coobybook Chapter 195 The Difficulties of Being in a Foreign Land
Chapter 195 The Difficulties of Being in a Foreign Land
Even though Jiang Zhi already knew the answer in her heart, she still needed to find evidence.
“Your Highness, Lord Zhenyuan has no other wounds, so it is likely that the person who poisoned him only wanted to kill him in one blow.”
Jiang Zhi hesitated for a moment, then walked forward again. "What he wants is to disrupt Yanjing."
Yu Jiuxia instinctively wanted to ask who, but then stopped herself and walked to her side. "Your Highness, should we take the Lord back...?"
Jiang Zhi squatted down and stared blankly at the corpse of the Marquis of Zhenyuan, carefully examining every part of his body to make sure that he had not suffered any humiliation before his death.
She looked up and said, “My father was a minister, and his death will definitely attract attention. Moreover, my father died near the White Horse Temple, and his body will be discovered sooner or later. If we take him away now and it gets investigated, the situation will be unfavorable to us no matter what. Even if you did something you didn’t do, people will still find something to use against you.”
Yu Jiuxia thought it made sense, and she was also looking forward to it.
Upon arriving at the residence, Jiang Zhi went directly to the study. As he walked, he unbuttoned his outer robe and let it slip off. He sat down, spread out Xuan paper, poured water, ground ink, picked up his brush, and painted in one go.
At noon, I followed behind and tidied things up.
Chenxi followed in with ginger tea. Seeing that the princess was busy, she did not dare to disturb her. However, noticing that there was not much ink left in the inkstone, she added a drop of water, picked up the ink stick, and continued grinding.
A moment later, Jiang Zhi finished drawing.
Chenxi quickly gave the princess the ginger tea that hadn't cooled down yet, to help her get rid of the chill.
The strange smell of ginger sent a chill down Jiang Zhi's spine. "Is Qinghuai outside?"
Her voice was soft; she wanted to ask about noon.
But the person outside responded, "Your Highness, I am here."
I only heard the sound, but didn't see anyone.
Jiang Zhi looked up and saw the candlelight in the room, realizing it was already late at night.
She stretched, picked up the painting, got up, and went outside. "Come in."
He only entered after the princess spoke.
Gu Liang repeatedly told him that he must protect his queen while he was away. If she was unwilling, she should secretly follow him and report to him at all times.
"Go and deliver this painting to the prince consort, and tell him to find a woman who resembles the woman in the painting."
Qinghuai accepted the gift with both hands, and seeing that the princess had no further instructions, immediately left to make arrangements.
He had been waiting here because he had guessed that she would ask him to do something.
At noon, she gently urged, "Your Highness, it's time to rest. You've had a very tiring day."
"Wait a minute." Jiang Zhi returned to the study, took out a piece of paper, and wrote down some scattered words.
She looked at the words.
Gu Yuan killed a high-ranking official in order to create chaos in Yanjing. He must be very pleased with himself now. How could an arrogant person not seek out amusement?
Since he loves beautiful women so much, she should find the one most suitable for him so that he can enjoy himself to the fullest.
As she lowered her eyes, she thought of the White Horse Temple from earlier that day.
In this farce, how many innocent people lost their lives, while those who carried it out showed no remorse whatsoever.
Gu Yuan, you're so naive!
At noon, glancing at the water clock, he stepped forward and pulled Jiang Zhi aside. "Your Highness, don't think about it anymore. Go and rest. You haven't said a word since you returned from the White Horse Temple. You painted a picture and then sent Qinghuai to do errands. Now you're not saying anything else, just looking at the characters you've written."
"Your Highness, your appearance really frightens me. If you are very sad and upset, please cry."
"Don't push yourself anymore."
Jiang Zhi did not resist Wu Shi and let her put a cloak on her. With just one glance, an indescribable sour feeling welled up in her chest.
"I'm fine. You should go home first at noon. I need to think about something else."
Her voice was very low, and Wu Shi dared not look her in the eye. She knew that her queen had been wronged, but her queen was proud and would never allow herself to reveal her vulnerability to the outside world.
She stopped urging him, pursed her lips, and left the room.
Jiang Zhi, who was standing at the desk, finally couldn't hold on any longer and collapsed onto the table.
She murmured softly, "Gu Liang, I miss you..."
This was the first time she had ever opened up like this, and it was filled with immense grievance. But Gu Liang wasn't there; if he were, he would probably be overwhelmed by guilt.
Jiang Zhi sobbed softly, her tears soaking her sleeves.
A light drizzle hit Gu Liang's cheek.
He reached out and stroked it.
The eldest princess sat on a large rock, gazing into the distance.
"It's only August, how can the winter in the North be so cold?"
Gu Liang stood beside her and said, "Winter in the North comes a little earlier than usual, and by the end of October it's completely frozen over. In the far north, the only way to survive is to hide in a cave."
"So this is why Wei Zhuo wants to attack?" The eldest princess plucked a blade of grass and chewed on it. "You're always drawing diagrams, aren't you afraid someone will see that you're sending messages?"
Gu Liang rolled her eyes at her, "How long do you plan to keep the emperor's people here?"
They all knew perfectly well that the emperor's entourage was not helping them, but rather that they were the emperor's spies, monitoring their every move.
The emperor was too suspicious throughout his life and betrayed many people. Even the eldest princess was not someone he could completely trust.
The eldest princess chuckled, spitting out the foxtail grass. "Don't be too harsh. My husband is still waiting for me to return. Don't forget your queen is still waiting for you to come home."
"Don't risk your life here, you have a family."
Gu Liang's eyes welled up with tears when she heard the last few words.
I looked up at the cold moon.
He prided himself on being fully prepared, but now that things had come to this, he was still worried. He felt that if his Zhu Tao had been wronged, no one would listen to her.
He wondered if his precious child, whom he held in the palm of his hand, was now unable to sleep because of thinking about things. Thinking of this, Gu Liang's heart sank into an abyss.
Upon seeing this, the eldest princess clicked her tongue in amazement, "Oh my, look at him, my nephew has grown up. He knows how to care about people and keep them in his heart instead of just saying it."
Gu Liang glanced at her, ignored her, and turned away, leaving her behind.
His voice came through, "We must set off tonight; the journey is long, and we cannot delay."
The order had been given, and the group following the princess naturally complained, but before they could complain for long, a sharp blade was placed against the neck of the one who was complaining.
Gu Liang's smile under the cold light was like that of a demon.
"What did you say? I didn't hear you clearly."
He spoke calmly.
The leader, trembling, cast a pleading look at the Princess beside him, "I was sent by His Majesty. Is His Highness Prince Liang so rude? Princess, are you really going to stand idly by?"
The eldest princess scratched her neck and cleared her throat. "I am the commander personally appointed by His Majesty. Please call me Commander."
"Commander! Please say something!" the leader shouted with all his might.
The eldest princess looked troubled, a hint of regret in her eyes. "Actually, you all did quite well along the way." She glanced down at her painted nails. "However, His Majesty said before we set off that only His Majesty could interfere with the Prince of Liang's orders, and I had no right to do so."
"Why, how could this happen!"
"How can this be!"