Chapter 42: Jiang Rong had a blank expression on his face: "Don't give it to me next time..."

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Yan Siqing leaned against the railing, and this time it was her turn to look at Jiang Hui's back as he walked forward.

The fingers gripping the railing tightened.

Until the two sides faced each other... in the billowing dust and smoke, the other side stopped first, and then Jiang Hui's side also stopped.

There was a bit of silence on both sides.

"Greetings, Your Highness!"

"Your Highness, it's us!"

"I'm here by the prince's order to take His Royal Highness and Miss Yan back to the palace."

What is this matter?

I was almost scared to death.

Ruoqin and the others were all ready for a fight to the death, but what happened was - they thought they were seeing things.

Look carefully, really, isn't this one of our own?

Why make such a big fuss?

Ruoqin and the others' dirty words were all over their faces, but they also breathed a sigh of relief.

Soon, they also became nervous - the person coming from the palace was Prince Yan with an order.

Why did Prince Yan suddenly send a large group of people to Baixiu Post Station?

And there were no signs beforehand.

This is probably not a good thing.

Jiang Hui's expression remained unchanged. He said coldly, "My father has given me full authority to lead this matter. Since you're here, that's great. Come back with me. As for the rest, don't worry about it."

The general was a little embarrassed, and probably guessed what Jiang Hui meant. He hesitated for a moment and took out the token from his chest.

"Your Highness, the prince has ordered that you return with Miss Yan."

"Especially Miss Yan."

"No other outcome will be accepted."

"And I'm afraid there's something you're not aware of—the waterway is currently under control at the mouth of the Huai River below the White Horse Temple. Because a major incident occurred in Chang'an, local authorities are investigating the case, and free passage is prohibited."

"Therefore, if Miss Yan wants to go to Jiangnan or other places, it won't work."

If Jiang Hui wanted to force his way in, the soldiers from the palace would not dare to stop him, and he was not afraid of Prince Yan.

After all, he was not a weak person who relied on his parents for his livelihood. He also had real power in his hands and could directly bypass his parents to gain the emperor's favor and official position.

But what the general mentioned made him hesitate.

Guan Liangshan had mentioned earlier that something was amiss in Chang'an. He had originally thought that the other party was using some of the accumulated strange cases in the government offices to increase their authority and deploy troops to deal with him.

Is this really true?

That must have happened in the last one or two months. If it had been longer, the secret letter from Chang'an would have reached him long ago.

If there really is something strange and unusual, and the court reacts so strongly, we really can't let Yan Siqing go like this, otherwise it will be easy for Prince Qi and others to take him down by taking advantage of this matter.

Jiang Hui turned around.

On the boat, Yan Siqing had already learned that the two sides were one family and there was no need to go to war. She slowly loosened her fingers, but she lowered her eyes and looked at her fingers, as if thinking about something. Then she heard the general's words and looked at a mountain standing downstream in surprise.

She knew that it was the waterway and landport with the White Horse Temple as the boundary, and it was also the waterway checkpoint in and out of Chang'an.

But she didn't know how big the incident was that caused the court to make such a big fuss and impose such strict supervision on land and water.

Someone very important died?

When she turned around, she happened to meet Jiang Hui who also turned around.

The two of them made a unanimous decision in silence, just like before.

The situation is restrictive.

Go with the flow.

To put it bluntly, it is a last resort.

Who could go against Prince Yan and the imperial court at the same time? It wasn't a rebellion.

——————

It’s no wonder that Yan Siqing thought the worst.

People did die, and quite a few of them, not ordinary people.

On the way being escorted by the palace guards.

Yan Siqing sat in the carriage and took a rest. He was talking to Xiaoshan about the closure of the waterway when Xiaoyun came back carrying a large food box.

Xiao Shan was confused: "Sister, aren't you going to check the road? Why are you carrying so much food?"

They had breakfast at the post station before setting off, so no one would be hungry. However, as one set out by land to return to Chang'an and the other set out by water to the south of the Yangtze River, their lunches would definitely be different. Yan Siqing and Xiaoyun had originally planned to eat on the boat, but now they had to go to Chang'an again, and they had no dry food on hand.

But I'm not really hungry.

Xiaoyun just said that it was brought by people from the palace, as if they were worried that the prince would be hungry.

In fact, both of them knew it was not.

Prince Yan never pampered his son.

"General Qin said that the prince ordered it to be brought to Madam Yan."

Since Jiang Hui restrained himself, these subordinates should have been instructed to be more cautious in their addresses.

Yan Siqing's eyes fell on the big food box. She paused for a moment after thinking for a while, then opened it. Sure enough, she saw the familiar osmanthus cake and poria cake from her childhood, as well as fried pumpkin shreds. She was silent for a moment, reached out and took a piece. Her fingertips and sense of smell told her that these foods were freshly made by her mother Xu Junrong.

Naturally, it was the love from her mother, and it was also the latter who hurriedly learned that she was really about to arrive in Chang'an.

So how did she know?

Prince Yan told her.

——————

Small courtyard.

Two days ago, a devil-like figure came to the door early in the morning and told her in a warm manner: Your beloved daughter will soon arrive in Chang'an. I have sent someone to pick her up. Are you happy?

It's just like a bolt from the blue.

Xu Junrong was in Chang'an, and he also judged the situation of himself and his daughter based on the changes in the situation. How could he not know that "when it is absolutely necessary, the daughter can only come to Chang'an to save her life" and "being in Chang'an, it is even more necessary" were both dangerous situations with no bright future.

Deep down, she didn't want Yan Siqing to come. At least after learning about the outcome in Yancheng, she knew her daughter's abilities. Assuming she didn't consider her own affairs with the Yan family, she could live a good life - as long as she didn't get involved in the major events of these princes and nobles.

As long as they use the power brought by the prince of Yanwang Mansion to escape the harm and capture of Prince Qi, they can get away from the prince Jiang Hui.

Unfortunately, things did not go as planned.

The most important thing is that Prince Yan obviously does not allow them, mother and daughter, to make a choice.

Both father and son are difficult to deal with.

Xu Junrong remained calm, accepted it calmly, and thanked King Yan.

What did Prince Yan say at the time? Through the door, he said, "After all these years, why don't you bring her anything? Food or daily necessities, or...something you want to tell her?"

There is a hidden meaning.

He knew that although she said she wanted to find her daughter, she actually did not want Yan Siqing to take the risk of coming to Chang'an. She was just taking advantage of the palace.

But the cause was that King Qi attacked him, which brought disaster and implicated them, mother and daughter. He could distinguish right from wrong and naturally would not pursue it.

But whether she leaves or not, and whether her daughter comes or not, is not really up to her to decide.

He was also frank and deliberately squeezed her like this.

Xu Yourong leaned against the door, gnashing her teeth. She could only calm herself down and suggested making some pastries for Yan Siqing when the time came.

Prince Yan Jiang Rong agreed, "We will set off tomorrow and see you the day after tomorrow. Bring someone back and I will send someone to pick them up tomorrow morning."

So early in the morning.

Xu Junrong saw a general blocking the kitchen door.

He was indeed a general, and once the head of the three armies.

General Wang.

She was startled, but she controlled her emotions and bowed.

"Your Highness, the food boxes are ready. Please help your subordinates."

In fact, I didn’t see my subordinates.

Outsiders were not allowed to enter here, and over the years, he had indeed managed to prevent outsiders from disturbing her.

but....

Jiang Rong was a tall man, with the graceful and elegant bearing of a descendant of a royal family. When he looked down at people, he gave people a strong sense of authority.

So when Xu Junrong suddenly saw this man standing at the door, staring at him with unfathomable eyes, he felt a chill in his heart.

Also, this person is wearing military uniform today.

There are dragons and xiezhi on the chest of the armor, and the Kuidou Tiangang sword is covered in red blood.

Is he going there in person?

Or was there something major happening in the court that required him to lead the troops?

She performed the same formalities as before, gracefully and calmly, yet showing some reserve. However, since there was no one in the kitchen, she dismissed the maid and completed the pastries entirely by herself, which showed her deep love for her daughter.

There was a hint of sadness in Jiang Rong's eyes, but he didn't care too much about it. He just noticed that the flour in her hands had not been washed clean, she had an apron tied around her waist, and she was a vegetarian.

There weren't many pastries left on the table, just a few scattered around, which showed she hadn't made much.

It's a bit harsh, but understandable, she never likes to overwork herself.

It also depends on the person.

——————

She is different after all.

She has always been different.

Unlike ordinary wives of officials, she was not self-righteous and only asked servants to do chores. She liked these chores and had done so since she was a girl. However, if you say that she was simple, hardworking and diligent, she would not do that. She only asked her husband and daughter to do the chores.

She keeps the house in order, inside and out, but she is also delicate and lazy. When she is spoiled, she is angry and lively. She loves to play with friends and is also humorous to them. Even though she later chose Yan Que from among the countless suitors, got married and had children, she always had a happy mood without regrets.

Then there is the style.

She must have known that she was loved, so she was fearless. She was fearless in front of Yan Que, in front of the Xu family, and she was the boss of her brother. In front of...

Jiang Rong suddenly remembered her face when she rushed to the forest and faced him, an unknown enemy or friend, alone.

Shock, hatred, confusion, caution, pain, hesitation, and finally putting down the dagger that was ready for suicide.

Made a deal with him.

From then on, he became much more taciturn and cold.

Now, she was expressing her thanks, but in reality, she had no intention of engaging with him and would rather hand the box over to his subordinates herself.

So that's it.

step.

Jiang Rong stepped over the threshold.

Xu Junrong choked and tightened his grip on the food box.

Let go and pretend to wash your hands.

Avoided him.

"You don't make much, and you don't eat it yourself?"

Xu Junrong replied, "I've already had breakfast. I'm not going to eat anymore. I'm also afraid that making too much will waste time."

She didn't ask him if he had breakfast.

Jiang Rong was silent, but stood in front of the table, looking at the remaining pastries of varying sizes.

Been watching for too long.

Xu Junrong felt embarrassed by his gaze, even more embarrassed than him staring at her. She could only wash her hands and whisper something.

"Does the prince have any instructions?"

Jiang Rong said in the same dull tone he used when deciding life and death in the imperial prison or on the battlefield, "I'm hungry."

It sounds like he is saying: Are you looking for death?

Xu Junrong was about to wipe the water droplets from his hands when he paused. After all, it was not good to offend anyone, so he could only say, "Then your Majesty, please have some."

Just as he was speaking, Jiang Rong came over.

He had long legs and could reach the washbasin in two steps. He washed his hands with mountain spring water and prepared to eat some cakes, but he was so crowded that he was almost touching her.

She was unable to dodge, and her long black hair brushed over the armor on his arm.

Xu Junrong was about to leave.

The wrist was suddenly grabbed and the body that tried to dodge was pulled over again.

She was surprised and snorted.

On the green and delicate hands, water drops flow on the back of the hands, tremble, and drip on the surface.

As she struggled, he held her down. Realizing something, she stopped moving and lowered her eyes. "What does your Highness mean?"

Jiang Rong's face was expressionless: "Don't give me such a handle next time."

He could restrain her with one hand, but with the other he opened the box and took out a letter that was secretly hidden inside the food box from under the box.

It was quite covert, but he saw through her.

Xu Junrong's expression changed slightly and he said nothing.