Chapter 51 Obstacles
But there was no point in getting anxious, so everyone had to stop. There was a thatched cottage on the side of the road for pedestrians to rest, so Sun Wei and A Ru went to rest in the cottage.
Deng Lian asked his followers to unload the carriage, stood by the shaft and looked at it for a long time, and when he walked back, he frowned.
"It's just as the princess said, so the carriage has been tampered with." He whispered to Sun Wei, "The broken part of the shaft is very smooth, which is caused by a saw. I think this carriage was not very reliable to begin with, and with the bumpy road, it is reasonable that the shaft broke."
The guess in his mind came true, and Sun Wei nodded: "It seems that someone doesn't want me to get on board."
Aju was surprised: "Who is it?"
Sun Wei was speechless.
The only one in the palace who didn't want her to come was Sima Jun. But Sun Wei knew it wasn't him. If he wanted to stop her, he had plenty of ways to do it, no need to be so sneaky.
This carriage came from the palace, and the two people who could have tampered with it were Sun Rong and Guo Shun. But Sun Wei had a hunch that it wouldn't be these two.
Sun Rong's scheming was evident on his face; his incompetence meant he couldn't hide his true intentions. If he had intended to attack her, he wouldn't have gone to such lengths to curry favor with her. As for Guo Shun, he was the Crown Prince's personal attendant. Given the Crown Prince's cautious nature, anyone who remained by his side must be completely loyal. Even if he harbored ulterior motives, he wouldn't have resorted to such obvious tactics.
This matter cannot be checked at the moment.
Sun Wei thought for a moment and asked Sun Rong, "If I'm late, will there be any free boats at the dock?"
Sun Rong said, "Several official ships will accompany the Crown Prince. However, we have also prepared a grain ship. Although it is not large, Jingkou is not far away, so it will not be troublesome to travel."
"That's very good." Sun Wei turned to Guo Shun and said, "Please ask Eunuch Guo to go to the dock in person and inform the Crown Prince of the reasons. Please rest assured, I will be there on time tomorrow."
Guo Shun was stunned and asked, "Then the princess..."
"Your Highness, there are many things to do when you go to Jingkou. You cannot delay. Please leave on time. I will take the grain boat later and will try to catch up with you."
Guo Shun thought about it and thought this was a good idea.
"But the prince said he wanted to wait for the princess..." Guo Shun asked hesitantly.
"Don't worry." Sun Wei knew his concerns, so he smiled and said, "This is my idea, it has nothing to do with the eunuch."
Only after getting Sun Wei's guarantee did Guo Shun dare to report the news with peace of mind.
The group waited there for half an hour, but the person who went to the city to look for a carriage still hadn't returned. Sun Wei had already concluded that she would definitely not be able to wait for a carriage today.
Sun Rong's anxiety was written all over his face. After sending two or three people in a row with no news, he couldn't help but get angry: "Is this going to Longtan or Huxue? How come there's no return? Send more people! Send more people!"
"A mere carriage, either it's broken or it doesn't come." A'ru said sarcastically beside Sun Wei, "The Crown Prince handed the princess's travel arrangements to the Ministry of Rites, and they're so negligent."
Sun Rong hurriedly said, "It's not that I'm negligent. There must be a reason for this."
Sun Wei glanced at Aju and said to Sun Rong, "We've already missed our journey and can't delay any longer. The Chief Clerk is an official under the Ministry of Rites. He needs to go and see what's going on there. Otherwise, he might not be able to explain himself to the Crown Prince."
Sun Rong couldn't explain the feeling in his heart. Although the man in front of him was the same age as his daughter, he spoke without any fear, with an intimidating presence that made him dare not even raise his head.
"That's right, Princess," Sun Rong nodded repeatedly. "I'll do it right away."
After saying this, he hurriedly called on the people around him to mount their horses and head into the city.
——
It was morning and the river was already busy.
More than a dozen official ships were lined up, flags fluttering and canopies adorned with splendid ornaments. The Crown Prince stood at the bow, conversing with Wang Zhi, a doctor in the outer military department, and others while gazing out at the vast expanse of the river, admiring the scenery.
As the sun rose higher, he turned to ask Zhao Tong beside him, "Has Princess Yuzhang arrived yet?"
Zhao Tong was about to answer when he heard someone say, "Eunuch Guo is back!"
Guo Shun came panting onto the boat, but no one was there. Zhao Tong hurried forward and asked, "Why are you back just now? Where's the princess?"
Guo Shun wiped the sweat off his face and said, "The princess's carriage broke down and was delayed on the road." After that, he knelt on the ground and reported to the prince what happened on the road.
"The carriage broke down?" The Crown Prince looked surprised and glanced at Zhao Tong. "Didn't the matter of this trip belong to the Minister of Rites? How could something go wrong?"
"That's right." Zhao Tong thought for a moment and said hurriedly, "Your Highness, in my opinion, there's something fishy about this. The carriages in the palace were all carefully crafted by the generals, so why would they break down at this very moment?"
The prince frowned and said nothing.
Wang Zhi beside him said, "Your Highness, it's already a little late. If it's any later, I'm afraid we won't be able to reach Jingkou today. Your Highness has to inspect the camp early tomorrow morning, so I'm afraid..."
"Minister Wang is right," echoed the military officer sitting below him. "The soldiers of the Northern Palace heard that Your Highness was leaving and have been training for quite a while. If they are delayed, it will be bad."
The prince's gaze fell on the two of them and he smiled: "According to what you two ministers said, this patrol is extremely important."
"That's quite true." A voice came from the other side.
Everyone looked and saw that it was Shangshu Pushe Wang Han, and they all saluted.
Wang Han was a man of impressive stature. Even when he was still a princess, he was a renowned handsome man in the capital. Although he was a bit older now, he still had the demeanor of a distinguished scholar. In his official robes, he had the dignity of a powerful official.
"The Crown Prince is inspecting the Northern Prefecture on behalf of His Majesty. This is a major event for both the imperial court and the local area. The External Military Department and the Northern Prefecture dare not neglect it," Wang Hao said. "I wonder what is delaying the ship so late?"
Zhao Tong glanced at the Crown Prince and quickly said, "The Princess of Yuzhang's carriage broke down and is now stuck en route, unable to board the ship."
"Oh? I thought something serious had happened." Wang Hao laughed and said to Zhao Tongdao, "In that case, arrange another boat and take the princess with you. The prince's trip is urgent and must not be delayed."
Zhao Tong stood respectfully, but did not dare to answer, only glanced at the prince.
The prince was silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled.
"Just as Wang Pushe said." After he said that, he ordered to set sail.
Wang Han reported the affairs of the court to the prince again, and soon took his leave.
Not long after returning to the cabin, Wang Zhi came to see him.
"Is everything arranged?" Wang Han asked.
"Don't worry, father. Everything has been arranged. She needs to wait until this afternoon to board the carriage. If she sets out then, she won't reach Jingkou by night. I've already ordered the boat to go as slowly as possible so she can arrive in Jingkou tomorrow night. By then, everything will be settled, and no matter how capable she is, it won't be of any use." Wang Zhi said, "But, father, do you really believe that Lu has supernatural powers?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
