Qian Ying didn’t respond. It wasn’t until the sound of Nanny Fang knocking at the door came from outside that the oppressively stifling atmosphere in the room eased slightly. Zhou Weiqi called out coldly for her to enter, and Nanny Fang hunched her body as she came through the door. In just this short period of time, everyone on Fan Liangdi’s side seemed to have lost their vitality. Even Nanny Fang, who usually held her head high, had unconsciously lowered her head, taking on a somewhat cautious and bewildered air—after all, Fan Liangdi was dead.

Zhou Weiqi glanced at her once and quickly turned his head away. Looking at Nanny Fang in this state was like seeing his own setting sun. Even his voice was tinged with coldness. “How did it go?”

Among the several matters his mother had entrusted to him before her death, he had carefully thought through and understood all of them. The only thing he didn’t understand was what letter his mother had actually had Nanny Qi send back to the Fan family. Unable to figure it out, he had to get to the bottom of it.

Nanny Fang kept her head lowered and replied somewhat listlessly, “Your Highness, Nanny Qi has been brought for you. She’s waiting outside. Would you like to see her now?” As she spoke, she finally lifted her head. Her eyes were yellowed from exhaustion.

Nanny Qi stood trembling before Zhou Weiqi. The atmosphere in the room was frighteningly cold. She had previously felt that compared to Fan Liangdi, Prince Dongping was much more comfortable to be around. But now that Fan Liangdi was gone, this prince was like a blade that had suddenly been sharpened, its cold gleam making people afraid.

Zhou Weiqi didn’t make things difficult for her. He sat behind the long red lacquered wooden desk and raised his chin toward Nanny Qi, his tone showing no great fluctuation. “Did you deliver the letter my mother had you send?”

Nanny Qi answered quickly. The Wang household had received the news early. The very day after the letter was sent out, she had already heard the news of Fan Liangdi’s death. She could hardly believe it in her heart. Fan Liangdi had dominated the Eastern Palace for so many years, yet she had died suddenly without warning. Not knowing the specific circumstances from outside, she had thought it was the Crown Prince who had grown angry with Fan Liangdi and ordered her death. She had been as nervous and terrified as the people in Chamberlain Wang’s household, not having slept well for this entire period. At this moment, hearing Zhou Weiqi ask her, she almost instinctively and numbly opened her mouth to reply, “It was sent out, it was sent out. We used the most reliable person—it was personally delivered by the son of our family’s former chief steward.”

Zhou Weiqi nodded with reddened eyes. “And the reply?” He didn’t care whether the person was reliable or not. Since his mother had them arrange it, Chamberlain Wang’s household wouldn’t dare to be negligent. What he cared about was what letter his mother ultimately wanted to send back to Yingyang.

Nanny Qi tremblingly pulled out a letter sealed with wax from her bosom and respectfully presented it. “It just happened to arrive this morning. The reply arrived, and then your summons came right after.”

Zhou Weiqi’s face still showed no expression. He unfolded the letter, his eyes fixed on the snow-white paper. His mother must have explained everything clearly in the letter she sent, including that she would die after the letter was sent out. Otherwise, this reply letter shouldn’t have been addressed to him.

The letter was written by Old Master Fan. In it, he promised to follow Fan Liangdi’s request and send another woman surnamed Fan to the Eastern Palace as soon as possible, and then to transmit news of her death to Han Zhengqing, who was far away in the northwest.

Zhou Weiqi well understood why his mother wanted the Fan family to send another girl surnamed Fan to the Eastern Palace—his father needed a reason to remain tightly connected with the Fan clan, and his mother wanted to provide him with that reason. But he somewhat didn’t understand why his mother had specifically instructed his maternal grandfather’s side to transmit news of her death to Han Zhengqing. In fact, he had always felt that as long as his uncle still had his wits about him, he should hate his mother with a deep-seated loathing.

He gripped this reply letter tightly, his mind in complete disarray. Many thoughts flashed through his mind, so quickly that he couldn’t grasp them at all. Unable to figure it out, he simply stopped pursuing the matter to its roots. Irritably rubbing his brow, he lit a fire starter and burned the letter to ashes, then turned back to look at Qian Ying. “Haven’t the people we sent out transmitted any news back yet?”

Qian Ying had always been someone who sought stability in his actions. Because he suspected Song Chuyi, he had already sent people early on to stake out the area around the residence that Han Zhi had once extensively searched and caused a commotion at. He wasn’t certain he would definitely find any clues, or foolishly thinking that Song Chuyi would be hiding Chen Mingyu there. But caution ensured smooth sailing—if he could make more preparations, it was naturally better to make more preparations.

He shook his head, seeing Zhou Weiqi’s irritation and restlessness, and patiently comforted him. “Your Highness, wait a little longer.”

The irritation in Zhou Weiqi’s heart was about to burst forth. He endured it again and again before finally letting out a cold snort through gritted teeth, his voice hoarse with a faint trace of sobbing, as if he had been suppressed to the extreme. “And what can I do but wait?”

What he could rely on was nothing more than his father’s favoritism and his mother’s protection. Now his mother’s protection was gone, and his father’s favoritism, at least for now, couldn’t serve much purpose. Besides waiting, what else could he do?

Nanny Fang sighed as she went out the door, feeling dizzy and disoriented. Now that Fan Liangdi was dead, she seemed to have lost her purpose, not knowing what to do all day. Fortunately, she had now heard that the Fan family would still send a young lady. Thinking of this, she felt somewhat wistful. Since this person was to be sent to the Eastern Palace, and needed to be of appropriate age and from the direct line, this candidate was truly somewhat difficult to select. She somewhat didn’t understand why the Liangdi hadn’t simply found a way to select a girl from the direct line to directly marry Prince Dongping, but instead wanted to send someone to the Crown Prince’s side. But this also wasn’t something she could comment on or influence, so she could only exchange a glance with Nanny Qi and tacitly look away—no matter what, this new mistress was still the same as Fan Liangdi, both being ties connecting the Fan family to His Highness the Crown Prince. They just needed to serve her well.

Inside the room, Qian Ying lowered his head slightly to glance at Zhou Weiqi, then immediately followed up on Zhou Weiqi’s words. “What Your Highness can do is certainly not just wait. Now that you’ve lost Lady Liangdi’s protection and strategizing, you cannot lose His Highness the Crown Prince’s affection as well. The difference between you and His Highness the Grand Imperial Grandson lies right here. This is now also the only area where you surpass His Highness the Grand Imperial Grandson.”

Zhou Weiqi’s eyes felt dry and gritty. His father was the Crown Prince, and he had always enjoyed his father’s favor. But compared to Emperor Jianzhang and Empress Lu’s affection for Zhou Weizhao, this favor seemed far too inadequate. Even his mother—his father couldn’t protect her. He let out a bitter laugh and sat back down in the round-backed chair, his tone carrying infinite mockery. “Mother always said that Father only recognized me as his one son, but what use is it that Father recognizes me?”

When he said this, he only felt that his father was incompetent, unable to protect even one woman.