Three days later, on a solitary mountain outside Youyang City, a thatched cottage was welcoming noble guests from the city.

  "No! You can't!" Qin Xiang was pinned down on the couch by the family servant, but her body still struggled desperately. Several days passed, and she hadn't even seen Master Zhang's face, without any chance of defending herself.

  Early this morning, Mrs. Zhang brought her to the horse-drawn carriage with a crowd of people in an imposing manner. She had thought that she would be sent to the villa outside the city by the Zhang family to live a quiet life. But she never expected that the Zhang family wanted her to become a nun!

  Mrs. Zhang still had a cold expression, her eyebrows and eyes without any emotion as she spoke to Xiāng Xīang below: "Fifth Aunt, stop struggling. Letting you become a nun is the greatest tolerance of the Zhang family towards you, otherwise by now you would have been sold to a brothel to engage in those filthy flesh trades!"

  "You're talking nonsense! Master must not have meant it that way, it's all because of you, this venomous woman. You've always been jealous of Master's favor towards me, and now you think you've got some evidence to use against me, so you want to push me into the fire pit!" She didn't care that her body was still being restrained, she struggled and twisted, hoping to escape from those robust women's hands.

  "I want to see the master! I want to see the master!"

  Mrs. Zhang didn't even raise an eyebrow, turned around and said to the old nun beside her: "Trouble you, Master!"

  After finishing speaking, she ordered people to start shaving Xiangxiang's hair. No matter what, Xiangxiang was weak, and under the strong force of four or five women, there was no room for struggle.

  A cluster of black hair floated down from the air, scattered all over the ground. She wailed, struggled, and wept until only endless despair was left.

  After Mrs. Zhang and her entourage left, the exhausted Qinxiang was taken to a Buddhist chamber. The room was simply furnished, and at first glance, all that could be seen was simplicity and asceticism.

  She sat paralyzed on the cushion in front of the Buddha, gazing weakly at the ancient Buddha in front of her. The coolness on top of her head made her heart bleed drop by drop. Her most proud appearance was ruined like this.

  The door had been locked from the outside, because she was really too dishonest. The abbess of the nunnery only ordered people to send three meals, and didn't care about anything else. The sandalwood in this room smelled so pungent that it made one feel nauseous.

  Is it really going to be wasted here?!

  Sometimes she even thought that if she hadn't been redeemed by Xie Yun, maybe her days wouldn't be so bitter. Maybe she would now be a popular headliner, or perhaps she could meet a noble and refined gentleman who would cherish her talent and beauty, unlike Xie Yun who was ungrateful and didn't appreciate herself.

  Time passes especially slowly in the mountains, making it the most suitable place for people to pursue absurd dreams that cannot be achieved during the day. Such dreams, accompanied by the fragrance of blooming flowers, continue day after day until the end of one's life, never stopping.

  In fact, she couldn't tell either, which one was closer to her, dreams or reality.

  It's already passed the Winter Solstice, and Jianyang City is getting colder and colder.

  Qin Miao's belly was also showing during these days. It has to be said that although she looked delicate, her physical foundation was actually very strong. Except for some morning sickness in the early stages of pregnancy, everything else went smoothly.

  The business in the shop is still being managed, and the affairs of receiving guests at home have not been neglected. After getting to know her for a long time, many women said that Xie Houye was very lucky, marrying a good wife who could take care of both the living room and the kitchen.

  "Is everything ready? We must hit the target with one strike!" Qin Miao looked at Xie Yun, who was lying on her stomach listening to the sound, and asked with some concern.

  Now she's over four months pregnant, the little guy occasionally kicks a few times, but not many. Every time he kicks, Qin Miao calls Xie Yan, but when he sticks to her belly, the little guy calms down again.

  Xie Xuan listened for a long time with some depression, but still didn't hear anything, and felt very frustrated. "This kid, why can't he even greet his father! He's definitely going to be a petty person in the future!"

  "Ugh! Who set this up for my kid, one side going!" Qin Miao moved his head away, but with a gentle gaze, he rubbed his belly, as if comforting the little guy who was slightly hurt inside. "Hey, I'm asking you something. That Zhang person's matter, is it all settled?"

  Xie Xuan smiled and said, "Don't worry, nothing will go wrong! With the help of Prince Yu Zhang and the imperial censor's office in the capital, I'd like to see how the crown prince can protect this Zhang gentleman!"

  Just a few days before the couple spoke, the master of the East Palace had a big temper with the East Palace historian.

  "Fool! Fool! It's all because I, the Crown Prince, went to great lengths to plan and arrange for him back then. This guy... is infuriating! The Crown Prince slammed the newly arrived imperial report to the ground, scaring the long historian into a daze, not daring to step forward to console him."

  The struggle between the new crown prince and the deposed crown prince has become increasingly fierce, and although the deposed crown prince was demoted to a remote place, he still seems to be able to exert a restraining influence on the new crown prince in the imperial court.

  Recently, the Emperor also didn't know if he had taken the wrong medicine or not, but his favor towards the new crown prince mysteriously cooled down a bit, completely losing the intense enthusiasm from when he was first appointed. All of this made the new crown prince somewhat apprehensive.

  Yu Zhang's territory is far away from the capital, and has always emphasized agriculture and literature, producing many scholars and officials who have entered the imperial court and become marquises and prime ministers.

  After the deposed crown prince went to Yu Zhang, after several years of hard work, he won over many people with his kindness and humility. Moreover, there were still several senior officials in the court who favored the deposed crown prince, making it difficult for him to place his own people in Yu Zhang's territory.

  It's not easy to get a position in the Luoyang government, and since taking office, he has managed to keep up appearances. But who knew that this person would turn out to be an incompetent fool who can't even control his own lower body? He wasted all his efforts, it's really a case of "self-inflicted doom".

  The imperial edict has been issued, the case is closed, and even if you want to save it now, it's too late. Even if you were to rescue someone, they would never be able to fill that position again. The crown prince thought about it and felt regretful, even resentful!

  Henan Henan! The evil spirit is not dispersed! It seems that I still need to speed up my plan, otherwise it will be difficult to maintain the current good situation from being dismantled bit by bit. This big brother of mine is really a formidable opponent!

  On the side, Zhang Shi looked at his master's face and saw that it didn't seem as fierce as before, so he trembled and came forward to report another piece of news: "Your Highness, you had me keep an eye on the Weiyuan Marquis' manor, and finally there's been some movement."

  "Oh?"

  "Old Wei Yuan Hou's wife took the eldest grandson and the wives of the second and third branches to Xunyang a few months ago, saying it was to visit Wei Yuan Hou's couple. At that time, the two masters of the second and third branches were still in the capital. Yesterday, the scout reported that those two also quietly left the city last night and headed south on the official road."

  The crown prince's face sank: "So this is what you mean by moving the whole family south? Is there anyone left in the Hou Mansion now?"

  Chang Shi reported back: "Except for the housekeeper and some lower servants, none of the masters are in the mansion."

  "It seems someone is more anxious than me......" The prince rubbed his chin and suddenly smiled. "I was afraid he wouldn't make a move!"

  He immediately ordered Zhang Jing to enter at night and gather his staff, discussing in the study room for a whole evening.

  Winter has arrived, and the coldest snowy night is about to come.