Chapter 66 Wait for me, wait for me to come back, I have something to tell you
After entering Liaodong Prefecture, the Crown Prince booked a local inn. The environment wasn't great, but it had everything they needed. The innkeeper even gave them a newly renovated courtyard at the back.
So the officials of the Ministry of Works and their accompanying guards stayed at the inn at the front, while the Crown Prince and Crown Princess stayed in the small courtyard with their concubines, leaving only a few personal servants in the courtyard.
After arriving at the inn, the group rested briefly. Xu Zhiyuan then went out of the city with the Crown Prince in the afternoon to conduct a preliminary survey of the terrain. The two returned in the evening.
Jiang Chen returned to the courtyard and went straight to the main room. The room was empty; Shen Yujiao was not there. He sighed inwardly at the empty inner room, then turned around, lowered the curtain, and went to the front yard to look for He Zhiju.
Shen Yujiao had just been in the east wing with Chu Rou checking the tools they would be surveying the next day. She estimated that Jiang Chen would be back soon, so she went back to the main room. When she lifted the curtain and saw the empty room, her hand unconsciously fell to the floor.
Are you looking for me?
A familiar voice sounded from behind, but without the usual smile. Shen Yujiao stiffened and went into the inner room first. She didn't say a word to Jiang Chen. Separated by a curtain, Jiang Chen lowered his eyes and stared at the threshold for a moment before following her into the inner room.
Inside the house, Shen Yujiao looked through the clothes that Mu Jin had packed several times, choosing the clothes she would wear the next day. Then she sat down on the kang (a heated brick bed) covered with a blanket, leaning against a low chair and picking up an engineering book to read.
Jiang Chen was packing his things on the side. This time, he didn't hide it from Shen Yujiao. The clanging sound of the hidden weapons hitting the table annoyed Shen Yujiao. She put the book down and looked coldly at Jiang Chen, who was choosing weapons.
Noticing the gaze behind him, Jiang Chen turned to look at Shen Yujiao, raised the bracelet in his hand, strode over and sat on the edge of the kang. He handed the bracelet forward, and seeing that Shen Yujiao ignored it, he simply grabbed her wrist and put the bracelet on her wrist.
"There's a small mechanism on the inside of this bracelet. In case of danger, if you twist it with a little force, the bracelet will disintegrate, and several tranquilizer darts will shoot out..."
Before he could finish speaking, he saw Shen Yujiao point the bracelet at him. He smiled helplessly, closed his eyes as if resigned to his fate, and waited for the anesthetic to take effect. But after waiting for a long time, he didn't see anything. When he opened his eyes again, Shen Yujiao had picked up her book again and wouldn't look at him anymore.
Jiang Chen sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) for a while, then silently got up and continued to pack his things.
That evening, the two had a simple dinner and then took separate showers and washed up.
Shen Yujiao sat in the wooden tub, cherishing the moment surrounded by warm water. Because Liaodong Prefecture is near the sea, the climate is relatively humid, so it was not greatly affected by the drought. However, if they went further north, they would not be able to enjoy such a luxury of water for daily use.
The inner room remained quiet at night. Jiang Chen, dressed in his undergarments, sat on the kang (a heated brick bed) reading the book that Shen Yujiao had been reading during the day. Shen Yujiao, on the other hand, sat in front of the dressing table, letting Mu Jin and Mu Nan wring her hair. The only sound in the room was the crackling of the lamp wick.
Shen Yujiao's hair was thick and lush, its black strands cascading smoothly down her back like a waterfall. It took Mu Jin and Mu Nan quite a while to wash and dry her hair. Mu Nan helped Shen Yujiao onto the kang (a heated brick bed), while Mu Jin walked to the oil lamp and asked, "Your Highness, would you like the candlelight to be brighter?"
The sound of turning pages rang out at this moment. Without even looking at the person behind her, Shen Yujiao said directly, "Kill them. I want to rest."
Mu Jin paused in adjusting the lamp wick, her shoulders stiffening slightly. She struggled internally for a moment, then obeyed and extinguished the flame, leaving the inner room with Mu Nan.
The door clicked shut, and Jiang Chen, still clutching the spine of the book in his hand, sat in the darkness and smiled silently. He put the book aside and slowly lay down next to Shen Yujiao.
Although the place they lived in wasn't by the sea, the wind at night was quite strong. The withered leaves in the yard were rustling loudly, and a few of them hit the window, making a series of pattering sounds. Jiang Chen stretched out his arm to check the window and only felt relieved after confirming that there was no draft at the edges. Then, he habitually tugged the corner of the blanket for Shen Yujiao.
Because of this one action, both of them were stunned for a moment. Jiang Chen's action was so natural that Shen Yujiao was in a daze and almost mistook the cold war during the day for an illusion.
"He Zhiju and I will leave tomorrow night."
A sudden sentence broke the silence. Jiang Chen turned to face Shen Yujiao, who had her back to him: "Jiaojiao, I understand your worries. I will be careful when I am out and about. If possible, I will try my best to send you messages and let you know I am safe."
Silence answered him again.
"After I leave, the team will have to rely on you. I've thought it over and over and I think it's best to pretend to be sick. The excuse of not being able to adapt to the new environment is readily available. This time, we're only taking our own people with us, so we're not afraid of them asking questions and giving us away."
"If all goes well, I'll try to come back soon. Remember to eat on time while you're here. Things are different outside than in the Eastern Palace, so you need to be careful in all aspects."
"Jiaojiao..."
"I know all of that."
Through the blanket, Shen Yu interrupted him in a muffled voice, but as soon as the words left her mouth, she regretted them. However, the next moment, Jiang Chen's words left her frozen in place—
"Yeah, I just want to talk to you more."
"Jiaojiao, don't be angry with me."
This sentence contains grievances, pleading, unease, and even more helplessness.
"As you said, everything in the Great Xia Dynasty is an illusion, but the lives of every citizen are real and vibrant. So even if this is just a dream, I still want to do something..."
Listening to his explanation, Shen Yu sighed. She didn't dare turn around to face Jiang Chen, and only repeated, "I know everything."
"Then don't be angry."
After saying that, Jiang Chen reached out and poked Shen Yujiao's back. After a while, Shen Yujiao slowly turned around, but was startled by the sudden shrinking distance between them.
"you--"
"Wrong."
The room was pitch black, but Shen Yujiao could almost see Jiang Chen's wet, puppy-dog eyes. She shrank back uncomfortably, but accidentally bumped into the wall behind her. In the northern autumn night, the wall was icy cold, and she subconsciously gasped.
Why are you hiding?
Jiang Chen pulled her back from the wall, blanket and all. In the darkness, Shen Yujiao couldn't see the slight blush on his cheeks, but she could hear his voice above her: "You're always such a restless sleeper. When will I ever be able to sleep peacefully?"
Even through the blanket, Shen Yujiao could still vaguely feel the muscles on Jiang Chen's arms. Wrapped in the tight space, the temperature on her face gradually rose, and her ears felt burning hot. All the awkwardness and suffocation of the day, as well as the unspoken worries and reluctance, all dissipated at this moment.
The wind outside the window was still howling, but all she could hear was the intertwined and vibrating heartbeats of hers and Jiang Chen's. Then, she didn't know whose heartbeat was getting faster and faster, until their heartbeats resonated in unison.
Jiang Chen's chin rested on the top of her head, and she could clearly feel the vibration of his vocal cords, like the resonance of a violin after the strings were plucked, making her heart tingle: "Jiaojiao, wait for me to come back, I have something to tell you."
Warm breath fell on her ear. Shen Yujiao wanted to look up at him, but accidentally bumped into his neck. She hummed in response, feeling a little flustered, and then quickly lowered her head.
Although he didn't make a sound, his vocal cords vibrated, and Jiang Chen's Adam's apple bobbed as if the warm, soft touch from before was still there. He slowly tightened his arms, leaving no gap between them, just like when they were children.
"Go to sleep."
He didn't explain, and Shen Yujiao didn't ask either. They would be parting tomorrow, and the road ahead was fraught with unpredictable dangers. For the first time, Jiang Chen indulged his own selfish desires. Although he said he would be careful, he was actually not sure himself.
The wind outside the window gradually calmed down, and the people sleeping in each other's arms gradually fell asleep, with only two overlapping, shallow breaths inside the room.
At midnight, Jiang Chen was sleeping soundly when he suddenly felt a pain in his calf. He opened his eyes groggily and found that Shen Yujiao had tucked the blanket under her arm again, so he habitually reached out and straightened the blanket for her.
At this moment, Shen Yujiao was fast asleep when she suddenly felt a chill creeping in from behind. She instinctively snuggled closer to the warm spot until she was enveloped in warmth again.
This little incident went unnoticed by the two still half asleep. Only Mu Nan, who came to wake her master in the morning, witnessed it. She could no longer suppress the smile on her face. After thinking for a moment, she turned and left the inner room.
Mu Jin was somewhat surprised to see her come out so quickly: "Your Highness woke up so soon?"
Unexpectedly, Mu Nan shook his head with a sly look and whispered mysteriously in her ear.
"Then let's wait a little longer. Go to the front yard and tell those people that His Highness suffered from acclimatization issues yesterday and will depart later today."
"yes."
Watching Mu Nan leave, Mu Jin quickly fanned her face a few times. She was still an unmarried young lady, and hearing such things always made her a little shy, but she was happy in her heart. It seemed that Liu Mama's wish would soon be fulfilled.
Today is the first day of the terrain exploration. To facilitate the movement, all the women changed into men's clothing. The group traveled by carriage to the place where the Crown Prince and Xu Zhiyuan scouted yesterday. Although it was a remote place, it was a good location for building a waterway.
The officials from the Ministry of Works took a quick look at the environment, and then took out the tools they had brought. After setting up their equipment, they began to conduct on-site surveys. Some were measuring, some were analyzing the soil, and some, like Xu Zhiyuan, were taking out drawing boards to record the original appearance of the terrain. A gust of wind blew by in the distance, stirring up the dust on the ground, but no one flinched. Their hands kept moving, and their expressions were very focused.
Standing beside the Crown Princess, Chu Rou watched the officials earnestly surveying the area, her eyes slightly stinging. She thought that perhaps ten years ago, her father had conducted surveys in the same way, and ten years later, she was about to witness the birth of a canal of extraordinary significance.
"Someone come here, lend a hand!"
The official from the Ministry of Works shouted, and seeing everyone busy, Chu Rou ran over. The official had been working with his head down for a long time, but when he looked up and saw that it was Liangdi, he stumbled and fell to the ground.
"Liang...Liangdi..."
Chu Rou raised her hand to wipe the sweat from her forehead and smiled at him: "It's nothing, I was just lending a hand."
Having said that, without caring that the official was still in a state of fear, she turned around and ran back towards the Crown Princess. Shen Yujiao looked at the dirt mark on her forehead, smiled, and took out a handkerchief to wipe it clean for her.
"Are you that happy?"
"Um!"
Looking at the dignified and composed noble lady in front of her, now dressed in men's clothing with a flushed face, Shen Yujiao also felt very curious. Although she was a little embarrassed, her eyes were shining, so she knew that she was really happy.
Surveying the terrain and drawing up engineering plans does not require as much effort as actually building a canal. A site can usually be completed in a day, and the next day they will continue north to the next survey point.
As evening fell, the group packed up their tools and boarded the carriage they had come in to return to the inn. As soon as Shen Yujiao got off the carriage, she could hear the cheerful laughter and chatter ahead, but the courtyard was eerily quiet.
When it was time to eat, Shen Yujiao sat down at the table. Looking at the delicious food on the table, she had no appetite at all. After eating a little bit, she asked someone to go to the front yard to call He Zhiju.
In the north, autumn days are short and darkness falls early. Shen Yujiao felt that it was only a short while before the sky outside darkened. Seeing that she was in low spirits, Jiang Chen did not rush to leave. Shen Yujiao got up first and went outside to give He Zhiju a few words of advice.
He Zhiju already felt guilty towards his younger sister, so he was now completely at her mercy.
Before leaving, Jiang Chen didn't say anything to Shen Yujiao, but patted her shoulder, looked at her deeply, and then disappeared into the night with He Zhiju.
Looking at the empty courtyard, Shen Yujiao finally couldn't hold back any longer. She squatted down, hugged her knees, and hid her sobs in her clothes.
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