Chapter 55 Bonds: No one else shares such deep bonds as they do.
Late at night, the Chengguo Duke's mansion, which should have been quiet as the market fell silent, was now half brightly lit. Shen Yujiao sat alone in the flower hall, constantly looking outside, waiting for someone to come and deliver a message.
She went straight from the He residence to the Duke of Cheng's residence. As soon as she entered, Shen Yujiao was invited inside. At first, she thought that the gatekeeper had recognized her early on, but after entering the residence, she saw Shen Boyi waiting for her in the hall.
In an instant, Shen Yujiao realized that Duke Cheng had known she was coming all along. But the closer she got, the more she noticed something was wrong. Although the two of them had only met a few times, and Shen Boyi had always had a stern face and no smiles on his previous meetings, it was nothing like what she was seeing now.
Before she entered the hall, the Duke of Cheng stood with his back to the door and his hands behind his back. When he heard her footsteps, his face turned cold as a cicada in the cold. Although it was a summer night, the oppressive aura emanating from him sent chills down one's spine, as if he were about to explode at any moment.
Sensing something was wrong, Shen Yujiao almost instinctively used her status: "Father..."
But before she could finish speaking, the Duke of Cheng interrupted her sharply: "Take her to Tinglan Hall! No one is to let her out without my order!"
This angry shout left Shen Yujiao momentarily stunned. It wasn't because of his harsh words and expression, but because the Duke of Cheng had always been a person who strictly adhered to the proper duties between ruler and subject in front of her. Although he wasn't particularly respectful to her, he had never reprimanded her like this in front of others.
Pulled a few steps by the servants behind her, Shen Yujiao struggled free and turned back, pleading with the Duke of Cheng, "If I have done anything wrong, Father, you may punish me as you see fit, but at this moment, the He family—"
"Shut up!" Duke Cheng slammed his large hand on the table several times, making the teacups on it clatter. He strode over to Shen Yujiao in a rage and said, word by word, "Since you know you've done something wrong, then go back and sit quietly and wait for news!"
His words caused Shen Yujiao to stumble backward. Seeing this, the Duke of Cheng lowered his voice again and said, "If it weren't for the Shen family escorting you all the way, do you think you would have survived to return to the manor?"
Despite being scolded, Shen Yujiao's heart instantly calmed down. Since the Duke of Chengguo could say such things, he must know about the danger of the He family. Presumably, the Shen family had already sent people out. As Shen Boyi said, she only needed to sit quietly in the flower hall and wait for news.
But this wait lasted for more than half an hour. Shen Yujiao's initial confidence in the Duke of Cheng's mansion was almost completely worn away. Sitting in this quiet and deserted flower hall, she felt that every minute and every second was torture.
"Young master, you can't go out." The maid guarding the gate saw that she seemed to be about to leave and quickly stepped forward to stop her: "The Duke instructed that you just need to wait here."
Although Shen Yujiao was anxious, she did not want to make things difficult for the little maid. She looked outside for a while, then sat back down in her chair in frustration. Leaning against the backrest, she felt more powerless than ever before.
Knowing that Jiang Chen was in danger, she couldn't help him at all.
"Jiaojiao—"
She had been sitting there stiffly for so long that when she heard a familiar voice, Shen Yujiao even thought she was hallucinating. But when she actually looked up and saw Jiang Chen walking towards her step by step, she could no longer control the emotions she had suppressed all night. She got up and went forward to hug the person she had been thinking about all night.
Never before had the wait after their separation been so agonizing for Shen Yujiao; only now, holding him in her arms, did she feel a sense of reality.
"What's wrong? I'm here, Jiaojiao?" Noticing that the person in his arms was trembling, Jiang Chen's hands gently soothed her back, the clothes around her neck were soaked with sweat, seeping into her skin, the heat reaching her heart.
Shen Yujiao thought she could hold back, but when she spoke again, her voice still carried a hint of tears: "I'm worried about you."
Having just escaped a hail of bullets, Jiang Chen was not at peace. He understood Shen Yujiao's feelings. On this land of Great Xia, no one else could empathize with Shen Yujiao as much as he did, and no one else had such a deep bond with her.
"I'm back, Jiaojiao, I'm back by your side. Don't worry, I'm here..."
Although the lights in the flower hall had been on all along, Shen Yujiao's world was finally illuminated again at this moment. The two embraced and nestled together, and as she listened to Jiang Chen's soft murmurs of comfort, her heart, which had been hanging in suspense, was finally able to settle down.
After an unknown amount of time, Jiang Chen felt the person in his arms quiet down. He slowly released his arms and saw that Shen Yujiao's eyes were red and wet, with a few tears still clinging to her eyes. He raised his hand to wipe away the moisture from the corners of Shen Yujiao's eyes, his movements gentle as if he were handling a fragile treasure: "You've cried like a little kitten."
Although it was a joke, his voice was full of tenderness. Shen Yujiao, unusually, didn't argue with him. However, she felt a little embarrassed by his gaze, so she turned her head away and changed the subject: "Why did it take you so long to get here? Are you injured?"
Jiang Chen lowered his head and shook it. He took Shen Yujiao's hand and walked out: "At first, I was following closely behind you, until we reached a corner where there were too many arrows, so I was forced to separate from you. I'm not very familiar with the terrain of the He family mansion. Although I went there last time, it was too dark then, so I had to hide all the way. Fortunately, the Shen family came quickly, and they escorted me all the way here without me getting hurt."
The two walked hand in hand along the path of the Duke of Cheng's mansion, chatting in a calm tone about the thrilling events of the night. At this moment, all around was quiet, with only Jiang Chen's voice echoing in their ears. Shen Yujiao felt a touch of warmth, and her gaze fell on their clasped hands, her eyes filled with tenderness.
"Well, it's good that you're not hurt."
Thinking of the Shen family, Shen Yujiao suddenly stopped in her tracks. "When I arrived at the Duke of Cheng's mansion, Shen Boyi was already waiting for me here. Judging from his tone, it seemed like he had been keeping an eye on us."
"I guessed it. Perhaps the Shen family has been secretly observing us ever since we entered Jiangnan Prefecture. Just now, after the Shen family's guards escorted me to the Duke of Cheng's Mansion, Steward Shen came to deliver a message, asking me to take you to see Shen Boyi."
Shen Yujiao nodded upon hearing this; at this moment, she also very much wanted to meet this Duke of Cheng.
Jiang Chen led her to the main hall where they had been entertained last time. Butler Shen was already waiting there. When he saw them arrive, he led them directly to a courtyard and respectfully nodded to them, saying, "The Duke is waiting for you two in his study."
Shen Boyi's study was extremely grand. After the two entered, Shen Boyi came out from behind his desk and bowed, saying, "Your Highness, may you be well."
"Get up quickly. I must thank Lord Taishan for saving me tonight." Jiang Chen quickly helped him up, and Shen Boyi stood up as well. "It is my duty."
After exchanging pleasantries, Shen Boyi asked in a deep voice, "I wonder why the Crown Prince is at the He residence tonight?"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Chen's eyes flashed, and he replied, "Since everyone in the house is family, there's no need to hide anything. Tonight, it's all my fault. When we were in Xiajing, I often chatted with Ziwang about the Crown Princess's childhood anecdotes. Today, I was passing by the He residence and thought I'd have the Crown Princess take me inside to have a look, but I never expected to cause trouble."
At this point, Jiang Chen looked up at Shen Boyi, his eyes sharp: "Does Your Excellency know who is lying in ambush at the He residence?"
Shen Boyi remained unmoved by Jiang Chen's probing gaze. Instead of addressing Jiang Chen's words directly, he turned to Shen Yujiao and said, "It's understandable that Your Highness is unaware of the tragic state of the He family's downfall back then, but everyone in Jiangnan knew about it. The He family has always been a forbidden place, and for Jiaojiao to bring the Crown Prince in today is truly audacious!"
Shen Yujiao did not flinch in front of Shen Boyi. She met his gaze directly: "Thank you for saving me tonight, Father. However... although the He family mansion is a forbidden area, it hides so many assassins. I really didn't know about this."
“Since you were a child, the Shen family has hired famous teachers to educate you. However, we never expected that you, as the Crown Princess, would not know how to advise the Crown Prince, and as a son, you would always speak disobediently to your father. It seems that the Shen family has failed to teach you well.”
Shen Yujiao frowned upon hearing this. Her parents had been loving since she was a child, and they had always treated her with equality between parents and children. At this moment, the Duke of Cheng's words made her very uncomfortable: "Am I the daughter of the Shen family? Or a gift that the Shen family has presented to the royal family?"
In the eyes of the Duke of Cheng, is Miss Shen merely a creation of his?
"presumptuous!"
Seeing that the two were about to start arguing, Jiang Chen stepped forward and shielded Shen Yujiao behind him. "Lord Duke, as I said, it was my idea to go to the He residence tonight. Both I, my father, and my mother are very satisfied with the Crown Princess. Why should you take your anger out on her?"
With the Crown Prince mediating, Shen Boyi couldn't really criticize Shen Yujiao anymore. He nodded slightly to Jiang Chen and said, "It was my fault for being impolite."
Jiang Chen shielded the person behind him and said to Shen Boyi, "Since the Duke is unwilling to reveal the identity of the ambushers, I will take the Crown Princess and leave first. Farewell."
Just as the two were about to leave, they heard Shen Boyi say from behind, "It's getting late tonight, Your Highness. Why don't you stay at the Shen residence? It might not be very safe outside."
“Very well,” Jiang Chen said loudly, feeling the signal from his palm, “Then I’ll take my leave.”
The maidservant who had been helping her with her toilette left, leaving only the two of them in the room. Only then did Shen Yujiao take out the letter she had hidden while changing her clothes. Jiang Chen couldn't help but chuckle at her furtive appearance: "I'm the only one left in the room. Who are you hiding from?"
“Then we still have to be careful,” Shen Yujiao tiptoed back to the bed and put the two stacks of letters together: “Jiangnan may seem peaceful on the surface, but it’s actually not safe anywhere.”
"So you still want to stay in the Duke's mansion?"
As Shen Yujiao carefully opened the envelope, she said, "There aren't many opportunities to enter the Shen residence. I'd like to visit Miss Shen's study again."
As she spoke, she took out a letter from the envelope and handed it to Jiang Chen. Then she turned around and opened another envelope. She repeated this process more than ten times before the two of them began to study the letter by the dim candlelight.
However, after reading the contents of the letter only once, the two were greatly alarmed. Jiang Chen stroked the dark patterns on the letter, his anger rising to a crescendo. Shen Yujiao was also feeling uneasy. She took the letter back from Jiang Chen's hand and couldn't help but sigh, "No wonder General He insisted on getting his hands on this evidence."
No wonder, there have always been people lying in ambush in the He family. Once the contents of this letter are made public, the Great Xia Dynasty will surely be thrown into chaos.
In the candlelight, Jiang Chen's eyes were deep and unfathomable, reflecting either the flickering flames in the distance or the barely concealed anger within him. Shen Yujiao carefully put the letter away, then placed her hand on Jiang Chen's shoulder and whispered, "Do whatever you want to do..."
Even if it means overthrowing the court and causing turmoil in the country, do what you believe is right.
"It wasn't in vain that we came to Great Xia."
-----------------------
Author's Note: Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 16:10:52 on March 16, 2024 and 15:38:30 on March 17, 2024!
Thank you to the little angel who watered the nutrient solution: 3 bottles of hot tofu hotpot;
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
