Chapter 65: Everything I concealed from the Great Xia was fake, only you were real...
The Crown Prince, concerned for the people, set off north with his entourage just ten days after the imperial edict was issued, intending to draw up engineering plans for the waterways along the way, in preparation for the construction of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project in the spring of the following year.
As the carriage traveled north on the official road, Shen Yujiao would occasionally open the window to look out, but after meeting He Zhiju's gaze, she would pretend that nothing had happened and look away.
Shen Yujiao closed the window, moved to the innermost seat, and turned to look at Jiang Chen, who was reading a book. She snatched the book from his hand and said, "Stop reading. We've been out for three days. When are you going to tell him about General Qi? We can't keep hiding like this."
Jiang Chen turned to look at her, his face showing the same helplessness. "You think I'm better off than you? At least you can use Consort Chu as a shield, but what about me?"
Seeing the worry in Shen Yujiao's eyes, he sighed and said, "It's not that I don't want to say, it's that I can't say. Apart from the time we met General Qi in Liaodi, our people haven't been able to find him again. Telling He Zhiju now will only make him worry unnecessarily."
Upon hearing this, Shen Yujiao slumped back down like a deflated balloon. She felt that she could no longer keep it a secret. Every time she met He Zhiju's eyes, she felt a pang of panic. If she were in his shoes, she would be extremely disappointed in their attempt to conceal the news.
But King Huan is right. Given the current situation, it is already difficult enough to get him out of the capital. If he were to leave the group alone to search for General Qi, once the news reaches the capital, the emperor will certainly not let him off the hook.
As the afternoon approached, the convoy slowed down. Shen Yujiao, sitting in the carriage, could vaguely hear the sounds of people coming and going. Zhu Yu, outside, knocked on the carriage wall and said, "Your Highness, Your Highness the Crown Prince and Your Highness the Crown Princess, we have entered Liaodong Prefecture at noon. Would you like to rest for a while in the city?"
On the fourth day of their journey, they finally entered Liaodong. Jiang Chen and Shen Yujiao looked at each other upon hearing this. Now that they had entered Liaodong, they could reveal some things to He Zhiju.
Zhu Yu sent someone into the city first, and found a reliable restaurant in the city. As soon as the two of them got out of the carriage, they saw He Zhiju and Chu Rou waiting by the carriage. Jiang Chen got out of the carriage first and followed He Zhiju into the restaurant.
"Your Highness."
Seeing Shen Yujiao get out of the sedan chair, Chu Rou quickly came up to support her arm. Although Shen Yujiao followed her into the shop, she could hardly take her eyes off the two people in front of her. When they reached the corner of the stairs, Jiang Chen nodded without saying a word. Shen Yujiao understood and led Chu Rou into the private room next door for a meal.
Along the way, Shen Yujiao had been observing the environment of the shop. Fortunately, it was past lunchtime and there weren't many customers. They were the only ones dining on the second floor. But as soon as she sat down, Shen Yujiao instructed Mu Jin to have Zhu Yu lead the guards to surround the second floor. If anyone came upstairs, they had to be stopped. No one was allowed to disturb the Crown Prince.
Seeing their entourage, Chu Rou asked with some concern, "Has something happened?"
Hearing the sound of the guards coming upstairs and surrounding the second floor, Shen Yujiao made sure that no one else could hear their conversation before speaking: "There was no need to hide this from you, but because it involves such a serious matter, I didn't tell you beforehand..."
Amidst the hushed conversation, Shen Yujiao briefly explained the problems at the Northern Frontier Camp. Upon hearing this, Chu Rou's eyes darkened: "So, His Highness the Crown Prince is currently discussing this matter in detail with General He?"
"Um."
“Your Highness,” Chu Rou looked up at Shen Yujiao, her eyes filled with worry, “I’m afraid the Crown Prince won’t be able to stop General He.”
Shen Yujiao was slightly surprised when she heard her words, but before she could think about the key point, she heard the sound of tables and chairs falling over from next door. She immediately got up and went into the private room next door without paying attention to anything else.
He Zhiju and Jiang Chen seemed to have had some kind of argument. When Shen Yujiao pushed the door open, the two were pushing and shoving each other. He Zhiju's eyes were bloodshot, which frightened Shen Yujiao.
"Brother He, please calm down."
"Why are you only telling me now? A month has passed, and General Qi could be in danger at any moment!"
He was usually calm and composed, always like a refined gentleman. This was the first time Shen Yujiao had ever seen him in such a reckless state. For some reason, she recalled what Prince Huan had said to her about He Zhiju that day. She had to admit that Prince Huan truly understood He Zhiju.
“That’s why I didn’t tell you, because I didn’t want you to be like this,” Shen Yujiao said calmly, looking at He Zhiju’s red eyes. “If we weren’t already out of the capital and in Liaodong, do you think you would know about this?”
“The North has not sent me any messages for two months. I had my suspicions last month, but I never thought that you were the ones who blocked the messages.”
"Brother, do you remember why you were not allowed to leave the capital once you entered it after returning from the northern frontier to report on your duties?"
Shen Yujiao stepped forward, looked directly into his eyes, and said, word by word, "If he didn't want to protect you, why would the Crown Prince have set off north again just over a month after returning from Jiangnan Prefecture? Wasn't it all so that he could rightfully bring you out of the capital?"
He Zhiju stared at her intently, the anger from before gone, replaced by a calm as deep as an abyss, and a chilling despair: "Ajiao, General Qi is not only the commander of the Northern Frontier, but also an elder like my father."
In an instant, Shen Yujiao's heart was gripped tightly. She had not forgotten He Zhiju's background and childhood misfortunes. If he regarded General Qi as a father figure, then the consequences of his actions would indeed not be so important. The reason why she and Jiang Chen could be so calm at this moment was simply because they were not involved.
Jiang Chen's grip slowly loosened, and He Zhiju, no longer restrained, staggered forward two steps before bracing himself against the armrest of the chair. He then said in a deep voice to the two of them, "Your Highness is deeply grateful for my efforts, but if General Qi is truly missing, I beg Your Highness's permission to go and search for him."
Although it was a request, it wasn't a discussion with them. As Shen Yujiao was thinking, she heard Jiang Chen say, "I'll go with you."
"What?" Shen Yujiao looked at him sharply. "Are you crazy?"
Putting aside the fact that this is Liaodong territory and they are not familiar with the terrain, the fact that they are currently traveling abroad means that many people are watching the movements of the Crown Prince's entourage, both openly and secretly. If someone with ulterior motives finds out that the Crown Prince's northward journey is not to survey the terrain but to search for the missing General Qi, then it is uncertain whether they can even return from this trip.
Jiang Chen glanced at He Zhiju, pressed her down into a chair, turned around, grabbed Shen Yujiao's wrist, and left the private room. As soon as he opened the door next door, he saw Chu Rou inside and was startled. Jiang Chen said in a deep voice, "Go to the next room first. I have something to say to the Crown Princess."
"Yes." Chu Rou didn't dare to delay and quickly curtsied before giving up the private room.
The door slammed shut, and Chu Rou slowly exhaled. She glanced at the room on the left, then at the room on the right, hesitated for a long time, and then led A-Jun downstairs.
"Jiaojiao!"
Jiang Chen pressed Shen Yujiao's shoulders against the wall. The sudden chill on her back instantly sobered her up, and the anger that had surged in her heart when she argued with Jiang Chen earlier was gone. She took a deep breath and turned her face away from him.
Seeing that she had calmed down, Jiang Chen slowly released his hands, sighed softly, and then said, "There are many forces searching for General Qi's whereabouts, but General Qi is hiding everywhere, which may be because he does not want to serve any of them."
"The reason we took He Zhiju away from the capital was to protect him and General Qi. He has already lost control just from hearing this news today. If we really let him go find them himself, even if he finds them, will General Qi be willing to come back with him?"
As he spoke, Jiang Chen slowly sat down in the chair behind him, his tone heavy: "The He family was full of loyal men, but in the end, the entire clan was destroyed. General Qi... we cannot let him become the next He family."
After she finished speaking, the room fell silent. Shen Yujiao stared at him in silence for a moment, then asked softly, "Jiang Chen, when will you understand that in this Great Xia, everything is an illusion to me, only you are real, only you."
So you're putting yourself in danger. What am I supposed to do if something happens to you?
Upon hearing this, Jiang Chen seemed to freeze. He stiffly raised his head to look at Shen Yujiao, only to see her eyes red and wet, tears welling up in her eyes, her smile bitter and tinged with helplessness. His heart felt as if it had been pierced by a sharp awl.
"You think of He Zhiju, you think of General Qi, you think of tens of thousands of loyal soldiers who care about their country, but why don't you think of me?"
"Do you remember what you asked me on the second day of our wedding: 'Do you think we can't go back, so you're treating yourself like someone from here?' Jiang Chen, I think you're getting too caught up in the role now."
The door to the private room opened and closed again. Zhu Yu stood at the top of the stairs and watched as the Crown Princess came out alone with red eyes. He knew something was wrong and quickly lowered his head, using the guards as cover to hide behind her.
Chu Rou had been waiting in the carriage since she got off. When she heard A-Jun say that the Crown Princess had come out, she hurriedly got off the carriage to greet her. However, when she saw those red and swollen eyes, she unconsciously paused.
But in just a moment, she composed herself and stepped forward to help the Crown Princess into the carriage. Perhaps she wasn't paying attention, because the Crown Princess suddenly slipped as she got into the carriage. She quickly steadied her and whispered a reminder, "Your Highness, be careful."
Sitting in the carriage, Shen Yujiao stared blankly at the floor. After sitting quietly for a while, Chu Rou, who had returned, called out to her, bringing her back to her senses: "When traveling, the food is often not to one's liking. Fortunately, it is cool today, and I still have some pastries that I brought from the East Palace."
As she spoke, Chu Rou took out the pastries from the carefully wrapped packaging paper. She placed a handkerchief in her palm, picked up a small silver chopstick, and put a small piece on Shen Yujiao's plate. "I just tasted a few pieces, and they were quite delicious. This package is new and has not been touched."
Listening to the soft voice of the person beside her, Shen Yujiao looked up at the face that was both familiar and unfamiliar, and felt as if she had been in another world.
"Chu Rou?"
"I am here."
Upon hearing her answer, Shen Yujiao sighed somewhat listlessly, finally acknowledging the fact that she was still in the Great Xia Dynasty.
Seeing her like this, Chu Rou glanced subtly upstairs. After thinking for a moment, she said, "In my younger days, I accompanied my father to Jiangnan and met General He when I was young."
Shen Yujiao looked at Chu Rou with surprise, only to hear her continue to tell the story: "At that time, General He was a very good-natured young man, but later, when I saw him again at my grandfather's birthday banquet in the capital, the youthful vitality on his face was long gone."
“That time, he was accompanying General Qi to celebrate his grandfather’s birthday. I stood to the side and could see that although he was taciturn and aloof, he was still very polite. However, he seemed to have lost some of his vitality, as if joy, anger, sorrow and happiness were irrelevant to him. Only when he was facing General Qi would his eyes regain their luster.”
"Although the He family's case caused quite a stir back then, I was still young at the time. It was only after my grandfather mentioned it that I made the connection. Therefore, General Qi... must be an extremely important elder to General He."
Sensing her words of comfort, Shen Yujiao smiled helplessly: "You heard everything?"
Chu Rou did not answer this question, but instead brought up another matter: "Before the trip, the Crown Prince ordered the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of War to manufacture a batch of hidden weapons. Although they are called hidden weapons, most of them are for self-defense. I guess they may be prepared for General He."
Upon hearing this, Shen Yujiao gripped the handkerchief in her hand even tighter. Jiang Chen had actually planned to travel with He Zhiju before the trip, but she only found out about it today.
“Your Highness,” Chu Rou gently patted the back of her hand a few times and said softly, “The Crown Prince is a rare wise ruler. If he and General He were to leave the army to search for General Qi, they might be able to recruit General Qi into the Eastern Palace. Even a wise minister needs to meet a wise ruler.”
Shen Yujiao couldn't help but smile bitterly. Yes, how could she not know this principle? Now that the situation in the northern border is gradually becoming tense, it would be better to let Jiang Chen take over if General Qi were forced to pledge allegiance to someone else. But she knew very well that the Great Xia might be fake, but every life-and-death incident here was real.
Even after returning to the capital, she still dreamt several times in the middle of the night of Jiang Chen lying in front of her, covered in blood. She dared not think about what might happen if something else happened...
Seeing that she had fallen silent, Chu Rou also remained silent until, after a long while, she heard the Crown Princess speak in a hoarse voice: "Then go ahead, I'll take care of things at the rear for him."
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