Jiang Yun held the blood-stained handkerchief in her hand.
Her long, slender fingers were covered with crisscrossing scars.
He fought his way up from the battlefield, rising from a beggar to the high and mighty Crown Prince.
Jiang Yun has walked this path for decades.
He has experienced all kinds of hardship and difficulty.
For him, death was the least worth mentioning thing.
Jiang Yun put the handkerchief away and picked up a folded book from the side to look at it.
For a moment, Yongxin Hall fell silent once again.
The next day, Jiang Rongyin had just finished school and was on her way to the East Palace when she seemed to see a familiar figure through the long corridor.
“Baoyin, go to the East Palace later and tell them that the teacher asked me to stay at the Xuezhi Hall to do my homework, and that you will go later.”
She turned her head, patted Bao Yin, and then walked through the corridor.
Bao Yin watched Jiang Rongyin’s retreating figure and could only nod and leave first.
“Mr. Sheng, is it really you?”
Just as the man was about to push the door open and enter the house, Jiang Rongyin called out to him.
Sheng Huai’an turned to the side and met Jiang Rongyin’s gaze.
“Ninth Princess”.
Jiang Rongyin looked at Sheng Huai’an’s somewhat pale face and the sweat on his forehead, and frowned: “Is your illness any better, sir?”
Hearing Jiang Rongyin’s concern, Sheng Huai’an nodded slightly: “Thank you for your concern, Ninth Princess. I’m much better now.”
“That’s good then, I’ll take my leave now.”
Jiang Rongyin smiled, feeling that her sudden arrival was far too presumptuous.
If Jiang Yun finds out, it will only implicate Sheng Huai’an.
Jiang Rongyin turned to leave, and then heard a thud.
Sheng Huai’an had already collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
Unfortunately, his attendants were not at the academy at that time.
Seeing this, Jiang Rongyin had no choice but to walk over and bend down to help Sheng Huai’an up.
“Mr. Sheng?”
She called out to Sheng Huai’an, but received no response.
Jiang Rongyin helped Sheng Huai’an into the house and placed him on the couch inside for a short rest.
The man’s clothes were slightly open, and Jiang Rongyin saw a crisscrossing blue and purple whip mark on his shoulder.
How come Sheng Huai’an has whip marks on his body?
After an unknown amount of time, when Sheng Huai’an woke up again, his attendant Guan Shu was decocting medicine beside him.
“Young master is awake. Is there anything else that’s bothering you?”
Upon hearing the words about reading, Sheng Huai’an turned his head, looked around the room, and then looked away.
“Just you?”
Guan Shu was somewhat puzzled, but still nodded: “Who else would you like to see, young master?”
“When I returned, the young master was already lying here.”
Thinking of this, Guanshu sighed: “Master hasn’t been this angry in a long time. Young master, why don’t you soften your stance and apologize to Master?”
The injuries on Sheng Huai’an’s body were not caused by anyone else; they were inflicted by the Sheng family’s family discipline, which was requested by Grand Tutor Sheng.
“He wants too much right now.”
Sheng Huai’an raised his hand to his shoulder, his pupils widening slightly.
Someone applied medicine to the wound on his shoulder.
Yes, Jiang Rongyin?
“Young master, the medicine is ready.”
“Put it down, I want to rest for a while.”
Guan Shu poured the medicine out and placed it aside, looking at Sheng Huai’an with some concern.
There were two knocks at the door, and Guanshu got up to open it.
“Second Miss?”
Sheng Yunwan nodded in acknowledgment and went into the house.
“Brother…”
She dismissed Guan Shu and then slowly walked to Sheng Huai’an and knelt down.
“Father said that my elder brother still refuses to let me enter the palace. Why?”
Sheng Yunwan looked at Sheng Huai’an, somewhat puzzled. If she entered the palace, the Sheng family’s future would only improve. What was wrong with that?
Why did Sheng Huai’an refuse to let her enter the palace from beginning to end?
Sheng Huai’an propped himself up and leaned against the cushion.
“We are siblings from the same mother, you are my own sister, would I ever harm you?”
Having taught in the palace for so many years, he had seen enough of the intrigue and backstabbing within its walls.
Sheng Yunwan was pampered and spoiled in the Sheng family. She was a girl who grew up in luxury and was no match for the people in the palace.
If she is not careful, Sheng Yunwan’s corpse will be added to the pool.
But the Crown Prince himself chose Sheng Yunwan.
Sheng Yunwan was also willing to enter the palace.
“Precisely because you are my brother, you should understand me even more,”
“I only want to marry Your Highness.”
Sheng Yunwan looked at Sheng Huai’an, a hint of sadness in her eyes.
Her elder brother had always loved her the most since childhood. He thought of her and longed for her, but his attitude was resolute only when it came to the matter of her entering the palace.
She even argued with her father about this, which angered him so much that he called for family discipline.
“If this is what you truly desire, I will not say another word.”
“Please return, Your Highness.”
Sheng Huai’an closed his eyes and told Sheng Yunwan to go back.
“Brother…”
“I am not your brother.”
Sheng Yunwan opened her lips, and seeing Sheng Huai’an turn his head away, her eyes reddened even more.
Sheng Huai’an only opened his eyes after Sheng Yunwan reluctantly left.
The cooled herbal medicine had long since lost all its heat.
Just like Sheng Huai’an’s heart, it was as cold as the bottom.
The palace is an exquisite, glamorous cage.
They seem to be sitting in a high position, enjoying wealth and power.
But no one managed to escape alive from there.
But very few people can see through it.
Sheng Huai’an reached out, picked up the bowl of medicine, and drank it all in one gulp.
Jiang Rongyin returned to the East Palace with a heart full of trepidation, but Jiang Yun was not there.
“Princess.”
Bao Yin walked down the steps and said, “His Highness just went out on business and said that we can return to Guanghua Palace tonight.”
Upon hearing this, Jiang Rongyin felt as if she had been granted a pardon.
She felt much more comfortable breathing when she wasn’t alone with the King of Hell.
At this moment, in the imperial prison, the real King Yama, Jiang Yun, was sitting not far away, watching the person hanging on the rack.
“The Li family is quite capable; they’re bringing people to the capital to petition for the removal of the Crown Prince.”
Jiang Yun toyed with an exquisite dagger in her hand, occasionally gesturing at it.
“Jiang Yun, whether you want to kill me or torture me, I, Li Zhixu, will not say a word more.”
Upon hearing this, Jiang Yun smiled and looked at him, saying, “Lord Li has great integrity. I am the kind of person who always grants requests.”
He raised his hand, and the jailer from the imperial prison stepped forward, pressed Li Zhixu down, and used a blunt knife to scrape off a piece of flesh.
Before Li Zhixu could even scream, Xiang Ming gagged him.
He was in so much pain that his whole body trembled, and he only hated that he was still alive.
Where exactly is Meng Guicheng?
Jiang Yun asked a question.
The case of illegal taxation involved a wide range of people, but among all the officials involved, only Li Zhixu was found to have correspondence with Meng Guicheng.
Suzhou and Huaizhou are thousands of miles apart. How did they manage to collude?
Xiang Ming pulled the gag out of Li Zhixu’s mouth, grabbed his hair, and made him look up in Jiang Yun’s direction.
“I don’t know. Even if you ask me a thousand times or ten thousand times, I still don’t know.”
Li Zhixu’s mouth was full of blood, which dripped onto the execution platform.
“Jiang Yun, don’t be so smug. You were just a beggar, and now that you’ve risen to the position of Crown Prince, do you think that can cover up your past?”
“Hahaha, I almost forgot, didn’t you once fight with a dog for food? Ah!”
Li Zhixu laughed wildly, and then Xiang Ming stabbed him directly in the arm.
Upon hearing his words, the jailers all lowered their heads, not daring to breathe.
“Your Highness, he refuses to talk. Perhaps we should kill him?”
Xiang Ming asked a question, lest Li Zhixu spout nonsense in the imperial prison.
“Why kill them? Keep them alive, I still have a use for them.”
Jiang Yun gave Li Zhixu a deep look, then got up and left.
Jiang Yun had heard his words countless times before.
Before he became the crown prince, everyone called him a dog, but after hearing it so many times, he stopped caring.
After all, back then, being alive was more important than anything else.