Emperor Longqing could not hold on any longer. His spirit was getting worse and worse. He slept more and woke up less. Also because his health was getting worse and worse, he began to miss the past more and more.
If only Queen Ming were still alive, he often thought so recently. Queen Ming had a good family background, was sensible, virtuous and had known the general situation. She had supported him all the way through difficult times.
Although he had briefly suspected her because of the power of the Ming family at that time, but now that everything has been clarified, he knows that Queen Ming and the Ming family were wronged, and in addition to guilt, he also feels a little regretful.
Perhaps it is because people who are dead can no longer make mistakes, so they appear particularly amiable. When Emperor Longqing later thought of Empress Ming, he no longer had any suspicion or resentment towards her, but only nostalgia and remembrance.
How good the eldest prince was in the past, who was taught to be gentle, polite and sensible. If the eldest prince were still alive, he would not have to worry about these future matters, nor would he have to be so terrified about the fact that there was no one who could inherit his throne.
It’s a pity that it’s no use saying all this now.
He looked at Jiang Zining in front of him, and was a little dazed for a moment, and then he sighed: "You have been with me for such a long time. I used to think that you were someone I could trust, but now it seems that I have forgotten that people can change."
After hearing this sigh, Jiang Zining knew that he was finished. His eyes were so dry that he could no longer cry. He knelt on the ground with his face covered, not knowing what to say.
Emperor Longqing glanced at him calmly and said softly: "As a monarch and a subject, you have served me wholeheartedly..."
He frowned and said, "Pack your things and go back home."
This means that he should retire.
Jiang Zining knew that the order to kill him was given out of consideration for their old friendship. He sat down on the ground dejectedly, unable to recover for a long time.
It was not until he left the imperial study that he looked at Shen Chen, who had also been sent out by Emperor Longqing. He curled his lips for a while and said, "You are really young and formidable. No wonder you are so loved by the King of Linjiang. You deserve it."
A man with such scheming and tactics would be valued no matter where he is. Prince Linjiang really made a fortune by getting such a cheap son.
He looked at Shen Chen with a malicious sneer: "But, if you work so hard, you don't know if you will end up like the Ming family in the past."
Shen Chen stood in the corridor with his hands behind his back, looking at the snow outside, his expression unchanged: "Don't worry about these, Prime Minister. The road is difficult to travel due to the heavy snow. Walk slowly, Prime Minister. I won't see you off."
Jiang Zining sneered, and without holding an umbrella, he walked step by step in the heavy snow with difficulty until he disappeared.
When Jiang Zining was in power, he could ride in a sedan chair, but now, no one even gave him an umbrella. Shen Chen looked at his back, frowned slightly, and waited for the call from inside.
Today is not only the day that determines Jiang Zining's fate, but also the day that determines the fate of their Linjiang Palace.
Everything depends on what Emperor Longqing decides.
He knew that defeating Jiang Zining this time did not mean that their Linjiang Palace would be safe. What Jiang Zining had done had planted a thorn in Emperor Longqing's heart.
Although they now put all the blame on Jiang Zining and staged such a drama with Censor Chen, the question is how much Emperor Longqing actually believed it.
He closed his eyes, put his hands behind his back, and looked solemn, waiting for the news from inside.
Young Master Lin was left alone in the imperial study. Emperor Longqing ordered him to make tea. When he brought the tea, he didn't drink it and asked him to put it aside. Then he asked him: "You seem to trust the Wei family and Shen Chen very much?"
He looked casual, as if he was just chatting, but Young Master Lin knew that this was just like what he had asked Jiang Zining before, a matter that would decide the life and death of the Wei family and Shen Chen.
He seemed to hesitate for a moment, and then after a moment he looked at Emperor Longqing, put down his teacup, and obediently called him brother-in-law.
Emperor Longqing coughed a few times, but didn't respond. He looked at him calmly and sighed: "Shen Chen is not an ordinary person!"
After all these years, none of the other royal family members can compare to Shen Chen. Shen Chen is smart, and not just ordinary smart. In order to win his favor, he pretended to have a falling out with Prince Linjiang, and then avenged Shen Cong and quietly destroyed the Feng family.
Later, when Emperor Longqing discovered that Shen Chen's relationship with Prince Linjiang remained unchanged, he could no longer touch him - he was too capable a man, he thought more carefully than others and did things better than others. Emperor Longqing was afraid of him, but he also had to admit that he was comfortable using him.
Frowning, Emperor Longqing looked at Young Master Lin and said, "If you really like Wei Qi, that's easy..." He stared at Young Master Lin, his voice was light but thunderous: "As long as you speak, I will take this opportunity to kill Shen Chen, and then find another opportunity to marry Wei Qi to you."
When he talked about these things, it seemed as if the fate and future of these people were not even a future.
Young Master Lin met his gaze without compromise and shook his head firmly: "Your Majesty, I am not that kind of person. Although I like Wei Qi, that is a thing of the past. From the day you granted her a marriage with Shen Chen, I have given up. I regard Shen Chen as a brother. Since we are brothers, how can I covet his things?"
Emperor Longqing did not comment, and asked calmly: "Brother?"
Young Master Lin responded with a firm voice: "Yes, Jiang Zining said that I was bewitched by Shen Chen, but I don't think I'm a person who acts on impulse, let alone a person without a brain. I still think Shen Chen is a trustworthy person."
Emperor Longqing glanced at him and smiled, "But he treats you as a brother now, what about later?"
"No one can predict what will happen in the future. I just think that Shen Chen is more worthy of association than Chu Jingmeng and Chu Jingqian." Young Master Lin did not hesitate and expressed his thoughts sincerely. Seeing that Emperor Longqing did not react much, he just nodded slightly, and then he continued: "As the saying goes, time reveals a person's true character. Your Majesty can see it, right? Although Shen Chen is a little cunning, he is not a bad person. Over the years, except for those who pushed him to a dead end, he has never been really cruel. The backyard of Linjiang Palace is not quiet, but I have never heard him complain. He can tolerate Linjiang Princess who repeatedly wants his life, let alone other people?"
As for the fact that they were so cruel to Jiang Zining and his men, without showing any mercy, it was because Jiang Zining and his men had gone too far. (To be continued)