blenderwars Chapter 447 Extra Chapter: The Struggle for the Throne 5
Chapter 447 Extra Chapter: The Struggle for the Throne 5
When Shen Shiyan saw Shen Shixi slide off Li Yuanke, it was as if she had seen something dirty. But now that she was older and in the bloom of young love, she knew to be dignified and spoke much more tactfully.
"Xi-jie, His Highness works very hard every day studying and practicing riding and archery. You're a grown woman now, why do you still need to be carried?"
Shen Shixi pretended not to hear her words, opened the food box directly, and found only a bowl of lotus seed soup inside. Knowing what was inside, she didn't stand on ceremony and scooped it up and took a sip.
"Hey, what's wrong with you? How come you drank it all by yourself? His Highness hasn't even had a drink yet." Shen Shiyan wished she could slap her sister to the ends of the earth.
Shen Shixi said, "Elder sister, isn't this for me? Brother Yuan Ke is a man, how can he drink the lotus seed soup you made!"
Shen Shiyan blushed deeply, glancing at the Eighth Prince out of the corner of her eye, hoping he would say, "I want to drink too."
Li Yuanke ignored her and only patted Shen Shixi's head. "Drink it quickly, then send me out."
Shen Shiyan asked, "Your Highness, are you going back? Is school over so early?"
Li Yuanke originally wanted to say something to her, but when he thought that today might be the last day for the Shen family, and that by the time he returned from the border, things would have changed, he simply nodded and didn't want to pay any more attention to her.
Shen Shixi quickly finished her drink, pushed the bowl away, and said to her elder sister, who was standing to the side gazing at Li Yuanke with affection, "Thank you, elder sister, it was delicious!"
After saying that, she took Li Yuanke's hand and said, "I'll see Brother Yuanke out."
Li Yuanke led her out of the study, walked through the peach grove, and stopped at the door. Shen Shixi then let go of his hand. "Brother Yuanke, if you've decided on a date to leave the city, send someone to let me know in advance, and I'll come to see you off."
"Alright!" Li Yuanke was very reluctant to part with her. His mother and younger brother were his family, but his attachment to them was not as deep as that to Shen Shixi.
He stroked her chubby baby face, smiled, and then turned and rode away.
When Shen Shixi returned, Shen Shiyan blocked her way in the peach grove. As soon as she saw her, she quickly ran away through the woods. She was short and ran like a little rabbit under the peach trees. Shen Shiyan chased after her and almost got her face scratched by tree branches. She stomped her feet in anger and blamed Handan for not helping her chase after her.
Lotus wouldn't dare!
Shen Shixi ran back to her mother's courtyard. Not long after, Shen Shiyan also arrived and complained to her mother that she was so old but still needed the Eighth Prince to carry her.
Shen Shixi could have easily said that her elder sister had also sent lotus seed soup to the Eighth Prince, but that would make it seem like the two sisters were vying for the same man, which wouldn't sound good. Besides, Li Yuanke was about to go to the border, and he himself didn't intend to do so, so she didn't want to say it and embarrass herself.
Shen Shiyan, however, hadn't considered this at all and kept rambling on and on.
Shen Shixi said, "Elder sister, people shouldn't sit together after the age of seven. I'm only five. Why do you always have to hold such a grudge against me?"
Madam Shen was too lazy to listen to her eldest daughter, so she casually changed the subject. Shen Shiyan felt that her mother was biased. It was clearly an overstepping of the rules, but her mother didn't say anything to her younger sister.
She felt uncomfortable seeing how well the Eighth Prince treated her younger sister. Ever since her younger sister accepted the palace satin given to her by the Eighth Prince, he had been taking care of most of her sister's food, clothing, and shelter, and each item was more luxurious than the last. She even had more than ten sets of pearl hairbands.
But the Eighth Prince never gave her anything.
With the crown prince deposed and Li Yuantai demoted, the political landscape in the court was in turmoil. Several princes who had previously remained inconspicuous suddenly emerged, much to the dismay of Emperor Zhenyou. Li Yuanke then requested an audience.
"What could he possibly want? Why isn't he studying properly at the Shen family home? What does he want to see me for?" Emperor Zhenyou assumed Li Yuanke was also there to make a name for himself, and impatiently let him in.
"Your Majesty, I would like to ask for your permission to go and guard the frontier," Li Yuanke said, kneeling.
Emperor Zhenyou deliberately didn't wake him, but after hearing his words, he felt like there was something wrong with his ears. "What did you say?"
Going to the border at this time is tantamount to giving up the struggle for the throne, even though Emperor Zhenyou never intended to pass the throne to his illegitimate son.
The emperor may not want to give it, but the son cannot say he doesn't want it.
"You're going to the border? Now?" Emperor Zhenyou asked in disbelief.
Li Yuanke thought to himself that Xi'er had hit the nail on the head again. His father was indeed very disgusted with the princes who were participating in the struggle for the throne at this time. He should retreat in order to advance. Moreover, the situation in the capital was complicated, and he could easily be drawn into it. He did not have the strength to face the enemy head-on at this time.
"Yes, Your Majesty, I wish to become a general who protects our country. I beg you to grant my request!"
"Good!" Emperor Zhenyou was very pleased. After all, he was his son, and he did not want anything to happen to Li Yuanke at the border, so he assigned ten secret guards to him to ensure his safety.
Li Yuanke never expected his father to do this, which was completely unexpected, but it also further confirmed that his father had never intended for him to be the crown prince.
Three days later, Shen Shixi came to the city gate to see Li Yuanke off. She gave Li Yuanke a small crossbow she had made herself, saying, "Use it to defend yourself in critical moments. This trip will benefit you no matter what happens in the future."
Spending too much time in the capital will only breed darkness in a person's heart. But after a long and eventful journey, Brother Yuan Ke will grow into a truly upright and honorable man!
Li Yuanke tested the small crossbow and found that it could fire in rapid succession, making it very useful for self-defense. "Could you make a larger one for military use?"
"Okay. Don't say that I made the blueprints I gave you, or this. First, no one will believe me, and if they do, I'll be in danger. Second, if you do well, I'll be well in the future. You can say that you came up with the idea or that you got it by some means. In short, the credit should go to you."
Li Yuanke could not agree to this; wasn't this plagiarism?
Shen Shixi insisted, "Brother Yuan Ke, what we are going to do cannot be accomplished by being fair and square, because the conditions on both sides are not equal, and you don't have much time to accumulate strength. If we fail, it will be utterly hopeless."
She said, "Right now, what's mine belongs to Brother Yuan Ke, but in the future, what's his will be mine. Let's switch, okay?"
"good!"
If one day, he can still repay her for what she did.
Li Yuanke stroked her hair; the two little tufts were so soft, they touched his heart.
He lowered his head and kissed Shen Shixi's crown of the head, his heart filled with reluctance. "I'll come back as soon as possible. Be good in the capital, and be sure to write to me, okay?"
"Mmm!" Shen Shixi raised her little paw and waved at him, urging him to hurry up, as she still wanted to go back to shopping.
It's not easy for me to get out here.
Li Yuanke had no choice, but this eased his reluctance somewhat. He mounted his horse, circled her once, and then, with a "Giddy up," galloped off. Cen Yin and Yun Yue followed behind him, leaving together.
Not long after, the daughter of the Vice Minister of Revenue got married. Shen Shixi went to the banquet with Madam Shen and met Pei Gaoshi with her two daughters. Shen Shixi saw Pei Fenghua and her sister.
The elder sister, Pei Fenghua, was indeed very elegant, while the younger sister, Pei Linghua, was still young at the time and followed behind her sister like an unimportant little tail.
Shen Shixi glanced at Pei Fenghua, her gaze indifferent and disdainful. Pei Fenghua caught her eye and asked unhappily, "Whose child is this? So rude!"