Empress Dowager Zheng couldn't bear to look at the shocking old wounds on Jing Lu's body; she was furious.
"The Crown Prince has really gone too far. I thought he was broad-minded, how could he dare to take revenge on public duty?"
"You should never have gone out with An Chenghuan in private. His grandfather was no good, how could you trust him..."
"Look, this is what An Chenghuan promised his grandson. An Chenghuan really didn't lie to me," Jing Lu said before Empress Dowager Zheng could finish speaking. He took out An Chenghuan's letter from his bosom, which also had a seal on it.
Although he concealed the burning of the grain and made up a more respectable reason, it was Jing Lu's request at the time.
He admitted that An Chenghuan harbored ill intentions and was wary of Jing Yan, which is why he was willing to use two cities to cooperate with him in an attempt to weaken the Jing Kingdom.
But Jing Yan was already on guard. Jing Shuo had probably wiped out all his people in the past two years. He didn't want to come back with nothing. Jing Lu couldn't wait to take everything.
"This..." Empress Dowager Zheng hesitated for a moment. She remembered that Yue Jiang had also given her a pile of letters.
Jing Yan's army was clearly short of food and unable to return, but Jing Lu didn't mention it at all, instead using the two cities that An Chenghuan had given him as an excuse.
Jing Lu was wary of her, and Empress Dowager Zheng felt a pang of heartache. She concealed her suspicions and feigned relief.
"You can get An Chenghuan to return the last two cities of our Jing Kingdom. Your Majesty will be happy. In that case, you and Your Majesty should return to the palace now. I will take you to explain to your father."
Jing Lu feigned resistance: "No, my sister-in-law is in the Eastern Palace. I have made an enemy of my brother, and I will have to let her know. She will hold a grudge against me."
Empress Dowager Zheng: "Go back with your grandmother. How dare she? You don't need to be afraid of her. Zhang'er is a delicate child. He caught a cold in the winter and hasn't recovered yet."
“She was already exhausted from taking care of Zhang’er. When she heard that you had returned to the palace before the Crown Prince, the rumors of a rebellion scared her so much that she fell ill. She hasn’t left the East Palace since.”
"If the Crown Prince is truly so narrow-minded as to harm you, you should hurry back with your grandmother so that your father can depose the entire family of three," Empress Dowager Zheng said deliberately, with a hint of sarcasm.
Jing Lu silently filtered the information from Empress Dowager Zheng's mouth. He had made a special risk to come here specifically to understand the situation in Jing Palace.
Zhang'er is ill. Could it be that his health has been affected by premature birth? The Crown Prince is staying indoors.
"Grandmother, I will definitely go back, but the soldiers I have with me also need to be settled. I will return after I have settled them."
"Really," Empress Dowager Zheng said with some unease. She repeatedly warned, "You must not bring troops into the city. Most of the rumors about your rebellion were spread by Jing Shuo. He's just waiting for you to walk into his trap."
Jing Lu gave Empress Dowager Zheng a reassuring smile: "Yes, your grandson won't do anything foolish."
He actually had 30,000 men, and the other 20,000 were slaves he had previously bought and trained, who were specially hidden outside for future use.
Intentionally letting Jing Shuo intercept the message was risky, but it was still better than Jing Lu attacking the city directly.
He originally planned to storm the city and rob the women of high-ranking officials to threaten them into not resisting.
The outcome of the standoff between Jingyan and An Chenghuan is still unknown, and Yuejiang and Zhang'er are both currently ill.
The news of the death of a young imperial grandson could not only sever Jing Yan's bloodline, but also throw the entire imperial city and palace into chaos.
Jing Lu couldn't bring a large army into the city, but it would be easy for him to bring some assassins to sneak into the city and infiltrate the Eastern Palace.
He comforted Empress Dowager Zheng, allowing her to stay temporarily at Qixia Temple, and then secretly obtained the token to enter the palace from her before starting to plan the assassination at night.
...
The Eastern Palace.
"Zhang'er, tonight you will go with Aunt Xiange to the little room that your mother told you about. Once inside, you must not cry or make a fuss. Be a good boy and wait for your mother to come and pick you up in the morning, understand?"
Yue Jiang didn't want to give Jing Lu a chance to be safe. If he dared to risk entering the East Palace tonight, the charge of rebellion would be confirmed, and no matter how he tried to deny it, he wouldn't be able to escape punishment.
Zhang'er is still young and cannot go on adventures with her. For the past two years, Xiange has often come to the palace to accompany her and take care of Zhang'er. Yuejiang is relieved to entrust Zhang'er to her.
Zhang'er had been running around in the palace since he was a child. He was familiar with the people he knew well, as well as the palace maids and eunuchs. They were different every day, so Zhang'er was not afraid of strangers wherever he went.
Thinking it was his mother and Aunt Xiange teasing him, Zhang'er asked excitedly, "Will Zhang'er win tomorrow?"
Yue Jiang pinched Zhang'er's chubby cheeks and smiled, "Yes, Zhang'er won. Mother will reward Zhang'er with candy."
To protect Zhang'er's baby teeth, he couldn't enjoy the days when he could eat candy whenever he wanted. Winning candy was quite a temptation for Zhang'er.
He opened his eyes wide, which sparkled, and said in a childish voice, "Mmm, wait for Mother to bring candy to pick up Zhang'er."
Xuan Ge asked worriedly, "Crown Princess, do you really have to take this risk yourself?"
Yue Jiang was determined: "Don't worry, Your Highness left me many people, and I've already arranged for them to hide well. Jing Lu will not return."
Zhang'er tilted her head back to listen to the adults talking and noticed that their expressions were off.
He looked around anxiously, his eyes darting around until they were fixed on the big box containing his little trinkets. He bent over, his little head drooping as he rummaged through the things.
Suddenly he pulled out a wooden sword and rushed to Yue Jiang and Xiange as if he were about to do something very brave, holding up the small wooden sword and speaking with great vigor.
"Zhang'er is a young general who will protect his mother and aunt. You don't need to be afraid."
His sudden action made Yue Jiang and Xiange chuckle, with Xiange teasing him.
"Your Highness, the little grandson is growing more and more like His Highness the Crown Prince, but he's so lively. Won't His Highness be shocked when he comes back?"
In Yue Jiang's mind, Jing Yan's image popped into her head. Then she looked at Xiao Zhang'er, and sure enough, at first she looked a lot like Yue Jiang, but as she grew up, she started to resemble Jing Yan more, and her personality was deeply influenced by her.
Yue Jiang said without blushing at all, "Isn't this exactly what His Highness likes about me? How can I be fooled by him?"
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