After the failed attempt to pretend to be dead, the sickly child was favored by the treacherous mini

"Xiao Mo has whip wounds on his body, take care of him."

"The minister obeys the order."

The imperial physician hunched over, and only after getting Shen Jinmo's consent did he dare to lift up Shen Jinmo's cloak and clean and bandage his wound.

Xia Hong lowered his head and looked at the wound on Shen Jinmo's back that was being bandaged by the imperial physician. His eyes first revealed pity, which then slowly turned into earnest consolation from an elder to a younger one.

"Xiao Mo, there are no wrong parents in the world. Don't hold a grudge against Shang Pingnan because of such a small matter."

"I know." His voice was calm, and he calmly digested the humiliating show of power today.

"I haven't been back for several years, causing the emperor and my parents to worry. This is also my fault."

"Why haven't you come back all these years?" Xia Hong asked casually. He didn't seem to care about the answer, as if he just wanted to chat with his children at home.

"That year, my mother expelled me from Luo'an and severed the mother-son relationship. If I were not the son of Princess Pingnan and Marquis Wu'an, I don't know if I would be qualified to return to Luo'an."

The arc of Xia Hong's lips was very shallow. Since he had resentment in his heart, it was much easier to say: "Your grandfather passed away, Pingnan was confused and hurt you by mistake, you should also understand her."

He nodded solemnly and replied in a dull voice, without a trace of joy: "I know, thank you for your comfort, Your Majesty."

"Have you ever wanted to go back to Luoan in these years?"

Shen Jinmo glanced at Xia Hong, his eyes slowly revealing a yearning for power. Although the words of patriotism he expressed were plain, they also revealed generosity.

"To build achievements for the Great Xia Dynasty and relieve the emperor's worries is what I think about day and night."

Xia Hong understood Shen Jinmo's hesitation at the moment. The whip wielded by Pingnan himself made Shen Jinmo full of distrust for his future.

Xia Hong naturally played the role of a good guy skillfully: "Don't worry, once your parents agree, I will naturally arrange a job for you that matches your abilities."

The prerequisite is that Shen Jinmo’s parents agree.

After the wound was bandaged, the imperial physician handed the medicine to Shen Jinmo, gave a few instructions, then bowed and left the Golden Palace. Silence returned to the palace again.

Xia Hong raised his hand and rubbed his brow, seeming a little tired: "Xiao Mo, your grandmother misses you very much, go with Xiao Linzi to see her."

"Is your grandmother still alive?"

This was the first time Shen Jinmo lost his composure in the Golden Palace today, because of Zhong Yuanyuan.

Eleven years ago, Xia Qi was assassinated and Zhong Yuanyuan disappeared immediately.

What followed was a year-long confrontation between Xia Hong and Xia Che. Old ministers were won over, new ministers came to power one after another, and Xia Che, who was only twelve years old, was poisoned.

In order to save the country from disaster, Xia Hong was forced to ascend the throne.

Until that New Year's Eve ten years ago, when Shen Jinmo escaped from Luoan, he had not heard any news about Zhong Yuanyuan.

"Can I still deceive you?"

Xia Hong asked back with a smile, without pointing out the matter.

Some mysteries are only interesting if Shen Jinmo solves them himself.

In most cases, imperial power means that one can do whatever he wants.

Shen Jinmo followed Eunuch Lin out of the Golden Palace, passing through the carved beams and painted buildings to a place where few people were.

The red wall protecting the palace was right in front of him, and the remote Xianyun Pavilion was only three meters away from the red wall.

Eunuch Lin knocked on the door, and when no response came, he took Shen Jinmo in.

From the main gate to the main hall, there was no one to serve, and the whole palace was not luxurious. It looked more like a well-maintained farmyard.

The woman kneeling before the Buddha was dressed in plain clothes, with black hair mixed with white hair, tied up only with a sandalwood hairpin.

Eunuch Lin knelt down reverently, not daring to be disrespectful: "Madam, Prince Mo is back."

He calmly put down the small hammer that was hitting the wooden fish and stood up from the mat. His cold eyes, filled with gentle power, enveloped Shen Jinmo.

"Xiao Mo, it's good to be back."

"My grandson has met my grandmother. May you be blessed with good health and happiness."

Shen Jinmo, who was crawling in front of Zhong Yuanyuan, fell down on his knees with a sour and watery look in his eyes.

Although his grandmother was alive, she lived in Xia Hong's harem.

Xia Hong, you are going too far!

There was no intention of getting up to help the person. In Zhong Yuanyuan's eyes, Shen Jinmo, who was kneeling on the ground, still had his back straight.

Although life is hard, as long as your mind and nature are not destroyed, there is hope for the future.

After watching quietly for half a cup of tea, Zhong Yuanyuan knelt on the futon again. The sound of the wooden fish rang out, a rhythm that urged people to leave.

Shen Jinmo stood up from the ground, looking even colder than when he came.

"Your Highness, the Queen rarely wants to see outsiders. If you have time in the future, you can come and accompany the Queen more often. The Emperor will certainly fulfill your filial piety."

Zhong Yuanyuan was a concubine who could not be given a prefix or title.

"I understand Eunuch Lin's intention." All the outward emotions have been restrained: "The harem is a forbidden area. Even though I have been away from Beijing for many years, I have not forgotten it."

Eunuch Lin smiled and slapped himself without much strength: "Look at me, I am just too talkative. I will definitely control my mouth in the future."

"How is Grandma doing?"

"Your Highness is deeply favored by the Emperor. The Ninth Prince is already ten years old and is greatly favored by the Emperor."

"You just returned to Luo'an and may not know how much the emperor values ​​the Ninth Prince. Xun Zhan, the second son of Xun Xiang's family, has now been arranged by the emperor to be the Ninth Prince's tutor."

The second son of Xun clan, who lived in the universe and planned to rule the world.

Then it cannot be said that the Ninth Prince is out of favor.

But Xunzhan is only sixteen years old. If he is really valued, he should be a study companion rather than a teacher.

After arranging for the young eunuch to escort Shen Jinmo out of the palace, Eunuch Lin returned to the main hall, took the handkerchief handed over by the young eunuch to wash his hands, then stood behind Xia Hong with a hunched back, massaging his shoulders and neck.

"You did a good job today." Xia Hong was very satisfied with the intelligence from the Princess's Mansion. "Pingnan is quite sensible now."

"Your Majesty, you are too kind. This is all my duty." He agreed with a smile and began to say what Xia Hong wanted to hear: "I think that His Royal Highness is a steady person who will not be easily manipulated."

The reason why Eunuch Lin was able to stand by Xia Hong's side for more than ten years was that no matter how the people in the court tried to curry favor with him or how much they hated him, he only had Xia Hong as his master and would only say what Xia Hong told him to say.

"Her Majesty only said one sentence to His Royal Highness, and then let him go."

"Before leaving, His Royal Highness asked how the Queen was doing."

"Humph." Xia Hong laughed: "This wolf cub is indeed worthy of being the knife that clears the way for me, but I don't like his overly sentimental character at the moment."

"You are the emperor. Your Highness will figure it out sooner or later."

Xia Hong sat at the pinnacle of power, so he naturally didn't worry that Shen Jinmo would escape his control: "No matter how ferocious the beast is, if I don't let it out of the cage, it will be no different from those birds."

Eunuch Lin considered carefully and added, "The prince is still young, and he has lived a precarious life for another ten years. Even if he values ​​friendship and loyalty, he can't stand it."

Xia Hong waved his hand, and Eunuch Lin didn't dare to press it again.

He knew that Xia Hong did not like to hear this. The loyalty and righteousness of the direct lineage had caused Xia Hong to suffer a lot in the process of maintaining stability in his regime.

"Xiao Linzi, how long do you think it will take for him to realize that I am his only master?"

Eunuch Lin is just a servant. How can he make a judgment on something that his master hasn't even figured out?

"With my stupid head, how can I guess these things?"

"I think that if you eat too much bitter food, you will always want to eat something sweet."

"Once you are used to eating sweet food, you naturally don't want to eat anything bitter."