Shen Qingzhuo was puzzled as to why the ghost had a voice so similar to that of his little disciple. In the end, he could only reluctantly explain that whatever he thought about during the day would appear in his dreams at night, all because of his little disciple who kept nagging in his ears all day long.
Therefore, since that night when he was “pressed by a ghost”, he refused to sleep on the same bed with his little disciple. As expected, he never had such a weird and absurd dream again at night.
Xiao Shen was initially dissatisfied with this, but as the year was coming to an end, all departments in the palace were busy, and Lord Shen was also very busy, so he was reluctant to bother his master anymore.
As for himself, with the excuse of recuperating, he lay in Changle Palace all day long doing nothing. He didn’t even glance at the 20,000 elite soldiers brought back from Suixi and directly gathered them into the three battalions for training.
On this day, Shen Qingzhuo reported the investigation results to Emperor Guangxi as usual. As soon as he stepped into the Zichen Palace, he found that the palace was very bustling today.
Xie Gelao stood in front with a cane, while the other cabinet members and the six ministers were lined up in two rows.
“Your Majesty, establishing a crown prince is the foundation of the country.” The Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, Yan Siqi, bowed and said, “The position of the Eastern Palace has been vacant for two years now. It is harmful to the country and the people and has no benefit ah. Hope Your Majesty will think twice.”
The Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, Lord Lin, disagreed and said, “His Majesty has his reasons for not appointing a crown prince. Lord Yan, don’t be too anxious.”
“Lord Lin, it’s easy to say. If His Majesty delays in appointing a new crown prince, there will be turmoil in the previous dynasty. Can you take responsibility?” Minister Yan flicked his sleeves and replied in a cold voice.
Qin De, the Deputy Minister of the Cabinet, echoed, “Your Majesty, what Lord Yan said is not entirely unreasonable. Throughout the dynasties, when the crown prince is unstable, it will inevitably cause civil unrest.”
Several people started arguing with each other, while Emperor Guangxi leaned on the dragon chair, supporting his forehead and saying nothing.
After a break from the quarrel, Shen Qingzhuo slowly spoke, “Then according to what Lord Yan said, which prince would be the most suitable for His Majesty to appoint as the crown prince?”
Yan Siqi did not expect Lord Shen to name him directly. He was stunned for a moment and quickly replied, “According to the etiquette of Dayong, the eldest son should be appointed as the crown prince instead of the youngest. The Third Prince should be appointed as the crown prince.”
“I’m afraid that’s not right.” The Minister of Works quickly caught the loophole in his words: “According to Lord Yan, the Eldest Prince is the eldest.”
Yan Siqi blurted out, “The Eldest Prince is weak and sickly, and he’s hanging by a thread. How can he take on the important task of being the crown prince?”
The Minister of Works immediately said, “Hanging by a thread? Lord Yan, are you cursing the Eldest Prince?”
Lord Yan’s eyes widened. “You—”
“Enough.” At this time, Emperor Guangxi, who was sitting high on the dragon throne, finally spoke. His voice was weak, and his tone was cold. “Zhen hasn’t died yet, but you all are already arranging Zhen’s funeral affairs?”
“The minister dares not!” Yan Siqi was so frightened that he immediately knelt down and apologized, “Your Majesty, please forgive the minister. The minister was only thinking about the country and people of Dayong!”
The Zichen Palace fell into silence.
After a moment, Emperor Guangxi looked at Xie Gelao and asked slowly, “Xie Gelao, what do you think?”
Xie Gelao stroked his beard and said, “Establishing a crown prince is a national event. The old minister thinks that Your Majesty should be cautious about it.”
“Then does Xie Gelao have any suitable candidate for the crown prince position in mind?” Emperor Guangxi continued to ask.
Xie Gelao bowed and said, “The old minister is old, deaf, and blind, confused, and will obey Your Majesty’s will in everything.”
“Your Majesty…” Qin De wanted to say something else, but was interrupted by Emperor Guangxi’s wave of his hand.
“We will discuss the appointment of a crown prince later.” After just a moment, Emperor Guangxi seemed exhausted. “Xie Gelao stay. Everyone else can leave.”
Several lords looked at each other, exchanged glances, and then left the Zichen Hall one after another.
At Emperor Guangxi’s signal, Shen Qingzhuo handed the memorial to Eunuch Su and then withdrew.
It seems that the emperor has something to tell Xie Gelao alone.
But after leaving the palace, he did not rush back to Beizhen Fushi but instead went to Dongchang.
In the past two years, the work of the Dongchang Office was very much in the Emperor’s favor, and Pan Dongsheng became a popular figure in front of Emperor Guangxi, and his fame even almost surpassed that of the Jinyiwei.
Outsiders thought that Lord Shen must be unhappy, but they didn’t know who Pan Changgong was working for in private.
“My Lord.” As soon as Lord Shen entered the room, Pan Dongsheng immediately gave up his chair and replied, “As My Lord expected, Changshou Palace can no longer hold back.”
Shen Qingzhuo sat down. “En, what do you mean?”
Pan Dongsheng looked around and took out a white porcelain bottle from his sleeve. He lowered his voice and said, “This is something given by the Empress Dowager. It is colorless and tasteless. Add it to the food. It will work in half a month…”
Shen Qingzhuo took the porcelain bottle with some curiosity. Just as he was about to smell it through the mouth of the bottle, he heard Eunuch Pan nervously shouting, “My Lord, be careful. This thing is not fun!”
Lord Shen gave a “tsk” and handed the porcelain bottle back to him. “Let’s proceed according to the plan.”
Pan Dongsheng quickly hid the poison back into his sleeve and assured, “Don’t worry, My Lord. Everything has been arranged properly. There will be no mistakes.”
Shen Qingzhuo couldn’t help but sigh. There were more than one or two people in this palace who wanted Emperor Guangxi to die ah.
***
A few days later, the princes from Shengjing and other fiefdoms were recalled to the palace. The first thing they did was to pay their respects to Emperor Guangxi and present local specialties and treasures as tribute to show their filial piety.
The court and the harem seem to be calm and peaceful, but there are actually undercurrents.
At dusk, Shen Qingzhuo was about to leave Beizhen Fushi when a strange sedan stopped at the door. A guard with a sword came forward and saluted respectfully: “Lord Shen, my Prince wants My Lord to go to the palace for a talk.”
Shen Qing glanced at him and asked, “Which prince is your prince?”
The guard replied, “His Highness King Chu.”
Kong Shang reminded in a low voice, “My Lord, it might be the Hongmen Banquet.”
“No problem.” Shen Qingzhuo raised his hand and said with a smile, “His Highness King Chu’s kindness, this lord definitely can’t refuse. This lord will go with you.”
About two incense sticks later, the carriage stopped in front of the majestic gate of King Chu’s mansion.
Shen Qingzhuo lifted his robe and got off the carriage. As soon as he entered the gate, King Chu came to greet him, “Lord Shen is here, your presence brings light to my humble dwelling ah!”
“Your Highness King Chu is too polite.” Shen Qingzhuo smiled faintly and bowed, “After two years of separation, Your Highness is still as graceful as ever.”
“Hahahaha!” Xiao Hongyao laughed loudly, “Thank you, Lord Shen. Please come in quickly!”
After the two of them sat down, they talked back and forth with each other, and everything was flawless.
After a while, Xiao Hongyao finally couldn’t hold back and got to the point first: “This king heard that King Jin was seriously injured. Is this true?”
“Your Highness has not visited King Jin yet?” Shen Qingzhuo was slightly surprised, then seriously said, “It is true. King Jin almost lost his life in the victory of Suixi and is now hanging on to his life by the medicine prescribed by the imperial physician.”
Xiao Hongyao’s eyes flashed with satisfaction, but his face showed a worried expression: “So that’s the case. But I hope that Seventh Brother can recover soon.”
Shen Qingzhuo lowered his eyelashes and said meaningfully, “Whether he will be cured or not is not up to His Highness King Jin to decide.”
Xiao Hongyao stared at him and suddenly asked, “This king heard that a few days ago, several ministers advised Emperor Father that he should appoint a crown prince as soon as possible. I wonder if Lord Shen…”
“Yes, His Majesty has indeed thought of appointing a crown prince.” Shen Qingzhuo raised his eyes and paused for a moment, “But the king’s mind is hard to predict. Who dares to speak rashly until the last moment?”
Xiao Hongyao’s eyes were like torches: “Emperor Father has always trusted Lord Shen. If even Lord Shen can’t guess the king’s mind, then let alone others.”
“Your Highness, why are you so anxious?” Shen Qingzhuo said calmly, “When the time comes, we will know the answer.”
After going around in a circle, it returned to the starting point.
Xiao Hongyao’s eyes darkened slightly, and he took a sip of hot tea. “Lord Shen, please try this fine Longjing tea. The young girl picked the tenderest buds, and it tastes delicious and has a long aftertaste.”
Shen Qingzhuo’s eyes rested on the floating tea leaves. After a moment, he picked up the teacup and took a sip. “This is good tea.”
“Forget it, let’s not talk about that for now.” Xiao Hongyao regained his smile. “It’s rare to see you, Lord Shen, please have dinner before returning to the palace.”
“No.” Shen Qingzhuo put down the teacup. “It’s the end of the year, and there are many things to do in the palace. It’s really inconvenient to stay for dinner.”
After saying this, he stood up and bowed, saying, “Thank you, Your Highness. I will take my leave first.”
“Why is Lord Shen so anxious?” Xiao Hongyao stood up and clapped his hands. “The show that this king prepared for Lord Shen hasn’t even started yet.”
Shen Qingzhuo frowned slightly and saw several graceful women coming in and bowing.
“Lord Shen has worked hard for the country and the people, but he is still alone. It is really a pity.” Xiao Hongyao said hypocritically, “For this reason, this king has specially found beautiful girls with clean family backgrounds in his own territory to give you. They can warm Lord Shen’s bed during the long winter nights.”
Shen Qingzhuo replied calmly, “Your Highness King Chu is kind, and the humble minister appreciates your kindness. However, the humble minister already has a lover, and I really don’t want to do anything that would let her down.”
“Oh? What kind of fairy lady can make Lord Shen fall in love with?” Xiao Hongyao stared at him with interest. “Could it be… that girl named Xiang Lian?”
As soon as the words fell, Kong Shang, who had been waiting at the door, suddenly raised his head.
Shen Qingzhuo’s expression was completely expressionless. “What does Your Highness King Chu mean?”
Xiao Hongyao clapped his hands again, and two guards with swords brought in Xiang Lian with disheveled hair.
“Young Master!” Xiang Lian shouted anxiously when he saw Master Shen, “Young Master, please leave quickly and don’t worry about me!”
The Xiuchun sword at his waist was unsheathed instantly, and Kong Shang shouted, “Let her go!”
“Kong Shang!” Shen Qingzhuo spoke in time to stop his next action.
Kong Shang gritted his teeth but had to retract his Xiuchun sword and stood there motionless.
Shen Qingzhuo turned his gaze back to the face of His Highness King Chu, “Your Highness, it is not gentlemanly to embarrass a weak woman.”
“That’s wrong.” Xiao Hongyao shook his head and said shamelessly, “This king just wants to be nice. Lord Shen will not be ungrateful, right?”
There was a silence in the beautiful peach blossom eyes. After a while, Shen Qingzhuo slowly asked, “Your Highness King Chu, do you think that I came to the banquet alone today?”
Xiao Hongyao’s smug smile froze.
“There are still some doubts about the case of deposing the crown prince.” Shen Qingzhuo smiled slightly. “Your Highness King Chu thinks he has the evidence against me, but you must understand a simple truth: even a rabbit will bite when it is cornered.”
As soon as these words came out, Xiao Hongyao’s face became completely gloomy. “Shen Qingzhuo, don’t refuse a toast and then drink the punishment wine.”
“In fact, among all the princes, the one who is most likely to enter the Eastern Palace is Your Highness King Chu.” Shen Qingzhuo slapped him in the face and quickly fed him sweet jujube. “At this critical moment, it is better not to cause trouble. What does Your Highness think?”
Xiao Hongyao frowned, as if he was secretly considering his position.
“Whatever Your Highness wants is within your reach.” Shen Qingzhuo said directly, “And the only person that the minister is loyal to is His Majesty. I hope Your Highness will understand.”
***
The carriage galloped by, and Shen Qingzhuo lay on the bench, his snow-white and flawless face covered in a beautiful rosy glow.
“Young Master…” Xiang Lin squatted in front of him, almost crying, “Young Master, it’s all Xiang Lian’s fault…”
“No problem.” Shen Qingzhuo closed his eyes and said in a soft voice, “This matter has nothing to do with you…”
It was really a pity that Xiao Hongyao could think of such a thing. Not only did he find a group of beautiful girls for him, but he even put drugs in his tea. It seemed that he had decided to make him stay in King Chu’s mansion overnight in an attempt to control him.
Xiang Lian was as anxious as an ant on a hot pot. She was a girl from Zuixiang Fang and was very familiar with those dirty drugs. She knew very well that as long as she did that thing and released the effect of the drugs, the young master would be fine.
But—
How dare she? How could a frivolous woman like her dare to touch a fairy-like gentleman like the young master?
The young master gave her a second life, and she would never dare to repay his kindness with evil.
Thinking of this, she could only lift the curtain and urge in a crying voice, “Kong Shang, hurry up! Young Master can’t bear it!”
Kong Shang whipped the carriage without even turning his head. “I understand! Take good care of Young Master!”
Every moment was becoming extremely unbearable. Shen Qingzhuo felt as if a raging fire was burning his body. Blood was surging in his meridians. His limbs were paralyzed by the burning. Even his mind was gradually becoming unclear…
Fortunately, King Chu’s mansion was not far from the Imperial Palace. Kong Shang took two steps at a time and rushed into Jiyue Pavilion with Lord Shen on his back.
After finally reaching the palace gate, Kong Shang carefully put Lord Shen down and handed him to Xiang Lian. “Help Young Master into the room. I’ll go find Imperial Physician Lu and be back soon!”
Xiang Lian hurriedly supported the young master and whispered, “I’m sorry, Young Master. I’ll help you go in and rest first.”
At this moment, Xiao Dezi from the inner hall heard the movement at the door and immediately came out to check, “Young Master?”
“Gonggong, please lend a hand.” Xiang Lian raised his voice and asked for help, “Something happened to Young Master Shen!”
Xiao Dezi was so frightened that he broke out in a cold sweat. Just as he was about to run over, he heard a deep and tense voice behind him: “What’s wrong with Master?”
He felt that something was not right, and sure enough, the next moment, His Highness King Jin rushed forward at great speed, roughly pushed Xiang Lian away, and grabbed his unconscious master into his arms.
“You are…” Xiang Lian looked at the handsome face in front of her that seemed familiar, trying to search for such a person in her mind.
Xiao Shen glanced at the blushing master in his arms, and when he looked up again, he asked with a cold face, “What happened?”
Xiang Lian was frightened by his gaze, and her legs went limp. She leaned back against the doorstep and stammered, “Young Master was… was drugged by King Chu…”
His handsome eyebrows were tied into a knot, and Xiao Shen gritted his teeth and said, “Xiao Hongyao?”
“Hmm…” The cool and stiff fabric relieved a little bit of his dryness. Shen Qingzhuo rubbed against his chest and murmured, “Water… I want water…”
Xiao Shen didn’t say anything. He bent down, picked his master up, and strode towards the inner hall.
His master with this look on his face should never be seen by people again!
The author has something to say:
King Chu: Lord Shen must have fallen in love with a girl as beautiful as a fairy.
King Jin: Haha…it’s me. Do you have any opinion?
