Chapter 281: People From the Imperial Court Have Arrived

Translator: Atlas Studios  Editor: Atlas Studios

She was a little confused. Had Shangguan Han gone crazy from eating chili powder?

It was rare to see such a fool who gave her gifts after she dealt with him. Apart from Qian Youde, who was stupid, Shangguan Han was the only one.

What was this called, asking for a beating?

However, this thing looked quite good.

“Well, I can hit him harder next time. Perhaps I’ll gain something unexpected.” she thought.

Shen Yijia stared at the glass cup seriously, so she didn’t notice Song Jingchen’s darkened face.

Shangguan Han was still dreaming of currying favor with Shen Yijia and not being bullied in the future. Little did he know that his nightmare had just begun.

Thinking of something, Shen Yijia suddenly asked, “Did you return that rice brush to him?”

Song Jingchen’s eyes darkened as he remembered what Mo Yuan had said.

He shook his head. “Not yet.”

He thought that Qian Youde was already shameless enough when he called him Brother Song for a free meal, but everyone underestimated his thick skin.

He stayed in the Shen residence and said that he wanted to nurture his relationship with Brother Song.

He was so shameless that it made one’s hair stand on end.

The people from the Imperial Court arrived in Xunyang in mid-November.

They set off from the capital in mid-October.

They should have arrived long ago, but there were endless twists and turns along the way. If the mountain path collapsed, they would have to wait for someone to clear the way. If the bridge was broken, the path ahead would not work and they would have to take a detour.

What was worse was that they were robbed by bandits. Their carriages clearly had the emblem of the imperial court on them. These bandits were short-sighted and did not recognize these emblems.

They should at least recognize the army escorting the provisions, right? They were all wearing armor.

However, those bandits seemed to be blind and were not afraid at all. They rushed up and shouted for a fight.

This made their journey miserable. The only thing they were glad about was that nothing had gone wrong with the rations.

The group stopped at the city gate of Xunyang City. They should have been worried that these commoners would skin them alive, but now, they heaved a sigh of relief.

The day before they arrived, Song Jingchen received the news. To be precise, he was responsible for all the twists and turns along the way.

This was also why Shen Yijia was curious about Uncle Yang’s disappearance.

Although the arrival of the people from the Imperial Court was inevitable, bringing extra rations when everyone already had food was not the same as bringing rations when everyone was desperately starving.

Song Jingchen was only fighting for extra time.

When the team arrived at the city gate, they did not enter the city directly. The soldiers who were originally at the front led the way and made way for them.

The two carriages slowly arrived at the front of the group.

The coachman of the carriage in front stopped and cupped his hands. “Lord Zhou, we’re here.”

After a few seconds, the curtain of the carriage slowly lifted, revealing an old man in his fifties with a white beard.

Lord Zhou had been through two dynasties and was a royalist through and through. He had always been trusted by Emperor Chong’an.

An official had once been implicated in a major matter and tried to cover it up.

That official ran to deliver generous gifts to Lord Zhou in an attempt to rope him in, but he did not expect to be stripped of his official position and imprisoned the next day.

It was because Lord Zhou had brought gifts into the palace to report him.

Speaking of which, that person was really unlucky. His name was not on the list at all. If he hadn’t exposed himself, he wouldn’t have ended up being exiled.

From then on, no one dared to get close to Lord Zhou. He became a lonely official, but he also became the person Emperor Chong’an trusted the most.

Even Grand Tutor Zhao, who had reported Shangguan Han, could not compare.

Lord Zhou stuck his head out and narrowed his turbid eyes. When he saw the scene in the city, he was stunned.

A group of guards stood on both sides of the city gate.

The citizens entering and leaving the city gate were chatting and laughing. Although they were all wearing rough linen clothes, it was obvious that they were thick enough to ward off the cold.

According to what he knew, the citizens of Xunyang City should be starving and naked.

But what was he looking at? All of them were ruddy and energetic. They didn’t look like people who had just experienced a war and couldn’t eat their fill.

Even the poor citizens of Xunyang City that he had heard of in the past should not look like this.

If not for the words “Xunyang” on the city gate, he would have thought that he had walked into the wrong place.

Their team had stopped here for about ten minutes, but the surrounding citizens did not seem to see them. They did not even glance at them.

Lord Zhou’s expression darkened. He summoned a soldier. “Go and tell the city guard that someone from the Imperial Court has arrived. Tell Lord An Le to come to the city gate to welcome him.”

He now represented Emperor Chong’an. He could not embarrass His Majesty.

The soldier nodded and rode towards the city gate.

As soon as the soldier left, the curtain on the second carriage was lifted and lowered again.

A young eunuch approached the person drinking tea and asked with a cheeky smile, “Godfather, aren’t you going to take a look?”

This person was none other than Eunuch Li, the chief eunuch beside Emperor Chong’an.

Eunuch Li took a sip of tea and raised his eyelids. He smacked his lips and said angrily, “Why are you going out? Are you going to embarrass yourself?”

Wouldn’t it be embarrassing if they couldn’t see the situation clearly? Wouldn’t it be better to enter quietly while no one was stopping them?

He didn’t want to embarrass himself. He might not even be able to enter the city gate today.

The young eunuch said obsequiously, “Godfather is so thoughtful, but does Lord An Le really dare to ignore us?”

Eunuch Li glanced at him. “I’m not Lord An Le. Why are you asking me?”

The young eunuch slapped his mouth exaggeratedly. “I said something wrong. I deserve a beating. Godfather, don’t be angry.”

Eunuch Li was amused. He raised his finger and pointed at the young eunuch’s head. “It’s fine in front of me, but don’t be so loose-lipped elsewhere. No one can save you.”

“Yes. Godfather is right.”

Just as Eunuch Li had said, the soldier returned after chatting with the city guards.

Lord Zhou asked, “How is it?”

The soldier scratched his head awkwardly. “He said that he would report it to His Highness and asked us to wait here.”

Lord Zhou’s expression darkened. What did he mean by waiting? If Lord An Le didn’t come, wouldn’t they be unable to enter?

The city guards looked straight ahead, but they were actually sizing up the carriage from the corner of their eyes.

Noticing Lord Zhou’s expression, one of them sneered and turned to whisper to the person beside him.

“Young Master Shenzhi is indeed smart. He already knew what these people were thinking. They even wanted our lord to personally welcome him. How could they be so shameless?”

“Stop talking. When you’re off duty later, just make a trip to the prince’s residence.”

“Hehe, I won’t forget,” the general said with a smile.

It was time for them to close the city gate.

The sky gradually darkened.

“Sir, why don’t we just enter the city?”

Lord Zhou’s follower, Zhou Qing, asked tentatively.

Although there was also a charcoal basin in the carriage, the cold wind still blew in through the curtain.

He wouldn’t be able to endure it even if he was still a young man.

Lord Zhou sat there, shivering. He said angrily, “Wait.”

He also wanted to enter the city, but he had already said it just now. How could he go back on his word?

However, that damned Eunuch Li did not come to persuade him.