Chapter 442 The Moon Kingdom envoy gets into trouble again!
Back in the courtyard, people began to report news from the manor to Shen Lanxi.
"My lord, Shen Shuniang and Shen Huiniang deliberately stirred up trouble in front of the old lady. They even wanted the old lady to plead for their husbands to be transferred to the capital and to arrange official positions for their children."
Shen Lanxi said coldly, "When the Shen family had their troubles back then, in order to sever ties, they sent a letter of severance to the old lady. The old lady is old and has forgotten all about these things."
"Should we give them a heads-up?"
Shen Lanxi thought for a moment and said, "No need. They brought this upon themselves. Since they are heading down the path of death, I will naturally arrange a future for them."
"Shen Shuniang's son has been loitering outside your courtyard all day; they might have other plans."
Shen Lanxi scoffed disdainfully, "He's got a lot of audacity. Don't worry about him loitering outside. If he dares to come in, deal with him as a spy."
They don't even let anyone see the corpse!
"yes!"
Shen Lanxi had some expectations, but unexpectedly, Zhou Yunhui snatched it away.
"Zhou Yunhui's men lured Shen Shuniang's son over there."
Shen Lanxi: "Keep an eye on them and see what they're up to."
"yes!"
Emperor Renxiao ignored the two envoys of the rebel king for two days before finally agreeing to meet them.
Shen Lanxi personally led the two into the palace, giving them many instructions along the way.
"His Majesty is merciful and mindful of brotherly affection, thus holding back his actions. If it were any other emperor, he would have already sent troops over."
Wei Sinong, after passing Wu Shifang, repeatedly smiled and agreed.
In reality, Emperor Renxiao was secretly disdainful, thinking that it wasn't that he didn't want to send troops, but rather that all his forces had been deployed to defend against foreign enemies due to the chaos in the four directions of the Great Zhou.
If Emperor Renxiao had surplus troops, would he not have fought?
"His Majesty often reminisces about his past friendship with the two of you, and often sighs with emotion."
"After you two meet His Majesty, take your time to state your purpose and tell him more about your recent situation!"
"Yes, thank you for the reminder, Lord Shen!"
Shen Lanxi smiled faintly and led the way.
Wei Sinong and Wu Shifang saw it clearly: the Imperial Guards in the palace treated Shen Lanxi with utmost respect, and even the palace servants who passed by stopped to pay their respects. They only left after Shen Lanxi had passed by.
They have already discerned their status without needing outside rumors.
Upon meeting Emperor Renxiao, Wei Sinong and Wu Shifang were extremely respectful. First, they recounted the gifts they had brought, and then they began to express their longing for each other as brothers.
Emperor Renxiao was very pleased and laughed repeatedly.
Finally, Wei Sinong and Wu Shifang revealed their purpose to each other.
"Our lord wishes to request His Majesty's permission to separate from the Great Zhou and govern his own territory, paying tribute to the Great Zhou every year, just like other vassal states."
Emperor Renxiao's face darkened.
"Didn't those two announce their self-proclaimed emperorship a few years ago? Now they think their legitimacy is questionable?"
Wei Sinong and Wu Shifang both froze at the same time.
Emperor Renxiao snorted coldly: "I spared them from punishment out of consideration for our brotherhood. Do they think I am really weak and easily bullied?"
"Their actions are simply those of traitors and rebels!"
Wei Sinong and Wu Shifang instinctively knelt down on the ground.
"Your Majesty, please calm your anger."
Shen Lanxi: "If there are no omissions in the records, all of you were granted official positions during His Majesty's reign. You are fortunate to have been assigned official positions because of the current Emperor's imperial grace."
"Have you all forgotten who gave you the opportunity to become officials?"
Wei Sinong and Wu Shifang remained silent. They had indeed gone to the capital to take the imperial examination, and it was indeed the imperial edict issued by Emperor Renxiao at that time.
However, without the prince, they would never be where they are today. The best outcome would probably be sitting in a lowly seventh-rank official position until their death.
"Your Majesty, we are here to convey the message of the two princes. Great Zhou is currently beset by external troubles, and we have come only to share Your Majesty's burdens."
Shen Lanxi: "How dare you! Your so-called sharing of burdens is nothing but a threat?"
"If you truly wish to share the burden, you should bow down to His Majesty, plead guilty with a bundle of thorns on your back, and then commit suicide before His Majesty!"
Emperor Renxiao's anger subsided somewhat when he saw how much Shen Lanxi defended him.
"You two go back and rest first. I'll think carefully about how to reply to you two brothers. As for your suggestion of dividing the land, that's absolutely impossible."
Shen Lanxi: "His Majesty has not punished you, so why don't you kneel down and thank His Majesty for his great kindness?"
Emperor Renxiao smiled, ignoring Shen Lanxi's angry accusations against the two.
After Wei Sinong and Wu Shifang left, Emperor Renxiao met with Shen Lanxi alone.
"Those two will probably not give up their evil intentions."
Shen Lanxi: "I will immediately go and discuss with the Prince of Zhennan how to protect the envoys and officials entering the capital."
Emperor Renxiao had reservations, after all, the Great Zhou Dynasty was indeed fraught with crises even under its peaceful and prosperous reign.
"If you catch them, don't make a fuss."
Shen Lanxi: "I will definitely resolve this secretly."
Afterwards, she discussed with Zhou Ruyuan that she would guard the daytime and Zhou Ruyuan would guard the nighttime.
Unexpectedly, tragedy struck that very night: Yue Chuhe, the third prince of the Yue Kingdom, died suddenly at the post station.
Two of the Yue Kingdom's envoys also died.
Shen Lanxi was woken up as soon as she lay down.
"My lord, something has happened at the post station! Yue Chuhe is dead!"
While cursing Zhou Ruyuan for being incompetent, Shen Lanxi hurried towards the post station.
By this time, the area around the post station was heavily guarded, with people even standing on the rooftops.
"How did he die?" Shen Lanxi strode into the post station.
The Yue Kingdom envoy was already like a frightened bird; upon seeing her arrive, he immediately clamored to enter the palace to see Emperor Renxiao.
Zhou Ruyuan's face was dark, and he looked extremely gloomy.
Even though he had arranged the post station to be as secure as an ironclad fortress, why did something still happen?
Whose fault is it?
He made special arrangements for the Yue Kingdom, providing them with twice the guards of other envoys. These were all his personal soldiers.
Could it be that his personal guards had a problem?
Zhou Ruyuan: "The coroner is investigating the cause of death. Is the coroner who was with you that day here? Let him examine the body as well!"
He mistook Ban Sicao for the coroner working for Shen Lanxi.
As luck would have it, Shen Lanxi brought Ban Sicao with her.
The coroner examined the body repeatedly, but could only conclude that the death was sudden.
"Reporting to Your Excellency, the cause of death of the Yue Kingdom envoys is the same: there are no external injuries or signs of poisoning. I believe it should be..."
Shen Lanxi: "What is it?"
The coroner himself was also feeling guilty, and said weakly, "It's probably an acute heart condition or something like that."
The Yue Kingdom official immediately retorted angrily: "Our prince and several officials are all in good health, without even any hidden illnesses. Moreover, even if they did have some, it's impossible for them to all fall ill at the same time. They were definitely murdered."
"We must return to the Moon Kingdom immediately. The Great Zhou is too dangerous. If we continue to stay in the Great Zhou, we will all die!"
None of the officials from the Great Zhou Dynasty present looked pleased.
If we send the Yue Kingdom envoy back now, we won't be able to explain ourselves, and it might even trigger a war.
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