"

    Right now, An Jinyan couldn''t care less about Grand Preceptor An''s feelings. "Find that murderer and restore the crown prince''s innocence."

    "Innocence," Grand Preceptor An suddenly stood up. "Do you know that innocence words mean?" If you want me to return the crown prince''s innocence, then what about Ah Jin innocence? Who is going to return your sister her innocence?! "

    An Jinyan suddenly laughed, "Her innocence is comparable to the future of the crown prince. I think father will make the same choice as me. Who told her to capture His Majesty''s intentions attention? How can I let go of a chance to please His Majesty? "

    "Shut up!"

    "If anything happens to the crown prince, our family will definitely fall as well," An Jinyan didn''t feel any fear towards Grand Preceptor An''s anger, but she was forced to do so out of helplessness. She believed that her currently enraged father would still help her in the end for the sake of the An clan.

    "Being a wangfei can make you turn out like this," Grand Preceptor An''s heart ached as he looked at his daughter, whose face had already turned completely white. "I shouldn''t have sent you off to be elected in the first place!"

    "What''s the point of talking about it now?" An Jinyan said, "Father, you should find a murderer as soon as possible. No matter who it is, as long as it''s someone else."

    "Even an innocent person?"

    "As long as we can keep the Crown Prince out of this, I don''t care whether he is innocent or not."

    Grand Preceptor An was speechless for a long time.

    "Father has to hurry. This matter cannot be concealed from the princes for long. "Also, if Shangguan Yong is willing, you can let Jin Qu be his successor."

    An Jinyan had even schemed against Shangguan Yong, which made Grand Preceptor An''s entire body feel powerless.

    "I''ve paid my respects to Ah Jin as well," An Jinyan finished what she was about to say before she stood up and said, "Your daughter will be returning to the palace with the crown prince now."

    "The crown princess eft just like that?" Outside the door, Matriarch was standing in the corridor. When she saw An Jinyan emerge, she asked.

    An Jinyan looked at the empty courtyard and smiled at the matriarch. "Did the matriarch find me for something?"

    The matriarch replied, "Don''t you know how it is your mother?"

    "As long as I become the crown prince''s consort, then my mother will be the Madam of the Residence of An." An Jinyan walked to the matriarch''s side. "The matriarch shouldn''t make things difficult for her."

    The matriarch moved to the side. "Our An clan has done our best for the Crown Prince''s consort. I hope that in the future, you won''t forget that you''re from An clan."

    "Don''t worry, I''m not a person who forgets her roots. I can only say my apologies when it comes to Ah Jin."

    The matriarch didn''t get Grand Preceptor An to help her up. Instead, she said to An Jinyan, "An Jinxiu also has the surname ''An''. It''s her duty to help Lady An. Crown Princess apologies are superfluous."

    "The Grand Preceptor still loves me in this house," An Jinyan said with a smile as if she was still the dotedupon young miss of the Residence of An. She even had the tone of a spoiled child.

    "Don''t blame me for being heartless," Matriarch said after sending off the crown prince and An Jinyan. "We sent her into the Eastern Palace and placed all of the An clan''s future honor on her shoulders. We can''t afford to lose."

    "Since your son wants to make a trip to the justice courts, I''ll have to trouble mother with the funeral," Grand Preceptor An''s heart was at a loss again. But given the situation, he could only resolve the matter later.

    "I want to seal up Madam Qin''s courtyard," Matriarch said, stopping him. "Our An clan will only keep her from now on. You don''t lack women by your side, so just forget about this."

    Grand Preceptor An gave his mother a slight nod before hurriedly leaving the estate for the justice courts.

    From that day onwards, the gate of the Qin family''s courtyard was smashed to death. It would be impossible for the Madam Qin to think of coming out again.

 Chapter 66 - Heart Injury

    After a night of her heart dying like ashes, it was already afternoon when An Jinxiu woke up from her slumber. The Emperor Shizong had already returned to the palace early in the morning, but had only left Eunuch Xie to wait upon her.

    Knowing that the death of her biological mother had come from the mouth of a young eunuch serving tea, An Jinxiu could no longer bear the repeated grievous news. This coma not only injured her temple when she fell to the ground, but also left with her mother.

    The two imperial physicians, Yuan and Rong, didn''t dare let An Jinxiu die just like that. If this woman died, the Emperor wouldn''t spare them. Under the circumstance of not waking An Jin up, Rong Shuang used the Art of Burning on An Jin. When An Jin woke up, her arms had already been burned red.

    The two imperial physicians didn''t dare speak to An Jinxiu, but it wasn''t good for them to leave either. They stood by the bedside, waiting.

    When Eunuch Xie came over, she put down the bed cover for An Jinxiu. While persuading her, she said, "Madam, people cannot be revived. You''d better open up a little and grieve while you''re at it."

    An Jinxiu looked at Eunuch Xie. Her watery eyes masked all of her emotions. Even the imperial physician didn''t dare speak to her, so how could that young eunuch speak to her? He must have been ordered by this chief eunuch. This eunuch wanted her to die. He wanted her to die from the pain in her heart.

    Eunuch Xie looked at An Jinxiu lying on her side with her back facing him. He felt that he had brought a great deal of trouble upon himself. Seeing An Jin''s teary eyes and delicate and pitiful appearance, Eunuch Xie felt that this Grand Preceptor''s concubine daughter was nothing to be afraid of.

    She only had a good appearance, and there were plenty of women like her in the palace. Eunuch Xie suddenly felt reassured. Even if this woman received HisMajesty affections, she wouldn''t be a match for the queen and concubines in the palace after entering the harem. She wouldn''t be able to live for long.

    Her mother had actually committed suicide. Had Aunt Xiu done it after learning of Aj Jin"death"? An Jinxiu silently cried while lying on the bed, thinking about the death of her mother. Under the pain of despair, she was still able to consider the matters around her. This was something that the scheming An JinXiu of his previous life could do. Now that her wish to live together with Shangguan Yong had been shattered, the revenge she wanted to take, even she herself could not feel it, and she returned to being the woman from her previous life who had helped Bai Chengze become the emperor.

    It couldn''t be because of the news of her death. Even if she died, her mother would still have An Yuanzhi as her son. How could her mother be willing to let An Yuanzhi live alone in this world? An Jin quickly calculated all sorts of possibilities in her mind. In the end, she recalled the scene from last night in this guest room. Her mother''s hair was in disarray and her clothes were messy. Although she couldn''t see much when she walked, An Jin had bitten her lips.

    As the blood flowed down her throat, a sweet and fishy taste filled her throat. Yesterday, it wasn''t that nothing had happened here, but that her mother had taken everything for her. Damn it, these people deserve to die! Hatred made An Jinxiu''s entire body feel as if it was being roasted by flames, wanting to burn her to ashes. Even if Bai Chengze had abandoned her in his previous life, she had never felt such resentment like today.

    The smell of blood in her mouth was getting stronger and stronger. Just as she was about to lose consciousness again, An Jinxiu dug her fingers into the bed sheet and told herself, "She can''t die yet. If she dies, all her family members will die in vain!" She still needed to protect Shangguan Yong''s life, so she could not die. Even if she did not seek revenge, for Shangguan Yong''s sake, she could not die.

    "Madam!" There was no response from the bed for a long time, causing the two Imperial Physician Xiang and Rong, who were guarding the bed, to a non-stop worrying. After hearing the news of her own mother''s death, this little girl nearly fainted and fell asleep. How come there was no sound at all?

    Imperial Physician Rong lifted a corner of the bed curtain and stuck his head out. Before he could clearly see what An Jin looked like, Imperial Physician Rong could already smell the scent of blood. "Madam, are you hurt somewhere?" Rong asked hurriedly.

    He lifted the two fingernails, causing the two imperial physicians to feel the pinch, but An Jin herself had no reaction.

    "Madam, I''ll help you bandage them." He held a pair of tweezers in his hand, wanting to pull off two pieces of fingernails, but facing the teary face of An Jinxiu, he couldn''t bring himself to do such a cruel thing.

    These two imperial physicians were specially employed by the Emperor. It was useful to him to form a good relationship with them, so after she determined the value of the two imperial physicians, An Jinxiu spoke up weakly to the two imperial physicians, "My lords, I''m feeling very sad right now, I can''t feel any pain at all."

    Imperial Physician Rong, "The pain of fingernails being pulled out is one of the tortures in the Ministry of Justice. Please bear with it, Madam."

    Imperial Physician Yuan took a clean handkerchief and folded it a few times before letting An Jin bite into it.

    The fingers were linked to own heart. The pain of pulling off the nails was a heart-wrenching pain, but at most, An Jin''s face was even paler. Besides that, there really wasn''t any other reaction.

    Imperial Physician Rong who was standing at the side sighed. Looking at An Jin''s appearance, even though she was beautiful, she didn''t seem like a happy woman. It was unknown if it was luck or misfortune that a girl like this had fallen into the hands of the Emperor Shizong.

    As soon as Imperial Physician Yuan finished treating An Jin''s wounds, the Emperor arrived.

    By now, the Emperor had learned that Ah Jin''s mother had committed suicide last night. It hadn''t occurred to him that Aunt Xiu would know about his relationship with An Jin.

    The Emperor thought it was just that Grand Preceptor An had done it just in case. Although Aunt Xiu was An Jin''s biological mother, the Emperor couldn''t find any sympathy for the Grand Preceptor''s concubine, whom he had never met before. The idea of loving one''s home had never existed in this world before.

    After listening to the two imperial physicians, Yuan and Rong, explained the illness of An Jin, the Emperor

    ShiZong ordered the guests in the guest room to withdraw and sat down beside the bed.

    "Your Majesty." This time, when he saw An Jinxiu, she didn''t shed a single tear. Her eyes were filled with grief, giving the Emperor a feeling that they had nothing to live for.

    "I''ve heard about your mother''s matter," Emperor Shizong said as he held An Jinxiu in his arms. He lifted her left arm and pushed up her sleeve, causing a large patch of burn marks to appear in front of her eyes, "I know you''re sad, but just treat it for me. Don''t hurt your body anymore," he told her.

    An Jinxiu sneered in her heart. Since she was already dead, what was the use of having such a glorious funeral? Furthermore, how glorious would it be for Grand preceptor''s concubine, or even a concubine who would commit suicide in the mansion, as a funeral? Her mother couldn''t even enter the An clan''s ancestral tomb, so how could she talk about treating her mother unfairly?

    "Does it hurt?" Emperor Shizong looked at An Jin''s arm, then at the wrapped fingers, before asking her in a soft voice.

    When she thought about how this man had used his mother before, she felt a wave of disgust. She instinctively wanted to push him away, but she didn''t do anything at all. As someone who still wanted to live, she could not bear the consequences of pushing the Emperor aside, so she could only pretend that nothing had happened.

    "It does hurt," An Jinxiu said in a low voice. "I don''t have anything now."

    "Isn''t there still me?"

    An Jinxiu raised her head to look at him and asked, "Is Your Majesty not afraid?"

    The Emperor looked at the pale and exquisite face and asked, "What should I be afraid of?"

    An Jinxiu said faintly, "I am just a woman, but I know that people''s words are like gold."

    "The Grand Preceptor''s daughter, An Jinxiu, is already dead," the Emperor said as he stroked her face. "You''re just a girl with the same surname as her. How can the mouths of the people of the world mend the name of my Son of Heaven?"

    An Jinxiu lowered her eyes. "My heart cannot rest."

    He would protect her from harm. Now that this little girl has no one left, she will definitely not be able to live in this world anymore. This kind of mentality allows the Emperor to protect her even more." "Don''t think about anything else in the future. Just think about me."

    "My family''s general, where''s Shangguan Yong?" "He''s still alive, he''s the only one left in the Shangguan Family."

    "Then I shall execute him as well," said the Emperor Shizong.

    An Jinxiu''s body stiffened and her face turned ashen. It wasn''t that she didn''t have any idea how to respond, but she felt a sharp pain in her chest when she heard him say this.

    "Ah Jin?" Seeing that An Jin didn''t look too good, the Emperor held her in his arms as he shouted towards the door, "Imperial Physician, please come in!"

    As Yuan Qing and Rong Shuang entered the room, they saw An Jin, who had fainted in the arms of the Emperor, and their faces turned bitter.

    "What are you waiting for?" "What''s wrong with her now?" Emperor Shizong asked the two imperial physicians anxiously.

    This time, Rong Shuang took a very long pulse, then hesitated for a long time. Just as the Emperor was about to lose his temper, Imperial Physician Rong said to the Emperor, "Your Majesty, this madam''s grief is excessive. For a long time, her heart will definitely be injured."

    "Is her heart meridian injured, or not?" Emperor Shizong asked.

    Rong Shuang knew that the Emperor would be angered, but he didn''t dare to not tell the truth. "Wounded."

    The Emperor Shizong gently placed An Jin down and covered her with a blanket. He said to the two imperial physicians, "You two, wake her up first."

    The two imperial physicians didn''t dare to tarry as they hurried to the bedside.

    Not long later, the two imperial physicians heard a young eunuch cry out from the courtyard outside the door, begging for mercy.

    "It''s none of our business." Rong Shuang hurriedly said to his comrade and friend, "You must be careful. If anything happens to her, the little eunuch shall be our example."

    The young eunuch who told An Jinxiu that the aunt had died was dragged out by a guard to be killed.

    Eunuch Xie kneeled in front of the Emperor Shizong and slapped himself in the face. It was because of his treatment that this eunuch had talked too much.

    "This is the last time I''ll allow you to live," the Emperor Shizong said to Eunuch Xie. "If anything happens to Ah Jin, I won''t keep you here any longer!"

    Eunuch Xie was busy kowtowing under the foot of the Emperort. If that woman An Jin didn''t have the ability to stir up waves, then what was he doing? He would definitely have to let this woman live in peace until she entered the harem.

    The Emperor turned around and entered the house. An Jinxiu was still unconscious when the Emperor asked Rong Shuang, "Can I take her back to the palace at this time? Will she be able to bear the bumpy carriage ride?"

 Chapter 67 - Monarchs Without Ridicule

    The two imperial physicians both shook their heads. They didn''t have any objections to bringing the person on the bed back to the palace, but they had no confidence that she would survive after entering the palace.

    Seeing the two imperial physicians shake their heads, the Emperor didn''t bring up the matter of taking An Jin back to the palace. Instead, he asked Rong Shuang, "Why isn''t she awake yet?"

    Rong Shuang said, "Your Majesty should just let Madam sleep for a bit longer."

    Emperor Shizong sat on the bed and looked up at the two imperial physicians whom are still standing in front of him.

    "This official will take his leave." Yuan and Rong were not people without eyes, so they hurriedly left the guest room.

    The Emperor Shizong turned to look at the sleeping An Jin. Even in her dreams, the little girl furrowed her brows and said, "You still don''t believe me?" The Emperor stroked An Jin''s eyebrows as he said to himself in a low voice: "Looks like with Shangguan Yong, Zhen won''t be able to move?"

    An Jin was in her dream. Other than being trapped in darkness, there was nothing else she could do. She had nowhere to go and stood in the darkness, looking around blankly. There was the sound of a child''s crying in front of her, as if he was Ping An. An Jinxiu ran forward, but she couldn''t catch up.

    Suddenly, Shangguan Ning''s voice called out to her ''Sister-in-law'', and she jumped off as naughtily as usual. In the darkness, there was only An Jinxiu left running. The two voices had long since disappeared. She had fallen into a dream and knew that she would never get out of it.

    Even though the beauty was beside him now, he was tired. He had to think carefully about how to deal with the crown prince, and think about the fire in the old alleyway in the south of the city.

    After sunset, the usual homecoming hymns were heard in the mortuary.

    When he opened his eyes, he saw An Jin, who was in his embrace, blushing and mumbling to herself. Even though Emperor Shizong was listening attentively, he could not hear what An Jin was saying in her sleep.

    Rong Shuang was called into the house by the Emperor again. When Rong Shuang entered the room and saw the look on An Jin''s face, he knew that he wouldn''t be able to escape this serious illness.

    Imperial Physician Rong''s hands trembled when Ah Jin suddenly opened her eyes.

    "Ah Jin?" The Emperor Shizong looked over to see An Jin. His voice was filled with concern as he called her name.

    "Your, Your Majesty?" As soon as she saw the face of the Emperor, she immediately returned to reality.

    Eunuch Xie walked over with a bowl of soup that had been cold for a while.

    How could An Jinxiu allow this eunuch to serve her with medicine? She felt nauseous just by looking at this eunuch. She forced herself to sit up on the bed and reached for the medicine.

    Eunuch Xie didn''t dare to let An Jin take the medicine. He respectfully said to her, "Madam, your servant will serve you."

    An Jinxiu looked at Emperor Shizong as if she was begging for help.

    Surprisingly, the Emperor Shizong took the medicine bowl from Eunuch Xie hand and said to An Jin, "You have to get used to being served. This time, I''ll feed it to you."

    An Jin swallowed a mouthful of bitter medicine. With an embarrassed expression, she whispered to the Emperor, "I, I have a servant girl."

    The Emperor Shizong was stunned for a moment, but when he finally understood what An Jin had meant, the Emperor Shizong laughed out loud and said, "You little girl, he''s a eunuch, yet you''re not ordering him around like a woman. Do you still want to be shy in front of him?"

    An Jin''s face was red as she carefully looked at Eunuch Xie. She opened her mouth to speak.

    The Emperor sent a spoonful of medicine into An Jinxiu''s mouth. She smiled and said, "The palace has more eunuchs than the palace maids. If you can''t get used to it, how will you live in the palace in the future?"

    An Jinxiu lowered her head. She looked like she was out of strength, but it also looked like she had been beaten down by the Emperor for quite some time.

    "You may leave," Emperor Shizong said. He held a medicine bowl in one hand and helped An Jin lie down with the other.

    After Rong Shuang left the guest room, he looked at Eunuch Xie and said: "Head Steward, it looks like we''ll have to stay in the main hall for a while longer."

    Eunuch Xie smiled. He had never expected the Emperor Shizong to hold a woman in such high regard even though she was already in his possession.

    "Head Steward." At this moment, Rong Shuang wanted to ask for a few words from Eunuch Xie. Just what was the Emperor''s plan for this An Jin girl?

    "Let''s see again," Eunuch Xie whispered to Rong Shuang. "Once she''s in the palace, we''ll know what this lady''s fate is. Here, we will serve her with care. "

    For some reason, Rong Shuang felt that even if this An Jin entered the palace, she would still be able to survive. It was just a matter of feeling that he couldn''t tell anyone.

    In the guest room, An Jinxiu, who had finished feeding the medicine, asked, "Your Majesty, does this humble one''s father know that this humble one is still alive?"

    "Your concubine is afraid that he would scold your concubine."

    "How dare he scold you now?" "He knows that you are not dead," said the Emperor Shizong. "We do not intend to hide this from him. If you wish to see him, I shall allow you to see him. "

    An Jinxiu was a bit surprised. She thought it would take some effort to get the Emperor to agree to let her meet with Grand Preceptor An. But before she could say she wanted to meet with him, the grand Emperor said it himself.

    "Is your father good to you?" Emperor Shizong asked An Jinxiu.

    An Jin nodded. "Father has always been nice to me and my younger brother. Actually, the people of the Residence of An have never treated me unfairly."

    The Emperor held on to An Jin and sighed as he rubbed their his chin against her hair. Even until today, this little girl still hadn''t thought it through. Wasn''t Madam Qin and sister trying to kill her? Whatever, the Emperor thought later. It''s fine if this little girl is stupid. He doesn''t like women who are too sophisticated and smart, because this kind of woman was lacking in the palace.

    "Your, Your Majesty," An Jinxiu stuttered as she called out to the Emperor again. She looked up at the Emperor before lowering her head, as if she wanted to speak but didn''t dare to.

    "You little girl," Emperor Shizong said.

    Emperor Shizong said: "I won''t touch Shangguan Yong, he''s also a general in my court. Girl, now are you relieved?"

    The Emperor was thinking about what Rong Shuang had said. The heart meridian of the young woman in his embrace was no longer good. It''s dangerous if she was overly sad and had a palpitation in her heart.

    If not killing Shangguan Yong will make this girl feel at ease, then he wouldn''t kill Shangguan Yong. In the future, he would send this general husband to a faraway place and it would be fine if he didn''t see him with his own eyes.

    An Jinxiu was buried in the Emperor''s embrace, looking at Shangguan Yong matter, she was guessing if the Emperor words were true or false.

    "I still have some matters to attend to at the palace. I told your father to come see you right away, so you must promise me that you will not cry after seeing your father," Emperor Shizong said to An Jin. "Tell me, are you going to cry or not?"

    "Stop crying," An Jin said. "In the future, don''t cry."

    The softness of An Jin made the Emperor think of home cats. His body began to grow hot again. Last night, he was too delirious to savor the taste of this little girl. However, the Emperor could only touch the face of An Jin. This little girl could not even stand the jolting anymore. Since it''s next day just now, the Emperor had a good look at An Jin again. Her sickly face was so beautiful that if she were to change into palace clothes, who knew how beautiful she would be.

    "Your Majesty?" Seeing that the Emperor was staring at her, An Jinxiu started to panic.

    "I''ll come and see you tomorrow. Eunich Xie is my personal eunuch, and I''ll keep him here to serve you," the Emperor said after kissing An Jin''s forehead.

    "Eunuch Xie?"

    "I''m a bit afraid of him."

    "You are the master and he is a servant. What are you afraid of him?" Emperor Shizong asked An Jin with a smile.

    An Jinxiu whispered, "I heard that the people outside call him Head Steward."

    An Jinxiu couldn''t even compete with her own sister, so when facing this kind of person, the Emperor could only step back a bit and say, "First let him serve you, I will pick an honest man to serve you."

    Only then did An Jinxiu nod her head. Xie, this eunuch had sided with Bai Chengze in her previous life and was a vicious and merciless person. She could not afford to use such a person, nor could she let him stand in her way.

    The Emperor liked An Jinxiu, he don''t want to leave her alone but he needs to go. After comforting her for a while, he left for the palace.

    An Jinxiu saw Emperor departure then saw Eunuch Xie led into the room with Zi Yuan.

    "Madam," Eunuch Xie smiled and said to An Jin, "This maid is someone who has been serving Madam for a long time. This servant has brought her here."

    An Jinxiu hurriedly thanked Eunuch Xie. She stuttered as she expressed her thanks.

    "Madam, please talk for a while with Zi Yuan. This servant will not disturb you." Although he didn''t think much of An Jin, he still maintained a respectful expression when he spoke with An Jin.

    "Yes, thank you, Head Steward," An Jinxiu stuttered.

    Eunuch Xie turned and walked away.

    From yesterday to today, to Zi Yuan, it was as if the entire world had collapsed. "Little Miss ˇ­" Zi Yuan ran to An Jin''s side and cried, "Just what happened?" Why did everyone die all of a sudden? "

    "Stop crying. There''s no use in crying now." An Jin raised her hand to wipe the tears away from her eyes. "Zi Yuan, my father will come over later. I''ll let him take you away. You don''t need to follow me anymore."

 Chapter 68 - Loyal Servants

    "Where does Miss want me to go?" Zi Yuan asked about An Jin.

    "You''re not young anymore, so you found an honest and good man to marry to." Eunuch Xie is probably outside the door. An Jinxiu couldn''t speak loudly, so she said to Zi Yuan in a soft voice, "I''ll give you the documents. You''re not a servant anymore. Live your life properly."

    After An Jin had married into the Shangguan family, she had told Zi Yuan that when Zi Yuan was married in the future, she would give her freedom as a slave under the decree of a slave. However, at this time, An Jinxiu mentioned this to Zi Yuan, who became anxious and said, "I''m not marrying. How am I supposed to leave like this, young miss? I''ll follow you, and I won''t go anywhere! "

    "If you follow me obediently, you won''t end up well!" As An Jinxiu covered Zi Yuan''s mouth, she said, "Do you want me to watch you die again?"

    Zi Yuan shook off An Jinxiu''s hand and knew why she covered her mouth. She lowered her voice and said, "Miss, who do you think I am? "If you want to die, then die together. I am not the type of person who would break a spirit of loyalty!"

    An Jinxiu was at a loss of whether to laugh or cry. This girl still wanted to be loyal to her!

    "If you want to chase me away, then so be it." Zi Yuan looked around the room, but didn''t see anything useful. She told An Jin, "I''ll just ram my head into a wall here for you to see!"

    An Jinxiu wanted to be angry, but she couldn''t release her anger when facing Zi Yuan. She could only sit down with her and say, "I''m going to enter the palace. Your temper won''t last even a day in the palace. If you don''t want me to die of anxiety, then obediently listen to me!"

    "As long as young mistress can live, I can live!" Zi Yuan also didn''t understand why An Jinxiu wanted to go to the palace, but she couldn''t care less about that right now. "I''m just a servant girl after all. I''m not afraid. "

    "You don''t know how to be afraid!" An Jinxiu said, "The general is in Xiang An city. Why don''t you go find him? Serving the general is tantamount to serving me."

    "Miss!" "You want to give me to the general?"

    An Jinxiu was stunned by the shout of Zi Yuan. She hadn''t thought of this, but now that Zi Yuan had called her out this idea. She suddenly thought of another woman accompanying Shangguan Yong in the future, and her heart was once again cut by a knife.

    "I won''t do it." Zi Yuan didn''t wait for An Jinxiu to speak and directly told her, "I will serve the young miss. I can''t just watch the young miss enter the palace by herself!"

    "Do you know what I''m going to do?" An Jinxiu asked.

    "I''ve heard about what happened yesterday." Zi Yuan sat down next to An Jinxiu and said, "I don''t know what happened to Miss, but I know that Ping An, Second Young Master, Third Miss, Nanny, and even Aunt Xiu are all dead. Miss, you must want revenge, right?"

    An Jin didn''t say anything, but the look in her eyes became fierce.

    However, she didn''t want to implicate Zi Yuan anymore. She shook her head at Zi Yuan, "If you''re by my side, I have to worry about you. How do you want me to concentrate on my revenge?"

    When Zi Yuan heard An Jin''s words, she became sad. She had just stopped her tears for a moment before she said fiercely, "Then I won''t implicate Miss. I''ll see them go safely!" At this point, Zi Yuan rammed her head against the wall beside her .

    "You!" An Jinxiu stretched out her hand to pull her, but how much strength could a sick person have? She did pull on her hand, but she could not hold onto Zi Yuan as she led her to the ground.

    Outside, Eunuch Xie heard the sound of tables and chairs falling to the ground. He quickly brought his subordinates to the room and saw that both Master and Servant in the room had fallen to the ground.

    "What''s going on?" Eunuch Xie hurriedly came forward with the eunuchs. He personally helped up An Jin and asked, "Madam, are you alright?"

    An Jinxiu pointed at Zi Yuan and said to Eunuch Xie, "If she doesn''t listen, then chase her out for me!"

    Zi Yuan was pulled up from the ground by the two eunuchs, and started to sob loudly. "If Miss doesn''t want me, then I''ll die!"

    "How dare you!" Eunuch Xie suddenly roared at Zi Yuan, saying, "Is this your attitude when you talk to Master? If this was the palace, you would definitely be beaten to death! "

    After being yelled at by Eunuch Xie, Zi Yuan did not even dare to cry.

    An Jinxiu looked at Zi Yuan and sighed.

    Once she entered the palace, she didn''t know how long she would live. How could she find a good home for Zi Yuan? An Jinxiu still shook her head.

    "Madam, it was also His Majesty''s intention to have that girl serve you," Eunuch Xie took out the name of the Emperor and told An Jinxiu, "Look at this imperial edict, none of us dare to go against it."

    An Jinxiu looked at Eunuch Xie.

    "This is one of the people by Madam''s side. The fewer people in the world who know about Madam, the better. If that girl isn''t with you anymore, then His Majesty won''t keep her life any longer!"

    An Jinyan seems to had forgotten to silence Zi Yuan. An Jinyan and Madam Qin had even burned down her home, so how could they leave Zi Yuan alive? Once she understood what was going on, An Jin pretended to jump up in fright. She was pressed on the shoulder by Eunuch Xie, and then she sat still again.

    "Alright." Eunuch Xie saw that An Jinxiu understood his words and felt a little satisfied. He straightened his body and said to his subordinate, "There''s nothing else to do here. Let''s go out."

    Once again, only the master and the servant remained in the room. Zi Yuan rushed in front of An Jin and said, "I''m not leaving."

    An Jin got up and walked to the new bronze mirror in the room and said to Zi Yuan, "If you don''t want to leave, then don''t. I can''t kick you out either. "The Grand Preceptor''s coming over soon. Help me comb my makeup."

    An Jin look at herself in the bronze mirror. She whispered to Zi Yuan, "Little girl, follow me. From now on, we won''t be good people anymore."

    Zi Yuan said, "Miss is not a bad person, so why can''t we be good people?"

    Currently, there was no one who could be trusted to escort Zi Yuan away from the capital. An Jinxiu could only bring her along with her, so she had to let her know about what had happened last night.

    After Zi Yuan listened to half of An Jin''s words, the comb in her hand dropped to the ground. She was so shocked that her soul almost left her body as she muttered repeatedly, "How can they be like this? How can this be? "

    An Jin put on her makeup and waited for Zi Yuan to calm down.

    Zi Yuan mumbled absentmindedly for a while, before pulling An Jin''s hand as she put on her makeup. "Miss, we can''t just let it go like this!"

    "Mm," An Jinxiu said, "We can''t just let it go like this. Pick up the comb, we will not have the same life as before, and your temper can no longer be rough. "

    Zi Yuan bent down to pick up the comb that had fallen to the ground. She held it in her hand, but didn''t move to comb An Jin''s hair. "Miss, we shouldn''t have come here yesterday."

    Zi Xian bit her lips tightly. Her hands, which had been combing An Jin''s hair, were trembling.

    On the other hand, An Jinxiu cruelly narrated what had happened to her. Finally, she asked him, "Do you still want to follow me into the palace?"

    "Go," Zi Yuan wiped her eyes and said with a tearful voice, "Zi Yuan said that she would take revenge."

    Both Master and Servant were silent for a moment. One of them was wearing makeup while the other had her hair tied up in a bun. They were both absent-minded.

    Grand Preceptor An was found in the justice courts by a court eunuch. When he heard that the eunuch wanted him to go to the monastery, he shook his head out of instinct.

    The young eunuch didn''t waste any more words with Grand Preceptor An, but said, "This is His Majesty''s intention."

    Even if he didn''t want to see An Jin anymore, Grand Preceptor An couldn''t even refuse.

    "His Majesty wants the Grand Preceptor to go to the private hall?" Lord Wei said.

    Grand Preceptor An could only smile at the old man. "His Majesty spent the night in my Anshi Hall last night"

    Grand Preceptor An came out of the justice courts, got on a palanquin, and headed straight for the monastery. As he sat in the sedan chair, Grand Preceptor An mused, "What should I do when I face An Jin?"

    In reality, the An clan had given up on this daughter of him and had chosen An Jinyan.

    Hearing the voices outside the palanquin, Grand Preceptor An was filled with annoyance. He opened his mouth several times to call for the sedan bearers to turn around, but the Grand Preceptor didn''t dare disobey the words of the Emperor.

    Grand Preceptor An sat on the palanquin as if he were sitting on pins and needles. He really wished there was a eunuch from the palace who could catch up and tell him not to go. When the sedan chair landed on the ground, his own hall was right in front of him. Even Grand Preceptor An hadn''t been able to wait for this eunuch.

    After standing in front of the entrance for a while, Grand Preceptor An spoke to his followers. "I''m going in. You guys wait here."

    The servants of the Residence of An saw the guard with a saber standing in front of the entrance to the main hall. They were all secretly shocked, not knowing what had happened inside the main hall. From yesterday to today, the events that had happened in the Residence of An had happened one after another. Although it was not enough to make their hearts palpitate in fear, they were still dazzled.

    Grand Preceptor An walked up the steps. A guard with a saber opened the door for him. He had seen this guard at the side of the Emperor. He was one of the Emperor''s personal bodyguards. The reason these people had come to watch over this hall was to ensure the safety of An Jin? Grand Preceptor An couldn''t think of any other answer, nor could he ask. He could only enter the hall full of doubts.

 Chapter 69 - Father and daughter

    Zi Yuan had washed her face, but the tears on her face were still very obvious. She told him with a straight face that An Jin was in the garden waiting for him, and told him to follow her.

    There was a large garden inside the main hall. Because Matriarch loved bamboo, Grand Preceptor An had ordered people to plant nearly three acres of bamboo forest in the garden 20 years ago. When Grand Preceptor An followed Zi Yuan into the bamboo forest, a cool breeze blew gently. No one could tell that it was already early summer outside the forest.

    After leading Grand Preceptor An through the forest for a while, Zi Yuan pointed to a corner of a nearby stone pavilion and said, "Grand Preceptor, the young miss is waiting for you there."

    Grand Preceptor An walked alone to the front of the stone pavilion. When he saw the figure seated within, he grew a bit nervous. As a father, he didn''t know how to face his daughter at this moment.

    When An Jinxiu heard the sound of footsteps, she turned around and saw that it was Grand Preceptor An. She stood up and smiled at him. "Father came?"

    The smile on her face was as plain as ever, causing Grand Preceptor An to stand there in a daze. How could An Jinxiu still smile at this time?

    "Father, why are you looking at me like that?"

    "Ah Jin," Grand Preceptor An said, "Are you alright?"

    An Jinxiu stood in the stone pavilion without moving. This was the highest point of this bamboo forest, and she could see the entire bamboo forest from here. Eunuch Xie wanted someone to eavesdrop on the father and daughter, but he didn''t have the chance.

    When Grand Preceptor An saw that An Jinxiu wasn''t answering his question, he could only take a few steps into the stone pavilion and ask, "Did His Majesty tell you something?"

    "I heard the eunuch say that he found you in the justice courts."

    Grand Preceptor An said, "That''s right, your father has matters to attend to in the justice courts."

    "There''s a funeral at home, what''s father going to the justice courts for? Could it be that the justice courts are still in charge of the official''s funeral? "

    The mockery in An Jinxiu''s words was so strong that Grand Preceptor An couldn''t help but ask, "What are you trying to say to your father?"

    "Is it for the crown prince''s consort?" "Did she ask Father to go to the justice courts to find the murderer of my entire family?" asked An Jinxiu.

    "Ah Jin?" Grand Preceptor An took a step back. How could she know about this?

    An Jinxiu turned around, and the smile on her face had disappeared. Her beautiful face was frosty as she said, "But even if our mother are different, I am still your daughter! An Jinyan wants to be Empress to the world, and she wants to be rich and powerful. Have I asked you for these before? "

    "I am An Jin. Who else can I be?" An Jinxiu suddenly smiled again. "However, the Grand Preceptor''s second daughter has already died, just like that."

    "Ah Jini sn''t like you," Grand Preceptor An shook his head. "She wouldn''t say something like that to me."

    "Father," An Jinxiu sneered, "You are not a woman, why would you put on such an attitude? Have you found the justice court''s official and discussed who you want to convict as the culprit who annihilated my Shangguan Family? "

    Grand Preceptor An was suddenly embarrassed and annoyed. He had wronged An Jin, but he couldn''t tolerate her speaking to him in such a condescending manner. It was as if she was the daughter of a sovereign while he was the father of a vassal. I am your father! " "Who do you think you''re talking to?" Grand Preceptor An asked.

    "Father?" An Jinxiu smirked, "I, An Jinxiu, also have a father? Now that you have accepted me as your daughter, what will the one from the East Palace do? "

    "You!"

    "An Jinyan wants me to die, but what about you, Father? Do you also think I deserve to die? " An Jinxiu asked.

    Grand Preceptor An didn''t know what he should answer. Deep in his heart, he truly felt that An Jin shouldn''t be living anymore. If this daughter of his, lived any longer, it would be a humiliation to his Xunyang An clan.

    An Jin sat on a stone bench in the pavilion. She looked at Grand Preceptor An with a smile and said, "An Jinyan ˇ­"

    "Crown Princess?" An Jinxiu smiled and said, "She''s just a s?ut."

    "You little girl!" Grand Preceptor An rose to his feet and raised a hand to slap her across the face.

    However, An Jinxiu said, "Now that I''m His Majesty''s woman, it''d be best to think about the consequences first if father were to hit me."

    "His Majesty''s woman?" Grand Preceptor An was anxious. "What about Shangguan Yong?" "Who is the one Shangguan Yong was married to you, and who was the one you gave birth to?"

    "Where is Ping An now?" An Jinxiu retorted, "Why don''t you just say that I don''t follow the path of a woman? Wouldn''t it be better to be shameless?" "Why are you still talking about Shangguan Yong?"

    Grand Preceptor An was once again at a loss for words.

    "An Jinyan wanted me to die, but since I lived past yesterday, I will continue to live." An Jinxiu said, "If you don''t let me live, then we will all die together."

    "Ah Jin!" Grand Preceptor An suddenly grew flustered. "What are you planning to do?"

    "I know that you and Matriarch don''t like Yuanzhi and I. But, father, who do you think is more able to make the An clan prosper after generations compared to a daughter as a beloved imperial concubine of the emperor?"

    "Help me do something," An Jinxiu said. "After it''s done, I''ll temporarily forget about An Jinyan."

    "Help you?" What do you want me to do for you? "

    "In the palace''s slave courtyard, there is a female slave called Tian Dou. Father brought her to my side to serve."

    "Slave courtyard?" Grand Preceptor An was baffled by An Jinxiu''s words. "Have you gone mad?"

    "There''s a private army hidden in the Eastern Palace," An Jinxiu said. "Did An Jinyan tell Father about this?"

    "You, you''ve gone mad," Grand Preceptor An rose to leave.

    "Then father can wager with me," An Jin said. "I''ll tell His Majesty this. When they find the private army, father won''t blame me for not having a sisterhood with that s?ut An Jinyan."

    Grand Preceptor An couldn''t take another step forward.

    "If father has the chance, why don''t you ask the crown prince how Wang Yuan died?" An Jinxiu continued, "Everyone says that the An family is rich, but before the Wang family died, who dares to say that they didn''t enjoy wealth and glory?"

    At this moment, An Jinxiu also stood up and said, "I''ll give father five days. If I didn''t see that Miss Tian Dou, I''ll just wait to see a good show from the Eastern Palace."

    As he watched An Jinxiu walk out of the pavilion, Grand Preceptor An called out to her, "Why do you want this Tian Dou?"

    "You don''t need to know about this father."

    "Do you think it''s easy to get a woman from the slave courtyard?"

    "It''s not easy, but doesn''t father have a way? All these years, you have been stuffing money into the palace quite a bit, so when it''s time to use those people, why don''t you use it, Father? "

    "How do you know?"

    "I know a lot of things, like the private army in the Eastern Palace," An Jin said. "Father can bet with me this time. We can all bet our lives to see who will be the tougher one."

    "Are you really An Jin?"

    Grand Preceptor An''s eyes were filled with killing intent as he looked at her.

    "It''s too late to kill me now." An Jinxiu turned around and left. "Remember, I will only give father five days."

    Grand Preceptor An su?k?d in a deep breath before catching up with her. "What happened after I got you that Tian Dou?" What are you going to do? "

    "I''m the same as An Jinyan, I can also protect the family''s wealth."

    "The palace is full of beauties, what makes you think you can get Beloved Imperial concubine position?"

    "This is also a bet," An Jinxiu said as she walked past him. "Isn''t your bet with An Jinyan the same as yours?" Betting that one day, the crown prince would be able to sit on that dragon throne? "Since father is willing to bet on An Jinyan, why don''t you bet on me?"

    "Have you never thought about Shangguan Yong coming back?" Grand Preceptor An asked.

    "Shangguan Ping An is already dead. He will marry again in the future and have another woman bear his children, right?"

    Grand Preceptor An stood in front of the stone pavilion as he watched her slowly walk away. The wind in the bamboo forest was gentle, causing the hem of An Jin''s dress to flutter slightly. Just by looking at her back, one could see that she was a graceful beauty.

    Once he got into palanquin, he thought that An Jinyan would definitely regret sending Ah Jin to the dragon bed. At this moment, Grand Preceptor An was already thinking that the sisters An Jinyan and An Jinyan were likely to become mutual enemies in the future.

    "Young mistress, the Grand Preceptor''s gone back," she said to An Jinxiu as she ran back to the guest room where she stayed after watching Grand Preceptor An get on his palanquin and leave.

    "Mm," An Jinxiu sat by the window and looked out, saying, "Didn''t you sprained your leg? "How are things now?"

    Zi Yuan was not angry with An Jin for asking about her feet until now. She walked up to her and said, "It''s still swollen, but I still can walk now."

    "Go rest," An Jinxiu said, "I''ll call you if there''s anything."

    "Miss," Zi Yuan half-squatted beside her and asked softly, "Did the Grand Preceptor agree to let you find that Tian Dou?"

    "He could only promise me," An Jinxiu said, "So you don''t have to worry about it."

    "What''s the use of that Tian Dou for Miss?" Zi Yuan, on the other hand, was still squatting down and asking An Jin, "She''s a martial arts expert?"

    An Jinxiu patted Zi Yuan''s head without saying anything.

    "You''re still hiding this from me." Zi Yuan stood up and told An Jinxiu, "I''ll go get Miss some dinner. Miss must eat more today."

    Zi Yuan did not wait for An Jinxiu to say anything before limping away. She was still afraid, but with An Jin there, Zi Yuan felt that she could at least live on in peace.

 Chapter 70 - The so-called fate of husband and wife

    In the palace''s slave courtyard, the condemned officials were all locked up, and they were all the women of the family. If these women hadn''t been convicted by their families, they would have all been the noble ladies of the family, the daughters of officials and officials of the family. The name ''Tian Dou'' didn''t have a deep impression of An Jinxiu. It was just that when the Emperor told her that he would give her a son, she had thought of that name.

    In her previous life, when the royal family had taken over the main branch of the clan, Bai Chengze had exposed the evidence of Empress Xiang killing dragon seed to the Emperor.

    After several nights of p???sur?s from the underworld in the courtyard, it was discovered that the Empress had been torturing and killing all women that has been graced a night with the Emperor in the torture chamber in the courtyard. For instance, Tian Dou, leaving one body with two lives taken.

    That was the beginning of the Imperial Empress''s disharmony, and also the beginning of Bai Chengze pressing on the crown prince step by step.

    Speaking of which, this Tian Dou was not the daughter of a convicted official, but a merchant girl. Just because she was very beautiful, Bai Chengze had taken a fancy to her and sent her into the palace to woo the Emperor, but he hadn''t expected that he would be hindered by the empress.

    An Jin counted the days in her heart. If she wasn''t wrong, then this Tian Dou was already pregnant with the dragon seed. Rather than letting this girl be beaten to death by the empress, she might as well bring her to her side. She would give her a chance to live and in return, Tian Dou would give her a dragon.

    When Zi Yuan entered the house, An Jinxiu was still sitting by the window, looking out. "Miss, eat your meal," she called.

    An Jinxiu did not say anything as if she did not hear what Zi Yuan just said.

    An Jinxiu stood up and said to Zi Yuan, "Don''t talk about our past anymore. No matter how much you say it, we won''t be able to go back."

    Zi Yuan replied with an ''oh'' before lowering her head. They couldn''t think about the past anymore.

    In the backyard of the Shangguan family, there was actually a very small osmanthus tree. According to the Second Young Master, the General Shangguan had planted it before he got married for the sake of her young mistress. After wiping her eyes, Zi Yuan ran to the table where the dishes were placed and told An Jinxiu, "I made this. Miss, you can try it."

    The taste of the dishes cooked by Zi Yuan could not be any more familiar to An Jin. Seeing that there was still meat in the dishes, An Jin asked, "What about the people in the monastery?"

    "Eunuch Xie told them to stay in the front yard and not to come to the back," said Zi Yuan. "I saw the old host in the front yard today and he ran away the moment he saw me, as if he saw a ghost."

    "If you see them in the future, just pretend you don''t know them. Don''t talk to them," An Jin replied.

    "Why?"

    "They''d better not know about us."

    "They must have known. Otherwise, why would the old host run away the moment he saw me?"

    Zi Yuan''s body shuddered as she immediately understood An Jin''s words.

    As the food entered her mouth, she couldn''t feel the taste, but she still ate the bowl of rice. Having decided to live, she had to give herself a good body. A weak person would not be able to live long after entering the palace. How could a person who could not live long be willing to watch the empress and An Jinyan not die? At the very least, she had to live longer than these two women.

    That night, the Emperor Shizong did not come to the monastery hall, but sent some nourishment from the palace and a luminous pearl from the night.

    This was one of the treasures of the White Emperor Clan, and was meant solely for the Emperor. Even the Empress would not be able to use it on this occasion.

    Who would have thought that the Emperor would send it over to Ah Jin this time. Eunuch Xie was now very sure of An Jin''s position in the heart of the Emperor. She was a woman who had always wanted but could not, and now that he had gotten his hands on, he was still the person he longed for.

    In front of Eunuch Xie and the other people of the monastery haml, An Jin seemed to be overwhelmed by favor. However, after seeing that there was no one in the room, she didn''t even glance at the Luminous Pearl.

    She just laid there on the bed, looking at the red brqcelet she had been wearing. Her home was on fire, but the red bracelet was still intact when she wore it on her body. Thinking about her and Shangguan Yong''s wedding night, the scene when Shangguan Yong gave the red bracelet to her, An Jin silently cried.

    What month old temple, marriage string, it was not effective at all, or did she and Shangguan Yong really have no fate to be husband and wife?

    Shangguan Yong sat in a restaurant outside the inn, facing the street and allowing him to see the pedestrians and cars passing by.

    The man sitting opposite Shangguan Yong poured a cup of wine for him, stood up and said: "General Shangguan, I have already brought my master''s words to you. My master hopes that General Shangguan will think twice before you leave." After saying this, the man turned around and left. He didn''t forget to pay the bill when he went downstairs.

    Shangguan Yong didn''t say anything about this man leaving. After drinking a cup of wine, Shangguan Yong covered his forehead with both hands.

    An Jinxiu was still alive in the northern part of the city.

    It was very likely that An Jin had already gone to the dragon bed.

    The stranger had said a lot of things to himself, but only these were the main contents. Shangguan Yong couldn''t tell what he was thinking at the moment. If she got into the dragon bed, should he kill this woman, or should he be happy that she was still alive?

    The waiter of the restaurant carefully walked to the table where Shangguan Yong was sitting and asked him: "Dear guest, would you like more wine?"

    "How much is it?" Shangguan Yong asked this shop ?ssistant?

    The shop ?ssistant hurriedly said, "Just now, that guest has already paid."

    After Shangguan Yong exited the restaurant, he walked towards the northern part of the capital city. If An Jin was there, then he would meet her. He did not believe others'' words and only believed the words of An Jin. To the dragon bed? What a ridiculous joke. Shangguan Yong thought that he shouldn''t have let that bastard leave just now. Someone who dared to ruin his wife''s reputation, he shouldn''t have let him leave alive!

    The man who came out of the restaurant earlier was waiting outside. Seeing Shangguan Yong heading towards the north side of the city, he quickly turned around and walked towards the Fifth Prince''s residence on the west side.

    In the darkness of the night, the main hall was completely silent. The lights were all blocked by the tall walls of the courtyard, and only the two lanterns in front of the gate illuminated the space between the square inches of the gate.

    Shangguan Yong didn''t get close to the main hall, but he saw a guard with a sabre standing in front of the entrance. Even if Shangguan Yong didn''t know what was good, he still could recognize the uniform worn by these guards. Why would An clan''s nunnery guarded by imperial guards?

    When Shangguan Yong had circled the hall in all directions, General Shangguan discovered that the hall looked like a peaceful and quiet buddhist land. In fact, there were already many sentries outside the walls of the hall, and the large hall was surrounded by the imperial guards like an iron bucket.

    Shangguan Yong did not rashly try to climb over the wall, although he would easily be able to do so if he wanted to. Shangguan Yong also cared about his own life now. Before he avenged his great vengeance, he would live, and he would not easily send himself to his death. After spending an entire night, Shangguan Yong touched all the sentries outside the main hall. Before dawn, he had already figured out the time that the imperial guards spent patrolling.

    After dawn, Shangguan Yong returned to the inn he was staying with Qing Nan and the others, but they were not there.

    After randomly eating breakfast, Shangguan Yong sat alone in his room and looked at the register given to him by the messenger King.

    At this point, Shangguan Yong felt that he could no longer keep the register with him, and was struggling to remember the names of the people on it. Shangguan Yong was just thinking, should he burn this register or hide it, if he were to hide it, then where could he hide it?

    When they entered the house, they saw Shangguan Yong sitting there, Qing Nan asked snappily: "Big brother, do you want to kill all your brothers in a hurry? Where did you go last night? "

    "I''m going to drink." When Shangguan Yong heard footsteps in the courtyard, he put away the register.

    "Then we can go together," Qing Nan said. "Right now in the capital, we can''t tell who''s human and who''s ghost. It''s too dangerous for you to be alone."

    Shangguan Yong told Qing Nan and the others to sit down and said: "The people you met at my house that day, find out who they are?"

    Qing Nan told one of her brothers to close the door, then said, "Not a member of the Shangguan Family."

    Shangguan Yong said: "People from the martial arts world?"

    Qing Nan shook her head, "That group of men suddenly ran off while following us the other day. We can''t be sure if they are from the martial arts world or not." Qing Nan scolded, "People these days are all cowards. Hiring people to kill people, if you have the ability, then do it yourself!" Fight right in front of our faces! "

    "Prince Xin, the messenger king, is from the Imperial Family." Shangguan Yong said, "Could it be that those people are from the Imperial Palace?"

    "The Emperor?" As soon as Shangguan Yong finished speaking, some of the brothers started shouting.

    Everyone in the room was stunned. If Qing Nan hadn''t mentioned this, they really wouldn''t have thought of it.

    "Let''s go outside the Imperial Palace and wait outside," Shangguan Yong said softly. "Let''s see if we can meet these people."

    Qing Nan said, "Are we just going to wait?"

    "If they knew that I, Shangguan Yong, was not dead, would these people appear again?" Shangguan Yong looked at his brothers and said.

    Qing Nan frowned, "These people won''t even let sister go. Once they know that brother is still alive, they will definitely come again to kill him."

    "Then isn''t big brother in danger?" One of the brothers said, "It''s too dangerous to lure a snake out of its hole with this move. Besides, the person behind these people might be the Empress?"

    "I can''t let these people live anymore." Killing intent surged out from Shangguan Yong''s body. The people who killed his family, none of them could live. He didn''t care if these people have the Empress standing behind them.

 Chapter 71 - Yuanzhi is back

    To Shangguan Yong and the rest, killing the mastermind behind the scenes and the people who tried to kill him was an absolute necessity.

    Qing Nan was the first to nod to Shangguan Yong, saying: "Big brother, you don''t need to take the risk. You leave the city first, us brothers can stay here."

    The rest of the brothers didn''t think too much about it. Since killing was a matter of life and death, they didn''t care about the difference in status. They all followed Shangguan Yong and said, "Brother, go out of the city first. Those ?ssassins, we will kill them!"

    Shangguan Yong said in a low voice: "My hatred, how can I leave?" "What Qing Nan said is correct. If I am unable to kill my enemies and come to the Yellow Springs, I would not be able to face your Sisters."

    The brothers were all at a loss for words. If they thought about it, this made sense. Why would they run away first and allow others to take revenge on their own?

    Qing Nan rolled his eyes and said, "This is also simple. We will wait for those ?ssassins outside the city together. As long as they are not in the capital, after taking revenge, we can go wherever we want."

    "Do you remember their appearances?" Shangguan Yong asked Qing Nan.

    "I remember what the leader looked like," Qing Nan said. "As long as we catch this leader, we would be able to find the others."

    A brother said, "So this is how it is done? Are we going to go up the street and call for news of our big brother''s return to the city? "

    Shangguan Yong nodded and let Qing Nan and the others rest.

    Shangguan Yong said that Qing Nan didn''t believe him when he said that he went to drink alone yesterday. There was no smell of alcohol on a person who drank all night long? However, Qing Nan did not ask Shangguan Yong much at this time. As a man, he would never let anyone see him crying or scolding others.

    "Have a good night''s sleep after drinking," Qing Nan was the last to leave the room. Before leaving the room, he followed Shangguan Yong and said, "Tomorrow, we have official business to attend to, so big brother should rest up."

    "En," Shangguan Yong said, locking the door behind him after Qing Nan left, and then lying down on the bed dejectedly. Regardless of whether or not An Jinxiu was still alive, or whether or not she was in that monastery hall, he would take revenge before he could see his little wife. Shangguan Yong firmly believed that An Jinxiu would not betray him.

    Last night, Shangguan Yong had even planned for the worst. Even if the Emperor Shizong took over An Jin and he wouldn''t ever kill her, he would still take her away.

    That night, Shangguan Yong stood outside the main hall for another night. Within the main hall, he did not have the ability to sense the person that caused him to fall deeply in love with her.

    Emperor Shizong didn''t come that night, but he still ordered people to bring Ah Jin a lot of things. One of them was an embroidery rack made of whole corals, and it made people click their tongues when they saw it. The people in the palace were all guessing if the Emperor was going to deliver all the rare treasures of the palace to the monastery hall.

    Eunuch Xie began to find words to talk to An Jinxiu and wholeheartedly tried to curry favor with her. No matter how long this woman could live after entering the palace, based on the Emperor intentions towards An Jin, as long as An Jin could speak a few more words of praise for him, the Emperor might be able to quell his anger a little faster.

    During these two days, this eunuch had been guarding her. Then, the people who had been serving the Emperor for the past two days would think of all kinds of ways to climb up when he was not around. Eunuch Xie is worried.

    Eunuch Xie listens when An Jinxiu said sad things, he also accompanied by tears and said comfort An Jinxiu words.

    Both of them were very good at acting. It was the middle of the night when they played out this scene that was very warm to the eyes of outsiders.

    It wasn''t until Eunuch Xie left the room that the smile on An Jin''s face disappeared. Eunuch xie was her enemy and would never let him be used by him. This was something that An Jinxiu was very clear about, but she also did not want this eunuch to go against her after she entered the palace. Temporarily being on good terms with Eunuch Xie was the only choice that An Jin could make.

    As soon as Eunuch Xie exited the guest room, the smile on his face disappeared. After saying all that, it was hard to tell if An Jin was truly unable to hear or feigning ignorance towards his probing. In short, this woman''s reply to him was flawless and didn''t give him any clues. Was An Jin really as harmless as it looked?

    The sound of An Jin''s voice came from the inside of the room.

    Eunuch Xie stood outside the window and looked in through the open window. An Jin was sitting in front of the coral embroidery rack. She was touching the embroidery cloth. It seemed that she was going to embroider. Eunuch Xie turned and walked slowly into the courtyard. How could a woman who had just lost her family be interested in embroidery? Or did women have to do something to distract themselves?

    "Chief Eunuch," a middle-aged eunuch approached from behind.

    "Speak," Eunuch Xie said, glancing back at the eunuch.

    "His Majesty didn''t say anything about the crown prince today," the eunuch said in a low voice to Eunuch Xie. "On the contrary, the crown prince said he wanted to thoroughly investigate the case of the fire in the old alleyway south of the city."

    "Yes, His Majesty ordered the justice courts to investigate thoroughly." "The fourth and fifth princes came to the imperial court together earlier today to report that the annihilation of the Shangguan family might have something to do with the messenger king''s rebellion. They also ask that His Majesty investigate this matter."

    At this moment, Eunuch Xie heard something and asked, "What do you mean by that?"

    "I only found out today that the person who attacked the Xiang An city and brought troops to the Xin King''s residence was Shangguan Yong."

    "Interesting," Eunuch Xie said as he paced back and forth in the courtyard with his hands behind his back. "So what did His Majesty say?" he asked the eunuch.

    "His Majesty said he''d naturally order people to investigate, but who was ordered to investigate? His Majesty didn''t say anything in the hall."

    Eunuch Xie let the eunuch go and stood in the yard for a while. "It seems like it really wasn''t An Jinyan who killed the Shangguan Family. Like he said, why would An Jinyan do such a thing?" "It''s getting more and more lively," Eunuch Xie muttered to himself.

    When it was dawn, Shangguan Yong just returned to the tavern and he saw his brother who was guarding the door to the Residence of An rush in front of him and he said, "Big bro, you''re back."

    "What''s wrong?" Shangguan Yong hurriedly asked. His Shangguan family''s funeral was being held in the Residence of An, and now even his family''s funeral couldn''t be done peacefully?

    "Yuanzhi is back!" The brother followed up with Shangguan Yong and said, "Bring two people with him and kick open the main door of the Residence of An Residence. I didn''t even have the time to call out to him!"

    Qing Nan also ran out at this time, and said, "Big brother, why don''t we go to the Residence of An together?"

    "Didn''t you say that we were going out of the city?" The brother that reported the news said.

    "I thought about it all night yesterday." Qing Nan didn''t ask Shangguan Yong what he had done that night, she just said, "We don''t need to call the streets for you to come back to the capital. You can go to the funeral hall of the Residence of An. As long as elder brother appears in the funeral hall, who in the capital wouldn''t know that you''ve returned?

    "Then how are we going to kill those ?ssassins?" The ones following him asked Qing Nan, "We''ll fight in the Grand Preceptor''s estate?"

    "Then we''ll have to see if this bunch of ?ssassins have the guts to kill people in the Grand Preceptor''s estate," Qing Nan said. "Do they have the guts to massacre the Grand Preceptor''s estate as well?"

    Shangguan Yong said: "They won''t make a move in the Residence of An."

    "Then that''s that. After we''ve been to the Residence of An, we''ll leave the city and wait for them," Qing Nan looked at the people beside him. "Are you all prepared to have fun?"

    Immediately, one of them spat at Qing Nan and said, "Then what are we waiting for? "Let''s go."

    Before Shangguan Yong and his men arrived at the Residence of An, , An Yuanzhi had already turned the entire Residence of An into a state of chaos.

    Having been patted on the back by Yuan Yi for a long time, An Yuanzhi didn''t say a word. He hopped onto his horse and galloped towards the capital.

    Yuan Yi and Yuan Wei were also sad to hear the news of An Jinxiu''s death. They followed An Yuanzhi to the capital.

    When An Yuanzhi arrived at the capital city and passed through the city gates, he heard the news of his mother''s death. Suddenly, all the people he cared about had died. An Yuanzhi''s vision turned black, and he fell to the ground, unconscious for a moment. Yuan Yi and Yuan Wei woke him up and rushed back to the Residence of An.

    Inside the mourning hall were four coffins and five spirit tablets.

    An Yuanzhi''s eyes were blurry, and the words on the spirit tablet could not be seen clearly. When he rushed to the spirit table and looked at the tablets, he saw that his mother, An Jin, Ping An, Shangguan Rui, and Shangguan Ning were written on each of the five tablets.

    "Impossible!" An Yuanzhi shouted, "How is that possible!"

    The coffin had already been nailed to the ground and couldn''t be opened. An Yuanzhi only wanted to swing his fist up and smash open the coffin lid, but if he didn''t see the corpses of these people with his own eyes, how could he believe that when he left the capital, he had no family left?

    Grand Preceptor An was in his study. When he heard that the servant had come to report that the fifth young master had returned, he quickly rushed to the mourning hall with his men. Once inside, Grand Preceptor An saw that An Yuanzhi was about to smash the coffin and hastily shouted, "An Yuanzhi, what are you doing?!"

    When An Yuanzhi heard Grand Preceptor An''s voice, he paused for a moment.

    "Let me go!" An Yuanzhi didn''t even look at his father as he shouted at Yuan Yi and Yuan Wei, "I want to see them. They might not be my mother, or sister!"

    "If they didn''t die, would I set up a mourning hall for them?" Grand Preceptor An walked in front of An Yuanzhi and said, "Open the coffin that''s already been nailed to the ground. When the dead see the light of day again, do you want them to die without any safety?"

    "My sister and Ping An were burned to death. What about my mother?" An Yuanzhi shouted at Grand Preceptor An, "Then how did my mother die?!"

    Due to his grief, An Yuanzhi''s eyes were filled with blood. When his son stared at him with his crimson eyes, Grand Preceptor An was even a bit afraid. He couldn''t tell An Yuanzhi about An Jin''s'' death '', nor could he tell An Yuanzhi about his birth mother death.

 Chapter 72 - Mourning Hall

    "How did my mother die?" An Yuanzhi forced Grand Preceptor An step by step to retreat. "If a living person dies, won''t you give me an explanation?"

    "She," Grand Preceptor An said, "After hearing the news of your sister''s death, she couldn''t accept it any longer and threw herself into a well."

    Upon hearing that his birth mother had committed suicide, An Yuanzhi found it even more unacceptable. "That''s impossible!" He shouted at Grand Preceptor An, "There''s no way my mother would abandon me and leave me alone!" It must be you, it must be you who harmed my mother! "

    "How dare you!" No matter how much Grand Preceptor An felt ashamed of An Yuanzhi, he couldn''t tolerate his son pointing a finger at his face.

    "I want to open the coffin," An Yuanzhi said. "I don''t want my mother to commit suicide."

    "Open the coffin?" The matriarch was helped into the mourning hall by An Yuanwen. She said to An Yuanzhi, "Are you saying we caused the death of Lady Xiu?" "Then why don''t you go to the government office and ask the justice courts to investigate this case?"

    "You think I don''t dare?" When An Yuanzhi saw the matriarch, he didn''t greet her either. Now that his mother and elder sister were gone, he could ignore this family.

    "Make way," Matriarch turned to look at Grand Preceptor An. "If he thinks his mother''s gone, then leave it to him. Let him go and report." I want to see if the white ones in this world can really be called black! A woman who threw a well can also be found to have been killed. "

    "Fifth Young Master," Lady Feng, who was guarding the mourning hall, boldly said to An Yuanzhi, "Your mother really committed suicide. Many people in the mansion saw it. She jumped into the well in the laundry yard. It was on the night Second Miss died."

    When Lady Feng spoke, the servants in the mourning hall all opened their mouths to prove to An Yuanzhi that his birth mother had indeed committed suicide.

    An Yuanzhi shook off Yuan Yi''s hand and walked in front of the coffin with bloodshot eyes. If he didn''t see the corpses of these people with his own eyes, he couldn''t believe that his family members were already dead.

    "Open the coffin for him to see," Matriarch He said.

    "Mother," Grand Preceptor An hastened to say, "Don''t be angry and impulsive. He doesn''t know any better. Let Yuanwen help you go back and rest first."

    "I''m going to take them away," An Yuanzhi said suddenly. "I won''t trouble you with their funeral."

    "Where are you taking them?" An Yuanwen couldn''t help but angrily retort, "His Majesty ordered our family to carry out this funeral on behalf of Shangguan family. Aunt Xiu is father''s concubine, so she can''t leave the An clan regardless of life or death. You want to take her away?"

    An Yuanzhi stared at An Yuanwen.

    An Yuanwen faced An Yuanzhi, who didn''t have the guilt that Grand Preceptor An had, and said, "Do you know filial piety now? Where were you when they were in trouble? No matter how much you dislike studying and choose the army, don''t you understand that you shouldn''t be far away from your parents? "

    An Yuanzhi was filled with regret. If he had known that his mother and An Jinxiu would do something like this after he left, he wouldn''t have left even if he was beaten to death. However, there was no place in this world that could buy medicine for regret.

    An Yuanzhi had no idea what he should do. He wanted to join the army so that his mother and An Jinxiu could live a good life together. Now that both of them were gone, the fifteen-year-old An Yuanzhi suddenly didn''t know what else he could do. The people who were fighting for him were gone, so his goal of moving forward naturally no longer existed.

    "You said their fates are bad?" An Yuanzhi''s remaining rationality flew out of his mind. "Then let me see how good your life is!" An Yuanzhi pulled out the great sword hanging on his waist and stabbed towards An Yuanwen.

    "Young Master!" Yuan Yi and Yuan Wei stopped An Yuanzhi at the same time. This young master of the Residence of An was asking for a beating, but they couldn''t just let An Yuanzhi lose his life because he killed his brothers.

    An Yuanwen was a scholar, but this was the first time in his life that he had been stabbed by a sword. He was already stunned when he saw An Yuanzhi''s sword swing towards his ?h?st, but he had no idea how to dodge it. Seeing An Yuanzhi''s treasured sword stop in front of his ?h?st, An Yuanwen was scared to the point of perspiring cold sweat. This kid wanted his life.

    "You''re rebelling, you''re rebelling!" Matriarch was the first to recover from her shock. She shouted at An Yuanzhi, "You want to kill your brother?!" Bastard! How could such a bastard like you appear in our An clan! "

    "Young master, put down your sword!" Yuan Wei pulled An Yuanzhi back as Yuan Yi snatched the treasured sword from An Yuanzhi''s hand. "You can''t fight here!" "Give me the sword."

    At this moment, Grand Preceptor An ordered the Residence of An''s guards who had rushed to the mourning hall, "Capture this unfilial son for me!"

    "Who are you callimg unfilial son is?" An Yuanzhi had completely lost control of his emotions by now. He fought desperately to get rid of Yuan Yi and Yuan Wei, while shouting at Grand Preceptor An, "Do you think I''m willing to have the last name of An?" My mother and sister are gone, this place is nothing to me! They were all servants of others, who would be a level higher than them? I won''t let you off! "

    The matriarch finally couldn''t take the provocation and fell to the ground.

    "Grand Mother!" An Yuanwen rushed over to support the matriarch, but heard a sound from his ?h?st. He lowered his head to look, and saw that a long slit had appeared on his clothes.

    An Yuanzhi kicked over two of the guards who wanted to capture him and said, "This family has nothing to do with me from now on!"

    Grand Preceptor An was so angry that his hands and feet turned to ice. As he ordered An Yuanwen to take the matriarch away, he said to the guards, "You don''t have to show him any mercy. Capture this bastard for this old man!" This old man wants to punish him! "

    Yuan Yi and Yuan Wei could not watch An Yuanzhi get caught by the guards in the Residence of An, nor could they really kill people in the mourning hall. They could only help An Yuanzhi and watch him fight, so as to not let this person, whose mind was no longer in control, start killing.

    When Shangguan Yong brought Qing Nan and the others to the mourning hall, it was just opened. Inside the mourning hall, the tables and chairs were overturned, and the incense had fallen to the ground. The group of people were huddled together in the mourning hall, and the solemn memorial hall had already been thrown into complete disorder.

    "Stop!" Shangguan Yong shouted once he entered the mourning hall. He was a person who protected his family. No matter who was right or wrong, Shangguan Yong stepped forward and kicked the surrounding guards away.

    When An Yuanzhi saw Shangguan Yong, he looked at him blankly for a moment. He had gotten along with Shangguan Yong before, when they were married. He had not spoken much, but he had made him feel as if he had seen his own family, "Brother-in-law ˇ­" An Yuanzhi cried as he looked at Shangguan Yong, "My sister and them are gone!"

    After Shangguan Yong entered the mourning hall, he also felt dizzy. Now that he heard An Yuanzhi crying, he wanted to cry too. But he didn''t have the habit of crying on the spot. He reached out to hug An Yuanzhi and patted his back.

    His son had been fighting ferociously just a moment ago, but now he was crying like a wronged child in the arms of his son-in-law. Grand Preceptor An couldn''t tell what he was feeling right now.

    Qing Nan and the others did not take action, but separated the Residence of An''s guards from Shangguan Yong and An Yuanzhi.

    Grand Preceptor An dismissed the guards and asked Shangguan Yong, "When did you arrive in the capital?"

    Shangguan Yong let go of An Yuanzhi and stepped forward to pay his respects. "Father-in-law, I''ve just returned to the capital today."

    Grand Preceptor An sighed. "You must grieve."

    Shangguan Yong glanced at Grand Preceptor An but didn''t say anything.

    An Yuanzhi was still shouting, "I''m taking my mother and sister away!"

    Shangguan Yong pulled An Yuanzhi to his side and said: "Stop messing around, this is the mourning hall!"

    "I ˇ­" An Yuanzhi''s eyes turned red again.

    Shangguan Yong bent down and whispered to An Yuanzhi: "Even if we took them away, it wouldn''t be right now!"

    An Yuanzhi shook his head fiercely.

    An Yuanzhi turned his head and wiped his tears away, not saying a word.

    Qing Nan then said, "Big Brother, since we''ve come to the mourning hall, we can''t not burn incense and paper. We should look after Big Sis and the rest first."

    A servant of the Residence of An came in and quickly cleaned up the mourning hall, then sent some incense to Shangguan Yong and the others.

    Shangguan Yong walked up to the coffin. Other than the one belonging to Aunt Xiu, he couldn''t touch it. He touched the other three coffins one by one.

    An Yuanzhi''s wails rang out in the mourning hall, while Qing Nan and the rest looked sorrowful. Yuan Yi and Yuan Wei squatted in front of the brazier, continuously tossing paper and underworld coins into the brazier. Grand Preceptor An silently stood by the side with his hands clasped behind his back.

    Shangguan Yong stood with his back facing the crowd, and no one could see his current expression. His grief and despair seemed to have passed, and his hand held onto the coffin of his family. The wound was deep inside his heart, festering and leaking. Perhaps one day, this wound would corrode his entire heart, but his appearance had already recovered.

    "Why did you return to the capital?" Grand Preceptor An asked, "Were you ordered to return to the capital?"

    Shangguan Yong nodded, saying: "On General Zhou''s orders, I am returning to the capital to submit my report."

    "Not yet," Shangguan Yong said. "I just got back to the capital and I heard something happened at home."

    "You should have gone back home, ah." Grand Preceptor An shook his head before saying to Shangguan Yong, "Hurry up and hand over the paper, then return to me tonight to settle things down."

    Shangguan Yong asked Grand Preceptor An, "Then can I face the Emperor?"

    "What business do you have with the Emperor?" Grand Preceptor An asked.

    "General Zhou told me that it would be best if I could present the report to His Majesty in person," Shangguan Yong said casually.

    Grand Preceptor An wouldn''t dare let Shangguan Yong go to the palace. Right now, he doesn''t even know if the Emperor could keep Shangguan Yong alive. "Wanting to meet an Emperor was easier said than done, Grand Preceptor An could only say to Shangguan Yong," Besides, you''re a person in mourning, how can you bring it into the palace? "