Return to the Capital
"You're just overthinking things. At a time like this, who has time to care about me?" Zhao Ruxi had no choice but to overturn her previous arguments and try to persuade Xiao Lingyan from a different angle.
"If the plot continues as it is, the Third Prince is currently plotting a grand conspiracy. The Crown Prince, the Second Prince, and the Fourth Prince are busy dealing with him and have no time to spare for me. Most importantly, with the Second Prince blocking their way, none of them are thinking of targeting you. Targeting you alone is useless if they don't get rid of the Second Prince. If you're insignificant, then I'm even less of a concern for them. If they had some free time, they might remember to make things difficult for me. But right now, they really can't afford to worry about me."
"But if I go back, not only will you be safe, but the Emperor will also be secure. If the Emperor dies, no matter who becomes Emperor, we'll all suffer. Even if the Crown Prince and the other princes mess things up, when you ascend the throne, you'll have to clean up the mess, appease the ministers, handle government affairs, and deal with foreign enemies. Won't you be overwhelmed? Even if not for us, for the sake of the people, stability is the best. We've already died once, so what if we die again? We're just cannon fodder after all. This is just a gamble, it's really not a big deal."
Seeing that Zhao Ruxi had made up her mind, and knowing that Xiao Lingyan was not one to be swayed by personal feelings and disregard the well-being of the people, he finally agreed to let her return to the capital.
"Then I'll come pick you up in a few days," he said.
Zhao Ruxi shook her head. "No need. Just have the Emperor send someone to pick me up. If you come, I'm afraid someone might try to capture us both." She added, "Although the Second Prince is in our way, we should still eliminate as many as we can. The Third Prince isn't far from going mad; we can't judge him by common sense. You'd better be careful. Don't leave the city anytime soon. Stay at the Prince of Qi's Residence and tell him you're busy preparing for the wedding."
Xiao Lingyan also knew that things were different now than before. Before, the Crown Prince and the Third Prince were just looking for trouble and wanted to make things difficult for Zhao Ruxi. Now, their biggest concern was eliminating her and the Second, Fourth, and Fifth Prince, not Zhao Ruxi. If he came to pick up Zhao Ruxi, he would only put Zhao Ruxi in danger.
He didn't insist any further, returned to the capital that night, reported to the Emperor, and asked the Emperor to send someone.
Given that Zhao Ruxi had been assassinated, this request was reasonable, so the Emperor sent twenty Imperial Guards to escort Zhao Ruxi back to the capital.
Zhao Ruxi originally did not want to bring Lady Zhu back to the capital, and kept persuading her to spend the New Year in Gusu, saying that without her arrangements, her grandmother would not be comfortable during the New Year.
But how could Lady Zhu possibly abandon her daughter and return to the capital alone to guard that mansion, while she went to Gusu to be with her mother-in-law, husband, and son? Even if she were willing, it's likely that the people in Gusu wouldn't agree.
Having been mother-in-law and daughter-in-law for a lifetime, she knew that in the old lady's eyes, Zhao Ruxi, the future princess, was more important than her most beloved son and grandson combined.
Sure enough, when she sent someone to Gusu to inquire, she found that not only did the old lady agree with her decision not to go to Gusu, but she also planned to take her grandson back to the capital for the New Year.
As for his son, Zhao Yuanxun, he was no longer a concern; after all, his granddaughter was more important than him.
Unable to persuade her mother and grandmother, and unable to tell the truth, Zhao Ruxi had no choice but to let them return to the capital.
The old lady took Zhao Jingtai to Nanyang for a few nights before the imperial Imperial Guards sent by the emperor arrived, and then the group returned to the capital.
People are always drawn to those they are far from. Before the family was divided, Zhao Yuanliang had a cold relationship with his stepmother and only a so-so relationship with the eldest son's wife. But now that the family has been divided, the eldest son's wife has all disappeared, and he feels like he has no one to rely on. He misses his stepmother, eldest brother, and sister-in-law terribly.
Therefore, the return of the old lady Gao Xing, Lady Zhu, Zhao Ruxi to the capital not only Gao Xing the third branch of the family, but also the second branch. Zhao Yuanliang, along with his two sons, waited early at the city gate and escorted the three generations of the family back to the Earl of Suiping's Residence.
"Oh, I'm finally home." The old lady sat down in her usual spot, looking at the familiar house with a sigh of relief.
"Congratulations, Madam," Lady Su said with a smile. "I never imagined that our family would produce a princess."
"Haha, isn't that right? That child is so promising," the old lady laughed.
Previously, she and Lady Su were completely at odds and couldn't stand each other. Later, after Zhao Yuankun died, Lady Su often brought her children to pay her respects, trying to flatter and please the old lady. The old lady also felt sorry for her, a widow who had lost her job and was raising two children, and was no longer as cold as before. The relationship between the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law became harmonious.
Upon returning to the mansion, Lady Zhu and Zhao Ruxi went to their own courtyards to bathe and rest, while Lady Su stayed with the old lady to serve her mother-in-law.
After having the maidservants help the old lady take a bath, she prepared a table full of food and had it sent to Lady Zhu, Zhao Ruxi, and Zhao Jingtai. Then she sat down at the table to serve the old lady the food.
When the old lady inquired about the situation in the capital, Lady Su recounted the weddings of people she knew, and then added, "Several families have been dismissed from their posts or had their property confiscated for some unknown offense. Lately, I've had a feeling that things are rather chaotic in the capital."
As a woman confined to her home and a widow, she didn't interact much with others and paid little attention to outside affairs. If she hadn't returned to her parents' home and heard about it from her father and brothers, she would have been completely unaware of these circumstances. She was just mentioning it casually.
The old lady used to be just like Lady Su. However, after Zhao Ruxi repeatedly reminded her, she has become more politically astute. Hearing Lady Su's words, her heart skipped a beat, and she secretly kept them in mind, planning to ask Zhao Ruxi about them when she had time.
Lady Su's topic returned to domestic matters. "The second branch's fourth and sixth daughters have both secretly run off to become concubines. The sixth daughter is alright; she hasn't returned since entering the Prince Jingping's Estate, nor has she sent anyone back to ask for anything. But the fourth daughter has the audacity to come back and ask her father and Young Master Li for her dowry. Second Uncle and Young Master Li were furious, but they still gave her some."
"That girl is shameless. Now that you're back, and Miss Xi is back preparing for her wedding, she'll definitely come knocking on our door in a couple of days to beg for money."
The old lady frowned.
"She went to be someone's concubine, bringing shame to our Zhao Family, and yet she has the nerve to come back asking for things. If it were me, I'd have someone beat her out with a big stick. And give her back her dowry; she's spoiled rotten."
"That's right," Lady Su agreed. "Second Uncle spoils his son, Young Master Li is still young. Men have pride, and he can't bring himself to refuse, so he just lets her make a fuss. If you didn't indulge her, she wouldn't dare come to our door."
Zhao Rurui had come to her door before, probably wanting to ask her for something, but Lady Su directly ordered the gatekeeper to stop her and not even let her in.
Lady Su felt that Zhao Rurui's act of becoming a concubine brought shame upon the family. She worried that when her daughter grew up and was ready for marriage, having two cousins who had become concubines would make her a target for rejection. Therefore, she hated Zhao Rurui intensely and would never give her anything.