Chapter 57 A Showdown? Harmful
The original owner's wet nurse!!
Qi Chengming's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately became highly vigilant. His reaction was swift; he exhaled, and his first instinct was to help the man up from the ground: "Get up quickly—!"
Acting skills are not Qi Chengming's forte.
Using his acting skills to challenge the level of attention the wet nurse paid to the original owner is not a good choice.
Fortunately, Qi Chengming had already devised a plan when he received the letter and was preparing to settle the wet nurse. He didn't respond to the wet nurse's excited attempt to acknowledge him with "Do you still recognize me?", but instead naturally helped her up. His eyes, however, immediately fell on Shen Shuzhi, a question arising in his gaze:
"What happened to Lord Shen...?"
An official sent by the imperial court to control the floods and the wet nurse of the second prince who came to find his relatives met. If this combination was not intentional, then the coincidence was too bizarre.
“I met this person in Yulin Prefecture,” Shen Shuzhi quickly explained, “or rather—I rescued him.”
Qi Chengming glanced at her, and Xiao Chengzi skillfully brought over a cup of tea, first helping the wet nurse to sit down and handing it to her.
Zhang, the wet nurse, murmured excitedly, raising her eyes to meet Xiao Chengzi's familiar, recognizing gaze. She was also somewhat flustered—His Highness had been avoiding her gaze earlier, and although she was very excited to see him, she was worried that her recent misfortune and unsightly appearance had offended His Highness.
Although the child was actually breastfed by her.
These people were clearly old acquaintances of the Second Prince, but they met again after many years. Everyone had grown up and looked very different.
Xiao Chengzi shook his head reassuringly: "..."
Zhang's wet nurse must have felt completely unfamiliar and must have been terrified.
If he hadn't heard Xiao Dezi recount what happened in the palace that day when the Emperor summoned His Highness, he would hardly have recognized the current His Highness... He was indeed completely different from before, one could say his personality had drastically changed.
But to have endured so much in just a few days, and to receive not comfort but harsh words and demotion from one's only father, Xiao Chengzi couldn't even imagine how much pain his prince must have suffered during those days. He wasn't surprised by the extent of the changes that had occurred during that struggle.
In reality, he could only feel fortunate.
There are examples of emperors scolding their sons to death, and Xiao Chengzi almost thought that his prince's original personality... might have caused him to become despondent and not survive. It's good enough that he survived and is living well now.
Xiao Chengzi quickly and secretly glanced at the boy again.
Life in Liuzhou may be tough, but it's not like the palace where Your Highness can be tormented at every turn. Now that Your Highness has suddenly seen Zhang, the wet nurse from your childhood, you must be reminded of those dark days again, right? Your feelings are complicated, and you're avoiding the situation, unsure how to face it. You'll definitely need time to adjust.
Xiao Chengzi had already mentally prepared reasons for his prince's reaction.
Qi Chengming had already listened to Shen Shuzhi's explanation of the whole story, and his gaze finally turned to the unfamiliar old woman: "Nanny... so you heard that an imperial envoy would be passing by, so you ran out to ask for help?"
Zhang's wet nurse nodded hurriedly, still shaken, and said, "If I hadn't been able to climb trees, I wouldn't be alive to see His Highness."
It's heartbreaking to talk about the hardships along the way.
When she set off from the capital, the Marquis of Weiyong's mansion arranged for two reliable veterans to see her off; otherwise, it would have been too difficult for her to travel alone.
They first stayed on a merchant ship, but the weather turned cold, and the window wasn't properly closed in the middle of the night, so the night wind blew it open. Zhang's wet nurse caught a cold and had to get off the ship halfway to see a doctor. She was seriously ill for half a month and dared not move.
Later, the Zhang family's wet nurse learned her lesson. After traveling overland for some time, they encountered human traffickers again—
The traffickers targeted Zhang the wet nurse, probably because she was plump and very beautiful. This doesn't refer to her appearance, but rather that she was clearly a woman who could bear children easily, with delicate skin and a refined demeanor. Despite wearing simple clothes that didn't reflect her status, her temperament was outstanding.
Otherwise... Zhang's wet nurse herself would never be able to figure out why the human traffickers would kidnap her.
She has aged rapidly due to the hardships of life in recent years, and could be called an old woman in public.
The two veterans couldn't possibly follow Zhang the wet nurse around all the time, nor would they keep a close eye on her like she was a prisoner, which gave the traffickers an opportunity. One day, in a rouge shop, she vanished in the blink of an eye. When she opened her eyes again, Zhang the wet nurse was in a daze and didn't know where she had been taken, having been bumped along the road for a long time.
Perhaps Zhang's wet nurse was used to being a light sleeper at night, perhaps she was used to the effects of the medicine, or perhaps she was just lucky that day.
One day, it was raining heavily outside for days. Suddenly, Zhang's wet nurse woke up in the middle of the night. She saw that no one was outside the carriage. She pressed her face against the corner of the carriage window and broke the rope. The sound of the rain drowned out her footsteps. Zhang's wet nurse's heart was pounding like a drum. She got off the carriage and silently jumped up a persimmon tree, hiding there patiently.
This is all thanks to His Highness's mischievousness when he was young. The Second Prince and his entourage were all good-for-nothing boys, and Zhang's wet nurse was always used to climbing trees to catch people. Over the years, she still hasn't lost her skill.
Before long, the human traffickers returned and started shouting and looking for the person. After searching the vicinity without finding him, they hurriedly chased after him in several directions.
By this point, Zhang's wet nurse had long suspected she'd been tricked... From the moment she inexplicably fell ill on the boat due to the night wind and began recuperating, to being suddenly abducted by human traffickers and taken such a long way. What did they want from a middle-aged woman like her? And who knew where the two old soldiers searching for her had ended up, or if they'd met with any misfortune?
So—someone wants to harm her? They don't want her to see His Highness?
The wet nurse of the Zhang family was suspicious and hid outside for several days in a disheveled state. She heard that an imperial envoy named Lord Shen, who was ordered to manage the floods in Yulin Prefecture and Liuzhou, had arrived. Upon hearing the key words, she gritted her teeth and rushed over to ask for help.
After several twists and turns, she finally saw her prince—and from that day on, she let herself become even more haggard and unattractive.
"Thank you for your hard work, Xiao Chengzi. Have Bishu arrange the rooms... We can talk about anything else later." Qi Chengming took a deep breath, held the wet nurse's hand, and patiently comforted her, giving her a wink.
His first reaction after hearing this was suspicion that someone was targeting the wet nurse.
His wet nurse, worried about him being enfeoffed, offered to come and help. But someone else was unwilling... to see them reunite?
No rush, we can discuss the specifics later. Let's deal with Shen Shuzhi, who was sent over, first.
“…Oh right, right!” Zhang’s wet nurse wasn’t stupid. After the initial excitement, she realized that some things really couldn’t be said in public. She wiped her eyes a couple of times and obediently let herself be led away.
Qi Chengming glanced at Shen Shuzhi.
Throughout the entire process, Lord Shen kept his eyes lowered as he blew on his tea, sipping it casually as if he hadn't heard what had just been said. His attitude lacked any of the arrogance or imposing manner of an imperial envoy; instead, he was rather humble.
'No wonder he's a notorious opportunist,' Qi Chengming thought to himself.
Unfortunately, his eyesight wasn't very good. All his bets, from him to his son and daughter, failed. And by sheer coincidence, he overlooked the original winner: the original male lead, the seventh prince. Isn't that infuriating?
Thinking about it this way, it's understandable why Lord Shen treated the Second Prince, who was practically eliminated, with such respect, giving him a lot of face, and even putting his name on the talent list.
Without being offensive... he really is blind.
If Qi Chengming hadn't transmigrated, this would have been another investment failure case in the original story, right?
“Your Highness, I am passing through Liuzhou and would like to take this opportunity to learn about the flooding caused by the previous hurricane, the dikes, the river course… these are all matters of my duty.” Shen Shuzhi said politely. He did not know what the new emperor was thinking, but the look in his eyes earlier was somewhat strange, as if there was some pity and relief in it.
Is it because of his status? He is still a clear member of the Third Prince's faction... but he saved the other party's wet nurse?
Shen Shuzhi's heart was pounding.
Given the terrible relationship between the Third Prince and the Second Prince… he had a feeling that the new emperor was about to make things difficult for him, perhaps he was just struggling with whether or not to make things difficult for him. Shen Shuzhi gritted his teeth, risking his life, and trying to find some humor in his predicament:
'Saving someone is one thing, making things difficult is another. Oh well! Consider it paying off a debt from his past life. If this can gain the new emperor's approval, that would be a huge win.'
"Yes, these records are in the county government office. However, several local officials are currently imprisoned and unable to entertain Your Excellency. I apologize on behalf of the rest of you for the poor hospitality." Qi Chengming forced a smile and began the official pleasantries. "However, Lord Wang, who came to provide disaster relief earlier, is still here. Perhaps I can treat you to a meal tomorrow."
"It's a waste not to use talented people." According to Mr. Qin, Wang Chuandao was incredibly cunning, almost as shrewd as him. Although the disaster relief efforts were progressing as planned, Mr. Qin said he was getting impatient, feeling that if they stayed a few more days, the true situation in Liuzhou would be revealed.
...We can't afford to offend them.
Let's throw Shen Shuzhi over there and distract Lord Wang's attention.
River channels have always been prone to corruption; surely a thorough investigation would take at least half a day? Even if there's no corruption, assessing the risks to the dikes and waterways in Liuzhou, which have just experienced flooding, would also take half a day. You two imperial envoys should get to work together!
"Lord Wang hasn't left yet?" Shen Shuzhi asked in surprise. "That's wonderful!"
He lowered his voice meaningfully, his tone full of joy: "...Although Lord Wang and I have no personal interaction, we have long admired each other. I would be grateful if Your Highness could introduce us tomorrow."
Shen Shuzhi was forced to go out on flood control and inspection tours this time, which meant he couldn't catch those suspicious fellows in the capital for the time being. Now, he's unexpectedly run into Wang Chuandao here with the new emperor... Isn't this a godsend?
Let him see Lord Wang's stance.
...
the next day.
In the flower hall of the Prince's Mansion, palace maids and eunuchs came and went in an endless stream to serve dishes.
Qi Chengming sat in the seat of honor with a smile on his face. To his left and right were Wang Chuandao, who had a stern face that said "I don't like the prince" written all over his face, and Shen Shuzhi, who still did not have the air of an imperial envoy and was very self-aware of his duty as a subject, and even looked a bit honest and simple.
One exudes an aura of imposing presence, while the other is shorter and has absolutely no presence whatsoever.
The two imperial envoys exchanged a glance and snorted coldly at each other, clearly disliking the other.
Wang Chuandao thought to himself, 'The Third Prince's lackey! What's with this pretense of honesty, trying to deceive His Highness?'
Shen Shuzhi cursed inwardly: 'Ha, is he trying to show off by stepping on the new emperor's face? Hypocrite!'
"Pah!" "Pah!"
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Author's note: Hahaha, let's see if this showdown will work out.
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