msmithbooks Chapter 640 Jiang Ci Enters Beijing
Chapter 640 Jiang Ci Enters Beijing
Jiang Ci returned to the room and just changed out of his nightgown when Ying Qi walked to the door and knocked on it.
"Master, Mr. Cui is back. Please go to the study to discuss matters."
Jiang Ci straightened his plain blue gown, put on a silver fox cloak and walked out of the room.
When we arrived at Mr. Cui’s study, Mr. Cui immediately stood up and walked forward.
"I just got home and heard about your assassination. How serious are your injuries?"
"It's nothing serious. Have you dealt with it?"
Cui Lao nodded: "Sit down and talk."
The two walked to the tea table and sat down, and Mr. Cui personally poured tea for Jiang Ci.
"I have arranged for a group of people to secretly deliver the batch of official salt to the capital. It should arrive safely next month. The person who is most disappointed to get this batch of official salt back is the one in the capital. I am worried that he will continue to attack the Cui family."
Jiang Ci picked up the teacup and took a sip of tea, then said calmly, "Since we can't avoid it, let's solve the problem from the root."
Old Cui looked at Jiang Ci with deep eyes, understood the deep meaning of his words, and then took out a jade pendant from his sleeve and handed it over.
"This token can mobilize all Cui family shops in the capital to work for it. The Cui family also has some connections in the court. Perhaps these people can lend a helping hand to Your Highness at a critical moment."
Jiang Ci took the jade pendant and glanced down: "Any news from the Liu family?"
"The old lady of the Liu family was deeply saddened when she learned the truth about the death of the wife of the Marquis of Yong'an. She has decided to go to the capital in person after the New Year to ask for an explanation. In addition, I have vaguely informed the Qian and Wang families about the loss of the official salt. They naturally know the principle that the cunning rabbit dies and the running dog is cooked. If something happens to the Cui family, none of them can escape."
Jiang Ci sneered in his heart. The old emperor was too impatient. Now the whole Sui Dynasty was in turmoil, but he still wanted to deal with the aristocratic families before he died. The old emperor wanted to clear the obstacles for Ye Lanxuan, but it was a pity that with internal and external troubles now, he took the chess piece that should not have been moved.
next day
Yan Shu woke up early in the morning, washed up simply, and walked out of the room carrying a bag he had prepared in advance.
She came to the next room and knocked on Jiang Ci's door. Footsteps were soon heard from inside, and then the door was opened with a creak.
Jiang Ci was already dressed and was obviously preparing to leave. He was slightly surprised to see Yan Shu outside the door.
"Why did you get up so early?"
Yan Shu handed the bag in his hand to Jiang Ci: "Take some things I prepared for you. They should come in handy when we get to the capital."
Jiang Ci took the bag with a smile on his face and pulled her into the room.
"What are they?"
"open to take a look."
Jiang Ci felt the bag was heavy, so he walked to the table and curiously opened it. Inside were several medicine bottles, a piece of thin clothing and a black object.
Recently his memory has been gradually recovering. He remembered many things that happened during the period of fleeing famine. He vaguely remembered that this black thing seemed to be a very lethal weapon.
Yan Shu introduced: "The uses of these medicines are labeled on them. You can know their functions at a glance. This piece of clothing is similar to soft hedgehog armor. I gave it to you before, and then you gave it to me for safekeeping. Take it with you when you enter the capital this time. Ordinary weapons will not be able to harm you. As for this gun, I will teach you how to use it in a simple way."
Yan Shu opened the magazine of the gun and explained in detail the purpose of the bullets and how to use them.
"You are very good at archery, so using a gun should be easy for you."
Jiang Ci took the gun in his hand and looked at it carefully for a while: "Such a useful thing should be kept for self-defense."
Yan Shu said: "This thing is of no use to me. I have a better way to protect myself. The environment you will face after entering the capital is full of dangers. It is always a good idea to bring some life-saving items with you."
"Master..." Ying Si called out from the door, interrupting their conversation.
Jiang Ci glanced outside the door and said coldly, "Go wait for me outside Cui's house first."
"Yes!"
Ying Si immediately bowed and retreated. Jiang Ci raised his hand and waved, and the door closed.
He took a step closer to Yan Shu and silently gazed at Yan Shu for a long time with his deep eyes.
Yan Shu felt uncomfortable being stared at by him and urged him, "Everyone is waiting for you outside. Come on, I'll take you out."
As soon as she finished her words, Jiang Ci pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly.
He said softly, "Take good care of yourself here. I will send you letters frequently after I arrive in the capital. You must reply, understand?"
"Ah."
"What you are worried about will not happen again. I will clear out all those who stand in our way. When everything is over, I will marry you in style."
Yan Shu fell silent. Jiang Ci reached out and cupped Yan Shu's cheek: "Don't try to hide from me. You can't escape."
Facing Jiang Ci's warning look, Yan Shu chuckled twice.
"Don't think too much. I will be heading to the capital soon. Where else can I escape to?"
Jiang Ci smiled and leaned over to kiss her on the lips.
"I'll wait for you in the capital."
"it is good."
When Yan Shu saw Jiang Ci off to the gate of Cui's house, Old Cui, Xiao Zhenzi, as well as the first, second, third, fourth masters of the Cui family and Cui Mengsheng all came to see him off.
Jiang Ci said goodbye to them, got on his horse, and turned back to look at Yan Shu before leaving.
Yan Shu warned: "Be careful on the road."
"Ah."
Jiang Ci nodded in response, then turned around reluctantly, whipped his horse and headed quickly towards the city gate.
Yan Shu stood there and watched Jiang Ci and the others disappear before he turned around and went back to Cui Mansion.
I prayed silently in my heart, hoping that Jiang Ci's trip to Beijing would be safe and everything would go smoothly.
-
After Jiang Ci left Qinghe, Yan Shu spent a lively Spring Festival with the small town, Mr. Cui and the Cui family.
The days passed peacefully. A month later, Jiang Ci's first letter came as fast as he could. The envelope was stuffed with three sheets of paper filled with words. In addition to assurances of safety, there were also some small chats. Many trivial matters were mentioned in the letter. It seemed like he was just making small talk.
It included the capital's climate, customs and local specialties, such as which dim sum restaurant was very good and was a century-old shop, and the roast goose next door tasted very good, fat but not greasy, and she would definitely like it. There was a trace of ink smudge on the last line, as if he had been thinking for a long time before writing.
"You are the only one in my heart, and I look forward to meeting you."
Yan Shu read the letter carefully and the corners of his lips slowly rose.
She missed Jiang Ci sincerely. Even though she tried her best to suppress her inner thoughts, this man had already taken root in her heart. She wanted Jiang Ci to forget the past so that he would not be in pain after her departure. But even though he had lost his memory, their fates were still intertwined. Perhaps this was her destiny.
It was early February and the weather was still chilly. There was no sign of warming up, and instead there was another spring snow.
After Jiang Ci came to Beijing, several major events occurred in succession in the capital.
The first was that the Grand Princess was assassinated on her way to the White Horse Temple to burn incense. Although she escaped, several of her most capable confidants were all killed.
Not long after this incident, the Sixth Prince and Princess Zhaoyang suddenly announced their engagement, which caused quite a stir in the court.
Princess Zhaoyang is the only daughter of the Grand Princess. Although she is an adopted daughter, she was raised by the Grand Princess herself. In addition, the Grand Princess has not given birth to a child for many years, so she treats this adopted daughter as her own.
There has never been any news of any dealings between the Sixth Prince and Princess Zhaoyang before, but now the news of their engagement has suddenly been announced. Considering the recent turbulent relationships between the princes, it is inevitable that people speculate that the Grand Princess wants to support the Sixth Prince to ascend the throne.
Another major event also happened shortly after the assassination of the Grand Princess. Immortal Wuji and Taoist Yuan'an, who had been traveling for more than a year, returned to the capital. The old emperor, whose condition had worsened and who had been bedridden for a long time, was overjoyed and immediately summoned the two to the palace. It was said that Immortal Wuji had refined a life-extending pill for His Majesty, and His Majesty, who had been running out of time, was getting better day by day.
In order to express his gratitude to God for his kindness, the old emperor sent the immortal Wuji to hold a grand Luotian Ceremony in the Dengfeng Tower. The old emperor also went there in person to worship that day. The presence of the current emperor in person was a deterrent to the recent unrest in the capital, so that those forces could see clearly that he was not dead yet.
The third thing was that news came from the palace that His Majesty had secretly written an edict, stating that the throne would be abdicated to the Seventh Prince Ye Lanqi a hundred years after His Majesty's death.
This news has not been confirmed, but it was enough to make several parties nervous, especially Queen Zhao and the Third Prince.
Yan Shu and Mr. Cui sat in the tea room sipping tea and listening to Mr. Cui talk about a series of major events in the capital recently, with many doubts in their minds.
It was clear that Immortal Wuji and Yuan An were killed by their cheap father in Kumu, so how could they come back to life?
Also, was the assassination of the Grand Princess done by Jiang Ci?
"The capital is about to be in chaos. As the saying goes, wealth and honor come with risk. The fight for the throne is a road to imperial power that is full of dangers. There is only life and death, and there is no third way to choose. The only way to survive is to climb to the top and conquer the world."
Yan Shu was feeling a little depressed. What Mr. Cui said made a lot of sense. Jiang Ci was now in a critical period of life and death. Since he came to Beijing, the situation in the capital had become increasingly chaotic. Jiang Ci must have been behind several major events that had happened recently.
"Grandpa Cui, when are we going to Beijing?"
"We'll leave when the snow stops."
Yan Shu nodded, and she couldn't wait to rush to the capital. It took more than twenty days to travel from Qinghe County to the capital, and she wanted to arrive before Jiang Ci took part in the Spring Examination.
However, it is counterproductive.
This spring snow lasted longer than Yan Shu had expected, falling on and off for seven days. It was so heavy that thick snow accumulated on the ground, making it difficult for carriages to move on the road. Therefore, the trip to the capital had to be postponed for a few days.