Chapter 70 Surrender is not as good as rebellion.

As the sun began to set, the courtyard was already piled high with boxes and baskets of all sizes.

By the gate, Song Zhiyun was whispering to Lu Wensheng.

“Mother, you’re crazy! That’s the ring I gave to my son-in-law! Shen Hegui is the Crown Prince, how could you give him the ring!” Lu Wensheng patted her chest forcefully, implying, “Besides, he doesn’t know anything about it.”

“He just said that liking you has nothing to do with gender.” Song Zhiyun glanced at Shen Hegui, who was playing with the dog. “I’ve lived longer than you and seen more people than you. The Crown Prince’s temperament and appearance are truly remarkable. Moreover, when a man likes you, he would want to rip his heart out and give it to you.”

She paused slightly, then continued, "Originally, I was worried about leaving you alone, but now I'm relieved. As you always say, at your age, you should be experiencing a passionate romance! Words reveal character, and I don't think he's a traditionalist. You could try hinting at your identity. Besides, a man's prime is short; you need to seize the moment!"

One sentence after another, and Lu Wensheng couldn't help but be persuaded and began to waver.

Shen Hegui has a very good temperament and a nice face.

It's not about gender, it's about people who like her, not her butt? But how do I subtly suggest she's a girl?

Completely clueless, she tugged at her collar in frustration.

This weather is awful; if I wear too little, I feel cold, and if I wear too much, I feel hot.

With Shen Hegui's intervention, things were done swiftly; before sunset, Lu Wensheng's house was already empty.

Lu Yunzhi and his family were imprisoned in Zhaoyu Prison at Lu Wensheng's request.

After handing the letter of divorce to Song Zhiyun, the mother and daughter stood in the courtyard for a while and had a private conversation before parting ways.

After having dinner and taking a hot bath, Lu Wensheng lay on the tatami mat until 7 p.m. without feeling sleepy.

When Shen Hegui returned from his meeting, he saw her sprawled out on her bed, a "big" shape. He was taken aback at first, then understood. He approached the bedside: "Can't sleep?"

"Hmm, my mind is a mess, like there are lots of little threads scratching at me."

He sat down, gently lifted her head onto his lap, and slowly combed her hair with his knuckles, again and again.

Shen Hegui said gently, "I have already sent guards to escort your mother along the way, so there is no need to worry. I will also have people feed the pigeons for you. The Qian family of Zhuzhou are both thieves and merchants. Once I have enough evidence, I will eradicate them completely."

Lu Wensheng's heart skipped a beat, and he raised his eyes to ask, "Your Highness knows all this?"

With long fingers, Shen Hegui lifted Lu Wensheng's collar to examine the bite wound and said calmly, "So audacious as to use an official appointed by the court to arrange a ghost marriage, I will naturally investigate."

Lu Wensheng was filled with trepidation. After a moment's hesitation, he asked, "Your Highness, may I exchange one of my secrets for one of yours?"

Shen Hegui paused in his actions, raising an eyebrow slightly: "You want to know why I haven't ascended the throne?"

She sat up, wrapped herself up in the blanket like a ball, trying to gain a sense of security.

Lu Wensheng asked softly, "Is it alright?"

Seeing that Shen Hegui remained silent, she added softly, "I can speak first."

Since Mother said that Shen Hegui is willing to give her his heart, why not try tonight to see if he can do it?

Tell only half the story, and leave the other half untold.

Shen Hegui stared at Lu Wensheng, his gaze shifting slightly. After a moment of silence, he spoke: "Let me make this clear beforehand, your dog doesn't count. I recognized it the moment I walked in."

Lu Wensheng's face stiffened slightly, and he said awkwardly, "Dogs all look alike, how did Your Highness recognize them?"

It seems she forgot something important, which led to Lu Fugui and Shen Hegui meeting up! Will she have to pay compensation? Hopefully, the amount isn't too large.

"I have my own methods. Remember this, and I'll settle the score with you later." He smelled a familiar dog scent as soon as he entered the room during the day. He wouldn't go to the Eastern Palace again; the animal enclosure needed to be dealt with as soon as possible. He hadn't noticed before, but Feng Gou clearly favored Lu Wensheng, and had actually kept it a secret.

Lu Wensheng glanced at Shen Hegui's still calm expression, and a strange sense of confidence gradually filled his heart.

She raised her hand and poured Shen Hegui a full cup of goji berry and chrysanthemum tea, then whispered, "I am the young master of Shuanglang Island, and the second-in-command you are looking for is my mother."

"Cough cough cough—"

Unable to hold it in, Shen Hegui suddenly bent over, and pale orange tea gushed from his nostrils. He slammed the white jade teacup onto the small table with a crisp sound, and then countless cracks appeared.

The burning sensation shot upwards, bringing tears to Shen Hegui's eyes.

Lu Wensheng hesitated for a few seconds before slowly raising his hand to pat the broad back in front of him, and asked with concern, "Your Highness, are you alright?"

She regretted not pouring water for Shen Hegui. After much thought, she felt that today was the best opportunity; if she missed it, she wouldn't dare to speak up.

After thinking for a moment, she handed him her handkerchief and explained, "Back then, Lu Yunzhi went to sea to do business. Everyone else returned, but he did not. I did not believe that he was dead, so I went to sea alone to look for him. In August, the sea was very stormy, and I was unlucky. My ship was unfortunately sunk by a huge wave. I thought I was going to die, but I was saved by my godfather who happened to be passing by."

“Back then, my godfather fought with the Qian family over Shuanglang Island, which is very close to the mainland. He was killed along with his two children. Due to circumstances, he adopted me as his godson.”

After recovering from the initial choking sensation, Shen Hegui slowly wiped the water stains from under his nose and around his lips, and asked in a low voice, "How old were you back then? Cough cough."

Lu Wensheng: "Twelve, I guess."

The first question was about my age, so it seems like everything is fine now.

Shen Hegui took a deep breath, clenched the light green handkerchief in his hand, and asked with difficulty, "In August and September, the sea is full of storms. Are you afraid to go out alone?"

He almost didn't meet Lu Wensheng. Shuanglang Island, bordering various small coastal countries in the southwest and connected to a group of islands, is indeed geographically very important. If he had the resources, he would like to compete for it.

Lu Wensheng: "We can't be afraid. The uncles and elders in the clan are coveting our family property and have ill intentions. If we want to live with dignity, finding Lu Yunzhi is the simplest and fastest way. Four years ago, I took the imperial examination and went to the capital to become an official. Originally, I wanted to find an opportunity to discuss the matter of surrender with the court."

Shen Hegui chuckled softly and said knowingly, "It seems that the actions of Shen Zhao and his son Shen Rui are not to your liking."

“Yes.” Lu Wensheng raised his eyes. “The essence of accepting amnesty is to lay down arms in exchange for trust. There are many examples in history of the cunning rabbit being killed after the hunt, and the hunting dog being cooked. I cannot take the risk. If I do not meet a wise ruler, I would rather have none than accept a bad one!”

"Then what makes you think I am a wise ruler, different from Shen Zhao and the others?"

“My former superior, Chen Xin, was killed by His Highness without hesitation. If it were His Majesty or Prince Su, they would definitely choose to cover it up. Furthermore, His Highness does not value people's background when employing them, and he has no distinction between those from humble backgrounds and those from noble families. He only values ​​ability, so he can definitely balance the relationship between outsiders and permanent residents. Of course, there is also the most important point: people who like small animals are not necessarily bad-hearted, even if they have some unusual hobbies.”

Shen Hegui smiled faintly: "Hearing you say that, it seems like I'm on my way to becoming a saint. Since it's just the two of us in the hall, I might as well speak frankly with you. The essence of accepting amnesty is gambling, turning violent conflict into a game of trust. And trust is the most luxurious and fragile resource in the world. I'm willing to give you my trust, but it's hard for me to trust someone thousands of miles away."

Lu Wensheng was stunned; Shen Hegui had actually rejected her outright!

"Isn't Your Highness short of money? I have plenty of money!"

Shen Hegui raised an eyebrow slightly, his expression intriguing: "It's not me who's short of money, it's the national treasury."

Lu Wensheng: "..." It's like he's talking about a country that isn't his.

Seeing that Lu Wensheng was still unwilling to give up, Shen Hegui reminded him, "Trust is mutual. You have been away from the island for four years. Your godfather trusts you, and he may be willing to trust me for your sake, but what about the people below you?"

“I know Shuanglang Island well. It makes a fortune every day. Although it is nominally a pirate island, it is home to hundreds of thousands of people who are both merchants and soldiers. Strictly speaking, it has become an independent small country. Four or five years ago, the sea was in turmoil and the island was poor and the climate was harsh. They may have thought of returning to the mainland. But now it is much richer than the people under my rule.”

He paused slightly: "If I'm not mistaken, all these changes are related to you, aren't they?"

Lu Wensheng remained silent, and the hall fell silent for a moment.

It seems that in recent years, the number of people on the island has indeed increased, and the business has grown bigger and bigger. The variety of things that she asks others to bring her each season has also increased. When her godfather wrote last year, he said that he had gained 20 pounds. After being exposed to the sun, he was almost as big as the black pig in the pen.

But if the stigma of being pirates isn't removed, there will always be hidden dangers. Furthermore, just because 99% of them don't want to return to land, does that mean the remaining 1% have no choice but to compromise?

Seeing her deep in thought, Shen Hegui reminded her again: "Even if I recruit them, the fundamental problem will not be solved. Recruiting them is only treating the symptoms, not the root cause."

Lu Wensheng immediately understood when he met Shen Hegui's clear phoenix eyes.

Yes, the maritime ban is the cause, and the pirates are the effect. The maritime ban is an ancestral system, and unless the Shen family's rule is overthrown and the upright officials and conservatives in the court are wiped out, as well as the local powerful families, it will be impossible to change the situation.

She was wrong, she was wrong. She shouldn't have revealed her identity to Shen Hegui.

Seeing the panic welling up in her eyes and her heart racing, Shen Hegui immediately understood that she had come to her senses. He pulled her into his arms and rubbed his jade-like chin against her fragrant black hair.

"What's the panic? I've lived two lifetimes before I met someone worthy of my attention. I would never bear to kill you. What happened just now was indeed a bit of an accident, but at the same time I'm glad that even without me, you can protect yourself."

The words were so shocking that Lu Wensheng froze in Shen Hegui's arms, her voice trembling: "What two lifetimes?"

A deep chuckle escaped his nostrils, his narrow phoenix eyes brimming with amusement: "The literal meaning. One for one, your secret for my secret." The Gu poison wasn't too strong, and the contract hadn't been formed yet; it was better to leave things unsaid.

Lu Wensheng struggled to sit up on his own, but Shen Hegui quietly tightened his grip and hugged him even more.

A deep, resonant voice rang out against the reddened tips of his ears: "My mother told me that they came from beyond the world, and that our people were born with two lives. The reason I did not ascend the throne is because Shen Rui took my other life and hid it, breaking his limbs and torturing him to the point of near death, all to force him to retrieve it to save himself. The emperor holds the highest power in the world, and no one is willing to give it up."

Lying on Shen Hegui's strong arms, Lu Wensheng suddenly remembered what Xiao Yuan had said before, "...I don't know where things went wrong, the male lead is no longer the original male lead."

That makes sense, but how can one entity possess two lives? How can one store the life within its tail, like the legendary cat demon? One tail, one life?

"Your Highness, I am ignorant. Life is such an ethereal thing, how can it be stolen? Besides, His Majesty is already in such a state, even if it were used, he would still be living with missing limbs, it would be better for him to die and be free."

Listening to Lu Wensheng's gradually calming heartbeat, Shen Hegui slowly released her: "A complete life represents a brand new beginning, returning to one's prime and being reborn. As for why I was able to steal it, that's another secret of mine, and I can't tell you right now."

Suppressing his burgeoning curiosity, Lu Wensheng repeatedly pondered the three phrases: "forcing him to remove the self-rescue agent," "returning to his prime," and "rebirth."

A sudden thought struck her, and she asked abruptly, "Could it be that His Majesty can regrow his limbs? If it weren't for being on the verge of death, what would happen?"

Shen Hegui's eyes flickered slightly, and he sighed inwardly: He's really smart and perceptive!

"That's a secret too. You can guess for yourself."

Seeing him get up to leave, Lu Wensheng hurriedly grabbed his sleeve and asked, "Besides that, is there any other reason? Your Highness and His Majesty dislike each other. Wouldn't it be more satisfying to take his things and then beat him when he's down?"

His gaze lingered on Lu Wensheng's delicate face before he looked out at the dark night sky, as if discussing tomorrow's weather: "Because in my previous life, the world hurt me deeply. Every time the night is still, I hesitate whether to take over the rotten dynasty. Lu Wensheng, your status as the young island lord gives me another choice: you have wealth and military power, and your mind is not empty. If you want to rebel, I will open the city gates wide and welcome you in. Instead of accepting amnesty, it is better to create a new order yourself."

"Looking back, history has always been written by the victors. There's no need to care about the world's opinion. You might want to think about my suggestion. Of course, I will also help you on this path."

As the lingering fragrance gradually dissipated, Lu Wensheng sat blankly on the bed until his hands and feet went numb, before finally managing to shift his position despite the snow-like thoughts filling his mind.

Did Shen Hegui mean that she shouldn't try to be appeased, but should rebel directly?

Is he crazy?

He must be insane!

Hey, she died suddenly in her past life, so how did Shen Hegui die?

No, she had to find out the truth, otherwise she wouldn't be able to sleep for many nights in a row.

Staggering out of the hall, enduring the numbness, Lu Wensheng met Feng Gou's face, which was beaming with joy.

Feng Gou: "The spring night is chilly. Why is Lord Lu wearing only his undergarments?"

Looking around and not seeing Shen Hegui, Lu Wensheng asked, "Where is His Highness? Why did you leave so quickly?"

Feng Gou: "Even Lord Lu doesn't know, how could this old servant possibly know?"

Lu Wensheng glanced at the moon that had climbed high in the sky, tugged at his collar, and listlessly closed the door and climbed into bed.

Zhaoyu (a prison).

Shen Hegui sat high on a round-backed chair, while the five Imperial Guards on night duty stood in their respective positions.

Two more baskets of fresh sugarcane were placed in front of Lu Yunzhi and Qian Yuechi.

Lu Yunzhi, enduring the taste of blood in his mouth, said, "You monster, if you want to kill someone, just kill them. Why torture people like this!"

Qian Yuechi stared blankly at the sugarcane, repeatedly refusing, "I'm not thirsty anymore, I don't want it."

Setting down the long needle in his hand, Shen Hegui nodded slightly to the Imperial Guard beside him.

Soon, Lu Yunzhi's two children were brought before the two of them.

The prison was damp and cold, dozens of degrees lower than the outside temperature, and the two children's faces turned pale from the cold.

Upon seeing her child, Qian Yuechi quickly embraced him, showering him with concern and checking if he had been injured.

Shen Hegui’s indifferent voice rang out: “Two choices: finish the four large baskets of sugarcane I have prepared for you, or I will kill your children directly. The poison needles are on the table; they will kill you instantly. It won’t be too painful.”

Qian Yuechi muttered, "Four baskets. Even if I gnawed on them until noon tomorrow, I still wouldn't be able to finish them, and the flesh in my mouth would be rubbed raw."

"How you distribute them is your business, it has nothing to do with me." His expression was extremely cold.

If this woman hadn't taken Lu Wensheng's father away, Lu Wensheng wouldn't have suffered so much. Most fugitives are unruly and arrogant. How much effort must he have put in to win everyone's trust and become the young island master?

Moreover, Lu Wensheng has been in Beijing for four years without revealing his identity, which shows the unity among the people on the island.

Qian Yuechi glanced at the child, tears welling in her eyes, and said, "I'll eat it!"

Shen Hegui turned his head to look at Lu Yunzhi, kicked the sugarcane in front of him, and said coldly, "What are you pretending to be dead for? You actually let a woman rush ahead."

Lu Yunzhi had lived a smooth and successful life for several years, and thinking that Shen Hegui would not dare to kill him because of Lu Wensheng, he immediately cursed: "A monster is a monster, without any humanity! You vicious beast!"

There was no wind in the room, yet the candlelight suddenly flickered.

A sharp glint flashed in his lowered phoenix eyes. With a swift movement, his long legs sent the bamboo basket filled with fresh sugarcane, along with Lu Yunzhi, flying several meters away.

A cold voice echoed in the room: "I remember there are still quite a few sugarcanes in the side room. Bring them all here for Lu Yunzhi to eat. No need to peel them or wash them."

"Yes!" everyone replied in unison.

With his long legs pressing down on Lu Yunzhi's chest, Shen Hegui's gaze sharpened as he said disdainfully, "Don't be so clever as to think I wouldn't dare kill you. I originally wanted to ask Lu Wensheng what leverage you had over him, but now it seems there's no need to ask. Once your tongue is worn down, the leverage will naturally become a secret."

Seeing Lu Yunzhi vomiting blood, Qian Yuechi hurriedly stepped forward and hugged Shen Hegui's leg, saying, "My family is very rich. I can give Your Highness a lot of money. Please, Your Highness, spare us and stop trampling on us!"

She shouldn't have listened to Prince Su's encouragement and come to Yanjing. She thought that an old man and a child would be easy to subdue, but unexpectedly, a strong man with immense strength appeared out of nowhere. He not only defeated her servants but also sold the human medicine to human traffickers.

She regretted it; she wanted to take the child back!

Shen Hegui glanced at Qian Yuechi indifferently, and was about to speak when a thin, long silver needle coated with deadly poison pierced his leg.

A child's voice rang out: "I'll poison you! I don't want to give you any money. Grandma said it's all mine from now on!"