Cheng Jiaxuan was separated from her brother when she was four years old. Although she didn't have many memories, their relationship was deeper than that of ordinary siblings. Her brother doted on her from a young age and often thought of all kinds of interesting ways to play with her. He always made her giggle and felt that her brother was her sky. When she was young, she didn't understand much about relationships between men and women. Based on a few fairy tales she heard from other places, she was particularly enthusiastic and helped him with ideas to curry favor with Cousin Chen.
Until one day, Cousin Chen suddenly disappeared and there was no news from her for several days. Her brother finally found some clues, but he thought she was a child and didn't bother to explain to her. He only discussed it with his family behind closed doors. Little Jiaxuan hid on the side and vaguely heard the words' paraded through the streets'. Then everyone cursed the court for being tyrannical and the Emperor for being muddle-headed. At that time, she was indeed young and ignorant. She didn't understand even when she heard it. She only had a pure belief that no matter how thorny the problem was, it would be easily solved in front of her brother.
A few days later, her brother and uncle took a few servants and went to save Cousin Chen. They never returned. Afterwards, she heard from her uncle that he had been kidnapped by the Sacrifice Shadow Sect on the streets. The sect was full of inhumane demons. Her brother was alone in a bandit den. How could he still be alive? However, Cheng Jiaxuan held onto a faint hope. She felt that without seeing his corpse, he might not necessarily be dead.
The Moon Demon Sect then started a massacre, killing her entire family without leaving even a chicken or dog. The demon probably saw that she was just a little girl and didn't care much. He casually cut her in the back with a knife. Cheng Jiaxuan's injury wasn't serious, but she immediately fell down and pretended to be dead. She forced herself to not lose consciousness. She heard the screams of her loved ones, but it left a deep shadow in her heart.
After the demon dispersed, she struggled to crawl out of the manor. She didn't remember how far she had walked. She was hungry and cold, and after a night of terror, her physical strength had reached its limit. She suddenly lost consciousness. When she woke up, she was lying on a soft mahogany bed and covered with a quilt made of golden silk. Hearing that she had fainted in front of the prince's mansion, several imperial bodyguards wanted to carry her away, but they were stopped by the Prince Regent. He then asked someone to take good care of her. After listening to her story, he became even more benevolent. He took her as his adopted daughter on the spot and enthusiastically helped her find her brother.
Cheng Jiaxuan was sincerely grateful, so he obeyed Dorgon's every order. However, as he grew older and experienced more, he saw through his adoptive father's wild ambitions. He was just a tool to help him seize power. However, she had suffered a tragic fate when she was young and her personality was rather mature and callous. Since she could rely on his protection, it wouldn't be a big deal for her to become a spy in the Snow Song Palace.
Thinking about the past, he was furious and said with hatred, "The Devil Cult has done all kinds of evil, they will pay the price sooner or later. Your daughter will personally destroy the bandit's lair and let them die a death worse than my family! "
Dorgon said, "It's good to have ambition, but you also have to weigh your strength. This Prince had some dealings with the new Hierarch of the Shadow Sacrifice Sect many years ago. He is definitely a ruthless character. With a character like Noble Consort Yun, she had been fighting with him for six years, but they still couldn't determine who was the better one. With this little bit of martial arts, it was even more impossible for her to be on the stage. You should temporarily stay behind the scenes and secretly sow discord, letting Noble Consort Yun fight to the death with him. This is called if you can't win with strength, you should win with wisdom. Your identity is special, you must not ruin my plans because of a moment of impulse. "
Cheng Jiaxuan was full of unwillingness, but she could only endure it. She said, "Your daughter will remember Adoptive Father's teachings." After bowing, she silently withdrew from the prince's mansion. Dorgon watched her leave and thought about how his ascension to the throne was not far away. A profound smile appeared on his face.
Cheng Jiaxuan returned to the Snow Song Palace to pack up and set off that afternoon. As expected, there were only a few people accompanying them. They mostly rode in carriages, and along the way, they could also visit some scenic spots. A few days later, they arrived at the Shen Family's ancestral hall in Jiangnan. Shunzhi only brought his wife and children inside, ordering the other officials to wait outside.
This ancestral hall was indeed built on a large scale. The building was grand, the carvings were exquisite, and the materials were all of the best quality. There was a screen wall in front, and a curved beam on the side. The arches and eaves were beautifully streamlined, and the structure was proportionate. There was a golden inscribed board hanging high in the main hall, with the inscription 'Shen Clan Ancestral Hall'. On the side hung a 'Zhi Du Plaque' bestowed by the Emperor. Liang Tuo, Ping Pan Dou, Fu Ji Mu, Que Shui, and so on were all carved and carved. The knife technique was simple and powerful, the lines bold and bold.
On the platform were the memorial tablets of the Shen Clan's Three Brothers. Shen Shiyun held three incense sticks in her hand, representing the meaning of 'honoring the heaven and earth, honoring the gods and Buddha, honoring the ancestors'. She knelt on the ground and kowtowed. Then she inserted the incense stick into the incense burner first, and repeated to the right and to the left. She silently said, "Father, Da Bo, San Shu, Yun 'er has come to see you. I wish you … all is well over there, and that you can ascend to paradise soon … Yun 'er will definitely annihilate the Devil Cult with all her strength to avenge you. "She could not help but shed tears again. Xuan Shuang and Shunzhi also offered incense. Shunzhi said in his heart, "Guofu, zhen will definitely take good care of Yun 'er. Please rest in peace."
After finishing offering incense, Shen Shiyun slowly got up and cast a glance toward Shunzhi by her side. Her heart was overflowing with tenderness, which she had not felt for a long time. When she agreed to follow him into the Palace, she only wanted to borrow his power and influence to seek revenge; she did not have the least bit of affection toward him. But after six years of getting along with him, she saw that he was devoted and devoted to her, considerate and caring, meticulous in every possible way. It could be said that in the depths of the Palace, there was no other imperial concubine who could obtain such honor and favor as she did. And now she had a lovely son with him, with the hope of enjoying the happiness of an ordinary loving couple. For a moment her heart was full of regret. She really wanted to put down her hatred and be a loving husband and wife with him.
But as soon as her gaze fell on her father's memorial tablet, her wavering heart became firm again. She said in her heart, "My whole family died a tragic death, a grievance waiting to be redressed. But because I covet my own pleasure, I want to disregard the blood feud as deep as the ocean. It is simply intolerable! There are some things that once the first step is taken, there is no turning back. This road of revenge paved with the blood of the Devil Cult demons, I must walk to the end. "
Shunzhi also stood up. "Yun 'er," he said softly, "If you are sad, just cry loudly. Anyway, there is no outsider here to see." Shen Shiyun said in her heart, "He still thinks that I miss my family, that I am grieving over the past … ay, he doesn't know anything. For the sake of revenge, how can I hurt someone who has done nothing wrong? " She wrapped her arms around him, and took the opportunity to bury her head deep in his bosom, crying in a low voice. Shunzhi gently patted her back and whispered comforting words.
After her initial soft-heartedness, Shen Shiyun thought, "He did not know me at all. We first met in the Palace, but because he coveted my beauty, he did not ask my opinion and wanted me to be his imperial concubine. He might not really love me. I sold my beauty, he provided me with power, both sides are simply using each other, each taking what he needs. In the future when my beauty is gone, I will be just one of the millions of imperial concubines abandoned by the Emperor. Since that's the case, I must make full use of my limited time to fulfill my wish as soon as possible. "
Out of the corner of her eye she suddenly caught a glimpse of Xuan Shuang, her heart was shaken. She remembered that she was a mother, how could she ignore her image and cry loudly? Her bearing would be ruined. Hastily she struggled free from Shunzhi's embrace and angrily said, "Annoying, Xuan Shuang is still here, why didn't you remind me? So ugly!"
Shen Shiyun had been in the Palace for six years, she had always been an excellent assistant to the Emperor, but the two of them had very little time to talk about love. Shunzhi suddenly saw Shen Shiyun's tender and charming appearance, she was still as beautiful and touching as when they first met, bright and beautiful beyond compare. His love for her soared. He laughed and said, "Zhen's Noble Consort Yun is the number one beauty in the world, how can you be ugly?" Tears flashed in Shen Shiyun's eyes, the corner of her mouth slightly moved.
Shunzhi continued, "Yun 'er, if you can't bear to part, then zhen will accompany you to Jiangnan every year to pay respects to our ancestors. What do you think?" Shen Shiyun sighed and said, "In your busy schedule, you took the time to accompany me on this trip. Chenqie's heart is already very grateful, I don't dare to have this kind of extravagant wish … otherwise chenqie will be a greedy and insatiable person, and won't be worthy of Your Majesty's love."
Shunzhi said, "That's not how it is. Recently zhen has seen some beautiful scenery in Jiangnan, my heart is surging with emotion, I really have the thought of abdicating and living in seclusion, to be a pair of immortal companions with you in the mountains and forests. I also learned this from Father-in-law. Perhaps zhen was born unsuitable for the throne, sooner or later zhen will have to leave. "
In the past, Shunzhi often expressed the thought of abdicating, but each time Shen Shiyun would gently persuade him to give up the idea. But now Xuan Shuang was the future Crown Prince, one of them was her husband, the other was her son. No matter who became the Emperor, it would not affect the power in her hands. And if Xuan Shuang ascended the throne at a young age, she could seize the opportunity to sit behind the curtain and listen to the government, holding sole power. This was the icing on the cake. She no longer paid any attention to Shunzhi's sigh.
Xuan Shuang said, "Emperor Ah Ma, don't say such depressing words, you still have a long time to sit on the throne. There are a lot of ways to govern a country, Erchen still needs to slowly ask you for advice. "At the same time, this was also to remind him that his position as the Crown Prince had not yet been decided.
With a bitter laugh Shunzhi said, "Zhen knows nothing about governing a country, I am relying entirely on Imperial Mother and the ministers to assist me. You can ask your mother about these things, she will know more than I do. " Then he turned to Shen Shiyun and said, "Zhen has not given Xuan Shuang a status, only because the palace is full of treacherous and treacherous clouds, the princes fight for power by hook or by crook. Zhen does not want him to become the target of public criticism too early, to be involved in this mutual deception." Xuan Shuang said, "Erchen understands."
Shunzhi smiled and said, "But Xuan Shuang has been showing his ability since childhood, his resourcefulness and ability far surpass mine, this is also very gratifying to zhen. Zhen has been thinking a lot recently, some of my old ideas have changed, perhaps the Crown Prince will be decided as soon as possible, it will have a deterrent effect on the people. Therefore, zhen intends to issue an imperial edict to appoint Xuan Shuang as the Crown Prince as soon as zhen returns to the palace. "
Xuan Shuang happily said, "Thank you very much, Emperor Ah Ma, Erchen will definitely not disappoint you!" He had long been accustomed to polite fake smiles, but this time it was because of genuine joy. The three of them stood in silence for a moment before leaving the ancestral hall. Cheng Jiaxuan remembered her Yifu's warning, so she quietly asked Xuan Shuang what they had talked about just now. Xuan Shuang only replied her with 'husband and wife' words of love ', and then he brushed her off.
One of the most beautiful sights in Jiangnan was the street market by the roadside. They strolled along the street, bought some antiques, calligraphy and paintings, and gained quite a lot. In order to avoid people's eyes and ears, they had to try their best to suppress their extravagant spending style. Worshipping the ancestors and sightseeing were indeed as they wished, but they did not have any deep understanding of the people's feelings.
Several days later they turned northeast. The temperature difference in different places was enormous, but Jiangnan was still sunny and warm. As soon as they entered Liaoyang's territory, the temperature suddenly dropped. The Manchurian generals had lived in the bitter cold of the north since childhood, plus they had been practicing martial arts for many years, their bodies were strong and sturdy, so they could endure the harsh weather. At first they were a bit uncomfortable, but they stamped their feet and rubbed their hands together to get over it. Shen Shiyun and Cheng Jiaxuan were Han women, their bodies were delicate and weak, so when the cold wind blew on the street, they could not stop shivering.
Shunzhi's heart ached for Shen Shiyun, who was so cold that her face was pale, but she was still clenching her teeth and putting up a pitiful appearance. "Yun 'er," he advised, "If you are really afraid of the cold, don't force yourself. Go find an inn to rest first." "Chenqie is all right," Shen Shiyun said, "How can I … cough, cough … spoil everybody's mood?" While speaking she did not stop coughing.
"If you are sick," Shunzhi said, "Zhen will have to worry about you all day long; won't that be worse? Since we are going out to sightsee, there is no need to make yourself suffer. You and Xiao Xuan go find an inn first, zhen will go with them to stroll around, and then I will bring you a gift. "Shen Shiyun could not refuse, she had no choice but to agree. Cheng Jiaxuan was concerned about the Qi Sha treasure, so when she heard that she could serve Shen Shiyun personally, she readily agreed. She thought that since she left the group, naturally she would go to get the treasure, so she must keep a close eye on her.
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