Chapter 103 Young Marquis He is arrogant and haughty...
Chapter 103
Since returning from Yunzhou, the two of them have almost never mentioned Shen Suining's poisoning, nor have they ever openly discussed how Shen Suining's body was after He Hansheng removed the poison from her.
All she knew was that the internal energy cultivation method used by Shuyu Manor to remove the curse was irreversible; it was a life-for-life technique. He Hansheng was lucky to escape with his life, even if the price was the loss of all his martial arts skills. It was still a stroke of luck amidst misfortune.
But Shen Suining always felt that things weren't that simple.
Putting aside other things, He Hansheng is not the kind of person who would belittle himself. If it were simply because he had lost his martial arts skills, why would he have asked Shen Fengyu to replace the memorial tablet in her box with a divorce agreement?
The two stared at each other for a long time without saying a word.
A moment later, He Hansheng reached out and placed his hand on Shen Suining's cold hand, then turned his head and gently kissed her palm.
“Don’t worry,” he said softly, just like the kiss just now, “Thanks to my father-in-law, although I was attacked by my own internal energy, it did not damage my foundation. I will recover in time.”
"really?"
“I wouldn’t lie to you,” He Hansheng said, a slight smile playing on his lips as he lowered his eyes. “It’s just that many things are still uncertain, and I didn’t want you to worry unnecessarily, which is why I didn’t tell you.”
Shen Suining was half-believing and half-doubting.
She had suspected this for a long time, but when He Hansheng actually told her, she wondered if it was a lie He Hansheng had made up to make her feel better.
Not wanting to dwell on it too much, Shen Suining chose to believe He Hansheng. She let He Hansheng pull her hand down and wrap it in his palm.
Shen Suining: "And what about you?"
"Um?"
"Aren't you going to ask me about what happened today?"
Of course he wanted to ask; he cared a lot about it.
That person was a member of the martial arts world, so he must have some legitimate reason for being there. He could tell that Shen Suining's instruction not to interfere was intentional; perhaps she already knew where he came from and what his purpose was.
But the words were on the tip of his tongue, and he swallowed them back. He Hansheng never wanted Shen Suining to feel controlled in any way, so he said, "If you want to talk, I will listen. I won't ask about things that I shouldn't know."
"You always say that, as if you're so magnanimous." Shen Suining was quite dissatisfied with He Hansheng's hypocrisy.
He Hansheng laughed, seemingly relieved to have been seen through. "Since Madam understands my thoughts, why bother asking?"
"Young Master He is too proud to lower himself, but do you think I don't have any pride?"
Shen Suining gave a soft snort.
Just as she was pondering how to confess to He Hansheng, Ling Rui shouted joyfully from below, "Young Master! Feng Yu is awake!"
Upon hearing this, Shen Suining immediately stood up and jumped off the roof. By the time she realized what was happening, she was already on the ground.
She belatedly realized something and turned to look at He Hansheng, who was still sitting on the roof. His back was to her, and his figure looked lonely for a moment, but he quickly stood up, turned around, smiled at her, and nodded.
A sense of guilt suddenly rose in Shen Suining's heart.
She paused for a moment, then looked up and called He Hansheng's name, giving him a smile. "If you're not busy, could you wait for me to go home together?"
...
After Shen Fengyu was injured, Shen Suining ordered everyone in Bifeng Hall to go into hiding. Even she herself rarely went out on the streets. Apart from visiting Shen Fengyu, she stayed at home the rest of the time.
The plum blossoms in Ta Mei Garden, where He Hansheng lived, were in full bloom. In the dead of winter, it was the perfect season to appreciate plum blossoms. Shen Suining was tired of staying at home and, for some reason, found some leisure time. She asked Xiangye and Mingke to bring out a few fine vases from the storeroom and picked a few plum blossoms to prune herself in the room.
This unusual behavior surprised everyone in the manor, even Jiang Yuchu sensed something was wrong. However, He Hansheng continued to leave early and return late as usual, and apart from occasionally having meals with the Princess, they hardly interacted.
This worried Jiang Yuchu greatly. With the New Year approaching and Feng Yu still injured, his wife was missing someone to talk to. He thought that the Marquis should spend more time with his wife at this time.
That day, as He Hansheng stepped out of the mansion, Jiang Yuchu, who was following closely behind, finally couldn't help but remind him: "My lord, you've noticed that Madam has been staying at home for several days without going out. Could it be... that something is on her mind?"
"After holding it in for so many days, you finally couldn't hold it in anymore?" He Hansheng glanced at him, stepped onto the carriage, and deftly lifted the curtain to get inside.
Jiang Yuchu chuckled dryly twice, "You figured it out, my lord?"
He Hansheng ignored him and only gestured for him to leave quickly.
Jiang Yuchu jumped onto the carriage, tightened the reins, and the wheels began to turn, the carriage slowly driving away from the gate of the Yong'an Marquis's residence.
A moment later, the eunuch who was in charge of delivering the imperial decree arrived at the gate of the Marquis's residence.
With the imperial edict in effect, Shen Suining had no reason to refuse to enter the palace. She quickly got ready and, along with Xiangye, entered the palace.
The imperial edict was supposed to be from the Empress, but Shen Suining was actually led to the Imperial Study. She and the Empress didn't have much interaction, so it's likely that the Emperor couldn't deliver the edict directly to her and was using the Empress as a cover.
Upon arriving at the Imperial Study, Shen Suining left Xiangye outside and followed Xiao Huizi into the hall. Li Bo and the Empress were both inside. She respectfully bowed and said, "Greetings, Your Majesty and Your Majesty the Empress."
"Rise."
Li Bo's tone revealed a hint of dissatisfaction, perhaps because he couldn't show it in front of the Empress. The Empress, on the other hand, looked at Shen Suining gently, with a slight smile in her eyes, and asked, "It's been a long time since I've seen Jinyang in the palace. How is she these days?"
The eldest princess had been bedridden since the beginning of winter and had not entered the palace for a long time, which was no secret in Huadu. However, when the empress asked about it so suddenly, Shen Suining still carefully replied, "Thanks to His Majesty and the Empress, she should be getting better soon."
After hearing Shen Suining's answer, the Empress wanted to say a few more polite words, but before she could speak, Li Bo interrupted her with slight impatience: "This is an old problem in Jinyang. It's the same every year. It will naturally get better when the weather warms up."
The Empress immediately looked embarrassed.
Li Bo glanced at her, his expression softening slightly, perhaps out of a sense of pity. "I remember that the Empress is skilled in painting, especially in painting plum blossoms. In two days it will be New Year's Eve. I invited the Empress here to paint a plum blossom picture to present to the Empress Dowager, as a way of showing my filial piety."
"Your Majesty, I will certainly serve you." The Empress knew that Li Bo was just making an excuse to send her away, so she didn't linger. After bowing, she went into the inner room of the Imperial Study, where writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones were indeed set out on the desk.
After the Empress left, Li Bo's expression changed drastically. He slammed his hand on the table, his voice carrying an imposing air, "Tang Xi, you have disobeyed the imperial decree. What is your punishment?"
"What decree have I defied, Your Majesty? Please enlighten me." Shen Suining knelt on one knee, remaining calm and composed.
She knew perfectly well that Li Bo was simply trying to settle scores with her for refusing to enter the palace before, but that wasn't a formal imperial edict like today's, nor was it something that could be discussed openly. At most, Li Bo could vent his dissatisfaction in front of her, but he couldn't use this incident to convict her of anything.
Li Bo sneered, "I know you two have grown too powerful now, and you don't even respect me anymore. You even dare to deal with prisoners in the Dali Temple jail right under my nose. I'm afraid there's nothing in the entire capital that you're afraid of."
“This humble woman dares not, nor does He Hansheng,” Shen Suining denied. “He Bufan died in an accidental fire in his prison cell; everyone in the capital knows this. And his confidant, Cui Rong…”
When mentioning "Cui Rong", Shen Suining deliberately paused before continuing: "He was already dead before He Bufan went to prison."
"Dead?!"
Li Bo seemed to distrust Shen Suining. "Where is his body?"
"He was thrown into the furnace of the iron foundry on the outskirts of the city, and his body was never found."
Shen Suining knew that words alone were not enough and Li Bo would probably not believe her easily, so she said, "The last place Cui Rong was seen was the iron foundry, where several workers saw him. If Your Majesty wants to verify this personally, you can summon them for questioning."
Li Bo had previously hesitated to kill He Bufan simply because he feared that the secrets He Bufan held would be exposed by his confidant Cui Rong along with the death sentence decree. But now that He Bufan and Cui Rong were both dead, it didn't matter to him anymore, and those powerful families who, like him, were pressuring him out of fear of being exposed, would probably quiet down.
Li Bo was still somewhat uneasy about the fact that neither the person in question was alive nor dead. Moreover, what was more pressing now was that He Hansheng seemed to have discovered something and was beginning to distance himself from him.
Li Bo looked up at Shen Suining kneeling below, a sinister glint appearing in his weathered eyes.
“I heard you were injured recently,” Li Bo raised his chin, gesturing to Shen Suining’s left shoulder, “Are you still able to wield a sword or a spear?”
Shen Suining remained silent. She knew that Li Bo's question was simply an attempt to get her to continue working for him as the Shadow Envoy. Her attitude was clear: she no longer wanted to work for a monarch who couldn't distinguish right from wrong and who indiscriminately killed loyal ministers.
As if guessing Shen Suining's attitude, Li Bo smiled without being annoyed. He simply adjusted his wide sleeves and said calmly, "It's alright. If your injuries haven't fully healed, I won't force you. Besides you, I naturally have other candidates."
"The person Your Majesty is referring to, is it my father, or..." Shen Suining raised her face, her eyes turning slightly cold, "...He Hansheng?"
"You are very smart."
Li Bo nodded in satisfaction. "I don't have many trusted confidants, and even fewer who can work for me privately. Marquis Pinghuai has known me for many years and is loyal and reliable, making him the perfect candidate to serve me. However, he has been in seclusion for several years without achieving anything before returning to court to be ennobled, and countless eyes in the court are watching him, making it inconvenient for him to do many things. As for Yunchu—"
“He is my own nephew. I absolutely trust him, both in terms of ability and stance,” Li Bo said with a slight smile, then suddenly changed the subject, “But do you think that, given Yun Chu’s current state, he can still do the things I asked you to do before?”
These words made it clear that he already knew about He Hansheng's current physical condition, and were almost a blatant threat.
Shen Suining clenched her hands tightly, a chill running down her spine.
Since returning from Yunzhou, He Hansheng has lost all his martial arts skills. In order to prevent others from taking advantage of him, he has been pretending to be sick. Apart from a few close confidants, almost no one knows the truth. Even the eldest princess was kept in the dark. However, the news was leaked to Li Bo.
Shen Suining recalled everything that had happened since returning from Yunzhou. She knew that He Hansheng's situation in Huadu had been dire, and it was only with Li Bo's full support that he was able to maintain his current position and the city's defense forces.
She didn't know when Li Bo learned that He Hansheng had lost all his martial arts skills, and given that he knew this, how long could the city defense troops remain in He Hansheng's hands, or even—
How long He Hansheng's life could last was only a matter of time for Li Bo. He was able to trap the highly accomplished He Changxin in a dark mountain cave three years ago, so how could he not make He Hansheng disappear from Huadu without a trace?
Shen Suining gritted her teeth. It was the first time in six months since she came to the capital that she had so vividly felt the powerlessness of the people under the oppression of imperial power, but she couldn't say what the specific reason was.
All she knew was that, now that she was in Huadu, she couldn't do as she pleased as she had at Shuyu Manor. She couldn't resist the person sitting above her, and she couldn't protect anyone she wanted to protect from him in the same way she had before.
After a long stalemate, Shen Suining's gaze gradually darkened.
She chuckled lightly, a mocking sound, as if in resignation. "I wonder what Your Majesty wants me to do this time...?"
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