Chapter 995: Previous Life (9)
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Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
The Cold Palace was burned to ashes. The sorrowful mood, the crying accusation, the curse before death, and the deep despair all dissipated with the fire, leaving only shocking ruins and the rumors passed from people to people.
After the Shen family was executed for treason, after the crown prince was deposed and committed suicide, after Consort Mei was made the empress, after Fu Sheng became the new crown prince, the desolate Cold Palace suddenly caught fire at night and burned the deposed Empress Shen to ashes. People sighed at the mention of this incident. The emperor of Ming Qi was benevolent. On account of the fact that she was the empress, he did not execute her along with the Shen family for treason. He spared her life and sent her to the cold palace. However, she still died in the fire.
History was written by the victors.
After the fire, all traces of Empress Shen’s life were destroyed. She did not have anything left, and there was no one in the first branch of the Shen family anymore.
The new crown prince’s mother, Empress Li, had abandoned her gentle self and adopted a ruthless way of doing things. She supported her brother wholeheartedly and coaxed Fu Xiuyi into submission, looking like the de facto ruler in the imperial court.
Some court officials vaguely sensed that something was wrong and wanted to
secretly remind the emperor. Unfortunately, before they could do anything, they were either demoted or exiled for some strange reason.
Pei Lang looked at everything coldly, feeling a little tired.
In less than half a year after Shen Miao died, the situation in Ming Qi almost changed completely. He was right. Consort Mei and her brother were extremely capable. It was hard to say if Ming Qi would fall into Consort Mei’s hands in the future. He was loyal to Fu Xiuyi and should have reminded him, but after a few failed attempts, he stopped trying.
People were changeable. A wise emperor could become a stupid emperor, and loyal officials would also betray.
Every night, when Pei Lang slept, he would always be woken up by a pair of eyes in his dream. That pair of eyes were black and white, and there were no tears in it, but it terrified him.
It was Shen Miao’s eyes.
Pei Lang used to think that what he did was right. He just followed the trend and sought advantages and avoided disadvantages. This was his instinct and the best choice. However, the longer time passed, the more he couldn’t lie to himself.
Shen Miao’s death was not the trend. He didn’t want Shen Miao to die just like that.
When did he start to have other feelings for Shen Miao? Pei Lang did not know either. He was her teacher in Guangwen Hall. He watched as Shen Miao went from an arrogant and ignorant girl to marrying Fu Xiuyi. He watched as she became the princess consort, the empress, and the deposed empress.
She was not very smart. She was slow at learning things, but she was terrifyingly stubborn. In the harem, she was benevolent to others. Sometimes, Pei Lang felt that Shen Miao was ridiculous, but sometimes, he felt very envious of Fu Xiuyi.
Later on, he would subconsciously pay more attention to her. Even he didn’t realize that when Shen Miao asked him questions, he would answer her especially patiently.
However, Pei Lang was a smart person, and a smart person would not allow himself to make a mistake.
Therefore, when he realized that he was having thoughts that he shouldn’t have, he was determined to stop this mistake. Therefore, he was the one who suggested sending Shen Miao to the State of Qin as a hostage. However, five years later, when Shen Miao returned, his feelings towards her remained unchanged..