Chapter 73 All Blizzard and the others can do right now is wait.
The news that the crown prince had reunited with his troops evoked a variety of thoughts among everyone.
The Crown Prince's side naturally breathed a sigh of relief. With the Crown Prince back, they no longer needed to be on guard or worry about anything. The officials of the Ministry of Works could finally relax, and even the guards who accompanied the entourage felt reassured when they saw He Zhiju.
But now the team is gradually approaching the northern border, and there are many and complicated people paying attention to their movements. In less than three to five days, the news flew back to Xiajing City. Inside the Huanwang Mansion, the desk in the study was in a mess.
"Are you crazy?!"
Jiang Yu casually tossed the book beside him at King Zhao. The pages rustled through the air. Jiang Jin pursed his lips and turned his head away, letting the book hit him without uttering a sound.
"Look what you've done—" Jiang Yu seemed furious, slamming his hand heavily on the table several times: "Assassinating the Crown Prince! Do you know how Father will punish you if the news leaks out? I sent you to send more men to the Northern Border to find Qi Jing, not to assassinate Jiang Chen!"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Jin still gritted his teeth, but slowly lowered his head. He didn't think he had done anything wrong. This failure was only because he hadn't sent out enough men. The Crown Prince had clearly been hit by an arrow. If it weren't for He Zhiju protecting him, he would probably have already died in Liaodong!
Looking at the stubborn King Zhao before him, Jiang Yu's voice slowly turned serious: "Since when have you started making decisions on your own?"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Jin abruptly raised his head: "Big brother, I didn't—"
“Ah Jin, I’m telling you straight today, if you ever try to harm the Crown Prince behind my back again, don’t blame me for disregarding our brotherhood.”
Upon hearing this, Jiang Yu felt a pang of regret. Jiang Jin, however, narrowed his eyes and asked Huan Wang in disbelief, "Brother... do you still have any sense? Is that Shen woman really that important to you?"
"Jiang Jin!"
The warning in King Huan's words did not intimidate King Zhao. Instead, he took a step forward, his eyes reflecting an almost obsessive shadow: "Just a woman, is my elder brother really going to give up the throne for her? If the crown prince were dead, would my elder brother still question me like this?"
Seeing his strange expression, Jiang Yu did not answer his question, but listened to him continue: "The two of them went north and won over the Ministry of Works and bestowed favors on the people. A single memorial from the Shen family and 6,500 shi of grain directly propelled the Crown Prince to a high position in the hearts of the people. Brother, you watched these things happen, and you still want to protect the Crown Prince and that woman. Brother, are you blinded by her?"
"Smack—"
A slap landed on his face, and Jiang Jin looked up at his brother in disbelief. Jiang Yu's face was full of anger, and he gritted his teeth and said, word by word, "I think you're the one who's gone mad!"
"Do you know who saved the Crown Prince? It was Qi Jing!" Looking at the bewildered expression on King Zhao's face, Jiang Yu said with exasperation, "My men had already met with General Qi. If your men hadn't assassinated the Crown Prince, General Qi wouldn't have intervened to save him!"
"General Qi is a loyal and patriotic general. How could he possibly stand idly by while the Crown Prince was assassinated? Ah Jin, can't you think about the bigger picture before you take any action!"
Jiang Yu was so angry with the King of Zhao that he had a headache. He sat back down in his chair and continued to ask him, "Now in the court, my third brother has the support of the civil officials and scholars, the Crown Prince has the power of the Shen family of Jiangnan and the old troops of the He family army, the King of Tai's maternal family and his wife's family are both military generals who hold military power. Not to mention the powerful maternal families of the Empress, the Consort Xian and the Consort De. General Qi was originally supposed to be my force to counterbalance them, but look at what you have done?"
Jiang Jin had just thought he was protecting the Crown Princess, but now, after hearing him recount the details, she was finally at a loss.
"This is the last time, Ah Jin. If you do anything behind my back again..."
Before Jiang Yu could finish speaking, Jiang Jin clasped his hands and knelt on one knee: "There will never be a next time." His tone was firm, but his eyes were darting away.
Seeing him like this, Jiang Yu couldn't help but sigh. He got up, walked around to the desk, helped Prince Zhao to his feet, looked at him for a long time, and then spoke again: "As for the Crown Princess, I don't want you to say what you said today. Putting aside my private affair with her, don't forget that she is the Empress destined by Heaven, as Emperor Taizu declared.
"For me, it has never been a matter of choosing between the country and her. If you truly care about me, you shouldn't lay a hand on her again, both morally and logically. I'm only saying this to you this once."
Sensing the disappointment and frustration in King Huan's tone, Jiang Jin finally felt remorse. He bowed to King Huan and then left the study.
After the King of Zhao left, Jiang Yu slowly leaned his head back in his chair. He was truly exhausted. He had been scheming and plotting for so many years, living in a world of intrigue and cunning, and had never regretted it for a moment. But when he heard that Shen Yujiao had been doing good deeds for the people all the way for the Crown Prince, he began to waver.
Even though he had witnessed Ajiao's marriage, he had never felt so clearly that she had truly become someone else's wife, that she would think of the Crown Prince, offer him advice, and win over the hearts of the people.
What he said to the King of Zhao was half true and half false. The true part was that he did care about Shen Yujiao's fate as a princess, but the false part was that this political mission was never an aid to them, but a shackle.
If he could, he wouldn't want to fight for power. To protect himself, he would recognize someone else as his mother. If Ajiao were not the legitimate daughter of the Shen family in Jiangnan, and he were not the eldest son of the emperor, then he thought he would be a good minister. He would wholeheartedly assist Jiang Yu in becoming a wise ruler, and he and Shen Yujiao would just be an ordinary, loving couple.
But there are no "what ifs" in life.
The situation in the northern border was reported in two different ways, one openly and one covertly. Although the Huan Prince's mansion learned of it faster than others, it could not prevent the news from reaching the capital. In order to clear Zhao Wang of suspicion of assassinating the crown prince, Jiang Yu has been running around in recent days, while Jiang Jin has also claimed to be ill and no longer active in the court.
But it was precisely because of the retreat of King Huan's faction that others had the opportunity to rise in rank.
In the winter of the nineteenth year of the Shengde reign, the emperor issued an edict ordering Shen Xun, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Agriculture, to escort grain donated by the Shen family of Jiangnan to three prefectures in the north to relieve the suffering people who were short of food due to the drought this year. Officials from the Ministry of Revenue accompanied him on this trip, with the Ninth Prince in charge.
When the morning court session ended, a group of ministers surrounded the King of Thailand, congratulating him on securing this lucrative post for his younger brother. The Ninth Prince had only been back in the capital for a few days when he received this task of escorting grain supplies. As long as the grain was safely delivered to the northern border, countless rewards awaited him upon his return.
Surrounded by a crowd, the King of Thailand wore a nonchalant smile, seemingly oblivious to the flattering words around him. However, as he approached Prince Huan, he paused, turned, and smiled, saying, "When my ninth brother returns, I will take him to Prince Huan's residence to express my gratitude."
Jiang Yu smiled back at him, seemingly genuinely happy for the Ninth Prince, but the smile vanished as he turned away. If he hadn't temporarily avoided the conflict to protect the Prince of Zhao, the task of escorting the grain north would never have fallen into the Ninth Prince's hands!
On the surface, the capital city of Xia was calm, but underneath, turmoil was brewing. Meanwhile, the northern frontier was in chaos and turmoil, a veritable hell on earth. The convoy could not go any further after reaching Wuyun County, hundreds of miles away in the northern frontier.
"how's it going?"
The wooden door was closed by the combined efforts of several people, barely managing to keep out the howling cold wind outside. Having reached this point, they had completely lost their water supply.
At first, they could collect firewood outside to cook snow, but in the past two days, the weather in the surrounding areas of northern Xinjiang has changed drastically, with heavy snow falling for several days in a row. The roads outside have long been covered with thick layers of snow, making it difficult for them to carry out surveying work, let alone their daily water and food supplies.
At this moment, everyone is gathered around a fire in the kitchen of an abandoned inn.
After the kitchen door was closed, several guards quickly blocked the gaps with large stones. The person who had just entered through the cold wind was He Zhiju, who had led a group of guards out to gather firewood. The men threw the firewood they were carrying on the ground, then hastily wiped the ice and snow off their faces and bowed to the Crown Prince inside, saying, "The heavy snow outside has blocked the mountains, and we can't leave at all."
Upon hearing this, the officials gathered around the kitchen couldn't help but show expressions of disappointment. If the heavy snow blocked the mountain, then not only would they not be able to complete the survey according to the scheduled time, but even when they could descend the mountain and leave this place would become an unknown uncertainty.
Whether the people of Wuyun County had all fled or had become familiar with the weather conditions here, when they entered, Wuyun County was at least ostensibly a ghost town. If He Zhiju hadn't led a group of guards to find this abandoned inn, such a large group of people wouldn't have even had a place to stay.
Throughout their journey, regardless of the abundance or scarcity of supplies, as long as they were willing to pay and with the help of the government, they always had food and lodging. But now, trapped in Wuyun County, they found themselves in a desperate situation where no one could help them.
If He Zhiju hadn't insisted on risking going out to collect firewood, they wouldn't have been able to survive the night with the remaining firewood. Now, listening to the crackling sound of the fire burning in the stove, everyone felt a sense of despair. Almost none of them had ever been so destitute.
Only after experiencing it firsthand did they gain a concrete understanding of the natural disasters in northern Xinjiang.
Fear of natural disaster gradually spread in the small kitchen. Almost everyone subconsciously looked in the direction of the Crown Prince and Crown Princess. Jiang Chen and Shen Yujiao's clasped hands slowly clenched. Faced with such a grim situation, he could not speak casually.
The county government of Wuyun County is located in Wenhe Town, while they are currently in Bingyu Town. If they want to ask the county government for help, they have to cross the small mountain behind them. Under a clear sky, crossing such a small mountain would not be difficult, but now it is snowing heavily outside, and they cannot even see the road clearly, so they cannot travel at all.
Jiang Chen estimated the amount of firewood He Zhiju had brought back and calmly said, "Let's wait two more days, at least until the snow stops. You can use these two days to organize your drawings and materials and try to make copies on the way back. Food will be delivered to your rooms for the next two days. After you have collected the firewood, please go back to your rooms to rest."
Although they were still trapped here, at least they had something to do. The officials of the Ministry of Works felt reassured after hearing the Crown Prince's instructions. They all stood up, bowed, and agreed. Then they took their share of firewood from the guards and went back to their rooms separately.
After everyone left, the kitchen returned to silence. The few people who remained could only hear the bubbling of the boiling water in the pot and the crackling of the firewood in the stove. Seeing that the water had boiled, Mu Jin led a group of palace maids to start putting dumplings into the pot.
They were making dumpling soup. Several palace maids took out the dough that had been prepared earlier and pinched off small pieces of dough. They didn't need to knead them into shape; as long as they were about the same size, they could throw them into the pot to cook. This soup was simple to make and could fill one's stomach.
This method was learned from a farmer when they passed through Anqing Prefecture. At that time, Shen Yujiao felt that they might face a situation where they could not get enough to eat, so she kept the ingredients in reserve. Although they cannot obtain ingredients from outside, they can still eat the most basic staple food.
The moment the pot lid was lifted, steam billowed from the kitchen, followed by the aroma of wheat mingled with the simple flavors of cooking. Chu Rou, holding Qi Zheng in her arms, sat beside him. Upon smelling this aroma, little Qi Zheng's stomach growled.
Chu Rou lovingly rubbed his stomach and coaxed him softly, "We'll be able to eat in a little while, let's wait a little longer, okay?"
Qi Zheng looked away, feeling his face burning. He nodded shyly, appearing exceptionally sensible. Chu Rou, seeing this, sighed inwardly.
Aside from a few words spoken to her on the day they met, the child has refused to speak since. She is worried that if this continues, the child might develop problems due to being too preoccupied with his thoughts.
Jiang Chen and Shen Yujiao were calculating how much food they had left. Judging from the current situation, if they wanted to ensure that everyone had three meals a day, this food would only last for less than four days.
In other words, if they are unable to travel within these four days, they will likely be trapped here and die, and all they can do now is wait.
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