Chapter 96
A dramatic ethical drama is currently unfolding in Qixiang Palace.
Master Shen, bareheaded, dressed in white, and barefoot, knelt on the ground, presented a memorial to the throne, and cried out, "Your Majesty, my crime is as heavy as the mountains; I beg Your Majesty to grant me death."
The emperor, noticing the immediate threat of death, became wary and frowned, asking, "Have you gotten yourself into trouble?"
Master Shen immediately prostrated himself on the ground and kowtowed, crying loudly, "I have no face to speak, I only beg for death."
At this moment, the emperor was unaware of the impending storm. When he opened the memorial and read its contents, his face immediately changed drastically, his eyes widening in disbelief. "This...this is utterly absurd! How could you..."
The emperor was incoherent, and before he could finish speaking, he threw the memorial at Master Shen and roared, "Everyone get out!"
Palace maids and eunuchs filed out.
With no one else in the room, the emperor angrily rose, went to Master Shen, pointed at him, and asked in a heavy breath, "What happened?"
The anger burning above his head reached the ground, and Master Shen couldn't help but look up, wiping away his tears as he said, "Just as the memorial states, I unknowingly betrothed my own daughter to my own son. I have no face to live on in this world. Your Majesty, you must grant me death."
The emperor's eyelids twitched incessantly, and his expression was quite interesting.
As the emperor, he valued propriety above all else; propriety was considered paramount. Even imperial edicts had to yield to the principles of heaven and human ethics.
Therefore, when the emperor saw his daughter marry his son—an incestuous affair—he stared blankly at the wailing and crying Master Shen, unable to utter a single word.
If Master Shen was the culprit, then the Emperor was an accomplice; he truly hated him to death.
After a long pause, the emperor asked helplessly, "You keep saying that Xu Xuan is your biological son, have you confirmed it?"
Master Shen sniffed and nodded, saying, "Of course it has been confirmed. Otherwise, why would I risk the world's condemnation to do this? Do I want to live too long? I know I have made a grave mistake, but it is never too late to mend the fence after the sheep are lost."
The emperor asked, "What do you intend to do?"
Master Shen's eyes lit up, and he kowtowed three times as if inserting a candle, loudly proclaiming, "Your Majesty, please grant the two of you a divorce."
The emperor frowned but remained silent.
Master Shen then began to weep again, drawing out his words, "Furthermore, I have committed a grave error; I beg Your Majesty to grant me death, sob sob sob~"
There was no sound coming from above for a long time. Just as Mr. Shen was about to look up, he suddenly heard a heavy sigh.
The emperor lamented, "What a terrible sin! Governor Shen, you have corrupted the moral order and deceived me. You truly deserve to die."
The emperor turned around, his magnificent robes swaying violently as he walked.
Mr. Shen felt a chill in his heart, his body trembled involuntarily, and he dared not speak again.
The room was unusually quiet.
After a long silence, the emperor, hands on his hips, said, "If this matter were to become public, both you and I would be criticized and become a laughingstock. Therefore, it is not advisable to deal with it publicly. You—"
Master Shen immediately looked up, staring at the emperor, awaiting the monarch's judgment.
"Get the two of them divorced as soon as possible, citing childlessness and jealousy as reasons. Afterwards, they should each marry someone else and have no further contact with each other."
Master Shen was overjoyed. Before he could even kowtow to accept the decree, he heard him say, "Even if Xu Xuan is your own son, you cannot publicly acknowledge him. You must keep this matter to yourself."
The emperor's excessive thoughtfulness almost moved Master Shen to tears. He hurriedly crawled to the emperor's feet, tugging at his robes and shouting, "Long live the emperor!"
The emperor, feeling a headache coming on, kicked his hand away and roared, "Get out of here right now and have the two of them sign the divorce papers. If you can't do it right, don't wait for me to punish you; you can commit suicide to apologize to the world."
So, Mr. Shen cried and laughed, and tumbled and crawled out.
As I was leaving, having just put on my shoes and socks and straightened my clothes, I saw Wei Luo rushing over.
Master Shen bowed deeply, "Your Highness."
The two then found a secluded corner to talk.
Wei Luo gritted his teeth and asked, "What exactly did you do when you met His Majesty?"
Master Shen raised an eyebrow, his face beaming with joy, and said with a smile, "Your Highness, I congratulate you. Your wish has come true, and His Majesty has just granted your divorce."
Wei Luo's expression changed drastically, and he said in disbelief, "You, you actually deceived the emperor—"
Master Shen's expression changed slightly, and he frowned, saying, "Why does Your Highness say such things? I have done all this for Your Highness. Your Highness is enjoying the warmth of your bedchamber, and I hope to hold my grandson soon."
"Shen Guoan, how dare you!" Wei Luo was furious. "You are blinded by greed, why are you dragging me into this? Do you know that because of your own actions, Shen Yao almost died at Xu Xuan's hands?"
He glared at him, and for a moment he felt like he could skin him alive.
Master Shen snorted coldly, unconcerned. "I know Xu Xuan. He wouldn't really kill anyone. Last night, he acted impulsively and did something outrageous, and His Highness just happened to catch him red-handed."
Wei Luo almost laughed in anger, "You're saying I wronged him?"
"Your subject dares not."
Wei Luo's eyes turned cold, and she rubbed her temples, not wanting to argue with him.
The king has been deceived, and a grave mistake has been made.
Right now, the two of them are in the same boat; if the rope breaks, they will both die without a burial place.
He took a deep breath and said, "Since Governor Shen wants a divorce, then let's do it as soon as possible."
After saying that, he turned and left without pausing for even a moment.
As Master Shen watched his retreating figure, his eyes instantly turned cold. He gritted his teeth and headed towards the prison.
After taking the writing brush and ink and giving the jailer a few taels of silver, they arrived at the cell where Xu Xuan was imprisoned.
Inside, Xu Xuan sat on the floor, leaning against the wall with a blank stare, like a stone statue. Seeing his dejected appearance, Master Shen, as his once beloved son-in-law, couldn't help but feel a pang of sorrow.
It's regrettable, but when it comes to family interests, how much is kinship worth?
He coughed, and Xu Xuan looked up, a smirk playing on his lips, and said, "Father-in-law has arrived. Please forgive me for not being able to perform the proper greetings."
Master Shen's expression changed, and he hurriedly rebuked, "What nonsense are you talking about? Shen Yao is your sister, how could I be a son-in-law?"
Xu Xuan snorted coldly and remained silent.
Master Shen sighed, placed the pen and paper on the table, and said, "Write it down. Write down the divorce papers, and you can leave here and continue working as the head of the Ministry of Justice."
Xu Xuan didn't even look at it. Instead, he lowered his head to tidy his clothes. His white undershirt was covered in dust and dirt, so he kept rubbing it with his hands, as if simply rubbing could make the clothes clean.
Impatient, Mr. Shen urged, "Did you hear what I said?"
Xu Xuan didn't even look up, only gave a slight sneer, and said, "What nonsense are you talking about, father-in-law? Ayao and I have a very deep affection for each other, how could we possibly get a divorce? Besides—"
He suddenly raised his face, his eyes burning with intensity, "Our marriage was bestowed by His Majesty. Without the Emperor's permission, who dares to separate us?"
Master Shen was taken aback, then quickly smiled and said, "I was just about to tell you that I had already asked His Majesty for permission, and His Majesty granted it."
Xu Xuan was shocked, his face turning ashen instantly. He frowned and muttered, "Impossible, this is impossible, you wouldn't be..."
“Yes,” Master Shen smiled, his face crinkling with wrinkles. “I told His Majesty that you two are siblings, and with your mother Liu’s signature and seal, the truth is out. Child, from now on I am your father.”
"Shut up—"
"Either erupt in silence or perish in silence," Xu Xuan, who had been suppressing his anger for a long time, finally erupted in fury.
He jumped up, grabbed Mr. Shen by the collar, and punched him in the face.
It directly knocked the corner of someone's mouth crooked.
Master Shen was shocked and hurriedly dodged to the side, but Xu Xuan was strong and powerful, and he couldn't dodge it. In the struggle, he was slapped again on the face, which turned red and purple.
Xu Xuan pinned the man to the ground, pressed his fist against his neck, and demanded, "Tell me, who ordered this?"
Master Shen was so dizzy from the beating that, facing Xu Xuan's frenzied and unpredictable behavior, he trembled like a leaf and kept begging for mercy.
Perhaps the commotion was too loud, for the constables came running at the sound. They saw the two men wrestling and rushed over to break them up, thus rescuing Master Shen from the clutches of evil.
After this ordeal, Master Shen was terrified. Amidst Xu Xuan's contemptuous laughter, he covered his face and spat as he left.
*
In the Shen family compound in Nancheng, Shen Yao woke up and was taking a stroll in the courtyard when she suddenly heard the sound of horses' hooves outside the door. Thinking it was Wei Luo coming, she quickly smoothed her hair and ran out.
Upon exiting the hanging flower gate, instead of Wei Luo, what he saw was his father's colorful face. Just as he was secretly surprised, Master Shen burst into a tirade against Xu Xuan, cheerfully cursing his ancestors for eighteen generations.
Shen Yao watched from the side without saying a word, lest she get caught in the crossfire. After Old Master Shen had been cursing for almost half an hour and his anger had subsided, she crossed her arms and laughed, "Father, you're confused. Isn't Xu Xuan your own son? So you've been cursing yourself all this time."
Immediately, Master Shen flew into a rage, pointing at Shen Yao and shouting, "What nonsense are you spouting, girl? Are you trying to make fun of your old man? Everything I've done is for you, to cover up your and the Crown Prince's shame. You're infuriating me!"
Shen Yao raised an eyebrow and couldn't help but laugh, "Father is good at making excuses for himself. It's clearly you who is currying favor with the powerful and wealthy, but you're the one who's blaming others."
Master Shen sneered, "Me, curry favor with the powerful? That's laughable. I'm already a member of the royal family, who else would I need to curry favor with? It's you who's grown up and become powerful, actually colluding with the Crown Prince right under my nose, you're really something."
Provoked by Master Shen, Shen Yao's temper flared up. "What happens between me and His Highness is my business. Why do you need to make such a fuss? Thanks to you, I've not only offended Xu Xuan, but His Highness is also having a hard time."
Master Shen's good intentions were misunderstood by Shen Yao, which made his head ache even more. He said angrily, "What do you know? You think that having an ambiguous relationship with His Highness in private will last? Let me tell you, dream on."
"His Highness is only nice to you now because he has no other women. Once the selection of a consort is scheduled for the end of the month, he will have a legitimate Crown Princess. You will be nothing but a rag, and he will not even look at you again."
Shen Yao's face suddenly turned deathly pale, and she protested, "No, Your Highness is not that kind of person—"
Master Shen scoffed, “Daughter, men understand men best. They only see the new bride laughing, but never hear the old one crying. Ask yourself honestly, are you a talented woman who is proficient in all the arts, or a kind and gentle confidante? You are nothing.”
Master Shen precisely struck at her Achilles' heel, saying, "He likes you and dotes on you now simply because you're beautiful. Once your youth fades, the only things that will guarantee your wealth and status are your offspring and your family—"
"Who said that? That makes no sense."
Before you see him, you hear his voice.
Both of them turned their heads and saw Wei Luo walking gracefully towards them in the spring breeze.
Shen Yao's face lit up with joy, and she quickly lifted her skirt to go forward and greet him.
"Your Highness, you've arrived."
"Um."
He smiled, a gentle and bright one. "Are you feeling better? Is there anything else that's bothering you?"
Shen Yao shook her head and said, "I'm much better, but my voice is a little hoarse. It's okay, I'll be fine after a few days of rest."
As the two were talking, Master Shen interjected, "What brings Your Highness here?"
Wei Luo then looked at him, and his face immediately lit up with joy. He looked him over and exclaimed, "Where did Commander Shen fall so hard? His face is all swollen."
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