Chapter 59 A Private Showdown
Qi Chengming's consistent principle is that if he can't figure something out and it won't harm him, then he should just put it aside and stop thinking about it for now.
In any case... it's a good thing that our side has inexplicably gained a great general.
Having convinced himself, the young man stood up abruptly, his usual composure gone, and walked away with his hands behind his back.
He planned to meet the original owner's wet nurse in private.
After a day of rest, she should be less agitated and her mind should be clearer.
...
At the main gate of the Prince's mansion, the dutiful Imperial Guards patrolled in pairs along the nearby streets. Fortunately, the area was a bustling place with a constant flow of people, so they could lend a hand in case of trouble.
Today it was Zhu Zi's turn to be on duty. His eyes darted to the two imperial envoys who had just left the palace, and he watched them intently without blinking.
Nothing more.
The two adults stepped out of the door one after the other. One second they were chatting and laughing politely; the next second their faces fell, their brows furrowed, and one turned east while the other went straight west, leaving without a word in a strange manner. Their expressions suggested they were possessed.
Zhu Zi immediately shivered: "..."
What strange situation is this?
Even in broad daylight, he felt strangely cold all over.
"After we finish our shift... wanna go for drinks?" Zhu Zi couldn't help but nudge his comrade next to him.
The imperial guard beside him had, of course, witnessed the bizarre scene just now, and dared not refuse, so he hurriedly agreed. However, being honest and loyal, he remained mindful of his duties: "I'll go to Physician Bian's place later to get some mugwort... Let's fumigate the gate before we go."
They need to fumigate the gate, and the gate they're guarding also needs to be fumigate, so that the prince won't be tainted by bad luck.
Since Wang Chuandao and Shen Shuzhi were coming to the Wang residence as guests, they certainly didn't come alone and empty-handed. Wang Chuandao's trusted confidants, several minor officials, and Shen Shuzhi's servants and grooms had all been settled in the west wing, where a feast had been prepared, and they had eaten and drunk their fill. Now, they followed their masters in two different directions.
Wang Chuandao mounted his horse, and Shen Shuzhi got into the carriage. They rode in opposite directions along the wide street, making a long detour.
At a fork in the road, Wang Chuandao reined in his horse and said casually, "You take the horse back first. I just remembered that I have an important matter to attend to." Shen Shuzhi dismissed the coachman and then instructed his servant, "I didn't eat enough earlier. Go and buy me a bunch of snails, the cheap kind from the roadside stalls, and a pot of cloudy wine."
'That scoundrel Wang Chuandao doesn't deserve good wine.'
Having dismissed all the servants on both sides, Wang Chuandao walked slowly on the hard cement road, not caring which street he had ended up on. He walked without saying a word, his hands tucked into his sleeves, in a very good mood.
Sure enough, a short while later, Shen Shuzhi's figure appeared ahead.
The two imperial envoys exchanged a knowing glance across the street. Even though they hadn't made any prior arrangements, they still met here.
Shen Shuzhi has been beautiful from her youth to middle age. Not only is her face beautiful, but her temperament is even better. Every movement of her sleeves exudes composure, elegance, and confidence, which is quite impressive. Who would have thought that this guy is such a fickle person with no principles, extremely cautious, yet sometimes audacious to an excessive degree?
Wang Chuandao thought about what happened in his past life and didn't have a good impression of him, but he had to talk about it in the next conversation.
"...What are you doing?" When he got closer, Wang Chuandao could see clearly that Shen Shuzhi was not walking gracefully at all. He was constantly waving his wide clothes to keep the bulging oil paper in his arms from burning himself.
"Hiss, I had someone buy a bag of snails. They're fresh out of the pot, prepared in the new way Your Highness likes." Shen Shuzhi opened a crack in the several layers of oil paper that were tightly wrapped around the snails. Steaming hot air mixed with bright red chili pepper pieces, and a strong, spicy aroma wafted out.
Wang Chuandao, who had just been busy scheming and plotting in the palace, was speechless.
My stomach rumbled again.
He couldn't help but take a deep breath: "This is... a small red chili pepper, isn't it? Your Highness really has a fondness for this flavor."
"This is called millet pepper. It's mixed with mustard and then used to cook snails in hot oil. That's what I heard... Apparently, the oil inside the snail shells is delicious."
Shen Shuzhi casually corrected Wang Chuandao, saying that it was inconvenient and unsafe for the two of them to talk anywhere. So they simply stood there chatting on the side of the street, keeping an eye on their surroundings to keep an eye out for anyone eavesdropping, completely concealing their official airs and keeping a low profile.
That's quite a coincidence.
Who would believe that two imperial envoys would stand on the street to discuss important matters? Or who would believe that these two ordinary-looking middle-aged men, who seem capable of chatting for an entire afternoon over a handful of snails, are imperial envoys?
This achieved the goal of the two cunning old men.
Seeing this, Wang Chuandao, without any hesitation, reached out and picked up a snail, sucking it into his mouth. A pungent, spicy aroma, mixed with the snail's freshness, chewiness, and texture, suddenly burst in his mouth, leaving only a tiny bit of residual oil inside the small shell. It's easy to imagine how much oil could possibly be in a bag of snails wrapped in oiled paper.
But the tiny bit of oil inside the shell, with its slightly fading spiciness, lingers on the tongue, making one feel restless and irritated, before the flavor quickly disappears.
...Absolutely delicious!
Wang Chuandao's eyes stung from the spiciness, but he almost immediately fell in love with this new snack: "...So today, the dish I'll be eating at the Wang Mansion is potatoes."
After he finished speaking, the two imperial envoys exchanged another glance.
They've stopped pretending.
Listen to those two sentences just now. What information should someone who hasn't been reborn know?
After cautiously probing and uncovering each other's secrets, they knew they had no choice but to confront each other. That's why they ended up meeting again on the street.
"How did you know?" Because of Shen Shuzhi's identity, Wang Chuandao was very wary of him and asked without any politeness.
Shen Shuzhi knew this too, so even though he was a cautious person, he had to be the first to give in, frowning: "I woke up to this... You know our Shen family's situation is too complicated. Since we had a choice early on, who would choose wrong when they already know the answer? You don't need to worry about me making a mistake again."
Wang Chuandao's lips trembled slightly, a hint of suspicion in his expression.
Was it something he wanted to be wary of? It's just that the Shen family is too complicated. Several family members, all so cunning and scheming, they've become infamous for their connections and reliance on others! If he didn't test them, what if Shen Shuzhi directly revealed this extraordinary encounter to the Third Prince or the Emperor for a big gamble? Wouldn't the Second Prince be finished on the spot?
"I was just having a dream..." Wang Chuandao's expression softened considerably, but he spoke very subtly, stopping short of revealing the truth. "When I woke up, I almost couldn't tell if I was Zhuangzi or a butterfly."
This time, it was Shen Shuzhi's turn to stare at him suspiciously, her sharp gaze pressing him for answers: "Lord Wang has always been loyal and upright, a true disciple of the Emperor. His actions in Liuzhou this time... were they intentional?"
Not to mention that Wang Chuandao was afraid that he would side with the Third Prince or several other princes... Shen Shuzhi was also afraid that Wang Chuandao was a loyal minister who was isolated and would expose everything to Emperor Hongren as soon as he returned.
“Of course.” Wang Chuandao confirmed in a deep voice, “I am not the Minister of Personnel, and I only have two or three confidants. This time, there are many people and eyes in the disaster relief team, and the changes in such a large city as Liuzhou cannot be kept secret… Your Highness has been intelligent since childhood and is willing to keep your name hidden, so I might as well cooperate.”
Therefore, throughout the entire disaster relief process, the more Wang Chuandao cared about the people, the more he showed disdain and dissatisfaction with the prince.
But he wouldn't make a big deal out of it, because if a bad reputation spread, it would be detrimental to the prince. Wang Chuandao was only willing to act as a protective shield, ensuring the prince's quiet development in his early years, and that was enough.
"..." This time, it was Shen Shuzhi's turn to breathe a sigh of relief.
Although neither of them would readily believe a promise without proof, their recent actions suggest that a basic level of trust can be established.
Having gained a better understanding, Shen Shuzhi took another bite of snails and felt it was time to end the conversation. He took the flask of turbid wine from his waist and tossed it over: "It turns out that I wasn't the only one who experienced this extraordinary adventure. It's also a kind of fate between us! Lord Wang, please."
Wang Chuandao caught the wine jug with a deft wave of his hand, but did not drink it. Instead, he continued in a deep voice, "It's not just the two of us."
“Yes.” Shen Shuzhi wasn’t surprised at all. They all knew that there were quite a few officials acting strangely in the court that day, the most conspicuous being Grand Secretary Mu. He asked inquisitively, “Are you curious about them?”
Even now that they have to come clean, the cautious Shen Shuzhi still doesn't plan to do anything. She just observes and keeps track of everyone's words and thoughts. This is enough. Going any further would be dangerous, such as "contacting them" or "revealing her identity."
But it seems that Lord Wang doesn't think so?
Wang Chuandao was silent for a while: "We have to go and talk to Elder Mu."
He wasn't the reclusive scholar Shen Shuzhi; he knew all too well how precious early development was before the power struggle for the throne. He was also acutely aware of the Second Prince's weaknesses:
Fame, wealth, military power, and powerful backers.
Lacking in everything, it's no wonder that others no longer take the transparent Second Prince seriously.
The Second Prince earns his own money, and his reputation can be earned by Emperor Hongren later through hard work to be named Crown Prince. Military power is the thing furthest away from the princes, and as for having a powerful backer... if you don't have one innately, you generally can't get one later either.
The rebirth of Wang Chuandao, the rebirth of Shen Shuzhi... and those ministers who are suspected of being reborn, may make up for this.
This will be the second prince's greatest opportunity, but also his life-or-death crisis. If he succeeds, he will gain many loyal ministers; if he fails, he may not even be able to retain Liuzhou as his fiefdom.
Such a dangerous matter is imminent, and the danger is far away in the capital, yet the Second Prince cannot even get involved. That is the future Crown Prince, and also the wise new emperor to whom he serves!
The anxious Wang Chuandao simply couldn't tolerate himself watching all this happen without doing anything, and then using the excuse of loyalty to the emperor to fool himself into going to sleep peacefully.
“I’m not like you,” Wang Chuandao said calmly. He glanced at Shen Shuzhi one last time before tilting his head back and gulping down a few mouthfuls of turbid wine, his brows furrowing at the smell.
He wouldn't hide away and protect himself, figuring out everyone's unusual movements but daring not to act, only passively and slowly plotting from the sidelines. Wang Chuandao's character naturally contained a soft side that pitied the common people, and that soft side would turn into an indomitable madness when faced with a crisis.
Therefore, once he returns to the capital and finds out who has been reborn, who secretly supports the Second Prince, who has an ambiguous attitude... or who might pose a danger.
Wang Chuandao would act without hesitation.
He couldn't sleep soundly until he sifted out or gathered this loose sand.
Sometimes Wang Chuandao felt that with his personality, he should really study military strategy books, so as to do justice to his appearance.
"..." Shen Shuzhi stood far away on the street, watching Lord Wang leave with an air of nonchalance, his back view indescribably handsome. The bag of snails in his arms had been eaten by the two of them, leaving only empty shells and bright red chili flakes. He looked down at them a few times, his brows furrowing as he made a difficult decision.
He didn't say he wouldn't do it. He'd be willing to lend a hand if there was someone in charge.
—They've all bet directly on the answer, who wouldn't dare to gamble!
"Lord Wang, wait for me...!" Shen Shuzhi gritted his teeth, called out loudly, and ran after him.
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Author's Note: The two ministers who were about to make their move, ta-da! They've appeared!
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