Chapter 38 Eighteen

  The empress dowager calmed down from her panic.

  If the emperor were to pass away, who would benefit the most?

  Isn't it obvious?

  Who else besides the crown prince?!

  The empress dowager looked at Zheng Suhui with a scrutinizing gaze, pondering what she meant by saying this.

  Zheng Suxin smiled with her hands clasped together at her waist, standing straight behind the Empress Dowager, her demeanor and bearing flawless.

  "Don't speak carelessly. The Emperor is like this, the Crown Prince is the only heir. If there's a problem with the heir, it will shake the foundation of the country." The Empress Dowager solemnly instructed Zheng Suhui.

  Zheng Suxin's heart skipped a beat, and she hastily nodded her head: "The Empress Dowager is wise. I only understand medicine, not court politics. The Empress Dowager saying these things to me is like playing the lute to a cow!"

  The empress dowager nodded in satisfaction, smiling: "You're too modest. Your skills are unknown to others, but our family can't be unaware of them?" As she spoke, she stretched out her hand.

  Zheng Suxin hastily stretched out an arm for Empress Dowager to lean on, and together they walked towards the palace.

  The place where they just stood was the highest cloud pavilion in the palace. Standing on the cloud pavilion, you can overlook the earth and see the beautiful rivers and mountains of Dashu.

  Whenever the Empress Dowager had something particularly troubling on her mind, she would go to the Cloud Pavilion and stay for a while, looking at the sky and the earth. Her mood would become much more relaxed, and the troubles would often be resolved easily.

  "Alright, I'll send someone to escort the recruited divine doctors into the palace and then see them out. We can't let those who are not worthy of the title enter again." The Empress Dowager thought for a moment before instructing, "Order Ruan Tong to pass on my decree, summoning Zhou Da Jiangjun from the Shen Jun Fu into the palace."

  This eunuch was originally the general manager of Xia Ming Emperor's side. After Xia Ming Emperor had an accident, he was idle for a while, and then he sneaked to the side of the Empress Dowager who listened to the court, helping with some miscellaneous work.

  Most of the attendants beside Empress Dowager were palace maids, and a few eunuchs who needed to run errands and deliver messages were from Emperor Xiaoming's side.

  Eunuch Ruan Tong, the chief eunuch who served beside Emperor Xiaoming, later became a constant attendant of Empress Dowager. Of course, his position remained unchanged as the chief eunuch. It's just that for these fifteen years, Emperor Xiaoming was like a "living dead man", and this chief eunuch had long been in name only. However, he did not end up like other eunuchs who served beside Emperor Xiaoming, all of whom were dismissed to sweep the imperial city.

  Ruan Tong received the order and quickly went to Shenjiangfu to pass on the edict.

  The Temple of the Deity is located on the east side of the capital city.

  The four major national government offices are arranged according to the Four Symbols "Qinglong, Baihu, Zhuque, Xuanwu" and occupy one side each in the east, south, west, and north of the capital city.

  The Temple of the God is in the East and originally belongs to Qing Long.

  However, in the Great Xia Empire, only the imperial family could claim the dragon as their symbol.

  So the "Qinglong" belonging to Shenjiangfu was changed to a black python. The family crest of Shenjiangfu is also a black snake flying through the clouds and fog.

  The tribal emblem was also painted on the military flag of General Zhou's Zhou Family Army. Every time the Zhou Family Army went to war, when the giant black snake banner appeared on the battlefield, the enemy would be frightened and dispersed, losing all will to fight.

  Ruan Tonghui held the imperial edict and rode in a grand carriage to arrive at Shen Jiang's mansion to deliver the decree.

  On this day, however, something was amiss in the mansion of the gods.

  Early in the morning, the mansion of the gods was in an uproar with chickens flying and dogs jumping around.

  The second lady of the Zhou family's second house, Madame Hu, came crying to Old Lady Jiang's courtyard to report a grievance.

  "Mother, you'd better control the young master. Since he came back, those cats and dogs in our yard have been dying one after another, my wife really can't take it anymore."

  Old Lady Zhou's frown was so deep it could crush a mosquito. She said displeased, "Second Master, what nonsense are you talking about? The cats and dogs in your yard died, how can you blame it on my grandson Huai Xuan? If you want to frame someone, at least come up with a good excuse!"

  Mrs. Hu hastily knelt down and cried even louder, "Mother, I don't dare to lie. That day, I saw with my own eyes a cat blocking the young master's path. The young master just gave it a cold glance, and the cat was so scared that it trembled all over, its legs softened, and no matter how much it was shooed away, it wouldn't leave. Later in the afternoon, I found that the cat had died on the road. And yesterday, when the young master came to our courtyard to talk to my husband, there were many cats and dogs in our yard. When the young master came out, the cats and dogs fighting accidentally bumped into him, and those fighting cats and dogs died instantly - just like they had bumped into a stone pillar."

  Mrs. Zhou thought it was all nonsense, completely absurd. However, this Mrs. Hu was the wife of her second son, who was a concubine's child and not her own flesh and blood. Usually, she turned a blind eye to his behavior, except for providing him with food and clothing, and didn't dare to discipline him strictly.

  Now his daughter-in-law has come before her, and if she completely ignores her, she will be scolded by the old master for being narrow-minded and unkind.

  She thought for a moment and ordered Chunfen, the senior maid beside her: "Go and call Young Master over to ask what's going on."

  Spring equinox in mind a move, went back to change clothes, head on also inserted two branches of jade hairpin before going to the courtyard of the main house to pass on the message.

  "Master, Spring Sister Chunfen from Old Madam's side has arrived." A little maid announced outside Young Master Zhou Huai Xuan's door.

  The green silk embroidered door curtain was lifted from the inside, and a beautiful maid said in a soft voice: "Is it Spring Sister who has come? Please come in quickly!" It was Chen Xiang's personal maid, Shen Xiang.

  Chunfen smiled and said: "Where is Young Master? The old lady has invited him."

  "What's going on?" Xiang asked curiously as she invited Chunfen in.

  Chunfen knew that Old Lady Zhou had sent her over to sell Zhou Huai Xuan a favor, and she was telling them about it first so they could prepare.

  Chunfen leaned her head close to Xiangxiang's ear and whispered, "Hu Erniang is tattling on the old lady, saying that Young Master killed the cats and dogs in her courtyard and wants to seek justice from the old lady."

  As soon as the words were spoken, two willow-leaf eyebrows stood up straight, and with indignation, she said: "She's always spouting nonsense! Humph, it's really a shame to her surname, besides talking nonsense, she has no other skills! Saying that our young master killed those mangy dogs and lazy cats in her courtyard? I spit on that! —— Spring Split sister, come over and take a look, our young master was ill all night last night and only fell asleep this morning, where did he have the energy to go to her courtyard and commit murder?"

  Chunfen was surprised, "Sick again? Didn't you recover?"

  That was three months ago, five years after being kidnapped by thieves, Young Master Zhou Huaixuan suddenly returned to Shenjiang Mansion.

  Compared to the frail young man of that year, Zhou Huai Xuan had completely changed into a different person. His appearance was even more handsome, but his whole being was as if he had just emerged from an ice cellar, cold and unsmiling.

  Everyone in the Divine Mansion is somewhat afraid of him.

  Only his own mother, Madame Feng, was overjoyed, ignoring the unbearable chill in the air, and hugged him while crying and laughing, saying that he had finally survived to be eighteen years old!

  Originally, when Zhou Daguizi was born, a high-ranking monk gave him a fate, saying that he was destined to live no more than eighteen years and would not be able to inherit the position of Sheng Jiang, who guarded the land of Dashu!

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  Everyone bear with it for now, and wait until August 1st when it goes on sale. I will definitely update three chapters! Everyone's pink tickets are also ready to be sprinkled~~~

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