Chapter 89: Killing Brother and Father is against Common Morality

In a month, Shen Lingge learned a lot from Xu Zhao and listened to her stories about later generations.

Some things sounded absurd, things he had never considered before, but after Xu Zhao's explanation, everything made sense.

On the day of the peace talks between the two countries, Shen Lingge came to see Xu Zhao as usual and had dinner with her.

"Sister Zhaozhao, the emperor's uncle sent someone to deliver an urgent report. The conditions offered by Mobei for this peace proposal do not satisfy the emperor's uncle."

"Oh?" Xu Zhao picked up a piece of vegetable with his chopsticks, "What can Mobei provide to Yue Kingdom?"

Xu Zhao looked outside the tent. It was getting dark, the wind was blowing, and the weather was starting to get colder. The harsh winter was coming, and the peace talks between the two countries had to be accelerated.

Shen Lingge curled his lips and said, "Except for some spices and furs, we will cede five cities and pay tribute of thirty first-class war horses and fifty second-class war horses every year."

"Moreover, I heard that the five cities ceded by Mobei were already occupied by our Yue Kingdom," Shen Lingge became more and more angry. "Our Yue Kingdom now occupies seven cities. According to Mobei's intention, shouldn't we give back two cities? This is ridiculous!"

Seeing him filled with righteous indignation, Xu Zhao's clear eyes were tinged with anger, and he couldn't help but laugh, "The new emperor of Mobei has ascended the throne now. If he cedes too many cities, how can he keep his throne? Naturally, he hopes to get some back."

"This boy is so cunning! I heard that he killed his father and brother. This is against common sense and everyone should kill him!"

Shen Lingge's appearance reminded Xu Zhao of the students who took to the streets to protest during the Republic of China, full of passion.

Xu Zhao raised his hand and touched his head. Ancient men were different from modern men who had short hair. Shen Lingge had black hair tied up with an ordinary hairpin, which did not feel prickly to the touch.

"There are stories like this in every generation. The royal family never talks about brotherhood. For the sake of the supreme position, what does it matter if you kill a few half brothers?"

"But... the old emperor of Mobei is the blood father of the new emperor. If he kills his own father, how is he any different from those mindless beasts?"

Seeing that Shen Lingge was only concerned with expressing his dissatisfaction with the Mobei royal family, and didn't even know to eat the food in the bowl, he directly picked up a piece of food with chopsticks for him, "You eat this meal first. It's cold today, and the food will get cold quickly. Listen to me."

Being so naive, no wonder Shen Lingge was sent to Shen Yu. I guess the person behind this also hopes that Shen Yu can give him some advice.

Xu Zhao had almost finished eating and put down his chopsticks. "I heard that the old emperor of Mobei has eleven princes, and the youngest is still in swaddling clothes."

Shen Lingge nodded. He also knew about this matter. The emperor's uncle had told him about it.

"The old emperor is fifty-six this year. Apart from the crown prince and the third prince who are quite favored by him, the only one left is the eleventh prince who is still in his infancy. The palace has always been a place where the weak are the prey of the strong. If the emperor doesn't have a favored mother, I think life will be difficult for him."

"The old emperor is old and may die at any time. There are many people in the palace who curry favor with the powerful. For a prince who has no mother to protect him since childhood and is not loved by his father, I am afraid that the life of the seventh prince in the palace is like walking on thin ice and it is not easy."

"It is said that a father is kind and a son is filial. Everyone in the world expects a son to be filial, but if the father is not kind, how can the son be filial? So, in order to make his life better, how can he not kill a few people who have no blood relationship with him?"

Shen Lingge choked and didn't know how to refute. He didn't know much about the Mobei royal family and only knew the surface. Now, after listening to Xu Zhao's explanation, he suddenly felt that the seventh prince's killing of his father and brother made some sense.

In this era where imperial power is supreme, too many people are blinded by power and human life is not worth mentioning.

"You are the only prince in the Yue Kingdom's royal family. I don't know why, but it is precisely for this reason that your father gave all his fatherly love to you. Fathers are kind and sons are filial. Naturally, you cannot accept the seventh prince's behavior of killing his brother and father."

Don’t advise others to do good unless you have experienced their suffering.

This is what Xu Zhao wants to teach Shen Lingge.

"And have you ever thought about why you were sent here?"

"The Imperial Concubine wanted me to come to the military camp for training. My father originally disagreed, but the Imperial Concubine was the most favored one in the harem, so my father finally agreed."

He still remembered that the night before he left the palace, the imperial concubine specially called him to Yongning Palace and told him many things. The most important thing was that he should study hard with his uncle, and that his uncle would protect him well.

"In fact, I know that my father only has me as his child. For so many years, no other heirs have been born. This is very likely related to the Imperial Concubine. Naturally, the other concubines regard me, the only prince, as a thorn in their eyes."

"On the way to the border, we actually encountered many assassination attempts, but they were all resolved by the secret guards sent by the emperor's uncle. That's how I was able to reach the border smoothly."

As expected, children of the royal family always know more than ordinary children. Shen Lingge is actually very clear about his situation.

"Look, you are the only child of Yue Kingdom, yet you have so many secrets. The eleven princes of Mobei Kingdom all have to plan for themselves."

Xu Zhao could still understand the new emperor of Mobei Kingdom. If he were put in a modern novel, he would be a handsome, strong, tragic and sinister villain.

"I wonder what the emperor's uncle and the others will come up with in the end?" Shen Lingge finished his meal, put down his chopsticks, and put all the dishes and chopsticks on the table into the lunch box.

Hearing Shen Lingge mention this, Xu Zhao recalled the outcome of the negotiations she had read in history books.

If it all depends on the two parties talking, it will definitely take a lot of time to go back and forth, so it would be better for her to add fuel to the fire.

Xu Zhao stood up, sat at the desk, and took out paper and pen.

Shen Lingge was quite perceptive and quickly followed behind her to grind for her.

Actually, Xu Zhao didn't write much calligraphy. He just practiced a few times with his father. Even now, his writing is a bit crooked, but you can still make out what he wrote.

Shen Lingge ground the ink quickly, but his eyes were fixed on the words written by Xu Zhao.

"Sister Zhao Zhao, your handwriting..."

Shen Lingge thought to himself: I have always thought that Sister Xu Zhao is a kind-hearted lady. When I was seven or eight years old, my writing was much better than hers.

Xu Zhao wrote quickly and ugly, and when she finished, she put down the brush, blew the ink on the paper, and handed it to Shen Lingge.

"Brushes are not a common writing tool in our area. I only learned from my father for a while when I was a child. It's great to have one like this."

"Is there a better writing tool than a brush?" Shen Lingge's eyes lit up and he immediately became interested. He wanted to pester Xu Zhao to tell him about it.

Xu Zhao: “…”

Having a curious baby following you around is also a hassle.

“You should send this to your uncle first.” Xu Zhao naturally changed the subject so that Shen Lingge would not keep thinking about the handwriting tools in his mind.

"Sister Zhao Zhao, what does this mean?"

What Xu Zhao just wrote was the content of the peace proposal that the Mobei Kingdom made to the Yue Kingdom after the two countries ceased fighting in history.