The subtle fragrance of cotton needles

"Master, General Pu Wei is here."

Tu Song was in the study dealing with Xia Yanxiang's poisoning when he heard the servant say Xia Zhibai was here. He frowned and thought for a moment before ordering, "No need to tell the Madam, call the young master over as well."

"Yes."

Xia Zhibai arrived very quickly. Before he came, he had already changed out of his armor and put on a royal blue uniform. This made him lose some of his general's temperament and instead gave him the gentle temperament of a gentleman.

"Nephew meets uncle." Xia Zhibai pushed open the door of the study, walked a few steps to Tu Song, and knelt down to pay homage.

Seeing him like this, Tu Song hurriedly walked out from behind the desk and helped Xia Zhibai up: "It's good that you're back safely, why do you have to do such a big ceremony?"

Xia Zhibai hadn't seen his blood relatives for three years, and he was filled with mixed emotions after surviving the battlefield.

Xia Zhibai stood up and said, "Uncle taught me carefully, and I was able to achieve what I have today. This time when I came back, the emperor has already granted me an imperial decree. I will only wait for Shui'er to return tomorrow, and the imperial decree will arrive."

When Tu Song heard the news, he was happier than if he had received the emperor's reward: "That's good. This is what you deserve for defending the north against foreign enemies."

Xia Zhibai smiled and shook his head: "If it weren't for my uncle who has taught me all these years, I would probably be a mediocre person now."

Tu Song never thought that Xia Zhibai's success had anything to do with him. If Xia Zhibai was a hopeless person, no matter how much he thought about him, it would be useless. "Okay, let's not talk about these empty things. You should have known that your second sister was married to His Royal Highness Prince Yuan as a concubine when you came back this time, right?"

Xia Zhibai nodded: "But father didn't say anything."

"Hmph, your father!" Tu Song was furious when Xia Liu was mentioned. "Do you know what happened a few days ago?"

Xia Zhibai frowned. His family did not write to tell him.

Tu Song knew from Xia Zhibai's expression that Tu had definitely not told him about this matter in order to prevent Xia Zhibai from worrying him: "You should know about the poisoning of Prince Yuan on March 3rd, right?"

Xia Zhibai nodded, and Wu'an Hou got the news and told him about it.

"Later, the real murderer was not found, and the emperor had no choice but to judge that Prince Yuan was poisoned by too much pollen, and forget about the rest. Later, Yan'er ran into Prince Yuan in a teahouse. When she returned, she was punished by your father to kneel in the ancestral hall. Your mother couldn't bear to see Yan'er suffer, so she knelt for her." Tu Song gritted his teeth when he mentioned this. "Yan'er didn't do anything inappropriate, so she contradicted your father and wrote a letter to the Right Prime Minister's Mansion to find me."

After hearing the whole story, Xia Zhibai probably understood what Tu Song meant: "I understand. My father never took my mother seriously. When I was at home, he would still consider my face. But in the three years since I left home, my father has probably not been honest."

Tu Song didn't reply to him, and Xia Zhibai didn't say anything else.

"Master, the young master is here."

"come in."

Tu Xiao pushed open the door and came in. He saw Xia Zhibai and paused for a moment with a guilty conscience. He then walked over and saluted Tu Song and Xia Zhibai, saying, "Hello, father. Hello, cousin."

Xia Zhibai nodded slightly as a return gesture.

"Bai Er, now that you are back, has the emperor said when he will send you out again?"

Xia Zhibai shook his head: "Now that summer is approaching, the foreign tribes in the north will not invade for the time being. After autumn, it is uncertain. Now conservatively estimated that they will stay in the capital for four months."

Tu Song nodded: "That's good. Yan'er will be seventeen in a few months, and she will soon be of marriageable age. Now that you are in the capital, you can guard against many people with bad intentions. Moreover, judging from the emperor's current attitude, I'm afraid he will definitely marry Yan'er to a prince."

"The ones most likely to win the throne of Crown Prince now are Prince Yuan and Prince Luo." Tu Xiao mentioned at the right time.

"Xia Pinxiang has been married to Prince Yuan as a concubine." Xia Zhibai continued.

Tu Song snorted, "If Yan'er hadn't been poisoned, Xia Pinxiang wouldn't have been married to Prince Yuan. By the way, this is the investigation result sent by the Dali Temple. It says that the wine Yan'er drank was poisoned with Wood and Stone Powder, but they can't find out who did it."

As Tu Song spoke, he handed the file on the table to Xia Zhibai, who took it and read it carefully.

"Nothing can be found?" Xia Zhibai didn't understand. "Did you check which suspicious people at the banquet had been to Xiao Yan'er's seat or poured wine for her?"

"Or maybe someone knows that the emperor intends to marry Yan'er to Prince Yuan and doesn't want Yan'er to marry Prince Yuan."

Tu Song shook his head and told Xia Zhibai what Shen had told him after she came back: "Not necessarily. Yue Qing said that drinking Mushi Powder only looks scary, but it is not fatal. If others don't want Yan'er to marry Prince Yuan, why don't they just kill her directly?"

"Either someone wants to marry Yan'er and doesn't want her to marry Prince Yuan, so they have no choice but to resort to this last resort; or someone wants the power of our Right Prime Minister's Mansion and the General's Mansion, so they don't kill Yan'er." Although Tu Xiao is younger, he has experienced more twists and turns in the capital than Xia Zhibai.

Xia Zhibai frowned.

Tu Song said in a deep voice: "It is possible. If he doesn't want Yan'er to marry Prince Yuan, but he wants to marry Yan'er, then it could be Prince Luo."

"King Luo?" Xia Zhibai was even more unhappy, and Tu Xiao was also unhappy.

Prince Luo has been in the palace for three years and has already taken in more than a dozen concubines sent by various forces. There is no concubine to manage the backyard. If he wants to marry Yan'er as his principal wife, he has to see whether they agree. Even if the emperor grants the marriage, he has to consider the reputation of his children, right?

Yan'er has been well-behaved since she was a child. No matter from a young age or in the long run, Yan'er will not take the initiative to cause trouble and ruin her reputation. Even if she is going to marry a prince, she will definitely be the principal wife. As long as the Right Prime Minister's Mansion and the General's Mansion do not do anything treasonous, Xia Yanxiang's position as the principal wife will be secure.

If she marries Prince Luo, she will have to take care of so many concubines. Moreover, if Prince Luo ascends the throne in the future, with his lustful nature, how many messes will Yan'er have to clean up for him?

Tu Song was also not happy about Xia Yanxiang marrying Prince Luo: "No matter how much we don't want to, we can't do it. The Right Prime Minister's Mansion and the General's Mansion are too big to attract the wind. Yan'er will definitely become the emperor's soft spot to contain us. I'm afraid she can't avoid marrying a prince. It depends on which prince the emperor prefers. Does he want us to be his knife or to clean up his house for him?"