Chapter 63 Fireworks - Their Night
The Crown Princess's skillful use of her calligraphy to overwhelm Xu Zhiyuan at the Ministry of Works and win over all the officials of the Ministry of Works on behalf of the Crown Prince's Palace nearly made their jaws drop.
The Ministry of Works is unlike any other government office. Most of the officials who can enter the Ministry of Works are technically skilled and willing to do practical work. It also has the highest proportion of officials from humble backgrounds among all government offices. If the Crown Princess uses her status to act arrogantly or to intimidate people with her power, most of these people are unyielding and inflexible. If you ask them to sway people with money, they would disdain it. Not to mention that most of the officials in the Ministry of Works today are former subordinates of the Chu family.
All these factors combined mean that if the Crown Princess manages to subdue them with a single move, then there is only one possibility left—the Crown Princess has defeated Xu Zhiyuan through genuine talent and learning.
A single blueprint can win over a whole group of officials. How is this any different from winning a battle without bloodshed on the battlefield?
After the news spread, the officials who were paying attention to the matter were in an uproar. Before this, there had been rumors in the capital that the Crown Princess had won the Emperor's praise with her "Hundred Flowers Under the Moon" painting at the palace banquet. However, those who attended the banquet that day and were able to catch a glimpse of the painting were either high-ranking officials of the first or second rank or members of the royal family. Although the lower-ranking officials had heard about it, they did not take it seriously.
Among the princesses, wives of nobles, and daughters of high-ranking families in the capital, there were quite a few who boasted about their talents. For example, the Princess of Huan was skilled in tea ceremony, the Princess of Han was skilled in poetry and calligraphy, and Princess Yongjia was skilled in dance. Many other young ladies from noble families were also skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Such rumors were common in the capital, but those who were truly talented were probably less than one in ten.
This is precisely why the officials scoffed at the rumors at the time. But now that the Crown Princess has defeated Xu Jinbi, everyone has to reconsider the matter. In the face of absolute strength, only greater strength can crush and defeat it.
When he came out of the Ministry of Works, the crowd of people and officials gathered outside the office had been dispersed by the people from the Eastern Palace. Standing beside the carriage, Minister Zhao respectfully bowed and saw him off: "Once the date of departure is set, Your Highness can send someone to the Ministry of Works to let us know."
Upon hearing this, Xu Zhiyuan, who was standing behind Minister Zhao, also bowed deeply to the ground. His respectful demeanor nearly made the eyes of some officials who were still watching from the sidelines pop out of their sockets.
"Alright, you two can stop here. The Crown Princess and I have other matters to attend to."
"Your Highness, this humble subject respectfully sees you off."
No sooner had they finished speaking than a tall, handsome young general rode up from afar. Upon reaching them, He Zhiju reined in his horse, stepped forward, and bowed, saying, "Your Highness—"
"General He, is there something you need?"
He glanced at the scene, hesitated for a moment, then shook his head: "I happened to be returning to the city today and saw the Crown Prince's carriage here from afar, so I thought I'd come over and pay my respects to His Highness the Crown Prince."
“That’s perfect,” Shen Yujiao turned her head and glanced at Chu Rou beside her. “The Crown Prince and I have to go first. Consort Chu will stay at the Ministry of Works for a while. His Highness and I were originally worried about how to leave a few guards from the Eastern Palace. Now that you’re here, brother, why don’t you escort Consort Chu back to the Eastern Palace?”
"No..." Chu Rou was about to refuse almost instinctively, but Shen Yu smiled and took her hand: "It's alright, my brother is not an outsider, I can't let you go back by yourself."
Her words left Chu Rou with no room to refuse. She looked up at He Zhiju, who also looked troubled, and then turned her head away awkwardly.
He Zhiju hadn't expected that coming to pay his respects would lead to such a task. He hesitated before speaking, "Your Majesty..."
"Alright, let's do as the Crown Princess says. The Crown Princess and I have other matters to attend to, so we'll be leaving now."
Jiang Chen disliked both of them more than the other. Standing next to Jiao Jiao, he watched her with Chu Rou on her mind and He Zhiju in her eyes, and his displeasure grew. So, without waiting for Shen Yujiao to finish speaking, he half-embraced her and got into the carriage.
After Shen Yujiao got into the car, she didn't forget to lift a corner of the curtain to look at the two awkwardly silent people outside. Jiang Chen walked past her and pulled the curtain down: "This is the capital city, what are you worried about?"
"They don't seem too keen on it. How about we have the guards escort them?"
Jiang Chen's teeth itched. He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled: "Baizhenfang will prepare a limited-edition dish every night, available for sale from 8:00 AM onwards, with a daily limit of fifty servings..."
"Let's go! Zhu Yu, tell the driver to leave now!"
Baizhenfang truly lives up to its reputation as the hottest restaurant in Beijing right now. Just by entering the lobby, the decor alone surpasses most other establishments. The overall style is grand and imposing, while the details reflect the refinement of the South. Upon entering the private rooms, even before the dishes arrive, the aroma of tea reveals the restaurant's exceptional quality. Not to mention, there's even a waiter who washes your hands after you're seated.
"No wonder it has a place in the restaurants of the capital," Shen Yujiao said, taking a sip of tea and blinking with surprise. She looked around and felt that the restaurant owner was very particular about the details. She asked in a low voice, "You didn't own this place, did you?"
Jiang Chen was taken aback by her question, then covered his face and laughed, "How could that be? Don't you know my daily schedule? I'm so busy, how could I have time to open a restaurant?"
"That's true."
As the two were talking, waiters filed in with trays of food. The dishes for tonight were ordered in advance by Zhu Yu at Jiang Chen's request. There were twenty-eight dishes on the table, each one of which was Shen Yujiao's favorite flavor. The dishes were not only diverse but also delicious and visually appealing. Just looking at them made one's mouth water. At first, Mu Jin was serving the food to Shen Yujiao, but as the meal progressed, Shen Yujiao told her to take a break.
It had been a long time since she had eaten such delicious food. The last time was at Qinghuanlou in Jiangnan Prefecture, but at that time, she and Jiang Chen were preoccupied with the corruption case, and even the most delicious food tasted bland to them.
Seeing her enjoying her meal so much after so long, Jiang Chen was also very happy: "If you like it, I'll bring you here often in the future."
Shen Yujiao put down her chopsticks, took a sip of tea, and then smiled at him, saying, "Then I thank Your Highness."
"Aren't you done playing yet?"
“Alright, let’s get down to business,” Shen Yujiao said, her smile fading. “You brought me out today just for a meal?”
Upon hearing this, Jiang Chen's face flashed with surprise, but he quickly regained his composure: "You really can't hide anything from me. There is something else I want to tell you, but the reason I brought you here tonight is really just to let you have a proper meal..."
His eyes, which looked at Shen Yujiao, were filled with deep worry: "Ever since you returned to the capital, you've had so many things to worry about that I haven't seen you eat properly at all."
Shen Yujiao raised her teacup and took a sip, avoiding Jiang Chen's gaze.
"That's right. Last night, the Eastern Palace's secret guards reported that our men had discovered General Qi's whereabouts in Liaodong. However, before they could get close, General Qi hid again because... at least four forces are secretly searching for him, not including the Eastern Palace."
Shen Yujiao slowly put down her teacup, her brow furrowing slightly: "What do these people want to do?"
Although it was a question, she knew very well that there was so much she could do: If General Qi, as the commander of the Northern Frontier Camp, were controlled, all the military commanders of the Northern Frontier would be tied down. Once someone who wanted to seize military power recruited him, he would become a tremendous force. Conversely, if the enemy captured General Qi, the Xia army would be thrown into disarray before the war even began in the Northern Frontier.
Jiang Chen stared at the cup of tea in front of Shen Yujiao: "Because we haven't found out exactly which forces are involved, it's hard to say what their motives are. But the news from the Northern Frontier probably won't be kept secret for long. To prevent the news from leaking out, I've cut off all of He Zhiju's sources of information. He should notice something amiss soon. We need to leave Xiajing before he makes a move."
“Okay,” Shen Yujiao nodded. “I was also worried that things might change if we delayed. Now that the Ministry of Works has taken care of things, Consort Chu is communicating with Minister Zhao about the remaining tasks. This trip should be able to be covered up on the surface. Let’s not wait for the rest. We’ll go back and check our luggage.”
"Hey—" Jiang Chen grabbed Shen Yujiao, who was about to get up and leave, "Why the rush?"
When their eyes met, Shen Yujiao's heart skipped a beat. Jiang Chen's eyes seemed to have a magical power, making her momentarily dazed and forget what she was about to say.
"Get a good night's rest. You've worked hard these past few days."
Jiang Chen's words seemed to be both persuasion and a sigh. Ever since he left the Duke of Cheng's mansion that day, it was as if countless barriers had been erected in his heart. His political enemies, both overt and covert, were his opponents in the same arena. He had to run forward desperately, without resting for a moment, in order to cross this hurdle before the barriers collapsed.
Shen Yujiao snapped out of her thoughts and saw the hesitation in his eyes. Feeling a pang of heartache, she took his hand and gently comforted him, "You've already done very well."
Only Shen Yujiao knew how much effort Jiang Chen had put into shouldering the responsibility of the unfamiliar position of Crown Prince. After the corruption case in Jiangnan Prefecture came to an end, Jiang Chen immediately followed the Emperor to handle many other political affairs, and there was really only so much she could do to help.
“Jiang Xiaochen,” Shen Yujiao’s eyes lit up, “would you like to stroll through the night markets in Beijing?”
Now?
"right!"
The night market in Xiajing was more lively and vibrant than that in Jiangnan. Jiang Chen and Shen Yujiao weaved through the crowds, their eyes sparkling with excitement despite the congestion.
Shen Yujiao pulled Jiang Chen to a mask stall and tugged at his sleeve, indicating that he should pick one.
Looking at the various masks in front of him, Jiang Chen was a little troubled. He had never worn such a thing before. After thinking for a moment, he turned his head and said, "You choose one for me."
“Okay!” Shen Yujiao readily agreed, pointing to two masks side by side on the stall shelf. One was shaped like a puppy, and the other like a cat. Although the workmanship was simple, the painting was quite good, and they could be described as adorable.
Jiang Chen took the mask and looked at the overly cute puppy. He shook his head helplessly, but under Shen Yujiao's gaze, he obediently put the mask on his head.
Let's go!
Stepping from the darkness into the dazzling lights, every stall in the night market exudes a lively atmosphere that cannot be compared to the daytime. Here, the lights are bright, fireworks are everywhere, and the unique local flavor makes people linger. Countless sparks are hidden under the night sky, and the aroma of food vendors mingles with the cheers of fireworks and acrobatics, immersing people in the atmosphere and making it hard to leave.
Perhaps it was for this reason that the cacophony of voices masked the disordered heartbeat, and the dazzling fireworks obscured the flushed heart. They held each other's hands tightly because of the crowded throng. The noise around them was real, and so was the turmoil in their hearts.
Standing at the end of the long street, Jiang Chen and Shen Yujiao stared blankly at each other's masks, which had been squeezed out of shape. After a moment of stunned silence, they both pointed at each other and burst into laughter, just like when they were young. Their laughter was so wide that their eyes disappeared, a truly carefree and pure joy.
Not far away, also hidden in the night, Jian Shan looked at the back of the person in front of him, feeling a bitter taste in his mouth. After a long while, he spoke up and advised, "Your Highness, let's go back. Prince Zhao should be arriving soon."
"Um."
Jiang Yu took a few steps back, completely disappearing into the night. He looked expressionless, as if the loneliness he had felt standing alone in the light and shadow had never existed.
Seeing Shan silently sigh for a moment, then hide the mask behind his back, Jiang Yu noticed his little action and said coldly, "Throw it away."
-----------------------
Author's Note: First of all, I'm so sorry everyone! (Rubbing hands helplessly) I really didn't expect my business trip to last this long T_T
If all goes well, I will start updating daily from today. On days when I have extra energy, I will update twice a day to make up for the amount of time I missed during my leave.
Finally, it seems I'll have to go on a business trip at the end of the month (crying). I'll try to prepare some drafts in advance this time, but if I don't have enough time, I'll let everyone know and post a leave notice. I'll also be back at the beginning of the month.
These are changes I didn't expect before I started writing this. I'm so sorry to everyone. I'm very grateful to those who came back to read my posts. Thank you so much!
That's all for now. For those of you who have followed this chapter, please leave a comment below. A red envelope represents my heartfelt sentiment!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
