He added many more men to the Crown Prince's side, both for protection and surveillance. However, things didn't develop as he expected. In his previous life, Emperor Deqing had encountered the "assassin" more than a month later when he woke up in the middle of the night. Furthermore, the guards found the Crown Prince's belongings outside the imperial tent, catching him red-handed. An imperial edict was immediately issued to depose the Crown Prince, and he was personally escorted back to the capital. Naturally, there was no second assassination attempt.
Chu Yao could only rely on his memories from his previous life. If certain factors caused things to develop differently from his previous life, he would not be able to predict the exact time and actions. Chu Yao turned his head to look at the little girl beside him. In his previous life, they had never even met. It was not surprising that a small change could lead to such a drastic change in the whole situation.
Trusting Chu Yao, Wushuang finally felt at ease.
She didn't care much about the Crown Prince's future; she just wanted her father to come home safely. Feeling sleepy, she lazily yawned and fell asleep in Chu Yao's arms.
Hebei Province, outside Xuanhua.
Three unassuming cooks, each holding a bamboo tray, waited for the soldiers guarding the prince's tent to inspect them one by one.
The plate contained the Crown Prince's breakfast. Although his current situation was precarious, his status was still there, and his food, clothing, and daily necessities were not reduced. Even his breakfast consisted of three bowls of porridge, two bowls of rice, and four kinds of pastries.
After inspection, it was confirmed that there was nothing wrong with the food, and the guards lifted the tent flap to let people in.
The cooks filed in, bringing out plates and bowls in turn and placing them on the low table in front of the prince. As one of them put down the steamer, he glanced at the prince briefly before quickly looking away and fixing his gaze on the gold and silver buns inside.
Because he was facing away from the outside of the tent, the soldiers watching from behind the curtain did not notice his actions. After the cooks were brought out, he lowered the curtain, leaving only the Crown Prince and his close attendant, Xiao Li, inside the tent.
The crown prince ate his meal at a leisurely pace, as if the events that had just transpired had nothing to do with him. He tasted two kinds of porridge, scooped up a few mouthfuls of shrimp fried rice, and then turned his attention to the gold and silver buns. He picked one up, broke it open, and seeing nothing unusual, ate it slowly and carefully. Only after finishing the entire steamer of xiaolongbao did he pick up a gold and silver bun and break it open.
A sliver of paper peeked out from the jagged tears. The prince squinted, pulled out the paper, unfolded it, and read a line of small characters:
He killed Jun Shu, seized military power, and marched straight into the capital. Everything was ready; he was just waiting for orders.
Chapter Index 105 | 1.103
Chapter 104:
At five-quarters past dawn, the heavy city gates opened precisely on time, just as they had for centuries. (qiushu.cc [Tianhuo Avenue])
The darkness did not leave on time; the rising sun hid behind rolling dark clouds, and the wide streets were deserted.
Old Hu emerged from an alley, his back hunched. His clothes were old and patched at the elbows, but they were very clean. He carried a large willow broom and slowly walked to the city gate.
"Old Hu, you're really punctual!" a soldier guarding the city shouted at him.
"Back then, there was an earthquake in my hometown. My son and daughter-in-law were all gone, and we had no one to rely on. If it weren't for His Highness the Crown Prince agreeing to let the capital take in us refugees and even arranging jobs for us, my wife, my grandson, and I would have starved to death long ago. I have nothing to repay him with, so I can only work hard!" Old Hu replied with a smile.
He had said these words for years, and the soldiers guarding the city had changed several times; almost every one of them knew them by heart. Since they were nothing new, he lost interest and ignored him, turning to talk to his colleagues instead.
Old Hu, still smiling, hunched over as he began to lightly sweep the street.
Raindrops began to fall from the sky, starting as a light drizzle, gradually becoming heavier and denser.
Old Hu didn't bring any rain gear, so after sweeping the floor a few times, he had to wipe the rain off his face. He was getting old and his movements were already slow, so sweeping became even slower.
However, the heavens did not intend to favor him. The rain grew heavier and heavier, and Old Hu had no choice but to stop his work and take shelter under the eaves of the shops along the street.
A procession of carriages and horses entered from outside the city gate. The sound of the rain was so loud that even the clatter of the horses' hooves was drowned out.
Old Hu leaned on his broom, watching as the procession of carriages and horses passed by him silently, neatly, and quickly, less than ten feet away.
"Tsk tsk, such a magnificent carriage, so many bodyguards, they must be a very wealthy family," Old Hu sighed. "Alas, even such a wealthy family has to travel from dawn till dusk."
Life is really tough.
The sky seemed to brighten a bit, and the rain seemed to lessen. Old Hu stepped out from under the eaves and resumed his work.
He had no idea that the person sitting in that magnificent carriage was none other than the Crown Prince, for whom he was so deeply grateful. [The website has almost all the books I want to read; it's much more stable than most online novel sites, updates faster, and it's all text with no ads.]
The carriage arrived at the open space outside the palace. Jun Shu dismounted, walked to the carriage, and said in a low voice, "Your Highness, we have arrived. Please get out of the carriage."
Little Li lifted the carriage curtain, and the Crown Prince stepped out gracefully. His expression showed obvious fatigue, but he still politely and considerately said to Jun Shu, "You must be tired from your journey, Marquis."
"It is my duty," Jun Shu said. "Thank you, Your Highness, for sparing my life."
The latter part could have been omitted; he knew very well that the Crown Prince's future was bleak. He should distance himself from him, even a casual acquaintance, let alone befriend him, lest he bring trouble upon himself. However, Jun Shu was always clear about right and wrong, and was never one to kick someone when they were down.
The crown prince gave a wry smile upon hearing this.
He used to pride himself on being kind and benevolent, but now he only feels that he is cowardly and incompetent.
If he were more ruthless and dared to order the killing of Jun Shu, and then lead his troops straight into the capital to catch the enemy off guard, he might very well succeed.
But he dared not, nor was he willing.
If Jun Shu is not killed, there might still be a chance to explain that the two previous alleged assassination attempts were not at his behest. But if Jun Shu is killed, the charge of treason will be confirmed, and there will be no chance of redemption.
The Crown Prince understood that Emperor Deqing's suspicion of him had been long-standing. However, he was still his biological father, the father who had taught him to read and write. He still held onto the hope that his father would not be so cruel and heartless.
Five days later, the imperial edict deposing the crown prince shocked the entire capital, including the Marquis of Runan's residence.
After the crown prince was deposed, Emperor Deqing had to choose a new successor, and who would ultimately ascend the throne became the most anticipated question. The allure of being a descendant of a powerful patron was immense, leading some to hastily choose sides, while others observed the situation and waited to make their decision.
The Jun family was not enthusiastic about this matter. The Marquis of Runan's family rose to prominence through military merit and, for over a hundred years, had always valued merit over ability, avoiding any scheming or factionalism. However, the eldest daughter of the Jun family was unable to marry the third prince, Chu Ye, as a concubine. This meant that no matter what the Marquis of Runan's family did, in the eyes of others, they were always seen as part of the Prince Yi's family and could not be separated from their connection.
Since we can't change it, worrying is useless. We might as well continue to open our hearts and live our lives well.
Now, the most pressing matter for the Jun family is Jun Heng's marriage.
The old lady had already chosen a suitable match for Junheng; the girl's name was Yao Zhiwei. Three generations ago, the Yao family had produced a high-ranking official. Although no one of such illustrious figures had emerged since, their descendants were still quite capable, with each generation producing someone who passed the imperial examination and entered officialdom. Their prestige was not as great as before, but they had not declined.
Because of the incident involving her second daughter-in-law, Madam He, years ago, the old lady was exceptionally cautious in choosing a granddaughter-in-law. Although Junheng was the eldest grandson of the Marquis of Runan, he could not inherit the title, and Junyu, who had already been granted the title of heir apparent, was much younger than him. The future wife's background and temperament were still uncertain. If Junheng's wife was of a much higher social standing than Junyu's wife, future discord would inevitably arise, repeating the same mistakes. However, if she came from a humble background and suddenly entered a high-ranking family, she might develop ambition, demand too much, and cause further trouble.
Therefore, the old lady had long planned that her future eldest grandson's wife would have three requirements: neither too high nor too low social status, strict family education, sensible and polite, and a calm and indifferent temperament.
Yao Zhiwei fits these characteristics perfectly.