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

Xia Ling turned his head, his voice filled with warning and his eyes filled with impatience.

When he thought of the power of the Xun clan, his warning and impatience faded a little: "Recently, bandits have been rampant in Hutou Village. I need Xun Qing to share my worries. Xun Qing will set out today to persuade these bandits to surrender."

The very straightforward feeling of disgust quickly entered Xunlan's heart from his ears. He stopped and looked at the receding figure.

His lips were tightly pursed and his eyes flashed with a hint of surprise.

As an advisor, he actually became alienated from Xia Ling?

So when did he break up with Xia Ling?

Was it when all the eunuchs in the Eastern Palace supported Xia Ling's proposal to marry Han Shu, but he was against it?

But didn't Xia Ling's confinement after the Duanwu Rebellion prove that all the eunuchs in the Eastern Palace were wrong, and only Xun Lan guessed the emperor's mind correctly?

Xun Ling glanced sideways at Li Yuan who was standing in front of him, and everything seemed to have an answer.

Xunlan's background and family background became his biggest burden.

Because he had a way out, Xia Ling felt that he was not loyal.

Golden Temple

Xia Ling prostrated himself on his knees, his choked laughter revealing his respect and gratitude for his father and emperor: "Your Highness, I pay my respects to you. Long live your Highness."

Xia Ling smiled and waved to Eunuch Lin: "Little Lin, help the prince up quickly."

"The slave obeys the order."

Xia Ling stood up straight. Xia Hong looked at Xia Ling from head to toe for a while, and said with a hint of heartache: "Queen, can you see if the prince has lost some weight?"

After months of deliberation, Zhong Luoyue took a long time to think before answering Xia Hong's question: "Your Majesty is sorry for me. The prince looks very energetic today."

Because of Xia Hong's concern, Xia Ling's eyes instantly turned red: "Thank you for your concern, father and mother. My body and hair are given by my parents. I dare not not take good care of myself."

Looking up at Xia Hong, Xia Ling showed a bit of loneliness in his eyes at this moment when everyone in the hall was happy.

Seeing Xia Ling like this, Xia Hong frowned and asked, "Did the prince suffer any injustice?"

"I am blessed by the Emperor, so naturally no one would dare to let me suffer any injustice."

Shaking his head to deny, Xia Ling took the initiative to explain before Xia Hong asked, "I met my eighth brother on the way to thank you today, and I heard him say that Master Mo is having a very difficult time now."

"Isn't Xiao Mo doing his job well in the Guards Department?" Xia Hong did not hide his preference for Shen Jinmo: "Could it be that someone was blind and hurt Xiao Mo?"

"Eighth brother also heard it from Master Xie. He said that Master Mo killed several servants in the princess's mansion. The princess was furious because of this. Now Master Mo has been kneeling in the ancestral temple for more than half a month."

"I am the oldest among these brothers, and I have known Prince Mo since childhood. He has always been a sensible person, and there must be a reason for his actions this time, so I beg you to save Prince Mo."

Xia Ling proved to Xia Hong that he was a good son and that he would treat with care everyone Xia Hong liked.

"Is there such a thing?" Although his brows were furrowed, no one in the palace could tell Xia Hong's attitude towards the matter: "Come here, summon Pingnan and Wu'an Hou to the palace together."

"The slave obeys the order."

After the palace servant received the order, Eunuch Lin asked one more question: "Your Majesty, there is no overnight hatred between mother and son. Do you think we should summon Prince Mo into the palace as well?"

Zhong Luoyue remembered that there was still an unresolved lawsuit, so she continued with what Eunuch Lin said.

"This kind of thing really cannot be believed on one side. I also think that they should be summoned to the palace together so that we can help to eliminate the rift between them and their son."

The voice was gentle and clear, just like an old friend. Xia Hong's brows relaxed a little after hearing it, and he nodded immediately: "If Xiao Mo is unable to move, just carry him here."

After Xuan Zhao's people left, Xia Hong looked at Xia Ling with a look of relief and admiration: "Ling'er, you are my eldest son, and everything I have will be yours."

"I was angry that day because you didn't value your own identity, not because I didn't love you."

Facing Xia Hong's active explanation, Xia Ling's eyes were filled with sincerity. "I know that I will obey my father in everything in the future. I will marry the daughter of whichever family my father tells me to marry."

Countless times in his dreams at midnight, Xia Ling envied the affection that Xia Hong showed towards Xia Che.

He had been extremely cautious over the years, never daring to take even a single wrong step, but this had never brought him closer to Xia Hong. Between father and son, only the relationship between a ruler and his subject remained, without a single unnecessary father-son affection.

After this incident, Xia Ling finally fulfilled his long-cherished wish.

Although Li Yuan, the counselor, had no chance to meet Xia Hong, he was able to guess Xia Hong's thoughts so accurately. Xia Ling became more and more satisfied with Li Yuan.

.

The imperial guards carrying the imperial edict appeared in the ancestral hall carrying a soft couch. After a brief explanation, they helped Shen Jinmo onto the couch.

Lying in the spacious and luxurious carriage, Shen Jinmo closed his eyes and calmed his mind.

There were cries coming from outside the carriage, as if the parents were scolding a disobedient child. The carriage was moving forward quickly, and after a while Shen Jinmo could not hear the specific content clearly.

But Shen Jinmo knew that the child apologized with tears, and his parents chose to forgive their child.

As the palace gate arrived, the carriage door was knocked and Shen Jinmo got off the carriage on his own.

The steps he took were less light and steady than before, and more bloated.

After kneeling day and night for such a long time, Shen Jinmo's knees were already bruised and swollen.

This bloated feeling of dense accumulation is much more uncomfortable than being beaten with a stick.

As soon as he entered the Golden Palace, Shen Jinmo knelt down for a while despite feeling bloated. He stood up with the help of Eunuch Lin, and Shen Jinmo stood quietly to one side.

The current situation and formation were slightly different from what Shen Jinmo had imagined, but he didn't care much about it.

Since he was carried into the palace, there was only one ending, and any minor incident would not affect the final outcome.

After waiting for a while, seeing that Xia Xin and Shen Jun had not arrived yet, Xia Ling took the initiative to open the conversation: "Xiao Mo, why do you look so haggard today?"

"Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. I am fine."

Shen Jinmo bowed to avoid Xia Ling's support, not wanting to be too close to Xia Ling.

On the one hand, Xia Hong must not like Shen Jinmo and Xia Ling being so close, and on the other hand, this person may not have many good intentions towards Xie Nanxing.

Xia Ling could be brainless, but Shen Jinmo had to take precautions.

Shen Jinmo's miserable appearance with swollen legs and feet and dry lips was beyond Xia Hong's imagination.

Thinking about Xia Xin's personality, Xia Hong felt that it was reasonable for her to be so embarrassed.

"Wang Heng, I heard from the Crown Prince that you have been kneeling in the ancestral temple for several days. What happened?"

When Xia Hong called out this name in front of everyone, he acknowledged this courtesy name. From now on, not everyone could call him Xiao Mo.

With his head bowed, Shen Jinmo's voice was filled with indifference: "I have done something wrong and have made my mother sad."

A son should not speak of his mother's mistakes, and family disgrace should not be made public. If Shen Jinmo were to complain about Xia Xin in such an occasion, wouldn't he be criticized for nothing?

As soon as he finished speaking, Xia Xin and Shen Jun appeared in the Golden Palace hand in hand, and greeted the person on the dragon throne. Their calm gazes never fell on Shen Jinmo from beginning to end.

Now that everyone was gathered, Xia Hong looked at Xia Ling and said, "Prince, what did you hear Nan Xing say?"