Chapter 44
Since the New Year, Pingzhou City has been shrouded in an indescribable atmosphere of anxiety.
The governor of Pingzhou, on the grounds that Pingzhou's military strength was insufficient, recruited men over the age of eighteen into the army within Pingzhou.
Although it was mainly based on personal consent, all men who had reached the age limit would be taken away by the state government.
Rich families like Jinji could pay a small fee to exchange their people, while those without money had no choice but to stay in the Pingzhou Army as a small soldier. Of course, there were also unemployed vagrants who joined the Pingzhou Army, partly to make a living, and partly to see if they could make a little money.
Barely after the Lunar New Year, they were already rushing to replenish their forces. Even the most clueless of civilians could sense something was amiss. When people realized their place was unstable, some were quick to consider leaving. The Jin family was one of them.
However, as a major merchant family in Pingzhou, the Jin family couldn't afford to make a grand move. After spending an entire afternoon discussing the matter, the Jin family decided to let the youngest, Jin Ji, leave. If Pingzhou remained peaceful, they would let Jin Ji venture out on his own to explore the world. If trouble arose, Jin Ji's absence would ensure the survival of the Jin family.
As soon as the matter was agreed upon, Jin Ji hurriedly packed up his luggage, took his servant with him, and left Pingzhou on horseback.
By the time word of Jin Ji's departure spread, it was two days later. Hearing that the youngest son of the Jin family had left Pingzhou, other merchants with significant assets were also eager to move. But before they could act, the prefecture government issued another ban, forbidding anyone from leaving Pingzhou at will.
Now in Pingzhou City, you can only enter but not leave.
Nameless panic spread wildly in the city.
In the study of the Prince of Chu's mansion, the Prince of Chu was reading a letter and smiled with satisfaction after reading it.
"Father." Chu Xinxiu beside him also became excited. "What did the Jiedushi of Xiangzhou say?"
The King of Chu handed him the letter and said, "My persuasion for so long has paid off. The old man has finally agreed to cooperate with us."
Chu Xinxiu quickly glanced through the letter, his smile unconcealed with joy. "Great! We've already prepared the troops, the money, the food, and the weapons. If we work together, and Yuan Zhen cooperates, Pingzhou and Xiangzhou will be ours. This way, we can use Pingzhou and Xiangzhou as our base and gradually advance towards the capital."
"In this world, his Wei family sits on the throne, so naturally our Chu family sits on the throne as well."
The King of Chu and his son were filled with confidence about the future, and they were having a lively discussion in their study. They had endless things to discuss, such as what name to use for the uprising, how to arrange the marching route, who would be the general, and who the court would send to lead the resistance.
In the main room in the backyard of the Prince of Chu's mansion, the Princess of Chu sat by the window. The gentle sunlight poured onto the ebony table, and even the letter paper placed on it exuded warmth.
Lianyue, the maidservant who served the Princess of Chu, walked into the room holding a white jade vase containing two or three magnolias and placed it on the high-legged table.
Princess Chu looked up at Yulan, a kind smile appearing on her face.
"This is the magnolia in the prince's courtyard, right?"
Lian Yue smiled and replied, "Exactly. Of all the magnolias in the palace, the one in the Crown Prince's Courtyard is the most beautiful."
Princess Chu's eyes were filled with tenderness: "The prince loves magnolia the most. The magnolia tree in his courtyard was planted by him personally, so it is naturally better than those in other places."
"The princess is thinking about the prince."
Princess Chu lowered her head again and looked at the letter in front of her: "Has the prince's letter arrived today?"
Lian Yue looked embarrassed and replied, "I just asked, but there's no news. I'll ask again this afternoon."
"This child," Princess Chu said with some disappointment, "the last letter he received was half a month ago. I don't know how his health is now. Did Miaomiao do something to give him a headache again?"
Thinking of Chu Miaomiao, Princess Chu sighed heavily: "Miaomiao is the same. I haven't seen a single letter from her since she left Pingzhou."
"But the prince always mentions the princess's condition in every letter he writes," Lianyue said comfortingly. "From what he said, the princess seems to have calmed down a lot in the capital and isn't as naughty as she was in Pingzhou."
"The capital is full of dignitaries, so she naturally has to restrain herself, otherwise she will cause a lot of trouble to the prince." The princess resealed the letter that she had read many times and handed it to Lianyue for her to keep.
At this time, a maid serving at the door stood outside and said respectfully: "Princess, the letter from the prince has been delivered."
Princess Chu and Lianyue were both delighted. Lianyue asked her maid to bring the letter in and pass it to Princess Chu. Princess Chu couldn't wait to unfold the letter and read it quickly.
Soon, the Princess of Chu, who had been sitting, suddenly stood up, her face filled with uncontrollable surprise. Although Lian Yue didn't know what was in the letter, judging from the Princess's reaction, it must be very good news.
"That's great, that's great..." Princess Chu's hand trembled uncontrollably as she held the letter, tears welling in her eyes. "That's great..."
Lian Yue: "Princess?"
"My son, my son has an heir!"
Chu Canglang had been frail and sickly since birth, and even doctors had warned him that he wouldn't live long. Princess Chu devoted immense effort to ensuring the safety and health of this child. How could she not be thrilled to see her child, once feared for his premature death, finally become a father?
Moreover, because Chu Canglang was in poor health, the King of Chu had repeatedly attempted to report to the court to change Chu Xinxiu's title to Crown Prince. Now that Chu Canglang had a legitimate eldest son, it would be difficult for the King of Chu to make any further moves.
Princess Chu was so happy that she ordered Lianyue to open the storehouse and take out money to reward the whole family. Such a happy event naturally required the whole family to celebrate together.
With such a big commotion, within an incense stick of time, the King of Chu also knew about Chu Canglang's son. He glared at Chu Xinxiu with dismay, "If you hadn't been entangled with a prostitute before, you would not only have a wife from an aristocratic family, but also a legitimate son!"
Although Chu Xinxiu was unhappy, it was indeed his fault, so he had no choice but to endure his father's anger.
"The prince is weak and has been childless for three years since his marriage. Who would have thought that he would have a child after a trip to the capital?"
Seeing Chu Xinxiu himself frustrated, the King of Chu's anger subsided a little. He said, "If we were still under the control of the court, the position of Crown Prince would definitely not be yours once this child was born. But as long as we break away from the court, being the Crown Prince of Chu would be meaningless. Then the position of Crown Prince would be yours."
The King of Chu had a sinister look in his eyes.
If they were to get involved, Chu Canglang and Chu Miaomiao, who were held hostage in the capital, would also be dead. I hope they don't blame me for being a cruel father. It's just that to achieve a great cause, someone always needs to make sacrifices.
Of course, he would not let the children's sacrifice be in vain. He would kill the emperor himself to avenge them. After the great cause was accomplished, he would also posthumously confer the titles of crown prince and princess on the two children to honor their achievements.
*
In the private room of Guangyunju, the girls who had not seen each other for a long time gathered together and talked and laughed non-stop. Everyone talked about their recent situation. The one who had the most "exciting" life was Jiang Huan from Wu'an Marquis Mansion.
"Running away from home? Why?" This topic piqued Chu Miaomiao's interest: "Is he escaping from marriage?"
Jiang Huan sighed wildly, and the other girls covered their lips and laughed. Shi Yuanyuan explained the reason in detail.
It turned out that Jiang Bai of the Wu'an Marquis's Mansion was appointed as the Jiedushi to Weizhou. Everyone in the Wu'an Marquis's Mansion was very excited, and Jiang Huan was so excited that she secretly packed her luggage to follow her elder brother to Weizhou.
The Wu'an Marquis's residence was bustling with activity during those days, with guests coming and going, and the Marquis's wife hadn't spared any extra energy to keep an eye on Jiang Huan. Unfortunately, the day Jiang Bai led his army to Weizhou, Jiang Huan also disappeared.
This made everyone in the mansion extremely anxious, and they went to the families that were close to Jiang Huan to inquire about the situation. Fortunately, Jiang Bai discovered the problem shortly after he set out and ordered his men to capture Jiang Huan and send her back home.
"I followed the team too closely that day and was mistaken for a thug. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been discovered so easily." Jiang Huan regretted it deeply when talking about being caught that day.
"If you hadn't invited me out, I'd still be at home embroidering under my mother's watch." Jiang Huan raised her glass to Chu Miaomiao and said, "This glass of wine is a toast to you. Thanks to your message, I can finally have a moment of respite."
Chu Miaomiao smiled, and found Jiang Huan more and more interesting, so she raised her glass and drank as well.
A few of them teased Jiang Huan a bit more, causing her to sigh repeatedly. Jiang Yingyue was worried that if Jiang Huan continued to lament, the good atmosphere of the party would be ruined, so she changed the subject and asked about the reason for the party.
Chu Miaomiao didn't hesitate to mention that her friend from Pingzhou had come to Beijing to start a jewelry business. She took out the business plan and jewelry design she and Jin Ji had worked on all night and circulated them to the girls.
As expected, no girl could say no to exquisite jewelry. Jinji's exquisite design aroused the girls' praise.
"If you have some spare cash and are willing to invest and work together, that would be great. If you don't want to invest, please recommend him for my sake."
Xu Ling praised: "These pieces of jewelry each have their own unique characteristics. How can they compare to the cookie-cutter pieces on the market?"
Shi Yuanyuan calmed down a bit: "It would be nice if I could see the real thing."
Chu Miaomiao was delighted to see that Jin Ji's designs had already won the hearts of several girls. "That's not difficult, it just takes some time. So, once he's finished making the samples, I'll introduce him to you. If anyone wants to invest, he can answer some questions in person."
Liang Yu nodded, indicating that she had no objection.
They gathered together and talked for a while, then dispersed as the sun was setting. They agreed that next time they had samples, Chu Miaomiao would post another invitation.
The girls chatted and laughed as they left Guangyun Residence. Chu Miaomiao watched Liang Yu, Xu Ling, and Shi Yuanyuan board their respective carriages and depart. Wei Yan and Jiang Yingyue were going to Bailu Academy together. When the Jiang Mansion's carriage arrived to pick them up, they saw Cheng Zi sitting in front of the carriage.
Jiang Yingyue was puzzled: "Why are you in my carriage?"
Cheng Zi smiled but did not answer: "Aren't you going to the academy? Let's go together."
Jiang Yingyue looked at Wei Yan, but saw a smile on her lips.
"Then let's go together."
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