Chapter Forty-Six
Over the course of several days, the shrewd and worldly-wise Granny Shen, along with Zhu Chunhua, tirelessly toured the capital, making full use of the network of connections that the Princess had meticulously built up throughout the court and the country during her five-year absence from the capital.
Cultivate relationships over a thousand days, only to use them in a single moment.
However, Granny Shen discovered that her network of connections was even more eager to know the whole story than she was, and then she found herself to have become an extremely important member of that network as well. Everyone wore expressions of bewilderment and eager curiosity, their eyes shining as they looked at Granny Shen, who had come to probe for information, with utmost respect. Finally, the four of them, holding their teacups and blowing white puffs of steam, hastily concluded the meeting with feigned sighs.
Indeed, once the illustrious princess returned to the capital, she only made a brief, unassuming appearance before falling ill and confining herself to her residence. When she finally managed to leave the palace with her steward, the dignified princess offended the emperor and ended up in prison.
Didn't you say you were going to recuperate? How did you end up in jail?
Granny Shen naturally knew more than others; the princess was not unwell, but simply stayed in the mansion practicing archery every day.
"Granny Chen, what should we do?" Seeing that her efforts over the past few days had been fruitless, Zhu Chunhua was so anxious on the way back to the mansion that her voice was almost choked with tears.
Granny Shen glared at him. "Why are you looking so gloomy? It's bad luck. What kind of storms hasn't His Highness weathered?"
Zhu Chunhua choked with grief, sobbing uncontrollably, "I had just gone to serve General Long when he died in battle within a few months. Waaah... Am I really so unlucky? I've only been by the Princess's side for a short time, and I've already caused her to go to jail. The Princess promised me that she would take me to the northern frontier to kill the barbarians, and I wanted to avenge General Long."
Granny Shen scrutinized the princess's bodyguard from head to toe, wondering if he was some kind of cursed star, or if he really was that unlucky. Despite her thoughts, she still spoke with an air of maturity, "I've already said to remain calm and composed. I had someone from the prison deliver a message to His Highness, and he only replied, 'Take it easy.' Clearly, everything is still under His Highness's control. However, it's always good to make more preparations."
"Mmm-hmm!" Zhu Chunhua excitedly raised her head. If she were on the battlefield, this would be what it means to be ready to die for one's country.
"That's right, how come I didn't think of that?" Granny Shen slapped her thigh, her old bones trembling with energy.
Zhu Chunhua: "What are you thinking about?"
Granny Shen: "Abbot Zhao, how could I have forgotten him? I've been running around these days and have neglected this virtuous monk from the Princess's residence."
In a quaint pavilion in the courtyard of the Prince's mansion, a few sparse plum blossoms, their delicate fragrance mingling with the gentle snow, bloomed in a breathtakingly beautiful display.
With a crisp sound, the chess piece landed quietly on the chessboard. The First Prince looked up at Wu Li, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, whose brows were furrowed, and said with a gentle smile, "Lord Wu, it's your turn."
Wu Li hurriedly picked up the black piece, looked at the black pieces that were almost completely surrounded by white pieces on the board, put the piece down, and sighed, "This humble official concedes defeat."
The First Prince said, "Master Wu is not focused on the matter; it would be dishonorable for me to win."
Wu Li sighed again.
The prince waved to the two maids serving in the pavilion, and they both withdrew.
The First Prince sighed, "Alas, this time, I truly have no idea what the Emperor is up to."
Wu Li asked anxiously, "Your Highness, then shouldn't we do something?"
The First Prince: "Lord Wu, are you worried that the Emperor will investigate this and trace it back to the Ministry of War..."
He didn't finish his sentence. Ever since Emperor Zhaoming loosened the control over gunpowder and delegated the supervision of gunpowder to the Ministry of War, the Ministry of War has become the second "Ministry of Revenue" in Yunxiu Kingdom, reaping countless benefits from gunpowder.
The fact that the Minister and Vice Minister of War were father and son made the First Prince wonder why the Emperor would allow them to serve as both Minister and Vice Minister of War. This meant the Ministry of War was practically in their hands, and the ill-gotten gains would naturally flow into their pockets.
Therefore, the Minister of War was in such a hurry because he was afraid that the Emperor would investigate the Ministry of War and find out about him and his son.
Wu Li remained silent for a long time before finally speaking, "Your Highness, this matter involves the Eldest Princess. Manufacturing gunpowder privately is a crime of treason..."
The First Prince said, "Lord Wu, you must understand that the Northern Frontier is not yet pacified. The Eldest Princess commands over ten thousand Yunzhao troops, and the Emperor still relies on her. This matter could be treated as treason, entirely at the Emperor's discretion; or it could simply be someone acting recklessly..."
Wu Li nodded knowingly, "However, Your Highness, the Princess can simply remain silent."
The First Prince said, “Lord Wu, haven’t you noticed that, apart from the Minister, you, and myself, who know the reason for the Emperor’s anger, all the civil and military officials are completely clueless. Even Granny Shen from the Princess’s residence doesn’t know about this. If the Emperor really wants to suppress the Princess, don’t you think it would be best to announce this to the world?”
Wu Li was stunned for a moment, then lowered his voice and said, "Your Highness, are you saying that the Emperor doesn't intend to..."
The First Prince nodded. "His Majesty was just angry for a moment. He sent the Eldest Princess to prison to reflect on her actions for a few days. I estimate that she will return to her residence in a few days. Don't forget, His Majesty and the Eldest Princess are truly siblings." After saying this, he quietly looked at the red plum blossoms outside the pavilion.
Wu Li tidied up the black and white chess pieces, calmly put them into the chess jar, and said with an annoyed look on his face, "Your Highness, let's play another game."
...
Back at the mansion, Granny Shen strode swiftly toward Zhao Shu's room. Zhu Chunhua, having seemingly learned some of Granny Shen's essence, followed behind him, her eighteen or nineteen-year-old face awkwardly adopting a hint of old age.
"Master Zhao." Granny Shen knocked lightly on the door.
No one answered.
"Host Zhao." (Press again.)
"..."
Granny Shen frowned. The Princess had previously instructed her not to disturb Abbot Zhao unless absolutely necessary. This handsome man, who was both the abbot of Jietan Temple and a minister of the Grand Council, had stayed in his room most of the time since arriving at the Princess's residence, rarely venturing out. Only when the Princess came out to practice archery would he step out of his room and stride out with his precious gait.
Zhu Chunhua: "Granny Shen, is Abbot Zhao not here?"
Granny Shen didn't reply to him. Suddenly, she had a realization. Could it be that this person rarely went out, or that he was never even in the house? This amazing person was truly remarkable. How could he be so elusive?
Suddenly, he pushed open Zhao Shu's door.
Sure enough, there was no one there.
Zhu Chunhua was startled by Granny Shen's inexplicable actions and tiptoed in after her. She looked around, then peered under the bed, but couldn't see a single living creature, let alone a person. This was the first time the two of them had entered Abbot Zhao's room. Although Granny Shen had arranged the room according to his wishes, they were still stunned by its extreme simplicity.
Zhu Chunhua stared wide-eyed at him and exclaimed, "Tsk tsk! I didn't expect that Abbot Zhao's room was even simpler than ours. Such a big room, and there's just a bed."
Granny Shen approached the only piece of furniture in the room, the large bed, and lightly flicked the bedding with her finger, finding a thin layer of dust on it. She remembered the assassins who used to appear and disappear mysteriously in the manor, and a chill ran through her.
...
While those outside were in a state of panic, those inside the prison were leisurely sitting on the prison floor, holding a pot of hot wine, and taking a few sips from the spout with lingering enjoyment.
Although the jailer was unaware of the situation, he knew that with the dignified Princess in prison, he couldn't afford to be negligent. Who knew, the Emperor might summon her out with a single word tomorrow?
The emperor's intentions were hard to fathom. The head jailer smiled and did his job well, knowing better than to offend anyone. After all, he couldn't afford to offend anyone.
The head jailer stood at the door with a simple smile. "Your Highness, I've had the jailers clean the inside beforehand. I guarantee there won't be a single 'fragrant lady' or mouse."
Mo Yinghuo raised an eyebrow, waved at him, and laughed, "You really are a genius, predicting in advance that this princess would go to jail."
The head jailer's face turned pale instantly. He had only intended to flatter and exaggerate, but he hadn't expected the princess to pick on his words. For a moment, his entire face was practically pressed against the prison door.
Mo Yinghuo took two more sips of hot wine. "Hey, why don't you help this princess calculate where my consort is right now? He's quite handsome..."
Before she could finish speaking, she heard a jailer outside call out, "Lord Zhao." Mo Yinghuo's hand holding the wine pot trembled slightly, whether from the alcohol or from the fact that the man had just happened to mention the "Prince Consort," her face flushed slightly.
Zhao Shu nodded to the prison guards and said calmly, "His Majesty asked me to ask the Princess some questions. You all wait outside. Don't let anyone in until I leave."
The head jailer replied, "Yes." After he finished speaking, the jailers all rushed off, leaving only the two of them in the clean cell that was specially set up to imprison members of the royal family.
Zhao Shu glanced at Mo Yinghuo and saw that her complexion was rosy, even better than when she was in the manor. He walked closer to the prison door and asked softly, "Your Highness, are you getting used to living here?"
Mo Yinghuo: "..."
In a short while, after the wormhole appeared, Zhao Shu took Mo Yinghuo's hand and disappeared into the prison. Mo Yinghuo noticed that ever since they first held hands and returned to the capital, Zhao Shu seemed to have become increasingly adept at it, as if he had practiced until he became more skilled. On the contrary, she, troubled by inexplicable dreams, couldn't help but feel guilty, and every time Zhao Shu took her hand, the cinnabar mole on her brow would feel hot.
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