Chapter 86 Disappointment

Time flies. It seems like only yesterday that the Qiang people graced the city gates with their presence, and today marks their departure.

At the breakfast table, Chu Zhuo'an was absent-minded. Yu'an noticed this and simply told him to put down his chopsticks and ride his horse to the city gate for a look.

"Go now, or it will be too late."

Chu Zhuo'an obeyed, waiting for her to say one word to let him go.

Yu An watched the departing figure, feeling a mix of emotions.

“My son is still young. I’ll probably forget about it in a few months,” Baozhu said.

Yu An thought it was hard to say, after all, he was only fourteen years old. She was even younger than him back then, and she remembered Ji Jinghe for almost ten years.

However, it was destined to be fruitless. Since Chu Zhuo'an wanted to pursue an official career, he had nothing to do with the princess from another tribe.

The two are connected like strangers; how can they be crossed?

...

With the Qiang people gone, the court became entirely the court of the Central Plains people. There was no need for pretense or pretense anymore. The undercurrents that had been suppressed for months were finally overturned and laid bare before everyone.

Hunting down Chu Zhuo'an was a minor matter, but the fact that the Qiang princess was involved meant that even though she was gone, the Central Plains still had to give the Qiang people an explanation.

The men they brought back that day were interrogated for only one day, and they confessed everything they could.

However, the person implicated was still an insignificant individual, essentially a second scapegoat, "Li Yan".

Even the deliberate delay in Ji Jinghe's trip to the negotiations that day was orchestrated by Wu Ze, the Right Vice Censor-in-Chief.

Some officials in the court submitted memorials proposing the reinstatement of Ji Jinghe, while others vehemently opposed it. However, no one suggested continuing a thorough investigation into the matter.

"Your Majesty is wise. The offense committed by Censor Ji is no small matter. If everyone uses the name of friendship to send letters to the border at will, wouldn't the entire court be thrown into chaos? Or should the Censorate send people to open and inspect all the letters sent to the border before letting them pass?"

"Ji Jinghe knowingly broke the law and should not be let off lightly."

Wang Jie glanced at it and saw that it was Yan Dang speaking, so he didn't bother to listen.

A moment later, someone else spoke up: "Lord Liu, you are mistaken. True friends are hard to find in life. Besides, Lord Ji and Lord Xin are from the same school. If they need something, can't even a simple letter be sent?"

"His Majesty has always governed with benevolence. If you make such demands, wouldn't you also be severing ties with your closest friends?"

Everyone knows that Lord Liu and General Li next door are very close friends, and they often sit together to enjoy tea and admire the moon.

Lord Liu was speechless for a moment.

The court fell silent. Wang Jie looked up at the emperor, who sat at the head of the table and remained silent for a long time, and said, "Your Majesty, there are many suspicious points in this matter. Whether it is a delay or a deliberate murder, we need a solid reason."

"What Wu Ze said was about the enmity he had with Chu Xingjian and Ji Jinghe. In my opinion, his words were vague and inappropriate. It would be better to have the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review continue to investigate in detail before making a decision."

The Emperor said, "What Minister Wang said makes sense. Let's do it this way."

After arguing all morning, there was still no result, and Ji Jinghe was still dismissed from his post.

Yu'an's health deteriorated day by day. The medicine she took and the acupuncture needles applied to her body seemed to have no effect whatsoever.

Wrapped in a cloak and sitting on the veranda, Yu An couldn't help but think of Ji Jinghe's situation.

His injuries were more severe than hers; she was in such a state, he probably wasn't doing well either.

"Sis, what are you thinking about?"

Chu Zhuo'an brought her back to her senses, and she said playfully, "Focus on practicing martial arts, don't look at me."

Chu Zhuoan: ...

Yu'an was pleased to see that his hands were becoming more and more steady as he held the sword.

Especially after hearing that he and Duoluo had single-handedly dealt with twenty or thirty bandits who were chasing them, she was even more amazed and delighted by him.

During the time she neglected her, the little boy who used to follow her around calling her "sister" had grown into a capable, courageous, and resourceful man, and he was only fourteen years old.

"Tell me the truth, what's really going on between you and Duoluo?"

Chu Zhuo'an paused, sword in hand, and looked at her. "What's going on?"

Yu watched him pretend to be stupid quietly, without asking any further questions.

Chu Zhuoan: "I like her, and she likes me too, it's that simple."

They dare to admit it, though.

Yu An: "You two fell in love after only meeting a few times at your residence?"

Chu Zhuoan: "Sister, didn't you also fall in love with Ji Jinghe after just one meeting?"

Yu An was speechless.

This kid...

Yu An: "Our situations are different. You like a princess of the Qiang ethnic group, not one of our Central Plains people. Even if you like each other, it won't work out."

"It all depends on human effort. If we've tried and fulfilled our commitments but still haven't achieved anything, then we'll accept it."

After more than a year apart, his maturity has reached a level that Yu'an never imagined.

If he can think things through, then she doesn't need to worry.

It was cold under the eaves, and she couldn't stand it. Once the hot water bottle in her hand had cooled down, she got up and left.

As she walked from the garden into her yard, she had to pass through a covered walkway shared by the front hall and the backyard. As she was walking, a figure suddenly appeared in her line of sight, causing her to stop in her tracks.

The once upright and dignified Ji Jinghe now looked pale and had a dark look in his eyes, making it hard for her to believe that the person in front of her was the same person she had met half a month ago.

Upon seeing him, I was reminded of the day he saved me and took medicine out of his pocket.

Dejection and wretchedness should not be seen in him.

She stiffened, unable to vent her frustration at his previous harassment, and instead softened her tone, asking him why he had come.

"I heard from Shu'er that you celebrated your birthday today, so I came to see you."

Yu paused for a moment, then whispered, "I'm fine."

She wanted to ask, "And you?", but the words wouldn't come out.

"How's your poison? I ran into Yan Ling the other day, and he told me you were poisoned too." She asked as usual, not out of concern. Ji Jinghe smiled, a bitter feeling welling up inside, but it was better than her not asking anything at all.

"It's all good. I found a few ounces of heart-protecting grass a while ago, and it cured the poison."

Yu An suppressed her emptiness and said "Oh".

"It's good that it's resolved."

She added a sentence, suppressing the disappointment in her heart.

She and Ji Jinghe divorced. He took care of himself and it was only natural that he wouldn't ask about her. She said she didn't want to have anything to do with him, so she couldn't go back on her word.

"Is there any way to resolve the matter of being dismissed from office? It's causing quite a stir in the court; I've even heard about it."

Ji Jinghe: "It's just investigating some things. If you're upright, you have nothing to fear. Let them investigate if they want; they won't find anything anyway."

He has always been arrogant, so it's understandable that he would say these things now, which shows that he has confidence.

Yu An didn't interfere too much and nodded.

Ji Jinghe scrutinized her features, feeling quite worried. He wanted to ask her more questions, but knowing her true nature, he knew that even if he asked, he wouldn't get any information and would only annoy her.

"I heard that you helped find the daughter of Prefect Zhou."

"You actually deserve credit for this as well."

Ji Jinghe pursed his lips. "If you hadn't insisted on investigating the estates under the Xia family's name, things probably wouldn't have turned out this way. It's up to you, besides, I didn't really help much."

Yuan:......

“I know you’ve been investigating the Cao family, the Hu family… but I still want to advise you to stop getting involved in this matter. Once the Shen family’s case is settled, the Yan family will be in trouble. You are alone and weak, and you are easily dragged down.”

Take, for example, the incident involving Chu Zhuoan a few days ago.

If she hadn't kept pressing the issue and dragged herself into this quagmire, the Yan family wouldn't have noticed the Chu family.

Yu An retorted, "Then my father..."

"I'll do it."

Ji Jinghe added, "If there is another opportunity in the future, you can hand over the evidence you have collected to Zhang Yanche or Wang Jie."

"The downfall of the Yan family is inevitable; it's just a matter of time. The Yan family has a backup plan. If you rashly take the evidence and file a complaint with the emperor like last time, you may not be able to get away unscathed like last time."

"So what I mean is, try to protect yourself as much as possible, because only by protecting yourself can you do what you want to do."

Yu An looked up at him, her heart skipping a beat.

His words sounded ordinary, yet awkward, as if there were unspoken emotions hidden within them, leaving her unable to fathom them.

"The matter needs to be investigated, and the person needs to be protected. I have my own ideas, so don't worry about me."

She stood there, when suddenly a cold wind blew by, and it was extremely cold.

"It's too cold, I'll head back now."

She left wrapped in a cloak, and when she returned to the house, Baozhu was busy fumigating clothes.

"Why have you been outside for so long? The hot water bottle must be cold by now."

Yu An didn't say anything, and took two pills as usual. She was not paying attention when drinking water and choked hard.

Seeing that she had been coughing for a long time, Baozhu was worried and put down her clothes to take care of her.

"I told you not to go out in the cold wind, but you wouldn't listen..."

Yu An waved her hand, took off her cloak, and stood in front of the charcoal brazier to warm her hands.

As it was getting dark, Baozhu returned with a lunchbox and a box.

"I don't know who put it in the corridor. When I opened it, I found a jade pendant inside. I guess it belongs to my husband."

Yu An lifted the lid and knew the answer in her heart.

It wasn't Chu Zhuoan's, it was Ji Jinghe's.

"But you saw it in the porch in the front yard?"

"Indeed, have you met me before, young lady?"

Yu An remained silent.

The translucent white jade pendant was adorned with a silk ribbon, on which were woven a flower knot made by her own hand.

This is the silk ribbon from the sachet she gave to Ji Jinghe.

"Put it away, it's not Zhuo'er's."

Baozhu was puzzled, glanced at her expression, but didn't ask anything.

"Today is the young lady's birthday, so please be happy. I haven't brought the rest of the dishes yet, but my husband will bring them over later."

After having a meal and chatting for a while, Yu'an leaned against the window and did her needlework.

My mind was preoccupied with Ji Jinghe today, and I felt listless and lacked enthusiasm.

Suddenly, a loud bang came from outside the window, followed by a bright light.

She had just realized that golden flowers were bursting open outside the window again. Just as she was about to go and look, Baozhu called her from behind.

"Girl, someone is setting off fireworks in the street."

It's precisely because the New Year has just passed that setting off fireworks is so unusual.

Baozhu ran over, wrapped her in her padded jacket, and said happily, "The fireworks outside are beautiful. Miss, open the window and take a look."

Before she could speak, Baozhu opened the window.