VBNWDW - Chapter 134
Chapter 134
The tea on the low table had grown cold. Half of the stacked pastries were gone. The people who had been talking earlier had already left, leaving only the faint scent of sandalwood lingering in the air.
Downstairs, the carriage driver cracked his long whip. Ruan He and Li Shigui sat on either side of Zhong Jueyu. Knowing that Her Highness needed time to think, they remained silent, guarding her.
It was now past noon, and most of the earlier patrons were leaving, causing a crowd at the entrance. Because Zhong Jueyu's party had intentionally switched to a plain carriage to avoid drawing attention, no one would make way for them. Some even deliberately pushed them into a spot where they could barely move.
This was hardly worth complaining about. After all, this was the Capital, where one in ten people was an official. Regardless of rank or position, this reality had taught the city's residents the art of sizing people up and treating them accordingly.
For instance, the carriages ahead of them were given a wide path to pass through smoothly without a single word being spoken.
Zhong Jueyu returned to her senses and noticed her carriage hadn't moved for a long time. She couldn't help but lift the curtain to look outside.
Immediately, her gaze fell upon a carriage bearing the Luo family crest. Then, she looked at the carriages surrounding the Luo's—several slightly less grand, but equally luxurious, vehicles.
Zhong Jueyu's eyes narrowed, a hint of displeasure rising. She said, "Shigui, go and find out which families these young masters belong to."
Li Shigui was clearly stunned. In the past, Her Highness would never bother with such people. It was just a matter of waiting a little longer, and she would even tell Li Shigui not to go and argue. Why today…
She mistakenly thought Her Highness had been angered in the teahouse and silently cursed that old scoundrel Meng Yunshan. She immediately lifted the curtain and jumped down.
There was no need for concealment. Few people in the Capital recognized her and Ruan He. They had both stayed in the palace with the Grand Princess before. During the years Zhong Jueyu attended court, the two of them had only served as personal guards by her side, remaining inconspicuous. Later, they went to the border, making them easy to forget.
After returning to the Capital, the two hadn't socialized. They had immediately entered Xuanmiao Temple with the Grand Princess and hadn't attended a single morning court session. As for the military officials who knew them, why would they come to a stuffy, scholarly teahouse to yawn?
So, Li Shigui made no attempt to hide herself. She strode brazenly to the front. When she saw the Luo family carriage, she understood a little and quickly adopted a serious attitude, memorizing each one.
After another short wait, the cluster of carriages finally began to depart one by one.
Zhong Jueyu unconsciously picked up the tea on the table, then set it down again.
Seeing her acting so unusually, Ruan He finally couldn't help but ask, "Your Highness, was it Meng Yunshan who…"
Zhong Jueyu raised a hand to stop her, explaining in a low voice, "Everything went smoothly. You don't need to worry."
There was nothing to hide between the three of them.
Ruan He breathed a sigh of relief but at the same time grew more confused. Then what on earth is Her Highness troubled about?
This time, Zhong Jueyu didn't explain. Her thoughts drifted back to earlier.
By the time she returned, Meng Yunshan had regained his usual composure. After hearing her finish her account of what had happened, he became even more grateful to the late Empress and Zhong Jueyu. They had saved his life several times over.
Zhong Jueyu then brought up Luo Qiyuan again, asking Meng Yunshan if he was truly resigned to his fate. He had clearly worked hard enough, yet he still had to rely on the late Empress and the Grand Princess just to get His Majesty to look at him properly. Now that Luo Qiyuan had arrived, he had to prepare to cede his official position to him.
Perhaps it was Zhong Jueyu's mention of the times she had saved his life that made Meng Yunshan lower his guard. He finally spoke frankly, admitting that he was indeed not resigned.
Zhong Jueyu suddenly spoke up. "The words I spoke outside the hall earlier all came from the bottom of my heart."
With so much prior evidence, how could Meng Yunshan possibly doubt her? He gave a bitter smile. "It is a pity that this old man must fail to live up to the earnest intentions of Your Highness and the Empress."
But Zhong Jueyu shook her head and said, "It's not too late."
Meng Yunshan paused and looked up at her.
Zhong Jueyu said directly, "Right now, the state of Chu is eyeing Great Liang like a tiger, yet His Majesty is foolish and incompetent. The Crown Prince is jealous and cowardly, and the story of him fleeing from battle has spread throughout Great Liang. The Luo Family's intentions are also unknown. Even if I were to repel the Chu army once more, what would it matter?"
"With these people in charge, it will all be for nothing."
"Your Highness, what do you mean by this?"
"Prime Minister Meng should understand the principle of 'pacifying the interior before resisting external threats.'"
Zhong Jueyu smiled. "In the future, Prime Minister Meng will still be Prime Minister Meng, but he will be better able to display his talents than he is now. He will no longer be constrained by the monarch's distrust."
This was as much as could be said. To say more would be to overstep.
Meng Yunshan sat there in a daze. Only when the conversation was about to end did he grit his teeth and say, "Alright."
The bronze bells hanging on the carriage swayed, letting out a crisp chime. The carriage finally stopped its stuttering progress, its wheels rolling smoothly without the slightest jolt.
Having finished her inquiries, Li Shigui caught up. Finding it too troublesome to have the carriage stop, she simply ran to catch up, took a few quick steps, grabbed the carriage frame, and vaulted inside.
"Your Highness!" she called out, not even out of breath, as if she had just done something ordinary.
Zhong Jueyu came to her senses and looked up at her. "Did you find out?"
"I did. I wrote it all down in my notebook," Li Shigui quickly replied. "These people are of high status. They're all sons of famous official families in the Capital."
Zhong Jueyu nodded but didn't ask for details. She only said, "Keep a good record of it all. I will ask you about it later."
Does she mean to settle accounts with them one by one later?
Li Shigui blinked, understanding more and more the importance of this matter. She made a solemn mental note and then sat back in her original spot.
Zhong Jueyu paused for a moment before continuing, "For this expedition, His Majesty has agreed to let us select our own generals and troops."
Hearing this, Li Shigui's and Ruan He's eyes lit up.
Li Shigui slapped her thigh and said, "That's great! We'll call up Xu Kai and the others. We can all fight side-by-side again."
This was her nature. She was ill-suited for the scheming and intrigue of the Capital and much preferred the clash of blades on the battlefield. Being stuck here always made her feel stifled and miserable, even if she never said it out loud.
Ruan He also nodded, but she was more composed. "Does Your Highness have a list in mind?"
Zhong Jueyu's expression didn't change. She only said, "Shigui, this afternoon you will accompany me to visit the soldiers I had you seek out after coming down from the mountain. Since they have shown their sincerity, I should also pay them a personal visit to show mine."
Hearing this, both Ruan He and Li Shigui sensed that something was amiss and showed a flicker of surprise.
But Zhong Jueyu paid them no mind and continued, "Ruan He, I need you to do something for me."
"Your Highness, please give your orders."
"You saw how the Luo Family used public opinion last time. I'm sure you've been thinking about it a lot these past two days," Zhong Jueyu said with a knowing smile, her tone certain. She understood the two of them very well.
Ruan He nodded along and asked, "Does Your Highness intend to use this for something?"
Zhong Jueyu's tone inexplicably lowered and became solemn. "I want you to spread the word that the Luo Family harbors treacherous intentions."
Ruan He's expression changed. She said nothing, waiting for Zhong Jueyu to continue.
She went on, "The Luo Family has not served in the court for three generations. Several emperors have lowered themselves to ask them repeatedly, but the Luos never relented. Now, with Great Liang in a precarious state, Master Luo has suddenly come in person."
Her tone shifted. "A few days ago, someone saw the Crown Prince visiting the Luo residence late at night, staying for a long discussion before leaving."
They were clearly two unrelated events, but putting them together made them seem intriguing and suspicious.
Ruan He's expression also grew very grave. She said in a low voice, "I understand. Your Highness can rest assured."
"Before we leave for the expedition, this matter must be spread throughout the Capital," Zhong Jueyu added, stressing the importance of the task.
"Yes," Ruan He replied in a heavy tone. Without a moment's delay, she turned, lifted the curtain, and jumped down, disappearing from sight in an instant.
Left behind, Li Shigui's smile vanished. Her back straightened against the carriage wall as she vaguely realized what Zhong Jueyu was planning to do.
She opened her mouth to ask, "Is Your Highness going to the Liang family's home? The Liang Brothers are currently guarding the city gates…"
Zhong Jueyu picked up her teacup and said, "We should pay them a visit. We can't go to all the others and leave out only the Liangs."
"Then…"
"The Liang Brothers are still resentful about what happened before. After a huge argument with you, they threw us out of their house and refused to join the expedition."
Li Shigui immediately nodded in agreement.
That night,
Zhong Jueyu arrived a little later than the previous day. It wasn't until the Luo residence had fallen silent, with only the sparse sound of the wind remaining, that she appeared in the young miss of the Luo family's room.
"Has Luo Yueyin come to bother you again?" she asked as soon as she stepped into the room.
The other person led her to sit by the bed, answering, "No."
As the legitimate son of a noble family, Luo Yueyin was used to being flattered and coddled wherever he went. He felt that he had poured his heart out the previous night and had even acted the part of a proper elder brother by personally introducing Luo Yueqing to his friends during the day.
But not only did Luo Yueqing not appreciate it, she had also embarrassed him in front of his friends. If he weren't constrained from doing anything right now, he would have turned on her long ago.
Now, seething with anger, he had been ignoring her ever since they returned to the Luo residence, treating her as if she were thin air.
Zhong Jueyu's expression softened slightly. She muttered, "Good for him."
She leaned back against the side of the bed, her eyes full of fatigue after a long day's work. Taking the other's hand, she asked, "Are you still angry?"
She was still thinking about what happened at noon, worried that Luo Yueqing was still feeling wronged.
But Luo Yueqing, who had taken the opportunity to tease her, had no anger left in her at all.
She leaned in, wanting to kiss the corner of the other's lips. "Not anymore. Where did you go today?"
The candlelight flickered, softening their features as a gentle warmth spread through the room.
Zhong Jueyu pulled back slightly and explained, "I'm dirty. I've been running around outside all day."
Luo Yueqing paid her no mind, moving even closer to press a kiss to the corner of Zhong Jueyu's lips.
The other woman couldn't stop her and could only wrap an arm around her waist, pulling her into an embrace.
It wasn't a passionate kiss, more like a ritual that had to be performed upon returning home. They separated after a brief moment.
Luo Yueqing said softly, "Your Highness has worked hard."
The tension in Zhong Jueyu's brow eased. She patted the other woman and said, "Get up for a moment. I'm dirty."
She hadn't been back to her own residence since last night, spinning around like a top. By now, even she was starting to feel disgusted with herself.
Luo Yueqing's gaze shifted downward. She saw that Zhong Jueyu was still wearing the same clothes from noon. Her eyes darted, and her hand slid down to that place that was no longer as smooth as before, where the ink stains remained.
The smile on her lips deepened. "What's dirty? It's perfectly clean."
She felt an inexplicable sense of pride.
Zhong Jueyu could only shoot her a glance and sigh. "My clothes are dirty."
She couldn't very well say that the marks Luo Yueqing had made were dirty, could she?
That made the other woman even more pleased. She said with a grin, "Then does Your Highness wish to bathe?"
"Mm?" Zhong Jueyu looked at her, tempted by the idea.
Luo Yueqing chuckled, her tone suddenly shifting to the one she had used during the day. "This servant will have someone bring water to attend to Your Highness's bath, shall I?"
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