Chapter 43: The things brothers wanted to do, the Regent did

  "So, the Regent sent over a heavy gift, which was both a test to see if my three brothers were worthy of this gift, and also... a recognition of kinship from the Regent?"

  Sheng Chengxin was the first to react and asked all the questions that were on the minds of the three brothers.

  "Uh-huh," Yan Beizheng replied, "Second Brother can think of it that way."

  Sheng Chengxin suddenly realized that Yan Beizheng was calling him "Second Brother".

  Before, Sheng Chengyi said that Yan Beizhuang called out to his older brother, he and Sheng Chengluo didn't believe it, but at this moment, he heard clearly, Yan Beizhuang was calling out to his second older brother.

  He thought again that when Yan Beichen gave him the Gui Gu Valley token, he only called out "Second Brother", but at that time his attention was all focused on the Gui Gu Valley token and didn't notice...

  "Older brother, Third Brother, get up." Sheng Chengxin crawled up from the ground and didn't forget to help Sheng Chengyi and Sheng Chengluo up.

  Then, Sheng Chengyi and Sheng Chengxin together helped Sheng Yunjing up and sat him down in his seat.

  "Father, mother, three elder brothers, I know this matter is a bit sudden for you," Sheng Jinxiu said: "I didn't discuss it with you in advance and settled the matter, it's my fault. However, you also know my temperament, if I didn't want to, I would have made a big fuss..."

  She glanced at Yan Beizheng with the corner of her eye, seeing that he had no displeasure on his face, before continuing to say: "The Regent...he's just a bit cold in nature and doesn't bother explaining himself to others, which is why outsiders have been saying bad things about him..."

  "But he holds heavy responsibility yet not power, his name shakes the four countries without being arrogant about military achievements, his reputation is full of the world without being proud of himself. Compared to some people who have done a little good deed and want everyone to worship him like a god, using despicable means to climb to high positions, with a surface of gentle kindness but inside cruel and ruthless, isn't this kind of fake gentleman too much?"

  "Big brother said loyalty to the monarch and defense of the country, willing to die for it. Big brother is now twenty-three years old, standing in the prosperous Kyoto Imperial City, looking far into the direction of the four borders, heroic spirit soaring."

  "Although Regent's height was still below the horseback, he went onto the battlefield. From a child to a generation of war god, what Big Brother wanted to do, Regent did."

  "Third brother said that in a prosperous era, one seeks peace, while in a chaotic era, one seeks survival. Why put seeking peace in a prosperous era first? It's just because the days of constant fear and anxiety from our childhood are already gone."

  "In the year when the previous emperor passed away, Kyoto was bathed in blood. For the sake of our family's wealth and status, the noble sons of the imperial family, relatives of the emperor, openly befriended us while secretly threatening us, forcing Father to tear down the gates of our mansion to show that our family would not collude with any faction..."

  "They can't avoid bringing over one or two boxes of so-called betrothal gifts, and then they'll make me, who still doesn't know what's going on, into a concubine. Because I was born into a merchant family, I'm not even worthy of being a proper wife!"

  Yan Beichen, who had been leaning casually in his seat, suddenly straightened his clothes and sat up straight at this point.

  "It's laughable that even as a concubine, I was fought over by several people. They were at the Sheng household, baring their teeth and brandishing their claws, wishing they could cut me into eight pieces so each of them could take one!"

  At this point, Sheng Jinshu's emotions became slightly agitated.

  At that time, everyone thought she was ignorant and just scared, but did adults think she was only scared?

  She deeply knew that the imperial power could swallow people's lives without spitting out bones, and was so afraid that she had nightmares for many days.

  Later, he had a high fever and was ill for more than a year, even forgetting all the memories of that year in bed...