Chapter 655 Shen Congwen is seriously ill!

How could Shen Lanxi use the day she was granted the imperial decree to consolidate her own imperial power?

Zhou Xinrou's face visibly darkened.

But she had already played the card of enduring humiliation and bearing heavy burdens. If she changed her mind again, how would the world view her as the Empress Dowager?

"Your Majesty has endured humiliation and hardship, and today I have finally fulfilled my promise to welcome you into the palace!" Shen Lanxi declared, her voice echoing throughout the palace.

An hour later, the news that Shen Lanxi was a descendant of the former crown prince spread like wildfire throughout the capital.

"No wonder she, a woman, has such great courage. It turns out she has royal blood, so it makes sense."

"Emperor Renxiao murdered his brother and father, and Your Majesty is burdened with such a deep-seated blood feud. No wonder she was chosen to be the emperor," rather than a man from the Shen family.

It turns out that the Shen family members were not qualified.

Carrier pigeons and hawks, like dark clouds, flew out of the capital and headed in different directions.

...

Shen Family

Shen Conglian, Shen Congli, and the others sat in the hall, stunned and in a daze.

Shen Congli muttered to himself, "So that's how it is, so that's how it really is."

No wonder he didn't bestow titles upon the Shen family after ascending the throne; it turns out they had absolutely no relation to His Majesty.

They are of royal blood, while the rest of us are just ordinary people.

"Second brother, eldest brother kept this from us for so long!" Shen Congli began to complain again.

Shen Conglian was still in a daze.

"Such a big thing, why didn't my brother tell us?"

"No wonder my elder brother didn't react at all when His Majesty ascended the throne. It turns out that position was originally meant for someone else."

They even boasted that they had changed their bloodline and transformed themselves into royalty.

Looking back now, it all seems like a joke.

The only true member of the royal family is Shen Lanxi; the others are at most... even if they are...

"Second brother, what kind of people are we? What kind of people is our Shen family?"

Miao pinched herself hard before she could speak.

“Even if we are not royalty, we are still the Emperor’s benefactors. If it weren’t for my elder brother taking in the Empress Dowager, His Majesty wouldn’t be where he is today. Our family has been kind to both His Majesty and the Empress Dowager.”

Liu added, "An immense favor."

Ms. Miao nodded quickly: "Yes, yes, yes."

Shen Congli thought about it and realized that made sense; as long as they didn't cause them any trouble, it would be fine.

Shen Conglian pinched his forehead hard and said, "No matter what Yuan Jing and the others say, they are all brothers of the same mother as His Majesty, and they grew up with the children in the family. We are her relatives, and this point cannot be ignored."

There's one thing: the children of the second and third wives will have no relation to Shen Lanxi anymore.

Thinking about this, my resentment surged up like an underground river.

He had intended to discuss things with his elder brother a few more times, but before going to bed that night, Shen Conglian specifically instructed the servants not to send any more wine to his elder brother.

Unexpectedly, when they went to his door the next day, they found that his elder brother, like their father before him, was unable to move or speak.

"Imperial physician! Quickly, summon the imperial physician!"

Although Shen Lanxi has no connection with the Shen family anymore, she has not taken back the imperial physician; the previous imperial physician is still serving in the household.

"Imperial Physician, how is my elder brother?" Shen Conglian and the others asked anxiously.

The imperial physicians took turns examining the patient's pulse and diagnosing the illness, and only when they reached a consensus could they arrive at a conclusion.

"Lord Shen drank too much, which led to his illness. Coupled with his physical weakness caused by an unbalanced diet, the accumulated problems eventually became a hidden danger."

Just like Old Master Shen's previous illness, he suffered a stroke. Moreover, his condition was even more severe than Old Master Shen's.

"Imperial Physician, is there any way to cure my elder brother?"

The imperial physician shook his head: "It's hard to say. We can only try our best to treat him, but the outcome..."

Seeing the imperial physicians shaking their heads repeatedly, the Shen family knew, even without saying it outright, that this was the best outcome for Shen Congwen.

"What should we do? The Empress Dowager just went to the palace." Shen Conglian was at a loss for what to do.

Shen Congli: "The Empress Dowager just passed away, and my elder brother fell ill right afterward. Wouldn't it be bad if outsiders found out?"

Outsiders may spread misinformation, which could easily distort the truth.

"They will definitely send a message to the palace."

"Imperial Physician, please keep my elder brother's illness a secret for now!"

The brothers Shen Conglian and Shen Congli repeatedly gave their instructions, saying, "It's better to be safe than sorry."

The Empress Dowager's birthday had only passed a day ago, and then my elder brother had this kind of trouble happen, adding bad luck to this otherwise joyous occasion.

"Of course, of course!"

The imperial physicians were always very tight-lipped.

Even if the news gets out, who in the capital doesn't know that Shen Congwen is a heavy drinker?

...

Upon receiving the news, Shen Lanxi immediately ordered someone to deliver the message to the Cining Palace.

The Cining Hall we see today is newly renovated. The previous Cining Hall was sealed off after Old Madam Shen committed suicide.

"Empress Dowager, His Majesty has sent a messenger." A palace maid relayed the message.

"Enter!" Zhou Xinrou was preparing to reorganize the harem.

After bowing, the pale-faced eunuch said, "Shen Congwen has suffered a severe stroke and is unable to move or speak. His Majesty has decreed that matters concerning the inner palace should be decided by the Empress Dowager."

On the surface, Shen Lanxi has no connection with the Shen family anymore; the only connection she has is with Zhou Xinrou, the middleman.

From now on, she will be in charge of arranging matters for the Shen family.

After hearing this, Zhou Xinrou understood what it meant. She cursed Shen Lanxi in her heart, calling her heartless and ruthless, disregarding even her own family.

"I understand. I will tell His Majesty that I will send an imperial physician over."

The story of the pale-faced eunuch continues.

"Your Majesty, His Majesty said that the Shen family has been kind to us, mother and son. We hope that Your Majesty can go to the Shen family in person so that the people will know that Your Majesty and His Majesty are people who do not repay kindness."

Zhou Xinrou was displeased. Was Shen Lanxi teaching her how to do things?

"Empress Dowager~" the nanny called out to remind her.

Suppressing her displeasure, Zhou Xinrou said coldly, "Go back and tell His Majesty that I will prepare generous gifts for him."

Half an hour later, Feng Cha left the palace, followed by more than twenty palace servants carrying brocade boxes, heading in a grand procession towards the Shen family.

...

"Grand Uncle, how is my grandfather?" Shen Emei looked at the person lying on the bed with tears in her eyes.

She needed to write a letter to her father. Her grandfather was ill, her grandmother had gone to the palace, and her aunt, the Emperor, was no longer the Emperor's aunt.

Father, please come back soon!

Other members of the Shen family shared the same idea.

They heard that His Majesty's aunt was no longer their aunt. Would they still be able to call His Majesty "aunt"?

Will His Majesty and Aunt still allow them to enter the palace? Will they still teach them martial arts?

Will I still smile at them?

The children were filled with anxiety.

...

News has come from Tianjin that Liu Mingxin has arrived there. He looks down on Xiao Fang and got into a fight with him on their first meeting, resulting in Liu Mingxin accidentally injuring his leg. It seems he won't be back for at least a year or two.

Shen Lanxi immediately issued a transfer order, appointing Yuan Lang to concurrently manage Tongzhou, and assigned Liu Mingxin the task of overseeing the local students' imperial examinations, requiring that Tianjin must have two hundred students participate in the examinations this year.

Two imperial edicts were issued in succession, followed by letters from the Northwest and other regions.

Shen Yuanjing, Shen Yuanjun, and Shen Yuanqing wrote a letter requesting to return to the capital to visit the ailing patient.