One hundred and one
You Shu's recovery was going very well. In just over ten days, he was able to walk on his own. Even though he wasn't very stable yet, it was a huge improvement. It meant there was still hope, and he would be able to return to his peak condition soon.
However, Xiao Weixin was even busier. Sometimes You Shu would fall asleep late at night but he had not returned yet. You Shu hadn't had a good talk with him for several days.
This feeling was a bit terrible, as if he and I were inexplicably separated into two different worlds. Even though they would sometimes cuddle together at night, they would each be busy at dawn and could not even have a meal together.
You Shu was not a complaining person, but he did feel a little lonely, especially since his current physical condition meant he could not help at all and could not do any logistical work.
"Just rest and recuperate. The prince loves you dearly now." Ying Ba took some time to steal a bite to eat, searching You Shu's fruit plate for something to eat. "Master Ying Shou said that this is the most critical moment for our prince. More than ten years of hard work will only last for two months. We must not let our guard down. He specifically asked me to watch over you and make sure you don't wander around."
You Shu sat in front of the window and listened to Ying Ba talking while eating melon seeds. He knew the whole thing in his heart. When he read novels in the past, he often saw the protagonists dragging their feet at critical moments. After all, he was the apple of his prince's eye and had no ability to protect himself. If that old thief Xia Maoan found a chance to tie him up and threaten him, he would be a pig.
"Ah, it's so boring in the camp now." Yingba continued to eat melon seeds. "Old Nine went to Xirong, Second Brother is helping out in Zhenbei Camp, and you are not feeling well. We brothers can't even get together for a drink now. It's the end of the year, so it looks like we won't be able to reunite."
You Shu listened to his rambling and also took a fruit to eat, "It's not just the New Year, why rush?"
"Not necessarily." Yingba sighed while cracking melon seeds. "At the beginning of next year, the prince's plan will definitely be completed. By then, we don't know what to do with our group of people."
You Shu paused while eating and turned to look at him. Yingba's expression seemed relaxed, even fearless, but as a brother for so many years, You Shu knew the sadness and helplessness in his heart.
In fact, everyone in the Shadow Guard Camp clearly knows that they are the sword of Prince Ling's Palace as long as they are alive. If one day this sword is no longer needed, it will only take a few minutes to discard it. Moreover, they have all been involved in many secrets and there is a great possibility that they will all be executed.
They know the final outcome, but they don't take it to heart on weekdays. They live one day at a time. But who in this world doesn't want to live freely? They are just a group of pitiful people.
You Shu's mood became heavy again, "The prince is not that kind of person, don't be too pessimistic."
Xiao Weixin once promised him that he would give all of them freedom in the future, and he believed that he was not just talking.
"Then how does the prince plan to place you?" Yingba looked at him with a smile, "When our prince ascends the throne, you will be the queen, right?"
You Shu was nearly choked to death by the fruit, and silently rolled his eyes and frowned: "What nonsense are you talking about? How can a man be the queen?"
"That may not be the case." Yingba ate melon seeds nonchalantly. "Just because there was no such thing before doesn't mean there won't be in the future. Maybe you are the beginning. And I have calculated it for you. You are definitely destined to be a phoenix. It is legitimate and reasonable."
You Shu didn't take his words seriously at all. Which queen would marry a man? Even if Xiao Weixin was willing, the civil and military officials in the court would not agree.
When You Shu thought of this, he felt bad. He suddenly thought that there was nothing good about this emperor. Those ministers were more troublesome than each other. If they all forced Xiao Weixin to marry a queen, what would he do then
If you are not allowed to marry, who will inherit this kingdom
But if he really had to watch Xiao Weixin marry and have children... that was absolutely impossible. He was not a real ancient person, and he could not learn the tradition of having three wives and four concubines. It was even more impossible for him to pretend to be magnanimous just to please someone.
Either be devoted to each other or break up, You Shu can't think of any other way out.
You Shu was extremely depressed and couldn't eat anything. He was worried about other people every day, and his own predicament had not been resolved yet.
Seeing him suddenly depressed, Yingba couldn't help rolling his eyes. He didn't listen to the old man and suffered the consequences. He had already calculated that the third brother was destined to be childless. Who could he blame for not listening to him
The days in Prince Ling's mansion were leisurely and peaceful, but the days outside were becoming increasingly dangerous.
Someone in the court suddenly brought up an old matter and brought up the incident of the Yellow River bursting its dike to build a dam. They said that they had found a key witness who could prove that He Qin, who was pushed out to take the blame, was not the real culprit, and the real mastermind was the current prime minister.
Xiao Weishen pretended not to know and asked the Minister of Personnel to bring the witness, but even Xia Maoan did not expect that the person who came was Li Liang.
Everyone knew that Li Liang's family of more than a hundred people were killed overnight by their enemies. Although the murderer was not found out, everyone knew the truth. Seeing him come back to life and stand in the hall again, everyone was shocked, even Xiao Weishen did not expect it.
Xia Maoan had a look on his face as if he had seen a ghost, but Li Liang knelt down in the hall with a righteous expression and described in detail what he knew about Xia Maoan's deeds over the years. He and Xia Maoan were brothers-in-law, and everyone knew about their friendship over the years. Moreover, the evidence was solid and no one could deny it.
Many people in the court only knew that the prime minister monopolized power, behaved improperly and failed to educate his children, but they did not know that he had done so many ugly things. Corruption and bribery were just small matters. The most important thing was that he also privately occupied land, robbed minerals, and killed people to silence them. He colluded with the Western Rong to sell out the twelve border cities, and he was always ambitious and intended to usurp the throne.
All the court officials looked at each other and dared not speak for a moment. The crime was so serious that they dared not say a word. It would be recorded in the history books in the future. Who would dare to ruin their reputation
Xia Maoan's face turned pale, and he stared at Li Liang's face grimly, probably because he couldn't understand why this man was still alive.
At this time, Xiao Weixin stood up and said, "Your Majesty, the Prime Minister has committed numerous evil deeds and his crimes are too numerous to list. If we don't bring him to justice, I'm afraid it will be difficult to convince the people. He has repeatedly committed crimes against his superiors, deceived the emperor over the Yellow River embankment, and collaborated with the enemy for treason. Each of these crimes is a crime punishable by the death of all nine generations of his clan. Please strip him of his official uniform and throw him into prison for strict interrogation."
Xiao Weishen was a little undecided. He was always wary of his uncle's power. Even though he was more powerful now, the Imperial City had been controlled by his uncle for many years, and he had people everywhere. What if...
Seeing him hesitate, Xiao Weixin cursed inwardly that he was really a useless waste, so he repeated his previous words loudly. At this time, Shen Qingyu also stepped forward and pleaded that the prime minister be brought to justice and thrown into prison for interrogation. No matter whether he was wronged or not, they would know it as long as they investigated.
With the two of them taking the lead, the following situation was almost one-sided, demanding a thorough investigation of the prime minister. Even if Xia Maoan's followers occasionally struggled and protested their innocence, it was of no avail. After all, the hard evidence in Li Liang's hand was too solid, and he could not find any evidence to refute it.
Xia Maoan had a gloomy face and actually took off his official uniform and threw it on the ground. He snorted coldly and followed the palace guards away. He really looked like a clean official. If Xiao Weixin was not very clear about what he had done over the years, he would have been impressed by his acting skills.
The news of today's incident quickly spread throughout the capital, with people on the streets discussing the matter. Most people were secretly happy. The Xia family had been causing trouble for so many years, and now they were finally being investigated. How could they not be happy
But You Shu knew that this was not Xiao Weixin's last move. The main reason why Xia Maoan cooperated so well with the execution today was that he knew he would not fall down like this, and the power in his hands was still enough to protect him, so he was not in a hurry just to buy time for himself.
Xiao Weixin just wanted to force him to take the step he most wanted to take.
It snowed heavily the night Xia Maoan was imprisoned. People in the capital city said it was God's blessing, and there was laughter and joy everywhere.
You Shu asked the kitchen to cook some hot pot and bring it up. Xiao Weixin would be back early tonight, and the two of them hadn't had a good meal together for a long time. Now every step was going smoothly, and they both could breathe a sigh of relief.
When Xiao Weixin came back in the snow, You Shu was almost asleep. When he heard the door open, he turned around and saw Xiao Weixin coming in. His hat brim was covered with snow. He threw his hat aside, shook off the snow, and came over with a smile on his face: "Xiao Shu, have you been waiting for a long time?"
"Not bad." You Shu lit the stove again, and watched Xiao Weixin come over after washing his hands. He swung the bottle of wine in his hand for a while and said with a smile, "Would you like two drinks?"
Xiao Weixin stared at the wine jug and said, "Of course that's good."
The two of them ate the hot pot slowly under the lamp, and drank sweet fruit wine. You Shu was worried and drank too much. Xiao Weixin noticed that he was unhappy, but he didn't know why. Xiao Shu was not a woman in seclusion, so she would not be angry because of his recent busyness and cold treatment. There must be something else.
"I once said that if you have any questions, you can ask me." Xiao Weixin whispered, "Why don't you believe it, Xiaoshu?"
You Shu supported his chin with one hand and stared at the meat rolls rolling in the copper pot. After listening to his words, he did not say anything for a long time. "How can I ask?"
"After all these years, I am glad that you have finally gotten your revenge."
"But I'm not happy either."
Xiao Weixin waited quietly for his next words and could roughly guess what he wanted to say.
"So...how are you going to deal with the succession issue in the future?" You Shu finally asked. Even though he probably shouldn't say this at this moment, he couldn't hold it back any longer. Did he really have to wait until the very end to say it
Xiao Weixin smiled, "I thought you would keep it to yourself and not ask."
"Xiao Shu never mentioned this matter in front of me, and I thought you didn't care."
You Shu sighed, "If I didn't care, I would have run away long ago. Who would want to date you?"
Xiao Weixin asked back: "What does Xiao Shu think? Are you willing to let me marry?"
"There is no such thing as having your cake and eating it too. You decide." You Shu was unusually irritable. He was probably drunk and looked at Xiao Weixin with great displeasure.
Xiao Weixin laughed out loud, then suddenly leaned over and kissed him on the lips.
"Don't worry, I only want fish, not bear's paw."
"I have already taken care of the issue of succession, don't worry."
It was worth his trip to keep Uncle Wang during the day.