Chapter 086

Because of the bleeding in Jiashan, they no longer planned to return to Beijing today. They planned to rest in the farm for one night and return home tomorrow.

Zhan Yue and Jia Shan leaned on the couch together, changed into their regular clothes, and each had a soft pillow behind them.

After drinking the bowl of medicine, Jiashan's complexion improved significantly, but she was still a little weak. Zhan Yue carefully stroked her stomach and asked softly, "Are you feeling any discomfort anywhere?"

Jiashan had never seen him so cautious before, and couldn't help but laugh. He squinted his eyes and said, "Why are you so timid? It's only been two months, and there are still eight months to go."

"Eight months," Zhan Yue repeated, and said softly, "It will be very fast."

He took Jiashan's shoulder, smiled and said, "After Gong Bixing comes to see you, I will ask my aunt to help you with your pregnancy, okay?"

The aunt he mentioned was Fu Xiao's wife, Song. Fu Xiao had gone to the northwest with Marquis Anding a month ago, and now only Song and her son Ting'er were left in the Fu family. When Zhan Yue took Jiashan to the Fu Mansion last time, he saw that she and Song got along very well. Now Song happened to be free, and he and Jiashan had no experience, so inviting Song would make both sides feel at ease.

Knowing that he meant well, and knowing that if he didn't agree, Zhan Yue would not be able to sleep well tonight, Jia Shan said slowly, "Okay."

She glanced at him and said, "Why don't you ask me what I talked about with Miss Feng when I met her today?"

Zhan Yue nodded seriously: "Since you said so, I will ask."

"Pretending." Jiashan commented on him with a smile.

Recalling Feng Wanhua's words, Jiashan's expression became a little more serious. Her round almond-shaped eyes were like obsidian, emitting a cool glow in the dark night.

"She told me that the King and his wife would rebel in the future, and she also said -"

Jiashan pursed her lips tightly, and her tone suddenly became more serious: "Yuankang's eyes may be related to the Princess of Qin. She once heard the Princess of Qin say in her nightmare, 'It's not me who hurt your eyes'"

Zhan Yue: "How can you be sure that what she said is true?"

Jiashan looked at him strangely: "Because I can see that she still likes you very much. She shouldn't lie to me about this."

"Oh?" Zhan Yue raised his eyebrows and gently rubbed Jia Shan's earlobe. He said in a hoarse voice, "If you really like me, wouldn't you be more likely to lie to you?"

Jiashan smiled faintly and said calmly: "I don't think she is that kind of person."

"Since I have met a gentleman, how can I not be happy?" Jiashan's mind flashed back to the expression Feng Wanhua had when she mentioned Zhan Yue this afternoon. She said, "Maybe that's what she thought."

Zhan Yue looked at Jiashan and said, "You really understand her."

Jiashan tilted her head, leaned casually on his shoulder, and whispered, "She is just like me. She knows how to appreciate your excellence and is reluctant to let you take risks."

"But it's a pity," Jiashan paused, stretched out her arms and tightly wrapped them around Zhan Yue's solid chest. She leaned on the spot closest to his heartbeat and said with a curved lip, "You can only belong to me, not to her."

Zhan Yue's Adam's apple moved, and his fingertips gently stroked Jiashan's chin and neck back and forth.

He thought to himself, "You just say nice things to bluff me."

"You've scared me into living and dying for you."

Zhan Yue's eyelashes trembled, and he lowered his head to trace Jiashan's tender red lips. His fingers were slender, and the lines were clean and clear.

After gently touching Jiashan's lips, Zhan Yue said, "Regarding the matter of the Princess of Qin, perhaps we can listen to the opinion of Aunt Ruyang."

"After all, she has been in contact with Princess Qin longer than any of us." Zhan Yue gave her advice.

Although Princess Ruyang had become a nun, she had had dealings with the Princess of Qin in the past and might know some old stories that they had never heard of.

Jiashan thought about it and nodded: "That makes sense."

"I promised my aunt that I would go to Changchun Temple to talk to her, but I never made it. I'll take this opportunity to invite her to the Princess's Mansion." Jiashan touched her belly and smiled softly, "It's also good to share this good news with her. If she knew, she would be very happy."

Zhan Yue turned his gaze towards Jia Shan's face. Seeing Jia Shan smiling at him, he could not help but narrow his eyes. He rubbed Jia Shan's hair and said, "It's up to you."

While chatting and laughing, the two turned off the lights and soon fell asleep in their clothes.

Jiashan and Feng Wanhua's encounter with bandits outside the capital was not hidden from Emperor Zhanghe. That night, the governor of the Nine Gates and the prefect of Shuntian were summoned to the palace.

When he saw these two people, Zhang Hedi's face looked very unhappy.

He raised his eyelids and spoke slowly, sounding majestic without being angry: "In this peaceful and prosperous era, under the feet of the emperor, someone dared to rob the princess' carriage. Who can tell me what happened?"

Although Jiashan sent the person to the Nine-Gate Commander, the prefect of Shuntian and the Commander's Office jointly managed the security of the capital, so Shuntian Prefecture could not stay out of this matter.

Hearing Emperor Zhanghe's question, the Nine Gates Admiral Wei Ziqian and Shuntian Prefecture Governor Chen Zaixiang looked at each other. Finally, it was Wei Ziqian who bowed and answered respectfully: "Your Majesty, I have found out everything."

Emperor Zhang He looked up at him.

Wei Ziqian was nearly fifty years old and was the first person to follow Emperor Zhang He.

In the fifth year of Zhanghe, he took office as the Governor of the Nine Gates, and it has been ten years since then. During these years, there have been no major problems with the security of the capital.

His hair was a little gray, but he was still very strong, and his voice was full of energy: "After interrogation by me, the bandits have confessed that they had just come from Yuzhou."

"At the beginning of this year, Yuzhou had a riot due to insufficient harvest. The government of Yuzhou was short of soldiers, so they were not afraid of tigers and did not restrain themselves even when they arrived in the suburbs of Beijing." Wei Ziqian told the results of the interrogation one by one, "They saw the princess's magnificent carriage and thought that it was a trip of a rich family. They wanted to kidnap the princess and exchange it for some money. Unexpectedly, they ran into the tiger's mouth and were captured by the guards around the princess."

Zhang Hedi stared at him intently and asked in a deep voice, "Is it that simple?"

"Yes," Wei Ziqian replied calmly, "After my investigation, it is indeed true."

"Chen Zaixiang," Emperor Zhanghe mentioned the name of Shuntian Prefecture Governor again, his eyes slightly lowered, "What do you say?"

Unlike Wei Ziqian, who was mature and steady, Chen Zaixiang was a "young man" who had not yet reached the age of forty. He was born in a scholarly family and looked a bit like a scholar.

Chen Zaixiang said calmly, "I also met the two bandits, and my interrogation results are basically consistent with those of Lord Wei. In addition, I have sent people to Yuzhou to investigate overnight."

"Yuzhou," Emperor Zhang He snorted coldly, his face turned cold, "What is the government of Yuzhou doing? Just a few bandits, and they haven't been wiped out in a few months!"

"Wei Ziqian," Emperor Zhang He said slowly, his eyes half-closed, "Go to the Ministry of War to receive the order, and leave tomorrow to supervise the army in Yuzhou."

Wei Ziqian was stunned for a moment, then said, "Yes."

After meeting the two of them, Emperor Zhanghe ordered Chen Gong to ask Zhan Yue to come to see him immediately after escorting Jiashan back home tomorrow.

Chen Gong took the order and left.

The next morning, Zhan Yue was summoned by the eunuch sent by Chen Gong before he could even settle down in the princess's mansion. Guessing that the assassination of Jiashan yesterday had alarmed Emperor Zhanghe, Zhan Yue quickly changed his clothes and hurried into the palace.

At this time, Emperor Zhanghe did not know that Jiashan was pregnant. He just thought that she was frightened and stayed at the farm with Zhan Yue for a night.

Emperor Zhanghe first asked about Jiashan's health as usual, and when he heard Zhan Yue's reply "everything is fine", his tone became a little kinder.

"I have ordered Wei Ziqian to set out for Yuzhou." Emperor Zhang He said as he turned his gaze to Zhan Yue.

Zhan Yue was wearing the uniform of a third-rank official. Although his head was slightly lowered, his back was still straight, like a pine tree in the snow, tall and majestic.

Emperor Zhanghe looked at him through the sunlight and said slowly, "When he is not in the capital, I would like you to take over the post of the Nine Gates Commander."

Even though Zhan Yue was always calm, he couldn't help but be stunned for a moment.

The Nine-Gates Commander and the Jinwu Guard both commanded one to be in charge of public security in the capital and the other to be in charge of the palace guards. Naturally, they were both considered the emperor's confidants.

It's just that the commander-in-chief is of the third rank, while the Nine-Gates Admiral is of the second rank. In comparison, the Nine-Gates Admiral is probably better.

Zhan Yue originally planned to find a good opportunity to leave Jinwuwei and work in the Five Military Commandery. Unexpectedly, the emperor loved him so much that he was willing to entrust the entire capital to him.

What made my father make such a decision?

Zhan Yue couldn't think that deeply for a moment, so he could only say instinctively: "Yes."

He half raised his head and slowly looked at the slightly aged face of Emperor Zhang He, and whispered, "There is one more thing I need to report to my father."

Emperor Zhang He: "What's the matter?"

When he mentioned this, the tenderness in Zhan Yue's voice almost overflowed: "The princess is pregnant. Before I entered the palace, I sent someone to ask Gong Yuanpan to go to the princess's mansion. By now, the examination should have been completed."

"Why didn't anyone tell me?" Emperor Zhanghe couldn't help but clap his hands and laugh, saying, "Good, good."

Zhang Hedi's eyelids were wrinkled with laughter. He couldn't help but look at Zhan Yue again, and said with a sigh of relief, "Leave the Jinwu Guards' affairs to Lu Sixian, go to the Governor's Mansion to take up the post, and go back to accompany her as soon as possible."

Zhan Yue bowed: "Yes."

"Tell Gong Bixing to come to the palace." Emperor Zhanghe then instructed Chen Gong beside him, "I will hand over Jiashan's fetus to him."

Chen Gong's eyes and eyebrows were full of smiles, and he immediately said with a smile: "Yes."

The news of Jiashan's pregnancy quickly spread throughout the palace, and naturally some people were happy while others were worried.

Because Gong Bixing was summoned to pay his respects, the fact that Jiashan had seen blood could not be hidden from Emperor Zhang He. Emperor Zhang He specially sent blood swallows and many rare medicinal herbs from the palace that day, and he was happier than if he had a son.

Concubine Zhuang also got the news. Concubine Jing had followed the emperor's footsteps and sent gifts to the princess's residence long before her. She and Concubine Jing shared the harem, so they had to get along with Jiashan on the surface.

But secretly, she was furious. Concubine Zhuang gritted her teeth and said coldly, "I want to see what kind of precious thing she can give birth to."

Zhao Youcheng just happened to come to pay his respects today and was resting in Concubine Zhuang's Chengqian Palace.

Hearing this, Zhao Youcheng lowered his eyes gloomily and said, "Isn't my father too fond of her?"

"Fourth brother couldn't see before, father just felt sorry for her," Zhao Youcheng couldn't hold back his anger when he said this, his tone suddenly became sharper, "If it's like this now, isn't it——"

Isn't it intentional to elevate her? Isn't it not giving us any face? Isn't it saying that we have no chance?

Zhao Youcheng didn't say this, but he was sure that Concubine Zhuang could hear it.

Concubine Zhuang's face turned cold, and her brows were filled with gloom.

She happened to be wearing a dark green jacket today, which made her face look cold and pale, not vigorous. Concubine Zhuang raised her eyes and asked Zhao Youcheng coldly, "How is Zhao Youze now? I heard that he is studying with you in the upper study room recently. How is his study going?"

"He," Zhao Youcheng said with his eyes half-closed and a pause, "He is not an easy person to deal with either."