Chapter 340 His Majesty is also Reborn
"Has everything been investigated?"
"We've found out, sir. They arranged to meet Lieutenant Li of the Shenji Battalion here."
"good."
In the darkness, Zhou Congxian's eyes were colder than the night itself.
"Close the net!"
At a single command, the imperial guards, who had been lying in ambush all around, surrounded the entire post station in an instant, like tigers descending a mountain.
Before the people inside the post station could react, they had all been captured.
The perpetrator was caught red-handed.
None of Xiao Shu's trusted men, along with Li Xiaowei of the Shenji Battalion who came to make contact, escaped.
The results of the interrogation were even more astonishing than expected.
Prince Xiao Shu secretly amassed troops and colluded with the Shenji Battalion, intending to rebel!
The evidence is irrefutable!
When the news reached the palace, the emperor was furious.
An imperial edict, with overwhelming force, was issued to the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.
He ordered Zhou Congxian, the heir apparent of the Duke of Ying, and He Xun, the eldest son of the He family, to immediately lead troops to the border to annihilate the rebellious Prince Xiao Shu!
A storm is brewing.
After the start of summer, the weather became hotter day by day.
The emperor's health also deteriorated day by day.
The news coming from the palace always said that His Majesty had just caught a cold and was otherwise fine.
However, the head of the Imperial Medical Academy spent almost every day in the palace.
The perceptive ministers in the court all sensed something unusual.
On this day, Meng Shilan received an imperial decree that surprised her greatly.
His Majesty summoned her to the palace immediately.
Alone.
Meng Shilan was filled with doubt.
Why her?
It was neither a summons to his maternal grandfather to discuss state affairs, nor a summons to Zhou Congxian to entrust him with an important task.
But it was precisely this woman, confined to the inner quarters of her home.
Filled with doubt, Meng Shilan boarded the carriage bound for the palace.
Inside the Qianqing Palace, there was a strong, lingering smell of medicine.
That bitter smell seemed to have seeped into every beam and pillar of the palace, making it heavy and oppressive.
Meng Shilan knelt before the prince, her heart growing increasingly uneasy.
After a long while, an old and weak voice came from behind the screen.
"All of you... step back."
"yes."
The palace servants filed out, and the heavy palace doors were slowly closed.
In the vast palace, only Meng Shilan and the most noble person in the world, whose figure was obscured behind the screen, remained.
"Meng Shilan".
The emperor's voice trembled slightly, almost imperceptibly.
Meng Shilan's heart jumped.
"Your Majesty, I am here."
Another long silence followed.
So long that Meng Shilan wondered if the emperor had already fallen asleep.
The voice rang out again, carrying a strange power that seemed to pierce through people's hearts.
"You...have you come back too?"
Boom!
It felt as if a thunderclap had exploded in Meng Shilan's mind.
She suddenly looked up, her face filled with disbelief, her pupils contracting sharply in shock.
You're back?
Your Majesty... what does he mean?
How could he...?
She believed that since her rebirth, she had proceeded cautiously and had never revealed this enormous secret to anyone.
How did he find out?
Seeing that she remained silent, the emperor sighed softly, a sigh filled with weariness and vicissitudes.
"You don't need to panic."
He said slowly.
"I ask this because..."
He paused, then spoke each word clearly into Meng Shilan's ears.
"Me too."
!!
Meng Shilan was struck dumb, and froze on the spot.
turn out to be……
I see!
She finally understood why the emperor in this life was completely different from the incompetent and foolish monarch in her previous life.
Why did he so swiftly and decisively purge the court?
Why did he trust and heavily rely on Zhou Congxian and the Meng family?
It turns out he also returned with memories of his past life!
"In my previous life, I was a tyrannical ruler."
The emperor's voice was filled with endless regret and pain.
"I was a puppet in the hands of the Empress Dowager. I trusted treacherous officials and disliked loyal ones, which led to foreign invasion, rebellion by vassal kings, and ultimately... the destruction of the country and the ruin of the family."
"I watched with my own eyes as this once mighty empire was reduced to ashes."
"I am not reconciled."
"Perhaps it was a blessing from heaven that allowed me to return to eleven years ago, when I had just ascended the throne, with those memories."
"I swear that in this lifetime, I will never let this tragedy repeat itself."
"I have done my best."
His voice grew softer and softer, and his breath grew weaker and weaker.
"Xiao Shu is already at his limit, and I have basically eradicated the cancer in the court."
"But my time is running out."
"Xiao Lin... he's still too young."
"Although things seem calm in the court, those suppressed ambitions could reignite at any time."
Meng Shilan's heart sank little by little as he spoke.
She finally understood why His Majesty had summoned her today.
"I would like to ask you two, husband and wife, to continue to protect this great Sheng dynasty on my behalf."
"Assist Xiao Lin and help him become a true wise ruler."
The emperor's voice carried a hint of pleading.
"Meng Shilan, I know that what you all want is nothing more than a peaceful life with your family sitting together in quiet contemplation and the warmth of the lamplight."
"But if the country is destroyed, where will our families go?"
When the country is destroyed, the family perishes.
These words were like a needle, piercing Meng Shilan's heart.
yes.
Wasn't she the best example in her past life?
In this life, she finally had a complete family.
She would never allow anyone to destroy it again!
Meng Shilan took a deep breath and solemnly kowtowed towards the direction of the screen.
"Your Majesty, please rest assured."
Her voice was firm and powerful.
"The Meng and Zhou families will dedicate themselves to protecting the land of our Great Sheng!"
"well……"
Behind the screen, one could hear the emperor's relieved breathing.
"Throughout my life, I have wronged many people..."
"Only...only the common people of this world, I ask myself, have I not let them down."
He let out a long sigh of relief, as if a huge burden had been lifted.
"I have nothing left to make amends to you."
"Here, take this."
His Majesty took out a black iron edict from under the pillow with his withered hand.
He handed it to Meng Shilan with slightly trembling hands.
"In the future, if you encounter danger or misfortune... this edict grants a special pardon to your Meng and Zhou families for disobeying the imperial order once, without any punishment."
Meng Shilan accepted the heavy imperial edict with both hands, her heart trembling.
Even with a pardon from death, there are still crimes that cannot be forgiven.
This imperial edict, however, even pardoned one instance of disobeying the emperor's orders, a crime tantamount to treason.
What incredible trust!
What a profound entrustment!
"Your Majesty, I... kowtow in gratitude for Your Majesty's divine grace!"
Meng Shilan kowtowed again, his forehead pressed tightly against the cold gold brick.
Her eyes were already brimming with tears.
It turns out that she was never alone on this lonely road to rebirth.
There was an emperor who, too, was burdened by the shackles of his past life.
With the last glimmer of light and heat in his life, he paved the way forward for this dynasty and for the ministers he trusted.
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