With the cannon fodder script in hand, it is easy for the king to change his fate

"Let's go see Huo'er." Zhou Hanyi got up and went straight to Zhou Huo's courtyard.

In the courtyard, Zhou Huo looked like a madman, which made Zhou Hanyi's eyes turn cold. No matter who had harmed his grandson like this, he would make them pay a heavy price.

Zhou Hanyi carefully took out a medicine bottle and poured out a pill.

In an instant, everyone smelled a wonderful fragrance, couldn't help but swallow, and stared intently at the round pill.

But no one dared to speak as they watched Zhou Hanyi stuff the pill into Zhou Huo's mouth.

Unexpectedly, the pill melted instantly in his mouth, and Zhou Huo stopped his silly grin and sat quietly.

Everyone held their breath. After what seemed like an eternity, Zhou Huo's eyes cleared. Seeing so many people staring at him, he asked, "Grandfather, Father, what's going on?"

Zhou Ju was overjoyed: "Huo'er, you've recovered?"

Zhou Hanyi was not surprised, as if he had expected the pills in his hand to have a miraculous effect.

Zhou Ju's words reminded Zhou Huo of what had happened before, and what he had experienced during his period of mental impairment. He still remembered everything.

He didn't know who had plotted against him.

He even became an idiot, but luckily he had his grandfather's pills.

"Alright, everyone come to my courtyard. I have something very important to tell you," Zhou Hanyi said, his face serious, but he couldn't hide his excitement.

The Zhou family members didn't understand what was going on, but they knew it was a good thing.

"Your Majesty, Zhou Hanyi has returned. He wasn't with anyone else, but he looks radiant. I wonder what good things he encountered on this trip." Yuan Qi immediately reported the news to Azhen. Since His Majesty didn't allow anyone to actually go and investigate, she naturally didn't dare to arrange for anyone to do too much on her own, lest she ruin things. However, she was also very curious about what Zhou Hanyi had encountered on his return to Wenling Mountain.

“Perhaps Zhou Huo has been saved.” Azhen said calmly, “Have someone keep an eye on him. Zhou Huo will be going out in the next few days, and maybe the Zhou family will find an excuse to clear his name.”

Yuan Qi agreed, "That would be too easy on them."

"No rush, let's see what tricks they have up their sleeves." Azhen said with a smile. If Zhou Huo really recovered, it would mean that there was an extraordinary person hiding behind the Zhou family. It's just that the person hasn't appeared yet. Now that she is the emperor, she can't possibly go out to look for the person. So she can only wait for the person to come to her door in person.

Zhou Shi, she's determined to bring this down, and no one can stop her.

When the other party's reputation is completely ruined, that will be their end. It feels like the person hiding behind them is very important.

That afternoon, Zhou Huo went out.

Meanwhile, news also circulated that Zhou Huo claimed he was kidnapped in a carriage, and he didn't know what happened afterward.

Zhou provided evidence, which wasn't enough to convince everyone, but quite a few people still believed it.

When Ji Zixing emerged from the examination hall after the imperial examination, he was surprised to learn of Zhou Huo's recovery. After a quick freshening up, he hurriedly went to visit the Zhou residence.

Seeing Zhou Huo looking so radiant, completely different from his foolish appearance a while ago, and with an indescribable feeling about him, as if something good was about to happen, Ji Zixing was puzzled.

What exactly did Zhou Hanyi encounter when he returned to Wenling Mountain?
"Cousin, you're finally out of the exam hall. How does it feel?" Zhou Huo asked. "I was supposed to pick you up, but I had some things to take care of today, so I couldn't go in person."

Someone from the Zhou residence actually went there; otherwise, Ji Zixing wouldn't have known about Zhou Huo's recovery so quickly.

Ji Zixing said, "It's alright."

"Cousin, I'm so glad you've recovered. Seeing you like that lately has been really hard on me. I heard you were framed? Did you catch the culprit?"

"They've been caught. Don't worry, they won't get away with this. I've made my cousin worry lately," Zhou Huo said. To clear his name, he had to catch the thief, otherwise things would get complicated.

He still gets annoyed when the matter is brought up.

However, recalling his grandfather's conversation with them last time, Zhou Huo became cheerful again. He never expected that the Zhou family would be so fortunate; no wonder they had been able to survive for thousands of years.

So what if the woman in the palace is the founding empress? The dynasty will perish sooner or later.

The Zhou family has powerful protection, and they will prosper for generations to come; no one can stop them.

What good is it if the one in the palace is powerful now?

Sooner or later, it will follow in the footsteps of the Ao Kingdom and leave no trace in history.

"I'm only truly relieved to see my cousin recover," Ji Zixing said, his mind filled with curiosity. He wondered how Zhou Huo had recovered, and felt there was some secret involved.

As a family with a history spanning thousands of years, it must have many secrets. Ji Zixing maintained a show of concern on the surface, but in his heart, he wanted to find out the secrets of this thousand-year-old family.

Unfortunately, even if he were to marry into the Zhou family, it would be difficult for him to find out.

So forget it. His current target is Xie Kui, and his second target is Xie Nuo. He wants to ascend to that position. Even if he can't do it openly and honestly, he'll still be willing to wield power.

"I'm so sorry I couldn't help my cousin because of my sudden accident." Zhou Huo said regretfully. Of course, he couldn't let Ji Zixing know what he had done. His cousin was a gentleman, talented and close to the Zhou family.

Some things are best kept secret only by the core members of the Zhou family.

The Zhou family also needed a virtuous and upright gentleman like their cousin.

After exchanging pleasantries, the two met with the others.

Ji Zixing noticed that the main members of the Zhou family all had an undisguised arrogance in their eyes, as if they had returned to the state before the plagiarism incident.

What exactly happened after Zhou Hanyi returned to Wenling Mountain that gave the Zhou family members renewed confidence?

After seeing Ji Zixing off, Zhou Huo said to Zhou Hanyi, "Grandfather, are we really going to just stand by and watch Chen Fangjin and Princess Ping get together?"

Zhou Hanyi, seated at the head of the table, opened his eyes and said calmly, "The Chen family of Qingzhou is nothing to worry about. Let them go. Our ancestor said that once Xie Zhen dies, the Zhao Kingdom will decline. Getting involved with Xie Ping will bring no benefit."

Chaotic times are difficult for others, but not for the Zhou family.

Throughout history, apart from the Zhao Kingdom, which state was established without the Zhou family having any connection to it?

However, the Zhou family hadn't expected that Xie Zhen, a mere woman, could accomplish such great things. If only they had known of the ancestor's existence back then, they could have gone and inquired. By the time they realized what was happening, it was already too late to enter Xie Zhen's inner circle. If it weren't for her extraordinary reputation, they wouldn't have achieved their current status. Moreover, many of Xie Zhen's beliefs clashed greatly with those of the Zhou family, and both sides found each other an eyesore.

“Xie Zhen’s body won’t last for the next few years. Just wait and see. Don’t be impatient. You’ll understand when the new emperor ascends the throne. Before that, don’t cause any more trouble. As for what Xie Zhen does, let her do as she pleases,” Zhou Hanyi said.

"Understood." Zhou Huo nodded, after all, these were the words of the ancestor, so they were definitely trustworthy.

Then he will wait.

Without any other obstacles, after Chen Fangjin was named the top scholar in the imperial examination, he went to the Prince of An's mansion to propose marriage, and soon he and Xie Ping got married.

Azhen also bestowed upon Xie Ping a residence and granted her the title of Princess Ningping.

Recently, Azhen also discovered that the Zhou faction had stopped causing her trouble, and many policies were proceeding incredibly smoothly, as if the Zhou faction was just watching a show.

"I wonder what kind of conspiracy they're plotting in secret. Could the Zhou family be planning to usurp the throne?" Yuan Qi wondered.

Azhen said, "They won't."

They're probably waiting for her to die.

That would be a wasted wait. (End of Chapter)