Chapter 76 Returning to the Capital "How many times have I lied for you with my eyes wide open...?"
Coming down from the snow-covered mountain where he was trapped was a brush with death, but Jiang Chen was far from happy.
According to the original plan, they were to head north all the way to the northern frontier, not only for the sake of the river, but also for the people and soldiers on the border. Especially after learning that there was a traitor in the northern frontier camp, Jiang Chen was determined to find this person. However, the current situation does not allow them to continue.
Not to mention that the heavy snow completely blocked their way, with the year-end approaching and Jiang Lin here, they had no choice but to turn back immediately.
Jiang Lin's arrival was too coincidental. On the one hand, he was representing the imperial court to deliver the grain donated by the Shen family, which relieved the thousands of people in the three prefectures of the northern border. On the other hand, he was also there on behalf of the emperor to escort the crown prince back to the capital. In this small town hundreds of miles away from the northern border, they could not get any closer.
Seeing Jiang Chen's worried expression, Shen Yujiao also felt a little melancholy. After pondering for a long time, she tentatively said, "Jiang Lin... seems to me to be a chivalrous and righteous person. Even if we don't mention the inside story to him, we can just say that we care about the people on the border."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Chen's face showed no smile. He shook his head and said, "On the surface, he does seem to be a simple-minded person, but his older brother is the King of Thailand. Jiang Yan sent his younger brother here from afar, definitely not to help us. With the Qi family and the Liu family standing there, they will not allow us to get close to the Northern Frontier Camp."
Although this made sense, Shen Yujiao was unwilling to give up. So, after dinner, when Jiang Lin came to discuss the matter of returning to the capital with Jiang Chen, Shen Yujiao said from the side, "Your Highness has been trapped on the snow mountain for many days and is very worried. Now that you have suddenly relieved your mind, your body is not able to take it. We will inevitably have a bumpy journey back to the capital. Why don't you lead the team ahead? I will stay behind to take care of Your Highness."
"Fifth Brother is unwell?" Jiang Lin's face was filled with worry upon hearing this. "That won't do. If we set off first, leaving Fifth Brother alone here, I won't be able to explain it to Father and Mother when I return. Besides, Sixth Brother Jiang staying behind... well..."
Seeing that he still thought of himself as the sixth young master of the Jiang family, Shen Yujiao couldn't help but feel a little helpless. She took off the jade hairpin from her hair, and her cascading black hair shimmered with a warm luster under the lamplight. She said somewhat awkwardly, "At the time, I thought Ninth Brother was really a young brother in the martial arts world, so I didn't reveal my identity. Please forgive me, Ninth Brother..."
Jiang Lin was so surprised when he saw that the "Sixth Brother Jiang" in front of him had suddenly turned into a girl that he could hardly close his mouth. He heard the person opposite him say, "I won't hide it from you, Ninth Brother. At that time, His Highness was ordered to go to Jiangnan. Originally, I was going to stay in the Eastern Palace with Consort Chu, but I happened to learn that my father was ill before I left."
Shen Yujiao looked up at Jiang Lin, her face full of embarrassment: "I have never told anyone about this matter before. I am telling you today, Ninth Brother. Please pretend that you did not know about this misunderstanding. Ninth Brother is a chivalrous and righteous man. I believe you will understand my difficulties."
After hearing her explanation, Jiang Lin's surprise gradually faded, and his expression became calm. He remained silent for a long time before saying to the two of them, "Sister-in-law, please do not let a fourth person know about this matter."
Perhaps because his expression was too serious, Shen Yujiao felt guilty. Her previous words were all an act, betting on the loyalty of the young man in front of her. But hearing his upright words, which even showed concern for her, Shen Yujiao felt that she had been judging a gentleman by her own petty standards.
She hadn't recovered from this feeling even after Jiang Lin said goodbye. Seeing her like this, Jiang Chen reached out and pinched her cheek: "Chen Jiaojiao, you dare to think about other men in front of me. You're getting bolder and bolder."
“Jiang Chen,” Shen Yujiao said helplessly as she squeezed his hand back, her fingertips tracing the lines on his large palm. Her voice was somewhat downcast. “I just feel a little scared. I’m afraid that if I stay in this environment for too long, I’ll become like the women in the palace, with nothing but scheming in my heart as soon as I open my eyes and open my mouth.”
It's incredibly difficult for people to influence the environment, but it's incredibly easy for the environment to influence people. Jiang Chen understood the meaning behind Shen Yujiao's words, and took her small hand in his own.
"It's not your fault. If Jiang Lin wasn't lying, it would indeed be rare. But we're in this kind of environment now, and self-preservation is the most important thing. Jiaojiao, you will never become like that. No matter what others think, I know what kind of person you are, including yourself, so don't get stuck on this kind of point."
These words touched and warmed Shen Yujiao's heart. She clenched her small fist and punched Jiang Chen's palm, pretending to be willful, and said, "What if I really become a bad person?"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Chen thought for a moment, then slowly moved closer to her, touching his forehead with Shen Yujiao's, and softly replied, "Then I'll be the villain with you, let's be the duo, okay?"
Jiang Chen's eyes were moist in the darkness, like a red wine that had been brewed for years. It wasn't intoxicating, but it gave people a slightly tipsy feeling of being immersed in it. Shen Yujiao took a step back for a moment, raised her hand and gently patted his shoulder: "Jiang Xiaochen, when did you become so unprincipled!"
Seeing her dodge away, Jiang Chen shook his head and chuckled, but he didn't want to force her, so he didn't get that close to her again. Instead, he lay down next to her, resting his head on his elbow. "How many times have I lied through my teeth for you?"
Thinking about it, it really is true. From childhood to adulthood, Jiang Chen has always favored her. She still remembers when she was six years old, she accidentally knocked over a vase. When Jiang Chen saw that she was scared, he said that the wind blew it over. Afterwards, she was severely beaten by Uncle Jiang. But when she went to see him, she only remembered that even when Jiang Chen was in pain, he still smiled at her.
Shen Yujiao lay down next to Jiang Chen, hooked her fingers around his little finger, and murmured, "I'm so scared, this is a dream."
She once longed to escape the Great Xia, but now she fears that her dream will end in vain.
They ultimately failed to reach the northern frontier. The group rested for two days in Wuyun County before embarking on their return journey on a sunny day.
Because of what happened before, Shen Yujiao wanted to make amends, so she was very friendly to Jiang Lin. After Jiang Lin noticed that his fifth brother didn't seem to mind his close relationship with the Crown Princess, he treated the Crown Princess like an older sister. Chu Rou was worried at first, but when she saw that the two of them really just got along, her worries disappeared.
The return journey was much faster than the journey there. Firstly, there was no need to work on the return trip, and the carriages and horses traveled non-stop along the way, with rest only taking place at night. Secondly, with the end of the year approaching, everyone was eager to return to the capital as soon as possible, thinking about going home.
On their return journey, Jiang Chen personally observed the living conditions of the local people in every village they passed through, and also checked whether the local government was withholding relief grain sent by the imperial court.
At first, they encountered one or two corrupt officials, but after the prince's severe punishment, such cases became rare in the towns they passed through.
Jiang Lin sometimes rode with Jiang Chen on horseback to patrol the outside world, and sometimes he would sit in the carriage and watch Shen Yujiao organize that stack of technical drawings. He had been studying abroad for many years, but he had never seen such exquisite traditional Chinese painting. After his repeated requests, Shen Yujiao finally agreed to teach him to paint.
Chu Rou and Qi Zheng were also studying together.
Chu Rou was essentially handling the affairs of a group of people all by herself. On one hand, as the older cousin, she knew Jiang Lin's personality all too well, and she was very worried that Jiang Lin's reckless behavior would incur the Crown Prince's displeasure. Therefore, she thought that if she were also present, she could at least ease the situation somewhat.
On the other hand, she understood that it was also difficult for He Zhiju to raise this child. Although Qi Zheng did not speak when he was with her, he was an extremely obedient person. She wanted to find Qi Zheng a new hobby so that the child would not always think about General Qi.
At first, Qi Zheng was indifferent to painting, but after accidentally seeing the topographical map drawn by Xu Zhiyuan, he became interested and asked Shen Yujiao what he wanted to learn to paint.
Although Qi Zheng did not answer at the time, he secretly told Chu Rou that night that he wanted her to plead with the Crown Princess on his behalf. He wanted to learn to paint so that he could draw topographical maps for the army in the future.
Chu Rou was overjoyed that the child was willing to speak, and the next day she went to ask Shen Yujiao for help. From then on, the daily painting lessons were set.
By the time the group reached Qingyuan Town, Qi Zheng was already able to draw simple topographical maps, while Jiang Lin, who wasn't very good at drawing, went from learning to draw every day to observing Qi Zheng learn to draw every day.
Jiang Chen learned about Liu Cheng from Shen Yujiao, so when he passed through Qingyuan Town, he specially asked Shen Yujiao to take him to Liu's house.
Liu Cheng's father has now returned home. After learning that his family was protected by the Crown Princess and Consort Liang, he was very grateful to the two noble ladies. Today, upon hearing that the Crown Prince and Crown Princess had arrived, the eight-foot-tall man's eyes welled up with tears.
Little Liu Cheng's face turned rosy and his eyes sparkled when he saw the Crown Prince. He had received the Crown Prince's praise before, and how could he not be excited to finally see the Crown Prince today!
Even after the Crown Prince and his entourage had left, he was still reminiscing about the feeling of seeing the Crown Prince in front of his parents: "Mother, I will definitely become a great general in the future, just as majestic as His Highness the Crown Prince!"
Jiang Chen naturally had no way of knowing these things, but from the attitude of the people towards them along the way, he could easily see the hard work Shen Yujiao had put into managing things while he was away. He was moved, but even more so, he admired her. In fact, compared to himself, Shen Yujiao was the one who cared more about the people.
With the efforts of the coachman and horses, the group finally arrived in the capital on the eve of the Lunar New Year. The officials of the Ministry of Works also revised the engineering manuals on the way and made a more refined copy.
Upon returning to the capital that day, Jiang Chen took Xu Zhiyuan and the copy into the palace, while Shen Yujiao returned to the East Palace with Chu Rou.
This year, due to the drought and snow disaster in the northern border, the palace did not hold a grand New Year's Eve celebration. Shen Yujiao was very happy about this. Firstly, she did not want to go to the palace to deal with those noblewomen and sisters-in-law, and secondly, she wanted to spend the New Year with Jiang Chen.
Although there was no palace banquet, the emperor sent imperial dishes to several officials accompanying him from the Ministry of Works that evening, including the Xu family. Old Master Xu was so happy that he talked with his ancestors in the ancestral hall for most of the night. The emperor's gift of dishes was more significant than the value of the dishes themselves.
As expected, the day after the eve of the Lunar New Year, the emperor, who had already stopped writing, issued an imperial edict before the spring season even began. Most of the officials who participated in the northern expedition were rewarded, and Xu Zhiyuan and several important officials were even promoted one rank.
Besides these, the emperor also thought of the Shen family who donated grain this time. After the spring of next year, the Duke of Chengguo would bring his wife to the capital again. This trip north was to receive the reward from the emperor for the Duke of Chengguo's family. After several generations, the Duke of Chengguo's family once again became a meritorious family of the Great Xia.
In addition, the Ninth Prince Jiang Lin, who was in charge of escorting the grain supplies northward, also received a reward from the emperor. He became the only prince among all the princes to be granted a princely title before reaching adulthood. This newly crowned Prince of Wu will officially enter the court next year.
It can be said that everyone involved in this trip received a reward from the emperor, but the Eastern Palace, which contributed the most, remained completely silent.
On the one hand, some speculate that the Crown Prince has no further titles to bestow, and the Emperor will surely reward him with countless treasures during the New Year; on the other hand, others say that the Crown Prince has lost favor with the Emperor because of his attention-seeking behavior during this trip.
Meanwhile, Jiang Chen, the subject of the discussion, was seriously discussing with Shen Yujiao how to celebrate the New Year this year.
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