Chapter 41. Princess, people change. ...
Ji Run was still oblivious to Shen Guitang's sudden change in expression, racking his brains to figure out how to fulfill the request Wen Tinglan had made to him. "Tinglan and Shenxiao are childhood sweethearts and are engaged. Now that Tinglan has learned that the princess is unwell and wants to show her concern, why are you trying to break them up?"
"Breaking up a loving couple?" Shen Guitang pondered these two words repeatedly in his mind, suddenly feeling that his recent life had been quite absurd.
The homeless, mute little girl they picked up turned out to be someone else's fiancée...
After finally managing to tame her little by little, her fiancé showed up at the door...
Preventing her from meeting that person also led to her being accused of breaking up a loving couple...
The most absurd thing is that he now has only one thought in his mind, which is to dismember her so-called fiancé into eight pieces and throw him into the sea to feed the fish.
His heart was in turmoil, but his face remained calm and composed, though his barely concealed sharpness unconsciously surfaced in his words: "The princess was only four or five years old when she left Yujing. How can she be considered childhood sweethearts? Besides, you keep saying they are engaged, but have they gone through the proper betrothal? Have they exchanged tokens? Is the matchmaker still around?"
Seeing that Ji Run was becoming increasingly confused by his questions, Shen Guitang said firmly, "Since none of these exist, then what is the point of talking about being engaged? Brother Ji, you should be careful with your words in the future, lest you tarnish the princess's reputation."
"But, but..." Ji Heng was puzzled. Wasn't our main focus today to deliver a message to the princess?
Shen Guitang interrupted him ruthlessly, "There are no buts. Lord Ji, you will absolutely not see the princess today. Hei Feng, see the guest out."
Even after being seemingly respectful but actually forceful driven out of the Shen residence by Hei Feng, Ji Run still couldn't understand how the engagement between Princess Shenxiao and Wen Tinglan could be called off in the middle of a conversation. Also, what did Shen Guitang eat wrong today? He was so angry!
After seeing Ji Run off, Hei Feng looked at the pile of gifts he had brought and couldn't help but feel worried. So he simply brought them to ask Shen Guitang what to do with them.
At this moment, Shen Guitang had already set out his painting tools. Upon hearing this, he said without turning his head, "Throw them away. Are we so poor that we lack those things?"
Hei Feng hesitated, "But besides the tonics, there are women's jewelry here. They must have been specially given to the princess by Lord Ji." He implied that it might not be appropriate for them to handle these gifts given to Hengbo so hastily.
Shen Guitang, however, did not understand his meaning at all. After thinking for a moment, she said, "Tell Aunt Shen to pick out something for the princess. It should not only be more than what Wen Jie sent, but also better than what he sent."
Black Wind: ...I really want to call him childish to his face, but I don't dare.
"Furthermore, when I just saw Lord Ji off, I noticed that there seemed to be someone waiting in his carriage."
The tracks left by a horse-drawn carriage when it is carrying passengers are slightly different from those when it is not. Therefore, experienced people can judge the load of the vehicle by the depth of the tracks.
Shen Guitang's nimble pen paused slightly, then she said nonchalantly, "Don't worry about him, it's Wen Jie guarding him."
He put down the wolf-hair brush in his hand, his eyelashes lowered: "This amount of time should be enough for him to find some clues about me. He must be planning to take the princess away with him."
Black Wind was startled. "Young Master, your identity was changed more than a decade ago, and all those involved in this matter back then are on the Pavilion's surveillance list. How could you..."
Shen Guitang waved his hand to indicate that he did not need to panic. "It is not necessary to thoroughly find out who I am, but you must not underestimate the Wen family." He paused and added, "The Wen family, which is backed by the former crown prince, is behind us."
Hei Feng seemed to have heard something incomprehensible and frowned: "But, didn't His Highness the late Crown Prince pass away many years ago?" The late Crown Prince is no longer here, so how can you say that the Wen family, who are backed by the late Crown Prince, are involved?
Shen Guitang chuckled, as if mocking his naivety: "Ji Jin did indeed die in the Eastern Palace Incident thirteen years ago."
His gaze fell upon the distant imperial mausoleum. “However, his proposal to use agriculture to support the army, made when he was thirteen, has already been used by the Wise Prince in the Northwest Army. His suggestion to abolish the silver guarantee when he was fifteen was taken to Zhuzhou by Wen Xu and has accumulated great prestige. The weapons used by the Ministry of War are still forged by the Gongshu clan, which he recommended back then. There are also the free clinics held by Huichuntang in the capital every ten days, and the soup kitchens opened by Fengliang Valley every three to five days... Believe it or not, there are still people in the capital who privately worship the memorial tablet of the late Crown Prince.”
Therefore, his influence can be found in every profession—scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants! Besides all that, there is the most important thing: prestige!
Black Wind was greatly alarmed: "What is the former Crown Prince trying to do?"
Shen Guitang recalled the person's appearance from her memory and shook her head. "I don't know either."
Hei Feng was surprised; he never imagined that there were things in this world that even Shen Guitang didn't know.
Shen Guitang could tell what he was thinking just by looking at his expression, and couldn't help but feel speechless. "I'm not a mind reader."
If he could read Ji Jin's mind, the first thing he would do is find out what Ji Jin saw in Wen Jie back then that made her want to marry her daughter to him.
The late emperor doted on Ji Jin and was willing to entrust everything to him after his death, but that didn't mean he wouldn't be wary of Ji Jin. Ji Jin was well aware of this, but he was also aware of his own womanly compassion.
He must have foreseen that he would die because of filial piety and brotherly love, yet he never wanted to truly kill his father and son. Therefore, some things cannot be done before death, and some fame can only be made after death.
"Looking back now, was he dead? Yes, he was. But it was only after his death that all of this began."
"As for what he actually wants to do, perhaps he's playing a very big game, or perhaps he's just being irresponsible."
After hearing this, Hei Feng couldn't help but feel lost. However, before he could express his feelings, he heard Shen Guitang mutter, "So what exactly did he think was good about Wen Jie back then?"
Black Wind: ...Naive.
There seemed to be an unusually busy day. Just as Shen Guitang finished his painting, Hei Feng came to report, "Young Master, Eunuch Zheng has arrived."
Shen Guitang calmly washed his hands in the copper basin and instructed him, "When the princess returns later, send this painting along with those other things."
After he finished speaking, he went straight to the main hall, ignoring Hei Feng, who fell into a suspicious silence after seeing his painting.
When Eunuch Zheng saw Shen Guitang this time, he was noticeably more friendly: "Lord Shen must have been frightened this time, you look quite thin."
Shen Guitang coughed twice, covering his mouth with his sleeve at the opportune moment, "Thank you for your concern, Eunuch Zheng, but things are truly unpredictable."
Eunuch Zheng laughed and said, "As the saying goes, those who survive a great calamity are sure to have good fortune. Young Master Shen is certainly very lucky!"
As he spoke, he gave a wink to the two eunuchs following closely behind him, and the two eunuchs opened the small boxes they were carrying in front of everyone.
One box contained a ginseng root that was quite old and in good condition, while the other box was filled with pearls about the size of a thumb.
He then took out the Emperor's edict and said loudly, "Minister of Works Shen Guitang is resourceful and righteous. He was able to risk his life to help his colleagues in times of crisis. He is truly a pillar of the country, and I am very pleased with him."
Zheng Gonggong placed the Emperor's edict into Shen Guitang's hands, who was bowing respectfully. He said with a hint of deeper meaning, "His Majesty learned of Lord Shen's bravery and achievements in the recent bandit raid on the post station and praised you highly. He immediately bestowed these many rewards upon you. It is hoped that Lord Shen will take good care of his health so that he can cooperate with the upcoming joint trial by the three judicial departments."
Even though Shen Guitang had long anticipated this outcome, he still felt a pang of sorrow when he heard that the lives of hundreds of officials and the guards of the tomb were so easily summed up by the words "robbed by evil bandits."
His face remained respectful: "Thank you for your great kindness, Your Majesty! Gui Tang will do his utmost to cooperate with the three gentlemen to capture this group of audacious bandits as soon as possible, so as to comfort the spirits of the tomb guards in heaven."
Eunuch Zheng nodded in satisfaction, and before leaving, he patted Shen Guitang on the shoulder: "Lord Shen, it's good that you understand."
After seeing Eunuch Zheng off, the moment Shen Guitang turned around, the gentle expression on his face vanished, replaced by mockery and weariness.
He walked briskly towards the backyard, only to see a figure standing at the backyard gate—it was the young princess.
He walked towards her, first examining her wounds. Seeing that there was no blood seeping into the gauze, he breathed a sigh of relief.
He smiled slightly, about to ask her if she had a good time today, when he suddenly noticed that something was wrong with her expression.
Her lips were pressed tightly together, her eyes held a hint of stubborn questioning, and her pale face, etched with injury, made her appear even more vulnerable.
Seeing her like this, Shen Guitang knew that she had just overheard his conversation with Eunuch Zheng. His heart clenched slightly, and his tone was not questioning but affirming: "You heard everything."
Hengbo stared into his eyes, as if trying to find some answer: We all know that's not the case.
Shen Guitang turned his head away, unwilling to show certain emotions that he considered vulnerable to others. His voice was dry and cold: "Even if the world knows that this was done by the Second Prince, so what? Under the power struggle of the imperial court, who is not an ant?"
He had guessed Hengbo's intentions in entering the capital, so although he was reluctant, he had to make her understand that the road ahead was fraught with danger and people's hearts were unpredictable. Anyone could lend you a hand but then turn around and stab you in the back.
Even if it is him, he should not be trusted.
Seeing that he refused to look her in the eye, Hengbo had already guessed his attitude.
But she still refused to believe it. It wasn't that she didn't believe Shen Guitang would lie to her; she had never doubted the sharpness revealed by the sword that had been honed with blood on the night the tomb guards were massacred.
She is a swordswoman and will never misjudge a good sword.
This was the first time she had ever touched his skin on her own initiative. Feeling a gentle force caressing her chin, Shen Guitang couldn't help but tremble.
That wonderful sensation flowed from the skin along the restless blood vessels through the limbs and bones.
His fingertips curled slightly, and his eyelashes trembled like a butterfly desperately flapping its wings in a storm, trying to escape.
However, what makes a storm a storm is its inescapable nature; when the wind brushes your cheek, you are already in the eye of the storm.
His face was turned back to her, and in her clear gaze, he had nowhere left to hide.
Even evil spirits would be reduced to ashes under this scorching sun.
He closed his eyes, his nails digging deep into his palms, his lips moved slightly, and after a moment he finally managed to form a sentence: "Princess, people change."
After saying that, he seemed unable to bear the embarrassment any longer, or perhaps he was afraid of sensing disappointment from her. He quickly walked past her, as if escaping a mountain weighing on his heart.
Hearing no sound, he finally turned around a few feet away.
Under the bright sunlight, a figure runs in the opposite direction; it is a proud crane, an unyielding sword.
He, on the other hand, was the butterfly that fooled itself into thinking it had escaped the storm.
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Author's Note: This volume on tomb exploration has come to an end! Thank you all for your support. Also, I'd like to give a shout-out to my two little favorites in my author column, "To Compile After Crossing the Ocean" and "Ruyi." If you like them, you can start buying them now!
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