After exhausting myself to death

The autumn wind blows.

"Ming Huan, does the path you choose now still lead to the direction you yearn for?" The deep and shallow wrinkles on the old man's face are intertwined, which are the marks carved by the years. He has lived for many years and has seen too many people and things. His eyes are cloudy due to old age, but his eyesight is clear.

Shen Changqing looked at the young man in his prime in front of him with loving eyes.

The young man's sitting posture is extremely upright, his back is straight, his eyebrows are clear, and his gestures are indescribably free and unrestrained. It can be said that "the sky is like a willow in the spring moon, and the sky is like a morning glow."

——This is the most outstanding heir of the Shen family for several generations, Shen Che, also known as Minghuan.

"Child, the family should be your support, not a burden." Shen Changqing could easily keep his emotions and anger hidden, but he never concealed his love for Shen Minghuan. This feeling was so strong that it seemed to show in his eyes. to leak out.

He sighed almost inaudibly: "Your father and I... don't want you to be wronged for the so-called family honor and family responsibility. If you force yourself because of this, we will be sad."

The young head of the house smiled slightly, stretched out his hand to hold the pot, and poured tea for the old man.

Orange tea slowly poured down from the spout.

The young man's hand was very steady, and this series of movements was smooth and smooth, leaving only small ripples in the cup.

Suddenly the kettle shook slightly, but the amplitude was so small that no one noticed this unusual stop except for a drop of tea that accidentally splashed out.

No one knows that at this moment, this shell has quietly changed into a soul.

[System 009 is at your service wholeheartedly! Host, let’s start the mission journey! ] The system shouted excitedly.

Shen Minghuan put down the teapot calmly and gently pushed the water cup to the old man opposite. He didn't feel at all worried about being a new arrival.

He calmly checked the plot sent to him by the system.

Yes, plot.

This world is not real, at least far from free.

Most of the stories that happened under this starry sky followed a pre-designed sequence of events, and even the sunrise and sunset seemed extremely rigid.

The carefully designed story has twists and turns and ups and downs, which attracted onlookers to marvel and applaud.

However, if those who have experienced it know that their life is just a drama with a predetermined ending, they will probably find it boring, right?

Fortunately they didn't know.

[Luo Xiuyuan,] After receiving the plot, Shen Minghuan looked through the original owner's memories and sighed: "This protagonist seems to be living a bit miserable life now." ]

[That’s why I need you, the host, to take action. ] The system flatters.

Today, the Holy One is violent and willful, imposes severe punishments and severe laws, and his tyranny is as fierce as a tiger.

The family is powerful, and the classes are exploited one by one. When the people at the bottom fall, they become a big mountain.

The people of the Qi Dynasty lived in dire straits, and officials without background were even more frightened, lest they be sentenced to death for unfounded charges.

This concern is not exaggerated at all.

All previous dynasties were very "stingy" in their judgments of death penalty, and there would be a general amnesty from time to time. However, today's Holy Emperor treats murder as a trivial matter like eating and drinking.

Luo Xiuyuan was the eldest prince born to the late empress. He was established as the crown prince as soon as he was born. He has shown extraordinary intelligence far beyond ordinary people since he was a child.

Moreover, he has a kind nature and values ​​​​love and justice. Many people in the government and the public are waiting for him to ascend the throne.

It can be said that the Qi Dynasty has not been rebelled yet, all because there is a crown prince who is supported by the people.

Only Luo Xiuyuan, the crown prince, was still sitting on thin ice.

He is the king that everyone in the world wants, but he is not the successor chosen by the current emperor.

Two months ago, the Holy Emperor issued an order to Zhenbei General Zhuo Feichen to lead his troops westward, retreating from Lilan to Meng Mountain, in an attempt to expand the territory of the Qi Dynasty by another three hundred miles.

Lilan was originally a small country, but in recent years it had become weak and had only a few soldiers. Therefore, before General Yizhuo set off for the expedition, the Holy Emperor regarded this as a must-win battle.

But General Zhuo was defeated, defeated miserably at the foot of Mang Mountain.

Although our country has not lost an inch of territory, our army is unable to fight anymore in a short period of time, let alone expand our territory.

Victory and defeat are common matters for military strategists, but this statement does not make sense to a tyrant.

The Holy Emperor was furious, and the court announced that General Zhi Zhuo was guilty and ordered him to take off his armor, put on prison uniform, and escort him back to the capital in a carriage.

General Zhuo spent half his life in the army and made great achievements for the Qi Dynasty, and he was known as the "God of War". There was a reason for this defeat. Instead of comforting him, the Holy One wanted him to suffer this humiliation, which was a bit too cruel.

All civil and military officials in the dynasty dared not speak out in anger, but Luo Xiuyuan stepped forward.

This was the first big crisis that Luo Xiuyuan encountered in the original plot. Because he interceded for General Zhuo, he completely angered the Holy Emperor and his position as prince was almost lost.

But he is the protagonist after all, and he should turn disaster into good fortune and turn disaster into good fortune.

[The strength of the newly born Tiandao is too weak, and the aura of the protagonist has expired, causing the plot to deviate. The more the plot deviates, the weaker the power of Tiandao will be. This is a vicious cycle. ]

The system that led the host to perform a mission for the first time was a little nervous. "We need to get the original plot back on track so that this world can mature and become a real world." ]

The system's tone is devoid of compassion, it has no human emotions, so this concern is only directed at the fear of mission failure.

As for the future of this small world after failure? It's just a story, and Tiandao just made a few new puppets.

Shen Minghuan frowned: [Xiaojiu, where is the original owner? ]

He is in this shell, so where has the original Shen Minghuan gone?

The system was stunned for a moment before it realized, "Oh, he's dead." ]

Literally never lived.

Of course, this world is not completely false. The rickety pawn on the roadside, the slim girl next door, the old man begging for a living in the ruined temple...these characters that are not depicted in the plot, although plain and trivial, are far from being called heroic legends. , but their lives are completely free.

But once it comes from the author's pen, even if it is just a few words, it is the person in the play.

For example, the original owner.

[The characters in the plot are maintained by the law of heaven. The law of heaven in this small world is too weak and can no longer maintain the souls of so many people. It can only give up some innocuous characters. ] The system thought for a while, nodded and said confidently: [The original owner is not even a supporting role, and can barely be called a background board. ]

[……Yeah? ] Shen Minghuan murmured softly. The system could not analyze the emotional meaning of his words. It could only vaguely feel that he was not in a good mood at the moment.

The system cautiously said: [Host? ]

"Ming Huan?" Shen Changqing never heard the young man's response and couldn't help but ask with some confusion.

Shen Minghuan came back from his thoughts and said, "Grandpa, don't worry, I always know what I am doing."

He had a smile on his face and was indescribably high-spirited.

A young man's complacency is the least annoying form of pride.

[hiss--]

The system gasped.

It had finally snatched this host from other systems. It was said that this person had eyes on the top of his head and his temper was as big as his abilities. The system was worried about his refusal to cooperate along the way.

——It turned out that this person was not very cooperative.

But why are you so sweet to the dolls in this small world! Even he is willing to call me grandpa!

With this person's status, there are many people in the world vying to be his grandson.

Shen Changqing was not at ease, "Ming Huan, although the Shen family has been away from the court for many years, the family heritage is still there. Looking at the Qi Dynasty, no one dares to say that our family has declined. You..."

He sighed and said hesitantly: "As an elder, I just hope that you can be safe and happy. Do you understand?"

Several generations of the Shen family were important ministers in the court. They were well-known in the Qing Dynasty and were deeply relied on by the emperors of the Qi Dynasty.

When Shen Minghuan was seven years old, his grandfather Shen Changqing and his father Shen Duo offended the current emperor by admonishing them not to engage in military violence but to rest and recuperate. Shen Changqing was dismissed from his official position, and Shen Duo was demoted to Xiqiu.

It was bitterly cold in Xiqiu, and the journey was tiring. Shen Changqing was already old, so he did not go, while Shen Minghuan was also left in the capital.

Although the Shen family has slowly faded away from being the center of power, no one dares to underestimate it because of its low profile at this time.

The iron walls built up by years of literati character cannot be easily torn down. There are still people who trust them, wait for them, and regard the direction they point to as their lifelong pursuit.

Shen Changqing said similar words to the original owner more than once, but the original owner didn't really believe it and only regarded it as the old man's comfort.

He had briefly witnessed the glory of the Shen family when he was young. Compared with the bustling city at that time, how could the current scene not be called "bleak"?

The original owner had great ambitions and wanted to "recover the lintel", but no one could persuade him to do so.

This is not a bad thing, but it is a pity that the original owner's desire was so strong that it became an obsession.

These are things that the plot has never written.

The original owner in the plot only appears in the chats between others after dinner. In a few words, he sarcastically said, "The new head of the Shen family is blind and stupid. He chose the wrong path and ruined the reputation of the entire Shen family."

Everyone knows that the original owner and the prince have a very good relationship. The prince often expresses his respect for the original owner in front of everyone, saying, "Those who know me are Ming Huan." Che".

Given the prince's integrity and kindness, he did not bother to put on pretense and use such tricks to win people's hearts. The fact that he showed so much enthusiasm could only show that he really trusted the original owner.

If the prince ascends the throne, no one will doubt that Shen Minghuan will become his minister, and the Shen family will regain its former glory.

However, this time when the prince lost power, the original owner simply gave up, or betrayed Luo Xiuyuan.

He switched to the second prince's sect and once relied on the second prince to become a popular figure in front of the Holy Emperor. He was almost successful in transferring Shen Duo back from Xiqiu.

At that time, no one thought that the prince could successfully resolve the matter.

Later, the second prince pushed the original owner out as a scapegoat. The prince was soft-hearted and merciful. In the end, the original owner was only sentenced to exile in Kush, and no other members of the Shen family were even implicated.

But Shen Changqing couldn't bear to leave his original owner and voluntarily went with him. He died of illness on the way.

After that, "Shen Minghuan" was offline, and it wasn't until the ending that it was hinted that he seemed to be dead.

The existence of this background board seems to be just to give a deeper blow to the protagonist who is in a difficult situation, so that his kindness can grow sharper, and he should never trust villains again.

Oh, it can also add some excitement to the plot.

"Grandpa, you don't have to worry. I will prepare a retreat for the Shen family. No matter what the final result is, the Shen family will be fine." Shen Minghuan responded seriously while jokingly saying in his heart: [Xiaojiu, I think It’s okay if you don’t do this task. The plot is diverted. The prince must be defeated. I’d better follow the second prince and win. ]

[! ! ! ] The system was heartbroken: [No! ]

"No." Shen Changqing's old but firm voice strangely overlapped with the system's shouts in his mind. Shen Minghuan was stunned for a moment, but heard Shen Changqing say seriously: "It's not just for the Shen family, Minghuan, you have to prepare a way out for yourself."