Chapter 21 Chapter 21 Breaking off the engagement?
Shen Qing is a man with a mind as deep as an abyss. He is shrouded in fog and is a mystery from head to toe. His motives are obscure and unclear.
Before this, he had been schemed against by this woman many times, and he was extremely angry. If it weren't for the fact that Liuli Heart required the owner to be willingly offered to it in order to be effective, he would have taught her a lesson long ago.
.
Li Daoxuan was destined to fail this time.
"I won't marry you, but you will."
Upon hearing his son's request, Emperor Jingren was furious. "You bastard! If you didn't like Madam Shen, why did you take her back that day? You ruined her reputation, and now you disown her. Who taught you to act like this?"
Li Daoxuan: "I made it clear that day. I was afraid she'd die on the way, so I had no choice. I never made it clear from the beginning that I wanted to marry her. Everything was your own decision!"
Emperor Jingren said, "I have already asked General Shen and his wife about their wishes, and Madam Shen has personally agreed. This marriage will not be postponed!"
Li Daoxuan's face turned cold, "Did Chen Qing really agree in person?"
Emperor Jingren scolded, "How can you address someone like that? How rude!"
Seeing that Emperor Jingren was as stubborn as a pig and was determined not to cancel the engagement, Li Daoxuan pursed his lips and said, "Since that's the case, I have no choice but to go to the Shen Mansion myself.
Emperor Jingren recalled the boy's rebellious nature since childhood, and his heart suddenly tightened. "What are you going to do?"
Li Daoxuan turned his head, his hair brushing against the side of his face. In the dim candlelight, his cold eyes were dark and deep, like a cold pond, unfathomable. He spoke with every word as cold as ice, "Personally get her to agree to break off the engagement."
He was determined to cancel this marriage.
If he was really allowed to cause trouble in the Duke of Han's Mansion, not to mention General Shen, the memorials from the Censorate impeaching Li Daoxuan alone would be enough to crush him to death!
After making a fuss for a long time, this kid was not just in love, it was clearly a rare feeling of sympathy! I was so foolish as to mistake his behavior for his love for Madam Shen. I was really as stupid as a piece of shit, and my eyesight was extremely short!
Emperor Jingren felt a sharp pain in his head. For the first time in his life, he regretted making such a decision.
But it was just regret.
Now that the matter is done and it is impossible to reverse the situation, breaking off the engagement is absolutely impossible. Given Chen Congzhi's indulgent and doting nature towards his daughter, if Li Daoxuan really came to cancel the engagement in person, she might rebel on the spot.
Although it was a joke, Emperor Jingren couldn't explain it to the Shen family.
He said, "Sir, I am not kidding. Where do you put me with your actions?"
Li Daoxuan heard a ridiculous joke, and turned around abruptly. His eyes were filled with turbulent waves. "Where do I put you? Before you acted on your own, did you ask for my opinion?"
Emperor Jingren was lost in thought as he looked at these extremely familiar eyes. Gradually, another person's appearance appeared in his mind, with the same angry expression. The woman's furious words were still echoing in his ears.
The owner of the voice seemed to recognize the face of the person beside him for the first time, and he collapsed and questioned him: "The lives of the people of Chang'an City are lives, the lives of those noble families and officials are lives, but the lives of the 30,000 soldiers at Guisui Hill are not lives! Alang, you have no feelings, no heart!"
"The world is too corrupt, it's burning people's lives!"
Every word the woman spoke pierced his heart, every sentence piercing his guts. Like a sharp arrow, it pierced straight into Emperor Jingren's heart, the arrowhead exploding in his lungs, leaving him sleepless nights and distressed day by day. His former dignity and spirit gradually faded.
Emperor Jingren seemed to have lost his vitality suddenly, and his usually straight back looked like a withered and bent old branch, showing signs of decline. Under the sharp gaze of his fourth son, he seemed to see the bustling shadows behind him through his eyes.
His lips moved, but he didn't speak for a long time.
Li Daoxuan's words were like a sharp blade, cutting through the bright and beautiful disguise on the surface and revealing the bloody reality.
"Misunderstanding? It's just a nice way of saying it. In reality, you're just using me as an excuse to leverage the power of the ministers in the court for you. How hypocritical."
After the death of the previous Crown Prince, the eldest prince, the position of Crown Prince remained vacant, and the important officials in the court began to re-select their factions, gradually forming two factions: one led by the second prince, and the other led by the third prince.
Since the position of crown prince was not yet established, the two sides had been fighting each other to the death, arguing until their faces turned red. In the end, the position of crown prince went to the second prince.
So many years have passed, and the two families are still fighting. However, there are always some court officials who are unwilling to get involved in the court disputes. They keep themselves out of trouble and diligently perform their duties.
Such ministers are the so-called clean ministers.
Such as the Chief Censor Gu Ze, and Chen Qing's father, the General of the Cavalry.
General Shen holds the power of a large army, and he is undoubtedly a silent threat in the heart of Emperor Jingren. The Third Prince and the Second Prince's lineage are fighting so fiercely. No matter whether he makes a choice in the end or what choice he makes, it is likely that the court will be in turmoil.
Therefore, Li Daoxuan, who has the favor of the royal family but no mother's protection, is undoubtedly the best tool to restrain this fragile balance.
Emperor Jingren said softly, "My visit will not harm you."
By marrying the daughter of the Shen family, Li Daoxuan will have a wife to accompany him in the future, which is better than being alone.
However, how good can sincerity that is mixed with calculations be?
Li Daoxuan sneered, "This king doesn't want it."
After saying this, Li Daoxuan turned around resolutely and was about to leave when Emperor Jingren's voice, which seemed to be one of compromise, sounded behind him.
"If you beg Madam Shen obediently, I will allow you to take your mother's remains from the mausoleum. How about that?"
Li Daoxuan suddenly stopped, and his fingertips couldn't help but tremble slightly.
Since A Niang passed away, her last wish of returning home could not be realized. Trapped by the secular rules and regulations, she could only be buried in the royal family. She was confined to the royal family during her lifetime and was bound to the royal land after her death.
"Ah Man, Mommy really wants to go home."
In the cold and icy sky and earth, blazing fires were everywhere, and corpses were piled up like mountains. The woman with bloodshot eyes and pale white clothes sat in the river of blood, hugging the thin child tightly, crying and saying these words.
He closed his eyes, his Adam's apple rolled, and as if speaking with difficulty through blood, he whispered: "Okay -"
"I agree to the engagement."
.
Ever since Chen Qing knew that Chen Ling had come to his house, he felt uncomfortable all day and just wanted to pack up and throw her out.
Even though Shen's mother considerately arranged for her to live in the wing farthest from Shen Qing, Shen Qing still lost weight visibly.
Cui Ya's cheeks were rounded with worry. Chen Qing pinched her smooth little face and jokingly said, "How come your wife has lost weight, but you have become fatter? Did you steal all the flesh from me?"
Cui Ya held her face with her hands and frowned as she said, "Madam, please stop teasing me."
After Chen Qing had touched her enough, she let go. She was in a rare mood to play around. She swung her legs and ordered, "Push it higher!"
"Squeak--squeak--" the friction of the wooden rope made a gasping sound as if it could not bear the heavy burden, accompanied by the girl's cheerful laughter, and the yard was filled with a sweet fragrance.
"Wait—" The smile on Chen Qing's face suddenly stopped. At the same time, she noticed that the swing under her seat had lowered.
Cui Ya was having too much fun and didn't have time to slow down. As soon as she stopped, she heard the sound of the rope being stretched to the extreme and breaking.
Chen Qing's body also felt weightless.
"My wife!" Cui Ya screamed and tried to grab Chen Qing, but she only had time to see a touch of aquamarine slipping away from her palm like a ripple, just like Chen Qing who pounced forward uncontrollably.
Fortunately, although Shen Qing's skills are poor, he is not a waste.
Cui Ya saw her wife supporting herself with one hand before falling to the ground, spinning lightly in the air for a few circles, and finally landing steadily on the ground like a water-blue butterfly.
Chen Qing clapped his hands, his brows already cold.
The swing she played on was checked for damage by servants every day, and the swing rope was made of cowhide rope that Aye had found specially. The cowhide rope was strong and tough, and it was impossible for someone as petite as Chen Qing to break it in one sitting.
Sure enough, when she got closer to the broken part, she saw that the broken part of the swing rope was jagged, not like it was cut by a sharp blade, but more like it was slowly ground away and bitten off by something.
Cui Ya angrily said, "Who dares to cause trouble in this mansion? I will report this to the Madam right away!"
If it weren't for my lady's excellent skills and quick reaction, she would have broken her hand at best, or suffered internal injuries at worst!
Chen Qing pulled Cui Ya, "Wait."
She carefully examined the crack over and over again. After a while, she suddenly said, "Go inside and get my yellow talisman."
Cui Ya was startled, thinking that another evil creature had appeared. She was so scared that she broke out in a cold sweat and ran to get the talisman paper with nimble hands and feet.
The courtyard was relatively quiet, but if you listened carefully, you seemed to hear some subtle movements.
After getting the talisman paper, Chen Qing immediately chanted a spell, his eyes flashed, and he threw the talisman paper onto the tangled tree trunks.
There was a scream like a baby crying, and then a black creature quickly climbed down the tree trunk from the top, using all four limbs to run away in the blink of an eye.
Chen Qing was the first to react, summoning the servants and shouting, "Catch it!" She added, "Don't catch it too quickly! See which courtyard it runs to!"
"yes!"
The servants in the mansion who had received the order followed the black shadow in a chaotic and disorganized manner, like a group of chickens pecking at rice. Some of them held brooms in their hands, while others clutched daggers and spoons, with oil dripping from the spoons and food residue that looked like young bamboo shoots falling from the tips.
Chen Qing was obviously the leader of the chicken cubs. She ran to the front holding her skirt, and followed the black shadow closely.
"Here, here! Surround it!" she ordered immediately.
As the saying goes, when beating a dog, look at its owner.
Dogs are just animals that follow orders. If they are humiliated and frightened outside, what they will do is, of course, crawl back to their closest and most familiar owner in a panic.
Sure enough, the black ball quickly crawled into a big dog hole.
Looking at the low courtyard wall in front of him, Chen Qing pulled a servant and asked, "Who lives here?"
The servant raised his head, squinted his eyes and smiled flatteringly: "Young lady, this is the residence of Madam Shen Ling who came to recognize her relatives a few days ago."
Shen Ling——
Chen Qing chewed the name carefully, feeling the back of his teeth almost smoky from grinding it. He had thought this person would be as quiet as in his previous life for two months, at most causing some minor scheming. He had never imagined that his methods would escalate to include using someone else's knife to hurt someone.
Now, who gave her this "knife"?
Chen Qing's eyes were cold and he ordered people to break down the gate. Cui Ya, like the vicious girl beside the vicious lady, rushed forward and echoed, "Did you hear that? The lady told you to break down the door!"
"yes!"
The master gave an order, and the servants quickly found a few sticks and started to knock on the door. Later, when they found that it didn't work, they started to hit the door with their bodies.
Several skinny servants banged on the door for a long time but failed to break it open, which showed how solid it was. Finally, a servant with a broad and honest appearance shouted with a powerful voice, "Get out of the way!"
Seeing this, several people dispersed to the sides. There was a loud noise, and the door was finally pushed open. After the dust had settled, the servant patted the scattered wood chips on his body, bent down and said, "Madam, please come in!"
Shen Qing felt much more relaxed and said, "Cui Ya, come back and enjoy it."
The servant's eyes lit up, and his joy was beyond words. "Thank you, my lady, for your grace!"
Chen Qing walked in with a heroic stride, followed by a group of people.
As if she knew that hiding in the house was not a solution, or perhaps she was thinking of a way to deal with it, Shen Ling bit her lip and walked out with an innocent and timid look on her face, her white clothes fluttering and her little face pale.
She looked at the door that was violently opened, then looked at the calm and composed Chen Qing, and finally couldn't help but speak, "Sister, I don't know what I did wrong to cause you to bring so many people to my courtyard..."
Chen Qing didn't indulge her, "Cui Ya, someone is bullying your wife, what should you do?"
Cui Ya immediately lifted up the hem of her skirt, her eyes red with anger, "So it was you, little bitch, who harmed my wife!" She saw with her own eyes that black ball sneaked into Chen Ling's yard.
Thinking of this, Cui Ya kicked him in anger.
"ah--"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
