After discussing with Yan Zilian, Yan Sikong and Yan Zilian decided to visit the crown prince and concubine Hui. Concubine Hui was interrogated today. If she was sentenced, the mother and son would be very hard to endure. He wanted to go to appease them.
The two were discussing the matter secretly, when suddenly there was a knock on the door behind them.
Yan Zilian said, "Go in."
Shen Hexuan pushed the door and entered, took a quick glance at Yan Sikong, walked forward a few steps, then knelt down on the ground, and said solemnly: "The student has decided to die to prove the innocence of Concubine Hui and the crown prince. The teacher presented the student's memorial."
Yan Zilian stood up abruptly, and said angrily, "What did I tell you the day before yesterday? The court is already full of stormy waves. If your memorial is delivered to the imperial court, your life will be gone!"
Shen Hexuan showed no fear, and said loudly: "'Wu dies in battle, Wen dies in remonstrance', from the day you enter the court as an official, students have already put life and death aside, students can't watch Your Majesty bear the name of a faint king who wastes long and loves You can’t watch the Crown Prince and Concubine Hui being wronged and humiliated. The assassination case is full of loopholes, but no one in the civil and military court dares to say that Concubine Wen Gui intends to usurp the throne and frame Concubine Hui, so let me say it!”
Yan Sikong looked at Shen Hexuan with complicated emotions, that young and handsome face was full of fearlessness and righteousness, making him seem to be glowing in the dark room.
Yan Zilian was so angry that he grabbed a few stacks of books and threw them at Shen Hexuan: "Do you think you can get anything in exchange for your life, you will only anger His Majesty, you will only... only..." Yan Zilian's breathing became more and more rapid, his figure swayed, He staggered backwards.
"Teacher!" Yan Sikong had sharp eyes and quick hands, and quickly stepped forward to support Yan Zilian who was shaking.
Shen Hexuan also stared straight at his eyes, and hurriedly stood up: "Teacher..."
The two helped Yan Zilian sit in the chair, Yan Zilian tried his best to calm down, his face was pale, his eyes were blurred, and his lips were trembling constantly.
"... called the imperial physician." Shen Hexuan said as he was about to rush out.
Yan Zilian stretched out his hand suddenly, and his fingers, which were as dry as dry wood, grasped Shen Hexuan's wrist tightly.
"Teacher..." Shen Hexuan looked at Yan Zilian nervously.
Yan Zilian shook his head, took a moment to breathe, and said softly, "Close the door."
Yan Sikong hurriedly closed the door before turning back, worried: "Teacher, your body..."
Yan Zilian took a deep breath: "Don't let that eunuch know, I don't see him die in front of me, how can I rest in peace."
Shen Hexuan had a sore nose, and slowly knelt down, struggling to look at Yan Zilian.
Yan Zilian held Shen Hexuan's hand, and said in a deep voice: "Hexuan, following the way of the sages may not necessarily make you a good official, but doing the right thing may not make you do the right thing. You are a rare talent with three yuans in succession. You know the world well. Earth, why doesn’t Alone know people’s hearts?”
Shen Hexuan said with tears in his eyes: "Teacher, all the students understand what you said, but there are some things that must be done by someone."
"Sikong and I have already come up with countermeasures in secret, and it's not enough to ask you to die. You have this passion in your blood, and you will serve the emperor in the future."
"What countermeasure?" Shen Hexuan asked anxiously.
Yan Sikong pulled Shen Hexuan up from the ground: "Brother Shen, let the teacher rest, let's go out and talk."
The two left Wenyuan Pavilion and walked outside the palace.
Yan Sikong told Shen Hexuan about the letter. These days, Shen Hexuan was also very anxious about the prince's affairs, and wrote a memorial with fierce words. Fortunately, Yan Zilian stopped him, otherwise he might be used by Emperor Zhaowu to make an example of others in this crisis.
Shen Hexuan, if Yan Sikong could use one word to describe Shen Hexuan, it would be: steep and straight. Back then, he won three awards in a row, was the number one scholar in Jinke, and was famous all over the world. But now three or four years have passed, and among the same batch of Jinshi, he is the best one. In twos and threes, they began to be sent to other places for training. Only Shen Hexuan stayed in the Imperial Academy, and it seemed that he could not be reused. In fact, Yan Zilian had already told himself that Shen Hexuan was also a future scholar whom he would focus on training, but this person had an unruly temper and had to be sharpened, otherwise the sharp sword might be curled before it was unsheathed.
After Shen Hexuan listened, he finally felt a little relieved: "Your Majesty is filial, as long as the Queen Mother comes forward, the danger of the Crown Prince and Empress will be relieved."
"Brother Shen, don't be too happy too soon." Yan Sikong sighed, "If this is just Concubine Wen Gui framing Concubine Hui, the assassination, as you said, is full of loopholes and hard to convince, then the official will Impeachment is even more nonsense, but why did the emperor put their mother and son in prison so forcefully? In the final analysis, it was the emperor who wanted to abolish the crown prince, and he seized the opportunity at this time."
Shen Hexuan said sadly: "Confused, simply confused."
Yan Sikong pulled Shen Hexuan into the dark: "Brother Shen, last time I talked to you deeply about the prince's situation, you didn't seem to take it seriously at that time, have you seen it now? Even if the queen mother comes out this time, his mother and son Can survive the crisis, but the queen mother... once the queen mother dies, who else can stop your majesty?"
Shen Hexuan's face darkened, and he didn't speak.
Yan Sikong did the math: "The second prince is twelve years old this year, and there are still more than two years before he leaves the palace at the age of fifteen. In these nearly a thousand days and nights, His Royal Highness's position as the heir apparent may happen at any time." If you don’t guarantee it, even if you can wait until he leaves the palace, and call him back, isn’t it just an imperial edict.”
Shen Hexuan said in a deep voice: "What do you want to say?"
"Brother Shen thinks that the reason why Concubine Wen Gui can be so arrogant is in the final analysis, what is the reason?"
"Wen Shangshu." Shen Hexuan replied without hesitation.
"That's right."
No matter how favored Concubine Wen Gui is, she is still only a concubine. Her son is neither a descendant nor a eldest son, and his name is not right. If it is just pampering, it is not enough for the indecisive and hedonistic Emperor Zhaowu to take such painstaking efforts to abolish the crown prince. However, Wen Shangshu and Xie Zhongren should be the real behind-the-scenes masterminds.
"What exactly are you trying to say?"
Yan Sikong secretly said: "Brother Shen, if we can survive this crisis, there will be a bigger storm in the court, and that is the plan of the Jingchao. The teacher tried his best to push me into the bureaucracy, to find this for me. The royal relatives are all for the sake of shaking the court and giving the eunuchs a hard blow. The Jingcha comes once every six years. The teacher is already old. I'm afraid I won't be able to wait for the next six years. I know you feel wronged. He thinks that he should not be reused, even if he dies as an admonition, he would not be willing to do nothing, but the teacher has high hopes for you and regards you as his future successor, how can he see you folded here?"
Shen Hexuan said seriously: "I have absolutely no complaints about how the teacher arranges my official career. I want to admonish, just for the sake of the crown prince and empress."
"Naturally, naturally." Yan Sikong patted Shen Hexuan on the shoulder, "But Brother Shen is unwilling, so there is no need to hide it, right?"
Shen Hexuan pursed his lips, as a tacit consent.
It's not that Shen Hexuan is very happy with his achievements, he is a genius, but he can't use it, especially with Yan Sikong at the side for comparison, naturally he feels uneasy, which is reasonable.
Yan Sikong is more and more aware of the importance of Shen Hexuan, while Yan Zilian has already realized that at the critical moment, he will definitely turn into a sharp sword and become a mainstay, so you have to be optimistic about him and don't let him I ruined myself.
Yan Sikong persuaded: "Brother Shen, please understand the painstaking efforts of the teacher. We should do our best to save the prince and the empress. I am going to visit them now. Brother Shen must calm down, just like the teacher said, take you This passion is contained, and sooner or later it will spread across the world."
Shen Hexuan sighed, and took Yan Sikong's hand: "Please."
—
According to the law of this dynasty, the relatives of the prisoner can visit. Although Yan Sikong is not a relative, he is the prince's lecturer, so he can barely speak, and with Meng Duo's acquiescence, he entered the cell smoothly.
The crown prince and Concubine Hui were detained separately, and Yan Sikong visited Concubine Hui first.
As expected, Concubine Hui did not escape the ten lashes. She was lying on the simple couch with her thin and frail body curled up. Her face was pale, and the blood on the skirt was faintly visible, which made people feel unbearable.
Yan Sikong walked to the cage, knelt on the ground, and softly called: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty."
Concubine Hui opened her eyes, saw that it was Yan Sikong, as if seeing a life-saving straw: "Yan, Lord Yan." She struggled to get up, staggered to the iron railing, sat down weakly, and washed her tears down , "How's your son? How's my son?"
Yan Sikong sighed in his heart, this is his mother, and the first thing he thought of was his child, he physically comforted him: "Don't worry, Madam, the prince is safe."
Concubine Hui said sadly: "I didn't send anyone to assassinate the second prince. Concubine Wen Guifei invited me to drink tea that day."
"I know that the empress is wronged, we all know." Yan Sikong said, "What did they ask during today's interrogation?"
"Ask about the assassin."
"It's fine if you don't admit it."
"How could I admit it." Concubine Hui suddenly stared straight at her eyes, changed from her previous timidity, and shouted angrily, "I was wronged, even if I was killed, I would not admit it!"
Yan Sikong was taken aback for a moment, he didn't expect this soft-spoken woman with no opinions to have such a hard side.
"I regret that I didn't listen to Master Yan's advice. In fact, I have long been alienated from Concubine Wen Gui, but she invited me, how could I refuse, and now I am still hurting my son..." She cried and looked at Yan Sikong, "I never beg for my son. As a prince, I only want our mother and child to be safe, so what if I don’t become a prince, why is she so vicious.”
"Your Majesty, you must not think so." Yan Sikong stared sharply into her eyes, and said in a low voice, "Your Majesty, Your Highness is the eldest prince, the rightful crown prince of my Dasheng. If he can't be the emperor, then he You can't be an idle prince, after the new emperor ascends the throne, your mother and son will only die."
Concubine Hui took a deep breath.
Yan Sikong emphasized his tone: "Your Majesty, for Your Highness, you must be strong. The Empress Dowager already knows about this matter, and she will not sit idly by. No matter what, you can't admit it to death, otherwise Your Highness will be doomed."
"Queen, will the Queen save us?" Concubine Hui's eyes sparkled with hope.
Yan Sikong thought, the queen mother will save the prince, but she...he naturally wouldn't express his conjecture, but said with certainty: "It will definitely, but now, I will wrong the empress."
Concubine Hui's eyes shone with shocking determination: "For the sake of Qi'er, I'm not afraid of anything."