“Who? Where is he? Ask him who he gave the letter to?” Bai Heng chimed in from the side.
Chu Jingchi hurriedly ordered his men to summon the soldier who had delivered the message. Everyone continued to wait inside the house, but after a quarter of an hour, there was still no sign of him. Chu Jingchi was starting to get restless.
Just as he was about to get up and go out to look for the person, his subordinate, who had just been ordered to go out and look for the person, rushed back.
"General, something terrible has happened! The messenger has disappeared!" the soldier reported breathlessly. They had already dispatched soldiers throughout the city to search for him, but they had not been able to find any trace of him.
There's something wrong with this person!
It was already self-evident. Chu Jingchi's heart sank. He had never doubted the person who delivered the letter.
"Let's not worry about the messenger for now. What's the deal with those bandits?" Jiang Xingzhou interrupted Chu Jingchi's silence and asked.
"These bandits moved here a year ago and have become the kings of the mountains. They routinely rob people coming and going from Jiangnan City. We have already sent people to surround and wipe them out."
"But every time we took action, it was as if they knew in advance what we were doing, and they always avoided us."
Chu Jingchi explained, and he understood the situation himself. There was a traitor among their men. Unfortunately, by the time he realized it, a plague had already broken out in the city, and they were too busy dealing with their own problems to have any intention of fighting the bandits.
The only option was to keep the city gates tightly closed every day and increase manpower for patrols, which was just enough to prevent the plague from spreading. This blockade also blocked their way of survival.
“Tomorrow we’ll go and wipe out that bandit gang,” Jiang Xingzhou suddenly said.
"Regent, General, the Crown Prince has arrived with provisions!" a soldier shouted from outside the gate. "He is now outside the city gate. Please go out and greet him, General."
"Open the city gates and let him in by himself." Jiang Xingzhou put down his teacup, dismissed his subordinates outside the gate, and continued to discuss the matter of annihilating the mountain bandits tomorrow.
Half an hour later, after deciding on tomorrow's actions, Zhou Yingxuan still hadn't appeared.
"Your Highness, are you sure you don't need to go out to greet the Crown Prince?" Chu Jingchi was somewhat apprehensive. Half an hour had already passed, and if he were punished for negligence, his head would be in danger.
"Now that the matter has been discussed, let's go and see. I want to see how much airs the eldest prince has and whether he needs the entire population of Jiangnan City to come out and greet him."
At the city gate, while Jiang Xingzhou and his group strolled over leisurely, Zhou Yingxuan and the others were still locked in a stalemate with the guards, refusing to come in.
Sitting on his horse, Zhou Yingxuan paid no attention to the soldiers who were inviting them in, insisting that Chu Jingchi come out to greet them, his face full of arrogance.
As the stalemate gradually passed, a large crowd of people had gathered at the city gate, all looking at Zhou Yingxuan and his group with subtle expressions.
"I heard the Crown Prince has a lot of influence. General Chu and I were discussing the matter of suppressing the mountain bandits, and we sent soldiers to greet him. Is he unwilling to come in?"
"Greetings, Regent! Greetings, Crown Prince!"
Upon seeing Jiang Xingzhou emerge, the onlookers immediately knelt down to pay their respects. Only after hearing him address him as "Crown Prince" did they kneel down to pay their respects to Zhou Yingxuan.
Wasn't it said that the eldest prince had been missing for many years?
When was it found?
However, the eldest prince's attitude is far too arrogant. Even the regent is not like this. Is he really here to save them?
Why didn't they come sooner? Luckily, the Regent and Doctor Jiang arrived in time, otherwise they would have been dead long ago.
The whispers of the common people reached Zhou Yingxuan's ears, and he quickly dismounted and went to Jiang Xingzhou to pay his respects.
"What is this, Your Highness?" Jiang Xingzhou asked knowingly.
“Uncle, I heard that a plague is raging in Jiangnan City, so I specially asked Father for permission to come and bring provisions and doctors to provide support,” Zhou Yingxuan explained.
When he looked up, he saw the woman standing next to Jiang Xingzhou, that familiar face.
"What are you doing here?" Zhou Yingxuan blurted out.
"Your Highness, this is Doctor Jiang. The plague in Jiangnan City was resolved entirely thanks to her," Chu Jingchi immediately introduced to Zhou Yingxuan.
Upon hearing this, Zhou Yingxuan frowned slightly and looked at Jiang Hua. Perhaps because Jiang Xingzhou was nearby, he didn't say anything more.
"The plague is cured?" Zhou Yingxuan belatedly realized, and looked at the people on both sides again. They no longer looked sickly.
After receiving Chu Jingchi's affirmative answer, Zhou Yingxuan's expression changed drastically.
"General Chu, since the Crown Prince is so concerned about our Jiangnan City, why don't you send men to welcome him in?"
After Jiang Xingzhou finished speaking, Chu Jingchi led the soldiers behind him forward to guide the people Zhou Yingxuan had brought.
"Ah Zhou, you guys go ahead with your work. Bai Heng and I will head back now."
Seeing that Jiang Xingzhou still had to deal with Zhou Yingxuan, Jiang Hua said goodbye and left with Bai Heng.
"Huahua, why is that man looking at you so strangely?" Linzhi curiously leaned closer, only to be pushed away by Qingyue the next second.
"Get out of here. How dare you call her Huahua?"
So what if I yelled?
The two started arguing again.
"Did you notice the jade pendant on Zhou Yingxuan's waist just now?" Jiang Hua suddenly asked.
"Is there something wrong?" Bai Heng asked.
"The jade pendant is made of the same material as the one we found at the bandits' place, and the pattern is almost the same too," Jiang Hua continued.
"Then I'll sneak over tonight and compare them?" Qingyue suggested.
"No need for that. When we go to the bandits' den tomorrow, we'll be more careful and see if there are any unexpected gains."
"Don't worry, I'll dig three feet into the ground for him tomorrow," Qingyue assured her.
Jiang Xingzhou didn't return until after dinner, when he was taking a walk in the courtyard.
"What's wrong?"
Seeing his brows furrow slightly, Jiang Hua asked casually.
"Zhou Yingxuan said to postpone the operation to fight the mountain bandits tomorrow." Jiang Xingzhou did not hide anything from Jiang Hua and told her everything he had discussed with Zhou Yingxuan that day.
"Interesting, this gives him time to tip off others," Jiang Hua chuckled.
"You think so too?" Jiang Xingzhou asked. He and Huahua were indeed of the same mind, thinking the same thing.
“I have already had people keeping an eye on Zhou Yingxuan and the people around him. If there is any disturbance, they will be taken down.”
"What about the Emperor?" Jiang Hua hesitated, looking at Jiang Xingzhou, thinking of Zhou Yingxuan's current status.
"There's no need to cry over this; the Emperor's mind isn't on him."
Jiang Hua nodded thoughtfully. After Jiang Xingzhou said that, she understood the Emperor's attitude towards Zhou Yingxuan.
"Now that the people of Jiangnan City know A-Yi's identity, has Zhou Yingxuan made any moves?"
She wasn't worried about anything except Jiang Jingyi, whom she already considered her younger brother deep down, even though he called her his stepmother.
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