vrcanaries Chapter 180 Hoping it's you, yet afraid it isn't.
Chapter 180 Hoping it's you, yet afraid it isn't.
Xu Zhi didn't understand the ways of a ruler, so he simply stood quietly beside Shen Yuchen, listening attentively to what the other had to say.
"Your Majesty, the wind is strong here, please put on this cloak!"
Fu Anben, who had been following them at a short distance, noticed that Shen Yuchen seemed to intend to stay longer, and carefully helped him put on the fox fur cloak that he had prepared beforehand.
As night fell at this stop, the lights in the entire palace were lit as the lanterns were first lit.
Candlelight illuminated the layers of mansions outside the palace, and looking back, one could see the lights shining on the corridors.
Shen Yuchen sighed softly, "May the peaceful scene of thousands of lights in every home last forever."
Xu Zhi chimed in at just the right moment, "With Your Majesty here, I believe that one day the world will be at peace and the people will live in prosperity."
Shen Yuchen smiled without saying a word, gazing at the Fuyu Pavilion in Weiyang Palace, silently praying that Shen Sangwan would be alright.
"Late at night."
Fu'an was a little unsure where Shen Yuchen was going, so he cautiously asked, "Which empress's palace does Your Majesty intend to visit?"
"I heard that the Empress is ill in bed at Fengluan Palace. I will go and see her."
Shen Yuchen naturally knew the real reason why Wen Yuening was unconscious; she was just trying to cover things up and continue to put on a show.
Fu'an wisely sent a quick-moving junior official to the Phoenix Palace to deliver a message, so that Qingque and the others could be prepared.
By the time Shen Yuchen arrived at Fengluan Palace, Cen Yan had already learned the news and returned to Fuyu Pavilion.
"Is the Empress feeling any better?"
"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I am perfectly healthy."
Wen Yuening thought the other party wouldn't have time to come to her place, but unexpectedly, they still came for the sake of acting.
"Empress..."
"His Majesty..."
After a brief pause, the two spoke at the same time.
"Your Majesty, please speak first."
Fearing that the two would speak in unison again, Wen Yuening preemptively let the other speak first.
"Your Highness must not harbor any resentment towards my elder sister for going to Yuanzhou without my knowledge."
Wen Yuening wasn't surprised by Shen Yuchen's words. After all, someone who dotes on his sister would always side with her in everything.
She didn't reply, but nodded instead.
"What did the Empress want to say to me just now?"
"Is Your Majesty prepared for a palace coup?"
Shen Yuchen hadn't expected the other party to be so direct, getting straight to the point.
This left him speechless for a moment. After a brief pause, he asked, "What does the Empress think?"
"Judging from Your Majesty's expression, you may already have a perfect plan. What I have done may be of little help, but I hope it can be of some assistance to Your Majesty."
"The Empress is quite frank."
Wen Yuening simply smiled politely and didn't continue speaking.
"Your elder sister left all her people to you?"
"Your Highness has not informed me of your plans. All I can do is control my father and prevent him from taking advantage of the chaos."
"Did the Empress never imagine that Prime Minister Wen would collude with Prince Ming to force the emperor to abdicate?"
Wen Yuening laughed when she heard this. "Your Majesty is joking. Even if my father is incredibly stupid, he wouldn't go so far as to try to overthrow Your Majesty through Prince Ming and end up killing himself. After all, Prince Ming is not as kind as Your Majesty. If I can see through him, my father certainly can too."
Colluding with Shen Yujing is tantamount to seeking help from a tiger; no matter how careful one is, one will still get stuck in a quagmire and get oneself killed.
Shen Yuchen didn't take Wen Yuening's rudeness to heart. He was just reminded of the concubines who were usually very respectful to him by the Empress's sudden laughter.
Today's empress is not like the dignified and gentle one of the past, yet he finds her to be vibrant.
Seeing that Shen Yuchen was staring at her intently, Wen Yuening didn't want to continue the conversation, so she said directly, "It's getting late, Your Majesty should rest early. There are still many things to deal with tomorrow."
Shen Yuchen nodded and let Rushan and Ruzhu help him undress. However, today he would not sleep on the bed, but instead went to the chaise lounge where Wen Yuening should have slept.
"Your Majesty, your bed is over there."
Wen Yuening stopped Shen Yuchen and pointed in another direction.
"You've just recovered, and this chaise lounge is too small. Tonight, the Empress should sleep on the chaise lounge, but I can sleep here for the night without any problem."
After saying that, he walked around Wen Yue Ning and sat directly on the chaise lounge. Now that he had grown taller, Shen Yu Chen could hardly straighten his body when he lay on it.
Looking at the person curled up in the brocade quilt, Wen Yuening covered her mouth, turned around, and chuckled softly twice.
After having Qingque help her wash up, she went to bed to rest.
This was the first time Shen Yuchen had come to her place, and she didn't have to sleep on that small chaise lounge, so she slept soundly all night.
So much so that she didn't wake up when Shen Yuchen got up for the morning court session the next day.
Shen Sangwan's troops had been traveling for several days and were exhausted when they arrived outside Qizhou City. He ordered them to camp on the spot and rest.
Shuyun brought some dry rations for Shen Sangwan to eat first, as the meal wouldn't be ready for a while.
The two sat on the ground. Shen Sangwan didn't stand on ceremony and took a big bite of a sesame seed cake.
"Your Highness, I have discovered something, but..."
"Just say what you have to say. When did you learn to be so hesitant and stammering?"
Even though Shen Sangwan had spoken, Shuyun still hesitated.
"Did you see something or hear something?"
"I saw Mo Feng..."
"Send a message back to Kyoto in secret?"
Shuyun looked incredulous, but quickly realized what she meant. "It was just my wild guess. I didn't know it was Your Highness's idea. Please forgive me."
"You're not making wild guesses."
Shen Sangwan's words left Shuyun bewildered once again.
What does His Highness mean by those words?
So, did Mo Feng really betray His Highness?
"Are you wondering why Mo Feng would betray me, or whether he really betrayed me?"
Shuyun didn't say anything, but nodded.
“I tested everyone except you, and none of them showed any flaws. So I tested you as well.”
When Shen Sangwan first arrived, Shuyun had already betrayed her once in front of the Empress Dowager, but after the poison pill incident, Shen Sangwan was very confident that Shuyun would not betray her.
So after Wen Yuening told her about her tragic death in her previous life, she investigated the people around her many times, but to no avail.
This caused a slight crack in her trust in Shuyun.
"So, the person who assassinated Yuexin wasn't one of Prince Ming's men, but rather someone arranged by His Highness, right?"
At this moment, Shuyun realized what was happening and noticed her prince's reaction that day. She said that something seemed off.
"I really wanted it to be you, but I was also afraid it was you. However, I was very disappointed; it wasn't you."
After all, if the mole was Shuyun, she could easily deal with him secretly. But since he had been following her around and doing so many things, if it really was him, there would be a lot of trouble.
"How did Your Highness know it was Mo Feng...?"
Shuyun lowered her voice, afraid that others would hear.