Shen Yunjiao followed Shen Qinghuai into the side hall and saw her father lying on the couch, neatly and cleanly dressed.
She gritted her teeth, wiped away her tears heavily, and stepped forward to kneel before the bed.
Everything happened so suddenly. I was arguing with my father just yesterday, and I never expected that when we met today, we would be separated forever.
If she had known, she shouldn't have argued with Shen Zhizhang yesterday.
Shen Yunjiao couldn't help but sob softly, her cries filled with unbearable sorrow, which moved all who heard them to tears.
Shen Qinghuai took a deep breath, gently hugged his younger sister, and patted her back as his father had comforted her when she was a child.
"Yun Jiao, now it's just the two of us siblings relying on each other."
Upon hearing these words, Shen Qinghuai's nose twitched, and he finally couldn't hold back his tears, which flowed like a burst dam.
The brother and sister cried in front of their father's bed for a full hour before getting up.
Today's upheaval not only brought the Shen family to the brink of collapse, but also signifies the fall of a powerful minister of the Dayong Dynasty.
Now, Dayong is no longer home to the powerful Prime Minister Shen, and the Shen family is destined to lose its former glory.
With tears streaming down her face, Shen Yunjiao was led out of the mansion by her brother in a daze.
Xiao Huaijin had been waiting outside the door. As soon as she came out, he naturally went to greet her and took her hand from Shen Qinghuai.
Although Shen Qinghuai had doubts, he was too exhausted to think about such complicated things at the moment.
"His Majesty."
He knelt down, bowing his head low. "Your Majesty, I know that my father has committed an unforgivable error, but I beg Your Majesty to show leniency and allow me to take my father home. I am willing to resign from my official post and never return to the capital."
When Shen Qinghuai suddenly knelt down, Shen Yunjiao was shocked and saddened. She also wanted to kneel down, but Xiao Huaijin stopped her by raising his hand.
"Your father has already borne the consequences of his crimes, and I have also investigated and found that you and Shen Yunjiao were not involved. There is no need to mention resigning from your post." Xiao Huaijin's eyes darkened slightly, but his voice was steady and powerful.
"I grant permission for Prime Minister Shen to return to his residence for burial."
In a single day, Emperor Zhaowu and Grand Secretary Shen Zhizhang both suddenly died of serious illnesses, and the Crown Prince was restored to the throne and became the new emperor.
These messages spread faster than the last, reaching every corner of the capital and causing an uproar among its citizens.
Everyone knows that this matter is not so simple.
For them, it was just a change of rulers; as long as there was no war, their lives would be fine.
On the contrary, those officials who were on good terms with Prime Minister Shen all claimed illness and resigned, fearing that they would die suddenly in the palace like Prime Minister Shen.
The number of court officials suddenly decreased significantly.
Xiao Huaijin naturally thought this was the best course of action, and immediately issued an edict to grant special privileges to recruit new scholars. Upon hearing this news, the scholars were overjoyed and wrote poems to praise the new emperor.
Unaware of this, Shen Yunjiao was kneeling in front of the Shen family's mourning hall, kowtowing to the coffin.
On the day of her father's burial, dark clouds loomed overhead. She accompanied the funeral procession up the mountain and watched as shovelfuls of dust were used to cover the coffin.
Shen Yunjiao felt a wave of panic and grief, and almost fainted.
She harbored not only her own emotions, but also the even deeper sorrow of the original owner of the body.
The road back was covered with paper money from the funeral procession, and the carriages were stuck in the bustling East Market Street.
Shen Yunjiao leaned against the car wall, looking dejected, while Fu Xia fed her water.
She could vaguely hear the conversations of the people gathered together.
"The new emperor is of the legitimate imperial lineage. It is the great fortune of Dayong to have such a wise ruler!"
“Brother is right. Fortunately, the late emperor was wise and handed the imperial seal to the new emperor before his death, so it did not fall into the hands of that wicked Consort Shu.”
"Shh, are you out of your mind? That Consort Shu has already committed suicide by drinking poison. Why are you talking about such an unlucky concubine?"
"I'm not going to say anything more."
Later, realizing that discussing palace affairs was not a good thing, they casually steered the conversation to other topics.
Sitting inside the carriage, Shen Yunjiao sensed something was amiss.
After Consort Shu committed suicide, her father also chose to take his own life.
Did Shen's father choose to leave this world because of the death of Consort Shu?
Shen Yunjiao planted a seed of doubt in her heart, waiting to ask Xiao Huaijin about it after she met him.
Suddenly, Fu Xia exclaimed in surprise, "Oh! Girl, your face..."
Shen Yunjiao picked up the palm-sized bronze mirror and looked at herself. The tiny red spots on her face had now turned into a large red mark.
"It's alright, I'll ask Li Ping to come and take a look after I've finished my work at home."
Shen Yunjiao had no time to worry about this matter; all she wanted to do now was to take care of Shen Zhizhang's funeral arrangements.
This poison should be a slow-acting one, and it won't kill her anytime soon.
For the next few days, the capital was calm and peaceful.
Shen Qinghuai was deeply saddened by the sudden loss of his father. After attending the morning court session, he asked the emperor for a long leave to return to the Shen residence and accompany Shen Yunjiao.
The brother and sister are still grieving the loss of their father and rely on each other every day.
Ye Zhixuan, Jiang Rong, and others also came several times to stay by Shen Yunjiao's side and comfort her.
The red marks on Shen Yunjiao's face became more and more severe.
Left with no other choice, he told Shen Qinghuai about it.
Upon hearing that his sister had been poisoned, Shen Qinghuai flew into a rage, smashing several teacups. He then dispatched numerous guards to search for Aunt Liu's whereabouts, but to no avail after several days.
Five days later, the Shen family guards finally found Aunt Liu, who was about to quietly leave by boat, at the Qinghe ferry.
The guards escorted Aunt Liu back to the mansion and used torture on her. Only then did Aunt Liu, terrified, reveal the truth.
Shen Yunjiao then realized that she was not Aunt Liu at all, but Qin Hao, Fang Ziyu's master.
Fang Ziyu, that name hadn't been heard in so long that Shen Yunjiao couldn't remember who it was for a moment.
I had heard Fu Xia say before that after Pei Zhixuan divorced her, she asked to leave the Pei family and took the money Pei Zhixuan gave her away from the capital.
Master Fang Ziyu returned to the capital this time to avenge her disciple.
Fortunately, Qin Hao didn't use any deadly poison, but rather pollen from a local flower called Lianglianhua.
If you ingest pollen, your skin will first become red and itchy, and then it will gradually ulcerate.
However, as long as one drinks the soup made from the stems of Liang Lianhua's flowers, the poison will naturally be neutralized.
Qin Hao hadn't originally intended for Shen Yunjiao to get into trouble; she just couldn't stand seeing the Prime Minister's daughter ruin her disciple's originally perfect marriage.
After Shen Qinghuai investigated the matter thoroughly, he immediately sent someone to find the antidote, which he gave to Shen Yunjiao. He then handed the wicked woman over to the authorities.
However, the red marks on Shen Yunjiao's face would not disappear in a short time. In addition, she was overwhelmed with grief and suddenly fainted again during lunch.
This coma lasted for the entire afternoon.
In the dead of night, Shen Yunjiao was half asleep when she felt someone applying an ice-cold cloth to her forehead, cheeks, and neck, which felt cool.
Her body was constantly hot, and the silken fabric on her chest felt incredibly heavy, making it difficult for her to breathe.
Shen Yunjiao reached out to untie the quilt, but a slightly cool hand grasped her wrist.
She struggled in her dizziness, but couldn't break free.
That hand held her own hand and put it back under the covers, tucking the covers in.
Shen Yunjiao mumbled, "Water, I want to drink water."
The hand that had been gently stroking her forehead was withdrawn. After a while, she felt a pair of strong arms lift her up and pull her into a warm, broad chest.
The cold rim of the cup was placed against her lips, with a slight pressure, and water was fed to her after she opened her mouth.
The man's movements seemed a little clumsy, and Shen Yunjiao was a little slow to swallow, causing water to trickle down her lips.
His cool hands wiped her lips, his palm brushing gently and carefully across Shen Yunjiao's lips.
Shen Yunjiao nestled weakly in his arms, rubbing against his hard chest like a spoiled kitten.
A muffled laugh came from above. He gently pressed her face down. "Stop rubbing, Jiaojiao. If you keep rubbing, my clothes will get ruined."
The Emperor?!
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