Shang Yunlan was very unhappy with Qiao Xiuyu's indifferent reaction, but the next day, after hearing that Qiao Xiuyu had abandoned the Northern Zhou envoy and ridden to Shu Prefecture overnight, he didn't know what to say.
To be fair, he had to admit that Qiao Xiuyu was indeed very good to Shang Shaoyan, but what if his rush over damaged Shang Shaoyan's reputation? Although neither he nor Shang Shaoyan cared about their so-called "reputation," he still couldn't stand Qiao Xiuyu's actions.
As Shang Yunlan thought this, his mood immediately soured. He sighed and was about to take a nap when he saw Qingzhu rush in, carrying a stack of letters in her hand. These were the kinds of letters Shang Yunlan used to record messages. He frowned in confusion, not remembering that he had sent people to investigate anything or anyone in the past few days.
Qingzhu rushed to Shang Yunlan with the stack of papers in her hand, somewhat anxiously: "My lord, please take a look, something terrible has happened!"
Shang Yunlan quickly took the stack of papers and glanced at them briefly. He found that they were copies of the correspondence between Li Langxuan and Li Langhuan, and between Li Langhuan and Qin Ye. He understood that this must have been done by Yan Yu and Ying Ge, who were in charge of transmitting messages inside and outside the palace. It seemed that they had made new progress.
He looked at it carefully, and then: "..."
How did this matter go from "Heyang is seriously ill" to "Heyang doesn't have much time left" and then to "Heyang is probably no longer alive"?
He glanced at the "previous events summary" compiled by Yingge and Yanyu, and then it dawned on him—oh, it was that little idiot Qiao Xiuyu.
He tried to ignore the misinformation surrounding the classic text and took the two letters back to his study to read them at his leisure.
But Qingzhu, still crying, asked from behind, "My lord, is the county princess... is she..."
Shang Yunlan: "..."
He calmed himself down as best he could, then turned and smiled, "They're idiots, are you? Hurry up and give Boss Qian your visiting card, I need to see him tomorrow."
Qingzhu was stunned for a moment, then realized what was happening and quickly slapped her mouth: "Look at my mouth! Don't worry, my lord, I'll go right away."
Shang Yunlan watched Qingzhu leave and slowly shook her head—this person still needs An'an to come back and teach him a thing or two. Such a loud and carefree personality is not suitable for information gathering tasks, but his advantage lies in his loyalty. In this world, loyal people are the most precious.
After thinking about it, Shang Yunlan wrote another note: Qiao Zhuo believes you are about to die and is on your way to Shuzhou.
Then she sent a message to Shang Shaoyan via carrier pigeon. Watching the pigeon disappear into the distance, Shang Yunlan revealed a gratified but twisted smile.
Qiao Zhuo, this is all I can do to help you.
...
Three days later, Shang Shaoyan's illness had almost completely healed. She calculated that it was time to make her presence known to Chen Shu, so she sent someone to buy the tofu pudding that Xu Xian had highly recommended, packed it in a food box, and went to the local academy to find Chen Shu.
Chen Shu's time teaching in Shu Prefecture, from initial resentment to current open-mindedness, took only a few days.
Although the people of Shuzhou were fierce, they were also very simple and honest. They lived a prosperous and comfortable life, loved reading, not to mention the delicious food and fine wine all over the streets. He quickly fell in love with this place.
At first, he would think, if he were to indulge in such comfort, where would he place the world? Having once held the highest position in the court, he could naturally see the instability of the world and was well aware of the precarious state of the Southern Chen Dynasty.
But that day, the Princess of Heyang came to see him. Seeing that he was in a bad mood, she comforted him and said before leaving, "Lord Chen, since you're here, make the best of it. All of this is fate. Forcing things will only backfire. Why don't you look around at everything? Perhaps they need your help too? You must know that Heaven doesn't make arrangements without a reason. You've come here for a reason, for your new mission. When the time is right, and you've completed the mission Heaven has assigned you, you might be able to go back?"
Chen Shu was stunned for a long time, until Princess Heyang left before he came to his senses, covered his face in shame and said, "I am sixty-two years old, yet I am not as insightful as Princess Heyang at such a young age!"
Of course, he didn't know that after Shang Shaoyan turned and left, he encountered a worried-looking Tai Jian. At that time, Tai Jian was being forced by Xu Xian to promote glass on the street. She stepped forward and said earnestly, "General Tai, since you're here, make the best of it. All of this is fate. Forcing things will only backfire. Why don't you look around at everything? Perhaps they need your help too? You must know that Heaven doesn't make arrangements without a reason..."
Tai Jian suddenly realized what was going on, and then bowed deeply to Shang Shaoyan. Shang Shaoyan simply waved his hand, finished his business, and left, keeping his merits and fame hidden.
After walking a few steps, Shang Shaoyan encountered another woman who was reluctantly dragged out by her husband to look at the glass. He smiled slightly and stepped forward, saying softly, "Madam, since you're here, make the best of it..."
In short, Shang Shaoyan has his own set of comforting templates.
Shang Shaoyan, carrying tofu pudding, led Bai Lu and Cheng Chu to find Chen Shu. He mentally rehearsed his lines for the day, and just as he stepped out the door, he received a note from Shang Yunlan.
"Qiao Zhuo believes you are about to die and is on his way to Shuzhou."
Shang Shaoyan: "...?"
What the hell is going on?
...
Qiao Xiuyu was very skilled in riding and archery when he was in Northern Zhou, but no matter how skilled he was, he had never actually ridden a horse. In order to see Shang Shaoyan one last time (crossed out), he only slept for four hours in three days and did not take care of himself. However, he did not look ragged, but rather had a kind of haggard beauty.
That day, he had just reached the banks of the Yangtze River when he encountered a robbery.
A beautiful young woman, accompanied by three maids and five guards, faced six tall and burly robbers.
Qiao Xiuyu glanced at them from a distance and, seeing that the robbers had no intention of robbing him, turned his horse around and rode away. Before leaving, he nodded to the robbers to express his gratitude.
Girl: ???
Her face contorted slightly, but she quickly regained her composure and gave a wink to the robbers opposite her. The robbers immediately rushed towards Qiao Xiuyu.
Seeing that Qiao Xiuyu had been caught up, the young woman was about to call out in a sweet voice, "My lord, be careful!" when she saw Qiao Xiuyu quickly knock all six robbers to the ground and then continue on his way.
Girl: "..."
She watched Qiao Xiuyu's horse ride away into the distance, her face suddenly turning sinister. After a while, she went up and kicked the six "robbers" who had been knocked unconscious, saying, "Useless trash!"
The six men who had been watching the strong woman dared not resist her; they knelt on the ground, trembling, and dared not utter a word.
Just as the young woman was about to speak again, a languid and melodious female voice came from behind her: "Don't start fighting amongst yourselves at this time."
The young woman's expression changed, and she quickly turned around and knelt down, saying, "Greetings, Palace Master."
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