Chapter 18 I will fulfill this wish for you.
Chapter 18
When Shen Suining woke up, it was already past midnight.
Shen Fengyu stayed by the bedside. When she saw her open her eyes, she immediately helped her sit up. "How are you feeling?"
"Hmm, how did I fall asleep?" Shen Suining was a little confused. Although she was injured, it shouldn't be to this extent.
Shen Fengyu explained, "Sister Miao was worried that you were being stubborn, so she put something calming in your medicine."
"I see," Shen Suining said with sudden realization, pressing her slightly sore forehead. "Was it successful?"
"You still ask? I feel so sorry for you," Shen Fengyu clenched her fists, seemingly trying to control her emotions. "Our young master has been wandering the martial world for so many years, when has he ever suffered such a great injustice? If it weren't for the fact that he's a friend of the master and the manor lord, I would—"
"Is Dad back?"
Interrupted, Shen Fengyu opened her mouth, then said unhappily, "No. Don't worry, we won't let him know about your internal injuries. If the master finds out, he'll be heartbroken."
"Why shouldn't he know?" Shen Suining suddenly retorted, her teeth itching with hatred. "His old friend's son beat me up like this, and I'm expected to put up with his feelings and suffer in silence? Not only should he know everything clearly, but he must also get an explanation for me!"
"..." Shen Fengyu was speechless for a moment, and stammered for a long time, "Actually, young master, you didn't hold back either, did you? I saw that the Marquis's lips were white when he returned to the banquet, so he must have been injured no less than you."
"So what? He attacked without even asking what happened, and I can't even fight back? I'm only showing mercy by not killing that bastard!"
Shen Suining, unable to bear it any longer, grew angrier the more she thought about it. She felt she should have smashed the antidote and turned away, not caring what anyone did.
No, she should have pretended not to know the wine was poisoned. Why did she have to meddle in other people's business? It was a thankless task, and she only made herself so angry that she felt terrible.
Not long after, Shen Yan finally returned under the cover of night. Seeing that the light in Shen Suining's room was still on, he stood outside and knocked, "Ningning? Are you asleep?"
"No, I'm waiting for you." Shen Suining said irritably.
Shen Yan pushed open the door and came in. Seeing that Shen Suining and Shen Fengyu were both safe and sound, he breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm relieved to see that you're both alright."
"Which eye of yours saw that I was alright? Do I have to be lying on the ground, unable to breathe, to be considered alright?" Shen Suining was seething with anger, just waiting for Shen Yan to come back.
"What's going on?" Seeing Shen Fengyu and Miao Wei present, and everyone's expressions grave, Shen Yan immediately stopped smiling. "Tell your father, what happened? Has someone found out?"
"That's not all! They even beat me so badly I vomited blood."
Upon hearing this, Shen Yan immediately lost his temper and roared, "Which little brat did this! I'll go and kill him for you!"
Shen Suining glanced at him and snorted coldly, "Your nephew, that bastard He Hansheng."
"..." Shen Yan was stunned and speechless.
Shen Suining had already guessed that her kind-hearted father would show this kind of expression, and her anger flared up even more. She refused to stay in Huadu any longer, saying, "Feng Yu, pack your bags, we'll head back home at dawn!"
Knowing that Shen Suining was just saying things out of anger, Shen Fengyu didn't dare to breathe loudly and secretly glanced at Shen Yan.
Shen Yan sighed and waved his hand, "Listen to Ningning, we'll set off back to Yangzhou tomorrow."
...
As dawn broke, the carriage slowly drove out of the city.
Shen Yan looked at the morning scenery of Huadu through the gap in the carriage curtain and couldn't help but sigh. Shen Suining, who was sitting in the same carriage with him, finally couldn't help but say, "If you don't want to go back, no one is forcing you. You don't need to sigh every step you take."
Shen Suining was still angry, and her words were inevitably a bit harsh.
Shen Yan wasn't annoyed. He simply withdrew his gaze and smiled slightly. "It's not that I don't want to go back. I'm just reminiscing about more than twenty years ago, when the Great Cheng Dynasty had just been established. Back then, the capital had Xie Chang, Zhang Xuanqing, and Zhou Pei in civil affairs, and the Marquis of Yong'an and the Marquis of Qingguo in military affairs, along with a host of talented and ambitious people. The court was full of talent and the government was so enlightened. How come, after only twenty years, only Brother Xie Chang remains among them?"
"The sun rises in the east and sets in the west, the seasons cycle without ceasing, and life and death are the natural order. Why should Father add to his sorrow?"
Shen Yan fell into a long silence, as if he was desperately trying to hold back something. After a long while, he said softly with red eyes, "It's not a natural law, but a man-made disaster."
He sighed deeply, “We fought our way out of the battlefield and risked our lives to put the current emperor on the throne, ending more than a decade of division and war. My brother Xie Chang, my brother He Nian, and I all thought that the world would get better and that there would be peace. But less than two years after the emperor ascended the throne, before the court was fully stable, he executed the Marquis of Qingguo out of suspicion. The following year, he exiled the nearly fifty-year-old Zhou Pei to Lingnan, where he died of illness in the malarial land. Later, the emperor trusted villains and forced Zhang Xuanqing and his students to leave. If it weren't for my father meeting and falling in love with your mother and retiring early, I probably would have ended up like them.”
The faces of his former best friends flashed through his mind, the high spirits of their first meeting and the despair and resentment that followed. Shen Yan raised his head and laughed self-deprecatingly, “But now when the emperor sees me, he actually tells me that there are no more loyal ministers in the court and wants to promote me to a higher rank so that I can help him fight against the other forces in the court.”
"He's dreaming," Shen Suining sneered. "Although Father cared about the country and had lofty ambitions in the past, who would be willing to give up a free and happy life to become a lackey of this incompetent emperor in the present situation?"
Shen Yan twitched the corner of his mouth but didn't say anything.
After the carriage left the city gate, it headed south.
Shen Suining, as if remembering something, suddenly asked, "Father, since you said that the uncles who were with you back then were so powerful that they aroused the emperor's unfounded suspicion, why were Marquis Yong'an and Prime Minister Xie able to die peacefully among so many people?"
"Prime Minister Xie is a civil official who understands the ways of being an official. Unlike Zhang Xuanqing and Zhou Pei, he is not outspoken and knows how to conceal his talents. He was also quite old when he became prime minister, so he was able to live in peace. As for Marquis Yong'an," Shen Yan paused, "no matter how much intrigue and deception there is, the court always needs someone who can lead troops into battle. Besides, his wife is the emperor's own sister."
"Did he die in battle?"
Shen Yan hummed in agreement. “I heard from Brother Xie Chang that three years ago, when the refugees in Yunzhou rebelled, he led troops to quell the rebellion but was ambushed and his body was never found.”
Shen Suining pondered, "Since he was someone who could risk his life alongside Father, his martial arts skills must be quite good, not to mention his ability to lead troops into battle. How could he be so easily ambushed and killed by a group of untrained refugees?"
“Father, haven’t you ever considered,” Shen Suining suddenly said, “that there might be more to the story behind the death of Marquis Yong’an?”
Shen Yan suddenly raised his head and stared at Shen Suining for a moment. The doubts that had been planted in his heart finally surged forth.
Just then, the sound of galloping hooves came rushing past and blocked the road.
Wang Jingde held the reins in one hand and raised the imperial edict in the other, shouting loudly, "His Majesty has ordered me to come and see the general off. Lord Qin, please alight from the carriage."
The father and daughter instantly became alert, and Shen Suining immediately gripped the sword beside her.
"The imperial edict is here. I hope that you, my lord and your relatives, will not act rashly. Openly defying the edict is a capital offense," Wang Jingde said, riding forward on his horse. "General, why don't you get off the carriage? Do you want me to go to Yangzhou to deliver the edict?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Shen Yan pushed Shen Suining's sword back and shook his head. "Ningning, you come with me to get out of the carriage and receive the imperial decree."
"Father, how could you—you knew perfectly well what the imperial edict would be! Why did you still accept it?" Shen Suining was furious and refused to let go no matter what.
“Ningning, you don’t understand. Now that the imperial decree has arrived, if your father disobeys it, the Imperial Guards will hunt us down all the way to Yangzhou. At that time, your mother, your elder brother, and even the entire Shuyu Manor may be implicated. Moreover…” Shen Yan gritted his teeth, “If there are really other hidden reasons for the death of the Marquis of Yong’an, as his brother, I cannot sit idly by!”
Now that things had come to this, Shen Suining knew she couldn't stop Shen Yan, so she had no choice but to sheathe her sword, call Shen Fengyu and Miao Wei, and kneel down together to receive the imperial decree.
Wang Jingde, seated on his horse, unfurled the imperial edict and read it aloud word by word: "By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: You, Qin Yan, a commoner, have rendered unparalleled service and upheld integrity with utmost sincerity, thus you are a worthy general. Therefore, you are hereby enfeoffed as the Marquis of Pinghuai and awarded ten thousand taels of gold. This is the imperial decree."
After announcing the imperial edict, Wang Jingde immediately changed his words: "My lord, please accept the edict."
"...My lord, thank you Lord for your kindness."
After Shen Yan received the imperial edict, Wang Jingde finally showed a satisfied smile. "His Majesty has bestowed Pu She upon the Marquis as his residence, and all the necessary arrangements have been made. After returning to your residence, the Marquis should remember to go to the palace to thank His Majesty for his favor as soon as possible. I must go back to report, so I will not keep you company for now."
...
Three days later, Li Bo personally visited Pu She.
Shen Yan and his entourage greeted the emperor. Li Bo couldn't hide his smile and quickly helped him up, saying, "I've said it before, when we're out, there's no need for so much formality between you and me, brother."
Upon hearing this, Shen Suining, who was standing next to her, couldn't help but roll her eyes.
"And this is...?" Li Bo noticed Shen Suining, and Shen Yan quickly said, "This is my daughter. Ningning, why don't you come and greet His Majesty?"
Shen Suining reluctantly stepped forward and knelt down, "This subject greets Your Majesty."
"Ha! Brother really did have a daughter, and she's grown so much!" Li Bo slapped his thigh excitedly, as if he had just thought of something. "By the way, since your father has been ennobled as a marquis, you should at least be ennobled as a princess. As for your title, let me think... how about Tangxi?"
"..." Shen Suining's lips twitched, forcing back the look of as if she were looking at an idiot. "Thank you, Your Majesty."
Li Bo chuckled to himself, while Shen Yan glanced at his daughter with concern before finally turning to the side and saying, "Your Majesty, please come inside."
After Li Bo entered the room, Shen Suining finally stood up.
Shen Fengyu couldn't help but mutter softly, "Young Master, what do you think the Emperor is up to? The gold and silver treasures that have come from the palace these past two days are almost overflowing, and he even came in person and bestowed upon you some kind of title of Princess."
"What other medicine could it be? He ruined all his trusted confidants and now has no one to rely on, so he can only use these things to win people's hearts. He's the first emperor to go to such lengths," Shen Suining sneered. "The fact that someone like him could become emperor is entirely because my father and the others were blind back then."
Inside the room, Li Bo sighed to himself, "When I first met you, you were just over twenty. Now your daughter has grown into such a beautiful young woman. Time really flies."
“Your Majesty, more than twenty years have passed after all,” Shen Yan said, pouring tea with a meaningful look. “I am no longer the young and strong man I once was, and I am no longer able to do many things. I hope Your Majesty can understand.”
“I know your worries. I bestow this title upon you not because I expect you to lead troops into battle, nor because I want you to do anything for me. I simply want to give you this position as a way to make up for the debt I have owed you and my old friends over the past twenty years. If you find it boring to be idle in the capital, you are free to leave at any time. I will not force you to stay.”
This surprised Shen Yan, who was momentarily confused. "Your Majesty, why did you give me this sinecure?"
Li Bo smiled and took a sip of tea. "The child from Jingchuan and Jinling is like his father—honest and upright. After inheriting his title, he was often suppressed by the old guard in court. Three years ago, my daughter, Princess Biyue, passed away, which exposed the shady dealings of many corrupt officials. Although I was aware of the situation, I had no choice but to find a scapegoat for the sake of the bigger picture and hastily quell the matter. But that child is determined to investigate the events of that year. He is my nephew, and I was afraid he would become the target of public criticism, so I gave my elder brother a sinecure. Firstly, it can distract the civil officials, and secondly, my elder brother is highly skilled in martial arts, so he can secretly help him."
"Brother He Nian's child..." Shen Yan paused, his voice hoarse, "Is he ready for marriage now?"
“Not yet,” Li Bo looked at Shen Yan meaningfully. “This is the second reason why I conferred a marquisate upon my elder brother. My elder brother and Jingchuan were once close friends who had been through thick and thin together. I suppose your two families don’t care about family reputation. However, when it comes to marriage, it is still important to be well-matched in terms of social status. Otherwise, it will inevitably lead to gossip and trouble.”
Shen Yan suddenly realized why Li Bo had bestowed the title of Princess upon Shen Suining as soon as he entered the door.
His expression was bitter. He closed his eyes briefly. "Brother He Nian and I made a promise that our children would become sworn brothers, just like him and me, sharing life and death. If it was a son and a daughter, they would become husband and wife, inseparable for life. Unfortunately, even as Brother Nian passed away, I was unable to fulfill my promise to him."
“So,” Li Bo smiled, “I have come to fulfill this wish for you, which can also be considered as comforting the spirit of my brother Jingchuan in heaven.”
A note from the author:
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[Mini Theater]
Shen Suining: I have a feeling this emperor is up to no good.
Li Bo: The couple I ship must be together!!!
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