The Worthy King Shu Yun had just arrived tonight. Without even taking proper rest, he headed straight to the imperial palace and stopped his carriage directly outside the palace gates.

Shu Shenhui personally escorted the Worthy King from the palace gates to Wenlin Pavilion. Li Xiangchun led Zhang Bao and others to present hot water, towels, and other items. Shu Shenhui waved his hand dismissively. Li Xiangchun understood, led the others out, and gently closed the door.

Shu Shenhui helped Shu Yun to his seat and personally wrung out a hot towel for him, presenting it with both hands.

“Imperial Uncle, at your age, you should have been preserving your health and enjoying your children and grandchildren’s care long ago. Yet now you still disregard your advanced years and endure such travel and toil—this is all due to your nephew’s incompetence. Your nephew is deeply ashamed and infinitely grateful.”

The Worthy King waved his hand. “Family doesn’t speak in two voices. San Lang, you devote yourself wholeheartedly to the court. I merely made a trip—what toil is there to speak of? Moreover, this was an assignment I requested myself. Don’t speak like this!” He took the face towel offered to him, wiped his face and hands, quickly drank a sip of tea that Shu Shenhui poured, then immediately got to the point.

“How did the High King suddenly die of illness?” He asked his nephew directly. This was also why he was so eager to meet face-to-face without delay, even at night.

After asking, he saw his nephew didn’t respond but only walked before him and silently performed an apologetic bow, and he understood.

Throughout the journey back, he had thought about this countless times and already had some expectation in his heart, but when it was truly confirmed, his heart still skipped a beat and sank.

“Self-inflicted destruction, self-inflicted annihilation…” he murmured, his expression bleak.

Shu Shenhui remained silent.

“What did he intend to do?” After a moment, the Worthy King suppressed his turbulent emotions and asked quietly.

“He planned to cause chaos at Huguo Temple on the Empress Dowager’s birthday, with the Martial Marquis Bureau and Gate Guards in the city responding. I killed him in a counterattack.”

The High King wasn’t the Worthy King’s maternal brother, and their relationship had grown increasingly distant over the years, but in earlier times they had also enjoyed brotherly harmony.

The Worthy King also knew this nephew of his, appearing gentle and refined but hiding his edge in the sheath. He was also the only son among Emperor Wu’s princes who inherited the Emperor’s deep, domineering, and decisive characteristics. Emperor Wu cherished this son, and people all thought it was because of his mother’s beauty and background. However, there were many beauties in Emperor Wu’s harem, and consorts with status like the daughter of the King of Wu and Yue were not just her alone. The Worthy King was very clear in his heart that, to a great extent, it was actually because Emperor Wu liked how this son most resembled himself.

His other deceased nephew, Emperor Ming, naturally also understood this deeply, which was why before his death he entrusted the young emperor to this third imperial brother.

The Worthy King had also secretly prepared earlier, knowing that if the High King didn’t know restraint, sooner or later, he would become the sacrificial ghost under his nephew’s blade. By today, he knew the timing was about right.

He just still hadn’t expected his nephew’s scheme to be so secretive that even he hadn’t detected it at all beforehand.

Now it seemed that his marriage proposal to Jiang Zuzhang was the beginning of the counterattack.

The Worthy King also fell silent.

“Please forgive your nephew’s crime, Imperial Uncle.” Shu Shenhui said.

The Worthy King suddenly came back to himself, waved his hand, and instead stood up to bow deeply to his nephew, returning the courtesy.

“The Regent King needs no self-reproach whatsoever. The High King’s fate today is entirely self-inflicted. I should instead thank the Regent King on behalf of our Great Wei, fortunately eliminating the villain in time and avoiding a disaster.” The Worthy King said solemnly.

Shu Shenhui stepped forward, extending his hand to help him sit again. “Thank you for your understanding, Old Highness.”

The Worthy King knew he must also be concerned about the results of this trip, so he steadied his mind and changed the topic. “Your Highness, regarding my journey, I can say the mission was accomplished. I left the betrothal token, and Jiang Zuzhang agreed.”

This answer should have been within Shu Shenhui’s expectations. He only nodded, showing no joy in his expression.

“When you mentioned the marriage proposal, how did Jiang Zuzhang react?” he only asked.

Shu Yun naturally wouldn’t conceal anything. Observing Jiang Zuzhang was also one of his trip’s purposes.

Initially, I observed that though he was somewhat reluctant, he had no intention of refusing. However, there was an unexpected incident in between.”

The Regent King looked toward him.

“Jiang Zuzhang’s daughter, that General Changning, apparently was unwilling. Upon learning the news, she left without notice in the night. Jiang Zuzhang didn’t want me to know and tried hard to hide it from me, coaxing me to stay in the city. He should have thought the female general had gone to Yunluo City, where her maternal family was located, in a fit of anger. After dismissing me, he secretly sent trusted people to search for her. Just the night before I received news from the capital and was preparing to depart, I went to test Jiang Zuzhang again. I can be certain the female general didn’t go to Yunluo and still had no whereabouts. Probably affected by this, Jiang Zuzhang’s attitude changed greatly—he intended to refuse the marriage in front of me—”

The Worthy King paused. “I applied slight pressure on him. When he came to see me again the next morning, he changed his tune and agreed to the marriage. However, I felt that his change of mind didn’t seem entirely due to my pressure the previous night.”

“Could it be that after you left that day, there was news of Jiang Zuzhang’s daughter again?”

The Worthy King nodded. “It should be exactly so. If Jiang Zuzhang had truly defied orders and refused the marriage, wouldn’t it have disrupted the Regent King’s considerations? Fearing an accident, before returning to the city that day, I left someone to watch. By coincidence, at dawn the next day, the female general returned to camp alone from outside. After the father and daughter met, I don’t know what they said, or perhaps they weighed the pros and cons again, but finally the marriage was smoothly settled.”

Shu Shenhui pondered for a moment. “Do you know where Jiang Zuzhang’s daughter went?”

The Worthy King shook his head. “This, I also don’t know.”

He glanced at Shu Shenhui. “Regarding this matter, the Regent King shouldn’t take it to heart. Jiang Zuzhang’s daughter is not an ordinary woman. Having spent years in the military, her behavior is no different from men. When marriage is suddenly mentioned, her reaction is inevitably excessive. However, speaking of which, no matter what, she is still a woman. When she sees you in the future, she will surely have a change of heart.”

These words weren’t just an uncle flattering his nephew. How many women in Chang’an had been captivated by Lord Qi’s bearing?

Fortunately, the Regent King was extremely magnanimous.

He smiled slightly and waved his hand. “No matter.”

The Worthy King suddenly remembered something. Previously, he had heard rumors that his nephew seemed to have mutual affection with the Wen family’s daughter. Unfortunately, fate played tricks—after Emperor Wu’s death, Emperor Ming relied heavily on him, and until today’s regency, he shouldered great responsibilities. Naturally, everything he did had to prioritize the greater good, and such private feelings of young people could only be set aside.

The world had lost a perfect couple, and the Old Highness also felt quite regretful. Sighing inwardly, he dropped the topic and mentioned another important purpose of his trip.

“During my many days in Yanmen, through secret inquiries everywhere, the military indeed maintains strict discipline. Among the various unit officers, I heard of no incidents of forming cliques for private gain. Jiang Zuzhang and those like the High King and King Cheng should indeed have had no deep relationships.”

Shu Shenhui said “good” and finally felt relieved, smiling. “To be honest, Jiang Zuzhang’s agreeing to the marriage was within my expectations. The only thing I wasn’t at ease about was this matter. His future position concerns the nation’s fate—absolutely no mistakes can be made. This is the best outcome.”

Having accomplished both purposes of the Worthy King’s northern journey, after finishing their conversation, Shu Shenhui thought of his advanced age and the late hour, so he said: “Old Highness, please quickly return to your mansion to rest. Your nephew will escort you back.”

However, the Worthy King still wouldn’t leave.

“Wait! Having stayed there for so many days, I also obtained some other information about the Jiang family’s daughter.”

Without waiting for his nephew’s response, the Worthy King began speaking volubly again.

“Jiang Zuzhang is good at warfare, and his daughter greatly inherits her father’s style. Though she’s a woman, I see that throughout the military camp, from top to bottom, no one finds this strange. When soldiers mention her, they all call her General Changning with sincere respect. Though I couldn’t meet her face this time, those idle rumors circulating in the capital about this woman being a wolf-woman incarnation are utterly absurd! However, I did indeed hear that she has some connection with wolves. It’s said that when she was still in swaddling clothes, she went out with her mother and unfortunately encountered an accident on the road. Her mother died, but by chance and heaven’s blessing, she was actually nursed by a mother wolf and thus survived, later being found and brought back. But that’s all there is to it. The rest of the various stories are probably because there have been few female generals since ancient times—some ignorant fools who have never seen her face made groundless associations and spread false rumors!”

Although he felt sorry for his nephew and the Wen family daughter in his heart, since they were to marry the Jiang daughter, regardless of this marriage’s original intention, as an elder relative, the Worthy King also hoped the two would harmonize in the future, so naturally he had to clarify things for the Jiang daughter.

“Old Highness speaks very truly. Thank you for your trouble.” Shu Shenhui smiled.

“Additionally, her maternal grandfather, the old city lord, died last year. At that time, Your Highness specifically sent an envoy in His Majesty’s name to deliver condolence documents and gifts of horses, grain, wheat, cloth, and silk, plus a posthumous title to show the court’s benevolence. Your Highness should still remember. The Jiang daughter has deep affection for her maternal family. I heard that this time she was originally going to Yunluo to pay respects to the old city lord, but was summoned back midway, completely unprepared for the marriage. This should also be the reason for her initial unwillingness.”

“Your nephew understands.” He smiled again.

Having explained to this point, the Worthy King suddenly remembered another piece of news he had heard during his trip.

It was said that in Yunluo City, there was a young Buddhist monk who had returned from the west, a disciple of a high monk. He had previously fallen into hardship and happened to be rescued by the female general, who brought him back to the city. Later, that monk stayed there and hasn’t left to this day.

This itself wasn’t anything, but the problem was that rumors said the monk was handsome and had been taken by the female general as a male companion. Every time the female general went to Yunluo, she would certainly seek out that young monk, and some had even seen the female general staying overnight. But the people of Yunluo City found nothing strange about this, seeming to think that even if it were true, her taking a male companion would be perfectly natural.

“Does Old Highness have anything else to say?”

The Worthy King was lost in thought when he suddenly heard his nephew ask, came back to himself, and hesitated.

He had originally wanted to conceal this matter and not mention it, to avoid adding unnecessary complications. But thinking again, if he learned about it later, it would be even more unpleasant. Better sooner than later—since it was already for a marriage alliance, it was better to be completely clear about everything, good or bad, so he could know it all and respond accordingly. This would be more appropriate.

“There’s one more thing, but it’s also just a small matter…”

Shu Shenhui looked toward him.

The old Worthy King coughed slightly. “I also heard that in Yunluo, there’s a monk who returned from the Western Regions. He was previously rescued by the female general, and later, the two had some contact. Your Highness also knows that in people’s eyes, they inevitably think in other directions. But in my view, such rumors should be like the female general’s wolf-woman stories—capturing wind and shadows, mostly rumors.”

The Regent King was indeed very magnanimous. After listening, his expression showed no change at all, and he only said he understood. “Thank you for Imperial Uncle’s guidance. This trip was truly hard work for you. Your nephew will escort you.”

He escorted the Worthy King to the palace gates. He originally wanted to personally escort him back to his mansion, but the Worthy King wouldn’t allow it, telling him to immediately go rest and not overexert himself.

Shu Shenhui agreed, stopped at the side gate, watched the Worthy King’s carriages and horses depart, then turned back inside.

In the deep darkness of night, he walked with his hands behind his back, alone and slowly, along the deep passageway between the high palace walls facing each other on both sides. Li Xiangchun led attendants carrying palace lanterns, quietly following behind. Knowing he was contemplating matters, they didn’t dare approach closely, fearing to disturb him. Walking like this to the end of that passageway, they suddenly saw him stop.

Li Xiangchun hurried forward with quick steps and heard the Regent King instruct: “Before today’s court session, summon the Minister of Rites to come to my Wenlin Pavilion first.”

Li Xiangchun immediately understood.

The rumors about the Regent King wanting to marry the Jiang family’s daughter that had been spreading everywhere were now settled.