Chapter 19 (Revised)
After the banquet ended and they left Prince Yu's Mansion, Chu Miaomiao collapsed. She leaned weakly against the carriage wall, her eyes red and swollen, her gaze empty.
Too tired.
The only reason she was able to escape today was because of her clever way of deflecting conflict and the fact that the Crown Prince had done a good job of cleaning up the mess for her. Otherwise, she would have been hard-pressed to handle it. Being a dandy in Pingzhou was completely different from being a dandy in the capital. After all, no one in Pingzhou dared to hold her captive.
The prince was right that day. We should act more cautiously in the capital.
"I will never hang out with that group of playboys again. It's too dangerous." Chu Miaomiao murmured.
Chu He was very happy to hear this: "Really? The princess and the prince would definitely be very happy if they knew."
Chu Miaomiao turned her head away silently. She didn't care whether she was happy or not.
The wheels rolled over the cobblestone road, and the carriage drove towards the palace, shaking gently and making a "creaking" sound. Chu Miaomiao felt her eyelids getting heavier, so she simply closed her eyes and took a nap in this space that belonged only to her.
It would be better to clarify today's matter so that she wouldn't have to worry about her brother getting wind of it. If she were to deny it now, it would just be a rumor, and even if her brother heard about it, he wouldn't be too angry. Given that, there was no need for her to stay in the palace for long. She should speed up the renovations on the manor and move out soon.
Just when Chu Miaomiao decided to devote all her energy to the renovation of the manor, the saint suddenly appointed her to be a companion in the Eastern Palace.
The words of the sage must not be disobeyed.
It seems that she is destined to break her oath and become a puppy.
Chu Miaomiao was dejected, but Chu Canglang was relieved. Reading enlightens one, and he believed all of Chu Miaomiao's unconventional behavior was due to her lack of interest in reading. If he could just let her pick up her books again, she would naturally recognize her mistakes and correct them.
The court held a small court meeting every three days and a large court meeting every five days. The Crown Prince could not miss them, so Chu Miaomiao, as his study companion, could sleep in a little longer. However, on days other than court meetings, Chu Miaomiao had to be seated in the East Palace study room at the latest at 11:00 AM, ready to begin her morning studies.
The nightmare of studying hard once again came upon her.
That day, Chu Miaomiao walked into the study with heavy steps. Unexpectedly, besides the Crown Prince, there was also a young man. When she entered, the two were talking. The young man clasped his hands and greeted her lightly, "This must be Princess Pingyang, right? I'm Jiang Weiqiu, and I'm honored to meet you."
Chu Miaomiao also hurriedly returned the greeting: "Mr. Jiang is polite." She looked at Wei Zhen expectantly, "Is this the new study partner? Can I leave now?"
"Hahahaha..." Jiang Weiqiu laughed heartily at Chu Miaomiao's words, "Your Highness is right, Princess Pingyang is indeed a very interesting person, hahahaha."
"Ah, my mind isn't very clear right now, so I can't tell whether Mr. Jiang is praising me or criticizing me. I'll just take it as praise."
Jiang Weiqiu laughed even harder.
Wei Zhen didn't stop him. He smiled and explained to Chu Miaomiao, "Jiang Weiqiu was my former study partner. He left the capital last year and traveled abroad for a year before returning three days ago. Today, he officially entered the palace as the Crown Prince's study partner."
Chu Miaomiao nodded blankly: "Then I can leave now that he's back." Although she didn't plan to be a playboy anymore, studying was too hard and she could hardly bear it anymore.
Chu Miaomiao's excessive obsession with not studying made Wei Zhen feel helpless.
"No." Wei Zhen declined. "Your admission to the Eastern Palace as a study companion was ordered by the Sage himself. If you wish to leave, go and ask for permission yourself."
"Oh, then do you think crying, making a fuss, and then hanging yourself will be useful to a saint?"
Jiang Weiqiu was already laughing so hard that he couldn't straighten his back. Wei Zhen also laughed at Chu Miaomiao's nonsense: "Then you should think of another way."
Life is not easy, I sigh.
The three chatted for a while, then after the Grand Tutor arrived, they all took their seats and began their morning study session. Chu Miaomiao tried her best to stay awake, but she still fell asleep repeatedly during the discussion, which annoyed the Grand Tutor so much that he only left her with homework.
"Write an essay based on Jia Yi's 'When benevolence and righteousness are not practiced, the forces of attack and defense are different.' If you can't turn it in tomorrow morning, copy the "Guo Qin Lun" fifty times!"
Chu Miaomiao had a sad face, and Jiang Weiqiu said jokingly, "Don't worry, Princess. How about we make a deal?"
"What's the meaning?"
"As for me, I'm here to help you finish this article. You can just consider it as a favor to me and promise me one thing."
Wei Zhen raised an eyebrow, and Chu Miaomiao frowned: "What's the matter?"
"I haven't thought about that yet."
"Forget it." Chu Miaomiao put away her bookcase. "If you ask me to kill or set fire to something, I'll be the one being taken advantage of. Besides, writing is difficult, but it's not so difficult that I need someone to write it for me. What if you write it too well and I'm exposed too quickly? I'll be the one who suffers. I'd better write it myself. Thank you, Mr. Jiang, for your kindness."
Chu Miaomiao tilted her head slightly towards the two of them as a greeting and said, "Goodbye."
Watching Chu Miaomiao leave, Wei Zhen's face showed relief, even a hint of pride. He opened his palm to Jiang Weiqiu and said, "I accept the loss."
Jiang Weiqiu pushed Wei Zhen's hand back: "How long have you known Princess Pingyang? How long have I known her? Your Highness's victory is not very glorious."
"You are cheating." Wei Zhen was speechless.
Just now, while Chu Miaomiao wasn't paying attention, the two of them made a bet on whether she would have someone else write her essay. Wei Zhen confidently chose "no," which surprised Jiang Weiqiu. Seeing Chu Miaomiao's dislike for studying, he felt he had a sure win on the five taels of silver. But unexpectedly, the slap in the face came too quickly.
"Don't you like reading? Isn't you a playboy?" Jiang Wei Qiu wondered.
Wei Zhen smiled faintly, "She keeps saying she doesn't want to study, but she never fails to do the homework assigned by the Grand Tutor. Prince Chu said she stayed up all night reciting the lessons during the first few days. He was afraid she wouldn't be able to memorize them, so he asked me to find her mistakes and be mean to her. She's a strong-willed person, so naturally she wouldn't let anyone else write for her."
"So this bet was invalid from the beginning. Forget about the five taels of silver. I don't have much monthly salary."
Wei Zhen laughed helplessly: "How come you've learned some rogue skills after spending a year out there?"
"Your Highness is wrong. I relied on the rogue skills I learned to bring back a gift for Your Highness." Jiang Wei Qiu said as he took out a stack of papers from the bookcase and handed it to Wei Zhen.
"The above is what I saw and heard in Prince Su's fiefdom this year." Jiang Weiqiu took out a copper coin from his pouch, "and the evidence I collected."
Wei Zhen took the coin, weighed it in his hand, and found that the weight was different.
"It's privately minted coins."
Jiang Weiqiu nodded. "You were right to let Xu Zizheng and I split up and follow Prince Su and Prince Huai to their fiefdoms. Neither of them has ever given up the throne."
After Prince Su and Prince Huai left the capital, Wei Zhen had his two study companions, Jiang Weiqiu and Xu Zizheng, secretly follow them to collect intelligence for the sake of safety. This was to prevent them from doing something behind their backs, and also to catch their mistakes and wait for the right opportunity to deliver a fatal blow.
"By the way, do you have any dealings with Ye County?"
Wei Zhen was born in Ye County, and after being chosen as the heir to the palace, he almost lost contact with his hometown. After he was appointed crown prince, Ye County was designated as one of his fiefdoms, but all further contact was lost.
For Wei Zhen, no news was the best news, indicating that his former family members were all doing well. Jiang Weiqiu mentioned this issue now, which must have been because he had discovered something.
"What's going on?"
"Before I set off for the capital, I discovered that Prince Su had a lot of contact with Ye County. Time was tight, so I didn't go with him. I sent people to Ye County to gather information. To be on the safe side, we should send some people to Ye County."
Thinking of his family in Ye County, Wei Zhen looked solemn and agreed with Jiang Weiqiu's words.
Jiang Weiqiu stretched lazily and said, "Next, we just have to wait for Xu Zizheng to return to the capital and see what news he can bring back."
Wei Zhen put the things away and said, "I have something else for you to do."
"At your service."
"You know I hate people who are too talkative and can't learn to shut up." Wei Zhen casually wrote down a few names and handed them to Jiang Weiqiu. "If you can't use your tongue, there's no need to keep it. Remember to be clean with your hands and feet."
Wei Zhen's tone was calm, but what he said was chilling.
Jiang Weiqiu looked at the name "Jiang Qiyue" on the list and bared his teeth: "How did Qiyue offend you? Please spare my cousin for my sake."
"Just this once. Just make sure she learns to use her tongue properly."
*
After the Lunar New Year, the weather gradually warms up, the snow slowly fades, revealing the withered grass with a hint of green. The branches sprout new buds, waiting for the arrival of warm spring.
At this time, the snow on the mountain had not completely melted, and a team of carriages and horses were bumping along the muddy road.
The mountain road was difficult to navigate, and the people in the carriage were shaken to the point of discomfort. Then, a childish boy pushed open the window, revealing half of his body, and began to retch. A woman's voice came from inside the carriage: "Stop, stop!"
The first carriage stopped, and the young man quickly rushed out of the carriage, holding onto a large tree by the roadside and vomiting continuously. A middle-aged woman dressed in rich clothes also followed and rubbed the boy's back, her face full of heartache.
Soon after, a middle-aged man who was also dressed in rich clothes got off the carriage, holding his stomach and looking very uncomfortable.
The convoy stopped, and another young man who looked like a wealthy young man got off the carriage and walked towards the family of three.
"County Lord." The young man said with a flattering smile, "Why did you suddenly stop?"
The middle-aged man, addressed as "County Lord," waved his hand wearily, pointing at his son who was taking deep breaths. "This carriage is so bumpy and uncomfortable. Let's take a break."
The young man, who had slowly recovered, complained, "How long will it take us to reach the capital?"
The young man still had a smile on his face, and he soothed the boy's anxiety with a gentle tone: "After passing this last section of the mountain road, we will arrive in a few days. The road from Ye County to the capital is not easy to travel, so please be patient."
The young man became even more impatient after hearing this and shouted at his parents, "I said I wouldn't come, but you're forcing me to go to the capital with you. You miss your brother, so can't you go by yourselves?"
When the woman heard this, her expression turned fierce and she slapped the boy hard on the back.
"Mom! What are you doing?"
"If we hadn't brought you along, who knows what those two seductive sisters at home would have led you to do." The woman grew increasingly angry as she spoke, pinching and twisting the boy's body. "Instead of studying hard, you spend all day fooling around with those seductive women. You're the most troublesome of our brothers and sisters!"
Ignoring the mother and son's quarrel, the young man said to the host, "The climate in the mountains is unpredictable and it is not advisable to stay for long. Please get in the carriage, my lord."
The middle-aged man nodded, stopped the quarrel between the mother and son, and drove them into the car.
The carriage and horses slowly moved along the mountain road towards the capital.
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