Chapter 23 (Revised)
Victoria.
Tall ships gathered at the offshore dock, with many boatmen carrying sacks going in and out. A group of strong men with broad swords and sharp blades on their waists guarded the dock, looking alert and vigilant to their surroundings.
In the distance, Wei Yan, dressed as an ordinary man in the martial arts world, handed the clairvoyance in his hand to Cheng Zi beside him.
"No wonder Victoria has been plagued by pirates these past two years. It turns out Cai Shan is behind this."
Cheng Zi saw from his clairvoyance that the chief secretary of the Weizhou Jiedushi's tent got off the boat, and a man next to him who looked like the pirate leader watched him leave respectfully.
"They keep a bunch of pirates, harass the people along the coast and plunder them, then use the excuse of suppressing the pirates to ask the court for more money to make more money." Wei Yan sneered, "What a good accountant."
Cheng Zi said, "I want to get in."
Since arriving in Weizhou, Wei Yu and Cheng Zi had made no progress. They had hoped to infiltrate the Jiedushi's camp, but found it heavily guarded, making infiltration nearly impossible.
They waited in the Jiedushi camp for many days before following the chief secretary to the pirates' stronghold and found a breakthrough.
"Cai Shan is cautious and would not leave any evidence that is unfavorable to him. But pirates are different. This kind of business is too risky. Once Cai Shan turns against him, he will definitely die. I think he may have a backup plan." Cheng Zi explained.
Wei Yan nodded: "Okay, how do we do it?"
Cheng Zi crossed his arms, pondered for a while, then looked up at Wei Yan: "Does your title of Princess Yukang have much influence among the local officials?"
As if understanding what Cheng Zi meant, Wei Yan raised the corner of his lips slightly and said, "We can give it a try."
"But if the government also sides with Cai Shan, wouldn't we be in danger?" Cheng Zi thought about it and felt that this method was a bit risky.
"It doesn't matter. If they dare to kill me, they will be handing the handle to the Saint." Wei Yan took the Clairvoyance and put it in his arms. "Besides, it's you who wants to infiltrate the pirates, not me."
This made Cheng Zi a little confused: "I sneaked in, what about you?"
"I'm in the light and you're in the dark, so it's relatively safer."
Cheng Zi nodded in agreement.
Afterwards, the two of them left the place and returned to the inn to rest for a while. Not long after, Princess Yukang, wearing an embroidered robe and silk skirt, boarded a spacious and luxurious carriage and drove through the crowd towards the provincial government office.
*
Just two days after Wei Zhen was confined by the emperor, a memorial impeaching the Imperial College's chief academic officer for dereliction of duty arrived before the emperor. The Ministry of Personnel and the Supreme Court quickly investigated the matter, convicting the chief academic officer and lifting Wei Zhen's confinement.
When the guards outside the Eastern Palace withdrew, the prince's two tutors, Jiang Wei Qiu and Xu Zi, hurried into the Eastern Palace at the first opportunity.
Wei Zhen had just finished getting dressed when he saw the two tutors hurrying in. He was slightly surprised: "Why are you here in such a hurry? What happened?"
"Two things."
Faced with such a major event, Jiang Weiqiu put aside his playful nature. "First, the Duke of Ye and his wife and the young master have arrived in the capital. Second, the Sage has instructed Prince Su to investigate the matter in Ye."
Wei Zhen lowered his eyes, making it impossible to see his expression.
After a while, Jiang Weiqiu and Xu Zizheng heard Wei Zhen ask, "Does the Saint know that the Duke of Ye has entered the capital?"
Xu Zizheng said, "The Duke of the County has sent a letter to the palace requesting permission to enter and pay respects to the Sage. The Sage has been informed. However, no news has yet arrived. The Sage has neither granted permission nor imprisoned them. He has simply ignored them for the time being."
Wei Zhen raised his eyes and looked at Jiang Weiqiu: "Go meet them quietly and ask them to stay quiet for a while and not cause trouble."
Then he looked at Xu Zizheng and said, "Keep a close eye on Prince Su and report any movement immediately."
When the two tutors received their tasks and were about to leave, Jiang Weiqiu suddenly stopped and turned to look at Wei Zhen: "By the way, my sister heard that the Queen Mother wants the eldest daughter of the Duke of Ying to be the Crown Princess."
Wei Zhen's eyes widened slightly, and then his brows furrowed, a rare look of annoyance appearing on his cold and handsome face.
*
"Congratulations to Sister Wanwan then."
On this day, when Chu Miaomiao, Jiang Yingyue and others were having a small gathering at the Marquis of Wu'an's Mansion, they also heard from Shi Yuanyuan that the Queen Mother preferred her sister Shi Wanwan to be the Crown Princess.
"It's just that the Queen Mother is interested, but the matter hasn't been finalized yet, so keep a low profile."
Shi Yuanyuan waved her hands repeatedly. Although she told her friends to keep a low profile, she couldn't hide the smile on her face.
Jiang Yingyue, having been too quick to tell her second brother about this, felt a little guilty and subconsciously pursed her lips. Her gaze unconsciously fell on Chu Miaomiao, who was playing chess with Liang Yu nearby, and she saw that she looked normal.
Is it really that the man has feelings but the woman has no feelings?
"Besides, the Queen Mother's favorite candidate is not just my eldest sister. I heard that the Queen Mother has another favorite candidate—"
Shi Yuanyuan reached out and poked Jiang Yingyue's forehead, saying coquettishly, "It's the fifth young lady of the Jiang family, who is praised by everyone~"
Jiang Yingyue covered her forehead and smiled embarrassedly, revealing two small dimples.
"If it weren't for Yang Sanlang, the son of the Minister of Personnel, who had both foresight and quick action," Jiang Huan said while cracking melon seeds, "Xiao Jiang might have truly become the Crown Princess."
Jiang Yingyue blushed even more shyly and pretended to be angry: "Ah Huan, if you say anything nonsense again, I will tell your mother that you secretly ate sunflower seeds again."
Jiang Huan raised her eyebrows. It was obvious that Jiang Yingyue's words did not have much deterrent effect on her. Instead, they aroused her rebelliousness: "Then go ahead. I'm not afraid." As she spoke, she deliberately shook her body, looking extremely arrogant.
Jiang Yingyue pretended to grab the melon seeds from Jiang Huan's hand. Several little sisters laughed and made a noise, and even Liang Yu, who was playing chess with Chu Miaomiao, joined in.
Chu Miaomiao put down the chess piece in her hand and looked at them quietly.
Although she was smiling, a hint of loneliness could not help but appear in her eyes.
It’s great that the candidate for the Crown Princess has been decided.
During her time in the capital, she gradually got to know these noble families.
The Duke of Ying's House was a formidable force. Despite his advanced age, the Duke retained considerable prestige within the military. The eldest daughter of the Duke of Ying's House was not only of equal status to the Crown Prince, but the Duke of Ying's support would also be a significant asset to the Crown Prince at court. This was a marriage that was a sure win.
As for Shi Wanwan herself, she had met her once or twice. She was a beautiful, dignified lady from a prominent family. She spoke in a gentle and graceful manner, truly living up to her name.
Chu Miaomiao imagined the scene of Shi Wanwan and Wei Zhen standing together in her mind, nodded secretly, and truly felt that they were a perfect match.
The prince is a good man and he deserves a better person by his side.
As for her, how could she dare to drag the prince into that swampy mire when her future was still unknown? Now, knowing that there was someone in this world besides her eldest brother who had cared about her, she should be satisfied.
*
Following Wei Zhen's instructions, Jiang Wei Qiu quickly found the inn where the Duke of Ye and his family were staying, and tactfully conveyed Wei Zhen's intention to the Duke of Ye.
After listening to Jiang Weiqiu's words, the Duke of Ye's face darkened: "What does that rebellious son mean? Does he think we, his biological parents, are a burden?"
Jiang Weiqiu frowned slightly, feeling unhappy. The Crown Prince had been adopted by the Sage, and according to the royal lineage, he no longer had any connection to Ye County. But where did the Duke of Ye County put the Crown Prince, and the Sage, with this statement?
But remembering that they were the prince's biological parents, Jiang Weiqiu suppressed his displeasure and maintained a polite smile. "The Duke has misunderstood Your Highness. Your Highness is worried about your health after the Duke's family's long journey, so he wants you to rest for a while."
"Then there's no need to detain me too." Wei Xuan shouted impatiently, "We finally made it to the capital, but you leave us to stay in the inn. Big brother is so boring!"
Jiang Weiqiu took a deep breath, his smile deepened, and he looked at Wei Xuan and said, "Don't worry, young master. If you want to travel around the capital, I can invite someone to accompany you."
But Wei Xuan didn't show any joy at all. Instead, he complained, "That's not necessary. You are Big Brother's man, and if you send someone to accompany me, isn't that the same as Big Brother sending someone to monitor me? I don't want it."
Jiang Wei Qiu sneered in his heart, thinking that his brain was working quite quickly at this moment.
Having conveyed the message, Jiang Wei Qiu didn't want to say any more to this family. He dealt with the complaints and dissatisfaction of the Duke of Ye and his wife briefly before saying goodbye and leaving.
When he walked out of the inn, the carriage carrying Jiang Yingyue back home happened to pass by.
“Second brother!”
The carriage stopped, Jiang Yingyue lifted the curtain to reveal her face, and greeted Jiang Weiqiu with a smile.
"I'm just about to go home. Do you have something to do or would you like to go with me?"
Facing his sister's sweet smile, Jiang Weiqiu's previous unhappiness disappeared. He smiled and said, "I want to go back too," and got in the car. The brother and sister returned home together.
This scene happened to fall into Wei Yan's eyes.
Wei Yu was furious that his elder brother had inexplicably restricted their freedom and was trying to keep them in this inn. However, he didn't dare to act rashly towards his elder brother, who was already the crown prince, so he had to vent his anger on Jiang Weiqiu.
He had just opened the window of his room to throw something at Jiang Weiqiu downstairs to vent his anger, but he saw the girl talking to Jiang Weiqiu. After just a brief glance, Wei Xuan was stunned.
The girl had a beautiful face and dimples on both sides of her face when she smiled, which reminded him of sweet honey and made his heart beat faster.
He had never seen such a beautiful and lovely girl in Ye County.
The young man who had brought the Duke of Ye's family to the capital and had not been seen since Jiang Weiqiu came came to Wei Xuan's side. Following his absent-minded gaze, he saw the Jiang family's carriage driving on the street and smiled.
"Young Master, are you curious about who the woman in the car is?"
Wei Xuan nodded blankly, then came to his senses and asked unhappily, "You know?"
"That woman is Jiang Weiqiu's half-sister and the only daughter of Zhongshu Ling Jiang Hongdao."
The young man's smile flashed with calculation: "Young Master, are you interested in her?"
Speaking of this, Wei Xuan didn't show any shyness that comes from a young man whose heart is being spoken. Instead, he nodded nonchalantly: "Yes, she is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen in my life."
"Does the young master want her?" the young man's voice was full of temptation. "With her, he'd have the support of the Minister of the Central Secretariat. With such a powerful Yue family and the influence of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, not to mention the officials in Ye County, even the noble families and nobles in the capital would have to show some respect to the young master."
Wei Xuan raised his eyebrows and seemed to be excited.
The young man added fuel to the fire: "At that time, the young master was able to call the shots in the capital. Wasn't it wonderful?"
"Mr. Pan is right." Wei Xuan said confidently, "When we can leave this inn, we will go and propose marriage."
The young man chuckled, "Young Master is truly well-behaved. He doesn't go out unless the Crown Prince tells him to. Could it be that the Crown Prince, deep in the palace, can keep an eye on us twelve hours a day?"
Wei Xuan smacked his lips when he heard this, thinking that this seemed to be the case. Big Brother was in the palace, so he certainly wouldn't have the time to keep an eye on them. He had legs on his body, so why should he just obey Big Brother's words?
"If the young master is interested in the young lady from the Jiang family, I can help."
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