"A Li! Are you in there?"
Xia Chuli was taken aback, and his fingertips trembled slightly.
Shen Qingfeng? Why is he here? Didn't he say there were many visitors at the Shen Mansion and he was in a hurry to go back to deal with them?
Xia Chuli quickly rubbed his face, trying to wipe away the emotions that didn't belong to the current "Xia Chuli". Just then, there came the rattling sound of the door being pushed at the entrance.
Shen Qingfeng's voice seemed extremely anxious. "A Li! Why did you lock the door? Open it quickly. Something's happened!"
Xia Chuli rushed over and pulled out the bolt on the door. As soon as he did, Shen Qingfeng pushed the door open and rushed in, his face full of anxiety.
"A Li!" Shen Qingfeng seemed to have run here. There were still some fine beads of sweat on his cheeks. As soon as he saw Xia Chuli, his eyebrows twitched with emotion, and his voice involuntarily rose a bit. "Why did you lock the door?"
"I... I just chased a few maids away. I was a bit annoyed by them, so I locked the door," Xia Chuli said, his eyes wandering as he lied.
Shen Qingfeng stared at him for a while, then, seemingly not wanting to discuss this matter further, he walked straight in, closed the door behind him, and latched it as it was before.
After doing all this, Shen Qingfeng turned around, looked at Xia Chuli, and said in a low voice, "The Queen of Qi tried to commit suicide by taking poison."
"What?" Xia Chuli was stunned for a moment, then quickly reacted and asked, "Is she dead?"
"No, how could that be?" Shen Qingfeng was a bit tired from running. He was not in good health to begin with, and now he was out of breath. He had to sit down by the table and stroke his chest.
"She just took some diluted and harmless poison to gain your father's attention," Shen Qingfeng said.
Xia Chuli quickly poured a glass of water and handed it to him, saying contemptuously, "Xia Yonglin was imprisoned last night, and she tries to take poison today."
Shen Qingfeng nodded and said sarcastically, "Yes, she really acts fast. After all, she can't afford to wait any longer. Your father's condition is not good."
If it were the Xia Chuli from the past life, he would surely have wished for King Xia Jie to die soon. But now, he was a fool who still wanted to gain King Xia Jie's attention.
Xia Chuli put on a sorrowful face and asked, "Father's illness... Can it still be cured?"
He perfectly deceived Shen Qingfeng. Shen Qingfeng just shook his head at him and sighed, "Your father's time is up."
Xia Chuli felt a bit dejected. After all, King Xia Jie had never treated him well. Even the Xia Chuli of this life would not act out a scene of fatherly kindness and filial piety. He really couldn't cry even if he wanted to.
"Did Father go to see the Queen?" Xia Chuli sat down slowly and asked.
"Yes, he dragged his sick body there," Shen Qingfeng said, his eyes a bit gloomy. "And she really achieved her goal."
"What goal?" Xia Chuli asked.
Shen Qingfeng looked at him and said, "She asked for military power for Xia Yanhe."
Xia Chuli paused for a moment and said, "Is it... Li Yanqing's military power?"
Shen Qingfeng nodded and said, "That's right. This woman still has some plans. Look, now Li Yanqing, Qi Shuhuan, and Xia Yonglin are all in prison. The lineage of the Prince of Cheng obviously has no way to turn things around. Since Qi Shuhuan can't help her anymore, now she only has Xia Yanhe."
Xia Chuli suddenly understood and said, "So she pretended to take poison but actually pleaded for mercy?"
Shen Qingfeng picked up the teacup and took a sip, without giving any comment.
Seeing Shen Qingfeng's expression, Xia Chuli could guess most of it. He said in a deep voice, "Did Father agree to Qi Yan?"
Shen Qingfeng stared into his eyes. After a long while, he sighed and said, "A Li, you don't need to mind. His Majesty has always favored Xia Yonglin and Xia Yanhe. Now that he is terminally ill and Qi Yan has resorted to both soft and hard methods, it's not strange for him to give the military power to Xia Yanhe."
"He actually agreed..."
Xia Chuli tried his best to immerse himself in the current role. His method was very simple. He just needed to imagine a fool who wanted candy. When he saw the candy in front of him being heartlessly knocked to the ground and then stepped on into the mud one by one.
Yes, disappointment, despair, and bewilderment.
Xia Chuli bit his lower lip, and his whole body began to tremble, like a stray dog that had been abandoned. "I've done so much... Father, in the end, still favors them..."
Seeing him like this, Shen Qingfeng couldn't help but feel a pang in his heart.
After being reborn for so long, Shen Qingfeng gradually realized that he liked Xia Chuli of this life. It wasn't the kind of love he had for Lu Yan, but the kind of love a brother has for a younger brother. Xia Chuli of this life had never experienced inhumane torture and was as pure as ever.
So sometimes, Shen Qingfeng would unconsciously help Xia Chuli block many things, not tell him, not stimulate him, and protect him well so that he could become a wise king. This was what Shen Qingfeng had always been insisting on doing.
Thinking of this, Shen Qingfeng couldn't help but reach out his hand and gently place it on Xia Chuli's shoulder. His tone also softened. He comforted him in a gentle voice that he didn't even notice. "A Li... You don't need to please everyone. Just let them think whatever they want. Just do your own thing. I'll be with you."
Xia Chuli trembled all over -
He was stunned.
It wasn't the Xia Chuli of this life, but the soul from the past life in his body that was stunned.
How long had it been since he last heard Shen Qingfeng speak to him in this tone?
It must have been a very long time ago, right?
He vaguely remembered that at that time, Shen Qingfeng loved him, deeply loved him.
But in the memories that Xia Chuli could clearly remember now, the only emotion in Shen Qingfeng's eyes when looking at him was hatred.
So much hatred, so much hatred that in the end, he snatched the cup of poisoned wine and drank it all in one gulp.
And now, a warm feeling that was both familiar and strange suddenly filled Xia Chuli's heart, like the gentle rain after the spring thunder falling on the dry land, slowly seeping into the cracked soil.
Along with the warmth came a stabbing pain.
Pain? Why did he feel pain?
In the past life, Shen Qingfeng didn't hesitate at all when he drank that cup of poisoned wine. Similarly, when he himself walked into Qifeng Palace with the wine cup in his hand, he didn't hesitate for a moment either.
In the past life, their relationship didn't need to continue. But in this life, Xia Chuli knew it was different.
What was different?
Maybe it was because there was an extra person by Shen Qingfeng's side.
That person who shouldn't have appeared had pulled Shen Qingfeng further and further away from him.
Xia Chuli had lived two lifetimes, but still didn't understand emotions. Even now, he couldn't clearly say what kind of emotion he had towards Shen Qingfeng.
Was it love? It didn't seem so.
Was it hatred? It didn't seem so either.
He just felt that something that should have belonged to him had been snatched away, so he was angry, so he was furious, and so he wanted to take it back.
He suddenly raised his head. The complex emotions in his eyes actually startled Shen Qingfeng, who quickly withdrew his hand.
"A Li? What's wrong with you?"