Chapter 67 The darkness of night can conceal everything, but not the wild…
As dawn broke, Mu Nan came to wake the Crown Princess as usual, but was surprised to find that she was already awake when she entered the inner room.
Shen Yujiao barely slept all night.
"Let Mu Jin come in."
Mu Nan responded with some concern. A moment later, Shen Yujiao sat down in front of the dressing table, letting Mu Jin apply thick powder to cover her dark circles.
"Your Highness, would you like to rest today and continue your journey tomorrow?"
The survey work was completed yesterday, and today was originally scheduled to continue to the next city, but Mu Jin was really worried about the Crown Princess's physical condition today.
"No need. Since the Crown Prince is suffering from acclimatization issues, I should take care of him personally. It would be more natural if he looked unwell."
Seeing that His Highness had already made up his mind, Mu Jin stopped trying to persuade him. However, when Consort Chu saw the Crown Princess as she was leaving, she was startled. She looked around but did not see the Crown Prince and vaguely guessed what had happened.
A group of officials had been waiting in front of the inn since early morning. Just before they were about to depart, the concubine helped the Crown Princess out from the backyard. The Crown Princess told everyone that the Crown Prince had suffered from a high fever yesterday due to the change in environment, and would not be traveling with the main group today. However, the Crown Prince was concerned about the canal, so he asked the Crown Princess and the concubine to lead the group ahead.
"From today onwards, all of you may come to me for any matters. Although the Crown Prince is not here, I will lead you all according to the original plan until His Highness the Crown Prince joins us."
The officials were originally from the Crown Prince's faction, not to mention that the Crown Princess was highly respected in their Ministry of Works. Seeing that the Crown Princess was pale and had dark circles under her eyes, they knew that she must be exhausted because of the Crown Prince's illness. Everyone respectfully agreed to what the Crown Princess said.
Before getting into the carriage, Chu Rou glanced at the Crown Princess one last time, and then asked to get in herself. As soon as she entered the carriage, she saw that the Crown Princess had already fallen asleep. She could only sit on either side of the Crown Princess with Mu Jin so that she could sleep more comfortably.
Liaodong Prefecture is mostly a vast plain, but the place they traveled through that day was all bumpy mountainous terrain. After a bumpy ride, everyone looked unwell when they arrived at their destination, not to mention Shen Yujiao, who hadn't slept all night. She went straight to her bedroom after getting off the sedan chair, and fell asleep without even changing her clothes, without needing Mu Jin to serve her.
She slept until dark before waking up. Mu Jin had been watching over her the whole time. When she saw that she was awake, she went up to her and said, "Liangdi knows you're not feeling well, so she cooked you a pot of porridge. It's keeping warm in the kitchen right now. Why don't you have some when you get up?"
Although Shen Yujiao hadn't quite recovered from the shock, she hadn't forgotten about the Ministry of Works. She took the water glass and asked, "How is their survey going?"
"Your Highness, please rest assured. We went to inspect the site this afternoon and said we will go to survey it as scheduled tomorrow."
"good."
Although her voice was still hoarse, Shen Yujiao's spirits had recovered. The impact of Jiang Chen's departure on her was gradually diminishing. With him not by her side, Shen Yujiao was not so worried.
Now that she was out, she didn't have time to think about the future. She got up, drank a bowl of chicken porridge, washed up, changed her clothes, and then went back to sleep. By the next morning, she had regained her energy.
Today's survey point is larger than the previous one. Shen Yujiao and Xu Zhiyuan discussed it briefly and decided that it might take two days. Since the area is quite large, Shen Yujiao also sat down to help draw a topographic map.
"Your Highness, please rest if you are tired."
Chu Rou walked over with a bowl of washed grapes in her hand. The grapes were a dark purple color like gemstones, and they were glistening with the freshly washed water, making them very pleasing to the eye.
She sat down next to the Crown Princess and handed her the grapes, saying, "These were specially found for you this morning by Zhu Yu. He said the grapes here are the most famous."
Upon hearing this, Shen Yujiao turned her head and immediately saw Zhu Yu, who was busy lowering her head to avoid her. She shook her head and smiled. Zhu Yu was naturally clever, and Jiang Chen had probably given her some instructions before leaving, which explained her quick wit.
But at this moment... she raised her hand to look at the ink stains on it, then turned and smiled, "It's not convenient for me to peel it right now..."
"It's alright, I just washed my hands before coming here."
Chu Rou placed the bowl of grapes on a simple small table, took one out and began to peel it. It was midday, the sun was shining brightly and the temperature was just right. Shen Yujiao was surrounded by picturesque scenery and beautiful women who seemed to have stepped out of a painting. She turned her head slightly and ate a grape that was as sweet as honey.
“No wonder the ancients said that beauty can ruin a country and that a king can neglect his duties. I have experienced this blessing today.” After saying that, she tapped Chu Rou’s earlobe with the pen.
Seeing such behavior that was almost like that of a hooligan, Mu Jin almost ordered someone to bring a curtain, hoping that it could cover their prince from all sides at all times. It was also her fault for not being careful. This wasn't the first time their prince had left the capital. Why didn't she realize it?
Chu Rou remained seated, her face slightly flushed, but she did not flinch. After peeling the last grape, she picked up a handkerchief and wiped the juice stains off her hands.
"Your Highness, please don't say that. If His Highness the Crown Prince finds out about this, I'm afraid I won't be able to see you again."
It was meant as a joke, but as soon as the words left her mouth, Chu Rou was startled. She quickly looked at the Crown Princess and saw that she was indeed looking rather downcast. She secretly regretted that she had spoken so carelessly at that moment.
"Your Highness!"
He Zhiju pulled the Crown Prince into the alley behind him. They had been on their journey for more than ten days, but they had not seen General Qi along the way.
To keep up with his pace, the Crown Prince had been working almost non-stop for more than ten days. The two of them originally planned to get some rest tonight, but unexpectedly they were being followed.
Suppressing the dizziness from not having slept for days, Jiang Chen asked in a low voice, "Who is it?"
“There’s nothing unusual about his clothes, but that short sword looks like it came from the capital,” He Zhiju said, with most of his body hidden in the alley, his arm firmly supporting the Crown Prince, using the darkness to observe the person who had failed. “He was alert, agile, and his steps were light and unsteady. His posture… seemed to be that of a private soldier from the Prince’s mansion or… a suicide soldier.”
"They're here—"
He Zhiju shielded the Crown Prince behind him, and the two of them pressed themselves against the alley wall, holding their breath and remaining motionless. Although the alley was considered secluded and narrow, there were not many pedestrians on the streets of Liaodong Prefecture at night, so they could only try their best to hide.
The darkness of night can conceal the filth of the day and hide the baseness of the shadows, but it cannot conceal ambition and desire.
The moment the cold glint appeared, He Zhiju's eyes widened, and the long sword in his hand was quickly drawn. The swords and spears clashed together, making a sharp sound. Hearing someone draw a knife at the alley entrance, the people scattered in all directions.
He Zhiju had been personally instructed by martial arts masters since childhood, whether in the He family or the Shen family. Not to mention his military service as a young man, he had few rivals in his years of training in the Northern Territory. When this person faced him, he knew he would be defeated without even making a move. So he turned around and blew his long whistle.
"not good!"
"call out--"
Almost simultaneously, He Zhiju thrust his longsword at the man's vital point, while Jiang Chen, standing behind, also fired his hidden weapon. The man was hit by two arrows and quickly fell to the ground.
The alley was narrow, making it easy to hide, but it was impossible to use one's fists and feet when a fight broke out. He Zhiju looked back at the Crown Prince and saw that the Crown Prince nodded to him to indicate that he was still able to fight. So the two of them immediately left the alley and ran towards a nearby deserted village. But they hadn't run far when they heard hurried and dense footsteps behind them.
He Zhiju turned his head and saw a dozen men in black moving among the bushes and withered grass. The prince beside him was also gradually losing strength. The surrounding area was barren land. Under such circumstances, there was no way to escape.
"Your Highness, be careful!"
The next instant, the sounds of swords and hidden weapons clashed again. The sky, which had previously revealed thin clouds and stars, was now shrouded in dark clouds, and the light dimmed. But the killing did not stop. When the bright moonlight peeked out from behind the clouds, the bloodstains on the ground were clearly visible.
"Jiang Chen—"
The moment the sword pierced her body, Shen Yujiao sat up abruptly from the bed. Before her was pitch blackness, just like in the alley. Fear gripped almost every pore of her body.
Since the Crown Prince was not present, Mu Jin and Mu Nan moved to the west room of the main house to avoid the Crown Princess calling out to them at night without being heard. At this time, in the middle of the night, such a sudden sound rang out, and the two of them got up almost at the same time.
"Wait a moment, I'll call you if anything comes up."
Mu Jin pressed the person back down, then disregarded etiquette, put on an undergarment and went into the east room. She lit the oil lamp in the dark, but when she turned around, she found the Crown Princess trembling uncontrollably.
"Your Highness, Your Highness, can you hear me?"
At this moment, the Crown Princess in her arms was trembling all over and sweating profusely. She ignored the calls in her ear. Mu Jin was really frightened. She called out loudly to Mu Nan. The oil lamps in the room were lit one by one. The two of them were shocked. The Crown Princess's face was as white as paper!
At this point, there was no time to worry about anything else. Mu Nan quickly put on her outer clothes and went to the front yard to find the accompanying imperial physician. Chu Rou vaguely heard footsteps and got up to ask what was going on. After A Jun went out to investigate and returned, she also hurriedly put on her clothes and went to the main room.
The imperial physician was woken up in the middle of the night. He was a little annoyed. He was old and not like those young men. He muttered as he walked towards the door, secretly annoyed that some brat had come in the middle of the night.
"Imperial Physician Zhang, quick! His Highness is in grave danger!"
The confusion in his mind instantly cleared, and Physician Zhang could no longer care about anything else. He dressed, picked up his medicine box, and followed Mu Nan to the main room, where the Crown Princess was being held down on the bed by Liangdi and Mu Jin.
Physician Zhang first apologized, then stepped forward to examine the Crown Princess. Seeing that her face was pale, her eyes were glazed, and her forehead was covered with a fine layer of cold sweat, he knew something was wrong. He then quickly took out his gold needles and began to perform acupuncture on her.
When the tenth silver needle pierced her fingertip, the Crown Princess finally took a deep breath, as if she had just woken up. What followed was an excruciating pain in her ten fingers.
"It's good that you're awake, it's good that you're awake," Physician Zhang removed the gold needles one by one, and then instructed, "Your Highness was having a nightmare. As long as you regain your senses, you'll be fine. I'll prescribe another calming medicine. One of you will come with me to brew the medicine."
"I'll go."
Mu Nan noticed Mu Jin's worry, patted her on the shoulder, and then followed the imperial physician out of the main room.
After leaning against Chu Rou's chest for a while, until the pain in her fingertips gradually subsided, Shen Yujiao suddenly reached out and grabbed Chu Rou as if waking from a dream.
"Something happened to them!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
