Before the Qi officials could even speak, the Qiang people present exclaimed repeatedly, "Delicious! So delicious!"
"I've lived half my life and never tasted such fine wine!"
Mu Tu's provocation of Chen Shi not only failed to cause trouble for Mu Nu, but also made him lose face.
It truly proves the old saying: "Losing both wife and army."
"Pah!" Mu Tu cursed inwardly as he looked at the fawning faces of his compatriots. "A bunch of cowardly cowards."
Since the Qiang Kingdom was the last to arrive, after entertaining this group of envoys, Chief Envoy Shen Shi's work was completed.
When things calmed down, everything was ready except for the final push.
Even if an emperor ascends the throne by killing his father, no matter how brilliant his achievements or how peaceful and prosperous his reign may be, he will not succeed.
An inglorious ascension to the throne will surely be recorded in history books, leaving a lasting stain on one's reputation.
Of course, it was unacceptable for Chen Shi to let his elder brother bear this eternal infamy.
It is unknown whether Shen Tunan will be as muddle-headed as he was in his previous life, and issue an edict to dismiss the Marquis of Zhenbei during the special period when foreign envoys were in the capital.
However, they already had their own people in the imperial court, and Shen Yu had saved this person's life, so this imperial edict could not be sent out no matter what.
Shen Shi was already prepared to fight Shen Tunan to the death.
However, he was still 80% confident that he could order Shen Tunan not to take action against Zhenbei Marquis while the Qiang envoy was en route to the capital.
To increase the probability of this happening, Shen Shi used Huai Wang's weakness as leverage.
Threaten him to act restless during this time, first drawing Shen Tunan's attention to him.
Prince Huai was indeed acting according to Shen Shi's wishes. The identity of Ying Meiren had already aroused Shen Tu Nan's suspicion, but he was struggling to find evidence.
If things continue this way, Mu Tu's plan to severely injure Zhenbei Hou through rumors will inevitably fail.
Becoming the king of the Qiang Kingdom was Mu Tu's obsession.
If he fails this time and fails to demonstrate his exceptional strategic skills, then upon returning to the Qiang Kingdom, Mu Nu will undoubtedly be the heir.
Based on Shen Shi's understanding of him, Mu Tu would definitely not give up if he couldn't make progress.
All you need to do is reveal Gu Yuanbai's identity as a prince to him, and Mu Tu will definitely take the bait.
This person will definitely use Gu Yuanbai to cause a commotion in the capital.
It's possible that they would use a scheme to bring Gu Yuanbai back to the royal family, or even directly assassinate Shen Tunan and install his puppet in power.
However, under Shen Shi's guidance, things will only go in the worst possible direction.
Gu Yuanbai and Mu Tu had no choice but to take action, even if they didn't want to.
All they need to do is stage a scene where the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind, and storm the palace under the pretext of rescuing the emperor. Then, Crown Prince Shen Yu can rightfully ascend the throne.
This plan is very risky, with each step linked to the next.
Many crucial elements are built upon Shen Shi's past life experiences and his understanding of these people.
To ensure everything went smoothly, he also made other plans.
If all else fails, there's still the Prince of Huai as a bargaining chip; staging a whole show by ourselves wouldn't be out of the question.
Everything is going according to plan, and now all he can do is wait.
To avoid any accidents, Shen Shi had been living in a residence outside the palace.
Now that the envoys have settled in, Shen Shi first returned to the palace to see Empress Wang, and revealed some information in his words.
The clever Empress Wang understood immediately.
She gazed at Shen Shi with a complex and heartbroken look, and after a long while, she said, "It's all my fault, my son, that you've suffered."
Empress Wang had never regretted it as much as she did at this moment.
If it weren't for her stubbornness in her youth, she wouldn't have ended up like this, and the throne wouldn't even have been hers to sit on.
My father will not be suspected, and he will remain stationed in the Northwest even in his forties.
The Zhenbei Marquis's lineage need not live in such fear, lest one day they suffer the fate of having their property confiscated and their entire family wiped out.
More importantly, it was her two sons.
They were only teenagers, yet they were caught in a whirlpool, suspected by their own fathers, and struggling to survive.
Sensing Empress Wang's emotions, Shen Shi patted her back and comforted her, saying, "Mother, none of this was caused by you, so there's no need to apologize."
She thought she had met her soulmate, but it turned out to be a calculated scheme.
Having fallen into this trap, Empress Wang lost the love she had longed for, felt that she had brought shame upon her family, and gradually became estranged from her relatives who had been with her since childhood.
Alone, he endured day after day in this vast, deep palace.
She was the stepping stone for Shen Tunan to reach the pinnacle of power, and the most pitiful victim.
Shen Shi wiped away his mother's tears: "There is someone else who caused all this, and he will pay the price. Mother, you just need to wait."
Both of them knew that the culprit Shen Shi was referring to was Shen Tunan.
Seeing her son's determined gaze, Empress Wang gripped his hand tightly: "No matter what, your mother will always be behind you."
This was the opening day of the Wanchao Assembly, and Shen Shi got up very early.
When envoys visit, they usually stay for a month or two.
Recently, there have been no rumors in the capital about the Marquis of Zhenbei colluding with the enemy and betraying the country. Today is only the first day of the Wanchao Assembly, and Shen Shi feels that the possibility of any unusual events is unlikely.
“Master…” Even Qingyu, who is usually slow to notice, has sensed something is wrong with the recent developments.
As he served Shen Shi his meal, he stammered, unsure how to begin.
"Speak your mind." Shen Shi said, drinking the porridge in his bowl without looking up.
"Have you been... lately...?"
As soon as Qingyu opened his mouth, Shenshi knew what he was going to say and immediately interrupted him sternly: "Don't ask what you shouldn't ask!"
Qingyu lowered her head and said "Oh".
After all, she was someone who had been with him since childhood. Seeing Qingyu looking so aggrieved, Chen Shi couldn't bear it and spoke up.
"The estate outside Beijing has been neglected for a while. Take a few people and go check it out later. Make sure no one is left out."
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