allonlinenovel Chapter 151 The dust has settled
Chapter 151 The dust has settled
No matter how Lan Chengen struggled, he was eventually taken to the Dali Temple prison. Zhao Huaijin was a little worried about Shen Jingyi.
"If you treat Lan Cheng'en like this, will the emperor...?"
"I, Shen Jingyi, also have principles. If the emperor is willing to protect such a sinful person, then I, Shen, will not follow him."
Zhao Huaijin had not had much contact with Shen Jingyi before, and his impression of this Dali Temple Minister was that he was the emperor's lackey.
However, through his interactions with Song Qingwan during this period and his own understanding, Zhao Huaijin discovered that Shen Jingyi was actually a brave and resourceful gentleman.
"Then take care, Lord Shen. Awan is not in good health. We will go back now."
"My lord, walk slowly."
Shen Jingyi bowed to the two of them, his eyes swept across Song Qingwan's face, and he couldn't help but pause and then looked away.
These reactions were clearly seen by Prince Yu who was standing next to him. He felt a little relieved, as he was not the only one who could not get the love he wanted.
"It turns out that Lord Shen is just like me, and we both have someone hidden in our hearts."
"No, I am different from you, my lord. I am an upright person."
Shen Jingyi glanced at Prince Yu with disdain, then left with a flick of his sleeves.
"You... Shen Jingyi, when have I ever been anything but upright?"
Prince Yu's face turned red with shame. He didn't compete with Zhao Huaijin for the girl. Wasn't he just watching silently?
But Lan Xiaoxiao did not give him any face, she directly exposed Prince Yu's little thoughts.
"Can the prince be called upright? What about those concubines in the backyard who look like Princess Huai?"
"You...Lan Xiaoxiao, don't push your luck! You're being too presumptuous!"
"Your Highness might as well just divorce me, or demote me to a maid. I am tired of being a concubine!"
After saying this, regardless of Prince Yu's reaction, he turned around and left the Dali Temple to deal with his mother's funeral.
In the end, Aunt Qian was buried in the Lu family's cemetery. It seems that since she was so strong-willed and sacrificed herself for the Lu family, the ancestors of the Lu family would take good care of her.
Lan Xiaoxiao chose a Feng Shui treasure land for her mother. She didn't want her mother to return to the Lan family. From then on, she was no longer Kang, but Kang Cuilan, Lan Xiaoxiao's mother.
"Mother, you won't blame me for making this decision, right? I know you love me. In your next life, please be brave and take me away as soon as possible, okay?"
Lan Xiaoxiao knelt in front of her mother's grave for a long time and was unwilling to get up. She said countless times that she hated her mother and her cowardice.
But she was able to maintain her kind nature while living in the Lan family. Isn't this all thanks to her mother?
She still remembered her mother hugging her and coaxing her while saying with guilt when she was a child, "How great it would be if my Xiaoxiao was not born in the Lan family? How great it would be if I, Kang Cuilan, was able to take my daughter away?"
Lan Xiaoxiao was tired of crying, so she lay down in front of her mother's grave and closed her eyes. Suddenly, a pair of hands gently held her shoulders.
"Go back, your mother can rest in peace."
Lan Xiaoxiao turned around and saw that it was indeed Zhong Xuejiao, who was looking at her with a worried look on her face.
"I'm no longer a member of the Lan family. I'm just myself, sister."
"You will only be my Xiaoxiao from now on, I know."
Lan Xiaoxiao threw herself into Zhong Xuejiao's arms and started crying. She would never suffer the grievances and coercion she had endured over the years again.
One day, she and her sister would leave Prince Yu's Mansion and live a truly free life.
Things turned out just as Zhao Huaijin had expected. When the emperor heard that Shen Jingyi had imprisoned Lan Chengen, he directly summoned Shen Jingyi to the palace for questioning.
"You are so bold that you directly deal with the court officials without my consent."
"Isn't this a right granted to me by the Emperor? Besides, what kind of an official is Lan Chengen? He is just a head of the Lan family without a rank."
"I was wrong. I shouldn't have let you go! Shen Jingyi, you don't even listen to me now."
"I am loyal to the Great Saint Dynasty and the Zhao family. If Your Majesty thinks I have done something wrong, you can punish me."
Shen Jingyi knelt on the ground neither humbly nor arrogantly, his eyes looking down but his head held high.
The emperor wanted to strangle him to death when he saw him like this. This was his cousin, someone he trusted unconditionally.
"Do you think I dare not? Even if you are from the Shen family, I can still chop off your head!"
"Your Majesty, of course you can do this. You are the monarch. But if you do this, I will doubt whether the Shen family is a wise monarch to whom they are unconditionally loyal."
Shen Jingyi raised his eyes and looked directly at the emperor in front of him. He was determined to go all out today.
How many people did the Shen family sacrifice to protect Zhao Yuanrui? Why did the once prosperous Shen family fall into such decline? All this was thanks to Zhao Yuanrui!
The atmosphere in the imperial study was tense and depressing to the extreme.
Just when the emperor ordered to punish Shen Jingyi, Princess Jiayi walked in.
"What are you doing? Jingyi, what happened?"
"I send my regards to the princess."
"Hurry up, there are no outsiders here, only us brothers and sisters."
"I don't dare."
The eldest princess sighed. She was naturally aware of the emperor’s current situation, and she certainly didn’t want her brother to die.
But she also didn't want the Lan family to continue to be so arrogant, so she hadn't entered the palace in recent days to avoid the limelight.
Today, she heard that Shen Jingyi was summoned to the palace, so she quickly put Jingle down and rushed over.
Shen Jingyi is the only bloodline of the Shen family, and she must protect him. This is her mother's last wish.
"Brother, do you still want to pardon Lan Chengen? Do you think the Lan family will remain loyal to the Zhao family?"
"What can I do now? Even Song Qingwan can't help me with my illness. My headache is getting more and more painful. I really can't hold on any longer."
The emperor covered his forehead and closed his eyes helplessly. He was the first emperor to do this.
Ever since he started suffering from headaches, his power was gradually being sidelined, with Prince Yu taking away most of his power. He would accept it if he could abdicate smoothly.
But the movement of this insect really tortured him and caused him great pain. He had no doubt that one day he would be tortured to death by this insect.
All the power and status, what is it compared to life? So he can no longer be a fair and just ruler, he wants to live.
Power and status can be given to Prince Yu as long as this worm can be removed from his mind, so he wants to keep Lan Chengen.
But he didn't understand that the Lan family's goal was to kill him and there was no way they could remove the poison from him.
The eldest princess was also helpless. What everyone understood now was that her royal brother was unwilling to accept this reality.
Finally, after some persuasion from the eldest princess, Shen Jingyi left the palace smoothly. He promised the emperor not to kill Lan Chengen for the time being.
The eldest princess did not return home after leaving the palace, but came to Prince Huai's mansion. She decided to talk to Song Qingwan in person.
After all, in her heart, Song Qingwan is much more reliable than that Yin Lan.