After being jilted, the entire neighboring village was filled with deep regret.

Chapter 491 Murong Xu and Shen Tian meet again

Upon hearing that it was the Second Prince again, the Empress immediately became anxious, "Where did Xiao Muzi serve before?"

"Yes, it's the Imperial Kitchen." Eunuch Zhou sighed, feeling deeply distressed. He was quite devastated when he found out about this, fearing that the Emperor and Empress would be furious and chop off his old bones.

"Do the Imperial Kitchen and the Laundry Department have any daily interactions?" the Emperor asked firmly.

Eunuch Zhou knelt down with a thud. "Your Majesty, if we're talking about connections, the only connection we have is with the palace maids and eunuchs' meals. But... but when I inquired, I learned that each department sends its own people to fetch their meals from the small kitchen next to the Imperial Kitchen. Chun Tao, as the head of the department, doesn't handle these things, and Xiao Mu Zi is a junior eunuch in the Imperial Kitchen responsible for miscellaneous tasks; he has no connection with the Laundry Department."

Undeterred, the Empress pressed on, "And what about before? Were Chun Tao and Xiao Mu Zi related, or perhaps acquaintances?"

Eunuch Zhou shook his head regretfully, "This servant had guessed the same thing before. The Ministry of Justice investigated all the details of the two of them. Chun Tao has served Consort Li since she was a child. She has no relatives or friends. Moreover, Chun Tao is from the south, while Xiao Mu Zi is from the north. They are completely unrelated."

The emperor, enraged, laughed, “Two people who have no relation whatsoever—gender, age, job—have been coming and going so frequently. It seems there are many unsavory things going on in this palace that I am unaware of!”

Eunuch Zhou replied fearfully, "Your Majesty, the Ministry of Justice has already sent people to the Laundry Department to arrest Chun Tao. They will probably find out about their connection soon."

"The Vice Minister of Justice has arrived!"

Everyone looked out of the hall and saw the Vice Minister of Justice appear alone.

The emperor instantly flew into a rage, "Where is Chun Tao?"

The Vice Minister of Justice immediately knelt down. "Your Majesty, when we investigated the Laundry Department, we learned that Chun Tao was already terminally ill. She was delirious and barely clinging to life."

"Useless!" The emperor was on the verge of exploding in rage.

The Vice Minister of Justice hurriedly said, "However, I arrested and interrogated all of Chun Tao's confidants. I learned that Chun Tao had secretly gone out to meet people several times recently, and the timing all matched up. We also found twenty taels of silver at Xiao Muzi's place. It is highly likely that Chun Tao bribed Xiao Muzi to poison the golden silk cake, and the target was Shen Congrong. Miss Zhao was just an accident and became Shen Congrong's scapegoat."

"Your Majesty," the Empress said, tears welling in her eyes. Even with the truth laid bare before her, she still couldn't accept it. "Could this really be related to the Second Prince?"

The emperor gestured to stop the empress from speculating, his face grim as he dismissed everyone, secretly making his own plans.

Before we knew it, it was New Year's Eve banquet.

Early in the morning, Murong Chen and Shen Tian got up to wash and get ready.

Shen Tian looked at the two children, who were dressed up in a completely new way, and the smile on her lips never faded. "My little darlings, how can you be so cute? When you see your great-grandmother, great-grandfather, and great-grandmother, you must greet them, understand?"

Murong Chen somehow got hold of exquisite bright red handbags for the two children, put them on, and patiently instructed them, "When you meet people, you must say nice things, and if you get anything good, put it in your pocket, understand?"

Three-year-old Murong You nodded like a chick pecking at rice, and said in a childish voice, "I want to receive lots and lots of gifts! I'll fill this bag to the brim."

Shen Tian, ​​who was drawing her eyebrows, turned around and laughed, "Oh my! This cloth bag is quite big! You're going to be busy tonight!"

The little guy was in high spirits, and Shen Tian didn't dampen his enthusiasm.

After she finished tidying up, she got up and straightened Murong Chen's collar. The two of them were wearing the same color clothes today, and they looked like a match made in heaven when they stood together.

Murong Chen looked down at the little woman in front of him with eyes full of joy, feeling a warmth in his heart. "Sweetie, having you by my side in this life is enough."

Shen Tian paused, her cheeks flushed, "Why are you suddenly saying these things so early in the morning!"

Murong Chen wrapped his arms around her and sighed softly, "I don't know why, but I just feel uneasy." Shen Tian's smile faltered. "Is it because of Jinlan Courtyard? Isn't there still no news?"

In her past life, Jinlan Courtyard never existed, so she had no idea how things would develop. After Murong Chen said that, she also felt uneasy.

Murong Chen pulled her into his arms. "Although there are many scheming people in the court, there are also many capable people, especially in the Ministry of Justice. Those people are not just there to collect salaries and eat for free. So much time has passed, things should be progressing. The quieter it is, the more suspicious it is."

Shen Tian agreed wholeheartedly, and the couple embraced tightly, remaining silent.

After entering the palace.

The two originally intended to go directly to pay their respects to the Empress, but the Empress was busy with the palace banquet and had no free time, so they had to take the child to the Empress Dowager's place.

As soon as the family of four entered the palace, they found that Princess Huai'an, several princes and princesses, as well as Princess Qingfeng, had all arrived.

Murong Chen hurriedly led his wife and children to greet everyone.

The Empress Dowager's attention was completely drawn to her two great-grandsons, and she waved impatiently, "Quickly, quickly! My great-grandmother's darlings! I haven't seen them for days!"

Shen Tian and the wet nurse quickly took the child and went forward.

"Grandmother, they came prepared today, so you'd better hold onto your money bag."

Shen Tian's words were pointed.

The Empress Dowager's gaze fell on the two large red cloth bags, and she smiled, her face crinkling with wrinkles. "You put these on them?"

"How could that be! It was His Highness who prepared it for them in advance." Shen Tian betrayed Murong Chen without any hesitation.

The Empress Dowager pointed at Murong Chen and laughed, "You little rascal! What? The things your grandmother gave you weren't enough, so you sent these two to ask for more? You really think you're so capable!"

Despite saying that, the Empress Dowager still had Granny Gui bring out the box she had prepared in advance, and grabbed a handful of gold beans from it to fill the two children's small cloth pockets, as if she wanted to fill them to the brim.

Shen Tian quickly stopped her, "Grandmother, they'll be happy if you give them one or two. We can't really expose your secrets. I just happened to get some little trinkets to make up for it."

The maid immediately brought over a small box.

Shen Tian opened it in front of everyone, revealing plump, colorful pearls inside.

"Oh! These are all good things! Why don't you keep them for yourself? You could make yourself some pretty jewelry! If you ask me, your hair is too plain!" The Empress Dowager glanced at Shen Tian's hair and very naturally took the ruby ​​and gold hairpin from her own hair and put it in Shen Tian's hair.

Most people took it for granted that the two were so natural, except for the Second Prince Murong Xu, whose eyes were filled with astonishment and jealousy.

He hadn't had a chance to see Shen Tian since he returned to the capital, and this was their first meeting in many years.

Shen Tian was still as quiet, elegant and gentle as he remembered. The difference was that she had shed her girlish naiveté and gained more of a mature woman's charm, exuding allure in every gesture.

A deep sense of resentment instantly overwhelmed me.

The Empress Dowager noticed Murong Xu's unusual behavior, and the smile on her face gradually disappeared. She patted Shen Tian's arm and then looked at Zhao Wanyi.