Chapter 47 The Crown Prince Arrives at the Government Office
As night fell, the moon and stars were few and far between. The wooden door of the tavern creaked open, and Jiang Chen carried the already drowsy Shen Yujiao into the night. The evening breeze carried a slight chill, ruffling the long hair that fell on his shoulders. Jiang Chen noticed the person on his back moving and turned his head slightly.
"Jiang Xiaochen, I'm not drunk. I can walk by myself."
Hearing the muffled voice behind him, Jiang Chen shook his head helplessly: "I specially ordered osmanthus wine for you because I was afraid you would drink too much."
"I...didn't..."
Jiang Chen carried her all the way back to Qinghuan Tower, and only after settling Shen Yujiao on the bed did he finally catch his breath. He turned to Mu Jin and instructed, "The Crown Princess may not have slept very well after drinking. Please wipe her down a bit later."
"yes."
Just as he was about to leave, Jiang Chen felt something brush against him. He turned around and saw Shen Yujiao clutching his clothes. He knelt down in front of Shen Yujiao's bed and asked softly, "What's wrong?"
"Jiang Xiaochen..."
"Yes, I'm here."
"Happy birthday......"
Although the girl was not fully conscious, those four words froze Jiang Chen in place. Two scenes overlapped in his mind: one was the two arguing in the corridor at school, and the other was Shen Yujiao giving him that outfit as a birthday present at the East Palace.
On the day of the 100-day countdown rally, he stood on the stage full of vigor and confidence, but no one knew how insecure he was under the spotlight. At that time, he and Chu Rou were called in for a talk one after another, and they were told that they should strive to be the top science student in the province, or at the very least, the top science student in the city.
He didn't know what Chu Rou was thinking, but he knew very well that the pressure in his heart was almost unbearable at that time. It came not only from the school, but also from his family, his father, grandfather, and comrades-in-arms, and even more so from himself.
That day, after he came down from the stage, although he was feeling bad, he was still very happy to see Shen Yujiao. They walked slowly along the corridor side by side. At first, their conversation was quite harmonious, and they talked about the birthday party that night. But for some reason, something was wrong with both of them that day.
Shen Yujiao rarely talked about Chu Rou in front of him before, but that day she kept mentioning Chu Rou. At that time, he was competing with Chu Rou, and the pressure he was already under was completely disintegrated by Shen Yujiao's repeated mentions of Chu Rou.
So they had a big argument.
Later, he was filled with remorse, but it was too late to undo the damage.
But on that day at the East Palace, Shen Yujiao actually forgave him. Now, she was drunk and delirious, but she was still thinking about the regret between them that day.
Jiang Chen lowered his eyelashes, his throat bobbing as he tried to suppress the turbulent emotions in his heart. He slowly raised his hand and gently placed his palm on Shen Yujiao's cheek, his eyes slightly red.
How could his girl be so naive? And yet so kind?
"Mmm..." Shen Yujiao felt the warmth on her face, reached out and hugged that hand, smiling sweetly: "Jiang Xiaochen, let's keep celebrating our birthdays together from now on, okay?"
Jiang Chen wanted to reply, but his throat tightened. He wrapped Shen Yujiao's small hands in his own and said in a hoarse voice, "Okay."
Receiving a response, Shen Yujiao nodded and rubbed against the pillow. When a cat is fast asleep, it is only completely unguarded with people it trusts the most. Jiang Chen looked at her sleeping face and for some reason, his heart softened. He slowly leaned down and touched Shen Yujiao's cheek lightly, like a dragonfly skimming the water.
That one moment probably lasted less than a second, but he felt as if he had done something wrong. He quickly turned his head and was slightly relieved when he saw that Mu Jin was not in the room. The room was quiet, and he could clearly hear his heart pounding like a drum.
"Your Highness."
As soon as Jiang Chen stepped out, he saw Mu Jin standing at the door with a basin of water. He didn't know how long she had been waiting there. Although he hadn't been seen, Jiang Chen was still a little embarrassed. He didn't say a word, just waved to her, and then strode back to his room.
Watching the Crown Prince's departing figure, Mu Jin finally felt relieved. What happened back then was a secret that everyone in the Shen family kept silent about. Before her marriage, she was assigned as a maidservant. That night, she and Liu Mama knelt before the Old Madam and swore that they would keep this matter a secret and not let the Crown Prince blame the Crown Princess for it.
But this was an ending that almost no one expected. The Crown Prince didn't care about what happened back then, and his relationship with the Crown Princess became even better.
Mu Jin shook her head. She didn't care why. All she knew was that as long as the Crown Prince and Crown Princess were in love, her young lady would have married a good man.
The next morning, Shen Yujiao woke up feeling tired, but she didn't have a headache. After washing up and having breakfast with Mu Jin's help, she went downstairs and saw Jiang Chen sitting in the hall.
"You're up so early?"
"Hmm, did you sleep well last night?"
The sudden gentleness made Shen Yujiao subconsciously take a half step back. What was going on? Jiang Chen's line was supposed to be "Only pigs sleep for that long," so why was he suddenly speaking human language?
"It's...it's fine." Shen Yujiao avoided his gaze as she walked to his side. "What are you planning to do today?"
“I was just about to discuss this with you,” Jiang Chen said, looking around before pulling Shen Yujiao out of the house and into the carriage. Once the carriage had slowly driven away from the bustling city, he said, “The identities of those students from yesterday have been confirmed.”
Upon hearing this, Shen Yujiao immediately became serious: "Who is it?"
"They are indeed scholars, but they are all just playboys. They must be acting on orders, but I haven't found out whose orders they are."
Shen Yujiao lowered her eyes and pondered: "There is nothing suspicious about it. Anyone who dares to act so arrogantly and spread rumors in the territory of Jiangnan Prefecture must be either the governor of Jiangnan Prefecture or his superior. But I don't think it is necessary for a big shot to take action in such a matter."
“I guessed the same as you,” Jiang Chen nodded in agreement. “I originally planned to explore this city for a few more days, but after what happened last night, I can no longer hide.”
Shen Yujiao raised her hand and lifted the curtain. Seeing the scenery outside, she understood: "You want to go to the government office?"
What do you think?
"Go!" Shen Yujiao recalled what happened last night and was probably even angrier than Jiang Chen. The Two Tax Law had been misunderstood to this extent. If the Crown Prince did not show up soon, these rumors might kill people. "Of course we have to go. We have to make them give us an explanation!"
Upon learning that the Crown Prince's carriage had entered the territory of Jiangnan Prefecture, Zhu Tong, the Provincial Governor of Jiangnan, hurriedly stepped out from behind the screen. As he walked out, he hastily fastened his belt and asked his subordinates, "When did His Highness the Crown Prince enter Jiangnan?"
"Reporting to you, sir, this morning..." The subordinate pointed to his neck, his eyes darting away, unable to meet his gaze.
Zhu Tong raised his hand and wiped it, revealing a bright red mark. He was immediately embarrassed. "The Crown Prince has entered the city so quickly. Wasn't it said that it would take more than half a month based on the journey? Go and tell Councilor Wang to change today's grain prices immediately, and secretly summon the merchants and tell them to lower the prices of all trades back to last year's levels as soon as possible."
"Sir," the subordinate hesitated, "isn't this going too far?"
"So you've dared to lecture me?" Zhu Tong was now quite embarrassed and angry. "Just go when I tell you to!"
Seeing his superior storm off, the subordinate felt a headache coming on. A month ago, King Huan had sent word that his superior should make preparations in advance, but unexpectedly, he still failed to deal with the Crown Prince before he arrived. He wondered if the Crown Prince was as incompetent as rumored. If he was, they could still escape this calamity. But if the Crown Prince was not as rumored, they would have to think of other ways to protect themselves.
Although Zhu Tong had just reprimanded his subordinates, he was still quite flustered. The Crown Prince had arrived far too quickly, leaving him no time to prepare. While he regretted delaying the payment for this money until today, he was even more furious at how quickly the Crown Prince had arrived.
He arrived in Jiangnan from the capital in less than a month. This could be either because he lied about the date of his departure or because he traveled at breakneck speed. Either way, it was of no benefit to him.
"Your Highness!"
As soon as Jiang Chen and Shen Yujiao stepped off the carriage, they saw a man in an official robe coming down the steps to greet them. He was fair-skinned and tall, with an air of refined elegance. His warm smile made him look just like the handsome civil officials described in storybooks.
"Are you Zhu Tong, the Provincial Governor of Jiangnan?"
"It is indeed I!" Zhu Tong bowed deeply to Jiang Chen. "This humble official greets Your Highness the Crown Prince. May Your Highness be well."
Jiang Chen waved casually and walked into the government office. Zhu Tong followed him. When they arrived in the main hall, he saw that the Crown Prince was accompanied by a handsome young man and couldn't help but take a few more curious glances.
Noticing his gaze, Jiang Chen said, "This is my cousin, the sixth young master of the Duke of Xiangguo's mansion. He came with me on this training trip."
"Oh, it's Young Master Jiang, I'm honored to meet you."
Seeing him bow, Shen Yujiao quickly stepped aside, saying, "This student is currently just a commoner and dares not accept such a bow from you, sir."
"As expected of the Empress's cousin, his bearing is truly impressive..."
Before Zhu Tong could finish his flattery, Jiang Chen shot him a sharp glare. Seeing this, he quickly changed the subject: "Your Highness has come from afar. Have you had a meal? Zheng Que, quickly have someone serve tea..."
"Alright!" Jiang Chen interrupted the series of arrangements. He gave Zhu Yu a look, and then Zhu Yu led everyone else out of the main hall, leaving only the two masters and the governor to discuss matters in the hall.
After everyone had left, Zhu Tong looked at the Crown Prince with some confusion. Although he was already uneasy, he pretended to be puzzled: "Your Highness, what do you mean by this?"
“I will not speak in riddles with you,” Jiang Chen said, his legs crossed and his hands on his knees. Just sitting there, he exuded the composure of a superior. “I believe Lord Zhu should know very well why I have come here.”
"The Censorate has impeached many local officials for dereliction of duty and corruption, with Jiangnan Prefecture ranking among the top. The people sent by the court have been fooled one after another, so the Emperor had no choice but to send me here. I ask Lord Zhu for your assistance in this case."
"Your Highness—" Zhu Tong's palms were sweaty, and he knelt down with a thud. "I was also personally investigating this case before, but like the imperial envoys, I couldn't find any clues. I know this is a matter of great importance affecting the livelihoods of the people, so I secretly investigated this case a few months ago, and in the end..."
At this point, he seemed to be in great difficulty. He looked up at the Crown Prince, then glanced at the Empress's cousin standing behind the Crown Prince. After hesitating for a long time, he made up his mind as if he had burned his boat, closed his eyes and said, "In the end, it was found that this matter was related to the Crown Princess's maternal family."
"Because this matter concerns the Duke of Cheng's mansion, I dare not make any rash judgments. Therefore, I have not made any moves to alert the enemy during this period, in order to wait for Your Highness to uphold justice."
As soon as the words left his mouth, Zhu Tong regretted them. After all, that was the Shen family of Jiangnan. But the words were already out and could not be taken back. He could only wait for the Crown Prince's response.
After listening to the long string of words from the head of the table, Jiang Chen turned and exchanged a glance with Shen Yujiao. This situation was within their expectations. Zhu Tong, who hadn't heard the Crown Prince continue, couldn't help but try to raise his head slightly, but unexpectedly, his head was pressed down hard the next second.
He only heard the crown prince whisper in his ear, "Do you think I'm as easy to fool as those imperial envoys?"
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