usatvline Chapter 248 Father-Daughter Disagreement
Chapter 248 Father-Daughter Disagreement
Emperor Cheng did not believe that Shen Li would have so many thoughts, after all, it involved the important matter of vying for the throne, how could a woman have such ambition?
"Speak freely and I will listen," Emperor Cheng waved his hand.
"I believe that Lord Zhou is, after all, the father of the future Crown Princess. Although the Crown Prince will certainly be fair in presiding over the trial, he will inevitably face criticism from court officials and the people." Shen Li lowered her voice.
Shen Zizai closed his eyes; he knew this girl was hiding something.
Emperor Cheng was delighted upon hearing this and repeatedly said, "Minister Shen, I think Li'er understands politics better than you."
“Your Majesty, there is no precedent in our dynasty for any other prince to interfere in politics. If we do not consider the Crown Prince, such an important matter can be handled by the Grand Secretariat,” Shen Zizai added.
“Zhou Zhen is the Grand Secretary of the Cabinet. How can the people in the Cabinet control him?” Emperor Cheng dismissed the idea with a wave of his hand, and then said, “The only adult prince who can do things right now is Prince Yi. I will entrust this matter to him.”
Shen Zizai said urgently, "Your Majesty, please reconsider."
"No need to discuss further, you may leave. Li'er, take good care of yourself, and you don't need to go to the Hanlin Academy for duty for the next few days," Emperor Cheng said.
"Thank you for your great kindness, Your Majesty." Shen Li tugged at her father's sleeve, signaling him to stop speaking.
It wasn't that Shen Zizai didn't want to speak, but Emperor Cheng was worried that he would be difficult to deal with, so he left the study first.
The old man wanted to chase after him, but Shen Li gently pulled his arm and stopped him.
So on the carriage home, Shen Li was met with an angry father. Because it was inconvenient to talk in the carriage, she even followed him to the Shen family's temporary residence.
Once inside the study, Shen Zizai raised his voice and said, "You, you, you... what are you up to? What good will it do you to drag the Crown Prince into this?"
"What benefit would it bring you if you put him in power?" Shen Li asked instead of answering.
Shen Zizai paced back and forth in his study in anger: "Where have you gone from the loyalty to the emperor and the service to the country that your father taught you since you were a child? When have officials ever sought personal wealth and honor while dedicating themselves to the country?"
"Such an incompetent fool is sitting on the throne, and you call this loyalty to the emperor and serving the country?" Shen Li had died once and no longer believed in such principles.
Shen Zizai sighed upon hearing this: "What can we do? That Prince Yi is a ruthless person. If he really succeeds in seizing the throne, how can the people of the world have a good life?"
"Moreover, once this door to seizing the throne is opened, all princes in future generations will inevitably develop ambitions, and they will fight and consume each other, bringing disaster to future generations."
“As Father said, Prince Yi is not a very good choice either.” Shen Li was much more indifferent: “Your Majesty has many princes, so there may be better options.”
Shen Zizai seemed to be deep in thought upon hearing this.
"Besides, Father has really wronged his daughter this time. I didn't forge that letter, and I don't want to handle the case." Shen shrugged. "In the end, it was Zhou Zhen who implicated the Crown Prince. I am also a victim."
Shen Zizai originally wanted to give her a lecture, but when he saw his daughter say this and saw her somewhat aggrieved expression, he remembered that she had just been rescued.
"Indeed, the Zhou family brought this upon themselves. Whether it will implicate the Crown Prince now depends on his fate." He shook his head and let the matter drop.
Shen Li nodded helplessly in agreement.
"It's getting late. Chang'an has been worried about you these past few days. You should go back soon." Shen Zizai's voice softened. "Take good care of yourself when you get back."
"Father, please don't worry too much about national affairs and get some rest," Shen Li instructed.
She knew that what she had done would put her father in a difficult position, but in order to protect her family and for the future of Da Zhao, Li Heng absolutely could not ascend the throne.
It was already evening when Shen Li left the temporary residence. When she returned to the Gu residence, Gu Chang'an had already set out a meal for her in the room.
He paced back and forth at the table, dressed in an elegant and leisurely moon-white robe. However, the occasional glance he would take outside revealed only worry and anxiety, hardly the leisurely demeanor one might expect.
"Husband." A sweet voice rang out in the courtyard.
Gu Chang'an turned around and saw Shen Li running towards him, lifting the hem of her court dress. He only had time to take two steps forward before she hugged him tightly.
The servants in the courtyard lowered their heads automatically, trying their best to keep their eyes straight ahead.
"Ah Li." Gu Chang'an hugged her tightly, his heart finally at ease.
"My husband, I miss you so much. Without you, everyone bullies me." Shen Li said coquettishly, expressing her grievances.
Of course, if Chaoyang Mingyue heard this, she would definitely curse him out.
"Poor Ali, it's good to be back. Are you hurt?" Gu Chang'an released her and looked her up and down.
There was no sign of injury, and she looked quite well; you couldn't tell she had been held hostage for several days.
Upon hearing this, Shen Li tiptoed and whispered in his ear, "No, but I told His Majesty I had some scratches. Don't give me away."
Gu Chang'an's eyes lit up with laughter as she amused him. His Ah Li had only been in officialdom for a short time, but she had already learned quite a few of these little tricks.
"Are you really not hurt?" he asked with a smile, still somewhat uneasy.
"I'm going to take a shower later, would you like to check me over yourself, my husband?" Shen Li leaned on his shoulder, her voice even lower.
The warm breath entered Gu Chang'an's ears, and just thinking about it made his ears turn bright red. He was completely relieved; Ah Li probably hadn't suffered any major setbacks after leaving.
She was even somewhat smug.
"Ah Li, let's have dinner first, while it's hot." He swallowed hard and helped her to sit down at the table.
Shen Li smiled. She really enjoyed seeing Gu Chang'an shy; her husband was truly adorable when he was shy.
And Gu Chang'an's guess was correct; she was indeed somewhat smug.
With the King of Chess presiding over the Zhou Zhen case, it would be a miracle if the Crown Prince could escape being implicated.
"The imperial decree has been issued. We will depart for the capital tomorrow. Zhou Zhen has already been escorted back to the capital by the Ministry of Justice, the Flying Fish Guard, and the Imperial Guard. He is just waiting to be brought to the capital for trial." Gu Chang'an told her the follow-up after hearing her mention it.
As one of the three judges, Gu Chang'an was also the presiding judge in this case.
Shen Li had a braised pork knuckle in her mouth. Upon hearing this, she raised her eyelids, wanting to speak, but with food in her mouth, she chewed even more quickly.
"No rush. Prince Yi is worried about something happening on the way, so he has personally escorted him. The Flying Fish Guards are also keeping a close watch on him. He won't die on the way." Gu Chang'an knew what she was worried about, and patted her back as he spoke: "Eat slowly."
Shen Li did indeed slow down, because Gu Chang'an told her what she wanted to know.
"Eat some more." Gu Chang'an served her food.
Shen Li finally finished what was in her mouth, but her bowl was piled high with food, all of which Gu Chang'an had put in it.
"Husband, you should eat too." Shen Li looked at Gu Chang'an's empty bowl and began to reflect. She had been taken care of since she was a child, and she didn't seem to know how to take care of others.
So she started serving food to Gu Chang'an.
"Thank you, A-Li, I can do it myself." Gu Chang'an continued to serve her food after eating.
Shen Li realized that she didn't seem to have much room to maneuver, and if she didn't finish her food soon, she wouldn't be able to put the bowl down, so she lowered her head and started eating again.