Undercurrent
At four o'clock in the morning, the crescent moon in the middle of the night is bright and clear.
Xuan Gui only showed up after Xiao Yingzhu returned to the study in the mansion.
"Master, secret order."
The candlelight flickered, and the wax seal on the envelope looked blood red.
One of the papers was picked out, with just a few lines of words written on it. Xiao Yingzhu's gaze fixed on it for a moment, and the corners of his lips raised in a scornful manner.
It was not much different from what he expected.
The emperor began to ask him about the progress of pest control.
Thinking of Jiang Nian's views on the people in the afternoon, the unfathomable coldness in his eyes dissipated slightly, and instead there was a hint of indistinct darkness.
He then placed the corner of the paper that he had been twisting in his hand onto the candle flame.
Xuan Gui stood beside the table and continued to report calmly at the right time: "Besides that, the intelligence that the master wanted to explore earlier has also been found."
"The enemy has made some moves. The spies and the Second Prince have recently established contact."
The night wind from the window blew away the faint paper ashes on the table, and Xuan Gui raised his eyes.
"Master, do you need Mo Qing and I to intercept their whereabouts in transmitting information again?"
The flame on the candlestick flickered, and its fiery red shadow was reflected in Xiao Yingzhu's dark eyes. His smile was thin and fierce, and his tone was cheerful.
"No need, just let them go for a few days."
Xuan Gui lowered his eyes indifferently.
"yes."
The next day, Beijing
Chongzheng Hall
The hall was empty, with the scent of ambergris wafting through the air, creating a slightly depressing atmosphere.
The princess took a few steps forward, her pretty face looking a little anxious.
"Your Majesty, I have heard that the pests and diseases in Donglan are becoming increasingly serious. I am afraid..."
Emperor Changde turned his eyes away from the memorial and looked at Princess Qingping with a heavy gaze.
"That's not your business."
As if realizing that his tone was too harsh, Emperor Changde's expression relaxed slightly. Looking at the faces of the princess and the eldest princess, which looked similar, he sighed slightly.
"Qingping, who told you this? These things have nothing to do with you. Someone will handle them."
The princess's eyes were not timid and her face remained firm.
"It was my mother who told me that as long as it is related to the royal family, I will be concerned about it."
She seemed not afraid of crossing the line, and met Emperor Changde's cold gaze and asked again.
"Your Majesty, why don't you explain this to Xiao Yingzhu? He..."
When her eyes met Emperor Changde's gradually cold gaze, the princess looked a little sad.
"Qingping believes that this is a more frank and clear time."
"Your Majesty entrusted the investigation of the pests and diseases in Kyushu to the Duke, clearly showing some trust in him."
“Why has it become like this now?”
Emperor Changde did not answer. He put down the memorial in his hand and looked at the eunuch beside him.
Seeing this, the chief eunuch stepped forward and whispered something.
The princess turned her eyes away slightly and looked outside the huge and magnificent palace.
The scorching sun outside was extremely bright, but her heart gradually grew colder.
Ever since the battle of Shenjiang, Xiao Yingzhu's relationship with the royal family has become increasingly distant.
He was like an unpredictable figure in the imperial court. Although he obeyed the orders of Emperor Changde on the surface, no one could figure out his thoughts behind the scenes.
The battle situation that year was too bleak. She wanted to help Xiao Yingzhu, the only one left in the Duke's Mansion, but was stopped by His Majesty.
Knowing that this was the rational behavior, but every time she accidentally met Xiao Yingzhu's eyes during the Wanshou Festival, she felt an indescribable guilt when she saw that his once clear and proud face had disappeared without a trace, and now only an unpredictable cruelty like death remained.
The current Xiao Yingzhu has lost all trace of the person he was in the academy, and everything related to him is like a puppet that he can control. Human life is like grass in his eyes, and he plays with and controls it in his hands.
The news that Xiao Yingzhu had personally killed her uncle, with whom she had a very good relationship, was widely circulated in the palace.
She clearly understood that Xiao Yingzhu, who had studied with her in the academy and questioned the teacher in class, had long since died in the battle of Shenjiang, but she still couldn't let it go.
…
The reminiscence was interrupted by Emperor Changde's question.
"Qingping, are you ready for your birthday party next month?"
The princess suddenly came back to her senses from the window that was shining with orange light, and narrowed her eyes slightly.
"Your Majesty, I have already made all the preparations for the birthday banquet."
Emperor Changde nodded slightly, his eyes fell on the princess's face, who was still worried. He was about to raise his hand to let her leave, but paused and put it back on the imperial desk.
He closed his eyes slightly tiredly, his gaze falling on the unprocessed memorial on the imperial desk for a moment, and his mind recalled the secret decree he had just sent to Xiao Yingzhu not long ago.
The cold and sinister expression on Xiao Yingzhu's face when he returned from the battlefield a short time ago.
And that touch, although never expressed, everything done afterwards was Xiao Yingzhu's silent questioning of his father's death.
The scene seemed to be engraved in his mind, and he still remembers it to this day.
And now the person standing in front of him was the princess whom he had treated as his own daughter since childhood. Looking at the stubborn expression on her face, she seemed somewhat similar to Xiao Yingzhu back then. The memories of the past seemed to overlap with the scene in front of him now.
Emperor Changde sighed softly.
"I understand what you're talking about. If you meet the Duke at the birthday party, you can ask him in person any questions you have."
The princess' eyes lit up.
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
After getting the permission she wanted from Emperor Changde, the princess no longer gave in to her stubbornness. After paying her respects to Emperor Changde, she took a few steps back and walked out of Chongde Hall.
The eunuch looked at the princess's receding figure with a hint of hesitation in his eyes.
Emperor Changde slowly pulled out another memorial from the top of the stack. As if he knew what the eunuch was thinking, he said without even turning his head:
"If the chief steward has anything to say, please report it directly to me."
The eunuch withdrew his gaze from the door that had just been closed by the guards. He concentrated for a moment, then, holding his whisk, lowered his brows and replied, "Your Majesty, I am afraid that the princess's audience with the Duke may cause unpleasantness between the emperor and his subjects."
Only the sound of approval could be heard in the hall. The air was quiet for a while, and then a faint sigh from Emperor Changde was heard from behind the imperial desk.
"The steward is worrying too much."
The tip of the pen in his hand that was correcting the memorials paused briefly in the air, and his lowered eyes seemed to be filled with some nostalgia for the past.
"The world is fickle and people are fickle, but the true heart is like the moon shining in the sky."
"And what the Duke does, in my opinion, is never a joke."
Hearing Emperor Changde's frank evaluation of Xiao Yingzhu in front of him for the first time, the eunuch standing in front of the imperial pillar quickly lowered his hands and bowed his head, saying, "Your Majesty is wise, and I will definitely keep this in mind."
Emperor Changde nodded slightly, his lowered gaze pausing for a moment on the memorial in front of him that had only a few short lines of words written on it. Without any fluctuation in his expression, he placed this seemingly abrupt memorial under the other memorials as usual.
It was not until the memorial was almost finished that Emperor Changde asked casually, "The court has many affairs to attend to. I wonder how the princes are doing these days?"
The eunuch's fingers trembled slightly, a hint of surprise flashed across his eyes, and then he answered respectfully.
"The princes are all doing the same..."
The eunuch was interrupted by Emperor Changde before he could finish his words.
"That's great."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The glance from Emperor Changde was so majestic that the eunuch's words were stuck in his throat because of the shocking gaze. He was speechless for a moment, with a storm in his heart. He lowered his brows and hurried to follow.
Behind them, hanging high in the Chongde Hall, the plaque written by Emperor Changde himself was as solemn and majestic as ever. Its sharp edges reflected the incandescent orange and golden light that was difficult for the naked eye to see.
Pingzhou, the capital of Liang
Jiang Nian changed into his going-out clothes early in the morning and put on a veiled hat on his head, just like when he went to the teahouse before.
Her face in the bronze mirror was obscured by the drawn veil, with only her chin, which was as white as cream, slightly exposed.
Guizhi took a few steps back and admired the double buns she had braided today.
After Jiang Nian's modification, the originally flat bangs in front of her hair were made soft and long, gently passing over her eyebrows and hanging slightly in front of her eyes. A few long strands were hooked behind her ears, and the rest of the long hair fell loosely to her waist, showing her clear and well-behaved face.
Guizhi followed her lady's idea of keeping things simple and changed Jiang Nian's accessories to plain ones, but left out any decorations where necessary. Therefore, her outfit was not only simple but also had a unique charm.
Looking at the word "satisfaction" written in capital letters on Guizhi's face, Jiang Nian gently twisted the misty white veil hanging vertically in front of her body.
"It's getting late. Let's go to the Taoist temple first, and then to the medicine market."
The medicinal herb trade was developed in the Huan Dynasty, and monks in society also participated in the cultivation of medicinal herbs.
Her itinerary today was to thoroughly understand the average price of medicinal materials in Liangdu City.
Although Xu Bo has always been careful in his work, Jiang Nian still feels that he can only feel at ease after investigating it himself.
Fuling was asked by Jiang Nian to go to the pharmacy today to verify with Xu Bo what was assigned yesterday, so the one who went out with Jiang Nian now was Guizhi.
Hearing Jiang Nian's slightly urgent words, Guizhi nodded and gently pushed open the door of the wing room.
"The carriage has been prepared as the young lady ordered. It is outside now. Let us go."
Jiang Nian nodded, set out from the Jiang Mansion, and took a carriage to the foot of the mountain where the Taoist temple was located.
The Taoist temple was built at the foot of the mountain, and the distance up the mountain was not far, so Jiang Nian walked directly up the mountain.
Because everything had been arranged with the Taoist temple in advance, as soon as Jiang Nian entered the temple, the monks who had made an appointment came forward and handed her a public account book of trade records.
The sales of common medicinal herbs were described in great detail. After a while, Jiang Nian had read through the prices of the herbs he wanted to know about. After thanking the monk, he went straight down the mountain.
Guizhi originally wanted to suggest to Jiang Nian that they pray here. After all, people outside said that the Taoist temple here was very effective. However, after Jiang Nian read what he wanted to know, he turned around and left, a little confused.
"Miss, the rumor about the blessing being effective has spread so widely that even the old lady who lives in seclusion knows about it. She said she wanted to go and pray for one. Are you not going?"
Jiang Nian thought about the envelope he received from the Censor yesterday evening.
Given the close attention the Censor paid to Xiao Yingzhu, he must be aware of Xiao Yingzhu's style.
It is also clear that everything related to Xiao Yingzhu is closely monitored by corresponding spies.
And since he was watching, the Censor would naturally wait for Jiang Nian's reply.
After all, the letter was sent to Jiang Nian, so Xiao Yingzhu couldn't have been unaware of it.
Jiang Nian's reply naturally revealed Xiao Yingzhu's attitude.
The more the Censor wanted to know about his trust in Xiao Yingzhu and improve it, the more anxious he became and the more he looked forward to receiving a reply.
In this case, he might even send someone to check his reaction.
Thinking about how she put the envelope aside as soon as she got home last night.
I wonder if the people sent by the Censor to investigate went back with this information?
The crow feathers in the yard came to mind again, and her pale red lips curled up slightly, with a hint of cunning in Jiang Nian's eyes.
"Let's put the prayers aside for now. There's something more exciting this morning."
The carriage stopped at the medicine market. Jiang Nian took a quick walk inside and compared the average prices given by the Taoist temple and the medicine market. After he had a definite answer in his mind, he told the coachman to drive to Yuejiang Pavilion to listen to a story.
Seeing the undisguised questioning expression on Guizhi's face, Jiang Nian smiled faintly and glanced sideways outside the car curtain.
"Look, here it comes."
As soon as Jiang Nian finished speaking, the carriage was stopped from outside, and a respectful voice sounded outside the carriage.
"Miss Jiang, my master invites you to come up and sit down."
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