Chapter 397: Far Away Yet Close at Hand
"Early tomorrow morning."
Zhuang Shihan asked in surprise, "So fast?"
She had originally wanted to take advantage of these few days to get Xu Xiao to do some more things, but she never expected that Prince Jin would be so anxious to return to Beijing.
He had just escaped from Liang territory with great difficulty. Why shouldn't he rest in the border town for three to five days before considering setting off back to Beijing?
Are you in such a hurry? Are you rushing back to be reincarnated?
Zhuang Shihan was full of resentment and her face inevitably looked unhappy.
Facing Mo Jinchuan's inquiring gaze, she asked directly, "Your Highness is so anxious to return to the capital, but what has happened in the capital?"
“No.”
"Then why is your Majesty so anxious?"
After she said that, Zhuang Shihan realized she had lost her composure and coughed lightly, saying, "Your Highness hasn't been back to the border town for a long time. It's a rare occasion for you to come back, and you didn't even bother to stay a little longer and sit down for a drink with old friends.
The journey is long and the mountains are high. After this farewell, I don’t know when we will meet again.”
It was rare to hear her speak sensibly, so Cheng Duan smacked his lips and agreed, "The prince was assassinated right after arriving at the border town. He went off to kill the enemy before his wounds had healed. The days he actually spent in the city can be counted on one hand.
Even so, he spent most of the time lying in bed seriously injured and unconscious, not even having time to say a word to the people below him."
They were all military generals who had to keep their heads on the line all year round. He knew very well that these people lived for a lifetime and that the less they saw each other, the less likely they would be to see each other.
Once the prince returns to the capital this time, unless the border town is once again facing a life-or-death crisis, he will probably never be able to revisit his hometown in his lifetime.
Neither Emperor Xuande nor the next emperor would allow a person who has won the hearts of the people to return to his territory.
Xu Xiao frowned and said thoughtfully, "There's no need for us to say anything more. The prince will make his own arrangements for when to depart."
Zhuang Shihan glared at him fiercely and sneered, "General Xu is used to saying things that don't offend anyone.
It’s just that balancing the two is a science. If you can do it in a balanced way, then that’s good, but if you don’t, then you’ll end up with nothing.”
Hearing this, Xu Xiao's face darkened and he said, "I am already old, and I have my own standards for how to act. I don't need Princess Shihan's instructions."
Zhuang Shihan's face darkened even further. She gritted her teeth and said, "General Xu, you're too kind. You're the elder. Why would you need to give me instructions?"
Although she was smiling, she had already cursed all of Xu Xiao's ancestors in her heart.
This old-fashioned man named Xu spoke without giving her any face. Did he really think that she didn't dare to make public the good things he had done?
Given Mo Jinchuan's ruthless and impartial style, once he finds out, he will never forgive him because of their past friendship.
Not only that, he will also be severely punished because he is a border town commander who knowingly committed the crime!
By then, she would like to see if Xu can still be so stubborn.
Zhuang Shihan's eyes flickered slightly as she said, "I have something important to tell Your Highness privately. Please ask Your Highness to dismiss everyone."
Hearing this, Lin Tingfeng's heart sank. He lowered his voice and scolded, "Shihan, don't speak nonsense in front of the prince. This matter has not yet been determined. We can discuss other matters later."
Comparing the two, she should know which is more important.
Even if you are annoyed with him, you shouldn't be angry at this time and deliberately confront him.
If it were Song, she would definitely not be confused about matters concerning family and country.
As soon as the thought flashed through his mind, Lin Tingfeng suddenly broke out in a cold sweat on his back.
He was really confused. He actually compared Song and Shihan. How could two people with completely different temperaments be compared?
If Shihan knew what he was thinking at the moment, she would definitely not agree. She would definitely throw a tantrum and have a big fight with him, forcing him to swear to heaven that he would only love her in this life.
If it was the Song family...
She was so angry and hated him that if she knew what he was thinking, she would probably spit at him with a cold face.
I even called him "shameless".
Catching a flash of guilt in his eyes, Zhuang Shihan followed Lin Tingfeng's gaze and couldn't help but curl up a sarcastic smile at the corner of her mouth.
This man is a mean person by nature, always wanting to have more money than he can eat.
He didn't even bother to think about it. How could he, a mere third-rank general who had surrendered his military token and had no real power, compare with the King Jin, who was of noble status and held military power second only to the emperor?
Not to mention Song Yanxi, any other woman would choose Prince Jin without hesitation when faced with the same choice.
Even she is the same.
If anyone is to blame, it's only because he is inferior to others in every way, yet still has the unrealistic idea of wanting to have his cake and eat it too.
He didn't even think about it. Even if there was such a good thing in the world, how could it be his turn?
Zhuang Shihan rolled her eyes, glanced at Xu Xiao who was sitting there, and snorted coldly, "What I want to talk about involves the suspicion of collaborating with the enemy among important officials in the court. Its importance is far beyond the reach of other trivial matters."
She thought of something and couldn't help but sneer, saying with a hint of meaning, "Perhaps what happened today was because I knew a secret that I shouldn't have known and threatened that person, which is why I was framed and suffered this unprovoked disaster."
Xu Xiao flicked his sleeves and said with a gloomy expression, "The man died in this mansion, and the medicine was also searched out from the courtyard of this mansion. Princess Shihan, why don't you just tell me your name?
"The prince hates people who beat around the bush and have deep, cunning minds the most."
Although she didn't see any nervousness or fear on his face, Zhuang Shihan already felt frustrated. When she heard his arrogant words, she burst into laughter.
She asked, "General Xu, aren't you curious about the name of this important official who is suspected of collaborating with the enemy?"
Xu Xiao's expression remained calm, and he even had the energy to ask her back, "If I'm curious, would Princess Shihan be willing to explain?"
Of course she didn't want to.
She had finally gotten such a big handle on him. If she couldn't use it for her own benefit, she would be so angry that she wouldn't be able to sleep in the middle of the night.
But if she just let it go like this, she really couldn't swallow this.
Zhuang Shihan stared at Xu Xiao's face for a long moment, then suddenly smiled. "What a coincidence! The man I'm talking about is not only known to the prince, but also has a close relationship with General Xu."
Mo Jinchuan joined the army at the age of sixteen. Out of the 365 days a year, he spends at least 350 days in the border town, and the remaining ten days are spent on the way to and from the capital.
With those court officials, I am just an acquaintance. If I change clothes or go to a different place, I am afraid I won’t even be familiar with them.
Not to mention Xu Xiao. Ever since he broke off ties with the Xu family because Shen Qingyun refused to get married, he has never had any contact with anyone except for a few days when he was summoned to Beijing to report on his position.
Even if colleagues occasionally found the post station, they would mostly avoid them.
It is really hard to imagine that these two people could have any other common acquaintances and deep connections with each other besides the soldiers in the border town.
If we have to name one, Qiu Zongping is one of them.
Song Yanxi's cold gaze couldn't help but fall on Cheng Duan.
After the Battle of Beifengpo, Uncle Xu was transferred to southern Xinjiang, where he worked with General Cheng, who was still in the process of training, and they became close friends for a time.
Noticing her gaze, Cheng Duan's heart immediately went on the alert. He hurriedly said, "I hate traitors the most in my life. If Princess Shihan really knows anything, please tell me immediately. I will kill this person with my own hands and hang his head on the city gate to be exposed to the sun for three days!"
Zhuang Shihan glanced at Xu Xiao and said quietly, "The person General Cheng is looking for is both far away and right before our eyes."
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