Xie Chang'an: !
How could he have been discovered when he was so quick to put away his crossbow?
My father's keen insight is terrifying!
"I did that to protect His Highness the Crown Prince. Who knows why Father suddenly appeared?" Xie Chang'an said innocently.
"Don't you dislike His Highness the Crown Prince? Why are you so concerned about his safety?" Xie Shaoling retorted.
Xie Chang'an: ......
"Didn't Father regard him as a wise ruler? I'm doing all this for Father's sake!"
"Then you're really filial!" Xie Shaoling's expression was subtle.
Why is he so skeptical?
"Father, your wise ruler may be about to target the Wang family next!" Xie Chang'an said sarcastically.
"Why?" Xie Shaoling asked.
“Today in Fenglin Village, the villagers there said they were all tenant farmers, renting land from their masters. If I remember correctly, that area of land in the suburbs belongs to the Wang family,” Xie Chang’an said.
Xie Shaoling remained silent for a moment before saying, "If Your Highness really wants to take action against the Wang family because of this, then go ahead. There is such a large area of fertile land in the suburbs. I don't know what dirty means they used to seize it for private gain and compete with the people for profit. They deserve to be punished."
Xie Chang'an looked at Xie Shaoling in surprise, "The Wang family is Father's maternal uncle's family. Can Father really put aside his own family for the greater good?"
"So what if it's my maternal uncle's family? The Wang family has never been on the same path as us!" Xie Shaoling said without hesitation.
Xie Chang'an suddenly realized that even though he had experienced so much in his past life, including being an emperor, he was no match for his father when it came to making decisions.
Xie Chang'an didn't care about the Wang family either, just as his father said, they were on a different path from the Wang family.
In the previous life, all the male members of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion died on the battlefield. The Wang family only went there once after the news reached the capital to ask their grandmother if she was willing to return home.
If the grandmother is willing to return home, they will take her back and treat her like a great-aunt. But if the grandmother is unwilling, then the Wang family will have no further connection with her.
Grandmother refused at the time, and afterwards the Wang family indeed had no further dealings with the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.
If it's just about distancing themselves from the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, Xie Chang'an wouldn't blame them; it's human nature to seek advantage and avoid harm.
But when he investigated the truth behind his grandfather and father's deaths on the battlefield, he discovered that the Wang family was also involved.
It was then that he realized that the Wang family had long since abandoned his grandmother and them.
After learning about this, my grandmother fell ill and passed away not long after.
At that time, he had not accumulated enough power to take revenge on the Wang family, so he could only endure it. However, he did not endure it for long. For some reason, the aristocratic families angered the little madman, and the aristocratic families, led by Wang and Jiang, were all slaughtered by the little madman with their family genealogies.
In a way, he should thank the little madman for avenging him.
If Ye Jingchen hadn't appeared, he might have taken pity on the little madman and rescued him from the ruthless palace.
But now—
The little madman's life is much better than his in this life. He has no compassion, but he does have a jealous heart!
He and Ye Jingchen clearly knew each other's secrets and were allies. He helped Ye Jingchen much more than Xiao Fengzi. So why was Ye Jingchen sincere to Xiao Fengzi, but he was hypocritical and treacherous to him?
All you do is use sweet talk to fool him all day long. Do you really think he's a six-year-old?
"Hypocritical!" Xie Chang'an said bitterly.
With a "smack," Xie Shaoling slapped Xie Chang'an on the head without hesitation. "You've really grown bold, haven't you? You actually dare to curse me to my face?!"
Xie Chang'an covered his forehead where he had been hit and remained silent. He couldn't very well say that he was cursing Ye Jingchen, could he? If he did, he would definitely get hit again!
Just then, Zhang Shunde delivered the emperor's gift of gratitude—one hundred taels of silver.
The two silver ingots, each weighing fifty taels, were not even as heavy as the silver plate Zhang Shunde used to hold the rewards.
After sending Zhang Shunde away, the father and son looked at the one hundred taels of silver, and then looked at the sun outside in unison.
The sun didn't rise in the west, did it?
Last time, Xie Shaoling went to Jizhou to quell a rebellion. He made such a great contribution, but the emperor didn't say a word of reward or give him a single copper coin. It was as if nothing had happened.
This time, they actually gave him a hundred taels of silver directly?
Is the emperor planning to cause trouble again?
Did they deliberately use one hundred taels of silver to lull them into a false sense of security?
"Could this sudden reward be a trap?" Even Xu Jingjing, who was usually uninterested in court affairs, was worried as she looked at the two ingots of silver.
Aside from the annual, official rewards given to the ancestor, the emperor never bestowed any additional gifts upon the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion!
Just as the family of three were staring at each other in bewilderment at the two silver ingots, Ye Jingchen was led by Chenxi to their residence.
Hearing the sudden knock on the door, all three of them felt a jolt of fear, especially Xie Shaoling, who hadn't even heard the footsteps of the person who came in.
He stopped Xu Jingjing from getting up to open the door, took the gun himself, and carefully walked to the door, listening intently to the sounds outside.
Two breathing sounds, one fast and one slow.
The one who moves quickly seems to be a child, while the one who moves slowly must be quite skilled.
This combination—
Xie Shaoling thought of Ye Jingchen and his bodyguards, opened the door a crack, and saw the familiar figure of one big and one small. He subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.
It's all Ye Shengping's fault. Why did he give them a hundred taels of silver out of the blue? It made them suspicious.
Xie Shaoling quickly leaned the gun against the wall next to him before opening the door and welcoming Ye Jingchen in.
"Greetings, Your Highness." Upon seeing Ye Jingchen, Xu Jingjing quickly bowed.
But Xie Chang'an sat there motionless.
"Princess Consort, you're too kind!" Ye Jingchen quickly helped Xu Jingjing up, preventing her from kneeling.
"Don't you know how to bow to His Highness the Crown Prince? You have no manners or respect for hierarchy!" Xie Shaoling grabbed Xie Chang'an and was about to shove him to the ground.
"Uncle Xie, you don't need to be so polite. My brother Chang'an and I don't stand on ceremony!" Ye Jingchen quickly added.
"What are you doing here?" Xie Chang'an asked, rolling his eyes as he straightened his clothes, which his father had messed up, after his father put him down.
Xie Shaoling raised his leg and swept it across Xie Chang'an's knee. The speed was so fast that Xie Chang'an had no way to avoid it and knelt down in front of Ye Jingchen with a 'thud'. He even knelt down in the way that his whole body was on the ground, and his head hit the ground solidly with a loud thud.
"How dare you speak to His Highness the Crown Prince like that?!" he shouted.
Seeing this, Xu Jingjing not only didn't feel sorry for him, but instead burst out laughing.
He was laughing quite loudly.
Xie Chang'an turned around and glared angrily at his heartless parents.
In the end, he misplaced his trust!
"Chang'an, get up quickly." Ye Jingchen suppressed a laugh and helped Xie Chang'an up from the ground. He first wiped his forehead with his hand and then patted his trouser leg.
"Look at how His Highness the Crown Prince treats you, and think about your own attitude. Don't you feel ashamed?" Xie Shaoling asked, pointing his finger at Xie Chang'an's forehead.
Xie Chang'an: Today is another day I want to kill my father!
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