Shen Cangyun's face was stiff, like a puppet.

He said nothing, but silence was the answer itself.

Shen Qi's blood ran cold at this moment. "If that's true, I'm afraid we can't escape."

What a terrible result.

The Shen family had been prosperous for many years and were not mentally prepared at all. They were a little overwhelmed when they heard this.

"What else did she say?"

Shen Yu couldn't help it, he grabbed Shen Qi, stared at him and asked: "Does the Shen family really have no other chance?"

"She is the princess canonized by the late emperor. She can definitely help!"

Shen Yu suddenly felt a little resentful.

Why doesn't anyone help the Shen family?

And what about his father's colleagues?

However, at this moment, those people were busy with their own affairs. Some were busy clearing the evidence of their dealings with the Shen family, while others were busy looking for a way out. Now they all wanted to take a detour for fear of being implicated.

Shen Qi didn't know what to say, so he looked at Shen Cangyun and said, "Father, I will go to the gate of the palace in a moment and ask the emperor to show mercy and allow me to go to the Northern Frontier."

His voice was completely hoarse.

"I have committed a heinous crime against Ruyi, which is beyond the reach of justice. I should go to the bitter cold land of the northern border to reflect on my behavior."

Shen Qi learned the arts of music, chess, calligraphy and painting, which were all pretentious things.

He never laid a hand on anyone.

But yesterday on the cold pond, he cut off someone's legs with his own hands, and his heart could not digest it. When he thought about it, he still felt cold all over, as if he had fallen into hell.

Shen Cangyun collapsed on the bed, looking at him with his head tilted.

Her bloodshot eyes stared at him for a long time before she nodded, "Go ahead."

He sighed again, "It looks like the Shen family is really going to be finished, finished!"

Turning his head, his eyes were filled with agony.

There is love for Shen Ruyi, love for Xiao Hongling, love for Su Wanyi... and more importantly, the despair and fear that he had been so despicable and sacrificed so many people, but in the end he could not escape the cage in his heart.

I was trampled on and despised back then.

But that happened more than 20 years ago, why can't he get over it?

Shen Cangyun's heart was bleeding.

Finally, he closed his eyes deeply, "Perhaps, I shouldn't take people's names..."

If his surname was still Zhao, then after becoming prime minister, he could return home in glory and slap those people in the face.

Yes.

He took on someone else's identity and killed someone else's family, so he can't go back and slap the faces of those who once humiliated him.

Therefore, past emotions, resentment, anger, humility, shame... everything can only be buried in the heart from now on.

You can only digest it yourself.

But, I can't digest it.

What happened in this month shattered not only his wealth and glory, but also his mask and the shell of self-protection.

Now everything is in pieces. When he looks back at his past self, he feels that he has never changed. He is still the good-for-nothing who is despised and looked down upon in the village.

But if he hadn't taken someone's surname, he wouldn't have been able to defeat Shen Rui and get to where he is today.

But now...

When the Fourth Prince investigates the tax and silver case, will he find out that he replaced Shen Rui?

If you can't find it, that's fine.

If they find out, they will reveal how he replaced Shen Rui and wiped out Shen Rui's entire family!

By then, he will definitely die!

Shen Cangyun was suddenly frightened. He sat up straight and even stared at the window with bulging eyes and extreme fear.

Suddenly, he didn't know what to do!

What should we do to stop the Fourth Prince?

However, what hurt him even more was that the news would spread all over the world when the sun rose tomorrow...

…

It was a dark night.

Shen Qi knelt outside the palace gate with a whip on his back.

He held high a letter of confession in his hand, asking the emperor to give him a chance to repent.

The wind was cold and biting in the early morning.

Late at night, no one came to report for him.

He was no longer the fifth son of the prime minister's mansion, and Ye Hongzhuang did not plead for him, so no one took him seriously.

There were imperial guards guarding the gate of the palace.

But no one even gave him a look, and occasionally there would be a laugh or two, which made him feel ashamed.

But no one went in to report.

Because the emperor has issued an order tonight that no one is allowed to leave or enter the palace.

And at this moment.

The palace seemed peaceful late at night, and although the cabinet had not yet been made public, it had already begun its meetings.

Even Rong Yan came back secretly.

In the imperial study, the emperor, Rong Yan, and the other six Wenyuan Pavilion ministers were discussing matters for tomorrow's morning court session. The discussion was in full swing and finally a motion was formed.

In fact, everything has been decided tonight.

It has nothing to do with tomorrow's morning court, the suggestions and dissatisfaction of those people at the court, or everyone's arrangements tonight.

This is the thundering method of Emperor Wu of Northern Qi.

Either lie in wait and wait for the right opportunity to strike and kill.

Tomorrow morning court, just a notification.

Not a meeting of the minds.

Today's holiday is not for rest, but for giving those restless grasshoppers a chance to jump up and down...

Until dawn the next day.

The door of the imperial study was opened when it was almost dawn.

After the people from Wenyuan Pavilion and Rong Yan were secretly sent away through the back door, the emperor's ears were finally reached about Shen Qi's affairs.

"I just heard someone report that the fifth son of the Shen family has been kneeling at the gate of the imperial palace for two hours. He said he wanted to go to the northern border to reflect on the heinous crimes he had committed."

Eunuch Yuan has a high and thin voice.

As he spoke, he tried to guess what the emperor meant.

He also looked down upon the Shen family's mess.

The emperor looked up from the pile of memorials and glanced at him. "Princess Mingzhuang gave the idea, right? Did he go to see Princess Mingzhuang last night?"

"Nothing can be hidden from your majesty."

Eunuch Yuan sighed, "Indeed, Mr. Shen Wu met Princess Mingzhuang last night and was out for half an hour before coming out."

As he spoke, he raised his eyes to look at the emperor, "Then... will your majesty agree to Master Shen Wu?"

The emperor looked up and narrowed his eyes.

For a moment, "Don't look at the monk's face, look at the Buddha's face, let him go, and give some people a little hope."

Ye Hongzhuang is not an ordinary woman.

Thinking of this, he asked again, "She also went to see Princess Zhaoyang, right?"

The emperor had changed his words, but Eunuch Yuan was still a little uncomfortable with it. It took him a moment to realize that the emperor was asking Ye Hongzhuang whether she had gone to see Ruyi...

But now, Ruyi’s surname is no longer Shen, but Rong Zhaoyang.

Eunuch Yuan lowered his head and said carefully, "Indeed, after Mr. Shen Wu left, Princess Mingzhuang went to visit Princess Zhaoyang. Not only did she bring supplements, she also left the string of beads, saying that she hoped that Northern Qi would be peaceful and prosperous in the future."

The emperor laughed when he heard this, "Ye Hongzhuang has been wasting her talent for so many years."

He hasn't called Ye Hongzhuang's name for many years.

This time, he called.

There is a long-lost family affection brewing, but it is more than that. "My capital city is full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers. Everything in the world is always interdependent. Good and evil are only a thought away."

Eunuch Yuan couldn't respond to this.

There was silence in the imperial study. After a moment, the emperor packed up for the morning court and asked Eunuch Qian to go out and find Shen Qi.

Shen Qi knelt until dawn, and finally someone came from the palace.

Eunuch Qian looked at him, his tone somewhat cold, "The Emperor allows you to go to the Northern Frontier, but this is the only chance you have. Whether you can seize it depends on your ability."