strictlysupreme Chapter 62 Choice
Chapter 62 Choice
Sunrise and sunset, another ten days have passed in the blink of an eye. Even though Shen Qing was so bored that he counted beans in the post station, he didn't wander around outside anymore. He still knew what was important.
His daily routine returned to what it was like when he first started practicing martial arts: he would get up at dawn to meditate and practice breathing exercises, and then go to the backyard to practice his sword skills at 9 am.
They either perish in silence or erupt in silence, and Shen Qing grows stronger in silence.
Swish Swish Swish—
The blades crisscrossed, creating a veritable human meat grinder, leaving the bluestone slabs covered in scattered slash marks.
【Holy crap! He's a genius ⊙﹏⊙∥】The system trembled. There are dimensional laws suppressing this place. Even in high-martial-level planes, very few people can master this martial art to the sixth level in just three months, even though it only provides free mainland goods that only low-level soldiers would practice.
Now, even dozens of strong men cannot get close to him. Once he achieves great success, he can be thrown onto the battlefield as an assassin, taking the enemy general's head from among thousands of troops as easily as taking something out of a bag.
But will the system say so? Of course not.
Your current skill level is barely enough to take on seven or eight easy opponents.
"Your martial arts skills are truly rubbish," Shen Qing said disdainfully.
【o(′^｀)o】
Time slipped away quietly amidst the shadows of swords and the bickering between Shen Qing and the system; five days passed in the blink of an eye.
On this day, Shen Yun arrived at the post station and delivered a series of important news.
Seven days ago, General Nie escorted the seriously injured and unconscious Crown Prince back to the palace. Five days ago, he received a military report from the front lines that the Duke of Yu, due to his stubbornness, had fallen into an enemy ambush, resulting in the annihilation of his entire army of 100,000. Both the Duke of Yu and his heir died on the battlefield. Even though the Duke of Liang arrived in time, he repelled the enemy and recaptured three border cities.
The day before yesterday, the crown prince regained consciousness, but due to a severe head injury, he became mentally impaired.
Today, Emperor Yu issued three imperial edicts. The first one reprimanded Duke Yu for failing the Emperor's grace and feeling ashamed before the common people, stripping him of his title, confiscating his family property, and exiling all male members of the Yu family over the age of ten to the frontier. However, in consideration of Yu Jue's many years of good deeds in providing relief to disaster victims, the female members of the Yu family were demoted to commoners, but no other punishments were imposed.
Secondly, the Duke of Liang was commended, his fief was increased by a thousand households, and he was given control over the troops in the southern border region.
Thirdly, the eldest prince, Xiao Yuan, was deposed from his position as crown prince, and the second prince, Xiao Chen, was appointed as the crown prince.
Hearing this news was like a long-hanging sword finally falling over their heads; thankfully, it didn't hit them.
Shen Che's worries did not come to pass. Emperor Yu himself had usurped the throne and was extremely cautious in this regard. Once the storm subsided, the delegation could negotiate with the new leader.
While Shen Qing breathed a sigh of relief, he couldn't help but feel sorry for the Duke of Yu's mansion.
"The Duke of Yu and his heir died in battle for the country, and not only did they not receive any commendation, but their property was confiscated and they were exiled. Yu Jue has done so much for the people, and he is expected to be grateful for simply not being exiled. What kind of logic is this?"
"These are the newly risen nobles, with shallow foundations. Once the head of the family falls, they lose their military power and can only be slaughtered by others, becoming the outlet for the emperor's wrath. Aunt Jue's treatment was probably because she is also of the Fang family bloodline, and to save face for the prime minister. Otherwise, she would have been sent to the brothel."
Upon hearing this, Shen Qing felt a chill. The emperor was truly despicable; if Xuan Kingdom established diplomatic relations with him, it would be betrayed sooner or later.
"Has the Jade Mansion already been raided?"
Shen Yun nodded, and Shen Qing's heart tightened. She thought of the behavior of officials who raided homes in movies and TV dramas, and how it was common for them to take advantage of the situation to molest the families of convicted officials. Yu Jue was so beautiful...
Seeing that Shen Qing's expression was not good, Shen Yun comforted her, "Aunt Jue is Prime Minister Fang's niece and daughter-in-law, so the officials who confiscated her property would not dare to be too presumptuous."
Shen Qing sighed and then asked, "Where are they now?"
A dilapidated house in an alley in Dongcheng Street—
Yu Jue held Yu Mi's hand and stood in the courtyard, looking around at the surroundings. It was good; they shouldn't be too high-profile right now.
"Cough cough~" Yu Pingting waved away the dust in the air, "Are we going to live in this shabby place from now on?"
Yu Jue frowned and gave her a cold glance. Aunt Mo quickly covered her mouth, saying, "It's already good enough that you have a place to stay. You should thank your sister."
Aunt Mo knew perfectly well that she and her two children had only escaped disaster because of Yu Jue. The raid on their home was sudden and they were completely unprepared. Now they were penniless and could only rely on Yu Jue, since she still had the Fang family as her backing.
"Let's tidy up a room and move out first." With that, Yu Jue led Yu Mi into the main house. Granny Yan had already tidied it up for her and brought two maids to take care of Yu Jue and Yu Mi's daily life.
Aunt Mo looked around and could only lead the two children into the dilapidated side room.
Looking at the cobwebs in the room and the leaky roof with holes visible above, Yu Pingting's eyes reddened. She had never suffered such humiliation before. All the servants in the Yu family had been sold off, and from now on she would have to do everything herself and live at the mercy of Yu Jue.
Thinking that Yu Jue's personal maids had been released from prison some time ago, she must have known the news in advance, but she didn't say anything, which made her feel secretly resentful.
"Mother, Yu Jue must have done it on purpose!"
Aunt Mo sighed and said, "Your father is gone, so she shouldn't have to take care of us. But now we're the ones who need her help, so just bear with it."
Then she looked at Yu Lin, "Lin'er, you too."
Yu Lin nodded. "I know, son. When you're under someone else's roof, you have to bow your head. When you're living under someone else's roof, you inevitably have to be mindful of their feelings."
Aunt Mo hugged her sensible son with heartache. Yu Lin was still attending a private school, and the teacher praised him for his intelligence. Now... Lin'er's future still depends on Yu Jue.
For the sake of her two children, she could even endure being Yu Jue's maid.
Fang Mansion —
"Mother, now that everything has settled, can you let me out?"
Madam Zheng sighed and asked, "What do you plan to do after you get out?"
"Of course I'm going to find my cousin. She must be terrified. I have to be by her side right now!"
"It's not appropriate for a man and a woman to be alone together. You shouldn't go looking for her again."
Fang Fan was shocked: "His Majesty did not punish my cousin, so why is he still insisting on annulling the engagement? Does he abandon her just because she has lost her family? We are her relatives, how can we be so mercenary!"
“Who cares about the power of the Duke of Yu’s mansion!” Madam Fang came over, leaning on her cane, looking haggard.
"Grandmother?" Fang Fan recognized the voice of Madam Fang.
"My dear Ajue~ Do you think I'm not heartbroken?" Madam Fang stomped her cane a few times, tears streaming down her face. "Although His Majesty has not punished her, she is now branded as the daughter of a disgraced official. How could your father, as the Prime Minister, have such a daughter-in-law?"
Fang Fan felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave. His Majesty was suspicious, and his father, who held a high position, felt as if he were walking on thin ice.
Whether you choose to betray one person or betray your family, it's a wrong choice.
Madam Zheng knew her son well and knew he was kind and gentle. She comforted him in a warm voice, saying, "My son, I know you can't bear to do such a thing. You don't need to step in. I'll take the blame for being disloyal and kicking someone when they're down!"
"Mother!" Fang Fan called out to Zheng, who was about to leave, "I will go myself."
"what?"
"I will personally go and annul the engagement."