Upon hearing the emperor's question, Xu Zifan frowned slightly and asked with a hint of doubt, "Father, is there something wrong with that incomplete scroll? I glanced at it a few times the other day and felt that it should be a very profound Taoist scripture. Perhaps by studying it carefully, I could gain some insights."
The emperor picked up the tattered scroll beside him and gestured for him to come over and look at it. "I had Master Qingfeng look at it. He said that this tattered scroll seems to be a method for cultivating health that can lead to enlightenment. If one can thoroughly understand it, one can strengthen one's body and prolong one's life."
Xu Zifan understood. The emperor's focus was on "prolonging life." No emperor didn't want to live to be a hundred years old. This idea hit the emperor right in the heart.
He carefully examined the tattered scroll and pondered, "If that's true, it's a good book. I just don't know where the Liu family got it from, or if they can find a complete copy."
The emperor said ambiguously, "Since this was given to you by the Liu family as a token of gratitude, then you may inquire about it. If you can truly collect the entire book, it will be a great benefit to all the people."
Xu Zifan realized that the emperor was testing him. During the struggle for the throne, the emperor was extremely sensitive to any slight movement. The Liu family's sudden show of goodwill towards him, and Liu's desire to break off their engagement and marry him, were tantamount to taking sides in the emperor's eyes. Naturally, he wanted to test Xu Zifan's true intentions.
That doesn't matter. Every emperor is like that. Otherwise, they wouldn't be able to hold onto their throne. It's a good opportunity for them to extort money.
Xu Zifan hesitated slightly, looking troubled: "Father, my fifth sister-in-law presented me with this fragment of the scroll that day, saying it was to repay my life-saving grace. I believe the Liu family only received this fragment and couldn't find the complete copy, otherwise they wouldn't have sent it out like that. If I were to investigate, I would inevitably have to visit people in the countryside, which might lead to some oversights in government affairs..."
The emperor said nonchalantly, "Put aside state affairs for now. Just focus on finding the complete copy. This is a matter of great importance to the country and its people, and it cannot be taken lightly."
"Yes, Father. Your Majesty, I have another matter..." Xu Zifan said somewhat embarrassedly, "I am short of funds. If I were to visit the common people, it would inevitably cost a lot of money. If I were to find other chapters, I would definitely have to buy them at a high price. I cannot miss the opportunity. In this regard..."
Before Xu Zifan could finish speaking, the emperor waved his hand and said, "Go to the Ministry of Revenue to get an advance. Find a pretext related to government affairs. Don't let this matter leak out, lest someone with ulterior motives ruin things."
"Father, in order to conceal this matter, I would like to bring the child along and make it seem as if we are doing business while having fun. That way, no one will be curious about what I am doing. What do you think?"
"Okay. Remember, the sooner the better. If you can find the complete copy, you must find a way to get it back."
"Yes, Your Majesty, I understand." Xu Zifan readily agreed. He was on vacation and could even travel on public funds, so why not?
Xu Zifan, the Vice Minister of Works, casually made up an excuse to find methods for making some tools and collect agricultural planting techniques, and obtained a large sum of money in advance from the Ministry of Revenue. Since it was personally approved by the Emperor, the Ministry of Revenue naturally did not object.
After returning to his residence, Xu Zifan instructed Hu Feng to arrange transportation, saying, "We don't know when we'll return from this trip. Make sure there are enough people in the manor to prevent any major trouble and to prevent any scandals from spreading outside the manor. Take all three children with you, along with enough wet nurses and servants, all of whom must be healthy and trustworthy. Go and invite two imperial physicians who are retired to take them with you, as well as those skilled in hunting and cooking. Modify the carriages to ensure that the children can leave safely."
"Yes, Your Highness." Hu Feng was quite surprised by Xu Zifan's decision, but he still immediately agreed and went to carry it out. He felt that perhaps it was because the women in the manor had been causing trouble one after another recently, and Xu Zifan could no longer trust them to take good care of the child. Anyway, they had more people to take care of things, so it wouldn't be any worse than being in the manor.
Xu Zifan summoned all his disciples and held a discussion in his study until dusk. He said a lot, mainly indicating that he would not participate in the struggle for the throne. He also mentioned that the emperor was keeping an eye on the princes and ministers, and that the successor had probably already been decided.
Those who chose to serve under Xu Zifan naturally looked down on the other princes. Now that Xu Zifan was no longer vying for power, they had lost the merit of supporting the emperor. However, if they only wanted wealth, honor, and promotions, following Xu Zifan didn't seem like a bad deal. Moreover, from Xu Zifan's words, it was clear that the emperor was now quite wary of the other princes, but seemed to trust Xu Zifan quite a bit. Therefore, they couldn't guarantee their safety by joining the ranks of other princes, so it was better for them to continue following Xu Zifan and become staunch royalists.
This kind of thing requires careful consideration and cannot be decided overnight. Xu Zifan explained the pros and cons to them and then let them go back and think it over. He wasn't worried that their defection to another side would harm him. The original owner of this body hadn't done anything that would displease the emperor, so it didn't matter if someone wanted to use their merits to join the emperor's cause to join another.
After dealing with these matters, Xu Zifan sent someone to inform the women in his household that he was going out on business with the children. This had been reported to the Emperor, so their objections were useless.
That night, many things in the women's rooms were damaged, but they were all helpless against him. What good were their individual opportunities? Xu Zifan wanted to leave, and since they couldn't see him, they couldn't use any of their methods. As the prince's women, they were always surrounded by servants when they went out, and they couldn't go wherever they wanted. They were completely powerless and suddenly seemed to have lost their purpose.
The concubine was the most worried; her child had just been born, and who would take a newborn out? Unable to get out of bed, she sent her personal maid to plead with Xu Zifan to let the child stay. Xu Zifan casually made up an excuse, saying he needed to take the child to see a master for blessings, and dismissed her.
The concubine opened the interdimensional trading device, looking blankly at the several connected dimensions, but nothing could help her.
Lady Liu was using plants to understand the dynamics within the manor when she casually inquired about the attitudes of a few women to see if they were causing any trouble. To her surprise, she discovered that the concubine was talking to herself in the room, mentioning things like "interdimensional trade" and "interstellar apocalypse." She was so shocked that she accidentally knocked over her teacup!
"Interdimensional trading? Could she also be a time traveler?" Madam Liu hurriedly had the plants monitor the concubine, overhearing the concubine say, "This clearly didn't happen in my past life, so why does Your Highness like children so much?"
Liu pressed her wildly beating heart to calm herself down. She knew that the concubine had been reborn and possessed a dimensional trading device!
Previously, because she hadn't paid much attention to the concubine, or perhaps there was nothing unusual when she did, she hadn't noticed anything amiss. Now, thinking about it, she could time travel, but who knew what kind of extraordinary encounters others might have? She suddenly thought of the princess; why did the bracelet break when the princess touched Chen's bracelet?
This time, Lady Liu was more cautious. She had the plants monitor everyone in the mansion from all angles, reporting all the information to her. The information was plentiful and varied, but there was no other way; the matter of the concubine had made her feel extremely threatened, and she now had to confirm whether there were any other unusual occurrences in the mansion.
Through this surveillance, she discovered that the princess was a reincarnation with many strange medicines, and that Li Shi was a transmigrator with a rural space. Compared to them, she only possessed a plant-based superpower, and her cheat ability seemed somewhat weak. Her previous confidence was shattered like a balloon, leaving her completely devoid of self-assurance.
There are four women in the backyard, two of whom are reborn and skilled in palace intrigue, and one of whom has a cheat ability. How is she supposed to fight them? Fortunately, they can't monitor her, and her superpowers are well concealed. She must keep a low profile and be extra careful in the future.
Liu noticed Xu Zifan's instructions to Hu Feng, and it seemed that he might not be back for a long time. After hesitating for a moment, she immediately bathed and dressed, putting on the most suitable makeup for herself, and went to the garden to wait for Xu Zifan.
With so many plants in the mansion, she knew where Xu Zifan would be coming from, so she waited there. As Xu Zifan approached, she began picking flowers. A smile played on her lips, her expression focused, as if she were immersed in a joyful atmosphere, which was very captivating.
Xu Zifan walked over with Hu Feng and spotted her immediately. Xu Zifan paused, then changed direction without a word, intending to go around her. Since she was so focused, he decided not to disturb her.
Liu caught a glimpse of his movement out of the corner of her eye, her heart skipped a beat, and she deliberately pinched the thorns on the flower stem, crying out in pain, "Ouch!"
Blood beaded on her fingertips. She turned her head and pretended to have just seen Xu Zifan. After her surprise, she quickly stepped forward and bowed, "This concubine greets Your Highness. May Your Highness be well."
"Hmm, if you're injured, go back," Xu Zifan said coldly and turned to leave.
Lady Liu hurriedly said, "Your Highness, I know you will be away from the manor for a long time, so I specially made you an undergarment, hoping it will be more comfortable for you to wear outside. Would you like to come to my place to take a look? If it doesn't fit, I will alter it immediately."
Lady Liu slightly raised her eyes to look at Xu Zifan, her cheeks flushed, looking somewhat shy, which was quite beautiful. Unexpectedly, Xu Zifan merely frowned and said, "Have someone send it over, I have something to attend to."
This time, Xu Zifan didn't give her a chance to speak and strode away from the garden. Liu Shi was stunned. Was this prince indifferent to women? Or did he dislike the original owner of this body? Judging from her memories, the prince wasn't particularly interested in matters of the inner court, but he wasn't especially cold to anyone either. Why was it so difficult to have a child?
Liu wanted to use some aphrodisiac plants, but Xu Zifan wouldn't even enter her room, so nothing she used would work.
After her failed attempt to seduce Xu Zifan, Lady Liu finally lost her composure. She never imagined that attracting her husband's attention would be so difficult in ancient times. For the first time, she felt lost. What should she do? Without vying for favor, she wouldn't receive good treatment. The methods she used in the apocalypse were useless. Why was Xu Zifan different from other men?
The women, each with their own worries, all suffered from insomnia. Li Shi, unaware that the Princess was under house arrest, was filled with fear. With Xu Zifan gone, she was left without support; wouldn't the Princess retaliate against her? Both the Princess and the concubine were anxious, especially worried that their sons might be harmed if they left the palace with Xu Zifan. He was their only hope, their sole support in this life; both were burning with anxiety. Liu Shi, worried about her future, also couldn't sleep all night.
Xu Zifan cultivated all night and woke up refreshed, and the children were incredibly excited about going out. After breakfast, Xu Zifan led a group of people to Linyang Prefecture, the ancestral home of the Liu family. Liu Shi made an excuse, saying that the incomplete scroll was found in their hometown, which conveniently gave him a reason to leave the capital.
The concubine's family hasn't even demanded an explanation from Xu Zifan yet, and the princess's family hasn't even defended her. Xu Zifan has already disappeared without a trace, leaving a group of people guessing wildly, unsure of what to do next.