Chapter 137: Illegal Mining of Iron Ore
"What does it have to do with you?" Shen Zhang glanced at Zhao Yun with a dark face.
Zhao Yun was not angry. He stood up leisurely and brushed Shen Shuwei's right hand while moving. "Since Second Brother doesn't welcome me, I will come to visit you another day."
Shen Zhang wished that Zhao Yun would leave quickly and stay away from Shen Shuwei.
Only Shen Shuwei stretched out his right hand thoughtfully after Zhao Yun walked a few steps away, looking at the jade ring lying quietly in his palm.
She looked at Zhao Yun, who silently moved his lips and said, "Dowry."
Chen Shuwei withdrew his hand with a smile and hid the jade ring.
Not long after Zhao Yun left, the banquet came to an end, and Shen Shuwei and Shen Zhang left with the crowd.
The two of them mingled in the crowd, and from time to time they could hear whispers coming from all directions.
"Just now, I saw the steward from the Huaiyuan Marquis's Mansion leading Miss Chu from the Jingning Marquis's Mansion towards Prince Jiang's courtyard. She hasn't come out yet. Do you think there's something going on between these two?"
"How is this possible? The Marquis of Jingning Mansion is a declining mansion. It's not even certain whether the title can be passed down to the next generation. Compared to the Marquis of Huaiyuan Mansion, there is a world of difference. How could Prince Jiang be interested in a girl from the Marquis of Jingning Mansion?"
"Then why do you think the people in Huaiyuan Marquis' Mansion treat Chu Xinrou so affectionately?"
Shen Shuwei lowered his head and hurried out of the house, and got on the carriage back home with Shen Zhang.
Thinking of the few words he heard from Jiang Heng, Chen Shu narrowed his eyes slightly.
Chu Xinrou wanted to go to Huaiyuan Marquis's mansion to recognize her relatives, but what could she rely on? Was it a token, a birthmark, or an old man who could testify?
Jiang Heng doesn't seem like someone who is in a hurry to recognize his sister, but her attitude towards Chu Xinrou is indeed unusual.
Shen Shuwei stroked his chest and suppressed the throbbing in his heart.
She always had a bad feeling about the prince stationed in the northern border coming to the capital and getting involved in these things.
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Facts have proved that Shen Shuwei's premonition was correct. On the day of Xiaohan, Jiang Heng suddenly filed a complaint before the emperor, accusing Crown Prince Xiao Chengming of illegally mining iron ore in the northern border and demanding a thorough investigation.
Salt and iron have always been major issues, firmly controlled by the rulers of successive dynasties. Jiang Heng's accusation that Crown Prince Xiao Chengming was illegally mining iron ore was like a thunderbolt dropped on the imperial court, causing a sensation both within and outside the government.
The emperor had been ill since he fell ill before the winter hunt, and his health had been deteriorating. After learning about this, he was furious and immediately placed the prince under house arrest in the prince's mansion and ordered the three courts to hold a joint trial.
"The prince, the person involved, is under house arrest. What about Jiang Heng, who filed the complaint to the emperor?" Shen Shuwei turned his head and asked Shen Heng, who had just returned from the Hanlin Academy.
Chen Heng was in the Hanlin Academy, and although he wasn't affected by the events at court, he was still very worried these past few days. He sighed and sat down, saying, "Jiang Heng impeached the crown prince, so naturally, he won't get any good results. The Huaiyuan Marquis's mansion has been surrounded by the imperial guards."
Shen Shuwei's eyebrows twitched when he heard that Huaiyuan Marquis' Mansion was surrounded and guarded by the imperial guards.
It was just a report to the crown prince, but the emperor mobilized such a large force. He must be too wary of Jiang Heng.
Chen Heng poured himself a cup of tea, looked at Chen Shuwei and said meaningfully, "Third sister, try not to go out these days. I'm afraid the capital will be unstable."
Chen Shuwei lowered her eyelashes and responded in a low voice.
Having said that, today is the anniversary of Shen's mother's death, and the children of the Shen family have agreed to go to the Qingjing Temple in the suburbs of Beijing to light an eternal lamp for Shen's mother.
Shen Zhang was transferred due to some urgent matters in the army and could not come back no matter what, so the people who went on the trip were Shen Shuwei, Shen Heng and Shen Zhiyang.
Several people took a carriage to the street, but saw a gorgeously and elegantly decorated carriage driving in the opposite direction.
Looking at the direction where the carriage stopped, Chen Shu narrowed his eyes.
Chen Heng glanced at her and lowered the curtain for her. "No need to look. That carriage is heading to the Jingning Marquis's Mansion. Rumors have been circulating in the capital these days. It's said that Princess Linzhao gave birth to twins seventeen years ago, and the girl who was lost on the night of the mutiny was Chu Xinrou."
"After hearing the news, many people in the capital came to visit, even some elders from the royal family went."
Although he had expected this, Shen Shuwei couldn't help but raise his eyebrows and asked, "Did Jiang Heng admit it?"
Chen Heng laughed a few times, "Since this word has been passed on, I think it is the result of Master Jiang's deliberate indulgence."
At such a critical moment, when the news came out that Chu Xinrou was the daughter of Princess Linzhao, what did Jiang Heng want to do?
Chen Shuwei lowered his head and pondered, but he couldn't figure it out no matter how hard he tried.
"Third sister, we're here, let's get off." Chen Heng first helped Shen Zhiyang get off the carriage, then turned around and extended his hand to Shen Shuwei.
Shen Shuwei laughed helplessly, "Brother, I'm not Ayang, I can go down by myself."
Chen Heng smiled and pulled the person aside, "In Big Brother's eyes, you and Ayang are the same, both are still children."
The three siblings entered the temple to burn incense. Shen Shuwei took the silver and went to the monks in the temple to buy an eternal lamp for Shen's mother. Shen Zhiyang took Shen Heng to the back mountain of the temple. It was said that she picked up the tinkling bell hanging on the carriage there.
"Brother, hurry up, this is it!" Shen Zhiyang happily pulled Shen Heng to a towering wishing tree that blocked out the sun. The tree was hung with red wooden signs. When the wind blew, the wooden signs collided with each other, making a crisp sound.
"I picked up the bell under this tree." Shen Zhiyang held his face and looked at the wishing tree and began to recall the past.
Chen Heng stood beside her with amusement, and was about to speak when suddenly a sign fell from under the tree and hit his shoulder. He subconsciously looked up and happened to meet a pair of slightly raised almond eyes.
“This… why is there someone on this tree!” Shen Zhiyang also saw the person squatting on the wishing tree and was dumbfounded.
Jiang Heng sat calmly on the branch, looking down at the two people below, "Are you here to make a wish?"
Shen Zhiyang shook his head first, then nodded.
Chen Heng's eyes fell on the slender branch beneath him, his brows furrowed slightly, "I'm afraid the branch under you can't support your weight. If you sit there any longer, I'm afraid it will break."
Jiang Heng's eyes first landed on Shen Heng's face, then slowly wandered down to his waist and abdomen. After a while, he licked the corner of his lips, "Oh, it's about to break. What should I do? I came up here to hang a wishing sign. This tree is so high, I don't have the courage to climb down."
Chen Heng was about to ask the monk to borrow a ladder when Chen Zhiyang said very quickly, "It's okay. Just jump down. My brother will catch you from below."
Shen Heng slowly turned his head and squinted his eyes to look at Shen Zhiyang, "Ayang?"
Jiang Heng chuckled, and without waiting for the two people below to say anything, he put the flower branch in his hand to his waist and stood up by holding the tree trunk. "Okay, then I will jump down, and you have to catch me."
Chen Heng was feeling a bit overwhelmed by the pressure he felt and was about to persuade the young man in the tree to hold back and wait for him to find someone when a figure in a purple robe fluttered down in his direction.
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