Parents are busy farming

Madam Hong looked at her lovingly, patted the back of her hand, and smiled, "Silly child, those dowries have been prepared for you a long time ago. I have always been worried that I would not be able to hand them over to you while I am still alive. Now, you have finally got married successfully. You must live a good life with Zhang Gaoyi in the days to come. It would be good to return to the Fuxia Princess Mansion. After all, that is where you lived for a while. It is close to our places and the palace. With familiar people accompanying you, you can live more comfortably."

Ye Zifen's heart was filled with warmth, and she said softly, "Don't worry, just lie down and have a rest. I see you are really exhausted these days, and I have been by your side all day today, so I just want to accompany you more."

Madam Hong showed a look of relief in her eyes. She stopped insisting and slowly fell on the bed, saying softly, "Well, you lie down too. Let's rest together."

Ye Zifen nodded obediently and lay down on the bed. The two smiled at each other, and the warm scene seemed to be frozen at that moment.

Ye Zifen lay gently beside Old Madam Hong, their heads pressed tightly together, so close that they could almost feel each other's breath.

Ye Zifen turned slightly, put her lips close to Madam Hong's ear, and whispered softly, "I was originally planning to go to the palace today, but for some reason, it seems that the emperor has ordered that no one can enter the palace to meet him. In this way, I naturally cannot enter the palace gate. I thought to myself, if that's the case, I might as well come to your place to take a break and be lazy."

Madam Hong nodded slightly after hearing this and slowly said, "Now that the Third and Sixth Princes have just been punished, if the other princes don't go and plead for them, it will inevitably make people think they are too cold and heartless. But if they go and plead for them, how many of them will be sincere? Fortunately, the Emperor is unwilling to summon anyone now, which gives them a legitimate excuse so that they don't have to kneel down and suffer together."

Ye Zifen nodded repeatedly to show her agreement, and then said, "When the fourth prince was punished, the emperor was already annoyed by those who begged for mercy. I guess the emperor wanted to avoid such trouble again this time, so he simply banned everyone from entering the palace."

Upon hearing this, Old Lady Hong asked with concern: "Then why are you here in the palace this time? If the situation is urgent, perhaps you can borrow your grandfather's name..."

Before he finished speaking, Ye Zifen hurriedly said, "It's not a very important matter. It's not necessary to trouble Grandfather to come in person."

Then she slowly explained, "Zhang Gaoyi thinks that the emperor is handling things too quickly now, and he is afraid that he will push some people too hard and cause some earth-shattering events, so he wants me to go to the palace to persuade the emperor. I think what he said makes sense, so I decided to go to the palace. However, this matter is not particularly urgent, so it won't hurt to wait a little longer."

As she spoke, Madam Hong could not help but sigh softly, then lowered her voice and whispered, "A few days ago, your grandfather told me that the emperor's health seemed to be worse than before. Recently, he has been summoned to the palace for audiences more often than in previous years. He is summoned in almost once a month."

Ye Zifen nodded in understanding.

An old and respected minister like Old Master Hong would naturally be able to keenly perceive the slightest signs of changes in the emperor's body, and many officials in the court would probably know something about this.

It is precisely because of this that the princes now can no longer control their temper and are beginning to get restless.

At this time, Ye Zifen said: "The emperor has lost a lot of weight."

Madam Hong nodded slightly and agreed, "That's right. The emperor is getting older after all. In addition, the domestic situation in Daxia has not been very stable in recent years, and the emperor has spent a lot of energy on this. And when the queen passed away, the emperor didn't even show his face during the funeral ceremony. This matter caused many imperial wives to secretly discuss it in private!"

Ye Zifen frowned slightly and said, "What on earth are you discussing? Are you discussing that the successor queen is not as valued by the emperor as the original queen? Or are you discussing that the queen's funeral ceremony is not grand enough?"

Madam Hong gently waved her hand and responded, "There is no need to discuss the status of the Empress Dowager and the Empress Yuan in the Emperor's heart. Everyone knows this. The point of our discussion is whether the Emperor really dislikes the Crown Prince. Otherwise, even if he is reluctant, he should at least show up and give the Crown Prince some face. In addition, there are many matters concerning the Crown Princess that need to be discussed."

Ye Zifen thought for a moment and then spoke slowly, "In my opinion, the Crown Princess may not be able to ascend to the position of Queen in the future. As for the reason, the Crown Princess had some actions before. I am not in a position to explain the specific situation, but what is certain is that the Song family was indeed implicated because of her. Otherwise, with the former glory of Old Master Song, it should have been able to continue until the next emperor's reign. The reason why I am in charge of the Queen's funeral this time is because the Crown Prince personally pleaded with the Emperor, and the Emperor appointed me to handle it."

Mrs. Hong nodded in sudden enlightenment and said with emotion, "So that's why. No wonder the two respected elders of the Song family were willing to go to the north to open a college! They must have known that there was no other possibility."

Ye Zifen nodded slightly and said slowly, "This is indeed a more ideal choice for the Song family. You see, as the saying goes, 'a new emperor appoints new ministers'. Now the prince has begun to prepare his own confidants. If Tian Chuanshan is able to pass the imperial examination next year, he can enter the court as an official. In this way, we will have an extra guarantee and support."

Mrs. Hong, who was sitting nearby, smiled and responded softly, "Yes, I have already started looking for suitable girls for him. Unfortunately, most of these candidates are from high-class families, and the current situation is turbulent. I don't know which families will be able to survive this disaster. In recent days, every household in the capital has been demoted or demoted. Everyone is in danger, and the whole capital has fallen into panic. Moreover, because of the Queen's matter, these officials are no longer as proactive as before, and most of them want to wait and see."