Shen Tangning had no intention of kindly offering her a cloak. She sipped her hot tea slowly, glancing at her casually.
"If what you say doesn't satisfy me, then you should go back to the lake."
Jiang Qingyue trembled reflexively, concealing the emotions in her eyes as she looked up at her, pursing her lips: "The Third Prince is not dead."
She expected to see a shocked expression on Shen Tangning's face when she said those words, but the other party remained expressionless: "Is that so?"
Jiang Qingyue was startled. Why wasn't she surprised at all?
Could it be... that she already knew?!
Her biggest bargaining chip failed to elicit even the slightest reaction from Shen Tangning. Her heart sank, and as the other woman looked over, she quickly said:
"I also know his next plan!"
Shen Tangning's gaze finally fell on her face. He stood up, took off his cloak and draped it over her shoulders, gently lifting her chin. All his emotions were hidden deep within his dark, bright eyes, and he slowly said:
"Wear this on, or you'll catch a cold."
Jiang Qingyue's shoulders trembled, realizing that she was incredibly shrewd.
——
The atmosphere in the imperial court was heavy and somber.
Emperor Chongde slammed the memorial to the ground, his face extremely grim: "Why is such a big matter only being presented now?!"
No one dared to answer. An official, trembling under pressure, stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, perhaps it was because the people below saw that Your Majesty was preoccupied with the negotiations with Qi and had no time to attend to other matters that they suppressed the report."
Emperor Chongde laughed in fury: "Is this an excuse? Yongzhou was attacked by sand bandits, and Liu Yifu led troops to meet the enemy. He was missing for more than half a month. A full half month is enough time for those sand bandits to take over the mountains and become kings!"
The room fell silent; no one dared to offend him at that moment.
Everyone knew perfectly well that, in the end, it was because Liu Yifu's status wasn't significant enough, and his subordinates didn't take it seriously, which is why the matter was suppressed and not reported immediately.
Chi Yan's expression was solemn. How could Liu Yifu, a weak scholar who couldn't even kill a chicken, dare to risk his life?
But he also knew that man's nature well; the more critical the situation, the less willing he was to hide in the back and enjoy himself.
He suppressed his impatience, stepped forward and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, the most important thing right now is to send troops to support Yongzhou, to calm the people's hearts as soon as possible, and by the way... to find Lord Liu."
Upon hearing this, everyone sighed inwardly.
If someone has been missing for half a month, there's a high chance they're dead!
Emperor Chongde knew that Chi Yan's words made sense, and with a stern face, he scanned the crowd: "Who is willing to lead troops to support Yongzhou?"
No one stepped forward. General Xiao had been injured while supporting the State of Qi and was currently bedridden.
Other generals also complained that this was a tough job. Yongzhou was barren and the conditions were harsh. Not only would there be no profit to be made on this trip, but the national treasury was empty and military rations were tight. They might even have to fight on an empty stomach.
Who would want to do something so thankless and exhausting?
After a long silence, Emperor Chongde's expression gradually turned grim.
For some reason, Chi Yan had a bad feeling, and when the emperor's gaze fell on him, his premonition came true:
"Chi Yan, you go."
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