Chapter 21: Ying's Guilt (First Update)...

Xiao Mingzhang never expected to run into Yunzhu in such a place.

He lifted the carriage curtain, letting the hem of his pale white robe get covered in the dust from outside Yunzhou City.

Xiao Ming'an followed behind him, but the moment he saw Yunzhu, he just wanted to find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

What bad luck! Not only was she caught by her brother in Yi County, but she also ran into Yunzhu on the way back to the city. She really didn't check the almanac before leaving home; she should have never gotten involved with that couple!

But it's too late for her to regret it now.

Seeing that it was indeed Xiao Mingzhang and Xiao Ming'an sitting in the carriage, Yu Jingsi and Cui Ranzhi dismounted before Yunzhu and bowed to the two masters of the Prince's Mansion.

Yunzhu, however, seemed to only remember after a moment that she hadn't dismounted yet.

She dismounted, and Xiao Mingzhang was already standing in front of her.

Her eyes paused for a moment, then she casually placed her arm on Xiao Mingzhang's arm and landed safely.

"How did you happen to be here? Did you come out for a stroll?" he asked Yunzhu.

"Yes," Yunzhu replied.

Xiao Mingzhang looked at the horse Yunzhu was riding today. It was a fine red-maned steed that she had brought from the Western Regions. Its coat and skin were both chestnut red and shiny, except for its four black hooves, which were treading on the mud.

It matches Yunzhu's outfit quite well today.

They should have been an inseparable couple, but the moment Yunzhu saw Xiao Mingzhang, she lost all her leisurely mood for going out for a stroll. Yes, she wanted to be good to Xiao Mingzhang after returning home, but upon actually seeing him, her mind was filled with the events of yesterday. She longed for peace, but it remained elusive.

Not to mention that Xiao Ming'an was also with him.

Xiao Mingzhang didn't know how to bring it up with Yunzhu. He already knew everything Xiao Mingan had done, but he really hadn't figured out how to face Yunzhu.

Fortunately, this was not just the two of them meeting; Yu Jingsi, Cui Ranzhi, and others were also present.

Yu Jingsi, ever the talkative one, asked, "What a coincidence that the young master and the county princess are out of town today! Where did they come from?"

"..." You talk too much!

Xiao Ming'an, who had been hanging his head, glanced at Yu Jingsi with displeasure upon hearing this.

Yu Jingsi was completely oblivious; her attention was entirely on Yunzhu and Xiao Mingzhang. She glanced at the royal carriage behind them, then at the young couple in front of her. Suddenly, her eyes darted around and she landed next to Xiao Ming'an.

"Speaking of which, it's been quite a while since I last saw the County Princess. County Princess, would you be in the mood to race horses with me today? I remember the last time we raced horses was last autumn. Now a year has passed, and I'd like to have another chance to test my skills against the County Princess!"

Who wants to race horses with you?

Xiao Ming'an stared at Yu Jingsi with a puzzled look. Were they that close? Why would she want to race horses with them for no reason?

But before Yu Jingsi could finish speaking, Xiao Ming'an felt a deep gaze fall upon him.

She turned around stiffly and saw a cold reminder from her brother that was devoid of any friendliness.

"..."

Xiao Ming was patient.

She endured it.

Helpless, she could only go along with Yu Jingsi: "Yes, it's been a long time. Since that's the case, it's a coincidence that we're here today. Sister-in-law, lend me your horse, and you and brother can ride back to the city in the carriage!"

Yunzhu could easily see the subtle exchange of glances between the men. But it was perfect timing; now that she had run into them, her desire to clear her head had completely vanished. She might as well go home with Xiao Mingzhang.

Yunzhu agreed to Xiao Ming'an's suggestion, and the two quickly switched their itineraries. Xiao Ming'an was initially secretly dissatisfied, but once he sat on Yunzhu's red-maned horse, he found it quite pleasant.

She had long heard that the red-maned horses of the Western Regions were difficult to tame, fierce, and unruly. Since her relationship with Yunzhu was not very good, she had never tried to tame her red-maned horse.

Moreover... if this horse really can travel a thousand miles a day as the legend says, then if she rides it again, won't the guards of the Prince's mansion be unable to catch her no matter what?

Xiao Ming'an had barely mounted his horse when his mind was already racing faster than a waterwheel.

She was eager to try.

Xiao Mingzhang led Yunzhu onto the carriage. Before leaving, he glanced at his younger sister through the carriage window and said coldly, "You must return to the Prince's Mansion before dark, otherwise, you will never have to come back again."

Xiao Ming'an: "..."

—

The carriage continued its journey.

Yunzhu never expected that she would arrive on horseback but return in a carriage with Xiao Mingzhang right beside her.

She didn't speak, her arm pressed against Xiao Mingzhang's.

It seems that styrax was being burned in the carriage today. Yunzhu doesn't particularly like this fragrance because it was often burned in Xiao Mingzhang's study every morning when he called her to get up early to practice calligraphy.

Styrax has an excellent effect of refreshing the mind and clearing the senses.

But she knew that Xiao Mingzhang liked it. He wished he could divide the twelve hours of a day into thirteen segments. Whenever he was sober, he always liked to burn this kind of incense.

She didn't speak, and neither did Xiao Mingzhang. They sat in the carriage for quite a while.

As the carriage gradually entered Yunzhou City, voices began to rise from both sides, and the city became lively. Only then did Yunzhu see Xiao Mingzhang finally turn around and face her.

He took her hand and held it tightly.

"I know that our whole family has wronged you in this matter..." Xiao Mingzhang's voice was low and hoarse, completely different from how he spoke in front of everyone just now.

No, at least you didn't do anything wrong to me.

Yunzhu's eyes suddenly welled up with tears. From yesterday until now, she really didn't want to bring up those things anymore.

But she knew that once Xiao Mingzhang knew the truth, he would definitely care, and Xiao Mingzhang would have to bring it up.

“Yunzhu, you have suffered a lot of grievances in the Prince’s Mansion over the years.”

Since he took Yunzhu's hand, Xiao Mingzhang gripped it tighter and tighter, as if trying to penetrate her skin and seep into her very bones.

Yunzhu felt a little pain.

But it was less than one ten-thousandth of the pain she felt after learning the truth yesterday.

Tears welled up in her eyes again. Yunzhu wanted to look up and wipe away the tears with her still free hand, but Xiao Mingzhang had already cupped her cheeks in his hands.

She had no choice but to meet his gaze.

A man who is usually adept at navigating officialdom becomes unusually clumsy and awkward in front of his wronged wife, like a young boy.

Xiao Mingzhang leaned down and looked at Yunzhu for a long time before saying, "Yunzhu, I don't know how to say many high-sounding words, but I promise you that you will never suffer any more grievances at home. We will have our own children sooner or later. Let's take good care of our health, and one day we will have our own children, okay?"

Yunzhu nodded.

Okay, whatever Xiao Mingzhang says is fine.

"I don't want to put you in a difficult position..." Yunzhu didn't want to cry, she thought, she really didn't want to cry, but she seemed unable to hold back.

How heartless must a person be to cruelly hurt and embarrass someone who has always been kind to them?

I didn't want to put you in a difficult position.

Xiao Mingzhang held her tightly in his arms, so that Yunzhu could directly feel the vibration of his chest.

Xiao Mingzhang's chest was very hot, quite unlike his usual aloof appearance.

As Yunzhu listened to the drumbeats that beat only for her, she finally couldn't hold back anymore and let her tears fall.

She dampened Xiao Mingzhang's clothes again.

But none of them cared. She leaned against Xiao Mingzhang's chest, letting him take her back to the palace and carry her off the carriage.

—

It was the next day when Ying learned that Yunzhu knew the truth about the bedding.

Xiao Ming'an returned home, and under her persistent questioning, he finally confessed everything.

So she really did know. So she really did know.

Ying Shi was in a daze and looked at Prince Huan, Xiao Shao, beside her, wanting to ask him what to do.

Xiao Shao remained calm, his vigorous eyes in the prime of his life showing no disdain.

Clearly, he wasn't afraid at all that Yunzhu would find out about this.

For him, the most important thing was Xiao Mingzhang's thoughts.

His only heir, his only biological son, is now doing one heartbreaking thing after another. Does he really want that woman to give birth to the Huan Prince's child, so that he will be trapped for the rest of his life?

That's too much of a woman's kindness.

Xiao Shao's eyes were filled with dissatisfaction towards Xiao Mingzhang. Ying looked at him with worry and suggested, "How about we forget about it and think of another way? At worst, we can just attack Jinling directly... After all, she has been with us for so long, she is a living, breathing human being..."

"Are you like Mingzhang too?" Xiao Shao questioned.

"..." Ying fell silent.

How could she be like Xiao Mingzhang? Ying thought, if she were like Xiao Mingzhang, she wouldn't have been putting musk into Yunzhu's bedding again and again these past two years.

Every time I do something like this, it always ends up hurting my own conscience.

Seeing that she couldn't reason with Xiao Shao, Madam Ying didn't press the matter. However, she had been too ashamed to see Yunzhu these past few days, so she exempted her from many of the usual formalities and instructed the guards to be more lenient with Yunzhu in places she had previously forbidden her from going, turning a blind eye to her behavior.

For example, the border between the outskirts of Yunzhou and Luozhou; for example, the horse farm in the western suburbs of the city; and for example... the Yunzhou government office.

The bureaucratic structure of Yunzhou City today is mainly divided into two parts. One part is the army under the command of Prince Huan, Xiao Shao, which is the main military force of Yunzhou City. The other part is the government office under the command of the heir apparent, Xiao Mingzhang, which is responsible for the daily governance of the entire Yunzhou City, dealing with the emperor and censors above, and appeasing the people below.

The documents kept in the government office contained many of the most important secrets in Yunzhou City.

Previously, Ying had directly ordered that Yunzhu be kept under close watch and not allowed to get any closer to the Yunzhou government office.

Nowadays, however, they hardly count anymore.

"Let her go wherever she wants."

This short sentence was Ying's way of making amends to Yunzhu out of desperation, and also a gesture of goodwill towards her own son.

Ultimately, Madam Ying didn't care much about Yunzhu's health, but she did care about Xiao Mingzhang's attitude towards her.

After all, he was her own son, and Madam Ying didn't want her relationship with Xiao Mingzhang to become like that of Xiao Shao and Xiao Mingzhang.

Therefore, now that the truth has come out, it is necessary to be on good terms with Yunzhu.

They continued to get along in this lukewarm manner.

On this day, Yunzhu arrived at the Yunzhou government office wearing a moon-white cloak embroidered with gold bamboo leaves.

These past few days, Xiao Mingzhang has been so busy with things in Qingzhou that he hasn't had a moment to spare. After comforting her, he completely threw himself into the affairs of Qingzhou and has been too busy to go home.

All she could do was send him bed sheets, blankets, and clean clothes.

The officials in the government office were somewhat taken aback by Yunzhu's sudden appearance. They couldn't help it; although they knew their young master was married and had a princess consort, the princess consort had almost never entered the government office before, so her sudden appearance shocked many.

Of course, a small number of people were shocked simply because of Yunzhu's appearance.

They had never seen this princess consort from the Western Regions before. Upon seeing her, their striking features and deep eyes stunned them all.

Yunzhu didn't care much about these officials; the only person she cared about was Xiao Mingzhang. So, as soon as she entered the government office, she went straight to Xiao Mingzhang's study.

The yamen runner who led the way was named Yu Zhenfei, who happened to be the older brother that the little boy had been looking for when she took him to the yamen last time.

The head constable was extremely respectful and delighted with Yunzhu, saying as they walked, "We really owe the Crown Princess a lot last time. I was worried that I wouldn't have another chance to thank her in person, but I didn't expect her to come again so soon!"

Yunzhu smiled. Since he brought up the matter from last time, she asked him, "Has your brother returned to Qingzhou? How is the situation in Qingzhou lately?"

"..." Officer Yu was at a loss. He looked troubled, not because he was unwilling to tell Yunzhu, but because he didn't know how to tell her.

“Qingzhou is in a very bad situation right now,” Yu Zhenfei said awkwardly. “Princess Consort, I didn’t call my brother back. Instead, I asked my parents to come to Yunzhou to live with me temporarily. The land in Qingzhou can’t grow crops right now, and it’s not raining. It’ll probably stay like this until next year. There’s no use for my parents staying there. It’s better for them to come to Yunzhou first. At least my salary that I’ve saved up over the years is enough to support our family of four for now!”

So that's how it is.

Yunzhu naturally supported Yu Zhenfei's decision; there was no point in leaving land where crops couldn't be grown. But Yunzhu didn't understand why the situation had become so bad after the imperial court had sent people to Qingzhou to provide support.

She and Yu Zhenfei talked all the way until they arrived at the door of Xiao Mingzhang's study.

Yunzhu carried a food box in her hand, followed by Ayan and two servants carrying bedding and sheets. She was the first to peek into the study and looked around at the situation.

Xiao Mingzhang is not currently in his study, which is where he usually spends his time when working at the yamen. For the past few days, for convenience, he hasn't found another place to rest, but instead has had a three-panel screen set up to separate an open space opposite his desk. Behind the screen is his daybed.

Yunzhu couldn't help but feel sorry for her.

But I also know that there is no other way.

Since we are supported by the people, this is precisely the time for us to serve them.

At least Xiao Mingzhang had a bed to sleep in, while many people outside were forced to leave their homes and become homeless, sleeping directly in the corner at night.

She led her people into the room and first tidied up all of Xiao Mingzhang's bedding and other belongings. Then, she placed several sets of clean clothes on the bedside table for him. After finishing her work, Yunzhu wandered around the study and finally focused her gaze on Xiao Mingzhang's desk.

His desk was neatly arranged with a pile of things, but Yunzhu didn't rummage through them. Instead, she sat down at the desk and looked at the items he had placed at the top.

She recognized it as part of the current list of refugees from Qingzhou.

These lists were previously compiled by Xiao Mingzhang when he brought them home, but now it seems there are two more pages.

Yunzhu looked through the names one by one, and just as she was about to finish, Xiao Mingzhang finally returned.

Yunzhu then got up and quickly opened the chicken soup she had specially brought for him, telling him to drink it while it was hot.

Xiao Mingzhang had just settled a group of refugees who had recently arrived from Qingzhou outside the government office when he heard that the Crown Princess had arrived. So he hurried back on horseback.

"Didn't I tell you to rest more these few days? Why did you come to bring me things?" he asked Yunzhu.

“I would like to rest, but I need to be in the mood,” Yunzhu said. “Xiao Mingzhang, I just looked at the things on your table. Why is the situation in Qingzhou getting worse and worse? Isn’t the imperial court already making efforts?”

"Didn't you already know all about this when you were reading the book recently?" Xiao Mingzhang didn't answer, but instead asked Yunzhu, "At times like this, the court's appeasement efforts can only play a very small role. With locust plagues and droughts, and no rain falling, the people simply can't stay."

"What should Qingzhou do then?" Yunzhu asked. "Is there really going to be a drought? Will our Yunzhou be affected too?"

It was already certain that they would be affected. Xiao Mingzhang breathed a sigh of relief and put down the chicken soup in his hand. If it didn't rain in Qingzhou for the next month, more and more people would probably flock to Yunzhou. At that time, Yunzhou would become one of the refuges for the people of Qingzhou.

If only a few come, they can manage to hold their own. The worst thing is if they all come at once, then Yunzhou will eventually be in trouble.

As for drought...

At least the rainfall in Yunzhou over the past two months has been relatively normal.

Xiao Mingzhang said, "Even if there is a drought, that's a problem for next year. Yunzhou's grain reserves are still sufficient for now. The most important thing right now is to settle the people of Qingzhou after the locust plague."

"Didn't the imperial court allocate funds? And send people? Where is the imperial court's money? Even with money, can't the people be retained, and can't new houses be built for them?" Yunzhu asked a series of questions. Clearly, she didn't understand why having money couldn't make the Sui King solve the people's problems.

"..."

Xiao Mingzhang was speechless for a moment because of her question.

How could he tell Yunzhu that the court had allocated funds, but he suspected that those funds had not been fully used for the benefit of the people? And how could he tell Yunzhu that the Sui King had initially concealed some of the extent of the disaster, and that the funds allocated by the court, though seemingly sufficient, were actually just a drop in the ocean after all the turmoil?

He shook his head, carefully choosing his words, wanting to explain properly to Yunzhu, but before he could speak, several advisors from the Huan Prince's mansion appeared outside Xiao Mingzhang's study.

He sent people to summon them this morning, as he wanted to discuss matters with them in the study today.

The group of strategists from the Huan Prince's mansion, led by Yan Qian and Lou Kongcheng, were both taken aback when they saw Yunzhu.

Yunzhu was very polite to them. "Mr. Yan, Mr. Lou, since you are busy, I will take my leave." She left the food box on the table and told Xiao Mingzhang to finish the chicken soup today.

Given this situation, Xiao Mingzhang had no choice but to escort Yunzhu to the corner of the corridor.

When they returned, they ran into Yan and Lou, who were still waiting outside.

Xiao Mingzhang and the others exchanged glances.

Yan Qian chuckled awkwardly, "The Crown Prince and Crown Princess, their affection is truly profound..."

-----------------------

Author's Note: Hello everyone! The first chapter of the VIP version is here! The second chapter isn't finished yet, so it'll probably be a little late. Don't worry, just check it tomorrow morning! There will be a random red envelope rain in the comments section of this chapter. Love you all, muah! ~