Li Jin’s face darkened as he stared at Shen Zaiye for a while. Half angrily and half seriously, he said, “I don’t need to doubt anymore. With your attitude, it would be strange if Jiang Shi could like you. Since you two are only keeping up appearances, let’s pretend I never said anything today. Farewell!”
“Wait, Chancellor Li.” Shen Zaiye called out, smiling faintly. “Aren’t you being too presumptuous with your words?”
Li Jin turned back to look at him. “Chancellor Shen, you’re a formidable official, but you clearly don’t understand women. Although Jiang Shi often speaks harshly, she lost her mother at a young age and deeply yearns for someone to care for and protect her. With your current attitude, you’ll never win her heart.”
Thinking about it this way made Li Jin feel a bit better.
Shen Zaiye narrowed his eyes and laughed coldly. “I may not openly express my emotions, but that doesn’t mean I don’t care for or look after her.”
“Oh?” Li Jin turned fully to face him. “Women like to hear kind words; it gives them a sense of security. With Chancellor Shen being so unexpressive, she’s probably exhausted trying to guess your feelings. Although you excel in both civil and military matters, surpassing me in every way, when it comes to understanding Jiang Shi, you’re far behind me.”
Xu Yangui retreated to the side to watch the spectacle, thinking this was the first time he’d seen a man openly confront Shen Zaiye. More interestingly, Shen Zaiye’s face had darkened.
This statement had struck a nerve. Although Shen Zaiye knew Jiang Taohua’s attitude towards Li Jin and knew not to trust his words, it still bothered him.
Did he not understand her well enough? He could tell what she was thinking just by the look in her eyes. How was that not understanding?
He simply didn’t know how to please women… nor did he feel the need to.
Pursing his lips, Shen Zaiye bowed to Li Jin. “Since everything that needed to be said has been said, Chancellor, you should return to your residence. I’m sure today’s ceremonies are not yet complete.”
“Indeed,” Li Jin returned the bow, displeased. “Farewell!”
The room fell silent. Xu Yangui quickly sensed the awkward atmosphere and tried to slink away.
“Master Xu,” Shen Zaiye called out softly. “You’re leaving without saying anything?”
Xu Yangui laughed nervously, scratching his head. “He said he wanted to see you, so I brought him over. There’s nothing else to say.”
“You’re not Guanyin, granting every request,” Shen Zaiye said coolly. “Unless there’s a good reason, I don’t believe you’d make this trip.”
Xu Yangui sat down at the table honestly. “I just heard him talking about Jiang Shi’s situation, so I brought him over. It was just a coincidence.”
Shen Zaiye lowered his gaze, not pursuing whether it was truly a coincidence. He only asked, “What do you think I should do?”
Shocked that the great Shen Zaiye was asking for his opinion, Xu Yangui exclaimed, “You don’t have your idea?”
“There are more important matters to attend to right now, and I can’t focus on her at the moment,” Shen Zaiye said. “But I’m afraid if too much time passes, there won’t be a chance to save her.”
“You’re being foolish for once?” Xu Yangui said, caught between laughter and tears. “Aren’t you planning an alliance with Zhao? When the time comes, just have the Zhao Empress hand over the antidote.”
“Using such a big bargaining chip for an antidote—are you the fool, or am I?” Shen Zaiye said coldly. “Even when buying things, you know not to show too much interest, or you’ll be overcharged. In a matter of life and death, how can you expose your weakness to others?”
Xu Yangui paused, realizing the logic. If Shen Zaiye couldn’t openly ask for it, who could extract it from the Zhao Empress?
“Let’s think about it slowly,” Xu Yangui said, frustrated. “Right now, everything’s tangled together. Even with ten brains, you wouldn’t have enough.”
Rubbing his brow, Shen Zaiye fell silent.
That evening, when he returned to his residence and opened the doors to Zhengchun Pavilion, Jiang Taohua pounced on him as usual.
“My lord!” The young girl looked at him with bright eyes. “You’re back!”
“Mm,” he responded faintly. Remembering Li Jin’s words, Shen Zaiye unconsciously smiled at her.
Taohua’s face froze, and goosebumps rose all over her body. She let go of his waist and stepped back, looking at him warily. “…What happened?”
“I’m happy to see you, so I smiled,” Shen Zaiye said, frowning slightly. “What are you afraid of?”
Nonsense, who wouldn’t be scared seeing a wild beast bare its teeth in a smile? Did something stimulate him again today? While Taohua grumbled internally, she moved back to his side and tentatively asked, “Did anything strange happen today?”
“No.”
“Oh…” Nodding, Taohua took his hand and led him to the main room, sitting him down on the soft couch. “The Zhao envoys visited today and spoke quite a bit with me. I’m very happy, thank you, my lord.”
“I’m glad you’re happy,” Shen Zaiye said, leaning to the side. “Have you fulfilled your wish?”
“Yes!” Taohua nodded. She had obtained what she needed; whatever happened to the envoys next was no longer her concern.
Shen Zaiye lowered his gaze in thought. After deliberating for a while, he finally said, “In the future, if you have any matters, you can also ask me for help. You can tell me about any difficulties you encounter.”
What? Taohua looked at him in shock, unable to resist climbing into his lap and feeling his forehead. “What’s wrong with you today, my lord? You’re acting so strange.”
“How am I strange?” Shen Zaiye frowned. “Isn’t this what you wanted me to say?”
I did want it, who wouldn’t want their patron to openly say they’d protect them? But… this wasn’t Shen Zaiye’s usual way of speaking. She even suspected he might be possessed!
“You’re not usually so direct,” Taohua said carefully, goosebumps still rising on her skin. “Some things are fine left unsaid between us.”
Shen Zaiye was stunned and then grew slightly angry. “It seems he doesn’t understand you very well either.”
“Who?” Taohua raised an eyebrow. Seeing the look in Shen Zaiye’s eyes, she immediately understood and said, torn between laughter and tears, “What did Li Jin say to you?”
“Nothing,” he said, his face darkening as he reached to remove the hairpins from her head. Shen Zaiye methodically helped her undo her bun. “He seems quite concerned about you.”
Allowing him to remove her accessories, Taohua felt her whole body relax as her hair came loose. She leaned comfortably against his chest and pouted. “He is quite concerned about me.”
Did she admit it? Shen Zaiye narrowed his eyes. “Don’t you hate him?”
“His concern for me and my dislike for him don’t seem to conflict, do they?” Taohua smiled. “He is indeed different from before; I have to admit that.”
To be honest, if not for his past misdeeds, she would have been moved by his words today. Even though she had shown such obvious disdain for him, Li Jin was still willing to lose face and offer her the antidote. This gesture of goodwill, even if meant as atonement, was rare.
Unfortunately, she could no longer be moved.
Shen Zaiye frowned, his hand pausing in her hair for a long time before continuing. “It seems you can clearly distinguish between good and bad in your heart. You know who treats you well and who doesn’t?”
Hearing his tone, Taohua immediately turned and clung to his arm, sweetly saying, “Of course! For example, I know perfectly well that you treat me the best, my lord!”
His brow relaxed. Shen Zaiye pursed his lips, smoothing her long hair and holding her in his arms without speaking.
She held his arm in her embrace, while he held her in his. The two gazed at the moonlight outside the window, truly a moment of peace in their years.
However, this tranquility lasted only a few hours. The next morning, Shen Zaiye was summoned to the palace by the Emperor.
“Rebels have appeared in the capital,” Emperor Mingde threw the memorial to the ground, pacing anxiously before the dragon throne. “In just one short month, they’ve gathered two to three thousand people! They’re now near Yingxian Mountain, and the Metropolitan Governor didn’t even notice!”
It was a crucial time with Zhao and Wei in communication. If a rebellion broke out now, it would be a huge loss of face for Great Wei. Shen Zaiye’s expression was also very serious as he bowed and said, “Your Majesty should immediately send troops to suppress them.”
“I know,” Emperor Mingde said. “But General Pang was sent to quell the unrest in Anshan a few days ago. There are no other capable generals in the capital, and I can’t use the Palace Guards—they need to protect my imperial palace!”
“Father,” Prince Mu Wuxia stepped forward. “I am willing to go and suppress the rebellion!”
“You?” Emperor Mingde frowned. “You’re too young, not to mention you’re more inclined towards civil matters…”
The Emperor naturally thought the Prince Nan excelled in literature but not in military affairs, given the deep impression left by his recent lecture at the literary gathering.
“Father, please don’t worry,” Mu Wuxia said earnestly. “I’ve studied military strategy since childhood and diligently practiced horsemanship and archery. Since there are no generals in the capital, why not let me try?”
Shen Zaiye nodded and bowed. “Your minister believes the Prince Nan can go.”
Emperor Mingde pursed his lips, looking at Mu Wuxia seriously for a long while before finally nodding. “Very well. I’ll give you five thousand soldiers. You must eliminate that nest of rebels!”
“I accept the order!” Mu Wuxia’s eyes were full of brilliance. As he left the great hall, he looked at Shen Zaiye earnestly and said, “In this battle, this prince will only win and not lose. The reason Father is unwilling to attack Wu is that he has been at peace for too long and believes Wei’s army isn’t very strong. This is a perfect opportunity to show him our military strength. Afterward, when we seek to ally with Zhao and attack Wu, we’ll have more confidence.”
Shen Zaiye didn’t say much, only bowing and saying, “This minister awaits Your Highness’s triumphant return.”
Prince Nan nodded and immediately left with the military tally to the army’s stronghold. Shen Zaiye stood in place, watching his retreating figure and thinking that this child truly had a heart full of passion.
The path Mu Wuxia suggested could indeed work, but Shen Zaiye couldn’t wait any longer. He might as well take this opportunity to do what needed to be done.
Lu Zhilan was trimming flower branches in the palace when she suddenly received a letter. After opening and reading it, her eyes gradually reddened.
At the same time, various confidants in the court, as well as General Pang in distant Anshan, all received the same message.
(End of Chapter)