Shen Youying looked puzzled upon hearing this: "Why isn't Father coming with us?"
Xue Shen explained, "The Third Prince learned that my father-in-law had come to Tibet. In order to prevent my father-in-law from recognizing my elder brother, he did not hesitate to send five thousand elite soldiers to set a trap and kill him. If my father-in-law goes to the Tibetan royal court with us, he will definitely be recognized by the Third Prince's men, which will hinder our search for my elder brother."
"Why don't the two of us disguise ourselves and sneak in to search in secret?"
"Moreover, my father-in-law left most of his personal guards at the border of Qin Prefecture. Now that the Third Prince is eyeing us covetously, there may be conflicts in the future. My father-in-law will go to the border to gather more men in preparation for any eventuality."
Xue Shen's words made sense, and Shen Youying did not dwell on the matter. She asked, "Is Father still busy? It's rare for us father and daughter to be together. If Father is not busy, I will go and talk to him again."
Shen Youying was unusually willful, and Xue Shen smiled and pinched her cheek: "Go ahead, your father-in-law is fine this time. Besides, even if he is busy, Zhao Zhao is the most important person to go see him."
Shen Youying glanced at him sideways, then left him to go find her father alone.
*
The next day, the weather indeed cleared up.
Because of the murder that occurred in the tribe yesterday, the atmosphere in the tribe was very gloomy. As soon as the weather cleared up, some people couldn't wait to leave.
Xue Shen and Shen Youying's group were also among them. Shen Mingjiang personally escorted them on horseback for two miles before stopping with great concern and asking again, "Is Zhaozhao really not going with Father?"
Shen Youying lifted the carriage curtain, shook her head, and said logically, "Now that my elder brother has lost his memory and has been deceived by villains, he only has me and my father as his closest relatives. Since my father cannot go to the royal court, I can only go in his place."
She said firmly, "Father, don't worry, I will definitely bring my elder brother back."
Shen Mingjiang could only sigh deeply, understanding Xue Shen's helplessness in having to bring her to Tibet.
He paused for a moment, then composed himself and said, “Since you insist on going, your father will not stop you. However, there is one more thing I need to explain to you.”
"Although in your eyes, Xiuyi is still the closest elder brother, he has lost his memory and is now working for the Third Prince. You must not let your guard down when you approach him."
Shen Youyin sensed a hidden meaning in his words and, recalling Shen Mingjiang's predicament at Ximen Mountain, hesitated before asking, "But what did my elder brother do?"
Shen Mingjiang hesitated for a moment, but fearing that they might be careless and let their guard down, he revealed that Shen Xiuyi might have told the Third Prince about his whereabouts.
Xue Shen suddenly realized: No wonder Shen Mingjiang was so easily forced into Ximen Mountain by the Third Prince's men; it turned out that the Third Prince had tracked his whereabouts.
Shen Youying frowned slightly and shook her head, saying, "Even if a person loses their memory, their nature shouldn't change. Besides, I've seen my elder brother in Xizhou City before, and I always felt that even if he lost his memory, he wouldn't do such a thing."
Shen Mingjiang, of course, was unwilling to believe that his own son had betrayed him to the enemy prince, and sighed, "I naturally don't want to think about the worst, but it's never wrong for you to be on guard."
Xue Shen listened to their conversation and pondered for a moment, feeling that Shen Youying's words made sense: "According to the information I found in Xizhou, the Third Prince sent my elder brother to Xizhou half a month ago to investigate the gold mine. The Third Prince's behavior seems to be deliberately sending my elder brother away, not wanting him to know that he is setting a trap to kill his father-in-law."
Shen Mingjiang was unaware that during the half-month he was trapped on Ximen Mountain, Shen Xiuyi was not at the Tubo royal court.
Xue Shen and his daughter's words made him feel a little better. He waved his hand and said, "What exactly happened will become clear once you find the person."
He handed a military tally to Xue Shen: "Although I cannot accompany you, if you encounter danger in the Tibetan royal court, just send someone to deliver this tally to Xiaomang Mountain in Qin Prefecture, and I will bring people to your aid."
Xue Shen accepted the military tally, and as the sun rose higher and higher, he cupped his hands in farewell to Shen Mingjiang: "Father-in-law, rest assured, we will definitely bring my elder brother back. We'll be leaving now."
Shen Mingjiang waved to them and watched the carriage slowly depart, heading towards the Tibetan royal court.
*
The Tibetan royal court was much more prosperous than the Azha tribe.
Xue Shen's entourage's carriages lined up behind caravans of all sizes as they slowly drove into the city gate.
Shen Youying lifted the carriage curtain and peered out curiously.
Xue Shen explained to her, "The Tibetan royal court is the most prosperous city in Tibet. Apart from the royal court, the other cities are all independent tribes. Because the Tibetan king is old, the three princes are now fighting each other for the right to succeed him. Each tribe also has its own supporters, and the division is very serious."
Looking at the still bustling and prosperous royal court, he said with emotion, "The Tibetan king's health probably won't last much longer. After he passes away, there will likely be a great upheaval in the royal court."
This is precisely why the Third Prince would stop at nothing to keep the amnesiac Shen Xiuyi by his side and use her for his own purposes.
The Tibetan king had three sons: the eldest prince Chali, the third prince Chaharha, and the fourth prince Chamu.
Among them, the eldest prince Chali and his mother were the most favored by the Tibetan king, but Chali was mediocre and ambitious, so his reputation in the army was never good, and he did not receive much support from the various tribes.
The fourth prince, Chamu, had strong family support. His maternal grandfather was the chief of the Qingmu tribe, the largest tribe in Tibet. Therefore, among the three princes, he received the most tribal support.
Only the third prince, Chahar, lacked both a favored mother and strong family support. However, due to his considerable abilities, he was still regarded with respect by the Tibetan king.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
