I did it all for the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 434 The winner takes all!

Shen Pei suddenly sighed, gently stepped aside, and revealed the broad road outside.

Shen Rong's face lit up with joy!
He knows it!

Even at crucial moments, my uncle was still able to distinguish right from wrong!
But just as Shen Rong was about to leave, Shen Pei had already given the order—

"Somebody come!"

"Shen Rong has trespassed into the Ministry of Personnel; imprison him in the Imperial Prison! He is not to be allowed to contact anyone during this time!"

"Here!"

The officials who had been so submissive just moments before suddenly swarmed forward and quickly seized Shen Rong!

Shen Rong only realized what was happening when her hands were bound and she felt a sharp pain in her shoulders.

He stared blankly at Shen Pei.

He never expected that Shen Pei would ultimately choose someone other than him, someone other than Yuan Shang, and someone other than the Shen family!
"uncle!"

Shen Rong was forced to bend over, but her head was stubbornly raised, staring intently at Shen Pei.

"Uncle! Your Highness! Me! And your two children! Uncle! What are you doing?"

Although Shen Pei was heartbroken after making the decision, he felt relieved.

"Naturally, I'll do what I'm supposed to do."

"I will never forget Your Majesty's kindness to me."

"Moreover, the country comes first, then the family! Although I am your uncle, I am also the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat of the Great Zhao!"

Shen Pei closed his eyes, and there seemed to be tears in the corners of his eyes.

He understood what his choice today meant.

All the prosperity that arises from him will also decline because of him.

"My heart is pure and bright, what more is there to say?"

Shen Pei waved his hand, and the official immediately took him away.

The vast Imperial Secretariat was left with only Shen Pei standing there, alone, savoring the taste of this decision.

……

Not many people knew about the trial of Rong.

But among these few people, everyone felt a sinking feeling in their hearts!
Yuan Shang never imagined that Shen Pei would actually be so willing to put righteousness above family ties!
"What should I do?"

Yuan Shang was plunged into panic once again.

Without obtaining intelligence, Yuan Tan would surely be able to achieve great merit.

Yuan Tan has rendered meritorious service, and the position of crown prince will surely be his.

If Yuan Tan discovers that I have an affair with Princess Qinghe, I will definitely die without a burial place!
Yuan Shang became fearful again.

He hid in his house, wanting to drown his sorrows in alcohol, but Princess Qinghe came to his door and splashed the wine in his cup all over Yuan Shang's face!
"Now that things have come to this, Your Highness only has one path to take! Why are you so despondent!"

Princess Qinghe stood in the hall, and it was hard to imagine that such a delicate beauty could at this moment seem to have a domineering aura that could stand tall and upright!
In his daze after being splashed with wine, Yuan Shang even thought that the person standing there was not Princess Qinghe, but her father Cao Cao!

However, the fiery liquor did indeed sober Yuan Shang up.

Surrendering now is tantamount to waiting to die!
"I need to go to the Imperial Prison!"

Yuan Shang regained his senses.

"Since Judge Shen imprisoned Shen Rong in the Imperial Prison, it must be because Shen Rong already knew something. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been so ruthless as to put him in the Imperial Prison directly!"

Princess Qinghe also offered a suggestion: "Your Highness can send someone to deliver food to him and have him write down what he knows and pass it on, so as to minimize any gossip."

"That's how it should be!"

Yuan Shang abandoned his idea of ​​going there himself and instead entrusted an official from the Court of Justice to bring the food.

This lunchbox containing the food was given to Yuan Shang by Princess Qinghe. There is a hidden compartment at the bottom, inside which are paper and pens.

Although Yuan Shang has lost power, it is still very easy for him to do such a small thing. Shen Rong, who was in prison, soon received the meal sent by Yuan Shang.

The moment you open it, a wonderful aroma fills the air!
Sesame flatbread, stewed beef until tender, and meat soup made with freshly picked chives and meat sauce... What surprised Shen Rong the most was that there was also a pot of fine wine!
"Your Highness hasn't forgotten me after all!"

With the jailer's prompting, Shen Rong quickly found the secret compartment, wrote down the information he knew, and then ate heartily until he was full.

That very night.

Shen Rong suddenly cried out in pain in his stomach! The jailer dared not neglect him and hurriedly went to find a doctor.

However, when the doctor arrived, he felt Shen Rong's pulse and shook his head at the jailer.

The person is gone!

The jailer immediately felt a chill run from the soles of his feet to the back of his head!

Yuan Shang shared the same sentiments as the jailer.

Upon learning this news, Yuan Shang immediately went to find Princess Qinghe and exclaimed in disbelief, "You gave me the food box! You prepared the food! You actually killed Shen Rong?"

Princess Qinghe readily admitted that she had been exposed.

"you……"

Yuan Shang pointed at Princess Qinghe, his lips trembling with anger, but he ultimately did not utter the words "poisonous woman."

"Is Your Highness confused? If Shen Rong were alive, His Majesty could easily find out everything by asking him when he returns."

Princess Qinghe nestled close to Yuan Shang.

"Now that Shen Rong is dead, and His Highness has never had any contact with Shen Rong, even if someone has doubts, there is ultimately no evidence."

"What Your Highness should do now is not to grieve for Shen Rong, but to report this matter to the Empress as soon as possible, so that the Empress can stop Yuan Tan!"

Yuan Shang's mouth was dry.

Shen Rong.

Shen Pei's nephew.

He actually killed her!

How should he face Shen Pei from now on?

Yuan Shang suddenly felt as if he had inexplicably fallen into a quagmire.

The more you struggle, the more you try to wipe the mud off your body, the deeper you sink.

Just then, a servant from the mansion came to Yuan Shang.

"Your Highness, Lord Shen Ling has arrived!"

Shen Pei indeed learned of Shen Rong's death!
Yuan Shang gave Princess Qinghe a look, and she immediately left knowingly.

However, before leaving, Princess Qinghe reminded Yuan Shang once again—

"Your Highness, Shen Pei alone is no longer enough to protect you." "Now, whatever we do, there's no going back."

Yuan Shang looked at Princess Qinghe's retreating figure with disgust, but in the end, he was helpless.

moment.

Shen Pei entered the house.

Overnight, Shen Pei's temples turned white, which greatly alarmed Yuan Shang, but he still forced himself to ask, "How could Lord Shen be like this?"

Shen Pei stared at Yuan Shang expressionlessly.

Those empty eyes were like two bottomless pits, making Yuan Shang's heart tremble.

"Shen Rong is dead."

"Such a thing actually happened?"

Yuan Shang tried his best to cover it up, but such attempts were somewhat futile in front of Shen Pei, who had watched him grow up.

However, Shen Pei didn't pay much attention to it, but instead asked Yuan Shang a question—

“In recent years, Liu Miao has not restricted the various schools of thought, and I have also seen some interpretations that differ from those of the classics.”

Mencius once said: "The foundation of the world lies in the state, the foundation of the state lies in the family, and the foundation of the family lies in the individual."

"What does Your Highness think of this statement?"

Yuan Shang lowered his head, not daring to look into Shen Pei's eyes.

"Has the judge come today to test my knowledge?"

Shen Pei remained silent.

Yuan Shang could only say, "Confucius said: Duke Wen of Jin was cunning but not upright, while Duke Huan of Qi was upright but not cunning."

"When Duke Huan died, the princes attacked each other, and because the palace was empty, no one dared to put a coffin in it. Duke Huan's body lay on the bed for sixty-seven days, and maggots crawled out of the door."

"But Duke Wen died of old age, and the state of Jin remained strong throughout his life. This is probably the difference between the two."

After hearing this, Shen Pei sighed and said, "But in the end, the State of Jin was divided into three states and its state ceased to exist."

"Wasn't Jiang Qi also substituted by Chen Tian?"

Yuan Shang did not believe he had done anything wrong.

"Over the years, I have always heeded the words of the judge, remaining upright and not deceitful."

"I know that Duke Shen is my Guan Zhong! I cannot do without Duke Shen no matter what! But right now, only by being cunning and unscrupulous can I ascend to the throne!"

Shen Pei suddenly twitched his nose twice.

"Your Highness, who has been by your side lately?"

Yuan Shangxin was on the verge of tears: "That's not true. Everyone in the mansion is an old friend."

He mustered his courage and looked up at Shen Pei, but all Yuan Shang saw was that numb and indifferent face.

Yuan Shang had always respected Shen Pei, simply because Shen Pei was by nature fierce and straightforward, and would often fly into a rage and unleash his thunderous power.

At this moment, Yuan Shangduo hoped that Shen Pei would give him a good scolding.

However, this was not the case.

He simply continued to calmly inquire of Yuan Shang: "Does Your Highness know of King Yue's faults? And that the young master is without fault?"

Yuan Shang naturally knew these two people.

One is the protagonist of "The Yue people killed their ruler three times".

One of them was the protagonist of the "Rebellion of the Five Gentlemen of Qi".

They all harmed their countries in the process of vying for the throne, causing the countries to weaken and leading the two hegemons of the Spring and Autumn Period, Yue and Qi, to gradually decline and perish.

Yuan Shang was all too aware of Shen Pei's reminder.

But Yuan Shang countered by asking Shen Pei, "Does Lord Shen know about Prince Fusu?"

Prince Fusu was an even more famous figure.

Hu Hai succeeded to the throne and then committed suicide.

Yuan Shang did not want to die.

When Shen Pei heard Yuan Shang mention Fusu, he understood Yuan Shang's ambitions at that moment.

He sighed softly, and his usually straight spine slowly bent down.

"Your Highness, a wise ruler should not act in this way."

"But only when one becomes a ruler can one speak of the concepts of 'wise and foolish'!"

Yuan Shang raised his hands and bowed deeply to Shen Pei.

"I will never forget your teachings, Lord Shen."

"But I also hope that you will remember that the reason I embarked on this path was also due to your teachings."

"Everything that is happening now is the result of the judge's decision. Doesn't the judge think so?"

If it weren't for Shen Pei and these Hebei gentry, Yuan Shang might not have coveted the throne.

The path we walk today was actually chosen in the past.

All the choices that followed were merely moments of stubbornness.

Shen Pei took a deep breath and painfully closed his eyes again.

Even he is powerless to change things now.

"Has Your Highness made up your mind?"

"Ah."

"Who is behind this?"

Yuan Shang hesitated for a moment, but still said, "Empress."

The pain on Shen Pei's face intensified.

Seeing Shen Pei like this, Yuan Shang, though still feeling uneasy, no longer had any reservations.

"Please, judge, I assure you."

"I can become the second Duke Wen of Jin! Even the second Emperor Gaozu of Han! The second Emperor Guangwu!"

History is as vast as the sea, and its principles as complex as the stars, but in the end, it all boils down to just four words—

"The victor is king, the loser is villain!"

(End of this chapter)