Chapter 456: Some lessons, once is enough
As soon as the three words "Jiang Yubai" came out, Sang Zhixia and Xu Yu fell silent at the same time.
The little prince of Lingnan, a person of genuine royal blood, should be a favored child of heaven no matter where he goes.
However, due to an incident many years ago, the King of Lingnan committed the crime of deceiving the emperor and fled to Lingnan.
Jiang Yubai is the only son of the King of Lingnan. Even though he is a noble and unparalleled prince in Lingnan, he dare not easily reveal his identity when he is outside, otherwise he will not only suffer fatal disasters.
When Jiang Yubai came to the northwest, he would never miss the opportunity to win over Chen Nianhe.
However, Sang Zhixia and Xu Yu currently don’t know the specific progress, nor can they figure out Chen Nianhe’s thoughts.
Sang Zhixia curled up her fingers and said nothing.
Xu Yu said calmly, "Has he come to visit the general?"
Chen Nianhe sneered, "He hasn't come yet, but he didn't mean to hide it from me."
"When he first arrived in the northwest, he went straight to Luobei Village. Later, he sent me things twice under the banner of the old man of the Xu family, but he himself never showed up."
The two gifts he sent were not invaluable treasures. One was freshly picked fruit from the village, and the other was a wild boar hunted in the mountains.
The item is worthless, and it’s impossible to send it back now that it’s been sent to Chen Nianhe.
Therefore, although Chen Nianhe and Jiang Yubai had never met, they had a simple understanding of each other.
They were all old acquaintances who had shared hardships, so Chen Nianhe had no intention of being hypocritical and said directly: "I have two questions."
"First, is it true that he is from Lingnan?"
Xu Yu nodded decisively: "Really."
The son of the King of Lingnan is such a sensitive identity that no one would be so desperate as to impersonate him except someone like Jiang Yubai who is not afraid of death.
Chen Nianhe let out a breath calmly, and said with a hint of a smile, "Secondly, have the Xu family and the son of the King of Lingnan reached a consensus?"
This question is actually very sharp.
Nodding meant that the Xu family had boarded the ship of the King of Lingnan, and it was very likely that they would be charged with treason.
He shook his head, denying any connection with Jiang Yubai, but also suspected that he was deliberately confusing her.
Chen Nianhe waited quietly for Xu Yu's answer, but Xu Yu didn't answer directly. Instead, he said, "General, do you know what happened when we went to Shu?"
Chen Nianhe gestured to indicate his willingness to hear more. After Xu Yu finished, he could no longer suppress the intense sarcasm in his heart and chuckled, "No wonder."
"I was wondering why Jingdu couldn't stand me staying in the northwest anymore. It turns out they wanted to use me as a scapegoat to make me bleed for the East Palace guy."
Sang Zhixia paused after hearing this, clenched his palms and whispered, "General, your return to the capital is fraught with danger. You should be careful."
Now that the military power has been taken back, it is impossible for the Eastern Palace to delegate power to Chen Nianhe.
Chen Nianhe was once the crown prince's biggest worry. If his power fell into someone else's hands, what would await him would be...
Sang Zhixia couldn't bear to think too much, but Chen Nianhe just laughed sarcastically after hearing it: "The prince is domineering, but he is innocent. For the time being, he doesn't dare to kill me."
"Otherwise, how will the generals in the court cope with the situation? If everyone is in danger, where will the high walls be?"
Sang Zhixia opened her mouth but didn't say anything, as if she wanted to say something.
Chen Nianhe spun the walnut in his hand and said lazily, "Xu family boy, you haven't answered my question yet."
"Is the Xu family planning to board the Lingnan ship?"
Xu Yu made no secret of the scrutiny in Chen Nianhe's eyes and said with a smile, "What if it is, and what if it isn't?"
With a crackling sound, Chen Nianhe ignored the walnut being crushed in his hand and said lightly, "If so, you have decided to become a traitor. We may be enemies when we meet again in the future."
"If not, that's fine. After all, I received a lot of favors from the Xu family during my time in the northwest, so the relationship can remain the same."
Xu Yu was completely unconcerned with the subtle pressure in Chen Nianhe's words. He flicked his fingertips and said lightly, "It's hard to say how the big ship will fare. I don't know where the road ahead will lead me either."
"But let me be frank with you, General. The Xu family won't sit idly by and wait for death a second time."
For some lessons, just once is enough.
If someone wants to repeat the same trick and make the Xu family fall into the abyss again, the people of the Xu family will not accept it.
A flash of understanding flashed across Chen Nianhe's eyes, and he laughed and said, "So that's how it is."
"With your words, I feel more confident."
"Girl."
Sang Zhixia looked up when she heard the sound, and caught the thing thrown by Chen Nianhe. When she looked down, she found that it was a pair of jade-carved little tigers tied with red ropes.
Sang Zhixia asked in confusion, "What are you doing?"
"At least I have the title of an elder. I'll give it to the child as a gift. When your little cub is one month old, I probably won't be there to see him."
Chen Nianhe sighed helplessly, closed his eyes and said, "You brewed good wine, but it's a pity that your third uncle and grandfather are very stingy and won't give it to me easily."
"I still have a few days before I leave. Can you go home and get me some jars of good wine to see me off?"
Sang Zhixia held onto the soft jade tiger and silently gritted her teeth. After a moment of hesitation, she smiled and said, "This is easy."
"I'll have someone bring it to you in a moment. It's enough."
Chen Nianhe was very satisfied with Sang Zhixia's generosity. He closed his eyes and smiled, "Alright, I'm leaving the Northwest anyway, so I won't delay your return home."
"I'm afraid everyone at home is waiting anxiously for you. Let's go back with Xu Yu."
Xu Yu helped Sang Zhixia to her feet. Sang Zhixia took two steps and couldn't help but turn back and said, "I remember you mentioned before that your daughter-in-law must have taken your grandson back to visit her parents."
"If you're not in such a hurry to get back to Kyoto, you can come to my house and stay for a while."
I can’t say anything else, but as long as people come, their safety can be guaranteed within the controllable range of the Xu family.
A fierce look flashed across Chen Nianhe's eyes. After a moment of silence, he smiled and said, "Okay."
"I'll tell her."
Sang Zhixia and Xu Yu stopped and bowed their heads slightly to Chen Nianhe: "General, please take care of yourself on this journey."
Chen Nianhe seemed tired and waved his hand to urge: "Go, don't rush on the road, and be careful."
After leaving the Northwest Camp, Sang Zhixia couldn't help but secretly hold Xu Yu's hand tightly: "Xu Yu, when he goes back this time, will he..."
"He has to go back."
Xu Yu leaned over to shield Sang Zhixia from the oncoming wind and whispered, "Families of military officers are not allowed to leave the capital. This is an old law."
This move seemed to be a show of sympathy for the families of military commanders and keeping them in Kyoto for care, but in fact it was also a way of holding the lives of the military commanders' families hostage and a constant warning to the military commanders in power not to act without authorization.
All the members of the Chen family were in Kyoto. Under such circumstances, let alone an imperial edict ordering them to return to Beijing, even if Kyoto directly sent a cup of poisoned wine, Chen Nianhe would have to drink it.
Sang Zhixia's throat was hoarse and she didn't know how to respond.
Xu Yu let out a breath that made no clear meaning, and whispered, "Don't worry, there will be a way."
"Since he asked about Jiang Yubai, it's impossible for him to be completely unprepared. Let's talk about it when we get home."
Sang Zhixia moved her lips with mixed emotions, lowered her eyes and said, "Okay."
Anyway, I finally arrived home.
No matter what happens, we must get home first...
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