Chapter 160 The Fourth Knife

Chapter 160 The Fourth Knife

Xie Yu seemed to sense something and tried his best to open his eyes, but he couldn't open them no matter what he did. His voice was urgent.

"Shen Nanzi, don't come up!"

"You'll die, I don't want you to die." Shen Nanzi was terrified, holding his hand, her voice trembling: "I don't want you to die, I don't want you to die because of me."

"I'll hold you close, it'll warm you up."

"No!" Tears streamed down Xie Yu's face as he whispered weakly, "Shen Nanzi, everything was of my own free will. I don't need your pity."

"You don't need to make such a sacrifice. We're best friends, best friends for life!!"

Shen Nanzi understood when she heard him repeatedly emphasize "good friend".

He didn't want her to have any stigma, even if all she wanted was to hug him.

He wouldn't allow it.

How could she possibly have the good fortune to have met someone like Xie Yu!

"Then promise me you won't die, okay?" she pleaded.

“Hmm!” He pushed her hand away. “I won’t die.”

Shen Nanzi's tears rolled down her cheeks as she picked up her outer garment from the ground and hooked the curtain hooks back up.

Beside him, someone kept muttering, "Xie Yu, you promised me you wouldn't die."

"Um!"

"You haven't seen the mountains and rivers of Yunhan yet, and you haven't tasted all the delicacies of Yunhan yet. You're only twenty-five years old, and you can live for a very long time. So, we must live together."

"Um!"

“I’ve survived a small arrow wound, and you must survive it too.”

"Um!"

"If you can't get through this, I'll look down on you."

"good!"

“The buffalo’s legs were rotten and black, but he pulled through. Look at the small animals we treat, none of them broke. You can definitely hold on too.”

"Um!"

For every word she spoke, Xie Yu would respond with all his might, even if it was just a single word.

Shen Nanzi knew that he was trying to reassure her that he was still alive.

The sky outside gradually darkened.

She stayed by the bedside and recounted all the embarrassing and funny things that had happened between them since they were children.

Xie Yuqiang managed to respond to each question.

*

Before this, Consort Wei was anxious to save her son, so she left Hele Palace and rushed to Chongde Palace.

However, he was told that the Emperor was interrogating Shen Minghan and that he was not allowed to see him at the moment.

Consort Wei stood outside the palace, somewhat relieved. Fortunately, as long as Grand Commandant Shen was still alive, anything could change.

Having promised Shen Nanzi, she was determined to save Shen Minghan's life.

"Shen Minghan, you have truly failed to live up to my expectations. Look at this entire hall, who has been promoted as quickly as you?"

Inside the Chongde Hall, the Emperor's furious voice reverberated like thunder in spring.

All the officials were gathered in the hall, and no one dared to utter a sound, for the Sixth Prince's life hung by a thread.

The Emperor was afflicted with illness and had just drunk a large bowl of medicine in front of all his ministers.

After drinking, the emperor smashed the bowl on the ground.

At this moment, the floor of the front hall was covered with the shards of medicine bowls.

Shen Minghan knelt amidst the rubble, his hands and feet bound by chains.

His prison uniform was still neat, but his hair was askew, with stray strands falling down.

"Your Majesty, I deserve to die. I confess my guilt."

Grand Commandant Shen made no attempt to argue, nor did he take the opportunity to express his loyalty or plead for the Emperor's mercy.

The emperor's lingering anger seemed to fester in his chest, causing him to glare at him with fury.

At this moment, the Fifth Prince stepped forward and said, "Father, when I was investigating the source of Grand Commandant Shen's money, I discovered that he actually had accounts with foreign countries."

All the officials were shocked; Grand Commandant Shen had actually extended his reach so far!

Shen Minghan's eyes flickered slightly, and there seemed to be some ambiguity in them.

Xie Yan coldly observed everything inside the hall, seemingly lost in thought.

The Emperor was clearly surprised, and said in a calm voice, "Bring it here and let me see it."

Immediately, a palace servant took the accounts from the Fifth Prince's hands, turned around, walked up the steps, and presented them to the Emperor.

After Xie Yuan took the ledger, he examined it bit by bit. The more he looked, the uglier his expression became, until finally he was almost furious.

"You, Grand Commandant Shen, are incredibly audacious! You actually colluded with the Cangjue and pocketed two hundred million coins."

"Shen Minghan, how dare you?"

Two hundred million coins!!

Good heavens! Even the corrupt officials standing below were ashamed. Looking at the seemingly incorruptible Grand Commandant Shen, they realized he was actually the most greedy person in the Chongde Hall.

For a moment, the silent hall was filled with the sounds of various voices.

"Cangjue? That neighboring country that repeatedly provokes us on the border."

“We Yunhan have suffered a lot of humiliation, and he is actually related to Cangjue.”

"Perhaps Cangjue's provocation was instigated by Grand Commandant Shen behind the scenes, so that he could reap the benefits."

"Yes! They're always testing our limits."

"Back then, the Cangjue took eleven cities from our Yunhan, and 100,000 soldiers lost their lives at Panlong Ridge!"

Xie Yan and Shen Minghan both looked up, as if they both understood why they had been accused of such an unfounded crime.

"Your Majesty, I have no dealings with Cang Jue. Please make the judgment."

Although he understood the Emperor's intentions, Shen Minghan was still unwilling to suffer in place of others; he could not bear such a burden, nor did he wish to.

The Emperor snorted coldly, "You say there was no contact? Then what about these accounts?"

“These accounts span a full eight years, and especially four years ago, the amount of money in these accounts reached an unprecedented level.”

The Emperor tossed the accounts down in front of Shen Minghan.

Shen Minghan smiled as he looked at the accounts. It turned out to be the accounts of Shen Nanzi's business dealings with the Cangjue Kingdom.

The emperor has really gone to great lengths to make him bear this infamous crime for all time.

Xie Yan stepped forward, picked up the ledger from the ground, and recognized the familiar entries as Shen Nanzi's profit records.

I never expected the Emperor to be so rigid and unscrupulous; he really went to any lengths to do it.

"Four years ago, wasn't that when the Second Prince was at Panlong Ridge?" someone asked.

The civil and military officials instantly erupted.

"Your Majesty, could it be that the Second Prince was betrayed by Grand Commandant Shen, which led to his death at Panlong Ridge?"

"Yes! With so much silver, it must be because Grand Commandant Shen handed over our Yunhan battle plan."

"Grand Commandant Shen's duty is to manage the nation's military affairs, so this matter must be inextricably linked to him!"

"So, we wronged the Second Prince. Those 100,000 soldiers were killed by Grand Commandant Shen!"

"The Second Prince was also killed by Grand Commandant Shen!"

One stone stirs up a thousand waves, and the entire hall is in an uproar.

"We've wronged the Second Prince for so many years! We've actually let him be wronged! Good heavens!"

"The Second Prince has finally been exonerated. He is a hero, while Grand Commandant Shen was a spy who took advantage of Yunhan's reputation but then betrayed it."

"We've all been fooled by him! Grand Commandant Shen has finally shown his true colors!"

"If it weren't for the Fifth Prince's keen insight, the entire Yunhan would have been manipulated by Grand Commandant Shen."

"Grand Commandant Shen truly deserves to die!"

"He deserves to die!"

"This crime warrants the extermination of nine generations of one's family!"

"His entire clan is too lenient! The lives of 100,000 soldiers and the Second Prince deserve to be exterminated, even ten clans wouldn't be too much!"

The people in the hall were all talking at once, each one filled with righteous indignation, wishing they could tear Shen Minghan to pieces.

Only then did the Fifth Prince realize that this was his father's fourth blow.