Chapter 669: Imprisonment (2)
If it were just that, it would be fine, but it was because of Chang Zaiqing that he divorced Chen Ruoqiu, and even made an enemy of the Chen family. Now that word got out, people would only say he mistook a fish eye for a pearl. Shen Wan was already feeling a faint sense of regret. Chang Zaiqing was pregnant with his child, but he also feared that because of her, his career would be ruined. Between love and power, he still prioritized power. Moreover, the thought that the woman sleeping next to him was someone else's wife was something Shen Wan could never let go of.
He pondered for a moment, his eyes deep in thought. Just as he was about to give his orders, he saw one of his attendants rushing in, shouting, "Master, something's happened! This is bad!"
Shen Wan frowned and said angrily: "How can you be so flustered!"
The attendant handed Shen Wan a letter tremblingly, and for some reason, his eyes were a little evasive.
Shen Wan looked at the long-servant suspiciously. This long-servant was the person who followed him and usually accompanied him to pass messages with his colleagues.
After reading two lines, Shen Wan's face suddenly turned extremely pale. If you look carefully, you can seem to detect a bit of fear.
…
In the imperial study, Emperor Wenhui was furious.
Throwing the memorial in his hand to the ground, Emperor Wenhui sneered. The eunuchs around him dared not utter a word. The emperor's wrath could lead to the deaths of millions, and especially now, no one dared to offend Emperor Wenhui.
The memorial listed all the things Shen Wan had done from a few years ago to the present, seemingly innocuous. However, Emperor Wenhui had also experienced the bloody struggles between brothers for power. The memorial was written very cleverly, but every line described the unusual relationship between Shen Wan and Prince Ding Fu Xiuyi.
Of Emperor Wenhui's nine sons, the Crown Prince and Prince Ding were the ones he felt most confident in. The Crown Prince, after all, was of legitimate birth and somewhat frail, so Emperor Wenhui instinctively took it easy on him. Prince Ding, while talented, remained indifferent to state affairs, and Concubine Dong Shu was also noncompetitive, which made Emperor Wenhui feel extremely comfortable. Emperor Wenhui observed the open and covert infighting among the princes, but he did not intervene. As long as the fighting was not excessive, he welcomed this kind of checks and balances. Once one acquires power, they are reluctant to let it go. As his sons grew up and reached their prime, Emperor Wenhui grew wary.
What he hated most was the closeness between the princes and the ministers. While this was unavoidable, as his nine sons each had their own group of supporters, when this son became the usually noncompetitive Prince Ding, Emperor Wenhui still found it difficult to accept. Instead, his anger intensified.
Fu Xiuyi's previous behavior of being free and unconcerned with worldly affairs now became just one word in the eyes of Emperor Wenhui: pretending!
"Killing a chicken to scare the monkeys," Emperor Wenhui said with a gloomy expression, "Everyone thinks I'm easy to fool. If that's the case, I'll grant their wish!"
…
The affairs of the imperial court were always subject to sudden changes. It was not uncommon for someone to ascend to the throne one day and become a peasant the next. If someone committed a crime, becoming a peasant was considered lucky, but the majority ended up in jail, with their entire clan implicated.
Shen Wan is this person.
Following the recent clash between the Shen and Chen families, everyone thought things were gradually calming down. Suddenly, a group of officials arrived at the Shen residence to arrest someone. Curious citizens inquired and learned that Shen Wan had been performing his duties poorly, bringing disaster upon the entire Shen family. The specific crime was unclear, and the common people were easily persuaded, believing the allegation of incompetence. However, some insightful individuals saw something unusual about this matter. After all, if the job had truly been incomplete, why would the entire Shen family be shut down? This was clearly a serious crime warranting the execution of the entire family.
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