Chapter 77

The emperor brought many people with him on this summer trip. He took away most of the relatives and important officials from the capital.

Besides the princelings serving as regents, the other officials left behind were not in a good mood. They always felt abandoned by the world.

Among them, Guan Muyun felt it the most.

Once, he was the eldest son of the Duke of Lingguo’s mansion, a close minister to the emperor, and held a position in the Ministry of Works. He was very popular and considered a young talent in the entire capital.

Now, Guan Muyun had lost his position as the crown prince, the emperor’s favor, and his role in the Ministry of Works. In just two months, he had lost almost everything.

If it had been in the past, the emperor would not have left someone like him behind during summer trips.

But this time, not only did the emperor not mention him at all, but even his father, Duke Lingguo, and former father-in-law, Shen Yu, were ignored and not included in the emperor’s group.

Shen Yu had been socializing for a long time that evening. When he was riding back home, he saw Guan Muyun being helped into a carriage by several people.

Guan Muyun was obviously drunk, staggering, and the smell of alcohol was strong. It was said that his wife had been away for some time, and he had gotten drunk, losing the high-spirited look he once had.

The two used to be father-in-law and son-in-law, but now they were like strangers.

Shen Yu and Guan Muyun were different.

He had been away from the center of power for a long time and had learned to understand his position in the court. He accepted that he could not accompany the emperor well, and it hardly affected his mood at all.

Early the next morning, Shen Yu welcomed his second and third brothers to Wenyuanhou Mansion. Knowing they rarely visited without a reason, he invited them to sit down and talk.

Shen Er and Shen San exchanged glances, deciding who would speak first. Finally, Shen San said, “I overheard people talking about Ruojin, always referring to her as ‘Shen’s.’ It makes me uncomfortable. Technically, she’s no longer our daughter, so she shouldn’t have the surname Shen. Otherwise, it ties her to our family whenever others discuss her.”

Shen Yu frowned and replied, “Her biological parents are missing. If she doesn’t keep the surname Shen, what surname should she take? Should she take the surname Guan?” He thought about how the Guan family had raised her for over ten years and felt they couldn’t just cut ties.

Recently, Shen Yu noticed that Ruojin and Guan Muyun had been close to Prince Rui’s family. Prince Rui was a strong contender for the throne, and Shen Yu started to question whether he had severed ties with Ruojin too soon. If Prince Rui became emperor, the Shen family could miss out on benefits.

Seeing Shen Yu was silent, Shen Er suggested, “Let’s not dwell on these matters. It’s rare for us to discuss family issues. We should focus on how to win over Tao Sheng and persuade her to return. I tried sincerely to convince her, but she refused. How about we put her name on the family tree? If she agrees, we can do it right away. What do you think?”

Shen Yu agreed, feeling there was no harm in it. He said, “Let’s do it. When Tao Sheng returns, my second brother will visit her house to ask.”

Shen Yu had argued with Tao Sheng before, losing his chance to persuade her directly. Now, he relied on Shen Er.

Recently, there had been much gossip in Beijing about their family. Many said the Luo couple from Qin County were very fortunate. They were kind and had adopted a daughter, loving her, which led to their success.

In contrast, people criticized the Shen family for not valuing their blessings, claiming they failed to accept a good child when she returned. Some believed that if Lord Luo had grown up in the Shen family, he wouldn’t have achieved such success in music and art.

When someone becomes famous, everything they do is often seen as right. The Shen family needed to bring this “power” back to their home and benefit from it.

However, Tao Sheng was very strong-willed, with the support of the Emperor and the King of Chu, making the situation tricky.

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East Palace.

Two days later, the prince received urgent news from over 800 miles away. The team originally headed to Chengde had unexpectedly split into three teams.

From the timing, these teams should have reached Chengde, but reports from informants indicated that only one team had arrived, led by the prince’s father.

The father claimed to be unwell and went to the temporary palace to rest, which seemed reasonable. However, the absence of the other two teams raised suspicion.

Prince Rui’s useless brother was attacked, and the princess was causing trouble in the county.

The King of Chu’s team had disappeared without a trace on the way to the Summer Resort. The prince felt increased pressure from the emperor and worried more than before. He could accept short-term setbacks but feared the emperor might replace him if he thought the crown prince was not meeting expectations.

The prince cared most about his people in the Eastern Palace. The idea of striking first consumed him.

Two years ago, the prince had made plans in Chengde. Now, with the current situation, he thought taking action there would be feasible. However, his father unexpectedly divided his troops into three teams, making him uneasy.

His confidants and informants hadn’t seen the emperor in Chengde. If his father mingled with other teams and didn’t go to the Summer Resort, they could be exposed.

Many officials in court were waiting and watching. Despite their claims to be “pure ministers,” they understood that the crown prince was next in line. If anything happened to their father, they could ascend the throne.

Thus, many supported the father, turning a blind eye to his actions.

As long as the father didn’t return to the capital, the crown prince would remain regent, maintaining control in the capital.

The urgent task now was to uncover why King Rui had halted and what the King of Chu was doing.

The prince told the eunuch next to him, “Let them investigate again. Make sure to inform General Fu that unless the emperor is returning from the Summer Resort, no visitors are allowed in the city. They will be stopped outside the capital.”