"Who could this person be?"
"I don't know." Xiao Man shook her head. She had carefully recalled the events of that day. The Fourth Concubine had intended to do something then, but Qin Xue had stopped her. What exactly had she planned?
"Shu Yao, what were you trying to do at the General's Mansion's New Year's banquet?" Xiao Man, unable to figure it out, directly asked the Fourth Concubine.
The Fourth Concubine smiled vacantly, "Assassinate the Emperor, thereby driving a wedge between the Emperor's trust in the General's Mansion."
Xiao Man couldn't help but feel relieved. She had always kept people guarding against the Fourth Concubine, and at the last moment, she had blocked an arrow for the Emperor... Wait, the Fourth Concubine's objective was to assassinate the Emperor, so was the subsequent arrow truly meant to kill the Emperor?
Xiao Man signaled He Qingyi to leave, her gaze fixed intently on the Fourth Concubine. A thought surfaced in her mind. She was impatient to verify it, but she couldn't let anyone know.
When only the two of them were left in the room, Xiao Man leaned in and whispered into the Fourth Concubine's ear. Moments later, the Fourth Concubine struggled intensely, veins bulging on her forehead. Xiao Man narrowed her eyes and pricked another silver needle into the Fourth Concubine's head.
The Fourth Concubine bit her lip fiercely, refusing to utter a word. "Tell me the truth."
"It is..." The Fourth Concubine uttered a single word, feeling immense pain. The Fourth Concubine, who had fallen into a deep sleep, suddenly opened her eyes, her pupils dilated, her eyes wide with horror, as if she had seen something terrifying.
Xiao Man's expression changed. She immediately moved to pull out the silver needle from the Fourth Concubine's head, but before she could, the Fourth Concubine's head drooped, and the expression on her face became placid. Su Dan Novel Network.
Xiao Man sighed. The person behind this was truly ruthless. If someone touched a memory that the Fourth Concubine was forbidden to access, the restriction they had set would destroy her.
Xiao Man removed the silver needle from the Fourth Concubine's head and stood up to walk out. Interesting. She was becoming increasingly intrigued by the person behind the Fourth Concubine.
He Qingyi, seeing Xiao Man emerge with a somewhat grim expression, immediately went to meet her.
"Did you get anything out of her?"
Xiao Man shook her head. "Let her out and send her back to her courtyard."
He Qingyi was surprised. "She poisoned the General. If we let her out, who knows what else she might do."
"She can't do anything anymore," Xiao Man said softly. "Mother will know soon enough."
Xiao Man went to the study to see Xiao Zhen and was stunned to find him covered in scratches. "Father, did you and Mother argue?"
Xiao Zhen looked somewhat embarrassed. "That old fox Wen Cai scratched me!"
Xiao Man burst into laughter. "Just recovered from a serious illness, and on your first day back at court, you got into a fight with Prime Minister Wen. The civil and military officials will likely be even more at odds."
"How did things go on your end?" Xiao Zhen inquired.
Xiao Man shook her head. "I didn't find out anything. She's very tight-lipped. I accidentally turned her into an imbecile."
Xiao Zhen's expression remained unchanged upon hearing this. "How long do you plan to pretend to be a maid?"
"I'll leave shortly."
"Leave?" Xiao Zhen's face changed, and he asked with concern, "Where are you going again?"
"I'll leave the mansion to Father and Mother." Xiao Man hesitated, then finally decided to speak. "Father, Grandmother she..."
Xiao Zhen sighed. "Don't worry, I won't make excuses for your grandmother. She's done so many wrong things, and still shows no remorse. Soon, I will send her back to Cangzhou."
"Do you believe what the Fourth Concubine said?" Xiao Man asked. The Old Madam was an informant for the Emperor. Xiao Man was indeed a little surprised, but it was all the Fourth Concubine's word, and she couldn't believe it all.
"Whether her words are credible or not, your grandmother has indeed done many wrong things." Xiao Zhen reached out and stroked Xiao Man's head. "It's my fault, always saying I'll protect you, but always letting you get hurt."
"The back courtyard was never your forte, Father. Your military strategies won't work in the backyard," Xiao Man said with a smile. "Besides, when others scheme with intent, there's only the saying of a thousand days to be a thief, not a thousand days to guard against one."
"When you're out, you must be careful," Xiao Zhen said, hesitating. "No matter when, Father will support you."
"Thank you, Father."
"As for your grandmother, leave her to me."
Xiao Zhen stepped into the gate of the upper courtyard, feeling a sense of emotion. How long had it been since he last entered the upper courtyard? The last time he came was to see his mother off.
He hadn't expected that he would step into the upper courtyard again, only to send her away.
When Xiao Zhen arrived, the Old Madam was reciting scriptures. Xiao Zhen waited in the reception hall.
Nanny Xu went in to announce him. Upon hearing the news, the Old Madam quickly put down her wooden fish and hurried out.
"Zhen'er." The Old Madam stepped forward, taking Xiao Zhen's hand and looking him over. "Look at you, you've lost so much weight recently. You just woke up and didn't rest for a few days before rushing to court... What happened to your face? Did He Qingyi do it? She's truly... "
"Had a little disagreement with Prime Minister Wen, he scratched me," Xiao Zhen interrupted his mother.
"Lawless! Relying on his position as Prime Minister, he dared to scratch your face so arrogantly?"
"He didn't get off easy either."
The Old Madam felt a little better hearing this and pulled Xiao Zhen down to sit. "Though that's what you say, it's easy to be laughed at when you go out. People will think you were... by your wife..."
"Qingyi has always acted with discretion, Mother, don't worry," Xiao Zhen said gently. "Now that I'm fine, Mother should return to Cangzhou soon."
The Old Madam's expression changed. She seemed to disbelieve it. She had only been back for a short time, and as soon as her son woke up, he wanted her to return to Cangzhou!
"You... you must be trying to force me to my death!" the Old Madam exclaimed angrily. "I am your mother! Why must you dwell on past events? I'm already an old woman, with only a few years left to live. Can't you tolerate me? Or is it He Qingyi who can't tolerate me?"
"Mother, why drag her into this? This is my decision," Xiao Zhen's expression remained unchanged. "Cangzhou is more suitable for you to cultivate your character."
"What if I refuse to go to Cangzhou?" the Old Madam asked indignantly. "Are you going to tie me up and send me there?"
"Mother, your son only wants to preserve your last shred of dignity."
"I, the biological mother of a great General, a Madam of the second rank, am being sent to the countryside by my own son to live in retirement. What dignity do I have left?" Old Madam Xiao reprimanded. "No matter what you say, I will not leave the Imperial Capital!"
"If you stay in the Imperial Capital, can you resist the people in the palace?" Xiao Zhen asked softly. "Or do you intend to continue being their blade, slicing at your own family, one cut after another?"
Old Madam Xiao's expression flickered. "Who's been slandering me to you? I have no connection with the people in the palace. I'm not senile, how could I harm my own family!"