Chapter 481

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Main Character:

Shen Yao

Yu Xi's tiny grievance couldn't reach the Emperor; the Emperor had even forgotten the two children he brought along and was currently seeking pleasure with the beauty pressed against him.

Handling state affairs is so tiring; eating, drinking, and playing are what make people happiest.

The Emperor never had a persona of diligent governance and love for the people to begin with; every day he just muddled through.

If those Imperial Clan relatives and court officials hadn't pressed too hard before, the Emperor might not have wanted their lives.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty~"

"Beloved Consort, quickly drink this cup of wine; this wine is a tribute from a vassal state."

"..."

No one knew of the extravagance on the imperial carriage except the parties involved; Yu Cheng, pulling Yu Xi, had already run far away.

As two children not of great age, raised with a thousand joys and a hundred indulgences, their tempers were surprisingly good.

The passing guards all saluted with eyes fixed forward; Yu Cheng and Yu Xi walked and skipped along (mainly Yu Xi; Yu Cheng was more steady and composed).

"Wait, we can't go forward anymore."

Yu Cheng suddenly grabbed Yu Xi, who still wanted to walk forward, frowning as he pulled her back.

Yu Xi:... Hm?

Yu Xi, not understanding why, pointed forward with her finger, "There are people everywhere up ahead," why can't we go.

Yu Cheng couldn't put it into words, because the people up ahead gave him a very bad feeling.

The palace attendants serving at their sides urged the two young masters to hurry back; they had been out for quite a while, and the carriage fleet would be departing soon.

"Let's go back first; Elder Brother will tell you a story," Yu Cheng found an excuse.

Yu Xi listened, tilted her head to think for a moment, then nodded with a sound of agreement, "Alright."

Listening to Elder Brother tell a story isn't bad either; compared to wandering around outside on her own two legs, staying comfortably in the carriage with food and drink and a story to listen to — hee hee hee — Yu Xi instantly felt delighted.

The two turned around and walked back; on the way they ran into Shen Zhanghe who had come to inspect. The three exchanged greetings, and Yu Cheng reminded this quite decent uncle, "There's something unusual over there."

Shen Zhanghe's heart immediately gave a start; he expressionlessly indicated he had noted it down, "Prince and Princess, go back; this place is left to your subject."

He was not the sort to look down on someone because Yu Cheng was young.

On the contrary, Shen Zhanghe believed in Yu Cheng's keenness; as the Holy Emperor's only son, if Yu Cheng had no exceptional qualities, then even if he ascended the throne later the imperial position would be unstable.

The treacherous, ever-shifting court would not give Yu Cheng a chance to accumulate strength.

Thinking it through, the current Holy Emperor is truly lucky; everything goes his way.

Shen Zhanghe mused randomly for a while, then turned and watched Yu Cheng and the others leave; he lifted his foot and straightforwardly headed for the spot Yu Cheng had specifically pointed out.

That place was no different from the surroundings; if forced to say, the only thing was that the guards seemed a bit strange.

"Are they also Yulin Guards?" How come some faces are unfamiliar? You have to know Shen Zhanghe also served here for a period, and moreover Shen Zhanghe still holds an official post, big or small.

Although the Yulin Guard's personnel are vast and complex, the selection rules for the Yulin Guard are numerous, and every year there is a fixed quota for those chosen; for this trip accompanying the holy carriage out of the palace, the Yulin Guard members are certainly mostly veterans.

So many unfamiliar faces appearing — could it be that someone planted spies?

"Replying to Lord Shen, these are all newly recruited Yulin Guards this year.

Originally we didn't plan to bring them out, but there was a temporary change in the Yulin Guard, so we had no choice," it counted as them slipping through the net.

"Lord Shen, rest assured, they won't be assigned nearby to guard the holy carriage; they are only responsible for routine vigilance and scouting the road," the quick-witted one added a sentence.

As it turned out, this remark was worse than saying nothing; Shen Zhanghe listened and felt even more uneasy in his heart.

"They're responsible for scouting the road?" Shen Zhanghe frowned, "Only a short segment, or fully responsible?"

The quick-witted guard froze, his eyes darting, giving a general idea, "That is, responsible for the morning scouting."

Because at noon and afternoon they rest; otherwise Yu Cheng wouldn't have seen these people.

Actually, it was still that Yu Cheng was a bit too keen; because these people had been resting here all along, and usually had no extra movements.

If Yu Cheng hadn't suddenly mentioned it to Shen Zhanghe, Shen Zhanghe wouldn't have paid attention to them, and then discovered the problem here was bigger than imagined.

Waving his hand with a normal complexion to dismiss the guards who had gathered around, Shen Zhanghe turned and returned to the carriage.

Shen Chunbai was resting his feet and catching his breath; he still needed to continue riding to guard in the afternoon, and elderly people always feel fatigue.

Seeing his eldest son return unusually early, Shen Chunbai hurriedly asked the reason.

Shen Zhanghe mentioned those road-scouting Yulin Guards, and incidentally spoke his speculation.

Shen Chunbai:...

"This, is it really true?" Could it be overthinking, actually just a simple misjudgment.

Shen Zhanghe wasn't certain, but better safe than sorry, "Advance prevention is definitely not wrong."

If there really are nails planted inside, they'll be prepared and won't be exhausted coping; if there are no nails planted, then they can also rest assured.

"Then arrange manpower to disperse them, and readjust the composition of the road-scouting personnel.

In a few more days we'll reach a relatively narrow pass; front and back are all small paths, troops and vehicles can only proceed single-file; if someone really dares to ambush there, even if we win it can only count as a miserable victory."

Shen Chunbai suddenly shivered; thinking of that scene made his whole body uncomfortable.

Waving his hand to tell Shen Zhanghe to hurry and get to work, he himself couldn't stay put either.

Forget it, forget it, "Let's go out together; I also need to make another inspection round."

In case there are any fish that slipped through the net; but this child Yu Cheng is really not bad, definitely more reliable than the current Holy Emperor.

…………

The Emperor eats, drinks, and plays on the holy carriage, while the Shen father and son are busy everywhere patching gaps.

Time passed little by little until one day at dusk, the team arrived at the narrow pass mentioned by Shen Chunbai.

The Emperor immediately announced a halt to rest, to continue the journey tomorrow morning.

Everyone began busily starting fires and cooking; Yu Cheng and Yu Xi were restless, jumped down from the carriage to stretch their legs, and even brought along Shen Zhanghe who had finally gotten a moment of leisure.

"Crown Prince, you cannot go that way, it is dangerous."

Shen Zhanghe wore a full suit of armor, making clanking sounds as he walked.

Yu Cheng waved his hand, "Uncle, not afraid, Father Emperor arranged guards all around us, no one dares to rush out."

Shen Zhanghe: ……

"Crown Prince, the hour is not early, you should return to dine."

Shen Zhanghe took a few quick steps to Yu Cheng's side, raised his hand to block Yu Cheng who still wanted to go forward, and shook his head swayingly trying to pull him back.

Yu Cheng was displeased, frowned wanting to argue with Shen Zhanghe, but unexpectedly he seemed to suddenly notice something, backhandedly grabbed Shen Zhanghe's arm, "Uncle, then let us go back."

Shen Zhanghe, who still wanted to speak more reason, froze, blinked his eyes, and let out an "oh."

Uncle and nephew walked back; under the slanting evening sun, their shadows stretched long, simultaneously covering the mountain pass not far away.

"Uncle, quickly go tell Grandfather's side, it is dangerous here!"

Yu Cheng raised his hand to cover his small mouth, eyes twisting as he looked behind.

Shen Zhanghe: ……？！！！

Shen Zhanghe widened his eyes, his body stiff and jerky like it had rusted.

He glanced behind himself, incredulously said, "Dangerous? Here?"

Yu Cheng nodded, "Just now when we went over, there was an ambush there."

Shen Zhanghe subconsciously blurted out, "How would a little child know?"

Yu Cheng: ……

Yu Cheng looked at his not-so-bright uncle with a speechless face, "So what if I'm a child?" He is a Prince, he knows even more than Uncle.

Letting go and pushing Shen Zhanghe forward, Yu Cheng urged this person to hurry and handle the matter, not to dilly-dally here with him; one must know the ones in danger in the end are them, early preparation is certainly not wrong.

Shen Zhanghe: …… Convinced

Shen Zhanghe first sent Yu Cheng back to the carriage, then mobilized the surrounding guards to guard around the carriage compartment, and himself quickly ran to the tent where Shen Chunbai and Shen Zhangyu were resting, quietly telling them the situation Yu Cheng mentioned.

Although Shen Zhanghe did not really believe it in his heart, he could not help that he himself was obedient.

No matter what, Yu Cheng is a Prince, his identity is more precious than this uncle of his.

Remembering Shen Zhangyu's earnest instructions, Shen Zhanghe had not the slightest intention of perfunctory muddling through.

It was precisely because of Shen Zhanghe's cute obedience that the car fleet this time avoided greater losses.

When the sky color dimmed, and all was silent.

Yu Cheng heard sudden shouts of killing rising outside.

Yu Xi shrank into Yu Cheng's arms in fright, her whole person trembling, "Brother"

Yu Cheng backhandedly embraced Yu Xi, and by the way asked Xiao Fu and Xiao Ji to go check the situation, "Not afraid, Grandfather's side will protect us well."

Yu Xi blinked her eyes, trying hard to control her trembling voice, "Really, really?"

But Father Emperor doesn't care about them, Grandfather's side, can Grandfather's side protect them well?

Whimper whimper whimper

As expected outside the palace is very dangerous, Mother Empress was right, next time she absolutely won't go out.

Yu Xi muttered in her heart about how next time must be, not knowing that in Yu Cheng's eyes, whether they even have a next time at this moment is hard to say.

The scene Xiao Fu and Xiao Ji saw was not good; both wanted to persuade the Eldest Misses to find a place to hide.

But outside is a mess; what if accidentally injured by friendly fire, wouldn't that be even more tragic?

"Two Aunties, my sister and I are not going anywhere, we believe Grandfather's side and Uncle will arrange everything well."

Those killing sounds have not yet reached close by, meaning they are not in danger yet.

Since so, no need to run down the carriage to rush about everywhere, better to quietly watch and wait.

Yu Cheng is young in years, knows much, is the Head of the Caravan for everyone in the carriage compartment.

Xiao Fu and Xiao Ji put aside thoughts of persuasion, instead choosing one person to stay inside the carriage compartment, one person to go outside to continue investigating the situation.

This farce did not drop the curtain until dawn; the originally clean and fresh site became bloody and cruel.

Shen Zhangyu, clad in armor, had no time to rest and went everywhere inspecting, fearing some fish that slipped through the net was not eliminated, would bring trouble to our side.

"Lord Shen"

"How is it here?"

Shen Zhangyu asked two routine official business questions, got the answer all was well, and turned to leave.

Shen Zhanghe ran over from not far away, "Eldest Brother, the Imperial Physicians are all gathered at the Emperor's carriage compartment, what about those two children?"

One night of fierce battle, the car fleet having some damage is normal; only the comparatively unlucky thing is, last night the Emperor received stimulation and those bandits found the opportunity to stab him a knife, thereby causing some injured court officials and guards to lack diagnosing physicians, hence the delay just now.

Shen Zhanghe and Shen Zhangyu because they had to guard against the bandits making a comeback, had to patrol outside; as for birth father Shen Chunbai, he was long waiting before the Emperor, in case any problem arose and no one could be found.

"The Prince and Princess there only received some fright; hearing the attendants say, the Empress prepared quite a few Calming Pills in advance before leaving the palace, sleeping a while to rest is about the same.

At this time we cannot create trouble, can only first wrong the Princess and Prince, everything must wait until we tide over."

Last night fortunately they were prepared, ambushed quite a few guards in front of Yu Cheng and Yu Xi's carriage in advance, stopping that group of desperate bandits.

Yu Cheng and Yu Xi bodies have no injuries, but the children listened to killing all night, looking at their mental state not very good.

Shen Zhanghe running over also meant wanting the Imperial Physicians to help diagnose pulse, to prevent dragging into serious illness affecting the body.

However Shen Zhangyu's words are very reasonable, at this time it is still mainly low-key, the Emperor is injured, everyone's gaze and attention are concentrated at the imperial carriage.

The Prince and Princess here can only suffer some grievance, obediently drink medicine to recuperate.

"Eldest Brother, I will go instruct the palace servants, must take good care of the two children."

While at it, tighten the purse strings for the guards stationed outside; they absolutely cannot slacken.

"Go on, I'll make another inspection round," at this time there's no need to calculate whether to rest or not; settling the entire car fleet is what matters most.

The two brothers briefly met, then turned back to busy themselves with their own affairs.

Everything happening outside the palace was also recorded by the system and passed to Shen Yao inside the palace.

Shen Yao woke up from a nap and received such a grand gift, truly quite frightened.

However, "The Emperor is injured again?" Shen Yao truly found it funny; this was probably retribution.

"Host, the injured spot is a bit off, just overlapping with the chest that was stabbed before."

The system felt that even heaven didn't want the Emperor to live too long; everyone else was fine, only the Emperor himself was stimulated and injured by thieves.

Shen Yao remembered the Noble Consort who had died of illness long ago; oh, so it was a trap left behind by the hairpin.

Calculating it, this matter had something to do with her; the Emperor was truly unlucky.

"Is the situation serious? Can he hold on for a few more years?" Yu Cheng was not even eight years old at most; he needed at least five or six years before he could stand firm.

With the Emperor's condition of injury upon injury, could he hold on for five or six years?

"Saying it's serious isn't serious; the Imperial Physicians said it damages his lifespan," but with careful maintenance, five or six years was definitely possible, "Besides, the Imperial Physicians have profound medical skills; the Emperor's injury just looks frightening."

Shen Yao touched her chin, "Not necessarily; the Emperor has been extravagant for many years; wanting him to be well-behaved and not enjoy eating and drinking was simply impossible."

So saying that proper maintenance could let him live a few more years was all false talk.

The Emperor simply wouldn't do that; Shen Yao still had to consider the consequences and influence his premature death would bring to their side.

Could Yu Cheng support the identity of the New Emperor, stabilize the Court and the Border, and make Yu Guo not say salted fish turning over, but at least stop struggling in the Abyss?

Shen Yao had not forgotten that the Yu Guo before her eyes was going downhill; wanting Yu Guo to flourish was not something one monarch could accomplish; it would take several generations of unceasing effort before seeing decent results.