Chapter 36 The Familiar Handsome Face Under the Mask
The direction of many things deviated from the original plot in the book, and Shen Junheng gradually became too lazy to recall the original settings in the book.
Shen Congting's implication was that if they were to move against the Prince of Lu, they would be involved in factional disputes. She remembered that the book said the Prince of Lu was a member of the Prince of Yan's faction, but at this moment she was not sure if that had changed.
Chen Congting asked in surprise, "Why do you think Prince Lu is a member of the Prince of Yan's party, rather than the Prince's party?"
Shen Junheng realized that his question was a bit deliberate. He was silent for a moment, then spoke with some emotion: "Chen Ying is so domineering. How can the upper beam be straight when the lower beam is so crooked? Although the prince is stupid, he has good character. I think he would disdain to associate with the Prince of Lu."
Shen Congting looked at her meaningfully and smiled, "From what I've seen when Qiu Ci worked with the prince, the prince is indeed a man of good character, but he's not brainless. I think he's very scheming, brave and resourceful."
Shen Junheng turned his gaze away and didn't respond to the conversation.
Chen Xiu said slowly, "The assassination attempt at Zuichunlou is far from as simple as it appears. I heard that someone discovered that the prince had also entered Zuichunlou that day, but until now, the prince's life or death is unknown, and his whereabouts are unknown."
Xiao Lingyu is also involved? That's really strange and treacherous.
Shen Junheng was silent for a moment, then asked, "Is Zuichunlou the property of the Prince of Yan?"
Shen Congting said: "Yes."
Shen Junheng understood that someone had taken advantage of the opportunity to set up a trap, and Xiao Linghe was afraid that he was in danger.
This is an excellent entry point. If you want to touch Chen Ying, you can't just touch Chen Ying.
Even if the Shen family did nothing, Chen Ying was destined to become cannon fodder.
Xiao Linghe had meticulously plotted, setting traps for Xiao Lingyu at every turn. The Prince's faction had long been weakened. If Xiao Lingyu hadn't successfully eradicated the locusts during Qiu Ci's disaster relief efforts and returned safely to the capital, the throne of the Eastern Palace might have already been held by someone else.
Once someone takes the lead in attacking Chen Ying, how could the Prince's party miss this excellent opportunity to counterattack? They would definitely use this as a fuse, follow the clues to find the real culprit, and overthrow the Prince of Lu with a crushing force. Even if they could not defeat the Prince of Yan in one fell swoop, they would definitely make sure to seriously injure him.
No matter what Shen Xiu's purpose is, as long as he adds fuel to the fire in Chen Ying's affairs, he will become a princeling.
Chen Xiu said calmly: "Ah Heng, think carefully about whether you still want your father to avenge you."
Shen Junheng raised his eyes and said seriously, "Dad, brother, if no one had rescued me, Ah Heng might not be standing here in peace right now. Ah Heng doesn't want to let Chen Ying go."
Shen Junheng still didn't want to get involved in the party struggle, but now she was in the situation. If she wanted to get out of it safely, she might have to turn from defense to offense.
Shen Xiu pondered for a moment and nodded slowly.
Shen Congting soothed him softly, "Ah Heng, leave this matter to Dad and me. Anyone who dares to touch Ah Heng will be an enemy of our Shen family."
The next morning, Sun Youyu, along with the Jingzhao Yin, reported the incident to the emperor, blaming the prince of Lu. Although they didn't explicitly say Chen Ying was the assassin, everyone knew it. The emperor was furious and ordered the Jingzhao Yin to investigate the matter thoroughly. The prince of Lu was trembling with fear.
Jingzhao Yin was a disciple of Shen Xiu.
If only Sun Youyu mentioned it, there might still be a way around it, but now that Jingzhao Yin has come forward, what the King of Lu has to consider is not how to save Chen Ying, but how to avoid being implicated.
Xiao Linghe must be extremely worried now.
This is the opportunity Shen Junheng has been waiting for.
Previously, Xiao Linghe had been too popular, leaving Xiao Lingyu practically powerless to fight back. Xiao Linghe, intent on winning over the Shen family, would not have allowed her to divorce He Pingzhi. If she had insisted on a divorce, Xiao Linghe would not only have obscurely obstructed her but would have also made a fuss about the unclear relationship between them. The emperor was extremely displeased with Xiao Lingyu at the time, and it's not impossible that he would have deposed him from the position of Crown Prince in a fit of rage.
However, Xiao Lingyu not only repeatedly stated that he no longer had any ties with Shen Junheng, but he also frequently displayed affection for Shen Bizhu, who had severed her ties with the Shen family, which slightly changed the emperor's opinion of him. Meanwhile, Qiu Ci and his entourage not only effectively addressed the drought and locust plague and provided resettlement for the victims, but also spent all his personal wealth not to buy the hearts of the people but to establish the emperor's image as a benevolent ruler. The emperor highly praised him, and his position as crown prince was once again secure.
Xiao Linghe had lost many of his followers due to the relief corruption case, and he was already upset. Now, with Chen Ying's incident, he was even more overwhelmed.
In this way, Shen Junheng could find a way to deal with He Pingzhi and divorce him.
When Shen Junheng came to the backyard, he saw Ziyuan coming out of Lin Yu's room.
The moment Zi Yuan saw Shen Junheng, a strange look flashed across her eyes, but she quickly walked up to Shen Junheng calmly as usual and saluted him.
Shen Junheng looked at her and said, "Ziyuan, I redeemed you, are you willing to work for me?"
Zi Yuan said without hesitation: "Zi Yuan is at my disposal, young lady."
"I see you're only in your prime, how long have you been in Zuichunlou?"
"More than three years."
"Three years is not a short time. Have you learned any seductive skills in Zuichunlou?"
Upon hearing this, Zi Yuan was horrified and pale. She quickly knelt down and bowed, "Miss, calm down. It was Miss Xiaodie who asked me to bring the medicine in. I didn't stay in your room for long and had no intention of seducing you!"
Shen Junheng chuckled: "You seduced him, why should I be angry? Forget it, you go down first."
"Yes." Zi Yuan bowed and retreated.
Shen Junheng walked into the room. Lin Yu was still wearing a mask and said, "Lin Yu meets Miss Shen."
"Lin Yu?" Shen Junheng walked gently past the bed and looked down at him. "Which Lin, which Yu?"
"Lin means a forest with all kinds of birds, and Yu means Dayu who passed by his home three times without entering." Lin Yu said in a joking tone.
Shen Junheng chuckled: "I think it will be Ling Yunjian's "Ling" with his unrestrained and freehand brushwork, and Yu, the "Yu" with the bright and shining star on the mountain."
"Ling Yunjian's writing is so free and unrestrained? A lone star shines brightly on the ridge?" Lin Yu was astonished. He chewed over these two lines carefully, his eyes full of admiration and inquiry. He couldn't help but ask, "I have never heard of these two lines of poetry before. Did you write them?"
Shen Junheng sighed in his heart, and the five thousand years of cultural heritage engraved in his bones was inadvertently expressed.
I blame myself for not being careful enough and letting him see the clues.
Shen Junheng said calmly, "I wrote it. Why, do you want to compose a poem with me?"
"Xiao Lingyu." When Shen Junheng said the word "Yu", he took off his mask.
Under the mask was indeed that familiar handsome face.
Xiao Lingyu showed a cynical smile: "You saw through it so quickly, Miss Shen."
Shen Junheng rolled his eyes at him and asked coldly, "What is this, Your Highness the Crown Prince?"
Xiao Lingyu slowly raised his upper body, leaned against the pillow, looked at her and said, "After I returned to the capital, I heard that Jin Huan had often taken you on romantic outings since he opened his mansion, and even encouraged you to keep a concubine. I was afraid you would fall in love with someone else, so I thought of letting me be your concubine."
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