Chapter 141
The inkstone struck Shen Zheng's arm and fell to the ground with a dull thud. He swayed from the impact, his face contorted in pain, and he kowtowed, saying, "Your humble servant is guilty!"
Since Shen Qingnian left, the new emperor's personality has changed drastically, and no one dares to provoke him, including himself.
The Shen family's wealth has been completely depleted, and many of their followers have been scattered by Song Xuan. Shen Zheng may seem to be powerful and influential, but in reality, he is all bark and no bite.
He was incredibly frustrated as the late emperor's father-in-law, yet the world believed he was highly regarded by the new emperor. Fortunately, the new emperor treated the young crown prince very well...
Song Xuan's indifferent voice rang out: "Regarding the Jiangnan granary case, does Prime Minister Shen have any insights?"
The granaries of Jiangnan are famous throughout the land, and most of the grain for the border regions is supplied by them. Now, there is stale and rotten rice in the granaries of Jiangnan. This matter is of great importance and has attracted much attention from Emperor Xuan of Song.
"Your Majesty, I believe that we should send officials to visit Jiangnan," Shen Zheng replied carefully, enduring the pain.
The new emperor's temperament was unpredictable, and he couldn't fathom the other party's intentions.
Song Xuan looked down at Chen Zheng and said calmly, "Then Prime Minister Shen will be in full charge of this case. He must sign a pledge to investigate the case of the Jiangnan granary thoroughly."
Shen Zheng's heart trembled, but he dared not refuse, so he had to cut his fingertip to make a vow.
At this moment, a small figure walked in from outside the palace. Although the figure was small, it was upright and proper. This was three-year-old Song Yanqing, the young crown prince of the current dynasty.
Xiao Yanqing was fair-skinned and delicate, with extremely refined features. She looked just like Shen Qingnian when she was young. Her small face had baby fat, but her expression was somewhat mature, clearly inheriting Song Xuan's demeanor.
The small figure walked to the table and bowed respectfully: "Your subject greets Your Majesty."
Although young, Yan Qing was not mischievous like other children. Instead, he was very proper and had the dignified demeanor of a crown prince, which earned him high praise from many ministers.
Song Xuan looked at Xiao Yanqing, and his cold face finally softened a little, showing a hint of a smile.
He asked, "Is school over?"
The father and son were close. Although Song Xuan was strict, he was also kind in raising Xiao Yanqing, which contributed to Xiao Yanqing's face, which resembled Shen Qingnian's.
Even the most demanding person would soften when faced with this face.
Xiao Yanqing nodded and said in a serious tone, "Your subject has come here specifically to wait for Father Emperor, so that we may go to the Ice Palace together to visit Mother Empress."
He misses his mother.
When Xiao Yanqing was still an infant, Song Xuan would carry him to the Ice Palace every day and tell him about Shen Qingnian's past, how amazing she was, how kind she was, and how beautiful and pure their relationship was.
Therefore, in Xiao Yanqing's heart, his mother was the best woman in the world.
Upon hearing this, Song Xuan's dark eyes softened slightly. He bent down, picked up Xiao Yanqing, and strode towards the exit of the Imperial Study.
As they passed by Shen Zheng, Xiao Yanqing, who was perched on Song Xuan's shoulder, nodded and said in a serious tone, "Farewell, Prime Minister Shen."
Shen Zheng gave Xiao Qingyan a kind smile and bowed to her as a greeting.
Although Shen Zheng was the late emperor's father-in-law, he did not have many opportunities to interact with Xiao Yanqing.
He longed to get closer to the young prince, but he couldn't find the right opportunity. His Majesty handled almost everything concerning the young prince personally, leaving no room for others to interfere.
Fortunately, the young prince is still young and very innocent. Every time they meet, the prince is very kind to him and cares a lot about the corpse. Presumably, he will remember that he is half of the Shen family bloodline in the future...
Thinking this way, Shen Zheng felt that all the twists and turns he had gone through were worthwhile.
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