Fu Shen’s affairs in Gan Zhou were nothing special, merely stockpiling grain and training troops. Yan Xiao Han carefully explained the new court situation, especially the Long Zhi Emperor’s attitude and the conflicts between the Southern and Northern factions. Yan Xiao Han thought it over repeatedly and felt he couldn’t hide the truth, so he told everything in detail.
Fu Ling’s marriage to the Prince of Qi was arranged by Fu Shen himself years ago. He had originally thought the Prince of Qi was gentle and honest. Who could have predicted the unpredictability of fate? With the country fallen and the family destroyed, it now seemed he had personally pushed his sister into a fire pit.
He had promised Fu Ling many things, and hadn’t accomplished a single one.
Fu Shen’s face was expressionless, his profile in the dark night like a cold and hard stone statue. Yet Yan Xiao Han always felt he had an inexplicable fragility.
Just as he was about to offer comfort, Fu Shen spoke first, blocking his words: “Thank you for taking care of her.”
“Even as her own brother, I might not have been as meticulous,” he self-deprecatingly gave a bitter smile, “Moreover, I couldn’t afford to offend the leader of the Jiangnan faction at the risk of being exiled for her sake.”
Although Yan Xiao Han didn’t elaborate, Fu Shen was no stranger to official circles. Connecting this with the Xue family matter, he naturally guessed that Yan Xiao Han’s explanation of “obtaining a military supervisor position from the Emperor” was just a fabricated excuse to comfort him.
He wasn’t voluntarily joining the military… but was kicked out of the central government for making a mistake.
For a moment, guilt and defeat crashed over him like a tsunami, overwhelming him. Fu Shen knew exactly what path he had chosen, and could only move forward with no chance of retreat. At this moment, his heart was like a raging storm, shaking the earth, unprecedented in his doubt.
Had he truly chosen the right path?
He was a failure as a brother, providing no support to his sister alone in the palace, instead making her a thorn in everyone’s side.
