"Uncle, please don't stand on ceremony, please stand up and speak."
Upon hearing this address, Shen Bochun was momentarily dazed, and couldn't help but recall how she looked when she first arrived at the Shen family.
To be fair, this girl was quite clever. When she first entered the mansion, she was worried that she wouldn't get along well with the Shen family. In addition, since both the old lady Shen and he knew the inside story of the matter, she used amnesia as an excuse to dispel everyone's doubts. She then subtly made the legitimate daughter, Shen Mingshu, suffer several defeats at her hands.
Why didn't he realize back then that this woman would be of great use in the future?
"Your Majesty, I wonder where His Majesty is? This old minister has been waiting here for a while."
Shen Mingzhuang smiled and said, "Uncle, let's go into the study to talk."
After Shen Mingzhuang finished speaking, he went into the study first.
Shen Bochun's heart skipped a beat. He looked up and gazed deeply at the sun overhead, his feelings somewhat inexplicable.
In the study, Shen Bochun didn't have much time to speculate before Shen Mingzhuang directly revealed the purpose of his invitation to the palace.
"Uncle, I imagine you've been quite troubled all these years. Although I bear the Shen family name, the Shen family hasn't benefited from me at all; all they've gained is empty fame."
Shen Bochun's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this, and he quickly waved his hand, "Your Majesty is overthinking it. The Shen family is proud of Your Majesty, so how could we harbor any resentment?"
He forced a smile, lowered his head, and adopted a humble demeanor.
Shen Mingzhuang smiled and said, "Uncle, I won't beat around the bush with you. I want the Shen family to stand up against me during my reign."
Shen Bochun's eyes widened, and he couldn't help but feel apprehensive.
...
After seeing Shen Bochun off, Shen Mingzhuang went to the palace to check on Jiang Wang. Jiang Wang was covered in silver needles, which shocked Shen Mingzhuang. She asked He Wenqing nervously, "Is this really alright?"
He Wenqing smiled dismissively, "What's so special about this? You haven't seen much more."
Shen Mingzhuang had never seen anyone with more silver needles stuck in their body than Jiang Wang. How painful it must be to have so many silver needles stuck in one's body.
"Hey, hey, don't move! If you make a mistake, all our efforts will be wasted!"
Upon hearing this, Shen Mingzhuang's hand immediately froze, as if afraid of touching a needle on Jiang Wang's body.
After standing aside and watching for a while, Jiang Xuan came over.
The little guy stood aside and watched his father for a while before the mother and son left.
"Has Xuan'er been to the city wall?"
Jiang Xuan shook her head. "No, it's too high over there. They won't let me go over there because they're worried I'll fall."
Upon hearing this, Shen Mingzhuang hesitated slightly, then took her son's hand and said, "Come on, let your mother take you to see."
How could a future emperor not even have the courage to climb the city wall?
Jiang Xuan nodded vigorously and gripped her mother's hand tightly.
The two were about to go up to the city wall. The Imperial Guards below were a little nervous, but since Shen Mingzhuang was the Empress and she was leading the Crown Prince Tianzhong, no one really dared to step forward to stop them.
Shen Mingzhuang stood atop the city tower; this was the first time she had ever stood so high to look down upon the Tianzhong River and its surroundings.
She looked at the distant, rolling mountains and took her son Jiang Xuan's hand.
"Xuan'er, do you know what the country is?"
Jiang Xuan blinked his big eyes, feeling the warmth from his mother's hand, and felt a strange sense of peace. He hesitated before answering, "The country is the land and its people."
After speaking, she tilted her head to see her mother's reaction, wanting to know if she had said the right thing.
Shen Mingzhuang's smile deepened as she patted her son's head with satisfaction and said, "Mother hopes that Xuan'er will always remember your answer. The country is not just about cities and land, but more about the people. When the people live in peace and prosperity, the country is strong and powerful. The purpose of a strong army is to protect the country and defend its people, not to invade other countries' territories. Ambition should be used to conquer the people, not to kill indiscriminately and plunder territory."
Jiang Xuan looked up at his mother and realized for the first time that his mother seemed to be radiating light, a light that would illuminate his entire life.
"I've remembered."
Her son's childish voice rang in her ears. Shen Mingzhuang nodded, her feelings somewhat complicated. In both her lifetimes, she had never imagined that one day she would stand here and tell a future emperor how to rule.
"Mother, why must I be the king?"
Upon hearing this, Shen Mingzhuang's heart stirred. "Does Xuan'er not want to be the ruler of a country?"
Jiang Xuan thought for a moment, "Is being a monarch like my father?"
Shen Mingzhuang was taken aback by the question. Like Jiang Wang? She sighed with a wry smile, "You are different from your father. Your father walked through thorns to get here, but you are facing a peaceful and prosperous world. As long as you work hard, you can realize your ambitions. But your father is different. He spent too much effort to achieve everything he has today. You are standing on your father's shoulders. What you will see in the future will be even better than it is now."
She wasn't deceiving her son. Tianzhong's empire was originally just an empty shell occupied by a tangled web of power. It was Jiang Wang who gradually reclaimed it and repaired the empire, which was riddled with problems. In the future, Jiang Xuan will face a completely different situation than Jiang Wang did back then.
Jiang Xuan shook her mother's arm and asked, "Will Mother and Father stay with Xuan'er forever?"
Upon hearing this, Shen Mingzhuang once again realized the difference between what Xuan'er and his father had faced.
When Jiang Wang was five years old, he had already lost his mother. At such a young age, he had to face the wolves and tigers in the deep palace. He had no parents to rely on, so he had to constantly learn to disguise himself in order to survive in the deep palace.
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
