When Shang Luoshu received the imperial edict summoning him to the palace, he was not surprised.
The rumors couldn't be suppressed, and there was also that "mysterious" army in Jizhou. All these required him to step forward and explain. Originally, Shang Luoshu intended to wait until the wedding date was set before confessing everything to Shang Luoze.
Now that he happened to be summoned by the emperor, it was better to tell the truth earlier.
Upon entering the imperial study, after performing the proper salute, Shang Luoshu knelt down on the spot again.
"I beg Your Majesty to punish me!"
Shang Luoze's heart skipped a beat. He quickly bypassed the desk, stepped down the steps, and personally helped Shang Luoshu up. "Brother, what are you doing? If it weren't for you rushing to the capital in time to rescue me, I wouldn't have been able to keep this throne. What crime have you committed?"
The man lowered his eyebrows and bowed deeply again. His tone was full of respect, completely lacking the usual familiarity. "Your Majesty is wise. I dare not claim credit undeservedly! It was General Fang who truly saved the capital from peril. I merely added a finishing touch."
"Moreover, even if I have merits, I cannot offset the crime of secretly hoarding troops. I beg Your Majesty to make a decision!"
What a good move of retreating to advance!
The young emperor gritted his teeth secretly. Even though what Shang Luoshu said was the truth, he couldn't really punish him according to the law. The capital had only just regained peace. If he dared to execute a meritorious prince at this time, it would be like digging his own grave.
Shang Luoshu clearly thought of this, which was why he confessed his crime like this today.
"Brother, when did we start speaking to each other with such hidden motives?"
Shang Luoze softened his tone first, as if he was still the young emperor of the past, if one could ignore the calculation in his eyes. But Shang Luoshu was actually touched by his words.
Even though they were not biological brothers, they had depended on each other for all these years. Shang Luoshu was a few years older than Shang Luoze, so it was impossible for him not to have feelings for this younger brother.
But in the face of imperial power, what did all these feelings matter?
Before leaving the capital, Shang Luoshu had a faint premonition that Shang Luoze had changed. Once, because they had a common enemy in Shang Mozheng, the young emperor trusted him and gave him supreme power.
But now, Shang Mozheng was dead. If he still held on to power, within a few years, he would become the emperor's next target. Moreover, it was a fact that he had secretly hoarded troops.
After Shang Luoshu retired from the battlefield back then, some of the military generals loyal to him also retired. They were all elites in the army. It would be a waste of talent to let them go back to farming. So the man had the idea of secretly training an elite troop.
At that time, he wasn't sure if such a troop could be successfully trained, so he didn't tell the emperor, lest he be disappointed in vain. He never expected that he would really succeed in training them later.
According to his original plan, he intended to bring this elite troop back and hand it over to the court after returning from Yangxian. But he didn't expect so many things to happen later, which repeatedly disrupted his plan and forced him into a passive position.
The momentary soft - heartedness seemed to pass in an instant. When he opened his eyes again, Shang Luoshu had hardened his heart and calmly drew an insurmountable chasm between them.
"Your Majesty, please be careful with your words. You are the monarch, the Son of Heaven. I dare not show any disrespect!"
A glint of cold light flashed across Shang Luoze's eyes. He thought that showing weakness would make Shang Luoshu let down his guard so that he could get information from him and find out if he was really the blood of the late emperor. But this man didn't play by the rules at all.
Fine, if you want to confess your crime, then I'll grant your wish!
"Brother, if you insist on confessing your crime, I, your younger brother, can't stop you," Shang Luoze put on a fake look of distress. "Since this is the case, then you decide what punishment you should receive!"
Shang Luoshu was taken aback. He didn't expect the young emperor to come up with such a move. Then he smiled bitterly.
Your Majesty is truly acting like an emperor now!
He kowtowed again, his expression solemn.
"Now that Shang Mozheng is dead, the promise I made to Your Majesty back then has been fulfilled. I have also lived up to the kindness of the late emperor. As for the elite troop in Jizhou, I have already handed them over to General Fang. If Your Majesty is worried, you can take back the military power at any time. Here is the seal of authority!"
At this point, Shang Luoshu paused and slowly let out a breath. Shang Luoze seemed to sense something and met his gaze. Then he heard his deep voice slowly ring in his ear again.
"I, the criminal, think that Your Majesty should depose my title of prince and demote me to a commoner."
Shang Luoze's breath suddenly caught in his throat. He didn't expect Shang Luoshu to be so harsh on himself. Demoting himself directly to a commoner. Was this also his move of retreating to advance?
Before he could figure it out, the man's voice rang out again. "However, before that, I, the criminal, have a request. I beg Your Majesty to grant it!"
When Shang Luoshu walked out of the palace gate, he felt that the burden on his shoulders seemed to have lightened a lot. From now on, he no longer had to worry about those messy things.
But the next moment, when he saw Hongrui running towards him in a hurry, a bad premonition welled up in his heart.
"Your Highness, the fourth young lady is missing!"
Lu Yinxi had another dream. Since she used the power of the spirit - word last time, she had become extremely sleepy, and she would have dreams every time she slept.
But today's dream was a bit different from the previous ones. In the dream, there were broken walls and ruins everywhere. The vines of plants grew tenaciously through the broken tiles. From time to time, she could hear the roars of zombies.
Was she back in the apocalypse?
The young girl looked at everything around her blankly, and her mind was also a complete blank. Why was she here? She shouldn't be here! She had to wake up!
She clenched her fists so tightly that her round fingernails almost dug into her flesh. The pain spread through her central nervous system and instantly throughout her limbs. But aside from that, nothing around her changed.
She was still in the apocalypse!
The blankness gradually turned into fear. Lu Yinxi kept increasing the strength in her hands. But aside from the blood oozing from her palms, nothing still changed!
"Axi, what are you doing? You can't hurt yourself even if you're feeling uncomfortable!"
A strange young girl suddenly appeared beside her. She was wrapped in a thick camouflage uniform, and even wore a safety helmet on her head, only revealing a small face the size of a palm.
Lu Yinxi rummaged through her memory but couldn't find any memory of this girl at all. But this girl seemed to be extremely familiar with her?
"Fortunately, the boss has cleared away most of the zombies around. Otherwise, the little bit of blood on your hand would have attracted those things!"
As she spoke, the little girl lifted Lu Yinxi's hand and then took out a roll of gauze from the backpack on her waist to bandage it. Lu Yinxi let her do as she pleased, as her mind was occupied by another question.
The boss?
Who was the boss?
She wanted to ask, but her mouth seemed to be glued shut. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't open it.
"Axi, why aren't you saying anything?"
The little girl chattered on and on but didn't get the slightest response. Only then did she notice that something was wrong with the person in front of her. Lu Yinxi tried to use her eyes to signal that she couldn't speak at all.
But at this moment, her vision suddenly went black, and there was a pain in the back of her head. When she opened her eyes again, the little girl from before was gone, and there was only darkness.
Lu Yinxi moved uneasily and felt that she seemed to be in a sack. Putting aside that strange dream, logically, she should be lying in the bed in her boudoir at this time.
But now...
So was she kidnapped?