In the carriage, Shen Qingfeng was extremely anxious.
The Marquis of Dingbei had beaten the Third Prince of the current dynasty. This was an unheard - of major event in any dynasty. Fortunately, Lu Yan also had the blood of the Wang family, so technically, there was no strict distinction of sovereign and subject between them. Thus, serious crimes like defying one's superior would not be imposed on Lu Yan.
Although the people involved in this incident were a son of King Xia Jie and King Xia Jie's cousin, since Xia Yanhe had made the first move, the punishment for Lu Yan could be either light or heavy, mainly depending on King Xia Jie's attitude.
Even though Shen Qingfeng was extremely worried about this matter, he couldn't intervene. If he got involved, their relationship would be exposed. Although some observant people might have noticed something at the palace gate just now, it was reasonable for Lu Yan to come to his rescue when he was being humiliated.
He was going to marry Lu Yan. If King Xia Jie knew that they had already secretly fallen in love with each other, King Xia Jie's plan to balance the two families would fail, and it would be uncertain whether their wedding could be held.
With a glimmer of hope, Shen Qingfeng could only wait and see for the moment.
However, waiting for death passively was not Shen Qingfeng's style. After Cang Hui sent Shen Qingfeng back to the Shen Mansion, he rushed directly into his room. After disguising himself, he was about to go to the Prime Minister's Mansion to find Shen Shiqiu.
Unexpectedly, just as he was about to go out, he ran into A Man, who was in a hurry.
"Little Young Master! That young man has woken up," A Man said in a hurry.
Shen Qingfeng was startled. He quickly took off the bamboo hat on his head, and a look of joy appeared on his face.
If he wanted to protect the Shen family and Xia Chuli's throne, the Wind - Listening Pavilion was just the first step in all his plans, and Yu Shuang was the key to the entire Wind - Listening Pavilion. He quickly summoned a guard, wrote a manuscript on the table and asked him to deliver it to his father immediately. Then he followed A Man into the inner room.
As soon as Shen Qingfeng walked in, a strong smell of Chinese medicine assailed his nostrils. He couldn't help frowning. He quickened his steps and walked around the screen. What he saw was Yu Shuang, wrapped in bandages and kneeling on the ground, and a young doctor standing aside, looking at a loss.
When the doctor saw Shen Qingfeng coming, he heaved a sigh of relief and bowed to Shen Qingfeng. "Young Master Shen, this young man knelt on the ground without saying a word after waking up. No matter how I tried to persuade him, he refused to lie back on the bed. What... what should we do?"
Yu Shuang, who was kneeling on the ground, remained motionless and didn't even raise his head when he heard Shen Qingfeng coming.
Shen Qingfeng looked down and asked the doctor, "Is he feeling better?"
The doctor replied, "He's a bit better, but he still needs to rest. It's not right for him to kneel like this..."
Shen Qingfeng was silent for a while, then nodded and said, "I see. You can go out. I'll talk to him alone."
Hearing this, A Man quickly responded, dragged the doctor, who was sweating profusely, out of the room, and gently closed the door.
Now, only Shen Qingfeng and Yu Shuang, who was kneeling on the ground, were left in the room.
The room fell into a long - lasting silence. Shen Qingfeng had been to many places today. He was in poor health and was already extremely tired. He found a stool and sat down beside the table. He quietly looked at the man kneeling on the ground for a while before saying, "Why don't you look up at me?"
Yu Shuang didn't move. He kept his head down, like a stone statue, always silent.
Shen Qingfeng said in a cold voice, "Are you suspicious of my intention to save you, or are you worried that you'll be killed by me after seeing my face?"
Yu Shuang was silent for a while. Still keeping his kneeling position, he said, "I wouldn't dare. Since my life was saved by the young master, I'll only be loyal to the young master for the rest of my life and will never go against you."
Shen Qingfeng suddenly covered his mouth and chuckled. "Yu Shuang, you're still the same old way."
As soon as these words were spoken, Yu Shuang suddenly stopped.
"Do you find it strange that I know your name?" Shen Qingfeng said. "Yu Shuang, although you claim to be loyal to me, you've always called yourself 'this subordinate'. If I hadn't pointed out your name, would you have fooled me with a fake name?"
Yu Shuang was greatly shocked and immediately broke out in a cold sweat. Although Shen Qingfeng's words seemed light, they really hit Yu Shuang's heart. Even though Shen Qingfeng had saved his life, according to the rules of the Jianghu, his life now belonged to Shen Qingfeng, but it was not that easy to gain his trust.
Seeing that he didn't say a word, Shen Qingfeng said, "Look up at me."
Yu Shuang's movement paused for a moment, then he slowly raised his head. What he saw was Shen Qingfeng's picturesque appearance. He couldn't help being surprised. He didn't expect that the young master who had saved him was so good - looking. But he quickly collected his emotions, and the surprise flashed in his eyes like a gentle breeze passing over the river, leaving no trace.
"Do you know that I not only know your name is Yu Shuang, but also know that you were once a member of 'Wuhen' and fled to Lige because you were being chased and killed," Shen Qingfeng said. He was very familiar with Yu Shuang. In his previous life, he and Yu Shuang were almost like grasshoppers on the same rope. Yu Shuang had fought side by side with him for so many years, so he naturally knew exactly what this guy was thinking. It was a pity that in the end, he and Xia Chuli turned against each other. No matter how familiar Yu Shuang was with him, Yu Shuang would always be loyal to Xia Chuli.
"The state of Nanxiang has been destroyed for many years. The root cause is that the royal family did nothing and allowed internal power struggles, which led to the collapse of the whole country from within. Each member of 'Wuhen' served their own masters and fought each other to the death. In the end, because of that fatuous king, they ended up wandering the world," Shen Qingfeng said. He slowly stood up, walked to the window, and stood with his hands behind his back. "But 'Wuhen' has a long - standing reputation and is still very popular in the world. The number of people who want to get 'Wuhen' won't decrease. I ask you, is this the reason why you were being chased and killed?"
Yu Shuang bit his lower lip. After a long time, he said, "Yes."
Shen Qingfeng said, "I know you don't want to live a life of drifting anymore, nor do you want to be involved in the aimless power struggles. However, 'Wuhen' is a sharp sword, and you are the sharpest blade. Your identity has already determined that you can't live a peaceful life. A sword will become dull if it is not used for a long time, and this is exactly why I saved you."
Yu Shuang's heart was slightly touched. Shen Qingfeng's scrutiny of him seemed as if he was very familiar with what he knew and thought, which really surprised him.
He was tired of running around, but he had to. It was all because of his identity. He had been a sword for too long, but it was not easy to find a wise master. He didn't want to follow mediocre people, but his refusal had led to the disaster of being killed.
If you can't get it, destroy it. This was the survival rule of this era. He understood it, but he was not willing to accept it.
Shen Qingfeng slowly turned around and said, "A sharp blade should not be buried, and a good sword should choose a new master. Yu Shuang, in the first half of your life, you served that fatuous King of Nanxiang and ended up drifting. Now, Nanxiang has been destroyed, and there is only one Li Xia left in the Central Plains. But Li Xia is still following in the footsteps of Nanxiang. Eunuchs are interfering in politics, and corruption is rampant. The whole Li Xia only has an empty shell. It looks glorious on the outside, but it is already rotten on the inside. Both you and I are capable people. For the rest of our lives, would you like to follow me to change the current situation, support a wise master, and reform the rules?"
Yu Shuang's pupils shrank slightly. Shen Qingfeng's words were about treason and rebellion, but every word was precious. Moreover, Shen Qingfeng dared to say them in front of him calmly. Yu Shuang's lips trembled, and he said hoarsely, "... May I ask the young master's name?"
Shen Qingfeng smiled. "I'm Shen Qingfeng from the Shen family of Li Xia, with the courtesy name Ruwai."
Yu Shuang then asked, "What can the young master promise me?"
Shen Qingfeng said, "The peaceful and prosperous world you're looking forward to."
Yu Shuang pondered for a long time, then faced Shen Qingfeng and kowtowed three times deeply.
The first step of Shen Qingfeng's plan finally came to fruition.