Chapter 111: Meeting Merlin
Shen Jiasui hid in the darkness. She was aware of Lu Yunzheng's martial arts and was hesitating whether to go closer when she heard faint voices coming from the front.
But after a moment, footsteps were heard returning.
Shen Jiasui immediately held his breath and stood still, then he saw Lu Yunzheng coming back not far away and walking out.
The light was dim, and although she couldn't see Lu Yunzheng's expression, she could tell from his footsteps that his mood had changed.
If his steps were hurried and flustered when he entered the wintersweet forest just now, he seemed more relaxed and calm at this moment.
Thinking of this, Shen Jiasui suddenly raised his eyes and guessed that Lu Yunzheng might have met someone.
This person is most likely...
When the sound of Lu Yunzheng's footsteps faded away completely, Shen Jiasui could no longer hold back and walked inside.
Soon, a ball of warm orange light appeared in the field of vision. Shen Jiasui looked closely and found that there was someone holding a palace lantern in the plum forest.
Looking upwards, the dim light illuminates two faces.
After just one glance, Shen Jiasui's eyes widened and his heart trembled!
Yes...it's Prince Xiang and Princess Xiang!
At this time, Princess Xiang had a worried look on her face, raised her head slightly, and seemed to be whispering something to Prince Xiang.
King Xiang's face did not look good. He stood there in a daze for a long time. Suddenly his expression changed abruptly and he said something in a deep voice.
Although Shen Jiasui had never learned lip reading, he could vaguely recognize some words at this moment.
The King of Xiang seemed to be saying something like "An eye for an eye... a scapegoat..."
Princess Xiang's face turned bitter when she heard this. Perhaps because she was agitated, her voice became louder, and finally Shen Jiasui could hear it clearly.
"Your Highness, you...what are you doing? I am very satisfied with my life now. We don't get involved in anything, we don't fight over anything, and we can just live a good life with Ling'er, isn't that good?"
At the end of the words, there was a tremor in the voice and a pleading tone.
King Xiang lowered his head and carefully traced his wife's face, with a hint of bitterness and helplessness between his brows.
"Ayin, it's too late..."
Princess Xiang shuddered all over when she heard this. Her worries all these days finally came true. She felt pain and hatred in her heart, and tears kept rolling down her cheeks.
Prince Xiang lowered his head and gently wiped away the tears of his wife with his fingertips. His movements were so gentle and careful.
Then, he embraced the princess in his arms and whispered, "Ayin, the phrase 'not to fight'... is so extravagant..."
The winter snow is getting heavier.
Snowflakes passed through the warm glow of the palace lanterns and landed on the two figures leaning against each other.
Such a beautiful scene made Shen Jiasui feel cold from head to toe. He did not move even a bit until Prince Xiang and Princess Xiang left.
There is no doubt that Lu Yunzheng met King Xiang.
Is the person behind the scenes King Xiang? The one who harmed her entire Shen family was Prince Xiang?
It's not that she hadn't thought about it, but the flower-viewing banquet at Prince Rong's mansion that day might have been an act planned by Prince Xiang Zhao Huaixiang on his own, one to get rid of the Crown Princess, and the other to put the blame on Prince Rui Zhao Huailang.
But it was still easy to manage the layout within one mansion, but the case of her Shen family's treason involved the struggle between two countries, and concerned so many of her father's old subordinates, and was even closely related to the outcome of the great war two years later!
Could it be possible for Zhao Huaixiang, a prince with no power, no influence and no outside support, to cover up the world and stir up trouble to such an extent?
Then why did he frame the entire Shen family?
Prince Rui Zhao Huailang had the support of the Cui family. After the death of Crown Prince Xianhuai, he took on the title of "Chief". Even though he was so powerful, could he have been easily outmaneuvered by Zhao Huaixiang?
What about His Majesty?
In the previous life, the decree to execute the entire Shen family was issued by the emperor himself. In the previous life, at the gate of the Dali Temple, Lord Jiang also said that the evidence in this case was conclusive.
What kind of evidence is it that leaves Dad speechless?
Shen Jiasui originally thought that if he could find the person behind Lu Yunzheng, all the mysteries could be solved.
But now she discovered that things were far from as simple as she had imagined. If the person behind Lu Yunzheng was Zhao Huaixiang, she would be even more confused.
......
I don’t know how much time had passed, but Shen Jiasui moved his numb feet, brushed off the snow on his head and shoulders, turned around and walked out.
She couldn't be discouraged.
It's time to meet Cui Mingjue.
This newcomer who is about to enter the court will soon become King Rui's right-hand man and a rising star in the court.
He is decisive, eloquent, and unafraid of the powerful.
Because he himself is a powerful person.
In just one or two years, he will become another capable minister in the court, competing with Jiang Xun, who is the most favored by the emperor.
Shen Jiasui thought that meeting him might be "greatly beneficial".
.......
At the entrance of the wintersweet forest, Cui Mingjue had been waiting for a long time.
The dinner was almost over. Except for the wives of ministers who were still attending social events, young men and women had already come in groups to appreciate the plum blossoms.
Cui Mingjue's standing attracted many people's attention, and the teenagers who usually played with him came to pull him.
But Cui Mingjue's expression today was extremely serious, so that no one dared to make fun of him.
Cui Mingjue is different from them...after all.
Shen Jiasui walked all the way out, originally planning to go to Baohua Palace to invite Cui Mingjue, but he didn't expect to see him at a glance when he came out of the plum forest.
Shen Jiasui paused and was about to nod from a distance, but Cui Mingjue had already noticed her.
Under the blooming wintersweets, Shen Jiasui's eyes were as bright as ever, and he looked into his heart at a glance.
All the anxiety and uneasiness from the long wait disappeared completely at this moment. He was overjoyed and took the lead to walk into the wintersweet forest.
Seeing this, Shen Jiasui followed without making a sound.
Cui Mingjue seemed to have a destination in mind. He headed north. The further he went, the fewer people there were around him. Soon even the colorful lights became sparse.
It was not until Cui Mingjue stopped on his own initiative that Shen Jiasui appeared, but he always kept a sufficient distance from Cui Mingjue.
"Mr. Cui."
"Ms. Shen."
The two of them saluted across the flowers and trees.
Shen Jiasui wanted to get straight to the point, but Cui Mingjue spoke first: "If Miss Shen trusts me, can you go a little further inside? There is a good place that Miss Shen may be interested in."
Shen Jiasui raised his eyebrows when he heard this, and listened attentively to the movements around him to confirm that no one was following him. After thinking for a moment, he nodded.
"Mr. Cui, please——"
When Cui Mingjue saw that Shen Jiasui had agreed, the corners of his mouth slowly lifted up, a smile that came from the bottom of his heart.
He led the way silently, listening to the sound of footsteps on the snow not far behind him. In this quiet plum forest, he felt an unprecedented peace in his heart, and even a strong sense of attachment.
If he could really marry Miss Shen in the future, he would be able to hold his son's hand, hold a lamp for him, take a break from his busy schedule, and enjoy the beautiful scenery together.
Unlike Cui Mingjue's affectionate heart, Shen Jiasui always remained highly vigilant and even repeatedly thought about how to deal with Cui Mingjue in his mind.
Until this moment, she had not noticed Cui Mingjue's feelings at all.
After all, in her opinion, the only interactions between the two of them were the incident at the Imperial College and a few polite meetings, and they could not even be considered friends.
at the same time--
In the wintersweet forest, a person was sneaking anxiously in the darkness.
Judging from the direction he was heading, it seemed that he was going to the same place as Shen Jiasui and Cui Mingjue.
His face was flushed and his breathing was heavy and disordered. The faint fragrance of wintersweet wafted into his nostrils from time to time, but it could not calm the heat in his body.
There seemed to be the sound of footsteps pursuing me from behind, making a crunching sound in the snow.
He looked back, and his handsome face was revealed under the reflection of the white snow.
It’s Jiang Xun.
I don't know why he ended up in this situation.
But if you look closely, you will see that under his furrowed brows, although his eyes are confused, there is no trace of panic.
He suddenly withdrew his gaze and quickened his pace, not even noticing the scratch on his forehead by a wintersweet branch.
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