After exhausting myself to death

Shen Minghuan came back from Prince Rui's Mansion. After dealing with the second prince, he felt that today's task had been completed, so he returned to the courtyard with peace of mind.

Shen An was very good at taking care of people. Although he didn't know what happened, he felt that Shen Minghuan had been wronged inexplicably.

After all, he has been with the young master for so many years, and he knows best how much he misses his father who is far away in Xiqiu.

But when Shen Duo returned this time, he was not close to Shen Minghuan. Shen An saw them appear at the same time several times, and Shen Duo always looked at them coldly.

Shen An didn't know what he could do, but he could only do his best to take care of the young master.

Not only him, but also the servants of the Shen Mansion shared the same hatred. The more Shen Duo ignored Shen Minghuan, the more enthusiastic the servants became.

As if he wanted to compensate Shen Minghuan from another aspect.

At the same time, Luo Xiuqi couldn't wait to enter the palace to see the emperor.

"Father, I have evidence. Gu Chenglin has been summoned to the capital several times to meet with the eldest brother of the emperor. The earliest time was the day when the eldest brother of the emperor was deposed. This shows that he has long been disobedient!" Luo Xiuqi spoke righteously and was full of righteousness. He scolded him righteously: "Accordingly, I shouldn't talk about my brother arbitrarily, but I am also the son of my father and the prince of Da Qi. I really can't just sit idly by and ignore him."

Luo Xiuqi has become a bit arrogant recently. He used to look after the emperor every day, act like a coquettish person, and even if he later left the palace to build a palace, he would go to the palace every three days to pay his respects.

But how can it be as fun to please others as to be pleased by others? The corrupt officials in Da Qi are all talented and well-spoken. Luo Xiuqi was praised so high that he had long forgotten the years of "working hard to endure hardships".

The emperor is not stupid. He knows that the father-son relationship between him and Luo Xiuqi is far from as deep as it appears. He just needs a "good son". It doesn't matter whether he is sincere or not.

But a person who covets his father's status and has a dark mind that can even be used to harm his father, what qualifications do he have to be his Luo Dan's child?

The emperor looked at Luo Xiuqi, who was kneeling on the ground, making an impassioned speech without saying a word, with deep eyes that did not distinguish between joy and anger.

Luo Xiuqi's voice became weaker and weaker unconsciously. He suddenly shuddered and couldn't say the rest of the words anyway.

A deep fear arose in Luo Xiuqi's heart, as if he had gone back to his childhood when he tore up the emperor's elder brother's picture scroll out of jealousy. The emperor who saw this scene had such a dark and unclear expression, with deep murderous intent in his eyes.

At that time, he was both afraid and yearning, thinking over and over again that it would be great if he was the one favored by the emperor.

Later, his dream came true and his memory slowly faded away, but it turned out that the nightmare was still buried deep in his heart and has not faded even to this day.

"Do you know that I have just met He Zhang before you." The emperor's tone was calm, but the more he looked like this, the more frightened Luo Xiuqi became.

After so many years, it was impossible for him to know everything about the emperor. At least he had seen Luo Dan's appearance countless times when he wanted to kill someone.

Luo Xiuqi tried not to tremble, "I don't know."

The emperor ignored his fear. He spoke word by word, as if pronouncing a verdict: "He Zhang told me that you, Luo Xiuqi, collaborated with the enemy and betrayed the country, colluded with the bandits, and intended to destroy our century-old state of Daqi."

This crime was too big. Luo Xiu took two steps forward on his knees and shouted unjustly: "Father, my father has learned clearly that the Qi Dynasty and the Kou State are sworn in. No matter how ignorant I am, I can't do anything treasonous. Father." Emperor!”

"You mean, He Zhang lied to me? He said that Kou soldiers had sneaked into Yanling. I ordered him to enforce martial law in the capital. He must find the culprits, otherwise he will come to see them." The emperor sneered: "He told such a big lie. "What's the reason?"

"Reason, reason..." Luo Xiuqi had cold sweat on his forehead, "It's Luo Xiuyuan! It must be him!"

"Father, how could He Zhang not notice anything when Gu Chenglin left the camp several times? They must have colluded together a long time ago. Using the trumped-up Kou Kingdom as an excuse, they can reasonably lead troops into the capital. We must be on guard, Father. Emperor."

This is exactly the result that the emperor least wants to see.

He appointed two generals for the trapped camp in order to divide the power for checks and balances, but what if these two generals were on the same team?

Fortunately, he also arranged for Zhuo Feichen to take over temporarily.

The more generals there are, the less influence a single person has on the military camp and the smaller the threat to him.

"This is interesting." The emperor looked coldly: "You and He Zhang asked for an audience one after another. He said that you were colluding with the Kou State, and you said that he was colluding with the deposed prince. Who do you think I believe?"

"I have evidence, Father, I have evidence!" Luo Xiuyuan realized that the emperor was really murderous. He ignored his fear and shouted in defense.

The emperor was unmoved, "Evidence can be forged."

He stood up and said viciously: "I tell you, I don't believe anyone."

*

At this time in previous years, people should be looking forward to the New Year. No matter how many disappointments this year brings and how many ups and downs we experience, on this New Year’s day, we should put aside our worries and look forward to the coming year happily.

However, this year's Yanling seems a bit deserted and solemn. I don't know whether it is because of the extremely cold winter or the increasing number of soldiers on the streets.

It was already evening when the second prince entered the palace, and he never left the palace after that.

The officials who were paying attention to the movements in the palace did not find it strange at first. After all, depending on how much the emperor loved the second prince, it was not unusual for him to stay for a meal or stay for a day or two.

Until night fell and Yanling began to light up the lights of thousands of houses, He Zhang led three hundred soldiers from the trapped camp to surround Prince Rui's Mansion.

Prince Rui's Mansion is very large, big enough to hide thousands of people.

He Zhang was convinced that he had found traces of the army marching that day, and there were definitely a lot of them. He followed the traces to Yanling, but couldn't find them afterwards.

How could so many people disappear into thin air? It will just be hidden.

There are not many people who can hide an army, and the second prince is one of them.

He Zhang did not hesitate and kicked open the door of Prince Rui's Mansion.

He never considered whether he would offend the powerful when he did things. Just like at this moment, he never thought that if the emperor regretted it one day, what he did today would become evidence of guilt in the future.

As if a thunder struck the ground, Yanling City woke up from the silence.

The common people trembled and hugged their families. As weak as they were, they had no power to resist in the game of the powerful.

They couldn't even tell what was going on.

Officials of all sizes also woke up from their sleep. It all happened so suddenly that they were a little confused about the situation.

If He Zhang dared to lead troops to surround Prince Rui's Mansion, it must be the emperor's will. But everything was fine, King Rui just went to the palace to have a meal, so why did he fall out of favor?

Shen Mansion.

Shen Minghuan said he would rebel "tomorrow" without any delay.

When daylight broke, he slowly got up and opened the door of the small courtyard.

Shen An, who was in charge of the vigil tonight, looked surprised, "Master, why are you up so late...so early?"

"Because there are very important things to do." Shen Minghuan's expression was serious and serious, but there was a lazy smile that could not be hidden in his words.

Shen An scratched his head and said, "I will accompany the head of the family."

Seeing that Shen Minghuan had no objection, he immediately followed Shen Minghuan with a wide grin on his face.

Shen Changqing stayed up all night.

He sat in the small stone pavilion all night.

It had snowed during the day, and the moon at night seemed to have been washed by snow, becoming brighter and brighter.

It looks like there will be good weather the next day.

Shen Changqing didn't let anyone hold the lamp. Under the moonlight, the snow on the ground was shining with a gentle light.

He took advantage of the moonlight and stared motionlessly at the path leading to the Shen family's gate.

He has walked this road countless times and is familiar with every texture on it and every flower and plant on the roadside.

But then he realized that something so familiar could suddenly become so scary.

When the sky was dark, Shen Changqing saw Shen Minghuan.

Shen Minghuan was still wearing a white robe, without the thick fur-studded cloak, so he looked particularly thin in the snowy white.

He also held a folding fan in his hand and walked slowly, without any hesitation due to the uncertainty of the road ahead.

Shen Changqing didn't blink, watching Shen Minghuan walk slowly along the long path, watching his figure disappear behind the shadows of layers of bamboo leaves.

Shen Changqing suddenly couldn't help coughing, and then realized that he had forgotten to breathe just now, and his eyes were uncomfortably dry.

He waved away the worried servants who were approaching him, and rested his forehead tiredly, "Take a good look at Shen Duo. He is not allowed to leave the courtyard today."

In fact, Shen Changqing was not completely aware of Shen Minghuan's plan. Shen Minghuan knelt in front of him that day and only said that he was going to do something very bad and asked for his forgiveness.

"Grandpa, I also want to fulfill the unfulfilled wish of you and the Shen family for generations, so you shouldn't stop me."

"I have a reason why I have to do it. Grandpa blames me. I can only apologize again in the next life."

The young man in his prime talked about the afterlife so casually. He was determined to die and no one could stop him.

Shen Changqing had nothing to say, he was just extremely confused suddenly.

This was the boy he had watched grow up with his own eyes. He had watched him learn to speak, he had watched him become literate and read, and he had watched him grow into the clear and handsome person he is today.

He taught him poetry and songs, taught him how to play the piano and paint, and taught him the character of a scholar...

But why was he, that little kid who called him "Grandpa", that young man with gentle features, dying?

Shen Changqing's eyes were sore, and he closed his eyes forcefully.

He didn't know anything. He was protected under his wings and kept in the dark. He didn't know what Shen Minghuan was going to do, let alone what he had done.

But he should have discovered it long ago! When he asked Shen Minghuan about his plan several times, but that person avoided answering, he should have discovered——

Shen Minghuan was already determined to die.

The servant came back after conveying Shen Changqing's order. Seeing this, he became even more worried. He cautiously called out: "My lord?"

When Shen Changqing looked up again, he had calmed down his emotions. His reddish eyes were not clear in the night. He stood up and said calmly: "Go back."

The servant was about to say "yes" when he suddenly heard a very sad sigh in his ear. He looked around, but he didn't find anything unusual, so he just thought he heard it wrong.

Shen Changqing's back was slightly slumped, and he left Xiaoshi Pavilion almost in embarrassment.

After taking a few steps, he couldn't help but look back. He didn't see Shen Minghuan, only the swaying green bamboos in his eyes.

He was in a daze for a moment, feeling that his grandson was just like the green bamboo in the winter, full of aloofness and determination that could not be tolerated in the world.