The Wen family, including Madam Wen, her husband, and their two children, had only recently arrived in Shuzhou.
Their original house had been smashed to pieces, but fortunately, the reconstruction in the southwest had been progressing well during this time, so the Wen residence was almost fully repaired.
Upon Madam Wen's return, she put everything back in its place, which made Wen Zhonghe sigh with emotion.
"It's still Madam who makes this home feel like a home."
Meng Jie'er and Hui Ge'er wholeheartedly agreed with this sentiment. Praised to the skies, Madam Wen was overjoyed, though she feigned indifference.
When Feng Jinxu woke up, he had already been secretly transferred to the Wen family's residence.
The Dingwang army was numerous. Although Yang Xu was strict with his subordinates, suddenly having Feng Jinxu appear among them would be difficult to explain.
It was decided to send him to his father-in-law's home instead. There were fewer people there, and he could be cared for more meticulously.
However, the guards who had previously protected Feng Jinxu were still dispatched, and Yang Zhao even doubled their numbers as a precaution, lest their whereabouts be accidentally leaked, endangering him and the Wen family.
Concurrently, news was secretly sent back to the Eastern Capital.
Madam Wen looked at her gaunt son-in-law with great pity.
Thinking of her daughter and newborn granddaughter waiting for him back in the capital, she wished she could feed him abalone, sea cucumber, and shark fin every day to replenish the flesh and vitality he had lost during this ordeal.
Though Feng Jinxu was naturally taciturn, he was a man who remembered kindness.
The Wen family's treatment of him made him both flattered and ashamed, feeling undeserving.
Madam Wen, sensing his guilt, comforted him.
"It's alright, let the past be the past. Focus on recovering your health, and once you return to the capital, take good care of your wife and children. Actions always speak louder than words!"
"I will certainly remember my mother-in-law's teachings!"
Wen Zhonghe was unaware of his eldest daughter's past experiences and still retained his impression of her from years ago.
He had already learned of his feigned death from his wife, but it was only upon seeing him in person that he truly felt at ease.
"It's good that you're alive. The situation in the capital is very complex, and the Feng family is deeply involved. If you wish to return to the capital alive, you'll need to devise a good plan, otherwise, you might not be able to withstand the ambushes along the way."
The Wen family knew he was investigating a secret matter, but they didn't know the specifics and didn't pry.
However, the journey back to the capital that Wen Zhonghe mentioned was indeed fraught with peril.
The secret guards of the Dingwang Mansion alone were insufficient.
The opposing force was not to be trifled with. If they were to commit their full strength to interception, the secret guards would suffer heavy losses.
Feng Jinxu would not engage in such a Pyrrhic victory.
For the time being, he couldn't think of a good plan to return to the capital, so he had to put the thought aside and focus on recuperating.
While Feng Jinxu and his group were at an impasse, the Ninth Prince, who was supposed to be dead, had, in disguise, entered the secret training grounds in Qianzhou.
Standing beside him was the heir of Prince Yu, who, though outwardly subservient, was inwardly ambitious, and who was also his father-in-law.
Since the Ninth Prince and the Wei family's influence in the Eastern Capital had been uprooted, their lives in the capital had become extremely difficult.
It was one thing to endure the snide remarks of sycophants, but even their previously friendly relatives now shunned them, leaving them isolated and humiliated.
With nothing left to lose, they decided to rebel alongside the Ninth Prince. He was unwilling to live the rest of his life in obscurity.
"Thirty percent of the soldiers trained here are already capable of fighting on the battlefield."
Duke Wei had foreseen this and had stockpiled grain, money, supplies, and horses in this location. Therefore, the training of these private soldiers had not been affected by the situation in the Eastern Capital. In fact, due to the severe uprooting of the Wei family's foundations, this place had become even more difficult to investigate.
If not for the Ninth Prince's miraculous return from the dead, even the Dingwang Mansion would have had difficulty finding him.
"My father-in-law has gone to great lengths. Once our plan succeeds, I guarantee that the entire Prince Yu's Mansion will enjoy immeasurable glory."
The heir of Prince Yu's Mansion's eyes gleamed with ambition, as if he could already feel the aura of supreme power.
His resolve to raise an army and rebel grew even stronger.
"How is the Princess Consort? Is she well?"
"Your Highness, rest assured. The Princess Consort's pregnancy is personally overseen by her mother. She will surely give birth to your legitimate eldest son. When that time comes, you will ascend to the highest position and, while obtaining the empire, you will also have a successor!"
"Thank you for your auspicious words, my father-in-law. I swear here today that once I ascend the throne, the Princess Consort will be installed as Empress. If she indeed gives birth to a legitimate eldest son, he shall be the Crown Prince!"
"Thank you, Your Highness!"
As the father-in-law and son-in-law were engrossed in their grand plans, a man suddenly hurried in from outside, his face grave. He approached the Ninth Prince, preparing to whisper something in his ear.
"No need to excuse yourself. My father-in-law is privy to all my affairs."
Thus, the man recounted the intelligence he had gathered.
"Your Highness, the failure of this endeavor is attributed to the Sixth Prince. He has been lurking in the court for over a decade and bribed a confidant of Duke Wei. He secretly revealed our plans to the Crown Prince's faction. The Crown Prince's faction deliberately staged a play to gain the Emperor's trust. They then used the Guo family to intentionally leak the news to the Feng family, who in turn informed Prime Minister Bai. This led to the Emperor's decree for you to feign death."
The Sixth Prince?
The Ninth Prince would never have imagined that his seemingly gentle and refined sixth brother harbored such treacherous ambitions.
Not only had he deceived him and the Wei family, but he had also been orchestrating everything from behind the scenes.
On the surface, it appeared to be a complete victory for the First Prince's faction. However, with the evidence in the Sixth Prince's hands, it was only a matter of time before he exposed the Crown Prince's misdeeds, and he would be the ultimate beneficiary.
His calculations were far more sophisticated than theirs.
"From where did you obtain this information?"
"The Guo family, who had previously pledged their allegiance to us, emerged unscathed from this purge. While investigating, my subordinate discovered some anomalies. They were also harboring Liang Cefei, a former concubine, in their residence. Therefore, I had to investigate further. Following this lead, I unexpectedly uncovered the Sixth Prince's involvement."
The Guo family!
Wasn't that the same person who had held Sun Zhong hostage and used him to pledge allegiance to his maternal grandfather?
And his sister had once been a favored concubine of the eldest son of the Feng family!
Furthermore, the Sixth Prince had been quite close to him in the past.
With all these connections, the Ninth Prince began to piece things together in his mind.
It had to be said that this suspicious nature was a mirror of Emperor Qi's, and without the man saying much more, his hatred for the Sixth Prince was visibly surging.
With a bang, he kicked over a stool in front of him. If one looked closely, even a corner of the stool was broken, indicating the magnitude of his rage.
"Good, good, good. I've harbored such a venomous viper by my side, and only now do I realize it. Since he wishes to benefit from our struggle, I shall show him who the true victor is! Go, unearth everything related to the Sixth Prince. I recall his mother hailed from Qingzhou. Do not overlook any detail! Investigate!"