Shen Qingfeng's eyes flickered. He said softly, "Prince Cheng, Xia Yonglin."
"Prince Cheng? You... You went to Prince Cheng's mansion yesterday for this very thing?" Shen Yu stared wide - eyed, his voice rising in pitch. "Little brother, don't you forget that Prince Cheng has his eyes on the throne!"
"I understand," Shen Qingfeng replied. "That's exactly why I need to get close to him. Otherwise, how can I support Xia Chuli to ascend the throne smoothly?"
Shen Yu was taken aback. His voice was a bit hoarse as he asked, "Did Prince Cheng recruit you?"
Shen Qingfeng nodded and revealed the key point of the matter. "Now, outsiders all think I'm an out - and - out rebel. First, I had a falling - out with the Shen family because of Xia Chuli, then I had a rift with Xia Chuli over Qi Mengmeng. Although I was betrothed to Lu Yan, I refused the marriage and thus had a conflict with him. In everyone's eyes, I'm now in a dilemma. It's only natural for Prince Cheng to come and recruit me."
"Currently, the Crown Prince's faction in the court only consists of those from the Prime Minister's Mansion. The eunuch faction and the Empress Dowager's clique are all obstacles. If we want to protect the Crown Prince, we must find another way," Shen Qingfeng said. "Prince Cheng's approach to me this time is actually a good opportunity."
Shen Yu took a deep breath. He had to admit that Shen Qingfeng made sense, but this matter...
"It's too dangerous," Shen Yu gritted his teeth. "The Prime Minister's Mansion and the Empress Dowager have been secretly competing for so many years. How could you handle this alone?"
"Don't worry. I have my own plan. And how can we know the outcome if we don't give it a try?" Shen Qingfeng said. "Moreover, King Xia Jie betrothing me to Lu Yan already indicates that he wants to take action against the Shen family. If we do nothing, what stands in our way won't just be the Empress Dowager. We'll be up against the king of Lixia."
Shen Yu paused for a moment, then frowned and asked, "If King Xia Jie violates the ancestral precepts, will the various princes agree?"
Shen Qingfeng sneered. "Big brother is too naive. Those princes don't care who rules Lixia. All they care about is who gives them more benefits. After all, for them, interests always come first." After all, it had taken him a great deal of effort to persuade other princes to raise troops to help Xia Chuli stage a rebellion.
Shen Yu didn't say a word. He bit his lip and stared at the table, seemingly carefully considering this matter.
Shen Qingfeng sighed. "Big brother, you know that King Xia Jie is extremely suspicious. After Princess Liuli's death, Queen Qi has whispered in his ear a lot. He's long been dissatisfied with the Shen family. He even set a trap for Lu Yan, who has only a distant blood relation but also has the right of succession. I'm afraid that for him now, the ideal successor in the future will only be selected from Xia Yanhe and Xia Yonglin. Xia Chuli has been cast aside. For him, the ancestral precepts of Lixia were already forgotten when he forcibly wanted to marry Princess Liuli as his concubine."
"King Xia Jie has been on the throne for eighteen years. Given his physical condition, he doesn't have many years left. Xia Yonglin indulges in pleasure, and Xia Yanhe has no ambition. It's neither reasonable nor proper for them to ascend the throne. If things really come to that point and the Prime Minister's Mansion stands on the side of the ancestral precepts and opposes King Xia Jie, when the king wants a subject to die, what shall we do?" Shen Qingfeng took a deep breath. "We need to find a way out for ourselves, big brother."
Shen Yu was extremely shocked. He sat there, stunned, his lips trembling as he asked, "Little brother, have you talked to father about this?"
"No," Shen Qingfeng replied. "You know father's character. He's been an official for decades. He only has the country and the people in mind. He's full of integrity, and upholding the ancestral precepts of Lixia is his duty. But father is too honest. He believes that justice will prevail in the world, but he doesn't know if he can withstand the vicissitudes of history. The court is full of changes. People fight tooth and nail for the throne. The queen, the eunuch faction, and even King Xia Jie all regard father as an enemy and want him dead."
"Father often tells us the story of Yue Fei, saying that he was loyal to the country but was wrongly accused and died unjustly. However, history has given him justice. I'm a vulgar person. I don't want so - called historical justice, nor do I want the honor of posthumous fame. I just want father to live well." After saying that, Shen Qingfeng drank up the tea in his cup in one gulp, then slapped the cup on the table. He stared fixedly at Shen Yu and said, "So, big brother, I'm telling you this first. I believe you can understand my thoughts, and I also need your help."
Shen Yu looked at Shen Qingfeng in front of him. At that moment, he suddenly felt that his younger brother seemed to have changed. No, it seemed that Shen Qingfeng had given him a different feeling even earlier. It was as if he had suddenly shed his immaturity and recklessness and was forced to put on a strange shell.
Shen Yu opened his mouth. Facing such a Shen Qingfeng, he felt a bit strange, but for some reason, a tinge of heartache flashed through his heart.
He didn't know why Shen Qingfeng had become like this, but he knew that the look in Shen Qingfeng's eyes when he looked at him was extremely firm and resolute.
Shen Yu lowered his head. After thinking for a long time, he finally looked up at him and said, "Little brother, tell me. What do you want to do now?"
Shen Qingfeng relaxed his eyebrows and gave a soft smile. Instead of answering directly, he sighed. "All I want is a peaceful and prosperous world, just peace and stability."
-
Shen Qingfeng accompanied Shen Yu to the front gate. Before getting into the carriage, Shen Yu turned around and took a deep look at Shen Qingfeng. Then he pursed his lips and stepped into the carriage.
Shen Qingfeng, dressed in white, holding a warming stove in his hand, stood by the gate and watched as Shen Yu's carriage drove further and further away until it disappeared at the end of the street.
The sunlight today was a bit too bright. The sun overlooked the world, like a witness of history. The world had changed over time, with the rise and fall of fates, but there was only one rising sun, hanging high in the sky as if it had nothing to do with the world. It was as if it were strolling outside of time and space, ironic and contemptuous.
Shen Qingfeng looked up. The winter sun had no warmth at all, but it still made his eyes hard to open. In the cloudless sky, not even a shadow of a bird could be seen. He squinted for a while, then snorted and turned to walk into the Shen Mansion. He slammed the heavy front gate shut with a "bang".
Just as Shen Qingfeng had anticipated, when he was taking a nap in the afternoon, He Jiu brought news.
However, this time he didn't come in person. Instead, he sent a ragged little beggar to knock on the front gate of the Shen Mansion.
The butler, Uncle Zhong, rushed to open the door. He looked at the words "For Shen Qingfeng's personal reading" on the envelope in surprise. Then he walked nervously to Shen Qingfeng's room and handed the envelope to him.
Shen Qingfeng took the envelope, thanked Uncle Zhong, and then walked straight into his room.
He tore open the envelope and scanned the contents of the letter. Then, as expected, he gave a soft smile. He walked slowly to the brazier and expressionlessly threw the letter into it.