Chapter 168 Shen Minghan Must Die

Chapter 168 Shen Minghan Must Die

As the funeral drums sounded, Xue Yubai had already escorted Xue Qingning to the palace gates.

"Brother, what did you say?" Xue Qingning's eyes were filled with shock.

"When Grand Commandant Shen was being punished by the Emperor, was Xie Yan the one who came out to fight back against the Emperor?"

Xue Yubai explained, "It's not what you think. The Emperor ordered Xie Yan and Grand Commandant Shen to be imprisoned together before Xie Yan started to fight back."

Xue Qingning shook her head, her face instantly darkening, and emotions churning in her eyes.

"No, you just said that the Emperor wanted to execute Shen Minghan immediately."

"Xie Yan was saving Grand Commandant Shen."

Xue Yubai said nonchalantly, "Now that the Sixth Prince has fallen from power and Shen Minghan is imprisoned in Chongde Hall, they are no longer a threat, so you don't need to worry!"

Xue Qingning said, "How can I not worry? Brother, you're not a woman, you don't have my keen intuition."

"Xie Yan is keeping Shen Minghan here for Shen Nanzi's sake!"

Xue Yubai: "Shen Nanzi gave birth to Xie Chengze with him, so what if he keeps Shen Nanzi?"

"Once he becomes emperor, he will need to add more concubines and palaces. Keeping another Shen Nanzi can also shut some officials up."

"Don't forget, Shen Minghan has a great influence in the court."

Xue Qingning shook her head, her face solemn, and took out the small portrait painting hidden in her sleeve.

"Brother, Xie Yan actually drank the tea I served him today, and even drew this for me!"

Xue Qingning unfurled the scroll, her eyelashes trembling slightly. "Brother, he's trying to comfort me. He's afraid we'll get into trouble."

Xue Yubai looked at the portrait. It was indeed quite private for a man to draw a portrait of a woman.

"He doesn't make promises easily, but he'll only do something he's sure of now that he's confident of victory."

You should be happy!

“Brother, you always side with him,” Xue Qingning said, somewhat angrily.

Xue Yubai frowned, unsure how to comfort her.

Xue Qingning suppressed the turmoil in her heart and said in a calm voice, "Brother, I have been able to leave the mansion since my three-year mourning period ended."

"He seems to be good to me, but it's actually you who's stirring things up. If it weren't for you, I think he would have forgotten our past."

"When we were ice skating, did you insist that he bring me the clothes?"

Xue Yubai remained silent.

That day, Xue Qingning asked him to deliver clothes. He did indeed intend to rekindle their old relationship, so he forcefully stuffed Xue Qingning's clothes into his hands.

He also said that since we're all family, he needed to use the restroom and needed to make a trip.

Seeing that Xue Yubai remained silent, Xue Qingning asked again, "On the night of the ice skating, Hong'er fell ill, and you had urgent business to attend to in Luoyang. You were the one who asked him to take care of us that night, right?"

Xue Yubai: "While I'm not around, I'll definitely have him take care of you. Don't you two still have feelings for each other?"

"His discord with Princess Jing is all because of you. Your separation is my biggest regret."

He was the one who brought them together in the first place.

In their plans, they have always been a family.

Xue Qingning continued to ask, "Did he teach Hong'er riding and archery because you didn't have time, so you had him teach him?"

Xue Yubai recalled the events of the past year. He had indeed done these things to bring them closer together and to give Xue Qingning someone to rely on in the future.

"Qingning, you're overthinking things!"

Xue Qingning: "Brother, have you ever considered that he might not make me empress? Would he make Shen Nanzi empress instead?"

Xue Yubai seemed to be thinking, "Xie Yan probably wouldn't, right? He's closer to us."

"Regardless of whether he can or not, we cannot let Shen Minghan leave the palace alive."

“If Shen Minghan is killed, Shen Nanzi will never forgive Xie Yan.”

Xue Yubai hesitated.

"Brother, don't you want our Xue family to return to its former glory as a family that has stood for centuries?" Xue Qingning asked him.

Xue Qingning asked about Xue Yubai's inner conflict.

“Shen Nanzi’s child is the eldest son of the legitimate wife. According to the rules of Yunhan, he should be made the crown prince,” Xue Qingning reminded her.

"We must take advantage of this chaotic situation and kill Shen Minghan."

"If we kill both Shen Nanzi and Xie Chengze, we will eliminate the hidden danger."

Xue Yubai remained silent.

Xue Qingning was worried that he would soften his heart, "Brother, let me do it. You still have to busy yourself with Xie Yan's ascension to the throne."

"If Xie Yan finds out, he will be sad and will become estranged from us." Xue Yubai

“Brother, those who achieve great things must not be soft-hearted. Once an opportunity is missed, the consequences will be endless.”

Xue Qingning complained, "If you hadn't been so soft-hearted back then, our Xue family wouldn't have ended up in this state."

Have you forgotten what your grandfather and father said before they passed away?

Xue Yubai's face turned pale instantly. How could he forget?

It is widely rumored that he is the prodigal son of the Xue family, whose generations of nobles and officials have declined under his rule, and that he is an unfilial descendant who is not even worthy of being buried in the ancestral grave after his death.

Seeing that Xue Yubai did not respond, Xue Qingning knew that she had hit his weak spot.

"You just need to stand next to Xie Yan and ask how Grand Commandant Shen will handle this. Observe his reaction."

"If he says he's not in a hurry, then he's protecting Shen Minghan, and we can't be soft-hearted."

“I’ll do the bad things. You’re a man of the Xue family; you should always stand clean in this world.” Xue Qingning’s eyes instantly reddened.

"Even if Xie Yan finds out, you can simply say you don't know! I'll bear the consequences."

"At worst, we'll both die. I still have Hong'er, who is the emperor's grandson. Xie Yan will still care about our past relationship, and at worst, he'll just imprison me."

Xue Yubai took out a jade token from his waist and handed it to her, saying, "This is a jade token that allows you to enter and exit the palace. The previous ones are no longer valid."

Xue Qingning took it and put it in her waistband. "Brother, will Xie Yan ascend the throne today?"

"If he doesn't ascend the throne today, he certainly will tomorrow."

Xue Yubai thought of the officials in Chongde Hall who had been imprisoned for a day and a night.

If we close it again, something bad might happen.

"It is better to ascend the throne sooner rather than later." A powerless emperor can lead to unrest.

This is only a "temporary" ascension to the throne, mainly to consolidate power; the formal ascension will take a month.

The brother and sister separated, and Xue Yubai went to find Xie Yan.

Inside the Harmony Hall, Shen Nanzi changed into a guard's uniform, her face was painted black, and she wore a fake beard.

He wore a black, coarse cloth headscarf, just like the guards outside.

At first glance, he appeared to be a dark-skinned, thin guard.

Xie Yu looked at her with concern, "Shen Nanzi."

She looked up, walked up to him, and asked, "Is there any flaw?"

Xie Yu looked closely and said, "There must be many unfamiliar faces among the guards in the palace today. If you look carefully, you won't be able to recognize them."

Shen Nanzi glanced at him.

“Go open the second drawer,” Xie Yu said, pointing to his top cabinet. “There’s a jade plaque inside.”

Shen Nanzi approached, pulled open the drawer, and sure enough, there was a jade plaque inside. It was square and pure white, with the character "昱" carved on it.

“This one?” She lifted the rope on top.

“Yes,” Xie Yu said, “When you go tonight, look for Old Fish Head; he’s one of our men.”

"You can take Grand Commandant Shen with you and have them escort you out of Luoyang to reunite with your sister-in-law."

"What will happen to you and Consort Wei?"

"You go first. I'm injured and can't go anywhere. Besides, I have a get-out-of-jail-free card. Xie Yan can't kill me."