Empress Cao had already received the memorial, but was anxiously waiting at the palace gate.

  She knew that the place where Zhu's family drowned was on Xier's way home from school, and she would definitely let Xier know. And this child is also a sentimental person... hoping that the government can handle it as soon as possible, don't let Xier see it.

  Whatever words were used would be fine as long as he didn't see them.

  Unfortunately, her expectation was not realized. From a distance, she saw Zhao Xi dragging his body listlessly, slowly moving towards this side, occasionally turning his head.

  Xier had been recovering and getting stronger since her illness, but now she was being supported by Wang Zhongzheng...

  In the end, they still met.

  "Xi'er, mother knows you're suffering, go back inside and rest... Tao Niang, don't bother Sanlang today!"

  Empress Cao looked at the child with a heartache, a child who expressed all emotions like an adult, not crying or making a fuss, just shedding tears and moving her feet indifferently.

  Zhao Xi raised her eyes and looked at Empress Cao...

  "Mother, nothing's wrong with me."

  When Zhao Xi saw that Zhu Shi was murdered, the first suspect he thought of was the Empress.

  After all, showing emotions towards her birth mother would make the empress wary. Her ascension to the top is inevitable, and considering her future position, the empress has a motive for doing so.

  At this moment, seeing the expression of Empress Cao, he denied it.

  The first of the six palaces, no matter what, will not affect her position, even if she takes charge herself, the outer court does not allow itself to be slower than her.

  Moreover, Zhao Xi didn't see any abnormality in Empress Cao's behavior, and the concern she showed was very sincere, genuinely worried about herself.

  If the queen had a mind to do this thing, there was no need for her to appear at all, and she might have been entirely ignorant of it.

  Zhu's life won't last long, everyone in the inner court is clear about this, so there's no need for the Empress to be in such a hurry.

  Zhang's wife? A seven or eight months pregnant woman can't do it, so she orders others to do it? The inner courtyard doesn't have that many options.

  Anyone in the inner courtyard, killing Zhu Shi would not intentionally let herself be seen. Zhao Xi soon understood that this was a trap, an operation to make herself resentful of other concubines in the inner courtyard and create discord with her father and the empress.

  Very good, very targeted, and fully utilized one's own clever foundation. Unfortunately... oneself is really not a clever kid!

  Zhao Xi lay down, his eyes slightly closed, and his mind analyzed the event bit by bit.

  Alas! Old man, you should be more careful. This is your own home, how can you manage it like a leaky ladle? Don't even mention protecting your own woman, just your own life, I feel insecure for my child's sake.

  "How is Xi'er?"

  "I see Xier is uncomfortable, let's take a break first. Official family, what's wrong with the Zhu family again?"

  At this time, Zhao Xi also wanted to listen, as if feeling that he hadn't slept and Lao Ye knew generally, holding his breath quietly, wanting to see how Lao Ye would explain.

  "Let's take a look at Xi'er first."

  Alas, this lustful son!

  Zhao Xi remained lying down, closing her tearful eyes and making a great effort to appear exhausted, so that even her sleep seemed convincing. After all, she was still just a child, and it was normal for children to cry themselves to sleep.

  The eunuchs in the Cining Palace were not fools and knew that they should not speak out of turn at this time, or else any one of them could lose their lives.

  At this level of storytelling, it's clear that you can't get involved, even if you just saw the king of Hubei open his eyes and then close them again, which means he fell asleep.

  Zhao Zhen glanced over and seemed to stay by Zhao Xi's bedside for a while longer, then tucked in the quilt corner again.

  "Government..."

  "The case of Zhu's family may have other clues, no conclusion can be drawn for the time being, and it needs to be verified in a few days."

  Zhao Zhen lowered his voice and whispered to the empress. No matter how much he doted on Zhang Shi, no matter how beautiful and young the other consorts were, in Zhao Zhen's heart, perhaps only Cao Shi made him feel at ease.

  Even if the inner courtyard is so dirty, it can only be talked about with Cao's family.

  "Why must it be so! Lady Zhu is ill, and Japan has few people like her. Who could be so base as to do such an inhuman thing?"

  "It's still unknown. Saint, just take care of Xi'er for now, don't worry about other things, I'll handle it myself. Tomorrow, tell Cai Shantang to stop Xi'er from attending school temporarily."

  You'll deal with it yourself? Zhao Xi had no hope for his old man's handling. I reckon at this time, the old man doesn't even have a direction, how can he handle it? By the time you figure it out, people and things will be gone.

  "The official can rest assured, I will remember and not dare to be negligent in Xi'er's matter."

  Perhaps this delicate body really can't withstand such mental exhaustion, or maybe it's the intense emotional fluctuations that have exhausted Little Zhao Xi.

  Zhao Xi really fell asleep.

  ……

  "Mother, I want to go out and play."

  The next day, Zhao Xi didn't need to attend school, while the Empress followed closely behind him, just like a toddler learning to walk.

  Zhao Xi wanted to do something and ask something, but as the Empress Dowager... she could only stay in Ciming Palace.

  But at this time, he really couldn't stay any longer. He wasn't his old man, and there was someone named Chen Lin who gave him orders. He did have a follower named Wang Zhongzheng, but that was also just a child, and in the palace, he didn't have any status at all. He didn't even dare to shout loudly when calling out the morning roll call, so what could be expected of him?

  "Where does Xi'er want to go?"

  "Don't worry, mother, I won't get into trouble, I just want to go out and take a walk."

  Whenever I have something on my mind that I don't understand, I like to take a walk around and clear the frustration in my heart.

  Empress Cao did not suspect anything else and considered it agreed upon.

  "You follow Wang Ye, don't let E Wang Ye go to Zhu Shi's mourning place, the rest is up to Wang Ye himself."

  Empress Cao was still worried that Zhao Xie would go back to his birth mother's burial place and relive the pain.

  This child has just recovered from her illness and cannot be hurt by sorrow again. Children, after all, will forget things if they don't see them.

  If it's said that he's sad, Zhao Xi is somewhat, if it's said that it hurts a lot, he really doesn't feel that way. What truly makes him worried is the purpose of this matter.

  As Her Majesty the Queen Mother said, this birth mother of mine was not destined to live long anyway. Whether or not she is killed, she will not be able to hold on until I ascend to the throne, so it has nothing to do with her future status.

  And throwing it into his own path of going to school, making a fake drowning appearance, will not be as simple as just letting himself be sad.

  "Zhongzheng, is this place guarded by the Imperial Guards or the Forbidden City Garrison?"

  Zhao Xi said it was a transfer, and indeed it was a transfer, only he chose different places.

  At this moment, where he stood was the only place in the entire imperial palace that could see the Zhu family's palace to the drowning pond.

  Zhu was treated as the birth mother of the emperor, although her rank was not high. Her palace was equivalent to that of a Xianfei (a lower-ranking imperial consort). Among the many palaces in the inner courtyard, it was not remote, but not on the main axis of the imperial palace either.

  From Zhu's palace to the drowning pool, there is a distance of about ten or twenty meters, which is just within the range of a guard's watch.

  The inner courtyard and the guarding boundary are distinct, and further inside is the jurisdiction of the Imperial City Guards.

  In guarding the imperial palace, the Imperial Guards and the Palace Guards seem to have a division of labor, with no overlap in their areas of responsibility.

  "Returning to the king, this place should be within the range of the Imperial Guard. I am a personal attendant officer of the Imperial City, although I have not yet taken independent watch, but was led by my predecessor and had an understanding of many areas on guard."

  Wang Zhongzheng did not understand what Zhao Xi wanted to do, including just now when Master Wang asked them to lift him up, it was all unclear.