The princess regretted it.

Chapter 261 Yao's Concerns

Zhong Chuzhou's actions were swift and decisive, each one completed with astonishing efficiency and alacrity, and conducted with extreme secrecy. Furthermore, these strongholds were located deep in the mountains and forests, and they rarely emerged during the day. When they did emerge, it was under the guise of banditry. Consequently, even after destroying several strongholds, no news of their destruction could be heard.

Far away in the capital, the three generations of the Zhang family were in constant suspense. They dared not contact these strongholds rashly, and the strongholds had strict regulations prohibiting the exchange of information with them in the capital. Thus, the flow of information was now blocked by a solid barrier they had erected themselves.

Ever since Zhang Chengde informed Grand Tutor Zhang that he suspected the unidentified young general who had appeared in the Zhenbei Army might be Zhang Zhenyuan, they had sent out people to gather information, but no news had ever returned. Those who had been ordered to travel were quietly and directly dispatched upon leaving the capital by the elite forces of Mu Xiang and the Duke of Huguo's residence, who had been secretly monitoring the Grand Tutor's residence.

The Zhang family had been shrouded in a gloomy atmosphere for some time. The three male masters, Grand Tutor Zhang, Zhang Hengyuan, and Zhang Chengde, often gathered in the study with solemn expressions for confidential discussions. The tightly closed door, like a barrier separating the inside and the outside, imprisoned countless secrets.

"Master, have you had your meal yet?" Zhang Chengde's first wife, Yao, knocked on the door of his study. Seeing her husband standing on the threshold, she asked softly. She couldn't help herself; she couldn't contain herself. As his bedmates, Zhang Hengyuan's wife and Zhang Chengde's wife were keenly aware of the unusual atmosphere in the house. They had a vague feeling that the man in the family seemed to be preoccupied with something extremely important, and they felt that he was deliberately hiding it from them.

But helpless because the men remained tight-lipped, their suspicions were rife, yet they had no way of knowing the truth, which led them to their own wild speculations. Concubine Zhang had recently been demoted to the rank of Imperial Concubine Zhang and remained under house arrest. Yao was particularly worried, knowing full well that palace affairs were complex and volatile, and her daughter's sudden decline in status was a potentially ominous sign for the family's fate.

She had no interest in banquets now, and she had declined every one of the banquets hosted by the noble concubines of the imperial family in the capital. Everyone knew that banquets were an opportunity to gossip about the Zhang and Li families. She didn't want to hear those insinuations.

Lately, she'd often sat alone by the window, her gaze vacantly fixed on the flowers and plants in the courtyard, her thoughts drifting to the distant imperial palace. Grand Tutor Zhang had issued a prohibition, barring them from inquiring or entering the palace. She still had no idea what misdeeds her beloved daughter had committed in the palace to end up in this state. Had someone seized upon her family's actions at court, thus implicating her daughter? Each possibility felt like a heavy yoke, strangling her breath.

She considered asking her husband about this, but Zhang Chengde always came and went in a hurry, never giving her a chance to speak. He even slept in his study at night. She could only speculate and wait in agony, silently praying that her family would survive this ordeal safely and that her daughter would be free from her predicament soon.

Lately, seeing her husband and son deliberately avoiding them, she'd grown even more uneasy. Whenever the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were together, they couldn't help but wonder if Concubine Zhang's situation was precarious, facing imminent dethronement. Once this horrific thought took root, it spread like wild weeds, entwining their hearts and leaving deep chasms.

These worries haunted her like a ghost, leaving her unable to eat or sleep. After much deliberation, she finally mustered the courage to head to Zhang Chengde's study. Her steps were hurried, but her heart was unwavering, determined to get to the bottom of the matter.

When she arrived at the door of the study, she just opened her mouth gently when she heard Zhang Chengde's cold voice: "What are you doing here? Go back! I have something else to do! You don't have to wait for me to eat." The voice was serious and cold, with an unquestionable tone.

"I..." Yao opened her mouth to speak, but before she could finish her words, Zhang Chengde had already slammed the study door shut. The dull thud echoed in the silent corridor, like a heavy knock on her heart.

Yao closed her eyes and stretched out her hands to push open the study door. She was filled with resentment and resentment, wanting to rush in and question Zhang Chengde about what he had hidden from her, his first wife. However, years of nurturing her husband, adhering to the rituals of propriety, and her deep reverence for him caused her hands to tremble slightly the moment they touched the door. Ultimately, she lacked the courage to push it open. She slowly lowered her hands, glanced at the closed door with a worried look, and slowly turned to leave.

Zhang Chengde was also troubled. He knew what she wanted to ask, but he couldn't tell her the truth, as it would only increase her worries. If he didn't tell them, they would only worry about their daughter's affairs. He knew that she and her daughter-in-law didn't think much of Zhang Zhenyuan at the moment. After all, for so many years, Zhang Zhenyuan had been allowed to travel abroad by Grand Tutor Zhang, and he had people protecting him. They didn't know his true purpose for going out. In fact, in the eyes of most family members, Zhang Zhenyuan was an outsider who was far away from the family disputes.

Now, he and his father were worried that Zhenyuan had fallen into the hands of the enemy, perhaps being seen as a key to breaking through the Zhang family's defenses. He was very likely to reveal all the family secrets he knew under torture, coercion, or inducement, which would undoubtedly cast a deeper shadow over the Zhang family's already precarious situation. If that were to happen, the Zhang family would be doomed.

Now, his father had told everyone in the Zhang family not to contact Jiaoyu and Yunji for the time being, primarily to protect them from being implicated if the matter was eventually exposed. However, Zhang Chengde was still puzzled when he thought of his father's claim that he had a way to save Zhenyuan. He wondered what trump card his father had in store.

In the palace, Jiaoyu came to Zhangpin's palace again today, carrying a box of cakes. "Mother, I brought you some Poria cocos cakes. Come and try them."

Concubine Zhang's mood and spirits had recovered considerably. Jiaoyu would occasionally visit her, telling her about things happening in and outside the palace. Her hatred was now simmering in her heart. She would never let go of Concubine Cen's revenge for stealing her child, and she certainly wouldn't let go of Jin'an either. He had dared to plot against her and Jiaoyu, truly underestimating her. If Jiaoyu hadn't told her, she wouldn't have known Jin'an had subtly tricked them.

Why did Jiaoyu say this? It all started when Jiaoyu went to apologize to Jinan last time.