Chapter 3046 Is that the human heart?
Although he was weak, his eyes were still bright. After a while, he smiled and said, "That's not the case. I still have to hold on."
Nan Yan stared at his sickly face.
"Why do we have to hold on to this breath after such hardship?"
"Why?"
Xu Shizong seemed to be amused. He looked up at Nan Yan and said, "Just like what Her Majesty said just now, we should keep this tone and 'rebellion'. However, in Her Majesty's eyes, I am rebellious, but I know that I am upholding the orthodoxy."
Nan Yan frowned.
If she had been wondering since she met Xu Shizong in the hall why the brother of Empress Renxiao, originally a royal relative and the person closest to the center of power, had to go against Zhu Feng and help Zhu Chengjin to cause trouble, then just now, from when he solemnly declared in front of Zhu Chengjin that his identity was a "Confucian scholar" and now said the four words "uphold orthodoxy", no matter how stupid Nan Yan was, she understood.
He didn't want to go against Zhu Feng, he just wanted to help Zhu Chengjin regain the throne.
Because in his eyes, Zhu Chengjin is the "orthodox" one!
If he had other narrow purposes, such as high positions and generous salaries, or the prosperity of his family, Nan Yan would have had plenty of sharp words to refute him, but when she heard that his purpose was this, she was speechless for a moment.
Speaking of which, seizing the throne has always been a stain in Zhu Feng's life.
Even though she and he had been through thick and thin together, Nan Yan was not biased in this matter. Since he wanted to seize the throne and obtain the honored position above everyone else, he would have to bear everything he had to bear after doing this.
For example, the criticism from Confucian scholars.
For example, the records of historians.
Even tens of millions of years later, people still talk about him.
Thinking of this, Nan Yan felt even more upset. She looked up at Xu Shizong again. This man who she had guessed to be a "god" now seemed to be just an ordinary person. In fact, he was even weaker than an ordinary person. When he was lying on the bed, his whole body was sunken, like a hollowed-out sack.
But his eyes were extremely determined.
It was obviously impossible for a person with such eyes, such determination and such scheming to be refuted by her in just a few words. Nan Yan also admitted that her eloquence was just a waste of time to argue with a Confucian scholar.
So she thought for a moment, then turned and walked to the other side of the room, dragged a chair to the bed and sat down.
Xu Shizong raised his eyebrows slightly and realized that Nan Yan was planning to endure it.
He said, "Your Highness, do you have something to say to me?"
Nan Yan looked at him and said, "So, the musk beads in the fertility-giving Guanyin statue were put there by you, Master Xu, right?"
“……!”
Xu Shizong's originally indestructible eyes showed a hint of hesitation when he heard these words.
Then he covered his mouth and coughed violently.
Nan Yan showed no pity for the weak and sick. Instead, she narrowed her eyes, her eyes full of coldness: "It is you."
“…”
"At that time, when I said that the fertility-giving Guanyin statue had a broken hand and needed to be repaired, I wanted to see each of your reactions. Later, Ran Xiaoyu met Xu Shifeng in that place."
“…”
"However, I have considered this carefully. Regardless of whether he has always accompanied the Emperor in guarding Peking, or later held a high position and served as the Emperor's loyal minister, he has no reason to do such a thing to Empress Renxiao. Moreover, the Prince of Wei was appointed Crown Prince, and General Xu could be considered the Crown Prince's first protector. If the Crown Prince were his nephew, this relationship would be even more beneficial to him."
“…”
"So, even if he really wanted to cause trouble, he couldn't start by affecting Empress Renxiao's fertility."
When she said this, Nan Yan's eyes seemed to be chilled by ice.
She leaned over and stared coldly into Xu Shizong's eyes, as if she wanted to see through the viciousness in this man's heart.
"So, it's you."
“…”
"Because you were bedridden for years, you were unable to help Zhu Chengjin when the Emperor launched the Jingnan Campaign. You deeply regret this. Therefore, even when Empress Renxiao was canonized and General Xu was promoted, you refused to come to the capital and have even the slightest connection with the Emperor."
“…”
"And in order to cover up your own crimes, you actually schemed and used your own brother in this way."
“…”
"You treat your sister like this."
“…”
"Is the heart that's still beating in your chest a human heart?"
Xu Shizong seemed to be unable to bear it anymore, and he covered his mouth and coughed violently. Nan Yan sat up straight and glanced at him coldly, as if looking at some dirt under his feet.
After a long time, Xu Shizong coughed until his cheeks and even his neck turned red. He finally stopped coughing. He reached out and picked up the bowl of medicine on the table with trembling hands and put it to his mouth. However, because his hands were shaking too violently, the black medicine spilled out while he drank.
Although he was sickly, he was a quiet and noble young man, but at this moment, he looked as miserable as a stray dog.
Nan Yan just watched him coldly as he finished drinking the half bowl of medicine.
Finally calming down a little, Xu Shizong took out a handkerchief from his sleeve and wiped his lips. His eyes were red and he said in a deep voice: "I, I am really sorry for them."
“…”
"I'm hanging on by a thread. When the day comes when I can no longer hold on, I will go to the underworld and apologize to Miaoyin. But—"
Having said that, he looked up at Nan Yan again and said coldly, "Your Highness, your Highness, are so righteous and stern. Why don't you use the same attitude to persuade the current emperor?"
“…”
"I feel sorry for my brother, what about him?"
Nan Yan's expression froze.
Xu Shizong sneered and said, "The Crown Prince died young. If the Emperor Gao really wanted to pass the throne to another son, I would have no objection. However, the Emperor Gao clearly passed the throne to the Crown Prince. His Highness Emperor Wen is the orthodox mandate of heaven. Your bedfellow launched the Jingnan Campaign, forced his nephew to death, and seized the throne that did not belong to him. How can this be any better than mine?"
“…”
"If I were to go to the underworld and not have the face to see Miaoyin, then let me ask the Imperial Concubine, would she have the face to see the ancestors of the Zhu family?"
“…”
"I'm afraid he doesn't even have the face to see Emperor Gao!"
Nan Yan's throat choked for a moment.
She had originally realized that she would not be able to win the argument against someone like Xu Shizong, so she wanted to use the experience of Queen Renxiao to first attack this person's heart, and then stab him when he was weak.
However, she didn't expect that Xu Shizong was actually a stronger person than she thought.
And more determined.
From the very beginning, he had no second thoughts about what he was going to do.
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