Shen Mingzhu hadn't been back here for a long time. Shen Mingyuan was standing under the tree. At some point, he had changed out of his dragon robe into a regular red robe, looking more like a young man, somewhat similar to the Shen Mingyuan in Shen Mingzhu's memory.
"Sister."
When Shen Mingyuan saw her push the door open, a faint smile appeared on his face. But the moment he saw Xie Lang, his expression froze, and he cursed silently in his heart.
Why did this annoying Xie Lang come too!
Reluctantly, Shen Mingyuan stepped forward. Finally, he gritted his teeth and said to Shen Mingzhu, "Sister, sit down. You... you too."
There were only two chairs by the small table. Shen Mingyuan sat down first, and then Shen Mingzhu. Xie Lang had no choice but to stand aside.
[Humph, isn't Shen Mingyuan being childish? He only brought two chairs just to keep me at bay?]
[I should have let Shen Mingzhu sit on my lap.]
Shen Mingzhu: "..."
Absolutely not!
Xie Lang was stared at by Shen Mingzhu for no reason. Only under her hint did he find a wooden block from one side and sit down. Then he saw Shen Mingyuan staring at him with an unclear expression.
He calmly stared back.
Shen Mingyuan gritted his teeth secretly.
Shen Mingzhu broke the silence and said, "Your Majesty, what did you want to talk to me about today?"
The expression on Shen Mingyuan's face faded. He suddenly fell silent and subconsciously turned his head.
Realizing that his evasion was too obvious, Shen Mingyuan forced his head back. But the look in his eyes when he looked at Shen Mingzhu was somewhat indescribable.
"Sister."
After a moment of silence, Shen Mingyuan said, "Don't continue the investigation."
"This is the Empress Dowager's will, and it's also mine."
As Shen Mingyuan said this, seeing Shen Mingzhu's eyes becoming sharper, he subconsciously avoided her gaze, a hint of bitterness appearing on his face.
"Why?"
Shen Mingzhu asked, looking at Shen Mingyuan. "You know I'm not the kind of person who will give up easily, especially when it comes to such a big matter."
There was another moment of silence. Finally, with a solemn expression on her face, Shen Mingzhu glanced at Xie Lang and then continued to look at Shen Mingyuan. "Moreover, why did you marry me off to Xie Lang?"
Shen Mingyuan realized his gaffe and was already a bit afraid to look Shen Mingzhu in the eye.
The person in front of him was his sister and the only one who had ever been willing to offer him a helping hand. Shen Mingyuan used to be Shen Mingzhu's little tail, but after those things happened, he was forced to learn to stand on his own.
"Sister," Shen Mingyuan's throat was dry, and his heart was heavy. "It wasn't my intention. I just wanted you to stay away from all this trouble. I didn't expect the people from the Zhou family to directly force me. They said that if I didn't marry you off to a good - for - nothing with no real power, they would come after you."
"Not only the Zhou family, but also..." After a moment of silence, Shen Mingyuan still couldn't continue. He turned to look at Shen Mingzhu and said, "Sister, later, after the Empress Dowager found out, she told me to arrange the marriage between you and Xie Lang."
What?!
Shen Mingzhu's breathing faltered slightly. She widened her eyes slightly, filled with disbelief.
Why was this matter actually done under the Empress Dowager's instruction? Why did they all keep it from her?
Turning her head, Shen Mingzhu saw the disbelief in Xie Lang's eyes. So she subconsciously reached out and grabbed his hand, listening to his thoughts.
[Damn, what's going on? Why did the Empress Dowager arrange the marriage between me and Shen Mingzhu? She should be quite unfamiliar with me. Why? Could it be that she knows my background?]
Xie Lang was also surprised. The look in his eyes when he looked at Shen Mingzhu became somewhat solemn.
Shen Mingzhu's palms were already full of cold sweat. She barely managed to suppress the uneasiness in her eyes, and her breathing became more and more rapid.
"Do you know everything! What on earth have you and the Empress Dowager been hiding from me!"
Unable to control the indescribable anger in her heart any longer, Shen Mingzhu suddenly stood up. Her eyes were full of fire as she looked at Shen Mingyuan.
The person in front of her was Shen Mingyuan, whom she regarded as her younger brother. But he and the Empress Dowager seemed to be plotting something. They had hastily married her off and even hidden the thing she wanted to know the most, allowing her to stumble around blindly.
Why?
Shen Mingzhu couldn't forget her helplessness when she was first betrothed, nor could she forget the anger of being betrayed by her relatives.
She stared at Shen Mingyuan seriously. "Speak!"
Shen Mingyuan used to be most afraid of Shen Mingzhu getting angry. When he saw her angry expression, he only dared to stand aside, timidly tugging at her sleeve.
In fact, Shen Mingyuan knew that he wasn't really afraid of anyone. He had always known that he wasn't a good person and that he was a cold - blooded one. The former eunuch had scolded him for being like a snake, and he never refuted. Instead, he would secretly catch a mouse and put it in the eunuch's room at night, then hide aside and quietly listen to his screams.
Only Shen Mingzhu was different. In front of her, Shen Mingyuan was always extremely confused. He was afraid of making her angry and afraid of making her sad. He didn't know how to deal with Shen Mingzhu's emotions.
"......Sister."
Shen Mingyuan's voice was hoarse. He lowered his head, showing a hint of resistance and helplessness. "I really can't tell you."
"Then I won't give up." Shen Mingzhu said, looking down at Shen Mingyuan. "If you try to stop me, I won't show any mercy."
After a moment of silence, watching Shen Mingzhu's departing back, Shen Mingyuan asked in a low voice, "Sister, do you still consider me your younger brother?"
The answer to Shen Mingyuan was Shen Mingzhu's cold laugh. Although he knew she would react like this, Shen Mingyuan could only smile bitterly. He continued to sit on the chair and watched as Xie Lang glanced at him indifferently and then left.
Outside the door, Xie Lang hurriedly chased after. He saw Shen Mingzhu squatting aside dejectedly. All the arrogance from before was gone.
"Don't be sad."
Xie Lang squatted down beside her and said, "It doesn't matter. We can just keep investigating. There's no such thing as a completely air - tight secret in this world."
"It's not..."
Shen Mingzhu covered her face with both hands and said in a low voice, "Why did they all keep it from me?"
Xie Lang was speechless. For a moment, he didn't know what to say. After a moment of silence, he continued, "It's their business that they kept it from you. Whether you want to know is your business."
"Not everything in this world is black and white. If you really want to know, don't care about them."
As Xie Lang said this, he reached out and patted Shen Mingzhu on the shoulder.
"But why did the Empress Dowager also keep it from me?"
Shen Mingzhu was confused, filled with a sense of disgust towards betrayal in her heart. "She clearly knew that I wouldn't give up, but she still chose to keep it from me."
Xie Lang watched the broken look in Shen Mingzhu's eyes and was silent for a moment.
"I will definitely find out."
As Shen Mingzhu said this, the look in her eyes gradually brightened.
She stood up and reached out to pull Xie Lang up. She sniffed.
Not far away was the Empress Dowager's palace. When Shen Mingzhu stood at the door, she even hesitated for a moment before pulling Xie Lang in.