Chapter 72: An Unexpected Encounter with an Old Friend.
A few days later, Jiang Xu was always busy outside. After the two made their agreement, Shi Wan could hardly run into him. Fortunately, she was satisfied with this, so she found an excuse to wander around the border.
On May 27th, after many days, Jiang Xu came to her bedroom again, his expression indifferent, and said, "I'm going to Youzhou tomorrow."
Shi Wan was already suspicious, and upon hearing this, she subconsciously glanced at Jiang Xu. Seeing that his expression didn't seem fake, she nestled beside him and offered, "I'll go with you."
Jiang Xu always knew that things were done in secret. As for his thoughts concerning Luoyang, he only mentioned them to Shi Wan. There was a hint of probing, but also a lot of complex feelings that he himself couldn't explain. But every time he was met with evasive words and indifference from her.
Hearing such a definite answer, he couldn't help but raise an eyebrow and say, "I thought you were heartless, but it turns out you do have some qualities after all."
The three-month period was no different from the previous three-day deadline. Temporary appeasement could buy greater freedom, which Shi Wan was naturally happy to accept, especially since...
She smiled and said, "You came at this exact time to ask me tonight, isn't that what you were thinking too?"
Jiang Xu remained noncommittal, "That's still not as good as you bringing it up yourself."
......
The two remained silent throughout the night. The next day, at the crack of dawn, the army was already fully prepared to set off. Jiang Xu did not slow down his pace at all because of her accompaniment, but in the end, he did not betray his conscience and kept his promises along the way.
In early June, the army arrived at the border of the ten prefectures of Youzhou. At that time, the three prefectures that originally belonged to Youzhou had been completely taken over by the rebel army.
Jing Yan traveled with Jiang Xu. Ever since Wan Houyi's defection, he had been preoccupied with this matter. He was also aware of the grudge between Jiang Xu and the Grand Marshal of Youzhou back then, so this time, his anxiety was even greater.
The army marched day and night and now stopped in Huiyang. Only then did he have a chance to express his doubts and frustrations. "Your Majesty, Mao Maochong must have been instructed by Luoyang. There are many suspicious points in the war against the Turks. If it weren't for your divine protection, I'm afraid we would have fallen into their trap!"
Inside the military tent, Jiang Xu's expression remained unchanged. "Be careful what you say. Although His Majesty is young, he always has Lord Ning behind him. He is a man of principle and would never collude with foreign tribes to harm his own people."
"There's no need to say anything more." Jiang Xu's gaze suddenly turned icy. "All of this is just our speculation."
If the powerful and influential in Luoyang have already infiltrated the court to such an extent, colluding with foreign tribes, then the actions in Youzhou were probably just at the behest of certain people in the capital.
From the moment they squandered their wealth on buying and selling official titles, the corruption began at its very foundation. Even if there were some upright people in the court, their individual strength and meager power could not change the final outcome; they could only prolong the process.
The court's vigilance has been undisguised since he succeeded his father and was stationed in the north. Now, nearly five years later, who would have thought that the situation has changed so drastically, while Luoyang is enjoying peace and prosperity and is too busy to care about its own affairs.
In the quiet of the night, Jingyan stood there for a long time, swallowing the myriad emotions in his heart.
After a moment, Jiang Xu said gently, "I know what happened with Wan Houyi. My trip to Youzhou is also to settle things with these two and find an answer."
"Everything requires sustained effort and perseverance; one must not be impatient."
"...You may leave now."
Inside another tent, Shi Wan was completely unaware of what was happening. Once again in this place, perhaps due to the effectiveness of her recuperation, she dozed off for a while and then became sleepy. In her half-awake state, she suddenly felt a warmth beside her. Without even looking up, she said, "I'll be passing through Linzhou in a few days. I'd like to go and take a look."
Upon hearing the familiar place name, Jiang Xu said calmly, "Why are you thinking of going to Linzhou?"
Shi Wan had gotten lost in this very place. Seeing that she still remembered this place, he couldn't help but feel a little hesitant. However, they had made a promise beforehand, and the two of them were feeling a rare moment of tenderness. He didn't want to spoil the atmosphere. Just as he was thinking, he suddenly heard the person beside him say, "I know you are a gentleman, so I think Caiyue should be doing well. This time, I just want to take a look from afar, just like... when you came to find me back then."
"It's all about finding peace of mind." Shi Wan said softly, afraid that Jiang Xu would disagree, "Let's just consider it a way of putting an end to the past."
"The army is marching swiftly. Although it will pass through Linzhou, it will not linger here. If you are concerned about this place, you may wander around the city at your leisure."
This meant she disagreed. Shi Wan was annoyed, but she still smiled gently and said with some regret, "Linzhou is so big, it seems... I won't be able to see my old friends." After speaking, she added casually, "Are you going? I want to go with you."
Jiang Xu was slightly taken aback, then chuckled softly, "You're still thinking about me?" He had always thought Shi Wan was heartless and only knew how to provoke him.
“Of course, we made an agreement beforehand, and I genuinely want to achieve a good outcome.” Shi Wan shifted her body casually and asked, “If you go, you can also look at all kinds of shops, and in the summer, you can buy some trendy pastries, distinctive clothing, and jewelry.”
“When you’re on a military campaign, you don’t have time for such things,” Jiang Xu said quietly as he listened to Shi Wan’s description of the scene. “As the commander-in-chief of an army, I must be in the army.”
"I see..." Hearing Jiang Xu say this, Shi Wan suppressed her joy and nodded as if she understood. "Since you can't go, I'll just look around by myself. If I find something suitable, I can pick out a couple for you too."
The more thoughts one has, the less one should reveal them. Shi Wan turned over and nestled in Jiang Xu's arms, looking up at him. "That bluish-gray wristband would be perfect with clothes of the same color."
When she mentioned the gift he had given her at the beginning, Jiang Xu's heart softened, and he gently kissed her forehead.
On June 11, the army passed through the edge of Linzhou and rested there.
After a great victory over the Turks, most of the northern region was much more peaceful, and the central region bordering it also saw far fewer battles than before. Linzhou had well-developed waterways, and early summer was a lively time. The area was lush and green, and as the sun rose, teahouses had already set up blue cloth awnings. Storytellers waved folding fans, and people gathered in groups of three or five, chatting in the shade of the trees.
It was exactly 9:00 AM when Shi Wan finished her simple breakfast and changed into a plain, narrow-sleeved ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), with a green belt tied around her waist. She wore a simple kingfisher feather hairpin in her hair, and at first glance, she looked elegant and radiant.
This trip was crucial. Jiang Xu's usual personal guards were unable to leave, and because of the three-month agreement between the two, he only sent Chen Yu to protect him this time.
"Brother Chen, thank you for your trouble." Shi Wan smiled and bowed slightly, something she was always quite good at.
Chen Yu was an honest and extremely kind man. Upon hearing this, he waved his hand in return, almost at a loss, and kept saying "I dare not." The army had just arrived here and was going to rest for half a day. Chen Yu acted as the coachman and drove the carriage all the way to Linzhou City.
This time, the two maids serving Shi Wan were a little younger than those who had served her before. Over the past few days, she had chatted with them on the road and had begun to develop some feelings for them.
Two maids accompanied the carriage, while Shi Wan sat alone in the carriage, looking around. The wheels rolled forward, and soon she saw shops along the street. Although they were not as bustling as those she had seen before, they were still places where she could really go shopping.
After getting off the carriage, Shi Wan strolled around with her two maids, buying a few trinkets here and there before finding a clothing shop.
The shop wasn't large, with two floors, but it was always packed with customers looking for clothes. Shi Wan glanced at a couple of items and then the shop owner approached with a smile. "From afar, I could see that you have an extraordinary air about you, and you look just like a fairy in a painting. I wonder if there's anything in my shop that catches your eye?"
Upon seeing this, Shi Wan knew that it was the two maids beside her and Chen Yu's bodyguard-like behavior that had caused the person in front of her to misunderstand, probably thinking that she came from some high-ranking family.
Shi Wan smiled and said, "I see that your shop has a wide variety of clothes, and the styles are quite complete, which is dazzling." After flattering her for a while, she remembered what she had said when she was fobbing off Jiang Xu, so she had to walk up to the group of men's clothes and pretend to choose some. "I... I want to choose one or two summer clothes for my husband. Do you have any recommendations, boss?"
Shi Wan's fingertips hovered among the light silk and soft gauze, brushing over them slightly before slowly stopping on a moon-white round-necked robe.
Seeing her interest, the shopkeeper quickly said, "Madam has excellent taste. This dress is made of extremely light and thin Wu silk, dyed with a sky-blue base, and the stitches are also very fine."
“Here’s another one in the same style for women, which would suit you perfectly!” With that, the shopkeeper pointed to Shi Wan and called out, “Zhen Niang, quickly bring over that short jacket in a matching color and that light blue skirt, so this lady can take a closer look.”
Not far away, a young woman who looked about eighteen or nineteen years old walked over quickly, handing over the clothes while bowing her head respectfully and introducing them in a low voice, "Madam, this fabric is light and soft, and cool to the touch. You will look extremely beautiful in it." After speaking, she complimented Shi Wan and her husband on their deep affection for each other, and after spewing out a basketful of auspicious words, she was about to leave.
However, Shi Wan was already quite taken aback when she saw this "Zhen Niang".
The woman wore her hair in a married woman's bun, a light vermilion short jacket paired with a tulip skirt, and a red gold hairpin dangling from her side. Her face was covered with very light rouge. When she realized Shi Wan's gaze, she subconsciously looked up, and their eyes met. Instantly, the rouge on the woman's face became even more vibrant.
Suddenly, even my breathing became a little rapid.
Hua Lan.
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