The First Genocide Hatred

  Inside the study.

  "Second brother, where have you been all these years?" Shang Li Tian's face couldn't hide his joy when he saw Shang Li You, whom he hadn't seen in many years.

  No matter what, the throne that year was also given to him by Shang Liyou. At that time, Shang Liyou mysteriously disappeared overnight, and he has always felt guilty about it.

  "I've been drifting around, the four seas are my home. This time I came back to see you all, after dealing with some things, I'll leave!" Shang Liyou still had that light and easy tone, a faint sadness, which also gave people a faint heartache.

  "Second Brother, where are you going now? Your royal mansion, I've been having people take care of it all along. That's your true home, and you should go back to see it!" In front of Shang Liuyue, Shang Lian Tian never referred to himself as "I".

  Shang Li Yu let out a soft sigh: "Yes, I should go back and take a look!" He had been afraid to return there all along, because that place held too many beautiful memories. He was afraid that he would be overwhelmed by those memories.

  This time, he came back only to figure out Chen Er's cause of death and after investigating the Wu family's rebellion that year, he would still leave this sorrowful place.

  "Your Majesty, Chen Er..." Shang Liyou no longer called Shang Litian 'Third Brother', not because Shang Litian was now the Emperor, but because the Third Brother in front of him felt too unfamiliar.

  As soon as Wu Chen'er was mentioned, Shang Li Tian's face suddenly changed: "Second brother, don't mention the Wu family's affairs again. It's been three years already, I don't want to bring it up again!"

  "I just want to know how Chen Er died?" He only wanted to find some clues from Shang Li Tian's face.

  Shang Li Tian said with a stern face: "Second brother, Wu Chen'er deceived the monarch and colluded with the Wu family to commit treason. Knowing that his crime was grave, he cut out his own heart to save the Wu clan. However, this great crime of treason has always been punishable by extermination of the entire clan since the founding of our country. I am merely executing the law of Shang Guo!"

  As for the heart that Shang Li personally dug out of Wu Chen'er back then, he still has no regret to this day. In his opinion, a woman who had lost her reputation and integrity could save the woman he loved with her own heart was already a blessing.

  "You clearly know that Chen Er can't do such a thing, everything she does is for you, why don't you investigate properly?" Shang Liyou still couldn't accept such words, he couldn't believe that Chen Er would betray San Di.

  "Second brother, I know your feelings for Wu Chen'er, but she's such a promiscuous woman, it's not worth you treating her like that!" As for Shang Liyou's original feelings for Wu Chen'er, Shang Litian had always known, he just chose to ignore them.

  Shang Li Yu shook his head sorrowfully: "Third brother, you've misunderstood Chen Er. She's not a promiscuous woman, actually she's still...". He almost blurted out that Chen Er was still a virgin.

  "Announcing to Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager has sent someone to deliver some pastries for you!" Eunuch Gao's voice timely interrupted Shang Liuyou's words that were about to be spoken.

  "Present!" As soon as he heard that it was a gift from Yezi Qingpai, Shang Li Tian's face, which had been gloomy just a moment before, immediately broke into a smile.

  Xiao Fan bowed her head and carefully carried the tray in, when she saw Shang Liyou, her eyes quickly stopped for a moment, seemingly surprised.

  "Your Majesty, this was made by Her Majesty herself!" Xiao Fan said as he placed the pastry in front of Shang Li Tian.

  Originally, this imperial study was a confidential place where the emperor worked, and ordinary people were not allowed to enter. However, because of Shang's favoritism towards Yezi, she had reached an unbearable level, and naturally, those around her were also treated differently.

  "Xiao Fan, go back and serve the princess well. Try to let her do less of these things in the future!" Shang Li Tianbian said as he picked up a small dot and put it into his mouth, completely losing his usual majestic demeanor.

  "Yes!" Xiaofan was also happy for her master in her heart. The emperor had always doted on her master, and she naturally benefited from it as well. In the palace, which servant or maid did not curry favor with her? Even the other palace consorts who held nominal positions were also trying to win her over by three points.

  She was indeed devoted to Yezi, but in fact, all the slaves and maids in the palace knew that if they followed the right master, they would be lucky, and if they followed the wrong master, they would be unlucky.

  In the past, I followed Concubine Chen's little thousand, and we were also good sisters. As a result, because of Concubine Chen's reason, I ended up with my head separated from my body.

  So, she thought herself was lucky and often felt complacent about it. She wasn't a princess, but her popularity in the palace was no less than that of a princess. Who didn't know that she was the imperial concubine's most favored person?

  After Xiao Fan left, Shang Li Tian picked up a pastry and said to Shang Li You: "Second brother, this was made by Qing Er herself, it tastes very good, try one!"

  Shang Liyou shook his head: "Your Majesty, you forgot, I don't like eating pastries!" He didn't dislike eating pastries, but this pastry wasn't made by Chen'er.

  The emperor's gift of food was not accepted, just like defying an imperial edict. However, Hua Lian didn't mind and instead put it into his own mouth, laughing: "Second Brother, after all these years, you still haven't started a family?" He couldn't believe that Second Brother would really remain single for the sake of Wu Chen'er.

  Shang Li raised a wry smile: "I'm just a vagabond, who would want to marry a penniless vagabond like me?" In this life, apart from Chen Er, which woman could still catch his eye.

  Shang Li Tian hastily wanted to make up for his past debts, and immediately continued: "Second brother, you're not a playboy, you're the carefree king of Shang Guo, as long as you're willing, there are plenty of women for you to choose from!"

  This statement is true. If Shang Liuyun were willing to marry, with his elegance and status, he could choose any daughter of a high-ranking official in the imperial city. Unfortunately, his heart already belongs to someone else.

  "Your Majesty, you have a heart, I don't want to get married yet, I like living freely on my own." Chen Er left, his heart was gone, and he just let himself drift away.

  Shang Li Tian saw that he couldn't persuade Shang Li You, so he could only give up. He picked up the memorial beside him and flipped through it: "Second brother, you haven't returned for a long time. Mei Yu knows you're back, she must be very happy. Go see her!"

  "I was just thinking of that! Your Majesty, I bid you farewell!" Using "I, your subject" to refer to himself and "Your Majesty" to address the other, was enough to dilute the fraternal bond between them.

  Returning to the imperial palace once again, Shang Liuyong discovered that everything and everyone had changed. His third brother had become so profound, yet everything here felt familiar but with a hint of strangeness.

  Every blade of grass and every tree here is familiar to him. In a daze, he returned to the best times ever. At that time, Chen Er was not the third princess, but the most valued talent by Emperor Father. He often summoned her into the palace, and they always played together with her.

  Every corner echoed with their happy laughter at that time, but now everything has changed, the person he missed was gone forever. He mustered up the courage to visit her grave, where weeds had grown wildly. It took him a whole night to clean it up, and once again, he fell drunk in front of her grave.

  Actually, he still wants to go there now, although he knows that it's probably already desolate.

  "Chen Er, Second Brother is back, returned to the place you're most familiar with, but where are you?" The feeling of heartbreak filled his entire body, he knew that no matter how much time had passed, his love for her would not fade, and that heartbreak would follow him like a shadow.

  "Beautiful Jade!" Shang Li Yu Xian stepped into the Imperial Garden and coincidentally ran into Princess Mei Yu, who was chasing butterflies there.

  The beautiful Princess Mei Yu, who was infatuated with the butterfly, heard someone calling her and subconsciously turned her head. When she saw Shang Liyou, her thoughts paused for a moment, and then she exclaimed in surprise: "Second Brother... Second Brother, you're back!"

  But didn't rush into Shang Liuyu's arms like before, and the eyes looking at Shang Liuyu were also so unfamiliar.

  "Mei Yu, Second Brother is back, how are you?" For some reason, Shang Liyou suddenly felt that the Mei Yu in front of him had changed, becoming somewhat unfamiliar, no longer the little sister who would rush to see him years ago.

  "Second brother, when did you come back? Why didn't I hear third brother mention it?" Changing the subject to an unrelated topic, Shang Liyou's eyes made her feel a sense of guilt.

  "Oh, I just got back, Mei Yu, how are you?" Perhaps because their mother passed away early, the three brothers all treated Mei Yu, their only sister, as a treasure and had been extremely doting on her since she was young.

  "Second brother, I'm fine, just miss you and big brother so much!" Mei Yu's expression was very pitiful.

  "Silly girl, Second Brother and Eldest Brother also miss you!" He stretched out his hand, wanting to hold her like before, but in the end, he just gently stroked her hair.

  The more he got close, the beauty in front of him felt too strange.

  "Second brother, you won't leave again this time, will you?" Although he looked pitiful, he gave people a feeling of being artificial and pretentious.

  Shang Liyou suddenly didn't want to talk too much about himself, and smiled faintly: "Second Brother will come back to see you all this time, and then he'll leave again." He paused for a moment, then asked: "Mei Yu, you have a good relationship with Chen Er, can you tell Second Brother how Chen Er died that year?"

  "Second Brother, why are you suddenly asking about this? Didn't Princess Chen die by cutting out her own heart to prove her innocence?" Mei Yu's eyes flickered, as if hiding something.

  Actually, at that time, when Wu Chen'er and his family were killed, Princess Mei Yu was not in the palace, but had gone to Lu Shan Temple to fulfill her vows. When she returned, Chen'er was already dead, and the Wu family had been executed for nine generations.

  "Mei Yu, you've always been close to Chen Er, do you really believe that Chen Er and his family would rebel?" Even Mei Yu, who had played with Chen Er so much, said something like this, which made Shang Liyou feel very heartbroken.

  "Second brother, I, I don't know either. I wasn't in the palace back then, and when I came back, third brother said it was like this. Not just third brother, everyone said so!" Mei Yu felt wronged being yelled at.

  "Mei Yu, then come with me to Fengchen Palace and take a look. Chen Er must be very lonely there!" It's been three years, no one must have gone there, he is the only one who doesn't believe that Chen Er will betray him.

  She loves San Di so much and uses all her thoughts to help San Di fulfill his wishes, how could she betray San Di? There must be some hidden reason in between.

  "Second Brother, going to Fengchen Palace? I, I won't go!" Mei Yu's face suddenly changed upon hearing about going to Fengchen Palace, and she subconsciously took a step back: "Everyone says that the ghost of Princess Chen is haunting there, I, I don't dare to go!"

  "Mei Yu, you used to call Chen Er 'Chen Er Jie' or 'Chen Huang Shu', how come...?" If he didn't remember wrong, this was the second time she called Chen Er 'Chen Fei Niang Niang'. For some reason, he always felt that Mei Yu in front of him was a bit off, but couldn't quite put his finger on what it was.