Chapter 23 "You are mine".
"Father! I am your son! I am your son!"
Shen Wangchen's eyes were bloodshot, his gaze fixed on Shen Guangjun, and he kept muttering to himself.
He suddenly stood up, shoved aside Jiang Shi who was guarding him by the bed, and pounced forward, his fingers gripping Shen Guangjun's sleeve tightly, his whole being almost frantic.
The situation was chaotic, and everyone's attention was focused on Shen Wangchen, so much so that no one noticed Xie Chengyan's arrival.
Shen Xi vaguely realized something and lowered her voice: "How could he have become like this?"
"If you want to know what King Tan did, you should ask him."
Xie Chengyan remained calm and composed, his words as utterly indifferent as could be, his gaze fixed on the chaos with the detached detachment of an outsider.
Shen Xi felt a chill run down her spine. Unlike the other bystanders who were unaware of the cause and effect, she knew the inside story and was even more aware that Shen Wangchen's transformation into this state was entirely Xie Chengyan's doing.
In such a short time, he not only dealt with Shen Wangchen without bloodshed, but also took the opportunity to frame him. Now that Prince Tan is dead and there is no way to verify the facts, Shen Wangchen is just an innocent victim of treason.
Such methods are flawless.
Suppressing her fear and unease, Shen Xi looked over there again.
Shen Guangjun remained calm and raised his hand to press down on Shen Wangchen: "Where did you hear these rumors? Get some rest and don't overthink it."
But Shen Wangchen didn't loosen his grip, still pulling on his sleeve, his eyes wide open, staring intently, trying to hear the answer he was waiting for from him.
"Chen'er... how did you take care of Chen'er? How could you let those people take him away! Look at the state he's in now!"
Seeing her son in this state, Jiang clutched her chest in grief, tears streaming down her face.
Shen Guangjun's face was ashen. He ignored Jiang's tearful accusations and simply waved for the servants beside him to take Shen Wangchen back to his bed.
Shen Wangchen was forcibly restrained by several servants, and Shen Wan, who was hiding behind Jiang Shi, dared to timidly peek out: "Mother, what's wrong with brother?"
"Shut up! This matter must not be mentioned again!"
Before anyone could answer, Shen Wan's inquisitive thoughts were abruptly stopped by Shen Guangjun's stern shout.
Shen Guangjun was a gentle man, and Shen Wan never remembered him being cold to his children. But today, she had never seen her father so stern.
Having been married for many years, Jiang could naturally see the unusual reaction in him. The grief in her eyes had not yet faded, and she asked with trembling hands, "Shen Guangjun, what do you mean by this?"
Shen Guangjun pursed his lips tightly and remained silent. His complex gaze swept over Jiang Shi before he silently turned away and stared at Shen Wangchen, who was struggling on the bed.
But Jiang persisted: "What, you don't believe me?"
Seeing this, Shen Wan panicked and grabbed her mother, saying anxiously, "Mother, how could Father not believe me? Right now, my brother is the most important thing."
“Shen Guangjun…”
For a moment, Jiang's incessant sobs and Shen Wangchen's every murmur were like thousands of silver needles piercing his ears one after another. Shen Guangjun felt as if he had returned to the main hall just now, and his mind was in a state of chaos.
Finally, under Jiang's repeated questioning, Shen Guangjun could no longer bear it and pushed her away completely with a flick of his sleeve: "Enough! We'll talk about everything when we get back."
His tone was extremely indignant, and his eyes were brimming with anger, but he managed to suppress it because they were out in public.
Jiang stared wide-eyed in disbelief, clutching his handkerchief tightly. Though he didn't spell it out, his meaning was crystal clear.
"Young Master!"
Suddenly, a cry of surprise interrupted their argument.
Shen Xi looked in the direction of the sound and was startled to see a glaring crimson halo before her eyes.
Shen Wangchen somehow acquired a shard of porcelain, and taking advantage of a moment when no one was looking, he slashed his wrist, causing the skin to burst open and revealing the flesh beneath. Blood gushed down his wrist bone.
"Chen'er!"
Upon seeing it, Jiang felt a sudden darkness engulf her, collapsed to the ground, and fainted.
Shen Wangchen, however, stared blankly, as if he had lost all sense of pain. He watched as the blood continued to gush out, a twisted smile tugging at the corner of his lips as he murmured, "Look, this is all the blood of the Shen family."
His words and actions were already in a state of madness.
Shen Xi was stunned. The person in front of her was completely different from the Shen Wangchen who always maintained a proud and aloof demeanor. A chilling feeling instantly spread throughout her body.
Everyone hurriedly came to their senses and frantically searched for a doctor to bandage the wound, but Shen Wangchen tightly gripped the broken piece of porcelain, struggling to push away anyone who came near. His injured hand was half-raised in the air, blood dripping down, as if he was about to let his blood drain away completely.
In the end, Xie Chengyan assigned Liang Tuo to step forward. Ignoring Shen Wangchen's resistance, and without using anesthesia, Liang Tuo delivered a chop to the back of Shen's neck.
Shen Wangchen's movements came to an abrupt halt, his eyes rolled back, and he completely fainted.
Only then did the servant dare to approach, hurriedly stopping the bleeding from Shen Wangchen's wound, and then safely putting the unconscious mother and son into the carriage.
Only after all this was over could the overwhelmed Shen Guangjun spare a moment to turn to Xie Chengyan, cup his hands and say, "My son was frightened and lost his composure; please forgive him, General."
Xie Chengyan's expression was distant, and he nodded slightly in response.
Shen Guangjun assumed that General Xie's appearance was at the emperor's behest and just a routine matter. In Xie Chengyan's eyes, no matter how chaotic or noisy the situation was, it was nothing out of the ordinary.
He has always been so cold-hearted, far less so than that second young master.
Therefore, Shen Guangjun did not say much, and after saying goodbye, he turned around to take care of the remaining issues.
Shen Xi arrived late, trailing behind the crowd. As she brushed past Xie Chengyan, she bowed and said, "Thank you."
A mountain wind suddenly rose, carrying the chill of winter as it lifted her skirt, inadvertently brushing against Xie Chengyan's cloak, tangling with it.
Shen Xi noticed and reached out to press down.
Shen Guangjun was already urging her on, so she didn't linger any longer. But before she left, she took one last look at Xie Chengyan.
"Take care, brother."
Xie Chengyan stood still, his gaze fixed on her, without uttering a word.
Just as Shen Xi got into the car, she subconsciously reached out to help Qing Qiu with her arm.
Unexpectedly, her hand fell into a broad, warm palm, which steadily enveloped her cold fingertips and slowly provided a force, helping her onto the carriage.
Shen Xi was slightly taken aback; a faint warmth still lingered on her fingertips, gradually dissipating as the mountain breeze carried it away.
When she looked up again, Xie Chengyan had already turned and left, leaving her with only his straight and slender back.
*
The Shen residence was unusually quiet that night.
Jiang and Shen Wangchen are still unconscious and have not yet woken up. Everyone knows that there are turbulent waves hidden beneath this stagnant pool.
Shen Xi was also unable to sleep, but not because of the Shen family, but because of Xie Chengyan.
In their limited contact, Shen Xi could sense that this person was not easy to get along with, but she never expected that his methods would be so ruthless and subtle.
She couldn't see through him at all, nor did she know how to get along with this brother in the future. The best thing would be for them to truly avoid each other and not see each other again, just as he said.
When she is rational and lucid, Shen Xi is wary and anxious about him, but when she falls asleep, everything is no longer under her control.
The room was warmed by a heater, which caused sweat to bead on Shen Xi's forehead, making his whole body hot, and even the tips of his ears were flushed.
On her skin, which was as smooth as cream, crimson beads swirled and bound tightly. The cool red beads gradually warmed up to her body temperature. Her skin was so delicate that a faint red mark had already appeared on her wrist.
Like a wisp of crimson mist swirling around the snow-capped mountainside, outlining the undulating peaks, it stands out strikingly against the snow-covered backdrop.
Mixed with the soft rustling of the wind through the treetops outside, the jade beads clattered and swayed.
It was a stormy night, the wind howled all night, and the wind and rain battered Shenxi, leaving him unable to move.
A wave of drowsiness and soreness swept over her body, yet she tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep. Until the very last moment of her consciousness, she slightly opened her eyes and looked out through the red gauze curtains. The sky was already faintly turning a pale white.
Finally, I heard a hot, resolute voice close to my ear.
"You are mine."
*
After causing a great disturbance at Chengyang Mountain, Prince Tan died by sword without suffering any torment, leaving behind a mess for others.
"This matter has not been investigated by the Xue and Xie families. The Emperor probably does not intend to pursue it further from the Eastern Palace either. I heard that he just lost his temper and scolded them a few times, ordered them to copy books, and confined them to their quarters for half a month to calm their minds."
Upon hearing this, Xue Hongming sighed softly, his tightly furrowed brows showing no sign of easing in the past few days: "In that case, it can be considered a fortunate thing."
Xie Yi tucked his sleeves in, raised his eyes to look into the distance, his eyes narrowing slightly: "But this Prince Tan, although he is not honest, has always been able to judge the situation clearly and has supported the Crown Prince for many years. Why would he suddenly act so recklessly and cause such a mess?"
"With no one to testify to the dead, and the emperor sending special people to investigate, they deliberately avoided you and me, keeping all the news a closely guarded secret."
As Xue Hongming spoke, he felt an increasing headache. He looked up and saw Xie Chengyan sitting calmly to the side, drinking tea without saying a word. He then sighed and said, "Fortunately, Chengyan was here this time. He made a decisive decision and saved the emperor in front of everyone by cutting off Prince Tan's arm, which barely helped the Crown Prince clear his name."
Xie Chengyan, however, was unmoved and gently put down his teacup: "Your Majesty is suspicious. You may well think that the Xie family abandoned the pawn to save the king when things went wrong."
Upon hearing this, Xie Yi turned his gaze from the distance to his son, who remained calm and composed. He stared at him for a moment and said, "He did cut off one of Prince Tan's arms, but with Prince Tan dead, it's no different for you and me to lose an arm as well."
These past two days, this matter has been Xue Hongming's biggest source of frustration. Upon hearing Xie Yi's words, he became furious and slammed his hand on the table, causing some tea to spill out.
"Who fired that first arrow? We still can't find out who did it!"
Xie Yi turned around, sat down with his wide sleeves, and reacted calmly: "So what? If they can't find out, then it's because Prince Tan orchestrated this himself to frame the Crown Prince."
Hearing him say that, Xue Hongming breathed a sigh of relief. If that were the case, all the better, but he was still worried: "But what about the Shen family?"
In just a few days, news of Shen Wangchen's murder by Prince Tan and his subsequent mental instability and madness had spread throughout the capital.
But no one could understand why, if Prince Tan was plotting a rebellion, he would target the Shen family. How could such an insignificant family be an obstacle to Prince Tan's path to the throne?
"It seems he was just unlucky to be the first to notice that Prince Tan had put the drug in the incense burner." Xie Yi glanced at Xie Chengyan out of the corner of his eye, paused for a moment, and said, "In any case, it's just the Shen family, it has nothing to do with the overall situation."
Xie Chengyan listened with little interest to Xie Yi and Xue Hongming's discussion of future strategies, occasionally responding with a listless tone.
After an unknown amount of time, Xie Chengyan finally pushed open the door of his study and walked straight out of the mansion without stopping.
Seeing this, Liang Tuo knew that Xie Chengyan did not want to stay any longer, so he quickly followed.
As they walked, he whispered, "General, since returning from Chengyang Mountain, the Fifth Princess has been sending people to investigate Miss Shen, and it seems that it is related to the Second Young Master."
Xie Chengyan wasn't too surprised. He strode across the threshold and said calmly, "Since she wants to investigate, then let her know everything."
The more you know, the better.
He wanted to use this to prove something and to get rid of a demon in his heart.
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Author's Note: I've been updating at midnight for the past two days~ [droopy-eared rabbit head]
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