Although General Xiao Mingde has been staying in the capital recently, he has never returned to the camp in western Beijing.

Although the eldest young master Xiao Cong claimed that he stayed in the camp, he never sent any soldiers out.

Public opinion in the capital still regards the Xiao family's father and son as the culprits who attacked Old Lady Xue, the reason goes without saying, naturally because someone in the Xue family exposed the scandal of Miss Xiao's unmarried pregnancy, which ruined the good reputation of the Xiao family!

Not only did the people of the Xue family think so, but even the emperor and those civil and military officials who were close to Xiao Mingde felt that this was the case in their hearts. Xiao Mingde can be said to be speechless, but when he looks back at his wife and eldest son, he feels that the truth may be the case, but the mastermind who instructed him is not himself, but his wife and children.

The fact that the attackers were not arrested does not prove that the soldiers of the Jingxi Battalion did not commit the incident. But even if the government finally caught the attacker, it found out that he was not from the camp in Jingxi, and the Xue family and the world would not believe it. They will only think that this is the Xiao family who bribed the government and deliberately whitewashed themselves!

Anyway, the attacker was not caught, and the Xiao family couldn't explain it in the future. While Xiao Mingde was distressed by this, he tried to prove his loyalty to the emperor, and at the same time, he also reprimanded his wife and son, feeling that they were not venting their anger and revenge, but adding chaos to the Xiao family! Are they afraid that the world will talk less about the scandal of their daughter Xiao Lin? !

Mrs. Xiao and Xiao Cong resolutely claimed that they were innocent, and said that the Xue family deserved it, but if they wanted to do it, they would not rush at Old Man Xue. This old minister is a lot older, and if he knocks it down with a stick, he may not even be able to save his life, so isn't it a big trouble? They knew that it was the children of the Xue family who really exposed Xiao Lin's scandal, and they had already found someone to set up a trap to beat people half to death, and told the other party not to speak out, so they could only suffer a dumb loss. They have all done this, how could they suddenly turn to deal with Old Master Xue?!

Mrs. Xiao suspected that this might be the third prince's revenge on the Xue family, because the scandal was leaked, Xiao Lin was ruined, and his character as a man was also questioned. At the moment when Concubine Xiao Guifei is suspected of provoking Lin Zhaoyi to assassinate the queen, this kind of questioning has all kinds of disadvantages and no benefits for the three princes. How can a prince with a tainted character convince the ministers to be willing to nominate him as the new prince?! Especially when there is an innocent and innocent four princes in comparison.

Xiao Cong also suspected that this matter was caused by the third prince, and he felt a little resentful in his heart. He can understand the idea of the third prince being angry for his sister, but it shouldn't be at this time! The third prince first concealed from him and his parents, and fornicated with his sister Xiao Lin, accidentally making Xiao Lin's belly bigger, causing her to suffer from abortion at a young age before she got married, and failed to prevent the matter from being exposed, causing the Xiao family to fall into criticism now. At this time, the third prince didn't want to calm down the turmoil as soon as possible, explain clearly that Xiao Guifei did not instruct Lin Zhaoyi to assassinate the queen, keep Xiao Guifei's position, and then ask the emperor as soon as possible to allow Xiao Lin to marry him - even if it is the title of a side concubine! This is what is really good for Xiao Lin.

Otherwise, as long as the emperor does not allow it, Xiao Lin will not be able to marry the third prince for a day. Everyone in the world knows about her fornication with the prince, who else will come to the door to ask for marriage? You can't let his sister never marry for the rest of her life, right?! If this is the case, the Xiao family will really be miserable by the third prince, and the latter still hopes that the Xiao family can help him win the heir?!

Xiao Mingde is suspicious of his wife and children, and Mrs. Xiao and Xiao Cong are suspicious of the three princes, so what do the three princes think?

He also suspected Mrs. Xiao or Xiao Cong, and thought impatiently that they were causing trouble for him, but after reading the secret letter that Xiao Cong had passed into the palace through secret channels, he knew that they were not responsible for the attack on Old Master Xue, so he began to suspect others again.

The one he was most suspicious of was the Cao family!

The third prince and his mother, Xiao Guifei, had met after Empress Cao's death and hastily exchanged views on the matter. Xiao Guifei admitted that she had secretly gone to the cold palace more than once to see Lin Zhaoyi, and saw that this former rival who had been favored and arrogant for many years was now depressed and miserable.

She also told each other about the fate of the Lin family, especially Lin Zhaoyi's old mother who was seriously ill and died; Her own brother was forced to commit suicide by the clansmen, but claimed that he died of a sudden illness, but in fact, the Lin clan wanted to prove their innocence to the emperor, so as to draw a line with Lin Zhaoyi's side; Her own nephews and nieces were driven to fend for themselves in poor villages in the countryside, and they were even deprived of their qualifications to study; Her own sister was driven into the Buddhist hall by her husband's family and asked her in-laws and concubines to step on their heads......

Xiao Guifei's stimulation again and again this time caused Lin Zhaoyi to become more and more painful day by day. Xiao Guifei exaggerated the second prince's behavior of ignoring the situation of his biological mother and bent on flattering and currying favor with the emperor, made up some so-called "unfilial" remarks of the second prince, and then bribed a little chamberlain who used to wait by the side of the second prince, and added oil and vinegar in front of Lin Zhaoyi, and Lin Zhaoyi became the half-crazy appearance she is now.

But Xiao Guifei only admitted that she had done these things that irritated Lin Zhaoyi, but insisted that she did not instruct the other party to assassinate Queen Cao! She's not stupid! Whether it is Lin Zhaoyi and the second prince, or Queen Cao and the crown prince, they are all grasshoppers after the autumn, and they will be finished sooner or later, why should she go to the extraneous branches?

Xiao Guifei suspected that this was a good thing done by Qiao Meiren, because something happened to them, the highest-ranking concubines and the princes they born, and the four princes and their biological mothers benefited. She just had some suspicions, Qiao Meiren didn't seem to have this scheming, but it was very likely that which palace concubine who had just entered the palace gave Qiao Meiren an idea, and it was even possible that the Qiao family found a capable person and set a trap.

The third prince did not agree with his mother's idea, and he directly suspected Empress Cao and the Cao family. He felt that this was a bitter ploy by Empress Cao, in order to protect the crown prince and the Cao family, and by the way, he plotted against him, the prince who should have been the most qualified to become the new prince. Even if Old Lady Xue was attacked, it may be that the Xue family cooperated with the Cao family's bitter plan, and it may even be that the Cao family sacrificed their in-laws to set up a trap! Anyway, Empress Cao begged the emperor to abolish the crown prince before she died, and when the prince is no longer the prince, Old Master Xue will be useless to the Cao family, so it is better to squeeze it at the end and come in handy!

The third prince was very unwilling, he had a good relationship with the prince in the past, and he spent a lot of effort to please Queen Cao! Even if he acted carelessly later and exposed some careful thoughts, he still had some brotherhood with the prince. Because of his young age, the fourth prince has never been with his brothers, and he is not close to Queen Cao and the crown prince. Since Empress Cao is determined to abolish the crown prince and only want to keep the wealth and safety of her son and her mother's family, why can't he, the third prince who was once good friends with the prince, become the prince, but cheapen the fourth prince?!

Recently, a series of accidents have brought a lot of pressure to the three princes. The emperor's various doubts, Xiao Guifei's constant complaints, his uncle Xiao Mingde's re-abandonment, his aunt Mrs. Xiao and cousin Xiao Cong's repeated questions and promises, and the various cries of his fiancée Lan's family in front of the Queen Mother...... The third prince was upset, and even his temper was much more irritable. Even in front of the officials of the imperial court, he can't maintain the illusion of a gentle and polite gentleman.

He had no one to confide in, so he could only complain to his henchmen. And his henchman eunuch Xu Dewang accepted a godson Xu Laishun and opened a teahouse called "Shunji" in the capital. Recently, there is a regular customer who has become friends with Xu Laishun and often drinks and has fun in one place.

This frequent visitor is Wan Long, a son of the Marquis of Pyeongchang.