Xie Zhaoan leaned lazily against the wall, as if the person with rotting flesh all over his body was not him.
"I don't understand what Miss Shen means by saying this? Now the whole country is saying that the new prince is about to ascend the throne. There are only a few people who have a good relationship with this prince. We are inferior princes, so we can't just kill them. Especially since I am a disgrace to the royal family, am I not?"
A child of a merchant, and the only daughter of a wealthy merchant whom the emperor met when he was on a secret visit. It would have been fine if the two of them were truly in love, but he just brought his mother into the palace, only gave her the status of a beauty, and favored her for half a year, and then he fell in love with someone else, and his silly mother died of illness and depression.
The entire royal family looked at him as if he were a joke, and everyone said behind his back that he was a disgrace to the royal family.
Shen Xining pursed his lips, knowing that he had said something wrong.
"Feel sorry."
"What is there to be sorry about? It's just that Miss Shen, you have stripped me like this now. Miss Shen, have you ever thought about how to be responsible to Xie?"
Shen Xining was stunned. Wherever her eyes fell, she saw the man's white chest. He was clearly a man, but he was so white that even Shen Xining felt ashamed of herself. She pursed her lips, her face flushed, and she suppressed the evil thoughts in her mind. She cursed herself inwardly, saying that having such thoughts was no different from that of an animal.
Coupled with the hurt expression on the man's face just now, Shen Xining felt like an unforgivable person. Not only was he rubbing salt into someone's wounds, but he was also touching such a fragile person. It was simply an inhuman act.
She was considering how to speak in order to ease the situation, when she heard the guards' calls from outside.
"Ms. Shen! Miss Shen! Where are you!? Are you still alive!?"
"Stop shouting. How could Miss Shen be here? Even if it was here, there are wild beasts under this cliff. How could a delicate lady like her stay in this wilderness for a night? "
Seeing that the two guards were about to leave, Shen Xining quickly spoke up.
"I'm here!"
The guards were shocked, followed by Xie Zhaoan, and the two men were even more frightened.
"Fourth Prince, you are here too."
Realizing that they had said the wrong thing, the two wanted to make amends, but Xie Zhaoan waved his hand and said in a cold voice.
"Just pretend you've never seen me. If there's any mistake, you should know the consequences."
This powerful man, even though he is the most unpopular prince in the royal family and can even be said to be completely powerless, can make those below him sleepless day and night with just a flick of his finger. The guards nodded repeatedly.
Xie Zhaoan still had wounds on his body, and his clothes were a little messy because Shen Xining had just forcibly ripped them off. His back looked quite weak and pitiful, and Shen Xining couldn't help but feel a little softer in his heart.
Especially from what the two guards said just now, it was clear that the two of them disappeared together, but for a whole night, the entire royal family was completely unaware of his disappearance. From this, we can know what kind of life Xie Zhaoan led in the royal family in the past.
Shen Xining wanted to call him, but he had already left without a trace. When Shen Xining returned to the hunting ground, he saw Shen Xiyao kneeling on the ground crying.
"Impossible, Emperor! This is slander! My father is the Grand Tutor, how could he collude with the people below to embezzle the stolen goods? This is impossible! Emperor, please look carefully! You are a wise ruler!"
The emperor threw the post in his hand to the ground, almost hitting Shen Xiyao's face, and even more so the faces of the princes and ministers around him.
"What? Could it be that my spy has become deaf and blind now?!"
Yes, even though the emperor is old and ugly now, the people around him still dare not do anything to the emperor. It is because when the emperor was young, he had a group of spies around him. These spies were divided into different categories and were in charge of intelligence and various links. The people below did not know what the emperor knew, so they could only do their work quietly.
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone around fell silent. Everyone knew that the emperor's spies would never make mistakes.
Shen Xiyao cried so hard that her tears and snot were running down her face.
"Emperor! This is absolutely slander! My father is the Grand Tutor. Our family has no worries about food and drink, and our brothers and sisters have a harmonious relationship. Why would my father take such a risk?"
"It's inevitable that there will be times when you are too greedy for profit. Besides, the flood in the south has been really severe recently. We originally sent Master Shen to go there, but in two months, not only has the dam not been repaired, but the flood and the number of refugees have become even worse. This matter is full of doubts!"
Shen Xiyao widened her eyes and looked at the minister who reported.
"Do you know what you are talking about? My father is the Imperial Tutor. A new emperor appoints new ministers. Be careful..."
Before she could finish her words, Shen Xining spoke in a stern voice.
"Emperor, the daughter of the Shen family is late! When I was riding yesterday, the horse got spooked and ran out of the archery field. Then I encountered thieves. All these things delayed me for quite a while and made you all worried. It's the daughter of the Shen family's fault."
As he spoke, Shen Xining picked up the sword of the guard beside him and cut his arm directly.
The emperor suddenly stood up from his seat and looked at Shen Xining's arm with some heartache.
"Xining, what's wrong with you? What happened yesterday happened suddenly and has nothing to do with you."
Shen Xining looked at the emperor, neither humble nor arrogant, he straightened his back and his voice was loud and ear-shaking.
"Your Majesty, Xining has just heard everything. Xining believes in my father's character and believes that with his family background, he would never do such a thing. But Xining believes more in your Majesty's words. What you say and do must have your reasons. In this case, I can only risk my life. I beg your Majesty to give me this opportunity to find the truth of this matter and control the flood for half a year."
There was a lot of discussion around, but in the end no one dared to speak.
If something happened to the Grand Tutor in this dynasty, it would be no small matter. Now is a time of turmoil and everyone just wants to protect themselves. No one wants to get themselves into trouble at this time.
The emperor sighed.
"Xining, I know you are a good child. You have the title of princess. Even if something really happens to the Shen family, I can spare your life by relying on your title and my friendship with your mother. There is no need to do this."
"Your Majesty, as long as the Shen family is here, Xining is here. If the Shen family is gone, Xining will have no reason to continue living."
Outsiders might think that Shen Xining was reluctant to give up the Shen family's wealth and glory, or that he had deep feelings for the Shen family. In fact, it was not the case. It was just because keeping the Shen family and keeping the father, who Shen Xining thought was not worthy, was the dying wish of Shen's mother. Shen Xining was unwilling and did not want to lose even the last bit of Shen's mother's thoughts.