It's better to fall in love than seize the heir

In the evening of this day, it was rare for Shen Jinghe to return to Changle Palace according to the normal time.As soon as he stepped into the door of the palace, he found that the queen was sitting on the main seat and looking at him quietly, with a hint of concern in her eyes.

"Niang Niang?" Shen Jinghe was taken aback, "Why are you here?"

Wei Yuyun didn't answer, but beckoned him to come over, took his arm and looked him up and down carefully, and then asked with a questioning look, "Cheng Mo said that you stayed in Taixue to copy books for a whole night last night, did you ever ask?" Have you closed your eyes and rested?"

"Lao Madam is worried, of course there are." Shen Jinghe thought of how he rested last night, and a little unnaturally turned away his slightly hot cheeks.

Wei Yuyun raised his eyes and glanced at him, reached out and took a silver spoon to stir the hot medicinal soup on the carving table, hesitantly said without looking away: "I heard...the one who stayed with him last night was Little General Liang ? Although he is not leading the army now, what are his achievements in the past few years? If you don’t want to be suspected, it’s best not to get too close to him.”

Shen Jinghe was taken aback, although he didn't understand why the empress seemed to be a little unusually cautious about this matter, but knowing that the empress was worried that she would be stigmatized by others as being a clique, her eyes immediately warmed slightly.

He didn't answer, just stared at the rippling medicinal soup in the white jade porcelain bowl, and then opened his mouth inexplicably after a long while.

"Your Majesty, don't worry. If I were the two of Qingyun and Yihua Second Palace, I would be in a hurry to avoid suspicion at this time. But now..."

He raised his eyes calmly and looked at the slightly surprised eyes of the queen. The pupils in the pupils were by no means deep and cold that a 16-year-old boy should have. "Now Liang Yan and I treat each other as friends. I'm afraid he has to worry about it first, when the black hat on his head will be taken off by the emperor."

"You mean..." The queen frowned, and there was some suspicion in her heart that wanted to break through.

Shen Jinghe touched the thin wall on the outer edge of the porcelain bowl, tried the temperature of the soup for her, and started the topic without seeming to care, "Your Majesty, do you still remember that when you asked your father to hang me in the Changle Palace, Why did Emperor Father agree so easily?"

"Why else?" Wei Yuyun thought about the past, the temperature in his eyes suddenly dropped to icy cold, and the brocade handkerchief in his hand was tightly clenched and wrinkled, "He knew he was ashamed of our Wei family, if it wasn't for..."

Her words suddenly choked, a trace of extremely sad hatred flashed across the corner of her eyes, and a pale tremor appeared on her face.

Shen Jinghe lowered his eyes silently, he didn't know what happened that year, but in his opinion, the person sitting high on the dragon chair was not someone who would easily give in because of guilt.

But... Maybe he should think of a way to get to know some old things as soon as possible?

He suppressed the thoughts that came to his mind for a moment, and called softly to the struggling woman whose expression changed several times in front of him.

"My lady..."

The empress seemed to be brought back to her senses by his gentle call, she closed her phoenix eyes, and sighed wearily, "I have lost my composure in front of you again... just keep talking, if It wasn't because of the guilt towards my Wei family, why did he take the initiative to suppress so many voices of opposition in the court for you?"

Shen Jinghe glanced cautiously at the door, there were no palace people outside the hall, but he was not completely relieved because of this, and his voice was still so low that no third person could hear, "Your Majesty has been in a deep state for the past six months. If you think about it, you can see the turmoil caused by the endless struggle between the two factions in the DPRK. We saw the impatient faces of the two families and felt that the impatient faces of the two families were disgusting. But the father is now in the heyday of the spring and autumn, and he is waiting to let go and rectify Zhen Chaogang, how should he think?"

The queen's eyes changed, and her eyes slightly enlarged due to the sudden surge of emotion, "You mean..."

Shen Jinghe smiled lightly, and evaluated his current situation with indifference as if he was aloof from the matter, as if he was watching an irrelevant character in a storybook drama, "I, Shen Jinghe, am just trying to check and balance the chess game in the world. It’s just a chess piece.”

He didn't pay much attention to the shocking and complicated expression on the queen's face, his sharp eyes shot straight out of the hall, and his voice was as clear and decisive as ice hitting jade, "Even...I am still far from being able to be in his hands." The qualifications of a chess piece. How can a little prince who is born in the common people and has nothing to do with power use in an attempt to shake the foundations of the two factions, which are twisted and twisted like a thousand-year-old tree?"

Shen Jinghe withdrew his gaze, and his cold and determined eyes were full of courage, which made his calm and unwavering face shine brightly, "It can be imagined that the higher the position I occupy now, the more people I make friends with. The more people there are, the more high-profile his words and deeds are, and the more he is in the limelight, the more he will be happier, and there is no way he will find my fault because of this."

"Until..." He blinked, and the oppressive aura of applauding everything just now dissipated completely in the next second, making one suspect that the deep and coldness he saw just now was just an illusion of vertigo, "Until I The sudden emergence of the third person stood firm, and the situation in the court turned into three points, and all the places that I liked in the past, at that moment, completely turned into sharp blades that wanted to kill me."

The queen seemed to be touched by his last words, her whole body shook, and she almost fell down.Shen Jinghe hurriedly stepped forward to give him a hand, and frowned in concern, "Your Majesty?"

Wei Yuyun was stunned, and a look of sadness and self-mockery was fleeting on his face.She gathered herself together, then turned around and gently stroked Shen Jinghe's hair, and sighed softly, "You are young, but you can see more clearly than most people... that's okay." , you won’t just receive a little fake favor from others, be grateful and even give your heart, and end up like that for nothing in the end.”

Shen Jinghe heard her unconscious meaning, and was clearly full of doubts, but he didn't show the slightest bit on his face.He looked at the frail and pale woman in gorgeous clothes who was still strong and proud, and felt a little sour in his heart.

He didn't say anything more, just picked up the porcelain bowl gently with both hands, his eyes were as clear as clear water and sky, "Mother, the medicinal soup is cold."

……

"This son is...?"

In the damp bluestone alley, in front of the ancient heavy door with copper rings, the childish doorman looks suspiciously at the slender figure wearing the green gauze bamboo hat opposite, the face of the man is completely covered by the layered gauze curtains, only The white jade fingers stretched out with a letter of worship between them, showing the demeanor and extraordinary temperament of the person in front of him.

"Please pass this letter of greeting to your master, he will send someone to fetch me." The clear and clear voice that was deliberately suppressed came to the ear through the green gauze.

"This..." The door boy was still a little hesitant. For this mysterious person who suddenly appeared in front of the mansion, it was difficult for him to guess the identity of the other party.He intentionally asked the other party to take off the tightly covered bamboo hat, but it was clear that there were still slanting raindrops falling from the sky, which made him feel that it would be too impolite to say such a request.

"Thank you." The owner of the bamboo hat nodded slightly, but the warm voice made people feel inexplicably convinced.The doorman hesitated for a moment, but decided to pass the message for him according to his intuition.

"Young master, please wait for a while under the porch. I will report to the master and I will return." Looking at him worriedly, the doorman held up a bamboo green oil-paper umbrella and hurried towards the main hall against the cool rain. A few ripples were stepped on the shallow water surface in the courtyard.

Not long after, when he came back, he had a stupid expression on his face, step by step followed by the master who was striding faster than him in a daze.

This... He originally thought that if he rashly informed the young master who didn't know the details outside the mansion, he would be reprimanded by the master.Unexpectedly, the master opened the greeting card and glanced at it, then hurriedly walked out with his eyes wide open.If it weren't for his sharp eyesight and quick hands holding an umbrella to keep up, I'm afraid the master will have to get wet in the autumn rain at this time.

Fortunately, I didn't categorically reject the young master because of the airtight bamboo hat...

The doorman shrank his neck, secretly rejoicing.

He was still slightly proud of himself, but his master had already excitedly supported the young man's arms, looked at his eyes, and sighed over and over again, "Why did you come to my place today...It's cold outside, you first Come with me to the main hall and have a cup of hot tea to warm up your body."

The young man seemed to be smiling and answered, and followed the master modestly across the stone road that had accumulated some rain.The doorman hurriedly closed the two doors of the mansion tightly again, and the wind carried the cold rain gently blowing past the eaves lamps on both sides, shaking and slapping on the plaque with the word "Su Mansion" engraved on the top.

Shen Jinghe took a sip of the fragrant tea, gently closed the porcelain cover, and put it back on the ancient table beside his hand.

"The Lanshan snow buds in the mansion are not comparable to the new tribute tea in the palace. You should treat it as a thirst quencher." Su Qingfu looked at the young man in front of him kindly, and saw that he seemed to have grown taller and was in good spirits. Cai was slightly relieved, "Are you still used to living in the palace these few months? I don't have a chance to visit you in the palace on weekdays. I only saw you from a distance in the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests. You seem to have lost weight?"

"Where is Shibo, I am fine in the palace, how can I be a little thinner than before?" The Xifu Begonia outside the hall shed a few petals of pink powder between the rain curtains, Shen Jinghe cherished this kind of presence In the fine rain, chatting in a homely warm atmosphere, with a sincere and warm smile on the face.

Su Qingfu looked at him stroking his beard and nodding his head, and said happily, "The Empress is also a dignified and decent character, you can get a little more help if you think about it in her palace."

Shen Jinghe nodded in deep agreement, and when he spoke again, his tone was uncertain and hesitant, "Uncle Shi, actually... I came here today to ask about the empress."

He paused, and looked at the other side seriously, "What happened to the Wei family back then?"

Su Qingfu couldn't help being startled, he lowered his hands, turned his face away in a little embarrassment, sighed several times in a row, but just avoided answering.Shen Jinghe didn't rush, but still looked at him with open and clear eyes, quietly waiting for an answer.

"You... well, it's just old things, unspeakable, unspeakable!" Su Qingfu shook his head again and again, frowned and hesitated again and again, and finally took the greeting card just handed over by the doorman with trembling hands, After opening it, it reveals a "Qi" neatly written on it.

Su Qingfu looked at this succinct letter of greeting, and his expression was a little touched, "Do you know why Old Master Qi resigned and went back to Jiangnan to live in seclusion?"

"I vaguely remembered that my mother mentioned that it seemed that she was disheartened because she felt that all the horses in the officialdom were silent?" Shen Jinghe had a little doubt on his face.

"Exactly, with an upright and strong character like Mrs. Qi, I can't understand that big case back then." Su Qingfu smiled wryly and shook his head, muttering in his mouth as if lamenting the impermanence of fate, "This case was rare back then." It is said that twenty or thirty officials were involved, including the family members of the disciples, there may be more than a thousand people. But if you ask now, everyone in the court either keeps secrets or has no impression at all."

Shen Jinghe's eyes were fixed, and he pursed his lips, "The Wei family..."

Su Qingfu didn't answer, he let out a long sigh, stood up and took a few steps forward with his hands behind his back, speaking in a low voice, "If it wasn't for the fact that you are now involved with the empress, even if you ask any questions, I will keep silent. Even if I tell you to listen to it today, you'd better just listen to it and forget it, and if you go deeper, it will do you a hundred harms and no benefit."

His voice was unusually serious and deep. Shen Jinghe was sensitive to the seriousness of the matter, and immediately nodded forcefully with the same serious expression.

After getting his assurance, Su Qingfu carefully checked the closed doors and windows again, turned around and sat back on the seat, and knocked on the wooden table with his fingers, "You know that the late emperor had five sons, but His Majesty was not the most favored among them." That one? If it wasn't for the support of the Wei family, which was still in its prime at the time, and married the only daughter to become a princess early, I'm afraid that the person in the seat now..."

He glanced in the direction of the Forbidden Palace meaningfully, and Shen Jinghe nodded in understanding.

"But in this way, the Wei family has the merits of being a dragon, and the queen is taking care of them, so it shouldn't be..."

Su Qingfu looked at Shen Jinghe's furrowed brows, and sighed with distant eyes, "Now you look at the world, but how many people are there with the surname Wei? Twenty or thirty years ago, let alone the grandfather of the First Prince. The Deng family, even the Xu family, can only stand aside in front of the Wei family."

Hearing these words, Shen Jinghe's eyes became clearer.Su Qingfu waved his hand, "I mean, do you think that the Wei family ended up almost silent today because of their merits and arrogance? Actually, it's not the case. Master Wei's honest and upright character was obvious to all in the government and the public. The Wei family has always had a strict family style and strict family education, so although the disciples and children are promising, they have not done any dirty things to humiliate the family."

"Then why..." Shen Jinghe seemed to think of something, his eyes darkened for a moment.

Su Qingfu took a sip of tea to moisten his throat, his face was a little heavy, "Your Majesty has only been on the throne for a few years, and the Wei family has turned."

"What?" Shen Jinghe's expression was unconcealable astonishment.

"You don't believe it, do you?" Su Qingfu shook his head slightly mockingly, "Not to mention you don't believe it, even I don't believe it, the courtiers don't believe it, I think even the Wei family can't believe it."

He paused again, "However, His Majesty believed it."

Shen Jinghe's eyes were so complicated that he couldn't describe it in words.

"After receiving the secret report, His Majesty was naturally very furious. He issued several edicts and ordered Xu Taishi, who was only the Chancellor of Dali Temple at that time, to lead a strict investigation. After this investigation, several cases of corruption, embezzlement, land occupation, and bullying men were found. Cases of domineering women suddenly emerged one after another, during which most of the court officials were implicated. Everyone in the court and the opposition was in danger, reporting each other to protect themselves, or taking the initiative to distance themselves from the Wei family, lest they avoid it. In the end, the conspiracy The name of rebellion has not yet been determined, but various other crimes have already convicted several officials who have close contacts with the Wei family. They either ransacked their families or exiled them for thousands of miles. Suddenly, the official positions in the capital were vacated by less than half .”

"Then these accusations... are all true?" Shen Jinghe spoke with some difficulty.

Su Qingfu sighed, "After Grand Master Xu's hand, it is the jade seal sealed by the emperor himself. Even if it is not true, how could it not be true?"

These words sounded convoluted at first, but both of them were silent for a long time, and in the end they could only look at each other helplessly with unclear meaning.

Shen Jinghe seemed to have remembered something again, "But if the Wei family really committed the crime of treason, how could the Empress..."

Su Qingfu waved his hands and bowed his head, with a trace of pain in his eyes, "Those officials were either beheaded or exiled, and the investigation results at Dali Temple finally came belatedly, and it was found out that the secret report of treason was just It’s just a fake letter from an official who has a personal enmity with the Wei family.”

"What?" Shen Jinghe only thought it was extremely ridiculous, "Such an absurd reason...then the Wei family will finally be punished?"

"Yes, but it's too late." Su Qingfu recalled the past, with a mournful expression on his face, "Before the Wei family had time to be released from the prison, the jailer on duty that night accidentally knocked over the candle after drinking, Most of the sky prisons were buried in the flames."

Shen Jinghe gasped, and couldn't believe how distraught the empress was when she heard the news.

"The jailer himself died in the sea of ​​fire that night, so after the emperor Longyan was furious, he had no choice but to sentence all the ministers and servants of the Ministry of punishment to confiscation and exile. The Dali Temple who presided over the case was not fined because of ineffectiveness. , is to be released.” Su Qingfu picked up the tea cup, but he was in no mood to savor it again, “However, the man has passed away, and the officials implicated have not waited for the news of the retrial. It seems that apart from treason, other charges are like sitting It's settled. Even the officials who were demoted from Dali Temple have returned to the inner court intermittently in the past few years."

Shen Jinghe sat in the same place in a daze, and suddenly understood why the Wei family's past was kept secret by everyone, and why the empress always had hatred and unwilling desolation in the corners of her eyes when she mentioned it.

"Sometimes I always wonder, is the way of heaven really fair?" Su Qingfu didn't notice his daze, and still sighed with emotion, "If the way of heaven is fair, how come the Wei family has been clean and respectful for generations, but because of such ridiculous things? All the reasons were put into flames. If the way of heaven is really unfair, is everything we do now really meaningful?"

"It's true that the way of heaven may not be fair." Shen Jinghe said softly, and his gaze towards the distance outside the hall gradually became firm and deep.

"However, we always have to try it out. If the way of heaven is not fair, then I must have justice. All I ask is for a sentence to be worthy of my heart."

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Thanks for the grenade thrown by Baby Xuechuimo and the landmine for Jusheng Huaibei!Choo Choo Choo!

Thank you W__ for the nutrient solution of irrigation ~ refill