Chapter 207

The events of last night left Madam Zhou sleepless. Early this morning, she sent someone to inquire at her maiden family. The Zhou family had been surrounded by the Imperial Guard. The Zhou family members were not allowed to leave, nor could anyone enter.

Although she had prepared herself, Madam Zhou was still anxious upon receiving the news. But with no men at home, she didn't know who to turn to for help. When Lu XuanNing returned, Madam Zhou quickly sent someone to fetch him.

"XuanNing, you must save your uncle and the others," Madam Zhou said urgently, grasping Lu XuanNing's hand.

"Mother, this matter depends on His Majesty's decision," Lu XuanNing replied. He already knew everything Madam Zhou had done yesterday, and now it was up to the Emperor whether he would take it into account.

"What can we do?" Madam Zhou collapsed into a chair.

"Mother, considering the Lu family's years of service on the battlefield, the Zhou family members' lives should be spared," Lu XuanNing said, still showing concern for his birth mother.

"As long as their lives are spared, that's good." Madam Zhou's actions yesterday were witnessed by everyone. It was impossible to expect everything to go smoothly in officialdom. Preserving their lives meant there was a chance for a future comeback.

"XuanNing, when will your father return?" Madam Zhou hadn't expected such events to unfold during their trip to the capital. It made her feel averse to the city. She thought about leaving for the frontier as soon as Marquis Lu returned.

"He should be back tomorrow," Lu XuanNing gave a definite date, which somewhat eased Madam Zhou's mind. She arranged for some food and supplies to be sent to the Zhou family if possible.

Surely, they couldn't keep people confined without feeding them.

After discussing this, Madam Zhou recalled Li Xia's behavior at the palace yesterday. "XuanNing, that Li girl is so ill-mannered. At the palace banquet, she only knew how to eat, without any sense of propriety."

"Mother, Xia Xia is very good," Lu XuanNing disliked hearing his mother speak ill of Li Xia.

"What's good about her? Look at how she just hid behind Old Madam Xu yesterday, not helping at all." Lu XuanNing knew Li Xia's capabilities. Without her intervention yesterday, the Empress might not have survived the assassin's attack.

"Mother, for your son's sake, can you please accept Xia Xia?" Lu XuanNing couldn't understand why his mother looked down on Li Xia.Alll latest novels at novelhall.com

"You're pleading for her. What kind of love potion has she given you that makes you so partial to her?" Madam Zhou couldn't bear her son Lu XuanNing's wholehearted consideration for Li Xia.

After the Imperial Guard withdrew, the Zhou family came to the Beining Marquis Manor, hoping for the Lu family's help. Madam Zhou gave them some money for the journey back to their hometown. Zhou Luoer, disregarding a young lady's sense of shame, stopped Lu XuanNing on the street.

"Cousin, please save me. I don't want to leave the capital," Zhou Luoer pleaded, wearing plain clothes that made her appear delicate and pitiful.

"Your man is being harassed by someone downstairs, aren't you going to chase them away?" In a private room on the second floor of a bookstore, Zhou Heng smiled as he watched Li Xia calmly drinking tea across from him.

"I trust that Lu XuanNing can handle it without my intervention. Now, I'm more interested in asking you why you deceived me," Li Xia stared at Zhou Heng, her expression showing a hint of displeasure.

"It was your elder brother's idea," Zhou Heng's words made Li Xia laugh.

"Zhou Heng, don't think that by bringing up my brother, I'll let you off the hook," Li Xia clearly didn't believe Zhou Heng's words.

"You siblings really have me figured out," Zhou Heng smiled helplessly.

"Tell me, how much have you hidden from me?" Zhou Heng had left before her wedding and suddenly returned after more than a year. The results were impressive; even the Second Prince had been brought down.

"Alright, I'll tell you," Zhou Heng put down his teacup and explained the situation in detail. Initially, Zhou Heng discovered that the Ning family was connected to Prince YongKang, and upon deeper investigation, found the Second Prince's involvement. However, the Second Prince had hidden his tracks well, leaving no concrete evidence of his direct association with Prince YongKang. To uncover the truth, Zhou Heng met with Cao Fugui and the Crown Prince through Li Hui's introduction.

They devised a plan for Prince Yun to report his own family, destroying the Ning family and forcing the Second Prince to make a move. Zhou Heng kept a close watch on the Second Prince and discovered that Prince YongKang had a secret force under the Second Prince's command. This force was small but comprised of elite warriors, each capable of fighting a hundred men.

The Second Prince had hidden this group very discreetly, and their exact location was unknown. They had only been spotted once in Meng County. This reminded Zhou Heng of the deceased Song Rushan.

To track down this group, Zhou Heng left the capital and worked in tandem with Cao Fugui, one openly and one covertly, to investigate. In Meng County, they found Song Rushan's former adviser and discovered some traces. They located the group, but Zhou Heng's cover was blown.

Knowing that someone was investigating, the Second Prince risked launching a palace coup on the day of the palace banquet.

"Is that all?" Li Xia's fingers lightly tapped the table as she stared at the fading mark on Zhou Heng's neck. This mark alone indicated that the matter wasn't as simple as Zhou Heng had described.

Noticing Li Xia's gaze, Zhou Heng adjusted his collar to cover the scar. "I was careless and fell into a trap. I got injured," he explained.