Chapter 516: Seeking Refuge

Chapter 516: Swearing Allegiance

Hua Feixue shot Shen Shiran a helpless look, yet couldn't bear to blame her.

Originally, she hadn't wanted to drag the Zhenguo General's Mansion into this, but her young Crown Princess seemed to think otherwise.

Hua Feixue took a deep breath. Since things had come to this, she could only accept it.

She spoke slowly to Ji Yuntang, "Princess Ye, General Shen is upright in his conduct, cares for the people as if they were his own children, and fears no authority. He has rendered great service to our Xishu Kingdom."

"He was one of my father's most trusted and capable officers. He led our forces to victory in many of Xishu's battles. It is precisely because of his many accomplishments that the people revere him. Empress Dowager Yuan considers him useful, so she has left him alone."

"I am confident in assigning him tasks."

In front of his future father-in-law, he had to show respect.

Shen Xiangming could tell at a glance that Ji Yuntang had the final say among the three.

Though surprised that Hua Feixue would defer to Ji Yuntang, he knew the woman before him was exceptionally talented.

She had entered the palace today and walked out unscathed from Empress Dowager Yuan's presence, and even received a batch of jewelry as a reward.

This alone showed she was brilliant, resourceful, and remarkably composed.

Shen Xiangming knew better than anyone how troublesome Empress Dowager Yuan could be. Few people won her approval on their first visit to the palace.

Ji Yuntang was truly one in a million!

With that thought, Shen Xiangming clasped his hands in salute and said respectfully to Ji Yuntang, "Doctor Yun... no, I ought to call you Princess Ye now."

"I know that you and the Crown Prince have come to some agreement, and that the Crown Prince risked his life to return to seek vengeance against Empress Dowager Yuan and reclaim the throne."

"Back then, the Late Emperor singled me out from among countless soldiers on the battlefield and promoted me from an ordinary warrior to the rank of First-Rank General. He gave me a new lease on life. I swore then to serve the Late Emperor all my days and never betray him."

"The Xishu Kingdom was built by the Chu imperial clan through generations of hard work. In its two hundred and one years, the throne has never passed to another surname. How much blood and tears were shed, how many soldiers fell—I need not elaborate."

"But now, the noble families under Empress Dowager Yuan want to wipe out the Chu clan and seize the throne. As a subject of Xishu, I cannot stand for this, no matter what."

"The Late Emperor fell victim to Empress Dowager Yuan's schemes back then. If I believed the noble families had no hand in that plot, I would never be convinced."

Shen Xiangming hung his head in shame as he spoke.

"In those days, I was powerless. I could not avenge the Late Emperor, nor could I win justice for Emperor Chu and the Empress."

"Before I saw the Crown Prince with my own eyes, I truly believed he was dead and the Chu imperial line had come to an end. But now that I see the Crown Prince, I believe the Chu imperial clan might still be saved."

"As long as one prince of Chu blood remains, I will never allow those with ulterior motives to seize the throne of Xishu."

"If the kingdom of Xishu truly falls into the hands of the Yuan family, how would I be any different from a traitor who conspires with the enemy?"

Shen Xiangming was overcome with grief and indignation. He recalled how Empress Dowager Yuan had summoned them to the palace to announce the appointment of a new Crown Prince.

He hadn't spoken out against it back then. For one, he had lost all hope for the Chu imperial clan.

For another, Chu Yi had always been unstable since childhood, and now he was dead. With no one left to carry on the Chu line, someone new had to take the throne.

What difference did it make who sat on the throne?

As a minister, he could not change Empress Dowager Yuan's decision, nor could he defy the combined power of the five noble families.

In many matters, Shen Xiangming admitted to himself that he had been somewhat selfish.

He feared Empress Dowager Yuan would bring disaster upon the Shen family, and feared even more that the Shen family would be annihilated because of him.

He had family, children, and far too many ties. He could not and would not step forward to oppose Empress Dowager Yuan.

When the Late Emperor passed, he did not speak out. When Emperor Chu and the Empress met their end, he still remained silent.

These memories, whenever they surfaced, gnawed at his heart, filling him with pain and regret.

Shen Xiangming had always believed that a great general should put the affairs of the state first.

But perhaps he was a good husband and father, yet not a great general.

Now that he saw Chu Yi, he realized the once timid and bullied Crown Prince had grown up!

At this critical juncture for the Chu imperial clan, even Chu Yi could stand up alone and brave. So what did he have to fear?

Besides, Shen Shiran had thrown herself into the lake back then for Chu Yi's sake.

Her heart was already his, and she would marry no one else.

Shen Xiangming did not want to suffer the pain of losing his daughter again.

He turned to Ji Yuntang and said gravely, "Princess Ye, I also wish to contribute to your plan. For the sake of our Xishu Kingdom, I cannot stand by and watch it fall into the wrong hands."

Especially since the Crown Prince candidate Empress Dowager Yuan was now promoting was an obscure young man from a branch of the Yuan family.

He was like a hothouse flower, never having shown his face, and few had ever laid eyes on him.

How could such a person sit on the throne, let alone govern the kingdom of Xishu?

The National Preceptor claimed he was a true dragon, blessed with the dragon's aura, the heaven-ordained candidate for the throne.

Shen Xiangming did not believe a single word of such nonsense.

He had a nagging feeling that this Yuanchao, having caught the eye of both Empress Dowager Yuan and the National Preceptor, might have a mysterious origin.

Ji Yuntang glanced at Hua Feixue, who nodded, and the meaning was clear.

With Hua Feixue's consent, she then said to Shen Xiangming, "I understand how you feel, General Shen. When it comes to a change of dynasty in one's own country, no one can remain indifferent."

Moreover, this was not just an ordinary dynastic change—it was a struggle between the noble families and the imperial court.

For the court to lose to the noble families was a rare thing in history.

If the noble families seized power and controlled Xishu's economic lifeline and all military authority, it would be nearly impossible for the court to reclaim the throne later!

Shaking off her thoughts, Ji Yuntang said to Shen Xiangming, "General Shen, there is indeed something we need your people to do right now."

"Today, when this Princess took Empress Dowager Yuan's pulse, I discovered she may have once given birth to a premature child. If that child is still alive, they would surely be kept alive with costly medicinal herbs."

With that, Ji Yuntang went inside and picked up the paper on which she had just written the names of the herbs.

"The Crown Prince wants to find this child, but the three of us cannot act openly. So I would like to ask General Shen to send people to ask at the major pharmacies in the capital, to see if any household has been buying this herb regularly over a long period."

------------