amaotonovel Chapter 58 The Storm Is Brewing
Chapter 58 The Storm Is Brewing
The banquet at Yuqiong Tower was a joyous occasion for all the guests and hosts. As dusk approached, Shen Qing and his entourage took their leave from the Duke of Yu's mansion.
On the way back, Shen Che leaned against the carriage and closed his eyes to rest, reviewing his trip to the Yu family today. Apart from confirming that the Duke of Yu and his heir were indeed in the Southern Frontier, Yu Ze remained tight-lipped and he hadn't learned anything else. But this only made it more likely that something big was about to happen.
The officials of Yu Kingdom were ambiguous in their attitude, and the previously agreed-upon deal was delayed indefinitely. According to the original itinerary, they should have already been on their way back to Xuandu.
But they insisted on waiting for the Crown Prince to return to court, saying that the original decision was made by the Crown Prince and that he needed to confirm it again. Even though Emperor Yu could have made the decision, it seemed that Emperor Yu was also waiting.
Shen Che was helpless. The Xuan Kingdom delegation could only drag things out like this. However, things might change if they dragged on. Shen Che was worried that the Yu Kingdom might break the agreement or even form an alliance with other countries.
If that's the case, the best outcome would be for the mission to return empty-handed; they could all perish here.
Shen Che looked up at Shen Qing. If it really came to that, would Qing Xi be able to escape back to Xuan Kingdom alone?
"What's wrong with my brother?"
"It's nothing."
Shen Che remained nonchalant. Things hadn't reached that point yet, so saying more would be pointless and only cause her unnecessary worry.
Although Shen Che didn't say anything, Shen Qing wasn't stupid either. The fact that the delegation had been stuck in Yu Kingdom for so long meant that something must have happened.
Shen Che's visit to the Duke of Yu's mansion today was a subtle attempt to extract information from his words; how could he not understand it?
Will any major events occur in southern Xinjiang that could influence the course of the dynasty?
With limited information, he couldn't figure it out no matter how hard he racked his brains, but he had also considered the worst possible outcome that Shen Che had envisioned, so he still needed to prepare early.
For example, go back and practice your lightness skills and swordsmanship, scout out the location, study the escape route, and even communicate with the system in your mind.
"Tongzi, what if, I mean, what if, I'm in mortal danger, do you have a way to save me?"
For example ←_←
"For example, being surrounded by an army, with archers on the other side."
[...] The system fell into thought. When a baby cries, it means that the baby has already soiled itself. Shen Qing's statement was definitely not unfounded.
First, tell us what you intend to do, and we can improve our plan to prevent this from happening in the first place.
"Look at what you're saying, do you think I'm the kind of person who likes to cause trouble?"
【Who are you(?_? )】
“...But this time it really isn’t me.” Shen Qing explained her guess and analysis.
【Simple】
Shen Qing's eyes lit up. "Do you have any good ideas?"
【You should run now. You're rich and skilled in martial arts; if you run into robbers and can't beat them, you can always escape.】
"...Wouldn't that be too disloyal?"
[What kind of loyalty are you, an outsider, talking to them about? Shen Che is nice to you because he doesn't know his sister's soul has been switched, but you are Shen Qing, not Shen Qingxi.]
Shen Qing was caught in a dilemma. People develop feelings for each other after spending a long time together, and these feelings cannot be easily separated.
After a long while, Shen Qing came to a realization. Regardless of the past, from the moment he became Shen Qingxi, everything afterward was his cause and effect.
"System, human emotions are too complicated for you to understand. Just tell me if you can help."
[...] Has it been subtly implied again?
No, you're going to die!
The system was just saying those angry words, thinking that if Shen Qing coaxed him, it could use that as a way to get him to agree to bind with the system.
To everyone's surprise, the Sea King was quite the straight man when it came to the system. He thought that the system was indeed useless and didn't have much ability, otherwise Revlon wouldn't have needed him to leave Kaido.
It's a pity the system doesn't know his thoughts, otherwise, as a senior system that knows the host's thought process well, it would definitely spit in his face. Lu Huanong was just saving money on props, so he hitched a free ride with him!
This strange misunderstanding was not resolved until much later.
The Duke of Yu's Mansion, Yu Ze's Study.
After seeing Fang Fan off, Yu Jue pondered the matter again and again, and finally decided to discuss it with Yu Ze.
"My uncle said there's something strange about the military reports from the south?"
Yu Jue nodded and said, "It's common for local authorities to make mistakes when reporting military and political affairs to the court through post stations, but the reports from the Southern Frontier are so perfect that they seem unreal, as there is absolutely nothing for the court to worry about."
"Could it be that Uncle is overthinking things?"
"My grandfather and father haven't sent letters home for a long time, which is unprecedented."
Yu Ze's eyes narrowed. "Could it be that someone has blocked the news channels in Southern Xinjiang? Who could be so well-connected?"
"The most important thing now is to find out the actual situation in southern Xinjiang. Let's send a few trusted confidants to investigate."
Yu Ze paced back and forth. "I'll go there myself."
"This is too dangerous..."
"Who can blockade the entire southern border? Perhaps Father has no one he can trust to send him the message."
If Yu Jue remains silent, then the situation is truly serious.
In the end, Yu Jue compromised and discussed the details of the trip with Yu Ze.
The candlelight in the study remained burning all night. Before dawn, Yu Ze quietly left the city with ten servants, traveling light and without entourage.
When Yu Jue returned to Green Jade Courtyard, she found Yu Mi sitting at the door waiting for her.
Yu Jue patted her little head, "Did you get up early or didn't sleep at all?"
"I haven't slept, I'm waiting for my sister." Yu Mi yawned.
Yu Jue led her back to her room, saying, "Mi'er, your sister may need to use your dowry."
"Huh?" Yu Mi, who was already sleepy, thought hard for a moment. Her sister must be talking about the inheritance left to her by her mother, whom she had never met.
"If my sister needs it, just take it..." she said, and then fell asleep.
Yu Jue tucked her in, then quietly slipped out and closed the door.
Back in her room, Yu Jue was preoccupied and unable to sleep. She took out a wedding dress from her chest.
She embroidered this wedding dress herself, stitch by stitch, using gold thread and gemstones. The patterns are exquisite and the process is complex. She has only finished half of it so far.
Unable to sleep, Yujue took out her needle and thread from the basket and continued embroidering.
Yudu Post Station
Shen Qing began to work hard. Since arriving in Yu Kingdom, where most of the journey was by water, Shen Qing was afraid that practicing on the boat would accidentally poke a hole in the bottom of the boat, so he did not practice.
Being lazy for a while is fun, and being lazy all the time is even more fun. By the time Shen Qing arrived in Yudu, he had gotten used to being lazy and hadn't practiced his skills for a while.
Today, the guards were awakened by the whooshing sound of Shen Qing wielding his sword.
Yawning, he came into the yard. "Sanlang got up really early today."
Shen Qing finished with a beautiful flourish: "The plan for the year starts in spring, the plan for the day starts in the morning, time is money, but money can't buy time."
"..." He was just a common soldier, not very educated, and couldn't understand much.
A few days later, Shen Qing heard from a minor official at the post station that Yu Jue had donated half of his mother's dowry to disaster relief, and that the palace had even issued an imperial edict to commend him.