The king was forced to take a step back by Baili Chengyou's strength, but he quickly stepped forward again, put on a gloomy face and regained his imperial dignity.

"Oh, what you said sounds good, Third Brother! If Shen Gaolang really has a clear conscience, he——"

"A good minister is filled with hatred, and the country is in turmoil. This disaster is the fault of the master, and there is no room for argument!"

Shen Ningyun suddenly spoke coldly, interrupting the king's words.

Everyone turned to look at Shen Ningyun, only to see that she did not accept the Second Prince's support, but slowly stood up on the ground.

The traces of tears on her face were not yet dry, but the sadness had been wiped away, leaving only coldness and resentment.

She walked forward step by step, came in front of the king, raised her head and shouted angrily:

"People only think that the ruler of a country knows how to appoint the right people and his words are as important as gold, but they don't know that the ruler of this country is selfish, suspicious, narrow-minded, and jealous of talented people!"

"Shen Ningyun, you——"

The king was so angry that his face turned red and his whole body was shaking, but Shen Ningyun was fearless.

She took a step forward, a sarcastic smile on her face.

"My Lord, what did I say wrong? I have devoted myself to you for so many years, do you think I can't see it? You are terrified day and night! You are terrified that you will be outdone by your subjects!"

"Because of your despicable jealousy and comparison, my entire Shen family has suffered so much injustice and my father has died with hatred!"

"My Shen family did make mistakes. We were wrong in being loyal to you, our lord. We were wrong in not changing our minds even when we were forced into a desperate situation. That is why we are being bullied to this extent today!"

"You deserve to be deserted by everyone. This is what you deserve!"

The king looked at Shen Ningyun who was so close to him. The daughter of the Shen family who had been cowardly and submissive in front of him for eighteen years finally showed her fangs completely. Her true face was so hideous!

This questioning made the king lose face, because his deepest fear and unbearableness were dug out by Shen Ningyun and laid out nakedly in the open.

He was so angry that his whole body was shaking, and he pointed at Shen Ningyun and cursed:

"If your Shen family is truly so loyal, you should fulfill your duties as a subject instead of trying to win over people's hearts and shake my foundation!"

"Even my harem is controlled by your Shen family. How can I not be afraid and on guard?"

Shen Ningyun's eyes were gloomy as he stared at the king in front of him. Hearing his pale accusation, he couldn't help laughing out loud, but his laughter was so sad that it made people's eyes sore.

"My Lord, my Lord, if you want to accuse someone of something, you can always find a pretext for it!"

"Do you remember that year, it was you who insisted on marrying my aunt, and my father was very worried at the time, so he declined the proposal. What did you say to my father at that time?"

"You said - the ruler and his subjects should never doubt each other!"

"My aunt treated you sincerely back then, but you tortured her to death in the end. Dad should never have believed your words and your heart as a king!"

"You are treacherous, cruel, and murderous. How can you be worthy of the loyalty of the entire Shen family!!!"

Shen Ningyun suddenly screamed, tears rolling down her cheeks, filled with so much grief and anger for her suffering father and for herself whose life was almost ruined.

She opened her mouth and tried to speak but she felt a tightness in her chest and her vision went dark. She calmed herself down but she didn't expect that she would spit out a mouthful of blood the next moment!

Drops of blood sprayed onto the bright yellow dragon robe of the king and slowly seeped into it, as if reminding the king how much blood and tears of the Shen family were hidden in the throne of the Baili family.

"Mother!"

"Yun'er!"

"younger sister!"

When a scream was heard, Baili Chengyou immediately caught his mother.

Shen Ningyun's face was pale, tears streaming down her face. She grabbed Baili Chengyou's collar tightly and said in a trembling voice:

"You'er, send mother home. She wants to go home."

Shen Yongning ignored the rules, stepped into the imperial study, and rushed to Shen Ningyun's side.

Shen Ningyun's eyes fell on her eldest brother's embarrassed face, and she burst into tears the moment she opened her mouth:

"Brother, take me home, I want to see my father..."

When Meng Guxue saw this scene, she couldn't help but burst into tears.

It's really too miserable.

It has been difficult to be a loyal minister since ancient times. Their fates are only recorded in a few words in history books. Now seeing it with my own eyes, I realize how much regret and blood and tears are contained in it, so heavy that it makes people breathless.

"Sister, big brother will take you home now!"

Shen Yongning's eyes were moist as he took Shen Ningyun from Baili Chengyou's arms.

My sister sacrificed everything for the Shen family.

He had woken up from dreams countless times in the middle of the night, dreaming that he and his sister had escaped from this cage, and the three of them were sitting in the pavilion at home, chatting and talking as they used to, full of high spirits.

Now that the dream has finally come true, I didn’t expect it to be such a sad scene.

Baili Chengyou felt as if his heart was being cut by a knife. He shouted in pain, "Someone come!"

A group of Yulin soldiers came in in response.

"Hurry and send Madam and Master Shen back home!"

He couldn't go see his grandfather yet, as he had one last step to complete.

He wanted to go before his grandfather with the imperial edict of succession in a dignified manner, so as not to let his grandfather's good intentions go to waste!

The palace door closed again. Baili Chengyou turned his head to look at the king and said in a cold voice: "Draft an imperial edict!"

The king's gaze shifted away from the bloodstain on his chest and when he looked at Baili Chengyou with a gloomy expression, he still sneered.

"Impossible! Shen Gaolang must not be dead! Third brother, don't think I will be manipulated by you!"

Baili Chengyou looked at the still stubborn king in front of him, closed his eyes slightly, and when he opened them again, his eyes were clear and indifferent, as if he had made up his mind.

"Everyone go out, Guan Sheng stay."

Baili Chengyou spoke lightly.

Upon hearing this, the Second Prince looked at Baili Chengyou deeply, and was the first to walk out. Seeing this, the Second Princess immediately followed.

Meng Guxue thought about it, then picked up the dazed Fourth Princess and went out together.

The eldest prince pushed forward and Baili Chengyou turned his head to look at him and said coldly, "Brother, don't even think about going anywhere."

Everyone left the imperial study and the palace door was closed.

Meng Guxue stood outside the palace, looking at the palace road illuminated by the moonlight. Her expression was extremely complicated, and her heart was filled with mixed feelings.

She had a vague idea of ​​what would happen in the imperial study. After tonight, the battle for the throne of the Nanli Kingdom would finally be settled.

But the price involved, alas...

"Your Highness, do you really...don't you feel sorry?"

On the other side, Lan Manyong looked at the Second Prince who was standing with his hands behind his back, and still couldn't help but wonder in her heart.

The second prince looked at the moon in the sky with a cold expression and a flat tone.

"One man's honey may be another man's poison. All living beings have different desires. I am not interested in this, just like Miss Lan, whose ambition is far away."

Lan Manrong was stunned at first when she heard this, and then she smiled knowingly.

"yes--"

There was silence outside the hall for a moment, and Lan Manyong suddenly spoke again with kindness.

"Your Highness, the lady is trapped in the ditch but her heart is still fixed on the bright moon. This is truly admirable."

"But people are made of flesh and blood. If you struggle in the mire for too long, you will get confused, retreat, and doubt yourself."

"Next, Your Highness, please be more patient."

After hearing this, the second prince finally turned around. When he talked about Shen Ningyun, tenderness reflected in his eyes and he nodded gratefully to Lan Manyong.

I have waited for eighteen years.

He gave all his patience to her, and it would be the same from now on.