Chapter 711 Only one sentence is correct

Before Emperor Xuande could ask anything, Zhuang Shihan quickly said, "Your Majesty, I have seen General Xu with my own eyes.

Although he had some chronic illnesses from years of fighting, he was in good health. He never neglected his martial arts skills, and it was no exaggeration to say that he was as strong as an ox.

How could such a person suddenly die of illness?"

Zhuang Shihan thought of something and snorted coldly, "I'm afraid it's not that he deserves to die, but someone wants him to die.

There must be something hidden behind this.”

Emperor Xuande followed up on her words and asked, "Are you saying that Xu Xiao was murdered to silence him?"

Zhuang Shihan immediately lowered her head and said, "I am terrified."

"Fearful?" Emperor Xuande sneered, "Now that things have come to this, it's probably a little late to express fear now.

Tell me, I also want to hear what you think about this matter."

A guess of a word put Zhuang Shihan's mind at ease.

With your majesty's words, even if you say it to the sky, what the two of them said today is nothing but speculation.

Thinking of this, Zhuang Shihan couldn't help but pluck up her courage and said, "I'm young and don't know how to control myself, so it's inevitable that I'll speak without restraint. If I say anything wrong, I hope Your Majesty won't blame me."

"Just speak freely. I forgive you for what you said and did today."

With Emperor Xuande's words, Zhuang Shihan finally felt relieved.

She cleared her throat and said, "Xu Xiao severed ties with the Xu family long ago. He never married or had children in all these years. He only adopted two orphaned girls and raised them under his knees.

For him, if he can endure a few more years on the frontier, he can retire and live out his old age in the general's mansion awarded by His Majesty.

Therefore, there is no reason for him, at his age, to take the risk of collaborating with the enemy, something that could lead to the extermination of his entire clan at any time."

Emperor Xuande asked, "How do you know he has no other motives?"

Zhuang Shihan said without hesitation: "Your Majesty, you don't know that Xu Xiao has no house or property in the border town.

Even the general's mansion allocated by the court was dilapidated and did not look like it was often repaired, and the daily food and clothing were very ordinary.

His two adopted daughters, who are called the ladies of the mansion, are not even as well dressed as the maids in other mansions. If he had a little money, he wouldn’t be so…”

Seeing Emperor Xuande's increasingly ugly expression, her words gradually faded away.

"Why don't you say anything? Go on."

Zhuang Shihan swallowed and said dryly, "What this subject has said proves that General Xu is not someone who only cares about money."

Realizing that this might not be the right thing to say, she tried to make amends by saying, "With General Xu's position, if he wants, the mansion will certainly not be short of money."

Emperor Xuande's eyes darkened, and he said, "If you have anything else, tell me everything."

Zhuang Shihan: “…”

Was he going to let her speak or not?

Just when she was feeling annoyed and didn't know what to do, she heard Dehai cough lightly and said, "Princess, why are you still standing there?"

Zhuang Shihan came back to her senses and couldn't help but feel happy.

Dehai is the chief steward of the imperial court and a very close person to Your Majesty. You can be sure of success if you listen to him.

The situation was urgent, and she didn't bother to think about why the other party suddenly offered to help her for no reason. She was only thinking about making Emperor Xuande remember her no matter what.

Only if he feels that she is useful to him, and useful enough, will he not be willing to give her, this treasure trove, to others.

Although Zhuang Shihan hated this era and the behavior of those in power who objectified women, she also knew that she could not resist this world on her own.

Only if she stands higher and becomes stronger can she have the courage to say no to injustice.

Otherwise, she would just be like those vases kept in seclusion, and when she reached the right age, she would be married off in the name of "marriage" in exchange for what they thought was a good price.

If one's status is lower, it is not uncommon for one to be passed around as a gift by dignitaries.

Just thinking about it made her feel cold all over.

She would never allow herself to fall to that level.

Zhuang Shihan pinched her legs, which had become numb from kneeling, took a deep breath, and said, "A person who doesn't seek fame or money would never do such a risky thing unless his life was at stake.

One mistake will bring eternal infamy and last for thousands of years."

Emperor Xuande shook his head and said meaningfully, "You are wrong."

Zhuang Shihan was stunned.

Wrong?

What did she do wrong?

Facing her eyes full of dissatisfaction, Emperor Xuande said coldly: "Xu Xiao is a man with great courage.

Even if a knife was placed on his neck, he would never surrender."

Zhuang Shihan asked puzzledly, "What if he threatens his children?"

After that, the room fell silent again.

In the small room at the back, the two people sitting opposite each other were also silent.

It's just that they agree with Emperor Xuande's ideas.

Zhuang Shihan’s guess is not true.

Not to mention General Xu's two daughters who have been with him all year round, even the uncles and aunts around them would never hurt them in the slightest.

Not to mention, the two sisters are not General Xu's biological children. If anyone wants to threaten them, they will definitely look for people who are closer to him.

It made no sense, staring at two orphaned girls who had no blood relationship with him.

But he had no wife or children, and his relatives in Beijing had long since severed ties with him and had not had any contact for many years.

What exactly did that person use to threaten General Xu?

Thinking that Xu Xiao never dared to reveal anything related to him until his death, Song Yanxi felt even more frightened.

The water here is probably much deeper than she thought.

*

As Emperor Xuande waited for a long time without saying anything, Zhuang Shihan knelt down until she felt dizzy and felt that she had completely lost all feeling below the waist.

If she keeps kneeling like this, her legs will be broken.

Zhuang Shihan gritted her teeth and said stubbornly, "If Your Majesty doesn't trust me, you can summon Xu Xiao's former subordinates back to the capital and ask them.

What he did could never be done by one person alone.”

Emperor Xuande: "I can see that you put a lot of thought into it."

Zhuang Shihan was a little overwhelmed by the sudden praise.

She was about to say something modest when Emperor Xuande changed the subject, "Since you sent someone to investigate, you must know that when Xu Xiao rushed back to the border town to provide assistance, he only brought one trusted confidant with him."

Zhuang Shihan nodded.

She did know about this.

However, the so-called confidant had only followed Xu Xiao for more than a year, and he could not get anything out of him.

Zhuang Shihan was a little angry when she mentioned this. "That young general was very happy to collect the money, but he was clueless when asked questions."

Thinking of the jade bracelet she had just given away, she became even angrier.

Sooner or later, she will get back the humiliation she suffered today with interest!

She can't touch the old man Dehai, and she can't control him, a little eunuch?

Zhuang Shihan came back to her senses and was caught off guard by Emperor Xuande's cold eyes. She was so shocked that she quickly kowtowed to him.

She suppressed her panic and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, please calm down. I know this matter is unreasonable, and I was in a hurry that day, so I resorted to this desperate measure.

I acknowledge my guilt and ask Your Majesty to punish me."

The attitude is so sincere that anyone who sees it would praise it as a pure heart.

Zhuang Shihan pressed her forehead against the ground, the corners of her mouth slightly raised, and she counted three, two, one silently in her heart.

Just when he counted to "two", Emperor Xuande spoke.

"You just said so much, but only one sentence is correct."