After exhausting myself to death

The small courtyard where Luo Xiuyuan lived was only barely tidy up with a room and a small kitchen. The cobblestone path was overgrown with weeds, and only the mossy stone road surface could be seen in the shadows.

Shen Minghuan passed by above, and his clothes brushed against the grass leaves, making a rustling sound.

Luo Xiuyuan sat at the head of the bed and looked out through the window, and saw that the man had a sparse face, but the folding fan in his hand was dancing quickly, revealing a silent disdain.

Luo Xiuyuan was stunned, and then laughed dumbly.

He was a little dazed for a while, as if he had returned to the past, and the two of them were still close friends of life and death.

——It was just because this unspoken disdain was too extravagant, and it was still accompanied by the intimacy that only friends were entitled to enjoy.

But he didn't lose his mind for too long, and soon reacted.

No, that person was not only his close friend Shen Minghuan, but also the supporter of the second prince, the head of the Shen family who was talented and strategic, Shen Che.

What separated them was not only their political stance, but also the huge gap between their different ideals.

Luo Xiuyuan suddenly recalled what happened three days ago before he met the emperor.

His father was able to win the battle for the throne and ascend the throne so smoothly, which was inseparable from the support of his mother's family.

His mother loved the emperor, who was still a prince at the time, so much that she rushed into the deep palace regardless of everything. His grandfather was very pitiful to his daughter. Seeing that he could not change Gu Chengyi's mind, he asked Luo Dan to swear that the Gu family was willing to support him with all his strength, on the premise that after he ascended the throne, he would make Gu Chengyi the queen, and the prince could only be Gu Chengyi's child.

Although Luo Dan was arbitrary, strong and tyrannical, he valued face, which was also a promise on another level.

Unless Luo Xiuyuan committed a serious crime such as treason and rebellion, he would always be the prince of the Qi Dynasty, and then ascend the throne smoothly with the support of his uncle.

But three days ago, Luo Xiuyuan used this promise to exchange the emperor for pardoning Zhuo Feichen at the cost of his voluntary abandonment of the position of prince.

Shen Minghuan was the first and only person who knew that he had made this decision.

Before that day, Luo Xiuyuan had never seen his best friend in such a panic.

At that time, Shen Minghuan came in a hurry, with his hair messy and a little embarrassed, but the prince, who always had high standards for his manners, did not care at all. He grabbed Luo Xiuyuan's wrist and pleaded, "Your Highness, think of other ways, wait a little longer, I will definitely think of it."

Luo Xiuyuan just looked at him sadly, "But Minghuan, we don't have time, it's too late."

"Luo Xiuyuan! Why can't you tell the priorities?" Shen Minghuan pushed him away and shouted angrily, "Do you know what this prince's position means? Do you know how important this promise is to us!"

Everyone in the world knows that the emperor doesn't like the prince. Without this promise, even if Luo Xiuyuan performs well, he is destined to have no chance of the throne.

Luo Xiuyuan tried to explain: "Minghuan, I made this decision because I know the priorities. I can find a way to get the position of the crown prince later, but General Zhuo can't wait. ... Besides, the Shen family is loyal to each other, and Minghuan you are a great talent. Even without me, my father..."

"Are you determined to do this?" Shen Minghuan just interrupted him coldly.

Luo Xiuyuan looked at his eyes flashing with anger and sighed, "Yes."

"No possibility of change?"

"Yes."

*

Prince Rui's Mansion.

The second prince was granted the title of prince at the age of sixteen and left the palace to build a mansion. Originally, he should have been ordered to go to the fiefdom and was not allowed to enter the capital without an imperial edict, but the emperor pitied him for his young age and allowed him to stay in Yanling, the capital, temporarily.

This stay lasted for four years.

Earlier, there were civil officials who wrote to request to send Prince Rui to the fiefdom, but they were rejected by the emperor and rewarded with a few boards, and then nothing happened.

If the deposed prince was a child who was not favored by the emperor, then the second prince was just the opposite.

The emperor's preference for him is obvious to all, and he enjoys a completely different treatment from Luo Xiuyuan.

The current emperor is a tyrant to his subjects, but a kind father to him.

"Your Highness." Lu Ren, the confidant of the second prince, reported: "Shen Che drove to the Lingwang Mansion this morning. Your Highness, you must be careful. In my opinion, this man is not an honest person."

Maybe he is in Cao's camp but his heart is in Han, or maybe he is here as an undercover agent.

"I didn't believe him at first, but..." Luo Xiuqi snorted lightly, forcibly suppressing the joy that spread in his heart.

There is no way, who makes him happy when he thinks about this matter.

"It's just that my omnipotent elder brother, who always talks about his close friend and talent, is now only doing this kind of work for me. Don't you think this is interesting?"

Lu Ren hurriedly flattered: "Your Highness is far-sighted, but I am too talkative."

"This king knows your loyalty." Luo Xiuqi's expression was sinister, "Shen Che... Since he dared to surrender, this king dared to use him. The Shen family is also a very good chess piece."

To be fair, the Shen family is indeed not a small role. Although no one is an official in the court, they can still influence many literati.

Mr. Shen's disciples are all over the world, and the key is that those people are strangely attached to this master-disciple relationship.

In addition to the connections accumulated over the years, among the civil and military officials in the court, either they have a history with the Shen family or owe them a favor.

Luo Xiuqi's expression became more and more obscure.

It's a pity that he is unwilling to be used by him.

What's good about his stupid elder brother? However, he was born only one month earlier than him, and all eyes were focused on him, but no one cared about him.

Growing up, Luo Xiuyuan always attracted praise no matter what he did. Even the maids around him would give Luo Xiuyuan an extra snack. Minghuan of the Shen family, who was famous all over the capital, only treated Luo Xiuyuan differently.

But why? What's so good about Luo Xiuyuan? He is just a poor guy who cannot be loved by his father!

He wanted to prove to the world that if Luo Xiuyuan could do it, he, Luo Xiuqi, could do it too.

Luo Xiuqi snorted coldly and asked Lu Ren: "How did you go about the things you were asked to do?"

"It's all done." Lu Ren said, "I have arranged for people to publicize Shen Che's submission to His Highness. Now even the traffickers and lackeys know about it."

"Well done." Luo Xiuqi said with a smile.

Why is it so easy to be an undercover agent? Shen Minghuan, Shen Minghuan, you'd better submit sincerely!

*

Shen Minghuan entered the house without seeing anyone else, and greeted him politely: "I have met His Highness the Crown Prince."

Luo Xiuyuan paused slightly. He did not expect Shen Minghuan's face to be so calm, as if he was not the one who said hoarsely that day that he wanted to cut off his robe and sever his righteousness.

"...Master Shen, you have forgotten that I am no longer the prince." Luo Xiuyuan felt as if he had been reminding others of this. He was obviously the one who was deposed, but he was the first to accept the fact.

He was not used to talking to Shen Minghuan in such a distant manner, so his tone was slightly unnatural.

Shen Minghuan raised his eyebrows and said casually, "Oh, I'm used to it."

Luo Xiuyuan suddenly couldn't help but smile softly.

He looked at Shen Minghuan's non-stop fanning action and whispered "Sorry" in a low voice. He had not stopped taking the decoction in the past few days and had long been accustomed to the taste.

Luo Xiuyuan ordered Chang Mao to put out the fire in the small kitchen next door, and then open all the windows and doors in the room.

The two of them couldn't tell anything confidential, and no one would come to this dilapidated place, so there was no need to be so careful.

"Your Highness." Chang Mao didn't move.

Not to mention that the medicine must be taken on time, and once the fire is broken, the medicine will be destroyed. These medicinal materials were a trivial matter to the prince, but to the spiritual king they were extremely rare.

In a place like Yanling where people are just waiting for food, if they lose their holy will and have no power, they can be deceived by even a weakling.

Chang Mao immediately wanted to dissuade him, but he was also afraid that Shen Minghuan would see the joke and feel that His Highness the Crown Prince was not strict in his duties, so his expression was a bit awkward.

Luo Xiuyuan looked a little serious, "Go quickly."

"Where are we going? A patient should act like a patient." Shen Minghuan chuckled, folding his fan and intending to tap Luo Xiuyuan's forehead, but unexpectedly caught a glimpse of Chang Mao's alert look.

So he turned his wrist and opened the folding fan again, "You are such a big man, can't you even take care of yourself, Your Highness?"

The rising tail sound can easily give people the illusion of being cared about.

Luo Xiuyuan suddenly felt sour in his heart, "Ming Huan, you are really unreasonable. You are the one who dislikes the pungency, and you are the one who disagrees."

Isn't that unreasonable? She was so determined to break off the relationship with him, but yet she was so naturally worried about him.

Luo Xiuyuan waved his hand and asked Chang Mao to step back, without asking him to put out the fire of the decoction.

Chang Mao breathed a sigh of relief, cupped his fists and saluted, glanced at Shen Minghuan with complicated eyes, lowered his head and stepped away.

Shen Mingze didn't pay attention. He was looking around and pulled out a chair from the table.

Then he paused for a moment, stuffed the folding fan back into his sleeve, and took out a snow-white handkerchief from his sleeve.

——I don’t know how many things he hides in his sleeves.

Luo Xiuyuan watched him dumbfounded as he carefully wiped the chair from top to bottom, and said helplessly: "No, Ming Huan, this has just been wiped."

No matter what, his room would not be without a clean chair to sit on.

"Yeah." Shen Minghuan responded perfunctorily, but his hand movements were honest. When he finally nodded with satisfaction at his achievement, he casually placed the still white handkerchief on the table and Shi Shiran sat down.

[Host, I didn’t expect you to wipe chairs. ] The system sincerely admired it, as if seeing a three-month-old baby suddenly get up and finish a full banquet.

Shen Minghuan was in disbelief: [You can do this kind of thing with your hands. What makes you have the illusion that I can't do it? ]

[…] The system really wants to go back to a minute ago and uninstall its own voice system! But who makes Shen Minghuan the ancestor it needs to hold up? The system took a deep breath and said, "It just doesn't seem right. Host, you don't look like you would do such a thing." ]

[This is true. In the past, there was no need for me to do this kind of thing myself. ] His people are far more meticulous and patient than he is, and they can always arrange all aspects of his affairs one step ahead of him.

Shen Ming said slowly and happily: "So, Xiaojiu, do you know how much sacrifice I have made for you?" ]

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