"Master, are you... really alright?" Xinghui asked cautiously, her voice full of concern.
Her master appears cold and aloof on the surface, but deep down he harbors a heart devoted to the country and its people.
Otherwise, why would they have spent so many days and nights planning and arranging to rescue more people from their suffering?
Xinghui saw this sense of responsibility and courage, and felt deeply for it.
As Shen Jintang directed the servants to carry away Grand Tutor Shen's body, he whispered to Xing Hui, "What? Do you think I'll feel guilty? Or regretful?"
Her voice was low, but it carried a hint of coldness, like the biting winter wind, sharp and piercing.
Xinghui looked up at Shen Jintang and saw that her eyes were full of determination, without the slightest wavering.
Although Grand Tutor Shen was indeed guilty of grave sins and deserved to die, this manner of death would ultimately bring a lot of trouble to his master.
How would outsiders slander their master?
How should the master deal with those unfounded criticisms?
Just like Shen Huaixu's vicious words, the master could only swallow his anger, but the truth was clearly not like that.
Shen Jintang lowered her eyes to look at Xing Hui, a slight smile curving her lips, her eyes full of nonchalance, as if she could see through Xing Hui's thoughts: "If he doesn't die, am I the one who dies?"
She spoke softly, but her tone was firm and unwavering: "Since you're already dead, don't think about it anymore."
After saying that, she gently patted Xinghui's shoulder and reassured him, "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."
Afterwards, Shen Jintang returned to the palace and ordered people to properly arrange the body of Grand Tutor Shen.
She stood in the hall, her brows slightly furrowed, her eyes cold as frost, shutting out all the disturbances, as if she were thinking about something.
After everything was arranged, she walked with steady steps to the princess's palace to report back.
The eldest princess was already waiting in the hall. When she saw Shen Jintang enter, she looked at her with a deep gaze and a half-smile.
The flickering candlelight inside the hall cast intermittent light on the princess's face, adding to her air of mystery.
"Jin Tang, you handled today's matter beautifully, without leaving a trace."
The eldest princess spoke slowly, her tone tinged with a hint of probing, her fingers lightly tapping the armrest, producing a crisp sound.
Shen Jintang bowed respectfully, his expression unchanged, and his tone steady: "I am merely acting in accordance with the rules and dare not overstep the bounds in the slightest."
She lowered her head slightly, but her eyes remained firm.
The princess chuckled softly, picked up her teacup, and took a small sip. The aroma of the tea filled the air, but it couldn't conceal the sharpness in her eyes.
"Is that so? But I have a feeling that what you did today seems like you were setting a trap for the Crown Prince."
Shen Jintang raised her eyes and met the Princess's gaze for a moment, her eyes as cold as a star.
She lowered her head slightly, her tone remaining calm: "Your Highness is wise; I would never dare to harbor such thoughts."
The princess loosened her grip slightly, and the white porcelain teacup in her hand gently fell onto the ebony table, making a crisp sound that broke the surrounding silence.
She slowly raised her head, her gaze suddenly sharp as a cold star, shooting straight at Shen Jintang.
She leaned forward slightly, her tone laced with a chilling sarcasm: "Dare not? I see you're quite bold!"
"The refugee issue cannot be suppressed. The more we suppress it now, the greater the backlash will be later." The princess's voice carried a hint of coldness, and her eyes revealed a trace of worry. "At that time, the crown prince, who is in charge of this matter, will be hard to escape blame."
She paused slightly, her gaze fixed on Shen Jintang, as if trying to find a flaw in her eyes: "Do you dare say that you didn't say a word today and let the Minister of Revenue push the Crown Prince up? Didn't you have other intentions?"
Her voice carried a questioning tone, and her fingers tapped lightly on the armrest, producing a crisp and rhythmic sound.
"Or rather, why did you propose a covert investigation? Did you anticipate the Ministry of Revenue's plans? Did you foresee the Crown Prince's desire to participate in politics?"
The princess's voice carried a hint of sarcasm, clearly enjoying this psychological game.
Shen Jintang remained silent, her expression indifferent, and did not respond.
The eldest princess was quite interested in this and asked in a different way: "If the crown prince investigates this matter, he will inevitably suppress it. If he does, countless people will die. I'd like to know if you can be so ruthless as to bear the guilt of so many lives in order to achieve your goal?"
Shen Jintang finally raised his head slightly, his eyes filled with a hint of coldness: "Your Highness, there's no need to test me like this. I am also a person. You know the relationship between me and Grand Tutor Shen. It's either him or me. I just can't stand that someone like him can still enjoy a good reputation after death."
Her voice was calm and firm, as if she were stating a very simple fact.
"As for the common people, does Your Highness not know? Minister Li Lang of the Ministry of Revenue and Minister Wang Jian have long been at odds, and being an upright man, he claimed illness and returned home as soon as he heard the rumors."
As for where he went after returning home, that's hard to say.
Shen Jintang looked at the eldest princess with clear eyes, as if she wasn't the one behind all of this.
Hearing this, what else did the eldest princess not understand?
"Going to such lengths, going through such a roundabout way, and even dragging the Crown Prince into it. If it were simply to save the people, you wouldn't go to such lengths. Shen Jintang, this is not like you at all!"
Nobody is a fool, especially the crown prince.
Right now, I'm too caught up in the situation to see clearly, but once I suffer losses in the future, I'll have to come to my senses and settle accounts with Shen Jintang.
Would she risk offending the crown prince for the sake of ordinary people who have nothing to do with her?
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