"Did Your Majesty send another letter to this humble subject?"
Helian Chen was somewhat curious.
He was not only curious about what the Empress had written to him, but also why she didn't just write him a letter directly.
They weren't unfamiliar "ruler and subject"; they shared a bond of friendship forged in the hardships of Lingnan.
In Helian Chen's mind, Empress Xie Yuan's importance was only slightly less than that of Helian Jue.
Xie Yuan: ...Hehe, you idiot, what do you know!
Regardless of the close relationship between Xie Yuan and Helian Chen in private, Xie Yuan always kept one thing in mind:
Helian Chen was Helian Jue's trusted minister, and Xie Yuan's dealings with him absolutely could not bypass Helian Jue, much less be kept secret from him.
If Xie Yuan doesn't pay attention to these details and acts willfully, he can secretly maintain relationships based on his supposed good feelings and connections.
Now, with their love so strong, Helian Jue wouldn't care, much less doubt.
But what about the future?
Even if a couple maintains a good relationship, there will always be malicious people stirring things up in the dark.
Xie Yuan's "private dealings" with Helian Chen are clear evidence!
Xie Yuancai wouldn't do anything foolish that would give others something to criticize.
So let's follow the rules.
She and Helian Jue were the closest people in the world, while Helian Chen was just Helian Jue's person.
"It seems to be related to Ayan!"
Helian Jue wasn't peeking on purpose; he simply hadn't expected Xie Yuan to include the letter to Helian Chen in his carrier pigeon message to him.
Helian Jue immediately opened the bamboo tube and found two slips of paper inside.
One was for himself, and the other was for Helian Chen.
Helian Jue glanced at it, realized it wasn't his, and didn't look any further.
But it was this one glance that gave him a rough idea of what Xie Yuan's letter was about.
"Ayan?"
Upon hearing his sister's name, Helian Chen suddenly thought of her.
He slapped his forehead and said, "That's right! Before I left the capital, I asked Her Majesty the Empress to take care of Ayan for me!"
"Since the Prince of Guangling failed to arrange a marriage for me, he will probably set his sights on Ayan."
"Without my presence, I am truly afraid that this Prince will take advantage of his father's status and use A-Yan to curry favor with the powerful!"
Helian Chen showed no affection or respect whatsoever for his own father.
When mentioning his biological father, he directly addresses him as a prince, and is unwilling to even call him "father".
Helian Jue didn't take it seriously.
Because he wasn't exactly a filial son.
Helian Jue only respectfully addressed the late emperor, his biological father, as "Sage," rather than "Father" or even "Father."
Do not do to others what you would not have them do to you.
He himself couldn't even manage to put on a facade of harmony with his own father, pretending to be a loving father and a filial son, so he wouldn't demand the same of Helian Chen.
"Yes! I know about this. A-Yuan mentioned it to me!"
Helian Jue nodded; he wasn't just making things up, he genuinely knew the truth.
That's just how his A-Yuan is; he never deceives him, no matter how big or small the matter is.
Helian Chen had already taken the note, unfolded it, and was reading it quickly.
Then, his face turned ugly, and he gritted his teeth and spat out two words, "Mu Shao!"
Mu Shao, a divorced man, still has the nerve to pester Ayan?
No one knows what sweet words he used to convince Ayan that she would even want to marry him.
"Mu Shao? Qiu Muling's family? That General of the Thousand Bull Guard?"
Although Helian Jue was vengeful, once he had avenged himself, he would forget about it.
With his high status, how could he always remember those insignificant people?
All the events of that year have faded away as Mu Shao was rendered speechless and choked with emotion by Xie Yuan's torment on his journey into exile.
After returning to the capital, Helian Jue ascended the throne and did not bring up old grievances against "old friends" like Mu Shao.
At most, we'll treat him as an insignificant person; we won't target him, but we also won't promote him.
Of course, if Mu Shao is outstanding enough and can prove himself with his achievements, Helian Jue, as the superior, will not hesitate to bestow rewards upon him.
However, it is clear that Mu Shao did not think about how to perform well, but instead took a "shortcut"!
Helian Chen was Helian Jue's confidant. Although his title was only Marquis, everyone could see that the Emperor valued him and deliberately did not give him a higher title.
What I fear is that he will eventually have no more titles to bestow.
By leaving him ample room to gradually enter the core of power and become a prominent figure among the powerful elites of the Great Zhou Dynasty, this was truly for his own good!
Mu Shao wanted to get out of his awkward situation (the new emperor naturally had to be wary of a minister who was favored by the late emperor), so he thought of getting in touch with Helian Chen and then switching sides.
It's a pity that Mu Shao's swift decision to annul the engagement left Helian Chen with a lingering resentment.
"That scoundrel! He's just a fence-sitter who changes his mind with the wind!"
"Oh dear, Ah Yan, how could she have been fooled by him?"
"Aren't there so many fine young men in the capital better than a heartless, cold-blooded scoundrel?"
Helian Chen knew the truth about Mu Shaohe's divorce.
Tsk tsk, just because his wife's family was involved in the assassination attempt on the empress, he immediately distanced himself from his wife.
Such actions are truly callous and heartless.
It should be understood that misfortune should not befall married women.
Unless it is a heinous crime punishable by extermination of the entire clan, under normal circumstances, if the family is convicted, the daughter who has become a nun is not held accountable.
Although assassinating the empress was a grave crime, the emperor and empress were merciful. Even those involved were only stripped of their official positions and titles, and their immediate family members were exiled to Chang'an to build a new city. The entire family was not punished.
Mu Shao still divorced his wife. The reason was simple: his wife's family had fallen on hard times and could no longer provide him with any support.
Even more so, he needs to help them in return.
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
