The imperial capital, Taifu Mansion.
Shen Xuan put down the urgent letter in his hand and looked out the window.
At the end of summer in the imperial capital, the city was still lush and lush. Through the colored glass on the window lattice, you could see a row of maple trees of varying heights under the wall opposite the atrium. The green leaves that have not been exposed to severe frost are really inconspicuous among the lush greenery in the garden.
But it was planted corresponding to the number of male heirs in the Shen family.
The tallest one is now as tall as a canopy and has grown into a tree.
Shen Xuan's eyes lingered on the canopy-like tree canopy for a moment, and he suddenly remembered that when his eldest son was still young, he held him in his arms, stood under the maple tree that was still a small sapling, and told him about the tree and the past of the same year...
At that time, Shen Zangli was only as high as his knees, with his black and white eyes open, held in his arms, curiously reaching out to touch the leaves. At that time, the tree was just like a bush... Thirty The coming year seems to fly by with a snap of the fingers.
I don't know how much time passed, but Shen Xuan felt a little out of spirits, so he called the boy in and asked, "Is Zang Li still outside?"
"Reply to the Valve Master, the eldest son is still waiting." The young man said cautiously.
"Go and ask him to come in."
A moment later, Shen Zangli, who was dressed in fine clothes but had a haggard look on his face, came in, saluted, and called out in a low voice: "Father!"
"No need to be formal, sit down." Shen Xuan ordered with complicated emotions as he looked at his eldest son who, despite suffering, still had a straight spine and impeccable demeanor, manners and etiquette.
"Thank you, father." Shen Zangli Yiyan sat down next to him, and after a moment of silence, he mentioned the purpose of his request, "The third brother wrote a letter, saying that Moye..."
Shen Xuan said calmly: "I already know about this. This child is very good. After all, he is the flesh and blood of our Shen family. Although he suffered a lot at the hands of Mu Xiuer, he also caught Ayitahu and When Wu Gumeng broke up, he killed the two sons of Wu Gumeng and took their heads to Ayitahu. He immediately gained attention and reversed the situation of being discriminated against in the clan because of the unknown identity of his biological father. Then he met Ayitahu. After Hu Lian was defeated, he immediately volunteered to go to Diecuiguan in person to contact Zang Feng, using the fate of their mother and son to threaten us to help him... Ming'er has been spoiled too much by you. Even at his current age, I don't think so. It’s hard for him to be so scheming! This reminds me that when Guang’er and Yi’er grow up, they can’t be pampered anymore! Men should work harder!”
Shen Zangli listened silently, and after a while he said in a bitter voice: "Father, I'm sorry, kid..."
"Li'er..." After hearing what he said, Shen Xuan's eyes froze and he sighed, "Do you know why my father immediately gave up on letting you take over after taking you back to Beijing? Ming Peitang’s idea is to cultivate your third brother instead?”
"The child is sick all over, and it has dragged down his parents and uncles for several years before he can barely get out of bed. How can he shoulder the important responsibilities of the family?" Regarding this matter, Shen Zangli did not have any resentment. He smiled at himself and said, "Fortunately, I still have a child." Having a capable third brother can take care of his father, mother and uncle. It is reasonable for the child to think that his father should do this."
Shen Xuan shook his head and said: "Does the feudal lord have to be strong? Look at the Wei family, the Song family, and the Duanmu family. Which of the three lords is not old or sick now? Duke Wei is old. The same is true for Song Gong, and Song Gong has a foot disease and has been supported by a stick for more than ten years! Duanmu Xing can't live without soup and medicine for three days or two. None of the three princes can do it without being a servant. Kill him on the bed? But which one of them is stupid and useless? Even if you are still suffering from the disease, you are still stronger than them!"
He took a deep look at his eldest son and said, "The injuries you suffered in the battle were not because your father gave up cultivating you to become the next head of the Shen family. Originally, this was supposed to be your qualifications and glory... Why did you fall behind like that?" Serious injuries are the reason why your father and your uncle are disappointed in you!"
Shen Zangli's expression changed - Shen Xuan had already said coldly: "In the years you were in Xiliang, you were brave and good at fighting and killing enemies bravely. Your subordinates were inspired by you and loyal to you! So they helped you hide it together! So you think I really believed that story. The reason why your injuries were so serious that even Ji Qubing couldn't be treated was because you were chasing the Di people's spies alone, so that you fell into the glacier at night and soaked in the glacier in the wind and snow for most of the night. The resulting rhetoric?”
Shen Xuan's eyes were cold and he sighed, "Although I, the Shen family, have been at war with the Di people for hundreds of years, and the war has never ended, and the hatred between the two sides is like a mountain! But you are a man, and you are not a daughter who wants to get married. You really like the princess of the Di people. It's not impossible to take her as a concubine! How much impact can it have on the overall situation? If it's just for this one thing, how old were you when you went to Xiliang? Tie your hair, young man, who hasn’t had the time to admire Ai when he was young? I am not Duke Wei, and your uncle and I are still in our prime, and we can still afford you to make more mistakes! In fact, I also hope that you will make more mistakes now, while we are still alive. Here, I will give you some detailed information or some guidance, so that in case we are gone, you will have no idea about something you are not sure about, and no one will really give you an idea... It is true that you secretly hid the princess of Di and secretly communicated with her. It makes me a little worried, but it won’t shake your position in taking over Ming Peitang!”
"But you should never be seduced by Princess Di, and become so confused that you abandon your identity as the eldest son of our sect and try to run away with her!"
Shen Xuan's voice was very soft, but full of endless anger, "You are my eldest son, or the daughter of my first wife! At that time, not long after I took over the position of clan leader from your grandfather, the clansmen were watching with eager eyes! You won't You know how much thought and fear your mother and I spent to keep you! Since you landed, your mother and I, as well as your uncle, including your aunt who died young, have devoted all our efforts to you - in Before you eloped with Princess Na Di, we had always hoped that you would be able to hone your skills in Xiliang and convince the people, so that Ming Peitang could flourish in your hands - but for the sake of a foreign woman, you ignored the reputation of your family and the flesh and blood of your closest relatives. Let’s elope!”
"-When you did this, did you ever think about what consequences the person who gave birth to and raised you would suffer for you, and how deeply they would be hurt by you!?"
“How do you deserve to be the son of man!”
The city is like Shen Xuan, the status is like Shen Xuan, mentioning that the eldest son who had been carefully taught and placed almost all hopes on was addicted to women and ignored the family, I still feel the pain in my heart. When I talk about this, I can no longer bear it. , actually covered his face with his sleeves and burst into tears!
Amidst his old father's wails, Shen Zangli turned pale, lifted up his robe and knelt on the ground. Without saying a word, he banged his head several times, blood splattered on his forehead: "The child's sin is unforgivable!"
"...Although when the news came back, your mother was so angry that she vomited blood for several days." Shen Xuan covered his face with his long sleeves, and could only hear his voice choked with sobs, "But after all, you were the child we devoted the most to at that time. , and except for this, your performance in Xiliang has always been good, so your uncle suggested giving you another chance... But what did you do? "
Shen Zangli opened his mouth, and after a long while, he said dejectedly: "The child knows his guilt, but... Mo Ye is indeed the child's biological flesh and blood. Knowing that he was born, the child really cannot not even reply to the letter... "
"Confused!" Shen Xuan has been the leader of the clan for a long time. Although he was sad for a while, he quickly calmed down, wiped his face randomly, put down his sleeves, and shouted in awe, "Is this where you are wrong?! Isn't it? After getting married, you didn’t tell your newlywed wife about naming the courtyard after the Chinese name you gave to Princess Na Di?”
Shen Zangli smiled miserably: "My child knows his crime."
Shen Xuan said happily: "You know the crime, but you don't know where the crime lies!"
Shen Zangli did not speak, as if he had acquiesced, but also seemed to have lost interest and had no intention of refuting or explaining.
"You were so deeply in love with Princess Di Ren that you ran away with her regardless of your family. The two of you still had flesh and blood... But after you returned to the imperial capital, you never had the chance to go to Xiliang and married Mrs. Liu again. You should put down the previous paragraph and live happily with the Liu family!" Shen Xuan stared at his eldest son like an eagle, and said in a deep voice, "In the end, you married the Liu family, but you couldn't hold it in when you were newly married! Tell her this and actually think that she will agree with you to name the courtyard where you live as Xinyi Courtyard... after the Chinese name of the Di Ren princess! When Liu was newlywed, she was hit with a stick, and she was furious. There are no Xinyi flowers in the Xinyi courtyard yet! Do you think your mother didn’t tell me about this?”
"Seeing that you have been kind to Mrs. Liu over the years and have never taken a concubine, it shows that even though you still miss the Princess of Di Ren named Xin Yi, you have always been in love with Mrs. Liu." Shen Xuan breathed a sigh of relief and said.
Shen Zangli said in a low voice: "If she is virtuous, I will be ashamed of her."
When Shen Xuan heard what he said, the disappointment in his eyes was even deeper: "You were very fond of Xinyi, but you were not willing to live with her as your concubine, so you rashly eloped with her, which made you fall asleep at night. Binghe, if I hadn't arranged for "Ji Li" to keep an eye on you, I would have sent the white-haired man to the black-haired man! Even if you were lucky enough to be rescued, Xinyi would be in extreme misery after returning to the clan! Your mother forced you to marry Mrs. Liu, but you don’t have a bad impression of Mrs. Liu... but you still want to tell her about Xinyi! After so many years, I heard from your mother that Mrs. Liu didn’t mention it in her mouth, but she cared about Xinyi in her heart. I have always been grudged against you, but you still refused to change the name of Xinyi Pavilion! Li'er, your original intention is to be good to Xinyi and to the Liu family, but look at what you do, who are you good to? You said, you have dealt with these two women in such a mess, and you are so impulsive, indecisive, and limited by the love of your children, how can we trust you to be in charge of the Shen family? "
"... The kid knows that he is not as talented as the third brother, and has never been jealous that the third brother will be in charge of the Shen family." Shen Zangli said with a confused look, "Father, the kid has always been very happy. The kid can have a younger brother who is better than the kid, so that he can replace the kid. This useless eldest son.”
Shen Xuan's eyes were heavy: "I'm not saying you are jealous of Zang Feng!" He closed his eyes and opened them again, "I hope that when you come to see me this time, you will think carefully about what you want to say before you say it!"
Shen Zangli was silent. After a while, he said in a hoarse voice: "Don't think about it, father, the Ayitahu tribe can't pose any threat to Xiliang now. I... I owe Moye, so... "
"You also owe the Shen family." Shen Xuan closed his eyes heavily and murmured, "Li'er, don't forget that you owe the Shen family more than Mo Ye! The Shen family has worked hard to cultivate you for decades. ... How do you repay the Shen family?"
"If there is another war in Xiliang, I am willing to go and serve. Even if I die on the battlefield, I will still..."
"So the Shen family gave birth to you, raised you and cultivated you with painstaking efforts for decades, and in the end they had to raise orphans and widowers for you?!" Shen Xuan opened his eyes, a look of disappointment flashed across his face. It was a complicated matter with no meaning, "Let's talk about it. Go, you feel guilty about this and that, but you still don’t understand? Have you ever thought that Princess Xinyi and Mo Ye are both traps for you?”
Shen Zangli's whole body was shocked! (To be continued)