Chapter 83 My Beloved - How could this be?

On New Year's Eve, snow suddenly began to fall. Jiang Chen had originally wanted to go out for some fresh air, but when he stood under the eaves and suddenly saw the snowflakes dancing in the air, he couldn't help but be slightly stunned.

The last time he saw snow was in the Northern Border. The awe-inspiring sight of thousands of miles of ice and snow was still fresh in his mind. He exhaled a puff of white breath, reached out from under the eaves, and thought that if Shen Yujiao knew that it was snowing, she would be overjoyed.

Thinking of this, he turned his head and glanced in the direction of the main courtyard. He wanted to go and call her out, but then he thought that Mu Jin was always thinking of the Crown Princess. He figured that if he didn't go, she wouldn't miss this beautiful scenery. So he turned around and went back to the courtyard.

Tonight was supposed to be a night of staying up to welcome the New Year, but Yong'an and Qi Zheng, one holding onto Shen Yujiao and the other clinging to Chu Rou, were having a great time playing together. Jiang Chen and He Zhiju, the two grown men, really couldn't get along with them, so after staying around the stove for a while, they returned to He Zhiju's residence in the front yard.

He Zhiju joined the army at a young age, and Jiang Chen also grew up in a military family. The two had endless common topics to talk about, and they became even more excited when they talked about frontier military affairs. So they asked the kitchen to send some wine and dishes, and the two of them drank the rest of the time in the front yard.

At first, the two were talking about He Zhiju's experiences in the military camp in his early years. Later, for some reason, the topic turned to the Crown Princess.

Jiang Chen was curious whether Shen Yujiao and He Zhiju had any secrets between them after returning to Beijing. He Zhiju, however, had drunk too much and kept talking about Shen Yujiao's childhood anecdotes. Jiang Chen was not interested in Miss Shen, so he made an excuse to change clothes and get some fresh air halfway through his drink.

Having been outside for so long, and with the night air chilly, Jiang Chen turned around and went back inside. Looking at the table, he instantly lost all interest in drinking.

On a night when he was supposed to be on guard duty, He Zhiju was already drunk and slumped on the table. However, he had excellent manners when drunk and his posture was very elegant. Even though he was drunk, he did not make a fuss. He just rested his chin on his hand and closed his eyes like a model in a magazine.

Jiang Chen returned to his seat and couldn't help but chuckle: "This is it? And he's someone who's been to the Northern Border..."

He got drunk after just a few bottles of wine.

He was somewhat helpless and turned to pour himself another cup, but when he picked up the wine pot, he found it was empty. He looked at the wine jars and found that there were only a few empty ones left. He sat there speechless. He had only gone out for some fresh air, and He Zhiju had drunk so much. No wonder he was drunk.

"He Zhiju, He Zhiju, although you're not my brother, I still have to respect you as an elder brother here. We agreed to drink together, but you drank all the wine yourself. What kind of behavior is that...?"

He joked to himself, but a bitter feeling lingered in his heart. Why drink so much? He had a guess; it was most likely because of the He family's affairs. He Zhiju rarely drank alcohol, and it was only on festive occasions like today that he would get drunk to drown his sorrows.

The court is already showing signs of turmoil. He cannot stop the princes and powerful ministers from vying for power, but he does not want to miss this opportunity. If the waters of the capital city become even more murky next summer, perhaps he can take the opportunity to exonerate the He family and clear the name of the Shen family.

To restore the innocence of the fallen heroes, to preserve their loyal bones in the annals of history, and to prevent loyal families from being unjustly branded as opportunists.

"By then, you'll probably be able to find a good partner and start a family, and you won't have to live such a lonely life anymore."

Jiang Chen spoke very softly, but He Zhiju seemed to hear him. His lips moved, and he made a sound in his throat. Jiang Chen couldn't hear it clearly, so he leaned closer and asked, "What did you say?"

"No, I won't get married..."

Jiang Chen laughed: "What, is there no woman in this world worthy of you, General He? You know—"

"I can't wait... I can't wait for her anymore..."

He Zhiju spoke again, startling Jiang Chen into silence. He suddenly remembered what Shen Yujiao had told him and immediately realized that this was He Zhiju's sweetheart. He prompted again, "Her? Who is she?"

"Rong'er has returned to the capital... The He family... is gone... Grandfather... can no longer go to their door on my behalf... to ask for Rou'er's hand in marriage..."

He was drunk and his words were slurred. Jiang Chen listened for a long time but couldn't tell whether he was talking about Rou'er or Rong'er.

"Which family's Rong'er are you talking about?"

"Chu...the second daughter of the Chu family, A-Rou..."

With a "thud," Jiang Chen was startled and stood up from his chair. Due to inertia, the chair fell to the ground. He opened his mouth to say something, but didn't know where to begin. Memories of his past and present lives flashed before his eyes like a revolving lantern, frame by frame, overlapping each other. He found it hard to believe.

If He Zhiju's beloved is Chu Rou, then it would explain why there is a He Zhiju and a Chu Rou in this era. They are not only closely related to Jiang Chen and Chen Yujiao, but there is also a connection between them. But... how is that possible?

Jiang Chen lifted the curtain and strode towards the main courtyard. As he walked, he recalled that back in school, he was almost the closest person to Chu Rou, but he had never heard of Chu Rou and He Zhiju having any contact.

Chu Rou is aloof and appears extremely cold to outsiders, always keeping to herself. He Zhiju, on the other hand, is the student council president, admired by the entire school, and is always surrounded by a group of people. What could possibly be the relationship between these two? Could it be that He Zhiju has a crush on her?

"Jiaojiao—"

When Jiang Chen appeared in the main hall, everyone in the room was startled. Qi Zheng stared blankly at the Crown Prince, the orange segment in his hand falling onto the table. Yong An, who was originally dozing off, was also awakened by him. Shen Yu Jiao and Chu Rou, one holding a teacup and the other holding a pastry, froze in mid-air.

"You...weren't you drinking with your brother in the front yard?"

"Yes, it's snowing outside. I want to take you to see the snow."

Jiang Chen's gaze unconsciously drifted to Chu Rou, only to find that she seemed completely unconcerned.

The two younger ones were overjoyed to hear that it was snowing outside. Yong'an jumped up from the chaise longue, slipped on his shoes, and was about to run outside. Seeing this, Shi Yang quickly grabbed his cloak and followed behind.

"It's snowing?" Shen Yujiao was indeed surprised. She turned to look at Chu Rou and, seeing that she didn't seem inclined to go out, patted her hand: "I'll go take a look."

Jiang Chen led her out of the main hall. Before Shen Yujiao could even go to the courtyard to admire the snow scene, Jiang Chen dragged her to the corridor. The two walked a long way along the corridor before Jiang Chen lowered his voice and asked, "You said before that He Zhiju has someone he likes. Do you know who it is?"

His furtive behavior seemed to Shen Yujiao like he was going crazy. She pulled her wrist out of Jiang Chen's hand and said speechlessly, "How would I know? That's Zhiju's business. Besides, you brought me out at this hour just to ask me about this?"

"I see."

Shen Yujiao paused as she turned to leave. She turned to look at Jiang Chen and was surprised to see his smug expression. How did he know?

Who is it?

"Chu Rou".

As Jiang Chen spoke, he kept looking into Shen Yujiao's eyes. He didn't miss that moment of distraction. He pulled Shen Yujiao to sit down on the edge of the corridor, put his cloak under her, and said in a low voice, "He drank too much tonight. He said it himself."

"No... That's impossible."

Shen Yujiao's thoughts were exactly the same as Jiang Chen's. The two people were completely unrelated, and they didn't even have any interaction at school... But they actually did!

Jiang Chen was gripped tightly by her, and subconsciously looked at her. He saw that Shen Yujiao seemed to be recalling something, and then heard her say, "If you put it that way, I do remember something."

That was the New Year's Eve party the year He Zhiju graduated. At that time, the senior year of high school was already halfway over, and He Zhiju had already stepped down as the student council president, but he was still voted by everyone to be the host of that year's party. The teacher was worried that he would be short of time to prepare for the college entrance examination, but He Zhiju readily agreed.

The gala required two sets of hosts. He Zhiju and the student council president at the time were the two male hosts, but the female hosts had not been decided for a long time. Unlike He Zhiju's overwhelming number of votes, the number of votes for the female hosts was very close among many candidates from junior high school to high school.

At that time, He Zhiju, a senior in high school, was about to take the college entrance examination, and Shen Yujiao and Jiang Chen, who were also in their junior high school years, were about to take the high school entrance examination. Although there was no pressure to take the exam for the senior high school of their own school, most people would not choose to participate in cultural and recreational activities in that year. Moreover, the city-wide joint examination was right after the New Year's Eve party, and no top student would slack off at that time.

But Chu Rou stood out from a group of senior high school girls that year and became the only female host who hosted the New Year's Eve party every year from the first year of junior high to the third year of junior high.

Looking back now, this may have been the only contact between the two of them.

"There was already a three-year gap. After we entered high school, Zhiju graduated. Although he came back to school a few times afterward, he never stayed for long. How could this happen..."

The two exchanged a glance, both seeing confusion in each other's eyes. Jiang Chen wasn't usually interested in gossip, but since it involved He Zhiju, he couldn't ignore it.

Suddenly, Shen Yujiao stood up and started walking back. After a few steps, she remembered that Jiang Chen was still standing there, so she turned around and said, "I have to go back and ask Chu Rou. After all, we are in the Great Xia now, and there may be differences from the modern times. If they really are in love, then we have to clarify this matter as soon as possible."

As Shen Yujiao walked back, she found it increasingly absurd. The four of them had spent so much time together, from the capital to the northern border and back to the capital, how come she had never noticed anything was wrong?

The Great Xia Dynasty was, after all, a feudal dynasty. Logically speaking, once Chu Rou entered the Eastern Palace, there was no possibility of divorce and remarriage. Her status was noble, and she was listed in the royal jade tablet. She could not simply find an excuse to leave the Eastern Palace.

It's unacceptable that Chu Rou would spend the rest of her life alone in the Jingtan Pavilion. If she didn't know, she wouldn't have cared, but now that she knows He Zhiju is in love with Chu Rou, she wants to ask Chu Rou's opinion. If possible, perhaps Chu Rou wouldn't have to be confined to a small courtyard in the East Palace.

After all, neither she nor Jiang Chen were from Great Xia. If Chu Rou was willing, she would do everything she could to help her.

"Your Highness is back."

But when Shen Yujiao entered the palace again and saw that gentle and quiet smile, she couldn't even utter a single question. What was there to ask?