novelden Chapter 125 The only option is to pin the blame on Cen Xiang.
Chapter 125 The only option is to pin the blame on Cen Xiang.
Wen Yuening pretended not to understand, merely going through the motions and casually expressing her concern.
But it seemed as if she had stepped on Shen Yuchen's tail, which made him, who had already sat down, stand up angrily.
The anger that had been barely suppressed in his heart was reignited by a casual remark from Wen Yuening.
“Now some people have actually dared to sneak into the palace to assassinate the eldest princess, and afterwards they even dared to poison the commander of the military corps. It is truly infuriating and hateful.”
Wen Yuening was secretly startled by Shen Yuchen's reaction.
"It's like a powder keg."
He gave Rushan, who was waiting nearby, a wink, signaling her to bring another bowl of soup from the kitchen. After receiving the signal, he carefully withdrew.
"Why is Your Majesty so angry? Anger is harmful to your health. I wonder if Your Highness is injured?"
He wanted to pat her on the back, but then felt it was inappropriate, so he stood there without moving.
"Speaking of my elder sister, I am even angrier. She was injured but refused to let the imperial physician examine her pulse or apply medicine. She doesn't even care about her own body."
For a moment, Wen Yuening couldn't tell whether the slightly pitiful Shen Yuchen was the same person who had been furious just a second ago.
"Your Highness is injured? Is it serious?"
But while she was feeling sentimental, she heard Shen Yucheng say that Shen Sangwan was injured, and she was a little uncertain.
Previously, she was so focused on rescuing Shuyan from her sword that she neglected Shen Sangwan.
Seeing the person next to him suddenly raise their voice, Shen Yuchen's gaze towards Wen Yuening became somewhat strange.
When talking about her own affairs, the Empress was always calm and composed. Why did the other woman react so strongly when her elder sister was mentioned?
After much deliberation, his strange look turned into a wary one.
"Won't this mean there's another person trying to steal my older sister's thunder?"
"No, my sister belongs to me alone. I absolutely cannot let anyone else take her away."
Shen Yuchen chose not to answer Wen Yuening's question, but then suddenly remembered the purpose of his visit to Fengluan Palace and changed the subject.
"Your Majesty, I have heard that Prime Minister Wen intends to retire from court. What are your thoughts on this?"
Wen Yuening was completely bewildered. How come she didn't know when her father had expressed any intention to retire?
"Your Majesty, I was unaware that you intended to resign from your official post."
"Oh? The Empress truly knows nothing?"
“Your Majesty, I have no reason to deceive you. Moreover, since I went to Wuzhou with Your Highness to provide disaster relief, I have shown that I am of one mind with Your Majesty.”
Unable to get any information out of her, and seeing no signs of lying on Wen Yuening's face, he had no choice but to give up.
Just then, Ru Shan brought over the fish head soup.
"This fish head soup is good for warming the stomach and replenishing the body. It's getting late, Your Majesty, would you like to drink it and rest?"
Shen Yuchen took the jade bowl, feeling depressed. The soup had been kept warm over a low flame, and he drank it all in one gulp.
After helping Wen Yuening and Shen Yuchen change their clothes, Ru Shan and Ru Zhu quietly turned off the lights and left.
"Ming Prince's Mansion"
Shen Yujing embraced Lin Wanyi and returned to the pavilion. For the first time, he did not threaten or intimidate her after returning from the banquet.
"Awan behaved very well today. It seems that she has remembered the punishments from the previous times."
They pinned each other down on the bed, their words filled with tenderness.
Lin Wanyi tilted her head back and obediently hooked her arms around the other person's neck. When she tried to lean in, Shen Yujing blocked her with his hand.
"Ah Wan has been quite frightened tonight, and it's getting late. She should rest early. I'll come and keep her company after I've finished my business."
Shen Yujing gently kissed Lin Wanyi's forehead, then got up from the bed and went to the top floor of the attic.
Xi Ping had already knelt on the ground.
"I have failed in my duties, Your Highness. Please forgive me."
"Say, what's going on?"
"There was a slight mishap, and Wen Xiang's men suddenly interfered. I had no choice but to kill Yuan Qi and pin the blame on Cen Xiang."
"You're getting more and more astute."
Xi Ping dared not accept Shen Yujing's praise.
Seeing that no one responded, Shen Yujing continued, "Although the Princess and the young emperor suspect that it was not Prime Minister Cen's doing, as long as the evidence is solid, Cen Zhouyuan will have to take the blame whether he wants to or not."
"Where is the guard that Qi Su mentioned?"
"When I went down there, the person had already been kidnapped by Wen Xiang's men."
The worms inside his body surged, causing Shen Yujing to cough repeatedly.
"Your Highness, what about your health?"
After calming down a bit, Shen Yujing gently waved his hand, rubbing the jade thumb ring thoughtfully.
"If Wen Yunhe simply didn't want Cen Zhouyuan to ruin his daughter's birthday banquet, he wouldn't have helped Yuan Qi when he killed the arsonist."
"Your Highness, I suspect that Prime Minister Wen is trying to use this opportunity to find the person behind this and then cooperate with them..."
"Ha—at such an advanced age, with half his body in the ground, he still has so many thoughts. Isn't he afraid of dying young?"
Shen Yujing snorted coldly and glanced out the window.
The city was dimly lit, with only a few lights on. He sighed and said, "Send more 'evidence' to Minister Lin of the Court of Judicial Review. He is, after all, my father-in-law. I can't let the young emperor push him too far."
"Your Highness, if Prime Minister Cen falls from power, and the Wen family gains absolute power, the balance of the court will be disrupted, and I fear—"
"The provincial examinations won't be closed in a few days. Given the Princess's temperament, there will likely be another bloody storm, and the court will be in chaos sooner or later. Besides, even if the evidence is sufficient, the young emperor may not necessarily take action against Cen Zhouyuan. He doesn't yet have the ability to balance the court, and Cen Zhouyuan won't fall anytime soon."
“But if he were to assassinate the Princess, coupled with the corruption in the imperial examinations over the years, and if that were to be added to the fire, I cannot guarantee whether Cen Zhouyuan would be able to retain his power.”
Xi Ping nodded in agreement, "I have already compiled all the wrongful convictions and miscarriages of justice from previous years. If Your Highness wishes, I can have them brought to you at any time."
Shen Yujing smiled slightly, "I'm not a judge, why are you giving me those things?"
Xi Ping couldn't help but tremble slightly, and replied in a low voice, "I will find a suitable opportunity to have someone deliver it to the Princess's residence."
"What, are you starting to fear me too?"
"No...no."
Shen Yujing suddenly jumped out of the window, startling Xi Ping, who then jumped out after him.
He pushed off the windowsill with both legs to grab Shen Yujing, and with a few quick leaps, the two landed safely.
"Your Majesty!"
"Xi Ping, I've been holed up in this Ming Prince's Mansion for five years!"
A very calm sentence completely dispelled Xi Ping's previous fear.
What followed was regret.
He lamented that a young general had turned into a ghostly figure, indistinguishable from a human.
"The sensation of falling just now made me feel alive again."
"Your Highness, I believe that it won't be long before Your Highness is no longer trapped in this palace."
Shen Yujing looked up at the sky, a wave of emotion washing over him.
Before I knew it, there were two tear tracks at the corners of my eyes.