miss
That day, Shen Wenqiu spoke a few more words with Yingchun, asking her many questions about Jiang Heng's childhood. Fearing that she would be scolded if she returned late, he told her to hurry back first.
Afterwards, Shen Wenqiu carried his book box and returned to Zhaolin Palace as usual.
Everything seemed normal.
Shen Wenqiu pushed open the door and walked in. Looking at the empty palace, he was momentarily dazed.
During the days that Jiang Heng was away, Shen Wenqiu did not dwell on his departure from the palace.
He walked back and forth between Zhaoming Hall and Zhaolin Palace, mechanically attending school, as if nothing had changed.
It was just much quieter around me, and there was one less person.
But just now, Shen Wenqiu ran into Yingchun on her way back to Zhaolin Palace, and everything seemed to have changed.
He began to miss Jiang Heng, whom he had just recognized as a friend, like crazy.
Once longing envelops a person, they can't help but overthink.
Jiang Heng has been gone for so long without a single word from him.
Shen Wenqiu understood the severity of the disaster and the heavy workload of post-disaster reconstruction. Perhaps Jiang Heng had no opportunity or means to write a letter back.
But the lack of any news can make people start to overthink.
Shen Wenqiu couldn't help but wonder if Jiang Heng's job over there was going smoothly, if he was facing any difficulties, or if anyone was making things difficult for him.
Did the subordinates of the Crown Prince, the Fifth Prince, and the Sixth Prince cause him trouble or sabotage his disaster relief efforts?
Once the thought of worry arises in one's mind, it becomes uncontrollable.
Shen Wenqiu began to feel that the days were very long. Although he did not know when Jiang Heng would be able to return, he started counting down the days from that day on.
He felt like he had counted many days, but when he looked back, only a few days had passed.
Time seemed to drag on forever, or as the saying goes, "a day apart feels like three autumns."
Shen Wenqiu finally felt a sense of reality with these sentences that she had read in school.
Shen Wenqiu's heart was itching, and he just hoped that one day when he opened the door, he would see Jiang Heng standing outside.
Tell him I'm back.
As Shen Wenqiu mechanically went to Zhaoming Hall to study, he sometimes felt like a walking corpse, like a pre-programmed machine.
Following the pre-set procedure, they mechanically shuttled between Zhaoming Hall and Zhaolin Palace, having forgotten what they were doing, but knowing what they should do and what their next step should be.
In a daze, Shen Wenqiu was like a drowning person, tilting his head back to draw in the faint oxygen that was visible above the water.
Boundless longing was like seaweed pulling him down, swallowing him whole.
But Shen Wenqiu didn't dislike it. He even wanted to drown in the water and entangle himself with that boundless longing.
If anything could pull him up, perhaps it would be Jiang Heng coming back.
Habits are so hard to break, especially since after coming into this world, apart from Aunt Qin, Jiang Heng is the closest person to Shen Wenqiu.
Aunt Qin is at home; if anything happens, I can find an excuse to go back.
Jiang Heng is far away in the disaster area, and his return date is unknown.
Perhaps it was Shen Wenqiu's longing that reached Jiang Heng's side, because this trip to do business went exceptionally smoothly.
Jiang Heng was also somewhat surprised. Although he had made thorough preparations and instructed his subordinates to guard against unexpected events or human interference, he was also prepared for things to go wrong or for the process to drag on for a long time.
To everyone's surprise, all these preparations were unnecessary. Neither the Crown Prince, the Fifth Prince, nor the Sixth Prince's men, nor even the Emperor's own staff, tried to sabotage his mission. In fact, everyone on both sides fully supported and actively cooperated with the matter.
Something unusual must be going on. Jiang Heng was used to being made things difficult, and at first he didn't understand.
Upon closer reflection, it was because he was determined to succeed in this endeavor, with no room for failure.
The ministers under the Crown Prince would not allow Jiang Heng's mission to go wrong.
These ministers were much smarter than the crown prince, and they all believed that Jiang Heng was the least threatening person to the crown prince.
If Jiang Heng is tripped up this time and has to be replaced, then it would be very disadvantageous for the Crown Prince if another prince took over the task.
The same principle applies to the other princes.
Perhaps these princes themselves did not foresee this, but their maternal families and the ministers who depended on them saw it clearly.
The debate in court that day was something everyone realized after the court session ended.
The Emperor clearly didn't want these ambitious princes to take over the Crown Prince's position. Besides, they couldn't guarantee that after Jiang Heng was removed, their own people would take his place.
Therefore, nobody wants things to turn out their way.
They all unanimously cleared obstacles for Jiang Heng, so that he could get things done smoothly and as quickly as possible.
He quickly returned and resumed his role as the unpopular Ninth Prince, letting them argue about court affairs as they pleased.
Jiang Heng figured this out, gave a cold laugh, and did nothing to change the situation.
For him, this is indeed the best possible outcome.
Just in time, Jiang Heng could take advantage of the fact that everyone thought he posed no threat to secretly develop his own power and get his hands on everything that belonged to him in his previous life ahead of time.
In this way, they might be able to successfully trip up the Crown Prince this time, hold Qiuqiu's hand, stand on high ground, and no one will be able to harm them anymore.
Thus, with the help of these people, Jiang Heng not only accomplished his tasks brilliantly but also won the love and respect of the local people.
Compared to the previous crown prince, the new prince was very hands-on, visiting every place and comforting every household he encountered along the way. He also thoroughly inspected every flood control measure, barely resting and even neglecting to eat.
The people have witnessed all of this.
So they kept it in mind.
After Jiang Heng finished explaining the final arrangements, he prepared to return to the capital.
The people brought a lot of things to the carriage and shouted that they wanted to see Jiang Heng.
"Ninth Prince! Ninth Prince, you must accept it!"
"Without the Ninth Prince, there would be no us. Please take something back with you!"
"Ninth Prince, I also want to study hard and pass the imperial examinations in the future, so that I can become a good person like you, doing good deeds for everyone!"
In the past, Jiang Heng would never have paid any attention to these words.
But this time, after hearing these words, he lifted the carriage curtain and looked out. A thin little boy was standing by the carriage, with his mother protecting him behind him.
Shen Wenqiu.
Jiang Heng immediately thought of Shen Wenqiu.
Even though he hadn't stopped missing her for a moment these past few days, this moment was still so different.
He thought of Shen Wenqiu, who studied diligently every day. He knew that Shen Wenqiu's wish was to enter officialdom through the imperial examination, so that he could become capable and bring his mother, Aunt Qin, out of the Marquis of Huai'an's mansion.
Therefore, from the very beginning when Shen Wenqiu went to Zhaoming Hall to study, he was very serious.
The opportunity to attend school with the princes was rare, and the tutor's level was much higher than that of ordinary private schools.
Therefore, Shen Wenqiu desperately absorbed knowledge, wanting to take advantage of this rare opportunity to break free from his cocoon and soar high.
He brought his mother with him.
Jiang Heng likes this kind of person.
He saw it clearly: although Shen Wenqiu usually seemed timid, she had such great strength and vitality in her heart.
I want to do something for myself and for my mother.
That's fine.
Jiang Heng thought of Mu Yan, realizing he no longer had the chance to do anything for her.
If there is anything that can be done, it is to clear her name and the Mu family's name.
Make that dog emperor pay with his life.
However, when it comes to feelings...
In fact, after so many years, Mu Yan's appearance had become blurred in his mind.
She can no longer remember any of the moments she spent with this mother.
If you want to dig deep into your heart and find some emotions related to that year.
That was the hatred for the dog emperor amidst the blood-soaked sky.
Jiang Heng composed himself, his gaze falling on the little boy. He raised his hand to signal the carriage to stop, but did not get off.
He looked only at the little boy and said, "Then you must not forget your original aspiration, study hard, and come to the capital as soon as possible... be a good official and do good deeds."
The little boy never dreamed that the Ninth Prince would speak to him. He was so excited that he nodded repeatedly and stammered, "I...I will! I definitely will!"
Jiang Heng did not respond, but simply lowered the curtain, sat inside the carriage, and thought of Shen Wenqiu again.
Shen Wenqiu is reserved.
He wouldn't be so excited as to speak incoherently.
But Jiang Heng didn't regret lifting the curtain and saying those words. He just thought... if his Qiuqiu were there, she would definitely lift the curtain and encourage the child too.
This is something Qiuqiu would do.
As Jiang Heng pondered, he reached for the sachet at his waist, feeling its emptiness, and thought of the jade pendant that had been given to Shen Wenqiu.
I wonder if Qiuqiu ever touched this jade pendant.
This... was a jade pendant he used to wear close to his body.
As Jiang Heng pondered, the convoy embarked on its return journey, and he also sent someone ahead to the palace to report to the Emperor about everything that had happened.
In the imperial study, the emperor looked at the memorial in his hand and nodded.
"Not bad, Ninth Prince did a great job this time." The Emperor smiled, put down the memorial, and looked at the chief eunuch beside him. "I will have another capable son."
The steward, who had been eavesdropping, responded with a smile.
Meanwhile, outside the Imperial Study stood Jiang Yunyan, who had come looking for the Emperor.
He listened to the Emperor's praise of Jiang Heng, his gaze turning sinister.
How dare Jiang Heng steal his thunder!
You motherless brat, just wait till I get my hands on you!
Jiang Yunyan cursed under his breath.
Therefore, Jiang Yunyan did not enter the imperial study, but left in a huff, filled with resentment.
On New Year's Eve, Shen Wenqiu received the Emperor's permission to return home for the holiday.
He was packing his things alone in Zhaolin Palace, looking at some of Jiang Heng's belongings, and felt a sense of loss.
It's already the Lunar New Year, and Jiang Heng still hasn't returned.
Although Shen Wenqiu had Aunt Qin to accompany her when she returned home for the New Year, Jiang Heng spent the New Year alone outside.
Thinking about this, he couldn't help but feel a little sad.
This sadness lasted until Shen Wenqiu returned home and sat down at the table to eat New Year's Eve dinner.
It's not that I'm not sad, but the presence of other people in front of me brings stronger emotions that take over at this moment.
I had New Year's Eve dinner with the Marquis of Huai'an, Consort Yan, and Consort Qin.
The first two people didn't like Shen Wenqiu and her son, and never gave them a kind look.
Furthermore, Jiang Heng's visit home meant that Aunt Qin would also be able to eat with them at the New Year's Eve dinner, giving her the opportunity to be served instead of being waited on. This infuriated Aunt Yan to the point of grinding her teeth.
So, when Shen Wenqiu finally got to eat at home, Aunt Yan found fault with everything.
"She has no manners at all. Girls who climb into bed are different. They have no manners."
"You two have no sense of propriety at all, not even knowing to serve food to the Marquis! You should be sent to the woodshed to eat leftovers!"
“You don’t consider us family anyway, so why are you coming to our house for New Year’s Eve dinner? Leave your things here and get out.”
“If it weren’t for my son preparing for his college entrance exams and not being able to travel back and forth, there would be no place for you two despicable women at this table.”
These words were harsh, but the Marquis of Huai'an ignored them completely, not only pretending not to hear them but even smiling slightly, as if he were quite pleased.
Shen Wenqiu could grit her teeth and bear the humiliation herself, but what about Aunt Qin, who was so humiliated at the dinner table today? She would be in deep trouble after the meal.
He put down his chopsticks, stood up, looked at Aunt Yan, and prepared to refute her point by point.
"Aunt Yan just said I had bad posture? But that's how it is in the palace, and that's how the etiquette instructors teach us. Are you nitpicking today, or are you questioning the etiquette of the royal instructors?"
Aunt Yan was taken aback; the imperial family had been brought up, and he dared not say anything more.
"As for the woman who climbed into my bed, wasn't it my father who was unrighteous and immoral first, forcibly defiling my mother and forcing her to stay in the mansion?"
Marquis Huai'an, his sore spot touched, slammed his fist on the table, stood up, and pointed at Shen Wenqiu, yelling, "You unfilial son! What nonsense are you spouting!"
Shen Wenqiu sneered and said, "Is Father feeling guilty?"
For the Marquis of Huai'an, it was the most humiliating thing to have his own son point out a scandalous affair that he could have easily blamed on a woman for.
He didn't have time to think much for a moment, putting Jiang Heng and the royal family out of his mind.
He was so angry that he pointed at Shen Wenqiu and raised his hand menacingly.
"You unfilial son! I'll teach you a lesson today!"
Shen Wenqiu closed his eyes, bracing himself for the slap that was about to come.
For him, the slap was nothing; to outsiders, it served to sever the father-son relationship between them.
The expected slap did not come.
When Shen Wenqiu opened his eyes, he saw Jiang Heng, who had not yet returned, standing in front of him, tightly gripping the wrist of the Marquis of Huai'an, speaking in a harsh and stern tone.
"Lord Huai'an, do you intend to attack my men?"
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