Chapter 24
Jiang Yunshu was prepared when she came in, but she was clearly not prepared enough.
She actually saw the woman she had saved before here.
The woman sitting above was dressed in finery, and when she saw her, she remained remarkably calm.
It was as if they didn't know her at all.
Mo Tingyu looked at Jiang Yunshu's expression and then involuntarily looked at his aunt. His eyes darkened, and then he looked at Jiang Yunshu again.
"Miss Jiang knows her?"
Jiang Yunshu nodded subconsciously, while Chen Yanyan glanced at her dismissively, saying, "Who does she think she is to know me?"
This was the first time Jiang Yunshu had ever seen someone so ungrateful, and she regretted saving this person in the first place.
Mo Tingyu glanced at the two of them subtly, his eyes narrowed and a smile playing on his lips: "Miss Jiang, please don't mind."
"This girl is very similar to the person I think she is, but her temper clearly indicates that she is not the same person."
She rolled her eyes inwardly.
Her main task today wasn't to argue with this person, and with that in mind, she looked up at the Second Prince.
The second prince dismissed his attendants and looked at her with a deep gaze.
"Speak your mind. I'll give you some time because you saved me and my third brother that day."
Jiang Yunshu read aloud the prepared speech she had already prepared.
"Your Highness has come for the people of Jiangzhou, because the new policies you proposed were not beneficial to them."
She glanced at Mo Tingyu; his eyes were even darker, and his lips were tightly pressed together, as if he was suppressing something.
"But if no one had pushed this from behind, it wouldn't have collapsed so quickly. Someone wanted to use this incident to suppress the Jiang family, so they pinned all the blame on the Jiang family, and later it was that innocent man."
Mo Tingyu turned his gaze and stared at her intently, his expression cold.
“My father had someone investigate this matter, and the result is what you know, but that poison…”
Her voice deepened: "It's something only the Witch Clan has."
Mo Tingyu narrowed his eyes as he scrutinized her, his gentle aura turning somewhat sinister.
What are you trying to say?
She certainly wanted to rely on the Second Prince.
Mo Tingyu is gentle and kind, and is well-liked by the emperor. It would be much better for him to ascend the throne than for Mo Yanzhou.
In his previous life, after Mo Yanzhou ascended the throne, Mo Tingyu did not have a good ending.
He was imprisoned in the imperial prison until his death, and it was publicly claimed that Mo Tingyu had angered the emperor, and Mo Yanzhou, out of respect for filial piety, had no choice but to continue imprisoning him in the imperial prison.
But looking at Mo Tingyu's expression, she felt that if she continued to speak, he would drag her away and behead her.
"This humble woman..."
"Jiang Yunshu, how dare you speak such nonsense in front of me! Do you know that I can make your entire Jiang family lose their heads!"
She lowered her eyes and didn't dare to speak again.
But he did not beg for mercy because of this.
Mo Tingyu coldly snorted, "Get down now!"
She got up and left.
Mo Yanzhou's spies, who were hiding in the shadows, also got up.
"Reporting to Master, Miss Jiang went to the Second Prince's residence. The two talked about something, and the Second Prince dismissed his attendants."
Mo Yanzhou's already cold eyes grew even colder, then he raised an eyebrow and chuckled.
The Jiang siblings really have ambitions that are higher than the sky.
As insignificant as an ant, how dare they try to stir up trouble in the imperial court?
It's utterly ridiculous.
He turned his head and said, "Has Jiang Yunzheng interrogated you for so many days and still gotten nothing out of you?"
"Young Master Jiang told them not to use severe torture, but the man still didn't speak."
Mo Yanzhou looked up at a hibiscus by the window and said in a low voice, "You're so stubborn. Let's knock your teeth and see if you still can't open your mouth."
"yes!"
Then the man in black and his servant withdrew.
——
Ling Jingchu came out after Jiang Yunshu left.
"Ling Jingchu, your Jiang family truly produces many talented people."
Mo Tingyu looked at him with a half-smile.
"The Second Prince is an outstanding man, and he naturally knows the implications. This time, A Yao's kidnapping must have allowed Yun Shu to find some clues."
Mo Tingyu chuckled and waved his hand.
When Shen Qingyao was kidnapped, he immediately noticed something was wrong. The Jiang family, a wealthy family, didn't ask for money as their first priority after kidnapping someone.
That means they have ulterior motives.
As for the Jiang family's restaurant business, he just laughed that the same methods were actually used by Mo Yanzhou.
He had heard of Ling Jingchu when he was in Kyoto. Many of the fathers of his students had been transferred back to the capital and had mentioned him in conversation.
People say he has a handsome appearance and is highly talented despite his young age, but unfortunately his ambitions do not lie in the court.
He was deeply curious when he heard this, wondering if there were such extraordinary people who were so indifferent to fame and fortune.
However, it now appears that the rumors are not entirely true.
"Everyone thinks that Master Ling is indifferent to fame and fortune, but it seems that's not always the case."
Ling Jingchu lowered his eyes and remained silent.
"In your opinion, what should I do?"
Mo Tingyu leaned back in his chair, watching him lazily.
"The Third Prince's trip is for the Jiang family."
Ling Jingchu’s voice was deep: “The Jiang family only has one male descendant, Jiang Yunzheng. According to the Third Prince’s view, he originally thought that the Jiang family’s business should be handed over to Jiang Yunzheng.”
"He just didn't expect that Jiang Yunshu would return home after the divorce, and that Uncle Jiang didn't care about Jiang Yunshu's gender at all. Once Jiang Yunshu returned, the Jiang family's business would definitely be handed over to her. At this time, Jiang Yunzheng became a useless son."
Ling Jingchu continued slowly, "So he wanted to kill Shen Qingyao."
She turned to look at Mo Tingyu: "If we transfer the blame to you, the Jiang family will have no choice but to rely on him for revenge."
After A Yao was tied up, Zhong Menglan, who was tied up with her, had needles that were used by Mo Tingyu's men.
Mo Tingyu's eyes darkened, then she looked up at him again.
"Second Prince, rumors are nothing to fear. The Jiang family is right in front of us. If the Third Prince takes it, there will be endless troubles in the future."
Ling Jingchu's voice was calm, but Mo Tingyu felt a sense of pressure listening to it.
He had always thought that Mo Yanzhou had no interest in the throne, but he never expected that his younger brother had also been planning something, and was even more cunning than the eldest prince.
He pursed his lips and tapped his hand lightly on the table.
After a long while, he raised his eyebrows and looked at Ling Jingchu.
"Come back to the capital with me. I can first transfer you to the Ministry of Rites, and then..."
Ling Jingchu suddenly interrupted Mo Tingyu.
"Second Prince, please be cautious."
Mo Tingyu looked at him with dissatisfaction. He had sent the person to the Ministry of Rites precisely because he wanted to be cautious. Otherwise, given his status, he could have simply kept the person by his side and given him some sinecure.
That's utterly nonsensical.
"The imperial examination is just around the corner, why is the Second Prince in such a hurry?"
Mo Tingyu laughed out loud this time: "I like confident people, so this is good."
He took out a crumpled piece of paper from his sleeve, placed it on the table, and looked at Ling Jingchu meaningfully.
"However, I dislike people with ulterior motives."
There was only one line of crooked words on the paper.
The nursery rhyme was written by Master Ling.
Ling Jingchu looked knowingly at the paper on the table, lowered his head and said calmly, "The nursery rhyme was indeed written by me."
Mo Tingyu raised an eyebrow at him with a leisurely air.
"I have received great kindness from the Jiang family. Jiang Yunshu was tormented in the Shen family for seven years. I could not bear it, so I resorted to this desperate measure."
"Oh?" Mo Tingyu curled his lips. "Is it for the Jiang family, or for Miss Jiang?"
Ling Jingchu simply lowered his head and bowed deeply to him.
Mo Tingyu laughed loudly, then burned the paper on the table over the candle flame.
"Thank you, Second Prince."
"When you pass the imperial examination next year, I hope you will live up to my expectations."
After Ling Jingchu left, Chen Yanyan came again.
"Siqing, have you thought it through?"
Mo Tingyu nodded his chin with a serious expression. The eldest prince and the empress had won over almost half of the court officials.
Furthermore, the Empress's maternal family was a century-old clan, the Leng family of Longxi.
The forces behind him were deeply entrenched and incomparable to his mother's Chen family. Even with his father's favor, he still found it difficult to gain a foothold in the court.
Furthermore, most people in the court believed that he was not the legitimate heir, while the eldest prince, the legitimate son of the empress, was the rightful heir. Therefore, most people in the court supported the eldest prince.
As for the minority, they are just observing.
He wanted to break the deadlock and avenge his mother and the Chen family; next year's imperial examination would be a good opportunity.
Ling Jingchu is a very good candidate.
Then he looked at Chen Yanyan and said, "Auntie, Miss Jiang knows you."
Chen Yanyan smiled and said, "Yes."
“She saved me, but my identity is special, so I cannot be used by her, nor can I interfere with our important matters.”
Chen Yanyan frowned: "As long as I live, I will avenge my sister."
——
Just as Jiang Yunshu was about to return to her residence, she saw that the people outside were in chaos, with many people dressed in tattered hemp clothes wandering around the city.
Her carriage could barely move.
"What's up?"
Qing Shuang approached the window: "Miss, they seem to be from out of town, and it looks like they've come here to escape from war."
She lifted the curtain, and the person outside looked emaciated, with a sallow complexion, dry and cracked lips, and hair piled up on his body like a clump of withered grass.
The clothes were empty and filthy.
Before Qing Shuang could shoo her away, a woman rushed up and kept bowing to her.
"Miss, please save my child! We haven't eaten for days..."
"Miss, please have mercy..."
The woman's outstretched hand was withered and dry, with some bluish-purple bruises, as thin and frightening as her body.
The child she was holding was still crying loudly, his soft little hands patting her chest.
Jiang Yunshu took some pastries from the carriage and gave them to the woman.
The woman's sallow face was filled with gratitude. She choked up as she bowed to thank her, and everyone around her swarmed around her.
The carriage, which was already struggling to move, was now completely surrounded.
Qing Shuang reprimanded her sternly, and she gave Qing Shuang all the last pastries in the car.
Qing Shuang glanced at her and then waved her away.
Those people crowded and pushed their way through, making way for them so they could quickly leave.
When she arrived at the Jiang residence, she found that the front door was tightly closed.
The servants outside each held a long stick and stood on either side of the door like Guan Yu.
Upon seeing her, he hurriedly spoke to her, appearing quite anxious.
"Miss, please go inside quickly. It's not safe outside because it's full of refugees."
The door was closed as soon as she and Qing Shuang stepped inside.
"Miss, you're finally back! Master and Madam were so worried!"
Qingdai led her to Fengling Pavilion. Her parents, who had been frowning with worry, breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing her return.
"You silly child, you're always running off outside. What if something happens to you!"
Ruan Qingshang rebuked her in a low voice.
Jiang Jinhong also glanced at her, his eyes filled with anger, but then he turned to pull his wife away, saying, "She's used to being wild, and besides, we don't know what happened before. Madam, please don't be angry anymore, have some tea."
After saying that, he poured Ruan Qingshang a cup of tea. Ruan Qingshang glared at him, took the teacup, and didn't scold him anymore, but her eyes still showed anger.
"What exactly is going on outside?"
She asked softly.
Jiang Jinhong sighed deeply and said slowly, "It rained continuously for several days in Nanhua. When the Bingjiang River rose, it flooded Nanhua County."
"They arrived in You County a few days ago, and these people should have come from You County."
She asked in bewilderment, "Why isn't the government opening the granaries to distribute grain? Why isn't the magistrate of Nanhua County reporting this to the imperial court?"
Jiang Jinhong gave her a deep look, and Ruan Qingshang sighed and shook her head.
The new policies in Jiangzhou attracted the attention of two princes, while the entire city of Nanhua County, less than fifty kilometers away, was flooded but no one cared.
She wanted to say something more, but quickly realized what she was doing.
The current Holy Mountain is a true immortal of elixirs. He reveres the Qin Emperor and thus fully realizes the Qin Emperor's legacy.
Since he ascended the throne, he has summoned Taoist elders from all over the country to make elixirs for him, intending to protect the Mo clan's territory.
National affairs and military matters are not as important as a small elixir.
Not to mention that the emperor only attended court once every two weeks. All memorials were first submitted to the three ministries, who then reviewed them and divided them into three categories before presenting them to the emperor.
She couldn't bear to think of the people she had seen before.
"Father..."
Jiang Jinhong shook his head: "Let's wait for the official documents to come down before we talk about it. It's better to do less right now."
She remained silent and said nothing more.
After a moment of silence, Ruan Qingshang suddenly exclaimed, "Oh dear, Jingchu hasn't come back yet!"
"Could he be trapped outside? He only has Su Ye, who doesn't know martial arts..."
Jiang Yunshu's heart skipped a beat; could it be that she had been captured by the Third Prince?
She was so troubled lately that she forgot to remind Ling Jingchu to be careful of the Third Prince.
"You guys go out and find Young Master Jingchu, and make sure you bring him back safely."
Ruan Qingshang selected a few people who knew martial arts to go out.
Before they had gone far, they heard a commotion at the door.
"Uncle Jiang and Aunt Ruan, don't worry, my cousin and I are back."
Baili Chuan took a flute from somewhere, twirled it in his hand twice, and then put it behind his back.
"I'm sorry to have worried Uncle Jiang and Aunt Ruan. My cousin and I only just heard that there were refugees outside and rushed back."
Jiang Jinhong said in a deep voice, "It's good that you're back."
"Some people in You County have already contracted the disease, and we don't know if it's an epidemic brought about by the flood..."
Jiang Yunshu was stunned for a moment, and Ruan Qingshang hurriedly called the group back into the house, telling them to quickly wash up.
Then they burned mugwort and some incense in the courtyard.
The entire Jiang residence was filled with this strong aroma.
The crackling sound of the fire filled Jiang Yunshu with a strange sadness.
"Qing Shuang..."
The words were on the tip of her tongue, but she didn't know what to say.
"Miss, Ayao keeps crying and refuses to drink her medicine. I really don't know what to do..."
She turned her gaze and saw Ayao crying in Manman's arms, her face covered in tears, her eyes wet, shaking her head incessantly.
"Give it to me."
Before she could speak, a deep, steady male voice came from behind her.
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