Chapter 671 The Southern Tour Begins!
No one would have thought that Liu would suddenly die of illness. Even Shen Lanxi was stunned for a moment after hearing the news.
"Isn't she suffering from a cold?"
“Go check!”
"…Forget it, I am meddling again."
No matter what caused Liu's death, she should be posthumously honored.
The eunuch with white face was still the one who delivered the imperial eunuch. When he went to the Shen family, the Shen family had already been destroyed.
Everyone came out and knelt to receive the imperial edict.
"In compliance with the will of Heaven... posthumously confer the title of First Rank Lady on Liu, and allow her to be buried with the ceremony of a princess. She is also granted a pair of night-shining pearls, a set of jade seals, and a set of princess uniforms..."
The rewards were all luxurious burial objects that symbolized status. Eight boxes were used alone, and it took two horse-drawn carriages to deliver them all.
The Shen family thanked and accepted the order.
Shen Conglian seemed to have suffered a great blow and did not show up until the end of Liu's funeral. The entire funeral was organized by Shen Yuanxu and Hu Jinyu, the two eldest sons and their wives.
Just as the funeral was over, Hu Jinyu fell ill.
Shen Chengfeng, who was released from house arrest because of the funeral, braved the cold wind and went to the palace to invite the imperial physician.
Unfortunately, the filial piety did not keep Hu Jinyu alive for long. Just as Shen Lanxi went on a southern tour, Hu Jinyu died of illness.
Because of Hu Jinyu's physical condition, Shen Lanxi specifically called Shen Yuanxu into the palace.
"Originally I wanted to bring you with me on this southern tour, but Hu Jinyu's health is not optimistic right now. I can't bear to take away your last moments together as husband and wife. You should stay in the capital!"
It was said that Shen Yuanxu and his wife were deeply in love. Even though His Majesty abolished the rule that the Shen family could not take concubines, Shen Yuanxu still stayed with Hu Jinyu, whose appearance had faded and her figure had changed.
Many famous ladies in the capital envied the couple for being together for the rest of their lives.
Shen Yuanxu: "Even if Your Majesty doesn't want me, I still want to find Your Majesty. Mrs. Hu followed me all the way from the border to the capital and gave birth to my children. I can't bear to let her down."
Shen Lanxi: "Go ahead. I'll grant you leave. You don't have to see me off on the day I leave for my southern tour."
Shen Yuanxu left in a lonely mood.
Shen Lanxi looked at his back, trying to find the young man who was exiled to Dongchuan in this back, but she could not remember what he looked like at that time.
"Tell me, if I had not accompanied them in exile to Dongchuan, what would they be like now?"
A few short words were handed to him.
"They're already dead!"
Shen Lanxi looked at the words above and laughed.
"I let them live many more years, and they benefited."
In exchange, they let her see the ending. What a good deal!
Five days after his southern tour, he received a letter via carrier pigeon from the capital, informing him of Hu Jinyu's death.
The white-faced eunuch just recited a sentence casually as if he was reporting his daily routine, and then continued to report other things.
Shen Yuanxu was brought along on the southern tour, and Shen Yuanhao also stayed in the capital.
Shen Yuanhao was originally included in the plan, but unfortunately, his future was ultimately ruined by what happened in the room.
Shen Yuanjing thought of temporarily replacing Shen Yuanhao when setting off. In order to prevent His Majesty from thinking that he was cold-blooded towards his brothers, he came specially to plead for Shen Yuanhao.
"Your Majesty, I think that woman is not a good person. She must have deceived Yuan Hao. You know Yuan Hao's character. He has always been loyal and honest."
Shen Lanxi: "You don't have to plead for him. You reap what you sow. When he chose to take that woman under his wing, he should have thought that he would be burdened by her."
The woman named Lian'er was very bold. She took advantage of Liu's death and Hu Jinyu's serious illness and knelt in front of the Shen family's door with her child.
"That woman looked weak, but from the moment she knelt at the door of the Shen family, we could see her ambition and plot." Shen Lanxi didn't want to blame anyone for this matter, she just stated the facts.
Shen Yuanjing thought she was furious, so he immediately knelt on the ground and begged for mercy from Shen Yuanhao.
"Your Majesty, please forgive Yuan Hao this time!"
Shen Lanxi looked at him silently for a few times: "Get up, Shen Yuanhao is Shen Yuanhao, you are you, you don't need to kneel to me just to plead for others!"
"You are my brother from the same mother. My feelings towards you are different from those towards others. You must know this."
Shen Yuanjing's eyes lit up and he stood up obediently to listen to the reprimand.
"Fortunately, he did not cause such a scandal on the day of my southern tour. Even if I pursue him, it is his family affair. Moreover, it was I who gave the order to keep him in the capital. If I had not given the order, he would definitely have followed me on the southern tour."
Shen Yuanjing has now completely joined the same camp with His Majesty.
"Shen Yuanhao allowed the people in his room to cause such a scandal, which not only affected the reputation of the Shen family, but also the reputation of Your Majesty."
Shen Lanxi saw his expression and said calmly, "He who commits evil will suffer the consequences. I gave him two years to bury his wife. If I pursue him carefully, he will have committed the crime of disobeying my order."
Shen Yuanjing's heart skipped a beat.
"Such a man is not worthy of important positions. When I return from my southern tour, I will have him supervise the construction of the canal on the Han River!"
Shen Yuanjing's eyes flashed, and he said, "Given Yuanhao's personality, Your Majesty sent him to the Han River to protect him. This will prevent him from being confused again and being plotted against."
Shen Lanxi nodded slightly and asked Shen Yuanjing to leave.
On the tenth day of the southern tour, the Beijing Express printed the news of His Majesty's southern tour, and at the same time published that if there was any grievance, one could go to His Majesty to petition.
As soon as this news came out, some people hiding in the dark were instantly shocked.
Just two days after the express was issued, people began to beat gongs on the river bank to protest their grievances.
Shen Lanxi immediately ordered someone to bring the person who struck the gong aboard for questioning.
"I am a villager from Yingkou Town. My daughter is beautiful and was favored by a bully in the town. The bully is the brother-in-law of the town's yamen lawyer. I went to the yamen to file a complaint, but the people there said I was crazy. They not only locked me up, but also occupied my land. I had no way to file a complaint, so I could only pretend to be crazy. The jailers saw that I was crazy and took me to repair the river embankment. I jumped into the river and ran away when they were not paying attention."
"Your Majesty, please help me and my daughter!"
Shen Lanxi had a cold face and immediately gave the order.
"Go and find out the truth quickly. If there is any injustice, there is no need to report it to me. I will deal with it directly."
The people from the Ministry of Justice received the order and went off the boat to do the job.
"I have only issued the notice for a few days and already someone has come to complain. How many people are there who didn't know I was on a southern tour and are trapped and have no way to seek justice from me?"
Liu Yan replied: "Your Majesty, even in a bright and clear world, there are shadows behind high walls. Your Majesty has already accomplished what all the predecessors combined could not do, so there is no need to blame yourself for it."
Shen Lanxi: "I am not blaming myself, but I feel that my previous cleansing was not thorough enough."
"You must remember what you have seen and heard along the way, and after returning to the capital, draw up a specific set of rules for me."
The officials who followed immediately received the order.
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