Chapter 23 General Xiao He, the Elder Brother
"Get out! Get out! All of you, get out!"
With Princess Yongjia's furious screams, she overturned all the cups, plates, and bowls on the table. Early in the morning, Huilan Palace was a mess. The head maid, Manao, looked at the little maid kneeling on the ground trembling and felt a deep sense of disappointment and frustration.
Knowing full well that the princess would be furious at the mention of Kunyi Palace, they still insisted on reporting the news during breakfast. Now, the princess didn't eat well again, and the entire Huilan Palace is unlikely to have a pleasant day.
Agate knew that it was precisely at this moment that she should not try to calm the princess down. So, she turned her gaze to the little palace maid and said, "Why aren't you going down and calling someone in to clean up? You don't even have this much sense. What are you doing serving the princess?"
"Yes, yes, yes." The little palace maid felt as if she had been granted a pardon. If Agate hadn't let her leave now, the princess would have become even angrier, and she would probably have been beaten again.
After dismissing the maid, Agate forced a smile and said, "Your Highness, Princess Yong'an was only promoted because the Empress took pity on her. But no matter what, she can't compare to you. Why are you angry with her?"
"Pity her?" Princess Yongjia seemed to find it amusing. "Letting her live in Kunyi Palace is pitying her, making new clothes and jewelry for her is pitying her, but now she's being dragged into planting spring trees too! You're telling me this is pitying her?"
Planting spring trees is a custom that takes place every year before the arrival of spring in Daxia. Daxia people believe that if new trees are planted and old trees are fertilized in the spring, the year will be as prosperous and thriving as the trees.
In the past, the emperor would lead several princes on an annual trip to plant spring trees, both to show harmony within the imperial family and to share the joy with the people. This year, however, the emperor was busy with state affairs, so he entrusted the task of planting trees to Prince Huan.
Since the Prince of Huan has no children yet, he arranged for his brothers to travel together. Just then, this news reached Jiang Chen, who was in Kunyi Palace making a kite for Yong'an with Shen Yujiao. Upon hearing that they were going out of the palace for a trip, Shen Yujiao casually said, "Then why don't you take Yong'an with you?"
Although no princess had ever participated in planting spring trees before, there was no explicit prohibition against it either. Jiang Chen and Shen Yujiao were unaware that there was no precedent for this. As a result, the news of the Empress's promotion of Princess Yong'an spread throughout the entire harem.
By the time the Empress learned that so many people were talking about this, the convoy that had left the palace to plant trees had already departed. Even if she wanted to keep Yong'an there to silence the gossip in the harem, it was too late.
"Chen'er is the same. I've always thought of him as someone who does things methodically. How come he took Yong'an out without even consulting me?"
The instigator, Shen Yujiao, quickly brought over a teacup to soothe her. "Mother, there's no need to worry too much about this. Yong'an isn't a young lady of marriageable age yet; she's still a little child. What's wrong with her brothers taking her out? When I was in Jiangnan, I would always pester my brothers to take me out for a spring outing."
Seeing that she was biased towards the Crown Prince, the Empress could no longer get angry. After hearing her mention her brother earlier, she asked, "How come I remember that you are the only child in the Shen family's eldest son's lineage?"
"Ah...it's my brother from next door at home." Shen Yujiao quickly tried to make amends.
"Then your siblings in the same paternal cell get along quite well."
The Empress spoke casually, but her seemingly innocuous remark sent a shiver down Shen Yujiao's spine. Miss Shen had been raised as an empress at home, but she had never interacted with her brothers and sisters in the main house!
“Actually…not really…” she said again, her tone becoming somewhat wistful: “That was when I was a child. My family once took in the son of a prominent family who had been on good terms with my ancestors. Because we grew up together, we were like siblings. Although we haven’t seen each other for many years, when I think back on the past, I still think of my brother as a cousin.”
He Zhiju's identity is actually quite sensitive. Even if he and Miss Shen are really like siblings, Shen Yujiao still has to think twice before speaking.
But the Empress was clearly aware of the Shen family's affairs, and she was not surprised to hear this. "I remember that child. Isn't he the orphan of the He family?"
"Exactly."
"Isn't that a coincidence? His Majesty was just talking to me a couple of days ago, saying that among the generals returning to the capital from the northern frontier to report on their duties, there is one who is from the He family, a member of the Shen family in Jiangnan. Now, judging by the current situation... his audience with the emperor should be in the next couple of days."
"Are you serious?" Shen Yujiao asked excitedly, her hand trembling slightly as she put the covered bowl back.
"Do you think I would lie to you?"
"Your Majesty, I have not seen my elder brother for many years. Please forgive my rudeness."
She was usually impeccable in her words and actions, and her excitement was only due to the mention of her brother. When the Empress was her age, she was also very close to her brother, so naturally she wouldn't hold her momentary lapse in composure against her. Her thoughts were entirely on the Crown Prince and Yong'an.
The procession that went out to plant trees did not return until near dusk. When Jiang Chen led Yong'an back to Kunyi Palace, the two of them still had mud stains on their clothes. The Empress shook her head helplessly when she saw this.
“Your Highness, you have always been a steady and composed person. How come you came back covered in mud after taking your sister out? Yong’an is a girl.”
"Mother, you don't know, today, my son and Yong'an were the ones who fared the best. The younger brothers down there were the real laughingstock. Xu'er and Kun'er actually fell into that pit."
The Empress rarely saw her son so lively, so she listened attentively to the tree-planting story as if it were an interesting anecdote, and even invited Jiang Chen and Shen Yujiao to stay for dinner in the palace.
On the carriage ride back, Jiang Chen held back for a long time, but finally couldn't help asking, "What's wrong with you today? I noticed you seemed restless this afternoon in the palace. Did something happen?"
“Jiang Chen,” Shen Yujiao grabbed his arm, looked up at him seriously and said, “He Zhiju from the Northern Frontier, he really has returned to the capital.”
With just one sentence, Jiang Chen's interest vanished instantly. He leaned back, avoiding Shen Yujiao's gaze, and said indifferently, "I know."
"You know? You know, why didn't you tell me?" Shen Yujiao pushed his arm away.
"Why should I tell you?" Jiang Chen's tone was also a little impatient now. "He Zhiju, He Zhiju, He Zhiju, what exactly do you keep mentioning him for?"
Shen Yujiao was taken aback by his reaction and was momentarily speechless. After a long silence, she asked, "Why can't I think of him? If he, like us, is a transmigrator, wouldn't the power of three people be greater than that of two?"
"How do you know he must be He Zhiju who traveled from the past?"
"Whether it is or not, I need to meet them in person to know."
“He is a military officer and a foreigner. Even if we need to meet with him to confirm something like this, it would be more convenient for me to meet with him than for you. It’s not like I don’t know him.”
"Jiang Chen!" Shen Yujiao suddenly raised her voice: "What exactly are you resisting?"
The carriage stopped at this moment. Jiang Chen did not answer her question, but instead lifted the curtain and got out of the carriage first. He took very long strides, and Shen Yujiao, who got out later, even had to jog to catch up with him.
"He grew up with us since we were little. Although he moved away from the compound later, he was still the older brother who played with us since we were little..."
Seeing that he was walking faster and faster, Shen Yujiao had no choice but to grab his arm tightly to stop him from leaving.
“Jiang Chen, when we were eight years old, we fell off the artificial hill, and he carried you to the hospital…” Jiang Chen tried to break free from Shen Yujiao’s grasp, but he didn’t dare to use force when he felt the strength in her hand.
The two remained frozen in place. Shen Yujiao continued, "Later, we met Zhiju again in middle school, and it was he who repeatedly recommended you to participate in the competition in front of the teachers. These—"
"Yes!" Jiang Chen finally couldn't hold back any longer. He turned his head to meet Shen Yujiao's gaze and said, word by word, "I just don't like him. I hate He Zhiju, is that enough?"
Faced with his anger, Shen Yujiao couldn't utter another word. She lowered her head, looked at the bricks on the ground, and slowly released his arms.
The two remained silent for an unknown amount of time in the courtyard until the night wind blew, carrying the chill unique to late winter. Their hair fluttered, obscuring all their emotions.
After a long while, Shen Yujiao took the first step, but she only took three steps before turning back. She looked at Jiang Chen with a hint of disappointment in her voice: "Jiang Chen, you bastard."
After Shen Yujiao left, Jiang Chen was left standing alone. He stood there for an unknown amount of time until he was frozen stiff and his legs were numb. Then he walked towards the study in the opposite direction. He staggered a few steps, then put his hands on his knees and lowered his head deeply.
"Yes, I'm an asshole."
A cold wind howled, and the moonlit night was chilly. Zhu Yu stood at a distance, watching the Crown Prince stand alone, kneeling and bent over. He felt that this most noble heir of the dynasty was filled with loneliness. He had seen a similar loneliness in another person before.
On February 16th, during the morning court session, the General of the Northern Frontier Camp, along with the generals of the three battalions, entered the hall to report on their duties. Although they wore official robes made of brocade, their imposing presence from the frontier was as if they were wearing armor.
The generals stood in orderly ranks in the center of the hall, their bearing the characteristic sternness and solemnity of military men. Jiang Chen, standing at the front, immediately spotted that familiar figure.
It really has been a long time...
After the morning court session ended, a group of officials filed out of the main hall, while the military generals from the northern frontier remained inside until noon, when they were finally released.
After leaving the main hall, they hadn't gone far when one of the generals, with a thick beard, stretched lazily in the sunlight. Another general saw this, patted him on the shoulder, and said with a smile, "Old Zhou, we're still in the palace. This is quite impolite of you."
"What etiquette? Don't try to scare me with your nonsense, Zhao Lao Er. I didn't dare to breathe loudly inside just now. Now that everyone's gone, can't I even stretch?"
"You," Zhao Lao Er pointed at him with a helpless expression, "how can you be so easily overwhelmed? Sigh—"
As he spoke, he turned and pulled the boy beside him to his side, saying to Old Zhou, "See? Our General He is not as unruly as you."
"You!" Old Zhou was furious. "How dare you talk to me like that? In our entire army, is there anyone who can compare to General He? Our young general is a descendant of Elder He..."
As everyone was fooling around, they heard someone call out from behind, "My lord, my lord..."
Following the sound, they saw a fair-skinned, beardless eunuch. Everyone respectfully bowed and said, "Eunuch."
"Oh dear, this is not possible. I am here on His Highness the Crown Prince's orders to ask General He to stay."
He Zhiju stared at the young eunuch for a moment, then nodded in agreement: "Your Highness the Crown Prince has summoned me, and I will obey."
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