Forced to kneel, Shen Yu was unwilling to accept his fate and struggled to stand up. However, Shen Shi firmly stepped on his knees. Even though his face was flushed red with humiliation, Shen Yu could only kneel in front of Shen Shi.
"Fourth Brother dares to provoke me like this, just because he has no children and thinks that if he dies, there's nothing I can do about it, is that it?"
These words revealed Shen Yu's true thoughts. "Otherwise, do you think you can exterminate my entire family?" He looked at Shen Shi with disdain.
"That's impossible. I've only just become emperor and I don't want to die yet," Shen Shi said with a smile, pressing his foot on the knee harder.
"Although I cannot exterminate my fourth brother's entire family, I have many ways to make people wish they were dead."
After saying this, Shen Shi patted Shen Yu's head again, "There's no need to be unconvinced or resentful. It's only right that someone as stupid as you shouldn't be able to sit on the throne."
Shen Yu had an indifferent expression when Shen Shi wanted to make him wish he were dead, but when he heard that Shen Shi called him "stupid," he felt extremely insulted.
His bloodshot eyes glared fiercely at Chen Shi. "You're talking nonsense! I am Father Emperor's most intelligent prince, I always have been!"
"Fourth Brother keeps calling me Father Emperor, is there nothing else to say?" From his childhood experiences, Shen Shi had come to hate this title, and felt uncomfortable whenever he heard it.
"Since he was so favored by the Emperor, how come he didn't think of his fourth brother even once during the two years from when he was confined to his quarters until his death?" Shen Shi asked the cruel question in an innocent tone.
Seeing that Shen Yu couldn't answer, he smiled and said, "Don't lie to yourself. What do you mean by love and affection? There's no such thing as kinship between royal fathers and sons. It's always been like this."
"No matter how much Father Emperor loves Fourth Brother, it's just like teasing a little bird. Otherwise, he wouldn't have made such a big deal out of losing face once and never seeing him again."
He's a good son when he listens to him, but becomes an enemy the moment he embarrasses him.
There are quite a few princes like Shen Yu who are fond of male beauty; among the princes that Shen Shi knows, there is more than one.
If he knew the information, Shen Li, who had connections everywhere, must also know it. So why were the others fine, but Shen Yu was the only one who was rejected?
Isn't it just because the other princes did it in private, while this unlucky Shen Yu was dragged into the public eye, bringing shame to the royal family?
What a load of rubbish about father-son affection! He could raise a dog in modern times and have more patience for it than Shen Li has for his son.
However, it must be said that Shen Yu's downfall was a golden opportunity for Shen Shi. Officials who were originally hesitant all came to place their bets on him.
Shen Shi single-handedly turned the tide and became the most promising candidate for the throne.
At this time, Shen Li's health was not as good as before, and he was only one step away from ascending the throne. Then, the empress sent to the palace by the Zhang family provided Shen Li with the last step.
Empress Zhang, or rather Empress Dowager Zhang, was a clever woman and also a very good collaborator.
If she hadn't secretly used methods to hasten the late emperor's death, Shen Shi's ascension to the throne might not have been so smooth.
In return, after ascending the throne, Shen Shi showed her the utmost respect.
Because he deliberately chose to go to Cining Palace to pay his respects in the afternoon, when Shen arrived, Empress Dowager Zhang was pruning flowers.
Although Empress Zhang was only a few years older than him, her filial piety was paramount throughout her life, and even the emperor at the time of her death was no exception.
"Your subject greets Your Majesty," he said, bowing slightly.
Seeing this, Empress Dowager Zhang hurriedly went to help him up, saying, "Your Majesty is too kind."
After exchanging polite greetings, Shen Shi sat down at the small table, and Empress Dowager Zhang hurriedly instructed a palace maid to serve him tea.
"Your Majesty is busy with state affairs, how come you have time to visit me today?" Empress Dowager Zhang asked casually, but her expectant gaze betrayed her true thoughts.
The two had only a simple working relationship. Although Shen Shi was later registered under Empress Zhang's name, it was just a nominal title. It was a ridiculous joke for two people who were only two years apart to talk about mother-son affection.
After noticing her unusual behavior, Shen Shi immediately realized that Empress Dowager Zhang was acting strangely. He did not answer her question, but instead frowned and asked, "It's been a long time since I've been to Cining Palace. Why does it feel so unfamiliar?"
After speaking, Empress Dowager Zhang's expression changed slightly. She glanced at her for a moment and then continued toying with the teacup in her hand.
Just as Empress Dowager Zhang was about to breathe a sigh of relief, Yi Chenshi spoke again: "If I remember correctly, this tea set belongs to the Prime Minister's residence. Has the Prime Minister's wife recently entered the palace? I haven't heard anything from her."
"Mother did not enter the palace. This tea set was sent to me by Han'er," Empress Dowager Zhang explained.
Zhang Han'er was Empress Zhang's niece. In this lonely deep palace, it was not a big deal for her aunt to take care of her family.
But Shen Shi knew in his heart that the relationship between Empress Dowager Zhang and the Prime Minister's Mansion was not as harmonious as it seemed. Otherwise, this set of teacups would not have been displayed so openly, and Shen Shi would not have seen it.
Empress Dowager Zhang's move was merely a signal to him that the Prime Minister's office was about to take action, and that this action was related to Zhang Han'er.
Both were intelligent people who understood immediately. Chen Shi picked up the teacup on the table, took a sip, and said, "Mother, this tea is indeed good, but it's a pity that the cup is too rough and doesn't do justice to such fine tea."
Then, those well-defined hands loosened their grip, and the fine porcelain fell to the ground, making a crisp and melodious shattering sound, as beautiful as jade breaking in the Kunlun Mountains.
Shen Shi loved the sound. After hearing it, his mood brightened considerably. He smiled and said to Empress Zhang, "Although the item is not good, the sound of it falling to the ground is quite nice. It's clear that this item is unusable and it's better to break it."
Empress Dowager Zhang understood Shen Shi's implied meaning, and a great weight was finally lifted from her heart. She immediately agreed, saying, "Your Majesty is right. Although I am a daughter of the Zhang family, I have been in Cining Palace for so long, and I am still more comfortable using things in the palace."
Empress Dowager Zhang's reminder to Shen Shi, who was in charge of the plot, was not of much help, but it was still a well-intentioned gesture, and Shen Shi appreciated it. "I am relieved to hear you say that, Mother. A batch of porcelain was just delivered to us a couple of days ago. I will instruct Wang Xi to select some of the better pieces to send over later."
Empress Zhang's biological mother died early, and her father later married a second wife who made things difficult for her in every way. Although she was the legitimate daughter of the prime minister's first wife, she hardly had a decent day from childhood to adulthood.
Living under the wicked stepmother, he suffered not only from lack of food and clothing, but also from mental anguish and covert exploitation and oppression. Empress Zhang spared him all the punishments he deserved.
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