Wealth and glory seek stability

Emperor Xuanyuan wanted to use Huang Zifan to kill most of the ministers and nobles, and then he could legitimately attack Huang Zifan.

I heard that most of the officials who were sent abroad with Gao Yunhuai are in the south, and the gold, silver and jewelry in the palace are secretly transported to Jiangning. It seems that Emperor Xuanyuan has already chosen a second capital.

Xiacheng, located north of Jiangning, is where the three largest rivers of the Xuanyuan Dynasty converge. It has always been a battleground for military strategists. It is said that when Xuanyuan Zhaoyi first started the uprising, he seized Xiacheng to gain the upper hand.

Emperor Xuanyuan's move was too radical, and Jian Xi even felt that her own guess was a bit absurd.

She suddenly thought of someone.

Shen Nanxing.

Her cheap brother.

Jian Xi sat up from the bed, "Someone come."

She must confirm her conjecture. If this is true, she, Madam Gao, and most of the people in the capital will become victims on Emperor Xuanyuan's chessboard.

The person keeping watch was Chu Hong. "Madam, what can I do for you?"

Jian Xi was not sleepy at all at this moment. She just felt a chill all over her spine. The sense of horror that penetrated deep into her bones completely defeated her sleepiness.

"Go prepare the carriage. I need to go back to my parents' home."

"Yes."

Seeing Jian Xi's serious expression, Chu Hong did not dare to delay even a moment.

Jian Xi simply used a hairpin to tie her hair into an ordinary bun and put on a casual dress. Zi Cui and Xiao Shuang were not on duty today.

She is determined to be a leader with a sense of public morality and will not easily let her subordinates work overtime during their rest time.

He only brought Chu Hong, Chu Lu, and two maids to keep watch at night.

It was still early and there was no curfew yet, but Jian Xi was still cautious and took the Gao family token with her.

It is called a curfew, but it only applies to ordinary people. As long as you have the privileges, you can go anywhere without any hindrance.

Shen family.

Pregnant women tend to sleep lightly. Jian Xi originally thought that Dongfang Wenying had gone to bed a long time ago, but she didn't expect that when she arrived at Shen's house, Leng Bixuan's light was still on.

The maid did not stop Jian Xi, but took Jian Xi to the inner room, where she saw Dongfang Wenying wiping tears in front of the lamp.

"Sister-in-law, what's going on?"

Dongfang Wenying quickly wiped away her tears and cheered herself up, "Xi'er, you're here. I heard that you were pregnant. I, as your sister-in-law, haven't gone to congratulate you yet. Why did I bother you to come here?"

Jian Xi became alert when she heard this. She had kept the fact of her pregnancy a secret and had not told Dongfang Wenying how she knew about it.

Shuhua was attentive and saw Jian Xi's doubts, so she explained, "I heard from the servants in the mansion early in the morning that Madam wanted to send a gift, but the general was sent by His Majesty to Jiangning to escort grain and grass today."

"forage?"

Dongfang Wenying was now more calm. Even though she was crying, she still kept her back straight and did not look at all embarrassed.

"I heard that His Majesty was planning to send troops to quell the rebellion. There was not enough food on the front line, but there was a lack of rain this year, so they had to transport food from the surrounding areas. Who knew that the surrounding prefectures didn't have much food in stock, so they sent your brother to Jiangning to transport it. Fortunately, he has a relationship with my brother-in-law there, so it would be cheaper for him to go there."

The uneasiness in Jian Xi's heart became more and more serious. Gao Yunhuai and Shen Nanxing were transferred away. They were the representative figures who were born as commoners but became marquises and prime ministers.

If the previous speculation was true, she and Dongfang Wenying died at the hands of the rebels, Shen Nanxinghe and Gao Yunhuai would definitely rise up in resistance, and Emperor Xuanyuan would just take advantage of the situation.

It’s such a big chess game.

By then, the imperial court will be purged, and all the noble families in the north will be slaughtered.

If Emperor Xuanyuan wants to implement new policies, the north is the best choice, and no one will object.

If the new policy fails, there are still people left in the south who can serve as backup options, which means they can attack or defend.

If the new policy succeeds, it will be a truly lasting achievement.

The other major dynasties have developed to this day by following the systems that have been passed down for thousands of years.

What exactly gave Emperor Xuanyuan the confidence to create a completely new political system?

Jian Xi felt a little pain in her head.

Dongfang Wenying saw that Jian Xi was feeling a little uncomfortable, so she asked softly, "Xi'er, what's wrong with you? Pregnant women tend to get sleepy easily. Do you want to get some sleep? You can just stay at home for a few days and keep me company."

Jian Xi thought of something and patted Dongfang Wenying's hand, smiling, "Okay, why don't we ask Madam Wang to come over tomorrow? I haven't seen her for a long time."

"My mother? That's fine. I've been feeling flustered lately. If my mother comes, I can calm down."

Seeing that Dongfang Wenying was feeling sleepy, Jian Xi took her leave and returned to Huashui Pavilion where she used to live.

Because of the incident of calling away the imperial physician last time, Shuqin had been driven to the farm by Dongfang Wenying, just waiting to be married off when she reached the age.

There is a special person to clean Huashui Pavilion every day. Based on previous experience, Shuhua personally brings a team of maids to serve Jian Xi.

After tossing and turning for a long time, Jian Xi couldn't resist the sleepiness and fell into a deep sleep.

It's about time on the second day.

Jian Xi stretched lazily and opened the bed curtains. Zi Cui and others had been waiting for a long time.

"Why are you here?"

Zi Cui smiled and said, "Madam is very considerate of us. She didn't wake us up in the middle of the night even though she was working on the carriage. If Chu Lu hadn't come to tell us in the morning, we would have been so scared that we would have hurried over to help Madam wash and dress."

Jian Xi felt that it was unnecessary. These trivial tasks could be done by anyone on a daily basis, and she was not picky anyway.

"You are so thoughtful. It's good that you came. Go to the kitchen and get me a bowl of sour plum soup. My mouth is bitter right now, so I want to eat something delicious."

Xiaoshuang smiled with her eyes curved. "They say sour boys and spicy girls are born naturally. Madam, you must be pregnant with a son. I will go to the kitchen to check it out myself." After saying that, she bowed and turned around.

Jian Xi sighed, "It would be great if it was really a son."

She was not biased towards boys, she just felt that women's lives were too hard. They had to go through the life-and-death ordeal of raising children, and also worry about whether their future husband's family would be satisfactory. If they met a good one, it would be fine, but if they met the wrong one, even if he was of noble birth like Lady Wang, they would have to endure it.

It was selfish at the end of the day, but she would try her best to give the child everything she could.

After washing up, Jian Xi changed into an apricot gauze skirt and put a white jade hairpin on her head, which was simple and refreshing.

After drinking the sour plum soup, Jian Xi felt that the urge to vomit in her throat was suppressed a lot.

"Madam, there's a message from outside saying that Madam Wang has arrived outside the Huashui Pavilion."

"Please come in." Jian Xi took out a handkerchief and gently wiped the corners of her mouth. Chu Lu tactfully replaced the bowl of sour plum soup that Jian Xi had just finished drinking.

Even in such hot weather, Mrs. Wang was still dressed in gorgeous clothes and had her hair full of jewels.

"What a great joy." Mrs. Wang walked forward and held Jian Xi's hands eagerly.

Jian Xi raised her lips and pulled Madam Wang to sit down. "Aunt, why are you here so early? Have you had breakfast yet?"

"I've eaten. When I went to Lengbixuan, my lazy girl was still asleep. And I heard that you were back, so I just walked a few more steps to see you."

"Zicui, serve the tea."

"Yes."

"Xiao Shuang, go to the kitchen and get some delicious pastries."

"Yes."