flstandardbreds Chapter 169 Departure
Chapter 169 Departure
Apart from the little episode in the middle, the whole day was quite relaxing and enjoyable.
As dusk approached, Shen Beiqi sent the brother and sister to the gate of Jiang Mansion.
After this farewell, I don’t know when we will meet again.
Jiang Li's footsteps seemed to have taken root, and she was unable to move. She hesitated and was unwilling to turn around and go in.
Shen Beiqi smiled helplessly when he saw this.
But that smile was not as gentle and bright as before, but instead had a hint of bitterness.
Jiang Cheng knew what was good for and didn't stay any longer.
Go back home first to give them some time to say goodbye.
The sunset glow shone on her obliquely, as if adding a circle of soft golden fur to her.
He raised his hand, wanting to gently ruffle her hair like he used to.
His hand was about to drop, but then he remembered that her hair was combed very beautifully today, so he decided not to mess it up.
"Go back," he said.
Jiang Li nodded, still not moving, "Why don't I watch you go."
"Don't come to see me off tomorrow. There are too many people. It's not safe."
She nodded anyway, feeling a sore sensation at the tip of her nose.
In fact, he didn't know that every year when he went to war, she would go to see him off.
She stood on a high city wall, with a red flag fluttering in the wind beside her.
She watched from afar as he wore silver armor, drank the farewell wine bestowed by His Majesty himself, then mounted his horse and led the team farther and farther away.
Standing on a high place, the wind and sand are strong.
The wind often made her eyes blurry.
When tears were about to fall, she rubbed her eyes hard to hold back the tears, fearing that she would miss even a glance.
The long procession raised billowing smoke and dust, which blocked people's vision like thick fog.
Until the dust settled and the crowd dispersed.
Only when she could no longer see the long dragon-like team moving away did she slowly withdraw her gaze.
I silently said in my heart, brother, you must come back safely.
There were street vendors selling wontons, and the aroma of sesame oil wafted in the wind.
She asked, "Are you hungry?"
She thought to herself that if he was hungry, they could eat a bowl of wontons together, thus delaying some time.
He easily saw through her little thoughts.
However, there were still too many things waiting for him to deal with, and he really couldn't accompany her to eat another bowl of wontons.
He raised his hand and tucked the messy hair on her cheek behind her ear, "I'll leave Yueyang to you. This way I can feel more at ease."
Jiang Li shook her head, "No, Yue Yang is someone you are used to, so he should stay with you."
On the battlefield, how important it is to have a smart, capable and loyal guard.
She was in Jiangdu City, and was much safer than him.
"Also, there's no need to hide the two golden guards who are secretly protecting me anymore, right?"
If you want to protect her, do it openly.
This way, he can feel more at ease far away in the north.
Shen Beiqi lowered his eyes and thought for a moment, then replied, "Okay."
"...If I want to send you a letter, can you receive it?"
He nodded slightly, "Just give it to them, and they will definitely deliver it to me."
Her eyes were so bright, and contained so much reluctance, that he suddenly had an illusion.
It was as if her heart already belonged to him.
Has it been possible that, after spending this period of time together, she has gotten used to him and accepted him from the bottom of her heart?
He gave her a lot of instructions, asking her to go out less often and to bring Jin Wei or Luo Zhi with her when she went out.
She agreed to all of his requests, and she wasn't just trying to please him.
He needs to be absolutely at peace on the battlefield in order to display his skills.
She would never put herself in danger again, just so he could fight in peace.
After Shen Beiqi left, Jiang Li walked back into the house with heavy steps, feeling lost.
She listlessly took off the hairpin from her bun, stared at herself in the mirror, and said nothing.
Xingping brought the food, but she had no appetite and let Xingping take the food away before she even touched a single bite.
In the harem.
The eunuch who announced the decree had just left Xiyun Palace.
Han Yunning sat upright in front of the bronze mirror and raised her hand to adjust the hairpin on her temples.
"Your Majesty, the Emperor will be here soon. Do you need to get ready?"
Qiuyue, the slave who served her, asked.
The woman in the mirror smiled slightly, her smile full of contempt, "What can I prepare?"
When it was completely dark, Emperor Hongyang arrived at Xiyun Palace.
The imperial kitchen served the delicacies. Han Yunning served Emperor Hongyang and after thinking for a moment, he asked carefully,
"Your Majesty, I heard that Crown Princess Lin has passed away?"
When mentioning the Lin family's affairs, Emperor Hongyang just felt upset.
"Yeah." He responded casually.
"Speaking of which, I have heard some rumors in the palace recently, which are really boring."
"Oh? What are you talking about?"
Han Yunning smiled slightly, looking embarrassed, "These are just nonsense said by people who flatter the powerful and bully the weak. It's nothing serious."
She filled a bowl of soup, held it in front of Emperor Hongyang with both hands, and said,
"However, the Crown Prince, as the heir to the Eastern Palace, has done nothing wrong, but he was implicated by the Liang and Lin families and slandered. He is innocent. I happened to see him yesterday and saw that he is becoming more and more depressed."
"How can the fault of this minister be attributed to the master? Doesn't the emperor think that the prince is innocent in this disaster?"
Emperor Hongyang put down the soup bowl and wiped the corners of his mouth with a brocade handkerchief.
How could he not see that someone was deliberately plotting against the prince?
First it was Liang Yuanzhong, then Lin Zewen.
Coupled with the demise of the Eastern Faction, the balance in the court has now been broken.
All civil and military officials almost unanimously praised the Second Prince, and his influence far surpassed that of the Crown Prince.
They are making a fuss because they think he is not dying fast enough and they are anxious to sit on his throne!
Han Yunning saw that Emperor Hongyang was frowning, and knew that what he said was exactly what he wanted, so he struck while the iron was hot.
"Everything else is trivial, but the position of the Crown Princess is now vacant. Your Majesty must carefully select a suitable candidate, who must at least not be inferior to the former Lin family."
The only one who could stand shoulder to shoulder with the former Lin family was the daughter of Jiang Minzhi from the Western faction.
The implication of his words was just short of saying Jiang Li's name directly.
Emperor Hongyang knew very well that the most effective way now was to marry Jiang Li to the prince.
As long as he has Jiang Minzhi's help, the prince will be able to quickly regain his strength and compete with the second prince.
However, Shen Beiqi was about to go to war, and he must not disrupt the morale of his troops at this time.
"The harem is not allowed to interfere in government affairs. You were a little too presumptuous today."
There was a flash of displeasure in Emperor Hongyang's eyes, but Han Yunning pretended to be ignorant.
"Your Majesty, I just want to help you solve your problems."
"Forget it, prepare some water and take a rest."
After all, Emperor Hongyang is old and his physical strength cannot be compared with that of the crown prince.
After they rested for a while, they called their servants to bring them some water.
He tidied himself up again before lying down peacefully.
As soon as the sky in the east began to turn pale, Jiang Li impatiently got up from the bed and quickly put her clothes in order.
Today at three quarters past noon is the time when Shen Beiqi sets out for the northern border.
The Jiang family was not far from the South City Gate, and at this moment they could already hear the sound of drums, as loud as thunder.
Xingping knew that the girl would get up early today, so she was waiting outside the door.
Hearing the noise in the house, she entered with a basin of water, helped Jiang Li wash up, and changed her clothes.
Jiang Li took Luo Zhi with her, and the two of them walked towards the city gate, stepping on the morning dew.
The wind is unusually strong today.
When she climbed up the city wall, her skirt was blown back by the wind.
It was as if my legs were bound by an invisible force, and every step was extremely difficult.
On the city wall, the sound of war drums was deafening, like thousands of horses galloping.
Amid the huge crowd, she immediately spotted the young man standing on the platform.
Shen Beiqi was wearing silver armor and gray clothes today, with a scabbard hanging around his waist. He looked heroic, completely different from his previous image of wearing a green shirt.