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"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.

"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.

"Young Master, the Old Madam has sent someone to summon you," a maid's voice came from outside, interrupting the mother-son conversation.

Lu XuanNing, not wanting to hear more harsh words from his mother about Li Xia, turned and left for Qiuzhang Court.

Old Madam Lu looked Lu XuanNing up and down. "Ning'er, were you injured yesterday?"

Lu XuanNing felt warmth in his heart. Upon his return, both Li Xia and Old Madam Lu had shown concern for his well-being. Only his birth mother, Madam Zhou, focused solely on her maiden family and Marquis Lu, without a single word of concern for Lu XuanNing.

Madam Zhou blamed Lu XuanNing for not being close to her, but had she ever shown genuine care for him?

"Grandmother, I'm fine," Lu XuanNing stepped forward to show Old Madam Lu that he was unharmed.

"That's good. It's best when the family is whole and well," Old Madam Lu's words were also meant to advise Lu XuanNing.

"I understand," Lu XuanNing said he understood, but didn't specify how he would act. Old Madam Lu sighed, feeling a tinge of regret for letting the young Lu XuanNing stay in the capital years ago. The separation had caused the mother and son's relationship to lack depth.

The old Marquis Lu and Marquis Lu returned even earlier than Lu XuanNing that night. Upon his return, Marquis Lu summoned Lu XuanNing to his study. "The Zhou family is your mother's maiden family. You shouldn't be so heartless," he said.

"Father, it's precisely because of my mother that the Zhou family is merely stripped of their titles and reduced to commoners," Lu XuanNing revealed. Given what the Zhou family had done in private, they should have been facing execution.

Lu XuanNing's words made Marquis Lu look at his son before him. He had become more sophisticated and strategic. This was good; one couldn't survive in the capital without some cunning.

"After the Empress Dowager's birthday celebration, I'll take your mother back to the frontier," Marquis Lu said. Being far away, Madam Zhou wouldn't be able to meddle in these affairs even if she wanted to.

Lu XuanNing realized for the first time that his father would also resort to avoidance. However, it was good for Madam Zhou to return to the frontier. Distance makes the heart grow fonder; being far apart might actually improve their mother-son relationship. Otherwise, if Madam Zhou continued her behavior, their bond might soon cease to exist.

The Second Prince's rebellion was exposed, and the participants were either arrested or confined. The Emperor quickly made his decision: the Second Prince was stripped of his title and sent to guard the imperial tombs as a commoner.

Consort Xian ended her life with a white silk cord. Other major participants, like the steadfast supporters from the Jiang Family and Liu Family, faced confiscation of property and execution. Indirect participants, like the Zhou family, were dismissed from office and barred from official positions for three generations.

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.