Chapter 104
Seeing that Shen Rang had been preoccupied the whole way, Jing Yuan finally couldn't help but ask when they finally arrived at Shui Yang Lou: "Your Highness, what are you thinking about?"
After a moment of contemplation, Shen Rang asked, "Do you think... she looks like Lord Yun?"
Shen Rang didn't say who she was, but Jing Yuan already knew.
Jing Yuan thought about it carefully for a moment, then shook his head: "It doesn't seem like it."
Yun Changliang has a decent appearance, but his features are nothing special. If you remove the air of sophistication he has cultivated over the years, he would be hard to spot in a crowd.
However, it's not surprising that the girl doesn't look like her father.
"And what about Madam Yun?" Shen Rang asked again.
Jing Yuan pondered for a moment, then his expression suddenly turned strange: "It seems... there's nothing similar about it?"
Madam Yun had long, narrow eyes with slightly upturned corners, giving her a somewhat slanted appearance. She also had a long, narrow nose. Although she was not bad-looking, she could not give birth to Yun Xi's beautiful face.
Shen Rang's eyes darkened.
really.
Jingyuan looked like the sky was about to fall: "Good heavens, where did that girl come from?"
It's understandable that Yunxi doesn't resemble her father, but surely she can't also look like her mother?!
She's not from the Chen family, nor the Yun family. Could this girl have sprung from a rock?!
"...This matter must not be made public," Shen Rang said in a deep voice. "Tell Jing Er to investigate again and see if he can find any other clues."
Jing Yuan responded and hurriedly went out to deliver the message.
Inside the Water Pavilion, Shen Rang sat behind his desk, gazing absently at the shimmering lake view before him.
This beautiful scenery might actually be beneficial for Yunxi's recovery.
He did indeed want Yunxi to stand by his side.
But Yunwan's situation... is really difficult to handle.
Although Yunwan was suspected of disrespecting her mother-in-law this time, Zheng Shi made her kneel there for two hours, which was already a severe punishment. The punishment had been given, so the matter was naturally wiped clean and unlikely to cause any further trouble.
As for the concubine... that's too unfair to her.
But then I thought about it again, and it didn't seem like I could feel any more wronged than I am now.
Shen Rang's brows furrowed more and more tightly.
——
For several days in a row, Shen Rang couldn't figure it out. He would just stand outside the back room late at night, sometimes for most of the night.
Finally, on that day, news came from the Hanlin Academy, summoning him back.
So the next morning, Shen Rang dressed neatly and left as usual.
He had barely arrived at the Hanlin Academy when he was summoned to the palace again.
In the past, he would come to record the emperor's discussions, but this time, the emperor met with him alone.
"The Grand Secretary said you were ill for several days. How are you? Have you recovered?" the Emperor asked.
The emperor was nearly fifty years old. After years of hard work, his hair had turned gray, but he was still in good spirits and retained his charm.
Shen Rang cupped his hands in thanks: "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. My health is much better now."
"Health is your most valuable asset, so don't push yourself too hard."
"yes."
The emperor nodded: "The crown prince and the eldest son will come over in a little while to discuss the bandit problem in Lingnan, but before that, I would like to hear your opinion."
As he spoke, the emperor handed him a memorial that had just been presented to him.
The Lingnan region is characterized by numerous mountains and caves, with some large caves capable of housing hundreds of people. Some caves are interconnected, making the terrain quite complex. Taking advantage of their familiarity with the terrain, these mountain bandits were difficult for government troops to capture, and thus committed all sorts of atrocities in the countryside, including burning, killing, and looting. The local people had already suffered for a long time, but this time, the bandits went so far as to massacre an entire village, taking over a hundred lives.
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