Faced with the emperor's questioning, several shop owners simply knelt on the ground and dared not say a word.
Shen Yuerong had never expected that they had such thoughts behind their backs. She had thought that they were just poor people who were forced into a desperate situation because of the prince's actions.
"The Crown Prince has indeed done a lot of ridiculous things recently. Don't let him reflect on himself in the East Palace. But you shouldn't blame him for everything without knowing right or wrong. This is too unfair."
The emperor looked at Shen Yuerong meaningfully when he said this, "I will not pursue this matter this time. After all, the prince really shouldn't be too harsh. But I have also seen the details of the donations. I'm afraid that this little money won't cost you your life and property."
At this moment, no one dared to go against the emperor's wishes. Instead, some people said, "It's just a few dozen taels of silver. This is our duty. If the country needs it, we are willing to hand over all the change even if it means losing everything."
The emperor was very happy about others' submission. He nodded, his heart filled with pride.
Shen Yuerong didn't expect that this would be like shooting herself in the foot.
The emperor was unwilling to get entangled with her, and instead let her leave first.
The matter was lightly covered up. After the morning court session, the emperor called Chi Mu to talk in the imperial study.
"Your Majesty."
The emperor waved his hand and asked him to sit aside. Someone had already prepared his favorite tea.
"You've suffered a lot during your time in Jiangnan. I apologize to you on behalf of the Crown Prince. No matter what, he cannot escape responsibility for the actions of the Crown Prince's men. I have asked someone to investigate. If the Crown Prince really did this himself, he will never be let off."
The emperor looked at his expression and spoke again with difficulty.
"In fact, you also know that I have lived to this day, and Xixia has only one prince. I have spent all my efforts on the prince. Although he did not do this thing perfectly, but..."
He looked embarrassed, and Chi Mu understood what he meant instantly.
"Your Majesty, what you want to say is that the Crown Prince is the heir to the throne no matter what. Even if he did something absurd at the moment, he is still young after all, and he has the protection of Your Majesty, the Queen Mother and others behind him. You want me to not take this trivial matter too seriously."
The emperor nodded.
"To put it bluntly, you and the prince are brothers. When the prince ascends to this position, he will still need your help. You must not..."
Chi Mu understood the implicit meaning of the words. He stood up and said, "I understand."
His Majesty saw that he looked a little unhappy, and knew that he was indeed a little sorry for what he had done.
"You just came back and you have so many things to deal with. I won't keep you here any longer. If you have time, go to the Queen Mother and pay your respects."
Chi Mu agreed, but did not go to the Queen Mother.
In the end, what is said implicitly is just the same.
He returned to the palace, but was told about Shen Yuerong. After the morning court session, he did not return to the palace.
He went to Shen's house again, but was told that she had never returned.
It seems that what happened in the morning court today really affected her. The impact is profound.
After all, the owners of those shops have known him for a long time.
I didn’t expect Shen Yuerong. She was sincerely seeking justice for what they wanted, but in reality they were using her as a pawn, trying to rob her of face in front of His Majesty.
He was afraid that something might happen, so he went to the Shen's shop again, but the news he got was still that Shen Yuerong had not shown up.
Then where should she go?
At this moment, Chi Mu suddenly realized that he didn't know Shen Yuerong very well.
At least when he was sad, he couldn't find Shen Yuerong's shadow.
Just when he was at a loss, news came from the Shen family. Qinghua left him an address and asked him to look for it, saying that there was a high possibility that her young lady was there.
He thought the address was a bit absurd, but he couldn't resist his curiosity, so he asked someone and rushed there.
Sure enough, Shen Yuerong was seen among those children.
He took two steps forward, but hesitated. After all, everything in front of him was so beautiful, and he was reluctant to destroy it, so he stood there and watched Shen Yuerong play with the children.
I don’t know how long it was, the sky was getting dark, the child was called back to the room by the teacher, and she was the only one left in the huge courtyard.
Just as he was about to step forward, the teacher who had just sent the children back to the room came out again.
By the way, he also brought a cup of hot tea to Shen Yuerong.
"What's wrong? I've noticed that you've been feeling a bit down and out, and you've been feeling a bit uneasy around the kids. I heard that you went on a long trip a few days ago, and you were so eager to come see the kids right after you came back. I thought you were worried that I couldn't take good care of them."
"When I first saw this world, I entrusted these children and everything in the courtyard to you. Of course, it was because I trusted you, not because I was afraid."
"So what's going on? Do you want to tell me about it?"
Shen Yuerong drank the hot tea in her hand, and after a while, she expressed the grievances in her heart.
"You haven't seen it with your own eyes, so you naturally don't feel how sad it is. But when I saw it, I was thinking about how many children were homeless and had no parents to recognize them after they died, and I felt even more heartbroken."
"So... this is why you are the enemy of the prince, and why you are trying so hard to seek justice?"
Shen Yuerong nodded.
"The prince's men have been committing crimes in Jiangnan. Even if a few of his men are dealt with, what's the point? After all, the power is still in the hands of the prince. The prince can just assign new people to go there."
"All matters concerning Jiangnan are like hot potatoes. They were handed over to the prince before, and now to the crown prince. Apart from the prince and the crown prince, the only one who dares to take over the affairs of Jiangnan is the prime minister. Now the prime minister is standing beside the crown prince, which is no different."
"Then... we have to come back."
"Don't go crazy!"
She put away the toys that the children had just messed up, bit by bit.
Shen Yuerong had a serious look on her face.
"Why can't officials in this world think more about the people? I remember my father said..."
“Dr. Shen was really kind at first, but didn’t he die in the end?”
"Ah Xi."
She sighed.
"I know you have great ambitions in your heart, and I also know that you will never be satisfied with everything in front of you. The miracle doctor has protected you too well and taught you to care about the world. Naturally, you can't tolerate things that you shouldn't tolerate. But... you have to know that there are many things that can only be preserved through patience."
These children were all poor homeless children. If they had not been adopted by them, they would be no different from beggars on the street.
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