Chapter 99: Fighting to the bitter end
Everyone speculated, but there was no conclusion.
The people in the palace were very smart and soon discovered that Concubine Yu, who had recently enjoyed the emperor's favor, was under house arrest, but few people knew the specific reason.
But anyone with a discerning eye could see that His Majesty was visiting Concubine Li's palace more and more frequently.
I heard that His Royal Highness Prince Ding'an took drastic measures in Jiangnan, shutting down a number of thriving brothels and imprisoning many people. During this period, there were also several large-scale incidents in which bandits resisted stubbornly and attempted to assassinate Prince Ding'an.
The court officials discussed the matter a lot, but did not dare to bring it up openly.
Everyone knows that during the few days that Prime Minister Chen was resting at home, the emperor's mood had become visibly worse, and he had gone to Zhaoyang Palace to play chess with the princess to relieve his boredom more frequently.
——
Prime Minister's Mansion: Chen Yao rushed into the front hall in a hurry, shouting that he wanted to discuss important matters with his third brother.
When Shen Yuheng appeared before him in his pajamas, Shen Yaoxing wiped his eyes, thinking he was seeing things. You know, his third brother used to dress meticulously even when he got up to water the flowers in the yard, so that no one could find fault with him.
Now she is lying at home with her hair disheveled and only wearing her underwear, ignoring everyone?
"Second brother, what's the matter?" Shen Yuheng took a sip of tea slowly and looked at him.
"Third brother, that Yang Gang has been picking on me lately. He even threatened to remove me from my position because of some wine and women. Look at this—" Chen Yaoxing hadn't finished his words yet, as he looked at his brother's reaction.
Shen Yuheng frowned. Yang Gang was well-known for his uprightness in the department. It must be that his unreliable second brother was too busy drinking and neglected his work, which made Yang Gang angry.
"Second brother, if Lord Yang wants to punish you, you should accept it first. There is no trivial matter in the palace. If you don't strictly discipline yourself and set an example, if someone with ulterior motives takes advantage of this, I'm afraid the entire Shen Mansion will be implicated."
When Chen Yaoxing walked out of the Prime Minister's Residence, he glanced back at the plaque with gold-lettered borders. He felt a lump in his throat. The scene of his wife Meng Qining speaking to him before he came to the Prime Minister's Residence flashed through his mind:
"Your third brother, although he is the prime minister, only has his wife in his heart. I don't think he has any respect for you, his second brother."
"Just wait and see. I guess he won't help you with this matter."
"That's all you'll be like in your life. You can only wag your tail and beg for mercy from your brothers."
"Chen Yaoxing, you are so useless." These words hit his heart like a heavy hammer. Chen Yaoxing looked at the plaque of the prime minister's mansion with a gradually cold look in his eyes.
You all look down on me, so I will use my strength to prove it to you, so that you can open your eyes and take a good look at my ability - Chen Yaoxing.
He suddenly remembered that a month ago when he came to the Prime Minister's Mansion to look for Shen Yuheng, someone in the mansion accidentally revealed that Shen Yuheng had gone to Qinglong Temple.
Qinglong Temple? Shen Yaoxing was puzzled. Others didn't know about his brother, but he knew that he, Shen Yuheng, was not the kind of person who believed in gods, Buddhas, and destiny.
Why would you take such a long detour to go to Qinglong Temple for no reason?
When Lu Qiaoxiao woke up, she felt her neck stiffen. She subconsciously looked to the side and saw a slender hand passing through the back of her neck and hooking her in his arms.
The man had a face as cold and clear as jade, with perfect bone structure, a high nose bridge, and cloud-like black hair. He was so beautiful that he seemed otherworldly.
"Madam, are you awake?" Shen Yuheng had just returned from the front hall and was not asleep yet. When he opened his eyes, he met a pair of slightly red, bright eyes. He raised his hand to test her temperature, then he breathed a sigh of relief and brought her to his side again.
Perhaps because he hadn't moved around much in the past few days, Lu Qiaoxiao's body was as soft as a ball of cotton, but his muscles and bones had the elasticity unique to martial artists.
Shen Yuheng looked at her, his eyes unconsciously dark, his throat rolling: "Madam, I am a little tempted to touch you." Lu Qiaoxiao opened her eyes wide, and suddenly realized something: "You haven't attended the morning court these few days?"
Shen Yuheng smiled and said, "Stay by my side, my wife. Your husband will not be in the mood to go to court." There was a faint sense of resentment and lust in his eyes.
Lu Qiaoxiao felt the unusually powerful hand of the scholar pinching her lower back, clamping her so that she couldn't move. She secretly complained, when would Shen Yuheng be able to say so many sweet words? Seriously, when the scholar said sweet words, they sounded sour but beautiful.
A scholar who is always as cold as an ice cellar in front of outsiders, who is used to speaking high-sounding truths like "Amitabha Buddha", but is gentle only in front of her, kneading and caressing her, which makes her heart tremble.
Shen Yuheng saw two blushes on her cheeks and his eyes dimmed.
He had been feeling very depressed these days. He had never experienced anything in the past and thought that those who indulged in wine and women had a problem with their brains and were entangled by these absurd things.
But on the day he married Lu Qiaoxiao, he tasted the benefits of this matter, and he could increasingly appreciate the pleasure and joy of being with the person he loved, so he thought about it every day.
Moreover, he always thought of Commander Lu, who was showing off his might with his sword and spear in the arena, acting like a little girl in front of him.
Like a flower grown in a greenhouse, even the slightest spring breeze, rain or dew would make her feel sullen and angry, and an indescribable thrill of pleasure welled up in his heart.
The two of them tacitly lowered the curtain, and the beautiful scene of the ice and snow melting appeared again.
After that, Lu Qiaoxiao rested his head on Shen Yuheng's arm, closed his eyes and whispered, "Ah Heng, I want to go and pay my respects to Princess Mingzhu."
"I was planning to find an opportunity to go to Zhaoyang Palace on the day of the palace banquet, but I didn't expect this to happen so suddenly."
Shen Yuheng turned around and met her eyes. After a moment's silence, he said quietly, "Qingzhi, if you want, then go ahead."
"But I want to go with you—"
Lu Qiaoxiao opened his eyes wide in surprise: "You are still maintaining a superficial relationship with Prince Ding'an. If you go to pay homage to Princess Mingzhu now, I'm afraid—"
Shen Yuheng held her face and kissed her on the lips: "Don't worry, Wei Yan won't be able to return to Beijing for a while."
"There have been frequent riots in the Jiangnan area recently, and someone has to take the blame."
"Your Majesty has always been wary of Prince Pingyang's military power in the northern border. Wei Yan just closed down the casinos to defend the people, and the people are in favor of him. If he takes this opportunity to advance further in the name of suppressing the rebellion—"
"The Pingyang royal party will no longer have room for maneuver."
Shen Yuheng spoke each word clearly and tightened his grip on Lu Qiaoxiao's hand.
Lu Qiaoxiao saw the coldness flashing in his eyes, and was startled. She gently pinched the base of his stiff palm.
"So now is the best time to meet the princess." She buried her head in his chest and listened to his strong heartbeat.
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