If I were born again, I would marry a strong but short-lived husband.

After returning to Kunning Palace, Queen Ruan dismissed her attendants and left only her two sons by her side.

She was still a little cautious when facing Fu Jinyuan.

She wanted to talk to him more to improve the mother-son relationship, but she was also afraid that he might have some resentment in his heart, and that if she talked too much it would annoy him.

"Yuan'er, you don't have to take the emperor's words to heart. You have been neglected and ignored in the Lu family, but she has never left you. You must not do anything to hurt her." Queen Ruan said in a low voice.

The coldness in Fu Jinyuan's eyes faded a little. He could actually feel Queen Ruan's concern for him.

It's just that he has never been with his mother and doesn't know how to respond to her feelings.

"I know." Fu Jinyuan said.

Compared with Shen Sui'an, the title of prince of the Southern Dynasty was not his choice at all.

There is no need to make a choice.

Although Queen Ruan had never met Shen Suian, from the prince's description, she could imagine what a smart and intelligent woman she was.

Her son was abandoned at birth, and even if she had difficulties, it could not change the fact that she sent him away.

With someone like Shen Suian who never left her side and made up for the warmth her son had lost, how could she bear to let anyone destroy it.

"Then should I send someone to pick up Shen Shi and bring him to the Southern Dynasty?" Queen Ruan asked tentatively.

"Mother, I want to pick her up in person." Fu Jinyuan said.

Queen Ruan smiled and said, "Okay."

Fu Jinyi rubbed against Fu Jinyuan's side, "Brother, can I go with you?"

"No."

"No."

Two voices sounded at the same time.

Empress Ruan didn't want to show her anger in front of her eldest son, so she looked at Fu Jinyi with a fake smile, "Have you finished the homework assigned by the young master? Have you forgotten what the imperial physician told you?"

"..." Fu Jinyi had a bitter face.

Fu Jinyuan patted his shoulder and said, "Be obedient. Doctor Zhou also said that you can't be too tired. This trip may be dangerous. You should stay in the palace."

"It's because of the danger that I have to go pick up my sister-in-law in person. I can protect her." Fu Jinyi shouted.

Queen Ruan sneered, "You are going to cause trouble, do you really need to save them? Don't you know your own situation?"

"Okay, okay, I won't go. I'll wait for you to come back in the palace." Fu Jinyi said aggrievedly.

"Then let's go back to the East Palace first. Your brother and I have a few words to say." Queen Ruan said in a gentle voice.

"Well, my mother no longer loves me now that she has a brother, and my brother no longer loves his younger brother now that he has my mother." Fu Jinyi covered his face with his hands, his shoulders shaking.

Fu Jinyuan was stunned, then chuckled helplessly, "Even if you cry for three days and three nights, I won't take you with me."

"Brother, why are you the same as mother?" Fu Jinyi was very angry. Both of them were so difficult to deceive.

Queen Ruan looked at the little prince who was making jokes and joking, and a soft and bitter emotion surged in her heart.

She knew that the prince hoped to eliminate the rift between her and Fu Jinyuan in this way.

Fu Jinyi pretended to leave angrily, leaving Queen Ruan and Fu Jinyuan alone in the palace.

"Mother, He Jingyao did not appear in the Taimiao today." Fu Jinyuan said in a deep voice.

Queen Ruan nodded, "That's exactly what I was going to tell you."

"He Zhiyuan has sent his assassins to the Southern Dynasty again, trying to kidnap Shen Sui'an. They want to use Shen Sui'an to threaten you."

"I have sent people to intercept the assassins, but I am afraid that some of them will slip through the net."

Fu Jinyuan had long guessed that once his background was made public, He Zhiyuan would definitely take action against Shen Sui'an.

"What does He Zhiyuan have that you want?" Fu Jinyuan asked.

Queen Ruan's eyes flickered slightly and she looked at him in surprise.

"If He Zhiyuan has no use, why is he still alive? Why doesn't the Ruan family get rid of him?" Fu Jinyuan asked.

He really didn't understand the various forces in the Southern Dynasty. At first, he thought that the Ruan family was already weak, and no matter how much the emperor trusted He Zhiyuan, it would not be difficult to get rid of him.

Unless there are other reasons.

If you can injure He Zhiyuan's leg, why can't you shoot him between the eyebrows?

"It is indeed necessary to keep He Zhiyuan. As for the reason..." Queen Ruan raised her eyes and looked outside, "I will tell you later."

Just as he finished speaking, a report came from the palace maid outside the door.

"Your Majesty, the female guard requests to see you."

Queen Ruan: "Come in."

Outside the palace, a young woman in a red official robe walked in straight, straight ahead, and bowed, "Greetings to Her Majesty the Queen, and Prince Chen."

"Stand up, have you found out anything?" asked Queen Ruan.

Wei Zhen raised his head and gave Queen Ruan a sly smile, "Your Majesty asked me to do it, and I will definitely do it well before I dare to come to see you."

The woman who had been observing etiquette just now suddenly became lively and agile.

Queen Ruan snorted, "Don't think that I don't know what you want to do."

"He Jingyao has a wild idea of ​​wanting Yong Dynasty's sea transportation. I am not as arrogant as him. I just want to open up the inland river transportation. As for sea transportation, when Yong Dynasty opens up the sea transportation route, we can also make money by taking advantage of it."

"What did you find out?" asked Queen Ruan.

Wei Zhen glanced at Prince Chen. Since the Queen Mother did not ask Prince Chen to leave, it proved that what she said was acceptable to Prince Chen.

"He Zhiyuan has recently raised a caravan. I think the caravan doesn't look like people from our Southern Dynasty," said Wei Zhen.

Queen Ruan raised an eyebrow, "Hmm?"

"I think He Zhiyuan also wants to get shipping. There is a man named Bai Jie, who is said to be a big merchant from the south. He has become a retainer of He Zhiyuan and is recruiting people who know how to build ships."

"Bai Jie?" Fu Jinyuan's eyes were deep, thinking of the Bai family who had fled from Yong Dynasty.

Queen Ruan: "Do you know him?"

"You'll know only when you meet the person," said Fu Jinyuan.

Wei Zhen: "I have never seen this person's appearance. Where he comes from, where his family is, and who his friends are are all kept secret."

Fu Jinyuan became even more certain that Bai Jie should be Bai Shaojie.

"Find out this person's origins and tell Prince Chen." Queen Ruan ordered.

There was a flash of surprise in Wei Zhen's eyes. Was the Queen trusting Prince Chen too quickly?

"If the Southern Dynasty wants to have sea transportation, it must pass through the rivers in the Yong Dynasty's territory. Before we reach an agreement with the Yong Dynasty, it will be difficult for us to have sea transportation." Queen Ruan said.

"Yes, my queen." She knew it was difficult, so she wanted to give it a try.

Fu Jinyuan left the palace and immediately went to Honglu Temple to look for Feng Chuanjin.

"When does the eldest prince plan to return to Yong Dynasty?"

"You haven't decided on a return date yet, what's wrong?" Feng Chuanjin asked puzzledly.

"The Bai family may be in the royal capital. Prince, do you want to bring these fugitives back and convict them?" Fu Jinyuan asked.

Feng Chuanjin's eyes darkened, "If you can't take him away, then kill him!"

Fu Jinyuan smiled.

This is why he admires Feng Chuanjin; their personalities are quite similar in some aspects.

"I heard that after you return to your ancestral home today, your emperor will arrange a marriage for you?" Feng Chuanjin suddenly asked with a sneer.

Did the news reach the ears of the people of Yong Dynasty so quickly?

Feng Chuanjin patted Fu Jinyuan's shoulder heavily, "I advise you not to be a heartless person. The Princess of Le'an County loves you deeply."