"impossible!"

"Absolutely impossible!"

"Dad has an old carbuncle on his back, so goose meat is not suitable for him at all."

Shen Yuyao remembered that although Duke Shen only loved to eat meat, because he had an old carbuncle on his back, the imperial physician had warned him that in order to prevent the condition from worsening, he must not eat goose meat.

The Duke has always been cautious, it is impossible for him to eat goose meat on his own initiative!

Furthermore, when Shen Ao resigned from his official position, the palace once gave him a black swan. Shen Yuyao heard Xia Xiaoxian's thoughts and knew that the black swan was poisonous, so she stopped Shen Ao from eating the swan meat in time, which saved Shen Ao from danger.

From then on, Chen Ao would avoid goose meat, no matter how delicious it was.

"This is what is stated in the official report from the government office." Xia Yu frowned tightly.

He is also an insider of the toxic black swan incident.

Therefore, Xia Yu knew without even thinking that unless someone used the person or thing that Shen Ao cared about the most to force him, Shen Ao would naturally not take the initiative to eat goose meat.

"Last month, the Duke won a great victory at Yanshan in the northern border. On his way back to the capital, he happened to encounter a severe snowstorm, the most severe in the northern border for decades. The Duke caught a cold, and this cold triggered his old back carbuncle."

"After the snowstorm subsided, we learned that our mother had passed away. The Duke rushed all the way after receiving the news, but by the time he returned to the capital, he still missed our mother's funeral. The Emperor, furious, immediately gifted the Duke a roast goose."

"The Duke accepted the roast goose and ate it without a word. That night, he arranged his funeral. The next day, news spread that he had died from a relapse of a carbuncle on his back."

"The ministers in the court and the people of Daxia all speculated that the Duke died suddenly because he ate the roast goose given by his father, which aggravated the carbuncle on his back."

Xia Yu tried to speak as calmly as possible to narrate the contents of the official newspaper, but the look in his eyes when he looked at Shen Yuyao was full of confusion and guilt.

Shen Yuyao gritted her teeth and listened to Xia Yu's story.

She closed her eyes slightly and leaned back a little dejectedly.

She knows.

Shen Ao did have an old carbuncle on his back and was not suitable for eating roast goose.

But as a doctor, Shen Yuyao knew better than anyone that simply eating a roast goose would not cause the carbuncle on her father's back to burst, let alone cause his death.

When her father received the roast goose given by the emperor, he must have known that the emperor wanted to put him to death.

The reason why Duke Shen calmly ate the roast goose and calmly arranged his own funeral affairs must be that he had reached some kind of understanding with the emperor.

Shen Ao wanted to use his own life to protect the lives and future of hundreds of people in the government office across the country.

If Shen Yuyao could think of it, why couldn't Xia Yu think of it?

So when two lines of bean-sized tears rolled silently from the corners of Shen Yuyao's eyes, Xia Yu felt even more guilty towards Shen Yuyao.

Duke Shen Ao's great victory in the northern border was so great that the emperor could not reward him enough.

The Duke's most beloved daughter, Shen Yuyao, married Prince Ning, Xia Yu, who also had great military achievements.

It just so happened that Shen Yuyao had once served as an imperial envoy, investigated and prosecuted several princes for his father, and secretly was in charge of the emperor's Black Dragon Guard, and had access to all the files of the Black Dragon Guard.

In this way, Prince Ning's strength is second only to that of the Crown Prince among all the princes.

In the future, it will definitely become the biggest uncertainty in the prince's smooth ascension to the throne.

Xia Yu raised his lips in a wry smile.

In the royal struggle, there is really no father-son relationship or brother-relationship.

Xia Yu also knew very clearly in his heart that the emperor secretly sentenced Duke Shen to death at this time, which was clearly intended to warn Xia Yu not to covet the throne.

The lofty throne could only be claimed by his most beloved crown prince!

"Yuyao, there's one more thing I think you should know." Xia Yu no longer concealed anything, his brows furrowed even tighter. "The Duke's second wife, Mrs. Xie, was beaten to death by my father's order for cursing him for killing meritorious officials!"

Shen Yuyao sat up in shock.

Xie Cuihua, she was beaten to death with sticks!

"Where's my mother? What about my brothers?"

Shen Yuyao propped up most of her body, feeling anxious.

"Madam Shen, you have been staying indoors since the Duke passed away. Your two brothers who were guarding the border are still in their posts and have not been greatly affected. They returned to the Duke's Mansion a few days ago to attend the funeral."

"A pigeon has also arrived from the Duke's Mansion, reporting that the Duke's wife has decided to keep the Duke's funeral simple. She will also stay at home and not go out. She has sent a message to you, telling you not to return to the Duke's Mansion without permission to attend the funeral."

Shen Yuyao understood that the reason why the emperor was wary of the Duke was ultimately because she married the Prince of Ning, who also had great military achievements.

Three years ago, she tried her best to save the Duke's Mansion.

Unexpectedly, three years later, the Duke still followed the will of heaven and ended up dying with success.

The reason why the Duke's wife didn't let her return home to attend the funeral was that she didn't want to drag Shen Yuyao down any further.

Now that the two elder brothers have grown somewhat, if they continue to have close contact with Prince Ning's Mansion, they will inevitably follow in the footsteps of the Duke.

"Your Majesty, when my father was seriously ill, did he leave any last words for me?"

Shen Yuyao raised her tearful eyes and looked at Xia Yu.

"Yes!" Xia Yu frowned slightly and said, "The Duke said that he understands the emperor's concerns and asked you not to resent him! If you want to protect others, you must first strengthen yourself!"

Yes, Xia Xiaoxian, Xia Xiaoyan, Xia Linan, and the child in her belly now, are all people she will protect at the cost of her life.

If you really want to protect them from harm throughout their lives, it is better to rely on yourself than on heaven or earth!

"Yuyao, you are going to be a mother again now, so don't worry too much." Xia Yu's eyes were full of pity.

He really felt sorry for the person in front of him.

"Then what will the prince do next?"

"I will be a leisurely prince and take you to see all the beautiful scenery of Yanjing!" Xia Yu said seriously: "As long as you and the little princess are safe and sound, I will be satisfied!"

Shen Yuyao was not moved by Xia Yu's sentimental words. Instead, she said calmly, "Your Highness, are you really willing to live your life in such an idle manner?"

She was unwilling to accept this. Not only was there hatred in her heart, but also a deeper love!

Xia Yu was an ambitious man, and she didn't want him to lose his ambition because of the death of the Duke.

Shen Yuyao sat up and said to Xia Yu calmly, "Your Highness, keeping a low profile is indeed the best strategy, but it will also easily arouse suspicion."

Xia Yu raised his eyebrows when he heard this: "Yuyao, do you have a better suggestion?"

"Your Highness, it would be safer if you could let loose and even pass on this unfavorable news to your father through special means!"

If Shen Yuyao wants to protect several children, she must first protect Xia Yu.

As long as Prince Ning is around, those children won't have a bad life.