Chapter 428 A Little Bit of Secret Joy

When Jiang Yu mentioned Lingnan, he turned to look at Marquis Chengen and said, "Lingnan needs to be suppressed by force. In the face of absolute strength, even if the King of Lingnan's subordinates are loyal, they will have no way to resist."

Marquis Chengen nodded in agreement and continued, "Right now, we should secretly send troops, provisions, and weapons to Lingnan, and we also need to dispatch capable generals. Zhao Yi, who is stationed in Lingnan, has been there for too long, and he is bound to be hesitant in his actions. I'm afraid he is not up to the task."

Having said that, he stood up, cupped his hands, and volunteered: "Your subject is willing to go to Lingnan."

Upon hearing this, the emperor frowned slightly and waved for him to sit down: "I know your abilities. If you go to Lingnan, this matter will be handled flawlessly. However, the main camp outside the capital needs you to be in charge right now, and we really cannot do without you."

The emperor's considerations were not without merit. Marquis Cheng'en, who was in charge of the military camps outside the capital, bore the heavy responsibility of protecting the safety of the capital. While taking Lingnan was important, the stability of the capital was equally crucial.

Just as the emperor's gaze fell upon Prince An and he was about to speak, Marquis Chengen said, "If Your Majesty feels that it is inconvenient for me to go to Lingnan, I suggest that you send Duke Wei to accompany Huo Guang."

The emperor frowned, shifting his gaze from Prince An. Jiang Yu and Prince An exchanged a glance before quickly looking away. Then Marquis Chengen continued, "The Duke of Wei is a mature and prudent minister, steady in his actions and possessing profound wisdom; Huo Guang, though young, is brave and skilled in battle. With the two of them working together, they will surely be able to recover Lingnan."

The emperor nodded thoughtfully: "Let's discuss this matter again."

"Yes." Marquis Chengen knew this matter was of great importance and that the Emperor would have to weigh it carefully, so he didn't say anything more, only giving Prince An a subtle glance. Prince An noticed his gaze, looked back, and saw Marquis Chengen nod slightly before looking away. His fingertips paused slightly, unable to guess the other's intention.

Next, the four ministers and the emperor engaged in a thorough discussion regarding the subsequent plans, striving to ensure that the strategy was flawless. However, even by the end of the meeting, they had not decided who to send to Lingnan.

After the meeting concluded, the Emperor dismissed the three, as he was going to the inner palace to visit the Empress Dowager. Jiang Yu then expressed her wish to also visit the Empress Dowager; being a woman, and given the Empress Dowager's past favors towards the Duke of Chu's family, the Emperor granted her request. Prince An also requested to accompany him to the Empress Dowager, but Marquis Cheng'en excused himself first. As an official outside the palace, he was not permitted to enter the inner palace.

Jiang Yu and Prince An followed the Emperor toward the Cining Palace. Their eyes met briefly before they looked away. They both had things to say to each other about their private meeting earlier that day, but now was not the right time. The Emperor was concerned about the Empress Dowager's illness and walked quickly. Before long, the three of them arrived at the Cining Palace. At the palace gate, they met the Empress, who was coming towards them, and they went inside together.

Upon entering the Empress Dowager's bedchamber, one sees Prince Rui massaging her arms, with the imperial physician softly instructing: "Slowly massage from the wrist to the elbow. Later, focus on massaging the Hegu and Quchi acupoints, gently rotating them to clear any stagnation of Qi and prevent stiffness from developing due to prolonged inactivity..."

Prince Rui listened attentively and adjusted his approach as needed.

Upon seeing the Emperor enter, Prince Rui rose to pay his respects, but upon noticing Jiang Yu's presence, his expression faltered slightly before quickly returning to normal. The Emperor excused him from the formalities, casually waved his hand, and stepped forward to take over Prince Rui's massage of the Empress Dowager, with the imperial physicians providing meticulous guidance from the side.

Before long, the Empress Dowager awoke, her spirits much better than before. Her gaze swept over everyone in the hall, finally settling on Jiang Yu's face. Her lips moved, and she softly uttered a name: "Jingrong."

Everyone was taken aback, then their faces lit up with joy. The Emperor quickly gestured for Jiang Yu to step forward and said softly, "Mother, this is Aunt Jingrong's granddaughter, Jiang Yu."

Jiang Yu quickly bowed to the Empress Dowager, who gestured for her to return the gesture. Jiang Yu stepped forward and grasped the Empress Dowager's hand, feeling its slight coolness and instinctively tightening her grip. At that moment, the Empress Dowager spoke, her words indistinct yet logically clear: "I first met Jing Rong on the back mountain of Jing'an Temple. At that time, I was being abused by my stepmother and couldn't bear to live any longer. I wanted to jump off a cliff to end my life, but Jing Rong saved me..."

She recounted in detail how she met, fell in love with, and became close friends with the late Duchess of Chu, Tang Jingrong. Finally, she looked at Jiang Yu and said, "Your eyes and nose are just like your grandmother's."

Jiang Yu was deeply moved. The Empress Dowager, who could not recognize others after her stroke, still remembered her grandmother's kindness. She smiled and replied, "I have never met my grandmother, but after hearing what you said, it's as if I can really see what she looked like back then."

"Good child." The Empress Dowager smiled at her, her gaze carrying a hint of distant longing.

"Mother, do you recognize your son?" the emperor asked hopefully.

The Empress Dowager frowned as she looked at him: "Why has my son aged so much?"

The emperor was both amused and exasperated, but genuinely pleased, as the Empress Dowager was much better than before. The others chatted with the Empress Dowager for a while longer before withdrawing to allow her to rest.

Upon leaving the palace, the Emperor inquired of the Imperial Physician about the Empress Dowager's condition. The Physician bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager can clearly recall her past with the late Duchess of Chu, which is clear evidence of her gradually regaining her senses after her stroke. Compared to her previous state of not recognizing people and speaking incoherently, she has now greatly improved."

If she continues to receive proper care according to the prescription, and if someone frequently mentions old friends and events to help awaken her memory, in time, the Empress Dowager may gradually be able to remember more people and things.

The Emperor nodded in satisfaction, then looked at Prince Rui, whose eyes were dark circles, and said, "As you can see, the Empress Dowager's condition has improved considerably. Go back and rest, and come back when you're well-rested."

Prince Rui was already on the verge of collapse, but seeing that the Empress Dowager was indeed recovering, he nodded in agreement. Seeing this, Jiang Yu also took her leave, and the Emperor waved for her to leave with Prince Rui and Prince An.

As soon as the three of them left Cining Palace, they saw Zhao Fuquan already waiting at the palace gate with bows. Upon seeing the three of them, he quickly bowed and then said to Prince Rui, "Your Highness, His Majesty knows that you have been guarding the Empress Dowager without closing your eyes for days. Fearing that your health might not be able to withstand it, he specially instructed me to prepare a sedan chair and wait here."

Prince Rui glanced at Jiang Yu and said, "No need. I haven't seen Jingwei for many days, and we have something to talk about."

These words made Prince An's face darken. Did he think he hadn't seen the way Prince Rui looked at Jiang Yu? But in the end, he said nothing. Zhao Fuquan naturally dared not say anything more, and simply bowed and stood aside, watching the three leave.

"Does Uncle Wang have something to say to me?" Prince An asked in a slightly cold tone.

Prince Rui glanced at him and said bluntly, "I have nothing to say to you."

Prince An: "..."

Jiang Yu, walking beside him, lowered her head and tried her best to suppress the corners of her lips. Noticing that Prince An's gaze swept over, she looked up and met his gaze expressionlessly, saying, "Your Highness Prince An, there are still some details regarding the response to the Prince of Lingnan that are not fully discussed. Perhaps we should find a place to further consider them."

This was important business, so Prince An immediately suppressed the bitterness in his heart and replied, "Yes, I also have a few things to discuss with you."

As they exchanged words, Prince Rui's expression remained unchanged, but he subtly shifted his stance, quietly moving closer to Jiang Yu. He glanced down at her jade-like hand hanging at her side, his lips pursed slightly, his fingertips twitched, and after a moment's hesitation, he finally gently touched her hand.

The warm touch felt like an electric current, and Jiang Yu's hand trembled slightly. She glanced at the person beside her out of the corner of her eye, and the first thing she saw was his slightly reddened earlobe. She couldn't help but secretly raise the corners of her lips, and then gently squeezed his warm fingertips, but immediately let go, and even moved her body to the side.

But in that instant of holding hands, Prince Rui's jealousy vanished, replaced by a small sense of secret joy.