mtlumby2d Chapter 393: Heartfelt
Chapter 393: Heartfelt
Shen Li put down her bowl and chopsticks slowly, wiped the corner of her mouth gently with a handkerchief, then raised her eyes to look at Nangong Qi, her expression calm but with a hint of solemnity, she said: "Go sit over there, I have something to tell you first."
Upon hearing this, Nangong Qi walked straight to a chair beside him without saying a word, like a well-behaved primary school student. He sat down upright with his back straight, staring at Shen Li without blinking. Anyone who saw him would burst out laughing.
Shen Li saw this and secretly laughed in his heart, but he quickly straightened his expression and said earnestly: "Aqi, we have known each other since childhood. After so many years of friendship, I have always regarded you as my own brother.
From now on, please don't mention the terms "side prince" or "principal prince" anymore. I'm just a small county lady in Beichen. In this treacherous court, if the emperor has any intentions, he can easily control me.
If your words today were to get out and the emperor were to hear about them, he might think I had some evil intentions and was plotting a rebellion to claim the throne. That would be a huge problem. Do you understand?"
Nangong Qi looked serious and nodded solemnly, "I understand your concerns, but I don't want to be just your brother! I want to stand on the same starting line with them and compete openly. Please don't exclude me."
Seeing how stubborn he was, Shen Li sighed inwardly, knowing that it would be difficult to convince him anytime soon, so she simply changed the subject, not wanting to dwell on it any longer.
So he asked, "Tell me what happened to that human trafficker? How could he be so brazen as to swindle the children right under our noses?"
At the mention of this, Nangong Qi's face instantly darkened as if a storm was about to break out. He clenched his fists, his chest heaving with anger. He angrily said to Shen Li, "That day, I led people to interrogate and arrest people overnight. After a thorough investigation, we destroyed four dens and successfully rescued more than fifty young boys and girls! During the interrogation, we learned that after these children were deceived, most of them were sent to the residence of the Minister of Justice for the old man's entertainment!"
Nangong Qi grew increasingly angry as he spoke. He clenched his fists, his breathing becoming somewhat unstable. He gritted his teeth and said, "That Minister of Justice is the former Queen's father! Not only did he cruelly and molest young children, but when he got tired of playing with them, he even had the utter shamelessness to send them to brothels. He exploited them to make money and then sent them to various ministers and officials to gather intelligence and information in an attempt to control the court. He deserves death!"
Nangong Qi took a deep breath, forced a slightly bitter smile on his face, and continued, "Li'er, look, this is the current Xiqi court, it has become so corrupt.
I have submitted all the information I have to my father. As for the subsequent handling, I really don't want to be involved anymore. I have seen enough of the corruption in this court."
When Shen Li heard this, she was so shocked that she couldn't speak for a long time. She really didn't expect that the Xiqi court, which was so glorious in the eyes of outsiders, had become so rotten inside.
In this situation, she secretly wondered in her heart, will there still be a chance to display her long-cherished ambitions? Thinking of this, Shen Li couldn't help but frowned slightly.
Suddenly, Nangong Qi's voice broke her thoughts: "Ali, you are the only one by my side now, you can't abandon me!"
Shen Li raised her head slightly and took a deep breath, trying to calm the turmoil in her heart caused by the evil deeds of the Minister of Justice. After a moment, she stared at Nangong Qi and asked in a serious tone, "The Minister of Justice has done such a cruel and insane thing. As the king of a country, has your father been completely unaware of it?"
Upon hearing this, Nangong Qi's face was instantly filled with rage like a surging tide. He clenched his fists and said bitterly, "Humph, back then his queen, the daughter of that old villain, the Minister of Justice, was so cruel and vicious that she secretly poisoned my mother with a slow-acting poison. In the end, my poor mother and kind sister were burned to death by her heartless fire!"
Nangong Qi slowly raised his head, his eyes filled with tears, the crystal tears swirled in his eyes, almost bursting out.
He choked up and said to Shen Li: "Do you still remember that year when I said goodbye to you and was hurriedly taken back to the palace?
Since I was a child, my mother and sister died early because of the persecution of the vicious queen. Fortunately, my wet nurse replaced me with her own child, so I was able to escape to Nanyue. Later, I got lost and by chance went to Beichen, where I was rescued by you.
Later, when we parted ways, I got lost and was accidentally shot by my father. That's when I returned to the Xiqi Palace. While you were unconscious, I plotted to eliminate the queen and her daughter, but my father blindly protected the Minister of Justice. I was so disheartened that I gave up!
Nangong Qi raised his hand to wipe away his tears. His eyes met Shen Li's, who also had tears in her eyes. He said with a hint of pleading, "So, A-Li, can you please have mercy on me for the sake of our past relationship? Now, you are really all I have!"
As he spoke, he stood up and walked to Shen Li with a hesitant but determined step. He carefully took one of her hands, as if he was holding the most fragile treasure in the world.
He looked at me sincerely and said softly, "I swear, I never had the slightest intention of hurting you, but I don't understand why it always goes against my wishes and causes you to get hurt over and over again."
After he finished speaking, he grabbed Shen Li's hand, slowly placed it on his lips, gently placed a pious kiss on it, and murmured: "Li'er, can you forgive me this time? I will listen to you from now on. I will do whatever you ask me to do, okay?"
Shen Li looked at his pitiful appearance, her heart full of pity. She raised her hand to gently wipe his tears and comforted him softly, "I am deeply saddened and regretful about what happened to your mother and sister. Didn't I promise you a long time ago that you could go to Beichen with me? When the time comes, you will treat my home as your own, just like before. I will never drive you away, okay?"
When Nangong Qi heard this, it was as if a long drought had finally brought rain. His heart, which had been hanging in the air, finally settled down, and he was so overwhelmed with joy that he could hardly contain himself.
He excitedly opened his arms, gently embraced Shen Li in his arms, and said with a sob: "Ali, don't push me away, just let me hold you for a while, just for a while..."