Chapter 10: Coveting the prince is a hint that Miss Yan should remarry a rich and powerful man?
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The agreed time was here, which was the reason for leaving. After passing the reed marsh, Jiang Hui reined in his horse.
There is someone in the woods, sneaking out.
While waiting, Ruo Zhao asked curiously, "Prince, you just mentioned Wangcai...it's been a long time since I heard you call it that."
This horse was one of Jiang Hui's frequently used horses, and he had tamed it since he was young. He had a deep affection for it and even had a nickname for it.
But that was a funny name given by a boy when he was just learning horse riding. The prince was young and precocious, and he was no longer so funny.
That's why Ruo Zhao and the other guy were particularly surprised.
Ruo Zhao, who was more sharp-minded, even had a sly smile on his face, as if teasing.
Is Wangcai being called out to Wangcai?
Not necessarily. Anyway, the young lady of the Shen family was amused, and her own prince was waiting for her to laugh, with a burning look in his eyes.
It was like a young boy who was naive and deliberately doing something naughty to make the girl he was traveling with laugh.
The words in his mind had been brewing for a long time before they came out, and before they came out, he was waiting for her to laugh.
She really laughed, and he laughed too, even feeling extremely proud, as if he had done the most amazing thing in the world.
Jiang Hui glanced at him.
"Why, do you have any opinions that this prince doesn't want to hear?"
Ruo Zhao choked, "No, no, I don't dare. As long as you are happy, my prince."
Ruoqin chuckled.
The three of them soon stopped talking because the trusted spy who had emerged from the woods had arrived and presented them with a secret letter from the court and other intelligence from various places in Yancheng.
In fact, there is no need for extensive investigation. Cities such as Yancheng are under the control of Guangzhou. A large number of officials there have their own connections and have attached themselves to the powerful in Chang'an.
Can Prince Yan be spared?
Of course not.
Jiang Hui alone had his own subordinates.
The secret letter was spread out and read in full, revealing Prince Qi's movements in the court.
Jiang Hui was not surprised to know that the other party had sent people out of Chang'an to Yancheng, but when he saw the officials contacted by the other party's minions, he raised his eyebrows slightly.
"It's him."
Ruo Zhao: "When will the Yancheng prefect take action? Isn't that the prince's man? He actually turned against us!"
Jiang Hui had no expression on his face.
The secret letter came from the court, but the other local intelligence that the spies were asked to inquire about was not written on paper.
The spy lowered his head and said, "Your Highness asked us to inquire about the Shen family's internal affairs over the years, and we already know it, especially the past of that young lady."
He mentioned a lot of things over the years, big and small. There were a lot of big things happening right after Shen Zangxin's death, all related to the Shen family's ups and downs and her difficult situation. At that time, Zhou had fallen ill, and she had only been married for a few years and was very young. Everyone inside and outside thought that if her mother's family was still strong and they actively asked her to return home, she would remarry, or at least leave the Shen family, which was in dire straits at the time. But that didn't happen...
After several hardships and careful planning, he finally managed to hold on to the business, protecting the Shen family's business from being embezzled by others and maintaining the family's livelihood. Later...
Jiang Hui: "What's the dispute between Miss Yan and the narrow city?"
This person changed the way he addressed others several times, and avoided mentioning the names of the Lin family's father and son, not even bothering to mention them.
The tone was cold and it was hard to tell what his attitude was.
But most spies are meticulous and knowledgeable, good at analyzing intelligence, and they immediately heard some subtleties.
"Three years ago, during the Qingming Festival, Lin An had just taken office as the general. He had to deal with pirates hijacking ships along the coast and couldn't return home. So, his eldest son, Lin Chenguang, came to Lin's hometown in his father's place. He happened to see the Shen family tea merchants monitoring their purchases at the Ten Mile Tea House. He became lustful and flirted with them. If the guards hadn't stopped him, he would have probably done something inappropriate... There were many farmers and merchants present at the time, and everyone saw it. Shen Cangyu had passed away not long ago, and Miss Yan was already under great pressure to manage the situation. Everyone was critical of her, and even though she was the victim, the rumors were extremely unpleasant..."
Ruo Zhao and the others could both imagine how severe the rumors were that Yan Siqing had encountered at that time.
No wonder County Magistrate He is now somewhat wary of Jiang Hui and always keeps his distance.
Just because they were young and energetic, it was easy for outsiders to criticize her for not being a good wife...
Ruo Zhao scoffed, "I'm afraid there are many business enemies of the Shen family pushing this."
Ruoqin: "Not only that, maybe even Lin Chenguang was involved. This little bully is very evil and knows how to bully women. He has no skills at all."
Their words were true, and the spy nodded in agreement. "That's about right. The uproar was rampant and intensified. The Shen family was a little shaken and didn't dare to trust her. A group of people from the side branches took advantage of the situation and insulted Miss Yan, trying to force her to hand over the leadership of the family. At the worst, they were almost accusing her of adultery. Back then, it was Miss Yan who acted decisively and severely punished some of the side branches. She also managed to make some good business deals despite being treated with disrespect, which benefited the Shen family and earned the trust of some people. In addition, Zhou, despite her illness, punished the gossipy and arrogant people in the Shen family. With both internal and external means, the situation improved a little."
"Gossip, fame, wealth and power are nothing more than this."
They couldn't help but contact Yan Siqing, but Jiang Hui remained indifferent. He only said, "Even if there were no interests involved, she is already in a weak and dangerous situation. She still insists on keeping up appearances. That hidden jade man is dead, and the grass on his grave could cover a large thatched cottage. Why do this?"
What he couldn't understand was that Chen Cangyu left his family and young wife behind to go fight on the battlefield.
It is a great ambition for a man to achieve great things, but if he does not leave a way out and does not take care of his closest relatives, is he worthy of the deep affection of such an outstanding woman like her?
The spy, sensing the prince's hidden intentions and acting with caution, completed the crucial information. "She and Chen Cangyu have an only daughter. I heard the couple cherished her dearly. Perhaps they were worried about her being implicated and causing controversy because of their daughter..."
If she didn't have a child, she would have remarried, but having a child would be completely different. The child would more or less be looked down upon. It would be better for the child to stay in the Shen family. At least the property built by her hard work would belong to this only daughter.
Although one daughter is a bit weak, she can still find a son-in-law in the future...
This was a long-term plan for common people like them who came from ordinary families. Unlike Jiang Hui, who was born into an imperial family, even the girls were pampered and were daughters of rich and powerful people. All those with other surnames were slaves.
Therefore, in the eyes of Ruo Zhao and others, their own prince is somewhat ignorant of the hardships of ordinary people and is cold-hearted.
but.
Jiang Hui seemed to know what they were thinking.
"There's more than one Lin Chenguang in this world. She knows full well that the Shen family's fortunes are limited to those of merchants. The people of Yancheng are all profit-driven. They pretend to protect their reputation, but in reality, they're jealous and ungrateful. Whenever something goes wrong, they're the first to betray their gratitude and gossip."
She has the capital to allow officials in high positions to indulge in their selfish desires and evil intentions.
It's the same wherever I go.
Because this is the way of the world throughout the generations.
"If she has the patience to endure such hardship, she might as well take a chance."
"Go up."
Only those who have power and weapons in their hands can protect themselves.
Assuming that wealth is managed as the latter, that is also fine.
But after careful observation, he found that Yan Siqing had high moral integrity and followed the rule of law. Even when he used some means, he utilized judicial rules.
This resulted in her being restricted in everything she did, even in protecting herself.
The empire loves such good citizens, the royal family loves such people, but Jiang Hui sees her hardships.
Ruozhao and the others were surprised, and their first reaction was: Is the prince hinting that Miss Yan should remarry a rich and powerful man?
There was something wrong in their eyes, but Jiang Hui didn't notice. He just looked at the secret letter with murderous intent in his eyes.
"But now she has no other choice."
"My uncle Wang will not let her go."
Ruo Zhao and the others thought of Jiang Hui's previous plan - keeping this girl would be a huge hidden danger to the palace, so it would be better to kill her with a borrowed knife and eliminate the trouble forever.
Now the situation has changed. Prince Qi's troops have also arrived in Yancheng and have even contacted two local knives. Does His Royal Highness want to continue killing people with borrowed knives?
"They shouldn't kill Miss Yan."
"Does the prince have any arrangements?"
Jiang Hui pulled the reins again, "Now that I've shown up, the other party naturally knows I'm here."
In the other hand he held a secret letter.
"Since we know when something went wrong with the Guangzhou governor, if I don't investigate, wouldn't that leave a huge problem for Prince Yan's palace?"
"Compared to that, Yan Siqing in Yancheng seems like a trivial matter."
"Ruozhao stays, Ruoqin you come with me."
People separated, each with important things to do.
Dusk gradually faded into night.
Ruozhao followed Jiang Hui's instructions and arrived at the dark alley outside the Chen residence, ready to wait in ambush to prevent anyone from Prince Qi's side from making a sneak attack.
As soon as they arrived, some masked men appeared on both sides of the alley.
Ruo Zhao frowned.
I was ambushed. The other party was well prepared.
That information might be a lie! It was deliberately arranged by Prince Qi!
Kill two birds with one stone.
The prince and Yan Siqing are taking a two-pronged approach!
If the prince went there, wouldn't he also fall into an ambush?
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