Chapter 26 What exactly does His Highness want?
"Fourteen years ago, a turmoil occurred within the Great Xia military group. That year, a new political tribe emerged in the northern border—the Northern Di. The Northern Di were brave and skilled in battle, and they were very active in the northern frontier. Their army expanded rapidly, and after annexing some small tribes, they quickly grew stronger. It was also in that year that they set their sights on the northern border of Great Xia."
"When the war started, the Great Xia Dynasty had just passed the New Year. Due to untimely defense, the northern border was breached by the Northern Di people. After that, the court sent many generals and tens of thousands of troops, but they could not stop the speed of the Northern Di army's invasion. Helpless, the court mobilized General He, who was stationed on the coastline at the time."
"General He was extremely skilled in military strategy. After receiving the imperial decree, he quickly led his troops north and engaged in a protracted war with the Northern Di people in the northern border for half a year. Due to the prolonged stalemate, his son, General He, was once again ordered by the court to lead an expedition. This time, although he repelled the Northern Di army by a hundred miles, he also intensified the conflict between the two sides until that winter."
"The Xia army has always been weak in cavalry, especially in the freezing cold, when their combat effectiveness is greatly reduced. The Northern Di people knew this weakness of the Xia army, which is why they launched a surprise attack in winter. On that occasion, General He and General He failed to defend the city. The Xia army retreated again and again. General He led his troops to resist and buy time to protect his commander, General He. In the end, he was captured. Not wanting to disrupt the morale of the army, he committed suicide under the city wall."
"Although General He lost his eldest son, he still held the front line of the war zone. In an effort to make up for the lost cities, he led all the soldiers of the He family to the battlefield. However, even after all the generals of the He family had sacrificed their lives on the battlefield, the northern border still had not received any reinforcements. General He had no choice but to personally don his armor and lead the army. In the end, although he won against overwhelming odds, it was at the cost of all the descendants of the He family. When General He was preparing to return to the capital, rumors began to circulate in the court that the He family had accepted bribes for military funds..."
Jiang Chen paused, looking at the hand opposite him that was gripping the teacup tightly and whose veins were bulging. He paused for a moment before continuing, "General He, who was already seriously injured, suffered a stroke halfway through the journey after hearing these words. He ultimately failed to reach the capital alive. At that time, all the women of the He family, led by the Dowager Lady He, went to the capital to prove the He family's innocence and die to demonstrate their loyalty. This led to the later uproar in which the military officers collectively petitioned to exonerate the He family."
"Later, although the He family was exonerated, the entire family of loyal martyrs could not be brought to life again, and the military group of Great Xia was silenced for several years as a result..."
"Enough—" He Zhiju hissed, barely containing his anger. When he looked up at Jiang Chen sitting opposite him again, his eyes were bloodshot. He asked in a hoarse voice, "Your Highness, what exactly do you want from me?"
"There's no need to be so wary. I'm also a son-in-law of the Shen family. What could I possibly do to you?"
Upon hearing the Crown Prince mention Shen Yujiao, He Zhiju became even more agitated: "The Crown Princess is of pure and kind heart, and has never interfered in the affairs of the Shen and He families. Moreover, she was not even two or three years old at the time..."
"Why don't you believe me?" Jiang Chen said solemnly, "I'm saying all this so you know that I don't agree with the court's actions back then—"
He Zhiju immediately interrupted him: "Your Highness, be careful what you say!" These are not words a crown prince should say. If someone with ulterior motives hears them, the crown prince will be in grave danger.
Jiang Chen looked at He Zhiju, the smile on his face gradually disappearing. He said solemnly, "Loyalty to the emperor and love for the country are the duties of a soldier. However, heroes should not be treated like this, and the descendants of the loyal and brave should also be respected by the world."
"General He, I roughly know what you are thinking. As long as you are willing to believe me, I can be your support and backing in the capital. Whatever you need, as long as it does not involve the country and the people, I will definitely support you to the end."
"Your Majesty, I do not understand."
"Is there anything you don't understand?"
"Why would Your Highness help me for no reason?"
"Who said it was without reason?" Jiang Chen retorted, lowering his eyes slightly. What the person opposite him didn't know was that he was not the real Crown Prince Chen, but a child from another time who grew up in a military family. His lifelong wish was to wear that military uniform, so how could he not understand the bitterness behind He Zhiju's background?
But—"As a price, I have a question that I need the general to answer for me."
"Your Highness, please speak." He Zhiju stared intently at the person opposite him, and when those thin lips uttered those words lightly, he felt his whole body stiffen, as if all his blood had been frozen.
"Your Majesty...does not know..."
"General—" Jiang Chen interrupted him, then looked him straight in the eye and said, word by word, "Think it over before you speak."
Several days have passed since the emperor issued the decree for He Zhiju to stay in the capital, and Shen Yujiao has long since accepted it. After all, He Zhiju left Jiangnan when he was fifteen, while Miss Shen was only a little over nine years old at that time. Even if something was noticeable between the two, it could be excused by saying that "a girl changes a lot as she grows up."
But after putting that matter aside, Shen Yujiao suddenly realized that she hadn't seen Jiang Chen for several days.
Although in the past, when the two of them had a cold war, they would not see each other for months or even half a year, but now that they were in Daxia, they were like duckweed that depended on each other. After not seeing each other for so many days, Shen Yujiao couldn't help but worry.
"What is Your Highness doing today?"
Seeing that she had finally remembered the Crown Prince, Mu Jin immediately said, "Spring plowing is coming soon. These past few days, His Highness the Crown Prince and His Highness Prince Huan have been together, saying they are inspecting farmland near the capital to see how the people are farming."
“Heh,” Shen Yujiao snorted coldly, “His life is certainly quite fulfilling.”
Seeing that things were not going well, Mu Jin changed the subject: "The King of Thailand's wedding is at the beginning of next month. Why doesn't Your Highness prepare the wedding gift in advance?"
King Jiang Yan of Thailand? Shen Yujiao thought for a moment, it seemed that there had been no previous contact. "Since it is my sixth brother's wedding, let's find some valuable and auspicious items from the storeroom and send them over. This kind of thing can be done by Steward Lian."
"Then..." Mu Jin tentatively asked, "What about His Highness the Crown Prince's birthday? It's only a few days until the end of the month. Although the Eastern Palace has begun preparations, His Highness doesn't want a grand celebration. What do you think of the gift..."
Mentioning this matter, Shen Yujiao was somewhat agitated. She walked to her desk, looked at the table full of drawings, hesitated for a long time, and finally took one out and handed it to Mu Jin: "Send it to the Knitting House and tell them to make it in the next two days."
"yes."
After Mu Jin left, Shen Yujiao stared blankly at the table full of drawings. She ran her fingertips over the drawings and sighed deeply after a long while.
Jiang Chen, you jerk! I haven't even gotten angry with you yet, and you're still going on and on.
The sullenness between the two was kept tightly under wraps in the Eastern Palace. When she returned to the palace, the Empress noticed that Shen Yujiao's face had become thinner and asked, "Didn't you say you were slightly unwell? Why have you lost so much weight?"
"I was feeling unwell a few days ago and couldn't eat anything, but I've recovered in the last few days. It's my fault for being unfilial and causing Mother to worry."
Upon hearing this, the Empress frowned slightly: "Has the imperial physician been summoned to examine you? Could it be that you... are pregnant?"
Shen Yujiao felt as if she had been struck by lightning, but she still feigned shyness and replied, "My period just ended a few days ago, so I suppose it's not..."
Upon hearing this, the Empress's expression showed visible disappointment, but she still said, "It's alright, this is not something that can be forced. You two are still newlyweds, and you have a long life ahead of you."
“Yes,” Shen Yujiao turned her head and saw Yong’an looking at her with her grape-like eyes, as if she had found a lifeline: “Yong’an has been staying with the Empress Dowager for these days, and she looks much more beautiful.”
Seeing Yong'an's obedient appearance, the Empress felt a sense of relief: "This child is good. She has been with me all day long these days, and her daily life has never caused me any trouble."
As the mother and her two children were talking, someone came down to report that someone from the Imperial Household Department had come to see them. Upon hearing that there was important business to attend to, Shen Yujiao took Yong'an and left first.
What was said earlier was not an exaggeration. Although it had only been a few days since they last met, Princess Yong'an no longer looked pitiful as before. Her clothes, jewelry, and demeanor all revealed her noble bearing. Shen Yujiao was genuinely happy for the child and now felt that Jiang Chen was right. In any case, it was better than before.
"Sister-in-law," Yong'an suddenly asked as they walked, "What is a general election?"
"Huh?" Shen Yujiao thought she had misheard and was thinking about how to explain it to her when she heard her say, "A few days ago, when Consort De came to pay her respects, she mentioned that she would be adding new concubines to her brothers' families during this year's general election."
The person next to her paused, and Yong'an turned around to look behind her. She saw the Crown Princess standing silently in place and called out, "Sister-in-law?"
"Ah..." Shen Yujiao came to her senses, squatted down to be at eye level with her for a moment, and then asked, "Is Yong'an reminding his sister-in-law?"
The nine-year-old child's eyes were full of clarity. She blinked her big eyes at Shen Yujiao, looking completely innocent. "Sister-in-law, treat Yong'an well."
Children's world is simple: if you treat them well, they will treat you well in return. But life in the palace is very complicated. Even someone as kind as Yong'an knows the principle of taking one step and then three steps ahead.
She didn't say yes or no, but Shen Yujiao no longer needed to ask any more questions. "Thank you, sister-in-law, Yong'an."
As soon as Jiang Chen returned to the East Palace, he heard the news that Shen Yujiao had entered the palace that day. He understood that she had let go of He Zhiju's matter, so he went to the main courtyard with light steps.
Inside the main courtyard, all was silent. The palace maids, led by Mu Jin and Mu Nan, didn't dare to even breathe loudly. Seeing the Crown Prince approaching with a cheerful expression, Mu Jin just wanted to find an excuse to slip away.
"Is the Crown Princess feeling much better?" Jiang Chen entered the palace and saw Shen Yujiao practicing calligraphy. Even though she heard him come in, she refused to look up. He smiled, shook his head, and went forward.
"Today I went to inspect the fields in the suburbs and saw an old man selling clay figurines. Although the workmanship was not good, they had a rustic charm. I thought he had a hard life, so I bought a few."
Before he could even open the box in his hand, a crumpled piece of paper flew over, its aim perfect – a three-pointer.
Jiang Chen was a little dazed after being hit on the head by the paper ball. He put the dozen or so clay dolls aside, walked over to Shen Yujiao, and said in a gentle voice, "Jiaojiao, are you still angry?"
Shen Yujiao simply continued practicing her calligraphy, remaining silent.
"That day... about Zhiju, I was wrong. I shouldn't have spoken without thinking. I've been under a lot of pressure these days, and I've been a bit reckless with my words. Jiaojiao, please understand me and don't hold it against me that day, okay?"
Upon hearing this, Shen Yujiao slowly put down her brush, turned her head and smiled at him. Just when Jiang Chen thought this was the end of the matter, he heard Shen Yujiao coldly say, "It's alright. Your Highness's pressure will soon be understood by a newcomer."
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