Chapter 60: Opportunity knocks but once...
The afternoon sun in autumn was just right, shining on the window lattice, making the room warm and bright. The aroma of tea wafted around him. Through the light and shadow that pierced through the wooden lattice, Jiang Yu gazed intently at the person opposite him.
It felt like years had passed since he last sat down with her like this, but he still remembered clearly what clothes she was wearing that day, what jewelry she had in her hair, and every little detail between them. Jiang Yu had never forgotten it.
Shen Yujiao was pondering Huan Wang's words with her eyes lowered, and did not look up. Therefore, she did not see the deep affection and longing in the eyes of the person opposite her. The two sat facing each other, each lost in their own thoughts, and the room was quiet.
When Jiang Chen pushed open the door, he was greeted by this peaceful scene. He walked up the stairs step by step, his anger reaching its peak. He looked at Jiang Yu with a mocking smile: "Brother, what can't you tell me? Why bring your wife here after court?"
Jiang Yu did not miss the jealousy in Jiang Chen's eyes. He remained calm and composed, and said slowly, "Fifth brother, you've come at the right time. I originally intended to tell you about this after the court session, but you were summoned to the Imperial Study by Father, so I had to speak with...the Crown Princess first."
"Oh?" Jiang Chen smiled playfully. He walked behind Shen Yujiao, placed one hand on the table beside her and the other on the back of the chair behind her, half-encircling her in his arms. He looked up at Jiang Yu and said, "Then tell me now, brother."
Jiang Yu noticed this gesture of asserting sovereignty. He slowly clenched his fist under the table, his face still gentle and refined: "Yesterday, I learned from my sixth brother that the Northern Border Camp was attacked by the enemy and General Qi went missing during the battle. I thought this matter would be reported back to the capital sooner or later, so I came to tell the Crown Princess first."
"It's really kind of you, brother, to think of my brother-in-law."
“Brother Chen, you are mistaken. Ziwang, Ayu, Ajiao, and I grew up together. You were still young when Ziwang joined the army, so it is normal that you don’t remember. But if I didn’t know about this, that would be fine. But now that I know, there is no reason for me to watch Ziwang go into danger. It just so happened that I saw Ajiao as soon as I left the palace gate... You wouldn’t have any objections to this, would you?”
Jiang Chen felt a slight itch in his teeth as he looked at Jiang Yu's pretentious act. He and Shen Yujiao both knew perfectly well that the person sitting here was not Miss Shen, who had "grown up with Jiang Yu" since childhood. However, they could not let a third person know about this, so he could only grit his teeth and continue acting in the face of Jiang Yu's provocation.
“Of course I have no objections,” Jiang Chen said, meeting Jiang Yu’s unwavering gaze with a smile. “However, the Crown Princess didn’t rest well last night, and I’m a little worried about her health.”
Seeing Jiang Yu's smile freeze on his face, Jiang Chen reached out and helped Shen Yujiao up. "Thank you for telling my wife and me this news, brother. As for my brother-in-law, Jiaojiao and I will take care of him. You don't need to worry about him."
After saying that, Jiang Chen cupped his hands in a respectful gesture to Jiang Yu. Shen Yujiao was then pulled into Jiang Chen's arms and led away. When she met Huan Wang's gaze, she could only nod politely and say, "Farewell."
Jiang Yu stood there, watching helplessly as Jiang Chen led the man away. His hands, clenched so tightly they were bulging with veins, could no longer be concealed under the table. Meeting the angry gaze of the Prince of Huan, Jian Shan steeled himself and stepped forward to plead guilty: "Your subordinate has already stopped the Crown Prince, but today, the Crown Prince came with the Eastern Palace Guards..."
He didn't dare say that the Crown Prince had just ordered the Imperial Guards to surround Tianxiang Tower downstairs. Coincidentally, the owner was also there today. The owner was a shrewd man; he dared not offend Prince Huan on one hand, nor did he dare disobey the Crown Prince on the other.
In this situation, the boss had no choice but to plead with Jian Shan. He didn't say he would obey the Crown Prince's words, but only said that if Tianxiang Tower was really surrounded, it would definitely be detrimental to Huan Wang's reputation. Since it involved Huan Wang's reputation, he immediately got Jian Shan under control, which is why the Crown Prince was able to go upstairs so quickly.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Yu turned around and, through the half-open window, saw a pair of figures downstairs being escorted by guards to board a carriage. His knuckles, which were resting on the windowsill, turned slightly white.
If he hadn't seen her today, he could have ignored the struggles in his heart. But the moment the two of them sat together was so tender that he could no longer find peace of mind.
He knew that discussing this matter with her today risked revealing his true intentions, that seeing her would make him lose his temper again, and that she could easily disarm him... yet he still came.
After surviving a brush with death, the only thing he wanted to do was see her.
"Jiang Xiaochen, did you send someone to spy on me?"
Inside the carriage, Jiang Chen and Shen Yujiao sat facing each other, the atmosphere anything but harmonious. Jiang Chen was already displeased, and when he heard her ask this question, he couldn't help but say, "If I hadn't returned to the manor today, my people would have gone back to tell you where I went and what I did, and that I would have kept you informed of my safety. Isn't that what you said?"
At this point, Jiang Chen realized that Shen Yujiao was upset because of the Prince Huan's questioning, and his heart ached even more. He muttered softly, "Besides... I didn't go to see any girl..."
"Well, what do you mean by that? Am I the one who wants to see him, or is he the one who wants to see me? Please get this straight!"
"So you'll just go if he tells you to?"
"Didn't you say General He was extremely important?"
Shen Yujiao retorted, and although Jiang Chen wanted to argue, he didn't say anything more. The carriage came to a steady stop at the gate of the East Palace. Shen Yujiao ignored Jiang Chen and got off the carriage first. She hadn't taken more than a few steps when she was pulled back by someone behind her.
"Let's...let's go together?" Jiang Chen looked around, but dared not look at her: "There are so many people watching."
Shen Yujiao glanced at him sideways, not saying no, but not letting go of his hand either. The two stood on the steps at the door, and Jiang Chen spontaneously stepped down two steps. He looked up at Shen Yujiao with a pitiful expression: "Don't be angry. It's not worth arguing over him."
"I'm just asking you one question, I'm not really angry, but you keep asking me as if I've done something unforgivable."
Shen Yujiao tried to pull her hand back, but couldn't break free. Jiang Chen seized the opportunity, taking a step up and swaying Shen Yujiao's hand from side to side: "It's all my fault, Shen Jiaojiao, don't be angry, okay?"
Originally, she was just being stubborn, but after Jiang Chen coaxed her like this, Shen Yujiao could no longer stay angry. She looked up and realized that the servants of the Eastern Palace and passersby were all watching them. Her face turned red, and she pulled Jiang Chen and walked into the mansion.
"In broad daylight, under the watchful eyes of everyone, aren't you afraid of being laughed at?"
"Who's laughing at what?" Jiang Chen smiled contentedly. "Shen Jiaojiao, you're not angry with me anymore?"
"Enough! Shut up..."
Dragging him back to his bedchamber, Shen Yujiao turned around and saw Jiang Chen grinning smugly. She shook off Jiang Chen's wrist and walked inside, saying, "I'm not joking with you here anymore. Let's talk about something serious."
“Go on,” Jiang Chen said, striding into a chair and leaning over to look at her, his hands resting on the back of the chair. “I’m listening.”
"What Jiang Yu just said was mentioned to me by Consort Chu this morning, but not in such detail. However, if his information is reliable, we really need to prepare in advance."
“Hmm,” Although he disliked Jiang Yu, Jiang Chen had to admit that Shen Yujiao was right. He nodded and said, “If we let him leave the capital at this time, he will either be implicated by the emperor’s suspicion or be framed by someone with ulterior motives.”
Shen Yujiao suddenly remembered what the Empress had told her about the river: "After court today, what did the Emperor call you to the Imperial Study to say?"
"He's talking about the drought in the North. He intends to build a river to divert water from the South to the North..." Seeing Shen Yujiao's calm expression, he asked, "You already knew that?"
“I heard it from the Empress,” Shen Yujiao pondered for a moment, “Since the news will be sent back sooner or later, and it’s not appropriate to send it anywhere, it would be better to take him away in advance.”
"you mean?"
"Go to the palace tomorrow and volunteer. It's already autumn, and in a few months the north will be frozen. Even if we want to build canals, we won't rush it in winter. We'll have to wait until spring to start when the soil is softer. You can use this as an excuse to scout ahead and travel north from the capital to explore the canal routes. If you, as the Crown Prince, do this personally, the Emperor will surely be pleased."
"Once he agrees to this, you should tell him frankly that when you went south to obtain the account book, you were ambushed. For safety reasons, you should take General He with you and protect him closely. The crown prince is the foundation of the country. As long as you can persuade the emperor before the news from the north comes back, then after you take him away from the capital, whether or not you go to the north is up to us."
Jiang Chen leaned back in his chair, watching intently as Shen Yujiao offered him advice. He found her resourceful, thoughtful, and truly outstanding in every way, and his eyes were filled with unwavering admiration for her.
"Were you even listening?" Shen Yujiao turned her head and saw his silly grin, so she couldn't help but reach out and poke his forehead. "Did you even hear what I just said?"
“I heard it, I heard it. Tomorrow morning I will go to the palace first thing and tell the emperor about this before the morning court session. I will tell him that I have not slept all night because of this matter and will petition him to volunteer.”
Jiang Chen stood up from his chair and pushed Shen Yujiao out, saying, "Don't worry, Chief, I guarantee I'll complete the mission. Now, come with me to eat. I've been starving all day and haven't even had a cup of tea."
"You broke your promise, Jiang Chen! We just went to the teahouse, and you're still making a fuss..."
Inside the Huan Prince's residence, Jiang Yu stood before his desk, pen in hand, writing each stroke with complete concentration. Jian Shan stood at the door, waiting until the Huan Prince finished writing the large character before daring to step forward and whisper, "Your Highness, Prince Zhao has arrived."
"Let him in."
Jiang Yu put down his brush, crumpled up the characters he had just written and threw them aside. He looked up and saw King Zhao coming in. "What brings you here at this hour?"
"Brother, Lao Jiu's team has already set off and will be back in Beijing by the end of the year."
"Just for this?"
King Zhao felt slightly guilty after receiving a nonchalant glance from Jiang Yu: "Today is my father-in-law's birthday, and I accompanied the Princess Consort back to the Vice Minister's residence. My sister-in-law happened to be there too..."
Princess Zhao, née Wang, and Princess Huan, née Liu, were cousins. Today, at Princess Wang's father's birthday celebration, Princess Zhao happened to see Princess Huan, who was attending the banquet alone. Although the false pregnancy was true, it was still somewhat embarrassing for Princess Huan to be the only one from the Huan Prince's residence to attend her maternal uncle's birthday celebration. Princess Huan had been holding back all day, but on the way back, she finally couldn't help but complain to the Prince and Princess Zhao.
Upon hearing the King of Zhao mention Lady Liu, Jiang Yu's already expressionless face became even more unpleasant: "Do you spend all your time on these trivial matters?"
“But she is my sister-in-law after all—” Seeing Jiang Yu’s barely concealed anger, King Zhao immediately stopped speaking: “Our men have discovered General Qi’s whereabouts in the northern frontier. When the news came back, they were still searching. If she is found, then we…”
"Protect these people, and if possible, recruit them to my service."
"Understood," Zhao Wang bowed to Jiang Yu, "Then I'll take my leave."
After seeing Zhao Wang off, the study returned to silence. Jiang Yu walked to the charcoal stove, took out the crumpled paper he had just thrown in, spread it out on the table, and stared at the word "movement" on it. His eyes were dark and unfathomable.
He had originally planned to proceed slowly, but his trip south made him realize that the situation was changing rapidly and opportunities were fleeting.
"Brother Chen... you'd better be prepared when the time comes..."
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