Madam General, please run slower.

In the imperial study room.

Li Zheng trembled and pulled Yu Xun's sleeve, half of his body hiding behind him, and saluted stumblingly, "Greetings, Father."

"No need to be polite." Emperor Qu looked at the two people in front of him, "I heard that Xiaojiu has recovered?"

Yu Xun patted Li's hand, motioning her to answer.

"Yes, yes, I can remember things now."

Li lowered his eyes with a timid look, but in his heart he was thinking that he had finally made it to the palace and he didn't know if he would have the chance to take a look at the place where the spiritual veins converged.

"Do you still remember what happened in the Sun and Moon Palace?" Emperor Qu looked at her frightened expression and his tone of voice slowed down a lot.

"Moon Court Palace?" Li muttered, frowning as if he remembered something, "Someone wants to kill..."

The words came to his lips but he turned around and said, "No, no, I can't remember!"

After saying this, he glanced at Yu Xun carefully, as if wanting to confirm whether he had said it wrong.

Yu Xun gave her a soothing look and bowed respectfully to Emperor Qu. "The little princess has been stupid for many years. Now she is lucky to be awake under the protection of the emperor's dragon energy. It's okay if you can't remember the past."

It didn’t matter whether Qu Tangli remembered what happened in the Sun and Moon Palace. What Emperor Qu wanted was Yu Xun’s attitude. It was obvious that Yu Xun at this moment made him very satisfied.

"Xiaojiu is well now. Why don't you stay in the palace to recuperate for the next few days?" Emperor Qu took a sip of tea, his eyes wandering between Qu Tangli and Yu Xun. "Yueting Palace has been renovated as requested by the general. Xiaojiu can go and see if it suits your taste. I still have to give an explanation to the general."

"Madam has just woken up and is quite dependent on me. I am worried..."

Before Yu Xun could finish his words, Emperor Qu interrupted him.

"I will ask the imperial physician to check Xiaojiu's pulse every day. General Zhennan, are you relieved?"

Yu Xun: That’s why he’s worried. What if this “pig spirit” reveals something in the palace, he will be implicated!

Yu Xun wanted to struggle a little more, but when he felt the itch in his palm, he immediately changed his tone and pulled Li to kowtow and thank him: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace."

After leaving the imperial study, Yu Xun looked at the steward Ji who was standing beside him and comforted Qu Tangli, "Don't be afraid, I will ask your usual maids and servants to come to the palace to accompany you. You should recover well in the palace. Eunuch Ji and the little princess are in your care."

"Don't worry, General." Chief Steward Ji Hong quietly took the reward money from Yu Xun's hand.

Li looked uneasy. After hesitating for a long time, he nodded and agreed, then followed Manager Ji to Yueting Palace.

Not until the figure disappeared around the corner did Yu Xun retract his gaze and walked out of the palace. Although he didn't know why she wanted to stay in the palace, he could only take one step at a time since things had come to this point.

Pirates are rampant in the south right now. If Qu Tangli stayed in the palace, the emperor might be able to let him go and quell the rebellion without any worries.

Yu Xun looked at his right hand, and there was still a strange itch in the palm of his hand. What she had just written on his palm was the word "Sixteen". Was she asking him to find a way to bring Wei Sixteen into the palace? Not Wei Yi but Wei Sixteen? They had such a good relationship.

Yu Xun once again began to suspect that Wei Shiliu was Qu Tangli's man.

^-^-^-^-^

Jiang Mansion.

Jiang Qianzhang looked at the secret letter in his hand and angrily threw a set of teacups.

"You are just a bunch of trash! If you can't even suppress a rumor, what's the point of me raising you?"

The celadon teacup shattered and exploded at the feet of the people opposite. They were no longer able to care about anything else and knelt on the ground with a thud, allowing the broken porcelain to embed into their knees.

"Master, calm down. Master, calm down."

Clearly it was Jiang Qianzhang who asked them to spread the rumor in the beginning, and now that it has become a big deal they are asked to suppress it. However, it is not easy to suppress the rumor when there are so many people talking.

"I don't care what method you use, whether it's spending money or asking for help, I don't want to hear any more rumors about General Yu."

"Master, please calm down."

A guest official advised, "I heard that the little princess was sent to the palace to recuperate. Now is the time when the storm is at its peak. If we continue to deal with the rumors, it might attract the attention of the higher-ups!"

It is not worth offending the emperor just to win over Yu Xun. Ke Qing did not dare to say the last sentence, as he still wanted to walk out of this study alive.

"Then what do you say we should do!" Jiang Qianzhang was furious, his face flushed, "Yu Xun controls the Chaozhou trade route, which is the lifeblood of the Jiang family. How can we offend Yu Xun?"

The Chaozhou trade route is located in the Jiang family's main area and has always been under the jurisdiction of the Jiang family. Jiang Qianzhang has therefore made a lot of money from it. However, just a few years ago, many merchants from the capital inexplicably appeared in Chaozhou.

Jiang Qianzhang sent people to investigate and found that the owners of these merchants were all from the Ande Marquis Mansion in the capital, the dandy prince Shi Yaojue. Thinking of the prince's temper, he let him do what he wanted. After all, in the capital, this prince was well-known for being stupid and rich, and he would lose money on everything he bought.

But when these merchants became more and more powerful and even affected the entire Chaozhou trade route, Jiang Qianzhang realized that something was wrong. After a secret investigation, he found out that Yu Xun was the actual controller of the trade route, and Shi Yaojue was just a figurehead.

It was too late for him to suppress these foreign merchants at this time, and the Chaozhou trade route thus changed hands.

His original intention was to spread rumors about the Ninth Princess being possessed by evil spirits, so that Yu Xun would hate the little princess through the secrets of the mansion, and to stabilize Jiang Wan's position in the general's mansion. He never thought that this matter would be brought to the attention of the emperor. When Jiang Qianzhang thought of the emperor's vague gaze directed at him in the court that day, he felt a headache.

The guests looked at each other and said nothing. After all, they had already persuaded him. Whether Jiang Qianzhang listened or not was his own business. Instead of persuading him, he might as well think of a way out for himself.

"Get out! Get out!" Jiang Qianzhang slammed the table fiercely, turned around and ordered the maid next to him, "Go and call Aunt Su."

Aunt Su is Jiang Wan’s biological mother.

When she heard Jiang Qianzhang calling her, she couldn't help but shudder. The hand holding the embroidery needle lost its strength and blood immediately seeped out of her fingertips. She was so scared that she quickly put the embroidery away.

"Did the master tell me what he wanted to do for me?"

"I don't know." The maid replied softly, and seemed to be reluctant to remind her again, "The master just got very angry with the guests, Madam Su, you'd better be careful."

"I understand. Let's go." Aunt Su took a deep breath and followed the maid to the study.

In the study, Jiang Qianzhang had already replaced the teacup with a new one and was enjoying the aroma of the fine tea. He glanced at Aunt Su and smiled faintly, "You're here."

The servants had already understood the hint and left, leaving only Jiang Qianzhang and Aunt Su in the study.

Aunt Su lowered her eyes and bowed as per etiquette. When she saw the whip at Jiang Qianzhang's feet, her pupils shrank unconsciously and she lifted her dress to her knees with shaking hands.

The guards guarding outside the study were like wooden stakes, with empty eyes and no sound could shake them at all.

After Jiang Qianzhang vented his anger, he was able to calm down and think.

Yu Xun cannot be offended, so he has to find a way to tie Yu Xun down so that he can take the opportunity to demand the operating rights of the trade route.

What should I do? What should I do? Oh, Jiang Wan!

Now that the princess is not in the general's mansion, isn't this a good opportunity?

Jiang Qianzhang reached out to support Aunt Su who was kneeling on the ground, ignoring her trembling.

"Su, you haven't seen your daughter for a long time, right? Are you missing her too much? She has been childless for so many years since she came to the mansion, and people have been gossiping about her. As a mother, you should pay more attention to her and give her more advice. Do you understand?"

"Yes...Yes, I understand."