The Earl of Nanping's Estate.
As Old Madam Xie was escorted out, she was still shouting, "Insolence! Do you know who I am? I am the grandmother of the Tanhua scholar, the mother of the Earl of Nanping, and a second-rank titled lady personally conferred by the Emperor! How dare you—"
Before she could finish, an official guard gave her a vicious shove.
"Give it a rest. What second-rank titled lady? Your grandson colluded with the rebel army and plotted treason. Everyone in your Xie family is going to die!"
Old Madam Xie's body swayed. The Earl of Nanping cried out loudly, "We are wronged! My son is wholeheartedly devoted to the imperial court and the state. How could he collude with rebels? There must be a misunderstanding here!"
The guard rolled his eyes. A colleague next to him, who had previously worked under Xie Zhizhou, was sowhat more polite: "Lord Xie, whether it's a misunderstanding or not isn't up to us to say. The Emperor has already ordered that you and the mbers of the Cao family be imprisoned in the Imperial Household Departnt. Please co along."
The Earl of Nanping's teeth chattered. "Even Senior Grand Secretary Cao has been..." Then they really had no hope left!
Old Madam Xie cursed bitterly, "That thousand-cuts Lady Xue! Implicating her husband wasn't enough, she had to doom our entire family! If I had known this would happen, I would have broken Zhou'er's legs before letting him marry her!"
Just then, there was an "Ouch!" from behind. The heavily pregnant Liu Hui was also driven out.
Old Madam Xie hurriedly tried to go up and support her, but Liu Hui's eyes darted around, and she unexpectedly threw herself at the feet of the first guard and knelt down: "Spare my life, my lord! I am not a mber of the Xie family. I beg you to spare !"
Old Madam Xie was stunned for a mont, but rembering that the child in her belly was her grandson's flesh and blood, she forced down her displeasure and said, "Yes, my lord. Her surna is Liu, and she is rely staying at our estate for a short visit. She is not a mber of our family..."
The guard looked Liu Hui up and down with a sidelong glance. "Is that so? But how co I heard that you are a mistress settled outside by Xie Zhizhou, and the child in your belly is his?"
Old Madam Xie shuddered, but Liu Hui said, "No! You misunderstand, my lord! Xie Zhizhou is only my cousin, not my husband. As for the child in my belly, it is not his either. It belongs to Scholar Wang of Anping Alley. This is the absolute truth!"
The guard clicked his tongue. Old Madam Xie rushed forward and grabbed her: "What did you say? What Scholar Wang of Anping Alley? Aren't you pregnant with Zhou'er's child?"
The Earl of Nanping thought Liu Hui was trying to make up an excuse to escape punishnt and wanted to stop his mother, but unexpectedly, the woman had already burst into shrill tears: "No, no! Cousin wouldn't even let touch him. How could I possibly be pregnant with his child?"
"But that night he was drunk, I personally escorted you into his room..."
"What if I did go in? He was drunk, not blind. Would he be unable to tell the difference between and his wife? Grandmother, it's co to this, so I won't hide it from you anymore. That night, I couldn't get close to him at all! If he hadn't been so drunk, I'm afraid I wouldn't have even been able to stay..." Liu Hui cried so hard that her belly cramped with pain.
Old Madam Xie's vision went dark, and the hand pointing at her trembled. "Then how did you dare tell you were pregnant with his child?"
"How could I not dare? If I said no, you would have imdiately sent back to my hotown! I had no choice but to tell this lie. Later, afraid of being exposed, I went to Scholar Wang next door... Have you forgotten? The residence you arranged for is also in Anping Alley!"
Every word and sentence pierced straight into Old Madam Xie's heart like a knife.
If this matter hadn't been exposed today, if she had let the bastard child born of Liu Hui enter the Xie family genealogy... Zhizhou had no children. If it turned out to be a boy, wouldn't the Earl of Nanping's estate eventually fall into the hands of a bastard of a different surna?
At this thought, she could hardly breathe. Her eyes rolled back, and she fainted dead away.
"Mother, Mother!"
"Old Madam!"
The Earl of Nanping's estate fell into chaos. anwhile, the guards, having heard an earful of gossip, nodded in satisfaction. "Since you have nothing to do with the Xie family, then go."
Liu Hui looked at her grandmother, who had fainted from anger, and then at her bulging belly. Gritting her teeth, she ran away.
On the outskirts of the capital, at the Yan army encampnt.
Chu Ruoyan was writing letters ho for the soldiers of Yuzhou when Nanny Zhou suddenly ca in and said, "Miss, the capital has sent soone to negotiate for peace."
The hand holding the brush paused. "Who is the envoy? Is it my uncle?"
Nanny Zhou shook her head. "It is Grand Tutor Rong."
"Grand Tutor Rong?" Chu Ruoyan paused for a mont. Thinking of the connection between this Grand Tutor and the Yan family, she continued writing the letters. "I understand. Tell when there is a result."
When they arrived at the tent, Yan Zheng and Grand Tutor Rong were playing chess.
They had played many tis in the past. Because Yan Xun's chess skills were poor, he always brought his younger brother along to win his father-in-law's favor.
And Yan Zheng did not disappoint him; every ti, he played to a draw with the Grand Tutor.
But this ti, as the white piece fell, a killing formation was complete.
Yan Zheng said lightly, "Thank you for the ga."
Grand Tutor Rong stared at the chessboard for a long ti, then stroked his beard with a bitter smile. "Well played. I always thought my chess skills were on par with yours. I never expected to have been deceived by you for so many years..."
Yan Zheng's expression remained unmoved. The eunuch who had co with Grand Tutor Rong urged, "Grand Tutor! Let's get down to business quickly!"
Grand Tutor Rong's gaze darkened, and he could only say, "Yan Zheng, as long as you are willing to withdraw your troops, the Emperor is willing to confer upon you the title of Prince of Anning." After he finished speaking, the eunuch imdiately clapped his hands, ordering people to carry in over a dozen large chests of gold, silver, and jewels.
Yan Zheng didn't even cast a glance at them. He only asked, "Does the Grand Tutor believe that my father and brother were wronged?"
Grand Tutor Rong trembled. After a long while, he said, "Why bring up the past?"
Yan Zheng let out a low chuckle, though there was no trace of a smile in his eyes. "Then does the Grand Tutor believe that I was wronged?"
Grand Tutor Rong remained silent.
These two questions were simply too sharp to answer. After all, the Yan family was nearly wiped out, hard by the imperial family. And the reason Yan Zheng rebelled was also because the Emperor, in his paranoia, wanted to strike at his closest kin!
A dead silence fell over the tent. The words that had been prepared could no longer be spoken.
Grand Tutor Rong stayed silent, but the eunuch couldn't help but say in a shrill voice, "Rebel! The Empress Dowager has decreed that if you do not retreat, no one in the Cao family or the Earl of Nanping's estate will be left alive!"
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