Chapter 1340: Advance Through Retreat

roup to Zhao Qianrou, but instead to his younger brother Zhao Fengxu, who is also Zhao Ziyong's father. This also has a compensatory meaning, after all, Zhao Ziyong's accident had something to do with...After Gu Die'er finished speaking, tears streamed down her face, as if the light in her eyes was fading little by little. Although it was acting, and what she said was half true and half false, her emotions were real.

She didn't cry when her mother gave her away, nor did she cry at the urging of her friends, because she wanted to be grateful for that imperial decree and couldn't have even a hint of unwillingness.

But now, by losing her right to be a mother, she can cry without restraint. She cries out her resentment, her anger towards Xin Yuan, for everything she's going through is because of him, and he must give her an explanation.

Su An, who was standing quietly beside him, already had a thin layer of sweat on his forehead. Could he hear this

What he didn't expect was that among the prince's several women, Gu Liangyuan, the youngest, was the most perceptive. Had she not been tricked this time, she probably wouldn't have told the prince these words.

This time, it must have been because someone cut off his retreat that he dared to be so bold. He was left behind because the Crown Prince and Lady Gu had met and known each other since they first met. He had personally witnessed everything, and there was no doubt that this was all the Crown Prince's scheme.

While the Crown Prince lowered his eyes under Gu Die'er's gaze, his heart was a tumult of emotions. He had never considered that the other party would be unwilling to marry into the royal family. In his view, no one would refuse him, whether it was his identity or the class he represented. He believed that even without any other factors, he wouldn't be inferior to anyone else.

But now he discovered that Gu Die'er was truly unwilling. She only agreed to the marriage because of her family and loved ones. Even after marrying him, she remained obedient and simply wanted a peaceful life. It was a pity that he hadn't protected her well enough, depriving her even of the right to be a mother.

As Gu Die'er said, even if it was a matter of exchanging benefits, he should protect her at least. He shouldn't allow others to trample on her.

"Butterfly, I will give you an explanation for this matter. In the future... in the future, I will protect you more."

Xinyuan finished speaking and then got up to leave. He didn't want to see the sorrow on the other person's face.

Su An followed closely behind the prince, not daring to breathe. The prince's aura right now was quite frightening.

"Suan!"

"I'm here, master."

"Submit the investigation results as soon as possible. I need to know the truth."

Yes, this servant has already sent someone to investigate.

"You go personally and see who has such long arms. This involves the crown prince, so we can't be careless."

Yes, Your Highness.

Su An immediately bowed and stepped back, allowing his subordinate to take over. He went himself to follow up on the progress of the investigation.

Lancao saw that the Crown Prince left with a gloomy expression, and she was the first to rush into Gu Die'er's room. She just happened to see her master wiping away tears.

"Miss, please don't be sad."

Nanny Gu blocked the remaining maids and instructed:

"Prepare some warm water, the young lady needs to wash."

After the palace maids left, Gu Mama only then closed the door and came to Gu Die'er's side, lowering her voice and asking:

"Miss, everything has been handled properly."

"I've filed the complaint. What happens next is up to the Crown Prince. Remember to write to Mother and tell her about my inability to bear children."

After hesitating for a moment, Grandma Gu said:

"Miss, how about we take it easy for a bit"

"No, I didn't intentionally hide this. Everyone who needed to know already does, and it will reach my mother's ears soon anyway. It's better for me to tell her than have her hear it from someone else."

Yes, Miss.

I wrote two letters, taking both the light and dark paths to send messages home. Don't let anyone find out.

"I understand,"

The movements of the prince in the East Palace were no secret to anyone, and even the crown princess was aware of his whereabouts. She touched her prominent belly and felt a twinge of anxiety in her heart. Then she asked the wet nurse beside her:

"Grandma, is the tail all cleaned up"

"Your Highness, rest assured that everything has been handled properly and will not involve you in any way."

"Lately, I've been feeling uneasy. Keep your ears perked up and let me know if you hear anything out of the ordinary."

"Yes!"

After five days of investigation, Su An finally narrowed down the culprit to the Crown Princess. He didn't dare be careless and personally reviewed the found evidence and captured minions before presenting the results to the Crown Prince.

Xin Yuan's face changed several times after seeing this. He didn't expect the one who was best at disguising herself to be the Crown Princess. After all, she was the carefully trained eldest daughter of a minister.

After the prince finished reading the investigation results, he tapped on the table with his finger and then said to Su An:

"The Crown Princess is about to give birth to my legitimate son. It's not convenient for me to take action against her for now, but I can have someone move against the wet nurse."

"Yes, Your Highness. How shall I proceed Please instruct me."

Xin Yuan narrowed his eyes and said coldly:

The Crown Princess is easily persuaded and always influenced by her wet nurses. This kind of thing will likely happen again, so it's best to keep her away from the Crown Princess.

Out of consideration for her service to the Crown Princess, let her leave with some dignity. Her family should accompany her on her journey.

Yes, Your Highness.

Su An responded with a sound, then turned and went out to make arrangements.

Five days later, the Imperial Consort's wet nurse suddenly received news from outside the palace that her family had been killed by bandits who broke into their home. She was terrified and rushed to verify the information with the messenger. However, because she was in such a hurry, she tripped and fell into a flower pond, drowning.

When the Crown Princess heard this news, her face immediately paled, and she went into premature labor. Fortunately, although she hadn't reached ten months, the baby was well-nourished. After a day and night of effort, she still gave birth to a baby girl.

After seeing the scene, Xin Yuan bestowed gifts on the maidservants and eunuchs in attendance. He also held his first child for a brief moment before instructing Su An to inform the emperor that he would be returning to his study after spending just one hour in the Tai Tzu Fei’s palace.

And the next day, when the Crown Princess awoke, holding her infant daughter, she trembled throughout her body. She had learned from her maidservant that the wet nurse and her entire family were dead, and it seemed that almost everyone inside and outside the palace had died at the same time.

She didn't believe it was a coincidence. To be so ruthless to the people around her, the only person she could think of was the prince.

He must have found out something! Nanny...Nanny, this is on my behalf!

Yang Pei Rong experienced the ruthlessness of the imperial family for the first time. Before this, she had wanted to fight for her own standing, but her womb was uncooperative. Her first child was a daughter, and she had also lost an arm in the process. She was momentarily at a loss.

"Consort, don't panic. You are the legitimate wife of the Crown Prince, bestowed upon him by Imperial Decree. Your father is the current Chief Minister, the Crown Prince wouldn't dare to mistreat you. Right now, the most important thing for you is to recover your health and give birth to a son for the Crown Prince as soon as possible. This will secure your position."

"Right...right, you're right. What matters most now is securing my position. In the future, that spot will only belong to my son."

The comforted Crown Princess immediately shifted her attention to herself, focusing all her energy on herself. Even her eldest daughter was left in the care of the wet nurse, and she would only bring her daughter over when the Crown Prince came to her.

After receiving the prince's explanation, Gu Die'er regained her composure and feigned illness in her own courtyard, refusing to see anyone.ck and a hard place."Although Zhang family might not succeed with their father's abilities, they will inevitably suffer grievous injuries. At that time, the Southern factions will be difficult to cont...